More headlines worth a looksie

In keeping with the theme of last week's post, here are some more articles worth taking a look at:
First, both James Wolcott and Michael Wolff of Vanity Fair, have blistering pieces in the August edition which are worth the price at the newstand.
Wolcott's piece, ["To Live and Die in Iraq,"] analyzes the lack of media integrity and the tabloidism that surrounds us all at a time when the media should be covering important issues, like what is going on in Iraq. Wolcott takes a particularly harsh view of the annual Washington correspondents dinner, in which Laura Bush lightheartedly mocked her husband. This line gives you the tone of the piece:

It's hard for cable-news networks to amp up the umpteenth American soldier killed by a roadside explosive or another bushel of Iraqi recruits blown to scatteration when it's so much juicier chasing the lastest "Amber Alert" for an abducted white girl, choppering over a tense hostage standoff, or swarming the hot celebrity trial that's inciting Nancy Grace to spit tacks at any defense lawyer who dares defend his or her client (you know, just on the quaint off chance that the bozo might be innocent).

Wow, what prose. It brilliantly goes on and on from there. You can't read it online but Wolcott has a blog here: [James Wolcott].
[Sidebar: I was able to find it online after all when I goggled it. The link is above].
Wolff's piece, ["How to get away with Murder,"] touches upon some similar issues but more along the lines of, Who are these egomaniacs who get away with corruption over and over and over again and why aren't they in jail?

DeLay, Trump, Limbaugh, O'Reilly, and Sharpton (each, in his way, a gargoyle, grotesque, troglodyte) are surely unlikely heroes - they just did what came naturally (you may doubt their sincerity, but you don't doubt that their shtick is real), and perhaps it's as great a surprise to them as it is to so many reasonable people that they found an audience.

This is a pop-culture phenomenon (the legacy of rock 'n' roll and cable culminating in reality television): lots of people paying you to be as distasteful as you are, with so much money involved that you're raised from freak-show standing—so even Michael Jackson gets away with it.

Indeed, with a mass of outspoken loyalists and a substantial enough cash flow to keep happy the people who would otherwise abandon you in a second, you don't have to pretend to be something other than what you are. You're branded.

Yup, the planet is going to hell in a handbasket.

If you aren't subscribing to VF, you should be. VF is one of the last good monthlies worth your time and it is one of the only magazines I subscribe to because I just don't have the time to read magazines anymore. See previous posts about hot bathes and VF!
However, there are always two to three decent pieces in VF worth reading every month. It is worth the $15 a year. Plus, the ads are always worth a good look - just don't spend too much time wishing you looked like some of those male models or could afford all the latest New York or Italian styles. :) It's never gonna happen!

The importance of local media
During a recent vacation trip to the Cape, I decided our family would stay at an inexpensive motel with the minimum of amenities in order to enjoy the vacation as much as possible at the lowest cost [For example, outdoor and indoor pools are a necessity to keep the family peace; yet wi-fi accessiblity is not so important].
I tend to be a bit on the frugal side when it comes to things like this. Why stay at a $100-plus per night motel when you can get almost the same thing at a $50 per night motel and pocket the difference? Spend it on a nice dinner or wine instead. Plus, you aren't there to be in the motel, are you? You're on the Cape to be out of the motel, doing stuff. Sure, for almost five days I had to live without Internet service. But big deal. I was there to get away from the computer! I was later able to find a low cost kiosk I could use once during the stay just to make sure everything was OK [Later, on the way out of the Cape, I found a local coffee shop with free wi-fi. So, next time, I know where to go].
Having said that, it was shocking to realize just how dependent on the computer and the Web I have become, especially when seeking basic information and communication. With email replacing letters - and many of them of a timely nature - being away from email for any length of time can make things a tad difficult. Also with basic information, such as news, it is getting harder and harder to get it from the usual sources, as noted in the above Wolcott piece.
Having to watch television for real information was a disaster beyond the weather during the period I was on vacation watching Boston and Providence television stations. I was literally starving for information about, well, anything. And this is no surprise: As we all have heard time and time again, five companies control what 80 percent of the public watch on television; another 10 companies control two-thirds of what people hear on the radio. Those big companies don't want you knowing what is going on, whether it is down the street or across the world.
Sure, I know that Jude Law slept with his cute blonde nanny and is now no longer engaged to his hot dirty-blonde B-movie actress fiancee. "Lewd Law" and "Lewd Jude" were just two of the more amusing headlines from the national tabs. But, unfortunately, I don't know much about what is going on in Iraq, which is much more important than anything some stupid actor has done or will do.
Thankfully, there was a local newspaper and radio station which kept me informed during my stay trying to "get away from it all ..."
On the radio side, I was looking forward to checking out WADT 95.9 FM out of Marshfield. The station has won a slew of Associated Press and Edward R. Murrow Awards over the years and was even recently featured in a segment on Channel 2's "Greater Boston." The highlight of the show? The local owner and his news staff. They have three regular news staffers and the owner even goes out into the field to get stories! He was a funny old guy and you could tell his heart was in the right place. And all the awards on the wall signify as much too. In between the news, the station plays pop oldies - anywhere from the Beach Boys, to Blondie, to 1970s AM Gold - which isn't a bad mix. It is a pretty neat setup although the news didn't impress me as much as I hoped it would. There was AP National News at the top of the hour, some good local stories, mostly local government stuff, with some reports from the State House and traffic reports. But there wasn't anything that blew me away in the sense that this station is award-winning. Maybe it was because it was the summertime and news is, as we all know, slow in the summer. Or, maybe it is because there are so few small market radio stations in New England doing what these guys are doing. Plus, awards tend to be the best of the year. Not every broadcast is award-winning, despite the work you put into it.
I loved the live traffic reports during the afternoon drive from listeners. That was really great.
Over on the print side, I really enjoyed reading the Cape Cod Times. A broadsheet, the Times seemed to have just the right amount of content although I noticed on Tuesday and Wednesday that there were few local stories. The Sunday edition was great; just enough stuff to read without starting to get too overwhelming.
Of course, I have been reading columnist Sean Gonsalves for a very long time because his columns are often picked up by Common Dreams. So, it was nice to actually see him in print instead of online.
In the Sunday Forum section, there was this great piece by Jay Lindsay of the AP about the importance of the printing press and a museum in North Andover honoring its history: ["Museum Shows Power of the Printing Press"].
On Wednesday, the Times put the John Roberts Jr. nomination on the front page, like other papers around the country. The local reporter, Jessica Alaimo, was able to put together a quick story with some press releases from both Kerry and Kennedy.
Interestingly, Kennedy, the supposed great "liberal lion" of the Senate, went off on Roberts, saying that some of the questions the Senate must ask of Roberts included, Will he protect average Americans when their rights are abused by powerful corporations?; and, Will he separate his personal ideology from the rule of law and protect the rights and freedoms of all Americans and not just the powerful or the wealthy? The same could be asked of the senior senator from Massachusetts, the same senator who voted for NAFTA, GATT/WTO, and PMFN trade status for China. The same senator who has voted for hundreds of billions of dollars in corporate welfare and bloated military budgets. Sigh.

