061703
crass - punk is dead

yes, that's right, punk is dead
it's just another cheap product for the consumer's head
bubblegum rock on plastic transistors
schoolboy sedition backed by big time promoters

cbs promote the clash
ain't for revolution, it's just for cash
punk became a fashion just like hippy used to be
ain't got a thing to do with your or me

movements are systems and systems kill
movements are expressions of the public will
punk became a movement 'cause we all felt lost
leaders sold out and now we all pay the cost

punk narcissism was a social napalm
steve jones started doing real harm
preaching revolution, anarchy, and change
sucked from the system that had given him his name

well, i'm tired of staring through shit-stained glass
tired of staring up superstars' arse
i've got an arse and crap and a name
i'm just waiting for my fifteen minutes fame

steven jones, you're napalm
if you're so pretty vacant, why do you smarm?
patti smith, you're napalm
your write with your hand but it's rimbaud's arm

and me, yes, i, do i want to burn?
is there something i can learn?
do i need a business man to promote my angle?
can i resist the carrots that fame and fortune dangle?

i see the velvet zippies in their bondage gear
the social elite with safetypins in their ear
i watch and understand that it don't mean a thing
the scorpions might attack, but the systems stole the sting

punk is dead
punk is dead
punk is dead
punk is dead

061703
either you need to learn how to read, or i need to learn how to write.

wOulD It hElP iF I WroTe iN AlTerNaTinG CasEs?

nO?

061603
i've redesigned the site. only after i had coded out the entire basic outline that i realized that it doesn't look well for anyone viewing it in 800x600 resolution or under. but fuck it, i'm not going to bother fixing it.

i notice that a lot of the islanders (i'm not going to mention any names) who go down to the mainland almost always come back arrogant—like they're too good for hawaii all of a sudden. eric came back this week from his trip down to l.a., and when i hung out with him on saturday (along with the usual crew: janelle, jenny, johnny, norman, tricia), he was the exact same eric that he's always been: one of the most good-natured guys i know. i'm glad he didn't come back telling us how great the mainland is in a condescending manner, and how much better things are down there, in comparison to how things are down here.

no one down here wants to hear that shit, even if there may be some truth in it.

061403

"hasta la victoria siempre."

- che guevara

"people admire che guevara because they are admiring themselves in depth for something they already have inside, but that they have to exercise. and, unfortunately, nowadays they are told that ideals are not possible. "and this is a lie. ideals are possible. how are they going to squeeze out life, saying we cannot be human, we cannot be generous with other human beings?"

- euladio gonzalez rodriguez

ernesto "che" guevara
1928 - 1967



honoring the marxist revolutionary, comrade ernesto "che" guevara—who would have been 75 today.

the first child of ernesto guevara lynch and celia de la serna, ernesto "che" guevara was born in rosario, argentina in 1928. at two years old, che developed asthma from which he suffered all his life, and his family moved to the drier climate of alta gracia.

due to the fact that his asthma was so serious, che was unable to attend school regularly. his mother taught him how to read and write at home, where he became a voracious reader of karl marx, friedrich engels, and sigmund freud—all of which were available in his father's library.

as a youth, che was impressed by the spanish civil war refugees, and also by the long series of squalid political crises in argentina which culminated in the "left fascist" dictatorship of juan peron, to whom the guevara de la sernas were opposed. these events and influences inculcated in the young guevara a hatred of military politicians and the army, the capitalist oligarchy, and above all, the u.s. imperialism.

in 1949, che made the first of his long journeys, exploring northern argentina on a motor bike, and for the first time discovered that the wealthy area that he was growing up in was not like the rest of argentina; he discovered poverty and oppression everywhere he traveled. che honorably said that he wanted his destiny to be linked to helping these people.

in 1951, che made a much longer journey, accompanied by his friend, alberto granado. they visited southern argentina, chile, peru, colombia, venezuela, bolivia, miami, and guatemala.

in guatemala, che, although refusing to join the communist party, supported the pro-communist arbenz regime, which was fighting against the c.i.a.-backed castillo rebels.

