Third Estate Sunday Review

The Third Estate Sunday Review focuses on politics and culture. We're an online magazine. We don't play nice and we don't kiss butt. In the words of Tuesday Weld: "I do not ever want to be a huge star. Do you think I want a success? I refused "Bonnie and Clyde" because I was nursing at the time but also because deep down I knew that it was going to be a huge success. The same was true of "Bob and Carol and Fred and Sue" or whatever it was called. It reeked of success."

Monday, February 08, 2016

Cranky Clinton's desperation moves

With young voters glomming on Senator Bernie Sanders and avoiding War Hawk Hillary Clinton, the Clinton campaign is concerned.

In a bold move, they're trying out ways to make the brown noser seem 'edgy.'

One suggested slogan?

"I've always believed -- whether it be a democracy or an orgy -- the more people the better."

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[This is a parody piece before anyone takes it seriously.]

Tweet of the Week

From the one and only Cynthia McKinney:

Dunce of the Week

The one and only Gloria Steinem.

If you missed it, she 'apologized' for her remark (not remarks -- remarks required an apology) on her Facebook page:

In a case of talk-show Interruptus, I misspoke on the Bill Maher show recently, and apologize for what's been misinterpreted as implying young women aren't serious in their politics. What I had just said on the same show was the opposite: young women are active, mad as hell about what's happening to them, graduating in debt, but averaging a million dollars less over their lifetimes to pay it back. Whether they gravitate to Bernie or Hillary, young women are activist and feminist in greater numbers than ever before.

Oh, it's not that easy.

If that's her apology, she's a bigger idiot than we thought.

As Ava and C.I. point out this edition, her remarks included attacks on transgender persons, a homophobic assumption that "young women" are all straight, and a general sneering at anyone young -- basically anyone under 72, we'd guess.

The 81-year-old really needs to ease herself out of the spotlight.

She seized it in 1969 and it's time to surrender it.

Doesn't mean she stops speaking or stops writing.

Does mean she acknowledges she's not the leader of the feminist movement and uses any media time to highlight younger women (meaning women at least three to four decades younger -- at least).

This edition's playlist

1) Janet Jackson's CONTROL.

2) Janet Jackson's UNBREAKABLE.

3) Carly Simon's HAVE YOU SEEN ME LATELY?

4) Sam Smith's IN THE LONELY HOUR DROWNING SHADOW EDITION.

5) Aretha Franklin's ARETHA SINGS THE GREAT DIVA CLASSICS.

6) Chrissie Hynde's STOCKHOLM.

7) Ben Harper's BOTH SIDES OF THE GUN.

8) Cass Elliot's THE COMPLETE CASS ELLIOT SOLO COLLECTION 1968 - 1971.

9) Ben Harper and Ellen Harper's CHILDHOOD HOME.

4) Stevie Nicks' 24 KARAT GOLD SONGS FROM THE VAULT.

9) Diana Ross' diana.

10) Supergrass' Life On Other Planets.

Artist and Cultural Leaders for Bernie Sanders

Damn Susan Sarandon, Margaret Cho, Bonnie Raitt, Belinda Carlisle, Sarah Silverman, Jill Sobule, Meshell Ndegeocello, Juliette Lewis, Zoe Kravitz, Lucinda Williams, etc. Those women, as Gloria Steinem insists, must be supporting Bernie Sanders (and not Hillary Clinton) because they want to 'meet' boys.

Or maybe Gloria Steinem's just off her damn rocker.

To dispel the lie she attempted to put out, we're noting this list from the Bernie Sanders campaign of "Artist and Cultural Leaders for Bernie Sanders:"

We — the undersigned artists, musicians, and cultural leaders of America — are excited to endorse a new vision for our country.

