Mailbag

Being wiped out, we decided to go to the mailbag and select some questions that have come up and let members participating respond to them.

Lolis wondered if Ava felt additional pressure as the only Latino working on each addition?

Ava: That's a really good question and one that I often ask myself as well. In the earliest days, I was just hoping to get something, anything, in an edition. It's been noted here and elsewhere that I would toss out an idea or sentence and feel like no one was listening. That went to the group dynamics, where everyone's convinced that their idea is best and willing to fight for it. I'll fight for mine now but until C.I. said, "Hey, is anyone listening to Ava at all?" I really don't think anyone was. So in the earliest days, that didn't even enter my mind during the sessions, I was just desperate to have some sort of impact on a piece. I noticed, when we were doing the news reviews, that I was usually highlighting the countries that aren't the "big news" in the mainstream media. I think that goes to an awareness. That might be a Latin America country or it might be Haiti or some other country that I think the press should be following closely but doesn't. One thing I refused to do early on and continue to refuse to do is to be the go-to-person for all things Spanish. My attitude then and now is that the majority of the people helping are in college and those that aren't were so if someone needs something translated, they're educated, they can do it themselves. It may seem like a small thing, even a petty thing, but if there were going to be any cultural clashes, and I don't know that there would have been, I think that stance early on prevented them. I think it helps with an awareness the same way that, for instance, Kat's love of music or Mike's love of sports add to where a feature goes.

This one is for Cedric and it's from Taylor who wonders if Cedric misses the news review because Taylor thinks Cedric seemed to enjoy them the most.

Cedric: I did enjoy them and I understand that they'll come back at some point in the future when everyone's not so exhausted and pressed for time. Near the end, they were going way over an hour and they weren't being what they were intended, which was a quick way to get a feature down in basically an hour. I'm glad you felt I enjoyed them because I really did. I think my own site became better as a result because I got to play around and have fun. That was with helping Betty and Ty do a skit or doing my own thing where I'd start off repeating a piece of administration spin. The first time I did that, there was this quiet gasp over the phones like, "What the heck?" Nobody knew where I was going with it and I think they thought I'd gone off the reservation for a few seconds before I started debunking the spin. Credit C.I. with keeping cool and keeping the tone light because I really did have my own little set pieces going on at the end and I never bothered to let anyone know ahead of time that I'd start off with the talking point and then debunk it in what I hoped was a humorous way.

Laraine wrote this to Jess and was wondering a few things. Doesn't he think it would be better to be a musician than a reporter? What was the inspiration for the Tom DeLay thing? Laraine's been hearing a lot about Saipan lately and DeLay's connection and she credits the lyrics to a thing we did hear with her being able to follow it.

Jess: Laraine, is it? You sound like my mother with your question about wouldn't it be better to be a musician. I forgot about that Tom DeLay thing and had to be reminded of it. We'll put the words to it below. We actually all worked on it. We were trying to figure out how to end the piece and I was bored and tapping out a rhythm on the desk which was probably irritating everyone. C.I. heard it and came in with a counter-rhythm. (Laughing) I think it was Jim who told us to knock it off. We didn't. Someone, Kat?, said Tom DeLay on rhythm and I added "working for the man" and C.I. jumped in with "making a killing in Saipan" which I loved, and love, because it gave it some weight. As soon as that happened, everyone's interest perked up. As everyone was tossing out lines, some of them really deep, I remember it was Kat, C.I. and me that would nix anything that didn't fit with the rhythm. We really had a melody going for that and if we ever added sound to the site, we should record it.

Here are the lyrics Laraine was speaking of:

You dirty, bitter bore
You're rotten and nasty to the core
You been down on your knees
Had loads of money, but still you wanted more.
That's why you been working for the man,
Making a killing in Saipan.
Tom DeLay, Tom DeLay
What ethics did you break today?
Tom DeLay, Tom DeLay
When they gonna' cart you away?
Tom DeLay, Tom DeLay
Are you looking at a prison stay?
Oh Tom DeLay, Tom DeLay

Tim wonders if Wally watches Larry King constantly due to his and Mike's fondness for yelling "For the hour!"

Wally: I enjoy the concept of Larry King more than I enjoy watching him. But it's just fun to scream, "For the hour!" Try it, you'll see.

Vicky wrote to praise Ty on his solo piece and to also note "K-BoyTries to Get Back Home" which is a short story that Ty originated. She wondered whether he thought his piece was buried?

Ty: Well thank you, Vicky. Um. Let me admit to more than a bit of ego. Instead of thinking that I was being buried, I was so excited that my piece was the first new content item to go up that I was on the phone to my family going, "Get online, read it!" I know a lot of readers did feel that way and, of course, it was the first thing C.I. asked when we got back together that day to do the editorial. It got spotlighted last week and it got a lot of e-mails so people did see it and read it. Unlike the readers and C.I., I was part of the posting session for that and I knew that my piece was done and that the others were still being fleshed out so I didn't see it as any attempt to bury it but I'm flattered that everyone thinks it was so strong that it should have been higher up in the edition. I was nervous about it until it went up and then I was just proud. Thanks to C.I. for listening to me read it over the phone and reading it via e-mails in all its drafts. K-Boy started with a head of steam and once that ran out, I brought the others onboard and they kept it going. I hope we'll do another all fiction, summer edition this year.

Stu writes Dona to say he used to think she was either a bitch or a snob who felt she was too good for the process but now he realizes that she's the steady hand guiding everything. He says that the roundtable she participated in at The Common Ills helped him see that.

