Invisible Children - The KONY 2012 Campaign

Below is a hopefully-soon-to-be viral video of an international campaign to put a spotlight on a terrible terrible person who has gotten away with being terrible for far too long.

It's very slick, and incredibly moving, and the villain of the piece, Joseph Kony - a Ugandan rebel leader who abducts children into his military causes - looks set to be the new international guy to hate without questioning, like Osama bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, etc... With the help of the Kony 2012 campaign I hope they succeed in making that happen.

However... like famine, poverty and war, these problems are systemic. You don't cure lung cancer by stopping the smoking of cigarettes and switching to a healthy diet.

Of course I want the people behind this video to succeed, but the kind of progress the video makes you believe is possible is horribly dwarfed by far greater problems of the world that are actually institutionalized by the structure of the global financial system itself. You can go ahead and hate Joseph Kony like he should be hated, but don't stop there!  Question how he could get away with his atrocities (and they certainly are the vilest of atrocities) for the last twenty years without anyone noticing?!  Or how that entire region of Africa, particularly the Congo, has suffered so much brutality for so long? Does one factor into the hate they have for Joseph Kony the horrible dictatorships of President Mobutu from the neighboring country of the Congo, which lasted for 37 years? Could this have made peace a tad difficult in Uganda at all? Or do they factor in the blood mineral trade? Or that (the Congo again) Mobutu was originally put into power by the CIA? (That's the Central Intelligence Agency. This is a government body of the United States of America- the same place Disney and McDonalds come from). Will anyone bother to ask about the context of the situation that created the monster Joseph Kony to begin with?  So, okay... let's say that the video succeeds, and they arrest Kony and thousands of children go free...

The lung cancer patient just stopped smoking cigarettes.

That's great, but I can't get completely excited by this.

I am, however, far more excited from this video by the way the people of the world are organizing themselves. Now THAT'S cool. Isn't it great that when people do organize themselves they promote peace, are conscientious, and are waaaay ahead of the institutions that are supposed to be doing the things that the people of the world were forced to make happen on their own. That should tell you a lot...

I'm not sure if anyone reads these posts. I strongly doubt they're read by anyone at all. I could just as easily consider them as private diary entries, but in the off-chance someone is reading this, please know that I am hopeful about the future- even though I harbor a robust cynicism of the world in general. In fact... I'm even creating a visual essay this year (an animated chat show to be precise) that explains exactly what form my positive outlook takes.


Whoever you are, thanks for reading.  :)

List of US vetoes in the UN

In this list you will see all the proposals the United States has been presented with in the United Nations and been so far against them that they've used their veto power- which blocks a proposal dead.

It will give you a realistic view of the world...


(This list is from the website: krysstal.com)

