Insanity and the Anti-Obama Movement in the U.S.

Something is seriously wrong. Since I’ve had a couple of days to relax, I’ve been catching up on my international news and politics. Apart from referring to reputable news source from around the world, I’ve been spending time on YouTube and I’m horrified at what is happening in the US. Someone of the videos below are a little old, but I think they’re still relevant considering the recent developments in the presidential nominations.

Thankfully, Hillary Clinton has finally admitted defeat and allowed Barack Obama to the Democratic Nomination for the US Elections. Whilst Obama is not as left politically as Dennis Kucinich or John Edwards, he’s miles ahead of Hillary the warmonger. The reason I’m commenting on this is the presence of very dangerous opinions in both the US mainstream media as well as being all over the Internet. What I’m talking about is the ‘anti-Obama movement’. Obviously, American conservatives were always going to do their best to tear apart the Democratic nominee, but since it became clear that Hillary had no chance of winning the nomination race, the conservative movement has made it open season on Obama. The trouble is that we’re not talking about the usual “let’s dig deep into this guy’s background and see what dirt we can find” - no, no, no - we’re talking the most horrifying lies, fearmongering and historical misinterpretation that I can recall. I don’t know exactly where to start, so I’ll just hightlight some of the insanity as best I can.

Firstly, we have the group of people trying to push the idea that “Obama = Hitler”. Yes, that’s right - they’re comparing a nominee of the US Democratic Party, a man with relatively centrist political views, with the leader of the most well-known fascist/far-right political movement in history. This group of people believe that the fervour that Barack Obama incites at his rallies and the movement for change that has risen behind him is comparable to the hold that Adolf Hitler had over the German people in the 1930s. Their is also the belief that, if elected, Obama will incite hatred of white Americans, bringing about some kind of new Holocaust. How fucking offensive! I’m struggling to remember the last time I have seen such a ridiculous comparison. Here are a few videos I’ve found on YouTube, starting with utterly insane Ann Coulter (talk about fascist!):

A religious leader gets his say:

And another insane ‘believer’:

All this when one of John McCain’s ’spiritual guides’, Rev. Rod Parsley, advocates that the US Christians should wage open war on Islam:

As the comments say, he has also “railed against the separation of church and state, homosexuals, and abortion rights, comparing Planned Parenthood to Nazis”. McCain actively sought Parsley’s support for his presidential campaign, but the mainstream media doesn’t have the guts to call McCain on Parsley’s abhorrent anti-Islamic views.

Next up, reference to Barack Obama’s middle name - Hussein. This is blatant fearmongering if ever it existed. Simply because of Obama’s Islamic heritage (his father was Muslim), commentators are referring to his middle name to incite the obvious - mental associations in their audience between Barack Obama and Saddam Hussein and his family. Here’s Ann Coulter at it again:

And as soon as there is any evidence of association with Islamism, the lunatic conservatives get onto the idea that Obama’s Christian views are merely a lie to deceive the American people until such time that he is elected President, and then he’ll tell everyone that’s he’s really a Muslim. Are you fucking kidding me? There are hundreds of videos about this on YouTube - look them up.

And finally, there’s the ‘terrorist fist jab’ incident courtesy of, you guessed it, FOX News. You’ll just have to see this for yourselves:

And here’s Ann Coulter again. Do I need mention that she’s racist? Oh, I hate her so much:

If you have anymore outpourings of mental instability in US politics that I should know about, let me know.

These New Puritans @ The Great Escape

Another video I shot at TGE. This time it’s These New Puritans with “Elvis”. Spitting the code. Brilliant.

more about “These New Puritans - Elvis (Live)“, posted with vodpod

Good times at The Great Escape

I’ve finally had time to sit down and write about three awesome nights in Brighton, albeit four weeks after the fact. Better late than never. All photographs are my own. Apologies for the length. Anyway, read on!

