The trouble with trying to make a new layout is that I only get about ten minutes on the computers in the library after school, and because of all the programs they added since last year the server is heavily congested and it takes five of those ten minutes just to get logged on. >.>
I might have a date to Homecoming, but I'm not sure I want to go. n.n A friend's friend who went up to UW last year is coming down for the weekend (neechan, you remember Paul?) and he wants to go to Homecoming, so she asked if I would go with him. He's a nice guy, really funny, and I think I'd have fun, but ... it feels like everything's just happening at once and I wouldn't have time to plan and figure out costumes and stuff (the theme is Superheroes o.o). For some reason, I always stress out for dances and stuff, which is Not Good. Especially now. (And I've never even gone as a non-friends thing ... imagine how I'd be if/when I went to a dance as a real "date." >.>)
Oh, and tomorrow at our Homecoming assembly, we're having a "dance" contest. As in ... DDR. XD And you can bet Bean is going to be in it. XD XD XD
//Phoenix lived la vie boheme at 05:16 p.m. on Thursday, October 18, 2001//
I'd forgotten the joys of socks on hardwood floors. *swiiish!* XD XD XD
I am purposely not doing any work ... Well, I *am* reading the Shakespeare packet assigned in English at sporadic intervals, like when my connection dies (gotta love MSN >.>). I really should work, though; I'm trying to get some more Kamisama watched tonight.
But ARGH! I don't *want* to watch TV, I want to freaking read Chamber of Secrets! >_< Three copies at my school's library, and they're all out. And two of them are overdue, to boot. XP
Hm. I've been feeling rather ... laconic lately, it seems. ^_^;; Maa, ii ya.
I need a new layout.
//Phoenix lived la vie boheme at 07:02 p.m. on Tuesday, October 16, 2001//
Ugh. Busy couple of days. @_@
I saw "Serendipity" on Saturday, which was a really cute movie. (John Cusack just makes you go "Awww ...") Had some good lines in it, too. Also saw the Cowboy Bebop movie, which was freaking awesome. XD The animation and music were GREAT, and you can't beat Ein running around with a pumpkin on his head. XD I was reminded how much I love Spike and Ed -- I love 'em all, but those two were so cool in the movie. The way Spike is animated when he fights never ceases to impress me.
Sunday was neechan day, though we only actually got to stay for about an hour. :P
Happy birthday to Vinita-san! ^_^
The school library doesn't have Chamber of Secrets. Rrgh. I need my Harry Potter fix, demmit. >.>
Does this seem sort of ... disjointed? ^_^;; I'm feeling sort of tired/rushed/stressed right now ... Coherency is taking a back seat today. n.n
//Phoenix lived la vie boheme at 08:26 p.m. on Monday, October 15, 2001//
Forgot to mention this earlier. When we were at the mall, I looked through the latest issue of Animerica, which had an ad for Anime Nation with a big picture of Misao. The caption read: "Call her 'spunky' and you'll get a smile. Call her 'cute' and you'll get a giggle. Call her 'weasel girl' and you'll get a kecho kick to the face." XD XD XD
Nyaaaa, I love "Love Tropicana"! Any song with "shoo-bee-doo-bah" in it is automatically cool, in my opinion. XD
//Phoenix lived la vie boheme at 07:20 p.m. on Friday, October 12, 2001//
HAPPY BIRTHDAY NEKO-CHAN~~~~!!! <3<3<3 Sounds like you had a great reception at school. XD
*bounce* Third HP book, you say? *nita* I look forward to it! And I agree; from what little I've read, Ron x Harry just doesn't strike me as a canonical pairing. And wouldn't it be more Harry x Ron? (Waitaminnit ... I am NOT discussing the propensities of 11 year-olds for seme/uke status! XO) Though I do look forward to discovering the source of all the fun stuff people are doing with Draco, of all people. ^_^;; I'll have to wait, though; I went to the mall library today and all the copies of Chamber of Secrets (actually, all of the HP books) were checked out. Damn little kids and their reading of books ... XD;;;
Gyah. I put my water bottle on a scrap piece of paper to keep condensation from getting on the computer table -- turns out that piece of paper was from when neechan cleaned the printer heads. Which means lots of ink, concentrated on small areas. Add water, and you've got a lovely little design on the table you were trying to protect in the first place. Yup, the tori-chan's a smart one, she is. _o_
//Phoenix lived la vie boheme at 05:41 p.m. on Friday, October 12, 2001//
I'm listening to a Faye Wong song called "Dreams," and it's a Chinese version of a Cranberries song. Odd, but cool. Just thought I'd share. XD
//Phoenix lived la vie boheme at 10:25 p.m. on Thursday, October 11, 2001//
Happy one month anniversary, of sorts. Don't worry, there'll be no more ranting or pseudo-philosophical blathering from me, this time. >.> Just, I hope people are praying or wishing or crossing their fingers or whatever for a beneficial solution.
