Maps as Political Propaganda

Maps have always fascinated me. Even as a child I can remember looking at them for hours on end. Yes, I was - and perhaps still am - a geek. At that time, I didn't know what a load of political falsehood and bullshit were contained in the Mercator projection, which is the map we see most of the time.

There is absolutely nothing that says that North must be on the top and South at the bottom. It is merely a political choice of Western imperialism and colonialism.

McArthur's Universal Corrective Map

The best way to see the world is still a globe, but remember North doesn't necessarily have to be on top.

"This Is My Fight Song"

There is too little fighting spirit in first life and SecondLife.

Get out there, fight for your rights and the rights of your brother and sisters all around the world.

If you feel complacent and comfortable, raise your head and look further than your nose. There are people still suffering in the world who are denied the rights you take for granted. Then think of the rights you have today, which may not be there tomorrow. Do you feel the winds changing and how it's getting colder again?

"I still got a lot of violence in me!"

G7 Summit

Mhmmmm my dear friend Angela posted picture this on her official Instagram yesterday. Which is in itself an example of when a picture tells us more than a thousand words.

The Guardian informs us:

"Donald Trump has left the G7 network of global cooperation in disarray after he pulled the US out of a previously agreed summit communique (my embolding), blaming the Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau whom he derided as “dishonest and weak”.

The US president, who arrived at the summit in Canada late and left early to fly to Singapore to prepare for his summit with Kim Jong-un, shocked fellow leaders with a bellicose press conference on Saturday in which he attacked the trade policies of other countries." 

Today Reuters published this.

PARIS (Reuters) - France and Europe are maintaining their support for the Group of Seven communique and anyone departing from the commitments made at the summit would be showing their “incoherence and inconsistency”, a French presidency official told Reuters.

The official was reacting after U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement on Saturday that he was backing out of the G7 communique drawn up at a summit in Canada.

“International cooperation cannot depend on being angry and on sound bites. Let’s be serious,” the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, added.

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As I've said before, we live in exciting - if not downright scary - times! Then again, simply the thought of Trump, Putin, Xi and Kim in an unholy alliance is terrifying.

Perhaps A Step Too Far? (NSFW)

This cute guy is Abel Azcona, a Spanish queer performance artist, who doesn't like Donald J Trump, president of the U.S.A., at all!

Recently Abel decide to show his dislike for the president in what has to be an extremely painful manner, by tattooing the words of the president’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again”, in a circle around his anus.

The tattooing of the phrase occurred in the Defibrillator Gallery in Chicago. Azcona told The Huffington Post that he considers the statement to be "a queer, political act".

If you are sure you can handle it, click Read more for a picture from the performance and the result.

Brexit Negotiations Start

Article 50 negotiations just started. #Brexit pic.twitter.com/xxbt5ayrqz

— European Commission (@EU_Commission) June 19, 2017

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This should take awhile, I'm guessing.

I am also a bit confounded by the Britons talking about a "hard-Brexit" or a "soft-Brexit".

What do they expect? I should think it would be naive to believe that these divorce proceedings will let them off the hook easily. The European Union has no interest whatsoever to set an easy example for other countries to follow should they make the same choice.

Laird: "Prachtig Nederland!" (Updated)

The Much Honored Bock McMillan, laird of Southern Charm, prince of Cascade Falls etc., etc., today commented on the results of the Dutch elections.

"The people of the world, and especially Europe, should thank the Dutch voters for putting a stop to the growth of the Islamophobic and anti-EU populists. 

Hopefully the results of this election will break the onslaught of the growing populism in Europe, I even dare to wish that it may set a trend for the upcoming national elections in Germany and France. 

The Dutch example gives us all hope and shows the political leaders of Europe that it is possible to quell the rise of populism, even after Brexit and the American presidential election. Prachtig gedaan, Nederland!"

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Update
I found this quote by Jesse Klaver, leader of the GreenLeft party, that I cannot withhold from you. On polling day he said that the left’s answer to the far right’s rise in Europe was to stand up for its ideals. “What I would say to all my left wing friends in Europe: don’t try to fake the populace. Stand for your principles. Be straight. Be pro-refugee. Be pro-European. We’re gaining momentum in the polls. And I think that’s the message we have to send to Europe. You can stop populism.”

Women and Clothing

When will men, politicians and legislators (particularly the French and the Islamophobes) learn that it is a woman's fundamental right to decide over her clothing and over her own body?

If a woman wishes to wear a burkini to the beach, it is her prerogative to do so. Just as much as she has the right to wear a bikini or even to throw away her bikini-top.

