Today in class, my brilliant Professor Kauanui alerted us to the newest invasion of privacy conceived of by the US government. A bill by the name of H.R. 1955: Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 recently passed in the House of Representatives, and is now headed to the Senate.
A summary of the bill, taken from the official website THOMAS:
Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish or designate a university-based Center of Excellence for the Study of Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism in the United States to assist federal, state, local, and tribal homeland security officials, through training, education, and research, in preventing violent radicalization and homegrown terrorism in the United States. Requires the Secretary to: (1) conduct a survey of methodologies implemented by foreign nations to prevent violent radicalization and homegrown terrorism; and (2) report to Congress on lessons learned from survey results.
Clearly, this fascist little piece of legislation is intended to extend the Patriot Act into the realm of activists and intellectuals. My professor is hosting a campus-wide forum next week to discuss its implications and possible avenues of resistance. Such legislation is NOT limited solely to political radicals, but also poses a threat to all who exercise their right to free speech.
The linguistic terms employed by the bill are defined as:
`(2) VIOLENT RADICALIZATION- The term `violent radicalization' means
the process of adopting or promoting an extremist belief system for the
purpose of facilitating ideologically based violence to advance
political, religious, or social change.
`(3) HOMEGROWN TERRORISM- The term `homegrown terrorism' means the use, planned use, or threatened use, of force or violence by a group or individual born, raised, or based and operating primarily within the United States or any possession of the United States to intimidate or coerce the United States government, the civilian population of the United States, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.
`(4) IDEOLOGICALLY BASED VIOLENCE- The term `ideologically based violence' means the use, planned use, or threatened use of force or violence by a group or individual to promote the group or individual's political, religious, or social beliefs.
What exactly is meant by "force"? The clip below explores several possible interpretations:
For those of you who think "Facebook Activism" is only good for whining about the company's latest invasions of your privacy, or expressing support for Stephen Colbert's "presidential race," check it:
Over 270,000 Facebook members, mostly Central American youths, have joined a group called "One Million Voices Against FARC," which was established one month ago. The group leaders organized a rally, using Facebook as a means to gather support both within Columbia as well as globally. This past Monday, between 500,000 and 2 million Columbians marched in the streets, with thousands joining them in over 133 countries worldwide.
FARC, which in English stands for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia-People's Army, considers itself to be a guerilla movement for Columbian communism. Most of the rest of the world, including Columbia, prefers the term "terrorist organization". The movement is specifically geared toward halting the ubiquitous kidnapping tactics employed by FARC, claiming that thousands have been wrongly imprisoned by the group for over a decade.
Nevertheless, some Columbians feel that the movement may serve only to polarize the country. Though they acknowledge the importance of standing up to unethical practices such as kidnapping, protesting FARC itself is a bit more nuanced. From The Christian Science Monitor:
"While few Colombians support the Marxist insurgent army that has been fighting the Colombian state for more than 40 years, many people are uncomfortable with the message of Monday's rally. They would prefer a broader slogan against kidnapping and in favor of peace and of negotiations between the government and the rebels to exchange hostages for jailed rebels. The leftist Polo Democratico Party said it will hold a rally in Bogotá in favor of a negotiation but would not march. Some senators say they will march against Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, and other participants say they will be marching in favor of Colombian President Alvaro Uribe."
The group's discussion board is probably the best insight into the myriad issues and sentiments the struggle evokes amongst Central and South American youth, reflecting struggles against racism, classism, and corrupt governments. Thanks to Claire-bear for keeping her finger on the pulse of Free Speech Radio!
Both MySpace and Facebook have become important sites for political campaigning. In 2006, Facebook launched a feature called Election Pulse, enabling members to indicate which candidates they support, learn about and discuss political issues, and gauge how candidates are faring among Facebookers through polls organized by state. MySpace, in turn, recently launched Impact Channel, fulfilling essentially the same functions as its Facebook counterpart but reaching an even greater audience. Furthermore, the Channel is heavily video-oriented, featuring a series of dialogues with the candidates in collaboration with MTV Networks. Visitors to the site are able to submit videos of themselves asking questions of the candidates, promoting a sense of being directly involved in political democracy. Similar collaborative endeavors between network television and online social networks include the YouTube/CNN presidential debate in June of 2007 and the Facebook/ABC presidential debate in January of 2008.
