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NUMBER OF LINES: 999
001=Usr:0 Null User 06/30/87 20:34 Msg:0 Call:0 Lines:19
1$If you are in need of help, you need but ask...
2$************************* 05 OCT 90 **************************************
3$Welcome to BWMS II (BackWater Message System II) Mike Day System operator
4$**************************************************************************
5$GENERAL DISCLAIMER: BWMS II IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY INFORMATION
6$ PLACED ON THIS SYSTEM.
7@BWMS II was created as an electronic bill board. BWMS II is a privately
8@owned and operated system which is currently open for use by the general
9@public. No restrictions are placed on the use of the system. As the
10@system is privately owned, I retain the right to remove any and all
11@messages which I may find offensive. Because of the limited size of the
12@system, it will be periodically purged of messages (only 999 lines of data
13@can be saved). To leave a message, type 'ENTER'. Use ctrl/C to get out
14@the ENTER mode. The message is automatically stored. If after entering
15@the message you find you made a mistake, use the replace command to
16@replace the line. To exit from the system, type 'BYE' then hang up.
17@Type 'HELP' to see other commands that are available on the system.
18@**************************************************************************
19@
002=Usr:1 CISTOP MIKEY 10/05/90 22:04 Msg:5552 Call:31354 Lines:4
20 Nobody ever drew up his plans for life so well but what facts,
21 and the years, and experience always introduce some modification.
22 -- Terence
23 ************************************************************************
003=Usr:84 Michael Miller j 10/05/90 22:49 Msg:5553 Call:31355 Lines:16
24
25 At the top. Look down below. See the future. The task so slow, to finish.
26 Now we wait. To see the fate. Of our versus and words of other prose.
27 The Candle in the window can only burn so long. And yet it seems it must
28 burn for ever, as of life is has grown fond.
29
30@The traverler, The one who knows. Our wounds to suture. Remove the blos that
31@
32@
33@The Traveler, The one who knows. Our wounds to suture. Remove the blow that
34@blemishes.
35 The Traveler, The one that knows. Our wounds are old. And yet we feel the
36 pain of them still.
37 Outward bound, but inward wound. Perhaps we'll find the solid ground.
38 Life, the final frontier.
39
004=Usr:84 Michael Miller j 10/06/90 15:06 Msg:5554 Call:31360 Lines:14
40
41 Day two. The silence continues. It seems sometimes that it will never end.
42 But what is there to do? Repeat endlessly my well known views? When nobody
43 will even put forth the effort to defend?
44
45 Endless worthless verse. Perhaps I am to terse.
46
47 Many concepts have been struck down. And for what reason? Because the
48 participants have grown bored? They have no time they can afford. It is
49 always the busy season. At this I frown.
50
51@Things change. If is as if we think that through change we make our lives
52@better. Is this so?
53@
005=Usr:286 Jeff Marten 10/07/90 02:16 Msg:5555 Call:31367 Lines:66
54
55
56 L I F E I N T H E F O O D C H A I N
57 Medium Rare Cynicism and Moody Broodings
58 From
59 -+|[ ThingFish ]|+-
60
61 Lately, when I read the newspaper, a scene from the
62 movie "Aliens" will begin to play inside my head. After a
63 hard day of battling the bloodthirsty, parasitic aliens, the
64 heroine of the film is tucking a little girl into bed. The
65 child is the lone survivor of an alien-ravaged settlers
66 colony. "My mommy always told me there WERE no monsters...
67 no real ones. But there are," the little girl says
68 mournfully. "Why do they tell little kids that?" Good
69 question. The answer, as I recall, was "Most of the time its
70 true," as good a response as could be expected.
71
72 More and more, its beginning to feel like I'm in that
73 movie, struggling to accept the reality that there are,
74 indeed, monsters at the gate.
75
76 In New York City, a twelve year old boy is set on fire
77 for refusing to smoke crack. In Washington state, a six year
78 old boy's penis is cut off with a hunting knife because he
79 is too frightened to comply with his attacker's demand to
80 urinate on him. In Oregon, Dana Brussard is disciplined to
81 death as the other Ecclesia children are assembled to watch.
82 The Central Park jogger case. Westley Allen Dodd.
83
84 Is there even a shred of humanity anywhere in the
85 beings who perpetrate these things? A pathologist would
86 confirm that they are Homo sapiens. A neurologist might find
87 some brain damage. A psychiatrist could suspect childhood
88 trauma. Maybe so. But what defines them as human beings?
89 What is the qualifier?
90
91 Historians will be quick to cite atrocities through the
92 ages, but maybe the 20th century is the one that has finally
93 gone and done it; finally hit upon the right combination of
94 greed, fear, family breakdown, lack of community or societal
95 belonging, lack of opportunity, lack of hope...all steeped in
96 environmental poison and the ready availability of conscience
97 crippling drugs and fearsome weaponry...to produce a strain
98 of Homo sapiens that is no longer human.
99
100 The second someone says something like that, though, the
101 specter of genocide is usually trotted out. "So who gets to
102 make the distinction?" one is always asked, "Who separates
103 the monsters from the human beings? You? Hitler had the same
104 general idea, you know."
105
106 I know he did. And no, I don't have a solution. I'd be
107 pretty wary of anybody who claimed they did. I just can't
108 seem to shake the sense that something has shifted.
109 Evolutionary, maybe. Some kind of species-wide allergic
110 reaction. Human kind eating itself alive. Evil. Whatever.
111
112 Now, though, if my kid asks me if there are any REAL
113 monsters, of course I'll say "No, there aren't." But I'll
114 know that it's just one of the lies we tell little kids.
