Sunday, May 07, 2006

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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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.
 
 

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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?

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Blog Spotlight: Rebecca with what Kat calls "Truly, the last chance Texaco"

Elaine just made us all laugh by singing,  "And when the country was falling apart, Betsy Ross got it all sewn up.  And then there's Rebecca.  And then there's Rebecca."  (A play on the theme to the TV show Maude.)  Rebecca doesn't hide behind men or wait to see if others (male or female) will back her up.  She's always called it just the way she sees it.  We're doing two of her posts as highlights and we're starting with this one.
 
 

stephen colbert spits on women (past and present) and the web and e&p don't see the problem

oh that stephen colbert, he so damn funny. so crazy.

open a window so we can all get a breath of fresh air.

we need it.

we really need it.

stephen colbert's been praised across the web (will the offenders please step up?).

anybody notice a problem?

no?

okay, how about this, you ever heard of helen thomas?

anybody?

that's 1.

that's 1 dc reporter who doesn't leave the white house to go "make love to your wife."

this is from editor & publisher - presumably a thinking press organ (write up's credited to e & p staff):

Addressing the reporters, he said, "Let's review the rules. Here's how it works. The president makes decisions, he’s the decider. The press secretary announces those decisions, and you people of the press type those decisions down. Make, announce, type. Put them through a spell check and go home. Get to know your family again. Make love to your wife. Write that novel you got kicking around in your head. You know, the one about the intrepid Washington reporter with the courage to stand up to the administration. You know -- fiction."

somehow, in their intrepid write up, they can't note the thing that should be obvious to them - women do work for editor & publisher, don't they? what are they all queen bees or just to damn scared to stand up and say 'that's wrong'?

read that b.s. and you'll realize why the work ava and c.i. do is so sorely needed. e & p offers commentary in spots. they never question the sexist remark, the sexist assumption that all reporters are male (or straight and married). must be a pretty diverse crowd over at e & p - what, you've got the white man who drinks jack daniels, the white man who drinks beer and the white man who doesn't drink anything?

that's a pretty observant bunch, huh? supposed reporters that can say a damn word when the 'funny' guy renders all women invisible with that remark - pretty damn disgusting.


helen thomas doesn't go home to her wife.

and guess what? she's not alone.

not anymore.

in the old days, it was helen thomas, sarah mcclendon and a smattering of others like may craig.

when they started out they had to prove they could do the job because, back then, it was assumed that reporters were naturally male.

back then.

back when?

last night.

to pretend that stephen colbert did not utter an insulting remark is surely an act of desperation and those rushing to applaud him might want to check themselves real damn quick.


it's not funny. it's not cute.


in a room full of a large number of female journalists, he insulted all women.

in a room that was only open to the female gender because of mavericks like thomas and mcclendon, he insulted all women, past and present, living and dead.

'oh but it's so damn funny!'

what colbert did was not funny.

it was insulting.

and i'm not that desparate for giggles that i have to pretend it wasn't insulting.

colbert could have as easily said 'spouse.'

he didn't. why not?

well he's never appeared all that aware.

but let's be real clear here, what he did should have been greeted with howls. in the old days, women's groups would be coming down on him and the guys and gals giggling right now would think twice. they'd probably still titter in private. but they'd realize it was too insulting and had made people too angry for them to chuckle in public.

it's the sort of 'joke' they'd tell about african-americans when none were in the room.

so they'd avoid people like me and make sure they kept their chuckles private.

that our supposed left wing net wants to act like we had a gift from heaven via our lord stephen colbert last night is disgusting. but hey, e & p paved the way.

they're picking & choosing.

what they're picking is 'colbert so funny! he insulted bully boy so we should rush to applaud him even if he just stripped women of decades of accomplishments in the process.'

it sure is nice to know that while the anti-bully boy movement claims to want every 1, it's still okay to act as though women are invisble. that says a lot about 'priorities.' or maybe just a lot about what's important to you.

for all the chuckle heads, out there, you want to explain the women's national press club and how about eleanor roosevelt's press conference association?

want to explain to me why they were created in the 1st place?

oh, i know why they were created. i don't need the lesson. but maybe some of the howling with laughter set do.

women had to fight for the right to cover dc. they had to fight for the ability to ask a question. i'm not joking.

colbert made light of their struggle and light of the female reporters present.

i won't. it's not funny to me that he stood up at a press club function with members who were male and female and thought it was 'funny' to just address the men.

it's disgusting.

