ava, jim, ty, jess, dona, betty, kat, c.i. and myself are all working to turn out the latest third estate sunday review. as usual on a saturday. but we took a break and c.i. had mentioned a post that would be going up at the common ills of a list that member dallas had compiled. when i heard about it, i thought it was important enough to post here as well. as does the third estate sunday review.
hopefully, it will help to get the word out on a very important topic. here is the post from the common ills.
Book: Stop the Next War Now: Effective Responses to Violence and Terrorism
Alice Walker
Medea Benjamin
Jodie Evans
Arundhati Roy
Camilo Mejia
Nancy Lessin
Cindy Sheehan
Carly Sheehan
Marti Hiken
MaryAnn Wright
Kit Gage
Patricia Foulkrod
Eve Ensler
Terry Tempest Williams
Rose Kabuye
Elise Boulding
Riane Eisler
Joan Almon
Catherine Ingram
Susan Griffin
Phyllis Bennis
Leslie Cagan
Fridea Berrigan
Eisha Mason
Rebecca Solnit
Diane Wilson
Marti Hiken
Becky Bond
Barbara Ehrenreich
Beth Osnes
Julia Ward Howe
Laura Flanders
Starhawk
Sonali Kolhatkar
Kavita N. Ramdas
Neela Marikkar
Sumaya Farhat-Naser
Gila Svirsky
Shirin Ebadi
Nurit Peled-Elhanan
Rabia Roberts
Jasmina Tesanovic
Pramila Jayapal
Mary Robinson
Helen Thomas
Gael Murphy
Katrina vanden Heuvel
Amy Goodman
Janine Jackson
Andrea Buffa
Nina Rothschild Utne
Tad Bartimus
Patricia Scott Schroeder
Doris "Granny D" Haddock
Chellie Pingree
Lynn Woolsey
Barbara Lee
Jody Williams
Noeleen Heyzer
Helen Caldicott
Randall Forsberg
Joseph Gerson
Gar Smith
Arianna Huffington
Julia Butterfly Hill
Jennifer Krill
Naomi Klein
Benazir Bhutto
Wangari Maathai
Aya de Leon
Alli Chagi-Starr
Holly Near
Juana Alicia
Kathryn Blume
Cynthia McKinney
Adrienne Maree Brwon
Sharon Salzberg
What is the above? A list of the people contributing to Stop the Next War Now which Dallas compiled and e-mailed in hoping it might interest some members in the book. Stop the Next War Now: Effective Responses to Violence and Terrorism is a book attempting to increase our understanding of possible solutions and responses.
As we noted on Wednesday:
Code Pink has a book out entitled How to Stop the Next War Now. For more information, see Code Pink or BuzzFlash. The book contains contributions from a number of women this community has noted and highlighted. Among the contributors: Medea Benjamin, Amy Goodman, Barbara Lee, Naomi Klein, Eve Ensler, Janeane Garofalo and Arianna Huffington.
Dallas ordered the book via BuzzFlash and he e-mailed this afternoon to pass on the list of contributors thinking it might raise interest in the book. I agree this is an important book. I hadn't thought of purchasing it online from Code Pink or BuzzFlash when I saw it in my local independent bookstore -- I don't think BuzzFlash had offered it yet as a premium because the first I knew of the book was when the cover caught my eye. Whether you purchase the book from an independent bookstore, Code Pink, BuzzFlash, or wherever you usually purchase your books, I'd urge you to consider purchasing it. And for those on limited funds, check your local libraries and utilize their inter or intra library loan programs.
There are responses other than drop bombs and starve off a population (of food or medical supplies). Our current administration knows only war. Which is why so many of us flinch when someone starts saying "We have to do something about ___" -- fill in the blank. In five years our world view has been dangerously warped and our options reduced to one: war.
Stop the Next War Now: Effective Responses to Violence and Terrorism is an attempt to raise our understanding and provide us with other tools. If it's not your "bag," that's fine. But, like Dallas, I feel strongly about the issue. As does Rebecca and The Third Estate Sunday Review which is why, with Dallas' permission, this entry will be posted at both of their sites as well.
5/06/2005
just got off the phone with ruth
members of the common ills know member ruth who files the morning edition report. this afternoon, my cell phone starts buzzing and it's jim of the third estate sunday review. do i have ruth's phone number? why, yes, why? (a palindrome!)
common ills community member isaiah was supposed to be profiled in this sunday's edition of the third estate sunday review. but he was begging off. he would do it if they couldn't fill the slot but he felt this was ruth's week to shine.
jim explained ruth had gotten linked by buzzflash today. isaiah saw that and asked jim if he could fall back a week and if we could let 'ruth shine because this should be her week.' what a sweet guy (and he will be profiled next week for anyone wondering).
so i call up ruth and do the hello-how-are-you dance before getting to the point. ruth quickly agreed and said she was touched by the third estate sunday review's interest and by isaiah's chivalry.
she had already heard about the buzzflash link but hadn't been able to log on because she keeps her grandson and he was already finished with his afternoon nap when the calls started coming in from her family.
i have so much i could say about ruth and about what we talked about but i don't want to spoil the upcoming profile so i'll just say ruth you earned it and everyone is proud of you.
gina and krista were just getting ready to distribute their gina & krista round-robin today when they learned the news and quickly wrote up a nice thing on ruth saluting her. so look for the profile this sunday (ruth will be interviewed saturday afternoon).
i want to quickly highlight some common ills community members. i'd said all week that i'd highlight the third estate sunday review. i did highlight 4 stories but i want to highlight 1 more (if i had the time, i'd highlight more than 1 more).
readers here know that i saw the e-mails sent to c.i. from 'paul' and 'dopey.' before i saw them, i had been read them because c.i. is the supreme 'in fairness' and will always assume the problem is within and not with someone else. so i heard them. then i saw them. and of course they were seen by the third estate sunday review before they wrote their send up of paul and dopey.
it is hilarious and it is true. (and i'm tribeca!) so read the send up and appreciate the kind of crap c.i. had to put up with. and note that c.i. did not work on that entry before 'paul' gets his panties in a wad.
i want to now note blog betty who has posted another entry and seems to be back in the swing of things. it is called 'Thomas Friedman is a one-man Sylvian Learning Institute' and it so funny. i loved picturing friedman in his jelly stained shortie robe zoning out in front of saved by the bell:
As I continued squeezing the prunes, he entertained me with tall tales of a florist downtown that had told him today that he was "the most incredible columnist in the world." Then he told of a baker who informed him that he was "the most incredible columnist in the world." As he was telling me of a cabbie, I interrupted to say, "Let me guess, he said you were the most incredible columnist in the world!"