Year	Resolution Vetoed by the USA	If Multiple Resolutions	Voting Figures For-Against
1972	Condemns Israel for killing hundreds of people in Syria and Lebanon in air raids.
1973	Afirms the rights of the Palestinians and calls on Israel to withdraw from the occupied territories.
1976	Condemns Israel for attacking Lebanese civilians.
	Condemns Israel for building settlements in the occupied territories.
	Calls for self determination for the Palestinians.
	Afirms the rights of the Palestinians.
1976	Condemns South Africa's attempts to impose apartheid on Namibia.	2
1976	For the admission of Vietnam to the United Nations.	5 (from 1975)
1977	Condemns the apartheid situation in South Africa.	3
1978	Urges the permanent members (USA, USSR, UK, France, China) to insure United Nations decisions on the maintenance of international peace and security.		119-2
	Criticises the living conditions of the Palestinians.		110-2
	Condemns the Israeli human rights record in occupied territories.		97-3
1978	Calls for developed countries to increase the quantity and quality of development assistance to underdeveloped countries.		119-1
1979	Calls for an end to all military and nuclear collaboration with the apartheid South Africa.		114-3
	Strengthens the arms embargo against South Africa.		132-3
	Offers assistance to all the oppressed people of South Africa and their liberation movement.		134-3
	Concerns negotiations on disarmament and cessation of the nuclear arms race.		120-3
	Calls for the return of all inhabitants expelled by Israel.		121-3
	Demands that Israel desist from human rights violations.		111-2
	Requests a report on the living conditions of Palestinians in occupied Arab countries.		120-2
	Offers assistance to the Palestinian people.		112-3
	Discusses sovereignty over national resources in occupied Arab territories.		118-2
	Calls for protection of developing counties' exports.		111-2
	Calls for alternative approaches within the United Nations system for improving the enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms.		136-1
	Opposes support for intervention in the internal or external affairs of states.		104-2
	For a United Nations Conference on Women.		121-2
	To include Palestinian women in the United Nations Conference on Women.		122-2
	Safeguards rights of developing countries in multinational trade negotiations.		112-1
1980	Requests Israel to return displaced persons.		96-3
	Condemns Israeli policy regarding the living conditions of the Palestinian people.		118-2
	Condemns Israeli human rights practices in occupied territories.	3	118-2 119-2 117-2
	Afirms the right of self determination for the Palestinians.		120-3
1980	Offers assistance to the oppressed people of South Africa and their national liberation movement.		137-3
1980	Attempts to establish a New International Economic Order to promote the growth of underdeveloped countries and international economic co-operation.		134-1
	Endorses the Program of Action for Second Half of United Nations Decade for Women.		132-3
	Declaration of non-use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states.		110-2
	Emphasises that the development of nations and individuals is a human right.		120-1
	Calls for the cessation of all nuclear test explosions.
	Calls for the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples.
1981	Promotes co-operative movements in developing countries.		123-1
	Affirms the right of every state to choose its economic and social system in accord with the will of its people, without outside interference in whatever form it takes.		126-1
1981	Condemns activities of foreign economic interests in colonial territories.		133-3
	Calls for the ending of all test explosions of nuclear weapons.		118-2
	Calls for action in support of measures to prevent nuclear war, curb the arms race and promote disarmament.		78-3
	Urges negotiations on prohibition of chemical and biological weapons.		109-1
	Declares that education, work, health care, proper nourishment, national development, etc are human rights.		135-1
	Concerns changes to the United Nations accounting methods.		127-1
1981	Condemns South Africa for attacks on neighbouring states, condemns apartheid and attempts to strengthen sanctions.	7	145-1 124-1 136-1 129-2 126-2 139-1 138-1
1981	Condemns an attempted coup by South Africa on the Seychelles.
1981	Demands that Israel cease excavations in areas of East Jerusalem considered by the United Nations to be part of the occupied territories.		114-2
	Condemns Israel for bombing Iraqi nuclear installations.		108-2
	Condemns Israeli policy regarding living conditions of the Palestinian people.	2	109-2 111-2
	To establish a nuclear weapon free zone in the Middle East.		107-2
	To establish rights for the Palestinian people.	2	121-2 119-3
	To clarify the status of Jerusalem.		139-2
	Discusses Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip.		141-2
	Concering the rights of displaced Palestinians to return to their homes.		121-3
	Concerning revenues from Palestinian refugees' properties.		117-2
	Establishment of the University of Jerusalem for Palestinian refugees.		119-2
	Concerning Israeli human rights violations in occupied territories.		111-2
	Condemns Israel closing of universities in occupied territories.		114-2
	Opposes Israel's decision to build a canal linking the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.
	Discusses sovereignty over national resources in occupied Palestine and other Arab territories.		115-2
	Affirms the non-applicability of Israeli law over the Golan Heights.		121-2
