[Nettime-bold] Genius 2000 Meets Thomas Friedman

[Nmherman@aol.com]

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I can get the day off, so if anyone wants to advise me on the pros and cons 
of greeting Friedman with a dose of G2K have at 'er.  

My basic plan will be to throw tickets as usual.  I'll meet with the 
protesters, sit with them, and if Friedman says something bad I'll throw a 
few hundred tickets.  They always make a big cloud when you throw 'em so it 
might get mentioned.

One hesitation:  is Friedman really so bad?  I read an article where he 
ripped very fiercely on Bush Jr.  I don't really care if he's bad anyway, he 
needs to know about G2K.  And if globalization gets a flat tire in a rough 
neighborhood because of me, well so be it.

Question:  is the current version of globalization (i.e. corporate-driven) so 
despicable that we should derail it, smash it, and hope to offer and achieve 
something better?  Or are we approaching martial law on the desert planet and 
therefore owe it to our species to become corporate enforcers?

Max Herman
http://www.geocities.com/genius-2000

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PLEASE SPREAD WIDELY:

Resist Corporate Globalization! Protest Western Imperialism!

"The hidden hand of the market will never work without a hidden fist.
McDonald's cannot flourish without McDonnel Douglas...And the hidden fist
that keeps the world safe for Silicon Valley's technologies to flourish is
called the US Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps."
        -- Thomas Friedman

On Friday, Februrary 23,  New York Times columnist, pro-globalization
pundit, and neoliberal lapdog Thomas L. Friedman will be awarded an honorary
degree from the University of Minnesota. Friedman is the author of The Lexus
and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization, which argues that
"globalization from above" is not only irreversible, but indeed necessary
in the economic and industrial context of our times. Friedman has
denounced recent worldwide mobilizations against the World Trade
Organization (WTO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World
Bank. He has refused to accept that the people who constitute the majority
of the populations most detrimentally affected by these institutions
should play a direct role in achieving a socially, environmentally, and
economically just society. 
However, U of M President Yudof apparently feels much the same, and is now
attempting to further legitimize the public university’s ties with
technology conglomerates which are truly the beneficiaries of this global
capitalist economy.

We are calling for all groups and individuals who strive for a just society
to come together on this day to deliver a clear message to Friedman, Yudof,
and the institutions of global capitalism that they support.

Friedman will appear at Northrop Auditorium, on the East Bank of the U of M,
at noon on Friday, Feb 23. It’s been advertised that all must be seated by
11:40 AM.

A meeting will take place the night before Friedman appears, where people
can discuss the following day and the issues at hand. This meeting is open
to all activists, regardless of specific plans. If anyone is concerned about
discussing specifics during the meeting, discussions can continue afterward.

Meeting:
    Thursday, Feb. 22
    8:30 PM
    Folwell Hall, Room 38
    U of M East Bank

Folwell Hall is located at 15th Ave and University Ave SE. View a map here:
http://onestop.umn.edu/Maps/FolH/index.html

Email: watchtower@riseup.net


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