dispatch 0.5 october 2005

8/3/2019 DISPATCH 0.5 October 2005

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Page 3...Letter From Editor P. H. MadorePage 4... Watching Them Die // M. Blair SpivaPage 7... GODS COUNTRY //Adam ChowlesPage 7... Time For A New New Deal//Adam BunchPage 9... That Little Prick! //Brian FugettPage 9... A Common Man //Kiki Denis

Page 10.. .ARBUSTED //Lee GreenwayPage 11... On Candles, an Apartment, andthe Choice of a Life//Shanna TolleyPage 12... How Can I Compensate? //Frannie GayPage 13... Scene Of An Accident //David LundenPage 16... David Rovics & An AnonymousAmerican pipe up a bit.

Page 19... One State, Two State, Red State, Blue State //Dan Nucci

Page 25... White House Field Trip //Brian FugettPage 26... i havent done a damn thing //Mikel K.Page 28... Letters PolicyPage 29... Submission GuidelinesPage 30... Contribudex

We are proud tor e s e n t

ISPATCH 0.5 ,which was

eleased onOctober 1st,005 and in itsrint capacityepresents theirst title inhe cataloguef our new indieu b l i s h i n g

o u s e ,DIS-PRESS, to

ur readers.

S t a f fP. H. Madore

Editor-In-Chief

Malon EdwardsFiction Editor

M. Blair SpivaDan NucciPoetry Editors

Jenny Patel Art Editor

L L C O N T E N TOPYRIGHT 2005 BY AUTHOR.

L L O T H E R C O N T E N TO P Y R I G H T 2 0 0 5

ISPATCH Literary Journal.O R E P R O D U C I N G

THOUT PERMISSION!

disCONTENTS

Salty Bunnyby Jenny Patel (Look for full(Look for full

version inversion inDISP DISP AATCH TCH OneOne ))


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Letter From The EditorPart A /

To Be Clear

We are in fact and indeed a literary journal, I just wantedto get that off my chest before I said anything else. If fornothing else, although there are more reasons, we are releasingtwo issues later th is month to prove this. One will feature greatpoetry, the other g reat flash fiction from DISPATCHERS worldwide.

On that note, we're also looking for all sorts of submis-sions, notably non- fiction, for DISPATCH One. Thanks.

Now, to the po int. This issue is about George W. Bush, aboutraising fund s for t he Red Cross, and about the state of thenation. Please see our Letters Policy if you hate everythingyou've just so cord ially paid for (or the opposite, etc.)

I was go ing to write a long-winded essay about Bush in thisissue, and how Katr ina won him, and so forth, but then I decidedI would reserve all that and let the issue speak for itselfI'mjust here to try to make sure it all goes as smoothly as possi-ble.

So what I deci ded instead was that I would share a piec e offiction inspired by its title... Remember, Letters Policy .

Thank you for stepping into the world of DISPATCH .----P. H. Madore

Part B /Political Posturing

Here, try this one, said t he elder, exaggerating a profes-sional strut and dawning a ridicu lous stern look. That's themiddle-class posture.

Ah, I wondered about it, said the younger, mimicking theelder.

Now this, said the elder, growing his stomach, his jowlsincreasing in stature, and holding himself butler-like, this isthe fat cat posture. You'll need it much more than you think.

The younger attempted t his one. It was difficult for him atfirst.

Struggling and forgetti ng his history as a trim man, hepulled it off.

It's especially good f or exotic vacations not to mentionlong Vegas weekendsall kind s'a stuff, the elder said wisely,winking.

As they arrived outside the majestic white stone building,the younger said, You never taught me the working-class one.I feel unprepared.

Relax, said the elder , straightening his protege's tie.He chuckled through cigar sm oke. What makes you think you'llneed that for anything?


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WATCHING THEM DIE

Theres something a little differentabout a Southerner.

The slow, sweet sounds of a gentle voice,the lemonade and Jack,the rocking, the swaying,the enjoyment of lifes simplicity.

The steam rising off the streets after a rain,the trees that frame even the busiest of highways,the Cherokee names that roll off the tongue,the pride, always the humble pride in what weve seen,what weve learned.

The strong hold of faith, though misguided at times,

the gatherings of old families in Grandmotherskitchen,the pockets of tradition,the culture of the past colliding with the present.

Theres something a little differentabout a Southerner.

And I sit here in my comfortable house,and I watch the television with the rest of the nation.

M. Blair Spiva

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So that, at the end of the world, wecan say, Hey, at least we tried.-- DISPATCH Guidelines


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Weve all been to New Ohhhrlins once or twice,weve all downed a glass of Southern Comfort.

I sit here and watch.

You have killed my people.

I sit here and watch with the rest of the nation,And I think again on how You have managedthis far.

You have killed my people.

In New Or leans, they'll refuse to abandontheir city every time.That pride , that humble pride keeps them there,no matter the strength of wind, rain, water.

They'll dri nk the Hurricanes,not subm it to them.They'll giv e them the finger and curse themin those s low, sweet accents,daring the m to break what they have built.

But not th is time.

This time, they watched it all break.And they called to You for help,they calle d to You for salvation, for cleanliness,for safety.

