Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Dubya as You've Never Seen Him
My friend from MySpace, Elle, sent me this photo, which cracked my shit up. I promise to write more in this damn thing soon, but in the meantime, enjoy the new side of our....**emulating the sound of vomiting**...."beloved" president!
Friday, June 16, 2006
Current List - June 16, 2006
D.A.'s Current list for June 16, 2006
Reading:
Just finished reading Floor Sample, an autobiography written by The Artist's Way creator, Julia Cameron. Floor Sample provides insight into how events in her life (mainly her bout with alcoholism, and subsequent sobriety) formulated the foundation for The Artist's Way. She was once married to world famous filmmaker, Martin Scorsese.
Next up:
A Million Little Pieces - James Frey
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert M. Pirsig
The DaVinci Code - Dan Brown: For the third time....maybe I will actually finish it for once.
Godless - Ann Coulter: Some time ago, The Kern asked me why I'd want to spend the money on buying the wackjob's books. My answer was that I was impatient and didn't want to be 564th in line on the reserve list at the library. But, I can't help but love her tomfoolery and her loathsome stupidity. So, I came up with the idea that I may go to a different bookstore each day and read a chapter from the book so that I don't have to spend the money. Also, I'm morbidly curious to see what kind of responses I get from people that see me read this book.
Current listening:
A Bugged Out Mix - Miss Kittin
Black Ships Ate the Sky - Current 93
The Drift - Scott Walker
The Sleeping Mustache
Rather Ripped - Sonic Youth
The Sun Awakens - Six Organs of Admittance
operettAmorale - Black Sun Productions
The Ape of Naples - Coil
The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of a Beast - Matmos
Alles Fallt - Das Bierbeben
The Conduit - Jarboe
Seies - Larsen
The Hacker And N.O.W. - The Hacker
Your Children Placate You In Premature Graves - Legendary Pink Dots
Salvador - Ricardo Villalobos
You Are There - Mono
Reading:
Just finished reading Floor Sample, an autobiography written by The Artist's Way creator, Julia Cameron. Floor Sample provides insight into how events in her life (mainly her bout with alcoholism, and subsequent sobriety) formulated the foundation for The Artist's Way. She was once married to world famous filmmaker, Martin Scorsese.
Next up:
A Million Little Pieces - James Frey
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert M. Pirsig
The DaVinci Code - Dan Brown: For the third time....maybe I will actually finish it for once.
Godless - Ann Coulter: Some time ago, The Kern asked me why I'd want to spend the money on buying the wackjob's books. My answer was that I was impatient and didn't want to be 564th in line on the reserve list at the library. But, I can't help but love her tomfoolery and her loathsome stupidity. So, I came up with the idea that I may go to a different bookstore each day and read a chapter from the book so that I don't have to spend the money. Also, I'm morbidly curious to see what kind of responses I get from people that see me read this book.
Current listening:
A Bugged Out Mix - Miss Kittin
Black Ships Ate the Sky - Current 93
The Drift - Scott Walker
The Sleeping Mustache
Rather Ripped - Sonic Youth
The Sun Awakens - Six Organs of Admittance
operettAmorale - Black Sun Productions
The Ape of Naples - Coil
The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of a Beast - Matmos
Alles Fallt - Das Bierbeben
The Conduit - Jarboe
Seies - Larsen
The Hacker And N.O.W. - The Hacker
Your Children Placate You In Premature Graves - Legendary Pink Dots
Salvador - Ricardo Villalobos
You Are There - Mono
Saturday, June 03, 2006
WM3 Worldwide Awareness Day
In 1993, the tragic murder of 3 eight year-old boys in West Memphis, Arkansas, shocked the town and the nation. On June 3 of that year, 3 young teenagers, Jessie Misskelley, Jr., Jason Baldwin and Damien Echols, were arrested and subsequently convicted of murder. While Jessie and Jason were sentenced to life plus 40 and life without parole, respectively, Damien was sentenced to death by lethal injection.
These three young men were arrested, charged, and sentenced, even though West Memphis police, in particular, coerced Jessie into an "error-filled" confession, and they never officially found hard evidence linking the three to the crime. During the trial, Jessie, Jason, and Damien were repeatedly subjected to intense scrutiny, discriminated against, and instantly deemed guilty, based solely on the way they looked, the way they dressed, and what music they listened to. As a result, three innocent men went to prison, serving life and death sentences. Despite being in this situation, all three remain hopeful and optimistic that they will one day be free.