Thomas Friedman looked so mad and so hurt. But he has worn that shortie robe all morning. Even after his grape jelly slid off his piece of toast while he watched his DVD of That Darn Cat! and I begged him to change it so I could clean the stain before it set.
also returning to the blog world this week was folding star and we really missed you folding star.
there's a lot of misinformation out there about the elections in england including that the country was voting for tony blair. that's not how their system works. if you're confused, get yourself on over to a winding road and read 'A Look at the British Election.' we missed you folding star, welcome back.
and let me close this entry down by noting the best, funniest, critique of elisabeth bumiller, c.i.'s
'Elite Fluff Patrol Squad Leader Elisabeth Bumiller reports for duty.' this is hilarious and you have to read it if you enjoy laughing:
Why this ham-fisted Wallace Boys tale? Maybe Bumillie felt Laura's "funnies" had emasculated her poster boy and his administration?
Maybe she was afraid Condi would pimp slap her?
Who knows why Bumillie ever does what she does? But did the Times really think this action/adventure yarn passed for reporting? Did no one wonder if Bumillie might need to tone it down? (Or is it that when you're the Elite Fluff Patrol squad leader, you don't take orders, you "damn" well give them!)
Purple prose straining for Mike Hammer but, with Bummiler's arrested development, only achieving the level of "young adult reader," this is truly bad "reporting."
If this is what access brings, someone cut her off, she's had more than enough. Can we get a designated driver?
common ills community member isaiah was supposed to be profiled in this sunday's edition of the third estate sunday review. but he was begging off. he would do it if they couldn't fill the slot but he felt this was ruth's week to shine.
jim explained ruth had gotten linked by buzzflash today. isaiah saw that and asked jim if he could fall back a week and if we could let 'ruth shine because this should be her week.' what a sweet guy (and he will be profiled next week for anyone wondering).
so i call up ruth and do the hello-how-are-you dance before getting to the point. ruth quickly agreed and said she was touched by the third estate sunday review's interest and by isaiah's chivalry.
she had already heard about the buzzflash link but hadn't been able to log on because she keeps her grandson and he was already finished with his afternoon nap when the calls started coming in from her family.
i have so much i could say about ruth and about what we talked about but i don't want to spoil the upcoming profile so i'll just say ruth you earned it and everyone is proud of you.
gina and krista were just getting ready to distribute their gina & krista round-robin today when they learned the news and quickly wrote up a nice thing on ruth saluting her. so look for the profile this sunday (ruth will be interviewed saturday afternoon).
i want to quickly highlight some common ills community members. i'd said all week that i'd highlight the third estate sunday review. i did highlight 4 stories but i want to highlight 1 more (if i had the time, i'd highlight more than 1 more).
readers here know that i saw the e-mails sent to c.i. from 'paul' and 'dopey.' before i saw them, i had been read them because c.i. is the supreme 'in fairness' and will always assume the problem is within and not with someone else. so i heard them. then i saw them. and of course they were seen by the third estate sunday review before they wrote their send up of paul and dopey.
it is hilarious and it is true. (and i'm tribeca!) so read the send up and appreciate the kind of crap c.i. had to put up with. and note that c.i. did not work on that entry before 'paul' gets his panties in a wad.
i want to now note blog betty who has posted another entry and seems to be back in the swing of things. it is called 'Thomas Friedman is a one-man Sylvian Learning Institute' and it so funny. i loved picturing friedman in his jelly stained shortie robe zoning out in front of saved by the bell:
As I continued squeezing the prunes, he entertained me with tall tales of a florist downtown that had told him today that he was "the most incredible columnist in the world." Then he told of a baker who informed him that he was "the most incredible columnist in the world." As he was telling me of a cabbie, I interrupted to say, "Let me guess, he said you were the most incredible columnist in the world!"
Thomas Friedman looked so mad and so hurt. But he has worn that shortie robe all morning. Even after his grape jelly slid off his piece of toast while he watched his DVD of That Darn Cat! and I begged him to change it so I could clean the stain before it set.
also returning to the blog world this week was folding star and we really missed you folding star.
there's a lot of misinformation out there about the elections in england including that the country was voting for tony blair. that's not how their system works. if you're confused, get yourself on over to a winding road and read 'A Look at the British Election.' we missed you folding star, welcome back.
and let me close this entry down by noting the best, funniest, critique of elisabeth bumiller, c.i.'s
'Elite Fluff Patrol Squad Leader Elisabeth Bumiller reports for duty.' this is hilarious and you have to read it if you enjoy laughing:
Why this ham-fisted Wallace Boys tale? Maybe Bumillie felt Laura's "funnies" had emasculated her poster boy and his administration?
Maybe she was afraid Condi would pimp slap her?
Who knows why Bumillie ever does what she does? But did the Times really think this action/adventure yarn passed for reporting? Did no one wonder if Bumillie might need to tone it down? (Or is it that when you're the Elite Fluff Patrol squad leader, you don't take orders, you "damn" well give them!)
Purple prose straining for Mike Hammer but, with Bummiler's arrested development, only achieving the level of "young adult reader," this is truly bad "reporting."
If this is what access brings, someone cut her off, she's had more than enough. Can we get a designated driver?
5/05/2005
fair wants you to help pbs and npr, i will 1 more time read on to find out why
an action alert from fair is what we will open with:
As a private, non-profit institution, the CPB is tasked by Congress to distribute funds to public broadcasters with a view toward balance. Although it was intended to shield public broadcasting from political influence, the CPB has long since become a mechanism for transmitting Congress' ideological desires to public broadcasters.
Tomlinson says the CPB is only trying to rectify liberal bias in public television-- a dubious role for an official tasked with shielding public broadcasters from prevailing political winds. But Tomlinson has presented little evidence of any pervasive left-wing bias in public broadcasting; infact, his only specific criticisms seem to be aimed at the program Now, which was, until recently, hosted by Bill Moyers.
Tomlinson was instrumental in the development and funding of the Journal Editorial Report, a program that features the Wall Street Journal's hard-right editorial board and was supposed to be a "balance" to Now (although unlike the Editorial Report, Now frequently had guests whose views differed from those of the show's producers). The CPB's ideological influence has grown as it has become increasingly staffed by White House-friendly board members and officials. In addition to Tomlinson, major Republican Party donors Cheryl Halpern and Gay Hart Gaines were added to the board in 2003.
