Greg Hartnett

Timeless pearls of wisdom regarding the war mongers. Though originally written over 40 years ago, the words ring just as true today. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Come you masters of war
You that build all the guns
You that build the death planes
You that build the big bombs
You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
I just want you to know
I can see through your masks

You that never done nothin’
But build to destroy
You play with my world
Like it’s your little toy
You put a gun in my hand
And you hide from my eyes
And you turn and run farther
When the fast bullets fly

Like Judas of old
You lie and deceive
A world war can be won
You want me to believe
But I see through your eyes
And I see through your brain
Like I see through the water
That runs down my drain

You fasten the triggers
For the others to fire
Then you set back and watch
When the death count gets higher
You hide in your mansion
As young people’s blood
Flows out of their bodies
And is buried in the mud

You’ve thrown the worst fear
That can ever be hurled
Fear to bring children
Into the world
For threatening my baby
Unborn and unnamed
You ain’t worth the blood
That runs in your veins

How much do I know
To talk out of turn
You might say that I’m young
You might say I’m unlearned
But there’s one thing I know
Though I’m younger than you
Even Jesus would never
Forgive what you do

Let me ask you one question
Is your money that good
Will it buy you forgiveness
Do you think that it could
I think you will find
When your death takes its toll
All the money you made
Will never buy back your soul

And I hope that you die
And your death’ll come soon
I will follow your casket
In the pale afternoon
And I’ll watch while you’re lowered
Down to your deathbed
And I’ll stand o’er your grave
‘Til I’m sure that you’re dead

A few months ago, I wrote a letter to my local representative regarding the Firearms Manufacturers Protection bill. In a nutshell, the bill gives firearm manufacturers a loophole in providing victims due process. Unfortunately, our pro-gun Congress was only too happy to pass the bill, and it sailed through by a vote of 283 to 144. The majority of the opinions of our legislators were similar to those of Congressman Joe Schwarz, the noble gentleman representing the state of Michigan, who fell back on the Second Amendment with:

The Second Amendment was not written as a mere exercise in constitutional thought. It had a practical purpose: first, to ensure that citizens would have the tools to protect their families and their homes and, second, to ensure that an ARMED militia could be called up to defend the country in emergencies.

Get real. Read the entire pathetic address he gave here

While travelling, I received a reply letter from Rep Carolyn McCarthy that read:

Thank you for contacting me about H.R. 800, the Firearms Manufacturers Protection bill. I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.

No industry in America has received the extreme and unnecessary leval of legal protection that the gun manfacturers can receive from this bill. The gun industry should be treated the same as all other industries. This legislation would shield gun manufacturers from being taken to court even if they sell guns to criminals, or produce guns that lack reasonable safety features and even discourage them from making their weapons safer. The balance of power would shift from the public if they, or their loved ones, were hurt or killed due to the negligence of the gun industry.

Since the tragic shooting on the Long Island Railroad, gun violence is close to my heart. For me, there is no other choice but to support “common sense” legislation that saves lives. Nothing I have proposed, or supported, prevents a law-abiding citizen to own a gun. I believe the desire to reduce the incidence of children’s gun violence and the ability of felons to get guns is one we all share.

Thanks again for writing. I encourage you to continue to contact me about issues important to you.

-Carolyn McCarthy
Member of Congress

I really didn’t take much away from this reply letter. I want some feedback on what the hell she is doing to protect me, and my kids from gun violence in NY, and throughout the US. So, I will accept her invitation of continued correspondence, and continue writing. I will ask her what she plans on doing to “save lives” and what type of legislative changes she has in the pipeline for future proposals. Maybe I’ll drop her my domain name, and invite her to share her opinions here. What a hoot…

Additional gun control resources:

GunCite
Brady Campaign
Open Society Institute - Gun Control in The United States (PDF)
Coalition to Stop Gun Violence
Violence Policy Center
Americans for Gun Safety
Firearms Law Center

Heavy rains overnight brought down all but one two of the signs I posted last weekend. Luckily, I still had a couple in the trunk of my car, so I got a little busy this morning on the way in to work. This sign is posted directly past the off-ramp from the Meadowbrook Pkwy. High traffic, relatively slow speed - perfect ingredients for lots of eyeballs. Additionally, I can see it from my office, so it should provide some inspiration for me throughout the day.

I plan on dedicating some time this weekend to creating new signs. I have a bunch of cardboard that I collected this week, and I have been scouting locations during my commute. My goal is to make an additional dozen or so, and post them throughout the course of next week. Stay tuned…

Well, not actually free, but you don’t have to give me any money.