Other stuff
Primary movers: Adam Reilly over at the Boston Phoenix has an update on the Democrat's primary situation: ["Primary movers"]. I doubt New Hampshire or Iowa would lose their status but it would be fun to set up an interesting and invigorating process in states after Iowa and New Hampshire.
Borking history: Speaking of the SCOTUS, check out this overview by FAIR of revisionist history concerning the Robert Bork nomination: ["Borking" History]. I especially love the way the FAIR folks just dive into LexusNexus and find out all this stuff. That would be a very cool job!
Oil rich starvation: ["3.6 million face starvation in Niger if the world does not respond"] Millions are starving in Niger yet Chevron and Shell continue to pump oil and make millions. Why aren't the people being taken care of there?
A wake up call for Mitchell: Well, don't like the way you're being treated, eh? Maybe you shouldn't be where you are. Or, maybe our government shouldn't be where it is. Or, maybe, just maybe, you are getting a wake up call about what the rest of the world is going through when the butt of a gun is smacking you in the head for doing nothing more than existing or wanting your freedom. Eh, Mitchell, wife of Alan Greenspan, controller of the world's financial markets? ["NBC's Mitchell Angry After Sudan Incident"].

Some headlines worth giving a once over
The new edition of the Columbia Journalism Review has a few really good pieces worth looking at which unfortunately are not online.
The first is called "The Crowded Theater," with a line suggesting that "it's time for American journalism to rise out of its defensive crouch," by Douglas McCollam, a contributing editor at CJR. It is a pretty biting overview of the pathetic state of the mainstream news organization, which as we all know is in the toilet right now. It takes off from the point of the Newsweek Koran "debacle" and goes from there. Beyond that non-story though, there are some real problems with the media today. When we see more about Brad Pitt's meningitis on our local news stations than local news, or stories like the ones that are posted here today, then we all have a lot to worry about. Also, we normal folks out here in the real world know what the problems are with the news and media.
I particularly like this McCollam line right here, where he suggests that lawsuits derived from investigative journalism gone awry are the smallest of the media world's worries:

The prospect of defending the case is deterrent enough for many a penny-pinching publisher. These are the same corporate cost-cutters who are constantly justifying their penury by citing hemorrhaging circulation. Declining readership and sagging newstand sales have fed a general malaise in journalism, and combined with increasing corporate insistence on profit margins of 20 percent to 30 percent, have put a big squeeze on print news. Staff cuts mean less enterprise journalism and promote a sense among reporters that a lot of important stuff doesn't make it into the newspaper.

Such a blisteringly honest and accurate indictment of the current state of some print journalism outlets right now. It is so sad because these outlets are so vital to open governmental processes.
Another article in this month's edition is a bit more high brow, if you will. "Off Course" takes a look at the New York Time's coverage of pop culture and how it often misses half the story.
Over six and a half pages, the author, Michael Massing, makes some intriguing points about how trendy the coverage is, noting that despite a huge staff working on the section [I thought he mentioned a specific staff number but after scanning the pages a few times, I couldn't find it], the paper misses a lot of components to the pop culture puzzle. Massing notes that more coverage is given to the new fall television lineups or the demographics of a television audience, than how that audience is affected or what middle America might think of this issue. The business end of pop culture is covered more than pop culture itself, he notes in detail. He suggests correctly that the NYT should spend more time trying to bring middle America to New York than worrying about bringing New York to middle America.
While I am personally more worried about the NYT's sad news coverage than the pop culture coverage, the problem goes to the heart of the entire journalism problem: How you use your resources and to what end. If an editor or publisher is constantly going after trends, instead of quality, those bosses are going to miss a lot.
Two other articles I haven't read, "Bitter Pill," about the lack of journalism research into new perscription drugs, and "Quest for Fire," about one writer's attempt to find a good small market paper to work for, look like good stories too.
Here's hoping that some powerful people read these important articles.

Other stuff
For a number of years, I have been writing and talking about the Oklahoma City Bombing case and the things with the case that just don't add up. There are a lot of them, BTW. I have also highlighted the work of one important reporter, J.D. Cash, of the McCurtain Gazette, who has been one of the only folks from the journalism world to look at any of this stuff. Here is J.D.'s latest bombshell, no pun intended: ["Former DOJ officials claim OKC Bombing coverup began in D.C."].
William Greider, a great exposer of the truth about "free trade," will be speaking in Manchester on Saturday. Here is a piece from the HippoPress about him: ["Q &A - William Greider, Telling it like it is"].
Regular Politizine reader SlaterSue has a new blog about, on of all things, gardening!: ["Downtown Tomatoes"].
Western Primary idea gets an institutional supporter: ["Western States Primary: Eight-state election would be good for all concerned"].

Congratulations to me!
Earlier this week, I received a letter from General President Harold Schaitberger of the International Association of Fire Fighters [IAFF] informing me that I received an Honorable Mention in the IAFF's 2005 Media Awards Contest. An editorial I wrote for The Winchester Star in August 2004 - "Yes to ALS, No to Union-Busting" - was the piece that received the award. In it, I chastised the town for implementing ALS without properly negotiating the new service with changes to the union's contract. In thanking me, Schaitberger wrote:

"IAFF members across the U.S. and Canada appreciate the work you have done to expose the importance of safe staffing and equipment in fire departments, a vital issue for the IAFF and professional fire fighters."

According to its Web site, the International Association of Fire Fighters Media Awards Contest is conducted annually to honor reporting and photography that best portray the professional and dangerous work of fire fighters and emergency personnel in the United States and Canada. Schaitberger wrote that I will be given a certificate by the fire union sometime in the near future.
Interestingly enough, Winchester's fire union got almost all of their demands from the implementation of ALS after going to arbitration, although you wouldn't know that from reading The Star which hasn't published the specifics of the matter, despite prodding from me. A small entry into the Town Meeting Spring Warrant noting more money given to the union was all that amounted from the coverage. According to sources I talked to later on, the arbiter criticized the behavior of both town officials and the fire chief for their actions in handing the matter.
So, hooray for me, for writing what was right, just, decent, and honest, which is all that can be expected from an editorialist. Woo hoo! :-)

The IAFF editorial
Here is a reprint of the editorial from last year.

Editorial: Yes to ALS, no to union-busting
The Winchester Star
Wednesday, August 11, 2004
http://www2.townonline.com/winchester/opinion/view.bg?articleid=65866