Earlier this year Ken Ferree, a former aide to FCC chair Michael Powell, was made both chief operating officer and interim president of the CPB.
where am i on pbs? i tend to agree with c.i. about pbs. there are many ways you can respond to an attack (and haven't we all learned a lot about attacks in the last week?). my response is to meet it head on. c.i.'s response is to let it roll down the back and try to take the high road as long as that's possible. but what pbs has done is nothing like either option.
they have repeatedly responded to attacks. hey, i'm all for response. but their response has been to cower and say 'we'll do more right wing programming!'
time and again, they don't take my approach and fight back publicly. they don't take c.i.'s approach and try to blow it off. they instead respond each time by going more and more right.
think about gays and lesbians and transgendereds for a moment. where are they on tv?
don't give me will & grace or that ellen has a talk show.
there are how many hetro couples on tv? fictional or real. (though let me tell you, as some 1 who worked in p.r. some of the 'real' are indeed fictional.)
or take african-americans. where are they on abc, nbc, and cbs?
people diahann carroll made news in the 60s by starring in her own sitcom.
the point is that for all the fretting and whining, tv has gotten whiter, straighter and entire groups in this country, people who are a part of this country too, are not represented on tv.
public television is supposed to represent those people. it is supposed to give voice to groups that would not be able to be heard otherwise.
and yet pbs cowers and freaks over a segment of arthur called 'postcards for buster.' if you've never seen it, it's a brief little segment, live action, that rounds out the cartoon. buster goes and visits some kids and meets their parents. so buster meeting a kid who had 2 mommies was just too much for pbs?
pbs could have pulled a me and said 'fuck you margaret spelling we're showing this episode and all our viewers we need your support on this! the right wing is attacking us nonstop.' or pbs could have pulled a c.i. and not commented on spelling at all but aired the program. instead, most stations killed it and the 1s that showed it tended to show it late night, not exactly a thriving hour for kiddie tv but i imagine there must be a few insomniac children who were pleased. they also publicly backed down all but falling to their knees and begging for forgiveness.
as the third estate sunday review pointed out early on when they interviewed a college student (straight, not that it matters) who had two mothers, that college student is an american too. his life experience, his family, is just as valid and just as important as any other americans.
pbs caved. as it has done repeatedly. so it's easy for me to understand why people feel like what is the point for fighting for pbs when they'll only turn around and stab the left in the back again?
we're supposed to drop everything and once again rally to the defense of pbs which each year gets more and more right wing and less and less real (forget left, they aren't even real).
there are serious issues to address.
and as many have noted, democracy now does more news and more reality on a tiny fraction of the budget that goes into pbs's newshour. so i mean, what if we took this energy and poured it into something useful like democracy now?
as common ills community member ruth pointed out on npr (not pbs) diane rehm did address the topic. i listend to the show via the link ruth provided. it was an objective and informative discussion and, sadly, about all we can expect from pbs or npr. that's not meant to blow off diane rehm. that is to note that she is a brave lioness of npr and 1 of the few who will have serious discussions. renee and steve on morning edition want to giggle and laugh and tell their little jokes in a manner that reminds me of the david hartman days of good morning america. now if bob edwards were still on npr instead of renee and steve (some sort of move to get the o.c. crowd, i'd guess), we could probably count on him to address the topic as well. but all we've got is diane. i mean thank the lord, buddah and anyone else for diane.
i'll take part in fair's action alert and i'll do it for 2 reasons. i support fair and i appreciate that diane rehm didn't cower like the rest of the pbs and npr crowd. hey terry gross, where are you?
seriously. do you tape your shows that far in advance that you can't address this topic? did the slap down from jeffrey dvorkin last year leave a scar?
yawn-fest cokie roberts, from ruth i've learned that although you act as the rona barrett of pbs, your actual title is 'political analyst.' are you going to leave the whispers and chatters and conventional wisdom safety zone long enough to offer an analysis of the politics of the attack on pbs and npr?
i doubt it. thank god for diane. for diane and for fair, i'll participate. if any of you don't want to, that's your business and i won't fault you for it. but, if like me, you're thankful that there is 1 brave voice left at npr, then consider doing it for diane.
if you listen to the show (go to ruth's post for the link), you'll hear this idiot call in with a thick southern accent claiming to like diane's show but she 'and that terry gross' are way, way left of him. diane handled the call with her usual professionalism and let him have his say. (no 'shut up!' screams a la o'lielly.) but the fact that he thinks diane or terry is a flaming lefty shows how badly npr and pbs have handled this from day 1. only by moving right could centerists trying to be objective be considered flaming lefties.
pbs and npr created their own mess. i'll help them out 1 more time because of diane rehm. if you feel like you can do it for diane, then please go to fair and participate. if you can't, i won't blame you.
pbs and npr are like women trapped in a bad, abusive marriage that keep showing up at your home after midnight bloodied and bruised. you take them in, you offer them a place to stay. then you come home a few days later to find a note that says 'i'm going back to him, i really think i can make it work because he's changed.' after awhile, you grow weary of opening your home to some 1 who refuses to change or take control of your life. you feel for the plight they are in but you realize you have to focus elsewhere.
but sometimes, a woman needs several attempts to finally leave. so maybe this is pbs and npr's wake up call? i doubt it. but diane rehm realizes what it is and she's addressed it on her show.
terry gross and the others will gladly go back saying 'just don't hit me so hard, pretty please.' there may be no hope for them. but for diane, i will support fair in their action. if you can't, i understand.
As a private, non-profit institution, the CPB is tasked by Congress to distribute funds to public broadcasters with a view toward balance. Although it was intended to shield public broadcasting from political influence, the CPB has long since become a mechanism for transmitting Congress' ideological desires to public broadcasters.
Tomlinson says the CPB is only trying to rectify liberal bias in public television-- a dubious role for an official tasked with shielding public broadcasters from prevailing political winds. But Tomlinson has presented little evidence of any pervasive left-wing bias in public broadcasting; infact, his only specific criticisms seem to be aimed at the program Now, which was, until recently, hosted by Bill Moyers.
Tomlinson was instrumental in the development and funding of the Journal Editorial Report, a program that features the Wall Street Journal's hard-right editorial board and was supposed to be a "balance" to Now (although unlike the Editorial Report, Now frequently had guests whose views differed from those of the show's producers). The CPB's ideological influence has grown as it has become increasingly staffed by White House-friendly board members and officials. In addition to Tomlinson, major Republican Party donors Cheryl Halpern and Gay Hart Gaines were added to the board in 2003.
