JUAN GONZALEZ: And when Secretary Rumsfeld responds about the troops believing that there were chemical weapons, because they were wearing uniforms or chemical suits. Your response?
RAY McGOVERN: Well, talk about that disingenuity. I mean, sure, they wore chemical [suits], because Rumsfeld and his generals ordered them to. This proves nothing, other than they went through with this charade. The Australian troops wore no such protective covering, because they knew there were no weapons there. The Australians knew these weapons were a figment of the propaganda put out by our Defense Department, so they blithely went in there without any protective covering. So it was all a charade.
And I suppose the good news is that finally someone had a chance to ask Don Rumsfeld -- if I were in Washington, I never would have got into a session where Rumsfeld spoke. I have to give him credit that he took questions and answers. But, you know, it's really interesting that when I walked into the place, I wrangled a ticket very surreptitiously. I was met with this little blurb on Donald Rumsfeld, and as I read it, I had to chuckle. It says, "There's going to be a question-and-answer period, but please adhere to these guidelines. Refrain from using the word 'lie' in relation to the war in Iraq. Do not question the secretary's personal responsibility for torture. And please don’t discuss first use of nuclear weapons against Iran. If you violate these guidelines, you'll be immediately removed from the auditorium, flown to an undesignated prison location somewhere in Eastern Europe and tortured. Thank you for your cooperation. The World Cannot Wait." A wonderful, wonderful group. Those were the folks that spoke up and tried to brace Donald Rumsfeld with the lies and their charges of him being -- and he is, arguably -- a war criminal. And we shouldn't shy away from saying that.
That's from Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez's interview with Ray McGovern ("Retired CIA Analyst Ray McGovern Takes on Rumsfeld Over Justification for Iraq Invasion") who confronted Donald Rumsfeld (Secretary of Defense) at an Atlanta speaking engagement. Among other questions, McGovern asked Rumsfeld, "And so, I would like to ask you to be up front with the American people. Why did you lie to get us into a war that was not necessary and that has caused these kinds of casualties? Why?"
It was an important moment. But we surfed around and see links not to Democracy Now!'s interview but to CNN's. Was there a fear that Anderson Cooper might burst into tears if he didn't grab a healthy portion of online shout outs?
It's interesting because this is the same CNN that's failed the viewers and now wants to spit in their faces with the hiring of Glenn Beck. Having seen the net prop up Aaron Brown throughout his mediocre reign at CNN, we're puzzled that so many are back in the prop up game?
Independent media interviewed Ray McGovern. But for some reason the "natural" response is to go to CNN?
We can talk about supporting independent media and it's importance but it's meaningless if, when we can choose between or corporate media, we give our traffic to corporate media.
If you missed the news of McGovern, the link above will tell you all that you need to know. If you learned of it outside of independent media, we'd suggest you utilize the link and support independent media.
Call it "indymedia," call it "alternative media," call it whatever you care. But until we're willing to support it, reference it and utilize it, we're enabling the corporate media.
Sunday, May 07, 2006
TV commentary takes a back seat this week to Colbert
We didn't want to touch this topic for a number of reasons, but chief among them is that dying in front of an audience is never easy. Some have the ability and talent to pull it off. Some don't. When the death is unintentional, the best thing to do is to avert the eyes.
Stephen Colbert died April 30th. It was a slow painful death.
The closest approximation to it is a "routine" that nearly killed Chevy Chase's career. In both instances, it wasn't due to being "nasty" or "mean" -- it was because they lacked the ability to pull the moment off.
Steve Martin could have taken any of the lines Colbert delivered and made them funny. Colbert isn't Martin. It's the same reason Jon Stewart can't hit out of the park when he hosts the Oscars, there's really nothing to pull an in-person audience in.
On The Daily Show, Colbert is doing Cher from her first attempts at co-hosting a variety show -- ignoring the audience and interacting with Sonny, er Stewart. When the marriage broke up and Cher went solo, she had to learn to relate to the audience.
Colbert can't. So you were treated to a lengthy monologue that wasn't shaped (no highs, no lows, just a steady drone) though it had been rehearsed at length.
It was like watching the kid who shows up at school on Monday repeating the funny lines from Saturday Night Live.
There are a number of reasons those attending were offended and one of the chief ones was that Colbert just wasn't funny. He can do sketch comedy, he couldn't work up delivering an entertaining monologue last Sunday.
Dennis Leary could have done the routine word for word (though we think he would change it some -- at least "wife" to "spouse") and it would have been funny. It has to do with the quality that makes someone a star and someone a second banana (or worse). Colbert has no sparkle. There is no quality that pulls you to him.
In its best moments, the monologue had some genuinely funny lines. They were written funny. They just weren't delivered in a funny manner.
Nor did the routine breathe as Colbert plowed from one joke to the next. It was an amateur trying to entertain and, don't let American Idol fool you, that's rarely entertaining or amusing.
Some are offering the opinion that it was meant to implode as though Colbert was the next Andy Kaufman if not the next Lenny Bruce. That's not reality. The act was supposed to "kill" but the only death was Colbert's.
The mainstream media took a pass on Colbert in their coverage of the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner. There a number of reasons for that. One reason is that many felt insulted. Another reason is that it wasn't funny and, having been insulted, to then call Colbert out for not being funny would seem like so much sour grapes.
Someone comes to your home and spits on your dining room floor, you don't make an effort to sing their praises (or publicize the occurrence). Which is what happened. The dinner was supposed to be about the press. It was as though Colbert had gone to a banquet for Little League baseball and done twenty minutes on coaches molesting their charges.
That does happen. And what Colbert was commenting on, the suck up nature of the DC press, is very real. But if you're going to insult your audience and expect them to laugh, you better do it with some style.
Colbert had none in evidence.
Not everyone present knew who he was. (We spoke to fourteen people who attended the dinner for this article.) Those who did know of him vaguely were a little more informed than many handing out shout outs and back slaps online.
Editor & Publisher (as Rebecca pointed out) was among those leading the charge for "Why aren't they talking about this!" Editor & Publisher took a pass on an offensive remark he made.
Let's go back to the Little Leage analogy because it's almost a sports analogy and conventional wisdom lovers love those. Let's say you're a young girl or parent of one attending. You have a right to feel that you or your daughter is included because she's demonstrated that she can play Little League. So when the entertainer's remarks render her invisible, you have a right to be offended. (Four we spoke to used the term "outraged.") Which is what happened when Colbert went down a list of daily events in the life of a member of the DC press including "Make love to your wife."
This routine was written in advance, it was rehearsed and rehearsed. There's no excuse for that line making it into the "performance." At a time when Jill Carroll's kidnapping is still a point of discussion within the press, rendering all women invisible with that sexist remark wasn't a way to endear.
It was offensive. (Rebecca's gone into why at length.)
The prop-giving net doesn't want to tackle that. They want to look the other way. The same way they look the other way (or maybe they're just not informed) on how offensive their celebrated hero has been to Asian-Americans. "Ching-Chong Ding-Dong" may have entertained our shout-out netties, but it didn't entertain many Asian-Americans. And there was talk, before Colbert went on, about "Ching-Chong Ding-Dong" and why the man infamous for that was speaking at the dinner?
(Why was he chosen? Because someone like that really does help set the tone for a Bully Boy America.)
Colbert flopped. Flop-sweat flowed from him. There's not much expected at the dinners. It's why a Baby Cries a Lot or Mark Russell can garner polite chuckles. Neither man's set the world on fire. They're pedistrarian, but they are comics.
Colbert isn't. He's a writer. He's a television performer. He's not a successful standup comedian and the routine was as painful to watch as Colin Quinn's attempt at anchoring Weekend Update on Saturday Night Live.
Reciting lines is not a performance.
But we saw (again) the most ridiculous nonsense as people on the left rushed in to prop up the performance as one of the funniest in recent times.
That's offensive. It's offensive not merely because we have enough delusions in Bully Boy's America without the left and supposed left adding to the mix.
It's offensive because it frequently seems these days that everything (anything?) a man does gets trumpeted. Take a speech given on the TV show Boston Legal. Now James Spader's character's speech deserved applause (but Spader didn't write it, folks). However, the same week, there was a much more meaningful moment on ER that addressed the war. There were no hosannas coming from our quick-to-give-shout-outs net for that moment. One involved a White male and the other an Aisan-American woman. Was that the reason?
Whatever the reason, the applause for Colbert is a bit like when the left worked itself into a lather trying to give Howard Stern props. It wasn't enough to merely wish him good luck in his battle with Clear Channel. We were supposed to find him "funny" as well.
Funny?
It's amazing how willing some of the left are to lower their standards. They'll say they're inclusive. They'll say they welcome all races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, genders (male, female and trans) but let any group object to the way they're portrayed and suddenly it's: "Where is your sense of humor!"
Howard Stern's offensive. We don't think it's offensive in the manner that should lead to fines, we do think it's offensive in the manner that people should think twice before singing his praises.
It's the same thing with Colbert.
"Where is the line?" Ruth asked.
It's a good question. He's offended Asian-Americans with stereotypical characterization but we're supposed to overlook that. He made a sexist remark in his overly praised non-performance and we're supposed to overlook that as well.
Exactly where is the line?
How desperate are we for heroes?
Not desperate enough to note Parminder Nagra's Dr. Neela Rasgotra. Looking High and Low for heroes apparently means looking White and Male.
A net so quick to ignore Nargra while they rush to applaud Spader surprises no one when Colbert's treatment of Asian-Americans and women is overlooked as they rush to cheer: "What a man! What a man! What a man!"
It's offensive. Democracy Now! aired the clip. With the sexist remark. It's a news broadcast. Their angle was no one was talking about it in the mainstream. We could understand that, we could've lived without it, but we could understand it.
We couldn't understand the need for a (White) gay male to note the "performance" on a non-news show. (Note it more than once. And sing its praises.) We'll assume when Colbert goes off on gay men, radio guy will want us to have his back? Why he thinks that's warranted after he's looked the other way with regards to sexism and racism, we have no idea. Friday, CounterSpin played the clip. CounterSpin is a program that evaluates, offers critiques. So it was distressing when they played the clip with no comment on the rank sexism. (It was also embarrassing considering that Monday's immigrant rallies across the nation were among many worthy topics to examine that got lost around the net as so many played rally 'round Colbert -- who, for the record, wasn't under attack. This wasn't 1991 and he wasn't Roseanne.)
We'll repeat: How desparate are we for heroes?
We must be pretty hard up. Maybe that's because we're looking for the Great White (Male) Hope?
This is a pattern that's emerging. A woman does something and she's not noted. (A woman of any color, any sexual orientation, any ethnicity.) A White Male (presumably straight) does something and we're supposed to overlook racism and sexism as we rise for an online standing ovation.
It doesn't cut it.
Just as with the DLC attempts to Whiten and Male-Up the Democratic Party, we see something similar happen online. Whether it's because people are uninformed or they just don't care, we have no idea.
Intentionally or not, a message is sent and people are offended -- the people who've been fighting all along, not the ones hopping onto the bandwagon. But apparently they're as unimportant to many online voices and sites as they are to the Democratic Party.
We're seeing a similar thing with regards to Neil Young's album. Like Kat, we both think Living With War is a great album. ("We" is Ava and C.I. for those who don't read carefully before penning their hate mail.) But it's really strange, this need to obliterate all the voices that have been raised in song against the administration to act as though Young's the first. That includes independent artists (who possibly aren't as well known, it doesn't appear that independent media is widely known on the net -- but that may just be due to the fact that so many seem keen to set themselves up as playas -- watch closely as the new Michael Kinsleys and Cokie Roberts are birthed before your eyes) as well as mainstream audiences.
Young is building on the work of others -- and we don't just mean the strange similarities to Bruce Springsteen songs circa Born in the U.S.A. We're happy to welcome his album. We're just not willing to act as though Michelle Shocked, Green Day, Ben Harper, Anais Mitchell, Michael Franti, Patti Smith, Rickie Lee Jones, Cowboy Junkies, Bright Eyes and others haven't already been exploring the territory.
We hope others follow Young's example but we won't say we hope they follow "Young's lead" because he's following the path that many others have paved. We'll listen to the music and enjoy it for the music and the passion but forgive us if we're a bit wary of embracing Young. Hopefully, his eyes have opened. But we're not going to act as though his past actions and statements didn't take place.
Angry Military Man (incestually related to Eurythmic's "Missionary Man"?) has taken a very long leak on the peace movement. He's now doing it in public and we keep hoping he gets picked up for indecent exposure. (Yes, that works on many levels.) But the only reason he's in the position to pull it out and splash is because the left treated him as Jesus, Buddah, Goddess and Muhammed. Most human beings have value (we'd say "all" but then we're confronted with the administration). You can learn from, and take from, many. You don't need to cheerlead them and set them up as the voice of the left -- especially not at the expense of true voices of the left.
But that happens repeatedly. We're not sure whether it's just a hunger for heroes in bleak times or if it's a concentrated effort to designate the "acceptable" as heroes?
We do know that Angry Military Man has taken repeated jabs at Cindy Sheehan and is only growing more emboldened and vocal. That's because he's allowed to. Why he is allowed to, why he's not called out on his crap goes to heart of the problem. The efforts to rehabilitate Neil Young, Stephen Colbert or Angry Military Man aren't efforts about the peace movement.
If a leader emerges, that's wonderful. (And many have.) But this need to knock the people who came before and set up others as leaders is offensive. It's only more so when you notice that the ones who keep getting set up are (no surprise) White Males.
We think Bully Boy (with the help of many) has retooled the United States into a masculinist vision. We're aware that, as one friend said on the phone regarding the press dinner, "Maybe after six years, we're unable to think except in the framework he's imposed?" (He being the Bully Boy.) That's a danger. We respond on the same level the Bully Boy acts. And we all go "round and round in the circle game." (Nod to Joni Mitchell, "The Circle Game.")
We can stop it. But it won't be with dishonesty. It won't come from lying that someone was amazing when they weren't. The Bully Boy already traffics in dishonesty and delusion, there's no need for any elements of the left (on any point of the spectrum) to follow suit.
As another told us, "I wasn't expecting any form of tikkun olam, I was expecting to be entertained and wasn't." That's reality. When you've left the reality-based community and moved over to the world of Bully Boy, we're not sure how much help you are to anyone? When you whitewash "hate and call it love" (with another nod to Joni Mitchell, "Dog Eat Dog"), we're not sure if you're doing it because you're caught up in the cycle or you just don't give a damn about many in this country.