Kyaa, neko-chan, I meant Yami no Matsuei, really. I just ... can't read. XD;; And, er, sending Gravi eps, you say? O_O I most certainly would not be averse to that ... Share The Boy Love, my dear. XD
So I, erm, took the Harry Potter Couple Selector today, hoping to get an unbiased result since I hadn't met most of the characters yet and wouldn't be inclined toward one pairing or another ... and my results look nearly identical to Vinita-san's (call me Phoenix or Phoenix-chan, anything but P-chan deshou? ^_~), with Sirius x Lupin right at the top. _o_;; Methinks it won't be too hard for you to corrupt me, neko-chan. XD;; And here I was thinking I'd be a non-shounen ai fan for HP fandom. Not because I don't want to, per se -- hell, it'll be fun joining the ranks of those thumbing their noses at the "Christian" moralists who call HP the Tool of the Devil -- but I hadn't gotten any slashy vibes from it. Not surprising, I suppose, since I'm not that far -- but I thought the yaoi fairies had abandoned me. I mean, I didn't get any slashy vibes from Initial D. Talya-san practically writes up an analysis on the yaoi dynamics of the series, and I don't even get the vibes. O_o
Maybe I'm just not seeing it in the right context. The only times I've watched IniD I've been either at the showings or with my largely male friends -- who are most certainly Not Yaoi Fans. -_-;; The only other girl among our group is open to the idea (she's an Angel x Collins fangirl *niko*), but I think if I pushed too much on her at once I could freak her out. ^_^;; Mou, I miss watching anime among yaoi fangirls ... Saaaaave meeee, minnaaaaaa~~~ XO
//Phoenix lived la vie boheme at 06:20 p.m. on Thursday, October 11, 2001//
And now it's time for Good Points Made by People Smarter Than Me:
Unified Islamic front indeed ... Despite the widespread coverage of protests and riots by Muslims against the United States and its military actions, I'm willing to bet that each person in this vociferous minority is simply someone with 'a gun at their back' -- either through the fear of a regime or the mob mentality stoked by the inflammatory rhetoric of a few "religious" leaders. I said it a month ago, and I still hold to the belief now that there are a great many people who are not spoken for by the loudmouthed zealots. I still hold hope for the world.
"Sometimes you have to smash a few dirty windows to be able to see the light outside." Perhaps the most eloquent summation of current events and why we're doing what we're doing. And why we shouldn't all curl up in a corner somewhere out of despair -- it's not the time. Not yet, and hopefully not ever.
And this is more of a personal, subjective judgment, but Clara really expresses a lot of what I'm feeling, and eloquently, too ... especially the fence-sitting/hopping part. n.n
Hm ... I haven't heard from some people in a while ... everything okay? (Sign you spend waaaay too much time online -- when people don't blog for two days and you worry. ~.~) Nice new layout, btw, neko-chan. Purty Gravi. XD
.... I'm going to assume I misunderstood you like you misunderstood me, and then we're going to walk away and pretend this never happened, okay? o.o
*goes off to read more Harry Potter*
//Phoenix lived la vie boheme at 05:41 p.m. on Wednesday, October 10, 2001//
The reason I didn't say anything about the air strikes against Afghanistan is because I hadn't formed a concrete opinion on the situation. Not that I really have one now, but at least I've got a better idea.
I've already stated my position on military action -- basically, I'd love a pacifist world as much as anyone, but it's not possible in the current state of humanity, let alone the current circumstances. Frank made a pretty good point -- it would be a lovely thing in theory, but there are reasons it doesn't work. I wonder if many of the people who espouse total and utter pacifism would be able to respond in a manner compatible to their beliefs if they were personally attacked. Of course, there are those like Ghandi and King who truly would have held their ideological ground (though I think they'd try to dodge, at least n.n), and that's their prerogative. If someone *personally* believes in pacifism, and will *personally* withstand injury or death because of that belief, more power to them. However ... say you had a child, and that child was with you at the time? Most people, no matter how strong their desire for non-violence, would do what they had to to protect their child. (And if you *would* ... then why the hell would you deny that right to the parents of those who were killed in the WTC and the Pentagon?) Because in that case, it's no longer just *you* involved. There's someone dependent on you, whom, hopefully, you will protect. The same applies to this country. Even if our president was a pacifist (which he *isn't* ... but he *could* be), he has a responsibility to protect the people of this country. He simply doesn't have the right to sit back and do nothing.
That being said, I know that 'doing something' doesn't necessarily mean military action. But I don't really know what the best course of action *is* -- selfish as it is, I sure as hell am glad that I'm not the one who has to make the decision. Because no matter what, war is a sick and dirty matter that isn't 'good' for anyone. Even if there is no other alternative, war at its best is a tool. And it should be a tool used *for peace* ... military action guided with a specific aim toward the greatest possible benefit for all. So that, little by little, maybe we can build toward a time when pacifism *is* possible. Used in any other way -- used as a tool for vengeance or greed or zealotry, war loses its justification and all possible righteousness and simply furthers chaos and hatred.