in june 1952, the arbenz regime was beaten, and che fled to mexico with the other political exiles in fear of being jailed. it was in mexico where che met the cuban revolutionary exiles, raul and fidel castro.

when the cuban guerillas invaded cuba, che went with them, first as doctor, then soon as a commandante of the revolutionary army of barbutos. as commander, che was very strict and expected a great deal of effort from his soldiers. he was known to order executions and other severe punishments for traitors and those who didn't obey orders. but che also cared for his fellow rebels; he helped teach some how to read and write, and introduced them to cuban history and marxism. che was very respected among his men because he never took advantage of the fact that he was in charge; he had the same privileges as any of the others.

on december 29, 1959, 365 guerillas lead by che took on 3,500 soldiers in santa clara, one of cuba's largest cities. in mere three days, the rebels overtook the city, and the corrupt u.s.-backed dictator, fulgencio batista, fled cuba. batista's regime was overthrown; the revolution had been won.

at the triumph of the cuban revolution, guevara became second only to fidel castro in the new government of cuba, and was the man chiefly responsible for pushing castro towards communism, but a communism which was independent of the orthodox, soviet-style communism of some of their colleagues. che glorified his own kind of communist philosophy, which can be summed up with: "man really attains the state of complete humanity when he produces, without being forced by physical need to sell himself as a commodity." he was moving away from "moscow," towards mao, and beyond into what is essentially the old idealistic, anarchism.

as president of the national bank, che was instrumental in cutting cuba's traditional economic ties with the u.s., and in directing the flow of trade to the communist bloc. in february 1960, he signed a trade pact with the u.s.s.r., which freed the cuban sugar industry from dependence on the teeth of the u.s. market.

but che's breach with the soviet union came when, addressing the organization for afro-asian solidarity at algiers (february 1965), he charged the u.s.s.r. with being a "tacit accomplice of imperialism" by not trading exclusively with the communist bloc, and by not giving underdeveloped socialist countries aid without any thought of return. che also attacked the north americas, at the u.n. as cuba's representative, for their greedy and merciless imperialist activity in latin america. che claimed that the northern hemisphere of the world, both the u.s.s.r. and the u.s.a., exploited the southern hemisphere of the world.

che, at heart a revolutionary rather than an administrator, and thinking little of castro's offer of a position in cuban government, left cuba in 1965 to foster revolutionary activity in other countries. for some months even his whereabouts were a secret. he was in various african countries, notably in congo, surveying the possibilities of turning the kinshasa rebellion into a communist revolution, by cuban-style guerrilla tactics. he returned to cuba to train volunteers for that project, and took a force of 120 cubans to congo. his men fought well, but the kinshasa rebels did not; they were useless against the belgian mercenaries. in autumn 1965, che had to advise castro to withdraw cuban aid.

che's final revolutionary adventure was an attempt to spread the cuban revolution in bolivia. he grossly misjudged the revolutionary potential of that country with disastrous consequences. the attempt ended in his capture by the c.i.a.-trained bolivian army unit. by the order of then u.s. president, lyndon b. johnson, che was executed a day later. according to some sources, his last words were: "shoot, coward, you are only going to kill a man." che knew that there would always be people like him who would fight for what they believed in.

in che's last letter to his children, he wrote: "grow up as good revolutionaries. study hard so that you will have command of the techniques that permit the domination of nature. above all, always remain capable of feeling deeply whatever injustice is committed against anyone in any part of the world. this is the finest quality of a revolutionary."

che's remains were found near a remote mountainside outside vallegrande, bolivia in june 1997. his remains were identified and were returned to cuba.

today, che is, for many, a symbol of hope and faith. he is remembered for his selfless contribution to the world; he is remembered for fighting for the average man, and against imperialism and neocolonialism.

cuban grammar school students, called "young pioneers," salute their flag every morning with the slogan: "pioneers for communism, we will be like che." october 8th (probable date of che's death) is a national cuban holiday honoring him.