The Importance of Curiosity During a Time of War

Thursday Oct. 19, 2006: Attended the opening lecture of the Feminism and War conference at Syracuse University. Featured Speakers: Cindy Sheehan and Cynthia Enloe. I'm assuming that most readers would be familiar with Sheehan who lost her son Casey in 2004 to the war in Iraq--she's been ridiculed, demonized, arrested, praised, loved, admired, etc since she began camping outside Bush's ranch to protest the illegal occupation of Iraq. Thanks to the growing support she has garnered over the past several years, she now owns 5 acres in Crawford, TX (Camp Casey) and promises to be a burr in Bush's ass until he's impeached or indicted and imprisoned on war crimes at the Hague. Most are probably less familiar with Enloe who, as a feminist theorist specializing in international relations, has had a prolific career being "curious" about masculinity, femininity, motherhood, wives, militarization, trade agreeements, pimps, prostitutes, etc. I'd suggest reading: Bananas, Beaches, and Bases, Maneuvers, and The Curious Feminist for an idea of what Enloe examines in her work. Anyway, on a rainy and blustery night in the northeast, these 2 speakers held at least a 100 people in rapt attention on the Syracuse University campus -- reminding us (hopefully) that we must be vigilant in protesting the unjust, violent, and illgeal actions of the Bush administration. My emotions ranged from frustrated to inspired to hopeless to determined by the end of the night. As an individual I cannot end this war, but I can do my part to encourage others to think critically, to question the news we are being sold by Murdoch and others, and to be curious as Enloe's work reminds us to be. Without curiosity, we are in the end, complicit. We need to ask the hard questions about this occupation each and every single day--we need accountability from an unaccountable administration. We need to fire Rumsfeld, Rice,Cheney, and Hughes. We need to demand Bush be impeached and tried for war crimes in the same way the international community demanded it of Milosovic (even though he died before seeing a verdict). And, as Sheehan encouraged the audience to do, we need to demand more of the Democratic Party--because they are equally complict in this war and occupation. Unlike my more moderate and liberal friends, I don't feel casting a vote for a Democrat means the world will change or become more compassionate. As long as the rules of the game in the US continue to favor the ruling elite in the country, voting becomes an empty and symbolic gesture. Actually, all this anti-war talk emanating from the Democrats needed to come years ago . . .it's a bit opportunistic now. The more radical contingent in the anti-war movement already knew what a fucking disaster this war would be . . .and those predictions have not turned out to be wrong.
Civil War? Yes. Massive deaths? Yes. Destroyed infrastructure of occupied country? Yes. Secured private contracts for "rebuilding" for well connected Bush associates? Yes. Does destruction pay? Absolutely.

Monday Oct. 23, 2006: Attended a lecture by Les Roberts, a co-author of the Lancet Study which declared 650,000 deaths in Iraq since US invasion. Another good use of curiosity . . .just how much has the death rate spiked since Bush declared "victory" in the war? Don't beleive those bloggers that tell you this is an untrue or unsound study plagued by faulty methods. Instead, ask why bloggers and other pundits working for right wing think tanks want you to believe that this figure is inaccurate. What's at stake here? Why go out of our way to deny the massive death rate in Iraq? Why ignore it?

And, you certainly don't have to take my word either. Be curious. Think for yourself. Do some work. But quit being complicit.

Tuesday Oct. 24, 2006: End of rant.

On the Road, In the Air

Hard to believe it is already mid-October. In a few short weeks, J and I are leaving the confines of our cozy abode to enjoy sunshine, warm temps, and ocean air in my beloved, yet overly developed, state of FLA. Oysters, catfish, bloody mary's and birthday celebrations are all on tap.





Once I return from my tropical excursion, I'll have a little over a month before I hit the air for a marathon 20 hour flight to Manila. While I haven't made all my lodging plans yet, I'm hoping to stay near some friends, on the UP campus. Yay for start-up funds.







After the New Year, travel should slow down a bit before we hit the air again at the end of May for a 2 week study tour in China! Very exciting. I'll upload our itinerary as the time draws near.








And, finally, the trip we have been looking forward to the most (though China is pretty high on my list): Ireland. We have some colleagues who have a house there, so we are going to try and coordinate our summer plans to coincide when they will be available to show us around.

So that about sums up our travel trajectory for the coming months. Of course, I won't rule out a trip to see old friends in Minnesota. It's been too long. A reunion with Cheryl, G, and Becky is definitely in order. Thanks to texting, though, we are never too far apart.

My Eyes are Bleary

I've been working since early morning, so I'll once again keep my comments brief:

#1 time sucker: EMAIL. I click "Get Mail" every five seconds, log on and off, on and off, on and off, and gee, should I check my mail again? Whoever said this was a time saver and would make life more efficient was out of their head. This electronic communication takes up way more time ithan it should.

#2 time sucker: TEXT MESSAGING. I'm a convert, probably because it feeds into my insane email addiction. Look! I can email on my phone at all times. Another e-device to control and manage our lives. I know the rest of the world has been texting their ass off, but I'm always about 2-3 years behind the fad. At least it keeps my consumer tastes and desires to a minimum.

#3 time sucker: Oprah at 5. Sad but true. With all the texting and emailing in my new wi-fi, hi-fi life, I need some downtime on the couch, with the hound, watching the mind-numbing adventures of Gayle and Oprah's Summer Road Trip series.

In Rotation

1. Catastro-fuck: Jon Stewart coined this term last night on *The Daily Show* to describe the sorry state of affairs in the US. I love it.

2. Paradise Now: A 2005 film directed by Hany Abu-Assad. If you haven't seen it, go rent it now.

3. Food Processors: Rural living is turning me into a cook. I must, absolutely must, have a food processor. Luckily, my sister-in-law treated us to a generous gift certificate to Williams and Sonoma (how else could we shop there?), so my puree dreams will be fulfilled on Friday.

4. Sick of shit: Literally. The hound has been suffering as of late, and I am absolutely sick of wiping dog ass, cleaning dog puke, and wiping more dog ass at 5 in the morning. Enough.

5. Fall!: My favorite season has officially arrived. Yay. Although, I approach this fall with some trepidation . . . in less than a month, I will be turning 35 years old. Is this middle-age or not? Blek.

6. Bettye Lavette: She keeps it real.

7. Being queer: Oprah had an episode on Monday afternoon dealing with "gay wives". HAHAHAHAHAHA Made me so happy to be queer. Of course the sex is better!