When CounterSpin airs the comments of someone the Asian-American community has been calling out for months (and his on air "apology" only inflamed the issue more), we find it sad. When the aired comments include the sexist remark with no critique of it, we scratch our heads.
We think the left has compromised itself quite enough in terms of party politics over the last forty years and fail to see how compromising ourselves with regards to the voices we choose to highlight and grant attention to helps us break that pattern.
The sexist remark in the speech wasn't sponatenous. It was written ahead of time and rehearsed ahead of time. It was intended, not tossed out. Ignoring it doesn't serve anyone. It doesn't serve a cause (be it the left or press criticism), it doesn't serve the audience (which is made up of more than White Males). It does send a message, intended or not, and the message is: "Laugh or shut up! We need this White Man more than we need you!" We don't see that message turning out crowds at the next demonstration.
Stephen Colbert died April 30th. It was a slow painful death.
The closest approximation to it is a "routine" that nearly killed Chevy Chase's career. In both instances, it wasn't due to being "nasty" or "mean" -- it was because they lacked the ability to pull the moment off.
Steve Martin could have taken any of the lines Colbert delivered and made them funny. Colbert isn't Martin. It's the same reason Jon Stewart can't hit out of the park when he hosts the Oscars, there's really nothing to pull an in-person audience in.
On The Daily Show, Colbert is doing Cher from her first attempts at co-hosting a variety show -- ignoring the audience and interacting with Sonny, er Stewart. When the marriage broke up and Cher went solo, she had to learn to relate to the audience.
Colbert can't. So you were treated to a lengthy monologue that wasn't shaped (no highs, no lows, just a steady drone) though it had been rehearsed at length.
It was like watching the kid who shows up at school on Monday repeating the funny lines from Saturday Night Live.
There are a number of reasons those attending were offended and one of the chief ones was that Colbert just wasn't funny. He can do sketch comedy, he couldn't work up delivering an entertaining monologue last Sunday.
Dennis Leary could have done the routine word for word (though we think he would change it some -- at least "wife" to "spouse") and it would have been funny. It has to do with the quality that makes someone a star and someone a second banana (or worse). Colbert has no sparkle. There is no quality that pulls you to him.
In its best moments, the monologue had some genuinely funny lines. They were written funny. They just weren't delivered in a funny manner.
Nor did the routine breathe as Colbert plowed from one joke to the next. It was an amateur trying to entertain and, don't let American Idol fool you, that's rarely entertaining or amusing.
Some are offering the opinion that it was meant to implode as though Colbert was the next Andy Kaufman if not the next Lenny Bruce. That's not reality. The act was supposed to "kill" but the only death was Colbert's.
The mainstream media took a pass on Colbert in their coverage of the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner. There a number of reasons for that. One reason is that many felt insulted. Another reason is that it wasn't funny and, having been insulted, to then call Colbert out for not being funny would seem like so much sour grapes.
Someone comes to your home and spits on your dining room floor, you don't make an effort to sing their praises (or publicize the occurrence). Which is what happened. The dinner was supposed to be about the press. It was as though Colbert had gone to a banquet for Little League baseball and done twenty minutes on coaches molesting their charges.
That does happen. And what Colbert was commenting on, the suck up nature of the DC press, is very real. But if you're going to insult your audience and expect them to laugh, you better do it with some style.
Colbert had none in evidence.
Not everyone present knew who he was. (We spoke to fourteen people who attended the dinner for this article.) Those who did know of him vaguely were a little more informed than many handing out shout outs and back slaps online.
Editor & Publisher (as Rebecca pointed out) was among those leading the charge for "Why aren't they talking about this!" Editor & Publisher took a pass on an offensive remark he made.
Let's go back to the Little Leage analogy because it's almost a sports analogy and conventional wisdom lovers love those. Let's say you're a young girl or parent of one attending. You have a right to feel that you or your daughter is included because she's demonstrated that she can play Little League. So when the entertainer's remarks render her invisible, you have a right to be offended. (Four we spoke to used the term "outraged.") Which is what happened when Colbert went down a list of daily events in the life of a member of the DC press including "Make love to your wife."
This routine was written in advance, it was rehearsed and rehearsed. There's no excuse for that line making it into the "performance." At a time when Jill Carroll's kidnapping is still a point of discussion within the press, rendering all women invisible with that sexist remark wasn't a way to endear.
It was offensive. (Rebecca's gone into why at length.)
The prop-giving net doesn't want to tackle that. They want to look the other way. The same way they look the other way (or maybe they're just not informed) on how offensive their celebrated hero has been to Asian-Americans. "Ching-Chong Ding-Dong" may have entertained our shout-out netties, but it didn't entertain many Asian-Americans. And there was talk, before Colbert went on, about "Ching-Chong Ding-Dong" and why the man infamous for that was speaking at the dinner?
(Why was he chosen? Because someone like that really does help set the tone for a Bully Boy America.)
Colbert flopped. Flop-sweat flowed from him. There's not much expected at the dinners. It's why a Baby Cries a Lot or Mark Russell can garner polite chuckles. Neither man's set the world on fire. They're pedistrarian, but they are comics.
Colbert isn't. He's a writer. He's a television performer. He's not a successful standup comedian and the routine was as painful to watch as Colin Quinn's attempt at anchoring Weekend Update on Saturday Night Live.
Reciting lines is not a performance.
But we saw (again) the most ridiculous nonsense as people on the left rushed in to prop up the performance as one of the funniest in recent times.
That's offensive. It's offensive not merely because we have enough delusions in Bully Boy's America without the left and supposed left adding to the mix.
It's offensive because it frequently seems these days that everything (anything?) a man does gets trumpeted. Take a speech given on the TV show Boston Legal. Now James Spader's character's speech deserved applause (but Spader didn't write it, folks). However, the same week, there was a much more meaningful moment on ER that addressed the war. There were no hosannas coming from our quick-to-give-shout-outs net for that moment. One involved a White male and the other an Aisan-American woman. Was that the reason?
Whatever the reason, the applause for Colbert is a bit like when the left worked itself into a lather trying to give Howard Stern props. It wasn't enough to merely wish him good luck in his battle with Clear Channel. We were supposed to find him "funny" as well.
Funny?
It's amazing how willing some of the left are to lower their standards. They'll say they're inclusive. They'll say they welcome all races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, genders (male, female and trans) but let any group object to the way they're portrayed and suddenly it's: "Where is your sense of humor!"
Howard Stern's offensive. We don't think it's offensive in the manner that should lead to fines, we do think it's offensive in the manner that people should think twice before singing his praises.
It's the same thing with Colbert.
"Where is the line?" Ruth asked.
It's a good question. He's offended Asian-Americans with stereotypical characterization but we're supposed to overlook that. He made a sexist remark in his overly praised non-performance and we're supposed to overlook that as well.
Exactly where is the line?
How desperate are we for heroes?
Not desperate enough to note Parminder Nagra's Dr. Neela Rasgotra. Looking High and Low for heroes apparently means looking White and Male.
A net so quick to ignore Nargra while they rush to applaud Spader surprises no one when Colbert's treatment of Asian-Americans and women is overlooked as they rush to cheer: "What a man! What a man! What a man!"
It's offensive. Democracy Now! aired the clip. With the sexist remark. It's a news broadcast. Their angle was no one was talking about it in the mainstream. We could understand that, we could've lived without it, but we could understand it.
We couldn't understand the need for a (White) gay male to note the "performance" on a non-news show. (Note it more than once. And sing its praises.) We'll assume when Colbert goes off on gay men, radio guy will want us to have his back? Why he thinks that's warranted after he's looked the other way with regards to sexism and racism, we have no idea. Friday, CounterSpin played the clip. CounterSpin is a program that evaluates, offers critiques. So it was distressing when they played the clip with no comment on the rank sexism. (It was also embarrassing considering that Monday's immigrant rallies across the nation were among many worthy topics to examine that got lost around the net as so many played rally 'round Colbert -- who, for the record, wasn't under attack. This wasn't 1991 and he wasn't Roseanne.)
We'll repeat: How desparate are we for heroes?
We must be pretty hard up. Maybe that's because we're looking for the Great White (Male) Hope?
This is a pattern that's emerging. A woman does something and she's not noted. (A woman of any color, any sexual orientation, any ethnicity.) A White Male (presumably straight) does something and we're supposed to overlook racism and sexism as we rise for an online standing ovation.
It doesn't cut it.
Just as with the DLC attempts to Whiten and Male-Up the Democratic Party, we see something similar happen online. Whether it's because people are uninformed or they just don't care, we have no idea.
Intentionally or not, a message is sent and people are offended -- the people who've been fighting all along, not the ones hopping onto the bandwagon. But apparently they're as unimportant to many online voices and sites as they are to the Democratic Party.
We're seeing a similar thing with regards to Neil Young's album. Like Kat, we both think Living With War is a great album. ("We" is Ava and C.I. for those who don't read carefully before penning their hate mail.) But it's really strange, this need to obliterate all the voices that have been raised in song against the administration to act as though Young's the first. That includes independent artists (who possibly aren't as well known, it doesn't appear that independent media is widely known on the net -- but that may just be due to the fact that so many seem keen to set themselves up as playas -- watch closely as the new Michael Kinsleys and Cokie Roberts are birthed before your eyes) as well as mainstream audiences.
Young is building on the work of others -- and we don't just mean the strange similarities to Bruce Springsteen songs circa Born in the U.S.A. We're happy to welcome his album. We're just not willing to act as though Michelle Shocked, Green Day, Ben Harper, Anais Mitchell, Michael Franti, Patti Smith, Rickie Lee Jones, Cowboy Junkies, Bright Eyes and others haven't already been exploring the territory.
We hope others follow Young's example but we won't say we hope they follow "Young's lead" because he's following the path that many others have paved. We'll listen to the music and enjoy it for the music and the passion but forgive us if we're a bit wary of embracing Young. Hopefully, his eyes have opened. But we're not going to act as though his past actions and statements didn't take place.
Angry Military Man (incestually related to Eurythmic's "Missionary Man"?) has taken a very long leak on the peace movement. He's now doing it in public and we keep hoping he gets picked up for indecent exposure. (Yes, that works on many levels.) But the only reason he's in the position to pull it out and splash is because the left treated him as Jesus, Buddah, Goddess and Muhammed. Most human beings have value (we'd say "all" but then we're confronted with the administration). You can learn from, and take from, many. You don't need to cheerlead them and set them up as the voice of the left -- especially not at the expense of true voices of the left.
But that happens repeatedly. We're not sure whether it's just a hunger for heroes in bleak times or if it's a concentrated effort to designate the "acceptable" as heroes?
We do know that Angry Military Man has taken repeated jabs at Cindy Sheehan and is only growing more emboldened and vocal. That's because he's allowed to. Why he is allowed to, why he's not called out on his crap goes to heart of the problem. The efforts to rehabilitate Neil Young, Stephen Colbert or Angry Military Man aren't efforts about the peace movement.
If a leader emerges, that's wonderful. (And many have.) But this need to knock the people who came before and set up others as leaders is offensive. It's only more so when you notice that the ones who keep getting set up are (no surprise) White Males.
We think Bully Boy (with the help of many) has retooled the United States into a masculinist vision. We're aware that, as one friend said on the phone regarding the press dinner, "Maybe after six years, we're unable to think except in the framework he's imposed?" (He being the Bully Boy.) That's a danger. We respond on the same level the Bully Boy acts. And we all go "round and round in the circle game." (Nod to Joni Mitchell, "The Circle Game.")
We can stop it. But it won't be with dishonesty. It won't come from lying that someone was amazing when they weren't. The Bully Boy already traffics in dishonesty and delusion, there's no need for any elements of the left (on any point of the spectrum) to follow suit.
As another told us, "I wasn't expecting any form of tikkun olam, I was expecting to be entertained and wasn't." That's reality. When you've left the reality-based community and moved over to the world of Bully Boy, we're not sure how much help you are to anyone? When you whitewash "hate and call it love" (with another nod to Joni Mitchell, "Dog Eat Dog"), we're not sure if you're doing it because you're caught up in the cycle or you just don't give a damn about many in this country.
When CounterSpin airs the comments of someone the Asian-American community has been calling out for months (and his on air "apology" only inflamed the issue more), we find it sad. When the aired comments include the sexist remark with no critique of it, we scratch our heads.
We think the left has compromised itself quite enough in terms of party politics over the last forty years and fail to see how compromising ourselves with regards to the voices we choose to highlight and grant attention to helps us break that pattern.
The sexist remark in the speech wasn't sponatenous. It was written ahead of time and rehearsed ahead of time. It was intended, not tossed out. Ignoring it doesn't serve anyone. It doesn't serve a cause (be it the left or press criticism), it doesn't serve the audience (which is made up of more than White Males). It does send a message, intended or not, and the message is: "Laugh or shut up! We need this White Man more than we need you!" We don't see that message turning out crowds at the next demonstration.
Book: Anthony Arnove's IRAQ: The Logic of Withdrawal
BY NOW IT IS CLEAR that most Iraqis want the United States to leave. From mainstream media accounts, though, most observers could be forgiven for belieivng that only an isolated minority of senior Bathists, foreign fighters, and nihilists is standing up to the United States. "As if to underline their misunderstanding of the world, American military spokesmen call Iraqis who are resisting their invasion 'terrorists.' Who else on earth would call a man who fights a foreign soldier in his own country a terrorist?" the journalist Charles Glass wrote presciently only weeks after the invasion.
The term foreign fighters is a mantra at almost every U.S. press conference on the war. It is a sign of the level to which the propaganda for this war has been internalized by the establishment media that no one blinks at such proclamations. In the standard usage, however, U.S. troops, who have traveled thousands of miles to invade and occupy Iraq, knowing in most cases not a word of Arabic or a thing about Iraqi culture or society, are not foreign fighters and are not "interfering in Iraqi affairs" (the charge repeatedly leveled by the United States against Iran, Syria, and Jordan).
"We've made clear we would oppose any outside interference in Iraq's road to democracy," White House spokesperson Air Fleischer told reporters, without a trace of irony, in April 2003. In other words, the world should stand aside and let the United States determine Iraq's future.
So opens chapter five (pp. 55-56) of Anthony Arnove's IRAQ: The Logic of Withdrawal. It's a small book, 105 pages of text (plus a seven page introduction); foreword and afterword by noted historian Howard Zinn. (Zinn and Arnove have collaborated before). So those who pick Robert Fisk's most recent book (or Noam Chomksy's) and think "There's no way I have time to read all of this" have no excuses. (Both Fisk's The Great War For Civilization: The Conquest Of The Middle East and Chomsky's Failed State are recommended reading.)
