Semi Truths A highly irregular weblog dedicated to Truth, Justice, and American Cheese…!

February 11, 2003

GAME FOR WAR?

Filed under: Politics — semi @ 10:12 am

In the 1983 film WarGames, Matthew Broderick taps into a super-secret military central computer and inadvertently starts a nuclear countdown with the Soviet Union. **Spoiler Alert** … In the climax of the film, the computer figures out that every war scenario ends with the mutually assured destruction of both sides and it shuts itself down, thereby proving that machines are smarter than we are.

Reuters is carrying a story (which has apparently been picked up by many major news outlets) about an online “game” called Gulf War 2 in which players assume the role of “President” Bush and try to work their way through the Iraq quagmire while receiving advice from caricatures of Donald Rumsfeld, Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice. The U.S.-led army overthrows Saddam Hussein, has to choose a new leader from a group of look-alikes, then stands helplessly by as the entire region becomes enflamed in deepening violence. **Spoiler Alert** … The inevitable outcome is the very definition of pyrrhic victory.

In fact, it is not a game at all, but a thoughtful and thought-provoking bit of flash animation, which the author readily admits on his website. He has also been a bit overwhelmed by the publicity; according to Reuters, about 20,000 people a day are logging on. Naturally, he is also getting his share of hate mail (since apparently anybody who engages in reason and truth is an enemy of the state).

If you have a decent connection and a sound card, check out Gulf War 2 here.

February 10, 2003

CLAM UP!

Filed under: Humor,War and Peace — semi @ 6:51 pm

Another group that takes a more irreverent approach to peaceful protest is Clams for Peace, a website that advocates, well, sending a box of clams to the White House in order to convince “President” Bush to, uh … think about, um, something.

I’ll let them speak for themselves:

In the 1950’s, tens of thousands of people sent small bags of rice to President Eisenhower convincing him not to attack China. It’s a new millennium with the same problems, rice is for suckers, clams are the choice of a new generation about to head off to war. We urge you the public to grab a box, grab some clams, and send them to George Bush to let him know that “hey this is a box of clams, deal with this Chimpy.”

There you go. And remember: If you send no clams, you are all for children being shot in the knee caps and being left for dead!!!

BILL PASSAGE

Filed under: People,Politics — semi @ 6:13 pm

I saw the President of the United States on Larry King Live last night. He spoke forcefully about the necessity for the the U.S. to work with the United Nations on building a global alliance for peace and security, especially in Iraq and North Korea. He spoke movingly about AIDS in Africa, and how we need to do more to relieve suffering. He had thoughtful things to say about tax reform, international relations, moral authority, and the shuttle tragedy. He was erudite, relaxed, commanding, and inspiring. The President I am talking about is, of course, Bill Clinton.

You can see a transcript of the interview here.

You can hear a five-year-old parody (too many Monica jokes) of Larry King interviewing President Clinton here.

February 9, 2003

THE PARSER OF CVILLE

Filed under: Charlottesville,WWW — semi @ 5:32 pm

With so much information available on the web, there are only a few places I turn to on a regular basis to find interesting and updated content. One of the most reliable is CVillenews.com, a meta-news site for Charlottesville, VA (USA), my town of residence. Running since March of 2001, the site carries abstracts and links of stories from other Charlottesville mainstream news sites and provides a forums for registered users to post their own reactions or to submit original items.Recently, there was a thread regarding Charlottesville’s City Council approving a resolution against a pre-emptive U.S. military attack on Iraq (as part of the Cities for Peace movement). The discussion that followed predictably defended and excoriated the council, but also veered into discussions regarding the roles of elected councilors in an representative democracy, providing a cross-section look into the opinions and politics that drive a small University town.

In another example, several months ago I witnessed a remarkable apparition in the skies above Charlottesville, a kind of inverted rainbow high in the sky and pointing toward the sun. At the first opportunity, I logged onto CVillenews, provided a quick description, and asked every one to run outside and take a look, hoping someone could tell me what I had seen. Sure enough, less than an hour later I had my answer: it was a circumzenithal arc.

The site is run by volunteers, with no ads and no one making any money. It provides a lively forum for debate, breaking news, and generally good-natured discussion. Even if you do not live in or near Charlottesville, it is worth taking a look at this shining example of just how good the web can be for a community.

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