Our Official Blog : Hofstra Presidential Debate Protest Footage Posted by horatio on Saturday, October 18, 2008 (03:01:44) (94 reads)
Well, I finally got the raw footage from the protests and rallies edited down a bit. Here is a 10 minute sample of the rally and protests on the street. The film starts in Hempstead, where the early rally with a bunch of speakers was occurring, and then follows the march to Hofstra itself where the main protest was taking place. It loosely follows the Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) from their early announcement of their letter asking to be let into the debates through their march to Hofstra, and then their march to the gate after the 7pm deadline had expired. It has some footage of the arrests as well as the brief clash with police before they pushed people off of the streets and brought out the riot cops and fences. This short documentary does not really include any of the interviews that i did, as those will be put out in another piece listening to people on the streets, so keep an eye out for that later this week.
Our Official Blog : Haters in Ohio Posted by horatio on Thursday, October 16, 2008 (20:25:30) (69 reads)
Well, things are heating up as the Nov. 4 date approaches. Back in my home of Ohio, as in many rural places in this nation, the racist factor in this election is becoming crystal clear. Nothing else explains rallies in Eastern Ohio where people feel quite confident openly talking about "a nigger running for president," the fact that Obama is a Muslim (news flash - he's not!), or that he is a "friend of terrorist" and secretly "hates whites." WTF?! This short Al Jazeera clip does a great job of showing this in action...scary, but not surprising.
Dear Diary : The Warriors Posted by horatio on Sunday, September 28, 2008 (07:57:20) (85 reads)
Cyrus: "You're standing right now with nine delegates from 100 gangs. And there's over a hundred more. That's 20,000 hardcore members. Forty-thousand, counting affiliates, and twenty-thousand more, not organized, but ready to fight: 60,000 soldiers! Now, there ain't but 20,000 police in the whole town. Can you dig it?"
Well, tonight was quite a treat. I went with a few friends to see a showing of The Warriors at the Freak Show in Coney Island, where the movie is based around. If you haven't seen this 1979 film, based off of the book by Sol Yurick, you're really missing out. I feel like, having watched it now, how in the hell did I manage to miss it all of these years. I've heard samples from it, seen it referenced in films, but never realized it until watching it tonight. Plus, there's nothing like seeing this film at the Freak Show in Coney Island, where a group of people were dressed as the Orphans, and a few in the Warrior vests even, complete with a Rocky Horror-esque interactive crowd cheeringl jeering and clinking their beers:
(clicking beer bottles) "Waaaarrrrrriiiorsss, come out to pla-ay!"
Our Official Blog : Why the Debate Wasn't but Should Have Been Posted by horatio on Saturday, September 27, 2008 (17:31:08) (217 reads)
Well, the first Presidential debates are now over, and the outcome seems quit clear. Simply put, this was one of the most worthless debates I have ever seen, not to mention one of the most boring. Not only did both candidates put out numerous positions that make me more hostile to them, but they showed, at least by my standards, why neither of them is ready to be President.
This mockery of a debate looked more like a prep school sparring match with two fighters who don't know how to draw blood or hit a mark, than it did a top level elite political and intellectual debate. Jim Lehrer, the host, was also pathetic and a terrible moderator, never once pushing the candidates with hard questions or cornering redirects, as a good moderator needs to do at this level of debate. I kept thinking to myself, why isn't John Stewart or Ellen DeGeneres or Amy Goodman or somebody vaguely interesting and provocative moderating and forcing them to deal with real issues and not talking points.
So let me offer a few concrete examples of problems, and how they should have been addressed, in my view. And for the sake of my liberal friends, I'll argue as an Obama supporter and trying to make his position stronger (but for the record I don't support either candidate). Let me run through a few key areas that I think he needed to hit on, or respond to, that were totally missed and wasted.
