Stimulus payments are “in the mail.” The first time I heard the phrase “stimulus package,” I thought it sounded like an email I don’t want to open. When I learned what Bush’s plan to boast the economy actually entailed, I still couldn’t believe what I was reading.

The aim is to boost consumer spending and help mitigate problems caused by the slowing economy.

The program calls for rebates of up to $600 for single filers making less than $75,000. Couples making less than $150,000 would receive rebates of up to $1,200. In addition, parents would receive $300 rebates per child. Filers who do not owe income taxes but have at least $3,000 in income would get a $300 payment.

Let me get this straight. The U.S. is 9 trillion dollars in debt and we’re borrowing another 187 billion (from China of course), which will be portioned out to privileged first world Americans so they can buy buy buy as the only solution to save the economy.

It reminds me of the scene, “Cousins,” from Coffee and Cigarettes. A rich and famous cousin gets a visit from her sassy less-well-off cousin. After catching up over a cup of coffee and a cigarette, the rich and famous cousin gives her sassy less-well-off cousin a present (some makeup I think). After she learns it is “swag” (a British term, I guess, for the free gifts given to rich and famous people for free in the hopes that they will make more money when people see her using it), she says something that is right in line with our stimulus package.

“Its funny, don’t you think, that when you can’t afford something it’s like really expensive. Then when you can afford it, it’s like, free. It’s kinda backwards don’t you think?”

Rich and famous cousin responds: “The world is a bit like that sometimes.”
(view scene below)

Also, now more clearly than ever before, our economic system is truly exposing itself for what it is, a system that requires perpetual growth or it will quickly collapse. Capitalism, as an economic model, requires that we buy and consume—not as a privilege, but as a necessity. I can’t be the only one that has a huge problem with this.

This is part of my response, on the topic of victim blaming, to an essay question for a job application.

Within the context of sexual assault, the abuser rationalizes his violent behavior by blaming the victim for “causing” him to behave that way, though triggers for violent behavior are defined, quite arbitrarily, by the abuser. The inequitable power dynamic at work in such a situation speaks not only to the way men are taught to enact their masculinity, but it also clearly exposes the way women are taught to behave toward men.

Because of the way gender roles are constructed in our society, many women are made to believe–either implicitly or explicitly throughout their lives—that it is their duty to make men happy. This is reflected in and reinforced by the media, pop culture, politics, religion, and other details relating to the familial and societal structures of the dominant culture. Therefore, when an abuser is violent, the victim is made to feel guilty; she is made to feel that she is not adequately fulfilling her role some how.

In this way, victim blaming takes the emphasis off the source of violence and places it upon the victim of that violence. Therefore, the emphasis is on the victim to change her behavior within an inherently and fundamentally violent context. As long as the victim is fixated on her behavior, violent masculinity and the institutional patriarchal power structure that informs violent masculinity goes unexamined. In this way, victim blaming serves as a way to detract any meaningful thought that attempts to get at the root problems of violence in our communities and within the dominant culture.

The following was written by a friend, Mike Hobbs, president of the Denver Chapter for Trout Unlimited. As someone who works closely on these issues, he brings a unique and much needed perspective to the issue of land use/ownership. He touches on a lot of important and, often overlooked, issues that are tied to the institutionalized theft of public lands.

Our unique national treasures are in peril. The US government spends more money than it takes in each day and has been doing so for the past 7 years. The shortfall is covered by printing bonds and selling them with the promise of risk free interest. The average savings rate of US citizens is hovering around zero, yet consumers are exhorted each day to spend and save the economy. Social Security is approximately 40% under funded in the coming 40 years. Medicare shortfalls are estimated at 3-4 trillion dollars ($3,500,000,000,000). These entitlement program deficits never appear in budget calculations. Congress has cut Forest Service funding relentlessly, and new user fees do not cover the gap. The baby boomer retirement wave has just begun and will not crest for another 10 years. Life expectancies continue to rise. Many members of younger generations have never been out of range of WIFI access and have no interest in the outdoors. This is evidenced by declining hunting and fishing license fees across the west.