115
116 -+|[ ThingFish ]|+-
117 Next Column Will Be UpBeat, I Swear
118
119
006=Usr:286 Jeff Marten 10/07/90 15:31 Msg:5556 Call:31378 Lines:2
120 {+}{+}{+}{+}
121
007=Usr:11 L'homme sans Par 10/08/90 08:00 Msg:5557 Call:31385 Lines:12
122 *_)%*(@#(%_)(#@($_#%+_@#)+#_@(%(^&_)(_)($_~)#((%+@)!+@_)$+_)#~|#)+$(!_)$(!_$
123 BW-party-goers: Gee, it sure has taken me a long time to get on here. I was
124 gone from the board for 2 weeks, and I thought, foolishly enuf, that I might
125 have missed a disk... Well, as I am sure you are all aware of, between Sep 23
126 and October 8th, there have only been about 300 lines entered. Anyway, thanks
127 all for coming, sorry about the loud music, wish the star trek episode had
128 been a little better, but enjoyed the evening anyway... Oh by the way, has
129 anyone seen a voyeur lately? "heeelllloooo???"
130 Milch: How are those C compiler disks doing? I haven't seen a celene poll
131 yet..."
132 *$%_@*%_@*%#_)*!_)(@#!%_)*!%!%) L'homme sans Parity *%@#*_)#(_)(#$!@*$%@)$(!
133
008=Usr:219 Friar Mossback 10/08/90 17:16 Msg:5558 Call:31390 Lines:5
134 [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
135 Howdy y'all.
136 Been busy, as some of you know. Some don't. Oh well. I still check in from
137 time to time. Most don't care, I suppose.
138 [][][][][][][]][][][][][][] Friar [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
009=Usr:4 Milchar 10/09/90 12:05 Msg:5559 Call:31397 Lines:6
139 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
140 L'homme: They're here. You have to come visit us, though, to get them....
141 (heh heh heh) :-) I had a wonderful time. BTW, I have a need to call Dan S.,
142 any way I could get his number from you? I tried calling last night, but I bet
143 qiclab is camped on the phone line...
144 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Milch ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
010=Usr:84 Michael Miller j 10/10/90 21:54 Msg:5560 Call:31421 Lines:6
145 &*&*&*&*'s
146 Anybody here read Van Vogts Null A series?
147
148 An Astrals Dreamer
149 &*&*&*&*'s
150
011=Usr:84 Michael Miller j 10/11/90 21:31 Msg:5561 Call:31428 Lines:6
151 &*&*&*&*'s
152 Anybody here ever see the sun?
153
154 An Astral Dreamer (In sarcasm mode.)
155 &*&*&*&*'s
156
012=Usr:1 CISTOP MIKEY 10/11/90 22:04 Msg:5562 Call:31429 Lines:2
157 Sun? What's that?
158 ******************************** cm ****************
013=Usr:13 voyeur 10/11/90 23:10 Msg:5563 Call:31430 Lines:7
159 >Sun? What's that?
160 Some hokey workstation, I hear. If you visit any airports, you'll notice C64's
161 being used as wheel chocks, and Suns used as ballast. Now Apollo, on the other
162 hand (usually used as front-ends for those exquisite Tandy 2000's, whose
163 screens are the ONLY ones in existence that are addressed Correctly) you will
164 find on all the Well Dressed Power Users desks. Ruling the World, as it were.
165 ====================================== ? =====================================
014=Usr:116 ted mittelstaedt 10/12/90 00:37 Msg:5564 Call:31431 Lines:4
166 <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
167 Uh Oh! SSo Computer A is better than computer B? I have my blowtorch ready!
168 Any last words?
169 <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><<><><><><><><><>Ariel<><><><><><><
015=Usr:267 phoenix polymorp 01/01/80 16:08 Msg:5565 Call:31444 Lines:11
170 World Watch Three checking in....
171 With all the madness in the world (as stated above) I feel rather foolish that
172 that the only monster I must confront is trying to figure out a way to tell a
173 married woman I'm still in love with her. I guess Pete was right, 'Love ain't
174 for keeping.'
175 For wwiii, this is Phoenix checking out.
176 P.S. Sir Ossis O'liver, I've found the red-headed chick (well, she found me)
177 but she's gone back home. 'Aeroplanes make strangers of us all/ give us dis-
178 tance/ much to easily.'
179 pp
180 ^c
016=Usr:31 The Doctor 01/03/80 05:03 Msg:5566 Call:31480 Lines:7
181 ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
182 Sorry for putting this here instead of the Mall, but no one seems to read
183 there.
184 For Sale: Hayes 1200b modem. Genuine Hayes. Full size 8 bit card.
185 Asking $35.00. Works great. Reason for selling is that I just
186 upgraded to 2400b. Please call 226-xxxx. Thanks
187 ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? The Doctor
017=Usr:186 Wesley Smith 01/03/80 13:00 Msg:5569 Call:31485 Lines:4
188 Must sell, Apple computer system, With the following Apple #300 baud modem,
189 Apple ii?e, green scrscrene, dual disk drives, paralell printer card, some soft
190 ware and a cardkey printer. Must sell as soon as posible. Call #231-1109, ask
191 for Wes Smith, system works well, and is invery good condition.
018=Usr:165 Bart Simpson 01/03/80 23:37 Msg:5570 Call:31490 Lines:39
192 696969696969
193
194 * Original: FROM..... Harry Gish
195 Tis interesting bit of advice recently appeared on our fax machine.
196
197 " NWWE RAVELLING IN THE IDEES"
198
199 "AKBAR KHALI-KILI HAFTIR LOTFAN"
200 Thank you for shoigme your marvelous gun.
201
202 "FEKR GABUL GARDAN DAVAT PAEH GUSH DIVAR"
203 I am delighted to accept your kind invitation to lie down on the floor
204 with my arms above my hea n ylgs apart.
205
206 "SHOMAEH FEKR TAMOMEH OEH GOFTEH BANDE"
207 gree with everything you have ever said or thought in your life.
208
209 "UOARRG AVATEMAN MANO SEPAHEH-HAST"
210 tis exceptionally kind of you to allow me to travel in the trunk of
211 your car.
212
213 "FASHAL-EH TUPEHMAN NA DEGAT MANO GOFTAM CHEESHAYEH MOHMR"
If you will do me
214 will gladly reciprocate by betraying my country in public.
215
216 "HE,JPHH MANEH VA JAYEH AMRIKAHEY"
217 I will tell you the names and addresses of many American spie rvling
218 as reporters.