These rights do not diminish if she happens to be a Muslim and chooses to cover her body at the beach.

Stay the hell away from woman's clothing and their bodies!

Should the men, legislators and politicians (particularly the French, right-wing, Christian and Islamophobic ones) not be able to contain themselves completely, perhaps they should legislate that Philippe Pradal, le maire de Nice, should be obliged to wear a burkini when he visits a beach. I am certain that he would be much more of an eyesore in regular swimwear.

The Irish Referendum

Tomorrow Friday, May 22, the Irish electorate will take to the polls to vote on the Marriage Equality Referendum.

The electorate will be asked whether or not they approve of a Thirty-Fourth Amendment of the Constitution which proposes to add a new clause to the Article 41 of the Irish Constitution. If the referendum is passed, Article 41.4 will be added and read as follows: "Marriage may be contracted in accordance with law by two persons without distinction as to their sex."

I had originally planned to write a rant about how cowardly the Irish politicians are to let a matter of human rights be decided by a referendum, how gay rights are human rights and how it is every human beings inalienable right to pursue happiness in the way they choose.

However when reading up for this post, I encountered several reports stating that any change to the Irish constitution must be put to a vote, so there will be no rant today, alas... (If I have misunderstood something in this regard, please don't hesitate to tell me so, I feel a strong urge and need to have a good rant to cleanse my system!)

Instead I feel encouraged by the polls that seem to show that a huge majority of the wonderful Irish people will vote for the amendment, even if the naysayers seem to be catching up slowly as the day of the referendum has gotten closer.

Please join me in keeping your fingers crossed and hoping for a win for "Yes" in tomorrows referendum.

"We Claim Macedonia", Laird Says

"Inconclusive? Inconclusive!?! Have you gone out of your minds? This was not at all the result I was expecting from you! How effing dare you!!! And you call yourselves my loyal and loving citizens?"

All the little princesses and princes and every other denizen of Southern Charm were startled by the outbreak of anger from the mansion, which disturbed the habitual peace and serenity of the sim. They all recognized the voice of the man who was otherwise known to be the most patient and gentle man in SecondLife and none of them had ever heard him this angry before.

Inside the great mansion on the hilltop a small congregation had assembled, consisting of the Prince Consort Tomais, The Royal Gardner Butch Diavolo-Ğrăçємσûηт, renowned geneticist, the twin-princes Angus Maldor-McMillan and Duncan Aycliffe-McMillan, both well known historians, and lastly - but not least - the cause of all the raucous, the laird himself.

The Much Honored Bock McMillan, laird of Southern Charm, prince of Cascade Falls, Sovereign Ruler of the Commonwealth of Southern Enchantment Region and Outer Territories and finally UN appointed Protector of the Mount Whitney sim in SecondLife, was now seated again after his outburst. His face was dark red and he had an annoyed frown on his face.

Tomais had moved in behind the laird and was slowly massaging his neck and shoulders, once in a while lovingly stroking the head, to calm the laird down. Tomais was seemingly unperturbed by the commotion but small beads of sweat could be seen on his beautiful forehead. The effects of Tomais labors were soon noticed as the laird's face got more relaxed and his body less tense, although he was still apparently displeased.

The other three in the room, stood scowling and scraping with their feet before their beloved laird, clearly apologetic for causing him such discomfort but still adamant in their conclusions.

A month earlier the laird had appointed the three of them to a secret committee with the purpose "to investigate whether or not the laird is a direct descendant of king Alexander III of Macedonia, a.k.a. Alexander the Great, and therefore can rightfully claim the crown of Macedonia". Although the laird had not said it, they had all three understood that the "or not" was merely inserted for pseudo-objective and decorative reasons. However, too much time had passed since Alexanders death in 323 BC and records of the lineage had not been kept, or had been lost, neither was there any known source from which DNA from the great king could be taken to securely establish a claim. Although there were certain DNA-markers and other fragmentary historical facts to support the lairds wishes the evidence was still too complex and inadequate for them to determine a direct and indisputable link between the two great men.

Suddenly everyone in the room could sense that the laird had calmed down and had reached a conclusion. "No matter", he said with a radiant smile, "this is politics, and politics is not about facts or evidence. Politics is about our desires, our wishes and what we want from the future!"

The laird rose from his seat with a loving and grateful smile to his consort and said, "To hell with Greece and that ridiculous country calling itself F.Y.R.O.M., let it be known that from this day we claim the crown of Macedonia. We will henceforth add to our titles 'pretender to the throne of Macedonia and dependent territories' "

Drugs & Politics

The Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) is the leading organization in the U.S.A promoting drug policies that are grounded in science, compassion, health and human rights. Ethan Nadelman, founder and executive director of the DPA, talks about the politics of drugs over a period of 150 years.