Earlier this year Ken Ferree, a former aide to FCC chair Michael Powell, was made both chief operating officer and interim president of the CPB.
where am i on pbs? i tend to agree with c.i. about pbs. there are many ways you can respond to an attack (and haven't we all learned a lot about attacks in the last week?). my response is to meet it head on. c.i.'s response is to let it roll down the back and try to take the high road as long as that's possible. but what pbs has done is nothing like either option.
they have repeatedly responded to attacks. hey, i'm all for response. but their response has been to cower and say 'we'll do more right wing programming!'
time and again, they don't take my approach and fight back publicly. they don't take c.i.'s approach and try to blow it off. they instead respond each time by going more and more right.
think about gays and lesbians and transgendereds for a moment. where are they on tv?
don't give me will & grace or that ellen has a talk show.
there are how many hetro couples on tv? fictional or real. (though let me tell you, as some 1 who worked in p.r. some of the 'real' are indeed fictional.)
or take african-americans. where are they on abc, nbc, and cbs?
people diahann carroll made news in the 60s by starring in her own sitcom.
the point is that for all the fretting and whining, tv has gotten whiter, straighter and entire groups in this country, people who are a part of this country too, are not represented on tv.
public television is supposed to represent those people. it is supposed to give voice to groups that would not be able to be heard otherwise.
and yet pbs cowers and freaks over a segment of arthur called 'postcards for buster.' if you've never seen it, it's a brief little segment, live action, that rounds out the cartoon. buster goes and visits some kids and meets their parents. so buster meeting a kid who had 2 mommies was just too much for pbs?
pbs could have pulled a me and said 'fuck you margaret spelling we're showing this episode and all our viewers we need your support on this! the right wing is attacking us nonstop.' or pbs could have pulled a c.i. and not commented on spelling at all but aired the program. instead, most stations killed it and the 1s that showed it tended to show it late night, not exactly a thriving hour for kiddie tv but i imagine there must be a few insomniac children who were pleased. they also publicly backed down all but falling to their knees and begging for forgiveness.
as the third estate sunday review pointed out early on when they interviewed a college student (straight, not that it matters) who had two mothers, that college student is an american too. his life experience, his family, is just as valid and just as important as any other americans.
pbs caved. as it has done repeatedly. so it's easy for me to understand why people feel like what is the point for fighting for pbs when they'll only turn around and stab the left in the back again?
we're supposed to drop everything and once again rally to the defense of pbs which each year gets more and more right wing and less and less real (forget left, they aren't even real).
there are serious issues to address.
and as many have noted, democracy now does more news and more reality on a tiny fraction of the budget that goes into pbs's newshour. so i mean, what if we took this energy and poured it into something useful like democracy now?
as common ills community member ruth pointed out on npr (not pbs) diane rehm did address the topic. i listend to the show via the link ruth provided. it was an objective and informative discussion and, sadly, about all we can expect from pbs or npr. that's not meant to blow off diane rehm. that is to note that she is a brave lioness of npr and 1 of the few who will have serious discussions. renee and steve on morning edition want to giggle and laugh and tell their little jokes in a manner that reminds me of the david hartman days of good morning america. now if bob edwards were still on npr instead of renee and steve (some sort of move to get the o.c. crowd, i'd guess), we could probably count on him to address the topic as well. but all we've got is diane. i mean thank the lord, buddah and anyone else for diane.
i'll take part in fair's action alert and i'll do it for 2 reasons. i support fair and i appreciate that diane rehm didn't cower like the rest of the pbs and npr crowd. hey terry gross, where are you?
seriously. do you tape your shows that far in advance that you can't address this topic? did the slap down from jeffrey dvorkin last year leave a scar?
yawn-fest cokie roberts, from ruth i've learned that although you act as the rona barrett of pbs, your actual title is 'political analyst.' are you going to leave the whispers and chatters and conventional wisdom safety zone long enough to offer an analysis of the politics of the attack on pbs and npr?
i doubt it. thank god for diane. for diane and for fair, i'll participate. if any of you don't want to, that's your business and i won't fault you for it. but, if like me, you're thankful that there is 1 brave voice left at npr, then consider doing it for diane.
if you listen to the show (go to ruth's post for the link), you'll hear this idiot call in with a thick southern accent claiming to like diane's show but she 'and that terry gross' are way, way left of him. diane handled the call with her usual professionalism and let him have his say. (no 'shut up!' screams a la o'lielly.) but the fact that he thinks diane or terry is a flaming lefty shows how badly npr and pbs have handled this from day 1. only by moving right could centerists trying to be objective be considered flaming lefties.
pbs and npr created their own mess. i'll help them out 1 more time because of diane rehm. if you feel like you can do it for diane, then please go to fair and participate. if you can't, i won't blame you.
pbs and npr are like women trapped in a bad, abusive marriage that keep showing up at your home after midnight bloodied and bruised. you take them in, you offer them a place to stay. then you come home a few days later to find a note that says 'i'm going back to him, i really think i can make it work because he's changed.' after awhile, you grow weary of opening your home to some 1 who refuses to change or take control of your life. you feel for the plight they are in but you realize you have to focus elsewhere.
but sometimes, a woman needs several attempts to finally leave. so maybe this is pbs and npr's wake up call? i doubt it. but diane rehm realizes what it is and she's addressed it on her show.
terry gross and the others will gladly go back saying 'just don't hit me so hard, pretty please.' there may be no hope for them. but for diane, i will support fair in their action. if you can't, i understand.
5/04/2005
blog betty and articles from the recent 3rd estate sunday review spotlighted
yesterday i highlighted folding star's book review of jane fonda's my life so far and this evening i'm going to highlight other community members of the common ills.
in really great news, blog betty is blogging again at thomas friedman is a great man. as my readers and those who get the gina & krista round-robin or those who read the third estate sunday review know, betty was very bothered by the events/attacks of last week. betty wasn't sure she even wanted to blog anymore.
i got the inside scoop from betty today. she wrote up the 'drama kind of' in her entry 'back from my days of wine and roses.' it worked out because, for those not paying attention of who may have missed the blog, betty writes a humorous blog. the basic story is bettina lives with thomas friedman. bettina doesn't remember much about her previous life. she has fleeting memories from time to time when she's not being pumped with 'vitamins' or when she is on new 'vitamins.'
and recently, she became the writer of thomas friedman's op-eds. he was happy to farm out the work so that he could go around hawking his new book (which didn't make it to number 1 - nah nah nah) (jane fonda's my life so far has had 2 weeks at number 1).
so in last night's installment, something's happened but bettina can't remember what. she knows thomas friedman and nicky k (nicholas kristof) are trying to force her to write what they want her to write. sound familiar?
It was getting very ugly but I just took my vitamins and watched. It was like I was floating and not in the room. Thomas Friedman walked over to Nicky K. and struck him. Nicky K. cried and squealed, "How dare you!" Thomas Friedman said, "You keep whining like a little bitch and I will treat you like one."
Nicky K. whimpered and groveled and Thomas Friedman forgave him. By that time, I had taken half the bottle of pills.
I have to get to work on Thomas Friedman's column. Thomas Friedman tells me I must have done in less than an hour because it must make tomorrow's paper.Hearing that, I swallowed the rest of the pills in the bottle and said, "All gone-gone."
For some reason that was so funny to me. I laughed and laughed.