As the old saying goes: It is not whether you win or lose, it is how you play the game.
This classic adage is used to teach our children respect and tolerance, especially in sporting events. Everyone is a winner, we tell our children, whether they score a goal or strike out.
We all know that in the real world, the adage rings hollow. No matter how we try to instill these timeless values in our children, adults quickly forget this wise saying.
Take municipal finance and union negotiations, where these principles are completely lost on those who should be finding acceptable compromises and playing the game fairly.
Last week, officials proudly touted the implementation of an Advanced Life Support system by the town's fire department. They called their decision a win for the town. But residents should be careful not to celebrate the decision because the way town officials handled themselves was deplorable and will only bring more future problems.
The workings between a union and a town can be very complicated. And because the negotiations between the two are held in executive session and out of the public view, we don't always know the entire story. However, after a contract is settled, the people and the press can request documentation and analyze the contracts and find out if these decisions were the best ones.
For example, earlier this year, we wrote an editorial critical of the School Committee's new teacher contract based on preliminary information we received from the department. A few months later, after seeing specifics from the contract, the Board of Selectmen were even more critical of the contracts. One of the reasons they were so upset was because town officials were in the process of negotiating new contracts with town employees. This, at a time when the town was trying to get the unions to concede various contract issues - an extremely difficult proposition after the other unions saw the school union's deal. One of those concessions was health care - an out of control cost the town needed to rein in to balance future budgets.
At the same time, the town has been trying to implement ALS service in the fire department. ALS will bring in at least an additional $150,000 to the town's coffers. The union also wants to offer ALS. But to its credit, they want to offer the service at the same level the town currently receives which means the town won't make as much money.
Right now, the town is covered by a "nine man minimum" and two private ALS paramedics. The decision by the town means that only the nine man minimum team will be covering the town. This increase in work for the firefighters changes their contract, something the union has to agree to. The union rejected the change and the town foolishly - and dangerously - implemented ALS anyway, essentially busting the union's clout.
This cut in staffing coverage comes at a time when Winchester's fire department coverage is below federal safety standards. The town's population is also getting older and older, meaning more ambulance activity. The town's ambulance will now venture out on longer trips, leaving the town understaffed and unprotected in case of a deadly fire ... all for $150,000.
The result of such action by a town is usually a strike, a work stoppage or lawsuits. The firefighters can't go on strike, but they will sue, and will probably win. This will cost the town even more money in lawsuits settlements, lawyer fees, higher salaries and stress. And heaven help the resident who is injured by a fire or a late ambulance due to the lack of proper staffing in the fire department.
Instead of putting everyone through all of this, why not come up with a revised contract that both sides can agree to in the first place? Why is the town more concerned about making a profit than providing the proper service? Why aren't town officials respecting the men who put their lives on the line to save all of us in case of an emergency? It is befuddling and unacceptable.

War and Peace: The Spirit of 9-11 on the Silver Screen
Guest Perspective/Roy Morrison
For Martha Brickett, in memoriam
My son Sam, 12, had just finished another day of baseball camp. It was raining hard. Instead of a trip to an All Star team evening practice, we went to see Steven Spielberg's "War of the Worlds" on opening day.
I don't know what the critics will say. But it was a rather dark and sometimes claustrophobic movie of humans on the run from pitiless alien monsters.
Two things struck me about this "War of the Worlds." First, as Sam and I played long toss in the road after we came home, whipping the baseball long distances, it occurred to me that I threw better than Tom Cruise's movie character, the reluctant hero-dad. And second, that "War of the Worlds" was as good a depiction of the American bruised psyche after 9-11 that we are likely to see.
As the invasion begins, there's a strange turbulence in Spielberg's sky, followed by an intense lightening storm repeatedly striking the same spot in the New Jersey pavement, then the ground splitting before astonished spectators, buildings toppling, an alien war machine emerging from the earth, death rays destroying houses, vaporizing people, flipping a huge bridge on its side.
Suddenly, we are at war and on the run, not from H.G. Wells' Martians. Our antagonists in Spielberg's film are an even more sinister enemy whose buried machines, like Al Qaeda sleeper cells, were hidden in our midst, beneath our very feet. This was an enemy meticulously planning our destruction while we lived our innocent pre-attack lives.
As in the book, the aliens are undone by our earth's ubiquitous microcosm with whom we have evolved, while the aliens have not, to ultimately fatal effect. It's the natural world that we treat with ecological disrespect that saves us, not technology, not the world's most potent military.
Indeed, it's a flock of birds landing on top of an alien fighting machine that discloses their weakness.
There is, of course, the Hollywood story of a divorced dad on an epochal trek from New Jersey to Boston, saving his daughter and being reunited with his teenage son. There are also more nuanced messages about war bringing out the best and worst in us, about acts of kindness and courage, and of selfishness and desperation, about hard, bad choices. And in the end, it is family, not broader social values that triumph, while the earth itself defeats our antagonists.
War of the Worlds captures the emotional subtext of shock and victimhood that 9-11 visited upon Americans. The consequences of its emotional impact clearly go far beyond the slaughter of innocents and the destruction of buildings in the attack by a handful of terrorist fanatics .
The psychic wounds of 9-11 were essential in helping the Bush administration lead the United States to war in Iraq, and for its arguments to continue the fight. 9-11 is the justification for torture, not only of real Al Qaeda prisoners, but of unfortunates in Abu Garib and Guantanamo. 9-11 justifies imprudent military spending, the USA Patriot Act and other assaults upon our privacy and civil liberties.
Steven Spielberg's "War of the Worlds" may or may not be great cinema. But I find it a compelling dramatization of the pain that 9-11 inflicted upon the soul and spirit of Americans. Viewed in this way, the movie can help us understand this pain and see that the solution to the problem posed by our antagonists will not ultimately come from the power of our weapons, but from the resources and strengths of our democratic society, our families and communities that we have at hand and need struggle to maintain.
Roy Morrison is an energy consultant and writer in Warner, N.H. His latest book is Eco Civilization 2140: A 22nd Century History and Survivor's Journal (forthcoming). http://www.roymorrison.net/

Rock Star: INXS
I'm not a big "reality TV" person. I'm not a big TV person, unless it is news or C-Span or movies. But, I have been intrigued by two new music-based reality shows.
The first was "Hit Me Baby One More Time," a contest show where a bunch of bands who had hits from the 80s perform their famous song and then another song from today, and the audience then picks the band which wins the night.
Not surprisingly, the audience lacks taste in a big way. They honestly didn't pick the best performances on the couple of shows I saw. For example, the audience picked that buffoon Vanilla Ice over Tommy Totune, The Motels, and The Knack. I mean, be real. The still beautiful Martha Davis was great after all these years. The Knack were as good as they always were. And, "867-5309" was as crisp and clear as it always was. Then, the fool white rapper hit the stage. Please. Pathetic.
Another problem with the show is that not all the original band members appear in the contest. For example, when Missing Persons was on, only Dale Bozzio was reportedly on stage [Sorry babe, no Warren Cuccurullo, who supposedly told Duranies on their site that he was going to be playing Bozzio, sigh]. Davis was the only one from her band. At the same time, The Knack had three of the four original members, which was cool and show the whole band solidarity thing [Sidebar: "My Sharona" is allegedly on President George W. Bush's iPod. Can you imagine the president riding around on his bike or jogging to the lyrics, "Never gonna stop, give it up. Such a dirty mind. Always get it up for the touch of the younger kind"? I guess it is no worse than Sen. John McCain or Ambassador Alan Keyes slam dancing to Nine Inch Nails ...]
This then brings me to the other reality show, "Rock Star: INXS," which aired tonight for the first time and will air on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. Originally, I wasn't too keen on this program, being a huge INXS fan. I have all of their records and I've probably saw them four or five times, at least. The very last time I saw them was at the cavernous Matthews Arena when they were touring for the brilliant "Full Moon, Dirty Hearts," with the amazing Catherine Wheel in support.
In fact, when I heard about the INXS reality show, I assumed the worst, as noted here in a column I wrote for The Winchester Star last summer: ["Summer music doldrums"]. I mean, how can you even conceive of such a silly thing. Why would serious artists subject themselves to such a trivial sideshow circus? The show is even hosted by Brooke Burke, that dingbat calendar model, so you know it has the potential of entering the ridiculous, not unlike anything on E! But then, poof, there is Dave Navarro, formerly of the Jane's Addiction and the Red Hot Chilly Peppers, helping out, attempting to give the show some cool cred [Why didn't they have babe Carmen Electra hosting this thing? Dave could have probably gotten her the gig ...].
In the end, the show wasn't half bad. Sure, the whole "rock star" thing is a bit annoying; singers should strive to be good songwriters before trying to be rock stars, but that would defeat the whole purpose of the "reality show" now wouldn't it. But most of the performances were pretty good. The side comments were funny and despite the whole geared-for-the-teen market thing, it wasn't a wasted hour of TV. I will definitely consider watching more of the show. But I am beginning to miss the days of the very bad unfunny sitcom.

