The Revolution Will Be Analyzed

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Reza Aslan on The Rachel Maddow Show. In addition to being one of my favorite authors, Aslan has been one of the most illuminating voices when it comes to the events surrounding the Iranian Election. Even for those possessing no prior knowledge with regard to the intricacies and nuance of Iranian politics, it's at 'must watch' status.

Related: Reza Aslan in a panel discussion on the Iranian Election on Fareed Zakaria GPS (6-14). [Sidebar: 'Fareed Zakaria GPS' is the ONLY thing I co-sign on CNN. *shots fired*]

Part I:


Part II:

I Know Lex Luthor, The Real Lex Luthor

The uncanny resemblance between Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi and Superman's arch nemesis makes me chuckle. Sitting atop $9.4 Billion in loose change, having engaged in numerous (alleged) extra-marital affairs, and considering the fact that his trials have their own Wikipedia page, Berlusconi's résumé for super villain-hood is strong. Oh, and he runs a European nation.

He arrives on the M-Theory radar this week as a result of his recent display of testicular fortitude. If you were an Italian Prime Minister (and who's to say you're not?) and your wife recently announced that she would be divorcing you (after fresh allegations of unfaithfulness), you might sit down and get your house in order, if only to avoid the political ramifications a public divorce trial might have on your re-election chances. Add to that the fact that you didn't sign a prenup, (putting you on the line for a potential $4.7 Billion settlement *dead*) you might decide to break your wife off with a Kobe diamond (See: No. 2), in exchange for public silence and a smile.

Not Silvio Berlusconi. In a deft example of PR jujitsu, he instead demanded that his wife apologize TO HIM saying, "Veronica will have to publicly apologize to me. And I don't know if that will be enough". *jaw on ground*. So Silvio, (can I call you Silvio? Good.) you perform the smash and dash, allow it to leak to the press, and then demand your wife apologize? How do you walk straight with coglione's that huge? With the outcome of this Italian drama still to be decided, M-Theory is your destination for all things Lex Luthor.

I'll just say this-- Europeans know how to have sex scandals, unlike us Puritans across the pond.

Is There A Window Open?

Or is Zeus just having a bit of a coughing spell? Either way I feel a breath of fresh air.

We Can Make It Better

Yes we can.

I shouldn't have to explain the significance of this.

[Sidebar:] That desk is hot fire. I'm tryna cop one. [Close Sidebar]

Ethereal Material V1.3

Inauguration Edition. Selections inspired by the momentous occasion. Only 10 in the cut, because the one below wasn't available on playlist.com:

Joy Denalane feat. Lupe Fiasco - Change

NOTE: 'Black Republican' is on there because the instrumental should be Obama's theme music, which plays anytime he enters a room/event/planet.

Hit the pop-out player if you can't get all the songs.

Dr. MLK Jr.

A Collaborative Post is Going Down. This is a Missy Elliot M-Theory Exclusive.

So, a small intro is necessary. The pictures are courtesy of LIFE (obviously). You can browse their archives via Google. It's amazing, I couldn't believe it when I found colour photos of Dr. King! The main Part of this post was written by Vexed, I asked him to write a few thoughts on Martin Luther King Jr. day. Anything Bold-Italic is me inserting my opinion (wise and otherwise (mostly otherwise)).
-Zoop

Wiping the sleep out my eyes this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I just feel I need to address a couple of misappropriations and misnomers running rampant in popular thought today.

