…the big Capitol Hill afterparty memorial service early Tuesday evening. It was large, it was (mostly) somber, it was sad.

But it was also a celebration of life, of the “peace, love, and unity” ethos oft proclaimed by the techno world these past dozen years or so (almost the entire lifetimes of two of the shooting victims).

You’d think that after all these years, the oft-justly-vilified “MSM” (that’s blog-talk for “mainstream media”) would’ve figured out that the dance-music scene ain’t no big bad den of iniquity, except by the standards of far-right prudes. But the ol’ temptation of easy stereotypes reared its ugly head again, as local papers and broadcasters this past week filled too many of their dispatches wtih easy-to-write, easy-to-understand inaccuracies.

The shooting is a one-time event that could have happened in a school, church, shopping mall, or freeway overpass. The music-dance scene in Seattle (particulalry the commercial and nonprofit events with pro security) is about as secure as any young-rebel-hedonist scene anywhere has ever been. And it’s a lot more tolerant and mutually supportive than a lot of the more officially-approved-of youth activities.

This was proven as the memorial service ended and the sun went down. A group of ravers broke up the mass sadness by opening the doors of a parked car, cranking up the car’s stereo, and inviting all to dance the tears away.

Over the years, some music critics have scorned the techno genre for its alleged emotionless monotony. If any of these critics had seen this act of spontaneous defiance/celebration, they’d be singing the proverbial different tune.

…always been one of those pundits with whom I agree but whom I don’t like to read. His usual schtick is to proclaim there’s a Big Truth out there the mainstream media won’t tell you, but then to pontificate about the media’s failings rather than just tell us this supposed hidden Truth.

But now, for once, he’s gone ahead and told us the Truth as he believes it to be. Specifically, that the Iraq War would still be the wrong thing to do even if it weren’t so incompetently waged.

Longtime reader Richard B. Webb responds to yesterday’s entry, in which I asked for a proactive progressive political agenda:

Clark Humphrey wants to know what progressives should believe in, and what things that they should support, in lieu of just being “against things” that the ruling party is in favor of. This got me thinking of things I’d like to see instead of what I do see:

Environmental Responsibility: We don’t own the earth, we are merely stewards. True conservatives should conserve, don’t you think? So the rape and exploitation of the land and its resources shouldn’t be allowed only for the already rich short term thinkers. Until we can create an orca, a salmon, or a black footed ferret, then we shouldn’t be following policies that eliminate entire species.

Responsible Foreign Policy: No more support and subsidization of terror states. How many right wing despots have we supported through the years simply because of some bogeyman like “communism?” Castro may be a thoroughly despicable world leader, but we’ve supported others that have been worse. So no support for Israel as long as they are terrorizing their neighboring countries.

Nuclear Non-Proliferation: There’s been a treaty signed. If we don’t support it, then it’s meaningless. India and Pakistan have the bomb, in violation of this treaty. I believe that they’ve signed, but even if not, then we should still “encourage” them to renounce nukes. We can’t very well tell Iran and North Korea that they can’t have nukes as long as we pretend that Israel doesn’t. At present, there is too much incentive to develop nuclear weapons, if for nothing else than to deter the aggression of the United States. If we developed a more “sensitive” and enlightened foreign policy, then the deterrence of nuclear weapons would not be needed. Therefore:

Out of Iraq: We have no business there, and our presence only makes things worse. A truly international peace-keeping force to try to maintain some sort of order, but as long as it’s U.S. troops almost exclusively, then we’re perceived as a foreign occupier, and will be bogged down in their religious civil war.

Progressive Taxation: The idea that the wealthy enjoy many more perks of living in a wealthy country, and should therefore help pay for the privilege. Furthermore, there should be a line below which no individual should fall, a safety net from poverty if you will, to keep people from starving in the streets. As part of this, I ask for:

Universal Health Care: Basic medical needs taken out of the hands of employers and guaranteed for all. This would involve rationing, similar to what Oregon has done. Not everybody can get premium health care under this plan, as that would be very cost prohibitive. Broken bones set for free, but heart transplants cost extra. Free inoculations and better living education, instead of paying for the illnesses later.

Trade: Free and Fair. We shouldn’t be supporting military dictatorships simply because they can produce cheap clothing in sweatshops. We shouldn’t create trade zones that encourage jobs moving to foreign countries that do not have decent living wage structures. Encouraging companies to move manufacturing to places that have relaxed or non-existent environmental protections simply moves the pollution from “advanced” countries to places where there are no safeguards. Not acceptable.

A Return to a Government of Law: No more “free speech zones,” No more domestic spying. No more illegal detainees held in foreign prisons in our name. No torture. Ever. No revolving doors between Congress and Industry and Lobbyists. No back door political donations designed to buy influence. I want public financing of campaigns. No corporate lobbyists making the laws that regulate their industry. I want enforcement of existing environmental and financial laws, such as mine safety regulations and insider trading prohibitions.