--Venezuela
This was a huge negative for me when he called Venezuela a rogue regime, and reflects the exact 20th century mentality that both candidates were criticizing in relation to Russia and the Cold War. Venezuela is only a rogue regime if you define US interests in purely capitalist and hegemonic terms, and by using and supporting that frame, Obama showed he is exactly the same as McCain and no friend to the American Left or those interested in a stronger and more vibrant Latin America. Many in the American and international “Left” (I use that hesitantly, since the US “Left” is mostly non-existent) are largely supportive of Chavez and his efforts in Venezuela, as well as neighboring leftist movements in Latin America. Sure, it's not all candy and roses, but it's new and potentially transformative in its implications for future continental politics in the Americas, not to mention shifting power into a “multipolar” world, which we desperately need right now as a counterweight to US hegemony. For Obama to attack Chavez and Venezuela as a rogue nation only serves the interests of militarist neocon strategists in Washington who want to keep American in a war-first mode indefinitely.
--The War on Terrorism
This is one issue both candidates seem to miss the point on, and I think Obama could actually hurt McCain on if he was strategic with his points. Here's the take home message: no one will “win” the war on terrorism because you can't win a war that has no fixed enemy, no fixed resources, and no capital to conquer and control. In short, the best you can hope for is destabilizing the support base that allows the terrorist movements to continue to grow and thrive, thus minimizing their effects. You can go back in history thousands of years and find what would likely be called acts of terrorism by today's standards, and we will continue to see them as long as there are people alive on this planet. That's just reality. So if Obama really wanted to show his tactical/strategic knowledges and nuances, here's what he should be saying when they debate Iraq or Afghanistan or the larger War on Terrorism: “Look Jon, or Tom or Jim, whatever your name is, I think your comment about winning the war against terrorism is the exact problem. We're not going to win an asymmetrical conflict by waging a symmetrical war against an enemy that is dispersed and diffuse, and operates across the entire globe. It's just nonsense. Yet this logic of yours has allowed for the continued occupation of Iraq, the failures both there and in Afghanistan, and the continued rubric of fighting terrorism to the tune of billions of tax-payer dollars. And what have we got? An Iraq that is more unstable than it has been in the last century; an Afghanistan that is arguably worse than the height of the US-Russian proxy wars; an international insurgency that is far more powerful than it ever was before 2001; major human suffering and displacement in Iraq and Afghanistan; major human rights violations by both Coalition soldiers and armed insurgents. This is not how you win a war on terrorism John, this is how you make them.”
If Obama said something like that, I think millions of Americans (not to mention the world community) would jump out of their seats and start cheering and yelling Amen! Sure, McCain would respond that such a view is childish and dangerous (just as he did to Obama's militarist view of fighting the war on terror in the debate), would be tantamount to letting the terrorist win, and shows exactly why Obama is not fit to be the President/Commander in Chief. And here is where Obama could really hit him back hard.
“No John, I'm afraid it's you who just don't get it. Our reckless militarism over the last few decades is a central reason that many people hate this country, and is one of the central reasons that fighting more wars, occupying more countries, is making the problem worse not better. The time of US military domination has to end, and the return of American soft power, of global moral leadership not global policing, is on the horizon. If we truly want to make America, the world, safer, we must learn to put the stick down and remember how to extent our hands instead of our guns around the world. And frankly John, your from a generation that refuses to let go of that Cold War militarist mentality, and that's a major difference between us. You see force as the first option, not the last, and the American people, the world in fact, is tired of that approach because it isn't working, it hasn't worked. It must change, and that is exactly what I plan to do when I'm President of the United States.”
--The Economy
This was an area that I was especially disgusted with, because it really shows the class bias of both candidates, elite through and through. Seriously, we're looking at major financial collapse in this country, perhaps on the scale of the Great Depression or worse, the economy is in shambles, wages are dropping and costs are rising, and here are McCain and Obama debating cutting 18 million in por-barrel spending? And wen asked what they would change, they both said nothing at first, and Obama again and again. Sadly, this just confirms for me how out of touch these candidates are with the real American reality, the one that I see and live every day, where worrying about my economic stability is measured in the hundreds of dollars in my bank, not the millions in my investment portfolio. But if Obama were going to really try and hit McCain on this, he blew what I think was his biggest opening ever last night. When Jim Lehrer asked them for the third time how the fiscal crisis would impact their spending, and what they would do, McCain proposed freezing all spending except Defense. Here's his exact quote:
“How about a spending freeze on everything but defense, veteran affairs and entitlement programs.”