Currently, I do stand behind my country, even if I don't completely endorse the actions -- I know what I said about the dangers of nationalism overriding morality; in this case, I don't believe the U.S.'s actions are *wrong*. Even if it's not the exact thing I would do ... I'm keeping my mouth shut for 'the sake of the team.' I'll speak out as I see fit, but I won't act against my country as long as I see its actions as being moral.
So I couldn't say if we're doing the 'right thing.' No one can really say that; they can just give their opinion, and me probably less than that. But the air strikes have been aimed at military facilities away from civilian areas, and the technology at our disposal allows for unprecedented accuracy, so I don't think they're wrong. And I can say all this with confidence because I believe my government is telling the truth about their actions, (even though I think that people in, say, Afghanistan, who believe *their* governments that feed them anti-American information, are being deceived -- because, put simply, unlike them, I live in a country with a free press). And they are certainly NOT terrorist actions -- the Taliban government is using that term as mere inflammatory rhetoric, plain and simple. As for the Taliban ambassador's comments that "We are determined to offer 2 million more martyrs for independence and sovereignty if need be" -- that pretty much shows the difference between the Taliban and the U.S, doesn't it? You see the Afghan civilians as inferiors to be dominated, masses to be indoctrinated, martyrs to be made. We see them as people. Starving, subjugated, struggling, living, breathing PEOPLE.
Ugh. I hope no one was expecting all that to be coherent -- I'm still figuring out how I feel on everything. >_<
In other news, I got the first Harry Potter book from my school library ... because I'm an idiot and actually believe that I have time to read for fun. >.> And I wrote a *koff* page in FTA 3. XD;;
//Phoenix lived la vie boheme at 06:47 p.m. on Tuesday, October 9, 2001//
*hackcough* I have a sore throat. It feels like someone shoved an emery board down my throat. Ugh. @_@
Three day week! Oh, how I love thee~~ <3<3<3
Yesterday a few friends and I went to Festival Japan at Uwajimaya. The weather was rather icky, but at least it didn't rain while we were outdoors. It may have while we were inside, though; we spent a good hour or two inside Kino's -- it was the first time there for everyone but me, and they and plenty of other otaku there for the festival were crowded around cooing at things. XD As for me, I got HanaKimi 9 and 10 for neechan. Haven't opened them yet. Nothing for me -- though I was sorely tempted by several CDs. >_< I told kaasan that I wouldn't be getting any more anytime soon, though ... but there was Luna Sea's "Shine" (with I For You T_T), Porno Graffiti's "Foo," and of course Ayu's "Best" ... Argh, I swear the only thing stopping me was that I didn't HAVE $35 bucks with me. XP
In the festival itself, they had a lot of booths by various companies, like cultural organizations, travel agencies, and kimono stores (and lots of sake ones o.o;;). On a small stage there were various demonstrations, like one by a kendo club, which was cool. The headmaster explained about their manners and gear, like the shinai and how they were made to allow full-contact blows without injury. (Unless you're uber-child Yahiko, of course. XD) And it was cute watching the seven year olds spar with the black belts. XD
My favorite part, I think, was the food. *niko* Yes, I did try takoyaki ... I didn't really like it, though. ^_^;; But I don't really trust that takoyaki, because it was microwaved. O_o And it may have just been the seasoning -- they used the same stuff on the yakisoba, and I didn't like that much, either (though normally I do like yakisoba). I wanted to try the onigiri, but I was too full; I really wanted to get taiyaki(sp?), but the line was way long. Taiyaki is the fish-on-a-stick-looking thing they always have at festivals -- it's batter cooked in a fish mold with bean paste inside. ^_^ I did try some ice cream-filled mochi that was all the rage among the Clark people there, and it was tasty.