Some other stuff
The Times of London is reporting that the terrorists involved in the commuter bombings used military explosives: ["Terrorist gang 'used military explosives'"].

They also believe that the materials used were not home made but sophisticated military explosives, possibly smuggled into Britain from the Balkans. “The nature of the explosives appears to be military, which is very worrying,” said Superintendent Christophe Chaboud, the chief of the French anti-terrorist police, who was in London to help Scotland Yard.

Question: How did "terrorists" manage to get access to "military explosives"? Second question: Is Al Qaida, the alleged terrorists involved in this plot, hanging out in the Balkans? At this rate, Al Qaida are either everywhere or they are just the target of record for now. There isn't any proof this is Al Qaida, yet the American press is blaming it on Al Qaida!
While I'm not a huge fan of Media Matters, they have been doing some great work about the media's reaction to the London bombing. They totally eviscerate FoxNews on the site of late, including quotes and clips of their hosts saying the most outrageous things, like this, from managing editor Britt Hume: "... my first thought when I heard" about the attack "and I saw the futures this morning," was "Hmmm, time to buy." Or this one, by the Big Boob [oops, sorry, that was Show] host John Gibson: "By the way, just wanted to tell you people, we missed -- the International Olympic Committee missed a golden opportunity today. If they had picked France, if they had picked France instead of London to hold the Olympics, it would have been the one time we could look forward to where we didn't worry about terrorism. They'd blow up Paris, and who cares?" Wow, lots of sympathy there, eh? But, not shockingly, there are a lot of folks here in America who think the same thing, unfortunately.

It's over, it's over, it's over!
This is worth a quick read: ["Redstone: Age of Media Conglomerate Over"]. I could have told you that all that consolidation was a bad idea. Hmm, now that I think about it, I did!

Hello Mark!
Mark Jurkowitz of the Boston Phoenix now has his own Media Log: ["Media Log 2"].

Making use of one's self
Bush's daughter Barbara is going to South Africa to work with people with AIDS: ["Bush daughter working in S. Africa"]. Let's hope this gives her a good dose of humility. There is always hope.
This weekend, at a family event, my cousin's wife was telling us about her trips to Afghanistan for contract work for a big construction firm. When she got home from the first trip, and my cousin was complaining about the house they just bought and the small problems it has, she said, "We live in a castle ..."
So, there is hope for the little Bush just yet. Lastly, while none of us are perfect, you have to wonder about "staff editors" who misspell George. :-) Although, it is Zimbabwe.

Happy 4th
The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies
In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. —Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain [George III] is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by the Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
The signers of the Declaration represented the new states as follows:
New Hampshire - Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton
Massachusetts - John Hancock, Samual Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island - Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery
Connecticut- Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott
New York - William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris
New Jersey - Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark
Pennsylvania - Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross
Delaware - Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean
Maryland - Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia - George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton
North Carolina - William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn
South Carolina - Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton Georgia - Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

Media Log: R.I.P.
It is with great sadness that we all say goodbye to Dan Kennedy's Media Log blog which he wrote for the Boston Phoenix. Dan will be heading to academia, teaching journalism at Northeastern University, at the end of the summer. Dan's last post is here: ["The Last Post"]. Our loss, however, will be his journalism students' gain. And, as Kennedy says in the post, there may be a personal blog coming together soon at his site, dankennedy.net.
Over the years, Dan has been good to me on his blog and his features about Boston talk radio for the Phoenix. We've never met, but he appeared on my radio talk show in Boston a couple of times. The first time was to face off with me on whether or not independent candidates should be covered by the media.
At the time, Kennedy was temporarily covering some political races for the Phoenix, watching the 1996 Senate race between Democratic incumbent John Kerry and then-Gov. William Weld, a Republican, and the 10th Congressional District open seat featuring then-Quincy D.A. Bill Delahunt and Republican Ed Teague. In both races, there were third candidates: Susan Gallagher, running as an independent under the Conservative Party moniker for the Senate seat, and a friend of mine, Charles Laws, who was running for the seat as a Green Party member [Laws would later mount unsuccessful races for Congress and Governor as a Green in Nevada where his wife's parents live].
Both Laws and Gallagher appeared on my show a number of times, and in my mind, were credible candidates. Gallagher showed on a whole host of issues, Kerry and Weld were pretty much the same. A close analysis of their positions on trade, abortion, immigration, the Peso bailout, globalism, media consolidation, financials, welfare reform, and so much more, showed that Gallagher's comments rang true. This gave her credibility as a candidate because she was clearly offering a different choice to voters. The 1996 race was more about minutiae than any other race I have ever seen, with most people just voting based on the candidates' labels. Kerry even admitted in one of the last debates that he believed Gallagher should have been allowed to debate [This could be taken two ways: As a shining moment for Kerry, showing true concern for fairness, in an otherwise pretty abysmal political career, or, as a politically calculating shameless plug and attempt to get a conservative on TV so she could shave votes from Weld. Later on, Kerry and the Democrats showed us what they thought about liberal independents who want to run outside of the box by their reprehensible treatment of Ralph Nader and others during election cycles]. Laws - a former engineer, veteran, and small business owner with a wealth of knowledge and ideas - blew away the presentations of both Delahunt and Teague over and over again. Hardly a socialist like some Greens, Laws approached issues from the viewpoint of commonsense. Again, like Gallagher, Laws was offering the voters a different choice and should have been covered.
So, why weren't these two interesting candidates being covered? Because they ran outside the two-party system and showed the flaws in said system and the media elites who control the news didn't want voters then - or now - to think beyond the two-party structure which they can so easily manipulate and control. It made too much sense to cover Gallagher and Laws, never mind that they both gathered thousands of signatures with a handful of volunteers ... it might turn into anarchy or something if you gave them coverage!
Anyhow, while on my show, Kennedy, if I recall correctly, said the independents shouldn't be covered because they wouldn't make a difference and they couldn't win, the usual talking points on independent candidates. But the difference between Kennedy and other writers is that he was a good sport; he actually took a pretty good swath of criticism from me and even admitted that politics wasn't his strongest front and later, IMHO, showed improvement in his political writings by growing as a journalist, as we all try to do. He didn't take offense that someone was critical of him, like so many others: he worked harder. That is a testament of a true journalist.
As well, from that point on, Dan gave me a lot of credibility in many of his writings.
In the end, on the 1996 elections, Kennedy was somewhat right: Gallagher wasn't a factor in the race, receiving 4 percent of the vote and Weld lost to Kerry by much more than that. And neither was Laws, who also received 4 percent in a race where Teague was killed by Delahunt. But the fact that these candidates may not win isn't the point. Weld didn't win and neither did Teague. In fact, Teague never even had a chance of winning despite the population growth of moderates and conservatives on the South Shore and Cape, and despite the fact that he was a member of the state's second major party. His chances were barely much better than Laws in reality.
Unfortunately, for all of their work, criss-crossing the state in Gallagher's case, and campaigning around the 10th for Laws, who had to ferry in from Martha's Vineyard to attend events, they were both completely - and wrongly - ignored. Indie candidates proceeding 1996 have also shown that the press is completely ignorant when it comes to covering politics, and in actuality, perpetuate much of the brainwashing that goes on in the political game.
So there is a bit of history.
However, the larger point is that Kennedy will be missed and not just because he occasionally promoted me and Politizine. He will be missed because he was a great media critic, caught a lot of good stuff over the years, exposed it to the public, and made all of us much better at finding fault in the media. This, in turn, helped those of us in the media who read his stories or blog entries become better journalists. And now he will bring that skill into the classroom at Northeastern.

