Digital Chaos Media

I think that this moment is the time for me to end my silence…  Today is a day that will go down in history.  It is a day that many of us have long awaited, a moment that has outlived many lives, something so unique, so very special that anyone who feels is compelled to experience.  At around noon tomorrow, Barack Obama will be sworn in as the new President of the United States.  That means something.  For the first time ever we have elected a man that does not meet the stereotypical ‘norm’ that is attached to modern politics. Dare I say we have entered the realm of ‘Post Modern’ politics? 

Now I know that a lot of folks think that Obama will be one of our worst Presidents, but keep the following in mind… We’ve had some really bad presidents in the past and frankly, I don’t think that Obama could be taking office at a worse time. Just think about it, he is inheriting an economy that may be destined for 1-2 years of mediocrity or worse despite the best efforts of the great financial minds at his disposal. He may be forced to toe the line for any chance of reelection before he can make any earth shattering decisions (though there are some rumors of a decision with Rowe v Wade implications…)

Look, all I’m saying is, let time show us the true merit of Obama. Speculation aside, the US is about to get its first non-white president! That in itself is worth respect.

Respect Mr. Obama…  respect…

Launching: Guantanamo

All the Che fanatics wearing commercialized tricolored t-shirts bearing his image, while never having read a word of Ernesto’s own thoughts, please put down the spears, we’re not launching Cuba proper, or socialists, just the United States detention centers in Guantanamo Bay.

President-Elect Obama has promised to close down the satellite military tribunal. He has assured the American people that he will strive to strengthen the laws protecting the guilty, and the innocent. He has vowed to protect human rights and prisoners rights, as diverging, but equally important components of what is the America he wishes us to be. Now, in a country with dismal prison systems, systemically flawed, corrupt, and prejudice laws, I take exception to sixteen year old boys facing life imprisonment in federal detention, but I don’t know that I feel the same outrage for Sheikh Mohammed and his 9/11 cohorts. I can’t muster those feelings. Overall prisons are overrated, we’re a society that punishes and doesn’t forgive, we don’t believe in mistakes, or accidents; retribution and restitution take back seats to harsh sentences handed down by all-too jaded judges and justices. There are more problems with the criminal justice system than can be fully addressed in a generation and yet there is little outcry for change, there is however growing support in government and among citizens to put an end to our Cuban detention centers. Guantanamo goes to far, it’s the Patriot Act at it’s worst for sure, and innocent men and woman find themselves detained for extended periods without access to lawyers or due process, as a result of suspicions arising from wearing head scarfs or having unkempt beards. [Read more →]

Violence against women and girls continues unabated in every continent, country and culture. It takes a devastating toll on women’s lives, on their families, and on society as a whole. Most societies prohibit such violence — yet the reality is that too often, it is covered up or tacitly condoned.

— UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon

For your sister, your mother, your friend…

Une vie sans violence, c’est notre droit. Una vida libre de violencia es nuestro derecho.

Fear transcends culture, freedoms should be universal. Support women’s rights worldwide.

If you’re somewhere in a barking dog pose or sweating yourself to death in a 100 degree room with lots of bendy people, you’re probably a little disheartened by the newest fatwa handed down by Malaysian Islamic leaders, banning yoga for religious Muslims. Sanatana Dharma has apparently had far too much influence on the yogurt; there wont be any samsara for the muslim people of Malaysia, you lay down on one of those cushy mats and start stretching out, you’ll probably find yourself somewhere in the midst of Krishna’s seventh incarnation, better watch out. I always thought those yogies were trying to convert me, messing with my karma, twisting me upside down and leading me down a path of “right action,” that’s obviously a codeword for Diwali; I think I even saw a candle once in a yoga studio. Thank goodness the Malaysian authorities uncovered the deep dark roots of these yogi berra’s, saved us all from some serious explaining in the afterlife, we were ten or twelve seconds away from no river of honey, and maybe twenty or so less virgins. So get off your yoga mat, tense up folks, Malaysia has spoken, we’re all saved, lucky too because we’ve all seen the hindu Om, I can’t imagine anyone misusing that. Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time in history the true essence of Hinduism has been misinterpreted to create social panic, by not only disrespecting true believers but also dismissing religious doctrine. I don’t even like yogurt, but let me tell you I’m going to get me some, I might even start speaking Sanskrit, that’s Hindu too, I’m sure it’ll be outlawed soon, save the people. [Read more →]

The Launch: Iran(ish)