219
220 "BALLI, BALLI, BALLH"
221 Whatever you say!
222
223 "MATERNIER GHERMEZ AHLIEH, GORBAN"
224 The rdbidold would be lovely, execllency.
225
226 "TIKEH NUNEH BA OB KHRELLEH EOGV OAST INO BEGERAM"
227 The water-soaked bread crumbs are delicious, thank you. I mus aete
recipe.
228 ---
229 rgn: Squirrel Talk HST * Irving, TX *
230
019=Usr:84 Michael Miller j 01/04/80 11:01 Msg:5571 Call:31493 Lines:29
231 &*&*&*&*'s
232 Anybody here know anything about monitors? Specificly, 19 inch color
233 multi-sync monitors? I picked a couple up REAL CHEAP this weekend, and
234 I'm trying to figure out what I need to do to get them to work. They are
235 made by ikagami. I havn't found a date on them yet. They weigh abut
236 65 pounds each, come in white steel casses with black trim around the screen.
237 They have a degauss button in the lower right hand corner, as well as a
238 brightness control. In back they have 10 connectors, Red,Green,Blue and
239 H Sync and V Sync in and out. The connectors are the same as the ones used
240 in thin ethernet.
241
242 Heres the problem. The horizontal sync doesn't seem to do anything on either
243 monitor. There is a switch inside the case that turns internal sync on and
244 off, but either way makes no difference either. By messing around with the
245 internal H-sync controll I can get things to the point were they only roll on
246 at a very slow rate when taking input from a VGA card in 80x25 text mode.
247 about 8 to 12 bits are invisible as well to the left.
248
249 I only had three connectors, so I only had one or later two of the three colors
250 hooked up when I was doing this. Could that be causing the sync problems?
251
252 Any help will be greatly appreciated. Oh, anybody know what I'd have to do
253 to connect one of these things to a VCR?
254
255 BTW, I know about the HIGH voltages in these things and am very carefull.
256
257 An Astral Dreamer
258 &*&*&*&*'s
259
020=Usr:11 L'homme sans Par 01/05/80 06:18 Msg:5572 Call:31505 Lines:6
260 *%@*$%#)(_$(_)$(!+_@$)_^*($*_)(%_!@)($_|+~)$|~+_)$+@_%(_$(^_$*^_)(_)!@(#_)(%
261 Voyeur: As you already know, Sun is the most popular ballast maker in the
262 world, with $2.5 billion in sales last year. Sigh, it is a "weighty" job I
263 have...
264 *%_@#*(%@(%%&)_(!~_)*%^*@#^ L'homme sans Parity *$)*$%_)*($~_)$*_%*!%*!*__)%
265
021=Usr:165 Bart Simpson 01/06/80 10:39 Msg:5574 Call:31523 Lines:46
266 696969696969
267 Manipulating the Press By Dan Hellinger
268
269 Conservatives seem to be convinced that the press is biased
270 against U.S. policies in Central America. Recent reports of CIA,
271 State Department, and Pentagon manipulation of the news media
272 indicate that just the opposite is true.
273
274 A Post-Dispatch article on Oct. 6, "Report Discloses
275 Propaganda To Aid Contras" drescribed a special office within the
276 State Department that produced "white propaganda" on behalf of
277 Reagan's Central America policy. To rally support for the
278 Contras and discredit critics, they planted phony news articles
279 under Contra authorship and "independent" reports by experts who
280 were really in their pay.
281
282 Another article in the Post (Oct. 5; originally in the
283 Boston Globe) describes ow a team of CIA and Army specialists in
284 psychological operations were assigned to the State Department's
285 Office of Public Diplomacy to generate a political propaganda
286 campaign. Psychological operations are a major factor in the
287 designs of "low intensity war" planners. What this report shows
288 is that techniques originally conceived to win "hearts and minds"
289 of peasants in Central America have been readily adapted for use
290 at home.
291
292 The House Foreign Affair Committee listed an intricate
293 network of organizations, including the National Security Council
294 and the Office of Latin American Public Diplomacy. The NSC
295 placed government-funded columns in major newspapers; arranged
296 press interviews with Contra leaders by government surrogates who
297 were not identified as such, book speaking engagements for
298 administration advocates, and placed large amounts of govenrment-
299 sponsored material in college libraries.
300
301 Susan J. Cunningham, in her letter to the Post on Oct. 14,
302 praises the Post for printing these reports and asks a very
303 pertinent question: "If U.S. reporters know that the press
304 releses they are receiving are phony, why do they continue to
305 print them?" This is a worthy question. Whatever the personal
306 biases that reporters might have about policy, they can hardly
307 serve the public interest unless they adopt a much more
308 aggressive and independent posture toward government propaganda.
309
310 696969696969696969
311
022=Usr:84 Michael Miller j 01/07/80 12:02 Msg:5575 Call:31541 Lines:6
312 &*&*&*&*'s
313 Gee, forget I even asked.
314
315 An Astral Dreamer
316 &*&*&*&*'s (A simple I don't know would have been fine.)
317
023=Usr:1 CISTOP MIKEY 10/18/90 00:26 Msg:5576 Call:31550 Lines:3
318 Well, maybe if you let me have one of them I'll get it going for
319 you. <grin>
320 ****************** CM ****************************************
024=Usr:341 john bob 10/18/90 20:49 Msg:5577 Call:31559 Lines:3
321 ENTER 100
322
323
025=Usr:84 Michael Miller j 10/20/90 15:24 Msg:5579 Call:31586 Lines:5
324 &*&*&*&*'s
325 I'll keep that offer in mind. I'm going to try for awhile longer on my own,
326 As I think I may have an idea as to what is going on.
327
328 mke
026=Usr:267 phoenix polymorp 10/22/90 15:08 Msg:5580 Call:31621 Lines:2
329 NETWORK ZERO...WORLD WATCH THREE...PHOENIX POLYMORPH LURKING...NW0...WWIII
330 ^C
027=Usr:165 Bart Simpson 10/22/90 16:40 Msg:5581 Call:31624 Lines:85
331 696969696969
332 THE TEN MOST COMPELLING UFO CASES IN HISTORY
333 in order of compellingness(?)