'spouse' to 'husband' was it would have taken for him to be inclusive. 1 word but that was too much for him. and apparently, it's too much to expect that our brave left males will step up to the plate and say, 'hey, that wasn't funny.'

i will. women came before me, they came before you (whether you are female or male). i won't devalue their contributions or forget their struggle.

but i'm not a silly comic making stupid films about being a 40 y.o. virgin.

if i could act, i doubt i'd be convincing as some 1 scared of sex - another difference between myself and stephen colbert.

he's gotten a lot of mileage out of this 'i can't relate to women' shit.

maybe at some point he'll be called on it?

probably not. it's easier to giggle along and, in the process, say it's okay to destroy and spit on the accomplishments of women. yeah, we're so starved for funny that it's okay to spit on women and it's okay for males (and some women i'm sure) to go along with it. for the 'cause' - obviously.

editor & publisher is supposed to be a press trade journal. their organ. when it won't speak up for women in its ranks, what use is it?

if you don't get how insulting his 'bit' was, this is from adam bernstein's january 8, 2003 obituary of sarah mcclendon that ran in the washington post:

As one of the few women after World War II writing about politics in the nation's capital, Ms. McClendon was pitted against discrimination, condescension and exasperation among politicians and her peers. It wasn't uncommon for her to be reproved by presidents who did not want to be bothered with her because of her sex, brusque manner and the small circulation of the papers for which she wrote.

that was a fighter. i doubt colbert's fought for anything besides the right to offend. apparently editor & publisher just wants to fight for their right to be pig headed and chuckle when half the ranks get insulted. and our left web is eager to go along.

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C.I. checks the NYT on their coverage of the immigration issue

If you missed it (maybe you were too busy applauding a comic?), The New York Times, which has told the immigration struggle from the business point of view, continued to do so this week, only more so.  C.I. took their nonsense on daily.  We had many requests to note C.I.'s critiques of that in e-mails and this one was the most cited critique.  (Ramon wrote the most lengthy e-mail on this post, going deep into why it meant something to him.  Thank you for that e-mail, Ramon.)
 

NYT: Millions protest so the Times highlights Small Business and the Minutemen

The paper's that never shown any interest in the immigratants involved in the struggle for immigration rights continues to flaunt it's sneering "don't give a damn" attitude. Having allowed Monica Davey to twice tell us how it feels to be . . . big business, Randal C. Archibold (who has more problems than his name) comes along with "Immigrants Take to U.S. Streets in Show of Strength" to reassure readers it was no big thing.

From the beginning, the issues and the realities are underplayed. You get that with "hundreds of thousands" in Archibold's first sentence. Try over a million. I've heard as low 1.1 million and as high as one and [a half million] -- eye balling the rough figures I've heard from friends across the country, I think a case could be made for two million or more. Just do the numbers out of Los Angeles and Chciago alone and you grasp that.

But we mustn't say "million" in the Times. Not after they've ignored and mocked the issue in ALL their coverage from reporting to editorials. "Uppity" seems to be the attitude of the paper. Stil hurt that the nation didn't rush to get on board the Senate plan that the Bullies of 43rd Street were pushing as 'reasoned' and 'well thought'?

The moral equivalency of allowing a smeer in the seventh paragraph from a spokesperson for a xenophobic organization may be the thing most people can't get past. The "Minuteman" as reliable sources? I guess readers can look forward to the Grand Dragon of the KKK being consulted in future stories and being treated as just another source.

Bully Boy doesn't like boycotts and neither does the Times. So they trash and smear while minimizing.

We get people sniffing that it wasn't all that. As you read the construct of this story, you grasp that the Mean Girls/Heathers have crossed over from the op-ed pages and now pose as reporters.

It's funny they missed what happened in Bakersfield. (A lot of us didn't but someone didn't see it as "all the news that's fit to print.") Just as they miss that march that took place in the evening after police harrassment (and that's putting it mildly), they also miss the rumors of police harrassment that were put out ahead of time to attempt to clamp down on the numbers.

The biggest bold face lie (a tough choice, granted)? This:

Most of the demonstrators' ire was directed at a bill passed by the House that would increase security at the border while making it a felony for an illegal immigrant to be in the country or to aid one. The marchers generally favored a plan in the Senate, for which President Bush has shown signs of support, that would include more protection at the border but offer many illegal workers a path to citizenship.

The Times flat out lies. I was at multiple protests, I've spoken (and am speaking as I type) to people all over the country. The faction pushing the Senate proposal remains the Times editorial board. But the paper's refused to listen to immigrants from day one so why the hell should this morning be any different?

It's a flat out lie. They're not just doing their usual thing of coaxing and shaping coverage, they're lying. Forget speaking to individuals (the Times prefers polls where the people are at a distance), all they had to do was listen to speeches at the rallies.

But that would require a committment to the truth and truth and the Times are, if not strangers, opponents.

To tell the truth about the protests is just too much to them. They've favored that crappy Senate proposal from day one. They're going to shape every bit of coverage to attempt to manipulate readers into thinking that the immgrants, whom the paper's never interested in, favors it too.

They should be ashamed and embarrassed. From Archibold to everyone who supposedly contributed:

Reporting for this article was contributed by Cindy Chang from Los Angeles, Steve Friess from Las Vegas, Carolyn Marshall from Watsonville, Calif., and Gretchen Ruethling from Chicago.

