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Hi, my name is Jim Macdonald, and I have an odd assortment of interests. In no particular order, I love Yellowstone, I am an anti-authoritarian activist and organizer, and I have a background in philosophy, having taught at the college level. My blog has a lot more links to my writing and my other Web sites. In Jim's Eclectic World, I try to give a holistic view of my many interests. Often, all three passions show themselves interweaving in the very same blog. Anyhow, I think it's a little different. But, that's me. I'm not so much out there, but taken together, I'm a little unusual.

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    Monday, October 24, 2005

    How Many More Must Die? Go to Memorial Bridge After 2000th Troop Death

    How Many More Must Die? Go to Memorial Bridge After 2000th Troop Death
    (for more see http://www.dawndc.net)

    All too soon, the number of US troops dead in Iraq will stand at 2000.
    Military Families Speak Out have called for actions when that regrettable
    moment comes to pass. The DC Anti-War Network (DAWN), in support of this
    call to action, and in strong support of the idea that the deaths of the
    100,000, 150,000?, 200,000? dead Iraqis be remembered as well, call on us
    all to take action when that sad moment happens. Please go to the
    Memorial Bridge, between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National
    Cemetery (which is the nearest metro), and meet on the Virginia side of
    the bridge (south corner) at 6PM the evening following the announcement of
    the 2,000th death (if the death is announced before 9AM that day, the
    action will be that evening; if it is announced after 9AM, it will be the
    following evening – we will let you know). Many will be wearing black.
    We also will be providing signs.

    “How many more must die before you take action?” That is the theme
    guiding our particular action. As we struggled with how we should prepare
    for this action, we noted how sick it made us feel inside that we were
    planning for an action for the 2,000th US soldier to die knowing full well
    that some of those soldiers are still alive. Unfortunately, US policies
    in Iraq guarantee that the 2,000th death will be a reality, and so we are
    forced into the most cynical position of planning for an action while some
    who will be dead live right now. Furthermore, besides those 2,000 deaths,
    the figures at the time of this call’s posting show 15,120 US troops
    wounded, countless others returned home as casualties due to sickness or
    other reasons. Furthermore, this says nothing about the numbers of Iraqis
    killed. Since April 28 of this year, 5,610 Iraqis have died as a result
    of this war, and that counts only those who have been verified through
    primary sources, a number we must reasonably believe is well below the
    actual number. It’s been a year since the Lancet medical journal
    estimated that more than 100,000 Iraqis had died in Iraq as a result of
    the war, and so we have no idea how many have died since then. What’s
    more, how many Iraqis have been wounded? How many are sick? How many
    lives have been shattered? We know that whether we consider the number of
    US troops dead or wounded, or the total number dead or wounded, the number
    is far too high. This war was wrong to start with, based on lies and
    misinformation, is wrong today as the death toll mounts, and will be wrong
    tomorrow. How many more must die before we can tolerate this no more?
    How many more must die before you take action?

    Please join us as we ask that question to motorists crossing the Memorial
    Bridge, and more importantly, please join us after this action ends. We
    need to convince people not to stand idly by as perpetual war rages on.
    We must take heart that the majority of people believe that this war was a
    mistake, but it won’t be enough until that majority stands with us in
    perpetual action. The Senate voted 97-0 this month for another $50
    billion for Iraq war funding, even after 300,000 people took to the
    streets on September 24. These senators cannot be counted on to take on
    the Bush Administration. They also cannot be counted on to take action if
    we show up for one mass action and then go home. If they are going to
    listen, our action must be sustained. It really is up to us!

    Monday, October 03, 2005

    Genocide, ahem, Columbus Day teach-in, October 12, 7PM, Flemming Center

    Read the presentation now in pdf


    Genocide Against the

    American Indian,

    Destruction of the Buffalo,

    &

    Imperialism in Iraq

    Presentation by Jim Macdonald

    Flemming Center

    (1426 9th Street NW, Washington, DC)

    7-9 PM

    Wednesday, October 12, 2005

    In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue. What’s not taught is that Columbus ushered in a history of genocide that has destroyed well over 90% of indigenous people in North and South America. Seen through the prism of the extermination of the buffalo (American bison), Jim will draw connections between the genocide of native peoples in America with the ongoing struggle in Iraq. What is happening in Iraq is not something new, though many in the mainstream present Iraq as something uniquely evil that would never have happened under any person other than George W. Bush. This presentation aims to correct that gross misunderstanding of American history and the American present. Understanding the past and understanding how the past is still present will help us identify more clearly what is going on in Iraq, and more importantly, why it is going on. Please come for this presentation. A question and answer period will follow.

    Jim Macdonald is an activist and organizer with the DC Anti-War Network. He has an M.A. in philosophy from the University of Toledo, and a B.A. in philosophy and history from Ohio Northern University. He is ABD (all but dissertation) in philosophy at Catholic University of America. Jim has written about and worked at Yellowstone National Park, having studied the Park’s history and the history of buffalo in the region.

    Endorsed by the DC Anti-War Network.

    Download flyer at http://dc.indymedia.org/usermedia/application/8/buffaloteachin.pdf