You have broken them.You have broken that humble pride that sings inthe soul of every Southerner.You have brought tears into the eyes of those

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too young to cry.You have fed on this devastation,scooping it up for your own gain once again--You cant declare war on a hurricane.

Or maybe You can.

I watch with the rest of the nation,and I weep for my people.I raise my glass of Southern Comfort high.You--abuse the name of Christ.You--take His name in vain more so than any Goddamn

could ever do.You--claim to fight for with one twist of the tongue,and

with another, leave His people to float down toxicrivers and fish out their dead ,their families,their lovers,

their friends.Its the Devils greatest trick.I sit here, and I watch with the n ation,I drink another round of SoCo,I smoke and fume with anger tha t will never be avenged.You killed my people.

And a Southerner never forgets.

DISPATCH Zero-Point-FiveWatching Them Die by M. Blair Spiva

Candy House by Melissa Blackburn Sarat 6


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In the weeks that have passed sinceHurricane Katrina decimated the GulfCoast, the White Houses damage con-trol machine has been working at fulltilt. The Bush administration, ill pre-pared for the disaster and slow to res-cue those left stranded, is accused ofhaving learned little from the lesson of9-11 and of not caring for the poor ofthe nation. Facing what is proving to bethe biggest challenge of their adminis-tration, leaders have responded with apublic relations storm of their own:public appearances, televised speeches,promises made and federal fundspledged. This time, however, damage

control will not be enough to salvagethe reputation of the President. TheAmerican people are demanding realchange. George W. Bush must provethat he can defend them from theunthinkable another Katrina whileshowing them that he cares about theworking class.

It is time for New New Deal inAmerica.As is being widely reported, there

were warnings long before Katrina hitthat a $14 billion investment in leveesand dams was required to safeguardNew Orleans against a hurricane ofsuch magnitude. In a nation preoccu-pied with a war on terror, however, thehefty sums involved seemed toogreat and the worst-case scenariotoo improbable. Such warningsmust never be

This piece by Adam Chowles, who canreached at [email protected], does

ot necessarily represent the opinion ofSPATCH editorial staff and remains theoperty of its creator.

Time FTime F or A New New Dealor A New New Deal

Adam Bunch

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ignored again. While it is impossible for any government to foreseeevery disaster, it is required that plans are made for those that theyknow do pose a threat. Forecasters warn that hurricanes will continue togain strength in coming years, jeopardizing many coastal American cities.In California, geologists warn of an earthquake of unparalleled magni-tude. Each year, the government plays catch-up to tornados, floods andfires, providing relief, but failing to provide the funds required to

protect against catastrophe before it strikes.The time to make that investment is now. For too long, the infra-

structure of the nation has suffered as the federal government hasfocused their attention on foreign wars, reduced taxes and cutbacks indomestic spending. In order to save lives, and his own skin, Bush musttake a page from Franklin Roosevelts book and commit to large-scalebuilding projects across the country. Fund research into what is neededand then do it. Build leviees and dams where they are required. Createearly warning systems. Reinforce existing safety measures. Train, testand fund emergency response teams. Instead of dubious color-coded warn-ings and distant military victories, the people of the United States willsee with their own eyes the commitment being made to their safety. Theywill see the concrete being poured and the bricks being laid. They willnot only be safe they will feel safe as well. And that, more thananything, is what Bush needs right now.

Equally important, this project will provide help to the workingclass as a direct investment into their lives and their prosperity.Instead of being forced into minimum wage jobs at fast food restaurantsand chain stores, large-scale public works programs will give these

Americans the opportunity to earn a decent living wage. Help will comenot as a handout, but as an invitation to provide for their families byputting their own sweat and muscle into rebuilding their country. Themoney they earn, they will then reinvest, buying new homes, cars andappliances, giving a boost to the economy in the process.

Granted, a New New Deal will not come cheap. Bushs job will be mucheasier than Roosevelts, however; the project is not as ambitious and theDepartment of Homeland Security already provides the necessary bureaucra-cy. The money can be found. The Department of Homeland Security is bud-geted at $40 billion a year, some of which can certainly be redirectedand focused into public works. Another $200 billion has already beenspent on the war in Iraq. This heavy spending neednt continue. Theinternational community is ready and willing to help shoulder this bur-den. The Iraqi people have been freed, Saddam has been captured, andthere are no weapons of mass destruction. Iraq poses no further threat tothe United States. By sharing the responsibility and the costs of nationbuilding, as is being done in Afghanistan, huge sums of cash can be redi-rected. This administration has shown no reluctance to spend where theydeem it necessary. With the federal deficit at half a trillion dollars, areallocation of funds in concert with some new money will make littledifference to the overall financial picture of the nation.

Sadly, however, President Bush has already gotten off on the wrongfoot. Instead of making the reconstruction of New Orleans the centerpieceof this public effort and ensuring that the people of the Gulf

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Coast can make a good wage rebuilding their city, the governmentis handing over the responsibility to the private sector.Lucrative contracts have been awarded to firms with strong tiesto the administration Halliburton, Bechtel, Shaw Group with-out honoring the usual competitive bidding process.(Halliburtons first uncontested contract came only three daysafter Katrina hit, before Bush had deployed more than a trickleof National Guard troops into the chaotic and suffering city.)