Now if Obama were really on his game, he would have gutted McCain like a fat hog for that comment, perhaps saying something like this:
“I'm really appalled at that suggestion John. Freeze everything but Defense and entitlement spending? Right now we're spending over $600 billion alone in DoD and related areas, more than 20% of the entire 2008 budget, yet we're only spending about $60 billion, or 2% of the budget, on something as critical as American public education. To think that in a time like this, when the country is in a major financial crisis, caused in part by the massive costs in Iraq, that you want to freeze everything except the single most costly endeavor? A majority of the American public has shown it wants us out, and have pointed to the costs as a major factor for them, and now we're talking about how to deal with this very financial crisis and your solution is to continue the most expensive part of that problem? It makes no sense at all John, and the American people can clearly see that, and they want it stopped, want the money to stop flowing out like oil from a sinking ship, and yet you want to freeze everything but that. I think that really shows how out of touch you are with the American public, with the average American, to suggest that a solution to our financial crisis is to keep funding the DoD, a major source of the spiraling US debt. It's insane John, it really is. And I know exactly what you're response is, that this would hurt our troops, out them in danger, and will let the terrorists win, but I've already show how that logic is false, how we need to move out of that Cold War mentality.”
Something like that would, I think, really put McCain on the defensive and would force him to go back to his only real area of retreat, which would be to attack Obama for cutting funding to the troops and letting the terrorists win, which Obama has already preempted and essentially left McCain looking like that is all he can talk about, which is in fact largely true. It's either his maverick experience in Congress or his military credentials, that's what McCain always goes back to when he's unsure what to say. Just look at how much time McCain spent talking about the military in the debate, even though most of it had nothing to do with the actual issues. It was all feel good fluffy, hey look at my bracelet pandering. And Obama, and Lehrer, let him get away with it.
But the biggest problem is that neither of them gave any serious response to the economic problems, never acknowledged it was that serious, and showed no sign at all of having seriously thought out what it would mean to their presidency from a big picture perspective, which is really scary!
There are other areas I could go into, but that gives a sense of some areas that really need to be looked at closer by Obama, and which should have really driven this debate, at least in my mind, but it seems that either Obama just isn't there, or his party isn't there, I'm not sure which. Either way, it could have been a good chance for him to really go after McCain, and he didn't. And I think it will cost him.
Our Official Blog : Stock Market protests in NYC Posted by horatio on Friday, September 26, 2008 (14:43:46) (94 reads)
Well, I wasn't able to make it yesterday down to Wall Street, but there was a descent-sized protest (actually pretty small if you consider the amount of money and people this will impact). From the looks of it, there wasn't anything major going on event-wise there, although it was clear there was some street theatre and also Billionaires for Bush (McCain)? folks there. This is one of those hard situations where I imagine a lot of people are feeling like, shit, what can I do about this. And rightly so, but that shouldn't stop us from thinking creatively about how to try and deal with these situations. Here's a photo from the rally, and more are available at the link.
