This is the face of my America, as I see it. Flawed? Sure. But a giant step closer to the country I’d want to be living in. Please get out and vote in 2008.

After our exams were over, a few of us went down to Prince’s Street to celebrate before we fled town for our various respective destinations. Tomorrow night, I’ll be meeting up w/some folks again to celebrate Hogmanay, aka the New Year. (When I asked the Scottish farmer in charge of us wee students and cows what Hogmanay meant he said, “I don’t know. Ask Jeeves. So here’s wiki’s take….) O. Since my camera has died, I’ve borrowed these photos from Beth (who was there but not in my pictures! boooooooo.) If you lift the images, please give credit and cash to her, okay? Thanks.

Went on a Haunted City Of The Dead Tour to celebrate Friday the Thirteenth. Was attacked in a crypt by ancient spirits of unnamed rouges and heard the real story of Greyfriar’s Bobby (said dog of statuary fame) then went and ate wicked food: deep fried Mars Bars! But my machine is still crapped out so it’ll be awhile before I get my pictures of the graveyard up.

edited 27/10/03
Finally got the laptop back up and running. Have photo(s)…. of fried foods!

thinking about the children of New Orleans, the elementary school aged homeless who are going to be affected for life…. thinking about the need for alternative solutions, a serious projected future which provides a true alternative to the horrific mess being propogated by the [\]e0c0[\]z and was struck by this paragraph below for its illustration of my personal political naivete. Never really think in terms of the real issues some communities live with daily. Never even think maybe, just am swept up in terms of the fantasy of paying rent, drinking with friends, live for today because there may not be any tomorrow. Man - that’s a tough one to stop, too. Am in the midst of my own reprogramming but it AIN’t goin’ fast or e-z.

“….just some personal reflections. reading this i find myself, as is so often the case with these types of political mission statements, oddly skeptical, uninspired and disassociated. some of this definitely has to do with where i am at in relation to political “theory” and “the struggle,” but i think it also comes from a gut-feeling that, in many of the communities you are asking us to ground ourselves in…to integrate into, to work with…nintendo, the church, television, internet porn, drugs, alcohol, crass media, etc., are a far more powerful, influential force than community organizers. Read the rest of this entry »

Edited 4-3-06:

So here you go finally: photos from the (allegedly? million plus!? person) Immigration Reform protest this past Saturday. Wish I had more to say on the subject other than it was amazing seeing the sea of people - solid (peaceful) people from Staples Center to City Hall and back again. I’m ashamed to admit but must that I likely wouldn’t have gone had it not been an assignment from a friend back East. (Thanks, my man - that was a good call!) Met up with friend, Risa, who is filming a (semi?)documentary on the life of the “rent-a-worker” Mexicans who hang out at Home Depot hoping for the odd job. (I don’t think this happens anywhere else. Where you can literally go to Home Depot and pick up a Mexican to do manual labor for the day? Need your bathroom repaired? Get the hardware and the labor, all in the same place!) I managed to make it through nearly the whole day without going on my transportation / “L.A. Hates People” rant but I guess that’s because I’d be yelling at the exact populace who already knows and suffers from the lack of concern for public welfare. I wonder what the people of Bel Air and Beverly Hills really think they would do if they didn’t have an immigrant population to support their expected quality of life. Some terrific signs and t-shirts. I was surprised by the lack of Asian contingency though. As I was watching the police in full garb including bullet proof face masks, someone in the parading crowd walked by and spat at me, “F-’g white girl. What the f* are you doing here? Smiling and shit.” It bothered me (a lot or it wouldn’t have made it to this page.) Made me think of the quote:

First they came for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up, because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me.

Rev. Martin Niemoller, 1945

by which I do not mean to compare our the Bill’s intention with the “Progroms” but merely to illustrate that sometimes we have to be involved on behalf of others with issues that do not effect us directly or we will not have support on those that do. Oh well.

Click on the photo for a slide show (or go to the gallery for videos as well.)

Viva la Revolucion!