Sunday, May 28, 2006

Humor Spotlight: "Betinna" (Betty) on guess who -- "His Head Is Fat"

Betty wasn't joking when she said her online novel was going to move a little darker in tone.  Even so, she'll still crack you with up with her tales of Betinna and her husband Thomas Friedman.

His Head Is Fat

"Stop pestering me with questions!" screamed Thomas Friedman in the middle of last week. By Thursday, when it was twenty minutes before his column was due, he was blaming me for the fact that he couldn't think of anything to write.

"Oh, do what you always do! Invent something!" I hollered back at him.

Reading his "Outsourcing, Schmoutsourcing! Out Is Over" Friday, I saw he did just that. It was part insta-column, part Friedman's "Greatest Hits" -- a CD padded out with really medicore tracks. He was phoning it in. He invented characters and he went with the topic he thinks he's the expert on.

When he refused to answer my questions about the Nicky K reference, I pointed out that when he invents someone, he might want to think it through a little better.

"After all, for weeks you've been lamenting the state of the sciences and there you are jawboning that an engineer becoming a limo driver is 'progress,'" I sneered.

That hurt. I know because he said to me, "Betinna, that hurt."

He moped for days. He refused to answer my questions.

"You have hurt me," he said waving a hand.

It didn't hurt his appetite. We're having to buy his canned cheese by the case. I've started to wonder if it's giving him cramps. (The gas he already had.) For three nights, he tossed and turned. One night he said, "Let's buy her!"

I bolted upright in bed and stared down at his pudgy face. He sleeps with two pillows propped under his head so you can't even make out the end of his chin, it's all waddle.

"Look at her!" he murmered excitedly in his sleep. "Let's buy her!"

That pig. I can't believe he's been sleeping with prostitutes. Well, I shouldn't be surprised. I mean look at him, he'd have to pay -- or I guess he'd call that "outsourcing" someone's duties -- mine?

Have at it, Fat Boy. Outsource my duties all you want.

But staring at his jowls, I realized how little I knew my husband Thomas Friedman and how little I knew of him.

Back when he had my doped up on those "vitamins," I thought the sun rose and sat on his fat ass. Put on the Judy Miller wig? Sure thing. Put on the Peggy Noonan mask? Sure thing. Play Bill Keller and kiss your ass? Sure thing.

He was happy then. Not with me, he was still critical of me. Running me down, trashing the "backwater village" I hail from. Watching him mutter "Mmmm, that's good cheese," I was tempted to pull one of the pillows out from under his head and slowly smother him with it.

I might have to if it weren't for the fact that a) I want some answers and b) that pig's paying for my college education. After all I've had to put up with, he can damn well pay my tuition until I graduate.

I'll ride this marriage out until I get the diploma. Maybe I'll even be validictorian and give a speech like Jean Rohe did, only instead of John McCain, I'll zero in on Thomas Friedman?

I just find him so disgusting these days. Even him sitting on the couch near me, not next to me, is enough to grate on my nerves. I'll hear him panting (he's a mouth breather and any activity at all causes him to pant) and just want to snap at him, "Do you have to make all that noise!"

I also feel that for all his touted intellect (touted by him), he's not that smart. I'm honestly embarrassed by him. Take Friday's column. It wasn't funny, it wasn't needed. With the UNICEF report on malnutrition in Iraq coming out days before, why did he think anyone needed to hear him go on and on about outsourcing again? It's like being married to Dustin Hoffman in "Rain Man."

As soon as I got off those vitamins (and started slipping them to him shortly after), everything became a lot clearer to me. I started noticing a lot more. Like how all of his comments are really simplistic. It was probably when I started participating in protests against the war that I realized how useless and disgusting he truly was. He helped sell the war and he's never been held accountable.

I was thinking about all of that today when I sat down to watch "Democracy Now!" He was missing one of the video cassettes, on which he'd taped every episode of "Saved By The Bell,"
so he was mainly rushing around the living room looking for it while complaining, "Betinna, this is the one where Slater wears a bathing suit!" I ignored him and turned the TV to "Democracy Now!" Arundhati Roy was the guest.

He was fretting over Slater in, I'm guessing, a bikini brief and how that moment might be lost forever when all the sudden he heard his name.

Arundhati Roy was explaining the type of news they get from America in India, "Well, in India, I think you get FOX News and CNN and, of course, the BBC. But also a lot of newspapers in India do publish American columnists, famously Thomas Friedman."

His chest puffed out so wide that the belt to his shorty robe popped loose.

"I love a good news show," he said plopping down on the couch beside me.

AMY GOODMAN: Our guest today for the hour is Arundhati Roy. She just recently flew in from New Delhi, India. She is the author of a number of books, her Booker Prize award-winning book, "The God of Small Things", and then her books of essays, "The Ordinary Person's Guide to Empire", "The Checkbook and the Cruise Missile" among them. Arundhati, you were just talking about what is happening in India. Thomas Friedman, the well-known, much-read "New York Times" columnist and author, talks about the call center being a perfect symbol of globalization in a very positive sense.

"Much read," Thomas Friedman chuckled. "See, Betinna, she does want me on her show. Maybe I should have my people call her."

"Your people?" I asked annoyed that he was interrupting.

"Yes, you. You are my people."

"Oh shut up," I told him.


ARUNDHATI ROY: Yes, it is the perfect symbol, I think, in many ways. I wish Friedman would spend some time working in one. But I think it's a very interesting issue, the call center, because, you know, let's not get into the psychosis that takes place inside a call center, the fact that you have people working, you know, according to a different body clock and all that and the languages and the fact that you have to de-identify yourself.

"You know," Thomas Friedman said, not shutting up, "she may have a point. I bet I could spend a day or two at a call center and have a wonderful book. I could write about how little Jose can go from speaking with Miguel in Spanish one moment and then answer the phone and speak in fluent English."

"Spanish isn't the native tongue of India," I hissed. "Besides, she was making fun of you."