As the 2008 presidential election approaches, candidates have been rushing to capture the elusive yet desirable youth vote. Unsurprisingly, the Democratic party has been considerably more effective with its use of new social media to drive campaigns. In a recent CNN article, a Republican pollster is quoted as saying: "Our party is really behind in learning how to maximize this and use it to our best benefit. We were very proactive in learning how to use talk radio. When it comes to the Internet, especially social networking sites, we're really behind.” On MySpace, Barack Obama leads the popularity contest with over 240,000 Friends- not counting the thousands of friends who link to alternate Obama profiles created to represent each individual state in the U.S. His profile consists of a regularly-updated blog, YouTube videos of his past speeches, links to further information, photographs, podcasts, and various buttons linking to his other “online habitats” on sites such as YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Such practices serve to humanize politicians and breach the disconnect felt by voters, and are particularly oriented toward the purportedly politically apathetic youth generation of the United States today. Members of online social networks, in turn, have begun utilizing the sites to display their support for particular candidates on their profiles (much like bumper stickers), research and discuss political issues, and run local campaigns in the form of Groups. For the record, I support Obama. And Kucinich.
Writing to you from "Zona Hotel," Mexico! Twenty-one miles of resorts and cheap thrills. Twenty-one miles that exist solely for the gradually browning and burning bodies glistening with oil, ripened and cooked by the merciless sun. There is time enough to turn, slowly, and sip a morning cocktail that marks the beginning of so many more to come. Bienvenidos a Mexico!
"There are no sharks here," our concierage assures us. No sharks? No sharks or jellyfish or danger? I begin to feel uneasy, the vaggue stirrings that have evolved, at this point, to full-on resignation. Indeed, I walk along a beach that has no rocks, sticks, or stones. There are well-positioned patches of seaweed that contain no insects, and the "beach" is framed at both ends by strange beige formations bursting with burlap and artificiality. Nor are there rocks in the ocean, though I did come across more burlap. There will be no swimming past the buoys, their presence an unspoken restriction reinforced by the steady hum of waterboats and jet skis. Welcome to Mexico, Zona Hotel, where your hotel room features your very own Jose Cuervo tap, where even entering a local club will cost you forty bucks, and where pleasure is, ultimately, manufactured.
But, I digress! Last night as I was extolling the virtues of proper disgust for our general vacation situation, my father begged me to let it go. He said, "yes, I'd love to have a more authentic experience when I travel, but it's hard to find the time to research and plan a vacation." I conceded his point, but when I launched into a rather unpatriotic tirade bemoaning the various economies our country has single-handedly run ragged, reinforing this creepy tourist industry, my dad had had enough. He refused to continue the conversation, which he claimed could only be an argument. Essentially, he told me off. My hands started shaking, a sure sign that I was about to lose it. I tossed down my handherchief, muttered "restroom," pushed back from the table, and practically fled the dinner scene.
Once again, I found myself in a bathroom stall, checking my rage and having a good, solid cry. It was cathartic, and I resolved to not talk politics with my dad... at least for the night. I walked back to the dining room, chin held high, to find my dad and brother gone, and my unfinished glass of red wine awaiting me. Disbelieving, I took a seat and downed the rest of the glass, willing myself not to cry as I stared at my reflection in the window. Neaby, a pair of nice-looking gentlemen took their seats, and a few minutes later one of them came over to my table. "May I take a seat?" he asked, "I couldn't help noticing that you seem very sad..."
Instantly, I recognized kindness in his eyes and empathy in his soul, and, being me, proceeded to pour my heart out. He listened intently, and his advice was wizened. "I don't really dig the whole resort thing either," he admitted, "but I'm here with my friend, who's a cop, and who really needs to take it easy for a few days. You should just go up to the room, apologize, and try not to talk politics during your vacation. I understand that it is upsetting, though..." His wamrth and compassion instantly lifted my quarrelsome spirits, and I thanked him profusely: "you are truly a kind soul," I said, before he invited me over to his table. My father and brother returned a few minutes later, and were at once as smitten as I. Incidentally, he was a Canadian, and had traveled throughout India. Moral of the story? If you spot a rather sad-seeming person in your vicinity and your heart urges you to reach out, take the time to do so. You may find yourself karmically rewarded in ways you could not imagine at the present time.
An all-inclusive resort vacation is the simplest solution to the overworked and winter-weary. Maybe I would do well to follow the advice of my father and let it go, but in truth this realization has only strengthened my fervent belief in spontaneous acts of adventuing. May my life never come to the point where I breath only air-conditioned oxygen and willingly structure my existence in accordance with pre-packaged solutions. May I battle every day for the preservation of my passion, and exceed my own wildest expectations. May I dine at a different table every hour of my life, oh Lord, let havoc and chaos reign!
That is all; best wishes in the art of life!