Links-O-Rama
Here are a bunch of links I haven't had time to publish but I feel like clearing out my favorites box so here they are:
* Howie Carr at the Ford Hall Forum? Yup, it actually happened: ["Fish out of water"].
* Is Robert Novak Schizophrenic? May: ["No Romney in 2008?"] June: ["Make no mistake, Mitt’s run has begun, but can a Mormon be elected President?"].
* Ralph Nader makes another great point: ["Hemp for Victory"].
* Billy Graham, a Hillary fan? Read the fine print and say, Oh no!: ["Clinton Honors Graham at Final Revival"].
* Christians: "Free" trade hurts the poor: ["The Cost of 'Free Trade' To Africa's Poor: $272 Billion "]
* China wants oil ... and they are willing to pay billions to control it: ["Chinese Oil Company Offers $18.5 Billion for Unocal"].
* Is it time to Freecycle? You be the judge: ["Freecycle"].
* Live 8 Concerts on TV: ["MTV, VHI to Show Much of Live 8 Concert"].
* Dems reveal Ohio problems: ["Democrats find 2004 voting problems in Ohio"]. Here is the full report: [http://www.democrats.org/vri/ohioreport/]. But, maybe these voting machine problems aren't really the problem, as noted here: ["Why the Democrats Will Keep Losing"].
* No surprise: Wisconsin Dems want Feingold to run in 2008: ["Favorite Son Feingold Wins Pres. Preference"]. Feingold has a new fund too: ["Progressive Patriots Fund"]
* Changing our money ... to make it stand for Liberty: ["The Liberty Dollar Bill"].
* Drip, drip, drip ... ["Last Days"].
* MyDD: The pleasant Daily Kos alternative: [MyDD.com].
* Zeese interviews Frank: ["What the Left Must Learn from 2004"]. BTW, Joshua Frank's new book, "Left Out: How Liberals Helped Reelect George W. Bush," is a must read.
* Former Bush Administration official calls the collapse of the World Trade Towers "bogus" and suggests it was a controlled demolition: ["UPI Hears..."]. The entire column written by Morgan Reynolds is here: ["Why Did the Trade Center Skyscrapers Collapse?"].
* Boston Herald whacks veteran reporters, staff: ["Amid cuts, Herald loses newsroom veterans"]. As a former "made member of the Purcell clan" - via CNC, this is so sad to watch. The Herald used to be such a hot paper and now it is just a filthy tab. It is so, so sad.
* Dems want Dean to go off: ["Democratic leaders back Dean, don't want 'wimp'"].
* Greens continue to lose credibility: ["Santa Monica City Council member leaves party"].
* But here is another Green that is intriguing: ["Elect Gloria"].

Good works ...

This story appeared in The Bow Times last week.

I forget the exact saying but it goes something about good works are those you perform when no one is looking. But every once and in a while, it is nice to get recognized for something good that you do for someone else. As well, this is the positive side of community journalism which sometimes is just reporting on corrupt officials, misused municipal funds and crime.

The death of the Gehring children was a terrible tragedy in our state, one made all the worse because the remains of the children have not been found. I will never understand why people do such horrible things. There was no reason that these children had to die. Almost everything in our lives can be resolved without death. I truly hope and pray that Teri can find her children and lay them to rest. She has strength and I know she will be able to find them.

Here is the site where you can learn more about the children and where they may be: [PhilipandSarah.com]. If you live anywhere between Grove City, Penn. and Iowa City, Iowa, along I-80, please take a look around and help Teri find her children.

The Noise Top 30 chart for July
For a couple of years now, I have been compiling Boston radio station playlists and putting together a Top 30 chart for The Noise, Boston's local music magazine. The chart represents New England area bands which have received airplay on local music shows. I will be publishing this list monthly here and there will be a link to The Noise Web site where folks can find the list. Here is the Top 30 list for July:

1. Ad Frank & the Fast Easy Women – The World’s Best Ex-Boyfriend
2. Willie “Loco” Alexander & the Boom Boom Band – Dog Bar Yacht Club
3. The Bags – Sharpen your Sticks
4. The Marvels – Cheat to Win
5. Rock City Crimewave – Six the Hard Way
6. Auto Interiors – Let’s Agree to Deceive Our Best Friends EP
7. Sarah Borges – Silver City
8. Asa Brebner – Hot Air
9. LABB – Coup de Grace
10. Ziaf – Hello Boy, You Come with Me
11. The Konks – The Konks
12. Ellis Paul – American Jukebox Fables
13. The Stone Coyotes – Fire it Up
14. Blitzkriegbliss – Every Day is Marked
15. The Charms – Pussycat
16. Flynn – An American Wake
17. Crash and Burn – The Value of Mistrust
18. Mary Timony – Ex Hex
19. Ho-Ag – Pray for the Worms EP
20. Cyanide Valentine – Let it Rot
21. Bane – The Note
22. Andrea Gillis – Andrea Gillis
23. Ashby – Looks like You’ve Already Won
24. The Black Clouds – Black Clouds
25. Cheaterpint – Cheaterpint
26. Marissa Nadler – The Saga of Mayflower May
27. The Static Age – Neon Nights Electric Lives
28. Amun Ra – Bloom
29. Amusia – Way Back Down
30. The Cautions – Proceed with … The Cautions

Reporting stations: WAAF, WBCN, WFNX, WMBR, WMFO, WTCC, WZBC

So what else is going on?
Well, the rumors that Sen. John Kerry was going to call for President Bush's impeachment were not true. Nothing has happened so far in the Downing Street Memo situation but it is still early. Kerry seems to have chickened out on his threat. Typical ... And, why was he not a flip flopper again?

Q1: Will Bush be impeached Monday?

The Internet and global press have been abuzz about something called The Downing Street Memo, written in July 2002 and recently released in Britain: ["The secret Downing Street memo"].
In the memo, British intelligence officials claim that the Bush administration was rigging intelligence to make the case for invading Iraq. Here is the suspected incriminating segment of the memo:

"C reported on his recent talks in Washington. There was a perceptible shift in attitude. Military action was now seen as inevitable. Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy. The NSC had no patience with the UN route, and no enthusiasm for publishing material on the Iraqi regime's record. There was little discussion in Washington of the aftermath after military action."

This memo has been virtually ignored by the mainstream press in the U.S. and a Google of the words "Downing Street Memo" pretty much proves this, even though the story was broken in early May in the British press and clearly affected that country's election cycle since Blair barely hung on to keep his seat [Isn't it interesting that we hear everything about the Royals but nothing about this? We heard about Charles' second wedding to the woman whose tampon he once said he wanted to be; we still hear about Diana, almost eight years after her death; but nary a word about this].