"I'm sure you're mistaken," he replied. "I have many fans. From all over the world."

"Yeah," I snapped back, "but these fans, are any of them that the rest of us can see!"

"Well, I never," Thomas Friedman huffed.


Aruhndhati Roy was speaking. She said, "We have the highest number of custodial deaths in the world. And we have Thomas Friedman going on and on about how this is an idealistic -- ideal society, a tolerant society. Hundreds -- I mean, tens of thousands of people killed in Kashmir. All over the northeast, you have the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, where a junior noncommissioned officer can shoot at sight. And that is the democracy in which we live."

"Betinna!" Thomas Friedman whined, his voice climing several octives as he said the one word, "I don't think she likes me!"

"She doesn't. No one does. Shut up and let me watch this."

Thomas Friedman stared at me for a moment, his bottom lip trembling, his eyes welling with tears.

"WWWAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" he suddenly spat out.

Then he was on the carpet, face down, pounding his fists into the floor.

Figuring he'd tired himself out, I ignored him; however, when the show went off, I saw that he was still at it.

Stepping over him, I headed for the kitchen and called back to see if he wanted a grilled cheese sandwich?

He just kept crying and pounding.

"Turn off the water works, you big titty-baby, or I'm not making you lunch."

"You are a cruel, cruel woman!" Thomas Friedman said rushing up behind me.

I turned around and looked at his blood-red yes, red from crying. I noticed the snot dripping from his nose and landing on that John Bolton-like mustache. Does he ever clean that?

"I cannot live in a world where I am abused!" he moaned.

"Well keep it together for a few more days, we've got company coming over for Memorial Day and I've already made the cole slaw," I said jerking my arm free from his grip.

"You cruel, cruel woman," he muttered.

"Knock it off, Banarama. Do you want a grilled cheese sandwich or not?"

"I want a little respect," Thomas Friedman pouted, wiping his nose on the hem of his shorty robe.

Yeah, that'll get him respect.

"Betinna, this Arundhati Roy, this French woman, she insulted me. Your husband! She insulted me."

"She isn't French," I said plopping some butter into the skillet. "And if you think she insulted you, you better start praying I never write a book about you. I might call it 'His Head Is Fat.'"

Thomas Friedman gasped.

Looking over my shoulder, I saw that he had both sets of fingers in his mouth, biting nervously.

"Betinna, you wouldn't dare!"

"Don't push me," I declared as I put some bread into the skillet. "Just don't push me."

Screaming, he flew out of the kitchen and moments later I heard the front door slam. All I could think was, "I hope he finished tomorrow's column. Rent's almost due."












 

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C.I. on The New York Times

C.I. on The New York Times
 

NYT: When someone contradicts their own sworn testimony, the paper just yawns

In this morning's New York Times, Neil A. Lewis' "Court in Abuse Case Hears Testimony of General" covers the testimony of Geoffrey D. Miller (Major General) in the case of Santos A. Cardona. Caronda's being left to hang on the 'few bad apples' nonsense.

From the article:

He said he recommended that military dogs could be used to help with "custody and control" of detainees at the prison.

But he denies that was intended to be carried over to interrogations. He denies it and someone changes their previous testimony:

Col. Thomas M. Pappas, the top military intelligence officer at Abu Ghraib, testified in the earlier trial of Sergeant Smith that General Miller had recommended the use of dogs during interrogations. But on Wednesday in the current trial, he testified that General Miller did not make any such specific recommendations.

Cardona's already been smeared with abusing for "entertainment purposes" in other recent coverage. But does America buy that and will the court-martial? Are we going to continue to kid that the techniques just floated over, like seeds on the wind?, from Guantanamo to Abu Ghraib?

If so, for how long are we going to buy into that nonsense and see underlings punished for carrying out orders? From Democracy Now!'s "Col. Janis Karpinski, the Former Head of Abu Ghraib, Admits She Broke the Geneva Conventions But Says the Blame 'Goes All the Way to The Top:'"

AMY GOODMAN: Talk about General Miller. Who is he?
COL. JANIS KARPINSKI: General Miller was sent to visit Iraq by Secretary Rumsfeld and the Undersecretary Cambone. And they came -- General Miller came to visit from Guantanamo Bay. He was the commander of detention operations at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and he was sent to assist the military intelligence interrogators with enhancing their techniques. And he brought with him the techniques that were tested and in use at Guantanamo Bay. And he brought a team of about 20 people, 22 people with him to discuss all aspects of interrogation operations, and actually, he did an in-brief. I was invited to participate or to attend to listen to his in-brief, because he was working almost exclusively with the military intelligence people and the military intelligence interrogators while he was there.
But we owned the locations that he was going to visit, and he ultimately selected Abu Ghraib to be the focus of his efforts, and he told me that he was going to make it the interrogation center for Iraq. He used the term, he was going to 'Gitmo-ize' the operation and use the M.P.s to assist the interrogators to enhance interrogations and to obtain more actionable intelligence. I explained to him that the M.P.s were not trained in any kind of interrogation operations, and he told me that he wanted me to give him Abu Ghraib, because that's the location he selected.AMY GOODMAN: You're both generals?
COL. JANIS KARPINSKI: Yes. He was a two-star.
AMY GOODMAN: What about the dogs? Is that when the dogs were introduced?
COL. JANIS KARPINSKI: Shortly after his visit, he -- again, he was spending most of his time with the commander of the Military Intelligence Brigade, Colonel Pappas. In his in-brief, his introduction when he first arrived there with his team, he responded to one of the interrogators, the military interrogator's question, and he was listening to the comments, the criticisms that they were doing these interviews and they were not obtaining really valuable information, so he was there to assist them with different -- implementing different techniques to get more actionable intelligence.
And one of the interrogators just asked the question about what he would recommend that they could do immediately, because they thought that they were doing a pretty good job with identifying the people who may have additional value or more military intelligence value, and General Miller said -- his first observation was that they were not -- they were being too nice to them. They were not being aggressive enough. And he used the example at Guantanamo Bay that the prisoners there, when they're brought in, that they're handled by two military policemen. They're escorted everywhere they go -- belly chains, leg irons, hand irons -- and he said, "You have to treat them like dogs."