It’s a vision that pushes for a progressive economic agenda.
It’s a vision that creates jobs, raises wages, protects the environment, and gets big money out of politics.
We endorse Bernie Sanders to become the 2016 Democratic Nominee for President of the United States of America.
Sincerely,

The Artists and Cultural Leaders for Bernie Sanders

Physician | Activist Patch Adams

Musician Brian Baker Minor Threat, Bad Religion

Musician Chris Ballew Presidents of the United States of America

Musician Lou Barlow Dinosaur Jr, Sebadoh

Actor Justin Bartha

DJ Adrian Bartos Stretch Armstrong

Musician Bhi Bhiman

Musician Jello Biafra Dead Kennedys

Actor Stephen Bishop

Musician Elvin Bishop

Musician CJ Boyd

Composer | Musician Nicholas Britell

Actor Mehcad Brooks

Musician Jackson Browne

Musician Dan Campbell The Wonder Years

Musician Belinda Carlisle The Go-Go’s

Musician Tommy Castro

Musician Matthew Caws Nada Surf

Comedian | Author | Artist Margaret Cho

Activist | Entrepreneur Ben Cohen

Writer | Editor | Director Hank Corwin

Musician Marshall Crenshaw

Musician David Crosby

Musician Bob D’Amico The Fiery Furnaces, Sebadoh

Musician | Author John Densmore The Doors, Riders on the Storm

Actor | Producer Danny DeVito

Designer Aaron Draplin

Musician Greg Dulli Afghan Whigs

Musician | Actor Steve Earle

Musician Alex Ebert Edward Sharpe & Magnetic Zeroes

Artist Ron English

Musician Alejandro Escovedo

Artist Shepard Fairey

Actor | Comedian Will Ferrell

Musician Jonathan Fishman Phish

Musician Flea Red Hot Chili Peppers

Musician Andy Fleming Brother Trucker

Actor Ben Foster

Actor | Musician Jon Foster KaneHoller

Musician | Composer Bill Frisell

Actor Nicholas Gonzalez

Musician Mike Gordon Phish

Musician Billy Gould Faith No More

Radio Host Michael Halloran

Musician | Videographer Adam Harding Dumb Numbers

Musician | Writer Maureen Herman Babes in Toyland

Actor | Musician Brendan Hines

Musician | Producer Karl Hofstetter Joyful Noise Recordings

Writer | Producer David Holden

DJ | Musician Chris Holmes

Musician Cadien Lake James Twin Peaks “Band”

Musician | Music Producer | Author Brad Terrence "Scarface" Jordan Geto Boys

Producer | Manager | Consultant Mike Kappus

Writer | Producer Daniel Kellison

Musician Anthony Kiedis Red Hot Chili Peppers

Musician | Author Tim Kinsella Joan of Arc

Musician Nate Kinsella Joan of Arc, Birthmark

Musician Josh Klinghoffer Red Hot Chili Peppers

Actor | Comedian David Koechner

Music Publisher | Music Supervisor Margaret Saadi Kramer

Musician | Composer Wayne Kramer MC5

Actress | Musician Zoë Kravitz

Actor | Musician Donovan Leitch

Actress | Musician Juliette Lewis

Musician Jason Loewenstein The Fiery Furnaces, Sebadoh

Actor Justin Long

Musician Jesse Malin

Sports Commentator | Musician | Actor Sal Masekela

Actor Holt McCallany

Rapper | Producer | Speaker Brandon Christopher “Lil B" McCartney

DJ Trevor McFedries Skeet Skeet

Writer | Director Adam McKay

Author | Historian Dennis McNally

Musician | Producer Justin Meldal-Johnsen

Actor Breckin Meyer

Actor Ezra Miller

Photographer | Author Susana Millman

Actor Donald Warren “DW” Moffett

Musician Thurston Moore Sonic Youth

Musician Charlie Musselwhite

Musician Graham Nash

Musician Meshell Ndegeocello

Musician Will Noon Fun.