Deep Throat revealed

Well, now we find out who that true American hero was: W. Mark Felt, the former No. 2 man at the FBI: ["I was Deep Throat, says top FBI man "].
It is astonishing that this secret has been kept for so long. And think about it for a second: Many people knew who this guy was, and yet they didn't reveal the source ... after more than three decades. That is quite an accomplishment in this day and age. Considering the fact that a whole bunch of Nixon henchmen would have loved to wring this guy's neck, it is amazing he is still alive! After listening to Pat Buchanan seething on MSNBC's "Hardball" tonight and it is clear that even decades later, some folks still think this way [Matthew's batted "Pitchfork" Pat down when he started to go off blaming Felt for the fall of Southeast Asia, which is a bit of a stretch].
A secret source. One little secret source who revealed all. And yet, no one was able to find out until now, when the guy decided late in life to reveal himself, at the urging of his family.
Now, think about other secrets that are being held for just a second more and who may know them. Do you think that those secrets could be held even though many people might know the secret? How many people does it take to hold a secret and how many is too many to hold a secret? And how many are too many when the secret gets out? It seems like secrets are pretty hard to hold these days. Or, are they?
In some ways, it is different with a source. A journalist's source is his lifeblood. You never want to burn them or they will no longer help you get your stories. As well, when burned, that source will no longer help other journalists and therefore, other sources, seeing that Source A got burned, will hesitate to expose problems within government, business, etc., which sometimes need to be exposed.
All of this brings me to another point about secrets and modern times. There are a lot of "conspiracies" on the Web about the TWA 800 flight, the Oklahoma City bombing, the Sept. 11 tragedy, and other things that we may never actually know the truth about. Similar to the JFK conspiracies, some of these are completely out there. And yet others aren't so out there, like the theory that a missile hit TWA 800, especially since hundreds of people claim to have seen a missile hit the plane, or whether a jet actually flew into the Pentagon. Anyone who looks at the pictures of the Pentagon right after the incident can presume pretty easily that a jet didn't fly into that building. There's no plane wreckage. The entire front lawn would be on fire from the spilled fuel. The hole in the building is a fraction of the size of the wingspan of a jet. Later, when adding in the puzzle piece that the FBI confiscated all the videotaped security of the area and still refuse to release any of these tapes to the public - although they did release three frames from a Pentagon camera which doesn't show anything but the explosion - and it's impossible to assume that a plane hit that building. However, we consider it a fact right now.
But, with almost all of these conspiracies, there would have to be a whole slew of people who knew the secret but would not reveal it. They would have to be sworn to secrecy. Not once could they reveal the conspiracy. Not after drinking too much and blurting out the truth. It would have to be sealed - like a secure suture. But as we know, humans are flawed. They can't keep a mistress a secret never mind a global conspiracy of the size that some of these would have to be.
I have always believed that it is for this reason that no one could pull off some of the most outrageous theories ever written about in the history of mankind. Too many people would have to be involved. Too many people would know the secret to risk a leak. Then again, some of them are so outrageous that no one would ever believe the leak, right? Then, there is Deep Throat and the press, letting the public know the truth after all these years ... Not revealing Deep Throat seems to have been more of a courtesy than the norm.

Other secrets?
But even when "the truth" gets out - in the form of say, public discourse or opinion - it doesn't mean that anyone will listen.
A couple of days ago, I had an email conversation with an acquaintance of mine on a radio email list about radio talk show host Chuck Harder, who once had this network called For the People and sold American-made goods and odd, inaccessible books via mail order. This woman is a former college professor and didn't like the fact that Harder went after the Clintons and talked about various "conspiracy" topics on his show, like the issue of microchips embedded in people, the sucking sounds of jobs going overseas, that Vince Foster didn't kill himself in Ft. Marcy Park, that Timothy McVeigh didn't act alone in blowing up the Murrah Federal Building, etc., you know, typical Buchanan stuff. As well, her main point was about the overwhelming amount of conservative talk radio and on that point, we completely agree.
But, I liked some of Harder's conversations and having listened to him over the years and done some of my own research, I found a number of his theories and fears to be pretty feasible. And, as history has shown us, most of the stuff Harder talked about at the time has shockingly come true.
Go through the list: Transponders are now in everything - from unknown black boxes on GM cars, to RFIDs in clothing tags, to pets who might run away, to Lowjack and OnStar. They were even implanted into the IDs of Olympiads so authorities would know where they were at any given time. The new REAL ID legislation which sailed through the Congress is potentially the final step to a national ID system which has potentially serious privacy implications. Retinal scanners at airports? They're there too in Europe. Cameras watching your every move? In most urban areas, look up and you'll see one, although they are doing much to "fight crime." This isn't paranoia; this is awareness. There is even legislation to consider implanting biometric chips into Alzheimer's patients so you always know where they are. You can almost hear the ads .... bombarding the airwaves similar to all the ED ads ... a calm, soothing voice comes over the air, ala a "Robocop" ad:

"Is your dad wandering around aimlessly in later life and not knowing where he is? Give yourself peace of mind ... with the Elder Secure ... the implantable biochip device ... so you can sleep at night ..."

Ten or 15 years ago, all these points would have been considered "tinfoil hat talk." Yet, it has all come true. And you don't have to be a Biblical scholar to realize that this stuff smacks of "The Mark of the Beast." Where is the Stephen King novel to go with all the reality?
I remember one talk host I heard years and years ago - I think it was Tom Donahue or one of those short wave guys, not Harder, but I can't remember the guy's name - who said that car manufacturers were working on a mechanism where cops could click on a device built into a car and be able to shut the car off. I remember telling a couple of friends of mine about this program and they laughed at me like I was in the loony bin. Well, with OnStar, they can stop or start your car by remote. They can unlock your car by remote. And they have been accused of listening in on people having private conversations in their car. Law enforcement officials are also keeping an eye on how this technology progresses. Will it be long before a new version of the PATRIOT Act is unveiled giving the authorities the sweeping power to be able to stop your car for any reason beyond what they have now? They are pretty close to that, aren't they?
We all know that the jobs have gone overseas due to this myth known as "free trade" - in droves. Whole towns have completely lost their job base. Whole manufacturing sectors are doing everything overseas. At the same time, illegal aliens are flooding over the border; searching for a better life [Can you blame them? Why work in a maquiladora for $1 an hour when you can wash dishes for two to three times that? Why live in a cardboard shack with toxic waste running down your dirt street when a bunch of you can be shacked up in a one bedroom apartment enjoying cable TV and cold beer?]. Even some proponents of NAFTA are regretting their positions. We all remember former Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean backing off on his position, along with some other Democrats [until they lost the election and now they are tinkering with the new CAFTA agreement, which expands "free trade" into Latin and Central America]. Here is an article about Rep. Esteban Torres of California who previously supported NAFTA and now says he was wrong: ["Esteban Torres speaks out: Regrets of a NAFTA supporter"]. Imagine that: A politician essentially admitting he was wrong without admitting he was wrong.
I won't go into the Vince Foster thing because there hasn't been any new information on that but I would advise people who may be interested in this conspiracy to check out some of the information about it. You will come to the same conclusion I did: Foster was probably dropped in the park and probably didn't take his life there. He may have done it somewhere else or he may have been killed. But no one has been able to explain away the forensic evidence and all the blond hairs and rug fibers found on Foster's person.
But what about Oklahoma City? Did anyone see this?: ["FBI has secret docs it's reluctant to give up"]. What are they hiding? When will they release all of what they have? A trial isn't just about getting revenge for an act; it is about truth and justice. And then there was Terry Nichols a few weeks back revealing that there was another guy involved in the bombing. The guy he fingered denies involvement. He must like his freedom too much to admit to being involved, which is understandable. But what else is there? Maybe McVeigh shouldn't have been lethally injected so we might be able to appeal to his inner self and get the whole story. Otherwise, we are not truly safe from "the terrorists," are we?
The point of all this? Is Chuck Harder a prophet or just a lucky guesser? I don't know but I do know this: Harder's network has been decimated and he has few affiliates broadcasting his show anymore while at the same time we have many liars and thieves - sans my boss, of course - holding onto the public's airwaves and licenses and not using them for the public good. It would seem that with his record for revealing "the truth," Harder would be on the air everywhere. And, he is not.