Papas has changed his story, changed what he previously testified to, and the article treats it as something to squeeze in right before the close. Perfectly in keeping with the New York Timid. It's news and not bury-it-at-the-bottom-of-the-story news. You lead with it. Someone's testified under oath and then recants the testimony and you're covering the case, you cover it as big news.

But you can't count on reality in the paper of no record more and more. For reality on Iraq, Jonah notes Aaron Glantz's "A New Iraqi Government? Don't Believe the Hype" (Common Dreams):

There's a lot of hype about Iraq's new "government."
In a speech to the National Restaurant Association in Chicago, George Bush called the new government a "turning point in the struggle between freedom and terror."
He called the government "something new" – a constitutional democracy in the heart of the Middle East.
One thing it probably won't lead to is an end to the occupation. In speeches both George Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair refused to give a timeline for withdrawal of their armies from Iraq, meaning the more than 150,000 foreign troops in Iraq will probably not be coming home any time soon.

The dance Bully Boy's doing (and Blair as well) is very Nixonian. But we're not supposed to question it on those terms (in the mainstream media), we're supposed to believe that every remark Bully Boy manages to pass off as English is 'heartfelt,' 'noble' and 'true.' (For less flattering coverage in the paper of no record, go to John Burns today -- or any day -- covering the Saddam Hussein trial in a tone that one wishes Bully Boy would be on the receiving end of were he tried for war crimes but the paper would take a pass on that the same way they did on Nixon once he stepped down.)

Mia notes Patrick Cockburn's "Why the US May Have to Quit Iraq Sooner Than Planned" (CounterPunch):

The US and British armies in Iraq have both failed--though they could argue that the root of the failure is political rather than military. Three years after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein they control extraordinarily little territory in the country. Watching American forces in Baghdad since 2003 it always seemed to me that they floated above the Iraqi population like a film of oil on water.
Shia animosity towards the Americans and British forces is now beginning to look like that of the Sunni at the beginning of the guerrilla war. In Basra crowds spontaneously dance and cheer when a British helicopter is shot down just as the Sunni used to celebrate the destruction of every US Humvee in Baghdad (even then Tony Blair and George Bush claimed that the insurgents were just a small group of foreign fighters and Saddam Hussein loyalists).
The problem about the withdrawal is that it may be coming too late. The White House and Downing Street never took on board the sheer unpopularity of the occupation and the extent to which it tainted the Iraqi government, soldiers and police in the eyes of ordinary Iraqis. The Iraqi army and police are 230,000 strong and this figure is due to rise to 320,000 men by the end of next year. But in reality the allegiance of these forces is to the Sunni, Shia and Kurdish communities and not to the central government. The problem has always been loyalty rather than training.
The US and British armies in Iraq are becoming less and less relevant to political developments good or ill. Their presence is not acceptable to most Iraqi Arabs. They clearly cannot stop a civil war that has already started in the centre of the country. The main reason for keeping them there is to avoid a scuttle which would look like America's last days in Vietnam.

The reality you won't find in the New York Times. For a number of reasons but chief among them is they're not really interested in reporting news, they're more interested in 'shaping' opinion. And we've all seen where that's taken us.

This entry was lost and I am putting all the members highlights back in. However, there was a long section (now lost) about how war hawks are learning that traveling in packs might be good for media exposure but not necessarily good for votes. Instead of rushing to recreate it, we'll note Brandon's highlight and hope everyone's on the same page. From Tom Hayden's "Why Jane Harman Should Be Challenged" (The Huffington Post):

It must have been embarrassing for Rep. Jane Harman to read the front page of the [Los Angeles] Times this week that Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi "intends to force Harman to step down" from her slot on the House Intelligence Committee, partly because of "concern among Democrats that Harman is too moderate and inclined to accomodate the Republican agenda." [May 18]
If challenger Marcy Winograd has the money to mail that credible Times' summary to enough voters, she might even win a primary upset June 6.
As things stand, the challenge by Winograd and progressive Democrats already has forced Harman to change her rhetoric, finally calling the Bush Administration "lawless" on national television. In this case, the flip-flopping favors progressives, but it may not be enough for Harman.
It's no secret that Harman is the center of Democratic friction. She was one of a handful of Congressmembers invited into the secret White House briefings on what has mushroomed into a major scandal: the launch of domestic spying by intelligence agencies without warrants. The ranking Democrat on the House intelligence committee, Harman promised the White House to keep secret what she heard at the meetings.
She could have been a whistleblower, but chose not to be.
She could have refused the unconditional promise of secrecy, but chose not to.
She could have resigned the secret committee without comment, letting her silence do the talking, but chose not to.
Left to Harman, the spy scandal would still be a secret today. It was the New York Times, not Democratic leaders, who first broke the silence and secrecy.

(Actually it was James Risen and his book publisher that forced the breaking of the NSA story, but Hayden's short-handing.)

Remember to listen, watch or read Democracy Now! today (you'll need it months from now to figure out what the New York Times is downplaying). The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.









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Ruth's Public Radio Report

Ruth's Public Radio Report

Ruth: C.I. said, "If you want to post, that's fine, but you don't have to." Yes, I want to. I have missed posting while I was on vacation. I need to do a heads up and a thank you so I will do that and note a few observations as well.

Tomorrow:

KPFA's Sunday Salon
This week on Sunday Salon...
Hour 1: Conscientious objectors -
Hour 2: Reduce your travel woes

That airs from nine to eleven Pacific, eleven to noon Central and noon to two Eastern. The program is hosted by Larry Bensky. Be sure to listen.