Oh, and in the car ride, my friend put in his Angelic Layer Character Vocal Collection -- Icchan! XD Singing a duet with OGATA!! *_*
//Phoenix lived la vie boheme at 07:32 p.m. on Monday, October 8, 2001//
Oooh, I'm tired. And I haven't done any of the homework I got on the computer to do. O_o
Tonight at SNA we watched Jungle wa Itsumo Hare Nochi Guu, Dual, and Initial D. XD The first is ... wow. Crack-filled fun, man. XD XD XD I especially like the opening -- animation *and* song ("Love Tropicana" by Sister Mayo). The show itself does not make ANY sense, but that's what's so fun. I think it even beats Di Gi Charat for sheer hallucinogenic effect. XD For Dual, they showed episodes I'd already seen, but next week will be the final DVD, which I've been waiting to see for some time. And Initial D remains stubbornly interesting, even though it's about cars, of all the possible things that I could not care about. -_-;; It's so hilarious whenever Takeshi shows up in his 32, though -- I'm like, "It's Count Hiei!" XD
As you already know, a certain someone was there ... he didn't talk to me, though. I'm not sure if he decided beforehand or if it was because of the way I was avoiding him; either way, he should know that I wouldn't talk to him. Not because of what he did to neechan, exactly -- it's not that he did it to *her* (because it'd be sort of shallow to actually stop being his friend just because they broke up, you know?), it's that he did it *at all.* I just don't feel comfortable being friends with a person I think acts like an asshole (though that does make me wonder why I'm still friends with a certain person or two ... >.>). I'm glad he didn't approach me, because I couldn't decide how I was going to act if he did -- I mean, should I be civil and talk a little, or act cold, or tell him exactly what I thought of his actions? So it saved me some trouble. Though it was slightly disappointing, since I'd worked myself up to prepare for it. ^_^;;
Hello to Vinita-san ... I enjoyed the fanart link, even though I haven't read HP yet. It's sort of bad that I want to read the books more because of this purty-purty fanart, isn't it? ^_^;;
Tomorrow I'm going to the Festival Japan at Uwajimaya. I'm not sure what kind of "cultural stuff" they'll have there, but it should be fun. ^_^
//Phoenix lived la vie boheme at 11:46 p.m. on Saturday, October 6, 2001//
Ni he he he he. I like logic puzzles~~~ <3 Even if they frustrate me more than Calculus (which is the class I got them in), and I'm going to obsess over them more than my poetry project or college applications this weekend ... Eheh. ^_^v;;
Best of luck to Tin-san and her domain. Hope it wasn't a hacker after all. ~_~
Hm ... It's odd. I've been feeling rather irritable lately, I think. &_& And it's not that I'm in a constant grumpy mood or that I feel like I'm having a bad day; but I'll get mad at things that I feel like I'm probably overreacting about. Like today, we had a school-wide assembly for a special performance by the city symphony -- and of course there were a lot of people who had no interest in being there. And I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing, that they "should" like classical music ... but there were these boys in front of me (underclassmen who really looked like they should still be in middle school) who were talking loudly and yelling that it was "finally over" as they applauded ... and several times during the performance, I felt the strong urge to chew them out or get violent. O_o I mean, I don't normally let things like that bother me so much. It doesn't help that I got a feedback about one of my Soapbox issues that I'm not sure agrees with me or insults me ... Wait, let me amend that -- I *know* it insults me. But I don't know if the person is intentionally being rude -- for one thing, the English is both learned and broken (good vocabulary but the syntax is, well, not *there* at times). If it were a flame I'd toss it without another thought, but as it is I don't want to jump to conclusions and blow off someone who's trying to give constructive criticism. I must say, though, that two of the things that piss me off most in the world are: being told I'm a hypocrite, and gross misinterpretation of what I say. Which the person did. Plenty. >.>
Bah. I'm going to do some work on moving my site. I'm paring it down slightly, changing the name, and hopefully getting a new layout ... ne, Ruby-chan, I don't mean to push, but could you send Photoshop soon? ^_^;;
//Phoenix lived la vie boheme at 05:36 p.m. on Friday, October 5, 2001//
About the Friends season premiere, all I have to say is: Nya. Ha. Ha. XD I knew it, yes indeed I did~~~ <3 And I have to say, Joey is so awesome. ^_________^
Currently annotating Robert Browning poetry. I really like Love Among the Ruins, as well as other ones I've found from "Men and Women" ... but he also has a lot of ... odd ones. o.o;; I read at one site that the violent themes in some of his work is something like a statement about the society he lived in (Industrial Revolution England), but STILL ... Yikes. I'd read Porphyria's Lover before, but forgot the author, and then when I read it again a few days ago, I was like, THIS is the guy who wrote love letters to Elizabeth Barret? O_o Then again, the more disturbing ones have been from the times before he met Elizabeth or after her death, so maybe that's the reason. ^_^;;
Funny thing happened today at school (funny as in interesting, or perhaps sick >.>). My friend is doing her Senior Project on the reasons behind the persistent prejudice against homosexuality in a "supposedly egalitarian society," and when we had to share our topics in Government, we found out that another friend (you know who he is, neechan) was doing HIS on the deterioration of Judeo-Christian morals and the subsequent disintegration of the family unit. X_x This ... could be Not Good. I mean, he is our friend and he's a nice guy, but he's also freakishly conservative. I think the problem with trying to be open-minded and interact with people of different beliefs is that, ultimately, you will have to clash at some point ... She said she worried that he may not speak to her again after finding out what her topic is, and she was only half-kidding. >.>
Oh, yes, and I'm doing my project on fanfiction. *niko* I'm still uncertain as to how to make this an actual research paper, but I'm leaning toward a thesis about the validity of fanfic as a part of pop culture, and its importance in the online fandom. Now, HOW I'm going to research that I have no idea, but at least I get to write a fic as my product. XD
Oh, and I realized that I'm doing the same thing with colleges that I did with the SATs -- as in, waiting until the utter last minute. _o_ I don't know, maybe it's laziness, but I think it's also a desperate attempt (however futile) to delay the inevitable and avoid the future. XP At least I caught myself in time; with the SATs, I ended up taking the last available exam date of the year. But I looked through all the materials I've gotten to date; I have the application that the University of Iowa sent me (though it seems awfully brief ... I think it's the scholarship applications where they ask for the essay and stuff, though), and UW sent me an information book but wants me to apply online, I think. I didn't have anything from Whitman, but I got a letter in the mail today and sent back the little card asking for application materials (instead of just glossing over it and tossing it aside, as usual ~_~). Those are the ones I'm definitely applying to. Now I just have to determine which big name school I'm going to apply to for kicks. XD;; I'm pretty much decided on going to UW, but I figure I should try out one of the prestigious colleges so I know what my chances are if/when I apply there for grad school. Yeah, that's my plan ... And I want a list of the schools you two are applying to -- I know it's unlikely we'll go to the same one like we wanted (;_;) but I just want to know.