Dear Diary : Unwriting a Poem Posted by horatio on Tuesday, September 23, 2008 (05:43:16) (80 reads)
Unwriting a Poem
How should I start, by describing this project of undoing
or undoing this project of describing
it may be extremely harmful
the words that i will tear from deep within
those hidden and mist-covered places
where only demons and bad dreams lurk
where the cut of razor wire and the black ooze of blood
are more than simple images on the wall
they are living and breathing monsters
hiding deep within the darkest recesses
just waiting to be let out
like wild beasts locked behind iron cages,
held at bay by feeble paper locks
and empty ink fountain troughs
crying in the corner is my muse
clothes torn, tattered, a sight to be see
yet simultaneously hidden from
visibility and invisibility
the gaze and the watched
turning on the iris, red and swollen
while poems are sacrificed in front of her
burned like so many books
burned like so many dreams
burned like so many people
flames ablaze
searing in the way that only words can hurt
in only the way that looks can kill
leaving nothing but the taste of bitter medicine
and the alchemical smell of sulpher
i turned this poem inside out so that i could see
where the words were pouring out from
where the genealogy of ideas was emanating
where the structure of knowledge was rooted
but all i found were stupid words trying to sound smart
letters pretending at something bigger
teeth bared, snarling
hoping no one will notice the quiver
of fear and murmurs of loss on tense lips
speak not of this, nor of that
only speak when spoken to
and then only tell lies
until the lie becomes the truth
and can speak for itself as self-evident
inspiration is a muse of death
whispering into your ear
as you paint life on the page, the canvas, the screen
reminding you of your mortality
while tempting you with immortality
flowing like the sands of time
fissures – ruptures – disassociation
i try to stitch meaning together into fleshy circles
wound tightly around each preceding ring
like a coil in a magnet, or a snake in its lair
smooth dark loops through the ether
connecting the here with the now to make the
ever proceeding space that will be tomorrow
but even here words fail me
like they fail so many others.
Our Official Blog : Rush Transcript - McCain interview with Rob Calderon WCSH-6 Portland, ME Posted by horatio on Friday, September 12, 2008 (22:44:49) (597 reads)
While many people have likely seen the video clip of Senator John McCain being interviewed on a Portland, OR station earlier today (9/12), I was unable to find any actual transcripts, so I went ahead and made one myself. Everything has been checked to be as accurate as possible, minus a few ums here and there for the simple sake of clarity. If you haven't seen this interview, the video for it is below the transcript. It can also be downloaded as a pdf file here.
Rush Transcript:
Rush Transcript:
Rob Calderon interview with Senator John McCain
Interview conducted by NBC affiliate WCSH-6 - Portland, ME
RC: Let me begin by asking you about Governor Palin. It has ben nearly two weeks now since you announced that she would be your running mate. She has yet to take any serious questions from either reporters or regular voters. Why not? Why can't she take some questions?
JM: Actually I believe it was last week when she, uh, had her acceptance speech for the nomination of my party. But the fact is she is coming out in the next couple of days with interview with numerous people. She is very well versed at that. She's been a governor. One of the most successful governors in America, and THE most popular one. So, she will be doing a lot of conversation with the media. But we wanted to touch base with the American people first. And the turnout and the enthusiasm of these crowds is just remarkable, and I'm very proud to have a real reformer on the ticket with me.
RC: Let's talk a little bit about the reform issue. You are of course a fierce critic of pork barrel spending. The WP reported yesterday that Governor Palin has billed tax payers, as governor, for 312 nights spent at her own home, charging a state per diem allowance, and she charged that while travelling on state business while in her own home. What does that say about her credentials as someone who is going to attack government spending?
JM: [Pause] Well, um, of course she, uh, disclosed that online, transparently, and explained why she had to do that because of the travel back and fourth, why she did it because of the travel back and forth. But most importantly she sold the executive jet, she fired the chef, she reformed, passed ethics and lobbying reform. She took on the old bulls in the party. She took on an incumbent. She has given money back to the taxpayers. This is a real reform governor, and its not an accident she is the most popular governor in America. And Senator Obama has never taken on a single, his party, on a single issue. She's taken them on and she is, I'm proud of her record of ethics and lobbying reform and good government.
RC: Let's move on to what you say is the number one issue facing the US in our time, and that is the challenge of addressing Islamist extremism.
JM: Sure
RC: What credentials does Governor Palin have in national security, diplomacy, foreign policy, that qualify her to be your partner in that, on that issue, the fight against Islamist extremism.
