(no subject)

I have a tendency to, for lack of a better term, let people walk all over me. I excuse their behavior out of respect and/or trust. It's okay that you had to cancel; I understand; don't worry about it; what's more convenient for you? I've spent the last 27 years being far too considerate and passive.

I'm over it.

I've been disappointed too many times. I'm not excusing your shitty behavior anymore just because it was unintentional. Own your actions and deal with the consequences.

Excerpt from Richard Brautigan's "Trout Fishing in America"

The trout had a big red stripe down its side.
It was a good rainbow.
"What a beauty," he said.
He picked it up and it was squirming in his hands.
"Break its neck," I said.
"I have a better idea," he said. "Before I kill it, let me at least soothe its approach into death. This trout needs a drink." He took the bottle of port out of his pocket, unscrewed the cap and poured a good slug into the trout's mouth.
The trout went into a spasm.
He laid the trout on a white rock, head down, and some of the wine trickled out of its mouth and made a stain on the rock.
The trout was lying very still now.
"It died happy," he said.
"This is my ode to Alcoholics Anonymous."

(no subject)

I'm more than partially ignorant in regards to both the situation in Libya and U.S. presence in Libya, but I couldn't help rolling my eyes when I read this...

"President Barack Obama declared Monday night that the U.S. military action in Libya had 'stopped (Moammar) Gadhafi's deadly advance,' fulfilling what he said was a U.S. responsibility not to 'turn a blind eye to atrocities in other countries."

Right. We're not turning a blind eye because we have a vested interest in Libyan resources, read: oil. Let's drop the philanthropic rhetoric and call it what it is. Where's the presence in DRC? Millions have died. The U.S. aided in the assassination of a potentially great leader, Patrice Lumumba, and propped up a dictator that further destabilized the country. Again, millions have died. Too bad the world has already stripped Congo of its most viable resources, read: rubber, diamonds, coltan.

Political altruism is a joke.

This is an ambitious agenda, but it can be accomplished.

1. The U.S. government must do more to support a multidimensional strategy to protect civilians--women, girls, boys, and men from the onslaught of violence in Eastern Congo.

2. The U.S. government must do more to support the 2011 elections. In addition to providing diplomatic support, the U.S. should support robust election monitoring by Congolese civil society and by credible international organizations.

3. To ensure that the United States steps up to the serious challenges to stability in Africa posed by the Congo, the president or the secretary of state should appoint a special representative to the Great Lakes region of central Africa. The appointment should occur as soon as possible in order to coordinate the U.S. response to the challenges in the Congo. We also believe that the treatment of conflict minerals, immobilization, and security sector reform as well as the lord's resistance army are of serious concern and deserve a comprehensive approach and cohesive strategy.

--Eastern Congo Initiative