What do you get? Eve Ensler says (on the back cover), "An impassioned, unflinching case for immediate U.S. withdrawal." That about says it all.
But we're dealing with a nation of elected officials and gas bag pundits who say that Bring the Troops Home isn't an option. They've said that for three years. Three years, they've waited for the turned corner never grasping that the occupation has no corners, it's one thin line straight to hell -- for Iraqis and foreigners.
Foreigners includes the US. A point Arnove makes that might even reach out to the ones who feel any decisions on changing course in Iraq should come from elected officials and/or The Council on Foreign Relations. That's only one of the many realities the author illuminates.
Special attention should be paid to the eight reasons for immediate withdrawal:
1) The U.S. military has no right to be in Iraq in the first place.
2) The United States is not bringing democracy to Iraq.
3) The United States is not making the world a safer place by occuyping Iraq.
4) The United States is not preventing civil war in Iraq.
5) The United States is not confronting terrorism by staying in Iraq.
6) The United States is not honoring those who died by continuing the conflict.
7) The United States is not rebuilding Iraq.
8) The United States is not fulfilling its obligation to the Iraqi people for the harm and suffering it has caused.
Our intended readers will nod along with those points and probably be able to offer support for many without reading the book. But for the unintended, if the above has blown your mind or caused you to blow your stack, you can read pages 67-83.
The war's not ending tomorrow. Or the day after, or the month after. The only thing that will end the war is the people. Arm yourself with knowledge by reading IRAQ: The Logic of Withdrawal. As politicians make noises to try to indicate that they are 'responsive,' they'll co-opt language to cloak continued occupation. This book can prepare you and arm you for the battle.
Shame of the Week (Musical)
We can't call it shame of the week because it's been a shameful week. But in terms of musical moments, it has to win the cake.
Burger King has a new commercial. Where men walk around singing of the joys of wrapping their mouths around a piece of meat.
Would that they would go there! It might make for an interesting commercial. Instead, they just mean shoving some burgers down their gullets. You get priceless gems (that's sarcasm) about turning their innies (belly buttons) into outies.
These faux gems are made offensive by both what's shown onscreen and, more importantly, by the music the gems are set to.
Onscreen, the boys (they aren't men) "send up" feminism. Or some idiot's notion of feminism. (They burn their briefs because, like many, they've bought into the myth of bra burnings.) as this anti-feminist piece of crap plays out, you may recognize the melody the boys sing (and dance to): "I Am Woman."
In fact, the lead chorus boy announces, at the beginning of the commercial, "I am man, hear me roar" as he rails against "chick food."
For those too young to remember, Helen Reddy recorded "I Am Woman." Reddy and Ray Burton wrote this number one hit (1972) which went on to become a feminist anthem. When she accepted the Grammy for Best Pop, Rock and Folk Vocal Performance, she thanked, among others God: "because She makes everything possible."
Reddy had gotten involved in the feminist movement and wasn't finding any songs she felt reflected "the positive sense of self I'd gained from the women's movement." So she wrote the lyrics and Burton wrote the music. The song showed up on I Don't Know How To Love Him (her 1970 debut album). In 1972, the song made two appearances in a new form. Reddy changed the lyrics somewhat (including adding a last verse and singing "I can do anything" from "I can face anything"). The song popped up in Mike J. Frankovich's Stand Up and Be Counted and on her (1972) album I Am Woman.
Reddy charged Frankovich a fee -- a donation of three thousand dollars (a thousand to women's centers in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York). For years, Reddy refused to allow the song to be used in commercials. The United Nations was allowed to use it for International Women's Year (a token payment of one dollar was made). But that was it. The reason Reddy often gave was that the song was too important to her.
Now it's used it a commercial that mocks the women's movement and uses non-feminist terms like "chick food." The woman who refused to perform on Dean Martin's show because she found it exploitive now allows her "anthem" (a movement's anthem) to be used in a commercial that mocks the movement?
You and me against the world, Helen? Seems like you've crossed over to the other side.
We'd suggest that, as she wrote in "I Am Woman," that there's still "a long, long way to go/ Until I make my brother understand." We're not seeing how mocking the women's movement or allowing a song that has remained an anthem to be turned into a joke helps anyone.
Should she re-record the song, we'd suggest she change the line "Yes, I've paid the price" to "Yes, I have a price."
Shame of the week, musical.
Burger King has a new commercial. Where men walk around singing of the joys of wrapping their mouths around a piece of meat.
Would that they would go there! It might make for an interesting commercial. Instead, they just mean shoving some burgers down their gullets. You get priceless gems (that's sarcasm) about turning their innies (belly buttons) into outies.
These faux gems are made offensive by both what's shown onscreen and, more importantly, by the music the gems are set to.
Onscreen, the boys (they aren't men) "send up" feminism. Or some idiot's notion of feminism. (They burn their briefs because, like many, they've bought into the myth of bra burnings.) as this anti-feminist piece of crap plays out, you may recognize the melody the boys sing (and dance to): "I Am Woman."
In fact, the lead chorus boy announces, at the beginning of the commercial, "I am man, hear me roar" as he rails against "chick food."
For those too young to remember, Helen Reddy recorded "I Am Woman." Reddy and Ray Burton wrote this number one hit (1972) which went on to become a feminist anthem. When she accepted the Grammy for Best Pop, Rock and Folk Vocal Performance, she thanked, among others God: "because She makes everything possible."
Reddy had gotten involved in the feminist movement and wasn't finding any songs she felt reflected "the positive sense of self I'd gained from the women's movement." So she wrote the lyrics and Burton wrote the music. The song showed up on I Don't Know How To Love Him (her 1970 debut album). In 1972, the song made two appearances in a new form. Reddy changed the lyrics somewhat (including adding a last verse and singing "I can do anything" from "I can face anything"). The song popped up in Mike J. Frankovich's Stand Up and Be Counted and on her (1972) album I Am Woman.
Reddy charged Frankovich a fee -- a donation of three thousand dollars (a thousand to women's centers in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York). For years, Reddy refused to allow the song to be used in commercials. The United Nations was allowed to use it for International Women's Year (a token payment of one dollar was made). But that was it. The reason Reddy often gave was that the song was too important to her.
Now it's used it a commercial that mocks the women's movement and uses non-feminist terms like "chick food." The woman who refused to perform on Dean Martin's show because she found it exploitive now allows her "anthem" (a movement's anthem) to be used in a commercial that mocks the movement?
You and me against the world, Helen? Seems like you've crossed over to the other side.
We'd suggest that, as she wrote in "I Am Woman," that there's still "a long, long way to go/ Until I make my brother understand." We're not seeing how mocking the women's movement or allowing a song that has remained an anthem to be turned into a joke helps anyone.
Should she re-record the song, we'd suggest she change the line "Yes, I've paid the price" to "Yes, I have a price."
Shame of the week, musical.
Music spotlight: Kat's Korner "Neil Young's Living With War -- key word 'Living'"
This is the first of at least seven musical commentaries Kat will be doing at The Common Ills. ("None this morning," she says. "I'm too tired to read over the completed ones." It's been a long night.) Here she is on Neil Young's latest.
Kat's Korner: Neil Young's Living With War -- key word "Living"
Kat: Thank God for Neil Young. He's the first one to give us what we've all been wanting. The one that takes on the Bully Boy.
You buy that crap in the previous paragraph? Sometimes rewritten history is enough to turn you off reality. For instance, revisionist history doesn't note that Neil Young was quite happy to support the Patriot Act at a time when artists like Rickie Lee Jones were raising their voices. Rickie Lee took on the Bully Boy. So did Green Day. So did Pearl Jam (in the past and on their new self-titled CD). And of course Bright Eyes, the Rolling Stones, Cowboy Junkies and many more. In terms of a sense of how America's has changed, you need only listen to Tori Amos' Scarlet's Walk to hear a journey across an America rotting from above. Those artists are far from the only ones who have spent time among the living in the last six years.
Is this just another case of White Male Boomer soaking up all the credit others have earned? If this is the case, accepting that myth means overlooking John Fogerty's Deja Vu All Over Again. Guess Fogerty came out swinging too soon? Or someone didn't take their ginco biloba?
So Neil Young's not the first. I think we've established that.
The album?
It's got a lot of things going for it.
Neil Young's pissed off. He's usually more interesting when he's pissed off. ("Helpless" not withstanding.) He's rocking with the kind of noise he hasn't kicked up in some time. Though he's arriving late to the party, he's making quite an entrance.
Living With War is the name of the album. You can currently listen to it in full online.
"After the Garden" is the first track. It's a strong track to kick off the album and you may think it's your favorite.
Won't need no shadow man
Running the government
Won't need no stinking war
Won't need no hair cut
Won't need no shoe shine
After the garden is gone
It features some strong drum work and Yong's lamenting in a manner that suits his voice. The strong drum work is actually a hallmark throughout. Muscially, it rocks better than the best tracks on Sleeps With Angels.
"Living With War" (title track) is next up and it may be time to reconsider your favorite song.
I take a holy vow
To never kill again
To never kill again
And try to remember PEACE
What makes this song for me? Two things: again the drums and the vocals. The vocals sometimes seem to chant and sometimes seem to sing. If that's Young and only Young via overdubs, I'd be surprised but he's been seriously messing around in the studio since the eighties, so who knows?
The song's about how "we kill and we're killed again" as we live with war (in our hearts) day after day. The theme will be carried throughout the album.
"Restless Consumer" is Young's "The Ghost of Tom Joad." Which is actually a good reference not just for the song. Springsteen hangs over the album. Check the musical similarities between "Living With War" and Springsteen's "Working On The Highway." Or between Springsteen's "No Retreat, No Surrender" which "Families" owes a musical debt to. (Corey Hart's "No Surrender" already owes Springsteen a lyrical debt.) Young mixes it up a bit by borrowing from the melody of Bob Dylan's "Chimes of Freedom" for "Flags of Freedom."
That's not nitpicking. Most songs and artists borrow. (It's outright theft that causes problems.)
He's even borrowing musically from his own work for "Roger and Out."
So what have we got here?
He has the most talked about album of his career. Whether he decided to allow people to listen to the album online to force the release (as some rumors say) or to get his songs out quickly, it's worked. There's an interest in his work, an excitement, that's not been present for some time.
At my local Tower, I asked how his catalogue was selling. I was told a number of people have been coming in asking for Living With War and that his Greatest Hits collection has shown a considerable increase in sales. (Living With War can be purchased as a download currently. It hits stores May 8th.)
It was a smart move. Not just in terms of marketing. What he's done is force everyone interested to basically act like a reviewer in the seventies with limited access to an upcoming release. You can listen. Under his conditions. Which means you listen from start to finish (unless you stop the stream). There's no option of picking the track you want to hear (or going back to one when it's finished playing). You hear the entire album in order.
All ten tracks. It's a concept album and the tenth track only works on the first few listens. (It's "America The Beautiful.") It provides the "light" at the end of the tunnel. Whether or not it's "cinematic," it will be the track that has you reaching for the remote in a few months. It's a traditional arrangement and what might have served the album better is a radical reworking of the song such as what Tori Amos did to Young's "Heart of Gold" on Strange Little Girls. Tori's version of "Happiness is a Warm Gun" appears to have had an impact on Young's "Let's Impeach the President."
Lopping off the "light" (final track), you've got Young's strongest album since the seventies. The man who cheered on the Patriot Act (and war with "Let's Roll"); the man who, let's be honest, had nothing to say for years, finally has something to say. There's none of the insulting point of view that marred Sleeps With Angels (where Young truly felt he had went "to heaven" which was apparently defined by a "Trans Am" and a 'cheery' view of the homeless). He's back among the living.
The vocal sneer (sometimes snarl) has allowed him to get away with a great deal over the last two decades. But nothing's been able to rescue his lyrics for some time. As he's repeatedly attempted to play the cowboy, it's been less and less a return the early highs of CSNY and more like Glenn Frey-lite. Pissed off has frequently led to vocals and music that almost saved songs with lyrics that many couldn't relate to. (Unless you, too, were a millionaire looking for a 'Purchase of Gold' -- frequently taking home a "Piece of Crap" or not.)
Neil Young came back down to earth lyrically. Music needs him, we need him. This is a brave album for any number of reasons including theme. But what may be most brave is the refusal to work and rework the songs (there's a reason David Geffen once sued him). There are nods to the work of Springsteen and Amos. The heart may not be gold but it's pumping. So much so that no one need turn to the sixites to give him a shout out (as he does to the year 1963 to shout out to Dylan in "Flags of Freedom" -- sad but true, you do have to go that far back to shout out to Dylan).
May 8th the album comes out in stores. I could download it now but I won't. I'll wait until Tuesday and purchase it. I've listened to it repeatedly online. That hasn't weakened my desire to own Living With War which is probably the highest compliment you can give music these days. I'm not sure how it will fare up against Ben Harper's incredible Both Sides of the Gun on my own stereo but, hopefully, they can live side by side, if not in perfect harmony.
neil young
living with war
bruce springsteen
tori amos
ben harper
both sides of the gun
cowboy junkies
the cowboy junkies
bright eyes
rolling stones
green day
the common ills
kats korner
You buy that crap in the previous paragraph? Sometimes rewritten history is enough to turn you off reality. For instance, revisionist history doesn't note that Neil Young was quite happy to support the Patriot Act at a time when artists like Rickie Lee Jones were raising their voices. Rickie Lee took on the Bully Boy. So did Green Day. So did Pearl Jam (in the past and on their new self-titled CD). And of course Bright Eyes, the Rolling Stones, Cowboy Junkies and many more. In terms of a sense of how America's has changed, you need only listen to Tori Amos' Scarlet's Walk to hear a journey across an America rotting from above. Those artists are far from the only ones who have spent time among the living in the last six years.
Is this just another case of White Male Boomer soaking up all the credit others have earned? If this is the case, accepting that myth means overlooking John Fogerty's Deja Vu All Over Again. Guess Fogerty came out swinging too soon? Or someone didn't take their ginco biloba?
So Neil Young's not the first. I think we've established that.
The album?
It's got a lot of things going for it.
Neil Young's pissed off. He's usually more interesting when he's pissed off. ("Helpless" not withstanding.) He's rocking with the kind of noise he hasn't kicked up in some time. Though he's arriving late to the party, he's making quite an entrance.