As a result, much of the more than $100 billion required forreconstruction will pad profit margins instead of the pockets ofthe working class. Bush has even gone so far as to suspend thelaw requiring these companies to pay workers the prevailing wagein the region. Instead of taking the opportunity to prove hissupport and loyalty to the working class of America, Bush isfurther damaging his now shaky reputation. Democrats are eager tohighlight the discrepancy between Bushs rhetoric and actions,and there are even discontent rumblings from within his ownparty over the way reconstruction is being handled.

In the days following September 11th, President Bush recog-nized the disaster in New York for what it was: a turning pointin the history of the United States. He responded by taking hisadministration in an entirely new direction. He must do the samefor the disaster in New Orleans. He must shift his focus awayfrom foreign policy adventures and return to the domestic. It istime for America to care for America. Some perhaps even many threats will never materialize. So much the better. Some, howev-er, will, and in those cases lives will saved. In the others,the money will have been far from wasted. Citizens will be bet-ter off safe rather than sorry, and working class families willfind themselves leading improved lives. At the same time,President Bush might just be able to save himself from theweight of history as well.

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For more info oneconstruction contracts:

CNN(http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/09/10/kat-ina.contracts.reut/)

The Washington Post(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con-ent/article/2005/09/04/AR2005090401193_pf.htm)

The New York Timeshttp://www.nytimes.com/reuters/politics/politics-kat-ina-budget.html?pagewanted=print)

For more info on the cost of the war in Iraq:National Priorities Project(http://costofwar.com/)

For more info on the Departmentof Homeland Security and budget:The White House Office of Management and Budget:(http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2005/homeland.html)The US Department of Homeland Security(http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/index.jsp)

For more info on Franklin Roosevelt and The New Deal:

The White House(http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/fr32.html)The New Deal Network(http://newdeal.feri.org/)


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They said he will be like anybody else; go to school, get a job,most probably in an office, get married, have a couple of kids, buya summer house, retire and one day leave his last breath like anyother common man who gets forgotten a few years later. They said hehad the face of a hard working son, the cheeks of a good-lookinghusband, the sparking blue eyes of an honest man and the patienceof a loving father. They said he was one of them. And through col-lege he did almost nothing to prove them wrong.

But then a couple of years later he grew a beard, refused tobe at his desk at nine and showed no interest in girls. So theysaid he was going through a bad phase and would come around soon,cut off his beard, wear suits and forget all that nonsense. Andwith these thoughts in their mind they decided to give him someextra time. But he didnt behave; he quit his job, went off to

Africa to help some black, dirty kids with big bellies, wrote booksabout poverty and racism and years later when he returned home, heshared his bed with a man. It was then they admitted that they hadmade a mistake and stopped talking about him once and for all.

A Common Man A Common Man Kiki Denis

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DISPATCH Zero-Point-Five


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ARBUSTEDLee Lee Greenway Greenway

M u h l o y a l s u b j e

c k s, "

C a m e t h e c r y,

F r o m W a s h i n g t

o n -

W a y u p o n h i g

h.

" Y ' a l l h a v e n o

f e a r, "

P r o c l a i m e d a

s h r u b,

" I ' l l b r i n g y a h e l p ! "

B u t h e r e ' s t h e r u b :

T h e h e l p i t s e e

m s,

I s a l l a b r o a d,

E n g a g e d i n h y d

r o -

- c a r b o n - f r a u d.

S O N O F A R B U

S T E D

( I T ' S G O O D T O

B E K I N G )

' T i s g o o d t o b e

K i n g,

O r s o t h e y d o s

a y,

F r o m t h e P r e s

t o t h e V e e p,

D C t o LA.

F o r t h o u c a n s t

d e c i d e,

W i t h R o y a l d e c

r e e,

W h o s o m u s t s

t a y,

A n d w h o s o

m a y f l e e.

' T i s c o l o r i s h w

h i m,

O f w h i c h w e d o

s i n g,

F o r b l a c k s h a l

t t h o u d r o w n,

W h e n t h o u a r t

t h e K i n g.

SON OF SON OF ARBUSTED(CHOPPER, CHOPPER)

Chopper, chopper, flying high,Bringing water and supplies,To the folks who sorely need,With all the necessary speed.

Bringing food and bringing clothes,Bringing pumps and ample hose,Bringing band-aids, gauze and pills,Bringing rags to clean up spills.

But, wait a minute, what the hell?Guns and ammo? Bombs and shells?Where's the aid come by the pound?Where's this warlike manna bound?

Chopper, chopper, what's the score?We've got people robbing stores!Babies crying, starving moms,Dads are drowning - and we buy bombs?

Chopper, chopper, get it straight.Look up "Misappropriate."This isn't what we thought we'd see,When we heard "Homeland Security."

Chopper, chopper, tell your friends,These means don't justify the ends.You could be put to better use,Than traipsing 'round in combat shoes.

Come home, o, Chopper, and lend a hand,Forget the oil in that foreign land.Come home, o, Chopper, for now we know -Your boss screwed up - and Bush must go.