334
335 1. "Hudson Valy"o he Westchester Wing, NY 1984 S5/P5
336 Thousands of reports, mostly nocturnal, of larg,sln,hovering
337 object with series of rotating lights. Reports came from many highly
338 rdbeidividuals including meteorologists, news reporters, and
339 police chiefs. "Planes in frain hory still in contention;
340 however, videos taken by area resident of both the objectada
formation
341 toti ay.
342
343 2. "Cash/Landrum", outside Houston, TX 1979 S5/P5
344 Two ladies and 5-year-old boy report diamond-shaped object belching
345 fire from eet,srounded by CH-47-style helicopters. Soon after
346 sighting, all three suffered strange aaiswih were likened to
347 radiation poisoning. Klass explains as hoax, saying that the witness'
348 pre-sighting medical conditions were not released to him for
349 eamination.
350
3. "Roswell Incident," outside Corona, NM 1947 S5/P5
351 Object crashed in remote location on a large ranch in early July, 1947.
352 Debris recovered byAF h issued hasty press release saying "Flying
353 Disk" had been recovered. Press release rerce h ext day, and
354 press conference held at which it was revealed the object was, in fact,
355 aRwnsne( eice used to calibrate radar). 30 years later, AF
356 intelligence officer Maj. J. Mare limed that the object was "not of
357 this earth", that the press conference was a sham. Interviews ihoe
358 150 witnesses reinforce anomalous nature of object.
359
360 4 "Army Helicopter", Mansfield, OH 1974 S5/P5
361 Four National Guardsman badBl H-1H chopper report sighting
362 large nocturnal object on collision course. Pilot-in-Command Capt.
363 Coyne puts chopper in descent mode. Object stops in front of chopper,
364 then continues westward travel, after which Coyne discovers that
365 chope culyrse 2000 ft. Klass' explanation of a bolide is not
366 supported by testimony, circumstne,o centific principles.
367
368 nwtr, edlesham Forest, UK 1979 S5/P4
369 Tre separate sightings of anomalous lights near a NORAD base in the
370 UK. Official reportfldb deputy base commander, who also taped the
371 on-site investigation carried out by Air Police deahet. Occurence
372 produced many witnesses, some of whom swear a craft was sighted. Invest-
373 igation hampered by conflicting testimony, Britain's Secrets Act, grand-
374 standing byoels hn credible witness, and possibly the "Control
375 Group" -- A US Senator began looking int h far, but abruptly halted
376 and would not communicate further with UFO researchers.
377
6. "Washington Invasion," Washington, DC 1952 S4/P5
378 Several fast-moving objects appear on radarscopes at three separate
379 installations,icluding Andrews AFB. Interceptors scrambled, but don't
380 find anything. Same thing happens the next night, this time objects
381 confirmed by gron bevr. Largest peace-time press conference in
382 govt. history called to epan to reporters that radar traces were
383 caused b hrmal inversions, despite absence of proper weather
384 conditions ntenights in question.
385
7. "Great al Film", Great Falls, MN 1954 S4/P5
386 Little Leagu aeball coach films two objects streaking across sky
387 na n AFB. Original explanation was that objects were F-100s on
388 approach to AFB, but photo-anlsssosobjects to be travelling much
389 too fast.
390
391
8. "Trent Photo", McMinnville, OR 1950 S5/P4
392 Actually two photos taken by farmer with Polaroid camera, depict
393 classic domed saucer. Foerudojects provide good references for
394 analysis, which shows object to be around 30 ft. diamtr n t least
395 1/4 mile distant. Shadows on foreground structure may be icnitn
396 with time of day provided by photographer; hwver, that is immaterial
397 to analysis of the imagessz and distance.
398
399 9. Santiago, Chile, 18 S4/P5
400 Large object a igh altitude sighted by over 3 million Chileans,
401 includin ie television audience. Slim possibility that object
402 was a weather balloon that had passed over two days earlier, but
403 newspaprpblished photos of both for comparison. Objects were
404 very dissmlr
405
406 1. Kanazawa, Japan, 1989 S5/P4
407 Home video by Japanese businessman shows Saturn-shaped object
408 cruising around, stopping short rping, then taking off, all in
409 clear daylight. Foreground objects provide decent reference. Video
410 has "look" and "feel" of reality - several attempts at focusing,
411 unsteady camerawor,ec bject gives definite impression of great
412 dsace, although it is impossible to get an accurate measurement
413 with video. Still under analysis.
414
415 696969696969696969
028=Usr:4 Milchar 10/24/90 01:36 Msg:5583 Call:31650 Lines:4
416 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
417 Is the PCS social still on the first Thursday? Same place, same time as
418 usual? Perhaps I'll break my de-tendance streak this next month...
419 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Milchar ++++++++++++++++++++++
029=Usr:11 L'homme sans Par 10/26/90 00:32 Msg:5584 Call:31708 Lines:6
420 $(!@$()_)(#%$^())__)!(@_)@(^_)(_)($+_#!@)$+_@#(_(%+_$)+!_$+!_$)@_^(_)^#$@+_^(
421 Astral: I will bring your tape back before tomorrow night. I have an
422 important question to ask you about the episode I borrowed. Talk to you
423 tomorrow before I drive downtown...
424 _%(#@%)(_%(_)%^*_)($_()%_%^*@%(@# L'homme sans parity *%_)#%*_)(_)@(#_)%(_@#(
425
030=Usr:1 CISTOP MIKEY 10/26/90 18:02 Msg:5585 Call:31714 Lines:3
426 Milch: Yup, it is still there, first thursday of every month at Stark Street
427 Pizza. 92nd and Stark. All are welcome.
428 ******************************* CM ****************************************
031=Usr:316 scott wirth 10/26/90 20:22 Msg:5586 Call:31717 Lines:7
429 ***************************Sir Osis*************************************
430 Phoenix Polymorph:
431 Roger your last. Have been in shiftwork, thus little time to post.
432 I will post on my end soon. Say hello to JD, and see if you can get him to
433 post on the echo. I haven't heard from him in about a zillion....
434 Roger and OUT!
435 ***************************Sir Osis**************************************
032=Usr:84 Michael Miller j 10/27/90 08:26 Msg:5587 Call:31727 Lines:8
436 &*&*&*&*'s
437 Last Nights twin peaks episode was very good. Last weeks had been sort of
438 weak, so I was hoping for something better, and they certainly delivered.