This gives food for thought.

Transcript

If you ask the question why are some drugs legal and others illegal. Why are cigarettes and alcohol legal and pharmaceuticals in the middle and these other drugs — marijuana and, you know, other ones illegal? You know, some people sort of inherently assume well this must be because there was a thoughtful consideration of the relative risks of drugs and, you know — but then that can't be because we know alcohol is more associated with violence than almost any illegal drugs. And cigarettes are more addictive than any of the illegal drugs. I mean, heroin addicts routinely say it's harder to quit cigarettes than it is to quit heroin.

So, it's not as if there was ever any kind of National Academy of Science that a hundred years ago decided that these drugs — these ones had to be illegal and those ones legal. And it's not as if this is in the Bible or in the Code of Hammurabi. I mean, nobody was making legal distinctions among many of these drugs back in — until the twentieth century essentially.

So if you ask how and why this distinction got made, what you realize when you look at the history is it has almost nothing to do with the relative risks of these drugs and almost everything to do with who used and who was perceived to use these drugs, right.
So there's — you know, back in the 1870's when the majority of opiate consumers were middle aged white women, you know — throughout the country using them for their aches and pains and for their, you know, the time of the month and menopause and there was no aspirin.

There was no penicillin. You know, lots of diarrhea because of bad sanitation and nothing stops you up like opiates. I mean, millions — many more — a much higher percentage of the population back then used opiates than now.

But nobody thought about criminalizing it because nobody wanted to put, you know, auntie or grandma behind bars, right. But then when the Chinese started coming to the country in large numbers in the 1870's and 80's and, you know, working on the railroads and working in the mines and working in factories and, you know — and then going back home at the end of the night to smoke up a little opium the way they did in the old country. The same way White people were having a couple of whiskeys in the evening.
And that's when you got the first opium prohibition laws. In Nevada, in California in the 1870's and 80's directed at the Chinese minorities. It was all about the fear — what would those Chinamen with their opium do to our precious women. You know, addicting them and seducing them and turning them into sex slaves and all this sort of stuff.

The first anti-cocaine laws were in the South in the early part of the twentieth century directed at black men working on the docks and the fear. You know, what would happen to those black men when they took that white powder up their black noses and forgot their proper place in society. You know, going out — the first time anybody ever said that, you know, the cops needed a 38 would not bring down a Negro crazed on cocaine. You needed a 45.

I mean, the New York Times, the paper of record, reporting this stuff as fact back in those days. That's when you got the first cocaine prohibition laws. The first marijuana prohibition laws were in the Midwest and the Southwest directed at Mexican migrants, Mexican Americans taking the good jobs from the good white people. Going back home to their communities, smoking a little of that funny smoking, you know, marijuana, reefer cigarette. And once again the fear, what would this minority do to our precious women and children.

So, I mean, it's always been about that. I mean even alcohol prohibition was to some extent a broader conflict between the white white Americans and the not so white white Americans, right. The white white Americans coming from northern and western Europe in the eighteenth, early nineteenth century with all of their stuff. And then the not so white white Americans coming from southern Europe and eastern Europe in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century bringing with them their beer and their vino and, you know, their schlivowitz, right. I mean, it was all about that type of conflict.

And it wasn't as if the white white Americans weren't also consuming. It's just many of them knew that when you criminalize a vice that is engaged in by a huge minority of the population and you leave it inevitably to the discretion of law enforcement as to how to enforce those laws, those laws are not typically gonna be enforced against the whiter and wealthier and more affluent or middle class members of society.

Inevitably those laws will be disproportionately enforced against the poor and younger and darker skinned members of society. So to some very good extent that's really what the war on drugs has been about. When people talk about it as the new Jim Crow in this wonderful book by Michelle Alexander with that title, it's about understanding that, you know, the war on drugs is not just about race and it's not just about targeting black and brown young people because, God knows, I mean, millions of white people have been swept up in the war on drugs as well. But it is disproportionately and overwhelmingly about that from its origins to its enforcement to who gets victimized today.

I Am a Believer

I am a firm believer in the political process. This was one of the few battling grounds between me and my Ars over the years that we were together.

Ars was totally and utterly disillusioned with politics and outright refused to vote in any election. He never really explained why to my satisfaction, but told me that politics in the U.S. is only about who has the most money and that politics is just a game for corrupt power-mongers. His defeatist attitude towards politics really surprised me, because in every other way Ars was always a fighter for what he believed in.

