J. Ojanpera

As we prepare ourselves to "March Against Monsanto" on Saturday, May 25, we are being given explicit -unfortunately necessary- information about the atmosphere that should be present. The organizers in my city have communicated so well, that I went to sleep last night thinking about a militant policeman threatening me to act right. That in itself was violent. I got to thinking about other events around the country that might not have communicated this point well enough. It happens all the time; it only takes one asshole not getting the memo, and boom, a riot is born. You might be thinking, "No, there is no way some anarchist is going to disrupt our peaceful day in the square! "  I hope not, but to ensure this doesn't happen, I used my insomnia to come up with some suggestions for a peaceful day. Hopefully I can cover anything the organizers left out. 1. Leave your Guy Fawkes mask in your backpack/fanny pack. Sure these masks are cool -if you're into hidin...

Every time I read a news story, I have to activate my "political agenda filters" to make sure I get the information and not the ridiculous spin from the source. This is not a new phenomenon.  I like to think that most journalists try really hard to make their work great, but the corporations they work for -the people who are sleeping with this party or that party- have lost the point of disseminating information and exchanged facts for political agendas. It seems to be a giant ass-kiss, and we are left to sort through it. Hopefully someone is sorting through it. The truth is that Americans have taken passive reading to the stratosphere, and just want to be entertained. Southpark is a great example of this. It is more informational to watch an episode of a raunchy cartoon than it is to sit down and read a well thought political report. That's what America has been begging for; please make it easy. Unfortunately, some things cannot be dumbed down enough to reach the passiv...

If I were to approach you and insist that the key to our survival depended on burning your city to the ground, would you start a few fires? While the flames are destroying businesses, transportation hubs and parks, you would surely feel like you had done something horribly wrong; even if you refused to speak against it. When I began to see the horde turning their gaze toward me, and I felt my popularity waning, I would have two options. I could either abandon my post or come up with a new strategy. The best political option would be to repeal the burn order, and create a patriotic fire swamping party. Now, even though the fire was my idea, I would become an American hero for putting it out. That scenario has been played out in Washington many times. Why not capitalize on a crisis of their own making? The term "repeal" is generally reserved for lawmakers, but it seems the time has come for the citizenry to put this philosophy into practice. I am a firm believer in operating ...