JM: Well obviously the economy is also a major challenge...
RC: Uh, no, I'm using your words Senator.
JM: ...facing America. Uh, yeah, sure...
RC: You have said this summer...
JM: no...
RC: ...that the number one challenge, the number on challenge of our time is Islamist extremism.
JM: No I said, I said the greatest challenge of our time is national security threats, and I've also said the jobs and the economy are the number one issue facing America. So, but the point is that Governor Palin was right on the issues. She understands energy, which is one of the fundamental issues of our nation's security. She was responsible for a 40 billion dollar pipeline that is going to bring natural gas to the lower 48. She was right on Iraq. Senator Obama was wrong. She has more experience that Senator Obama does. She was right on Russia, he was wrong, as he made moral equivalency between Russia and Georgia at the time Russia attacked. He said that, she was right on Iran when he's been wrong on Iran. She doesn't want to sit down and face to face negotiations with Ahmadinejad, or the others leaders. She's right on foreign policy, and Senator Obama is wrong. And she, I'm sure, has the experience and the judgement necessary to lead this country, and I'm confident the American people will agree with her as well.
RC: Well you say you're sure she has experience, but again I'm just asking for an example.
JM: Sure, sure.
RC:WHAT experience does she have in the field of national security?
JM: [Pause] Energy. She knows more about energy that probably anyone else in the United States of America. She represents, is the governor of the state that 20% of our energy supply comes from there, and we all know that energy is a critical and vital national security issues. We have got to stop sending 700 billion dollars, uh, of American money to countries that don't like us very much. She's very well versed on that issue. And she happen to represent, a uh, be governor of a state that is right next to Russia. She understands Russia and their newly aggressive behavior in the world, which is also something we have to be very concerned about.
RC: Let me just close on a note about the state of Maine and New Hampshire.
JM: Sure
RC: New Hampshire is a battleground state, obviously that's going to be getting a lot of your attention between now and election day. How about Maine? Do you realistically think that you have any chance of winning Maine?
JM: I'd like to think so. Maine is such a wonderful state, and rich, in so many ways. We have two great Republican Senators, Olympia Snow and Susan Collins, from the state of Maine. It has a tradition of independence, and we all know that. And so I'd love to compete in the state of Maine. I think it's going to be very difficult, in a little straight talk, but I sure love to come there, so I'll make an effort. And I certainly want the people of Maine to know that whether they give me a majority of their votes or not, I'm going to be president of all Americans.
RC: Susan Collins has served two terms with you in the US Senate as a Republican. Olympia Snow has been in Congress even longer than you have. Some people say that you should have perhaps chosen one of them, since they have a lot more experience in the Federal government than Sarah Palin does. How would you answer that?
JM: Oh, I respect Olympia and Susan enormously. They are great Senators, great people, great reformers. It just came down to some very close calls on this issue. I think one of the aspects of Governor Palin is that she, having been a governor, is one of the important aspects. But I'll tell you I have the highest admiration, respect and affection for Olympia Snow and Susan Collins, who I've had the honor of serving with and knowing for a long time. They're great Senators.
RC: The issue you are pushing right now is change, that you are going to clean up Washington. Does it really makes sense after eight years of a Republican administration to send another Republican to the White House, if change is what the American people want?
JM: Sure, because I have fought for change. I've taken on my own party, my own president, my own colleagues. Senator Obama has never taken on his party on any issue, on any issue. And I've had, I've fought for and achieved reform, whether it be on campaign finance reform, ethics and lobbying. If I can achieve what I achieved in the Senate, taking on both parties, I can do a lot more as President. And I've got a great reformer, who did a great job of reforming the old bull and old boy network, uh, in Maine, excuse me in Alaska, at my side.
RC: Let me ask you a question that goes to the issue of taking on your own party. The Republican platform, from the convention that you just had, calls for a constitutional amendment that would outlaw gay marriage. Do you support that amendment?
JM: [Pause] No, as you know, I've said it is an issue for the states to decide, as you know.