There's a reason I got four hits from this, yes? *snrk*
Anou ... perhaps I should send this over to neechan? Or Lili-chan? o.o
//Phoenix lived la vie boheme at 09:10 p.m. on Thursday, October 4, 2001//
it may not always be so; and i say
that if your lips, which i have loved, should touch
another's, and your dear strong fingers clutch
his heart, as mine in time not far away;
if on another's face your sweet hair lay
in such a silence as i know, or such
great writhing words as, uttering overmuch
stand helplessly before the spirit at bay;
if this should to be, i say if this should be –
you of my heart, send me a little word;
that i may go unto him, and take his hands,
saying, Accept all happiness from me.
Then shall i turn my face, and hear one bird
sing terribly afar in the lost lands.
This convinced a friend who thought cummings was "too weird" to decide that he was okay after all. *niko*
//Phoenix lived la vie boheme at 07:40 p.m. on Wednesday, October 3, 2001//
I can't get to Tin's page and it makes me sad. _o_
Today my class counselor came to talk to me about the administration portion of my National Merit application, and what should be added to what they already said. I already figured they'd be trying to describe as many of my good qualities and accomplishments as possible, but it was still really awkward sitting there discussing everything that made me super-duper. O_o This is a problem I have a lot. I mean I'm sure it's nice to appear modest and stuff when people praise you, but I'd also like to be able to act calm and collected under commendation so I could say, "Yes, thank you, I am indeed _____ and that's why I'd be good at your organization/company/university (as your date >.>)" instead of, say, giggling like an idiot. One of the essential qualities I always read about is the ability to be comfortable around adults/superiors, and I ... don't have that. n.n
Bah. Tomorrow I have to give a lesson to my class about metonymy. A five minute lesson. X_x
//Phoenix lived la vie boheme at 04:59 p.m. on Wednesday, October 3, 2001//
I finished watching Angelic Layer 14 last night ... Oujirou's such a cutie. *niko* But I like Kotarou-chan, too, so it'll be fine if (when) Misakichi chooses him. ^_^
My current English assignment is a research project on a poet, whom we selected from a list my teacher seems to have come up with at random. (Spanning from Chaucer to Shakespeare to modern, like Adrienne Rich. o.o) I chose Robert Browning, which I think might have been a mistake ... I hadn't read much of his stuff before last night, and so far it doesn't really appeal to me. I think I prefer Elizabeth Barret. Of course, that may be because I'm not a huge classical poetry fan -- mostly just love poetry. ^_^v;; As was demonstrated today when, at the library in search of some sources, I somehow ended up with "Sonnets from the Portuguese" instead. XD;; And an anthology of Japanese poetry. I haven't really read any Japanese poetry, so this should prove to be interesting, if not conducive to my research. O_o
Tin-san, I like the new fic muchly. XD Her most thrilling fantasy, indeed. And I can just imagine poor Aoshi's reaction when he takes off his yukata and she whips out the kunai. XD;;
Mou ... my school's Key Club is organizing peer-to-peer letter writing, from our school to one in New York, down the block from the World Trade Center. I like the idea, but I have NO idea what to write. o.o I'm not good at comforting people ... and I don't know if they NEED comforting, like condolences, or if they're scared, or what. I really don't want to screw this up, deshou? ^_^;;;
//Phoenix lived la vie boheme at 04:41 p.m. on Tuesday, October 2, 2001//
So now that Pitas has finally decided to let me post ... XP
Ohhh, my knee hurts. And I don't know why. @_@ Well, I sort of do -- it happened in Aerobics, when we were walking the track. But I don't know why my knee would *hurt*, since I only did nine laps, and walked pretty much the entire time. >_<
Today's Sinfest is good for people to keep in mind if they're feeling inclined toward paranoia of any kind ... Certainly we have to be more cautious now, but living in constant fear of bioterrorism or pointing fingers at anyone who arouses the slightest suspicion is not on the list of things that is going to help anyone right now.