Living With War is the name of the album. You can currently listen to it in full online.
"After the Garden" is the first track. It's a strong track to kick off the album and you may think it's your favorite.
Won't need no shadow man
Running the government
Won't need no stinking war
Won't need no hair cut
Won't need no shoe shine
After the garden is gone
It features some strong drum work and Yong's lamenting in a manner that suits his voice. The strong drum work is actually a hallmark throughout. Muscially, it rocks better than the best tracks on Sleeps With Angels.
"Living With War" (title track) is next up and it may be time to reconsider your favorite song.
I take a holy vow
To never kill again
To never kill again
And try to remember PEACE
What makes this song for me? Two things: again the drums and the vocals. The vocals sometimes seem to chant and sometimes seem to sing. If that's Young and only Young via overdubs, I'd be surprised but he's been seriously messing around in the studio since the eighties, so who knows?
The song's about how "we kill and we're killed again" as we live with war (in our hearts) day after day. The theme will be carried throughout the album.
"Restless Consumer" is Young's "The Ghost of Tom Joad." Which is actually a good reference not just for the song. Springsteen hangs over the album. Check the musical similarities between "Living With War" and Springsteen's "Working On The Highway." Or between Springsteen's "No Retreat, No Surrender" which "Families" owes a musical debt to. (Corey Hart's "No Surrender" already owes Springsteen a lyrical debt.) Young mixes it up a bit by borrowing from the melody of Bob Dylan's "Chimes of Freedom" for "Flags of Freedom."
That's not nitpicking. Most songs and artists borrow. (It's outright theft that causes problems.)
He's even borrowing musically from his own work for "Roger and Out."
So what have we got here?
He has the most talked about album of his career. Whether he decided to allow people to listen to the album online to force the release (as some rumors say) or to get his songs out quickly, it's worked. There's an interest in his work, an excitement, that's not been present for some time.
At my local Tower, I asked how his catalogue was selling. I was told a number of people have been coming in asking for Living With War and that his Greatest Hits collection has shown a considerable increase in sales. (Living With War can be purchased as a download currently. It hits stores May 8th.)
It was a smart move. Not just in terms of marketing. What he's done is force everyone interested to basically act like a reviewer in the seventies with limited access to an upcoming release. You can listen. Under his conditions. Which means you listen from start to finish (unless you stop the stream). There's no option of picking the track you want to hear (or going back to one when it's finished playing). You hear the entire album in order.
All ten tracks. It's a concept album and the tenth track only works on the first few listens. (It's "America The Beautiful.") It provides the "light" at the end of the tunnel. Whether or not it's "cinematic," it will be the track that has you reaching for the remote in a few months. It's a traditional arrangement and what might have served the album better is a radical reworking of the song such as what Tori Amos did to Young's "Heart of Gold" on Strange Little Girls. Tori's version of "Happiness is a Warm Gun" appears to have had an impact on Young's "Let's Impeach the President."
Lopping off the "light" (final track), you've got Young's strongest album since the seventies. The man who cheered on the Patriot Act (and war with "Let's Roll"); the man who, let's be honest, had nothing to say for years, finally has something to say. There's none of the insulting point of view that marred Sleeps With Angels (where Young truly felt he had went "to heaven" which was apparently defined by a "Trans Am" and a 'cheery' view of the homeless). He's back among the living.
The vocal sneer (sometimes snarl) has allowed him to get away with a great deal over the last two decades. But nothing's been able to rescue his lyrics for some time. As he's repeatedly attempted to play the cowboy, it's been less and less a return the early highs of CSNY and more like Glenn Frey-lite. Pissed off has frequently led to vocals and music that almost saved songs with lyrics that many couldn't relate to. (Unless you, too, were a millionaire looking for a 'Purchase of Gold' -- frequently taking home a "Piece of Crap" or not.)
Neil Young came back down to earth lyrically. Music needs him, we need him. This is a brave album for any number of reasons including theme. But what may be most brave is the refusal to work and rework the songs (there's a reason David Geffen once sued him). There are nods to the work of Springsteen and Amos. The heart may not be gold but it's pumping. So much so that no one need turn to the sixites to give him a shout out (as he does to the year 1963 to shout out to Dylan in "Flags of Freedom" -- sad but true, you do have to go that far back to shout out to Dylan).
May 8th the album comes out in stores. I could download it now but I won't. I'll wait until Tuesday and purchase it. I've listened to it repeatedly online. That hasn't weakened my desire to own Living With War which is probably the highest compliment you can give music these days. I'm not sure how it will fare up against Ben Harper's incredible Both Sides of the Gun on my own stereo but, hopefully, they can live side by side, if not in perfect harmony.
neil young
living with war
bruce springsteen
tori amos
ben harper
both sides of the gun
cowboy junkies
the cowboy junkies
bright eyes
rolling stones
green day
the common ills
kats korner
Talk is cheap. Use Yahoo! Messenger to make PC-to-Phone calls. Great rates starting at 1¢/min.
Comite Judicial del Senado investigara afirmaciones de exencion de Bush (Democracy Now!)
Comite Judicial del Senado investigara afirmaciones de exencion de Bush (Democracy Now!)
Maria: Buenos dias. De parte de "Democracy Now!" diaz cosas que vale hacer notar este fin de semana. Paz.
Más de un millón y medio de personas marchan en protestas del 1º de Mayo en apoyo de inmigrantes
Más de un millón y medio de personas participaron en las manifestaciones del 1º de Mayo para apoyar los derechos de los inmigrantes, en uno de los días de protesta de mayor convocatoria en la historia de Estados Unidos. En todo el país, los inmigrantes se negaron a ir a trabajar o a estudiar en lo que fue llamado "Un día sin inmigrantes". Se llevaron a cabo grandes manifestaciones en docenas de ciudades. En Chicago, los organizadores dijeron que 700.000 personas salieron a las calles a protestar. Más de medio millón de personas marcharon en Los Ángeles. En Denver, al menos 75.000 personas -aproximadamente un sexto de la población de la ciudad- participaron en una marcha frente al capitolio del Estado. En Florida, 50.000 personas se congregaron en una serie de protestas. En la ciudad de Nueva York, más de 100.000 personas marcharon desde Union Square por la avenida Broadway. Miles de comercios cerraron -al menos durante parte del día- en señal de solidaridad. También estudiantes de todo el país salieron de clase para protestar. Aproximadamente uno de cada cuatro faltó a clases en Los Ángeles, mientras que en Chicago, un tercio de los estudiantes no asistió. "Associated Press" informó que al menos 1,1 millones de personas participaron en las protestas del lunes, pero los cálculos se basaban únicamente en informes policiales. Los organizadores en varias ciudades afirmaron que la participación en las protestas hubiera sido mayor, pero los inmigrantes indocumentados tenían miedo de salir tras las recientes redadas contra inmigrantes.
Informe: Costo de la Guerra en Irak Supera Costo de Vietnam
Y el costo de la guerra sigue subiendo. El periódico de Londres "Independent of London" informa que la guerra está por superar el costo de la guerra en Vietnam en términos reales. Estados Unidos actualmente gasta como $6 mil millones por mes en Irak. El economista Joseph Stiglitz de la Universidad de Columbia estima que el costo de la guerra puede superar 2 billones de dolares.
Comité Judicial del Senado investigará afirmaciones de exención de Bush
Esta noticia es sobre Estados Unidos. El presidente de Comité Judicial del Senado, Arlen Specter, anunció que llevará a cabo una audiencia de supervisión con relación a la afirmación del Presidente Bush de que tenía derecho a eludir más de 750 leyes desde que asumió el poder. En una entrevista con el "Boston Globe", Specter dijo: "¿Qué sentido tiene que tengamos un estatuto si... el Presidente puede elegir lo que le gusta y lo que no?". Specter dijo que pretende citar a declarar a funcionarios del gobierno de Bush y a juristas.
Trabajador de ambulancia iraquí asesinado por contratistas de seguridad estadounidenses
Mientras tanto, un trabajador iraquí no identificado que manejaba una ambulancia fue asesinado el martes, cuando un grupo de contratistas de seguridad estadounidenses le dispararon. Abu Ali, colega del trabajador, describió el ataque: "Estábamos conduciendo por aquí para entregar un caso (al hospital) cuando explotó una bomba cerca de un convoy de estadounidenses que pasaba. Ellos (los estadounidenses) abrieron fuego contra él, disparándole en el corazón. El francotirador le disparó dos veces, una de ellas en el corazón. ¿Qué crimen cometió? Manejamos una ambulancia que ayuda a las personas durante los ataques. ¿Qué hicimos mal?".
Teniente General Sánchez le dijo a soldados que debían "llegar a límites extremos" con los detenidos
Esta noticia es sobre Estados Unidos. La publicación de miles de documentos militares desclasificados está suscitando nuevos cuestionamientos con respecto a la participación de altos comandantes del Ejército en el escándalo de los abusos cometidos contra prisioneros en Abu Ghraib. Según la Unión Estadounidense para las Libertades Civiles (ACLU, por sus siglas en inglés), los documentos indican que el Teniente General del Ejército Ricardo Sánchez, ex comandante militar estadounidense de mayor rango en Irak, exhortó a sus soldados a "llegar a límites extremos" para obtener información de los prisioneros. Documentos que fueron dados a conocer anteriormente vincularon a Sánchez con la utilización de perros del ejército durante los interrogatorios.
Gobierno de Bush acusado de financiar militares somalíes
El gobierno de Bush está siendo acusado de generar descontento en Somalia, debido a su apoyo a los militares que luchan contra los militantes islámicos en Mogadishu. Un portavoz del gobierno somalí afirmó que, con esta actitud, el gobierno estadounidense está contribuyendo a estimular una guerra civil, que ya ha provocado la muerte de muchos civiles. En marzo, alrededor de 90 personas murieron en los enfrentamientos. Se trata de la situación de mayor violencia ocurrida en años en Somalia.
Profesores de Universidad de Boston protestan contra homenaje a Condoleezza Rice
En Massachusetts, casi 100 profesores de la Universidad de Boston firmaron una carta en protesta a la decisión de la Universidad de otorgarle a la Secretaria de Estado, Condoleezza Rice, un grado honorífico. Rice había sido anunciada como la oradora inaugural de las ceremonias de graduación a fines de este mes. Los autores de la carta -entre los que se encuentra el reverendo Kenneth Himes, presidente del departamento de teología- escribieron: "A nivel tanto de los principios morales, como del juicio moral práctico, el manejo de la Secretaria Rice de los asuntos internacionales está en conflicto con el compromiso de la Universidad de Boston con los valores de las tradiciones católica y jesuita, y no es coherente con los valores humanísticos que inspiran el trabajo de la Universidad".
Mueren dos personas durante redada policial en pueblo rural cercano a la Ciudad de México
Mientras tanto, dos personas murieron y varias resultaron heridas el miércoles, cuando la policía se enfrentó con campesinos en un pueblo rural en las afueras de la Cuidad de México. La localidad, Texcoco, tiene un historial de tensiones con la policía estatal. El enfrentamiento se produjo luego de que las autoridades intentaron cerrar un mercado provisorio establecido por varios residentes locales para vender sus productos. Filmaciones mostraron a manifestantes golpeando a un oficial de policía, mientras éste permanecía en el piso notoriamente inconsciente.
Masiva redada policial en localidad mexicana tras arresto de campesinos
En México, el jueves más de mil policías hicieron una redada en una localidad en las afueras de la Ciudad de México, donde se habían suscitado disturbios el día anterior. El miércoles los manifestantes se enfrentaron con la policía, que les lanzó gases lacrimógenos por protestar contra el arresto de varios campesinos que vendían flores sin permiso. Los manifestantes tomaron a seis policías de rehenes, que luego fueron liberados. Al menos 30 personas fueron arrestadas y permanecen detenidas. Dos periodistas dijeron que la policía los golpeó para evitar que filmaran
Damu Smith, 1952-2006
Por último, el legendario activista por la paz Damu Smith murió esta mañana. Damu fue el fundador de Black Voices for Peace (Voces Negras por la Paz) y de National Black Environmental Justice Network (Red Nacional de Justicia Ambiental para los Afrodescendientes), y luchó durante años contra el racismo ambiental, especialmente en el sur. Fue un líder clave en el movimiento en contra del Apartheid, y luchó contra la brutalidad policial en Washington DC y en todo el país. A Damu le diagnosticaron cáncer de colon el año pasado, mientras llevaba a cabo una misión de paz en los Territorios Ocupados. Desde entonces, no sólo luchó por su vida, sino también contra las desigualdades raciales en el sistema de salud. Su hija Aisha aún está viva, y su legado vive en todos aquellos que luchan por la justicia.
Maria: Good morning. Now in English, here are ten stories from Democracy Now! Peace.
Over 1.5 Million March in MayDay Immigration Protests
Over 1.5 million people took part in May Day demonstrations to support immigrant rights in one of the largest days of protest in the country's history. Across the nation immigrants refused to go to work or school in what was dubbed "A Day Without Immigrants." Major demonstrations were held in dozens of cities across the country. In Chicago organizers said up to 700,000 people took to the streets. Over a half million marched in Los Angeles. In Denver, at least 75,000 people -- about one-sixth of the city's population -- participated in a march on the state capitol. 50,000 people gathered in a series of protests in Florida. In New York City, over 100,000 marched from Union Square down Broadway. Thousands of businesses closed for at least part of the day in solidarity. Students walked out of classes across the country. In Los Angeles about one in every four students was absent. In Chicago as many as one-third of students didn't go to school. The Associated Press reported at least 1.1 million people took part in the protests but that estimate was based solely on police accounts. Organizers in several cities said the turnout would have been even larger but many undocumented immigrants were afraid to come out following recent immigration raids.
Report: Cost Of Iraq War To Pass Cost of Vietnam
And the cost of the war keeps rising. The Independent of London reports the war is set to become more expensive in real terms than Vietnam. The U.S. is now spending about $6 billion a month in Iraq. Columbia University economist Joseph Stiglitz estimates the ultimate cost of the war could top two trillion dollars.
Senate Judiciary Committee To Investigate Bush Exemption Claims
Back in the United States, Senate Judiciary Chair Arlen Specter has announced he will hold an oversight hearing into President Bush's claim to the right to bypass more than 750 laws since he took office. In an interview with the Boston Globe, Specter said: ''What's the point of having a statute if . . . the president can cherry-pick what he likes and what he doesn't like?" Specter said he intends to call on both Bush administration officials and constitutional scholars to testify.
