Happy Panic Productions

Our muse is roused

After a flurry of creative activity starting Saturday, there's some new stuff up at www.dickandbutch.com.

Why Protest Now?

The onset of war and increase in popular support for it may discourage anyone wishing to protest. What can we hope to achieve by our protest at this stage? Virtually no amount of domestic pressure could conceivably cause the White House to call off their campaign. To achieve anything less than the complete overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime would, in their mind, be a repeat of the great failing of Desert Storm. No ordinary circumstances could cause them to call an end to the war, short of some catastrophe so horrible we couldn't possibly wish for it.

Given that we find ourselves opposed to a war which we failed to prevent and now cannot hope to curtail, what course of action to take? Voicing moral outrage, while cathartic, is ultimately an impotent gesture unless it strives to enact real change. In order to maximize our leverage of the democratic system, we must identify objectives which we can work to attain through protest and activism.

1. Prevent the next war.

Our efforts failed to prevent this war, so we should not delay our work to prevent the next one. If the White House feels it has overwhelmingly sold this war and its aftermath to the American people, it may use the momentum to begin a similar military campaign elsewhere. The more political pressure we can apply from this point in time forward, the more difficult we can make it to sell the next war.

2. Keep the Iraq debate alive after this war has ended.

Thousands will die during the war, and furthermore, millions of Iraqis' lives will be directly affected by the manner in which the U.S. government conducts itself in Iraq after the war. We must not let Iraq drop out of the public consciousness the way Afghanistan did.

3. Prevent legislation that endangers civil liberties.

The Expanded Patriot Act, if enacted, could bring us closer to a police state which, among other nightmares, would hamper future efforts of protest and activism.

General Strategies for achieving these objectives:

1. Keep Congress honest.

In the aftermath of 9/11, both houses of Congress fell in line behind the White House and acquiesced to nearly every legislative proposal that was made, including such questionable submissions as the Patriot Act. This time of war may serve as a similar opportunity for the Executive Branch to further its agenda. It is our responsibility to apply continuous vocal pressure to our Congressional representatives to challenge the White House, voice their dissent, and vote with their conscience.

2. Keep the media honest.

An under-informed majority has bought the White House's arguments and lent their public support to the war. The mainstream media has failed to offer a thorough, balanced, and critical presentation of the facts. We can expect a diminishing amount of criticism of the White House during the war. It is our responsibility to demand coverage of civilian deaths and critical analysis of the U.S. Government's actions. In particular, we cannot let post-war Iraq disappear from the public consciousness, as the media allowed to happen with post-war Afghanistan.

3. Foster public discourse.

Rallies and marches keep opposition to the war visible, creating a peaceful spectacle for media coverage and a general environment which encourages Congressional leaders and other citizens to raise their voices in dissent.

Furthermore, we must take the political discourse into non-political environments. Post in the off-topic section of non-political internet forums. Strike up conversations in sports bars.

4. Foster private discourse.

For the vast majority of people, the only way they'll ever hear a calm, reasoned argument against the war is in conversation with a friend, relative, or co-worker. This is also practically the only way most people will ever learn about good non-mainstream sources of news. We must each do our own research, especially of primary documents. We must not be afraid to talk to bystanders, hecklers and counterprotestors who don't threaten us with violence; and we must be prepared to field intelligent questions from supporters of the war.

My wife is funny

"And you should now feel relieved because the newest entry into the coalition of the willing is...The Animal Kingdom! Sure Bush couldn't convince anyone at the UN but he has been able to convince some of his animal friends.
http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/71875.htm

And if you want to read the transcripts from the Central Command briefings go to http://www.centcom.mil/.
Their web design, among other things, is neither smart nor precise. At the top they have links to previous briefings and then below that in smaller type there's a link to this morning's."

We're the bad guy

This says it better than I could.

(from Credibility Bomb, by Doug Ireland):

"By asserting the United States' right to invade whomever it likes whenever it likes, Bush’s speech brought the world to the most dangerous moment in its history since the Cuban missile crisis of 1962. A first-strike on Iraq, unprovoked by any aggressive act on Saddam’s part, will start a new nuclear arms race by countries that have nothing further to lose by creating a nuclear deterrent to the unchecked imperial power of Washington.

A first-strike on Iraq turns the United States into an aggressive power as a matter of policy, shreds the fragile framework of nascent international law and takes the global diplomacy back 70 years by making the United Nations as irrelevant as the League of Nations was in its ability to stop aggression."

Read the rest at this article.

Catching you up, part2

Then the next day (Thursday) the whole band played a full set at Prodigal Son, which looks like a regular Lincoln Park-type bar in the front, but the back room is like a much smaller, much cleaner Fireside Bowl, sans bowling apparati. We played great until Big Mike's kick pedal came off the bass drum. Oh well, that's rock and roll (except in this case it didn't sound much like rock'n'roll, and that was the problem). The Figgs headlined, and it was the best I've seen them play since Guy Lyons left; it was a great show.

Catching you up, part 1

Last Wednesday, Mike and I played a 4-song acoustic set as part of Chicago's Finest Hour at The Hideout. I couldn't tell you if it was the finest hour in Chicago or an hour of Chicago's finest, but it was pretty good. Part of the deal is that each band covers one of the other bands' songs, and we had the honor of performing a Puerto Muerto composition, "Chapayev's Machine Gunners". Song's gonna be on their CD that comes out this summer, so when it's finally released people might think they're covering us, har har.

(They did cover us, "Silver Bootstraps", Christa did a kind of a laid-back loungy vocal part. Our cover was more rehearsed but probably no more competent. I got to do Christa's harmony part (me sing like Christa Meyer? No problem!) and for some reason I decided not to sing any of the same words Mike was singing in the lead. We never did ask them, is it "Feed them to the dogs of war" or "Feed them to the dogs and whores"? )

Andy Hopkins (Rudy Day) played a lovely solo set, and Mike Bulington showed up, so he got to view 2 of his 3 bands from the front, for once. Does it drive a drummer crazy to watch three acts perform with no drums among them?

Observed in the hallway

Just now at the Noth Suburban Library System headquarters in Wheeling, where I'm attending an XML workshop:

A meeting room with a plate by the door proclaiming it the "Interactive Room."

I tried it, and what do you know, it worked! I turned the knob and the door opened; I flipped a switch and the light came on! I was totally interacting with that room.