1. Barack Obama is NOWHERE NEAR as fine an orator as MLK. Period. Amen!

I understand that vague comparisons and categories are what's hot in the streets because they don't require you to think, but let's not get carried away. Obama's style of oration owes much to Dr. King, but doesn't come close in scope or substance (Sun > lightbulb). We've become too used to having George W. Bush (possessing the rhetorical skills of Foghorn Leghorn Porky Pig) as president, who makes everybody else sound like Winston Churchill. This is not to detract from Pres. Obama's abilities as a speaker, but as ODB might've said "MLK is the father of his whole style". I stood 50 feet away from President Obama whilst he was speaking and there's no question that it was moving. But let that be enough. Go listen to "I Have A Dream" one more time and realize that MLK was in another league. Please? I mean, most people are only familiar with that one piece of work (if any), I beg you to read/listen to something else by him. "What else should I familiarize myself with?" You might ask. Anything. Anything else, and you would understand how well he strung words together.

2. Contrary to what you may have heard approximately 17,000 times between election night and today, when Dr. King said "I've seen the Promised Land", he wasn't referring to today.

Just because we've got a black president, all of a sudden everything's all good? Too often, I fear the collective mentality of white people (gross over generalizations aside) is "Alright black people. You managed to win the presidency. I don't want to hear about racism any more. It's dead". Tell that to the families of Sean Bell or Oscar Grant. As long as black people disproportionately fill our prisons, ghettos and morgues, this can't be the Promised Land.




3. Really, when I think about Martin Luther King Jr. it just heightens my awareness of the vacuum of leadership present in today's world. Most of the problems created over the past 30 years, and the solutions we need today can be attributed to this gaping hole where revolutionary thought should be. I hold out hope that Obama can fill this void, but I fear that America's stagnation (mental and physical) will smother any attempt at change. Maybe Obama can pull Excalibur from the stone where MLK left it when he died, but in my mind there will only be one King.

It dropped by how many points?!?

Hey, I have an idea, let's all sell, sell, sell. Maybe that will make it go back up. or I could start distributing heroin...

Pre-Posthumous Presidential Ponderings

A collaborative post is going down.


Right now I'm feeling like that's who I would expect to see runnin' with these clowns. I mean, at least he admits he's evil. We have one candidate who thinks being at war is fun (no, seriously he told me so) and another who's voters think that he can make cars run on rainbow power, and that he will defecate solid gold.

[Begin tangent on McCain] Richard the Lionhearted didn't succeed, what makes him think he can/will? The beautiful Maid Marian is lacking in gubernatorial qualifications. She will not be able to watch his country while he's away. Although, if I were to see a picture of him in a banana hammock, while holding a gun, then I may vote for him. [end]



[Begin tangent on Obama]
Obama supports pulling out... of Iraq. He wants change yet really contradicted himself with his VP selection - eh? He wants to raise our taxes! His reverend and close personal friend said... something... a few years back. or something[end]

MY (zoopsia) close personal friend Benjamin Franklin says this on the matter:
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both."
-and-
"Geese are but Geese tho' we may think 'em Swans; and Truth will be Truth tho' it sometimes prove mortifying and distasteful"


Vexed Interjects: The Zoopsiatic One is on point. But let's air this one all the way out.

A.) McCain supporters- Your man cannot "shake up Washington". He's been there for 26 years and hasn't done a damn thing.(Except be investigated for corruption.) Be real.

NO ONE IS OUT TO TAKE YOUR GUNS, ABORT YOUR BABIES, OR RAISE YOUR TAXES. If you truly think other candidate is gonna' do any of these things, and therefore you support McCain, you're not worth your weight in elephant manure.

B.) Obama supporters- You will be disappointed. The office of the president is no where near as powerful as people think. He cannot recite a haiku that will end poverty, the 2nd Gulf War, or Global Warming.

What does "Change" mean? The man has never defined it, and is comfortable leaving you to arrive at your own conclusion. When your idea of "change" doesn't come to fruition with an Obama presidency, you will curse him just like you curse every other politician.

BOTTOM LINE: CTHULHU-VOLTRON '08


If you are thinking to yourself, "Who is Cthulhu? and how do I pronounce his name? and why does Zoopsia want to see McCain in a banana hammock?" Then the Cthulhu page might help. Also you could read more in depth at Wiki: Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn.
Cthulhu fhtagn!