What happened? Well though the paper dismisses it, business did shut down and were shut down. People gathered, many at great risk to themselves considering the rumors being put out all weekend of INS and police crackdowns. What you saw was bravery around the nation. You don't get that from liars for the Times.

Archibold also tells you that criticism of the Mexican flag resulted in it appearing less. He wishes. He and the press wish they had any power on this movement. They don't. Not only were Mexican flags in abundance in California, so were the flags of other nations as well. That will probably continue because the press that lies on your cause is hardly the press you take your cues from.

Javier Barajas should enjoy his moment in the sun. The Times trots him out to talk as a small business owner. He says there should be other ways to protest and that the ones really hurt are the small business owners. He actually says that.

People die each day coming across the borders, but the ones really hurt are the small business owners?

Don't believe the crap. People marched in huge numbers, the impact was felt. You can tell how much by the paper of no record's attempt to white wash.

Want to know what really took place? Democracy Now! is covering the protests today. So listen, watch or read (transcripts).

The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.





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Humor Spotlight: The Daily Jot wonders if Condi hears bells?

Need more humor? Us too.  Here's Wally.  Again a strong week for Wally and there's a three way split on which to go with.  This won by one vote.
 

THIS JUST IN! DOES CONDI HEAR BELLS?

BULLY BOY PRESS - DC.
 
THIS JUST IN!
 
DOES CONDI HEAR BELLS?
 
WHILE DICK CHENEY GEARS UP FOR HIS 'FREEDOM' TOUR (FULL TITLE: FREEDOM TO TORTURE! AS CROOKED AS I WANNA BE!) AND BULLY BOY ANTICIPATES HIS FLORIDA TRIP NEXT WEEK WHERE HE WILL PROMISE
EACH SENIOR WHO SIGNS UP TO HIS NEW MEDICARE PLAN 3 FREE CDS WITH THE AGREEMENT THAT THEY PURCHASE 92 MORE AT REGULAR COST OVER THE NEXT 3 YEARS, WHO'S WATCHING CONDI?
 
WAGS ARE WAGGING THAT CONDI RICE HAS FINALLY FOUND A MAN SHE HAS SOMETHING IN COMMON WITH.
 
WHO'S THE LUCKY JOE?
 
TEODORO OBIANG NGUEMA, THE PRESIDENT OF EQUATORIAL GUINEAN. 
 
NO-ONE-COULD-HAVE-GUESSED-CONDI, AS FRIENDS CALL HER, IS AS SURPRISED AS ANYONE TO FIND HERSELF IN LOVE WITH TEODORO.
 
 
"WE'RE LIKE BRAD AND ANGELINA," SHE REPORTEDLY TOLD ONE FRIEND.
"WE JUST FIT.  HE GETS ME.  REALLY GETS ME.  YOU KNOW HE'S SAID ON STATE RADIO THAT HE'S GOD.  THAT REALLY TURNS ME ON IN A MAN!  WHILE MOST OF THE PEOPLE IN HIS COUNTRY LIVE ON LESS THAN A DOLLAR DAY, HE'S WORTH OVER $300 MILLION!  IT'S NOT THE MONEY, YOU UNDERSTAND, JUST THE CRUELTY FACTOR INVOLVED.  THAT'S WHAT EXCITES ME."
 
DETERMINED TO KEEP TEODORO AWAY FROM SPURNED SUITER MARK THATCHER, CONDI'S KEEPING FRIENDS' AT ARMS LENGTH. 
 
"SHE GOT TIRED OF SHARING,"  A FRIEND WHO IS NOT NAMED SCOTTY MCCLELLAN EXPLAINED. 
 
 
CONDI'S BEEN OBSERVED TEACHING HIM TO SAY "YA'LL" AND "HOWDY."  REPORTEDLY SHE'S GROOMING HIM TO RUN FOR GOVERNOR OF TEXAS "AND THEN THE WORLD!" 
 
 
 
 

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Humor Spotlight: "Betinna" tells you about Thomas Friedman's "Trash Dump Psuedo Politics"

You need a laugh right about now?  Us too.  Which is why we're going with Betty now.  Betty says that she didn't post yesterday hoping she'd post today but this edition has gone on too long for that.  She plans to post Tuesday and adds that C.I. did call and listen while she read the upcoming chapter over the phone.  (C.I. had noted that at The Common Ills.)  This will make you laugh and C.I. and Kat (who've both heard Betty's upcoming chapter) say get ready for Tuesday.
 

Thomas Friedman's Trash Dump Psuedo Politics

Next month, I start college and I'm excited but nervous. My husband, Thomas Friedman, says I'm not focusing on him enough. I replied, "Unless you're going down to the drug store and buying the Depends, we ain't playing William Safire and Peggy Noonan."