Which brings me to another topic I want to talk about (ooh, nice segue XD) ... This morning I woke up to the deejays on a local radio station arguing with a caller about their attitudes concerning recent events. In the past few weeks, I've been admiring these guys' patriotism, while feeling troubled at their gradual transformation into ... stereotypical right-wingers, shall we say. They've been advocating military action from the beginning. I mean, these guys aren't warmongers by any means -- but what bothers me is that they've been severely criticizing those who disagree, such as peace protesters. To the point of calling them unpatriotic -- "bad Americans," in a way. And this caller was arguing with them on that at the time my alarm went off. He, too, supported military action, etc., but one of the points where he digressed with the deejay (he was really only arguing with one of them) was when the latter said he was willing to give up some of his civil liberties temporarily to catch the terrorists, like letting the FBI search his house or tap his phone if they thought they needed to. Be willing to be considered guilty until proven innocent, if it helped stop more attacks -- after all, he said, if you're innocent, it shouldn't matter. I mean, sure, it doesn't sound so bad when you say it -- let some feds come and look through your drawers a little, just to make sure they haven't missed anything, then go on their merry way ... but uh-uh, I say. It doesn't work that way. That's assuming that if you *are* innocent, they *will* let you go. But, hell, if it were that easy to tell who was innocent just by searching through their belongings, we would've caught these guys and been done with it by now. But everything is based on suspicion, not random selection -- they search you because they suspected you, and if they find something else "suspicious," they'll keep after you. The "evidence" could be a recent trip to the Middle East, anarchist affiliations ... a Koran? *shrugs* If we've gotten to the point where we "have to" search people without a warrant, then anything could qualify as suspicious. And can you imagine what it would feel like, having your country think you were a terrorist because of your religion? How about the Arab-Americans who have been asked to get off airplanes because they made the pilot "uncomfortable"? They were innocent, and they weren't arrested -- but imagine how humiliating -- and un-American -- that would be. There's a reason this nation is great, and we should remember it -- "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." It's such a slippery slope -- the deejay thinks it's necessary, now, to do this ... but the "war on terrorism" may very well last years. So do we put our rights on hold for that long? What about later, when something "just as important" comes up? Shall we just put Adams back in office, then?
Another issue was that intense criticism of peace protesters in Washington, D.C. and various universities. The deejay said they should "just shut up, and in a few months/years when they've still got their freedom, they can thank the military." (Interesting that he pointed out freedom, btw ...) Now the caller had a few holes in his arguments here, because he thought the deejay was saying they shouldn't *be able* to speak; the debate got a little convoluted, as debates with similarities between the opposing sides tend to do. So the deejay wasn't actually saying he thought they *should* be silenced, but just wished they *would.* But then came the point as to whether their opinion was valid or not.
I don't think I've actually outlined, in this blog, what my position is concerning military action vs. pacifism. While I would always *prefer* peace, I would *prefer* a lot of things; I do believe force, used wisely and justly, is sometimes necessary. Now is one of those times. People who are openly aggressive and proven to be dangerous have to be stopped. I do not agree with pacifists who claim that all war is evil and there is somehow a magically non-confrontational solution to every conflict. (And frankly, peace protesters who call on the nation for peaceful resolution and then hit back when someone attacks them are hypocrites, plain and simple.) However, I just as fervently disagree with warmongers who think we should nuke the Middle East. I have no respect for people who spit on veterans and called their fellow countrymen baby-killers just because they served in Vietnam; I also have no respect for people who think this is an "us versus them" issue and only think of American interests. There are people suffering everywhere -- people who, yes, do know the kind of horror and grief we experienced, perhaps on a daily basis. Certainly there is anti-American sentiment in the Middle East, as well as other places -- and there's a reason why. Many people think of the United States and see us as selfishly supporting cruel dictatorships or bullying other nations to get what we want. And they are somewhat justified. I don't think it's unpatriotic to admit my country's mistakes; in fact, I find it more in the interest of the nation to examine its faults and perhaps rectify them in a way that will prevent the conditions from which terrorism develops. If we solve the problems on our own side, many of those who are driven by grief and desperation (though not greed or fundamentalist zeal) will rethink their hatred of the West. So those who support a peaceful resolution -- or perhaps just limited military action -- are not totally "wrong."
There's another crucial point. The deejay (back on topic here ...) stressed he didn't want to haphazardly bomb Afghanistan just to get revenge. He didn't want the starving Afghans to suffer. But, ah! I wanted to say in sage-like fashion, who *are* these innocent Afghans? Where does he think terrorists are bred from, but the poverty and desperate destitution he wants to alleviate? You can't just put markers on the "innocent" ones and then blow the hell out of the "evil terrorists." The guy you usher into a refugee camp and hand a loaf of bread could look around him at his country being ravaged and his family starving and take a gun up, join the Taliban, and shoot you the next day. The best solution is to destroy the soil that nurtures the seeds of terrorism, as one documentary put it.