Thank yous include all the members who e-mailed. I was wondering if three Saturdays missed would result in everyone thinking, "Thank God that old woman's finally shut up!" Apparently, that was not the result.

Thank you to Rebecca. Shortly before I was due to leave with Treva, the woman who was going to watch my grandson Elijah while I was on vacation had to cancel due to a family emergency in Florida. These things happen and I was prepared to cancel the trip when Rebecca called moments after I got off the phone with the woman. Rebecca immediately offered to fill in for the duration. That was not just a big help, it was a blessing.

On my end, Rebecca's wondered, there was never any reservations about her watching Elijah. I can also report that my son and daughter-in-law accepted the offer when I presented it to them without knowing anything other than I trusted the person. After they agreed, they asked who it was. My daughter-in-law met Rebecca when she visited during the winter and they have both heard of her from my grandchildren Jayson and Tracey. My son said, "I wished you'd told us it was Rebecca right away." Far from alarming either of them, Rebecca's presence was gladly appreciated.

I will say thank you to my children for making a point to invite Rebecca to dinner each night during the three weeks and I will note that they enjoyed having her. A few strong words were actually exchanged over who would be able to have her on the last night. She was a big hit.

Most of all with Elijah. Monday through Friday, I watch my grandson. I see him on the weekends as well. We have a pretty close bond. When I went to California, I took him with me.
I was not sure whether he would enjoy a two to three week road trip, however. What he did enjoy was Rebecca. She has a post about their early days together that you should read.

When she left Thursday, he did not want to her go. Friday was "Beck-uh" this and "Beck-uh" that. If she had not been out of the country on vacation, I would have phoned her just so Elijah could say hello. He knew her before this but he really took her during their three weeks together.

I will also note that she cleaned the house top to bottom, Tracey says she did that Wednesday night, which I had asked her not to do and not to worry about. I was expecting to come home to well lived in home and instead found it sparkling clean, so thank you, Rebecca.

In the e-mails, a few members expressed concern that WBAI had not gotten enough attention in terms of highlights. KPFA's website usually notes upcoming programs on a regular basis. Dallas usually does the links for me in my reports, and thanks to him for that, and we discussed that issue this morning. You really need to listen to WBAI to know what will be coming up. Jess did note a program on the station in a special entry he did this week. I called Rachel and Micah but was not able to reach Jonah. Both Rachel and Micah stated that they were not highlighting because it was special programming and they often learned of what was coming on shortly before it aired. WBAI is the station I listen to over the airwaves so if there was a dip in noting it, that can also be attributed to the fact that I was on vacation. Remember, however, that any member who notes a program in an e-mail will see it noted it at the site. If there is a program you are looking foward to, e-mail and C.I. will note it because if it interests you, it will probably interest other members as well. A sentiment that I heard Bernard White and Amy Goodman express, on WBAI, was that the station was the people's university and, at a time when NPR seems to exist as the graveyard for mainstream media, that is even more accurate. If you are interested in learning, you are seeking out information from the likes of WBAI.

Whether you listened to KPFA or WBAI or another Pacifica station, there were many strong programs during the fundraising drive. A big hit was Timothy Wise. I also have a number of e-mails on a documentary made by Canada's CBC on environmental pollution in the home. [C.I. note: Up Close and Toxic.] Brandon cannot say enough kind words about KPFA's Bob Dylan Birthday Special and there are also e-mails on Radio Chronicles' airing of John Ono Lennon and of Friday's Music Special: Modern Protest Music. I heard both of the last two.

Radio Chornicles was something Treva and I both wanted to catch so we listened on the road. It was a wonderful look at the music, activism and life of John Lennon. For people our age, we are superimposing several decades we lived through when we listen so I was delighted to read e-mails from younger people who were impressed with the special as well. Friday's noting of some of the music coming out today, music commenting on our times, was also delightful. The biggest question from the e-mails was, "Is Kat going to be reviewing Janis Ian's new album?" That is on her list but I called her last night to pass on the interest among the community in the album Folk Is The New Black. It was great to hear Ms. Ian's "The Great Divide" as well as two songs from Neil Young. The thing that stood out the most was probably Josh Ritter's "Girl In The War." The music to that really is magical and I have grown so used to Tracey and Jayson playing the entire CD of The Animal Years, that it was only hearing it on Friday's program, surrounded by other things, that I remembered the joy I felt upon first listen.

The vacation was a time of rest and fun. This really was the first vacation where I the passing of my husband was not so fresh that I was plauged by moments of sadness. I missed him, as always do, but there were no episodes of depression.

What was there? A chance to really get to know this country. I knew the community's feelings and took comfort in that. But I had no idea how prevalent the mood of the nation was in turning against the Bully Boy. I count only the states we stopped in, not the ones we drove through, and ended up with sixteen. Time and again, the talk was of how the Bully Boy had failed the nation. The outrage over the lack of prepartion for and the lack of response to Hurricane Katrina has not faded. The NSA issue is much more pressing than the mainstream media's polling implies.
People my age, really old, compared the Bully Boy to Richard Nixon with no hesitation.

In Arizona, I met some wonderful women who are doing their part and then some to get the word out. It does not really feel like an attempt to wake up the country because the nation is awake. Waking up Congress, on the other hand . . . .

In every discussion, at some point, the issue of the media would be brought up. If anyone or anything is more unpopular than the Bully Boy, it may be the press. During those discussions, I would note Pacifica and Democracy Now! and was pleasantly surprised time and again to find that people who had no Pacifica station for miles and miles knew of it. Democracy Now!? The program's reach is huge. Amy Goodman usually notes the various outlets it plays on but it is one thing to hear Ms. Goodman note it and another thing to hear, "Oh, I watch it on ___" or "Oh, I listen to it on ___" or "I always go to the website" and listen, read or watch.

