Day four of filling in for Rebecca, "Site Held Hostage by Elaine." (Yes, I made a joke or tried to.)
I'll thank Mike again and everyone who's e-mailed (remember send it via common_ills@yahoo.com and it will be forwarded to me). Gina and Krista, you have my thanks as well. The interview was like pulling teeth but you made it as pleasant as anyone could. I'll also thank C.I. who isn't just a strong voice online but also a very close friend of many years.
When Rebecca called me, there was no discussion. It was "here's the password." I objected that I do not know what to do and she insisted I'd be fine and to call C.I. if I had any questions. I do hunt around in the evening and then wait until C.I.'s home and can talk me through this. Rebecca's closing words were, "Thanks Lainie! When I get back, I'll owe you a dinner." Rebecca, if you're reading this, you'll owe me several dinners.
Yesterday, I noted Sgt. Kevin Benderman's court martial and I want to pick up there.
There is a site entitled BednermanDefense.org set up for him. There are things you can do there (including donate to his legal defense). But there's a paragraph that's just been posted:
Friday, July 22, 2005
Initial Hearing on Pre-Trial Motions:
Judge Throws Out Recently Added Larceny Charge Against Kevin
In the first pre-trial motion hearing on Friday, July 22, the judge threw out the prosecution's larceny charges. We will post news stories on this development as soon as they appear.
The larceny charge was a trumped up charge and while I'm glad that the judge realized that and tossed it, the retaliation motive behind the charge means we should continue to pay attention because this may not be over.
I've been highlighting Colman McCarthy this week for a number of reasons. He was a columnist for the Washington Post, he's a peace advocate, he works for peace. And he no longer works for the Washington Post.
"The Satya Interview: Colman McCarthy, Journalist and Educator" (Satya):
Q: How did you depart from the Washington Post?
A: I was informed by my syndicate that my column had only about 28 to 30 clients. It was making money, but not enough. So the Post managing editors took that occasion to say, "Well, we think your column has run its course." I don't mind that. If you work for a corporation, you die by a corporation.
Q: You were always aware that you could be "terminated"?
A: Oh absolutely. The Post is looked on as a liberal paper, which it clearly is not. It's a centrist paper. In fact, there are 1,500 dailies in America, and I defy you to find one liberal paper among them. There are a few pseudo-liberal papers (the Boston Globe, the New York Times, the L.A. Times, Washington Post ) but they're just liberal on the safe liberal issues -- gun control, civil rights, curbing your dog: tough ones like that. But on going after the Pentagon, or the U.S. war machine, going after corporate crime -- they become tepid. Why? Because most of the big dailies are in the Fortune 500. Do you know what the second most expensive stock on the New York Stock exchange is? The Washington Post. It sells for $400 a share. What do the wealthy corporations tend to focus on? Problems of the wealthy.
Q: They look after their shareholders.
A: Sure. So the people coming in to meet with the editorial boards tend to be the trade associations and government and corporate officials. How many editorial boards in America ever go and interview prisoners? How many ever go hang around a soup kitchen? How many invite welfare mothers or welfare fathers in to talk to them? Instead, the boards bring in the Cabinet secretaries who all went to the same schools that we did. How many columnists go into death row? How many columnists go into schoolrooms regularly and teach? It's always funny when you see people leave the media. They always go and get a professorship at a university. How many people go into elementary or high schools?
Interesting but C.I. referred me to "Fresh Voice on Washington Post Editorial Page" by Harry Jaffe (The Washingtonian):
Washington Post executive editor Leonard Downie Jr.’s best personnel move was not appointing Gene Robinson managing editor.
Downie’s decision freed Robinson to write an op-ed column, which he started in February. Judging from reaction by readers and newspapers that have snapped up his essays, Robinson’s column is a raging success, in the newspaper and on its web site.
Already 25 papers have agreed to syndicate his column, including dailies in San Francisco, Atlanta, Denver, and Phoenix.
I assume that they're pushing Robinson since he's only been doing an op-ed for six months. A lot of Harry Jaffe's articles lists Gene Robinson's bonafides and I'm sure he's earned every compliment; however, it does call to question whether syndication was the issue behind dropping Colman McCarthy? We're told, by Harry Jaffe, that Gene Robinson "often leans to the left, filling the liberal landscape vacated by the passing of Mary McGrory."
Often leans left seems hardly promising and as for Mary McGrory . . . I'm sure if she had a say in it today, she wouldn't have wanted to go out with her cheerleading articles for the current war (the one in Iraq, obviously we're still fighting in Afghanistan). I doubt she'd have said, "I think for my last column I want to prove to America that not only was a gas bag who always went along with every bit of conventional wisdom but I was also willing to pimp for Colin Powell's UN presentation." But she did that. That's her legacy. Try to say that to some people and they'll argue that Mary McGrory was a strong voice for the left. Maybe she just "often" leanded "left?"
Perhaps if Colman McCarthy could have leanded left, he'd still be writing columns for the Washington Post? Bob Somerby has been writing this week about how our brave voices were silent during the trashing of Al Gore. He's also noted, at other times, that some were silent.
Mary McGrory was one of the ones who wasn't silent, she assisted with the trashing of Al Gore.
Death seems to have place a shroud of Mary McGrory that prevents people from noting her actual work. A McGrory goes along with the pack and gets applauded and rewarded but a McCarthy is sent packing and yet some still call it "the liberal media."
Mary McGrory is deceased. That's not a pass for the writing she did (or her excuse for her "I'm Convinced" column of war cheerleading). She was a gas bag and when a gas bag moves on to another place, others quickly fill the place. (In fact, I believe they multiply.) If someone believes in something and writes about it like a McCartney, they're shown the door. If someone runs with the pack, like a McGrory, they can continue writing even though they reveal repeatedly that they have little interest in the actual events.
Thanks again to C.I. because I really didn't expect to do any sort of writing here. It's Friday and day four so maybe I'm feeling less shy or buzzed to have completed a week. I can't tell you when Rebecca will be back because when we spoke on the phone early Tuesday morning, she didn't know herself.
While I'm in an actual nonreticent mode, I'll explain that Rebecca and I have been friends for years. She and C.I. are, in fact, my two best friends. I'm the interlocking piece that brought those two together. (Another attempt at a joke.)
I've done some house cleaning on Rebecca's blog roll. Someone's blogging at Folding Star's old sites and it's not Folding Star so I've removed that as well as a blog that has been inactive since May. I've added Susan of Random Thoughts for several reasons. One, Rebecca's always saying "I'll add her" and always forgets. Two, Susan links to Rebecca. Three, Susan's a great voice. Four, C.I. and I spent an hour on the phone discussing Susan's post on two actresses. In addition, I've added Not In Our Name and United for Peace & Justice. As with Susan's link, Rebecca will be glad those went up (and that she didn't have to do the work). Lastly, Cedric is a Common Ills community member (from way back) and he's started blogging at Cedric's Big Mix.
I've added him to Rebecca's blog roll. If you haven't checked out Cedric's writing, please do so. (I loved the Thursday post.)
"Peace Quotes" (Peace Center)
Activism pays the rent on being alive and being here on the planet.
Alice Walker
