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02/19/2003 Archived Entry: "Buycott French and German goods"

Some Americans are boycotting French and German products because those nations are spearheading the UN's opposition to invading Iraq. Brad and I are buycotting French and German products, which is the opposite of boycotting. Instead of avoiding a good, you actively prefer it. You put your dollars where your politics are. This evening, we tried a lovely French wine with several cheeses. Buy French. Buy German.

The US and British governments are hard at work on a new United Nations resolution that will set an ultimatum for Iraq to cooperate fully by next month or face war. Delay is good. yesterday I provided a link describing the plans of UK antiwar activists to shut down the government, if necessary, through protests. Women will be playing a large role. "One of the key dates will be March 8, International Women's Day, which will see an anti-war march setting out from Parliament Square, organised by women who have been holding a weekly antiwar picket opposite Downing Street. For more on the 2nd Annual International Women's Day Global Peace vigil to be held on International Women's Day, see The Feminist Peace Network. For commentary on American feminism's antiwar efforts, click on Code Pink.

Journalist Robert Fisk, who is always a good read, comments on the seemingly unbridgeable schism between the pro-war and anti-war advocates by presenting a personal experience. Fisk writes of an encounter, "It was a telling moment, a symbol of the vast gulf of reason between the pro- and anti-war movement in America. They don't talk to each other. And if they do, neither comprehends the other."

Speaking of incomprehension....Is there any truth to the bizarre rumor that U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is "under pressure to resign before the end of his second term in 2006" and that Bill Clinton is being considered as his replacement? And what about the rumor that Saddam Hussein has "placed his defence minister and close relative under house arrest in an extraordinary move apparently designed to prevent a coup"? If your mind (like my own) boggles, then retreat...and quickly...into satire. Armando Iannucci offers a a nice tongue-in-cheek examination of "Colin Powell's useful facts relating to the proposed actions in the Gulf region."

On the Personal Front:

Work, work, work. I wish I were a more exciting human being so I could give detailed reports about unnatural practices, unspeakable acts and, thus, traffic to my site would double overnight. But I am afraid people will have to be content with a status report on the vegetable garden I am planning for Spring. And the solar panels Brad & I intend to install on the roof to power one or two pieces of equipment...a modest start toward making our home more self-sufficient re: energy. The most important factor in our energy consumption is still the air-tight stove that provides a wonderful, penetrating heat throughout the house for very little expense. I find that I enjoy tending the fire, something I wondered about -- would it be a chore that I resented in much the same manner as I *do* resent laundering clothes? But I like building fires and tending them. When I am stuck on writing or otherwise "at loose ends," I open the stove and sit on a small bench in front of it, watching the flames and poking at them with (an appropriately named) poker. It always feels like I am poking at something alive.

Best to all,
mac