11DISPATCH DISPATCH Zero-Point-FiveZero-Point-Five


12/30

On Candles, an Apartment, and the Choice of a LifeShanna T olley

The sun was barely up, and had begun to make orange streaks in the coldJanuary sky when she had woken up next to him. She looked across theroom at the rumpled heap of her clothes and over to the dresser wherethe candles had all burned out and melted wax had drizzled down thedrawers, and hardened. She looked beside the bed at the bottle of wine,now empty, that they had shared the night before. She felt sick to herstomach and had gone into his tiny, dingy bathroom. She vomited andthen brushed her teeth with his toothbrush. She had dressed and left; noneed to say goodbye, not like they wouldnt see each other again.

Driving back to her own tiny room, she had known. Lying in bed thenight before, unable to sleep, listening to him breathing and trying to

decide whether she loved or hated him, she had felt them swimmingthrough her. Although a doctor would have disproved this idea, she wascertain that she felt the precise moment when the fist one hit its intendedtarget. That afternoon, while sleeping, she had dreamt of babies;Hundreds of babies all floating in a pool, laughing and smiling. She hadwoken in a cold sweat and vomited for a second time that day.

Thirteen weeks later she had begun to bleed. The blood was thickerthan usual and there was an unrecognizable substance. She knew. Shehadnt told anyone else about the situation, so no one was available tomourn with her. She sat on the bathroom floor and cried for it all. Shecried for the almost person she never knew and she cried because shehad known. She cried for him and for herself and for all of the tiny littledefenseless people who were conceived out of familiarity and a falsesense of comfort and born to quasi-adults. She cried for the babies whohadnt had the fortune of leaving this earth before entering it and shecried for having had that thought at all.

Its two oclock in the morning and a fan in the corner is blowing the

hot August air around the tiny candle lit room. An empty bottle of winestands beside the bed. He is kissing her neck and her small soft breasts.He works his way down. His mouth is on her flat white stomach. He istonguing the little red jeweled ring that is piercing her navel. He movesfurther down. He is kissing her lower belly when he feels her stiffen up.She pushes him off.

You bastard! You fucking bastard! What the hell is wrong? What the fuck did I do? She doesnt hear him. She is rolled into a ball at the corner of the

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H ow CanICompensate ?

FrannieGay

eptember 11th Memorial, Weston,MA 9/23/05.

hoto by Dan ucci.

How can I compensatefor it all?

You feel unloved, fractions arent your forte, and your best friend was taken away.

You fearthat youre nextthat your mom wont come homethat you will fail this test

You are troubledby the slamming doors

of your homeof this world

by the pain in your stomachthe hole in your shoe

by your messy handwritingby Billy next to you

You want

to learnto listento understand why red and blue make purpleto be a scientistto read a bookto feel the warmth of your mothers arms

in addition to mineto escape, to run away, and to fly

But how, can I compensate For it allWhen the windows in our room are bustedthe lights flicker mimicking the thoughtsin our minds

Our books cannot teach us into 2005our pencils are stubsDesks are few and we are many

When our lives are becoming this history a number, a score, a grade

When I am exhaustedAnd my paycheck cannot support my aspi-rations for you

When my vivid stories are fantasy told inthis basement of a classroomAnd I desperately want you to believe in alife outside this shadow

Dear Mr. President How can I compensatefor it all? 1

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Scene of an Accident

David Lunden

As much as I detest rubberneckers, I too couldnt avert my eyesfrom the scene. A small hunter-green car, a Dodge Neon, Chevy

Geo, one of those compact types, had rear-ended the Mister Softeetruck. The two vehicles were embraced, blocking the onlyapproach to the cul-de-sac. I was walled in, three cars from theaccident, boxed in by cars behind me, with no opportunity to goaround, and thus had no option but to get comfy in my seat andgawk. Not that I was alone. A growing throng of children had putaside their basketballs, even their Playstations, and - no doubtdrawn by the magnetic allure of the disabled ice cream truck -slowly gravitated to the scene. And as the number of children

passed the dozen mark, curious parents too began descending.Me, I was more interested in the unwilling participants ofthe unfolding drama. Driver and passenger of the sensible com-pact car proved to be a young couple, no older than twenty. Thedriver, female, was out of the car, alternately talking and cry-ing into her cell phone. Perhaps calling her father to come res-cue her? The passenger, possibly but not necessarily boyfriend -it was hard to tell whether or not they were a couple, as thegirl seemed disinterested, maybe even annoyed in his attempts atconsolation - stood glumly, shoulders stooped, surveying thecrowd, the truck, and the crumpled front end of the car.

Perhaps I was projecting from some long-ago, semi-forgottenfender-bender of my youth, but the passenger seemed to look notjust forlorn, but guilty. Had he, through some random act, ini-tiated the chain of events which led to the accident? Perhaps hefought with her over whether to play the Nickleback or Puddle ofMudd CD? Perhaps he had pointed to the left and said somethinglike Hey, isnt that your friend Barbara over there? Or, Gothat way; well get to the movies faster? Perhaps she reactedto his gesticulations and allowed herself to be distracted, justlong enough to miss avoiding the white truck pulling out of theside street.