439 I can't wait till next week.
440
441 An Astral Dreamer(Awake enough to use my local alias today.)
442 &*&*&*&*'s
443
033=Usr:84 Michael Miller j 10/29/90 09:36 Msg:5589 Call:31765 Lines:6
444 &*&*&*&*'s
445 Place marker.
446
447 An Astral Dreamer
448 &*&*&*&*'s
449
034=Usr:322 Stray Cat 10/29/90 14:06 Msg:5590 Call:31768 Lines:14
450@
451@}**{}**{}**{}**{}**{}**{}**{}**{}**{}**{}**{}**{}**{}**{}**{}
452@
453@Last year I abstained
454@this year I devour
455@
456@without guilt
457@which is also an art
458@
459@ Margaret Atwood,
460@ From CIRCE/MUD POEMS
461@
462@**{}**{}**{}**{}**{}**{}**{}**{}**{} ... and there's MORE (e.g. MORE & MORE)
463@
035=Usr:322 Stray Cat 10/29/90 14:13 Msg:5591 Call:31769 Lines:21
464@
465@Your flowed body, sickle
466@scars on the chest, moonmarks, the botched knee
467@that nevertheless bends when you will it to
468@
469@Your body, broken and put together
470@not perfectly, marred
471@by war but moving
472@despite that with such ease and leisure
473@
474@Your body that includes everything
475@you have done, you have had done
476@to you and goes beyond it
477@
478@This is not what I want
479@but I want this also.
480@
481@ From same as above
482@
483@(This is not the MORE)
484@
036=Usr:165 Bart Simpson 10/30/90 07:11 Msg:5592 Call:31781 Lines:142
485 696969696969
486 INSIGHT FEATURES (NFD) 9:06 pm Sep 4, 1990
487
488 A Brief History of the Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula
489
490 By Steve Goldfield Insight Features
491
492 In its precolonial period, the Arab shore of the Gulf had small seaports
493 which frequently moved from place to place. Many of these ports housed people
494 engaged in shipping, often called pirates by their rivals, such as the
495 British.
496
497 Iran had a large textile industry and also a large shepherd population.
498 Oman had a large shipping empire, with about 2,000 ships traveling about the
499 Indian Ocean from what is now Indonesia to Zanzibar (which was an Omani colony
500 until 1962--another story for another time).
501
502 The people of the rest of the peninsula were mainly engaged in subsistence
503 agriculture, largely Bedouin grazing of camels and other animals in the north
504 and some settled farming, especially of cereals and dates, in the south,
505 especially in the mountains of northern Yemen and southern Oman (Dhofar),
506 where there are significant Monsoon rains. In Yemen, this agriculture was
507 largely based on share cropping.
508
509 The Colonial period
510
511 The British entered the region in the early nineteenth century on their way
512 to India, the prize of the British colonial empire. The British had machine-
513 produced textiles, which undermined and destroyed the Iranian textile
514 industry, and later steamships, which did the same to the Omani shipping
515 industry.
516 The British were bothered by the pirates, their competitors. So they
517 imposed agreements by military force with the families ruling the Gulf coastal
518 tribes (up to that point they had been chosen fairly democratically) whereby
519 the British would maintain these families in power in return for British
520 military and protection and, of course, a stop to the raiding of their ships.
521
522 The economy in the Gulf, particularly Bahrain, was also based on pearl
523 diving, mostly done by slaves. The Gulf was then ruled by a British resident.
524 The small states near the outlet of the Gulf were known as the Trucial States
525 because of the truces they signed with Britain between 1819 and 1853. Bahrain
526 signed its treaty in 1892, Kuwait in 1899 (in opposition to the claims of the
527 Ottoman Empire), and Qatar in 1916. More recently, the Trucial States became
528 nominally independent as the United Arab Emirates.
529
530 In Saudi Arabia, Muhammad Ali, the Albanian serving as the Ottoman governor
531 of Egypt (later to rebel himself), put down a rebellion by the new Wahhabi
532 religious sect of Islam in 1817. The Wahhabis are significant because the
533 Saudi family belongs to this sect.
534
535 After World War I, the British had promised independence to the Arabs
536 (Hussein-McMahon Treaty) in return for their support against the Ottoman
537 Turks. But they had also signed the Sykes-Picot Treaty with the French,
538 dividing it up among themselves. That treaty was supposed to secret, but when
539 the Bolsheviks came to power, they found it in the czar's archives and
540 published it. Instead, as a token, they gave Jordan and Iraq to two branches
541 of the Hashemite family which had ruled Mecca.
542
543 Meanwhile, the Saudi family was conquering most of the Arabian Peninsula.
544 They used brutal military force (1902-1935), confiscating even flocks of sheep
545 and goats which were the livelihood of people in the areas they took over.
546 They killed many adult men; the Saudis took no male prisoners.
547
548 This conquest, which is still fresh in the memories of those who were
549 conquered, naturally has engendered a lot of hatred for the Saudi family. Ibn
550 Saud's many marriages into the various tribes was not enough to dispel it.
551 Further, there is religious dissatisfaction with the Saudis since they are not
552 the traditional rulers of Mecca. (Particular irony, therefore, in King Fahd's
553 new self-proclaimed title of Keeper of Mecca and Medina.)
554
555 The Role of Oil
556
557 Massive oil deposits were discovered in Iran. The British set up a company
558 to exploit the oil, now known as British Petroleum. In the 1930s, oil was
559 discovered on the other side of the Gulf, first in Bahrain (1932; production
560 began in 1934), which had relatively small deposits which are now all pumped
561 out, and much larger deposits elsewhere.
562
563 The British felt they had plenty of oil in Iran and didn't want to develop
564 other deposits which might increase the supply too high and lower the price.