Millionaire rock stars protesting the world
I can be such a "heartless bass-stahd" sometimes but this rock stars protesting world governments is really starting to irk me even if I agree with their premise and their point. Bob Geldoff is at it again: ["Geldof announces Live 8 stars"]. You can almost hear the guy scheming [add Irish pub accent here]: "Hey guys, I gottan idea. Let's have a buncha concerts, see. And we'll like, protest the World Bank and stuffs, see. Mate, it will be bloody fun and maybe it will help me move sommore remastered reissues of the Boomtown Rats box set, see ..."
Sure, Geldoff doesn't really care about CD sales but I can't help but think ...
And the corrupt Elton John pictured with Geldoff - a man who blew tens of millions of dollars and basically went into bankruptcy buying fresh flowers - lecturing anyone about global finance is simply preposterous and obscene.
And, as I have written before, if Bono wants to do something to help the people of Africa, stop having lunch with Condi Rice ["Bono to Condi -- All I Want is You to aid Third World"] and start a world tour to raise money to do something about the plight of the African nations (Wonkette had a picture of Condi looking star-struck and Bono looking disinterested but I can't find it now). How many shows did U2 sell out in Boston, three? Four? How many more people in Boston would have paid to see them? Enough for three or four more shows? Well, do it already. Sap the tens of millions of dollars you can out of the American music fan and transfer the money to some organization which will actually get something done there, like implement an inexpensive HIV drug program.
Save the world, Bono! You can do it, I know you can! Protesting these nations, embarrassing their leaders, dining with Condi in some chi-chi restaurant, holding press conferences, etc., isn't going to do a damn bit of good. Put your money where your mouth is and self-finance the hope. End of lecture.

The world is going crazy, Part 3
Here is the latest in my continued amazement of the world around me. Someone, please, figure this all out because for the life of me, I cannot.
The Supremes - not the musical trio two-thirds of which were left high and dry by Diana Ross - the court: ["Justices Overturn Andersen Conviction"]. What? Can anyone say, "technicality"? I can almost hear the blathering in the financial world that this case was "all about nothing" and "that evil liberal district judge trying to keep a corporation from its God-given rights ..." blah, blah, blah ... Question: Since when is shredding documents acceptable and not about keeping regulators from "the truth"? Watch it: There is that truth stuff again. How stupid can anyone be to throw this ruling out? This isn't some homeless guy who stole a slice of pizza and is going to jail for life because a state has a three strikes and you're out legislation [Oh, that's right, that guy is still in jail!]. This is an accounting firm! These guys should be made an example of and strung up in the publik square [Old English spelling, sorry, couldn't resist]! Oh, okay, not strung up. But at least their mansions should be taken away.
Jack Rabid, the editor of one of the best music magazines on the planet, the bi-annual The Big Takeover, has a great editorial this issue about bankruptcy laws and how businesses, such as the one that has stiffed him for about $9,000 in back monies, are almost never held accountable to anyone because as an entity, they are almost escapable from any type of enforcement. A hit like that for a small magazine such as his is sometimes a death sentence. However, Jack [and his many helpers] somehow manages to keep it together and continue to put out great music literature.
FEC to go after bloggers: This is pretty creepy right here ["FEC treads into sticky web of political blogs"] but at the same time, it may not be. The key here is what a specific blog is about and whether you are a "journalist" or a political "activist." If you are a journalist, you can't accept monies from any political entity [just story tips]. If you are an activist, your site should be noted as such and if you are being paid by a campaign, you should also note that as well. There has been some discussion about this issue and it really is very clear without the FEC regulations. In the case of DailyKos, whose owner was paid as a consultant for the Dean campaign to get its Web operation up and running, it has been a bit sticky. Kos did note on numerous occasions that he was being paid a fee by the campaign to consult for them. At the same time, he posted comments on his blog about the campaign and the candidate. It was no big secret despite what the WSJ has said. Since his blog is also a very large posting board for political activists, journalists, elected officials, and junkies, it may have been a conflict in the FEC's eyes although I didn't see any during the time I participated in conversations on the site. As well, Kos has disclaimers on his ads so that people know the site has political ads.
The problem with Kos' site is that it is no longer about "political analysis and other daily rants on the state of the nation." It's an echo chamber of liberal and centrist Democrats sounding off about whatever and troll-rating out of existence any free-thinking folks and their thoughts. Even politicians like Rep. John Conyers are interacting with the site, with his comments being recommended almost daily, meaning his diaries stay on the front page for days.
No offense to Conyers, who seems like a decent man, but don't we get enough of the politicians?
So FEC, regulate away I guess. At least with the disclaimers, readers will know which sites are about exposing "the truth" - there is that funny truth stuff again - and which are just flogging a specific candidate or political party, if the bloggers so decide to abide by the rules and disclose such points. It should be noted that a lot of stuff flies under the radar of the FEC. So, don't expect this to really change anything.

The world is going crazy ... Part 2
If you take away almost a month of blogging from yourself, the saved links start to pile up in your "favorites" file. So, here are some that I have been collecting over the past few weeks, and a few comments to go along with them.
First, from a few hours ago, the otherwise unreadable [and unhinged] Ann Coulter posts a halfway decent piece here, noting some pretty significant bias by Newsweek, which did hold stories about charges against former President Bill Clinton, especially the very credible rape charge: ["'NEWSWEEK DISSEMBLED, MUSLIMS DISMEMBERED!'"]. But what she doesn't realize - because she is completely blinded by her own ideology - is that the reports of Quran desecration were widespread throughout the foreign press. It is safe to assume - especially since the Pentagon refuses to release any information to the contrary - that the reports are accurate.
Although I was stupidly banned from DailyKos for calling John Kerry a flip-flopper [it was a troll rate attack by a bunch in the ABB crowd after the hilarious post first debate skit on SNL], I still like to keep up with some of the diaries that are posted on the site. Here is an interesting post from a speaker at a recent commencement: ["My Bitch Slap to the Class of 2005"]. I especially like this quote, after the speaker asked how many of the Bush supporters were signing up to serve in the military to back the president's cause and found out there was only one single student serving:

"Thank you, sir. The rest of you then lack the conviction that is needed for America to succeed. If you are not willing to back the leader of this country in his ambitions to defeat terrorism and promote democracy with your bodies, then how can we expect you to defend it from anything else. So I am going to stop wasting my breath about talking about the Chinese and Indian students who believe [in] what they preach. Because they have already won. Until American youth and their parents are willing to actually practice what they preach [vis a vie] their bumper stickers, then talking about real threats is pointless. I guess we will continue to graduate hypocrites. That appears to be the new America Way."

