Back from the Dead 

I decided to revise this blog as in the last two years I've been thinking and re-thinking about politics. For starters, I was just looking at some posts I made by in 2011 and I had a quote from Christopher Hitchens re: religion. At the time I was watching a ton of his interviews, debates and lectures. I'm not even sure why I was obsesso about him but at this stage the only thing I really like about him is his obit on Jerry Faldwell and his writings on the famous walking corpse and war criminal Henry Kissinger. Over time, I just couldn't deal with his gross Islamaphobic rants along with his support with the neo-cons during Gulf War II*

Also, if you wanna read a fucking enziguri of a critique - check out Dan O' Sullivan (aka: Gen. Ghandi's) take on the legacy of Hitchens. 

The problem with that "capital A" atheism was the rampant asshole part of it. Namely Sam Harris' excrementally awful endorsement of European fascists Islamaphobia.  "The people who speak most sensibly about the threat that Islam poses to Europe are actually fascists." The doofus "smart scientist guy" Richard Dawkins is just as bad and has attempted to prove how intellectual he is by saying things such as:

I've seen a dog & bitch indulging in full 69. Males of many species including Drosophila lick female genitals before copulation.

(from 'ol Dicky Dawk's own Twitter)

Wow! Professor, do tell us more. No, on 2nd thought just don't! Moreso, this "intellectual titan" as Andrew Brown wrote in the Spectator: "The website suggests that donations of up to $500,000 a year will be accepted for the privilege of eating with him once a year: at this level of contribution you become a member of something called ‘The Magic of Reality Circle’. I don’t think any irony is intended." Well, someone really needs more honeyjars.


Overall, the idea of religion might not be the thing to get me through everyday life. But I understand it is important for a lot of people and it's not really getting every step of my way. Although, it's not what's getting in my way of making a living or having a life. Capitalism and Silicon Valley's Tech-Dystopia cult however, is. And while I'm at it - fuck you blood sucking techno vampire, Peter Thiel! 

I also feel the need to revise this because I've had so much of this shit on my mind and I interact with it everyday on Twitter. Plus, it's important to revise my positions as the last time I really engaged with political writing I was pretty much a Daily Show watching, goofy liberal Democrat. Whereas, now I'm way on left and the Daily Show/Colbert/Bill Maher/Crooks and Liars nexus does nothing for me. Instead, I'm a supporter and fan of podcasts like Street Fight Radio and Chapo Trap House both of whom have a dramatic impact on my thinking as has much their as well as many others analyses via Twitter many of whom I plan on discussing further. It also helps a lot that all these people have great senses of humor and often share many overlapping interests. 

This type of leftism I'm at now is a mix of communism, socialism, and anarcho-syndicalism. What's trippy is I'm now connecting with a lot of people across the country and the world who share these ideas and DON'T buy into the kayfabe of Republican and Democrats (to use a fantastic phrase that Brett and Bryan of Street Fight Radio have often said). In summary, a LOT about the US Election in 2016 made me stay to these positions and not support neither garbage party. Both want war, both want the surveillance state, both want Wall St. & technocracy to rule my life. One does it with an iron fist ** and the other does it with condescending pop culture bullshit. 

Anyway, I'm gonna write more next time about how I got to my current ideas/ideals in my next post and my political history: the good, the bad, and naive. 

ENDNOTE: 
* I "sequel" the Gulf Wars movie-style as I'm old enough to have been aware of the 1st Gulf War and it being the first 24-hour news cycle/cable TV war. The Highway of Death, burning oil fields and incubator killers propaganda back then out did any notions of "cool" trading cards, Super Bowl "rah-rah", or Wayne & Garth talking about it  It was a short war granted but a fucking depressing as hell one. I'll have much more on my experience with this time soon. 
** Not the hella cool Motörhead kind

Written under the influence of: "Litourgiya" by Batushka, vodka, chai tea & $2 PBR. 

Sheik and Destroy: Adnan and Saddam

 "This is what the Arab people want!"