Comedian | Writer | Actor Patton Oswalt

Musician Raul Pacheco Ozomatli

Musician Holly Palmer

Screenwriter | Producer | Director Oren Peli

Actor | Producer Jeremy Piven

Director Shira Piven

Musician Joel Rafael

Musician | Activist Bonnie Raitt

Actress | Musician Nikki Reed

Comedian | Actor | Musician John C. Reilly

Musician | Actor Michael “Killer Mike” Render

Blues Legend Duke Robillard

Actor | Director | Producer Mark Ruffalo

Actor Jonathan Sadowski

Investor | Writer Guy Saperstein

Educator Jeanine Saperstein

Musician Gabe Saporta Cobra Starship

Actress Susan Sarandon

Musician | Composer Chris Schlarb

Musician | Producer Walter Schreifels

DJ Zach Sciacca Z-Trip

Actor Reid Scott

Author | Critic Joel Selvin

Musician Chris Shiflett Foo Fighters

Musician Eve Sicular Isle Of Klezbos

Musician | Composer Corky Siegel

Comedian | Actress | Writer Sarah Silverman

Writer | Historian Sylvie Simmons

Musician Chad Smith Red Hot Chili Peppers

Musician Jill Sobule

Musician | Producer Sam Sparro

Screenwriter | Comedian Andrew Steele

Musician Serj Tankian System of a Down

Musician Jeff Tweedy Wilco

Musician Loudon Wainwright III

Musician Mike Watt The Stooges, Minutemen

Musician Chelsea Tyler KaneHoller

Musician Dusty Watson The Sonics

Actor George Wendt

Philosopher | Academic Dr. Cornel West

Actor Wil Wheaton

Musician Lucinda Williams

Comedian | Writer Lizz Winstead

Musician Yoni Wolf Why?

Inventor Steve Wozniak

Musician | Composer Hans Zimmer

Leading Post-9/11 Veterans Group Holds Record 670 Community Events in 2015

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America issued the following last week:

PRESS CONTACT

Tel: 212-982-9699

press@iava.org

IAVA’s signature VetTogethers engaged 11,000 veterans in 2015

NEW YORK (February 5, 2016) – As veterans get together around the country to celebrate Super Bowl 50, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the first and largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to supporting post-9/11 veterans and their families, announced today that a record 670 VetTogethers were held in 2015 — up from 306 in 2014. VetTogethers are community-driven events that focus on (re)building camaraderie among veterans in local communities across the nation.

“The significant increase in VetTogethers speaks to the need for IAVA to continue our mission to connect, unite and empower post-9/11 veterans,” said IAVA Chief Program Officer Anthony Pike. “IAVA’s members want to be involved with IAVA in their community. VetTogethers are a perfect opportunity for members to do so. Last year, more than 11,000 members joined IAVA at one of our 670 VetTogethers across the country. This increased engagement and leadership clearly illustrates how our community of veterans are rising to become leaders.”

VetTogethers were created to ensure that connections are forged whether a veteran transitioning home is in need of assistance or is simply looking for the same support they had in the military. With only one percent of the population having served in the military, VetTogethers provide a critical resource for veterans to connect, unite and empower.

In 2015, VetTogethers took place in every state and involved a range of activities to include: film screenings, sporting events, fundraisers, rock climbing, fishing trips and many more. VetTogethers are lead by one or more of IAVA’s 425,000-plus members who are also IAVA’s web-based community. During Veterans Week 2015, IAVA members hosted a record 145 VetTogethers.

VetTogethers are supported in part by the generous contributions of the Goldhirsh Foundation’s LA2050 initiative, the New York State Health Foundation, the Resnick Foundation, and The Schultz Family Foundation.

Upcoming VetTogethers include events in Clarksville, Tenn. (Feb. 6), Anchorage, Alaska (Feb. 6), Denver (Feb. 7), Arlington, Va. (Feb. 7), Phoenix (Feb. 10), Chicago (Feb. 11) and many other cities across the country. For a full list of VetTogethers visit iava.org/vettogether.

