GonZoville.com

It’s Time

DoK — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 06:06:17 +0000

I just saw this item come across the wires: Boehner’s office cuts off C-SPAN cameras as GOP takes verbal beating.

Basically what happened is this: The Democrats were trying to get a vote on an extension on the payroll tax cut extension, which would extend the lower rates for another two months. The Republicans wanted no part of it, and walked out. And, when the Dem’s started to call them on it, Boehner had the C-SPAN feed cut.

This is wrong at so many levels I don’t know where to start.

OK, how about starting here: does Boehner think the voters want higher taxes? Does he think at all? No. Of course not. He’s engaged in his own little dipshit battle for the Good of the Party. So, basically, he’s giving everyone who voted for him the finger. Because no one – rich or poor – wants higher taxes. And a lot of people can’t handle any more…

“If Ocuppy Fails, The Terrorists Win”

DoK — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 03:35:59 +0000

“Announcement: The oppression will continue until morale improves.”

If you recall those heady, sweat-soaked months after 9/11, when America couldn’t decide if it was a rabid pit-bull with a belly full of rage, or an overly abused Harbor Seal in need of round-the-clock maximum-security protection, the mantra was: “If you don’t travel, the terrorists win.”

“If you don’t watch football, the terrorists win.”

“If you don’t go out and spend money at the malls for Christmas, the terrorists win.”

And so, we did all those things.

But a funny thing has happened. Despite our unchecked gluttony and relentless observation of the color-coded Terror Threat Level: the terrorists won. America still stands and we can still kick most other country’s asses with “shock and awe” and twenty-four hour embedded media coverage. But the things that Americans value have been napalmed: freedom, safety, and personal wealth. While the mega-rich are not much worse off than they were in 2001, most everyone else…

The Beat Goes On at OccupySF

DoK — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 10:34:46 +0000

So I was trying to get some work done on Wednesday afternoon and, foolishly, had my Twitter app running. What do I see? The SFPD is massing to take on OccupySF over the same battle ground as the night before: Justin Herman Plaza. Wonderful. (Note, everything I’m recounting here I watched unfold live via streaming media. I wasn’t at the event. But I didn’t need to be to be a witness.)

OSF was going to the park for their nightly “GA” (General Assembly) … you know, something guaranteed by that pesky First Amendment … and SFPD appeared to want none of it. So they surrounded the core of the OSF group with their “kettle” – the first step before arrests begin en masse.

But then they grabbed a guy from outside the cordoned area – someone not in the cross-hairs of an arrest – someone sitting down, no less – no threat. The PD put him in one of their…

Occupy Poster #5

DoK — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 22:16:52 +0000

This design contrasts the stark, attention-getting image at the top, with the historical quotes below. This is intended to be kind of a wake-up call to what the images people are seeing on the news about Occupy evictions actually means in terms of their own Constitutional rights. The quotes range from 20th century to pre-Revolutionary War; two-hundred-and-forty years later, we’re dealing with the same issues.

Printable Version: CloudApp

Enemy Inside The Gates

DoK — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 07:15:59 +0000

“In a nation ruled by swine, all pigs are upward-mobile-and the rest of us are fucked until we can put our acts together: not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely.”
~~ Hunter S. Thompson, “The Great Shark Hunt” (1979)

On Tuesday the 29th of November the Los Angeles Police Department swept in and overran the Occupy LA camp in front of city hall. There were between 1400 and 1800 officers involved, depending on the sources you go by. Close to three-hundred people were arrested. A number of the people who were arrested were held in Van Nuys, which is about ten minutes from where I live, so I drove up to meet some of the Occupy people who were waiting for their comrades to be released. I hadn’t been to a “General Assembly” or a camp – up until last night all I knew of the Occupy people was what I saw through…

Occupy Posters #1 – #4

DoK — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 19:05:08 +0000

The goings on with #Occupy inspired me to pull out my Adobe design tools once again. The first two designs are parodies of classic wartime posters. The third is a spin-off of the old “war on drugs” campaign from back in the 80′s. The fourth is a parody of the “4 out of 5 dentists recommend” sugar-free chewing gum ads from many, many years ago.

Printable Versions:

KEEP CALM: @CloudApp.com @OccuPrint.org

I WANT YOU: @CloudApp.com

YOUR BRAIN: @CloudApp.com

99 OUT OF 100: @CloudApp.com

2011 Pre-Holiday Movie Reviews

DoK — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 23:34:51 +0000

In order to escape the life-sucking monotony of constant work, I managed to break away for the late showing of a few movies. Sadly, most were so unmemorable as to not even warrant the time to review in full. So I’m going to just lump them together here.

IMMORTALS (2011) — Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

They should have named this one “Immordulls.” It’s as if someone said: “Hey, lets make a bigger-budget version of ’300′ – people will pay to see that.” Because that’s all this flick really is. It has the same ambiance of ’300′, without the script, acting, or direction. When Mickey Roarke (who plays the evil king) is the best actor in a movie, you have a problem. He does a good job, actually but … come on … it’s Mickey Roarke.Technically, it’s a gorgeous piece of work. So I’m giving it a decent rating more on technical merit than on entertainment value. The…

UC Davis

DoK — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 20:16:14 +0000

Click for full-size image.

The recent pepper-spray attack on UC Davis students got me motivated to break out my trusty Photoshop again and render Officer Pike more true to his inner self.

In case you missed the video which inspired this, and many other political art works depicting the event, here it is:

Click here to view the embedded video.

OWS … Power To The People?

DoK — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 06:25:18 +0000

Here’s what I find amazing.

The OWS (“Occupy Wall Street”) folks were evicted in 40 cities today in coordinated pre-dawn raids. Reporters on the scene were either denied access or arrested – credentials be damned. News helicopters were not allowed overhead. People were gassed and beaten. Homeland Security and the FBI were involved in coordinating these raids on unarmed US citizens engaged in peaceful protest.

And what’s on the front of CNN’s home page? PSU and Coach K.

Are you freakin’ shitting me?

How is what happened today not news? Screw if some network or paper is left or right – this is a bigger story in a democracy than a pederastic football coach or college hoops.

And this happened right after Veterans Day weekend. So much for the freedom that our troops fought and died for over the last couple of centuries. What an insult. I am so completely disgusted. Not out of sympathy for one side or the…

“Margin Call” (2011)

DoK — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 03:38:33 +0000

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

This isn’t “Wall Street” … or the sequel … or any of the other hot-shot money-flinging investment scumwad movies. This isn’t a flashy Tom Cruise-esque glorification of greed. There’s no sex, no wild parties, nothing that will make for a good TV commercial. This film will likely fly under the radar and, to a younger audience, probably appear quite dull. The power of this film is it’s understatement and calm.

This is a smoothly flowing look at what happens when a major investment brokerage on the brink suddenly discovers they’ve gone past it. The entire movie covers 24 hours of real time. At the start of the film, they’re in the middle of a “blood bath” of layoffs. By the end of the movie, they’re more or less scuttling all their investors in order to save the company for the few who will remain.

The cast is amazing. Kevin Spacey as the head…