The squared circle (or wrestling ring, if you will) of the 1980s often mirrored the geopolitics of the time. One such character was former wrestler and manager Sheik Adnan Al-Kassiey (real name: Adnan Bin Abdulkareem Ahmed Alkaissy El Farthie). Al-Kassiey was hailed as being from Bagdad, Iraq. Now, even in my own teenage mind I knew somehow, someway that the "no Russian accent having Russian", Krusher Krushev wasn't really from Moscow. Yet, the more I've read about Adnan Al-Kassey the more interested I've become. Kassiey started as the Native American gimmick Billy White Wolf  despite being Middle Eastern in origin. This however was nothing new as  Barry Darsow played the Russian mentioned earlier (in the National Wrestling Alliance), a mountain man (Georgia Championship Wrestling), and a Repo Man (WWF).


Kassiey I knew mostly from the AWA and a little bit of various NWA territories. He managed King Kong Brody (aka: Bruiser Brody), Jerry "The Mountain from Stone Mountain, GA" Blackwell, and Kamala the Ugandan Giant. In 2005, Al-Kaissy published his memroirs, The Sheikh of Baghdad: Tales of Celebrity and Terror from Pro Wrestling's General Adnan. Sports author Ross Bernstein wrote the following in his review:

"Alkaissy returned home to Iraq as a modern day hero of sorts. Meanwhile, Saddam was rising to power in the ruling Baath Party at the time and had big plans for his old friend. With that, Saddam summoned Adnan to his palace and told him that he wanted him to wrestle for Iraq and make him proud. Adnan, who was only home for a visit to see his family, respectfully declined the generous offer. But when Saddam told him it was not an offer, but an order, he realized that his life would never be the same. So, under Saddam´s watchful eye, Alkaissy began promoting his own wrestling matches in Iraq - importing professional grapplers from around the world to compete against him. Literally hundreds of thousands of crazed fans poured into local soccer stadiums to see Adnan emerge as the Middle East Heavyweight Champion of the World, and before long a superstar was born. Adnan was rewarded with his own palace, a fleet of Mercedes complete with chauffeurs, and money beyond his wildest dreams. He was even named as the Director of Youth at the Ministry of Youth, a very coveted and prominent government position. Soon, there were thousands of adoring fans sleeping outside his home at night just hoping to catch a glimpse of their new hero. It was utter insanity. What Adnan didn´t realize, however, was that Saddam was using his old friend as a clever ruse to entertain and occupy the masses while he began his own murderous regime of torture and terror throughout the Middle East. Eight long years later, Alkaissy was fearful of being killed. So, he left everything behind and escaped in the dark of night, leaving his friends and family behind forever. With nowhere to turn to, he came back to America, where he would start over as a professional wrestler - only this time, instead of being an adored national hero, he would be transformed into a villainous Arabian madman named "The Sheikh."

 Bagdad for several years had a wrestling scene. In the book Weird Minnesota, Alkaissy says of his Bagdad match with Canadian grappler George Gordienko, "(we had) probably the biggest crowd ever in the history of wrestling. The stadium in Iraq had over two hundred thousand people watching." The book also says: "the ring was surrounded by armed guards with submachine guns." In 1978, Al-Kaissy helped promote another wrestling event in his birthplace of Bagdad.  It was here that he fought and won against Andre the Giant. When asked about the reality of putting on matches that were worked in a country like Iraq, Al-Kaissy said "If Saddam found out that the wrestling we were doing was fake, you think I'd be alive?" He later found the tortured body of one his colleagues and a friend of his was assassinated after having dinner with Sadaam.  

 High school pals: Saddam Hussein and Sheikh Adnan Al-Kaissy/Ed Farthy. 

Al-Kassiy wrestling as Sheik Adnan  

Despite his dangerous times in Iraq, Al-Kaissy's last major run in wrestling involved playing an Iraqi heel during the the first Gulf War. In 1990, Al-Kaissy became the Arabic spouting General Adnan who managed the now Iraqi supporting Sargent Slaughter in the WWF.  Slaughter went after fan faves such as The Ultimate Warrior and Chump Hogan. After his run in the WWF, Kassiey worked with Tito Santana, Bob Orton Jr. and other big names in the Chicago based AWF. He appeared on Fox News' Hannity (and...Colmes) in 2006. Unfortunately, the video got wiped out from YouTube - possibly in fear of reprisal from Abdullah the Butcher.  Al-Kaissy. currently resides in Hopkins, MN where he participates in the town's annual Raspberry Days Festival. For more on the history of pro wrestling in the Middle East check out this.