Investment in Infrastructure: OK, not a mesmerizing topic, but important none the less. Bridges, roads, tunnels, and yes levees. A dollar spent today saves 10 tomorrow. How much will it cost to rebuild New Orleans? Versus how much did we save by leaving a half-assed job in the first place? Penny wise and pound foolish.

An End to Aggression as Official Foreign Policy: Mostly by U.S. forces, but in support of international peace keeping and humanitarian efforts instead. Now I don’t object to U.S. forces in Afghanistan, as I believe that to be a legitimate use of force. That government was harboring persons who had brought harm to our citizens. That kind of aggression must be fought. But again, there’s no rational excuse for the invasion of a sovereign state that presented no threat to the U.S.

I want my freedoms, as guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of this country, to be respected. That includes law made by precedent, such as a woman’s ability to control her reproductive rights. I seek an end to this country’s war on drug users. I want less money going to corporate welfare, and more money dedicated to helping people that can use it better. Things like student loans, and medical treatment.

I want balanced budgets, with smaller government, but I don’t want that smaller government to be made smaller by the elimination of programs that help the average citizen. One could make government smaller by eliminating things like the Environmental Protection Agency or the Department of Labor, but these parts of government exist to preserve our resources and health. Instead, I’d like to see a reduction of farm subsidies and a reduction in the defense department budget. I’d like to see the enforcement budget for the Internal Revenue Service increased, with a mandate to aggressively pursue the tax shelters and other tax withholding schemes of the wealthy instead of the poor and working classes.

And I want accountability in my government. If you’re taking bribes as a government official, you get to go to the same prison as a bank robber or rapist. If you’re incompetent at your job, then you should be fired, and never be able to entertain the idea of a job in government again. If you’re found to be responsible for violation of the laws of this nation, I want you out of the government. Period. Especially if you’re guilty of war crimes and violations of international law. Impeachment is demanded and expected in such cases.So this is what I believe in, and what I would support in elections with my vote and with my checkbook. This is how I believe things should be. The sad thing is that this list is TOO progressive, and downright scary to many Americans. (This is one reason that I’ve never considered running for public office. My ideas are too scary.)

The end result would be a better, more enlightened world, with more opportunity and prosperity for the entire planet, not just for Americans. And it truly is a world view, not just a “Me First” mentality. Consider that Americans make up a small percentage of the planet’s population, but use up a significant fraction of the resources. We can only afford this by the exploitation and enslavement of the rest of the planet and its citizens. This is untenable.

True progressives must take a global view, seeking the betterment of all, and not just the few.

…“the war is over,” based on US public-opinion trends. Unfortunately, this is a premature announcement, just like the newspapers that called the WWI armistice a couple of days early. As in that case, people will still die, get maimed, etc. during the interim before the real end, whenever that day (month? year?) comes.

…remembers the secret early years of the Hanford Atomic Reservation, on the 60th birthday of nuclear weaponry.

…leaves some parting thoughts: “The most powerful army in human history can’t even protect a two-mile stretch of road.”

…from a once-vocal, lately-obscure faction, the antiwar evangelicals.

…of the latest Osama tape claims the terror chief seeks to force America into bankruptcy. Gee, aren’t we doing just fine at that without his help?

…says the days are running short for the regime: “The White House has spent four years creating a fantasy world around Bush. Win or lose on Tuesday, the mistakes Bush has made in Iraq have caught up with him.”

…Oct. Surprise® be a massive assault on Fallujah?

…where you can watch Fahrenheit 9/11 online, if you have the right computer setup and broadband connection etc.

…a rare lucid interpretation of the bin Laden video, noting that “it is bizarre that a mass murderer who helped run the Taliban state is talking about ‘liberty.'”

Remember, kids: This man is still around, not in spite of the Administration’s actions, but because of them.

…who was on MTV the same time Adam Curry was, now on Comedy Central’s Tough Crowd: “Yasser Arafat is dying. He’ll be missed. Just like he was missed by the Israelis twenty times.”

…continues the track about defending the American-ness of city dwellers and blue-staters.

…American politics will only be healed when sane people take back the Republican Party:

“In a very real sense, the health of our democracy may hinge on the conscience of Republican moderates. Only they can keep their party from being hijacked by crony capitalists and gay-and-feminist-bashing evangelicals. If they stand by and let Cheney reinterpret the free market as a playground for corporations who need not worry about competitive bidding or honest accounting, if they let the fiscal conservatism that was once the hallmark of their party be drowned in red ink, if they stand by and watch the Patriot Act be used to squelch dissent, if they let neoconservative advisers hand our foreign policy over to a militarized corporate elite, then there will be no stopping the continued descent of American politics into the slough of megalomania.”