Such a brilliant piece and so well put.
Recently, I interviewed a woman involved with a group encouraging civic engagement in young people. They seem to be doing good work. The woman noted that while there was a lot of public service being done by the students there wasn't a lot of voting or interaction between young people and elected officials. Of course, while she was encouraged by the public service young people were performing, she and others ignore the biggest problem: Most of this public service is forced in school, as a part of graduation, meaning that it isn't about "serving" as much as it as about a student doing what he has to do in order to get the high school diploma. This is something that has always annoyed me ever since I started following these public service credits more than five years ago. What it all means is that while some of these kids might learn a little about helping out others, it is really only a task to be accomplished and not really about learning how another person lives ... how another person suffers ... how another person is harmed by the holes in society ... Is it really just enough to go feed the hungry for a day and get credit for it or is it more important to actually know what it is like to be hungry and figure out ways of fixing the problem? This is why the diarist from Kos is so relevant - the kids of today aren't solving problems, they are just learning about them. And when the assuming affluent kids and their parents are asked to serve a higher cause other than their own, they balk. Send someone else's kid off to die for my cause, is essentially what they are saying by their actions.
Moving on. I really dig Coldplay. They are one of the better new bands although I think many of the other music snobs of the world don't like them because so many dorks do like them. Anyhow, the new album will be out in a couple of weeks and I can't wait to hear it. One of the other cool things about Coldplay - beyond being a great band - is that they love Echo & the Bunnymen. Singer Chris Martin is also a fair trader and as we can see from this rant: ["Coldplay attack 'evil' of profits"] is still a pretty funny guy. I especially like these lines: "I think shareholders are the great evil of this modern world ..." and criticizing "the slavery that we are all under to shareholders." So Chris, the new Coldplay CD is like, free, right?
Speaking of the Bunnymen, they came to the states to play a handful of shows - none of them in my neck of the woods, so I missed them - but here is a post from a guy in Philly who had a post-Bunnymen party, was arrested for promoting it, but the band actually showed up!: ["Busted And Blitzed With The Bunnymen: A Short Story By Joey Sweeney"]. Isn't Mac looking a lot like Mick Jagger these days? Damn, we are all getting so old.
There is a new film, "The Power of Nightmares," making its way around the film fests. This one looks as interesting as "F9/11": ["UK film at Cannes says terror fears exaggerated"] and this: ["The Power of Nightmares: Baby It's Cold Outside"]. And then there is this: ["U.S. House Votes to Replace Color-Coded Terror Threat Warnings"]. What? No more FoxNews alerts?! What, pray tell, will we all do?!?
Dartmouth gets a blog: ["The Little Green Blog"].
So does Greek goddess Arianna Huffington: ["The Huffington Post"].
Comic Ted Rall can sometimes be very hurtful. His comments are like salt in the wound of an infection that just won't heal, like his comment making fun of the death of the football player who went to Afghanistan and was killed by friendly fire, Pat Tillman. But at the same time, his comments can sometimes be dead on. Here, in this column, he makes some really great points: ["Black and White and full of crap"].
It's been a week ... some of us are still waiting for answers: ["Bush asked to explain UK war memo"]. Oh, that's right, we're distracted. I'm still concerned about Newsweek ...
With "Star Wars" about to open at movie screens across America in about 45 minutes, this link seems rather appropriate: ["How Lightsabers Work"].
John Edwards is right: "Don't listen to Mary Beth Cahill ..." ["Edwards Looks Back - And Ahead to 2008"]. Rumors have it that he'll be in New Hampshire sometime next month and some insiders are already thinking seriously about an Edwards campaign. Other names being circ'ed? Sen. Evan Bayh and Gov. Mark Warner. The name that is bringing the most indigestion to insiders? Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. And John Kerry is D.O.A. Thank heavens.

The world is going crazy ... Part 1
My posts have become much too infrequent. But that is what happens when you are busy doing a job you love.
However, while we are all performing our jobs, raising our families, trying to grasp what is going on, it is clear that the entire world is going mad ... insane ... crazy. When is up down and down up? When is truth a lie and a lie, the truth? Right now baby.
While I love my job in radio, sometimes I miss print. Radio is hot ... fast ... quick ... and what you say is sometimes forgotten in a split second ... slipping in one ear and out the other. Which, frankly, is good in a hot medium. Sure, some of your words may have a lasting effect and inform. But radio only works with repetition. Hence, the need to play a song five times a day until you can't leave without hearing the song and you go out and buy the record only to realize that you have bought the record and are now sick of the song!
With print, however, words can often have a very lasting effect on whatever you write about. First, the writer often has a physical copy of what he has written. In radio, you can back up your work on CDRs or tape, but you can't physically look at the words on a page. Sure, you can listen to them, but it isn't quite the same as reading. If the words are biting, heated, or hurtful, they can perform devastating harm on those you are targeting with the writing. But the printed word can also illuminate ideas and reveal the truth to the reader [or listener].
Such is the case of Newsweek magazine "scandal" and retraction this week which in an oft-handed remark seems to have set off a firestorm in the Islamic world. For the last two days, the story has been all over the media - an unnamed government official reportedly gave reporter Michael Isikoff inaccurate information about the Quran being desecrated at Gitmo [It should be noted that Isikoff is one of those "cocktail crowd-types" I am always complaining about]. Interesting that it is a government official [like maybe a plant to make Isikoff look bad] that would leak this. Of course, this makes the case why no one in the media should use unnamed sources, if at all possible.
However, deep in this ABC News piece, you see a little reality: ["White House: Newsweek Story Did Great Harm"]:

"The Newsweek account was not the first allegation about U.S. personnel desecrating the Quran at Guantanamo Bay. British and Kuwaiti detainees alleged last year that they saw U.S. personnel flushing a Quran down the toilet. The Pentagon has been unwilling to say if those allegations were investigated."

In fact, according to bloggers, the NYT, the LA Times, the UK Guardian, the Daily Mirror, and other foreign papers, have all reported the stories in Newsweek. So, what is the problem here? It is either correct or it isn't. Since the Pentagon "has been unwilling to say if those allegations were investigated" or pronounce them true, the press has to take the word of the witness and testimonial, and report what might happen to be the facts that time.
Howard Kurtz, the media critic of The Washington Post, a subsidiary of Newsweek's parent company, has a great piece here: ["Debate Over Newsweek Retraction of Report Widens"]. Here is a very telling point:

"The Newsweek report triggered protests that turned violent in Afghanistan and other countries, causing at least 16 deaths, although the degree to which the article was responsible remains unclear. Pentagon officials have blamed Newsweek, which is owned by The Washington Post Co., for sparking the violence, but Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said last week that his senior commander in Afghanistan had told him the riots were 'not at all tied to the article.'"

This paragraph should have been written like this: " ...the Newsweek article reportedly triggered protests ..." especially when Kurtz writes that Myers said the riots were not tied to the article. It isn't fact. Kurtz doesn't know.
But, since down is up and up is down, we actually know why these riots are being tied to this article - and not the others in many other newspapers around the world over the last two years. Because the president's PR flack, Scott McClellan, planted the story in the media with exclusive - unheard of - one on one briefings to stir up the pot on Newsweek. This couldn't have anything to do with say, The Downing Street documents which are being curiously censored by the media even though they indicate that the Bush Administration may have lied to make its case for invading Iraq look better, could it? It couldn't be the fact that while Isikoff used a single unnamed source in his article that the Bush Administration used a single unnamed source to make the case that Iraq had a mobile biological weapons lab? It couldn't be the fact that the Bush Administration used that crook Chalabi as a source for a whole bunch of other bogus lies and that somehow, someway, someday, when up is up and down is down again, we might wake up from this nightmare and realize that it was all a dream, hmm?