rants and ramblings of utter randomness

Hawaii's Legal Case Against the United States


Imagine if you grew up being told that you had been adopted, only to learn that you were, in fact, kidnapped. That might spur you to start searching for the adoption papers. Now imagine that you could find no papers and no one could produce any. That's how Dr. David Keanu Sai, a retired Army Captain with a PhD in political science and instructor at Kapiolani Community College in Hawaii, characterizes Hawaii's international legal status.


This is a little long, but it's worth reading or saving to read. I had no idea that any of this happened. Obviously I suck at American history. Either that or hey, maybe nobody wanted actual history to be taught at schools because it would make the US look bad. I don't think I learned anything about Hawaii in school, let alone that it might not even be a state.

Unsurprisingly, I would love to see Hawaii to win this fight, even though the Birthers would have a field day and a half with it.

And then there's this little problem.

I've been a fan of the Winter Olympics since I was a kid (not so much the summer ones, because I'm not all that interested in watching gymnastics or swimming or running, stuff like that).

I love the Luge and the bobsleds and the hockey (without fighting!) and especially, especially the figure skating--ironic because I've never been able to do much more than stand up and wobble my ankles while on skates. A complex skill--like, say, stopping, for instance--is totally beyond my level of expertise.

Annnyway, over the past few years I've been hearing all these bad things about the Olympics, like the way the homeless are displaced how the IOC is evil and the Olympics are more about sexism and homophobia and corporate greed than about peace and love and gold medals, and that environmentally and a bunch more other ways, the Olympics basically suck. And this year, the Olympic resisters are adding one more thing--they're saying that the venues where the games will be played are on land stolen from indigenous peoples.

It all sounds pretty incriminating, so I've decided to investigate. I'm still at square one, basically, but I wanted to share a talk I found that not only makes sense to me but also talks a lot about the history of activism in sport, which I'd really like to know more about--people like Muhammad Ali, Billie Jean King, and a whole bunch of others.

So here's the talk: The hidden history of activism in sport. The speaker is David Zirin, sports writer for The Nation.

I'd really like to know what you guys think about the whole argument, pro-or anti-Olympics. Feel free to give me links, ideas, arguments pro or con.

I'm planning to watch this year either way, but maybe by the time I get done investigating, I'll decide not to, or not to in four years (like I said, I don't really like the Summer Games that much, but that really has nothing to do with anything political). It looks bad, but I have to see for myself.

This just in:

"Activists remain on the roof of Parliament's West Block after unfurling a banner which reads "Harper/Ignatieff: Climate inaction costs lives."

Um, hey guys? Just FYI: CLIMBING ONTO THE ROOF OF THE WEST BLOCK could cost lives, too. Like maybe YOURS.

Jeebus.

Article is here.

I just. I can't even. Gah. I'm so incredibly proud of these guys, of my country, of democracy, of everything good in the world. I just keep thinking wow, what if these women had been my kids? And OMG, North Korea, man. Whatever you think of him politically, Bill Clinton is a giant hero, and so is the guy who asked him to do it in the first place.

ETA this:



And this: