One beautiful summer during my teenage years, I spent most of it down in Enterprise, Alabama at my Uncle's houe. During that most pleasant vacation, I mostly stayed in his bedroom up the alternate stairs with the wood paneling and I for truly the one time in my life watched MTV...I remember i listened to the continuous plays of K.d. Lang's "Constant Craving
Madonna's "This Used to be My Playground"
and Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up"
Interesting the things that stick with you.....
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
From Color of Change Concerning Lavena Johnson
LaVena Johnson was a 19 year old private in the Army, serving in Iraq, when she was raped, murdered, and her body was burned--by someone from her own military base. Despite overwhelming physical evidence, the Army called her death a suicide and has closed the case. 1
For three years, LaVena's parents have been fighting for answers. At almost every turn, they've been met with closed doors or lies. They've appealed to Congress, the one body that can hold the military accountable. But, as in other cases where female soldiers have been raped and murdered and the Army has called it suicide, Congress has failed to act.
Will you join Mr. and Mrs. Johnson in calling on Congressman Henry Waxman, Chairman of the House Government Oversight Committee, to mount a real investigation into LaVena Johnson's death and the Army's cover-up 2? Will you ask your friends and family to do the same?
http://www.colorofchange.org/lavena/?id=1866-234260
>From the beginning, LaVena's death made no sense as a suicide. She was happy and had been talking with friends and family regularly 3--nothing indicated she could be suicidal. And when the Johnsons received her body, they noticed signs that she had been beaten. 4 That was when they started asking questions.
After two years of being denied answers and hearing explanations that made no sense, the Johnsons received a CD-ROM from someone on the inside. It contained pictures of the crime scene where LaVena died and an autopsy showing that she had suffered bruises, abrasions, a dislocated shoulder, broken teeth, and some type of sexual assault. Her body was partially burned; she had been doused in a flammable liquid, and someone had set her body on fire. A corrosive chemical had been poured in her genital area, perhaps to cover up evidence of rape.5
Still the Army sticks by their story. They refuse to explain the overwhelming physical evidence that LaVena was raped and murdered and continue to claim that she killed herself.
For many Black youth, and working class young people of every race, the military is seen as an option for securing a better future. LaVena came from a deeply supportive family, and while the military wasn't her only option, she was attracted by its promise to help her pay for a college education and the opportunity to travel around the world. She also thought that by joining she could continue her lifelong commitment to serving other people in need. She made a decision to serve in the military, with all its risks, and expected respect and dignity in return.
LaVena's death is part of a disturbing pattern of cases where female soldiers have been raped and killed, and where the military has hidden the truth and labeled the deaths suicides. 6,7 In virtually all cases, Congress has been slow to investigate or hold the military accountable in any way. Unfortunately, most families simply don't have the resources, time, and psychological strength to push back.
We can help the Johnsons, and other families, by holding Congress accountable in the LaVena Johnson case and by demanding it investigate the pattern of cover-ups by the military.
Please take a moment to join those calling on Congressman Waxman to investigate the cover-up of LaVena Johnson's death:
http://www.colorofchange.org/lavena/?id=1866-234260
Thanks and Peace,
-- James, Gabriel, Clarissa, Andre, Kai, and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
July 29th, 2008
References:
1. "The cover-up of a soldier's death?" LavenaJohnson.com, March 6, 2007
http://www.lavenajohnson.com/2007/03/cover-up-of-soldiers-death.html
2. "Is There an Army Cover Up of Rape and Murder of Women Soldiers?" CommonDreams.org, April 28, 2008
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/04/28/8564/
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. "Suicide or Murder? Three Years After the Death of Pfc. LaVena Johnson in Iraq, Her Parents Continue Their Call for a Congressional Investigation," Democracy Now!, June 23, 2008.
http://www.democracynow.org/2008/7/23/suicide_or_murder_three_years_after
6. See reference 2.
7. "2 Years After Soldier's Death, Family's Battle Is With Army," New York Times, March 21, 2006.
http://tinyurl.com/mzcvh
Other References:
"Justice for Pfc. LaVena Johnson," DailyKos, June 30, 2008
http://tinyurl.com/5bh73v
"Rapists in the Ranks, Los Angeles Times, March 31, 2008
http://tinyurl.com/2z2c8l
For three years, LaVena's parents have been fighting for answers. At almost every turn, they've been met with closed doors or lies. They've appealed to Congress, the one body that can hold the military accountable. But, as in other cases where female soldiers have been raped and murdered and the Army has called it suicide, Congress has failed to act.
Will you join Mr. and Mrs. Johnson in calling on Congressman Henry Waxman, Chairman of the House Government Oversight Committee, to mount a real investigation into LaVena Johnson's death and the Army's cover-up 2? Will you ask your friends and family to do the same?
http://www.colorofchange.org/lavena/?id=1866-234260
>From the beginning, LaVena's death made no sense as a suicide. She was happy and had been talking with friends and family regularly 3--nothing indicated she could be suicidal. And when the Johnsons received her body, they noticed signs that she had been beaten. 4 That was when they started asking questions.
After two years of being denied answers and hearing explanations that made no sense, the Johnsons received a CD-ROM from someone on the inside. It contained pictures of the crime scene where LaVena died and an autopsy showing that she had suffered bruises, abrasions, a dislocated shoulder, broken teeth, and some type of sexual assault. Her body was partially burned; she had been doused in a flammable liquid, and someone had set her body on fire. A corrosive chemical had been poured in her genital area, perhaps to cover up evidence of rape.5
Still the Army sticks by their story. They refuse to explain the overwhelming physical evidence that LaVena was raped and murdered and continue to claim that she killed herself.
For many Black youth, and working class young people of every race, the military is seen as an option for securing a better future. LaVena came from a deeply supportive family, and while the military wasn't her only option, she was attracted by its promise to help her pay for a college education and the opportunity to travel around the world. She also thought that by joining she could continue her lifelong commitment to serving other people in need. She made a decision to serve in the military, with all its risks, and expected respect and dignity in return.
LaVena's death is part of a disturbing pattern of cases where female soldiers have been raped and killed, and where the military has hidden the truth and labeled the deaths suicides. 6,7 In virtually all cases, Congress has been slow to investigate or hold the military accountable in any way. Unfortunately, most families simply don't have the resources, time, and psychological strength to push back.
We can help the Johnsons, and other families, by holding Congress accountable in the LaVena Johnson case and by demanding it investigate the pattern of cover-ups by the military.
Please take a moment to join those calling on Congressman Waxman to investigate the cover-up of LaVena Johnson's death:
http://www.colorofchange.org/lavena/?id=1866-234260
Thanks and Peace,
-- James, Gabriel, Clarissa, Andre, Kai, and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
July 29th, 2008
References:
1. "The cover-up of a soldier's death?" LavenaJohnson.com, March 6, 2007
http://www.lavenajohnson.com/2007/03/cover-up-of-soldiers-death.html
2. "Is There an Army Cover Up of Rape and Murder of Women Soldiers?" CommonDreams.org, April 28, 2008
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/04/28/8564/
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. "Suicide or Murder? Three Years After the Death of Pfc. LaVena Johnson in Iraq, Her Parents Continue Their Call for a Congressional Investigation," Democracy Now!, June 23, 2008.
http://www.democracynow.org/2008/7/23/suicide_or_murder_three_years_after
6. See reference 2.
7. "2 Years After Soldier's Death, Family's Battle Is With Army," New York Times, March 21, 2006.
http://tinyurl.com/mzcvh
Other References:
"Justice for Pfc. LaVena Johnson," DailyKos, June 30, 2008
http://tinyurl.com/5bh73v
"Rapists in the Ranks, Los Angeles Times, March 31, 2008
http://tinyurl.com/2z2c8l
Reserve Your Right to Make a Citizen's Arrest!
Today, Democracy Now reported that a group of individuals were jailed for taking Karl Rove into their custody while making a citizen's arrest. Cheers to them for their effort! Others should continue it!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Bush Goes Out With a Bang
Bush is going out with a bang, allowing for military executions. Oh how macho, how brave. I can smell the aftershot of his penis.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Michelle and Barack Obama On The Cover Of People Magazine
I am soo proud that the Obama family is from my hometown of Chicago!
#9 Dream
John Lennon
So long ago
Was it in a dream, was it just a dream?
I know, yes I know
Seemed so very real, it seemed so real to me
Took a walk down the street
Thru the heat whispered trees
I thought I could hear (hear, hear, hear)
Somebody call out my name as it started to rain
Two spirits dancing so strange
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Dream, dream away
Magic in the air, was magic in the air?
I believe, yes I believe
More I cannot say, what more can I say?
On a river of sound
Thru the mirror go round, round
I thought I could feel (feel, feel, feel)
Music touching my soul, something warm, sudden cold
The spirit dance was unfolding
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
So long ago
Was it in a dream, was it just a dream?
I know, yes I know
Seemed so very real, it seemed so real to me
Took a walk down the street
Thru the heat whispered trees
I thought I could hear (hear, hear, hear)
Somebody call out my name as it started to rain
Two spirits dancing so strange
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Dream, dream away
Magic in the air, was magic in the air?
I believe, yes I believe
More I cannot say, what more can I say?
On a river of sound
Thru the mirror go round, round
I thought I could feel (feel, feel, feel)
Music touching my soul, something warm, sudden cold
The spirit dance was unfolding
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Whatever Gets You Through The Night
John Lennon
Whatever gets you through the night 'salright, 'salright
It's your money or life 'salright, 'salright
Don't need a sword to cut through flowers oh no, oh no
Whatever gets you through your life 'salright, 'salright
Do it wrong or do it right 'salright, 'salright
Don't need a watch to waste your time oh no, oh no
Hold me darlin' come on listen to me
I won't do you no harm
Trust me darlin' come on listen to me, come on listen to me
Come on listen, listen
Whatever gets you to the light 'salright, 'salright
Out the blue or out of sight 'salright, 'salright
Don't need a gun to blow your mind oh no, oh no
Hold me darlin' come on listen to me
I won't do you no harm
Trust me darlin' come on listen to me, come on listen to me
Come on listen, listen
Whatever gets you through the night 'salright, 'salright
It's your money or life 'salright, 'salright
Don't need a sword to cut through flowers oh no, oh no
Whatever gets you through your life 'salright, 'salright
Do it wrong or do it right 'salright, 'salright
Don't need a watch to waste your time oh no, oh no
Hold me darlin' come on listen to me
I won't do you no harm
Trust me darlin' come on listen to me, come on listen to me
Come on listen, listen
Whatever gets you to the light 'salright, 'salright
Out the blue or out of sight 'salright, 'salright
Don't need a gun to blow your mind oh no, oh no
Hold me darlin' come on listen to me
I won't do you no harm
Trust me darlin' come on listen to me, come on listen to me
Come on listen, listen
Gays and Lesbians in the Military
Elaine Donnelly of the Center for Military Readiness said that the U.S. military doesn't do things halfway. I soo laughed--out loud! Honey, have you heard of Iraq? Oh, when you begin to feel you have authority..... Where is Nina Simone? "When your mind is in the devil's workshop and evil doing's your thrill..."
Friday, July 25, 2008
Kevin Pausch, 47,,died today
I saw him on Oprah and thought he was a beautiful soul. He dedicated his last days to teaching the world about living and mortality.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Black In America Part I- CNN
It was, as I expected, full of stereotypes and cliches, but I do commend Soledad O'Brien for the effort. There's only so much one can do at a major network anyway. One really cannot discuss race and racism in America, especially as pertaining to Black people, without discussing patriarchy. Tonight's efforts only touched on a few problems with a wide-brushing sweep.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Hearing Shirley MacLaine speak yesterday on The View, I am now more thoroughly convinced that there is an afterlife and that people do transgress time. I have had those experiences myself. I feel that I lived in a previous life, sometime in the early twentieth or late 19th Century..in an urban environment... More things to ponder.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Chavez Seeks Alliance With Russia
We must stop the United States from meddling in the affairs of South America. Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, Bolivia's Evo Morales, are among leaders who are trying to keep American machinations at bay. Stop the U.S. government and take responsibility for what the evil white men whom you elect to run your country do.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Goodbye Earl
Mary Anne and Wanda were the best of friends
All through their high school days
Both members of the 4H Club
Both active in the FFA
After graduation Mary Anne went out lookin'
for a bright new world
Wanda looked all around this town
and all she found was Earl
Well it wasn't two weeks
after she got married that
Wanda started gettin' abused
She put on dark glasses and long sleeved blouses
And make-up to cover a bruise
Well she finally got the nerve to file for divorce
She let the law take it from there
But Earl walked right through that restraining order
And put her in intensive care
Right away Mary Anne flew in from Atalnta
On a red eye midnight flight
She held Wanda's hand as they
worked out a plan
And it didn't take long to decided
That Earl had to die
Goodbye Earl
Those black-eyed peas
They tasted all right to me Earl
You're feeling weak
Why don't you lay down
and sleep Earl
Ain't it dark
Wrapped up in that tarp Earl
The cops came to bring Earl in
They searched the house
high and low
Then they tipped their hats
and said 'Thank You ladies
if you hear from him let us know'
Well the weeks went by and
Spring turned to Summer
And Summer faded into Fall
And it turns out he was a missing person
who nobody missed al all
So the girls bouth some land
and a roadside stand
Out on Highway 109
They sell Tennessee ham
and strawberry jame
And they don't
lose any sleep at night 'cause
Earl had to die
Goodbye Earl
We need a break
Let's go out to the lake Earl
We'll pack a lunch
And stuff you in the trunk Earl
Well is that all right
Good Let's go for a ride
Earl hey
More from artist :
Dixie Chicks
More from album :
Fly
Corey Glass Deported: Shame On Canada!
Canada's Shame:
Harper government deports US War Resister Robin Long
Against the wishes of Canadians and Canada's Parliament, the federal government deported U.S. Iraq war resister Robin Long to the United States, where he faces punishment for refusing to participate in the Iraq War.
Robin is currently being held at the Buckley City Jail near Fort Lewis, Washington. Last night supporters and a lawyer were able to get in to visit Robin. He will likely be transferred to Fort Carson, Colorado next week.
More details will be posted as information becomes available, including details of how people can send messages of support to Robin.
The War Resisters Support Campaign is calling on supporters across Canada to urgently continue to put pressure on the minority conservative government to immediately cease deportation proceedings against other US war resisters and to respect the will of Canadians and their elected representatives by implementing the motion adopted by Parliament on June 3rd. Please see the take action page for what you can do.
---------------------------
Take Action By:
CALL PRIME MINISTER STEPHEN HARPER
AND MINISTER OF IMMIGRATION DIANE FINLEY
Tell them you want them to:
• immediately cease all deportation proceedings against US Iraq war resisters in Canada
• implement the motion adopted by the House of Commons on June 3rd, 2008 by creating a program that would allow US Iraq war resisters to apply for permanent resident status in Canada
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Prime Minister Stephen Harper
613.992.4211
Stephen Harper's constituency office:
403.253.7990
Or email him at:
harper.s@parl.gc.ca
Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Diane Finley
613.996.4974
MP Diane Finley’s constituency office (Simcoe):
519.426.3400
Or email her at:
minister@cic.gc.ca
or
finled1@parl.gc.ca
CALL MINISTER OF PUBLIC SAFETY STOCKWELL DAY
Please take a moment to email or phone Stockwell Day, Minister of Public Safety, and ask him to immediately stop the deportation of U.S. Iraq war resisters. (The Canadian Border Services Agency falls under his ministry).
Also ask him why the federal government is refusing to respect the clearly expressed will of Canada's Parliament, that U.S. war resisters should be allowed to stay and that deportation proceedings against them should cease?
In a recent Angus Reid poll, almost two-thirds of Canadians said they want U.S. Iraq war resisters to be allowed to stay in Canada. Demand to know why the Harper government is unwilling to be accountable to Canadians.
Minister of Public Safety Stockwell Day
Email:
day.s@parl.gc.ca (Ottawa office)
days1@parl.gc.ca (Penticton constituency office)
Phone:
613.995.1702 (Ottawa)
250.770.4480 (Penticton constituency office)
Fax: 613.995.1154 (Ottawa); 250.770.4484 (Penticton)
* * *
It is more urgent than ever that we send a message to the Canadian government that Canada needs to welcome US men and women who refuse to participate in the illegal and immoral war in Iraq. There are three actions you can take today to help support the war resisters.
* Sign the petition in support of the war resisters;
* Contact the federal government and make your views known; and
* Send a letter to the editor of your local newspaper.
Harper government deports US War Resister Robin Long
Against the wishes of Canadians and Canada's Parliament, the federal government deported U.S. Iraq war resister Robin Long to the United States, where he faces punishment for refusing to participate in the Iraq War.
Robin is currently being held at the Buckley City Jail near Fort Lewis, Washington. Last night supporters and a lawyer were able to get in to visit Robin. He will likely be transferred to Fort Carson, Colorado next week.
More details will be posted as information becomes available, including details of how people can send messages of support to Robin.
The War Resisters Support Campaign is calling on supporters across Canada to urgently continue to put pressure on the minority conservative government to immediately cease deportation proceedings against other US war resisters and to respect the will of Canadians and their elected representatives by implementing the motion adopted by Parliament on June 3rd. Please see the take action page for what you can do.
---------------------------
Take Action By:
CALL PRIME MINISTER STEPHEN HARPER
AND MINISTER OF IMMIGRATION DIANE FINLEY
Tell them you want them to:
• immediately cease all deportation proceedings against US Iraq war resisters in Canada
• implement the motion adopted by the House of Commons on June 3rd, 2008 by creating a program that would allow US Iraq war resisters to apply for permanent resident status in Canada
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Prime Minister Stephen Harper
613.992.4211
Stephen Harper's constituency office:
403.253.7990
Or email him at:
harper.s@parl.gc.ca
Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Diane Finley
613.996.4974
MP Diane Finley’s constituency office (Simcoe):
519.426.3400
Or email her at:
minister@cic.gc.ca
or
finled1@parl.gc.ca
CALL MINISTER OF PUBLIC SAFETY STOCKWELL DAY
Please take a moment to email or phone Stockwell Day, Minister of Public Safety, and ask him to immediately stop the deportation of U.S. Iraq war resisters. (The Canadian Border Services Agency falls under his ministry).
Also ask him why the federal government is refusing to respect the clearly expressed will of Canada's Parliament, that U.S. war resisters should be allowed to stay and that deportation proceedings against them should cease?
In a recent Angus Reid poll, almost two-thirds of Canadians said they want U.S. Iraq war resisters to be allowed to stay in Canada. Demand to know why the Harper government is unwilling to be accountable to Canadians.
Minister of Public Safety Stockwell Day
Email:
day.s@parl.gc.ca (Ottawa office)
days1@parl.gc.ca (Penticton constituency office)
Phone:
613.995.1702 (Ottawa)
250.770.4480 (Penticton constituency office)
Fax: 613.995.1154 (Ottawa); 250.770.4484 (Penticton)
* * *
It is more urgent than ever that we send a message to the Canadian government that Canada needs to welcome US men and women who refuse to participate in the illegal and immoral war in Iraq. There are three actions you can take today to help support the war resisters.
* Sign the petition in support of the war resisters;
* Contact the federal government and make your views known; and
* Send a letter to the editor of your local newspaper.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
God is Good
Mavis Staples at Event for Hurricane Katrina
I know that God my God.
God Is Good.
God my God.
God Is Good.
You know that He brought me out of darkness.
God Is Good.
You know that He saved my soul.
God Is Good.
Said He saved my soul.
God Is Good.
I said that He saved my soul, and then He brought me out of darkness.
God Is Good.
You know that He guides my every foot step.
God Is Good.
Said He guides my every foot step.
God Is Good.
You know that He guides my every foot step, then He saved my soul, and then He brought me out of darkness.
God Is Good.
And then He put shoes on my feet.
God Is Good.
Said He put shoes on my feet.
God is Good
You know He put shoes on my feet.
So He could guide my every footstep.
Jesus saved my soul, and then He brought me out of darkness.
God is Good.
And then He put food on my table.
God Is Good.
Said He put food on my table.
God Is Good.
Said He put food on my table, then He put shoes on my feet, so He could guide my every foot step, Jesus saved my soul, and then He brought me out of darkness.
God Is Good.
And then He made a way.
God Is Good.
Said He made a way.
God Is Good.
I said that He made a way, and then He put food on my table, then He put shoes on my feet, so He could guide my every foot step, Jesus saved my soul, and then He brought me out of darkness.
God Is Good.
And with no money in my pocket.
God is Good.
With no money in my pocket.
God is Good.
With no money in my pocket, He still made a way, then put food on my table, and He put shoes on my feet, so He could guide my every footstep, Jesus saved my soul, and then He brought me out of darkness.
God is Good.
You know that He healed my every sickness.
God is Good.
Said that He healed my every sickness.
God Is Good.
I said that He healed my every sickness, with no money in my pocket, He still made a way - out of no way
He still made a way - out of no way
He still made a way - out of no way
Then He put food on my table, and He put shoes on my feet, so He could guide my every footstep, Jesus saved my soul, I know that He saved my soul, and He saved my soul and then He brought me out of darkness.
God Is Good.
hmmm
God is Good.
Yea, yea
God is Good.
yea
God is Good.
ooo oooo
God is Good
I know that God my God.
God Is Good.
God my God.
God Is Good.
You know that He brought me out of darkness.
God Is Good.
You know that He saved my soul.
God Is Good.
Said He saved my soul.
God Is Good.
I said that He saved my soul, and then He brought me out of darkness.
God Is Good.
You know that He guides my every foot step.
God Is Good.
Said He guides my every foot step.
God Is Good.
You know that He guides my every foot step, then He saved my soul, and then He brought me out of darkness.
God Is Good.
And then He put shoes on my feet.
God Is Good.
Said He put shoes on my feet.
God is Good
You know He put shoes on my feet.
So He could guide my every footstep.
Jesus saved my soul, and then He brought me out of darkness.
God is Good.
And then He put food on my table.
God Is Good.
Said He put food on my table.
God Is Good.
Said He put food on my table, then He put shoes on my feet, so He could guide my every foot step, Jesus saved my soul, and then He brought me out of darkness.
God Is Good.
And then He made a way.
God Is Good.
Said He made a way.
God Is Good.
I said that He made a way, and then He put food on my table, then He put shoes on my feet, so He could guide my every foot step, Jesus saved my soul, and then He brought me out of darkness.
God Is Good.
And with no money in my pocket.
God is Good.
With no money in my pocket.
God is Good.
With no money in my pocket, He still made a way, then put food on my table, and He put shoes on my feet, so He could guide my every footstep, Jesus saved my soul, and then He brought me out of darkness.
God is Good.
You know that He healed my every sickness.
God is Good.
Said that He healed my every sickness.
God Is Good.
I said that He healed my every sickness, with no money in my pocket, He still made a way - out of no way
He still made a way - out of no way
He still made a way - out of no way
Then He put food on my table, and He put shoes on my feet, so He could guide my every footstep, Jesus saved my soul, I know that He saved my soul, and He saved my soul and then He brought me out of darkness.
God Is Good.
hmmm
God is Good.
Yea, yea
God is Good.
yea
God is Good.
ooo oooo
God is Good
Maya Angelou
I am convinced that courage is the most important of all the virtues. Because without courage, you cannot practice any other virtues consistently.
More on Project Runway
My favorite dress from the first episode of season five was Korto's yellow kimono.
My Picks for the Primetime Emmy Categories I Care About
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series
My Pick: In Treatment • HBO • Sheleg, Closest To The Hole Productions and Leverage in association with HBO Entertainment
Gabriel Byrne as Paul
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie
Bernard And Doris • HBO • Trigger Street Independent Productions in association with Little Bird and Chicago Films and HBO Films
Ralph Fiennes as Bernard Lafferty
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
Ugly Betty • ABC • ABC Studios
America Ferrera as Betty Suarez
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series
Brothers & Sisters • ABC • ABC Studios
Sally Field as Nora Holden-Walker
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Miniseries Or A Movie
A Raisin In The Sun • ABC • Storyline Entertainment and Bad Boy World Wide Entertainment Group in association with Sony Pictures Television
Phylicia Rashad as Lena Younger
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
In Treatment • HBO • Sheleg, Closest To The Hole Productions and Leverage in association with HBO Entertainment
Dianne Wiest as Dr. Gina Toll
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Miniseries Or A Movie
A Raisin In The Sun • ABC • Storyline Entertainment and Bad Boy World Wide Entertainment Group in association with Sony Pictures Television
Audra McDonald as Ruth Younger
Outstanding Guest Actress In A Drama Series
Grey’s Anatomy • ABC • ABC Studios
Diahann Carroll as Jane Burke
Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Reality-Competition Program
Project Runway • Bravo • Magical Elves for The Weinstein Company, Full Picture, Bravo
Heidi Klum, Host
Outstanding Made For Television Movie
Bernard And Doris • HBO • Trigger Street Independent Productions in association with Little Bird and Chicago Films and HBO Films
Producers TBD
Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
Project Runway
My Pick: In Treatment • HBO • Sheleg, Closest To The Hole Productions and Leverage in association with HBO Entertainment
Gabriel Byrne as Paul
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie
Bernard And Doris • HBO • Trigger Street Independent Productions in association with Little Bird and Chicago Films and HBO Films
Ralph Fiennes as Bernard Lafferty
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
Ugly Betty • ABC • ABC Studios
America Ferrera as Betty Suarez
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series
Brothers & Sisters • ABC • ABC Studios
Sally Field as Nora Holden-Walker
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Miniseries Or A Movie
A Raisin In The Sun • ABC • Storyline Entertainment and Bad Boy World Wide Entertainment Group in association with Sony Pictures Television
Phylicia Rashad as Lena Younger
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
In Treatment • HBO • Sheleg, Closest To The Hole Productions and Leverage in association with HBO Entertainment
Dianne Wiest as Dr. Gina Toll
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Miniseries Or A Movie
A Raisin In The Sun • ABC • Storyline Entertainment and Bad Boy World Wide Entertainment Group in association with Sony Pictures Television
Audra McDonald as Ruth Younger
Outstanding Guest Actress In A Drama Series
Grey’s Anatomy • ABC • ABC Studios
Diahann Carroll as Jane Burke
Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Reality-Competition Program
Project Runway • Bravo • Magical Elves for The Weinstein Company, Full Picture, Bravo
Heidi Klum, Host
Outstanding Made For Television Movie
Bernard And Doris • HBO • Trigger Street Independent Productions in association with Little Bird and Chicago Films and HBO Films
Producers TBD
Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
Project Runway
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Poem: To Myra Breckenridge, With Love
Oh
if someone had thought...and tried
to cut Richard Nixon's penis off...the symbolism alone would destroy america...and bring us one step closer to ending patriarchy...yet here we are...nearly forty years later...still suffering under the same bullshit.
if someone had thought...and tried
to cut Richard Nixon's penis off...the symbolism alone would destroy america...and bring us one step closer to ending patriarchy...yet here we are...nearly forty years later...still suffering under the same bullshit.
An Article On the Troy King Gay Sex Scandal From Media Frenzy
The ‘new journalism’
This appears to be how it works in the Internet Age – at least if we’re talking about a salacious rumor a lot of people appear to think (or hope) is true.
Alabama Attorney General Troy King is finding this out the hard way, as in the course of a few days, rumors of him being busted in bed with a male aide have gone from whispers, phone calls and e-mails to in-state bloggers to national Web sites.
As I write this, there has been no official statement from King, Gov. Bob Riley or any other state official. No one has admitted or denied that King was sexually involved with a male aide, or that his wife caught them and threw him out of the house. As I write this, nothing is clear – except that lots and lots of people on the Web either think the rumor is true or want it to be true.
The speed with which this thing took off and went “viral” is breathtaking, really. I first heard about it through a cryptic e-mail from a fellow journalist on Wednesday, July 9. I called a friend in Montgomery and he filled me in on what he knew, that the rumor had first broken over the weekend and people had been talking of little else in the capital city for the past couple of days.
At that point, there were a couple of sites that were breathlessly reporting that King would resign at any moment, and that it would be in the mainstream media within a day or two. By Thursday, the number of sites discussing this alleged incident had more than doubled and by Friday, it grew exponentially. As we go to press, more than 100 sites across the country have “reported’ the “story.” National gossip-monger Perez Hilton picked up the ball and ran with it, practically reporting King’s outing as gospel. It only seems like a matter of time before a mainstream news organization has to report on the rumor.
I know for a fact reporters from the Birmingham News and the state’s New York Times-owned newspapers were both actively trying to move the story from the ether of the Web into the cold type of newsprint. I’m told Riley was actively avoiding reporters by the end of the week, as were King and his people.
That’s how things roll now. If enough people start chatting and blogging about something, it can practically become a major news item even without a shred of what any journalism professor would consider “fact.” Welcome to the new journalism.
In some ways it is frightening, as one can easily imagine a situation in which a false story could go viral and smear an innocent person. Even as I write this, that still may be the case with this story about King. Certainly as of July 11, there isn’t a shred of “fact” out there suggesting the story is real. There are plenty of knowledgeable people who insist it is fact, but sans photos, admissions, love notes or court filings, the old pieces that would have made up a standard news story are missing.
But that was then, this is now. If you remember, the Monica Lewinsky story was broken with little more than rumor. Matt Drudge pushed the story on his site and it was only so long before the big boys had to follow suit. All of that has been accelerated dramatically a decade later when so many people have their own blogs that serve as semi-primary news sources for others.
As we go to press, the state is abuzz with the King story, every journalist in the state is talking about it, but not one mainstream news agency has written or spoken a word about it. This is truly a case of the new media passing us by. It’s still incumbent upon the “professional” media to wait until we know we’ve got the story right, but increasingly we’re showing up late to the party because people who aren’t staking their reputations on being accurate have beaten us to the punch bowl.
I’m not saying either of us is wrong or right. Certainly there is room for abuse and character assassination on the Web, while at the same time professional reporters can occasionally let whispers go by for too long without responding, forcing the stories onto the Web. Not that it’s a journalist’s fondest dream to spend his days or nights chasing public officials into seedy motels, but those stories do sometimes have a need-to-know component for the general public.
Either way, the genie’s out of the bottle and not likely to go back in without a very long-term power outage.
WKRG wins Murrow
The folks over at Channel 5 are celebrating another big award, as their story “Mobile’s Makeover” won a national Edward R. Murrow Award for Continuing Coverage. WKRG won the regional Murrow for the story earlier this year, which qualified it for the national contest.
More than 3,400 entries made it into the national contest, with only 77 honorees being awarded. Investigative reporter Tiffany Craig, photojournalist Jud Hulon, former senior producer Jennifer Dale and creative services producer Ed Smith will be presented with their award at a dinner Oct. 13 in New York City.
Congratulations to WKRG and its staff.
Six years and counting
What you’re now reading represents the beginning of Lagniappe’s seventh year. Wow! Hard to imagine we’ve not got a half dozen years under our belt. Sometimes it seems like a lot more, and others it seems like the blink of an eye.
As with every other year in the process, the paper has gotten bigger and stronger. I like to think we continue to find our voice as well and to take our readers places no one else is willing or able to go.
Ashley and I want to thank all of the loyal readers and advertisers who have truly given the Mobile area something extra. We also can’t forget the amazing people who work with us and help get this thing off the ground every two weeks. We are forever grateful.
Look for us to continue bringing you the most interesting local coverage in our seventh year. So far seven is looking lucky indeed.
Rob Holbert is Lagniappe managing editor. Contact him at rholbert@lagniappemobile.com.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Archives
Media Frenzy
Jul 15 2008 – The ‘new journalism’ This appears to be how it works in the Internet Age – at least if we’re talking about a salacious rumor a lot of people appear to think (or hope) is true.
Jul 01 2008 – Firings at WPMI It didn’t take long for WPMI-TV’s new owners, Newport, to make a splash at the NBC affiliate.
Jun 17 2008 – As rising gasoline prices are a problem for average consumers, falling circulation figures are to the daily newspaper industry.
Jun 03 2008 – Most folks paying any attention to the world of the printed word have probably heard nothing but bad news for some time, so it would seem to fly in the face of reason to start a new publication in these tough times.
May 19 2008 – After three years on the Gulf Coast, WALA’s Adam Ghassemi looks to be heading off to the great Northwest with a new job and a new wife.
This appears to be how it works in the Internet Age – at least if we’re talking about a salacious rumor a lot of people appear to think (or hope) is true.
Alabama Attorney General Troy King is finding this out the hard way, as in the course of a few days, rumors of him being busted in bed with a male aide have gone from whispers, phone calls and e-mails to in-state bloggers to national Web sites.
As I write this, there has been no official statement from King, Gov. Bob Riley or any other state official. No one has admitted or denied that King was sexually involved with a male aide, or that his wife caught them and threw him out of the house. As I write this, nothing is clear – except that lots and lots of people on the Web either think the rumor is true or want it to be true.
The speed with which this thing took off and went “viral” is breathtaking, really. I first heard about it through a cryptic e-mail from a fellow journalist on Wednesday, July 9. I called a friend in Montgomery and he filled me in on what he knew, that the rumor had first broken over the weekend and people had been talking of little else in the capital city for the past couple of days.
At that point, there were a couple of sites that were breathlessly reporting that King would resign at any moment, and that it would be in the mainstream media within a day or two. By Thursday, the number of sites discussing this alleged incident had more than doubled and by Friday, it grew exponentially. As we go to press, more than 100 sites across the country have “reported’ the “story.” National gossip-monger Perez Hilton picked up the ball and ran with it, practically reporting King’s outing as gospel. It only seems like a matter of time before a mainstream news organization has to report on the rumor.
I know for a fact reporters from the Birmingham News and the state’s New York Times-owned newspapers were both actively trying to move the story from the ether of the Web into the cold type of newsprint. I’m told Riley was actively avoiding reporters by the end of the week, as were King and his people.
That’s how things roll now. If enough people start chatting and blogging about something, it can practically become a major news item even without a shred of what any journalism professor would consider “fact.” Welcome to the new journalism.
In some ways it is frightening, as one can easily imagine a situation in which a false story could go viral and smear an innocent person. Even as I write this, that still may be the case with this story about King. Certainly as of July 11, there isn’t a shred of “fact” out there suggesting the story is real. There are plenty of knowledgeable people who insist it is fact, but sans photos, admissions, love notes or court filings, the old pieces that would have made up a standard news story are missing.
But that was then, this is now. If you remember, the Monica Lewinsky story was broken with little more than rumor. Matt Drudge pushed the story on his site and it was only so long before the big boys had to follow suit. All of that has been accelerated dramatically a decade later when so many people have their own blogs that serve as semi-primary news sources for others.
As we go to press, the state is abuzz with the King story, every journalist in the state is talking about it, but not one mainstream news agency has written or spoken a word about it. This is truly a case of the new media passing us by. It’s still incumbent upon the “professional” media to wait until we know we’ve got the story right, but increasingly we’re showing up late to the party because people who aren’t staking their reputations on being accurate have beaten us to the punch bowl.
I’m not saying either of us is wrong or right. Certainly there is room for abuse and character assassination on the Web, while at the same time professional reporters can occasionally let whispers go by for too long without responding, forcing the stories onto the Web. Not that it’s a journalist’s fondest dream to spend his days or nights chasing public officials into seedy motels, but those stories do sometimes have a need-to-know component for the general public.
Either way, the genie’s out of the bottle and not likely to go back in without a very long-term power outage.
WKRG wins Murrow
The folks over at Channel 5 are celebrating another big award, as their story “Mobile’s Makeover” won a national Edward R. Murrow Award for Continuing Coverage. WKRG won the regional Murrow for the story earlier this year, which qualified it for the national contest.
More than 3,400 entries made it into the national contest, with only 77 honorees being awarded. Investigative reporter Tiffany Craig, photojournalist Jud Hulon, former senior producer Jennifer Dale and creative services producer Ed Smith will be presented with their award at a dinner Oct. 13 in New York City.
Congratulations to WKRG and its staff.
Six years and counting
What you’re now reading represents the beginning of Lagniappe’s seventh year. Wow! Hard to imagine we’ve not got a half dozen years under our belt. Sometimes it seems like a lot more, and others it seems like the blink of an eye.
As with every other year in the process, the paper has gotten bigger and stronger. I like to think we continue to find our voice as well and to take our readers places no one else is willing or able to go.
Ashley and I want to thank all of the loyal readers and advertisers who have truly given the Mobile area something extra. We also can’t forget the amazing people who work with us and help get this thing off the ground every two weeks. We are forever grateful.
Look for us to continue bringing you the most interesting local coverage in our seventh year. So far seven is looking lucky indeed.
Rob Holbert is Lagniappe managing editor. Contact him at rholbert@lagniappemobile.com.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Archives
Media Frenzy
Jul 15 2008 – The ‘new journalism’ This appears to be how it works in the Internet Age – at least if we’re talking about a salacious rumor a lot of people appear to think (or hope) is true.
Jul 01 2008 – Firings at WPMI It didn’t take long for WPMI-TV’s new owners, Newport, to make a splash at the NBC affiliate.
Jun 17 2008 – As rising gasoline prices are a problem for average consumers, falling circulation figures are to the daily newspaper industry.
Jun 03 2008 – Most folks paying any attention to the world of the printed word have probably heard nothing but bad news for some time, so it would seem to fly in the face of reason to start a new publication in these tough times.
May 19 2008 – After three years on the Gulf Coast, WALA’s Adam Ghassemi looks to be heading off to the great Northwest with a new job and a new wife.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Alabama Attorney General, Troy King, Caught Up in Gay Sex Scandal. Removed From John McCain 's Campaign
And apparently there is a big hush hush about it all over the world. I called WSFA and was told that the report about Troy King's gay sex scandal was a rumour that they could neither "confirm or deny." The newsperson at WAKA said " They hadn't reported it because it was just a bunch of rumours and so it wasn't a story they chose to carry." So, I switched tactics. I called again, later on, and asked if Troy King had been taken off of John McCain's website. The newsperson at WSFA told me that the site "was having problems and that a lot of attorneys general had been removed from the site. He also recommended that I call the McCain regional office. I did. Troy King was previously and is supposed to be the chairperson of the Alabama John McCain campaign. When I asked the young lady at McCain's regional office who the chairperson of the campaign was in Alabama I was told that "they hadn't announced their leadership yet" but could she get my name and number. I obviously, did not give it to her. So I find it quite interesting that in this day and age, and so far after the establishment of the fourth estate and the privileging of the media to work for the people, it is now, yet again, conspiring with the politicians. What is with the hold on this story concerning Troy King, his gay sex scandal, and John McCain's campaign? We the people want to hear....
Monday, July 14, 2008
Saturday, July 12, 2008
More Evidence That the Thug is an Inverted Cowboy
My niece was watching a music video called "Corporate Thuggin'" on BET. Oh the patriarchal and other links between Afro-American culture(especially Afro-Masculinity) and the Cowboy mythology.
From Barbra
‘Out of many, one’ It’s the sentiment he’s repeated since the moment the world was first introduced to Senator Barack Obama at the 2004 Democratic convention. It’s the idea trailblazers before him have used to inspire a generation of people to a call to action--to shake things up and remind us of what’s possible when the American people come together to help one another in achieving bigger dreams. Barack has awakened in many of us the notion that we can again be hopeful, enabling us to believe that we are capable of lifting our brothers and sisters out of poverty, of providing quality education for all our children, of ending this unjust war in Iraq and bringing our troops home safely. He’s reminded us ‘yes we can’…we can make the transition from fossil fuels to green energy; we can take care of our elderly and make sure that good healthcare is not just a perk for a few, but a right for every man, woman and child. We are experiencing not just a presidential campaign, but a movement; a movement of inspired young people who have been cynical about politics for too long. For Barack, hope, change, believe…they are not just words. They are tangible ideas that make up the blueprint to building a better America for all of us. He is committed to making the road stronger for those that come after and to leaving behind something that lasts longer than his own spotlight. It’s for all these reasons that I support Barack Obama for President and look forward to November when I can make my voice heard along with millions of other Americans. I hope you’ll join me.
The King Children Ought to Be Ashamed
What a flailing lack of integrity amongst all of them. Harry Belafonte should have whipped their butts a long time ago anyway....and to think they had George Bush sitting UP HIGH at their mother's funeral.....shame....shame..shame!!!
Friday, July 11, 2008
Great News on the Angola 3 From Democracy Now
Conviction Overturned for Jailed Black Panther in “Angola 3” Case
And a federal judge has overturned a murder conviction for an ex-Black Panther who spent more than three decades in solitary confinement. Albert Woodfox and two other former Black Panthers are known as the Angola Three. Many believe they were framed for their political activism. A judge ruled this week Woodfox’s lawyer failed to properly challenge the credibility of witnesses who later admitted they were coerced into falsely testifying.
And a federal judge has overturned a murder conviction for an ex-Black Panther who spent more than three decades in solitary confinement. Albert Woodfox and two other former Black Panthers are known as the Angola Three. Many believe they were framed for their political activism. A judge ruled this week Woodfox’s lawyer failed to properly challenge the credibility of witnesses who later admitted they were coerced into falsely testifying.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
U.S. Deserter Could Qualify as Refugee in Canada
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/07/04/refugee-ruling.html?ref=rss
July 4, 2008
An American war deserter could have a valid claim for
refugee status in Canada, the Federal Court ruled on
Friday.
In a decision that may have an impact on dozens of
refugee claimants in Canada, Federal Court Justice
Robert Barnes said Canada's refugee board erred by
rejecting the asylum bid of Joshua Key. He ordered that
a new panel reconsider the application.
Key was sent to Iraq in 2003 as a combat engineer for
eight months where he said he was responsible for
nighttime raids on private Iraqi homes, which included
searching for weapons.
He alleged that during his time in Iraq he witnessed
several cases of abuse, humiliation, and looting by the
U.S. army.
When Key was back in the U.S on a two-week leave, he
said he was suffering from debilitating nightmares and
that he couldn't return. A military lawyer told him
that he could either return to Iraq or face prison.
Instead, Key took his family to Canada and applied for
refugee status.
While the immigration board concluded that some of the
alleged conduct by the U.S military included a
"disturbing level of brutality," it said the conduct
did not meet the definition of a war crime or a crime
against humanity.
Barnes said the board erred "by concluding that refugee
protection for military deserters and evaders is only
available where the conduct objected to amounts to a
war crime, a crime against peace or a crime against
humanity."
Citing a case from the U.S. Federal Court of Appeal,
Barnes said officially condoned military misconduct
could still support a refugee claim, even if it falls
short of a war crime.
"The authorities indicate that military action which
systematically degrades, abuses or humiliates either
combatants or non-combatants is capable of supporting a
refugee claim where that is the proven reason for
refusing to serve," Barnes wrote.
Barnes said the board imposed a legal standard that was
"too restrictive" on Key, who lives in Saskatchewan.
Key's lawyer, Jeffry House, said the ruling expands a
soldier's right to refuse military service.
"It's a huge victory for numerous soldiers who are here
and maybe others who are thinking of coming here,"
House said.
A spokeswoman for Immigration Minister Diane Finley
said they were reviewing the court decision.
_____________________________________________
Portside aims to provide material of interest
to people on the left that will help them to
interpret the world and to change it.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/07/04/refugee-ruling.html?ref=rss
July 4, 2008
An American war deserter could have a valid claim for
refugee status in Canada, the Federal Court ruled on
Friday.
In a decision that may have an impact on dozens of
refugee claimants in Canada, Federal Court Justice
Robert Barnes said Canada's refugee board erred by
rejecting the asylum bid of Joshua Key. He ordered that
a new panel reconsider the application.
Key was sent to Iraq in 2003 as a combat engineer for
eight months where he said he was responsible for
nighttime raids on private Iraqi homes, which included
searching for weapons.
He alleged that during his time in Iraq he witnessed
several cases of abuse, humiliation, and looting by the
U.S. army.
When Key was back in the U.S on a two-week leave, he
said he was suffering from debilitating nightmares and
that he couldn't return. A military lawyer told him
that he could either return to Iraq or face prison.
Instead, Key took his family to Canada and applied for
refugee status.
While the immigration board concluded that some of the
alleged conduct by the U.S military included a
"disturbing level of brutality," it said the conduct
did not meet the definition of a war crime or a crime
against humanity.
Barnes said the board erred "by concluding that refugee
protection for military deserters and evaders is only
available where the conduct objected to amounts to a
war crime, a crime against peace or a crime against
humanity."
Citing a case from the U.S. Federal Court of Appeal,
Barnes said officially condoned military misconduct
could still support a refugee claim, even if it falls
short of a war crime.
"The authorities indicate that military action which
systematically degrades, abuses or humiliates either
combatants or non-combatants is capable of supporting a
refugee claim where that is the proven reason for
refusing to serve," Barnes wrote.
Barnes said the board imposed a legal standard that was
"too restrictive" on Key, who lives in Saskatchewan.
Key's lawyer, Jeffry House, said the ruling expands a
soldier's right to refuse military service.
"It's a huge victory for numerous soldiers who are here
and maybe others who are thinking of coming here,"
House said.
A spokeswoman for Immigration Minister Diane Finley
said they were reviewing the court decision.
_____________________________________________
Portside aims to provide material of interest
to people on the left that will help them to
interpret the world and to change it.
Monday, July 07, 2008
Over My Head
Over my head, I hear music in the air;
over my head, I hear music in the air;
over my head, I hear music in the air;
there must be a God somewhere.
1. Leader: Oh, when the world is silent,
People: Hmm, I hear music in the air;
Leader: oh, when the world is silent,
People: hmm, I hear music in the air;
Leader: Oh, when the world is silent,
People: hmm, I hear music in the air;
All: there must be a God somewhere.
(Refrain)
2. Leader: And when I'm feeling lonely,
People: Hmm, I hear music in the air;
Leader: and when I'm feeling lonely,
People: hmm, I hear music in the air;
Leader: and when I'm feeling lonely,
People: hmm, I hear music in the air;
All: there must be a God somewhere.
(Refrain)
3. Leader: Now when I think on Jesus,
People: Hmm, I hear music in the air;
Leader: now when I think on Jesus,
People: hmm, I hear music in the air;
Leader: now when I think on Jesus,
People: hmm, I hear music in the air;
All: there must be a God somewhere.
over my head, I hear music in the air;
over my head, I hear music in the air;
there must be a God somewhere.
1. Leader: Oh, when the world is silent,
People: Hmm, I hear music in the air;
Leader: oh, when the world is silent,
People: hmm, I hear music in the air;
Leader: Oh, when the world is silent,
People: hmm, I hear music in the air;
All: there must be a God somewhere.
(Refrain)
2. Leader: And when I'm feeling lonely,
People: Hmm, I hear music in the air;
Leader: and when I'm feeling lonely,
People: hmm, I hear music in the air;
Leader: and when I'm feeling lonely,
People: hmm, I hear music in the air;
All: there must be a God somewhere.
(Refrain)
3. Leader: Now when I think on Jesus,
People: Hmm, I hear music in the air;
Leader: now when I think on Jesus,
People: hmm, I hear music in the air;
Leader: now when I think on Jesus,
People: hmm, I hear music in the air;
All: there must be a God somewhere.
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Interesting Fact
Roger Ailes, founder and owner of Fox News Channel, was the media person for Richard Nixon.
Saturday, July 05, 2008
Conversation with Matthis Chiroux
I recently had a conversation with Matthis Chiroux, the soldier who is refusing to be deployed to Iraq. Outside of the list of questions I sent his way, we had a very interesting conversation. Here is what transpired.
Brandon:
hi there
Matthis:
Hi, how are you?
Brandon:
good and you thanks
Matthis:
I'm fine. Super busy and even more broke, but not in jail, and still kicking against the flow.
So those questions you sent me, what exactly were they for?
Brandon:
hehe
Matthis:
You didn't really specify.
Brandon:
great stuff
for my blog
just an interview type thing
Matthis:
Oh, I see.
You did send me that, didn't you.
Brandon:
send what?
my blog?
yes
I did
Matthis:
Sorry, my heads been in about amillion places at once.
Brandon:
in an earlier note
ahh understand
;-)
Matthis:
Yeah, that's right.
Brandon:
I bet there's a lot of things going on up there
um
it is www.juliusspeaks.blogspot.com
Matthis:
Well, just got back to brooklyn and am trying to figure out how I'm not going to be another homeless vet.
Brandon:
oh my
what are your options?
Matthis:
Quit the activism and get a real job.
Or some kind of public support needs to start flowing in.
Brandon:
haha
isnt that always the way?
you know
there is a real need for money on the left
things are not as organized
or perhaps are too organized
than what they used to be
although of course I wasnt around for that time
but i mean
they could actually operate
and it wasn't
"volunteer"
Matthis:
Well, there is just too much independent thought.
Brandon:
it was a way of life
no
never
Matthis:
People heading in 30 ways at once.
Not a bad thing, but makes organizing difficult.
Brandon:
are you an agent provacateur?
well
I dont know
I think there is a bit of that
but no
I think what there is
is just too much coalescensce
and too much
complacency
you know the black panthers
alwasys had
at least a million dollars in their coffers
Matthis:
That's pretty nice.
IVAW does not.
Brandon:
yes
of course
Matthis:
And not nearly as many guns, either.
Brandon:
yes
Matthis:
In fact, I have a broken one tattooed on my arm.
Brandon:
for sure
but alas
the panthers
also had the second most successful newspaper in the country
from 69 to 72
and there were a lot more people
with money
who were willing to put their money
and their lives
whre there mouths were
as you can hear now
a lot of neoliberal right wingers
complaining now
about Leonard Bernstein
and Jane Fonda raising money for the black panthers
lol
Matthis:
Well, unfortunately, things have devolved in this country. Alienation has set it. The shocks of oppresion have masked the shocks of economic reform which has all in all left everyone quite broke and helpless.
Brandon:
well alienation was always there
but solidarity
certainly has fallen apart
and yes
everyone is broke and helpless
Matthis:
But you know, I don't buy into the whole astrology thing, but apparently the stars haven't been aligned like they are right now since the American Revolution.
Brandon:
but so will be the rightwingers too
this country
as a whole
is falling apart
and thats not necessarily a bad thing
interesting
I have never heard anything about that
Brandon:
hi there
Matthis:
Hi, how are you?
Brandon:
good and you thanks
Matthis:
I'm fine. Super busy and even more broke, but not in jail, and still kicking against the flow.
So those questions you sent me, what exactly were they for?
Brandon:
hehe
Matthis:
You didn't really specify.
Brandon:
great stuff
for my blog
just an interview type thing
Matthis:
Oh, I see.
You did send me that, didn't you.
Brandon:
send what?
my blog?
yes
I did
Matthis:
Sorry, my heads been in about amillion places at once.
Brandon:
in an earlier note
ahh understand
;-)
Matthis:
Yeah, that's right.
Brandon:
I bet there's a lot of things going on up there
um
it is www.juliusspeaks.blogspot.com
Matthis:
Well, just got back to brooklyn and am trying to figure out how I'm not going to be another homeless vet.
Brandon:
oh my
what are your options?
Matthis:
Quit the activism and get a real job.
Or some kind of public support needs to start flowing in.
Brandon:
haha
isnt that always the way?
you know
there is a real need for money on the left
things are not as organized
or perhaps are too organized
than what they used to be
although of course I wasnt around for that time
but i mean
they could actually operate
and it wasn't
"volunteer"
Matthis:
Well, there is just too much independent thought.
Brandon:
it was a way of life
no
never
Matthis:
People heading in 30 ways at once.
Not a bad thing, but makes organizing difficult.
Brandon:
are you an agent provacateur?
well
I dont know
I think there is a bit of that
but no
I think what there is
is just too much coalescensce
and too much
complacency
you know the black panthers
alwasys had
at least a million dollars in their coffers
Matthis:
That's pretty nice.
IVAW does not.
Brandon:
yes
of course
Matthis:
And not nearly as many guns, either.
Brandon:
yes
Matthis:
In fact, I have a broken one tattooed on my arm.
Brandon:
for sure
but alas
the panthers
also had the second most successful newspaper in the country
from 69 to 72
and there were a lot more people
with money
who were willing to put their money
and their lives
whre there mouths were
as you can hear now
a lot of neoliberal right wingers
complaining now
about Leonard Bernstein
and Jane Fonda raising money for the black panthers
lol
Matthis:
Well, unfortunately, things have devolved in this country. Alienation has set it. The shocks of oppresion have masked the shocks of economic reform which has all in all left everyone quite broke and helpless.
Brandon:
well alienation was always there
but solidarity
certainly has fallen apart
and yes
everyone is broke and helpless
Matthis:
But you know, I don't buy into the whole astrology thing, but apparently the stars haven't been aligned like they are right now since the American Revolution.
Brandon:
but so will be the rightwingers too
this country
as a whole
is falling apart
and thats not necessarily a bad thing
interesting
I have never heard anything about that
Ransom Claim in Ingrid Betancourt Release
(Two Items)
(1)
By: Haroon Siddique and Agencies
The Guardian (UK)
July 4, 2008
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jul/04/betancourt.france
Ingrid Betancourt arrived in France today after
being held captive for six years in the Colombian
jungle, amid claims that a ransom was paid to free
her.
The Colombian government said that she was freed in
an audacious operation after the military tricked
Farc into handing the French-Colombian politician
over without a shot being fired.
But quoting "reliable sources", Swiss Radio
reported that a ransom was paid of around $20m
(£10m).
It said that the US, which had three citizens among
those freed, was behind the deal and that "the
whole operation afterwards was a set-up."
The station reported that the wife of one of the
hostages' guards was the go-between, having been
arrested by the Colombian army.
If proved true, the allegations would be hugely
embarrassing for the Colombian government which was
showered with praise for the efficiency of the
operation. Many commentators had predicted that it
would even spell the end of Farc as a credible
force.
President Nicolas Sarkozy met Betancourt at the
Villacoublay military air base south of Paris.
The hero's welcome for the 46-year-old, who has
held by the Farc, is being shown live on French
television.
The government is to throw a party in the
presidential Palace in her honour later this
evening.
Addressing journalists after landing she said: "I
am amazed that I am standing here alive. I have
cried a lot. Today they are tears of joy. Before,
they were tears of pain."
Betancourt was kidnapped by Farc rebels during her
election campaign in 2002. She was freed on
Wednesday with 14 others. The rebels were tricked
into handing them over in a Colombian covert
military operation.
Next week, Betancourt is expected to be received by
the Pope. She is a devout Catholic and made wooden
rosary beads to pray with in the jungle.
At a press conference in Bogata upon her release,
Betancourt urged Farc to release the rest of its
prisoners - it has about 700 captives, including 40
high-profile hostages - and embark on a peace
process. She has vowed to work for the freedom of
all hostages.
"I hope that the Farc understands that this is the
time to release all its hostages and use this
release, this act, not only to improve its now
tarnished image, but especially for us here in
Colombia, to try to make this first step towards a
negotiated peace."
(2)
FARC leaders were paid millions to free hostages: Swiss
radio
Thomson Financial News
July 4, 2008
http://www.forbes.com/afxnewslimited/feeds/afx/2008/07/04/afx5184293.html
PARIS
Leaders of the Colombian FARC rebel movement were paid
millions of dollars to free Colombian politician Ingrid
Betancourt and 14 other hostages, Swiss radio said on
Friday, quoting 'a reliable source'.
The 15 hostages released on Wednesday by the Colombian
army 'were in reality ransomed for a high price, and
the whole operation afterwards was a set-up,' the
radio's French-language channel said.
Saying the United States, which had three of its
citizens among those freed, was behind the deal, it put
the price of the ransom at some $20 million.
The radio said its source was 'close to the events,
reliable and tested many times in recent years.'
The report added said the wife of one of the hostages'
guards was the go-between, having been arrested by the
Colombian army. She was released to return to the
guerrillas, where she persuaded her husband to change
sides.
Switzerland, along with France and Spain, has been
mediating with the FARC on behalf of Colombian
President Alvaro Uribe.
According to the official version of Wednesday's
operation, a Colombian army intelligence agent
infiltrated the FARC and tricked the rebels into
believing their top leader had sent a helicopter to
pick up the hostages.
Colombian soldiers posing as FARC guerrillas flew the
hostages from a jungle hideout where they had been
assembled before revealing their identity.
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said the rescue
'was conceived by the Colombians and executed by the
Colombians with our full support,' while implying that
Washington had provided intelligence and even
operational help.
U.S. ambassador to Bogota William Brownfield also told
CNN that Washington had provided 'technical support,'
while Colombian Defence Minister Juan Manuel Santos
insisted it was a '100 percent Colombian' effort.
The top U.S. military officer for Latin America,
Admiral Jim Stavridis, head of United States Southern
Command, said the rescue of Americans Thomas Howes,
Marc Gonsalves and Keith Stansell had been 'a priority
of this command'.
The three were seized by the rebels as they conducted
an anti-drug mission for the Pentagon in February 2003.
The operation enhanced Uribe's prestige as he seeks a
third term in office, and enabled him to stick to his
line of no talks with the rebels without the hostages
being freed, the radio noted.
tf.TFN-Europe_newsdesk@thomsonreuters.com
Copyright Thomson Financial News Limited 2008.
_____________________________________________
Portside aims to provide material of interest
to people on the left that will help them to
interpret the world and to change it.
(1)
By: Haroon Siddique and Agencies
The Guardian (UK)
July 4, 2008
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jul/04/betancourt.france
Ingrid Betancourt arrived in France today after
being held captive for six years in the Colombian
jungle, amid claims that a ransom was paid to free
her.
The Colombian government said that she was freed in
an audacious operation after the military tricked
Farc into handing the French-Colombian politician
over without a shot being fired.
But quoting "reliable sources", Swiss Radio
reported that a ransom was paid of around $20m
(£10m).
It said that the US, which had three citizens among
those freed, was behind the deal and that "the
whole operation afterwards was a set-up."
The station reported that the wife of one of the
hostages' guards was the go-between, having been
arrested by the Colombian army.
If proved true, the allegations would be hugely
embarrassing for the Colombian government which was
showered with praise for the efficiency of the
operation. Many commentators had predicted that it
would even spell the end of Farc as a credible
force.
President Nicolas Sarkozy met Betancourt at the
Villacoublay military air base south of Paris.
The hero's welcome for the 46-year-old, who has
held by the Farc, is being shown live on French
television.
The government is to throw a party in the
presidential Palace in her honour later this
evening.
Addressing journalists after landing she said: "I
am amazed that I am standing here alive. I have
cried a lot. Today they are tears of joy. Before,
they were tears of pain."
Betancourt was kidnapped by Farc rebels during her
election campaign in 2002. She was freed on
Wednesday with 14 others. The rebels were tricked
into handing them over in a Colombian covert
military operation.
Next week, Betancourt is expected to be received by
the Pope. She is a devout Catholic and made wooden
rosary beads to pray with in the jungle.
At a press conference in Bogata upon her release,
Betancourt urged Farc to release the rest of its
prisoners - it has about 700 captives, including 40
high-profile hostages - and embark on a peace
process. She has vowed to work for the freedom of
all hostages.
"I hope that the Farc understands that this is the
time to release all its hostages and use this
release, this act, not only to improve its now
tarnished image, but especially for us here in
Colombia, to try to make this first step towards a
negotiated peace."
(2)
FARC leaders were paid millions to free hostages: Swiss
radio
Thomson Financial News
July 4, 2008
http://www.forbes.com/afxnewslimited/feeds/afx/2008/07/04/afx5184293.html
PARIS
Leaders of the Colombian FARC rebel movement were paid
millions of dollars to free Colombian politician Ingrid
Betancourt and 14 other hostages, Swiss radio said on
Friday, quoting 'a reliable source'.
The 15 hostages released on Wednesday by the Colombian
army 'were in reality ransomed for a high price, and
the whole operation afterwards was a set-up,' the
radio's French-language channel said.
Saying the United States, which had three of its
citizens among those freed, was behind the deal, it put
the price of the ransom at some $20 million.
The radio said its source was 'close to the events,
reliable and tested many times in recent years.'
The report added said the wife of one of the hostages'
guards was the go-between, having been arrested by the
Colombian army. She was released to return to the
guerrillas, where she persuaded her husband to change
sides.
Switzerland, along with France and Spain, has been
mediating with the FARC on behalf of Colombian
President Alvaro Uribe.
According to the official version of Wednesday's
operation, a Colombian army intelligence agent
infiltrated the FARC and tricked the rebels into
believing their top leader had sent a helicopter to
pick up the hostages.
Colombian soldiers posing as FARC guerrillas flew the
hostages from a jungle hideout where they had been
assembled before revealing their identity.
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said the rescue
'was conceived by the Colombians and executed by the
Colombians with our full support,' while implying that
Washington had provided intelligence and even
operational help.
U.S. ambassador to Bogota William Brownfield also told
CNN that Washington had provided 'technical support,'
while Colombian Defence Minister Juan Manuel Santos
insisted it was a '100 percent Colombian' effort.
The top U.S. military officer for Latin America,
Admiral Jim Stavridis, head of United States Southern
Command, said the rescue of Americans Thomas Howes,
Marc Gonsalves and Keith Stansell had been 'a priority
of this command'.
The three were seized by the rebels as they conducted
an anti-drug mission for the Pentagon in February 2003.
The operation enhanced Uribe's prestige as he seeks a
third term in office, and enabled him to stick to his
line of no talks with the rebels without the hostages
being freed, the radio noted.
tf.TFN-Europe_newsdesk@thomsonreuters.com
Copyright Thomson Financial News Limited 2008.
_____________________________________________
Portside aims to provide material of interest
to people on the left that will help them to
interpret the world and to change it.
Friday, July 04, 2008
What Can I Do For You?
Labelle
People want truth
Or nothing at all
People want sincerity
And nothing false
People need happiness
As land needs rain from above
We need rain. We need life, We need love
Most people find it so hard to live without
Love, love, love, love, love, love
Oh yeah
People want to live, not merely exist
People want to enjoy, not suffer and fear
People need understanding, not impatience or confusion
Oh I wonder should we hate those
Who present us disillusion
They talk about love, love, love
And lie about love, love, love
And they talk about love, love, love
Oh yeah
We need power
We need power
And we need peace, peace, peace, peace
I think we all agree
Let's stop fighting
Let's stop fighting
And become sisters and brothers
And become sisters and brothers
And become sisters and brothers
And become sisters and brothers
And show its not too late to
Love, love, love
Love, love, love
Love, love, love
Love, love, love
Love, love, love
Love, love, love
What can I do for you
What can you do for me
People want truth
Or nothing at all
People want sincerity
And nothing false
People need happiness
As land needs rain from above
We need rain. We need life, We need love
Most people find it so hard to live without
Love, love, love, love, love, love
Oh yeah
People want to live, not merely exist
People want to enjoy, not suffer and fear
People need understanding, not impatience or confusion
Oh I wonder should we hate those
Who present us disillusion
They talk about love, love, love
And lie about love, love, love
And they talk about love, love, love
Oh yeah
We need power
We need power
And we need peace, peace, peace, peace
I think we all agree
Let's stop fighting
Let's stop fighting
And become sisters and brothers
And become sisters and brothers
And become sisters and brothers
And become sisters and brothers
And show its not too late to
Love, love, love
Love, love, love
Love, love, love
Love, love, love
Love, love, love
Love, love, love
What can I do for you
What can you do for me
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Why I'm Not Patriotic by Matthew Rothschild
Why I’m Not Patriotic
By Matthew Rothschild, July 2, 2008
(In memory of George Carlin.)
It’s July 4th again, a day of near-compulsory flag-waving and nation-worshipping. Count me out.
Spare me the puerile parades.
Don’t play that martial music, white boy.
And don’t befoul nature’s sky with your F-16s.
You see, I don’t believe in patriotism.
It’s not that I’m anti-American, but I am anti-patriotic.
Love of country isn’t natural. It’s not something you’re born with. It’s an inculcated kind of love, something that is foisted upon you in the home, in the school, on TV, at church, during the football game.
Yet most people accept it without inspection.
Why?
For when you stop to think about it, patriotism (especially in its malignant morph, nationalism) has done more to stack the corpses millions high in the last 300 years than any other factor, including the prodigious slayer, religion.
The victims of colonialism, from the Congo to the Philippines, fell at nationalism’s bayonet point.
World War I filled the graves with the most foolish nationalism. And Hitler and Mussolini and Imperial Japan brought nationalism to new nadirs. The flags next to the tombstones are but signed confessions—notes left by the killer after the fact.
The millions of victims of Stalin and Mao and Pol Pot have on their death certificates a dual diagnosis: yes communism, but also that other ism, nationalism.
The whole world almost got destroyed because of nationalism during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
The bloody battles in Serbia and Bosnia and Croatia in the 1990s fed off the injured pride of competing patriotisms and all their nourished grievances.
In the last five years in Iraq, tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians have died because the United States, the patriarch of patriotism, saw fit to impose itself, without just cause, on another country. But the excuse was patriotism, wrapped in Bush’s brand of messianic militarism: that we, the great Americans, have a duty to deliver “God’s gift of freedom” to every corner of the world.
And the Congress swallowed it, and much of the American public swallowed it, because they’ve been fed a steady diet of this swill.
What is patriotism but “the narcissism of petty differences”? That’s Freud’s term, describing the disorder that compels one group to feel superior to another.
Then there’s a little multiplication problem: Can every country be the greatest country in the world?
This belief system magically transforms an accident of birth into some kind of blue ribbon.
“It’s a great country,” said the old Quaker essayist Milton Mayer. “They’re all great countries.”
At times, the appeal to patriotism may be necessary, as when harnessing the group to protect against a larger threat (Hitler) or to overthrow an oppressor (as in the anti-colonial struggles in the Third World).
But it is always a dangerous toxin to play with, and it ought to be shelved with cross and bones on the label except in these most extreme circumstances.
In an article called “Patriot Games” in the current issue of Time magazine (July 7), Peter Beinart, late of The New Republic, inspects his navel for seven pages and then throws the lint all around.
“Conservatives are right,” he says. “To some degree, patriotism must mean loving your country for the same reason you love your family: simply because it is yours.”
And then he criticizes, incoherently, the conservative love-it-or-leave-it types.
The moral folly of his argument he himself exposes: “If liberals love America purely because it embodies ideals like liberty, justice, and equality, why shouldn’t they love Canada—which from a liberal perspective often goes further toward realizing those principles—even more? And what do liberals do,” he asks, “when those universal ideals collide with America’s self-interest? Giving away the federal budget to Africa would probably increase the net sum of justice and equality on the planet, after all. But it would harm Americans and thus be unpatriotic.”
This is a straw man if I ever I saw one, but if the United States gave a lot more of its budget to eradicating poverty and disease in Africa and other parts of the developing world, it might actually make us all safer.
At bottom, note how readily Beinart disposes of “liberty, justice, and equality.”
He has stripped patriotism to its vacuous essence: Love your country because it’s yours.
If we stopped that arm from reflexively saluting and concerned ourselves more with “universal ideals” than with parochial ones, we’d be a lot better off.
We wouldn’t be in Iraq, we wouldn’t have besmirched ourselves at Guantanamo, we wouldn’t be acting like some Argentinean junta that wages illegal wars and tortures people and disappears them into secret dungeons.
Love of country is a form of idolatry.
Listen, if you would, to the wisdom of Milton Mayer, writing back in 1962 a rebuke to JFK for his much-celebrated line: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”
Mayer would have none of it. “When Mr. Kennedy spoke those words at his inaugural, I knew that I was at odds with a society which did not immediately rebel against them,” he wrote. “They are the words of totalitarianism pure; no Jefferson could have spoken them, and no Khrushchev could have spoken them better. Could a man say what Mr. Kennedy said and also say that the difference between us and them is that they believe that man exists for the State and we believe that the State exists for man? He couldn’t, but he did. And in doing so, he read me out of society.”
When Americans retort that this is still the greatest country in the world, I have to ask why.
Are we the greatest country because we have 10,000 nuclear weapons?
No, that just makes us enormously powerful, with the capacity to destroy the Earth itself.
Are we the greatest country because we have soldiers stationed in more than 120 countries?
No, that just makes us an empire, like the empires of old, only more so.
Are we the greatest country because we are one-twentieth of the world’s population but we consume one-quarter of its resources?
No, that just must makes us a greedy and wasteful nation.
Are we the greatest country because the top 1 percent of Americans hoards 34 percent of the nation’s wealth, more than everyone in the bottom 90 percent combined?
No, that just makes us a vastly unequal nation.
Are we the greatest country because corporations are treated as real, live human beings with rights?
No, that just enshrines a plutocracy in this country.
Are we the greatest country because we take the best care of our people’s basic needs?
No, actually we don’t. We’re far down the list on health care and infant mortality and parental leave and sick leave and quality of life.
So what exactly are we talking about here?
To the extent that we’re a great (not the greatest, mind you: that’s a fool’s game) country, we’re less of a great country today.
Because those things that truly made us great—the system of checks and balances, the enshrinement of our individual rights and liberties—have all been systematically assaulted by Bush and Cheney.
From the Patriot Act to the Military Commissions Act to the new FISA Act, and all the signing statements in between, we are less great today.
From Abu Ghraib and Bagram Air Force Base and Guantanamo, we are less great today.
From National Security Presidential Directive 51 (giving the Executive responsibility for ensuring constitutional government in an emergency) to National Security Presidential Directive 59 (expanding the collection of our biometric data), we are less great today.
From the Joint Terrorism Task Forces to InfraGard and the Terrorist Liaison Officers, we are less great today.
Admit it. We don’t have a lot to brag about today.
It is time, it is long past time, to get over the American superiority complex.
It is time, it is long past time, to put patriotism back on the shelf—out of the reach of children and madmen.
By Matthew Rothschild, July 2, 2008
(In memory of George Carlin.)
It’s July 4th again, a day of near-compulsory flag-waving and nation-worshipping. Count me out.
Spare me the puerile parades.
Don’t play that martial music, white boy.
And don’t befoul nature’s sky with your F-16s.
You see, I don’t believe in patriotism.
It’s not that I’m anti-American, but I am anti-patriotic.
Love of country isn’t natural. It’s not something you’re born with. It’s an inculcated kind of love, something that is foisted upon you in the home, in the school, on TV, at church, during the football game.
Yet most people accept it without inspection.
Why?
For when you stop to think about it, patriotism (especially in its malignant morph, nationalism) has done more to stack the corpses millions high in the last 300 years than any other factor, including the prodigious slayer, religion.
The victims of colonialism, from the Congo to the Philippines, fell at nationalism’s bayonet point.
World War I filled the graves with the most foolish nationalism. And Hitler and Mussolini and Imperial Japan brought nationalism to new nadirs. The flags next to the tombstones are but signed confessions—notes left by the killer after the fact.
The millions of victims of Stalin and Mao and Pol Pot have on their death certificates a dual diagnosis: yes communism, but also that other ism, nationalism.
The whole world almost got destroyed because of nationalism during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
The bloody battles in Serbia and Bosnia and Croatia in the 1990s fed off the injured pride of competing patriotisms and all their nourished grievances.
In the last five years in Iraq, tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians have died because the United States, the patriarch of patriotism, saw fit to impose itself, without just cause, on another country. But the excuse was patriotism, wrapped in Bush’s brand of messianic militarism: that we, the great Americans, have a duty to deliver “God’s gift of freedom” to every corner of the world.
And the Congress swallowed it, and much of the American public swallowed it, because they’ve been fed a steady diet of this swill.
What is patriotism but “the narcissism of petty differences”? That’s Freud’s term, describing the disorder that compels one group to feel superior to another.
Then there’s a little multiplication problem: Can every country be the greatest country in the world?
This belief system magically transforms an accident of birth into some kind of blue ribbon.
“It’s a great country,” said the old Quaker essayist Milton Mayer. “They’re all great countries.”
At times, the appeal to patriotism may be necessary, as when harnessing the group to protect against a larger threat (Hitler) or to overthrow an oppressor (as in the anti-colonial struggles in the Third World).
But it is always a dangerous toxin to play with, and it ought to be shelved with cross and bones on the label except in these most extreme circumstances.
In an article called “Patriot Games” in the current issue of Time magazine (July 7), Peter Beinart, late of The New Republic, inspects his navel for seven pages and then throws the lint all around.
“Conservatives are right,” he says. “To some degree, patriotism must mean loving your country for the same reason you love your family: simply because it is yours.”
And then he criticizes, incoherently, the conservative love-it-or-leave-it types.
The moral folly of his argument he himself exposes: “If liberals love America purely because it embodies ideals like liberty, justice, and equality, why shouldn’t they love Canada—which from a liberal perspective often goes further toward realizing those principles—even more? And what do liberals do,” he asks, “when those universal ideals collide with America’s self-interest? Giving away the federal budget to Africa would probably increase the net sum of justice and equality on the planet, after all. But it would harm Americans and thus be unpatriotic.”
This is a straw man if I ever I saw one, but if the United States gave a lot more of its budget to eradicating poverty and disease in Africa and other parts of the developing world, it might actually make us all safer.
At bottom, note how readily Beinart disposes of “liberty, justice, and equality.”
He has stripped patriotism to its vacuous essence: Love your country because it’s yours.
If we stopped that arm from reflexively saluting and concerned ourselves more with “universal ideals” than with parochial ones, we’d be a lot better off.
We wouldn’t be in Iraq, we wouldn’t have besmirched ourselves at Guantanamo, we wouldn’t be acting like some Argentinean junta that wages illegal wars and tortures people and disappears them into secret dungeons.
Love of country is a form of idolatry.
Listen, if you would, to the wisdom of Milton Mayer, writing back in 1962 a rebuke to JFK for his much-celebrated line: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”
Mayer would have none of it. “When Mr. Kennedy spoke those words at his inaugural, I knew that I was at odds with a society which did not immediately rebel against them,” he wrote. “They are the words of totalitarianism pure; no Jefferson could have spoken them, and no Khrushchev could have spoken them better. Could a man say what Mr. Kennedy said and also say that the difference between us and them is that they believe that man exists for the State and we believe that the State exists for man? He couldn’t, but he did. And in doing so, he read me out of society.”
When Americans retort that this is still the greatest country in the world, I have to ask why.
Are we the greatest country because we have 10,000 nuclear weapons?
No, that just makes us enormously powerful, with the capacity to destroy the Earth itself.
Are we the greatest country because we have soldiers stationed in more than 120 countries?
No, that just makes us an empire, like the empires of old, only more so.
Are we the greatest country because we are one-twentieth of the world’s population but we consume one-quarter of its resources?
No, that just must makes us a greedy and wasteful nation.
Are we the greatest country because the top 1 percent of Americans hoards 34 percent of the nation’s wealth, more than everyone in the bottom 90 percent combined?
No, that just makes us a vastly unequal nation.
Are we the greatest country because corporations are treated as real, live human beings with rights?
No, that just enshrines a plutocracy in this country.
Are we the greatest country because we take the best care of our people’s basic needs?