I doubt it is yet reaching as many people as one of the big three networks' evening news broadcasts, though I may be wrong, but it surely reaching as many and probably more than anything on cable. In Chattanooga, Tennessee, we stopped to speak to a young man who was wearing a Democracy Now! t-shirt. Treva had told me of the program's reach but I had not really absorbed how great the reach was until our three week road trip. In North Carolina, we met people watch it on a channel called "The People's Channel" and that seemed appropriate because it is the people's news.

We also met a few community members by accident. When this Ruth would speak of Pacifica, I would be asked, "Ruth of The Common Ills?" I was able to meet Kayla and see her very cute newborn son. I also met ??? and asked him, "Why '???'?" He said it was "James Bond like" and also that another member already was noted by the same first name. If I had thought ahead, we would have attempted to meet up with some members while we were on the road. Our only set plans were to see the Grand Canyon, in a happier Thelma & Louise type visit, and to meet Eli whom I knew from the site, e-mails, columns in the gina & krista round-robin and phone calls. Eli is just as wonderful and wise as he comes off in his columns. He also won a permanent spot in my heart for greeting me with, "I thought you said you were old." (I am old.)

He has written of how having his great-granddaughter come to live with him while her parents are going through a divorce has been a blessing and I saw just how true that was. The house was alive with music and people talking. When you lose a spouse or partner after many years of living together, getting out into the world is important but you are often still coming home to your home that you no longer share with anything other than fond memories. We discussed that and how wonderful it was to see our homes come back to life.

His great-granddaughter plays the piano regularly which Eli's had tuned because that is the sort of thing you figure "Why bother?" when it is just you. I told him that I, like many members, had been worried because his children live far away, his wife had passed away and the friends they had around them had passed away, gone to live with their children or entered nursing homes. He asked me to note that he is doing "better than fine." Which is true, that house is alive. He also asked me to note that Wally and Wally's mother both call at least once a week just to chat and that he appreciates that now but he really appreciated it before his great-granddaughter moved in.

His plate is overflowing these days. Besides having his great-granddaughter to talk about the world with, just her presence has meant that some of the neighbors have opened up. (Eli stated that when you are an old man living alone, young neighbors tend to want nothing more than to wave at you and I would agree with that.) A young family next door have become good friends especially after learning that they shared politics and could discuss the day's Democracy Now! with someone. So see, the people's news program not only provides you with information you need, it also provides you with conversation.

The Grand Canyon was a place we always intended to visit, my husband and I. The children usually wanted either Disney Land or Disney World so we would vacation in Florida or California. Then, as we grew older, so many friends and family relocated to Florida that it became the destination. So finally, after all these many years, I saw the Grand Canyon in person. Photos do not do it justice. Forget the majesty of mountains we sing of, the Grand Canyon filled me with awe and wonder.

Camping out near there, a young woman came over to ask if we would be bothered if she played some music on her jam box? We both said no. She then came back over, sent by her mother, to explain that she wanted to play a CD and her mother had asked her to check with us. The CD? Neil Young's Living With War. We told her that not only did we not mind, we had packed that CD for our own road trip which led to an invitation to join her large family gathering. Speaking to her great-uncle, I was confronted with a self-described "always vote Republican" who had broken with his party after decades of voting straight ticket. That includes in 2004 when, he explained, he felt that the first term was "messy" but that, given the chance, he had faith the Bully Boy would make the second term about fixing the mistakes. He no longer has that faith. He told me that Bully Boy makes Nixon "look like a Boy Scout." It was a conversation I had many times as we traveled but it is one that still stands out because, as he said, he was someone who wanted to believe in and to support the Bully Boy but no longer can.

How this will translate into the election turnout in November, I have no idea. But, time and again, talking to people of all ages, I saw a nation that had no faith in the Bully Boy and eager, this especially from Republicans and usually over the NSA spying, to see him impeached. It is a nation that you only see covered as poll numbers by the media, but it is one that is outspoken and paying quite a bit more attention than the mainstream media or the Congress appear to be with what is going on.






















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Blog Spotlight: Rebecca on watching Elijah and listening to Flashpoints

We gotta a lot of e-mails asking that we highlight this by Rebecca.
 

flashpoints & ruth

i'm listening to kpfa's flashpoints right now and waiting for dennis bernstein to let it rip.

pledge drive is wrapping up and some 1 told him he didn't need to yell during it. i think he needs to ignore that advice. it's who he is, some 1 who is passionate. last night, and this is not a reflection on the program, i fell asleep in the middle of what seemed to be an interesting documentary on the environment narrated by alanis morrisette and, i think, keanu reeves. i was so wiped out and thought i was just 'resting my eyes' while i was listening but i fell asleep. he woke me back up (thankfully because i had things i needed to do) when he was encouraging people to pledge.

okay, now he's getting vocal. that's dennis bernstein.

tonight he had greg palast on and some 1 who was on already when i started listening. they were talking about ken lay's conviction and about the connections to bully boy. they brought up the fact, greg palast made this point, that alberto gonzales had to recuse himself from the enron matter because of his own conflicts of interests there. but we're supposed to act like there's no connection between bully boy and enron.

it was a wonderful show and i'm sure they all were this week. i only fell asleep once and that had nothing to do with the show, just with keeping up with a tiny child. elijah was so sweet today (he was sweet the whole time). ruth called right before they pulled up to talk to him. she was asking him if he was missing his grandmother. he said 'yes' and she said she had a gift for him. (she hid gifts throughout the house for each day she was gone and she'd call during the day and tell him where the gift of the day was.) she told him this 1 was real big. he told me 'it's real big.'
his eyes were so wide. he was so cute.

she told him where it was and got off the phone. he grabs my hand, he was so excited, and starts tugging on my hand telling me 'it's outside.' so we go to the front door and open it and there's ruth holding a teddy bear for him - a very big teddy bear.

but he didn't even want it. he just grabbed her legs and hugged her like crazy. he was so happy.
when she picked him up, i thought they were both going to cry. (i almost did and i think treva was about to as well.)