It's his sex game, let him be the one standing in line with the Depends. I'm tired of the weird looks I get. It's not really even a "sex game" -- or at least not one for two. Thomas Friedman gets off on it but diapering "Willie" does nothing for me.

He kept whining and whining, so finally last week, I said, "Show me one of your columns."

See, I used to read that garbage all the time. But now I'm focused on preparing for college and really don't have the time to read junk/trash. I know he fancies himself a modern day Montesquieu but, let's be honest, there are more philosophical truths in the writings of Erma Bombeck. I made the mistake of saying that out loud and started in with a diatribe about how his "The World Is Flat" is the natural successor to "The Spirit of the Laws."

I interrupted and asked, "You want me to read this or not?"

He shut up. "Gas Pump Geopolitics" was the title.

----------------

No sooner did I finish then he asked, "Well, did you get it?"



"Yes, Rose," I replied. " 'Never let go.' They let you run this crap?"


Jerking the column from my hands, Thomas Friedman huffed, "It is not crap. 'Titanic' was a wonderful movie. And what do you mean, 'Yes, Rose'?"



Kate Winslet he's not. Except maybe in his mind.



But who am I to gripe? If I'd just smiled and said "Wonderful" I could have day dreamed for half an hour while he went on about just how wonderful his writing was. Instead, he was thrusting another column at me.



This one was called "Go West, Old Men." Right away, I had mixed feelings. It would be fun to live on the west coast but I am about to start college. Then I read past the title and saw that Thomas Friedman wasn't speaking about himself. I know! I was surprised to. With his sassy highlights and that ridiculous black turtleneck he insists upon wearing in public, he's a dead ringer for Bea Arthur. But make a joke about "The Golden Girls" and watch him blow his top.


"Black is slimming, Betinna," he whines.



White boy's lecturing me about Black?



"And it's very Bo-ho, I'm like Marilyn Monroe at the Actors' Studio or Audrey Hepburn in 'Funny Face!' "



I guess he's been brushing up on his 'motivation.' That would explain the added 'drama' in the column. Such as this statement:




It was surely no accident that President Hu made his first stop in the U.S. in Washington State -- not Washington, D.C. -- to dine with Bill Gates, who gave him the "state dinner" that the Bush White House refused to extend.



"It was surely no accident"? Doesn't saying "It was no accident" make the same point? He's like a starlet determined never to roll on a bed half-naked again. I suspect it won't be long before he's wearing his glasses in public to look like an intellectual. In his final paragraph, he asks, "Why waste the gas?" That's a question I can get behind and wish he'd ask it of himself each time he thinks he needs to write another column.



I had a party planned. Really more of a gathering. And seeing that it was almost time for that to begin, I pretended to like the column to avoid him pulling out his notebook full of laminated "Best Of Thomas Friedman" columns. (If you guessed the notebook contains every column he's ever written, you'd be guessing right. Well, every writer needs at least one fan, right?)



"You really think it was wonderful?" he asked. "Which parts? I think I was most 'on' in the third paragraph. 'On' throughout, but I'm really impressed with that third paragraph. That's not to take anything away from paragraphs four or five, which are also quite impressive . . ."



"Uh-huh," I added every few seconds to make him think I was listening and, most important, agreeing as I set out trays of snacks.



I caught something about "sense-memory," on the third trip from the kitchen and figured A&E must have aired a bio on Marilyn this month.



The doorbell rang and pretty soon, there was Wally, Rebecca, Jess, Ty, Cedric, Elaine, Mike & Nina, Kat, Ava and C.I. Trina came in with some wonderful dishes.



So we spent the evening listening to music and discussing a number of topics. Primarily what to do about a certain situation in a certain nation.




Most of the evening, Thomas Friedman spent with his back turned to everyone.


Wally pointed to Thomas Friedman and asked me if he was having trouble with his bowel movements?


No, I explained that Thomas Friedman was merely trying to flex his buttucks because he's convinced Wally thinks he's attractive. All the straining and grunting came from the fact that the butt is pure flab.



"Ignore him," I advised, "life's so much nicer when you do."



Which is pretty much what we did even when he asked Wally if he wanted to feel his "quads." Bored, he offered to let people do canned cheese shots off his body.



"Any takers? No? Wally? No? Oh. Okay."



As soon as everyone left, he trashed them all. Ava and C.I. were nothing but TV critics, he said haughtily. Elaine was a bad influence me, he declared.



As I rinsed off the trays, I told him it was too bad he felt that way because I'd be joining them all for the big march Saturday, April 29th.



"So! So!" he screamed. "You're all so boring! Even Wally thought so. You all intimidate that poor farm boy. He wanted to feel my quads but the way you all rolled your eyes, he decided not to."



"Yeah, that's it," I said turning off the faucet.



Walking past him, I headed for the bedroom.