Iraqi Ambulance Worker Killed By US Security Contractors
Meanwhile, an unidentified Iraqi ambulance worker was killed Tuesday when he was shot by a group of American security contractors. The worker’s colleague, Abu Ali, described the attack: "We were driving here to deliver a case (to the hospital) when a bomb went off close to a passing convoy of Americans. They (the Americans) opened fire on him, shooting him in his heart. Their sniper shot him twice and one of them in his heart. What is his crime? We are ambulance drivers who help people during attacks. What have we done wrong?"
Lt. Gen. Sanchez Told Troops To "Go To Outer Limits" With Detainees
Back in the United States, the release of thousands of de-classified military documents is raising new questions about the role of senior army commanders in the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal. According to the ACLU, the documents show Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the former top U.S. military commander in Iraq, urged his troops to "go to the outer limits" to extract information from prisoners. Previously released documents have linked Sanchez to the use of army dogs during interrogations.
Bush Admin. Accused of Funding Somalian Warlords
In Somalia, the Bush administration is being accused of fermenting unrest through the support of warlords fighting Islamic militants in Mogadishu. A Somali government spokesperson said the US government’s backing is helping fuel a civil war that has led to many civilian deaths. Some 90 people were killed during the fighting in March -- the worst violence Somalia has seen in years.
BC Professors Protest Honoring Condoleeza Rice
In Massachusetts, nearly 100 Boston College professors have added their names to a letter protesting their university’s decision to award Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice an honorary degree. Rice has been announced as a commencement speaker for graduation ceremonies later this month. The letters' authors, including theology department chair Rev. Kenneth Himes, wrote: "On the levels of both moral principle and practical moral judgment, Secretary Rice's approach to international affairs is in fundamental conflict with Boston College's commitment to the values of the Catholic and Jesuit traditions and is inconsistent with the humanistic values that inspire the university's work."
Mass Police Raid On Mexican Town After Farmer Arrests
In Mexico, over 1,000 police officers raided a town on the outskirts of Mexico City Thursday that was the site of a riot a day earlier. On Wednesday, demonstrators clashed with police who tear-gassed them for protesting the arrest of several farmers for selling flowers without a permit. The demonstrators took six police hostages, all of whom were released. At least 30 people were arrested and remain in custody. Two journalists said police beat them to prevent them from filming.
2 Killed In Police Raid On Farming Town Near Mexico City
Meanwhile, two people were killed and several injured Wednesday when police clashed with peasants in a farming town outside Mexico City. The town, Texcoco, has a history of tensions with state police. The clashes broke out after authorities attempted to shut down a temporary market set up by several locals to sell their products. Video footage showed protesters beating a police officer as he lay visibly unconscious.
Damu Smith, 1952-2006
And finally, legendary peace activist Damu Smith died earlier this morning. The founder of Black Voices for Peace and the National Black Environmental Justice Network, Damu spent years fighting environmental racism, particularly in the south. He was a key leader in the anti-Apartheid movement and fought police brutality in Washington, DC and around the country. Damu was diagnosed with colon cancer last year while on a peace mission in the Occupied Territories. He then not only fought for his life, but against racial disparities in the health care system. Damu is survived by his daughter Aisha and his legacy lives on in all those who fight for justice.
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Más de un millón y medio de personas marchan en protestas del 1º de Mayo en apoyo de inmigrantes
Más de un millón y medio de personas participaron en las manifestaciones del 1º de Mayo para apoyar los derechos de los inmigrantes, en uno de los días de protesta de mayor convocatoria en la historia de Estados Unidos. En todo el país, los inmigrantes se negaron a ir a trabajar o a estudiar en lo que fue llamado "Un día sin inmigrantes". Se llevaron a cabo grandes manifestaciones en docenas de ciudades. En Chicago, los organizadores dijeron que 700.000 personas salieron a las calles a protestar. Más de medio millón de personas marcharon en Los Ángeles. En Denver, al menos 75.000 personas -aproximadamente un sexto de la población de la ciudad- participaron en una marcha frente al capitolio del Estado. En Florida, 50.000 personas se congregaron en una serie de protestas. En la ciudad de Nueva York, más de 100.000 personas marcharon desde Union Square por la avenida Broadway. Miles de comercios cerraron -al menos durante parte del día- en señal de solidaridad. También estudiantes de todo el país salieron de clase para protestar. Aproximadamente uno de cada cuatro faltó a clases en Los Ángeles, mientras que en Chicago, un tercio de los estudiantes no asistió. "Associated Press" informó que al menos 1,1 millones de personas participaron en las protestas del lunes, pero los cálculos se basaban únicamente en informes policiales. Los organizadores en varias ciudades afirmaron que la participación en las protestas hubiera sido mayor, pero los inmigrantes indocumentados tenían miedo de salir tras las recientes redadas contra inmigrantes.
Informe: Costo de la Guerra en Irak Supera Costo de Vietnam
Y el costo de la guerra sigue subiendo. El periódico de Londres "Independent of London" informa que la guerra está por superar el costo de la guerra en Vietnam en términos reales. Estados Unidos actualmente gasta como $6 mil millones por mes en Irak. El economista Joseph Stiglitz de la Universidad de Columbia estima que el costo de la guerra puede superar 2 billones de dolares.
Comité Judicial del Senado investigará afirmaciones de exención de Bush
Esta noticia es sobre Estados Unidos. El presidente de Comité Judicial del Senado, Arlen Specter, anunció que llevará a cabo una audiencia de supervisión con relación a la afirmación del Presidente Bush de que tenía derecho a eludir más de 750 leyes desde que asumió el poder. En una entrevista con el "Boston Globe", Specter dijo: "¿Qué sentido tiene que tengamos un estatuto si... el Presidente puede elegir lo que le gusta y lo que no?". Specter dijo que pretende citar a declarar a funcionarios del gobierno de Bush y a juristas.
Trabajador de ambulancia iraquí asesinado por contratistas de seguridad estadounidenses
Mientras tanto, un trabajador iraquí no identificado que manejaba una ambulancia fue asesinado el martes, cuando un grupo de contratistas de seguridad estadounidenses le dispararon. Abu Ali, colega del trabajador, describió el ataque: "Estábamos conduciendo por aquí para entregar un caso (al hospital) cuando explotó una bomba cerca de un convoy de estadounidenses que pasaba. Ellos (los estadounidenses) abrieron fuego contra él, disparándole en el corazón. El francotirador le disparó dos veces, una de ellas en el corazón. ¿Qué crimen cometió? Manejamos una ambulancia que ayuda a las personas durante los ataques. ¿Qué hicimos mal?".
Teniente General Sánchez le dijo a soldados que debían "llegar a límites extremos" con los detenidos
Esta noticia es sobre Estados Unidos. La publicación de miles de documentos militares desclasificados está suscitando nuevos cuestionamientos con respecto a la participación de altos comandantes del Ejército en el escándalo de los abusos cometidos contra prisioneros en Abu Ghraib. Según la Unión Estadounidense para las Libertades Civiles (ACLU, por sus siglas en inglés), los documentos indican que el Teniente General del Ejército Ricardo Sánchez, ex comandante militar estadounidense de mayor rango en Irak, exhortó a sus soldados a "llegar a límites extremos" para obtener información de los prisioneros. Documentos que fueron dados a conocer anteriormente vincularon a Sánchez con la utilización de perros del ejército durante los interrogatorios.
Gobierno de Bush acusado de financiar militares somalíes
El gobierno de Bush está siendo acusado de generar descontento en Somalia, debido a su apoyo a los militares que luchan contra los militantes islámicos en Mogadishu. Un portavoz del gobierno somalí afirmó que, con esta actitud, el gobierno estadounidense está contribuyendo a estimular una guerra civil, que ya ha provocado la muerte de muchos civiles. En marzo, alrededor de 90 personas murieron en los enfrentamientos. Se trata de la situación de mayor violencia ocurrida en años en Somalia.
Profesores de Universidad de Boston protestan contra homenaje a Condoleezza Rice
En Massachusetts, casi 100 profesores de la Universidad de Boston firmaron una carta en protesta a la decisión de la Universidad de otorgarle a la Secretaria de Estado, Condoleezza Rice, un grado honorífico. Rice había sido anunciada como la oradora inaugural de las ceremonias de graduación a fines de este mes. Los autores de la carta -entre los que se encuentra el reverendo Kenneth Himes, presidente del departamento de teología- escribieron: "A nivel tanto de los principios morales, como del juicio moral práctico, el manejo de la Secretaria Rice de los asuntos internacionales está en conflicto con el compromiso de la Universidad de Boston con los valores de las tradiciones católica y jesuita, y no es coherente con los valores humanísticos que inspiran el trabajo de la Universidad".
Mueren dos personas durante redada policial en pueblo rural cercano a la Ciudad de México
Mientras tanto, dos personas murieron y varias resultaron heridas el miércoles, cuando la policía se enfrentó con campesinos en un pueblo rural en las afueras de la Cuidad de México. La localidad, Texcoco, tiene un historial de tensiones con la policía estatal. El enfrentamiento se produjo luego de que las autoridades intentaron cerrar un mercado provisorio establecido por varios residentes locales para vender sus productos. Filmaciones mostraron a manifestantes golpeando a un oficial de policía, mientras éste permanecía en el piso notoriamente inconsciente.
Masiva redada policial en localidad mexicana tras arresto de campesinos
En México, el jueves más de mil policías hicieron una redada en una localidad en las afueras de la Ciudad de México, donde se habían suscitado disturbios el día anterior. El miércoles los manifestantes se enfrentaron con la policía, que les lanzó gases lacrimógenos por protestar contra el arresto de varios campesinos que vendían flores sin permiso. Los manifestantes tomaron a seis policías de rehenes, que luego fueron liberados. Al menos 30 personas fueron arrestadas y permanecen detenidas. Dos periodistas dijeron que la policía los golpeó para evitar que filmaran
Damu Smith, 1952-2006
Por último, el legendario activista por la paz Damu Smith murió esta mañana. Damu fue el fundador de Black Voices for Peace (Voces Negras por la Paz) y de National Black Environmental Justice Network (Red Nacional de Justicia Ambiental para los Afrodescendientes), y luchó durante años contra el racismo ambiental, especialmente en el sur. Fue un líder clave en el movimiento en contra del Apartheid, y luchó contra la brutalidad policial en Washington DC y en todo el país. A Damu le diagnosticaron cáncer de colon el año pasado, mientras llevaba a cabo una misión de paz en los Territorios Ocupados. Desde entonces, no sólo luchó por su vida, sino también contra las desigualdades raciales en el sistema de salud. Su hija Aisha aún está viva, y su legado vive en todos aquellos que luchan por la justicia.
Maria: Good morning. Now in English, here are ten stories from Democracy Now! Peace.
Over 1.5 Million March in MayDay Immigration Protests
Over 1.5 million people took part in May Day demonstrations to support immigrant rights in one of the largest days of protest in the country's history. Across the nation immigrants refused to go to work or school in what was dubbed "A Day Without Immigrants." Major demonstrations were held in dozens of cities across the country. In Chicago organizers said up to 700,000 people took to the streets. Over a half million marched in Los Angeles. In Denver, at least 75,000 people -- about one-sixth of the city's population -- participated in a march on the state capitol. 50,000 people gathered in a series of protests in Florida. In New York City, over 100,000 marched from Union Square down Broadway. Thousands of businesses closed for at least part of the day in solidarity. Students walked out of classes across the country. In Los Angeles about one in every four students was absent. In Chicago as many as one-third of students didn't go to school. The Associated Press reported at least 1.1 million people took part in the protests but that estimate was based solely on police accounts. Organizers in several cities said the turnout would have been even larger but many undocumented immigrants were afraid to come out following recent immigration raids.
Report: Cost Of Iraq War To Pass Cost of Vietnam
And the cost of the war keeps rising. The Independent of London reports the war is set to become more expensive in real terms than Vietnam. The U.S. is now spending about $6 billion a month in Iraq. Columbia University economist Joseph Stiglitz estimates the ultimate cost of the war could top two trillion dollars.
Senate Judiciary Committee To Investigate Bush Exemption Claims
Back in the United States, Senate Judiciary Chair Arlen Specter has announced he will hold an oversight hearing into President Bush's claim to the right to bypass more than 750 laws since he took office. In an interview with the Boston Globe, Specter said: ''What's the point of having a statute if . . . the president can cherry-pick what he likes and what he doesn't like?" Specter said he intends to call on both Bush administration officials and constitutional scholars to testify.
Iraqi Ambulance Worker Killed By US Security Contractors
Meanwhile, an unidentified Iraqi ambulance worker was killed Tuesday when he was shot by a group of American security contractors. The worker’s colleague, Abu Ali, described the attack: "We were driving here to deliver a case (to the hospital) when a bomb went off close to a passing convoy of Americans. They (the Americans) opened fire on him, shooting him in his heart. Their sniper shot him twice and one of them in his heart. What is his crime? We are ambulance drivers who help people during attacks. What have we done wrong?"
Lt. Gen. Sanchez Told Troops To "Go To Outer Limits" With Detainees
Back in the United States, the release of thousands of de-classified military documents is raising new questions about the role of senior army commanders in the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal. According to the ACLU, the documents show Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the former top U.S. military commander in Iraq, urged his troops to "go to the outer limits" to extract information from prisoners. Previously released documents have linked Sanchez to the use of army dogs during interrogations.
Bush Admin. Accused of Funding Somalian Warlords
In Somalia, the Bush administration is being accused of fermenting unrest through the support of warlords fighting Islamic militants in Mogadishu. A Somali government spokesperson said the US government’s backing is helping fuel a civil war that has led to many civilian deaths. Some 90 people were killed during the fighting in March -- the worst violence Somalia has seen in years.
BC Professors Protest Honoring Condoleeza Rice
In Massachusetts, nearly 100 Boston College professors have added their names to a letter protesting their university’s decision to award Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice an honorary degree. Rice has been announced as a commencement speaker for graduation ceremonies later this month. The letters' authors, including theology department chair Rev. Kenneth Himes, wrote: "On the levels of both moral principle and practical moral judgment, Secretary Rice's approach to international affairs is in fundamental conflict with Boston College's commitment to the values of the Catholic and Jesuit traditions and is inconsistent with the humanistic values that inspire the university's work."