RC: So you do not agree with your own party, your own party's platform, that came out of your own convention?
JM: There are many issue that my party and I have disagreed on, but we have a fundamental principle of smaller government, less, lower taxes, don't adopt a government run health care system, a strong America and a safe and secure America. The principles of Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan and Theodore Roosevelt. That's my party, and that's what I am proud of, and I'm proud to be a part of it.
RC: Alright, we're going to let that be the last words. Senator McCain, thank you very much for your time today, we appreciate it.
JM: Thank you Rob.
###
Transcribed on 9/12/08 at 18:18 from: http://www.wcsh6.com/video/default.aspx?aid=41548
Any errors in this transcript are unintentional, and every effort has been made to maintain accuracy.
Transcription services by rv media. http://www.rvmedia.org
-----------
-----------
-----------
Global News : In the Loop News Roundup - September 1-6, 2009 Posted by horatio on Sunday, September 07, 2008 (00:29:21) (64 reads)
Well, it's been a busy week here in NYC with classes starting for many students, myself included, but I managed to sit down today and do my usual news in review, which I think I may finally make into a more formal thing. For now, I'm using the name 'In the Loop News Roundup', mostly because I like the ring of it, but also gets at what I have been doing informally for years now, which is trying to source as wide a range of news as possible to stay in the "loop" on local and world news.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul visits Armenia: A step forward or a slap in the face? Depends on your political leanings, and if you consider the Armenian genocide intentional or a legacy of Ottoman WWI politics. Either way, it was a historic visit, the first for a Turkish leader since Armenian independence.
Eight Arrested and Charged with Terrorism in Twin City RNC Protests: Eight members of the Republican National Convention Welcoming Committee (RNCWC) were charged with “conspiracy to riot in furtherance of terrorism,” under a Minnesota version of the national USA PATRIOT Act. The eight youth activists could face nearly eight years in jail if convicted, even though they were arrested prior to the protests and on absurd charges involving weapons and other claims that have since proved false. Democracy Now! has some great coverage of this as well right here.
Palestinian Fulbright Scholar Denied Exit from Gaza: Zohair M. Abu Shaban, who had planned to start work on an MA in engineering in Connecticut htis fall, was denied entry from the Israeli occupation forces, even after US ambassadors had negotiated approval for visa travel.
CIA Torture Center In Poland More Than Just Rumors:News is finally starting to leak out confirming what many have already speculated on, namely that the CIA has been using black-op torture facilities outside of US jurisdiction. While details are still sketch, there apears to now be a full-blown inestigation into the details of this latest US torture revelation.
Open Letter From Alaskan Woman Sparks Renewed Palin Revelations: An open letter recently published by a Wasilla, Alaska resident named Anne Kilkenny has been making waves around the nation after its publication earlier this week. In the letter Kilkenny explodes the myth of Palin as a do-gooder anti-establishment maverick and shows her true colors, or what the letter describes as a high school nickname of "Sarah Barracuda," apparently due to her ruthless and vindictive approach to politics and top-down authoritarian leadership style. A must read letter!!
Feds Decide Socialism May Not Be So Bad After All: While everybody is following the Fannie Mae & Freddie Mack story fairly closely, what isn't really being talked about is the clear and obvious socialist context such a move clearly represents. What could be more socialist than, as D.H. Williams describes it, Washington elite taking "control of $12 trillion in mortgaged real estate assets, nearly 1 in every 2 homes." The political implications of this are seriously in need of more scrutiny, but that seems to be sorely absent in the press right now.
Freelance Reuters Photographer Still Being Held Illegally By US In Iraq: Ali Omar Abrahem Al-Mashadani, who is a TV cameraman and journalist, is still being incarcerated illegally in a Baghdad prison after his arrest on August 8 by US military. No reason was given for his arrest and he has not been allowed to speak with family or legal council. Reporters Without Borders is also following this case, and have demanded his immedate release.