1982	Condemns the Israeli invasion of Lebanon.	6 (1982-1983)
1982	Condemns the shooting of 11 Muslims at a shrine in Jerusalem by an Israeli soldier.
	Calls on Israel to withdraw from the Golan Heights occupied in 1967.
1982	For the ratification of the convention on the suppression and punishment of apartheid.		124-1
	To promote international action against apartheid.		141-1
	Condemns apartheid in sports.		138-1
	Calls for the cessation of further foreign investments and loans for South Africa.		134-1
1982	Calls for the setting up of a World Charter for the protection of the ecology.		111-1
	Sets up a United Nations conference on succession of states in respect to state property, archives and debts.		136-1
	Nuclear test bans and negotiations and nuclear free outer space.	3	111-1 114-1 138-1
	Supports a new world information and communications order.		131-1
	Prohibition of chemical and bacteriological weapons.		95-1
	Development of international law.		113-1
	To prevent the exclusion of certain United Nations employees.		129-1
	Protects against products harmful to health and the environment.		146-1
	Declares that education, work, health care, proper nourishment, national development are human rights.		131-1
	Implementation of the Charter of Economic Rights and Duties of States.		141-1
	Concerning the adequacy of facilities of the Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia.		132-1
	Development of the energy resources of developing countries.		146-1
	Restructuring international economic relations towards establishing a new international economic order.		124-1
1983	Afirms the right of every state to choose its economic and social system in accord with the will of its people, without outside interference in whatever form it takes.		131-1
	Resolutions against apartheid South Africa.	4	110-1 149-1 140-1 145-1
	Prevention of an arms race in outer space.		147-1
	Declares that education, work, health care, proper nourishment, national development are human rights.		132-1
	Concerning international law.		110-1
	Concerning the Transport and Communications Decade in Africa.		137-1
	Prohibition of manufacture of new weapons of mass destruction.		116-1
	Reversing the arms race.		133-1
	Prohibition of chemical and bacteriological weapons.		98-1
	Requests a study on the naval arms race.		113-1
	Concerning disarmament and security.		132-1
	Strengthening the United Nations to respond to natural and other disasters.		126-1
1984	Condemns support of South Africa in its Namibian and other policies.		121-2
	International action to eliminate apartheid.		146-2
1984	Condemns Israel for occupying and attacking southern Lebanon.
1984	Cooperation between the United Nations and the League of Arab States.		134-2
	Condemns Israeli attack against Iraqi nuclear installation.		106-2
	On the elimination of racial discrimination.		145-1
	Affirms the rights of the Palestinian people.		127-2
	For the convening of a Middle East peace conference.		121-3
	Prohibition of new types of weapons of mass destruction.		125-1
	Prohibition of chemical and bacteriological weapons.		84-1
	Concerning the law of the sea.		138-2
	Concerning Israeli human rights violations in occupied territories.		120-2
	Condemns assassination attempts against Palestinian mayors.		143-2
	Condemns Israel for failing to place its nuclear facilities under international safeguards.		94-2
	Concerning a nuclear test ban.		123-1
	To study military research and development.		141-1
	Commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples.		143-1
	Proposing economic assistance to the Palestinian people.		146-1
	Support for the United Nations Industrial Development Organsiation.		118-2
	Concerning the Industrial Development Decade for Africa.		120-1
	Questions regarding the Economic Commission for Western Asia.		123-2
1985	Condemns Israel for occupying and attacking southern Lebanon.
	Condemns Israel for using excessive force in the occupied territories.
1985	Resolutions about cooperation, human rights, trade and development.	3	134-1 130-1 133-1
	Measures to be taken against Nazi, Fascist and neo-Fascist activities.		121-2
1986	Calls on all governments (including the USA) to observe international law.
1986	Condemns Israel for its actions against Lebanese civilians.
	Calls on Israel to respect Muslim holy places.
	Condemns Israel for sky-jacking a Libyan airliner.
1986	To set up a zone of peace and cooperation in the South Atlantic.		124-1
	To eliminate existing imbalances in the information and communications fields.		148-1
	To Strengthen of international security.		126-1
	Dialogue to improve the international situation.		117-1
	For the establishment of a comprehensive system of international peace and security.		102-2
	Declaration on the right to development.		146-1
	Measures to improve the situation and ensure the human rights and dignity of all migrant workers.		148-1
	Protection against products harmful to health and the environment.		146-1
1987	Calls on Israel to abide by the Geneva Conventions in its treatment of the Palestinians.
	Calls on Israel to stop deporting Palestinians.		145-2
1987	Condemns Israel for its actions in Lebanon.	2
	Calls on Israel to withdraw its forces from Lebanon.
1987	Cooperation between the United Nations and the League of Arab States.		153-2
	Calls for compliance in the International Court of Justice concerning military and paramilitary activities against Nicaragua and a call to end the trade embargo against Nicaragua.	2	94-2 94-2