Note to media: Email press@iava.org or call 212-982-9699 to speak with IAVA CEO and Founder Paul Rieckhoff or IAVA leadership.

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (www.IAVA.org) is the leading post-9/11 veteran empowerment organization (VEO) with the most diverse and rapidly growing membership in America. As a non-profit founded in 2004, IAVA’s mission is to connect, unite and empower post-9/11 veterans. Celebrating its 11th year anniversary, IAVA has connected more than 1.2 million veterans with resources and community, and provided more than 5,800 veterans with personalized support from IAVA’s Master’s level social workers.

'Bob Marley inspired a generation—to stand up for our rights'

This is a repost from Great Britain's SOCIALIST WORKER:

‘Bob Marley inspired a generation—to stand up for our rights’

Brian Richardson, author of the new book Bob Marley—Roots, Reggae and Revolution, spoke to Socialist Worker about Marley’s music, politics and legacy

There are plenty of books about Bob Marley’s life and music—what makes yours different?
There are good works that talk about Marley and how reggae developed as a specific Jamaican form of music.
But they write about Marley being a “lyrical genius”, as if he was just struck by the muse.
I wanted to show how he was the product of a particularly turbulent time in Jamaican history.
Other artists were doing similar things, but he just did it better and was able to project reggae across the world.

You write a lot about Marley’s relationship with the Rastafarian religion. How did that impact on his music?
It’s important to talk about Rastafarianism, because it came out of the struggle against British colonialism and the disillusion that followed independence. Thousands were looking for an explanation.
But it was contradictory. On the one hand it was about retreat from society with its promise of “Exodus” back to Ethiopia. One of Marley’s albums is named after that.
But it also emphasised resistance to colonialism, and Marley’s take involved a militant demand for equality.

One of the most interesting parts of the book details how Jamaican music developed. How does that fit into the social context you describe?
I try to show how Reggae was linked to political as well as musical changes.
Sound system culture and dance halls were always a big part of Jamaica’s music scene, but most music was imported from the US.
This meant DJs had to find the most obscure tracks to make their dances the liveliest and most exciting. They eventually realised they had to develop their own music.
At this time instruments, such as the electric bass, became more accessible and allowed musicians to experiment.
They developed a form of “off-beat” strumming that first developed into Ska. It was a particularly fast form of music, meaning it was hard to keep going all night.
Rocksteady partly came as a reaction to that—because you could “rock-steady” to it.
But it also reflected the turbulence following Jamaican independence as people began turning in on themselves.
This is when young men labelled “Rudeboys” began taking their frustration out on others in the ghettos.
Reggae finally emerged out of that as the final form of the music.

Marley often talked about “politrix” —does that mean he wasn’t a political musician?
Marley did talk about “politrix” to describe con men who rule over people. But he was interested in political issues, if not “politics”, from the beginning. His first number one Simmer Down was addressed directly to the Rudeboys and expressed young people’s frustration at the time.
Marley was shot in 1976 because he was seen to be aligning himself with prime minister Michael Manley. Was he right to do so?
He always said he wanted to play a concert for Jamaican people, not Manley’s People’s National Party. He was forced to flee to Britain and only returned a couple of years later to a situation of escalating political violence.
Marley played a “peace concert” to bring the rival factions together. While it failed, only he could have attempted that.

What was Marley’s impact on music and politics in Britain?
Marley really captured the imagination of our parents who’d come to Britain and those of us who grew up with racism.
But it wasn’t limited to black people. Punk bands such as The Clash identified with black youths’ experiences and music. And The Specials’ Ghost Town is a classic example—based around Ska it talks about black and white youths’ misery in Coventry.
That’s because Marley wasn’t just a Rastafarian. He encouraged people to stand up for their rights. So as well as enjoying his music we should take that message.

Bob Marley: Roots, Reggae and Revolution
Brian Richardson
Redwords, £7.99