Politicians studiously decline to acknowledge these issues and will not do so unless the public or the media demand it. This short term mentality spells the end for our public lands. The Pombo initiatives of 2005 were just the beginning. Assuming that congress will not stand by while the aged go without basic needs, there will soon be a critical demand to raise cash. Having exhausted the demand for US Treasuries by saturation and lowering interest rates, the US will be facing bankruptcy sometime in the next 20 years. There is only one painless way to solve this problem and that is to liquidate America’s greatest asset. Billionaires and sovereign wealth funds flush with free trade cash and calls on US Treasuries will line up to bid on property along the shore of Yellowstone Lake. Yosemite Valley will make a great location for an exclusive community featuring golf, fishing and sporting clays with incredible views. In short, the most beautiful places in our country will be owned by economic royalty and the public will be locked out. I think I hear Teddy Roosevelt groaning in his grave. As O’Reilly is so fond of saying, “Where am I going wrong here?”

Earth day is tuesday……but remember…..

And this doesn’t mean I’m a communist or anti-American or any other sound bite. As I see it, this is just how it is. A way of life based on continuous growth cannot last on a finite planet. We’ve known this all along…

To get at the root problems, we have to question more than our consumer choices.

my grandmother sent this. I think it’s beautiful.

Flagstaff: As you probably know, our local independent bookstore, Aradia Books, is closing.

Aradia, Flagstaff’s oldest bookstore, has served the local
community for 28 years. As Flagstaff’s last full-service
independent bookstore, we carry books by local authors and are
committed to representing Flagstaff’s racial, ethnic, sexual, and
political minorities. We promote cooperation rather than
competition.

Well, corporate competition has moved in and, again, has helped to destroy the local flavor. I’m so tired of this.

Did you know that just thirty years ago, the busy Milton area (fast food, target, chase, barnes and nobles, starbucks….etc.) used to be horse corals? Every year, as corporate chains move in and local businesses move out, our unique little town looks more and more like any other city in the country. Does anyone know what ever happened to the “Unchain Flagstaff” hoopla of a few years ago?

Last year, we lost our only independent record store and the only independently run movie theater. Now, Rambo 4 runs on multiple screens at Harkins and the Darfur documentary isn’t even coming here. Anyway….

For the next couple weeks, Aradia is in need of volunteers to pack up books and help with general cleaning/clearing out. If you can help, just show up Monday-Saturday 10:30am-5:00pm through the end of April.

I wanted to thank everyone who came to and participated in this weekend’s MARSfest. I thought it went pretty well despite attendance being better last year. Last year, I had all the bands play last, so when the music stopped, everyone left. This year, I ended the night with Luke’s great anti-porn talk and concluded with an engaging discussion on that and other related issues. So thanks again to all who came, particularly to Babies and Summit Dub Squad who played two shows that day.

Also, check out Babies in the latest episode of Flag Underground.

Take Back the Night, Flagstaff, is tonight. We’re all meeting on North San Fran near the hospital and marching to Heritage Square for the rally. I will be speaking as well as a number of other people at 6:30.

Many people have no idea how big of a problem gender violence is, even in our small groovy mountain community.

Daily Sun

Nationally, less than 40 percent of sexual assaults are reported to law enforcement agencies, Pope said.

According to Flagstaff police reports, there were 51 rapes reported in Flagstaff in 2007, up from 46 in 2006 and 49 in 2005.

The event has been organized by NACASA, NAU Safe and Victim/Witness Services for Coconino County.

For more information on Take Back the Night, visit www.takebackthenight.org.

A little something from the vault: Last year, I wrote an article for The Noise explaining my thoughts on gender violence and how it is related to the destruction of the planet. Here is a word doc of that essay (please do not modify or reproduce elsewhere without asking me).

Costa Rica’s Visual Arts Biennial (Bienarte) 2007 showcased a select group of artists. One of these artists, Guillermo Vargas Habakkuk, chained a lost dog to the wall of the exhibition and let it starve to death. That was his artistic contribution, which was appreciated so much that he has been invited to the Bienal de Artes Visuales de Honduras 2008 (The Biennial of Visual Arts of Honduras 2008), which is scheduled to take place in November in the country’s capital.

Half a million people have already signed the petition to drop this asshole from the art show and shame those that think there is artistic merit to animal abuse and murder.

This guy has a decent breakdown of the artist’s motivation. I see his point, I think, but it’s still abuse and murder.

There doesn’t seem to be a lot out there on this, at least in English. You can go to the artist’s website, but I don’t want to advertise for him. So if you really want to see messed up pictures of a dog starving to death in an art gallery as people stand by and do NOTHING, you can find them pretty easily.

Yelp, it’s that time again. Spread this around.