565 So US companies managed to gain control over the oil in the Gulf states. Ibn
566 Saud, for example, had large expenses and little sources of revenue; he sold
567 his oil rights for a pittance in 1933 to Standard Oil of California (now
568 Chevron), which later formed Aramco with Exxon, Texaco, and Mobil. Oil
569 production began in Saudi Arabia in 1938. In 1953 Ibn Saud died. His son Saud
570 tried to break the agreement with Aramco in favor of Greek shipping magnate
571 Aristotle Onassis. In 1958 Saud was removed from authority.
572
573 After World War II, Iran had a democratic government led by Mohammed
574 Mossadegh, which wanted to nationalize oil. He was overthrown by a CIA-
575 organized coup, and the Shah was installed in power. In 1958, Iraqis overthrew
576 the king. Later, the Ba'ath Party came to power; it still rules there. In the
577 same period (1957-59), there was a revolution in northern Oman. The Saudis
578 withdrew their support in 1958, and the rebellion was crushed. The Omanis
579 started a second revolt in 1965 in the southern province of Dhofar. That
580 revolt was crushed ten years later when the Shah of Iran sent 30,000 troops
581 into Oman.
582
583 Neocolonialism was instituted when the colonial powers came up with the
584 idea of having the colonies pay their own administrative expenses in response
585 to the nationalization of oil by Algeria. In the Gulf, this took the form of
586 the participation agreements where legal ownership over the oil-producing
587 facilities was gradually turned over to the local governments, who had to pay
588 production costs instead of the oil companies. Saudi Arabia, for example, was
589 given 25 percent control in 1972, 30 percent in 1979, and 51 percent in 1983.
590
591 This control, however, was financial, not control over production itself.
592 The price of oil was low (about $3 per barrel), and the oil companies profits
593 dropped to as low as 9 percent on their invested capital. In 1973, they staged
594 the phony embargo, and oil company profits rose back to about 15 percent.
595
596 In 1961, the new Iraqi regime announced its impending annexation of Kuwait.
597 The British airlifted troops into Kuwait, and Iraq did not annex the country.
598 (The borders in that area have an interesting history. Few were interested in
599 the hinterland, for instance, of Kuwait. The British drew circles around the
600 cities as borders. In the areas between the circles, nobody claimed ownership.
601 These areas are now neutral zones.
602
603 British Withdrawal
604
605 In the 1960s, the British, the dominant military power in the region, went
606 into an economic slump. At the same time, a strong revolution was underway in
607 South Yemen. (North Yemen had overthrown the Imam who ruled it in 1962 and
608 then fought a five-year civil war with Egypt supporting the Republic and Saudi
609 Arabia supporting the Imam's son. Egypt gave in after the 1967 war, though the
610 Imam was not reinstated.) In 1971, Britain partially withdrew militarily from
611 the region, despite the US attempts to get them to stay. In 1969, South Yemen
612 won its independence, though its economy was crippled because the Suez Canal
613 had closed during the 1967 war.
614
615 At the same time, the United States was engaged in massive intervention in
616 Vietnam. The Nixon Doctrine of strength, partnership, and negotiations, was
617 developed to let Asians fight Asians. In the Gulf, it meant that Iranians and
618 Israelis fight Arabs.
619
620 The overthrow of the Shah of Iran came in 1979, the same year there were
621 two uprisings in widely separated parts of Saudi Arabia: the oil regions and
622 Mecca. Partnership was a failure, so the United States was forced to fall back
623 on strength. Since that time, the United States has been desperate to obtain
624 military bases in the region to protect its economic control over the oil
625 reserves. The only base the US had was the tiny al-Jufair naval base with two
626 small and ineffective ships in Bahrain.
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627 In 1970, Omani Sultan Said bin Taimur was deposed in favor of his son
628 Qaboos because an indigenous revolution was gaining ground strongly in the
629 South. Qaboos turned to the Shah of Iran for help in 1973. That same year
630 brought the October War. Some of the Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia,
631 declared an embargo which was supposed to stop their oil going to the United
632 States. Still, more oil came into the United States than before the embargo.
633 Oil prices, however, and oil profits rose dramatically.
634
635 President Jimmy Carter pledged to use US troops to keep the Saudi royal
636 family in power. There was no threat to them from either Iraq or Iran at the
637 time (Iran historically claimed Bahrain and did take some Arab islands in the
638 Gulf under the Shah [greater and lesser Tunb Islands, which belonged to Ras
639 al-Khaimah], so it was clear that the US government was pledged to protect the
640 Saudi royal family from overthrow by its own citizens. Carter also pledged to
641 intervene if U.S. oil companies were threatened with loss of control over oil
642 production in the Gulf.
643
644 Some Recommended Reading:
645
646 A House Built on Sand: A Political Economy of Saudi Arabia, Helen Lackner,
647 Ithaca Press, 1978.
648
649 Arabia without Sultans, Fred Halliday, Penguin (Vintage), 1974.
650
651 Oil and World Power: A Geographical Interpretation, Peter R. Odell,
652 Penguin, 1970.
653
654 Power Play: Oil in the Middle East, Leonard Mosely, Penguin, 1973.
655
656 World Crisis in Oil, Harvey O'Connor, Monthly Review Press, 1962.
657
658 Empire of Oil, Harvey O'Connor, Monthly Review Press, 1962.
659
660 Middle East Oil and the Energy Crisis, Joe Stork, Monthly Review Press,
661 1975.
662
663 Modern History of the Arab Countries, V. Lutsky, Progress Publishers, 1969.
664
665 Modern Yemen: 1918-1966, Manfred W. Wenner, Johns Hopkins Press, 1967.
666
667 Oman since 1856, Robert G. Landen, Princeton University Press, 1967.
668
669 Steve Goldfield, Ph.D., is editor of Palestine Focus, the national
670 newspaper of the Palestine Solidarity Committee.
671 696969696969696969
038=Usr:165 Bart Simpson 10/31/90 07:17 Msg:5594 Call:31793 Lines:98
672 696969696969
673 INSIGHT FEATURES (NFD) 9:10 pm Sep 4, 1990
674
675 Bush Has Put Us On The Wrong Side Of Arab History
676
677 By John Rossen
678 Insight Features
679
680 The current jingoist hysteria over Iraq, shamefully echoed by much of the
681 media and even by knowledgeable and liberal members of Congress who know
682 better, presents a deadly danger to our country and to world peace.