Ok, we’re not launching all of Iran, that would be outrageous, don’t worry aziz, I’m sure there’s something in the Qu’ran about the launching of an entire nation of people, so let’s be more specific. We’re launching the Iranian Revolutionaries. Now, before you jump down my throat and attempt to squeeze my tiny heart to nothing, I realize that the Iranian Revolution is over, technically, or is it? I’m prepared to make a case for the fact that post-modern Islamic fundamentalism found it’s roots in the Iranian Revolution. Khomeini has long been laid to rest but his ideals and teachings have echoes that can still be heard in the streets of Tehran. And I’m not just talking about women this time, I’m talking about men, children, religious suppression, torture, execution, the whole nine yards. Days after the leadership of al-queda released video footage warning President-Elect Obama of the impending threats to the United States, Islamic fundamentalists are joining forces under a united flag of hatred that does not stem from religion, or opposition to the shah, it stems from the teaching of Imam Kohmeini and his revolutionary ideas. [Read more →]

The limiting factor for increasing the quality of life of its citizens, is how much energy a country can tap into. The United States should start taking actions to conserve energy while building smart power sources. Barack Obama has an inadequate energy plan that will hinder the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness because he has awful ideas. He does not understand how energy works. His plan will not help improve the energy infrastructure of the United States.

Transportation is the most important thing in human society. Efficient and rapid transport allows a person to have access to more goods and interactions and is the pillar of a high quality of life. Hopefully, the United States will invest heavily in the modernization of its antiquated rail and highway infrastructures to make transportation more accessible and efficient. Clogged rails and roads are energy and time inefficient no matter which type of vehicles are on them. Shockingly, Obama’s plan does not have a single reference of intentions to expand rail or road capacity. It casually mentions repairing roads in one sentence on its final paragraph, hopefully it’s last but not least. Obama’s vision for transportation is to make transportation more efficient by pumping money into highly inefficient car companies that employ inefficient union workers. When the capital is wasted on these unionized (handicapped) companies, everyone in the world will lose. [Read more →]

The Launch: Burma’s Military Regime

There is only one Nobel Laureate in detention throughout the world, her name is Aung San Suu Kyi and she’s currently under house arrest in Burma. Throughout her incarceration she has courageously maintained a face of dissension and peaceful resistance in a country destroyed by tyrannous military forces. Today alone, courts in Myanmar sentenced over one dozen activists to long-term prison sentences. Leaders of the pro-democracy movement in Burma are subjected to a wide variety of heinous actions as a result of their beliefs in freedom, solidarity, peace, and democracy. Activists and members of specific ethnic groups have been raped, stabbed, tortured, and murdered by the self-proclaimed government that has refused to relinquish power in the face of serious opposition from national and international peace organizers. [Read more →]

A new DCM series about people, groups, or nations, that should be launched right off the planet.

This week: Somali Islamists

Over the past several days more information regarding the stoning death of a thirteen year old Somali girl has highlighted the extraordinary impact of Islamist presence in Somalia. The girl was stoned to death in an arena setting with over 1000 purported witnesses, and her crime? She was raped. Islamist militants handed down and administered the supposed religious verdict accusing the child of adultery and subjecting her to a public and painful death sentence by stoning. These so-called religious men forced the child into a hole, covered her to her neck and then tens of them threw stones at her until she died, screaming, alone, not only a victim of rape, but now a victim of torture as well. There’s a saying in American culture: people in glass houses should not throw stones. Perhaps the Somali Islamists are unfamiliar with this idiom of American culture, but there is no excuse, explanation, or justification for the execution of a child, by this or any means, let alone a victim of a crime. [Read more →]

I’d like to take this opportunity to begin a series that will outline some of the lameness in our society.

For the purposes of this first post I’d like to highlight those states that ban Gay Marriage: Florida, Arizona, and California, shameful.

Arkansas, well I mean, in the land of the Little Rock 9 I wasn’t expecting much, but come on people, babies need a place to live and homosexuals aren’t scary, what scares me is people from Arkansas.

Also falling under the strange but not lame category, anyone note that Washington State supported doctor assisted suicide, I’ve got a few people I’ll be taking on “vacation” to Washington very very soon.

Finally, if Ted Stevens wins that’s the lamest thing ever, felons can’t vote but they can run? I’m confused about the constitution again, are we created equal, but not treated equal, we can have babies, but maybe not raise them? Hmm, lame.

There is one moment in my life that I will never forget.

September 12, 2001, I drive to my grandmother’s assisted living condominium with my mom, dad, two sisters, aunt, uncle and cousins.  And we explain to her that her second-born son was killed. And she doesn’t really grasp the magnitude.  And we explain it again–the buildings in New York that collapsed, for whatever reason, Howie worked in them.  And then she gets it–pain, rage, grief, fear, 56 years worth of all of this just spills out in a guttural scream.  So for me, and I guess for lots of other people, that day (and perhaps Sept. 2005) is just etched in my brain–those NYTimes front pages are saved on a bookshelf to be found by my niece and nephews in 2050.  And today I have a new moment to replace that one. [Read more →]