Their case has also been profiled in two critically-acclaimed documentaries, Paradise Lost and Paradise Lost 2, as well as documented in the book The Devil's Knot by author Mara Leavitt.
I don't know a whole lot about the specific details or the history of this case, but this website is a wealthy source of information about the case as well as providing ways for people to contribute to the Free WM3 Legal Fund. For example, Damien Echols (who's currently living in solitary confinement on Death Row) has made various attempts at appealing his death sentence as well as request for a DNA test that could (and most likely, would) exonerate him of any wrongdoing. He's obtained new counsel that has worked extremely hard to pursue any and all possible legal options so that Damien can be given a chance to clear his name. The costs for pursuing these avenues are significant, and any donation helps fight towards allowing Damien due process before the law, just like any other American human being.
Today, which has been designated WM3 Worldwide Awareness Day, marks the 13th anniversary of their arrest. Events are being held all over the country with the explicit intent to raise awareness of the cause as well as raise much needed funds to assist WM3 and their families with the legal aide that they need and fully deserve, just like you and me. In recent years, the WM3 have gained many allies, speaking out on their behalf and raising awareness, including actors Margaret Cho, Wynona Ryder, and Jack Black, as well as South Park co-creator Trey Parker, Pearl Jam vocalist Eddie Vedder, X vocalist John Doe, musician Steve Earle, Misfits vocalist Michale Graves, and members of the Supersuckers and Alkaline Trio, amongst many others.
Eddie Vedder shares songwriting credit with Damien on the track Army Reserve from Pearl Jam's new self-titled album. Also, last year, Margaret Cho was instrumental in publishing Damien's memoirs called Almost Home.
I firmly believe in my heart that every human being deserves to be treated with fairness and dignity. Persecution, subtle and overt, is a daily part of my life as an openly gay man, living in a religiously and politically divided country. Even though I've personally gone through tough times in the past, I can't even begin to fathom what life is like for Jessie, Jason, and Damien, whose adult lives have been spent unjustly imprisoned for a crime they didn't commit. The trials living my life as openly gay under the scrutiny of others pales in comparison to what these men are going through in the lives. Beyond the debate over death penalty in this country is the mere fact that these innocent men had their lives taken away from under the circumstances of their case.
Being an avid listener of Black Sabbath doesn't automatically deem a person "satanic" or "evil" or "demonic" or "murderous." Wearing all black doesn't always mean that you practice Satanism. As is typical of every act of right-wing punditry in the U.S., the innocence or guilt of certain persons (particularly with the WM3) is based solely on musical listening habits, movie viewing habits, or interest with occultism. Anyone living outside the realm of what is subjectively deemed "moral" is instantly viewed as "insert religiously bigoted statement of choice here". Meanwhile, the lives of Jessie, Damien, and Jason are in the balance, in the case of Damien, is extingusihable at the discretion of another human being, which in my heart believe is just plain wrong. Life is too precious to take for granted when you're living in this kind of hell. The whole thing just sickens me beyond belief.
My thoughts and prayers go out to Jessie Misskelley, Jr., Jason Baldwin, and Damien Echols, as well as their families, friends, and the legal counsel representing them on this slightly-cloudy afternoon here in Seattle. I'm not an overtly religious person...I prefer to use the word "spiritual," but I do believe that there is a higher being that loves these three unconditionally (unlike what the Pat Robertson's, the Bill O'Reilly's, the Fred Phelps's, and Ken Hutcherson's of the world would like to tell you.)
At the same time, I also pray for the families of the three eight-year old victims and members of the West Memphis community as well. Their losses are unfathomable, but I sincerely hope that there's room for forgiveness of these three (and also, whoever is truy responsible for the crime.) I urge everyone who firmly believes in the dignity of the human spirit to become educated on the case and to lend support to the hard-working legal representatives that working to finally free the WM3.