To Anyone Who's Ever Paid Taxes

Mmmm.... Comin' to a neighborhood near you. That's your crew. Oh, you thought those bills beefin' up anti-terror statutes were only gonna be used for purposes abroad? You got caught slippin'. Now your (Insert street synonym for currency here ____) is paying these zealots' salary.

And they can't wait for you to cross the street despite this.

Oh, and I believe the initial caption for this picture was "I PLAY FOR KEEPS!". That could be false.

Story behind the picture here.

Zoopsiatic addition:
Also watch this.

In America You'll Never Be Free...

This is not the America I signed up for. I've said constantly that I'm in love, in fact straight up INFATUATED, with the idea of America. But the execution of the idea known as "America" leaves much to be desired, at best. At worst "America" is a sick joke, a trojan horse created for those with the greatest amount of avarice at heart to run rampant and unchecked.

The latest examples of American hypocrisy can be found here and here. Both are short, but even if you don't wanna read 'em just take a look at the titles.

So as you can see, it doesn't matter what side you're on. You think differently? Welcome to Guantanamo Express.

Last time I checked, America was born out of protest and subsequent action.

9-11 really did deal a deathblow to America. Now the president government can call you a terrorist and legally detain you for as long as they please. No trial, no jury, no problem.

(And don't think because you're a citizen it can't happen to you. Ever heard of "home grown terrorists"? When the government gets to define "terrorist", what makes you think they won't use that to stay in power?)

Your neighbor won't even miss you. He'll probably let his dog sh!t on your lawn.

Wake up.

Turrable

I work in the mall. Sorry.
Directly in front of the store where I work it opens up and you can see the lower level, including the escalators. Well, today the escalator going in the up direction was being worked on, and after much maintenance, they left it turned off, but removed the barricade. So it was then stairs, right?

I was amused to see that four out of five people who approached them were perplexed.
Of those four, three of them were so preoccupied with their phone, purse, or insulin that they didnt realize they were 'stairs' until they were litteraly about to step onto them. Once again, they were then dumbfounded.
They would take a few steps back as if they half expected the 'stairs' to apologize, or start moving again. Also, they would look around checking their bearings. Maybe they took a wrong turn?

I only wish I was joking.

oh, and the country of Liechtenstein is only 62 square miles.

Idle Warship: Fall Back [Video]

My thoughts exactly.

(Idle Warship= Talib Kweli + Res)

Download track here: Idle Warship feat. Chester French- Fall Back

Shout out to Nah Right

Streets On Fire

See, most people read about Hezbollah's enforcement of a labor strike in Beirut and just see "War In The Middle East". Now on the other hand, I can't help but think that this is why America is in decline: When as a country, we feel our government's economic policy is shittin' on us, we re-elect the asshole (pun intended) responsible for said shit. Over there? They "block roads with burning tires and garbage cans, and set cars on fire".

The only way a democratic republic works is if people stop bein' complacent and start makin' moves. You think if the burger flippers at McDonald's traded in their spatulas for Molotov Cocktails, Ronald and Hamburglar wouldn't break them (and the rest of the staff) off with some more dineros?

You really want the government to listen? Hit their (corporate) campaign donors. Might get their attention.

Here's the first song off my playlist for scenarios such as this: "A No. 2 With A Side Of Apocalypse"

Allow Me To Re-Introduce Myself

My name is HovJeremiah Wright. And I scare White People.

Obama's former pastor reloadin' like Carlito. This clip features his words on the manufactured controversy surrounding his previous statements, as well as the media's reaction.

And just so we're clear, i'm ridin' with the kid here. If you don't feel that America's foreign policy over the past 20 years has been responsible for 9/11, the U.S.S. Cole Bombing, etc., let me know what's really hood, and we'll chop it up.

Oh, and I would inject here that we should boycott the mass media, but nobody from my generation watches the news anyway. Problem solved.