we all had lunch and elijah had to sit in ruth's lap and tell her everything that had happened while she was gone. including the frog we saw in the backyard yesterday. that was probably the thing that had him most excited. he was talking so fast he'd have to stop and take a big gulp of air. ruth kept trying to insist on doing dishes after lunch but he wasn't letting go of her and treva and i were happy to handle it.

when i was getting ready to leave, he stopped me and was saying 'don't go.' i'm going to visit next week. i was just a substitute for ruth but i can't believe how close he and i got. i'm going to miss seeing him each day.

so i stopped off on the way home to visit with mike and he's so dark. he and his friend tony had been taking care of tony's parent's yard. apparently he doesn't sunburn, he just goes dark. i stopped to talk to t and catch up, then headed back here and packed while i started listening to
flashpoints. i'm not going to be blogging tomorrow or saturday. i will have something up come monday and i'll be helping some with the third estate sunday review. right now, i'm going to go crash. check out wally's 'THIS JUST IN! BULLY BOY AND BLAIR HAVE BEEN WHERE?' and please check out cedric's big mix which has posts every day this week. (way to go cedric!)

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Humor Spotlight: Wally on why Bully Boy doesn't want to talk to Iran

Why won't Bully Boy communicate with Iran? Wally figures it out in this post.

THIS JUST IN! BULLY BOY SAYS, "I NEED TO LOSE 10 POUNDS 1ST"
BULLY BOY PRESS - DC.

THIS JUST IN!

BULLY BOY SAYS, "I NEED TO LOSE 10 POUNDS 1ST!"

IRAN WANTS TO TALK. AFTER A LETTER WAS REBUFFED, THEY TRIED AGAIN.

BUT BULLY BOY PLAYS HARD TO GET.

AS CONVENTIONAL WISDOM SCRATCHES ITS HEAD, A WHITE HOUSE SOURCE, NOT SCOTTY MCCLELLAN (HONEST), EXPLAINED THAT BULLY BOY WASN'T BEING A TEASE.

"HE JUST WANTS TO LOSE AT LEAST 10 POUNDS 1ST," THE SOURCE SAID. "HE WANTS TO LOOK HIS PRETTIEST."


Recommended: "NYT: The New York Timid continues to ignore the NSA scandal"
"Other Items (Gore Vidal on KPFA's The Morning Show)"
"Gore Vidal (guest or one of his speeches) on KPFA's The Morning Show Wednesday"
"joke of the day: dscc"
"His Head Is Fat"
"Arundhati Roy speaks to truth to power while others stay silent"
"Amy Goodman interviewed Arundhati Roy; Gore Vidal on KPFA's The Morning Show Weds."
"Retired Army Col. Charged With Sedition For Handing Flyer on Anti-War Vietnam Vets"
"Grab bag put together by Jess"
"Quick note"
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Blog Spotlight: Mike on music

We do take requests here from time to time.  This one came in from Mike's father who asked us to please note this one.
 
 

It's a Monday

Monday, Monday . . . can't trust that day -- like the Mamas and the Papas sang. Memorial Day's coming up and Ma asked me what special thing I had planned. I go, I just want to sit around and listen to some tunes. Dad goes, "Ah, my son!" :D

When Elaine was a guest at Christmas, Dad loved it best because she loves music so much. It was his excuse to pull out every vinyl album he has -- even the ones they didn't listen to they'd end up discussing. I didn't realize it until Ma wrote about it at her site but I'm the first of the eight kids Dad's let mess with his vinyl. I'm second from the last of the litter and with my older brothers and sisters -- Dad always gave the oldest four a lecture and they passed it to the next two and may have passed it to the last two (me and my sister) but if they did, I didn't pay attention. I remember when I was 12, Dad got home from work and he walks in and I remember him just staring at me. It was a Pink Floyd record I was listening to and I hold up the cover and I go, "This is pretty cool." He sat right down on the floor with me and started explaining the whole record to me and telling me who played what.

C.I. gave me and Wally a ton of CDs and let us take all the cassettes when we were all together in California and I still haven't had time to listen to even like half of them. Dad's listened to them and keeps going, "Check out track __ on this one." :D

But there's always a lot to do. So Memorial Day, we'll have family and friends over and we'll all get in the living room in time for Democracy Now! because that's our holiday thing now -- and it can be your thing too. Seriously, watch it (or listen to it) with some friends and family and get the word out on the program. We've got five people who watch now regularly and who knows how many you could get? Plus, even the ones who only watch when they come over for the holiday know that the show's out there. So get the word out. Let's kick things off with Democracy Now!


Report: Iraq Is 'Disintegrating as Ethnic Cleansing Takes Hold'
British journalist Patrick Cockburn says Iraq is disintegrating as ethnic cleansing takes hold on a massive scale. On Sunday at least 24 people died including 13 at a Baghdad restaurant that was attacked by a suicide bomber.

The news just gets worse and worse but, like Wally pointed out in "THIS JUST IN! "FREEDOM IS MOVING!", Bully Boy keeps spewing nonsense. Bully Boy's going on and on about how democracy tip-toes around in baby steps. The occupation's now a three-year-old, shouldn't the terrible twos be over?

U.S.-Air Strike Kills 76 in Afghanistan; Up to 30 Civilians Killed
In Afghanistan, a U.S.-led air strike has killed at least 76 people. The BBC reports the dead included as many as 30 civilians including children. The bombing raid in Southern Afghanistan occurred shortly after midnight today. The U.S. military has denied reports of civilian casualties and claimed that all of the dead were members of the Taliban. The air strike occurred in a region which has recently seen some of the country’s fiercest fighting since the fall of the Taliban nearly five years ago.

Bully Boy's just made a mess of the whole world and that's really like what he's done his whole life. He's made a mess of Arbusto and Harken and waits around for one his father's friends to bail him out. There's no one to bail Bully Boy out this time. These are his mistakes and his tragedies and his crimes.