I woke up a few hours later and he wasn't in bed. Thinking he might be brooding and do something foolish, like last week when he attempted suicide by injesting a box full of laxitives (which, if you think about it, really was an "inner" suicide for him), I grabbed my robe, non-shorty robe, and walked through the apartment.



He was at the computer. I started to head back to the bedroom when I realized that wasn't a fake nude of Zach or Slater or any of the "Saved By the Bell" boys he usually looks at, it was text. Reading over his shoulder, I saw: "Here's The Plan The World Needs."



"Thomas Friedman, you are not stealing their idea!" I snapped causing him to lurch in his chair, fall and hit the ground with a mighty thud.



He was about to argue when he must have seen how serious I was. Since he has only two speeds and argue was eliminated, he fell back on whine.



"Please, please," he cried sounding like an adenoidal teenager. "It would really chafe Nicky's K rear if I got this into print! You have no idea how prissy he's been since he won the Pulitzer! John Tierney told me he's insisted that the paper furnish him with a padded toilet seat and his own stall. They're calling it 'Nicky's Throne!' "



He begged. He pleaded. He said if he'd stolen "Should This Marriage Be Saved?" two years ago, he would be considered "the prophet of the paper!"



"As opposed to?" I asked.



"The blonde bombshell that I am," he replied full of defiance.



"Well, you can't be a blonde bombshell and smart," I said turning off the computer and walking out of the room.



"Jayne Mansfield was!" he hollered rushing after me. "She had a genius I.Q.!"



So far, he's avoided the topic. But he refuses to let me see his column for tomorrow so I am suspicious. Trash Dump Psuedo Politics is all that Thomas Friedman has to offer and even that's no longer cutting it. I'm concerned that all the attention Kaavya Viswanathan has recently received may be giving Thomas Friedman the wrong ideas.



















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Blog Spotlight: Elaine on the ones we need protection from

Elaine telling it like it is (Dona) and needing an amen (Betty).
 

"God protect us from the fools that we elected to protect us!"

Usually on Monday's, I offer a summary of radio program. I wasn't able to listen today. I did go into work (C.I.'s correct that to back out of sessions, I need a huge lead time in terms of a heads up). Friday, I had told Sunny to take the day off because she wanted to take part and there was no reason in both of us missing out. (Take part in the immigration rallies today, I'm starting mid-stream.) Though I wasn't able to "call off," I did avoid purchasing anything. Even when temptation was there -- I had packed a lunch and the yogurt had gone bad (or was bad when I purchased it last night) and it just contaminated the fruits (an orange and an apple) -- or I felt it did. I could smell the sour smell on them. Probably that was in my mind. I was going over some paperwork (billing paper work) and reached for the phone. I forgot until I'd dialed "no purchases." So I hung up.

Sunny does a huge job and that's clear when she's there but, when she's not, it's even more so. When she first started (a few years back), I'd walk through during the day, and she'd always jerk and hide her book or her magazine. When I realized that was what was going on (I'd thought she just startled easily), I told her, "If you can do your job and read at your desk or whatever, don't worry about it." She can do that and a great deal more. There are moments that I know must be deadly boring but there are also hectic times and she handles it all. So, Sunny, if you read this tomorrow in the office, again, "Thank you, for all you do."

I tried to pay attention to Democracy Now!, I did have it on, but there was just too much to do today. I got a better idea of the show, in fact, when Mike and I were reading over the headlines this evening to select what we'd highlight. Please visit Mikey Likes It! for his thoughts.


"Three Years Ago: Bush Declared Missions Accomplished in Iraq" (Democracy Now!):
In news on Iraq, it was three years ago today that President Bush declared mission accomplished and major combat operations over. Meanwhile the U.S. death toll in Iraq has topped 2,400. 70 soldiers died in April making it the deadliest month for U.S. troops so far this year.

I heard the 2,400 number from C.I. this weekend. I remember we all just sort of stared. What do you say to that? The war was an illegal one built upon lies. Remember when the 2000 mark was news? Or the 1000 mark? Or when we were at 700 and whatever and Nightline did the special noting the name of each American troop who had died in Iraq?

On the 70 in April, I'll wait a few days. I know the official count is "fudged" since you have to die while in Iraq. If you're transported out of the country and die while receiving medical treatment or die later from your wounds (and you're not in Iraq), you don't go into that total. But the administration also has a habit of a few days into a new month, after the total's been reported, suddenly releasing news of other deaths for the previous month.

On the issue of the dying itself, I don't know. A peace movement doesn't happen overnight. That I know. But there are times, with the mainstream media, that you have to wonder are they even living in the same world? (Probably not, press passes squeak a lot of wheels.) I think the alternative media has been good about getting the word out. Better than good, they've done an excellent job. Amy Goodman tops the list but everyone has done a wonderful job. The peace movement itself has done a wonderful job, especially when you consider what it's been up against. I'm a huge supporter of United for Peace and Justice. That said, I do think new life needs to be brought into the demonstrations.

