MetaFilter

Michael Kelly nails it. Are "pacifists" inherently relying on others to defend their right to protest the war? Or do they wish to live in a nation where we pledge allegiance to Saddam and Osama?
comment posted at 9:24 PM on Oct-3-01

On September 30th, there was a peace protest in Washington D.C. I'm surprised no one else linked to this -- about 50 students from my college attended and joined the crowd of a few thousand. I would have gone, but I'm dubious about the efficacy of public protest despite the fact that I'm an affirmed pacifist. What do you folks think? Will a totally non-military action be an appropriate response? (And is there any possiblity of the US acting in such a way?) Is the loss of a single additional human life in this new war justifiable?
comment posted at 12:27 PM on Oct-3-01
comment posted at 12:43 PM on Oct-3-01
comment posted at 5:31 PM on Oct-3-01

Why the media has no credibility.... Read the title, then read the caption under the picture. Sigh....
comment posted at 1:17 PM on Oct-3-01

Here's your box of dirt. The families of the more than 5,000 victims of the World Trade Center attack will each receive a wooden urn with dirt from the mass graveyard. I know, I know... another story involving the WTC bombings. But this one is struck me as odd.
comment posted at 1:23 PM on Oct-3-01
comment posted at 5:40 PM on Oct-3-01

Greyhound suspends service. Rinearson said when she refused to give up her seat, "He just went up to the bus driver and like slit his throat. And the bus driver turned the wheel and the bus tipped over." Normally, just another whack-job ending his days. But the annoying thing was listening to the radio this morning on the way to work and all they could keep wondering about aloud was what the guy's nationality was. What, is the first reaction of normal people when they see a little spark or ember to immediately rush over and fan it into raging flames? Are people no longer able to think critically? Is your response to the situation going to be different if the nationality answer is 'American' vs. 'Saudi'? What does this say about you?
comment posted at 12:03 PM on Oct-3-01

Minn. Nat'l Guard Replace Strikers 22,000 state workers on strike and the media isnt reporting it? Odd in these propaganda filled times?
comment posted at 7:12 PM on Oct-2-01
comment posted at 11:04 PM on Oct-2-01

Q&A about Muslims and Arab-Americans
Recommended read for all friends who think they need clarifications.
comment posted at 9:50 AM on Oct-2-01

"I have no hesitation in describing this mentality, carefully and without heat, as soft on crime and soft on fascism. No political coalition is possible with such people and, I’m thankful to say, no political coalition with them is now necessary. It no longer matters what they think." Christopher Hitchens says that intellectuals of the left who seek to understand the new enemy are no friends of peace, democracy or human life. Two different versions of the same article here and here. Along the same lines, a piece from The Economist arguing that "Whatever its mistakes, the idea that America brought the onslaught upon itself is absurd."
comment posted at 2:01 AM on Oct-2-01

Susan Sontag's getting bashed royale--ala Bill Maher--in the New Yorker forum (oh, you'll have to register to read them) and various over-the-top op-ed pages for the piece she was asked to write for Talk of The Town right after the attack. I don't know, she didn't say anything about the hijackers that Dinesh D'Souza didn't say on Politically Incorrect the same night Maher got himself in trouble. And as for me, "Let's by all means grieve together. But let's not be stupid together. A few shreds of historical awareness might help us understand what has just happened, and what may continue to happen," is not the most inflammatory thing I ever read. Especially, the 'let's not be stupid together' part.
comment posted at 9:36 PM on Oct-1-01
comment posted at 10:24 PM on Oct-1-01
comment posted at 12:08 AM on Oct-2-01

salon starts charging for "staff-written copy." I guess I should start saving anything I want from the archives now.
comment posted at 10:32 PM on Oct-1-01

Depression leads to brain changes lead to depression leads to... Augh! Is anyone else aggravated by an article that starts right out by sounding confused?

"Antidepressant therapy may reverse the structural changes that take place in the brain as a result of depression... Researchers are unclear about the exact brain changes that lead to depression..."
comment posted at 9:55 PM on Oct-1-01
comment posted at 10:02 PM on Oct-1-01

Former President Bill Clinton has been suspended from practicing law before the Supreme Court Although I'm certainly not a member of the Clinton Fan Club, there doesn't seem to be any purpose served by this action. Does anyone really think Clinton is going to go back into a law practice?
comment posted at 12:24 PM on Oct-1-01

Dack is back, but not in the blogging sense. Many here at MeFi thought he'd bring his blog back after it ceased in May. His front page is now a collection of links urging peaceful resolution of the Current Situation. Refresh a few times to see a variety of quotes.
comment posted at 12:27 PM on Oct-1-01

Arundhati Roy on the tragedy. The most eloquent and thoughtful essay I've read so far. Coincidentally, about the only good journamlism I've encountered on the subject has been from British and French press.
comment posted at 1:48 PM on Oct-1-01

Ignoring for a second that he is probably a mass murderer, do you think that Bin Laden's fight is a just one? I'm not asking about his method, that is obviously appalling, what I am asking you is whether you think that his cause is fair/right/just. Try putting yourself in Arab or Muslim shoes, then consider whether you would support his general plight. (the commentary on Bin Laden starts next to the paypal icon on the left, so scroll down if you are busy, otherwise don't as the rest of the article is quite a good crack.)
comment posted at 2:25 PM on Oct-1-01
comment posted at 3:20 PM on Oct-1-01

Taliban leader's ex-bodyguard says "We laughed when we heard the Americans asking Mullah Omar to hand over Osama bin Laden," he said. "The Americans are crazy. It is Osama bin Laden who can hand over Mullah Omar - not the other way round." Take a look at this insider's personal account of the Taliban that some are so eager to apologize for in the name of cultural relativism.
comment posted at 12:14 AM on Sep-30-01

