Hello all. I have not been regularly checking out the site and have contributed nothing in quite a long time. My computer had crashed, burned, and was in a coma for forever. But now it is quite fixed and up and running better than ever. I don't know if I will contribute much even though I am back on the site semi-regularly. But I have updated my stuff so there are now pictures and some new entries about myself in my profile. I'm sorry if I've been a bad friend. But I don't seriously think most of my "friends" have even noticed. They probably have thousands of other "friends" and all the noise I make in my little corner doesn't much reach them or anybody else. But in case anyone, friend or stranger, wanted to check out my stuff (updated) here it is and thanks for taking an interest.

Comradely,
Nicholas

I just finished writing a long piece of commentary on a article in the news section. It was a news item about some nice christian girls who made cookies one night just for fun and laid them on their neighbors doorstep as a random act of kindness. Apparently, according to the story, the neighbor heard a knock on her door, saw nobody was there and a warm plate of cookies on her porch and for some reason was frightened and got really freaked thinking she was having a heart attack. So this lady ends up suing the girls for damages. Most of the responses to the story were similar, basically expressing outrage at the lady for being so crazy and evil and at the judge who sided with the lady for being crazy, evil and part of what is wrong with the legal system today. All of this totally falls in line with all of the right-wing rhetoric I've read about on the need for tort reform. Basically conservatives want to do away with the consumer's ability to fight back against corporate malfeasance. It is a major, major policy that the Bush administration is pushing for in its second term. We've all read the reports about right-wing pundits taking large amounts of money to shill out propaganda for the White House in the guise of objective "news reporting." We also saw how the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth were so successful at derailing the Kerry campaign. Of course the Bush camp was shocked! shocked! at such sleazy accusations and wiped their hands of the whole thing. But the message got across. The White House plays dirty, no matter who occupies it. Clinton ordered a couple of bombing raids to divert attention away from the Lewinski scandal. I think it is healthy to be skeptical of those in power. I think it is absolutely necessary for true democracy to flourish. Any time that we start approaching those in power with an attitude of innocence, of expecting them to be honest instead of retaining a sharp sense of skepticism that insists upon our better judgement to ask more questions and dig deeper, then I believe that is when we fail in our duty as responsible citizens. Paranoia is something else altogether though. I could be totally wrong about this news item. It could actually be true. I don't rule that out. But even if it is true, by focusing on this event we are putting the focus on one very rare, outlandishly ridiculous incident that can easily be held up as symbolic of the need to severely limit or do away with altogether the ability of a citizen to take legal recourse against a person/company who they feel has wronged them. This is corporate america's wet dream. And Bush and company are actively shilling for it, they are trying to make this dream come true.
I would personally like to see more stories on the recent crack-down on the student anti-war movement and on professors who are speaking out against U.S. foreign policy. In my neck of the woods, the right-wing punditry are shifting into high gear to demand that the students who kicked military recruiters off the campus of Seattle Central Community College be disciplined and that Seattle Central Students Against the War be officially disbanded if they don't issue a public apology. As a University of Washington student and fellow anti-war comrade I stand in solidarity with these students and fully support their stance of standing up to the right-wing pundits and the college bureacracy and absolutely refusing to apologize.
So I guess I should start submitting news items to SG.

I'm sitting here wearing my Devo "Energy Dome" (looks like an upside-down flower pot) in my tighty-whiteys and drinking a can of Pepsi (corporate sugar-water, as my friend Ramy describes it) and listening to Beck (can't wait for Guero) and looking at Suicide Girls. My love, Elicia, is passed out on the bed. I wonder what Revolutionaire is up to right about now? Could he be at Beth's eating french toast and a milkshake and playing pinball? Play "Golden Years" on the jukebox Revo, just one time for me.
Well, its my first journal entry ever. I decided for a long time that I wouldn't journal. But I feel bad that I have nothing to offer my SG Friends. I don't have any pictures up yet, they don't even get to see me. So might as well, if they are interested, give them some words to look at until I get some pictures up.
So there's no real drama in my personal life. I have an exam on Monday for my Contemporary Literature class. I love this class. The professor told us not to worry about the exam. Some of my classmates are getting skittish. But its a good class full of bright people. We'll all do fine.
We just finished reading Toni Morrison's novel "The Bluest Eye." It was quite horrifying. Beautifully written, she's quite the writer. But it was terribly dark and such descriptive detail about things that repulse me. A moving experience. Haunting really.
So, my Energy Dome is waning and I need to recharge it now. I'll try to update this when I can. If you read this and enjoy it, thank you. I'm glad. If you read this and didn't like it, then I'm sorry and will try harder next time around.

Spartacus