To me it is a moral obligation for those of us who are lucky enough to live in democracies to vote. We can vote for or against something but to abstain from voting or voting for "Donald Duck" or some similar silliness is unthinkable.

If there is no option you  feel you can support fully, find the one you agree with most - or disagree with least. Hell, you can even get together with other with similar opinions and form your own alternative. Start with the  issues that are most fundamental to you and your values then move ahead from there.

If we choose not to avail ourselves of our democratic right to vote to try to affect the development of the societies we live in in the direction we wish to see them move, we - in my mind - also forfeit our right to complain or criticize what happens.

Change happens gradually and over time, except when there is a revolution and that is not always the best ways to provide the desired changes.

Fiscal Conservatism

Quoted from ©2011 Peter Dunlap-Shohl | Frozengrin.blogspot.com

I'm always stunned with amazement when I hear or read about this or that group in the world voting against their own individual and social interests because they claim to prefer a particular politician or political party for being "fiscally conservative".

I simply cannot get into my head how it can be more important for anyone to have lower taxes, a balanced budgets or less government spending etc., than to receive full and equal human rights, the full protection of the law from harassment and bullying in the workplace and other walks of life, the right to marry the one you love or even the right to negotiate your wages the way you want or through whatever group you choose.

Cartoon by Drew Sheneman-Tribune Media Services

Taxation is not an evil in itself, not if you by taxation can ensure that your population gets decent healthcare, decent schooling, decent housing and decent social care, a decent police force, a decent defense and anything else we need from our government to feel good about ourselves as a society.

This rant was brought on today by the news that 34% of the trade unionists in Wisconsin, United States of America, yesterday voted for governor Scott Walker in the recall election. The same governor Walker who last year pushed through legislation that effectively ended collective bargaining for public employees and teachers in Wisconsin. However, I have been mulling over this to me bewildering phenomenon for some years now at different occasions, usually when I notice gay individuals or groups supporting bigoted and homophobic politicians and political parties that will not allow them full and equal human rights.

Music Awareness 2011

I have been having some problems with this post, because I firmly believe that any cultural manifestation in itself - and by necessity - is a comment upon the prevailing norms, ideas and beliefs in the social context where it is preformed.

In my mind the song "How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?" is truly a statement on it´s time and therefore political. A political song can of course embrace the norms, ideas and beliefs of it´s time and location as-well as it can be an apparent protest against them or an allegory or a cover-up. '

To me the theme of this event contains a self contradiction, but what the hell I´ll plug it anyway. Live music is after all one of the best things about SecondLife.

Thanks to Diana for the information!

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On Easter weekend of 2008 MUSIC NOT POLITICS, with the assistance of Money Island and JSP Island, set out to raise awareness of live music in SL.  A 48 hour live event was held on the Money Island Sims.  The general music groups, musicians and venues were invited to participate in the event which ran 52 hours and brought over 1,100 new fans to the music scene.  On Easter Weekend 2009, the now annual Music Awareness event, carried on for over 100 hours.   Easter weekend 2010 saw over 100 hours of live music and tons of new members to the music community! 

JOIN US AS WE LAUNCH with the assistance of Sicly Live Venue and Mall and Money Island OUR 4th ANNUAL MUSIC AWARENESS EVENT April 22, 2011 at 12pm.  This event is anticipated to run longer than 100 hours.  

MUSICIANS WISHING TO PARTICIPATE

CALENDAR WILL BE UP ON THE WEB FROM JANUARY 16th FORWARD.

Musicians wishing to participate in this event are required to contact Throughthesewalls Moody directly and ONLY through EMAIL at annualmusicawareness@gmail.com.

Check calendar and updates at http://musicnotpolitics.com  and go to the Music Awareness tab scroll ahead to April 22nd and beyond and pick your date and time and email me at annualmusicawareness@gmail.com . I check the email once a day so get on the list.

This event will be staffed by MUSIC NOT POLITICS staff and volunteers.  If you are interested in volunteering your time to help with the event please contact Moody at annualmusicawareness@gmail.com

Any Venues wishing to participate and/or help with promotion please send an email to Throughthesewalls Moody at annualmusicawareness@gmail.com

Thank you

Throughthesewalls Moody

MUSIC NOT POLITICS, Inc.

EMAIL FOR THIS EVENT ONLY

annualmusicawareness@gmail.com  

Political Position

I thought it wise to inform you about my political position, so I took a test here.

Please bare in mind it is an American test, which seems to immensely exaggerate my "leftism" and liberitarianism.

I would expect most Swedes, with the exception of Christian Democrats and Swedish Democrats, to end up somewhere in the green.