More on Bully Boy's mistakes, tragedies and crimes can be found in C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"

Chaos and violence continue -- despite the new cabinet.In fact, despite the new cabinet, Australia's ABC reports that new cabinet or not, John Howard, prime minister of Australia, "says the new Government in Baghdad will not affect any decision Australia will make about its troops and forces in Iraq." Australia's ABC also reports the Junichiro Koizumi, prime minister of Japan, is making noises about expanding the role of Japanese troops in Iraq. In what only the reality challegened could see as 'good news,' Tony Blair says that maybe, sort of, if everything's just right, British troops might, maybe, leave Iraq by the year 2010. As Blair was grand standing in Iraq, Canada's CBC notes that 108 British troops have died in Iraq. And on the new cabinet, Dan Murphy (Christian Science Monitor) notes "US Ambassador Zalmay Khalizad . . . exerted strong pressure on Nouri al-Maliki" which continues the "muscular" thread John F. Burns noted Sunday.
Far from the myth of democracy and self-rule, as Reuters reported Friday, Hussain al-Shahristani did become the oil minister. You'd think Operation Happy Talk would trumpet the news but they probably don't want to draw too much attention to al-Shahristani's exile period (including the cheerleading of war) or, for that matter, his new post. As the Guardian notes "Another new day in Iraq: Events are stubbornly refusing to conform to the sunny scenarios Bush and Blair are so desperate to paint."
In Baghdad, bombs continued to be a regular feature. Reuters notes a car bomb "in southeastern Baghdad" as well as one "in the capital's New Baghdad district." The Associated Press counts the toll from the two bombing as at least nine dead and at least thirteen wounded while estimating that, on Monday, before "parlimaent met for its first session" 17 Iraqis had died from either car bombs or shootings. Killed by gunfire, the Associated Press reports, was "the general director of the youth ministry." KUNA notes a roadside bomb which killed four Iraqi police officers.
Elsewhere.
In Samarra, the Associated Press reports that "a police colonel" was shot to death.Reuters notes three killed in Baquba. The Associated Press notes, also in Baquba, that "an employee of a cell phone company" was killed. In Jbela, Reuters notes a roadside bomb took the life of at least three and wounded at least six. And a the corpse of a police officer was found, the Associated Press notes, "in the Aziziya area, south of Baghdad." In Baghdad, CNN reports, nine corpses were found.

I came in late on WBAI's Wakeup Call this morning and don't know if Deepa Fernandes had the day off or was sick. But I didn't hear her. I thought I heard Bernard White but then someone mentioned him by name as I was coming into the room so I guess that wasn't him. They, two men, were talking to the guys who made the documentary Loose Change. I read about that at
Kat's site when she was writing about KPFA's Guns and Butter but even though that was like eleven days ago, I still hadn't had time to check it out. How interesting was it?

I was thinking, "If I call off from work, I can finish listening."

The guys who made the documentary don't accept the official 9/11 story and I think that's probably not a minority position. There are too many questions. Like why did John Ashcroft stop flying commercial jets in the summer of 2001 to name just one. Or like the failure to do what you would do at any crime scene. It was pretty riveting. I'd like to go to the archives and listen to the part I missed but I'm not sure I'll have time this week. There's a lot of stuff going on and I need to get the yard done since we'll be having friends and family over for Memorial Day. (If Dad reads this, no, you didn't ask me to do that. But Tony and I are going to try to knock it out on Friday so leave it alone and relax. We're knocking his folks' yard out on Thursday.) (And if Dad does read this, Dark Side of the Moon was the record of his I was listening to when I broke the kids-stay-away-from-my-record-collection rule. :D)

Check out Rebecca's "the ruth & elijah report," Ma's "Cole slaw in the Kitchen" (that really does taste good, I don't like cole slaw but I liked the one she made last), Betty's "The blonde brain of Thomas Friedman" and Kat's "Kat's Korner: Springsteen's Seeger Sessions." And be sure to check out Like Maria Said Paz for Elaine's thoughts.

















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Blog Spotlight: Cedric on race

Cedric posts on Tuesdays & Thursdays. But last week, he decided to try posting five days and pulled it off. Here's one of our favorites.

On Race
I woke up today thinking I'd blog about something that happened in the park yesterday. I really didn't think it was interesting enough last night and then C.I. called me after my post went up and asked why I didn't cover it. Honestly, I didn't know if it was serious enough. C.I. said, "'Go Your Own Way' Cedric is taking a pass on this!" And I had laugh too. (That's a reference to"Into the e-mails.") Then I spoke to Ty this afternoon and he said, "That would make a great piece for our fiction edition this summer." (At The Third Estate Sunday Review.) I was already excited about the special edition and think it will work there. (It will also probably be better if it has some fiction to it and we can all input.)

Then, today, I read Samantha Power's "Why Can't We?" and thought I could write about that. I phoned Mike and suggested we both grab it. But I get home and go to Mikey Likes It! and read his "Michael Hayden, FCC and spying, and more" and there's nothing left to cover -- he's done a great job. I can't even think of anything to add to it.

So let me talk about a special on KPFA today called "Tim Wise Special" and co-hosted by Andrea Lewis of The Morning Show. What's The Matter With Kansas? Is that the name of Thomas Frank's book? We're all supposed to love it. I read it and didn't love it. I don't know a lot of people who read the book but one (C.I.) who did didn't care for it.


Tim Wise talked about it and put it perfectly. This isn't about teaching people to vote in their own interest (which is pretty "paternalistic" as Wise noted). It's one more thing about "We must bring the White Male back to the Democratic Party!" They're spitting on women already by running these anti-choice candidates. (I'm offended by that and I am pro-choice but I won't pretend that an issue which has to do with women's bodies could offend me more than it could a woman. I'm pro-choice and will say so loudly and clearly. But for women, I think it has another level since it is their bodies.) But it's also about, "Forget you African-Americans." Because African-Americans didn't abandon the party.

