The Rise of American Fascism?

Last week, republican Vice-Presidential nominee Sarah Palin said at a rally, that she liked to visit ‘pro-America’ areas in America, leading the media to ask if there are any ‘anti-America’ areas of the nation.
This suggestion by Mrs. Palin is not surprising, since she was brought into the race to the White House, Mrs. Palin has riled-up the so called ‘conservative base’ of the Republican Party. She has timelessly said that she is from a small town, and has duly positioned herself as a champion of small town values (which her husband Todd specified as Hunting and Fishing)
For those not familiar with American society, perhaps the explanation given by Saturday Night Live’s Tina Fey (who regularly parodies Mrs. Palin) would give an insight into the mythical small-town vs big city values gap. Fey listed New York, Delaware, Maine, Connecticut and California as amongst the ‘anti-American’ areas. This is not just a random list, these areas happen to be the most urbanized and cosmopolitan areas of the nation, also, these areas are traditionally Democratic.
Mrs Palin who has once said that there is a special place in hell for women who don’t support other women (misquoting former Secretary of State Madeline Albright) has once again courted controversy with her pro vs anti America parts of the nation.
This is not a new phenomenon, but it’s a very American one, and I find it bordering on fascism- and I don’t use that word lightly. By bordering on fascism, I mean that some Americans find any criticism of America’s actions by an American as unpatriotic- that is fascist. John McCain and Sarah Palin continuously calling out Barack Obama for refusing to use the word ‘victory’ in his speeches on Iraq- that is fascist. Republican supporters’ continuous attempts to portray Obama as unpatriotic and a secret terrorist-that is fascist. This notion that some parts of the country do not have America’s best interest at heart is fascism.
It’s going to start with ‘areas’ that are anti-American, then it will move on to individuals or groups of people that are anti-American. Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota has recently fanned the embers of fascism, by calling for a purge of the legislature for those holding anti-American views; this is reminiscent of McCarthyism where everyone was on the lookout for the mythical ‘communist’
There is a growing tendency by conservatives to equate liberalism with anti-Americanism. The real fear that Obama will somehow sell-out America explains the divide and the deep ignorance of the American electorate. I hope Senator Barack Obama wins, I do, because frankly, the alternative is fascism, not the bold face Mussolini or Hitler type, but a new brand, a new American Fascism- criticize or protest against the government? Good Luck to you.

Presenting: The Obubos

Alex, Julian & William

So Far

I have not been the best blogger this year, but I promise to change from now on. I'm in Bradford now, going to a dinner to celebrate William's (and my) birthday.
I'm just getting down to all the essays that need to be done this year, and of course the great dissertation that's got to be written.
So, I promise to blog a lot more fervently.

New Camera

Yes, Yes. Got my new camera yesterday, after the deal appeared to stall halfway, the camera arrived. An absolutely beautiful contraption, 11 megapixels 14.3X zoom, The Fujifilm Finepix S100fs. I haven't had the opportunity to go out and take pictures in Sunderland, I've been busy reading the manual (you have to, this is no common point & shoot camera). I want to master all the settings so I can graduate to being a proper photographer (the term proper is loosely defined here)
But yes, the only picture I have taken with it was of my celebratory dinner(Celebrating the camera's arrival) Enjoy!



My dinner!



Me, my camera, and Malcolm X

Poly Tricks

So, John McCain has chosen Mrs Sarah Palin as his running mate.
I'm not the kind of person shouting "Experience?" regarding presidential and vice presidential hopefuls, I'm more concerned with the policies, comprehensive knowledge and ability to analyse current affairs and stands on key issues, after all no president makes decisions all by himself, so what really is this experience question all about. In many countries folks with 'no experience' have won elections and ruled nations brilliantly, take Corazon Aquino of the Philippines as an example, so for me experience is a non issue, if a chicken farmer has a great plan for the nation then he is just as ready as a senator to lead. Look where George W Bush's experience as a Governor in Texas has got America in, a quagmire of war with no end in sight, a dislike and distrust of America all over the world.
Anyway, enter Palin, who by her ABC interview has very little knowledge of current affairs, she was bigging-up Alaska's proximity with Russia as foreign affairs experience, the fact that you can see Russia from Alaska does not give one the right to be vice president. I guess now future candidates would claim standing on an island in Alaska and seeing Russia in the horizon as valuable foreign affairs experience, enabling them with the tools to face Moscow in a nuclear arms debate.
I mean what other stupid claims can be made out to be experience, does having an altercation with an Afghan mean you have foreign affairs experience, did scoring an A+ in Economics in high school equip you with the tools to solve the economies problems, does a stopover in Damascus airport, or regularly visiting a Persian restaurant mean that you are an expert on the Middle East, hell, soon being able to name a city in Russia other than Moscow and St.Petersburg would be claimed as valuable foreign affairs experience. I mean, Cuba is only 90 miles south of Florida, I guess that makes the Governor of Florida an expert on negotiations with hostile Communist nations.
America Oh America, a funny big ol'country. This presidential race has had me hooked to TV screen and computer monitor reading about the latest soundbite and irrelevant gesture, when would Americans focus on the issues at hand instead of lipstick on pigs, looking at Russia from Alaska or stuck in Vietnam for 5 years (tragic experience yes, but in no way a qualification for presidency)
I can't wait for the Presidential and Vice Presidential debates, where as one Obama supporter put it "Obama would verbally slap the sh*t out of McCain" and judging from Palin's interview, looks like Biden would also be doing some "sh*t slapping"