And the phrase miss avoiding is accurate. From the buzz ofthe interested onlookers it sounded like the driver of the truckwas at fault. I turned my attention to said driver, who was justleaning against her truck, partly obscuring the smiling man withthe soft-serve head painted on the trucks side. At first, shehad busied herself filling the extra orders generated by the

gathering, but as everyone became sated by vanilla and chocolatesoft-serve, she had nothing to do except wait and try to ignorethe fact that she was on display, no more able to leave thecrowds gaze than the trained dolphins at an aquarium. 1414



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Being a testosterone-laden male, Ifound it easy to make excuses, imagine some sort of mitigating circumstances, andeventually feel an empathetic pity for the despondent ice cream truck driver. She toowas young, probably in her early twenties, with a light blue top hanging casually overbeige shorts that revealed tanned, athletic legs. It was her hair, though, that really caught my eyes, and caused me to root for her innocence: dark brown, wavy but notcurly, neatly shaped, short but not jockishly so. The similarity in hairstyles between

her and Claudia, long-estranged first-love-of-my-life, was remarkable. All sorts of circumstances could have caused her to pull prematurely into traf-fic. Perhaps the four boys working up a sweat playing basketball in the driveway of the blue vinyl-sided colonial had been yelling, trying to gain her attention. Perhapstheir ball had bounced into her field of vision. Perhaps her brakes had failed.

The more I thought, the more convinced I became that the crowd had beenwrong all along, influenced by mob mentality into assuming the innocence of Sensible-Compact driver. Conceivably, she might have pulled out of one of the park-ing spots along the main road without warning, giving the unlucky Mister Softee

driver no chance whatsoever to avoid the collision. As I pondered and decided the Claudiaesque driver was not at fault, I day-

dreamed, and thought for the first time in eons of Claudia. I remembered she was asugar junkie. We spent many a midnight, Claudia simultaneously tired and wiredfrom waitressing, eating sundaes a nd drinking coffee at a Friendlys or Dennys. Shewas quite the jock then, having ma de the transition from three sport star in highschool to week-long hikes in the A ppalachians, and bike-a-thons to support the wor-thy cause-de-jour. Even back then though, when we, I mean she, decided our rela-tionship was not capable of makin g the hurdle from boy/girl friend to life-long com-mitment, she had started gaining w eight. I last saw her two years ago, grocery shop-ping with her two rugrats, one in t he shopping cart and one bouncing alongside. Itactfully declined comment, but he r figure suggested that her burning need to hikeup mountains had flamed out with motherhood, while her ice cream cravings stuck around.

The arrival of a police cruise r put a merciful end to my flashback. I lookedagain at the girl still leaning in fro nt of Mr. Softee. I wondered about her. Was sheworking a summer job to help pay her way through college? I liked that image: driv-en, motivated, self-sufficient. Or , maybe a single mom, knocked up at nineteen by aboyfriend who upon hearing her n ews, suddenly developed a yearning to live with hisgrandparents in Florida, leaving th is unfortunate girl no option but to move back home.

And her mother, steadfast an d duty-bound, would be there to help with thecare of her first grandchild, all the while reminding her daughter through innuendo,sighs, and body language, what a mistake she had made, what an imposition all thiswas, and how the male half of the species, daughters AWOL boyfriend and her ownex-husband included, was generall y equivalent to pond scum.

Pond scum. My own mother used that title for my father so frequently that acurious alien, perhaps an advance scout for an invasion armada choosing our homefor random eavesdropping, could easily have assumed Pondscum was my fathersname. Pondscum didnt send the check. Pondscum is going to be late picking youup. Pondscums too busy with his new wife and family to care about us.

D I S P

D I S P A A T C

H

T C H Z e r

Z e r o- P o i n t - F i v e

o- P o i n t - F i v e

Scene of an Accident by David Lunden

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I dont believe there was a statute of limita-tions for any of his alleged transgressions. I some-times wondered, not always tongue-in-cheek, if mymother kept a running list of his sins, a notebookshe could refer to whenever her self-righteousanger showed signs of abatement.

While she may not have actually kept such anotebook, she did keep the Dear Jane note my

father wrote when he left. My mother had draggedmy sister and me to my maternal Grandmothersfor Memorial Day weekend. When we returned,Dad and his belongings were gone. My mothershowed both of us the note he left.

Thelma,

Weve talked and talked, but further discussion seems pointless. I cant do this any

more. Ill call you during the week to discussvisitation and support.

Love always, or in spite of, Richard

She kept the letter, dusting it off for us oncein a while, whe never she thought we might be for-getting how ev il Dad was, and how much of a vic-tim he had made her.

I watche d and speculated as the ice creamtruck girl, her hair gently tossed by a coolingbreeze, gave in formation to the impassive policeofficer. Did sh e too have to return to such a suffo-cating, unforg iv ing, environment? Would her moth-er berate her f orever, permanently sabotaging herability to feel l ove and happiness, or even to simplyrespect anothe r adult male, driving the angry spikerelentlessly int o her self-esteem, her very soul,every night? I restarted my engine as the tow

truck extricate d the two vehicles, signifying theclosing of the c urtain to the show to which we hadbeen a captive audience. I wanted to hold the icecream driver in my arms, transfer strength, tell herto hang in ther e, to not take her mothers crap,that things wo uld get better. I wanted to at leastshout these thi ngs to her, but instead I allowedmyself one last glance, one last view of her hairstill flapping in the wind, before looking both waysand driving pa st her truck and on to the grocery

store.

