Total Oblivion

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Skinny Dipping

Long-listed for the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award and finalist for the Crawford Award. Title short story listed for the 2000 O. Henry award.

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Futures, Options, and Swaps (the weblog of Alan DeNiro)

Orchestration

You see it in sports events more now, how the cheering is more orchestrated. The fun is more and more at the mercy of the venue. Signs are handed out with pre-printed messages of support (Ravens support Phelps, in Baltimore, during a meaningless preseason NFL game). You also saw at the DNC how well this was timed-at one point the delegates are holding signs depicting one message, but then they will suddenly be holding signs saying BIDEN. Or whatever. The camera cuts help syncopate this-we are on the train, and the billboards change, but before we can see the final billboard flip over we go into the tunnel…

…and on the other side of the tunnel we are under siege in the Saintly City! I don’t really put too much faith in the orchestration of these protesters, these kids seem so cliched in their confusion as to be Republican plants! St. Paul is a knot to begin with, and it doesn’t take much imagination to see the noose tighten. One of the real stories in America, of which this RNC militarization charade is only one part of, regards relatively small police departments like this one:

The Richland County (S.C.) Sheriff’s Department has acquired an armored personnel carrier complete with a turret-mounted .50-caliber belt-fed machine gun for its Special Response Team.

Sheriff Leon Lott told the Columbia State newspaper that he hoped the vehicle, named “The Peacemaker,” would let the bad guys know that his officers are serious.

“We don’t look at this as a killing machine,” Lott told the paper. “It’s going to keep the peace. We hope the fact that we have this is going to save lives. When something like this rolls up, it’s time to give up.”

Ok, I really don’t have anything more to say.

Tue, September 2 2008 » Life Studies

One Response

  1. Haddayr September 3 2008 @ 8:00 pm

    Today, we could see snipers set up on the rooftops near my building. In MINNEAPOLIS, lest your readers think I live in St. Paul.

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