They didn't need to "learn" their interests. You can toss Condi on one side of Bully Boy and Colin Powell on the other and it's still just window dressing.

Does Kansas have no African-Americans?

This is another thing about how "We will get the White Males back! No matter how much we have to water down the issues." That was really a great special and you probably could only hear it on Pacifica Radio so if you have the money to donate and you haven't donated already, donate Thursday.


I don't want to pick on someone I've noted before has a White view. I think she means well. But she pushed that book like crazy. And I kept thinking, "Does this magazine have no African-American readers?" Wise made a point about a book and Lewis emphasized that after his speech was over. There was a period of time when Black Like Me was selling second only to the Bible. Why was that?

A white man takes some pills to be Black and suddenly it's worth reading to find out about African-Americans? Were they unaware that African-Americans had been writing about what it was like to be African-American for some time already?

I'd be willing to guess that most African-Americans have a better idea of what it's like to be White than than most Whites have an idea of what it's like to be African-American. Not because African-Americans are more aware by "nature" but because the White culture is the one that's all over the place.

I think Andrea Lewis was talking about something that had happened to her and not something in the speech Wise gave. (If he noted it, I missed it. I was listening at work so it's entirely possible that I missed it.) So she said that this man was just insisting to her that Columbia University had gone Black. 'They' were all over the place. Lewis gave a figure (under twenty-percent) to the friend about how that wasn't the case. But he was White and he sees five African-Americans and it's one of those 'They're taking over!' moments.

They weren't fifty-percent and he wanted to argue with her about her source for the figures (Columbia was her source) because when he looked around, what he saw made him feel like it was at fifty-percent.

I'm not making fun of him. I'm saying that this happens. It has to do with impressions.

I'll mess up (not spoil, mess up) the speech if I try to go into it more but if race matters to you, check it out. Because race does matter. Someone can whine, "Oh, you're playing the race card!"
Am I ABC, NBC or CBS? No. But they play the race card in their programming or maybe people don't notice how few African-Americans are on TV?

What does that say to kids growing up now? They can watch a host of White families, they can watch a ton of White lawyers and investigators. It's like we've dropped back to pre-I Spy and pre-Julia these days.

African-Americans are not in competition with Latinos and any who think they are should correct themselves. But it is true that the dominant society encourages us to think that there will be one lucky break extended so we all better fight for it -- all of us on the bottom, nonWhite rung.

So those are my thoughts for tonight. If I can, I'll blog tomorrow.

KPFA's The Morning Show tomorrow will feature another discussion on race. Make a point to listen if you have the time (and a computer that allows you to hear streaming audio if you aren't in their broadcast area).
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Blog Spotlight: Kat grabbing odds and ends

Kat mentions a review she never posted on Saturday -- reason?  Blame us.  We commanded pretty much everyone's time.  She's going to read over it (she's still helping with the edition) and then post it either tonight or tomorrow.
 

RadioNation with Laura Flanders on Sat.: Anthony Arnove; conscientious objectors on the first hour of KPFA's Sunday Salon tomorrow

RadioNation with Laura Flanders broadcasts new episodes this holiday weekend:


From war crimes to war chest crimes, it's reality check time for the Bush mob.
Saturday:
On the ground report from Iraqi journalist AYUB NURI. Author-editor ANTHONY ARNOVE makes the case to bring the troops home now. Artist SHERYL ORING tells us why she is collecting birthday messages to 'W.' And JACK HUBERMAN, author of "101 People Who Are Really Screwing Up America," goes after the rabid right with humor.
SUNDAY:
MASSIE RITSCH, of Washington's Center for Responsive Politics, on Ken Lay's days as W's biggest donor.
A Media Roundtable with GARANCE FRANKE-RUTA, Senior Editor with The American Prospect and DOUG HENWOOD, Nation Contributor and Editor of the Left Business Observer.
Then the return of our independent bookstore hour with JOAN GRANIER from Odyssey Books in South Hadley, MA. And PEGGY HALEY of Book People in Austin, TX.

Make a point to check out the program. Laura's a voice worth listening to and then some. She's no Joanie-come-lately, she's been a brave voice in dark times. I think they're getting a little lighter (the times) but that doesn't mean we don't still need our brave voices, so listen to
RadioNation with Laura Flanders (on air and online from seven to ten p.m. eastern time zone).

Kat, Bully Boy's still in office! No sh*t. (Edited because I intend to cross post this at The Common Ills.) But look at how we're starting to speak out. Look at where the country is on the war as compared to the refugees from the real world occupying DC. Look at how far we've come from the Thou-Shall-Not-Question-the-Bully-Boy commandment enforced by the press (not just the right wing) following 9-11.

Maybe it's just seeing a nice view out of my window when I woke up this morning or it's the birds chirping along with the Dixie Chicks CD that I've got playing, but I'm a little more hopeful than usual.

"Kat's Korner: Dixie Chicks Taking The Long Way home while NYT gets lost along the way" was my most recent review and thank you to everyone who e-mailed on it. (Including three visitors who are Reba freaks.) It is a great CD and I may note it more (or may note Jon-Boy more) here. Today, I'll either post the Free Design review or work on one for Janis Ian's Folk Is The New Black. Did Laura interview her? Someone interviewed her on radio and I went out and purchased the CD right after. It was one of my potential May reviews. However, yesterday,
a music special on KPFA featured one song and that had me thinking I really needed to review it (Ruth also phoned last night to say some of the e-mails she received mentioned the program and Ian).

KPFA's Guns and Butter Wednesday featured a speech by David Ray Griffin on the questions raised by the offical 9/11 theory. Iwana e-mailed me to say she really wasn't familiar with him but that the "speech was fascinating and everyone should listen." This was her first time listening to Guns and Butter and she was very impressed. Listen to the show and you'll understand why.

Tomorrow on KPFA's Sunday Salon at nine a.m. Pacific Time the hour will address conscientious objectors, the second hour will address travel. Make sure you listen.

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