No, actually we don’t. We’re far down the list on health care and infant mortality and parental leave and sick leave and quality of life.
So what exactly are we talking about here?
To the extent that we’re a great (not the greatest, mind you: that’s a fool’s game) country, we’re less of a great country today.
Because those things that truly made us great—the system of checks and balances, the enshrinement of our individual rights and liberties—have all been systematically assaulted by Bush and Cheney.
From the Patriot Act to the Military Commissions Act to the new FISA Act, and all the signing statements in between, we are less great today.
From Abu Ghraib and Bagram Air Force Base and Guantanamo, we are less great today.
From National Security Presidential Directive 51 (giving the Executive responsibility for ensuring constitutional government in an emergency) to National Security Presidential Directive 59 (expanding the collection of our biometric data), we are less great today.
From the Joint Terrorism Task Forces to InfraGard and the Terrorist Liaison Officers, we are less great today.
Admit it. We don’t have a lot to brag about today.
It is time, it is long past time, to get over the American superiority complex.
It is time, it is long past time, to put patriotism back on the shelf—out of the reach of children and madmen.
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
McCain's Temper is Catching Up With Him
Read this article about McCain grabbing a Nicaraguan official in 1987.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Tyranny Run Amuck In Zimbabwe
Robert Mugabe should definitely be relieved of his penis. Oh to get rid of patriarchy....
Thursday, June 26, 2008
The Supreme Court's 2nd Amendment Ruling-Thoughts and Ironies
Now would be a great time to bring back the Black Panther Party....and would save them a lot of harrassment from politicians and public servants....It is quite ironic that a lot of the gun laws around the country, especially in California and other major cities were designed to thwart the Black Panthers and other leftist organizations back in the 60s and 70s.... that said, let me express that I do very strongly believe in sensible gun control policies. There is no need to have a semi-automatic weapon for hunting....We need these laws on the books....I also stand strongly with the dissenting justices and the public outcry across the country as to what this oh wonderful opinion from Scalia and Co will mean. It beckons one to question what is in their brains....do they want to see chaos in the streets( I can see the thoughts..give the niggers guns and let them kill each other off...--although they might just shoot at you as well as shoot at each other)? Alas, I do see more than that that this is all simply part and parcel of patriarchal thinking and patriarchal modes of living....which has no reason or rhyme to it at all....guns, guns guns...no thought, no planning--the cyborg really lives here and has no memory...which should really make all of us quite afraid...especially as we have left control of this country in these people's hands....
Adrian Fenty is Fucking Hot
The mayor of Washington D.C. absolutely makes my mouth water. I am such a lush lol.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Why Does God Take All Of The Good Ones?
George Bush could drop dead tomorrow and there wouldn't be a wet eye in the house. George Carlin was a magnificent man and very dear to people who believe in freedom and progress around the world. He will sorely be missed.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Journaling
Today I let the spirit lead me and I have a beautiful day. I had an ok lunch then went to the mall and walked around for a little. Then once I got back downtown, I went to the top of the hotel and had one of those magnificent nonalcoholic orange drinks that fabulous bartender made for me the past few days(so light, so cool, so refreshing). I had fabulous company and talked a while. After class was over, I ventured back over to the hotel for some very nice live jazz in the coolness of the summer evening. Very nice. On the way home they dedicated an entire hour to Nina Simone in a jazz profile on the radio and I was done for the whole night--and they changed the lyrics to Why(The King of Love is Dead)? because Nina is still too hot for radio!! And on the way home there was a big luscious beautiful moon out and about...and I soaked it in. Then I found a magazine that had a definition of happiness in it...and I am adding it to my vision board... As I had to stop somewhere for a certain purpose...I walked into a private room with a piano and found a beautiful Black man playing a magnificent piano. I flirted a bit and we exchanged numbers.....then they crowned off the evening with Abbey Lincoln and I was in sheer heaven....and after that a bit of Dianne Reeves....beautiful blessed night...thanks...
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Climate Change(For Katrina): A Poem I Wrote and Discovered in My Diary on a Napkin
drought
leaves
the wheat brittle, dead
and unfit to eat
drought that leaves
a lump in your throat
unable to swallow
rattles around
in your throat
threatens to
swallow your tongue
drought that leaves bodies
in the street
surrounded by flies
the stench
annihilating humanity
leaves
the wheat brittle, dead
and unfit to eat
drought that leaves
a lump in your throat
unable to swallow
rattles around
in your throat
threatens to
swallow your tongue
drought that leaves bodies
in the street
surrounded by flies
the stench
annihilating humanity
Monday, June 16, 2008
Message From Elaine Brown
My dear Sisters and Brothers,
Help us FREE CHIP FITZGERALD! Chip has been in prison for over 38 years now! He will go before the California Board of Parole Hearings on July 2, 2008.
Chip was a member of the Southern California Chapter of the Black Panther Party in 1969 when he was shot and wounded by police.—This was the year the FBI pledged to wipe out the Party, the year the Party’s L.A. office was assaulted for over five hours by several hundred members of the LAPD’s new SWAT Team, the year so many Party members were killed by police, including Walter Touré Pope and Fred Hampton.—Over a week later, Chip was arrested and charged with assault on police and the murder of a security guard. He was sentenced to death. When the death penalty was outlawed in California, his sentence was commuted to life with the possibility of parole.
Chip continues to believe in the struggle for the liberation of all oppressed people, and, despite the hardship of all these years of incarceration, heroically recognizes that his captivity is the result of his dedication and commitment to that struggle, a result we welcomed when we dedicated our lives to the Party and the Struggle.
On behalf of the Committee to Free Chip Fitzgerald, I’m asking you to sign our online Petition to the California Board of Parole Hearings advocating for Chip’s parole.
The Petition can be easily accessed on our website: www. freechip. org.
And, I’m asking you to pass it on, send out this message to every single person and organization you know, to all your email lists, urging everyone to sign the Petition and pass it on to their contacts! We want 100,000 signatures by June 30, 2008!
With love for the People,
Elaine Brown
Help us FREE CHIP FITZGERALD! Chip has been in prison for over 38 years now! He will go before the California Board of Parole Hearings on July 2, 2008.
Chip was a member of the Southern California Chapter of the Black Panther Party in 1969 when he was shot and wounded by police.—This was the year the FBI pledged to wipe out the Party, the year the Party’s L.A. office was assaulted for over five hours by several hundred members of the LAPD’s new SWAT Team, the year so many Party members were killed by police, including Walter Touré Pope and Fred Hampton.—Over a week later, Chip was arrested and charged with assault on police and the murder of a security guard. He was sentenced to death. When the death penalty was outlawed in California, his sentence was commuted to life with the possibility of parole.
Chip continues to believe in the struggle for the liberation of all oppressed people, and, despite the hardship of all these years of incarceration, heroically recognizes that his captivity is the result of his dedication and commitment to that struggle, a result we welcomed when we dedicated our lives to the Party and the Struggle.
On behalf of the Committee to Free Chip Fitzgerald, I’m asking you to sign our online Petition to the California Board of Parole Hearings advocating for Chip’s parole.
The Petition can be easily accessed on our website: www. freechip. org.
And, I’m asking you to pass it on, send out this message to every single person and organization you know, to all your email lists, urging everyone to sign the Petition and pass it on to their contacts! We want 100,000 signatures by June 30, 2008!
With love for the People,
Elaine Brown
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Something I Just Thought About
I was replying to a post someone left me, in which we were dialoguing on the soul death of America. In my reply I mentioned that Martin Luther King warned about the spiritual death of America. It then struck me, isn't that what empires do as some sort of ritual? They assassinate prophets and then canonize them....the Romans did it with Jesus, America did it with King. It doesn't lead to any victory though, empires die nonetheless. It is an interesting observation however.
My Two Men
After talking with my friend Shannon and watching Friday's Oprah on the Laws of Attraction, I am making a vision board. As far as men are concerned, the two most beautiful men in the world to me are John Legend and Kanye West(in no particular order). Can I have them both at the same time?
The Mourning of Tim Russert
Sunday Mornings will never be the same again without Tim Russert. The political world and this upcoming election season will be changed. I don't know who will carry the flame he lit. His death only goes to show that certainly uncertainty is the ruling principle in all our lives. One never knows what will happen or even exactly what is taking place.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Friday, June 13, 2008
From How To Feast On Joy Everyday
"True, for a while I ate enough chocolate to cause a price spike in the world cocoa market, but this was not so much my body's wish as a psychological reaction to denying myself yummy things for years. I believe that our psychology -- and also our body chemistry -- wants us to hoard whatever pleasures seem to be in short supply. Starve yourself, and your body will want to binge. Then it will store every calorie as fat, bracing itself for the next period of famine."
My Peace of Mind
I just have to say that Martha Beck is a saint. I so treasure her columns in O magazine. Cheers to Martha!
Thoughts Running Through My Head This Morning
I've been having a Nina Simone morning....listening to Sinnerman and See-Line Woman....I bet $50 that Ida Scott from Jimmy Baldwin's Another Country is based on Nina Simone....I wonder if Nina Simone ever "got happy" (in church or out)....I was brought up a good Methodist...A.M.E...we didn't do that kind of stuff....though there was this one woman who would have her fits every other Sunday...but she came from the Baptist Church, so we shook our heads and understood....lol
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
People Make The World Go 'Round -The Stylistics
People Make the World Go Round
The Stylistics
Written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed
Peaked at # 25 in 1972
Trashmen didn't get my trash today
Oh, why? Because they want more pay
Buses on strike want a raise in fare
So they can help pollute the air
But that's what makes the world go `round
The up and down, the carousel
Changing people, they'll go around
Go underground, young man
People make the world go `round
Wall Street losin' dough on ev'ry share
They're blaming it on longer hair
Big men smokin' in their easy chairs
On a fat cigar without a care
But that's what makes the world go `round
The up and down, the carousel
Changing people, they'll go around
Go underground, young man
People make the world go `round
But that's what makes the world go `round
The up and down, the carousel
Changing people, they'll go around
Go underground, young man
People make the world go `round
People make the world go `round
People make the world go `round
People make the world go `round
FADE
People make the world go `round
The Stylistics
Written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed
Peaked at # 25 in 1972
Trashmen didn't get my trash today
Oh, why? Because they want more pay
Buses on strike want a raise in fare
So they can help pollute the air
But that's what makes the world go `round
The up and down, the carousel
Changing people, they'll go around
Go underground, young man
People make the world go `round
Wall Street losin' dough on ev'ry share
They're blaming it on longer hair
Big men smokin' in their easy chairs
On a fat cigar without a care
But that's what makes the world go `round
The up and down, the carousel
Changing people, they'll go around
Go underground, young man
People make the world go `round
But that's what makes the world go `round
The up and down, the carousel
Changing people, they'll go around
Go underground, young man
People make the world go `round
People make the world go `round
People make the world go `round
People make the world go `round
FADE
People make the world go `round
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