Mass Police Raid On Mexican Town After Farmer Arrests
In Mexico, over 1,000 police officers raided a town on the outskirts of Mexico City Thursday that was the site of a riot a day earlier. On Wednesday, demonstrators clashed with police who tear-gassed them for protesting the arrest of several farmers for selling flowers without a permit. The demonstrators took six police hostages, all of whom were released. At least 30 people were arrested and remain in custody. Two journalists said police beat them to prevent them from filming.
2 Killed In Police Raid On Farming Town Near Mexico City
Meanwhile, two people were killed and several injured Wednesday when police clashed with peasants in a farming town outside Mexico City. The town, Texcoco, has a history of tensions with state police. The clashes broke out after authorities attempted to shut down a temporary market set up by several locals to sell their products. Video footage showed protesters beating a police officer as he lay visibly unconscious.
Damu Smith, 1952-2006
And finally, legendary peace activist Damu Smith died earlier this morning. The founder of Black Voices for Peace and the National Black Environmental Justice Network, Damu spent years fighting environmental racism, particularly in the south. He was a key leader in the anti-Apartheid movement and fought police brutality in Washington, DC and around the country. Damu was diagnosed with colon cancer last year while on a peace mission in the Occupied Territories. He then not only fought for his life, but against racial disparities in the health care system. Damu is survived by his daughter Aisha and his legacy lives on in all those who fight for justice.
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Blog Spotlight: Rebecca on Goldie & Marlene's mother and daughter rally
Rebecca's second post from last week they we wanted to highlight. While we were in NYC last weekend to protest the illegal war, Goldie (and her mother Marlene) staged their own rally.
goldie's (and marlene's) house party last weekend to end the war
tonight, at last, the story of goldie's (and marlene's), house party.
but first, c.i. forwarded a reply to an e-mail that came into the common ills. a blogger (not in the community) took issue with me for my opinions on stephen colbert and then slammed me for writing about dynasty. c.i. replied that he (yes, it was a he) shouldn't try to 2nd guess me.
'rebecca writes with instinct, with a good sense of p.r. and quite a bit more. while you see "only" talk of a tv show, you miss quite a bit including the point "strong women characters." you also fail to grasp that she's been promoting goldie since last week and drawing it out builds anticipation. the post on "dynasty" is an attention getter that will draw in more than the usual readers. that's what rebecca is all about and what she's always been about. which is why with little help outside of the community, she's managed to become very popular. possibly she could do "cat blogging" or whatever other tired fad/phase has been around for 10 years now? instead, she writes exactly as she wants and, in doing so, has 1 of the most intense and dedicated readerships you can only dream of as you play "from the center" with your dull posts. thanks for sharing. feel free to share again with some 1 who gives a damn. -- c.i.'
that was very nice of c.i. and attached was a note to me that if it were elaine, this might not be forwarded but i would want to know about it. i would.
so some little centrist feels the need to rag on me to c.i.?
1st why did he think c.i. would give a damn?
perfect stranger whines and c.i.'s going to say 'oh perfect stranger, you're right, let me trash a lifetime friendship!'?
what those types never get is that elaine, c.i. and i cannot have a wedge shoved between us. centrist, you're late to the party, all the presents have been opened, the candles blown out and the cake and ice cream all gone.
i wrote about dynasty for a number of reasons last night. 1) i did watch the show. 2) the female characters were strong and that was a breakthrough. 3) joan collins did make a difference in the way women were seen on tv. 4) i knew there were other dynasty fans out there. (i got more e-mails on last night's post then i've gotten on anything.) 5) postponing goldie would build the moment (milk it?). 6) if even 1 reader who dropped by for the dynasty post stayed around it would be a success.
your male concept of what the net is, centrist, isn't mine.
i think i achieved all my intended goals. but i doubt that any 1 trying to get us to all rally behind joe lieberman would grasp that.
so let's talk goldie and marlene.
last weekend, while some were able to go to nyc for the rally and march, many others were not able to. daughter goldie and mother marlene were not going to let the moment pass by without doing something.
goldie's the 1 who usually thinks of things for her friends. this time mom was inspired by her daughter's spirit (i'm inspired by goldie's spirit as well). so they threw a sleep over for young females and women. goldie invited her friends and marlene invited her friends (many of whom were the mothers of goldie's friends). as friday approached a few had yet to r.s.v.p.
turns out there was no need to worry. not only did every 1 r.s.v.p. by friday evening, many of the women asked if they could bring a friend, sister or family member.
they ended up with 62 females gathered together on saturday to talk about the war and the state of the world. (64 counting goldie and marlene.)
they couldn't go to nyc. they could've said, 'oh i can't go, maybe next time. let's stay home and watch gilmor girls!' they didn't do that. they ended up with their own rally right there in their own home.
that's pretty amazing. i don't want to make it all about the numbers and i'm happy for any reader who did something whether they got together with just 1 friend or more than 1, but 64 is amazing.
marlene said the thing she heard most often from her friends was that they had a lot on their mind but never really felt like they had a chance to talk about it. some of them have jobs where anything resembling a 'political discussion' is frowned upon. as marlene pointed out, the country's at war, how can some employers think the topic is off limits? but some do. then the 1s who pick up their children after school are never sure where others stand.
what every 1 found out, marlene said, was how many were opposed to the war. a few had talked to each other about it in groups of 2. that's why 1 woman asked if she could bring her sister. her sister was the only 1 'keeping me sane' during this illegal war.
there were 2 women who didn't work outside of the home and marlene made a point to note that this hadn't freed up their discussions. it had left them feeling as isolated as the women who had an off limits stamp on the topic at their jobs.
goldie's big worry before saturday night was 1 her friends had. most were very against the war because it's an issue that goldie raises and discusses. she's taking a speech class now, the first 1/2 of the term was a foreign language, the 2nd 1/2 is speech. and there's not a speech she gives, improv or rehearsed, that doesn't put the war out there.
they had to give 1 on the founding fathers and goldie didn't just do a history, she took what they said and would apply to the illegal war we're in today. so her friends have had some 1 raising the issue and they've done research on their own and are really up to speed on what's going on.
their concern was that the mothers and other adults wouldn't a) understand where they were coming from and/or b) let them speak.
goldie had to say at 1 point, marlene backed her up on this, 'that's a very important point but ___ had the floor.' the mother, who had interrupted her own daughter, apologized and yielded the floor to her daughter. that only happened the 1 time.
that's pretty amazing when you consider the number present. but goldie is something. she is a force to be reckoned with.
so the evening started with every 1 just saying their name and telling a detail or 2 about themselves. then they munched on snacks while they watched eyewitness in iraq.
that was the perfect choice because a) it's powerful and b) it's only 28 minutes long.
every 1 was more than ready to talk and if it had been a longer movie, they probably would've ended up stopping it. so they then went around discussing, taking turns and listening to each other. goldie said her friends were really impressed with their own moms because they really were worried that they'd be dismissed or not listened to.
goldie had to reassure them that this wouldn't happen. she told them friday during lunch, 'if we're not listened to, we stage a walk out!'
goldie's not even 13, folks. she is amazing.
so the daughters got to share their thoughts and this is a big deal. it was a big deal to them but it would be a big deal to any 1. think about when you were young and something was important to you. did your parents listen to you? some did, some didn't.
saturday night, the mothers (aunts and friends) listened to our future leaders.
it wasn't a 1 way street. the daughters listened to the mothers, and other adults, as well.
the only other potential problem came when, at 11 pm, 1 of the mothers said, 'this has been good but you girls should probably go to sleep now.'
goldie didn't blink, marlene said. goldie informed the woman that she was very happy to have her as a guest and that even though the invitations clearly stated every 1 would stay up until midnight, if the woman was tired, she could go on to sleep.
the woman, to her credit, laughed and said, 'goldie, you are right. tell you what, i think i can handle 1 more hour.'
both goldie and marlene report that each grouping was impressed with the others.
marlene said goldie's best friend's mother told her she felt embarrassed when she heard her daughter speaking because her daughter had put so much time and energy into the issue. she had no idea. she knew her daughter was 'into music and boys' but she'd never seen this serious side before. and she said her daughter had put more time into the issue than she had 'and i'm the adult.'
goldie's friends that were in the speech class had some visuals from speeches they'd given. (1 class, when the students could pick a topic, goldie begged every 1, boy or girl, to talk about the war. and they all did. she's our future president, folks.)
1 grandmother had come along and she was probably the biggest hit with every 1 because she had tales of what she did in high school in the final years the war was waging in vietnam. she'd think she was finished and be asked for another story.
she called marlene on monday to thank her for the party and to say that those are stories she never shares these days because she didn't think any 1 cared.
so it's was a multi-generational meeting of minds.
every 1 ended up realizing that there was no wall on the war between any 1 attending. they all felt a lot stronger from sharing and realizing that they shared an opposition to the war. 30 minutes before midnight, they started brainstorming on what to do next and decided that these house parties needed to continue. the next 1 will focus on females as well and be in june. for that they got 10 volunteers to agree to host at their homes. (64 is a lot of people for a living room. marlene and 2 women ended up having to move the coffee table, the chairs and the counch out into the hall just to have room for every 1.) after that, in august, the plan is to try to bring in the men - 'and boys,' goldie added.
but with ground rules because goldie says boys don't like to just talk about what they think or feel, they like to tell you what they think you think and feel. (i'm not kidding, she's our future president. she knows the score already.)
so 1 of the things the 10 house parties in june will work on is a set of guidelines for august's house parites and they will be included with the invitations so that, if there are any problems, some 1 can do like goldie did when they almost lost an hour of their discussion time -- 'the invitations clearly stated...'
the 1 thing that marlene would do differently is the music. every 1 brought music (they could've brought an article, book or poem) except for 4. they weren't able to listen to all the music so the adults had to narrow down their choices and the young girls had to do the same with their choices. that was fine. but the first 1 to play was a mother and she didn't talk about it. she probably assumed that it would be clear. then the next turn went to 1 of goldie's friends and since the woman hadn't spoken, the girl just said 'this is bright eyes.' then a mother went with the next cd. then goldie jumped in and said, 'okay, bright eyes' and gave a brief speech about the cd they'd already listened to and then introduced the pink cd. after that, every 1, adult or young female, spoke for at least 2 minutes on why the cd had been selected.
marlene thinks that either the young girls were more passionated about the music or more convinced that not every 1 would know the cd. so for june's house parties, they're all going to start with a selection from the younger group. after goldie got every 1 prodded, people were really opening up. they'd talk about the 1 or 2 songs on the cd that made them bring it and maybe 1 of those songs or another 1 was a song they'd slow danced to. which would cause every 1 to laugh. marlene said she thought it was a really good way for both groups to get to know each other.
the question i didn't want to ask was the 1 i saved for last with goldie. i was afraid i'd be discouraging when i asked, 'so what does this mean?'
goldie replied that it didn't mean the war ends tomorrow. and she really paid attention to the stories the grandmother told because she was using them for the examples. she closed with 'it's going to be a long fight.'
goldie for president!
the smartest and coolest person in the nation.
goldie's writing about the house party for this sunday's polly's brew so be sure to check that out. she did her 1st column in the 1 that went out last sunday and it was 'just me saying hi' is how she explained it. it was a lot more than that but you're going to want to read about this. there's 1 story that she shared which is so wonderful that i told her i loved hearing it but i wasn't going to put it up here because she really needs to write about that in her column.
sherry and i had the same question for marlene - why goldie? we figured it either had to be for goldie hawn or the rapper. marlene said that in the final 3 months of her pregnancy, she got so huge it was a major trip just to get off the bed. during that time, she was still responsible for writing the checks and sending out the bills. she wrote the check for the cable bill, put it in an envelope and stamped it. but she asked her husband to mail it because that morning she didn't feel like walking out to the mailbox. he was in a hurry and didn't put it in their mailbox on the way to the car. he planned to mail it from work but then forgot and then lost it (not realizing he'd lost it).
so 1 day a final notice comes in. she asks him, 'did you mail that check in?' of course he did. they probably haven't processed it yet. then, a little bit later, the cable goes off. at which point he remembers that maybe he didn't mail it. maybe.
he told her she'd have to take care of it and her attitude was that she wasn't taking care of it because if he'd just put the envelope in the mail on his way to the car that morning, there'd be nothing to take care of or if he'd remembered, when the final notice came in, that he never mailed the envelope, it would have been taken care of then.
so there was no cable and when others would offer to take care of it, she would say, 'no, he needs to write the check and he needs to mail it. it's his mess.' so her sister brought over some videocassettes. it was a lot of jim carrey and steve martin movies (marlene likes them) and 3 goldie hawn films (housesitter, butterflies are free and protocol). she really didn't know goldie's movies. she knew who goldie was from interviews on tv and in magazines but she doesn't think she'd ever seen a film with goldie hawn.
the movies made her laugh and as she watched them over and over, she decided that was what she wanted her daughter-to-be to be like. 'some 1 who may make a mistake, but picks herself up, has a sense of humor and is going to get through life just fine.' that's why goldie is named goldie.
that may be 1 reason goldie is so cool but 1 reason for sure is the fact that she's got an equally cool mother. by the way, whether her husband took care of it himself or got some 1 to, the cable was back on when she and goldie came home from the hospital. marlene says, 'of course that only happened after i'd given birth and realized iwas making a lot out of the lost envelope.'
kpfa's flashpoints tomorrow (they've had a great week). janis karpkinski is being interviewed by dennis bernstein right now. if you read this and think, 'i missed it!' remember you can hit either link at the start of the sentence and listen to an archived broadcast.
but first, c.i. forwarded a reply to an e-mail that came into the common ills. a blogger (not in the community) took issue with me for my opinions on stephen colbert and then slammed me for writing about dynasty. c.i. replied that he (yes, it was a he) shouldn't try to 2nd guess me.
'rebecca writes with instinct, with a good sense of p.r. and quite a bit more. while you see "only" talk of a tv show, you miss quite a bit including the point "strong women characters." you also fail to grasp that she's been promoting goldie since last week and drawing it out builds anticipation. the post on "dynasty" is an attention getter that will draw in more than the usual readers. that's what rebecca is all about and what she's always been about. which is why with little help outside of the community, she's managed to become very popular. possibly she could do "cat blogging" or whatever other tired fad/phase has been around for 10 years now? instead, she writes exactly as she wants and, in doing so, has 1 of the most intense and dedicated readerships you can only dream of as you play "from the center" with your dull posts. thanks for sharing. feel free to share again with some 1 who gives a damn. -- c.i.'
that was very nice of c.i. and attached was a note to me that if it were elaine, this might not be forwarded but i would want to know about it. i would.
so some little centrist feels the need to rag on me to c.i.?