Then I licked my finger and used it to swipe any residue of vitamins left in the bottle.
so please visit betty's blog if you haven't already. she's a great voice and i'm glad she's not going to be silenced due to a couple of assholes.
now i'm going to turn to the third estate sunday review.
i want to note 3 things from it tonight.
first, as you should know, jane fonda's monster-in-law opens may 13th. in the lead up to the release of jane fonda's first film in 15 years, and her first comedy comedy in 25 years, the third estate sunday review has been reviewing some of her previous comedies.
this sunday, cat ballou was reviewed. i helped with that review and think it turned out pretty good:
Fonda's up for the challenge. As the anchor holding the film together, she provides both the gravity and the light touch and drives the film. Fonda had been the film lead in American films before, in "sex comedies." In the time period, that largely meant you were interested in romance and more but you strongly guarded your virginity. A lot of actresses were capable of that, a lot of actresses weren't capable of more than that. Given her chance to drive a film as the lead, not the female lead, Fonda proves she's to what it takes. (Marvin won his Oscar for best supporting actor.)
Being a 1965 film, sadly, she has to guard that maidenhead but thankfully, Cat Ballou has other things on her mind. Avenging the death of her father being chief among them. She's also got to keep the rag tag band that makes up her "posse" together. But again, her physcality has to be noted. The tension she brings to her body in a potential love scene on the train, the way she's jerkily extending herself only to pull back, prepares the audience for the moment early on when Cat will have to make a choice. It's the body movements as much as the lines they keep you from being shocked when school marm Cat suddenly turns into outlaw of the west. Near the end of the picture, there's a slow walk to a knoose that could go overboard into Joan of Arc-ness but, even then, Fonda had the steady touch and knew how to hold her head and carry herself so that you root for her instead of giving up hope and thinking, "They're going to kill that girl!"
ava and c.i. reviewed the jane fonda and robert redford film the electric horseman:
Don't miss the scene where Hallie's pressed to reveal her source. Fonda plays it perfectly. Hallie realizes where it's going and she's not backing down. Think about Judith Miller's various public pleas, The Charlie Rose Show for one, where she tries to manage the grit and sweetness combo that Sally Field can toss off without breaking a sweat. If Miller didn't veer between that extreme and her infamous bravado ("I was proved fucking right!"), if she showed some of the spirit Fonda's Hallie does, she might make you give a damn about her plight.
Hallie's not playing it modest, but her argument is for a free press. With Miller's public announcements, it never veers from the personal, the I-Judith! (And no matter how she strives for gamine, the fact is Miller's not very likeable and she has her own reporting to blame for that.)We tried to picture how a remake of this film might play out today. (Fonda's Fun With Dick and Jane is being remade.) Brad Pitt would artfully put a straw in his mouth and attempt to look grave while being shot as though Bruce Weber was the cinematographer. Julia Roberts (she's still the only true female star/ leading lady Hollywood's produced in the last two decades -- shh!, don't tell Reese Witherspoon!) would scrunch her brow and try to look serious before breaking out into the smile she's famous for. (Or maybe she'd go the "character route" she went for when she did team with Pitt in The Mexican -- and come off as a dull nag.)
i love ava & c.i.'s writing. they can find something in a film (or tv show) that others might not notice and they can put it into perspective in a fun and educational way that is completely the opposite of the 'cold, historical' approach of so many reviewers. (that's a quote from kat who loves their reviews as much as i do and notes how their reviews are always political and from a feminist perspective).
the third thing i wanted to highlight was the article on gina and krista. if you read their round-robin, you know how great they are. but if you don't, or if you do but want more, check out this article:
From those two, it continued to grow. Currently on Fridays, it goes out to 512 members.
"Krista and I e-mail back and forth all week. On Fridays, we pick what we think were our best discussions and grab some of that. It's another way to look at the issues. And we include inside gossip like Ruth's son's getting married Saturday morning. Or KeShawn's new baby. It's a way for members to get another view about each other."
"And The Apprentice!" Krista adds laughing.
"It's such trash," Gina picks up, "but we are obsessed with that show. Our headline for our two paragraph review of the episode this week was 'nbc to bully boy, you're fired!' So it's just our back and forth. And currently we're arguing over who's going to win."Each round-robin ends with resources for issues and activism. That's as much "footnoting" as they intend to do "because this is just us talking."
They also do sneak peaks of upcoming items. Rebecca might explain what her upcoming themes will probably be for the next week. Betty will answer questions about the outline she's working from. We'll usually let them know what we'll be reviewing here.
i'm a little tired today and, honestly, a little depressed. monday and tuesday, reading the new york times, i saw that polio was on the march again. we've never found a cure for cancer or aids or most diseases. but i thought we'd stamped out polio. now it just seems like we did in developed countries only. once again, it's all about them that's got shall get, them that's not . . .
in really great news, blog betty is blogging again at thomas friedman is a great man. as my readers and those who get the gina & krista round-robin or those who read the third estate sunday review know, betty was very bothered by the events/attacks of last week. betty wasn't sure she even wanted to blog anymore.
i got the inside scoop from betty today. she wrote up the 'drama kind of' in her entry 'back from my days of wine and roses.' it worked out because, for those not paying attention of who may have missed the blog, betty writes a humorous blog. the basic story is bettina lives with thomas friedman. bettina doesn't remember much about her previous life. she has fleeting memories from time to time when she's not being pumped with 'vitamins' or when she is on new 'vitamins.'
and recently, she became the writer of thomas friedman's op-eds. he was happy to farm out the work so that he could go around hawking his new book (which didn't make it to number 1 - nah nah nah) (jane fonda's my life so far has had 2 weeks at number 1).
so in last night's installment, something's happened but bettina can't remember what. she knows thomas friedman and nicky k (nicholas kristof) are trying to force her to write what they want her to write. sound familiar?
It was getting very ugly but I just took my vitamins and watched. It was like I was floating and not in the room. Thomas Friedman walked over to Nicky K. and struck him. Nicky K. cried and squealed, "How dare you!" Thomas Friedman said, "You keep whining like a little bitch and I will treat you like one."
Nicky K. whimpered and groveled and Thomas Friedman forgave him. By that time, I had taken half the bottle of pills.
I have to get to work on Thomas Friedman's column. Thomas Friedman tells me I must have done in less than an hour because it must make tomorrow's paper.Hearing that, I swallowed the rest of the pills in the bottle and said, "All gone-gone."
For some reason that was so funny to me. I laughed and laughed.
Then I licked my finger and used it to swipe any residue of vitamins left in the bottle.
so please visit betty's blog if you haven't already. she's a great voice and i'm glad she's not going to be silenced due to a couple of assholes.
now i'm going to turn to the third estate sunday review.
i want to note 3 things from it tonight.
first, as you should know, jane fonda's monster-in-law opens may 13th. in the lead up to the release of jane fonda's first film in 15 years, and her first comedy comedy in 25 years, the third estate sunday review has been reviewing some of her previous comedies.
this sunday, cat ballou was reviewed. i helped with that review and think it turned out pretty good:
Fonda's up for the challenge. As the anchor holding the film together, she provides both the gravity and the light touch and drives the film. Fonda had been the film lead in American films before, in "sex comedies." In the time period, that largely meant you were interested in romance and more but you strongly guarded your virginity. A lot of actresses were capable of that, a lot of actresses weren't capable of more than that. Given her chance to drive a film as the lead, not the female lead, Fonda proves she's to what it takes. (Marvin won his Oscar for best supporting actor.)