Well, that's about it for this week. Stay tuned for more exciting coverage right here.
Our Official Blog : Reflecting on the RNC speeches - Part I Posted by horatio on Thursday, September 04, 2008 (21:08:41) (118 reads)
Well, last night proved to be a very interesting one as MCCain's VP Sarah Palin took the stage and "wowed" the crowd. I tuned in just as Mitt Romney was beginning his talk, and really had to restrain myself for the rest of the evening, the shit was so thick at times. But of all the speeches, his was by far the worst, the most blatantly full of right-wing flag waving bullshit, and easily the most outrageous example of political deceit and blasphemy I have heard in a very long while. And perhaps the saddest part is that Romney seems to have absolutely NO historical knowledge or understanding of past US politics (boy, glad he didn't get the nominee, right). But don't take my word for it, you can listen or read for yourself and decide.
Here are a few particularly egregious examples if you're not interested in reading or watching it yourself:
1.
"Is government spending - excluding inflation - liberal or conservative if it doubles since 1980? -- It's liberal!"
1980-81: Jimmy Carter - Democrat
1981-1989: Ronald Reagan - Republican
1989-1993: George Bush I - Republican
1993-2001: Bill Clinton - Democrat
2001-2009: GW Bush II - Republican
Ok, and now a little basic math review. In the past 28 years, Democrats have been in power for 8, and Republicans for 20. Do you see a trend here? Put another way, our national debt is a direct reflection of the spending policies of the President and Congress. So, what might that look like. Well shucks, I just happen to have that too:
So as you can clearly see, our answer to Mitt Romney is that it is clearly Conservative!!!! (hummm, maybe his speech writers were asleep in history and economics class back at Yale?)
2.
"Opportunity rises when children are raised in homes and schools that are free from pornography, promiscuity and drugs..."
Wow, I didn't know we were promoting pornography and promiscuity in our schools, where can I sign up! Can you earn to GED's? But seriously, pornography in schools? Unless he considers a basic sex ed lesson in health class, or a picture of bare-breasted Africans in a history book pornographic, what planet is he living on? (For an example of porn in schools, I imagine someone would say but look at this!! [For the record, CNS, which this article came from, is a right-wing faux news service, ie. "The Right News. Right Now"] But to be fair, even the left makes similar claims, like this [And again, Common Dreams is a liberal leaning news service].) And promiscuity, shit, all you have to do is watch Happy Days or Flash Gordon to know that some things never change...
3.
"It's time for the party of big ideas, not the party of Big Brother!"
4.
"The right course is the one championed by Ronald Reagan 30 years ago, and by John McCain today. It is to rein in government spending and to lower taxes..."
See #1 above for the truth about reigning in "spending" and check this for the dirt about "lower taxes (Reagan had 2 major tax increases in 82' and 83')".
5.
"And at Saddleback, after Barak Obama dodged and ducked every direct question, John McCain hit the nail on the head: radical violent Islam is evil, and he will defeat it!"
All I can say is, sure buddy, keep dreaming. No president in this country (or anywhere, for that matter) will ever "defeat" radical Islam because you can't defeat an ideology, all you can do is contain it and remove as much support as possible for it. Anyone who thinks you can defeat radical Islam, or any radical political ideology/movement is deluded and ignorant, as this statement clearly shows. That's not to say we should ignore or give up on fighting extremism, but talk like this is silly nonsense and actually sets back real progress.
So, that's my short and sweet reflection on that speech, but sadly, the whole lineup of speakers (Romney, Huckabee, Giuliani, Lingle, and Palin) were all disgusting. While I'll give Giuliani credit, he can command attention and play with the crowd, I really had to keep from vomiting when Lingle spoke, if you can een call what she did a speech. It sounded more like the opening for a 5th grade beauty contest, and I think she spent more time in her speech pausing for fake crowd applause than actually saying anything (did anyone else notice that?).
But the real meat of the evening was Palin, and after seeing her speak I understand why McCain chose her. You can watch or read her speech here.