1st why did he think c.i. would give a damn?
perfect stranger whines and c.i.'s going to say 'oh perfect stranger, you're right, let me trash a lifetime friendship!'?
what those types never get is that elaine, c.i. and i cannot have a wedge shoved between us. centrist, you're late to the party, all the presents have been opened, the candles blown out and the cake and ice cream all gone.
i wrote about dynasty for a number of reasons last night. 1) i did watch the show. 2) the female characters were strong and that was a breakthrough. 3) joan collins did make a difference in the way women were seen on tv. 4) i knew there were other dynasty fans out there. (i got more e-mails on last night's post then i've gotten on anything.) 5) postponing goldie would build the moment (milk it?). 6) if even 1 reader who dropped by for the dynasty post stayed around it would be a success.
your male concept of what the net is, centrist, isn't mine.
i think i achieved all my intended goals. but i doubt that any 1 trying to get us to all rally behind joe lieberman would grasp that.
so let's talk goldie and marlene.
last weekend, while some were able to go to nyc for the rally and march, many others were not able to. daughter goldie and mother marlene were not going to let the moment pass by without doing something.
goldie's the 1 who usually thinks of things for her friends. this time mom was inspired by her daughter's spirit (i'm inspired by goldie's spirit as well). so they threw a sleep over for young females and women. goldie invited her friends and marlene invited her friends (many of whom were the mothers of goldie's friends). as friday approached a few had yet to r.s.v.p.
turns out there was no need to worry. not only did every 1 r.s.v.p. by friday evening, many of the women asked if they could bring a friend, sister or family member.
they ended up with 62 females gathered together on saturday to talk about the war and the state of the world. (64 counting goldie and marlene.)
they couldn't go to nyc. they could've said, 'oh i can't go, maybe next time. let's stay home and watch gilmor girls!' they didn't do that. they ended up with their own rally right there in their own home.
that's pretty amazing. i don't want to make it all about the numbers and i'm happy for any reader who did something whether they got together with just 1 friend or more than 1, but 64 is amazing.
marlene said the thing she heard most often from her friends was that they had a lot on their mind but never really felt like they had a chance to talk about it. some of them have jobs where anything resembling a 'political discussion' is frowned upon. as marlene pointed out, the country's at war, how can some employers think the topic is off limits? but some do. then the 1s who pick up their children after school are never sure where others stand.
what every 1 found out, marlene said, was how many were opposed to the war. a few had talked to each other about it in groups of 2. that's why 1 woman asked if she could bring her sister. her sister was the only 1 'keeping me sane' during this illegal war.
there were 2 women who didn't work outside of the home and marlene made a point to note that this hadn't freed up their discussions. it had left them feeling as isolated as the women who had an off limits stamp on the topic at their jobs.
goldie's big worry before saturday night was 1 her friends had. most were very against the war because it's an issue that goldie raises and discusses. she's taking a speech class now, the first 1/2 of the term was a foreign language, the 2nd 1/2 is speech. and there's not a speech she gives, improv or rehearsed, that doesn't put the war out there.
they had to give 1 on the founding fathers and goldie didn't just do a history, she took what they said and would apply to the illegal war we're in today. so her friends have had some 1 raising the issue and they've done research on their own and are really up to speed on what's going on.
their concern was that the mothers and other adults wouldn't a) understand where they were coming from and/or b) let them speak.
goldie had to say at 1 point, marlene backed her up on this, 'that's a very important point but ___ had the floor.' the mother, who had interrupted her own daughter, apologized and yielded the floor to her daughter. that only happened the 1 time.
that's pretty amazing when you consider the number present. but goldie is something. she is a force to be reckoned with.
so the evening started with every 1 just saying their name and telling a detail or 2 about themselves. then they munched on snacks while they watched eyewitness in iraq.
that was the perfect choice because a) it's powerful and b) it's only 28 minutes long.
every 1 was more than ready to talk and if it had been a longer movie, they probably would've ended up stopping it. so they then went around discussing, taking turns and listening to each other. goldie said her friends were really impressed with their own moms because they really were worried that they'd be dismissed or not listened to.
goldie had to reassure them that this wouldn't happen. she told them friday during lunch, 'if we're not listened to, we stage a walk out!'
goldie's not even 13, folks. she is amazing.
so the daughters got to share their thoughts and this is a big deal. it was a big deal to them but it would be a big deal to any 1. think about when you were young and something was important to you. did your parents listen to you? some did, some didn't.
saturday night, the mothers (aunts and friends) listened to our future leaders.
it wasn't a 1 way street. the daughters listened to the mothers, and other adults, as well.
the only other potential problem came when, at 11 pm, 1 of the mothers said, 'this has been good but you girls should probably go to sleep now.'
goldie didn't blink, marlene said. goldie informed the woman that she was very happy to have her as a guest and that even though the invitations clearly stated every 1 would stay up until midnight, if the woman was tired, she could go on to sleep.
the woman, to her credit, laughed and said, 'goldie, you are right. tell you what, i think i can handle 1 more hour.'
both goldie and marlene report that each grouping was impressed with the others.
marlene said goldie's best friend's mother told her she felt embarrassed when she heard her daughter speaking because her daughter had put so much time and energy into the issue. she had no idea. she knew her daughter was 'into music and boys' but she'd never seen this serious side before. and she said her daughter had put more time into the issue than she had 'and i'm the adult.'
goldie's friends that were in the speech class had some visuals from speeches they'd given. (1 class, when the students could pick a topic, goldie begged every 1, boy or girl, to talk about the war. and they all did. she's our future president, folks.)
1 grandmother had come along and she was probably the biggest hit with every 1 because she had tales of what she did in high school in the final years the war was waging in vietnam. she'd think she was finished and be asked for another story.
she called marlene on monday to thank her for the party and to say that those are stories she never shares these days because she didn't think any 1 cared.
so it's was a multi-generational meeting of minds.
every 1 ended up realizing that there was no wall on the war between any 1 attending. they all felt a lot stronger from sharing and realizing that they shared an opposition to the war. 30 minutes before midnight, they started brainstorming on what to do next and decided that these house parties needed to continue. the next 1 will focus on females as well and be in june. for that they got 10 volunteers to agree to host at their homes. (64 is a lot of people for a living room. marlene and 2 women ended up having to move the coffee table, the chairs and the counch out into the hall just to have room for every 1.) after that, in august, the plan is to try to bring in the men - 'and boys,' goldie added.
but with ground rules because goldie says boys don't like to just talk about what they think or feel, they like to tell you what they think you think and feel. (i'm not kidding, she's our future president. she knows the score already.)
so 1 of the things the 10 house parties in june will work on is a set of guidelines for august's house parites and they will be included with the invitations so that, if there are any problems, some 1 can do like goldie did when they almost lost an hour of their discussion time -- 'the invitations clearly stated...'
the 1 thing that marlene would do differently is the music. every 1 brought music (they could've brought an article, book or poem) except for 4. they weren't able to listen to all the music so the adults had to narrow down their choices and the young girls had to do the same with their choices. that was fine. but the first 1 to play was a mother and she didn't talk about it. she probably assumed that it would be clear. then the next turn went to 1 of goldie's friends and since the woman hadn't spoken, the girl just said 'this is bright eyes.' then a mother went with the next cd. then goldie jumped in and said, 'okay, bright eyes' and gave a brief speech about the cd they'd already listened to and then introduced the pink cd. after that, every 1, adult or young female, spoke for at least 2 minutes on why the cd had been selected.
marlene thinks that either the young girls were more passionated about the music or more convinced that not every 1 would know the cd. so for june's house parties, they're all going to start with a selection from the younger group. after goldie got every 1 prodded, people were really opening up. they'd talk about the 1 or 2 songs on the cd that made them bring it and maybe 1 of those songs or another 1 was a song they'd slow danced to. which would cause every 1 to laugh. marlene said she thought it was a really good way for both groups to get to know each other.
the question i didn't want to ask was the 1 i saved for last with goldie. i was afraid i'd be discouraging when i asked, 'so what does this mean?'
goldie replied that it didn't mean the war ends tomorrow. and she really paid attention to the stories the grandmother told because she was using them for the examples. she closed with 'it's going to be a long fight.'
goldie for president!
the smartest and coolest person in the nation.
goldie's writing about the house party for this sunday's polly's brew so be sure to check that out. she did her 1st column in the 1 that went out last sunday and it was 'just me saying hi' is how she explained it. it was a lot more than that but you're going to want to read about this. there's 1 story that she shared which is so wonderful that i told her i loved hearing it but i wasn't going to put it up here because she really needs to write about that in her column.
sherry and i had the same question for marlene - why goldie? we figured it either had to be for goldie hawn or the rapper. marlene said that in the final 3 months of her pregnancy, she got so huge it was a major trip just to get off the bed. during that time, she was still responsible for writing the checks and sending out the bills. she wrote the check for the cable bill, put it in an envelope and stamped it. but she asked her husband to mail it because that morning she didn't feel like walking out to the mailbox. he was in a hurry and didn't put it in their mailbox on the way to the car. he planned to mail it from work but then forgot and then lost it (not realizing he'd lost it).
so 1 day a final notice comes in. she asks him, 'did you mail that check in?' of course he did. they probably haven't processed it yet. then, a little bit later, the cable goes off. at which point he remembers that maybe he didn't mail it. maybe.
he told her she'd have to take care of it and her attitude was that she wasn't taking care of it because if he'd just put the envelope in the mail on his way to the car that morning, there'd be nothing to take care of or if he'd remembered, when the final notice came in, that he never mailed the envelope, it would have been taken care of then.
so there was no cable and when others would offer to take care of it, she would say, 'no, he needs to write the check and he needs to mail it. it's his mess.' so her sister brought over some videocassettes. it was a lot of jim carrey and steve martin movies (marlene likes them) and 3 goldie hawn films (housesitter, butterflies are free and protocol). she really didn't know goldie's movies. she knew who goldie was from interviews on tv and in magazines but she doesn't think she'd ever seen a film with goldie hawn.
the movies made her laugh and as she watched them over and over, she decided that was what she wanted her daughter-to-be to be like. 'some 1 who may make a mistake, but picks herself up, has a sense of humor and is going to get through life just fine.' that's why goldie is named goldie.
that may be 1 reason goldie is so cool but 1 reason for sure is the fact that she's got an equally cool mother. by the way, whether her husband took care of it himself or got some 1 to, the cable was back on when she and goldie came home from the hospital. marlene says, 'of course that only happened after i'd given birth and realized iwas making a lot out of the lost envelope.'
kpfa's flashpoints tomorrow (they've had a great week). janis karpkinski is being interviewed by dennis bernstein right now. if you read this and think, 'i missed it!' remember you can hit either link at the start of the sentence and listen to an archived broadcast.
Love cheap thrills? Enjoy PC-to-Phone calls to 30+ countries for just 2¢/min with Yahoo! Messenger with Voice.
Ruth's Public Radio Report
Ruth is now on at least a one week vacation and we already miss her! Have some fun, Ruth, you deserve it. As Rebecca pointed out, before she wrote her entry on Colbert, she spoke to Ruth and to C.I. and both backed her up 100%. "I can take a stand on my own with no problem. But I'm not really on my own when people whose opinions I respect back me up." Rebecca says to Ruth, "You cut right to the chase in this report, lady. You give so much. Have some fun!"
Ruth's Public Radio Report
Ruth: Where have all the heroes gone? Long time passing. And what of the heroines? Rarely ever mentioned.
That's what Friday felt like. I heard it and my jaw dropped. My grandchildren Tracey and Jayson came over right after school so, while they watched Elijah, I checked my e-mail account. There were a number of complaints and several that can be summarized as "Ruth, I know it's your favorite program but this needs to be noted."
I agree. Friday on CounterSpin, the show began as always with "recent news." It started off strongly. I will let others apply their own term to how it ended. If it helps, I stopped listening after recent news and headed over to KPFA's The Morning Show.
How did CounterSpin start? By noting the lack of women represented on CBS' Face the Nation as well as the lack of people of color. Sound criticism, in my opinion. How did it end? With the clip of Steve Colbert delivering his monologue before the D.C. press corps.
It was as though he were saying, "CounterSpin listeners, let me tell you about your day. You ___ and then you ___, go home, make love to your wife and ___."
Make love to your wife? Well I do not have a wife. I did have a husband -- who passed away and is sorely missed, God rest his soul. If he had said that to CounterSpin listeners, I would have been outraged. The implication would be that CounterSpin only has male listeners. He would be, to steal from Rebecca, rendering invisble all women in the audience.
He did do that; however, he was addressing the D.C. press corps. I will not get into whether he was funny or not -- I know there is pressure on Ava and C.I. to address that at The Third Estate Sunday Review. I will note that the remark was offensive.
It was the sort of remark that one might have heard in the early sixties. Certainly, forty years later, we have progressed, right?
They played the clip and I waited for Steve Rendall or Janine Jackson to make a comment. They did not. There was nothing stated about the fact that his remark was sexist.
That is how recent news ended. Recent news began with them noting that CBS' Face the Nation had very few female guests. They then play, on a show that has too many male guests, the clip where women aren't just reduced, they are rendered invisible.
Did no one see a problem with that? I am having a hard time understanding why.
Yes, CounterSpin is one of my favorite shows. I would have written "my favorite show" until this happened. I discussed it with Tracey and Jayson (and with C.I., Rebecca, Dona, Elaine, Jess, Jim and Betty). Was anyone not offended by it? No.
The e-mails were very vocal about being bothered by the segment.
Some did stay on and listen. Those e-mails noted that possibly the problem was compounded by the fact that there were no female guests on the program. Repeatedly, I was asked to address it here and sometimes I was implored. I do enjoy the program. I did not enjoy that show.
I am old enough to have seen women go from composing a few press tokens in D.C. to a large, though not large enough, body. As offended as younger listeners were, I think I was even more offended because I lived through that change. I know that women were fighting in every profession for recognition. I am sure many younger listeners, male as well as female, are aware of the struggles that took place -- struggles which are not finished today. However, I believe that if you lived through that moment in time when women really grasped that they would have to storm the barricades for themselves, as well as future generations, you especially found the recent news segment offensive.
It is true that I was planning on a simple entry. I will be leaving later today on a road trip with my best friend Treva. I am packed and ready; however, I was hoping to make this report something light. That all changed when the sound clip was played and it was allowed to pass with no effort made by either Mr. Rendall or Ms. Jackson to critique what we had just heard.