These three young men were arrested, charged, and sentenced, even though West Memphis police, in particular, coerced Jessie into an "error-filled" confession, and they never officially found hard evidence linking the three to the crime. During the trial, Jessie, Jason, and Damien were repeatedly subjected to intense scrutiny, discriminated against, and instantly deemed guilty, based solely on the way they looked, the way they dressed, and what music they listened to. As a result, three innocent men went to prison, serving life and death sentences. Despite being in this situation, all three remain hopeful and optimistic that they will one day be free.
Their case has also been profiled in two critically-acclaimed documentaries, Paradise Lost and Paradise Lost 2, as well as documented in the book The Devil's Knot by author Mara Leavitt.
I don't know a whole lot about the specific details or the history of this case, but this website is a wealthy source of information about the case as well as providing ways for people to contribute to the Free WM3 Legal Fund. For example, Damien Echols (who's currently living in solitary confinement on Death Row) has made various attempts at appealing his death sentence as well as request for a DNA test that could (and most likely, would) exonerate him of any wrongdoing. He's obtained new counsel that has worked extremely hard to pursue any and all possible legal options so that Damien can be given a chance to clear his name. The costs for pursuing these avenues are significant, and any donation helps fight towards allowing Damien due process before the law, just like any other American human being.
Today, which has been designated WM3 Worldwide Awareness Day, marks the 13th anniversary of their arrest. Events are being held all over the country with the explicit intent to raise awareness of the cause as well as raise much needed funds to assist WM3 and their families with the legal aide that they need and fully deserve, just like you and me. In recent years, the WM3 have gained many allies, speaking out on their behalf and raising awareness, including actors Margaret Cho, Wynona Ryder, and Jack Black, as well as South Park co-creator Trey Parker, Pearl Jam vocalist Eddie Vedder, X vocalist John Doe, musician Steve Earle, Misfits vocalist Michale Graves, and members of the Supersuckers and Alkaline Trio, amongst many others.
Eddie Vedder shares songwriting credit with Damien on the track Army Reserve from Pearl Jam's new self-titled album. Also, last year, Margaret Cho was instrumental in publishing Damien's memoirs called Almost Home.
I firmly believe in my heart that every human being deserves to be treated with fairness and dignity. Persecution, subtle and overt, is a daily part of my life as an openly gay man, living in a religiously and politically divided country. Even though I've personally gone through tough times in the past, I can't even begin to fathom what life is like for Jessie, Jason, and Damien, whose adult lives have been spent unjustly imprisoned for a crime they didn't commit. The trials living my life as openly gay under the scrutiny of others pales in comparison to what these men are going through in the lives. Beyond the debate over death penalty in this country is the mere fact that these innocent men had their lives taken away from under the circumstances of their case.
Being an avid listener of Black Sabbath doesn't automatically deem a person "satanic" or "evil" or "demonic" or "murderous." Wearing all black doesn't always mean that you practice Satanism. As is typical of every act of right-wing punditry in the U.S., the innocence or guilt of certain persons (particularly with the WM3) is based solely on musical listening habits, movie viewing habits, or interest with occultism. Anyone living outside the realm of what is subjectively deemed "moral" is instantly viewed as "insert religiously bigoted statement of choice here". Meanwhile, the lives of Jessie, Damien, and Jason are in the balance, in the case of Damien, is extingusihable at the discretion of another human being, which in my heart believe is just plain wrong. Life is too precious to take for granted when you're living in this kind of hell. The whole thing just sickens me beyond belief.
My thoughts and prayers go out to Jessie Misskelley, Jr., Jason Baldwin, and Damien Echols, as well as their families, friends, and the legal counsel representing them on this slightly-cloudy afternoon here in Seattle. I'm not an overtly religious person...I prefer to use the word "spiritual," but I do believe that there is a higher being that loves these three unconditionally (unlike what the Pat Robertson's, the Bill O'Reilly's, the Fred Phelps's, and Ken Hutcherson's of the world would like to tell you.)
At the same time, I also pray for the families of the three eight-year old victims and members of the West Memphis community as well. Their losses are unfathomable, but I sincerely hope that there's room for forgiveness of these three (and also, whoever is truy responsible for the crime.) I urge everyone who firmly believes in the dignity of the human spirit to become educated on the case and to lend support to the hard-working legal representatives that working to finally free the WM3.
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