Saturday, March 22, 2008

From the Y to the Library


Two tough-talking gym go-ers from the Lansing YMCA started an altercation with yours truly and threatened to strike me with gym equipment and free weights. The altercation started over the fact they initially said I could work in, despite getting vulgar and changing their mind only moments later. In the end all three of us were asked to leave the gym for the night.

Preferring to walk a bit more comfortably I let them go first. Only about 15ft separated us at most. I noticed they walked slower so I continued at my pace. Eventually we were walking side-by-side and smack-talk ensued; guy stuff, w/e, no big deal. Then all of a sudden the short one started talking about how 'known he was back in his hood' and how right before coming to Cooley, he had shot a man. Then all of a sudden his tall friend walking on my right had acquired a 2X6 piece of plywood and began threatening to strike me with it.

I walked a bit more and then said I was going to get some food...wanted to see if they'd follow - they didn't. What they did do, was rest the club against the wall of the library -- making it a school matter. I reported them to Cooley Security and then the pleas began...about how small they were, how scared they were, how the stick was "self-defense," the tall one began threatening to sue me for a frivolous suit if he was arrested....naturally he didn't want to admit what I think everyone in the room knew...if he got arrested for assault he'd get kicked out of Cooley and no State Bar in the nation would admit him.

Cooley Security remain in possession of the weapon and I'm hoping that people realize one thing .... even in law school....you run into dangerous people. God help us all.

p.s.
As a rule of thumb...I'm always much more apprehensive of people scared of me, than people tougher than me. When people are scared they get desperate...guns, sticks, knives. I can take guys talk, but when the stakes get higher than mere words or fists, I think a reasonable person at that point needs to draw a line and if its crossed...that's when law enforcement should get involved.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Monday, March 10, 2008

Bush Vetoes Torture Bill


It's funny how this despicable president of ours can call on democratically-elected leaders (e.g. Venezuela's Hugo Chavez) to resign, yet he blocks his own nation's legislature in moves such as those respecting the Geneva Convention and basic human rights. George W. Bush is as much a war criminal as Saddam Hussein, but when you're the leader of the strongest Western Power in the world....you at least go about your life with the luxury of knowing...that you'll never have to be held answerable to your war crimes -- that aspect of "justice" is reserved for the leaders of Weak [nations], not the West [ones].

We should also recognize that we're not talking about a little petition by Michael Moore or a protest led by Cindy Sheehan...we're talking about a resolution that's made it across the United States Congress and was shot down by a fascist, war criminal. President Bush should spend the rest of his life playing tick-tack-toe on the walls of a prison cell in The Hague.

Comrade Chavez is 100% on the money...."President Bush is the devil."

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

The Radikal Hits 80,000


I still remember the article in the Independent Florida Alligator... the one that included all the short-lived SG blogs of the day, but somehow managed to exclude TR -- conspiracy? concerted effort? Who knows.

There have been threats of lawsuits from AMC, fallout from various Alligator editors, TR covered the Grapski/Machen, Grapski/Alachua, & Grapski/Jones feuds, the blog was all over the Andrew Meyer Taser Issue with a YouTube.com video that went Top 20 worldwide and currently has been viewed nearly 140,000x. TheRadikal.com has covered Islamophobia @ UF, four consecutive years of UF Student Government, Zionism, extensively covered Michael Vick case (launching www.SickMikeVick.com); the blog features 20 full-length interviews, hundreds of archived posts, and boasts readers from various states of the Union and nations of the world.

TheRadikal.com will be around ten years from now, uniting free-thinkers, GoD Damn Independents, the mIsUnderstood, the NonConformists, Commies, Anarchists, weirdos, druggies, revolutionaries, "creeps," and all the corporate, A&F, GAP-sporting country club aspiring big business, cigar-smoking elitists that want to keep tabs on those they most...those they can't buy, those they can't conquer, those who will never bow down and take their shit.

Here's to 80,000...see you at a 100 :)