Still in a funk, but the Friday Five are kinda interesting this week:
1. If you had the chance to meet someone you've never met, from the past or present, who would it be?
Emma Goldman is the first person that comes to mind, though followed by Leonardo Da Vinci. you know, the more I think about it, the more I'd like to meet some distant relative of mine: someone, say 5 generations back (hopefully either just arrived in America, or about to arrive) and on my Dad's side, since i know so little about my background. Yeah. That's it. That's my final answer. I'd settle for even my maternal grandfather's dad, as rumour has it he was pretty wild too...

2. If you had to live in a different century, past or future, which would it be?
Well - turn of the century here in America would've been tough, but intense. So yeah, mid-late 1800's

3. If you had to move anywhere else on Earth, where would it be?
Slovenia. Pretty much anywhere, but for the sake of clarity, let's say Sezna.
Would also settle for cabin in central Alaska, or small town in south western France.

4. If you had to be a fictional character, who would it be?
I'd like to be the person who brings about world peace. No, seriously.

5. If you had to live with having someone else's face as your own for the rest of your life, whose would it be?
This'll seem weird, but you know, I'd kinda dig looking like Angelina Jolie.

i feel compelled to point out that as far as i know, when the USA has invaded any nation, promising to rebuild it and make it a "democracy" what it does in reality is blow countries wide open, install new non-elected leaders, dump some leftover foodpackets, and leave. Then, as we did all over Africa and Central America, we wait 10 or 15 years, declare that the countries have "failed" at "democracy" and again, go in, rape, pillage and steal (from an economic perspective) and start the routine again. I challenge someone (anyone) to point out one instance in which we have invaded a third-world country to oust an "evil" dictator and then helped the country back onto it's feet. Legitimately. Legitimate meaning that we provided food, shelter and medical assistance, education, books and person power to help people learn to govern themselve. Somalia. Guatemala. Nicaragua. El Slavador. Mozambique. Indonesia. Afghanistan. Pick one. Any one.

"Do not destroy oil rigs..."
What? Does anyone still doubt that this is all about money? About oil? About the Bush/Cheney investment portfolio?
Why is it Americans will riot in the streets when their professional sports teams lose (or win) but the leader of the United States of America essentially tells the rest of the world to fuck off and get out of our sandbox if yer not gonna be on our team, and no one does anything? What is wrong with us? When i think about going out and taking some sort of action, it all seems so ineffectual. Last night i was overwhelmed with a feeling of just not being part of this culture. It's not a new feeling, but now, more than ever, I am disgusted by this country and it's unwillingness to be a member of the global community.
Dubya=Nero, baby. Burn, burn, fiddle, burn.

At the risk of stating the obvious: Dubya is a lying sack of rocks. Is anyone suprised that as the deadline for compliance looms, the rules for Saddam-bob (a small homage to my old pals in Mr Ureling's history class. though none of us are still pals ((in practice. perhaps in theory, but who knows. i'm not paying classmates jack to find out if Derek and Brad and Greg want to exchange emails 20 years down the road)) ) change to: "Get out of the country." Sure, initially it was all about getting rid of his weapons of mass destruction, but in the end, it turns out it is a battle of wills, and Dubya wants to avenge Daddy. Or Daddy wants to. Whatever. There was a link to a funny list of new items Saddam would have to do to avoid war. If i can scrounge it up, i'll post it...