	Measures to prevent international terrorism, study the underlying political and economic causes of terrorism, convene a conference to define terrorism and to differentiate it from the struggle of people from national liberation.		153-2
	Resolutions concerning journalism, international debt and trade.	3	140-1 154-1 131-1
	Opposition to the build up of weapons in space.		154-1
	Opposition to the development of new weapons of mass destruction.		135-1
	Opposition to nuclear testing.	2	143-2 137-3
	Proposal to set up South Atlantic "Zone of Peace".		124-1
1988	Condemns Israeli practices against Palestinians in the occupied territories.	5 (1988-1989)
1989	Condemns USA invasion of Panama.
	Condemns USA troops for ransacking the residence of the Nicaraguan ambassador in Panama.
1989	Condemns USA for shooting down 2 Libyan aircraft.
1989	Condemns USA support for the Contra army in Nicaragua.
	Condemns illegal USA embargo of Nicaragua.
	Opposing the acquisition of territory by force.		151-3
	Calling for a resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict based on earlier UN resoltions.
1990	To send three UN Security Council observers to the occupied territories.
1995	Afirms that land in East Jerusalem annexed by Israel is occupied territory.
1997	Calls on Israel to cease building settlements in East Jerusalem and other occupied territories.	2	130-2
1999	Calls on the USA to end its trade embargo on Cuba.	8	59-2 88-4 101-2 117-3 138-2 143-2 157-2 155-2
2001	To send unarmed monitors to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
	Condemns Israel for acts of terror against civilians in the occupied territories.
	To set up the International Criminal Court.
2002	To renew the peace keeping mission in Bosnia.
2002	Condemns the killing of UK worker for the United Nations by Israeli forces. Condemns the destruction of the World Food Programme warehouse.
2003	Condemns a decision by the Israeli parliament to "remove" the elected Palestinian president, Yasser Arafat.		?-1
	Condemns the building of a wall by Israel on Palestinian land.		?-?
2003	To end the USA's 40 year embargo of Cuba.		179-3
2004	Condemns the assassination of Hamas leader, Sheik Ahmad Yassin.
2004	Condemns the Israeli incursion and killings in Gaza.
2004	Production and processing of weapon-usable material should be under international control.	2	147-1 179-2
2006	Calls for an end to Israeli military incursions and attacks on Gaza.	2	10-1 13-1
2006	Calls for an end to the financial embargo against Cuba.		183-4
2007	Calls for peaceful uses for outer space.		129-6
	Calls for a convention against female descrimination.	3	143-1 132-2 154-1
	Concerning the rights of children.		183-1
	Concerning the right to food.		186-1
	On the applicability of the Geneva Convention to the protection of civilians in time of war.		169-6
	Calls for the protection of the global climate.		162-2
	Calls for Indian Ocean to be declared a zone of peace. Calls for a nuclear weapon free South East Asia.	2	130-3 174-1
2007	Calls for the right of self determination for the Palestinian people. Other resolutions regarding the Palestinians and their rights.	15	176-5 171-6 170-6 93-8 165-7 156-7 164-1 176-2 109-8 110-8 161-8 161-7 160-6 111-6
2008	Calls for progress towards an arms trade treaty.	3	129-1 131-1 130-1
	Banning the development of new weapons of mass destruction.		175-1
	Assuring non-nuclear states they will not be attacked or threatened with nuclear weapons.	2 (2007-2008)	121-1 122-1
	Prevention of the development of an arms race in outer space and transparency in outer space activities.	4 (2007-2008)	179-1 178-1 177-1 180-1
	Calls to decrease the operational readiness of nuclear weapons systems and to ban nuclear weapons.	5	141-3 165-4 166-5 173-4 130-3
	Calls to end the use of depleted Uranium in weapons.		141-4
	Concerning the trade in illicit small arms.	3	179-1 176-1 181-1
	Calls for a nuclear free Central Asia and a nuclear free Southern Hemisphere. Prevention of proliferation in the Middle East.	3	141-3 171-3 169-5
	Calls for a comprehensive (nuclear) test ban treaty. Calls for a nuclear weapon free world.	2 (2007-2008)	156-5 175-1
2008	Calls for a treaty on children's rights.		159-1
	Condemns Racial Descrimination.		109-13
	Affirms the soverignty of Palestinians over the occupied territories and their resources.		164-8
	Affirms the right of the Palestinians to self determination.		173-5
	Calls on Israel to pay the cost of cleaning up an oil slick off the coast of Lebanon caused by its bombing.		165-7
	Calls for a new economic order.		123-1
	Calls for a right of development for nations.		182-4
	Calls for a right to food.		184-1
	Respect for the right to universal freedom of travel and the vital importance of family reunification.		121-4
	Concerning developments in IT for international security.	2 (2007-2008)	179-1 175-1
2008	Resolutions concerning Palestine, its people, their property and Israeli practices in Palestine, including settlements.	11	173-1 172-6 172-6 173-6 94-8 173-6 171-6 165-8 179-2 177-3 177-3
2009	Calls for an end to the 22 day long Israeli attack on Gaza.		142-4
2011	Calls for a halt to the illegal Israeli West Bank settlements.		14-1
2011	Calls for Israel to cease obstructing the movement and access of the staff, vehicles and supplies of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA).		163-7
2011	Calls for the immediate and complete cessation of all Israeli settlement activities in all of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan.		162-7

Our System, Our Structure, Our Illusion

This poorly-edited, amateur documentary that eventually gets incredibly preachy, and in the most hopelessly heavy-handed way simply doesn't know when to quit... is in all actuality the most articulate overall critique of our world I have ever seen.

It will never win an Oscar or any other film-making accolade because it is aesthetically repulsive and poorly crafted.

It will never be recommended to you by anyone over polite conversation because it's taboo by it's very nature.

It won't even be violently opposed, or banned, or repressed because it's claims are so outrageous and so far removed from our normal way of thinking that it renders itself mute.

However, even after admitting all this, Our System, Our Structure, Our Illusion remains the best documentary I've ever seen.

World Parliament

After having been exposed to two essential influences-

George Monbiot's inspiring book The Age of Consent -A Manifesto for a NewWorld Order

and

Ben McLeish's Zeitgeist interview with Richard Morley of the Molecularism movement

I've come to fully appreciate the need for a world parliament, especially since the three great crises facing humankind are global in nature- Environment, Economy, and Energy -we'll need a global body to address them.

And that's not the United Nations, sadly.   (George Monbiot completely demolishes the UN in his book mentioned above, while Richard Morley ariculates an excellent understanding of the alternative to this as a three branch world government made up of Representatives, Experts and the People themselves).

I was most interested by how you would go about representing the entire population of the planet so I made a rough image based on population size.  See pic below.

If I have time I would like to rearrange this image so that all the countries are arranged according to their geographical location (for instance all the African countries next to each other, etc).

I have a lot more to say on this, but I'll leave that for another time...

Grayson Sanders 2012

Can we please FINALLY get some Progressives in the White House?  Just sayin'...

YouSuck - A program I'd like someone to make.

After the slow boil we've all experienced of YouTube's increasing persistence to prod their ads into every orifice of their site as they can, I think it's time for someone smarter than me to code a local program to cut out their annoying bullshit.  That's why I created this...

Here's my blurb to it:  (It's on the image as well)

YouSuck
Take only what you want  ...and leave the rest on the internet
Wouldn’t it be great
to watch YouTube videos
again and again
without having to download
the very same videos
again and again?
Or download the video again
simply because you resized to fullscreen?
Fuck, that’s annoying.
And wouldn’t it be
awesome
not to see absolutely
any ads anymore?
...like the ones that pop up
5 seconds into it.  Oh yeah.
Whoever thought of that little gem
is a major ass hat.
And how about removing all the comments,
and the buttons, and the view counts, and all the rest of the bullshit?
Well, now you can, with YouSuck.
Take only what you want ...and leave the rest on the internet.
YouSuck is a bullshit filter.

Run the program and it will read
YouTube’s html code without
downloading anything.
YouSuck will then download
only the movie
to your local hard disk
for you to watch
once its downloaded,
 and then anytime after.
When the space on your hard disk
reaches 20 GB* the oldest
movie gets written over, and so on.

If there’s a movie you want to rescue,
 simply drag it into the column beside it.
It’s that easy.

YouSuck allows you to download or
access any YouTube feature you want.
Download only titles and movies,
or allow it access YouTube search engine.
It’s up to you, and that’s what’s cool about it.
And whatever you do download, you only download once
with no ads, no comments, no bullshit.
How fucking awesome is that, eh?
Go to YouSuck.com and grab the motherfucker now! 

If you're a coder, and you like this idea, let's make it happen!



Here's a before and after (remember, the after has no ads, pop ups, or on screen comments)

(Before YouSuck)

(After YouSuck)

HOPE Tanning Lotion

There. My hat is now in the political ring.


UPDATE: There's plenty of reasons why I feel this way, some of which verge on the comedic (like appointing a fat, ex-Burger King advisor to the position of Surgeon General) but this image is for Omar Khadr, a 15 year old child, both shot in the back and shot in the head (which he lost and eye from) when being "detained" by the US, has remained in Guantanamo Bay without habeas corpus for 8 years, which included abuse of torture, who has now- out of desperation for some kind of freedom -is now pleading guilty to war crimes.  This is two years after Obama promised to close Guantanamo, and didn't.  How's that Nobel Peace Prize feel right about now, Mr Obama?  Weighty, I bet.