Check "Music Roundtable" for thoughts on that. I'll also add that after the roundtable was done, Jayson reminded Wally and I of another comment we were hearing. I wished he'd spoken up in the roundtable. A lot of people we spoke to were bothered by the demonstration on Sunday. The peace rally was known for some time, the rallies going on today were announced ahead of time. I have no idea when the Darfur rally was announced but people we spoke to said it was put together quickly and that they were really offended that they would "split" the causes like that. If you were traveling to either demonstration Saturday or Sunday, more than likely, you had to make a choice. Will I go to DC? Will I go to NYC?

When Jayson brought that up, I think C.I. said it best: "If you've got the Monterey Pop Festival on Saturday and Woodstock on Monday, you don't try to squeeze in Live Aid on Sunday." Regardless of when it was planned, I think it hurt. I think it hurt it's own cause and I think it hurt the peace rally. In terms of hurting it's own cause, there were people Wally, Jayson and I spoke to who would have liked to have attended. "Why did it have to be this weekend?" was the question repeated on that. I would have tried to attend. (C.I. did.) If it was another day, I would have tried to attend. It hurt the peace event if there were people who made the choice to go to DC that would have been in NYC if the two events hadn't been one right after the other. It hurt both causes because they were weekend events which were not going to get much press attention (print) until Monday. So on Monday, they were competing with one another for limited press coverage. (Though Darfur got more because it had the political approval of some elected officials.) I hope they had more than the "tens of thousands" that was used. The peace rally had 350,000 people and some press reports were saying "tens of thousands" early on. (We checked for figures at the event and were told at least 300,000 so that's what we went with at The Third Estate Sunday Review, but the figure is over 350,000.)

It may not have hurt attendence in NYC. Jess called when I was leaving the office this evening and from the reports and photos the press has run, it was a different crowd. But there were people at the NYC event that would have liked to have attended the DC one if there had been more space between the two. Jess asked what I thought of a musical for The Third Estate Sunday Review this week? He's run the idea by Kat, Rebecca and C.I. and they're fine with it. (The four of them even have one song roughed out.) (That may seem off topic, but if the song is used, you'll see it isn't.) I'm all for it. I think it would be an interesting and creative way to address events and I think we sorely need to interject news elements into the movement. As I noted in "Music Roundtable," there was a feeling of burnout on the part of some who attended. That doesn't need to set in. (I am not insulting the demonstration. I give praise to everyone who organized it, worked on it and attended. It was a wonderful moment. But it needs to be built upon.)

"Report: Bush Claims Authority To Disobey Over 750 Laws" (Democracy Now!):
A major investigation by the Boston Globe has revealed President Bush has quietly claimed the authority to disobey more than 750 laws enacted since he took office. In each case the president has issued a so-called "signing statement" that asserts that he has the power to set aside any statute passed by Congress when it conflicts with his interpretation of the Constitution. According to the Globe, Bush has issued a signing statement to more than one of every 10 bills he has signed. Bush has said he can ignore Congress' ban on torture as well as Congressional oversight of the Patriot Act. Bush has also said he can ignore laws forbidding US troops from engaging in combat in Colombia and any attempt by Congress to oversee what happens in military prisons such as Abu Ghraib. NYU law professor David Golove has warned that Bush's actions threaten to overturn the existing structures of constitutional law. Golove said that having a president who ignores the court, backed by a Congress that is unwilling to challenge him can make the Constitution simply ''disappear."

Of course he does. Just as he bragged to Tom Brokaw that he seeks out a "higher" father than his own, he doesn't feel bound by laws. When you can talk to God, why bother with the Constitution? Does God speak back? Or does Bully Boy have to do both parts? (As Diane Keaton jokes in Love and Death.) We are in a very dangerous area right now. Those screaming for force regarding Darfur not only fail to grasp that there has been no real attempt at peaceful means from foreign countries, they also appear unaware of the damage an unbound Bully Boy can bring.

"Sarandon tells of Iraq death threat" (Anushka Asthana, The Observer):
But she said that every time anything happened the Republicans would 'try to play that card' and criticised the Democrats for failing to stand up to Bush. 'There was no reason for Hillary Clinton, for instance, to vote (for the war), for John Kerry to vote, they were protecting their reputations. They crumbled under the pressure and it was a very lonely, very scary time to ask a question. That's a horrible condition to exist in a democracy.'

That was almost the reality quote for the night. Susan Sarandon spoke up and suffered extreme attacks for it. Not just from "talk radio" in the traditional sense. She was trashed by sports radio, the United Way made a point to draw a line between her and themselves. (Thereby losing any support from me. I had contributed despite the corruption scandals. When they drew their line and she was uninvited from the Florida event, they lost my support.)