She's like an Anne Coulter without the anemic barbie doll look and with a smile instead of a sneer, but equally clever and dangerous (I would fire her hairdresser if I were her-something between 80's bangs meets alien just doesn't work for her). If ever there was a wolf in sheeps clothing, she is it. And I really have trouble with all the emphasis she put on her family, feeling at times like they were merely there to provide stage props or camera pans for the whole show. As far as substance goes, her speech was as vapid as morning dew in April, and I really don't know if I can offer any substantive critique of it, since there wasn't any real substance to critique (other than perhaps the vitrolic attacks on Obama every other paragraph). So give me a little time to think on this, and keep your eyes peeled for part II of the RNC analysis...
Our Official Blog : New York Life - Act II Posted by horatio on Sunday, August 31, 2008 (05:58:08) (223 reads)
I had the pleasure this evening of wandering the town with a good friend and awesome NY poet Jon Sands. It's always fun to explore a new place with an old friend, especially when you both have lived together in a different place; in our case Athens Ohio and now Manhattan. And, being as that we are both active in the literary and poetic communities (albeit I am not really a part of the NYC scene yet due to my recent arrival) and have grand ideas about the world and our writings.
The adventure started out with a meeting at the Bowery Poetry Club, a really interesting little place that seems to be one of the epicenters of poetry, esp slam, in the Manhahttan area. From there we wandered and grabbed a bite to eat at a cool little place with a lot of veg. and vegan food, but I forget the name now. Cool little place. Then we wandered around the Houston area, hit a really cool theatre and decided to grab a flick. Since we had a bit of time to kill, he took me to the Bluestockings Bookstore, which is on at 172 Allen St. (@ Stanton) in the Lower East Side. It is an amazing space which, according to their bookmark I grabbed, a "Fair Trade Cafe and Activist Center." It was really amazing. Reminded me of the old Secret Sailor Books, or Crazy Horse Books or Internationalist Books. Something like those... Anyway, definitely worth checking out.
We chose, after a quarter toss for luck, Hamlet 2. I didn't really know what to expect, but it turned out to be amazing. I would HIGHLY recommend everyone go see it, I enjoyed it that much.
Our wanderings took us around the Lower East Side, West Side/Chelsea, the edge of the Village and then back almost into "alphabet soup" area, as I am learning it's often referred to here. Then made a loop through the Union Sq. area, and watched an awesome little game of 4v4 soccer up my the subway entrances on the little flat courtyard. It looked SWEET!! I can't wait to jump in one of those games sometime. A bunch of young kids about my age, maybe even younger, all good players, but mostly friendly. A big crowd sitting around the area watching, socializing, it was almost sensory overload. That's actually the first time I had hung out through there after midnight and there was a TON of young people there, just sitting and chilling, doing whatever; eating, playing on their laptops, talking, playing soccer, skateboarding, bikes, you name it. Definitely will be back there more now that I know what I'm missing.
After that we took a walk up towards his place on the West Side in Chelsea, and then headed down to explore the town some more, eventually wandering down into the 2nd/3rd St. area and St. Mark's, saw some more cool stuff there, a lot of young people out there too, and then eventually swung up 2nd Ave. and made our way back to our respective homes. All in all, a great night, and really helpful for starting to get a visual map in my head of where in the heck I am. Well, that's it for the adventures tonight. Sorry no good pictures to add with the post tonight, but hopefully I will have some next time. Until then, ta ta!
-ps. A friend of mine wrote a nice OpEd about Obama and responding to a recent OpEd by David Brooks. Check it out!
The logos and trademarks used on this site are the property of their respective owners
We are not responsible for comments posted by our users, as they are the property of the poster
Interactive software released under GNU GPL,
Code Credits,
Privacy Policy
Register
Latest: sherifelbarbary
New Today: 0
New Yesterday: 0
Overall: 2
People Online:
Members: 0
Visitors: 1
Total: 1
Visitors:
Community
Members options