In the end, I think everything stems from the fact that I firmly believe any action we (as a country, or I, as an individual) take must have some higher moral purpose. Not to say that we are blameless and perfectly virtuous in our desires, or that it's practical to even try to be, but that there should be a reason we act, beyond "he hit me so I'm hitting him back." I don't want to kill every enemy or potential enemy we have in this "war"; I want to be able to prove to them *why* we are ultimately more right (I have to use that term at some point, don't I?) than wrong, and why we can't back down -- not just for our sakes, but for those of everyone who promotes religious freedom, rational thought, and humane interactions.
And, speaking of religion ... This guy is just full of good points lately.
And, inexplicably, I have Amuro Namie's "Leavin' for Las Vegas" stuck in my head. >.>
//Phoenix lived la vie boheme at 07:13 p.m. on Monday, October 1, 2001//
Me? Do my schoolwork when I have work time? Ha, it is to laugh. n.n
Ne, Lili-chan, how far do you have in RuroKen? Are you into Jinchuu yet? And as for your list ... I do believe that will be well over a hundred dollars, if you're looking to get the original Japanese versions. >.>
Neechan, how are your classes? Any Sano lookalikes yet? XD
Neko-chan, I haven't talked to you in forever. ;_; When's the next time you'll get on IM?
And belated thanks to Tin-san over petulance.net. Now if I could actually move my site onto the domain ... ^_^;;;
The space bar on this keyboard is sticky. Che.
Hm ... And I think people really should go vote in Kakumei. We've gotten a decent response so far, but the nominating period is half over and we need to fill in some categories.
//Phoenix lived la vie boheme at 08:55 a.m. on Monday, October 1, 2001//
Neechan ga inai ...
*siiiiiiigh*
Even though this means I'll be less distracted from doing things like homework and applications and writing, it doesn't seem like a fair trade. XP Though I think the world took pity on me yesterday, because I made a killing at 99 Ranch. XD;; A CD, three posters, and two sheets of stickers for less than $30. XD A new store opened up in the mall called The Animazing, which is where I got most of the stuff. They didn't have a lot of variety, really; assorted stationery, some stickers and cards, and a few CDs. But what I thought was a stack of DBZ posters turned out to have a bunch of series, like RuroKen, Weiß, Esca, FushiYuu ... And I wanted to get them all. -_-;; (Anything that has a picture of a series I like, I immediately want to buy. I swear I am such an advertiser's dream.) I especially had to quell the fangirl inside when I was tempted by the DNAngel, Angel Sanctuary, and buttload of Saiyuuki posters they had ... I don't think it's right to get a poster if you can't name the characters on it. No matter how pretty it is. >_< What I did end up getting was a Kenshin/Aoshi and a Tsuchiya-illustrated Weiß for me, and a RuroKen movie poster with a pretty Sanosuke for neechan. (The stickers are for our little cousins, whom we've made into total RuroKen h0s. XD) The CD was Amuro Namie's Genius 2000, which I like tons ... I think my Japanese CD (and/or Hong Kong "versions" ^_^;;;) collection is worth a few hundred dollars by now. And I think it's a bit troubling for my parents that I don't consider this a bad thing at all. XD;;
On Thrusday, we read this poem in English by George Herbert which nearly made me choke because it reminded me so much of Kenshin ... I realize it's supposed to be a Christian allegory, but we can ignore that. XD
Love bade me welcome, yet my soul drew back,
Guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-ey'd Love, observing me grow slack
From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning
If I lack'd anything.
"A guest," I answer'd, "worthy to be here";
Love said, "You shall be he."
"I, the unkind, the ungrateful? ah my dear,
I cannot look on thee."
Love took my hand and smiling did reply,
"Who made the eyes but I?"
"Truth, Lord, but I have marr'd them; let my shame
Go where it doth deserve."
"And know you not," says Love, "who bore the blame?"
"My dear, then I will serve."
"You must sit down," says Love, "and taste my meat."
So I did sit and eat.
(And no, I don't relate everything to anime. Just most of it. >.>)
From the Dave Barry column today:
TODAY'S TIP FOR "PROFESSIONAL" WRITERS: When writing poetry, be sure to express angst.
WRONG: Jack fell down, and broke his crown.
RIGHT: Jack fell down, and experienced a bunch of angst.