After posting about some of my activist activities, I noticed that I have acquired more than a few new links from other activists talking about some of the signs that I posted around Long Island (lightbulb). So, in an attempt to get more people involved in the political process, I propose the following to my industry peers:

1. Find out how to make a sign; you’ll also want to read - Legal Notes, Placement Strategies (note that I am attempting to make this non-partisan; your sign can say whatever you want)
2. Take a picture of the sign, and email it to me - please include where you posted the sign
3. I will post your picture on my blog (I may even decide to build a page of contributors, and provide links)
4. I will generate and send you a code good for three free submissions to the BOTW Directory

Simple enough. Now some ground rules…

So… if you are a webmaster, SEO, or blogger looking to get some exposure to your site, AND you are interested in participating in your constitutionally protected right of free political speech, then have a go at it. As the SEO crowd are at the forefront of guerilla marketing, just imagine what some determined SEO people could do…

Good luck - and play safe!

Well, it took only three days, and eight signs before I had my first encounter with the law.

I decided to take a different route to work this morning - in an effort to spread the word. While crawling along in traffic on the Southern State Parkway, I saw a perfect sign for a quick post - reachable by foot, definitely visible to a ton of people daily. So I pulled my car to the side of the road, popped the trunk and grabbed a sign. While sitting in my car listening to some Pearl Jam, I applied the duct tape, and grabbed my camera. I hopped out, slapped up the sign, took a couple of pictures, and returned to the car. While putting on my seat belt, a State Trooper passed by, and quickly pulled off to the side of the road, popping on his lights.

He pulled along side me, and asked what I was up to. At first I drew a complete blank, and then replied “Uhhhh… political speech”. He took a look at the sign, and asked, “Impeach? Impeach who - the big guy?” After a little chuckle, I replied, “Well, of course”, and over the course of the next 90 seconds or so, I explained to a New York State Trooper how I felt that for lying to the American public, and for crimes against humanity, GW deserved impeachment.

I then respectfully informed the trooper that I believed what I was doing was legal, but I would be happy to take the sign down immediately if he wished. He instructed me to do so, and waited for me until I had it down. He then told me, I shit you not, “Be careful hanging those signs“. I almost laughed out loud.

So, kudos to the officer that informed me that he did not want to intrude upon my right to speak out. I respect the fact that he was concerned with the safety of the motorists - he didn’t want me causing a distraction, potentially leading to an accident (though traffic was almost at a stand still). I have always found it to be prudent to speak to the police with respect and courtesy - I would advise you do the same should you have a run-in.

Check out all of my freeway blog pics.

After dropping my son off at school this morning, I took advantage of being on the parkway and posted some additional signs. I was able to get all of them on the freeway, placed in spots that are known to have high traffic build up. As the typeset is not as large as I’d like, these should be most visible by morning commuters.

Check out my Flickr acount to see all my freeway blog pics.

On my may in to work this morning, I noticed a couple of the signs that I had posted yesterday, still intact. Cooooool.

I came into this weekend really inspired by the work done by the freeway blogger in California, and by the call to action at the Daily Kos for tomorrow. So Saturday morning, I took my son to get his hair cut, stopped by the ice skating rink to watch my daughter for a while, and then headed off to Home Depot to begin my day of preparations.

With some paint and rollers from HD, I made my way to Staples to pick up the last of my supplies. I was even able to score a huge cardboard box from the kid warking at Staples, which will definitely come in handy at a later date. Time to head home and get to work.

Though JR was more interested in playing with his pirates, Téa happily joined in. She was happy making a Peace sign, and was very curious what “Impeach” meant, and why I cared that Bush liead. It provided a fantastic opportunity to have a conversation with her, and I was happy to share this moment with ther.

We completed a total of 11 signs - 4 of which I posted today. Two on overpasses (the westbound LIE and eastbound Northern State), one by an exit, and one at a merge. I will definitely need some bigger signs for the overpasses - I don’t think the five inch letters will be very visible to the passing cars. After seeing how the first two looked on the overpasses, I opted to place the next two in areas that were closer to the ground, and would have cars passing by at a lower rate of speed.

Some people driving by looked at me a little disapprovingly, and I know that I scared one dude. While I was hanging one of the signs on an overpass, an elederly man walking his dog approached me, saw me doing something, and stopped in his tracks. He paused, gazing at me with a mixture of suspicion and fear, and then literally sprinted past me. Ha! My wife later asked me how that made me feel, and I haven’t really decided yet, though I do know my feelings are somewhat mixed.

I am curious to see how long the signs make it in this Republican laden area. The messages are pretty tame, so I remain hopeful that they will make it a handful of days. I don’t know how many people will see these boards, or if anybody who does see will take anything away from it. One thing is for sure though - Long Islanders can plan on more signs in the days ahead.