D I S P A

T C H

D I S P A

T C H

Z e r o - P o i n t F i v e

Z e r o - P o i n t F i v e

S c e n e o f a n A

c c i d

S c e n e o f a n A

c c i d e n t |

e n t |

b y D a v i d L u n d e n |

b y D a v i d L u n d e n |

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According to The Hartford Advocate , David Rovics isthe Pete Seeger of histime. In other words,hes a wicked good folksinger. You can find himat http://DavidRovics.com.In composing this issue,we thought wed ask him afew very subjective and

very leading questions tosee what he had to say.This was the outcome.

What is your biggestproblem with Bush as a

man?

He seems to lack the capacityfor empathy.As a president?

He's completely corrupt,incompetent, and bent onworld domination.

How much more of yourlife do you have to giveto the cause? You seemto be living it.

Until death do us part.

IN RESPONSE TO THE INSANITY OFOUR QUERYING EDITORIAL RESPONSETO THE DISASTER OF NEW ORLEANS.

THE SCOOP: Inspired andfeverish, at least one memberof the DISPATCH editorialstaff came up with some ques-tions and set forth to getthem answered by as many peo-ple as possible. One answered,and must not have wanted their

name attributed. Wed espe-cially like to see this as atopic in our letters sectionnext regular issue (One).

In your opinion, is incompetence, such asthat arguably demonstrated in the aftermathof Hurricane Katrina and with FEMA's mostrecent administrative appointment, solid

grounds for impeachment?

While I can easily understand a desire to impeachBush, incompetence isnt adequate grounds. That he liedto America and the world about Iraq is far more grave. Thathe is taking America to bankruptcy is far more grave. Thathis policies have made members of a huge religion hate America, want to kill Americans, is far more grave. That hehas made major contributions to dividing, not unifying, America, is far more grave. That he has made major coun-tries, our allies, hate America is far more grave. That due tohim weve lost respect from many nations is far more grave.Certainly I'd like to see impeachment proceedings begin, toair what Bush has done to our country and the world. Butthere isnt a chance of a snowball in hell that this Congress would even consider impeachment.

Does it bother you that George W.Bush hoodwinked America twice?

Shit, yes. But where in the hell do you gettwice? He has a far larger record than you givehim credit for.

Do natural disasters such asHurricane Katrina rank higher onyour list of national prioritiesthan does, say, Saddam Hussein?

Bush has turned me jingoistic. Ivechanged my views about American involvementin the social and humanitarian problems of other

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Let 'em eat jellybeans let 'em eat cake Let 'em eat shit, whatever it takes They can join the Air Force, or join the Corps If they can't make it here anymore

James McMurtry & The Heartless Bastards(www.compadrerecords.com)

"We Can't Make It Here Anymore"

The Representative From TexasHas The Floor...


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countries and instead now argue strongly thatour first focus, and our priority, must be solving American problems. God knows we have many.Illegal aliens and broken borders. Poverty.Homelessness. Skyrocketing health care anddrugs. An educational system that is not educat-ing. A failed infrastructure (New Orleans provedthat, but while less dramatic, our highways and bridges are rotting.) Energy emergency.Environmental disasters and global warming.National security. We're losing (or havelost) the edge in technological and scientificknowledge. And we are becoming increasingly adivided nation; divided on religious grounds,divided by languages (what the fuck is this crapabout not making English the national language?

Remember what happened to Canada and theFrench revolution/split?) All in all, I want to useour resources and finances for America first.Bring home every single one of our troopsfrom around the world and turn them into ahomegrown American Peace Corps to deal with American problems.

If you could catch Bush's attentionjust long enough to speak to him,

what would you say?

What the fuck do you think youre doing? Do you honestly, deep inside, think youre doing ANYTHING worthwhile for the country or the world? Do you honestly understand the words"budget deficit"? Do you honestly believe thatkilling American soldiers benefits the world?Do you honestly understand the diseases deeply infecting our country? Oops. That word, hon-

estly. Nevermind.

Can you picture Bush in either mili-tary fatigues or a Red Crossjacket?

Sure. Karl Rove would make that a photo op.Remember the flight jacket and Mission Accomplished? But its easier to picture him ina clown outfit.

Viewing Bush's motivations as a piechart, what chunk would be monetary,in your view?

Probably 80%. Halliburton loves him. He has-nt seen a tax cut for the wealthy that he doesntlove. He has zero empathy for the middle classand poverty pocket.

Can you think of one good thingthat has come about in your lifesince 2000 which you can give cred-it to changes in policy with Bush'sname on them?

Ouch. Nope. For a while I thought Bush wasgoing to solve America's population problem because he was driving many Americans to othercountries.

Would you consider yourself politi-cally conservative, moderate, orliberal on a scale of Howard Dean toGeorge W. Bush?

Thats hard to answer. I cant find a politicalparty I can support. Assuming that the partiesstill stand for their traditional values (yeah, Iknow, thats a faulty assumption), I am a socialDemocrat because I believe that governmentmust be proactive in protecting its citizens andsolving social problems, but Im a fiscal epubli-can because we cant take those actions unless were fiscally sound, but there's Republican Bush bankrupting the U.S. I used to think being "con-servative" was a good goal because I thought it

stood for following the Constitution, but if "con-servative" means Bushistic ideas, then I'm farfrom conservative. (And I dont think HowardDean is the best example for this question.Maybe Teddy Kennedy. Deans ineffective.Kennedy is better at getting things done.)