683
684 Look how easy it is now for the Bush administration and its closely linked
685 oil and military interests! They are able to manipulate and exploit the anger
686 of middle class and working class Americans, the millions of people suddenly
687 forced to pay 20 cents to 45 cents a gallon more for gasoline, big increases
688 in air fares, and rising costs of all products derived from petroleum.
689
690 The danger arises from widespread public ignorance of the history of the
691 Arab peoples and especially of the legacy of World War I, an ignorance which
692 makes it easy for jingoes to spread their poison.
693
694 With the decline of the Ottoman empire more than a century ago, the
695 European imperial powers started to take over substantial parts of its domains
696 in what was then called Arabia. The French ruled Algeria from 1830 until 1962;
697 the British occupied Egypt in the 1880s. The Arab peoples suffered greatly
698 under foreign rule.
699
700 When World War I began, the British sent T.E. Lawrence ( the renowned
701 "Lawrence of Arabia") to Egypt to head their military intelligence section.
702 Shortly after, as a colonel in the British Army, he helped organize the Arab
703 revolt against Turkey, an ally of Germany in World War I. Lawrence's
704 diplomatic and military genius and his close relationship with and passionate
705 sympathy for the Arab cause was an importance factor in the defeat of the
706 Turks and the reconquest of Syria by the Arabs.
707
708 In 1919 at the Versailles Conference, Lawrence, hailed by many Arabs as the
709 "uncrowned King of Arabia," pleaded the cause of Arab nationalism and the
710 right of self-determination, but to no avail. In 1921 he became adviser to
711 the British Colonial Office, but resigned when the British sent in troops to
712 organize a rebellion against Iraq and installed a sheik as the King of Kuwait.
713 Thus the "nation" of Kuwait was little more than a creature of British
714 imperialism.
715
716 Little wonder that the first Western powers with troops on Arab soil today
717 are the United States and England.
718
719 The tragic consequences of Bush's threatened military bombing or all-out
720 invasion of Iraq are so easily perceivable that even conservative political
721 commentators are warning him of the danger of uniting the Arab world in a
722 jihad against the U.S.
723
724 Iraq would not be another Panama or Grenada. It could result in a
725 catastrophe for our country many times worse than Vietnam--not only for our
726 country, but also for the Arabs, for Israel and its people, and possibly for
727 the entire world.
728
729 Bush and his advisers have hidden from the American people Iraq's
730 confidential proposals made through diplomatic channels, for a bilateral
731 conference without preconditions, to search for a just and peaceful resolution
732 of the conflict. Bush may believe he is making political hay by beating the
733 drums of jingoism. He may even count on making Hussein and Iraq the
734 scapegoats, as some conservatives have suggested, for the great depression of
735 1990.
736
737 The Middle East crisis is the result of imperial policies that have
738 exploited and oppressed a great and powerful Arab world for a long time. The
739 radical founders of our nation would be spinning in their graves at this
740 latter-day Tory threat to waste American lives and treasure (at the current
741 rate of more than $30 million a day!) to restore to power a puppet-dictator
742 monarch.
743 As one of the richest men in the world, the King of Kuwait will hardly
744 suffer in exile. He has bought up more than a billion dollars worth of U.S.
745 real estate and has secret bank accounts and hoards of gold around the world.
746 Even spread out among his 55 wives and many offspring, he and his entire
747 family are all multimillionaires.
748
749 A pillar of the American revolution was the denial of the divine right of
750 kings and dictatorial tyrants. The Bush policy is thus a blatant violation of
751 a cardinal principle of our nation.
752
753 The American people must demand that the White House accept the Iraqi offer
754 to begin negotiations, without preconditions, for a non-military resolution of
755 this conflict within the Arab world, for recognition of the right of self-
756 determination for Arabs. That message must be sent loud and clear to both the
757 President and the Congress.
758
759 -- 30 --
760
761 John Rossen, a veteran of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade and of World War II,
762 is a Chicago peace activist and editor of the New Patriot.
763 696969696969696969
764
765 "And it's one, two three, what are we fightin' for?
766 Don't ask me, I don't give a da*n, next stop is Viet Nam....oops I mean
767 Kuwait...Ain't no need to wonder why, whoopee, we're all gonna die."
768 (apologizes to Country Joe McDonald)
769
039=Usr:322 Stray Cat 10/31/90 08:15 Msg:5595 Call:31794 Lines:65
770@ }**{}**{}**{}**{}***{}**{}**{}**{}**{}**{}**{}**{}**{}**{}
771@
772@THEY ARE HOSTILE NATIONS
773@
774@i
775@
776@In view of the fading animals
777@the proliferation of sewers and fears
778@the sea clogging, the air
779@nearing extinction
780@
781@we should be kind, we should
782@take warning, we should forgive each other
783@
784@Instead we are opposite, we
785@touch as though attacking,
786@
787@the gifts we bring
788@even in good faith maybe
789@warp in our hands to
790@implements, to manoeuvres
791@
792@ii
793@
794@Put down the target of me
795@you guard inside your binoculars,
796@in turn I will surrender
797@
798@this aerial photograph
799@(your vulnerable
800@sections marked in red)
801@I have found so useful
802@
803@See, we are alone in
804@the dormant field, the snow
805@that cannot be eaten or captured
806@
807@iii
808@
809@Here there are no armies
810@here there is no money
811@
812@It is cold and getting colder
813@
814@We need each others'
815@breathing, warmth, surviving
816@in the only war
817@we can afford, stay
818@
819@walking with me, there is almost
820@time/ if we can only
821@make it as far as
822@
823@the (possibly) last summer
824@
825@ Margaret Atwood, from POWER POLITICS
826@
827@
828@ you fit into me
829@ like a hook into an eye
830@
831@ a fish hook
832@ an open eye
833@
834@
040=Usr:84 Michael Miller j 11/01/90 21:21 Msg:5597 Call:31821 Lines:59
835 &*&*&*&*'s
836 [
837 Today I have the tower of bable on my mind. I'm sure most of us are more
838 or less familiar with the story. It goes more or less like this as I
839 remember.