That's what discourages me actually. This is the media we're speaking of. Bully Boy can bluster and lie but the media failed to keep him in check and allowed a climate to build where someone speaking out (Sarandon, Tim Robbins, the Dixie Chicks, Linda Ronstadt, go down the list) could be attacked openly, vicisouly in ways that you'd never imagine. (On Linda, C.I. would point out that the media reports were largely wrong on what actually happened. That was true of the "reporting" on Pearl Jam as well.)

Let me talk Pearl Jam for a minute. There's a little __ that C.I. and I know. I think she's the most fake person in the world and have thought that for years. (I observed her, years ago, at a party going on repeatedly about how good she was. Someone who's actually trying to do good neither needs to give themselves so much p.r. or to obsess over it.) To this day, she mainstains she's a hippie. (I have no problems with hippies. Real ones.) But she drives her gas guzzling, V6, SUV that she really doesn't need. She was a huge Pearl Jam fan. But she voted Bully Boy. In 2000 and 2004. Her big "issue" was the death penalty. I am opposed to the death penalty. I am not someone, however, who acts as though no crime was committed. She got close to someone on death row who was guilty, admitted he was guilty (of multiple murders) and expressed no regret. It was one of those "I'm bored with my kids, bored with my husband and bored with the boards I sit on" projects. She tried to get his journal published but kept running into a problem because there was interest, in publishing it in full. But she wanted to censor the parts where he was talking about what he did. Not because he expressed no remorse. (He didn't express any remorse, I know because she shoved it off on me after the execution thinking I could find some psychological meaning that would demonstrate that, somewhere in the subtext, he had.)

So my point here is, she lies to herself (to this day) about his guilt. (It's in his journal and, as far as I know, he didn't attempt to deny it at any point prior to the journal -- which he started after he was on death row.) So when she was voting Bully Boy in 2000 (I found out before C.I. because C.I.'s more clever about avoiding contact with her), I said to her, "Your issue is the death penalty. How can you vote for him with his record as governor?" She knew nothing about it. She didn't know about Carla Fay Tucker or anyone. When I told her about Tucker, she said it wasn't true. When I sent her press clippings, she responded they were lies.

Her Bully Boy would never do that. She was a huge fan of Pearl Jam, or Eddie Vedder at least, whom she was always attempting to invent ways to meet. (She did manage to get backstage at a few concerts -- rather sad considering her age, intent and the fact that she was married.) But she wrote off Pearl Jam after the press reports on the Colorado concert. I think it was a few months after when I made the mistake of picking up the phone without checking the caller ID.
(Besides changing the unlisted phone numbers regularly, C.I. has a system -- number of rings and pattern -- otherwise the service picks up. I should do something similar.) So I brought up Pearl Jam on the phone to her. Our "hippie" says they need to be run out of the country.

What's so funny about intolerance, liars and the aging deluded?

She explained she's even tossed away her DVD of Dead Man Walking. (A big thing for her due to the nature of the film.) Because of what Susan Sarandon had said publicly.

That's the Bully Boy crowd, the ones still hanging with him. I know Republicans who broke with him long ago. They stopped supporting him, they think there's nothing conservative about him. But if you're wondering who those people are who still delude themselves, that's her. They go through a pot phase every few years so they can still be "free spirits." They sell out their beliefs because "9/11 changed everything" and they lie about their hero the way they lie about their own lives. (If her husband reads this and thinks, "That's my wife!" -- oh well. Why did you think she was going all over the country on that one Pearl Jam tour? They weren't the Grateful Dead.)

They've given up cigarettes and look down on smokers. But they take a toke or two or three or four or more. Sometimes it means that their kids don't see them until noon. (The "help" can take care of breakfast.) Mommy's a little too strung out from her latest pot binge to cope. They'd leave their husbands if it didn't mean a loss in status and a loss in lifestyle (money). Those tax breaks are real important to them because it really is all about the money.

At one point she was involved in a huge land development deal (meaning her husband was) and our "hippie" had no qualms about destroying all those trees. "If we don't do this, someone else will. We'll do it right." By making it friendly to the environment? No. By tossing out a few bills to Greenpeace afterwards to purge any guilt.

That's who continues to stick by and stick up for him. They're law and order folks, except when they're toking. They're believers in the abolition of the death penalty, except they don't blame anyone actually responsible for the executions. They're environmentalists, until money enters the picture. They're happily married, as they unsuccessfully travel across the country attempting to bed a rock star. They're parents, who have trouble remembering their children's birthdays. (Thank God for the "help!")

They're also your "friend" -- when they need something. She only calls when she's traveling east and needs something from me. In terms of physical distance, she's closer to C.I. and I'm still amazed at how C.I. successfully avoids her. That may have to do somewhat with her attempts to crash a big party in 2005. She was turned away by security. I heard about it after. (I was at the party.) I said to C.I., "Why didn't you let me know!" I really would have enjoyed seeing that, especially so soon after the 2004 election. At some point, our side has to win a few. But I did hear about it at least. A month later, from her. How mortified she was because she'd brought a "few" friends. She kept explaining that, no, she didn't have an invitation but surely she was on the list.