Dona: Well actually, Stu, I am a bitch and a snob and still the person guiding everything. In fact, that's why I guide everything. I'm joking. Usually what happens is that there are a number of ideas, all different and at odds, flying around at once and I end up being the person that steps in and tries to put them in some sort of ranking order. I'm also usually the one watching the time and trying to make sure we stick to a reasonable time period. With the roundtable, C.I. ran that and I was able to kick back and just participate. Which was a lot more fun. I sometimes feel like I'm stuck in the role of teacher, substitute teacher, of a rowdy class.

Barry wonders if Rebecca's announcement, which he doesn't doubt the veracity of, last week was planned to emphasize Robert Parry's book?

Rebecca: C.I. accused me of the same thing! Look, the way that happened was that Friday morning, an announcement was supposed to go up at The Common Ills. We kept C.I., my ex-husband and me, on the phone all night. I was wanting to blow the whole thing off but he was enraged and the only thing that would solve it at that moment was for an announcement to go up but he felt that it shouldn't be from me because it would be as though I was engaging the stalker in a conversation. C.I. wrote the thing and called us back before posting. My ex-husband had a bit of sleep and was calmer. He could tell it was a lot for the entry C.I. was doing and that it overwhelmed the other news in the entry. So he told C.I. thanks but don't worry about it. I really hadn't planned to bring it up. I don't know why I did then. But C.I. did point out that I waited until after we'd discussed Robert Parry's book and did wonder if that was a way to get some more attention to the book? (Laughing) My roots in public relations are always held against me. If that did happen, it was on instinct and not planned. But Barry, did you read Parry's book?

Ronald writes to say thank you to Betty for her participation here. He loves her site but feels he can always pick out what Betty's added here in a group effort and that he always enjoys her singled out contributions.

Betty: That's very sweet of Ronald. I feel like my motto should be: "Each and every day, I fail in another way." If I had the time, I'd redo every entry at my site. I'm trying to learn to let go and accept that, Kat's motto, "It is what it is." This week, I did that in terms of posting but not in terms of my own head where I continue to rewrite and harshly critique the latest chapter.
It's more fun and easier to work in a group so I'll say thank you to everyone for involving me in this.

Saul writes to ask about Mike. He said he enjoyed the interview with Trina but wondered what it was like to interview your own mother? He also says good for Mike for ending the interview with praise of Trina, even over her objection.


Mike: That was so weird because I didn't know we were going to interview her and when it started I was still thinking, "What?" It was like when I was interviewing Elaine and didn't know that she'd started her own site and she then just dropped that bombshell on me. Blew my mind both times. Ma won't take praise, which is kind of funny considering she said basically the same thing about C.I. last night, they're both that way. But she deserves praise and I wanted it known that she's smart and special and a great person and a great mother. She's really cool and I hope everyone's checking out her site.

Saul also had a question for Elaine which was how do peace and activism coincide?

Elaine: That's something for someone theoretical. I'll speak to it in terms of my own life. I live in a high rise, not an ashram. By that I mean, don't expect me to be the princess of peace. I'm a pacifist and I believe in peace but I'm not floating on a cloud beaming down at the world. It's a . . . wait. What's the line I'm looking for?

Jim: Probably help me to know "from what?"

C.I.: "You've got to shake your fists at lightening."

Elaine: Thank you. "You've got to shake your fists at lightening/ You've got to roar like forest fire/ You've got to spread your light like blazes/ All across the sky. / They're going to aim the hoses at you/ Show them that you won't expire." Joni Mitchell's "Judgement of the Moon and Stars." I'd love to be able to tell Saul that I'm serenity in motion and never have a cross thought or bad mood but that's not the case. I don't know that it would be a good thing if it were. We are living through an awful period of time and I think a) you don't remain silent and b) when you're upset, you express that. I am for peace and peaceful solutions but I'm very much a part of the world I live in and the two factions are at war constantly.

Gary writes wondering if January is going to pass without Kat doing a CD review and why we don't do more musical features here?

Kat: It does look like that. I'm as involved as everyone here with stopping Alito's confirmation. There's only so much time. It is what it is, you know? As for more musical features, we had hoped to do one tonight but we're all too tired so we'll probably do it next week. It's a Broadway soundtrack and everyone's gone to the trouble of purchasing a copy so I can't imagine we wouldn't pick it up next week. I agree there should be more music, both here and my own reviews, but there's only so much time.

Next to last question is from Cynthia who notes that she enjoys Ava and C.I.'s TV reviews but she read them and then reads an entry at The Common Ills that's "by the book, by the facts" and then reads something that's more essay style and then reads something that's more humorous. She wonders which is the real C.I. and is there more than one person writing at The Common Ills?

C.I.: Unless otherwise credited, the person is me. I may dictate it and sometimes a person will either miss a word or hear another one. I do provide a lot of qualifiers and sometimes, when someone's typing it up while I'm dictating it over the phone, the qualifiers will be minimized or removed. Which is the real me? I have no idea. I'm just trying to make a point, and usually trying to be funny unless it's just "___ said . . . and check out ___." The essay pieces result from having more time at that moment and members having written in requesting a thought piece. If I could, I'd be funny all the time, but, like Elaine said, "I'm very much a part of the world I live in." There are entries I loathe just because there wasn't time and there's never time so that's just something to accept or ignore. Credit the best stuff to members who suggest topics and keep me on my toes, lay the blame and fault at my feet.

Last question is for me, Jim, and it's from Noel who writes that I'm either the biggest ass or the most honest.

Jim: Uh, why can't I be both, Noel? Why do you want to limit me like that? Seriously, I enjoy conflict. If I was making all the decisions, calling all the shots, we'd offer commenting here and I'd be online in the comments giving back to the right-wingers as good as they gave. I enjoy that sort of exchange. The answer is probably both, honestly. If I have a saving grace it's that I can be called on my shit without taking offense to it. I also have a lot of energy and that probably shows up as well which can make me look "energetic" or like a steamroller plowing over everyone and everything in my path. I generally mean well if that helps any.