See all the pics here.

As I wrote last week, I paticipated in the Million Faces Petition - an attempt to shed some light on the arms trade industry. Here’s my signature (I think the same night I added the photo to my blog).

This weekend, I will be making preparations for what I intend to do for the IMPEACH: National Guerrilla Action Day. The date is this upcoming Monday, January 9. I will take a few photos of my contributions. For some inspiration see Tales of the Freeway Blogger.

There was a time, not too long ago, where products made in the USA carried a level of quality. People actually bought things “Made in the USA” because it meant that those products were higher quality, and buying them helped support the local economy. With the dawn of the technological era, those days are gone. However, there is an industry in which America still reigns supreme: the manufacture and distribution of weapons. Once again, the US will finish the year in the role as the world’s leading arms exporting nation.

There is no way that we can “end tyranny in our world” while we continue to provide the weapons, the training, the money, and the media propoganda that facilitates such tryanny.

If you believe that it is time to force our representatives to take action against arms brokers, and stop perpetuating the cycle of violence in the quest for profits, take a moment to visit Control Arms. If you are so inclined, fill out the info, add a picture, and become part of the million faces petition.

Perhaps you have heard of Guantanamo. Up until a few years ago, it was a relatively unheard of area that American troops have occupied to protect our corporate interests in the region. Today it houses suspected terrorists and enemy combatants, and Amnesty International recently referred to Guantanamo as the “gulag of our times.”

Torture and blatant civil rights abuses have become commonplace at Guantanamo, and at secret US operated detention centers throughout the world. In an effort to spotlight these abuses, and potentially hold those perpetrators accountable, a group of Republican senators have introduced a bill that would prohibit cruel and inhumane treatment of prisoners held by US forces.

Not surprisingly, the Bush administration has threatened to veto the bill, stating that it would interfere with the president’s ability to fight terrorism.

As the world’s pre-eminent superpower, it is us to us to provide the example of how prisoners should be treated. How can we expect the beheadings of US civilians and soldiers to cease in Iraq, when we torture prisoners on a daily basis? Where is the accountability, or the concept of universality that is required in our 21st century world?

So please take a moment to tell our leaders that

Opposing torture is not a partisan cause. The practice of torture so fully embraces evil it dehumanizes both the torturer and its victim. No just cause can be won if it relies on torture to succeed.

Send off a quick email at Act For Change. It takes less than a minute, and it could help to save lives.

Sometimes, it is nice to be able to tie your professional interests into your outside activities. As my professional career has taught me, the power of the internet as a mass communication medium is absolutely astounding. Approximately a decade ago, it would take millions of dollars, and a small army of employees to reach a couple/few thousand people a day.

In today’s digital world, with the power of a handful of skilled and dedicated people, a message can be broadcast to millions of people on a monthly basis for relatively little cost (less than a couple thousand dollars a month). Given the scalability of the medium, the internet lends itself perfectly to the activism cause. There is little to no censorship, low barriers to entry, a worldwide audience, modest maintenance, and a large talent pool.

With these resources, I placed a few ads on craigslist (free in Boston, Seattle, and Denver) looking for activist bloggers. As the ad only runs for 30 days, I will reprint it here for future reference:

Blog network needs activists to contribute to group activism blog. Blog covers national and international events, issues, and civil liberties subjects.

Successful candidates will be active members of the progressive movement, willing to contribute posts on a regular basis informing the public of activist events and news.

Strong command of the written English language a must, and current bloggers preferred.

We got pretty good response from it, with 30 or so replies within the first 24 hours. I am guessing that it will draw in close to 100 replies over the next couple of weeks. The authors that we choose to participate will post on ways for citizens worldwide to get involved in the democratic process, and as a gathering place for progressive voices to be heard.

The site is brand new, and can be found at Activism Blog .com I am both proud, and excited to be part of this project, and I look forward to doing my part.

As the second step in my journey to become a full-fledged activist, this week, I have signed a petition, and pledged a donation to MoveOn.org to help their campaign to stop Samuel Alito from being appointed to the Supreme Court. In addition to the petition, I sent a letter to my representatives (once again with the help of MoveOn):

The nomination of Samuel Alito poses a grave threat to the protections Americans count on, including basic workers’ rights, women’s rights, and civil rights. We call on the Senate to stand up for all of us and reject the nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court of the United States.

After Miers withdrew her nomination, Bush has acted in typical fashion with a knee-jerk response pandering to the right wing. Alito’s pro-business, anti-abortion, HIV-discriminating record has got fellow liberals nervous. The stakes are high with this nomination. At least he has a more impressive biography that Miers - but so do I.

