The notion that war is intrinsic to man’s nature is dealt a powerful setback in Stan Goff’s Sex and War. Goff, a former Special Forces sergeant, argues persuasively that rather than being born that way, men are made into killers by governments, corporations, and systems of power. Drawing both on his experiences in the military and on his reading of feminist writers such as Patricia Williams, bell hooks, and Chandra Mohanty — and as the father of a son stationed in Iraq — Goff journeys through wars, ideologies, and cultures, revealing the transformation of men into killers. His story encompasses not just the battlefield and the book, but the Swift Boat Veterans controversy, the eros of George W. Bush, pornography, the Taliban, and gays and lesbians in the military. Goff’s remarkable ability to connect his own personal experiences to contemporary feminist criticism makes for a provocative discussion of war and masculinity.

Thanks to Ruby for reminding me to blog this…

The most amazing part he reveals is that “Winning the Popular Vote is Not Winning the Presidency” in Bolivia. I’m just beginning to understand how other countries political systems work. It demonstrates just how unfairly the US system blocks diverse groups from realistically participating in government. The US brand of democracy is so flawed. It completely depends on its flag waving PR to exist. If only the majority of US citizens knew how unfair their system was AND really cared about it… IMAGINE!

It seems no matter where you live, “Being a strong opposition instead of a weak government has its advantages”.

I have to agree with the commenters on Blog from Boliva that the focus on Che seems mostly hype. From the comments:

“Che was a white man trying to rally the indigenous around his favored issues. Evo is indigenous and trying to rally everyone simultaneously around his issues and those that affect everyone. If a purely classist stance is taken (Che,) the age-old ethnic divide will keep the indigenous from true liberation.”

Read the artilce, blog, and all of the comments to some context.

Chavez spoke after the final march of the Third Peoples Summit in Mar del Plata, Argentina. This event was a counter protest of Summit of the Americas and President Bush’s arrival in Argentina.

Here are people and organizations who’ve covered this event, the issues behind it, and sent me to great links. Stan Goff, Rabble of Anarogeek.com, Read World Radio FM, Democracy Now!, Free Speech Radio News, and Argentina Indymedia (Spanish).