I'm coming home again!

So, just finished an amazing five weeks at redheadPR, sad to be leaving, but brother and pops are lonely at home so I'm on my way. Help is at hand.
Just got myself a new mp3 player, can you imagine, I've been rolling with a 128Mb till 2008, my day got me the 128Mb Samsung I think in 2003 for 99 Euros, and I got this 2Gb today for £29. Times change.
Got myself some massive headphones, only downside is the cord is 6 metres...i have to figure out how to shorten it.
Also got a green keffiyeh (bought a white and black one a month ago)
Anyway..my flight is at 8:30, landing in 'Msterdam at 10:40, so by 13:30 I should be in the comfort of my room.
A month to go before uni restarts and the daily grind re-begins.

This is London

Août, I always think that's the weirdest month in French. Anyway, it's August, it's England and yes you guessed it it's raining.
The week ending July was fine, and the beginning of August was sunny, but now the winds are cold, the rain is unending, and the wind has already claimed a life, felling a tree on a car at Clapham Common.
I'm still hustling, having to wake up at 6 (Yes I'm complaining, in Uni the average wake up time is 10) travel for 1 and a half hours, watching folks go about the daily grind in the City known as London. Get on three different trains, commute with hundreds of people, all minding their own business, reading a copy of the Metro, white earphones hanging from their ears, some have their music turned up too loud, but nobody says anything. We are in London, no time for small talk, people only react in case of an emergency, we are arguably in the capital of Europe, where you are guaranteed to hear a foreign language spoken on the trains. We are in London, each person to himself, busily shuffling to work, and at five shuffling back. Oyster cards swiping, tickets entering and ejecting, people mutter on their cell phones, some divulging rather personal information.
We are in a city, networked with what must be miles and miles of rail track, Underground and Overground, countless engineering works, and many fatalities on the track.
We are in a city deluged with tourists, you can spot them, all sorts of cameras in their hands, walking slowly looking at buildings. Some go for large high-tech Canons and Olympuses, other prefer compact versions, while some snap away on their phones.
I love this city, I loathe this city. It's brilliant, and it's boring. It's uniting, yet also very fractioned.
I've been giving a lot of thought into moving to London when I gruaduate next year, surely working in PR in the capital would be many people's dream, and it is mine, yes, one of my dreams, but I'm stuck in a paradox, there is something appealing and unappealing about big city life. The drone-like routine bores me, the choreographed commute, the lifeless souls. I don't know if London is for me, but time will tell I guess.
An island is what I always dreamed of, a small island, not like Britain, a small island like Fiji, like Bermuda, Barbados...but if I lived on a small tropical island I doubt it's public relations I'll be doing.
This is just the ramblings of a young man, currently tuning his dial to the final frequency at which his life would be set at for years to come.....I'm still tuning

In London..Again

Yeah, been here for two weeks now, it's been fun, stressful, busy, tiring. Moved from centralish London to Middlesex so commuting is a bit of a bore, but I persevere.
It's Friday today, bringing the end to a long week full of calling up journalists. I'm goint to the Canary Wharf Jazz festival tomorrow- its Free!
Today someone died on the train tracks so trains were a bit delayed- I hate train delays, but I made it.
I've seen Heathrow Terminal 5, actually I've been in it- its massive and amazing- havent been beyond security check of course.
Anyway, I went with Sophie (the camera) to Soho, Chinatown..Piccadilly Circus area last week, it was fun, Went to the National Portrait Museum- spectacular- everyone has to visit!
I went to KFC and ordered wayy too much chicken that the cashier couldn't believe it was all for me- I couldnt eat it all of course, so I stuffed it in cups and went home. Everyone at KFC was giving me the side-eye like 'This Dude can't be serious'..lol I thought I was till I realised that I was jiving myself, my stomach is not a bottomless pit.
yeah, having fun doing PR, hoping to do more London photography tomorrow.