Being a 1965 film, sadly, she has to guard that maidenhead but thankfully, Cat Ballou has other things on her mind. Avenging the death of her father being chief among them. She's also got to keep the rag tag band that makes up her "posse" together. But again, her physcality has to be noted. The tension she brings to her body in a potential love scene on the train, the way she's jerkily extending herself only to pull back, prepares the audience for the moment early on when Cat will have to make a choice. It's the body movements as much as the lines they keep you from being shocked when school marm Cat suddenly turns into outlaw of the west. Near the end of the picture, there's a slow walk to a knoose that could go overboard into Joan of Arc-ness but, even then, Fonda had the steady touch and knew how to hold her head and carry herself so that you root for her instead of giving up hope and thinking, "They're going to kill that girl!"
ava and c.i. reviewed the jane fonda and robert redford film the electric horseman:
Don't miss the scene where Hallie's pressed to reveal her source. Fonda plays it perfectly. Hallie realizes where it's going and she's not backing down. Think about Judith Miller's various public pleas, The Charlie Rose Show for one, where she tries to manage the grit and sweetness combo that Sally Field can toss off without breaking a sweat. If Miller didn't veer between that extreme and her infamous bravado ("I was proved fucking right!"), if she showed some of the spirit Fonda's Hallie does, she might make you give a damn about her plight.
Hallie's not playing it modest, but her argument is for a free press. With Miller's public announcements, it never veers from the personal, the I-Judith! (And no matter how she strives for gamine, the fact is Miller's not very likeable and she has her own reporting to blame for that.)We tried to picture how a remake of this film might play out today. (Fonda's Fun With Dick and Jane is being remade.) Brad Pitt would artfully put a straw in his mouth and attempt to look grave while being shot as though Bruce Weber was the cinematographer. Julia Roberts (she's still the only true female star/ leading lady Hollywood's produced in the last two decades -- shh!, don't tell Reese Witherspoon!) would scrunch her brow and try to look serious before breaking out into the smile she's famous for. (Or maybe she'd go the "character route" she went for when she did team with Pitt in The Mexican -- and come off as a dull nag.)
i love ava & c.i.'s writing. they can find something in a film (or tv show) that others might not notice and they can put it into perspective in a fun and educational way that is completely the opposite of the 'cold, historical' approach of so many reviewers. (that's a quote from kat who loves their reviews as much as i do and notes how their reviews are always political and from a feminist perspective).
the third thing i wanted to highlight was the article on gina and krista. if you read their round-robin, you know how great they are. but if you don't, or if you do but want more, check out this article:
From those two, it continued to grow. Currently on Fridays, it goes out to 512 members.
"Krista and I e-mail back and forth all week. On Fridays, we pick what we think were our best discussions and grab some of that. It's another way to look at the issues. And we include inside gossip like Ruth's son's getting married Saturday morning. Or KeShawn's new baby. It's a way for members to get another view about each other."
"And The Apprentice!" Krista adds laughing.
"It's such trash," Gina picks up, "but we are obsessed with that show. Our headline for our two paragraph review of the episode this week was 'nbc to bully boy, you're fired!' So it's just our back and forth. And currently we're arguing over who's going to win."Each round-robin ends with resources for issues and activism. That's as much "footnoting" as they intend to do "because this is just us talking."
They also do sneak peaks of upcoming items. Rebecca might explain what her upcoming themes will probably be for the next week. Betty will answer questions about the outline she's working from. We'll usually let them know what we'll be reviewing here.
i'm a little tired today and, honestly, a little depressed. monday and tuesday, reading the new york times, i saw that polio was on the march again. we've never found a cure for cancer or aids or most diseases. but i thought we'd stamped out polio. now it just seems like we did in developed countries only. once again, it's all about them that's got shall get, them that's not . . .
5/03/2005
folding star reviews jane fonda's my life so far
so c.i. e-mails me yesterday to ask if i'd known that folding star had reviewed jane fonda's my life so far? i had no idea.
we're both going to try to highlight it.
folding star's book chats come late (for me anyway) saturdays. usually i'm either finishing a 'date' or else already helping the third estate sunday review with their latest edition in any way i can.
after an all nighter with that, i don't even turn on the computer on sunday unless i get on to blog.
when it's time to check up on what i've missed it's usually late monday night or early tuesday morning. and i don't usually go backwards unless i've got an e-mail asking me what i thought about something written.
so honestly, i often miss folding star's book chats. i love them. if they posted earlier on saturday, i'd read them all the time.
but i missed the review of jane fonda's book. so here it is:
The other great book I read since my last Book Chat was Jane Fonda's autobiography, My Life So Far.
I got so caught up in this book that hours would slip by unnoticed. I had several nights of little sleep because I'd pick it up to read in bed, just for a little while, and the next thing I'd know it would be close to four a.m.!
It's the most incredibly forthright autobiography I've ever read. Fonda opens herself up to the reader in very honest ways, exploring her difficult relationship with her father, her reaction to her mother's suicide, her three marriages, her film career, her struggles with bulima and low self esteem, and her actions during the Vietnam War in intimate detail.
The ultimate portrait is one of a human being who's made plenty of mistakes but who has come to know herself and believe in herself at last, not to mention someone who has the courage of her convictions and works to make this world a better place.
I picked up the book feeling I knew Fonda well enough. I'd liked her from the time I was a small kid, when 9 to 5 was one of my favorite movies. I didn't consciously get the very powerful message of the film at the time, of course, but I couldn't get enough of the movie itself. The humor of the movie appealed to me, even though, looking back, I realize how much of it was over my young head.
But after reading the book, I realized how little I'd known about this amazing woman, about her commitments to making a difference in the world, about her own personal struggles to know and love herself that are all too relatable to many of us and that I never would have imagined that someone like Jane Fonda had to deal with.
Every aspect of her story is told to help those who may be dealing with similar feelings and circumstances. Even in the telling of her life story, Fonda is reaching out to others, trying to help.
Her chapters on the Vietnam war and in particular the US Government's actions against her during that time are not to be missed, either, for anyone who may not be aware of that part of our country's history. It will also read as all too familiar a picture when compared to the current situation our country finds itself in.