840
841 Once all the people on earth spoke a single language. Everyone understood
842 each other. Then one day a powerfull king decided to build a very tall
843 tower. The purpose being to reach heavan, and thus I believe the king felt
844 he would prove himself better then any other mortal man. Of course, this
845 being an old testament story I believe God got a little ticked at the king,
846 and nocked his tower down, and as punishment he made people speak many [D
847 different languages, so that I would assume they wouldn't be able to so
848 easily undertake such a massive task.
849
850 I may have the finer details wrong, but I'm just using the story as a starting
851 point. Most if not all of the users of this board speak english fluently.
852 I am no exception. Most of us converse with others on a regular basis. One
853 would assume that some sort of exchange is taking place, wether it is an
854 exchange of ideas, or meerly small talk.
855
856 Words are the tools we use to impart knowledge and understanding upon each
857 other. They greatly facilitate our every day survival and well being. And
858 yet, I'm slowly coming to the realization that no two people actually speak
859 the same language.
860
861 Few would argue that every single person is a unique individual. We all have
862 our own personal likes and dislikes. We all have our own opinions, our own
863 loves and hates. And we all interact in complex and unique ways. Or do
864 we?
865
866 Have you ever had a debate with another person in which you just couldn't
867 seem to get your point across? Did you ever wonder if they felt the same
868 way? I'm betting they did. Who was really at fault? Have you ever argued
869 with somebody for hours, only to realize that they weren't talking about the
870 same thing that you were?
871
872 How does this happen? Why does it happen? Lets assume that both you and
873 your opponent are both native speakers. How could this misunderstanding
874 take place?
875
876 It seems to me that the only explanation is that with very few exceptions,
877 no two people really speak the same language when you get beyond the "hello
878 how are you" stage of conversation. Our biasis kick in, and we start filtering
879 things through our world picture. Bingo, meaning is lost. Especially when
880 you realize that the other person is talking to you through their own
881 world picture. Quite a bit of information gets lost in the translation.
882
883 If you want to see this in action, subject somebody to something that is
884 outside of their world view. Do their eyes cross? Do they momentarily
885 drool? Don't jump to the conclussion that this only happens to religious
886 zeoloits. I'm sure you could pull it on almost any liberal minded person
887 as well.
888
889 Just something thats been running through my mind? Anybody got any thoughts?
890
891 An Astral Dreamer
892 &*&*&*&*'s
893
041=Usr:286 Jeff Marten 11/02/90 01:14 Msg:5598 Call:31826 Lines:61
894
895
896 {+}{+}{+}{+}
897
898 Thoughts To Get You Through Almost Any Crisis
899
900 1. Indecision is the key to flexibility.
901 2. There is always one more son of a bitch than you counted
902 on.
903 3. If you ever find something you like, buy a lifetime
904 supply, because they will stop making it.
905 4. All things being equal, fat people use more soap.
906 5. You can't tell which way the train went by looking at the
907 track.
908 6. Be kind, everyone you meet is fighting a tough battle.
909 7. This is as bad as it can get, but don't bet on it.
910 8. There is absolutely no substitute for a genuine lack of
911 preparation.
912 9. By the time you make ends meet, they move the ends.
913 10. Happiness is merely the remission of pain.
914 11. Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
915 12. Sometimes too much drink is not enough.
916 13. The facts, although interesting, are irrelevant.
917 14. The world gets a little better every day, and worse in
918 the evening.
919 15. The careful application of pain is also a form of
920 communication.
921 16. Not one shred of evidence exists in favor of the idea
922 that life is serious.
923 17. Someone who thinks logically is a nice contrast to the
924 real world.
925 18. Things are more like they are today than they ever have
926 been before.
927 19. The other line always moves faster until you get in it.
928 20. Anything worth fighting for is worth fighting dirty for.
929 21. Everything should be made as simple as possible but no
930 simpler.
931 22. Friends may come and go but enemies accumulate.
932 23. It's hard to be nostalgic when you can't remember
933 anything.
934 24. I have seen the truth and it makes no sense.
935 25. To live forever, acquire a chronic disease and take care
936 of it.
937 26. Suicide is the most sincere form of self criticism.
938 27. If you think that there is good in everybody, you haven't
939 met everybody.
940 28. If you can smile when things go wrong, you have someone
941 in mind to blame.
942 29. One seventh of your life is spent on Monday.
943 30. The more you run over a dead cat, the flatter it gets.
944 31. Instant gratification takes too long.
945
946@ Q*%ttUkmuttUiimUUtUitjjtjitUtmteUvUZerrUUUQ*jterrreATDT230-1041
947@
948@li
949 -+|[ ThingFish ]|+-
950 I Got A Million Of 'Em
951
952
953 {+}{+}{+}{+}
954
042=Usr:322 Stray Cat 11/02/90 10:13 Msg:5599 Call:31833 Lines:43
955
956 }**{}**{}**{}**{}**{}**{}**{}**{}**{}**{
957
958 MORE AND MORE
959
960 More and more frequently the edges
961 of me dissolve and I become
962 a wish t assimilate the world, including
963 you, if possible through the skin
964 like a cool plant's tricks with oxygen
965 and live by a harmless green burning
966
967 I would not consume
968 you, or ever
969 finish, you would still be there
970 surrounding me, complete
971 as the air.
972
973 Unfortunately I don't have leaves.
974 Instead I have eyes
975 and teeth and other non-green
976 things which rule out osmosis.
977
978 So be careful, I mean it,
979 I give you a fair warning:
980
981 This kind of hunger draws
982 everything into its own
983 space; nor can we
984 talk it over, have a calm
985 rational discussion.
986
987 There is no reason for this, only
988 a starved dog's logic about bones.
989
990 By Margaret Atwood,
991 From THE ANIMALS IN THAT COUNTRY, 1968
992@I WAS READING A SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE
993@
994@They have photographed the brain
995@and here is the picture, it is full of
996@branches as I always suspected,
997
043=Usr:322 Stray Cat 11/02/90 10:27 Msg:5600 Call:31834 Lines:2
998 That's all for now ...
999@.... HEY MIKEY - What the ???? Where's lines 953-95?????? Can't post copy-r