Are we so desparate for heroes that we will applaud anything? If it was okay to render women's accomplishments and achievements invisible, is it, therefore, okay to do the same with people of color? How about with gays and lesbians? Exactly where is the line?
For me the line is very clear and I regret that it was not clear for CounterSpin. But in playing that clip without comment, they nullified their first critique -- of Face the Nation's problem in finding women. When you lose women in the last clip, you have torn down your own critique of the lack of women on another show.
For me, that is very clear. If it were another program, would I have been so bothered?
I wondered that. Dalia Hashad has just started her new position at Amnesty so she has been on WBAI's Law and Disorder less of late. Heidi Boghosian had only one remark that I remember from this week's broadcast. But were either or both women were present, I do belive if Michael Ratner or Micheal Smith praised the segment without question, they would raise the issue of women being rendered invisible in the "press critique" that has been so generously praised.
I would hope that either Mr. Smith or Mr. Ratner would point it out themselves. But once I got over my shock that CounterSpin was playing the clip, I was excited. Why? I assumed that they would tackle what few others had either had the guts to address or the ears to notice.
I was disappointed. CounterSpin is not off my listening list. I intend to listen again when I return from my vacation. However, I am so disappointed in Friday's broadcast that I may take C.I. up on the offer to take two weeks off and not just one. The idea of two over-sixty year-old women, long time feminists, tearing up the countryside strikes me as the perfect antidote to what I heard Friday.
I was disappointed and still am. I wonder whether or not I can now expect to hear "firemen,"
"newsmen," "Congressman," "policeman," and more noninclusive terms used in clips that we are supposed to be impressed by?
I was not impressed. I know members were not impressed.
I also know C.I. is on the road this weekend and I had set aside one hour to do write this report.
I said I would have it completed by a set time and I will. That means that the Michael Ratner interview from Thursday's KPFA's The Morning Show cannot be addressed. I will note that he feels things are looking much brighter for the prospects of impeaching the Bully Boy. I was going to discuss that and segue into WBAI's Law and Disorder and then note some other shows.
Such as First Voices Indigenous Radio. Tiokasin Ghosthorse will be on vacation this summer. Mattie Harper is hoping to do at least one show during that time with nothing but female guests. That is an idea that excites me and one I would hope CounterSpin would also explore. This listener and longterm feminist has not been impressed with the coverage of abortion on CounterSpin.
I did not need to hear, for instance, a male tell Ms. Jackson that abortion was a side issue and there were more important issues. A woman's body is an important issue to women. Abortion must be important to many or you would not see the rallies and counterprotests. The next time I remember hearing abortion addressed, again in an interview done by Ms. Jackson, the guest was a woman who did not impress me as she argued that women should be allowed to express pro choice and anti-choice opinions on the op-eds pages of the New York Times. The woman's study had concluded that anti-choice positions were well represented, and then some, by males.
Why we needed the "balance" of hearing women trash choice, I had no idea? (Nor did I have any idea why the guest needed to push the noting of experts on an unlevel playing field.)
I will be fighting for this paragraph to stay in, I know. If you read it, I won. For those who wrote in concerned that I would take a pass on this issue because of the fact that I enjoy CounterSpin, you did not need to worry. I know that if I did not address it, the responsibility would fall to C.I. We already all expect C.I. to address the immigration issue, to speak for the Irish and the Irish Americans in the community who feel that the press is slanted against them, to . . . It is a very long list. I would not add to that list by shirking my own responsibility and telling myself, "Oh well, C.I. can cover it."
CounterSpin went a little loopy. I have no problem saying so. It was disappointing. More so when you realize that women's rights are always under attack by some faction but even more so under the Bully Boy and his administration's disregard for medical science that allows them to push as fact any number of hoary myths -- such as nonexistant link between abortion and breast cancer. Well after pushing the nonexistant link between September 11th and Iraq, are any of us surprised that they would also bend science repeatedly to attempt to bully women as well?
I expect that the attacks will come from the administration. I expect that they will be pushed by the mainstream media. I do not expect that I will have to hear them on the programs I enjoy. Stephen Colbert is young enough to know better. "Young enough"?
Yes, young enough. He did not live through the gender quake of the sixties and seventies. He did not have to reconcile old myths with new realities. Many men my age did have to do that. Some succeeded, some failed. The world really did change, there are many who want to change it back, and did so before Mr. Colbert came of age. This is not a case, as some of us would tell ourselves in the late sixties, "Well, he just doesn't know better. This is all new to him."
His statement was offensive. To broadcast it without calling it out was offensive to me.
Mike and Cedric covered WBAI's Law and Disorder, and did a wonderful job, which I wish I had time to add to. Rebecca covered KPFA's Flashpoints on Wednesday. The Third Estate Sunday Review will be covering KPFA's The Morning Show in a feature tomorrow. Mike also covered WBAI's Wakeup Call Wednesday. (Kat's hoping to cover KPFA's Guns and Butter. today). While I am on vacation, they are going to try to cover shows at their sites. I will be off next week for sure and possibly, after Friday's broadcast, the week after. Furthermore, I will be taking the last week in May off for a family vacation with my children and grandchildren.
This was not the report I was hoping to write. But sometimes the thing that needs said the most is not the thing you wish to speak. That is something I am old enough to know.
Heads up for KPFA's Sunday Salon with Larry Bensky:
SundaySalon.org (9:00 am Pacific time, noon Eastern time)
In our first hour...
From the streets, to...where? A look at what's next for three movements, each of which saw major protests this week in the U.S.: Darfur, Peace in Iraq, and Immigrant Rights. How will activists turn protests into votes, legislation, and results on the ground?
In our second hour...
Between 4 and 5.3 million Americans have lost the right to vote due to felony convictions. Some temporarily, others permanently. The majority of them are Black and Latino men. How does this affect the democratic process in America?
That's what Friday felt like. I heard it and my jaw dropped. My grandchildren Tracey and Jayson came over right after school so, while they watched Elijah, I checked my e-mail account. There were a number of complaints and several that can be summarized as "Ruth, I know it's your favorite program but this needs to be noted."
I agree. Friday on CounterSpin, the show began as always with "recent news." It started off strongly. I will let others apply their own term to how it ended. If it helps, I stopped listening after recent news and headed over to KPFA's The Morning Show.
How did CounterSpin start? By noting the lack of women represented on CBS' Face the Nation as well as the lack of people of color. Sound criticism, in my opinion. How did it end? With the clip of Steve Colbert delivering his monologue before the D.C. press corps.
It was as though he were saying, "CounterSpin listeners, let me tell you about your day. You ___ and then you ___, go home, make love to your wife and ___."
Make love to your wife? Well I do not have a wife. I did have a husband -- who passed away and is sorely missed, God rest his soul. If he had said that to CounterSpin listeners, I would have been outraged. The implication would be that CounterSpin only has male listeners. He would be, to steal from Rebecca, rendering invisble all women in the audience.
He did do that; however, he was addressing the D.C. press corps. I will not get into whether he was funny or not -- I know there is pressure on Ava and C.I. to address that at The Third Estate Sunday Review. I will note that the remark was offensive.
It was the sort of remark that one might have heard in the early sixties. Certainly, forty years later, we have progressed, right?
They played the clip and I waited for Steve Rendall or Janine Jackson to make a comment. They did not. There was nothing stated about the fact that his remark was sexist.
That is how recent news ended. Recent news began with them noting that CBS' Face the Nation had very few female guests. They then play, on a show that has too many male guests, the clip where women aren't just reduced, they are rendered invisible.
Did no one see a problem with that? I am having a hard time understanding why.
Yes, CounterSpin is one of my favorite shows. I would have written "my favorite show" until this happened. I discussed it with Tracey and Jayson (and with C.I., Rebecca, Dona, Elaine, Jess, Jim and Betty). Was anyone not offended by it? No.
The e-mails were very vocal about being bothered by the segment.
Some did stay on and listen. Those e-mails noted that possibly the problem was compounded by the fact that there were no female guests on the program. Repeatedly, I was asked to address it here and sometimes I was implored. I do enjoy the program. I did not enjoy that show.
I am old enough to have seen women go from composing a few press tokens in D.C. to a large, though not large enough, body. As offended as younger listeners were, I think I was even more offended because I lived through that change. I know that women were fighting in every profession for recognition. I am sure many younger listeners, male as well as female, are aware of the struggles that took place -- struggles which are not finished today. However, I believe that if you lived through that moment in time when women really grasped that they would have to storm the barricades for themselves, as well as future generations, you especially found the recent news segment offensive.
It is true that I was planning on a simple entry. I will be leaving later today on a road trip with my best friend Treva. I am packed and ready; however, I was hoping to make this report something light. That all changed when the sound clip was played and it was allowed to pass with no effort made by either Mr. Rendall or Ms. Jackson to critique what we had just heard.
Are we so desparate for heroes that we will applaud anything? If it was okay to render women's accomplishments and achievements invisible, is it, therefore, okay to do the same with people of color? How about with gays and lesbians? Exactly where is the line?
For me the line is very clear and I regret that it was not clear for CounterSpin. But in playing that clip without comment, they nullified their first critique -- of Face the Nation's problem in finding women. When you lose women in the last clip, you have torn down your own critique of the lack of women on another show.
For me, that is very clear. If it were another program, would I have been so bothered?
I wondered that. Dalia Hashad has just started her new position at Amnesty so she has been on WBAI's Law and Disorder less of late. Heidi Boghosian had only one remark that I remember from this week's broadcast. But were either or both women were present, I do belive if Michael Ratner or Micheal Smith praised the segment without question, they would raise the issue of women being rendered invisible in the "press critique" that has been so generously praised.
I would hope that either Mr. Smith or Mr. Ratner would point it out themselves. But once I got over my shock that CounterSpin was playing the clip, I was excited. Why? I assumed that they would tackle what few others had either had the guts to address or the ears to notice.
I was disappointed. CounterSpin is not off my listening list. I intend to listen again when I return from my vacation. However, I am so disappointed in Friday's broadcast that I may take C.I. up on the offer to take two weeks off and not just one. The idea of two over-sixty year-old women, long time feminists, tearing up the countryside strikes me as the perfect antidote to what I heard Friday.
I was disappointed and still am. I wonder whether or not I can now expect to hear "firemen,"
"newsmen," "Congressman," "policeman," and more noninclusive terms used in clips that we are supposed to be impressed by?
I was not impressed. I know members were not impressed.
I also know C.I. is on the road this weekend and I had set aside one hour to do write this report.
I said I would have it completed by a set time and I will. That means that the Michael Ratner interview from Thursday's KPFA's The Morning Show cannot be addressed. I will note that he feels things are looking much brighter for the prospects of impeaching the Bully Boy. I was going to discuss that and segue into WBAI's Law and Disorder and then note some other shows.
Such as First Voices Indigenous Radio. Tiokasin Ghosthorse will be on vacation this summer. Mattie Harper is hoping to do at least one show during that time with nothing but female guests. That is an idea that excites me and one I would hope CounterSpin would also explore. This listener and longterm feminist has not been impressed with the coverage of abortion on CounterSpin.
I did not need to hear, for instance, a male tell Ms. Jackson that abortion was a side issue and there were more important issues. A woman's body is an important issue to women. Abortion must be important to many or you would not see the rallies and counterprotests. The next time I remember hearing abortion addressed, again in an interview done by Ms. Jackson, the guest was a woman who did not impress me as she argued that women should be allowed to express pro choice and anti-choice opinions on the op-eds pages of the New York Times. The woman's study had concluded that anti-choice positions were well represented, and then some, by males.
Why we needed the "balance" of hearing women trash choice, I had no idea? (Nor did I have any idea why the guest needed to push the noting of experts on an unlevel playing field.)
I will be fighting for this paragraph to stay in, I know. If you read it, I won. For those who wrote in concerned that I would take a pass on this issue because of the fact that I enjoy CounterSpin, you did not need to worry. I know that if I did not address it, the responsibility would fall to C.I. We already all expect C.I. to address the immigration issue, to speak for the Irish and the Irish Americans in the community who feel that the press is slanted against them, to . . . It is a very long list. I would not add to that list by shirking my own responsibility and telling myself, "Oh well, C.I. can cover it."
CounterSpin went a little loopy. I have no problem saying so. It was disappointing. More so when you realize that women's rights are always under attack by some faction but even more so under the Bully Boy and his administration's disregard for medical science that allows them to push as fact any number of hoary myths -- such as nonexistant link between abortion and breast cancer. Well after pushing the nonexistant link between September 11th and Iraq, are any of us surprised that they would also bend science repeatedly to attempt to bully women as well?
I expect that the attacks will come from the administration. I expect that they will be pushed by the mainstream media. I do not expect that I will have to hear them on the programs I enjoy. Stephen Colbert is young enough to know better. "Young enough"?
Yes, young enough. He did not live through the gender quake of the sixties and seventies. He did not have to reconcile old myths with new realities. Many men my age did have to do that. Some succeeded, some failed. The world really did change, there are many who want to change it back, and did so before Mr. Colbert came of age. This is not a case, as some of us would tell ourselves in the late sixties, "Well, he just doesn't know better. This is all new to him."
His statement was offensive. To broadcast it without calling it out was offensive to me.
Mike and Cedric covered WBAI's Law and Disorder, and did a wonderful job, which I wish I had time to add to. Rebecca covered KPFA's Flashpoints on Wednesday. The Third Estate Sunday Review will be covering KPFA's The Morning Show in a feature tomorrow. Mike also covered WBAI's Wakeup Call Wednesday. (Kat's hoping to cover KPFA's Guns and Butter. today). While I am on vacation, they are going to try to cover shows at their sites. I will be off next week for sure and possibly, after Friday's broadcast, the week after. Furthermore, I will be taking the last week in May off for a family vacation with my children and grandchildren.
This was not the report I was hoping to write. But sometimes the thing that needs said the most is not the thing you wish to speak. That is something I am old enough to know.
Heads up for KPFA's Sunday Salon with Larry Bensky:
SundaySalon.org (9:00 am Pacific time, noon Eastern time)
In our first hour...
From the streets, to...where? A look at what's next for three movements, each of which saw major protests this week in the U.S.: Darfur, Peace in Iraq, and Immigrant Rights. How will activists turn protests into votes, legislation, and results on the ground?
In our second hour...
Between 4 and 5.3 million Americans have lost the right to vote due to felony convictions. Some temporarily, others permanently. The majority of them are Black and Latino men. How does this affect the democratic process in America?
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