I spent today dropping off my final assignment for the semester, being fitted for my commencement cap and gown and standing in line at the post office so I could get a $75 money order for my passport renewal.

My boyfriend arrives today from San Francisco, my mom and her BF arrive tomorrow and then graduation is Monday. I also start my intensive 2-week course on Monday, the same day I’m participating in convocation.

I won’t find out my class ranking until September as I’m not officially graduating until then. NYU doesn’t provide degrees at graduation anyway because our last classes are today. Knowing how long it took some of my professors to submit grades (1.5 months) some people may be waiting for their degrees for quite some time.

One of the things you learn about in a class on terrorism is the phenomenon of the “oxygen of publicity.” Terrorists are known to seek publicity for their causes through “propaganda of the deed.” By carrying our terrorist actions to draw attention to their cause they engage in propaganda of the deed. While receiving the publicity and media exposure they crave they’re substained by the oxygen of publicity.

In Hillary Clinton’s case the media has kept her campaign alive long after it should have expired. By spinning far-fetched scenarios and elaborate theories the press could keep the race alive which was to its interest as well as to that of the Clinton campaign. But last night changed all that. Her campaign is dead, flat-broke and has no hope whatsoever of winning the nomination. While the elections last night should have been the coup de grace to her hopes it appears she’s going to soldier one - for what reason only she and her husband know.

So we need to starve her of the oxygen of publicity. No more endless hand-wringing about floor fights and credentials committees. Her time is done and her campaign is finished. Don’t dignify her with the attention she craves and which she needs to move forward. Relegate her to the trashbin of history where she should have been relegated months ago. Attention should be focused on the nominee of the Democratic Party - Barack Obama. As we shift our focus to old man McCain she’ll more and more come to resemble that sad person at a party who was kinda fun when they were slightly drunk and then becomes more pathetic and annoying the drunker they get - until everyone kinda moves into another room and leaves them all alone, wasted and pathetic.

I’m studying for my Politics of Terrorism final and have been all day. We’re allowed three pages of notes so I’ll post an example of what I’ve been writing:

Organizational design:

Chain network – one follows the other

Star Network: connected to a central

All-Channel network: Dense, flat, difficult to maintain as requires dense communications, hyra-headed, allows for local autonomy

Swarming campaigns – instead of traditional waves nodes converge on a target from multiple directions, the goal is sustainable pulsing of force or fire.

Blurring – difficult to distinguish between attacking and defending actions on the part of the enemy.

Phase I – Exploration: Initiating contact between agents of radicalization and targets leads to the pyramid of terror (Leadership-Members-Supporters-Sympathizers-General Population) where a subject becomes a supporter through providing assistance such as financial backing, false documentation, supplying arms, safe houses or other logistical support. From there he pledges loyalty and thus indicates willingness to engage in attack operations. Components of an on-line Phase I campaign include “Name-calling” – Linking a person or a group to a negative name or symbol. “Plain Folks” are testimonials from people who are peers. “Fear” is used as a weapon to manipulate populations.

Last night I was at Bungalow 8, sitting at a table and texting on my phone when I noticed a bright flash in front of me. I looked up and saw this cloud of smoke, which I thought was quite strange because Bungalow doesn’t have a smoke machine. Then I noticed the smoke was surrounding this girl’s head and everything came together: the girl was sitting at our table, leaned over and one of the candles caught her hair on fire! No joke - it was so fast - like lightning. Cruelly -  I laughed, what else was I supposed to do - she wasn’t injured. Then I almost puked from the smoke and had to go outside because the smell of burning hair was so strong.

The other thing about last night. This chick came up to me and asked if I knew where to get cocaine. I was like, “Why are you asking me?” She said she was asking everyone but I was left wondering why she asked me at all. Do I look like a drug dealer? Do I give off the aroma of rampant drug use? I mean - really. I should have had her ass thrown out for that.

We’re lucky enough to have pictures of the Texas Gestapo which violated the US Constitution when they seized the FLDS children last month. Here they are.

The first picture is Judge Barbara Walther - a Republican. She enforces the decisions of the Texas Gestapo.

The second is Darrel Azar - He’s the spokesperson for the Texas Gestapo.

The last picture shows the Texas Gestapo’s workers - seizing FLDS children in violation of the US Constitution.

I’m so sick of NYU. Not only are students now being charged “origination fees” on federally-guaranteed student loans but NYU has added a $244 “registration and services fee” to my summer classes, not a single one of which is being held at NYU.  At this point I’m paying almost $4200 per class and what galls me the most is these are all independent or foreign study classes where I’m not using any NYU services or facilities.

They also charged me a “convenience fee” for charging my tuition on my credit card!

And then to top it all off my department threw a shit fit when I told them I didn’t want to take one of my classes in NY but preferred to take it at UC Berkeley - where the tuition is almost 1/4 what NYU charges. My adviser made me sign this long letter saying I had been “advised about taking a heavy credit load off campus” and blah, blah, blah. I mean - ridiculous. I’m not a damn baby.

Does this vehicle look like it should be used on a child-custody raid? Evidently the state of Texas thinks so because this is what they used to raid the YFZ ranch in Eldorado, TX in April. What were those brave Texans met with when they crashed through the gates of the ranch? A bunch of women, children and men who sang hymns and cried as their children were yanked out of their arms.

I know Texas thinks it’s above the rest and all, but this is a case of Texas justice gone wrong.

More lies from the state of Texas about their inept raid on the FLDS YFZ ranch earlier this month.

At least 41 children taken from a polygamist sect’s Texas ranch may have had past broken bones, officials say

Scandal! 10% off the children who the state stole from their parents MAY have had a broken bone in the past! I wonder if Texas realizes these kids grew up on a working ranch, with all the attendant dangers a ranch presents.
What’s the percentage of kids who had at least one broken bone in their lives? I’m unsure but I can say that at least 20% of my cousins broke an arm or a wrist or a foot when we were kids. I guess breaking a bone is now grounds for the state to seize your children.

UPDATE: This study shows that 25% of minors will experience at least a fractured bone sometime in their lives. Guess the 10% of FLDS kids is less than the national average. The state is going to need to seize an awful lot of kids using this standard.

And why is the media reporting every utterance from the state as if it were truth? The bias on this issue is repulsive - but completely expected from a mainstream media that can’t actually be bothered to investigate anything they’re reporting. Shameful!

Oh and how about this gem? More than 9 of the kids have been hospitalized (and two are accounted for) since they were seized from their parents. But you know - the state of Texas knows a lot more than the parents what’s good for them.

The picture below shows part of the heavily armed team the state sent in to seize these kids.

Oh boy I am so excited about this inane idea. Let’s suspend gas taxes to make gas cheaper because Americans have a right to drive their cars as much as they want, wherever they want, no matter the cost to the environment or to roads or anything else! And the rest of the world should pay for it - not us!!!!

What’s sad is that 8 years ago Hillary Clinton spoke out against this exact same thing and now she’s pandering. I don’t know why I’m shocked. From a sleazy Republican like John McCain I expect this sort of crap but not from a Democrat.

I’ll be leaving New York for good on May 15 30th. I set the date today as I was waiting for just a few things to clear up a bit and after they did I knew I could pick the correct date.

I will be coming back to NY sometime the end of August to pack/store/give away/ship everything I don’t take with me this time but after that it’ll be only for vacations.