Amen to that, brother. XD
//Phoenix lived la vie boheme at 03:45 p.m. on Sunday, September 30, 2001//
Oh, it figures. After ridiculing the unlikely premise of the first episode of Kami-sama Mou Sukoshi Dake, I am now freaking addicted to the show. >_< Not that I don't still think it's highly improbable -- I mean, a famous music personality picking up a fan for holding up an "I Love Keigo" sign when he's only gotten that, what, a thousand times before? And then sleeping with her, to boot (oh, wait, that's *not* improbable ^_^;;) -- but now I reeeeaaally like it and I reeeaaally want to know what happens. Masaki does that whole shoujo saying-the-guy's-name-at-every-possible-opportunity bit, and she does have the ... erm, active ... lifestyle a la Aya in AyaCere (who says there are no role models in entertainment today? XD;;), but overall she's cool. And Keigo, having mellowed out a bit and revealed his Angsty Past(tm), is now *much* more appealing. *_* Not to leave out Isamu (his *hair* in ep. 11! XD), who fits the token role of friend-in-love-with-heroine, but, hey, this is a typical drama, after all. Complete with angsty running, broody walking, and lots of waterworks. But it's great fun. XD
Today at school we had a forum set up by Model United Nations and Debate Club, with figures from the community who were knowledgeable in some capacity about the issues regarding September 11. I think we had three Congressmen and the mayor, which was surprising and quite impressive, as well as a professor on the Middle East, a professor/Islam community leader, a lawyer/professor, and a fire chief. The problem with the nature of the assembly, though, was that most of us (at least, those in my Government class) had questions about things these people couldn't really help us with, such as planned military actions and international relations. As a result, the panelists sometimes ended up skirting the questions and discussing irrelevent issues. My friend was sort of frustrated because he went up to ask whether allying ourselves with the Northern Alliance would be beneficial, and the answer dealt more with the Alliance's ethnic/political background instead of military strategy. (Then there were some people who would go up and ask questions, then turn around and leave without waiting for the answer. -_-;;)
Some of the more interesting points: A popular question was whether there would be a draft. Each of the panelists who spoke said there wouldn't be, though it was really just speculation on their part, as there's no way of knowing; the mayor also said if there were one, it should be for both men and women. An idea I support in theory -- not because I want to go to war X_x -- but equality and all. I do, however, think that women shouldn't be part of the army. I'm ignorant; I don't know if draftees go into the Air Force or Navy, but if they do, that's where the women should go. Women, after all, are on average less physically powerful as men (not stereotyping, simple fact >.>), and I read an article once by a woman in the military who basically echoed that point based on her experience. There's a reason women have never been allowed on the front lines (not even in the Gulf War, if I have it right -- only on reconnaissance). However, because of smaller body size and a lower frequency of claustrophobia, women are apparently better suited for flying and being on subs. (This isn't "going easy" on women; the Navy had a 20% mortality rate in WWII, I believe o.o;;) Though I doubt subs will be used in this conflict ... ^_^;;
Yikes, I talked a lot about that. Anyway, another notable part was when one student came up and said that when he found bin Laden, he would "beat the piss out of him." Which garnered loud cheering and applause. -_- I mean, I appreciate the sentiment, but, well, the reason all this happened is because some Muslim extremists believed in the same violent retribution principle, against Americans. And if anyone doubted the pervasiveness of mob mentality ... >_< However, the panelists had some good closing statements. There was lots of urging for caution but tolerance; one man recounted his experiences in foreign countries that were supposedly hostile to Americans, but where he was treated with openmindedness and courtesy because he was an individual, not as part of some nebulous enemy called "America." Another one emphasized that, though there are a few hundred, a few thousand people who *would* do something like this, there are six billion people on this planet -- six billion who would *not.* And the mayor made a good point, lest the human factor of recent events be forgotten, when he asked us to imagine what it would be like if our parents left for work this morning and never came home. All in all, I think it would have been better to have made the assembly voluntary (instead of sending all juniors and seniors to it), both to cut down on the size and to keep out the people who really had no interest in being there; but it was a good experience.
We also watched a short documentary in Government about Afghanistan that was made pretty recently -- though obviously before September 11. There were interviews of Taliban/al-Qaida soldiers in a Northern Alliance POW camp; it's really sad how ignorant some of the people are. Sure, you hear things about mindless zealots working on blind faith, but to actually see and hear them ... talking as if they truly believed that defeating America and a couple of other Western powers would end "all fighting" in the world; citing as justification for their actions holy books they can't read because of widespread illiteracy; war being such common parts of their lives that terrorism is spoken of as a profession. Of course, there are those who defy stereotype, such as the women who, instead of being oppressed by fear, teach young girls in secret schools at the risk of their lives.
Also on the tape was a recording of a Dateline episode that followed the suspected hijackers in the last few days before the attacks. The narrator spoke of pre-Sept. 11 as "old America," and that got me to thinking. This is obviously a historic event of the magnitude (though not the context) of Pearl Harbor; but hearing that "our lives will be changed forever" is different from feeling that. I don't know if I feel permanently changed. There's definitely a difference, not a sadness but a weight, of sorts, that touches everything; writing for the first time since "old America" definitely felt different. But I don't know how long that will last; I don't know if it's a "loss of innocence." I still can't imagine people saying "the World Trade Center" and having that term encompass a tragedy and turning point in history like "Pearl Harbor." Or carrying both sorrow and pride for an entire generation. Hm ... deep thoughts I don't really understand myself. ^_^;;
//Phoenix lived la vie boheme at 10:15 p.m. on Friday, September 28, 2001//