I honestly think that, whatever your feelings for Fonda may be, if you give this book a chance you'll be shocked at what you take away from it.
that's from folding star who does the blog a winding road.
for those who don't know, jane fonda's book has been number 1 on the new york times book list 2 weeks in a row now. if you haven't checked it out yet, you should.
also, for those who don't know, folding star's had some bad news all around. the attacks on c.i.
came at the wrong time and fs really isn't into blogging of late. i know we all handled it in our own way and i'm hopeful that folding star and betty (thomas friedman is a great man) will both begin blogging again soon.
we're both going to try to highlight it.
folding star's book chats come late (for me anyway) saturdays. usually i'm either finishing a 'date' or else already helping the third estate sunday review with their latest edition in any way i can.
after an all nighter with that, i don't even turn on the computer on sunday unless i get on to blog.
when it's time to check up on what i've missed it's usually late monday night or early tuesday morning. and i don't usually go backwards unless i've got an e-mail asking me what i thought about something written.
so honestly, i often miss folding star's book chats. i love them. if they posted earlier on saturday, i'd read them all the time.
but i missed the review of jane fonda's book. so here it is:
The other great book I read since my last Book Chat was Jane Fonda's autobiography, My Life So Far.
I got so caught up in this book that hours would slip by unnoticed. I had several nights of little sleep because I'd pick it up to read in bed, just for a little while, and the next thing I'd know it would be close to four a.m.!
It's the most incredibly forthright autobiography I've ever read. Fonda opens herself up to the reader in very honest ways, exploring her difficult relationship with her father, her reaction to her mother's suicide, her three marriages, her film career, her struggles with bulima and low self esteem, and her actions during the Vietnam War in intimate detail.
The ultimate portrait is one of a human being who's made plenty of mistakes but who has come to know herself and believe in herself at last, not to mention someone who has the courage of her convictions and works to make this world a better place.
I picked up the book feeling I knew Fonda well enough. I'd liked her from the time I was a small kid, when 9 to 5 was one of my favorite movies. I didn't consciously get the very powerful message of the film at the time, of course, but I couldn't get enough of the movie itself. The humor of the movie appealed to me, even though, looking back, I realize how much of it was over my young head.
But after reading the book, I realized how little I'd known about this amazing woman, about her commitments to making a difference in the world, about her own personal struggles to know and love herself that are all too relatable to many of us and that I never would have imagined that someone like Jane Fonda had to deal with.
Every aspect of her story is told to help those who may be dealing with similar feelings and circumstances. Even in the telling of her life story, Fonda is reaching out to others, trying to help.
Her chapters on the Vietnam war and in particular the US Government's actions against her during that time are not to be missed, either, for anyone who may not be aware of that part of our country's history. It will also read as all too familiar a picture when compared to the current situation our country finds itself in.
I honestly think that, whatever your feelings for Fonda may be, if you give this book a chance you'll be shocked at what you take away from it.
that's from folding star who does the blog a winding road.
for those who don't know, jane fonda's book has been number 1 on the new york times book list 2 weeks in a row now. if you haven't checked it out yet, you should.
also, for those who don't know, folding star's had some bad news all around. the attacks on c.i.
came at the wrong time and fs really isn't into blogging of late. i know we all handled it in our own way and i'm hopeful that folding star and betty (thomas friedman is a great man) will both begin blogging again soon.
isaiah the common ills new cartoonist
as readers of the gina & krista round robin already knew, the common ills was getting it's own cartoonist. community member isaiah will be contributing editorial cartoons from time to time.
when i spoke with isaiah, i asked him to tell me something he hadn't told gina and krista because i didn't want to blow their round-robin.
so isaiah told me that first off, he's working in ergo soft staedtler water color pencils for his editorial cartoon. it will be called 'the world today: just nuts.'
he said he's nervous about whether or not the community will enjoy it. i assured him that all contributions are appreciated and since no one's doing anything visual at the common ills currently, he'll be setting the pace for members. (any of the member who does a visual there after will judged based on what isaiah's contributed.)
isaiah said that no 1 had asked him what he felt his strengths were. so i asked, 'what are you strengths' because i can take a hint!
isaiah said foregrounds will always be stronger than backgrounds.
the 1st cartoon is based on condi rice's statements and attitude towards latin america which made her a 'bully to do the bully boy proud' isaiah notes. the cartoon was done on friday and sent in on saturday but delayed as c.i. attempted to figure out which program would work with blogger (not a lot will). the hope was to have it up on sunday but there wasn't time to do some training (i was c.i.'s teacher so blame me for any errors or mistakes).
i asked isaiah if he'd ever be willing to do anything for me (like ... a really hot drawing of christian parenti or dahr jamail!) and he said to give him some time and he would try it but his cartoons are 'cartoony' and probably wouldn't be what i was looking for.
i think they're great. (i've seen two others that may go up at the common ills. may because isaiah just sent those in to share with c.i. and hadn't intended that they be posted.)
i asked isaiah what his inspiration was and he said the news for the subject and in terms of arts 'tons of comic books and mad magazines when i was a kid.'
i hope every 1 will make a point to check out what isaiah will be doing over at the common ills. gina & krista's round-robin will contain the first cartoon as an attachment you can download so look for that in your inboxes friday.
when i spoke with isaiah, i asked him to tell me something he hadn't told gina and krista because i didn't want to blow their round-robin.
so isaiah told me that first off, he's working in ergo soft staedtler water color pencils for his editorial cartoon. it will be called 'the world today: just nuts.'
he said he's nervous about whether or not the community will enjoy it. i assured him that all contributions are appreciated and since no one's doing anything visual at the common ills currently, he'll be setting the pace for members. (any of the member who does a visual there after will judged based on what isaiah's contributed.)
isaiah said that no 1 had asked him what he felt his strengths were. so i asked, 'what are you strengths' because i can take a hint!
isaiah said foregrounds will always be stronger than backgrounds.
the 1st cartoon is based on condi rice's statements and attitude towards latin america which made her a 'bully to do the bully boy proud' isaiah notes. the cartoon was done on friday and sent in on saturday but delayed as c.i. attempted to figure out which program would work with blogger (not a lot will). the hope was to have it up on sunday but there wasn't time to do some training (i was c.i.'s teacher so blame me for any errors or mistakes).
i asked isaiah if he'd ever be willing to do anything for me (like ... a really hot drawing of christian parenti or dahr jamail!) and he said to give him some time and he would try it but his cartoons are 'cartoony' and probably wouldn't be what i was looking for.
i think they're great. (i've seen two others that may go up at the common ills. may because isaiah just sent those in to share with c.i. and hadn't intended that they be posted.)
i asked isaiah what his inspiration was and he said the news for the subject and in terms of arts 'tons of comic books and mad magazines when i was a kid.'
i hope every 1 will make a point to check out what isaiah will be doing over at the common ills. gina & krista's round-robin will contain the first cartoon as an attachment you can download so look for that in your inboxes friday.