Fuel for this inferno from lunatic P. H.Madore and the owner of the e-mailaddress [email protected].


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One State, Two State,Red State, Blue State

Dan Nucci

Unlike Ohio, the process here is quick and clean. The

toughest part is making sure I color in the selectionovals on the ballot without going too far outside thelines.

I get home and settle in. At times I have two TVsgoing to track two networks, with CNN.com on auto-refresh in the background. A buddy of mine comes overand we stay up into the small hours watching coverage,drinking Maker's and Cokes and congratulating eachother when Kerry picks up key states. Ohio and Iowaare still "too close to call."

I go to bed hoping that Ill wake up in the morn-ing with the second major victory for the Bay State inan amazing week.

Its Tuesday, November 2nd, Year of our Lord Two-Thousand and Four. Election Day in America.

I get home from work amid early reports of epicturnouts. I know my ballot ultimately decides nothing-Kerry will win his home state easily- but I take pridein an unbroken twelve year streak of voting.

I leave my work clothes on, throw on my charcoalpea coat and walk through the center of town to mypolling place- City Hall. I slip around two distinctgroups- one stumping for Republican State Senator and

incumbent Richard Tisei, the other for challengerKatherine Clark- and through the front doors of democ-racy.

I find myself buoyed by the hope that America willfinally turn its back on the misguided economic,social, diplomatic and political agendas that have beenthe hallmark of the first four years of George W.Bush's administration.

Last weekend, I stood forty feet away as John Edwardsspoke at a rally in Bangor, Maine. He had his parentswith him and was very attentive to the fact that severalpaper mills have closed in the Bangor area, leaving manywithout jobs. His father was a mill worker and it wasclear that he was concerned about the issue of unemployment

in Maine and across the country. A cement mixer- paintedslate blue and adorned with "Bush-Cheney '04" on each sideof the mixer barrel- made about eighteen passes over thebridge spanning the Penobscot River behind the staging. Itseemed like petty gamesmanship on the GOP's part. 20


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Edwards seemed to connect with the crowd- he's anarticulate speaker with "movie star good looks" (accordingto my female companions), a charming Southern drawl andpalpable charisma. But why on earth was he taking thetime to campaign in a remote city in a locked-up Democraticstate with only four electoral college votes on the weekendbefore The Election?

I spend most of the next day at a luncheon honoring one ofthe former principles of my company, a former member of theMassachusetts House of Representatives.

One of the speakers highlights some of his accomplish-ments in the House, including co-authoring the first no-faultautomobile insurance legislation in the country. One descrip-tive term that catches my attention in this address is "liber-al Republican." I have never heard it used before. It soundslike an oxymoron... like 'business ethics,' friendly fire or'dry ice.'

The speaker went on to mention some of the honorees cur-rent projects in retirement. He serves as the Town Moderatorin his North Shore community. He is heavily involved in anaffordable housing project for the elderly. And he sits on achair at an inner city charter school which boasted a one-hun-dred percent college admission rate last year.

They don't make Republicans like this anymore.

I sit next to an entertaining and ardently Democratic triallawyer from one of our law firms at the luncheon. He does asignificant amount of work defending municipalities againstsome of the more colorful lawsuits that come through the door.

After running through some war stories, our discussion turns to

politics. A student of history, he points out that Iraq is not reallya country. Its a spot on the map that was circled by someBritish imperialists in the 1920s and consists of three dis-tinct, and fundamentally different, cultural groups. He opinesthat the best way to restore order there is to put SaddamHussein back in power and get the hell out.

"Why do you rule with an iron fist?" someone once askedYugoslavia's dictator, Marshall Tito.

"Because if I didn't," he replied, "they'd kill each other."

The country eventually dissolved and they all killed eachother.

One State, Two State, Red State, Blue State by Dan Nucci

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2

CBS News noted something the night before that was easy tomiss amidst the flurry of coverage. No Democrats have wonthe South since the Civil Rights Act was signed *except*Georgian Jimmy Carter and Arkansas native Bill Clinton.

The Kerry-Edwards campaign was naive enough to thinkthat Edwards' North Carolina roots would be enough to swinga few states. It didn't happen.

Considerable energy was spent in a few battlegroundstates, but its now obvious that you cannot win an elec-tion by ignoring an entire region of the country.

You cannot win an election by discussing issues and notmorality.

You cannot win an election by speaking against an unjus-tified war fought by a volunteer army (particularly ifyouve spoken for it in the past).

Welcome to the W Years, take two. At least there should be some good punk rock.

I had arrived at the luncheon late,hungover and unsure of the previousnights results.

Why did we Democrats lose? I askmy lawyer friend.

By a masterstroke developed bythe Reagan Administration that hasworked ever since. Align the dis-enfranchised, rural poor withwealthy, big business conservativeswhen they have absolutely no inter-ests in common.

How did they do that?

Use marginal moral issues thataffect less than 1% of the voters.Get them to vote against themselvesby pushing 'hotbutton' issues tothe forefront. Abortion. Thedeath penalty. Gay marriage.

