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Luke Melia

1/24/03, 12:03 am – Semblance of Senatorial Sensibleness

It seems like maybe my comments (and those of thousands of others, of course) make a difference.

The Senate inserted an amendment into a major spending bill putting the kibosh on the Total Information Awareness project headed by John Poindexter. Thank goodness. That thing is an abomination. Declan McCullagh has the story on CNET.

1/23/02, 11:19 pm – The Underdogs Prevail

It’s that time again.

Well, yes, time for the city air to be so cold that it feels like it’s peeling your cheeks off. This morning, I wafted into wakefulness, attempting to rally myself to get up and ready to go to work, only to hear NPR report that today was expected to be the coldest day in New York in two years. Ugg. But that’s not the time I’m talking about….

It’s time for a new volleyball season. As you might recall, we have a bit of a change of characters. Rebecca, Liz & Anthony are moving on to various adventures. They needed damn good excuses to get off the team, but I do believe they’ve come up with winners. Joining “One Team, Under Dog” is the illustrious and talented (and hot!) Jeanhee, Kentucky boy himself Matt, and the newcomer to the NYC volleyball scene, Sonja.

In our first match tonight, against “Serve Ace! Ah…” (Get it? Español for beer…), Sonja and Jeanhee proved themselves awesome additions to the team. We beat the beer three games to none and successfully ran a 6-2 offense. All this, and we’re up one division from last season. Pretty exciting!

I’m off now to sniffle, sneeze, watch the snow fall, and be really happy I have a warm place to be tonight.

1/19/03, 11:30 pm – We March With Hope

I had two hats, four layers on top, long underwear, and two pairs of socks. It was still quite chilly as the afternoon rolled around in Washington, DC Saturday, but it was warm enough to do what needed to be done.

We marched against the brewing U.S. war on Iraq. Jeanhee stood in the cold draped under a blanket that said “win w/o war” in masking tape. (Grandmothers for a Just World outdid us in the “blanket-as-protest” category…). [More pictures from the protest…]

We heard speakers and marched through the streets. We made up our own silly chants:

Bush wants to bomb Iraq to hell / We’re gonna stop him with a cow bell / [ring cowbell] / Dubya’s got a big old missle / We’re gonna stop him with our little whistle / [blow whistle]

My sister Jessica was there with her friends, and after saying hello in the morning, we happened upon each other in the afternoon march. We watched two young performers box each other blindly in a crowd, each covering their eyes and wearing a sign that said Bush one side and Hussein on the other. They accidentally punched a few marchers in the process.

The protest had a hopeful feeling to it. As many marchers sang, The ain’t no power like the power of the people, cuz the power of the people don’t stop. On the weekend of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, we remembered the progress he helped create and we strengthened our own belief that we can create change in the world.

In the weeks before the protest, I had been hesitant to go. I had concerns about the causes that the organizers, International ANSWER, support. I wanted an event that would send this message to the worl: there is a large and growing percentage of the American people who see war a last resort and support a nonviolent approach to problem of Iraq. But on top of that, ANSWER’s goals include ending racism, ending Israeli occupation, as well freeing Mumia Abu Jamal, Leonard Peltier, etc., etc. etc. I won’t comment on each of their specific goals. Some I feel strongly about, some I don’t.

I decided in the days before the protest, though, that a march on Washington would send one message — the one I most cared about: these throngs, in their hats and gloves, with their signs and drums, think the rush to war on Iraq is bad and should be stopped, and they each represent hundreds of others who feel similarly. The press coverage so far has validated that decision and I’m very glad I made the trip.

1/16/03, 11:08am – Win Without War Movement Heats Up

MoveOn is launching a TV campaign today. It’s currently available as a stream off their website. The ad is a bit alarmist, but it will get the attention of viewers as well as the media.

That organization is holding meetings with congressmen and women across the country on Monday.

Saturday, I leave New York by bus for DC with hundreds if not thousands of others. We’ll rally and march in the cold weather and represent to our government and the rest of the world that a sizeable group of Americans (a True Majority?) are opposed to the hawkish approach to Iraq that the current administration is taking.

1/15/03, 11:48 am – Loss For Public Interest

The Supreme Court decided against Eldred 7-2. Lawyer for the plaintiff Lawrence Lessig (who is one of my new heroes) has links to the decision and his reaction.

This decision exemplifies our contemporary socitiety’s unfortunate balance of power weighting corporate interest over public interest.

I hope that enough people will understand the intent and effect of our copyright law to demand change from our legislatures.

1/11/03 – 3:40 am – Girl Fight

It’s almost 4 in the morning on Friday night, and I can hear a girl fight on the corner. Earlier tonight, on the same corner, a taxi cab collided with a black Jetta. Firetrucks and a police car made the scene, but no ambulance was necessary, thankfully.

I’m doing a few things on my dad’s website, and listening to Enya as the sounds of young women fighting drift through my windows.

OK, the girls are done fighting. I guess it’s time to turn in.

1/9/03, 1:37pm – The Machine Stops

In 1909, the noted author (and friend of Virginia Woolf) E.M. Forster wrote a short story called, “The Machine Stops”.

In 1992, I read it as a tenth-grader in Mr. Hornstein’s excellent english class.

In 2003, I found it on the web with a quick google search. Read it online, or print it out. (And be grateful for the public domain.)

Speaking of Virginia Woolf, I saw The Hours last weekend. The line for the movie was nuts, the acting was very impressive, and the story was interesting.

1/7/2003, 5:57pm – I Came To Live

My mom’s been helping my grandfather these last two days. He’s in bad shape. Doesn’t know the date. Doesn’t know his zip code.

I hope that I am mentally acute for the rest of my days, but if I am not so lucky, I want my soul to to have the satisfaction of having made hay while the sun shone.

“If you asked me what I came into this world to do, I will tell you: I came to live out loud.Emile Zola

1/2/3, Noon – Taking Stock

My boss sent around a link to discover your Jungian type. I came out as INTP
(Introverted 22%, Intuitive 67%, Thinking 22%, Perceiving 11%).

If I recall correctly, I was INTP when I did this in high school, too.

1/1/03, 9:33pm – Happy New Year

I rode the train home from Long Island tonight and happened to bump into a neighbor who lives on the same floor of my apartment building. We whiled away the trip, talking about the building, the neighborhood and our families. It’s the kind of thing that doesn’t happen enough in Manhattan, and it was an auspicious way to begin 2003.

LukeMelia.com created 1999. ··· Luke Melia created 1976. ··· Live With Passion!
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