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Since I’ve been in Europe, I’ve managed to see a few concerts. When I found out about the Great Escape Festival I knew I had to go to Brighton. As a student and low-income earner ticket prices were an issue, but thankfully it only cost me £45 (or approximately AU$95) plus the booking fee. For three nights of live music and running around a town like Brighton it would be stupid to pass up.

And so I arrived in Brighton on May 14, the day before the festival started. I was lucky enough to be fucked over by the hostel I had originally booked, Sluggies Backpackers. I walked for 20 minutes with my bags in the hot sun to this place only to find out that (according to the woman on reception) their old manager had quit two weeks earlier and had ‘forgotten’ to enter my booking in their computer system, despite taking my £25 deposit. The bastards! Eventually, proof of my booking was found in their diary and I was offered one night in a bed followed by another three on a thin mattress on the floor. After seeing the room and pointing out the fact that you couldn’t fit a mattress on their shitty floor, I reclaimed my deposit and commandeered their phone to find an alternative to this busted up excuse for a hostel. After 20 minutes I was walking back down the street to a bed in a better location. Problem solved.

After settling in my new hostel, I went for a stroll around town. Navigating Brighton’s many lanes is incredibly confusing, but the best way to do things is to get lost and surprise yourself as you come across little treasures. Eventually, I realised I should probably eat something. After a late lunch and a trip to the supermarket, I made my way to the ticket stand where I traded my ticket for a festival wristband and programme. For the most part, the programme was well laid out - a few pages filled with the usual tripe from no one you care about, followed by a well structured timetable for the coming three nights, and finally the band section, where each performer had a two or three sentence writeup. The excitement was building…

No Age @ The Great Escape

I shot this video at the No Age gig during the The Great Escape Festival. The song is “Teen Creeps” from their new album Nouns. Stay tuned for the belated post of my festival experience. Enjoy!

more about “No Age @ The Great Escape“, posted with vodpod

Slowly, but surely!

It’s been sometime since I last posted anything. Things have been hectic in Europe and I haven’t had that much time to sit down and write. So, from a hostel in Paris, here goes…

I’ve haven’t been keeping up with current events worldwide, but I just came across the news that on May 15 the Supreme Court in California made the landmark decision to overturna ban and legalise gay marriage. I would hope that many of you already know about this fantastic event. The Supreme Court has said it would be unconstitutional to deprive anyone of the right to marry the person of their choice. This is an incredible decision. Of course, they are not the first community in the world to decide to legalise gay marriage. This decision would make them the second state in the US to do so, the first being Massachusetts in 2004. But for a community like California to do so confirms that, despite all that is wrong with the world, we are finally moving in the right direction.

I’m not aware of all the details at the moment. I will do some reading when I get the time. But for now, here are some articles that I think you should read:

The Advocate - [1] [2] [3]

New York Times

BBC

The Age (Melbourne, Australia

These are primarily links from the Advocate, who have been covering the event with obvious interest. I think it best to hear from the LGBT community on this issue, at least primarily. But, that does not mean it is an issue or a decision that will effect only them - this is an international issue. I have included news items from the US, UK and Australia, but I have found little English language responses to the issue outside the West. If you are aware of any, please let me know!

In any case, if California can make this decision, then perhaps we can strive to have gay marriage legalised in Australia and the rest of the world.

On a personal level, I have very strong views on the issue. I do not accept, for one moment, the idea that marriage is strictly an institution that belongs to heterosexual couples. In the 21st century, such an idea is absurd. Such heteronormativity belongs in the dustbin of history. The destruction of our own environment and other such horrors aside, we are supposedly a progressive species. I also don’t agree with the argument that comes from some in the LGBT community that advocating for gay marriage is only buying into such a heteronormative institution. Those people in LGBT relationships should be given the right to choose to recognise their relationship however they wish, and marriage should be one of their options.

I apologise for the hasty manner in which this post has been put together. I was very excited at hearing this news and just had to write something. In the coming week, I will endeavour to put together a more substantial piece on the issue. For now, we can celebrate and hope for more news like this from across the globe. California is not enough! Keep on fighting!