One State, Two State, Red State, Blue State by Dan Nucci

DI S PA T

C H Z e r o - P o

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A D V E R T I S E M E N T (S)

A D V E R T I S E M E N T(S

The motherfuckin world is a ghetto.--Ice Cube

Im nobody special. Nevertheless Ive kicked a few bucks DISPATCHs way in order to getthis ad for The Lampshade in which I ask, no beg, everyone to visit my site,http://ls.thewritepath.org and send me subs/read my zine! This ad was cheap, by the way.

To fill space, heres a picture of my favorite lampshade:

--Henry Chalise


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A D V E R T I S E M E N T


w w w.c r i m

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Zero-Poin

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i havent done a damn thingMikel K.

i havent done a damn thingabout new orleanscept bitch about what bob dylan didnt doi didnt do a damn thingabout 9/11cept bitch about whatthe red cross did and didnt doi havent done a damn thingabout iraq

cept bitch about what a prick the presidentis

do you see a pattern here?

i havent done a damn thingabout racismcept try to be cool

when im getting blamed foriti havent done a thingabout thingsthat i maybe could do a thing aboutand i cannot tell you why

i act like im so concernedmaybe that is a lie

is it enough to take care of yourselftake care of your ownand not try to save the world?


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Back in 1994, the Republican majority in theHouse of Representatives signed a ContractWith America with the following goal in mind:


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DISPATCH

LETTERS POLICYWe believe the true staple of a respectable, living publica-

tion is a vibrant letters section. Therefore we will print hatemail and negativity first. Note we will not print any letter thatspeaks of never reading the publication again. That is againstpolicy. After that; luke-warm, off-topic, praising, incendiary,censurable, revolting, volatile letters and letters of praise.

While we will not strictly excercise any sort of controlsover the speech in what we hope will be a forum across ourregular issues, we would like folks ready to sound to considerthe following things:

-We will print only one letter from one reader.-Law (We wont break it for anyone, but this prevents you

from saying very little as we are based in the U.S.)-That when it comes to swearing, a little goes a long way.-That people will be free to respond, and if you set your-

self up as a character worthy of attack, you may just receiveit. We dont guarentee that debates will be as civil as possible-- people are free to their emotions, on all sides, within thepages of DISPATCH .

-Second time around is always smoother and easier to beproud of. Dont be afraid to wait -- after all we publish two reg-ular issues a year, this issue being an exception, and thedeadline for letters is the same as it is for all other submis-sions.

-All letters are to be sent, signed as youd like them print-ed, to [email protected] and can reasonably expect tobe seen in DISPATCH One, which is due out December 15th,

2005. That is our letters policy, like it or not(?) 2828


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DISPATCHSUBMISSIONGUIDELINES

(The Digested, General Version)

All submissions are to be sent to [email protected]

All submissions of prose must be in proper manuscriptformat (we mean this -- see guidelines for more info).

Micro fiction is less than 250 words, flash fiction is less than 1,500 (to us), and short

stories need to be under 6,000 words. For lengthier fiction submissions, please seeour complete (and up-to-date) guidelines at http://litdispatch.net/guide.html

Up to six poems may be submitted by a single poet ina period of six months.

This is the important part: The subject of your e-mail should be in this format:"Submission - Type - Title - Author". So, if I were submitting this document to DIS-PATCH, my subject line would read: "Submission - Creative Non-Fiction - PoorlyWritten Guidelines - P. H. Madore."

If you havent yet read an issue or the complete guidelines,then what are you doing here?

DISPATCH Zero-Point-75 DEADLINE: October 10th (05)*DISPATCH Zero-Point-90 DEADLINE: October 18th (05)**DISPATCH One DEADLINE: November 1st (05)DISPATCH Two DEADLINE: May 1st (06)DISPATCH Three DEADLINE: November 1st (06)

NOTE: Publication in DISPATCHregular issues does not depend onspace, it depen ds on qua lity. Wehave enough room and enoughgumption publish all who make thegrade and come our way.

* - Special Flash Fiction Issue/Print Only

** - Special Poetry Issue/Print Only

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CONTRIBUDEXLike a rollodex, except flat and cool.

Where the following contributors can be found:

Adam Bunch -- By route of [email protected].

Adam Chowles -- Somewhere near [email protected].

Kiki Denis -- In New York City, winning Gival Presss novelcontest for The Last Day Of Paradise .

Brian Fugett -- At http://ZygoteInMyCoffee.com

Frannie Gay -- In a school, in Georgia.

Lee Greenw ay -- Somewhere in Georgia, writing morepoems.

Mikel K. -- Mysteriously submitting honest poetry to fledg-ling journals, we suspect from somewhere south ofMaryland.

David Lunden -- Not far away from Amherst and inDISPATCH One.

P. H. Madore -- In the heat of experimentationwith madness and all that strums it.

Dan Nucci -- In New England or slumming at theThievesJargon.com messageboards.

Jenny Patel -- Somewhere west of China.

M. Blair Spiva -- At http://MBSpiva.blogspot.com.

Melissa Blackburn Sarat -- At http://neworleanstable.com.

editors mini-dispatch #1 :no publicationis worth dogspittle unlessit has goodcontributorsand good staff-- Im fortu-nate enoughto have beenblessed withboth.

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editors mini-dispatch #2 :

this is a learn-ing process. Ilike to thinkweve taken afew lessonsand given afew in thisfirst of manyissues tocome.

dispatch 0.5 october 2005

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