Robert Johnson is the first black billionaire, and ranks #172 on the list of richest Americans after he sold BET to Viacom. Does he have a social responsibilty to show more than T&A and comedy on BET, or is he being unfairly singled out?
comment posted at 5:03 PM on Sep-29-01

Real's Last Hoorah? A beta version of their next-generation player, "RealOne", is now available to download: it's pretty, and does all the media library/ripper/encoder things we're now accustomed to seeing. But the with Microsoft aggressively marketing Windows Media Player as part of XP, with much the same features, is Real set to go the way of Netscape, or will its streaming format keep it in business?
comment posted at 4:53 PM on Sep-29-01
comment posted at 10:50 PM on Sep-29-01

Sometime during the 19th century, a fat woman died and her body changed almost entirely into soap. So it seems that people can turn into a soap-like substance after they die, in a process in which fatty tissues turn into adipocere, aka "grave wax" or "corpse cheese". I wonder what else can happen to my body chemically after death.
comment posted at 12:19 PM on Sep-28-01

London pilot taught hijackers I found this on MSN, and since no one mentioned it here on MetaFilter today, and it was dated for today, I decided to post it. How many people were involved in this???
comment posted at 12:02 PM on Sep-28-01

1998 essay by Peggy Noonan predicts a "big terrible thing" for New York and D.C. Poetic and eerie. (found at: Follow Me Here).
comment posted at 9:01 AM on Sep-28-01

The worlds heaviest people. And by god they are heavy.
comment posted at 12:30 AM on Sep-28-01
comment posted at 12:46 AM on Sep-28-01

Star Trek-Enterprise Yes, last night was the debut of the latest Star Trek Saga.. the tale of the first shape..the first Enterprise. Rather then sitting through the fan boy never ever seen a woman necked that was in 2D opinions over at slashdot, I decided to sort through some (sic) intelligent statements. So what did you think.. more inside.
comment posted at 11:24 AM on Sep-27-01
comment posted at 12:36 PM on Sep-27-01
comment posted at 6:33 PM on Sep-27-01

In the wake of the 11th, I've heard from people I haven't spoken to in months or even years. Are you reconnecting with old friends? It's easier than you think.
comment posted at 10:53 AM on Sep-27-01

SNL Producer declares Bush "off limits," despite what it says in the link. In the wake of the Bill Maher crucifixion, Lorne Michaels has decided to play it safe, according to the paragon of journalism. Does this mean no airport metal detector skit?
comment posted at 11:01 AM on Sep-27-01
comment posted at 11:03 AM on Sep-27-01

Family fude.. to fly, or not to fly? That is the question.. mother and daughter have debate over flying the American flag.. sad sad sad world it is today.. well.. at least her daughter has good sense..
comment posted at 12:59 AM on Sep-28-01

Jesse Jackson invited to visit the Taliban. They've asked him to lead a peace delegation to come talk to them; he's thinking it over. My question is this: How far does he have to go before he's providing "aid and comfort" to our enemies (i.e. before he's committing treason)? I hope he'll do the right thing (stay home and shut up) but I doubt it.
comment posted at 11:20 PM on Sep-26-01

Any hotline users out there? I haven't seen any comment on this. Personally, I use Morpheus now, but I'm still sorry to see Hotline go.
comment posted at 3:40 PM on Sep-26-01

White House Reprimands Bill Maher... Remarking on Bill Maher's recent (and ill-timed) comments, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said "Americans ... need to watch what they say, watch what they do, and this is not a time for remarks like that; there never is.''

Mr Fleischer: there's never a time for a comment like that from the White House.
comment posted at 9:21 PM on Sep-26-01
comment posted at 9:38 PM on Sep-26-01

Further Flag Folderol Teacher gets suspended for allegedly burning the American flag in front of his class. Will this wave of disrespect continue its unflagging pace? I wonder what the rest of the staff thinks. And you, of course.
comment posted at 12:20 AM on Sep-27-01

A few WTC things to start the day: 1) If you have a desire to move "off the grid" or just simply disappear, has the City of New York got a new program for you! Now you can get yourself declared dead with nothing more than a copy of Acrobat Reader and an ability to lie through your teeth. 2) The arguments over what to replace the WTC with are starting to gather steam. 3) That last piece standing of the WTC has been removed for probable use in a memorial. God please save us from another huge OKC-style Memorial From Hell.
comment posted at 11:10 AM on Sep-26-01

SomethingAwful.com closes its doors... temporarily or otherwise. A similar traffic-induced fate befell our own James Lileks, resulting in a sorrowful, pared down site. Is this developing a trend? Could the Internet be getting too big for its ad-free, humorous britches?
comment posted at 11:26 PM on Sep-25-01

Operation Infinite Mercy : Emergency relief for Afghan refugees fleeing Taliban rule and/or threats of American attack. Amid the scores of funds, accounts, websites, banner ads, and buttons that have popped up advertising ways to 'help the victims', it's been near-impossible to find somewhere online to make a donation to assist some of the other people affected by the aftermath of September 11th...
comment posted at 8:45 PM on Sep-25-01

CBS posts 'Survivor: Africa' cast profiles If reality TV is even marginally relevant to anyone anymore, the bios of the latest Survivor contestants have been posted. My questions are: 1. are these people representative of the American population at large? Almost all of the women list In Style magazine as their favorite and one picks "shopping and ads" as her favorite section of the newspaper... and 2. will more or less people be watching Survivor post-WTC tragedy?
comment posted at 8:10 PM on Sep-25-01

the ONION to the rescue! America's most trusted insightful ironists seem to have risen to the challenge. Dinty Moore beef stew condemns terrorism.
comment posted at 8:23 PM on Sep-25-01
comment posted at 9:52 PM on Sep-25-01