I've just gone on at the mouth, haven't I? It was a long day. (Again, Sunny, "Thank you, you do an amazing job.") During lunch, Sunny and I talk about various things while we've got Democracy Now! on. (But never about work.) I'm also usually able to make a few calls during work (personal ones). Until I was leaving and Jess phoned, I had been in listening mode all day. So, if this has been too much chatter for you, my apologies.

Two bits of reality and then I'll post.


"Iraq snapshot" ("Democracy Now: James Green looks at May Day -- what happened, how it was reported," The Common Ills):
As May Day is celebrated even in Iraq (national holiday) but not, apparently, today, the Associated Press reports that at least 200 Shi'ites demonstrated on the edges of the heavily Green Zone area of Baghdad "to demand that U.S. and Iraqi forces do more to stop insurgents attacks." This as China's People's Daily Online notes the United Kingdom's stated intent to draw down their troops in Iraq "to 800 next month" (from 8,000 currently). Meanwhile, FOCUS News Agency notes that Denmark's 539 troops may be reduced to 400 this month (May 18th). AFP reminds that it was three years today that Bully Boy stood in front of the "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" banner on the USS Abraham Lincoln to state: "Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed."
Far from Bully Boy's dress up and pretend, chaos and violence continues. In Baghdad, Reuters reports that "[t]he wife and daughter of a former construction and houseing minister Omar al-Damluji were kidnapped" Sunday. Today, in Hawija, at least four were wounded when a roadside bomb went off near "an art college." The Associated Press notes that, in Haqlaniyah, a US military base was fired on ("two mortar shells"). Reuters reports that at least "[e]ight members of the Interior Ministry commandos" were wounded from a roadside bomb that went off in Samarra. Tikrit was also an area where roadside bombs exploded (no wounded or dead reported). In Iskandariya, at least one civilian was killed and two injured in a car bombing that also took the life of the person in the car.
In Baghdad today, the Associated Press reports three corpses were discovered, "handcuffed and blindfolded" and that a Shi'ite store owner has died as a result of a drive-by shooting. At least two have been wounded in the three roadside bombs that have gone off today in Baghdad.
In the latest news on Australian solider Jake Kovco, who died in Baghdad on April 21st, despite Australian Defense Minister Brendan Nelson's assertion (which is a bit of a twist on his past claims last week) that Kovco died from an "accidental firing of the weapon he was handling," reports on the autopsy do not, thus far, support that assertion. Reporting for the Sydney Morning Herald, Les Kennedy, Tom Allard and Cynthia Banham note: "THE forensic examination of Jacob Kovco's body revealed no evidence of burn marks near the wound, indicating the weapon that killed him was not fired close to his head. The finding appears to make it less likely that the young sniper -- Australia's first military fatality in Iraq -- committed suicide." Kennedy, Allard and Banham note that the bullet is missing and that, as the outrage over the death of Kovco, Australian's Prime Minister John Howard has announced that he will be attending the funeral. Jake Kovco is the first Australian soldier to die in Iraq.
Back in Iraq, the Chicago Sun-Times reports that the US army is concerned with "Chicago gang graffiti" popping up throughout Iraq. And in the United States, as Bully Boy, who, again, exactly three years go declared "major combat operations," used the anniversary of that shameful moment to delcare his "confidence" in Iraqi leadership (or "leadership"). His new faith-based remarks come as CNN reports on their latest poll which found that 44% of Americans surveyed (4.5% +/- margin of error) "said the United States would never accomplish its goals in Iraq" and 40% of optimistic souls selected the "someday" option (someday goals will be accomplished). Bully Boy's at 32% approval rating in the poll and 55% of Americans chose the option of "the United States made a mistake by invading Iraq."

I think everyone who slammed Susan Sarandon or anyone else should be forced to read that -- out loud. In front of people. They should have to read it and then think about the way they attacked those who were speaking out against the war, the ones who have turned out to be right.

No peace quote tonight. I'm not in a peaceful mood. (Can you tell?) (That parenthetical was a joke.) Instead a reality quote.

"Reality Check" (Cindy Sheehan, "Mission Accomplished," BuzzFlash):
Before we the people need to be subjected to another swaggering spectacle from George after he has bombed Iran back into the stone ages and has made we the people of the United States of America even more hated around the world, it is time to rein him in ourselves. Congress won't do it and the media is falling into lockstep behind the murder again.
It is time to fire the warniks whose bloodlust cannot be slated and hire people who will finally use their wisdom, integrity, and non-violence to solve problems, and won't create imaginary problems out of smoke and mirrors. We need a Congress that will hold George accountable not one that is complicit in the war crimes.
Martin Luther King, Jr. said: "We must live together as brothers, or perish together as fools." God protect us from the fools that we elected to protect us!

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