Hey, !
Hoo-boy, is there a lot going on right now! First off -
It seems that the United States is, once again, riding in to save the day in the Middle East! And aren't they happy to see us coming...
So, lemme get this straight - About this time last year the Big Threat was Syria, remember? A regime so bad we were going to have to - surprise - give military aid to the "freedom fighters" that were bravely battling to take it down. After all Syria had gassed its own citizens, right? So we started supplying the rebels with weapons, helping their fight for... well...um...
First it turned out that it was probably the "freedom fighters" that had gassed those citizens. Strike one against violently taking down a government on the other side of the planet which we had designated an immediate danger to us - despite the fact that they had never attacked us. But hey, the Syrian government did have poison gas, so we can still attack them for that, right? After all nobody should have poison gas... except us. We have plenty.
But then Russia - RUSSIA - negotiates a deal for the Syrian government to peacefully hand over its weaponized gas. Damn! Leave it to Vladimir Putin to war-block the US just when we were about to score. Jerk. But then it turns out that some of the groups we had given financial and weapon aid to bravely decided to keep up the fight in the face of the sudden lack of international support! America is thrilled...
Until these "freedom fighters" seem less interested in overthrowing the Syrian government than they do in invading Iraq. Well, that's not helpful. Why? Turns out the group is a combination of religious fundamentalists and ex-Baathist military men. You remember, the Baathists? The experienced, US trained military officers that we then banned from serving in the Iraqi army right after we were greeted as liberators in their country? Yeah, them.
Turns out they didn't simply dematerialize, but instead fled to Syria, where they became the tactical and strategic backbone of the fundamentalist uprisng we have been giving money and weapons to. (If this sounds a bit familiar think Afghanistan.) And now our peace-prize winning President has vowed to detroy our erstwhile "freedom fighters" not with soldiers, but with our ever reliable fleet of Flying Death Robots - a term much truer to their purpose than the could-never-be-dangerous word "drone."
So... our President has declared war on a rather tiny group of militarized fanatics on the other side of the planet, and has self-granted the United States permission to fight against them across any national border in the region. That's right! We just gave oursleves the right to bomb any Middle Eastern country (except Israel) in our newly declared nerver-ending war against some violent people we funded, but who have never actually attacked the United States! Oh, wait, they did kill some innocent Americans... which reminds me - did you know that the Los Angeles Law Enforcement kills, on average, a person each week - mostly young Black and Latino men? And it turns out not a few of them were also innocent Amercians.
If the United States Government had any interest in protecting innocent Amercian lives it could start much closer to home, and stop the militarization of police departments.
If it wanted security it would stop funding terrorists.
If it wanted respect it would stop using Flying Death Robots.
And if it wanted peace it would stop declaring never-ending wars.
But then what would it do with all that free time?
~Meanwhile~
 |
Coming up this Saturday!
Two wonderful singer- songwriters, one great night!
|
|
|
A benefit for the great Joan Mankin. If you have ever been touched by any of her work - whether at A.C.T., S.F Playhouse, California Shakepeare Festival, The San Francisco Mime Troupe, or during her many years as Queenie Moon with the Pickle Family Circus, this is your chance to give something back.
Performers will include Bill Irwin, Geoff Hoyle, Marga Gomez, and Michael and Velina.
And, of course, Queenie Moon herself!
|
|
~ presents ~
A World Premeire!
Written by
Michael Gene Sullivan
"Central Works serves up the laughs in this delicious take on a circle of sweet old grandmotherly bakers, who just happen to be fervent revolutionaries. But baking pies and cakes isn't enough to satisfy these four intrepid refugees from the '60's (and 50's, and '40's), and their burning desire to "Up the Revolution!"
|
Directed by
Gary Graves
featuring
Velina Brown
as
Diane
also with
Tamar Cohn
Phoebe Moyer
Lynne Soffer
Jan Zvaifler
|
|
presents:
|
Directed by
Nancy Carlin
featuring
Michael Gene Sullivan
as
Prospero
|