So, with the help of MoveOn, I have signed a petition stating my displeasure over the appointment of Mr. Alito, and I ponied up some of my hard earned dollars to help in their efforts. Pretty painless, and it took me less than five minutes to complete. If you are interested, sign the petition.

Like most dissenters, I complain a lot. I am pretty disillusioned with the system, and from a fairly early age decided that I would always stand as a dissenting voice. My wife frequently accuses me (fairly) or arguing in favor of a belief or idea that I don’t even believe in. I have always felt that the “devil’s advocate” should always be heard from. Without somebody presenting a dissenting viewpoint, how could we truly reach an informed decision.

Over the last couple of years, my disillusionment has only grown. I have never been a fan of government, and stand in a state of distrust regarding any form of authority. However, the direction of the government over the last handful of years has truly brought my blood to a boil. The complete arrogance, and lack of accountability of the current administration, as well as the short-sightedness of their actions, have brought me to a point in life that I feel I can no longer idly sit by. No longer can I simply curse “the man”, and live my life the way I want. As a father and citizen of this planet, I feel that it is my obligation to do something. SOMETHING. I don’t have any grand illusions of changing the world, bringing about world peace, curing cancer, or solving world hunger. I just can’t stand the idea of doing nothing but complaining. That actually makes me worse doesn’t it? If I realize there is a problem, and know that there are things that could be done, and then choose to not act. Wouldn’t that make me almost equally culpable? At at a minimum, I should put up or shut up.

Today I decided to put up. I have decided that for the next year, 52 weeks in all, each week I will participate in at least one activism related activity. I will note each activity here, and let anybody who may be interested know of any way in which he/she could participate.

Tonight, I emailed my state representatives telling them that I was tired of the gun laws in this country. There is a new law being steamrolled through congress, S.397 I wrote my representatives telling them that if they vote in favor of the “Firearms Manufacturers Protection bill”, that they would lose my vote. I found out about the bill online, and discovered that the folks over at the Brady Campaign have made a standardized template that will automatically mail your letter to your Representative and Senators.

If you haven’t been squeezed too thin, you may want to consider donating some of your hard earned cash. Every bit helps.

now playing:
Big Cheese from the album “Bleach” by Nirvana

According to reports, over 100,000 people gathered in Washington DC today to protest the war in Iraq. I feel negligent in my civic duties by opting to tend to the needs of my family today. My daughter’s school had a parade that her class built a float for, and my son had a birthday party for a classmate.

Truth be told, I found out about the rally too late to make any plans to attend. I found some cool pics from the day courtesy of After Downing Street

More about the rally:

Democracy Cell Project
Protest videos at The Brad Blog
Blogcritics

Now Playing:

Sara Smile from the album “The Very Best of Daryl Hall and John Oates” by Daryl Hall & John Oates

If you are interested in the medical marijuana plight, by now you are aware that the Supreme Court ruled for the prosecution in the (Ashcroft)Gonzales v. Raich case. A setback for sure, but far from the end of the battle. For a variety of views, check out the following:

Drug Reporter
The Australian News
National Post
Santa Cruz Sentinel

A passage from Chomsky’s Hegemony or Survival seems somewhat relevant:

One of the leading academic authorities notes that “a provocative case can be made that US drug policy contributes effectively to the control of an ethnically distinct and economically deprived underclass at home and serves US economic and security interests abroad.”* Many criminologists and observers of the international scene regard that as a considerable understatement. The analysis helps explain why the US-sponsored actions are carried out with ever greater enthusiasm and zeal even as they increasingly fail to achieve the alleged goal of dealing with domestic drug use, and why measures that are known to be far more effective, specifically prevention and treatment, are scarcely funded.
The governors of Colombia’s targeted southern provinces, along with peasants and human rights activists, have proposed plans relying on manual eradication of coca and poppies and support for alternative crops, but to little effect. Meanwhile the land is poisoned by fumigation, children die, and the uprooted and scattered victims suffer from sickness and injury.
Peasant agriculture is based on a rich tradition of knowledge and experience gained over many centuries, commonly passed on from mother to daughter. Though a remarkable human achievement, it is very fragile and can be destroyed forever in a single generation. It is being destroyed, and along with it, some of the richest biodiversity in the world. Campesinos, indigenous people, and Afro-Colombians are now joining the millions in rotting slums and camps. And with the people gone, multinationals can strip the mountains for coal, extract oil and other resources, and probably convert what is left of the land to ranching by the rich or agroexport in an environment shorn of its treasures and variety. Informed analysts and observers describe Washington’s fumigation programs as another stage in the historical process of driving poor peasants from the land for the benefit of foreign investors and Colombian elites.

*Jason Burke, Sunday Observer, May 18 2003.