5/02/2005
problems problems
well i was going to do a quick post on folding star and the common ills but now i can't.
is anyone else having problems with firefox? i even tried explorer. nothing works. i'm in the only screen that will work which is the dopey one provided by the internet company i pay for net service.
i may post later tonight but i think i need to get on the phone and figure out what's going on here.
hopefully, this will be fixable and i can do an entry later tonight.
is anyone else having problems with firefox? i even tried explorer. nothing works. i'm in the only screen that will work which is the dopey one provided by the internet company i pay for net service.
i may post later tonight but i think i need to get on the phone and figure out what's going on here.
hopefully, this will be fixable and i can do an entry later tonight.
5/01/2005
2 items from fair and a little more to the story the round-robin tipped you off to friday
tonight, i'm going to draw your attention to this from fair "ACTION ALERT:Did MSNBC Know Liddy's History? Host Once Advocated Killing Government Agents."
from fair's action alert:
In an April 27 debate about extreme talk radio rhetoric, MSNBC's Scarborough Country turned to an unusual guest: right-wing talker G.Gordon Liddy, who ten years ago called for the killing of federal agents.
The purpose of the MSNBC segment was to discuss a skit from Air America's Randi Rhodes Show (4/25/05). The pre-recorded segment, about an "AmericanAssociation of Armed Retired People," included the sound of gunfire as the "answer" to Bush's Social Security plans. Both Rhodes and Air America quickly apologized for the skit. "Our normal vetting process failed....and we regret it," Air America president of programming Jon Sinton told the New York Post (2/28/05).
On MSNBC, host Joe Scarborough turned to Liddy for his response to this incident, asking: "G. Gordon Liddy, are conservatives guilty of similar hate speech on their shows?"
Liddy's response: "Well, if they are, I certainly haven't heard of it."
That would mean that Liddy has not listened to his own program. On August26, 1994, Liddy told his radio listeners: "Now if the Bureau of Alcohol,Tobacco and Firearms comes to disarm you and they are bearing arms, resist them with arms. Go for a head shot; they're going to be wearing bulletproof vests."
Liddy's advice that day was explicit: "They've got a big target on there, ATF. Don't shoot at that, because they've got a vest on underneath that. Head shots, head shots.... Kill the sons of bitches."
also from fair, i want to steer you to norman solomon's "Beyond the Media Coverage of Marla Ruzicka:"
This spring, before and after her death, Ruzicka's work was instrumental in exposing the fact that -- contrary to Washington's longtime claims -- the U.S. military has been quietly documenting many of the Iraqi civilian deaths caused by the Pentagon's forces. Is the emergence of this information a step in the right direction? Yes. But at the same time, media spin promotes the illusion that the U.S. war effort in Iraq is becoming evermore compassionate and life-affirming. Such story lines are good public relations for a massive U.S. military operation that continues to injure and kill more Iraqi people.
for those who read the round-robin, i can tell you that the new addition to the common ills that's been discussed there are impressive. i don't know when they'll go up. c.i. was pretty tired while i was going over how to use a software program. and with the heads up to a possible lack of 'around the globe' posts, i wouldn't be surprised if c.i. just ends up playing with the software tonight for a few hours to test it out. i do think that software will do what's needed.
i've seen two of things spoken of in the round-robin and i will say, i'm very, very excited. i think i'm only the third to see them, the member responsible, c.i. and myself.
if the software doesn't work, i'm sure the uk computer gurus will know what's needed. but since i've used it here, i think it should work. i thought it was exciting before tonight but now i'm really excited.
once it goes up (which will be at some point in the next 7 days), i'll have some comments from that member but i think third estate sunday review has already asked for (and been promised) an interview. so i'll be doing something on a smaller scale. i'd like to have something ready for when it is up.
i hope everyone's had a great weekend and that they've all checked out the third estate sunday review. i'll highlight some articles from there throughout the week.
from fair's action alert:
In an April 27 debate about extreme talk radio rhetoric, MSNBC's Scarborough Country turned to an unusual guest: right-wing talker G.Gordon Liddy, who ten years ago called for the killing of federal agents.
The purpose of the MSNBC segment was to discuss a skit from Air America's Randi Rhodes Show (4/25/05). The pre-recorded segment, about an "AmericanAssociation of Armed Retired People," included the sound of gunfire as the "answer" to Bush's Social Security plans. Both Rhodes and Air America quickly apologized for the skit. "Our normal vetting process failed....and we regret it," Air America president of programming Jon Sinton told the New York Post (2/28/05).
On MSNBC, host Joe Scarborough turned to Liddy for his response to this incident, asking: "G. Gordon Liddy, are conservatives guilty of similar hate speech on their shows?"
Liddy's response: "Well, if they are, I certainly haven't heard of it."
That would mean that Liddy has not listened to his own program. On August26, 1994, Liddy told his radio listeners: "Now if the Bureau of Alcohol,Tobacco and Firearms comes to disarm you and they are bearing arms, resist them with arms. Go for a head shot; they're going to be wearing bulletproof vests."
Liddy's advice that day was explicit: "They've got a big target on there, ATF. Don't shoot at that, because they've got a vest on underneath that. Head shots, head shots.... Kill the sons of bitches."
also from fair, i want to steer you to norman solomon's "Beyond the Media Coverage of Marla Ruzicka:"
This spring, before and after her death, Ruzicka's work was instrumental in exposing the fact that -- contrary to Washington's longtime claims -- the U.S. military has been quietly documenting many of the Iraqi civilian deaths caused by the Pentagon's forces. Is the emergence of this information a step in the right direction? Yes. But at the same time, media spin promotes the illusion that the U.S. war effort in Iraq is becoming evermore compassionate and life-affirming. Such story lines are good public relations for a massive U.S. military operation that continues to injure and kill more Iraqi people.
for those who read the round-robin, i can tell you that the new addition to the common ills that's been discussed there are impressive. i don't know when they'll go up. c.i. was pretty tired while i was going over how to use a software program. and with the heads up to a possible lack of 'around the globe' posts, i wouldn't be surprised if c.i. just ends up playing with the software tonight for a few hours to test it out. i do think that software will do what's needed.
i've seen two of things spoken of in the round-robin and i will say, i'm very, very excited. i think i'm only the third to see them, the member responsible, c.i. and myself.
if the software doesn't work, i'm sure the uk computer gurus will know what's needed. but since i've used it here, i think it should work. i thought it was exciting before tonight but now i'm really excited.
once it goes up (which will be at some point in the next 7 days), i'll have some comments from that member but i think third estate sunday review has already asked for (and been promised) an interview. so i'll be doing something on a smaller scale. i'd like to have something ready for when it is up.
i hope everyone's had a great weekend and that they've all checked out the third estate sunday review. i'll highlight some articles from there throughout the week.
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