2 Year Anniversary Spectacular - The Serious Side
My division of
articles into serious and humorous was a bit arbitrary as you will see. But
these are five posts I thought went particularly well. No runners up here.
5. July 27, 2004.
This was my way of reviewing the Democratic Convention (of 2004) with Suzi Registered Voter and the Conservative Cat. They were
both fun characters to write and I managed to slip in my normal commentary. I'm
not sure the idea is as clever as I thought it was at the time, but it worked
pretty well.
Suzi Registered Voter and The "Haters"
- with apologies
to Cat Lovers. I am, of course, a Dog Lover.
One day Suzi Registered Voter was
walking along. She saw a big crowd of people talking to each other excitedly. Suzi couldn't hear what they were saying but they were
waving their arms. One person even got on his chair and raised his hands over
his head.
While Suzi was looking at the
crowd of excited people, a Conservative Cat walked up and said, "Look at
all those people who are filled with hate."
Suzi
looked down and saw Conservative Cat and said, "They don't look so
hate-filled to me."
Conservative Cat sat on his haunches and said, "Oh
they are trying to pretend not to be hate filled, but they all hate President
Bush."
Suzi
sat down next to Conservative Cat and said, "Oh. I don't like hate-filled
people."
Conservative Cat purred a little to itself and said,
"Oh well you wouldn't like those people than. You're better off just
ignoring them."
Suzi
Registered Voter thought a moment, and said, "But how do I know they are
hate-filled?"
Conservative Cat looked up at this and said, rather
brusquely, "Well I just told you they hate President Bush. They hate him
so much they try to hide their hatred. That's why they are smiling over
there." He waved a paw over at the crowd of people. "They are
thinking of how much they hate President Bush and trying to trick people into
thinking they are positive, upbeat people."
Suzi
nodded sagely. "That's very tricky. But with your warning, perhaps I
should still go over and hear what they are saying."
Conservative Cat leapt at this and landed right in front of
Suzi. "Oh no, Suzi. Don't go over there. You don't want to be
around such hate-filled liars and hypocrites."
Suzi
stood up and said, "Well I can listen for a little while. Look the Big
Democratic Dog (and dear readers, I'll leave it up to you to guess who this
might be) is going to make a speech."
Conservative Cat hissed and said, "Oh don't listen to
him. He's a liar and a cad and a murderer and all kinds of bad stuff. He's the
worst of the lot." At this point Conservative Cat began foaming at the
mouth. Cats can't usually foam at the mouth, but Conservative Cat managed it
just the same. "I hate him. I hate him. I wish he had been killed for all
the bad things he did."
Suzi
Registered Voter didn't say anything.
After a moment Conservative Cat, in a sulky voice, said,
"Anyway he's just trying to steal the thunder of their new candidate. He
wants Senator Kerry to lose so his wife (who I hates and hates and hates) can
be President."
Suzi
Registered Voter didn't say anything, but wondered how Conservative Cat knew so
much about what the Big Democratic Dog was thinking.
The Conservative Cat started pacing away, still a little
sulkily. "Go over there with the Bush-Haters if you want. Anybody who even
looks at those people must hate Bush already, Bush-Hater." Cats have many
admirable qualities but they are rarely good sports.
So Suzi Registered Voter walked
over just as the Big Democratic Dog was finishing his speech. So this is what Suzi
Registered Voter heard.
"In the Civil War,
Since we're all in the same boat, let us chose as the
captain of our ship a brave good man who knows how to steer a vessel though
troubled waters to the calm seas and clear skies of our more perfect union. We know
our mission. Let us join as one and say in a loud, clear voice: Send John
Kerry."
That didn't sound very hate-filled, Suzi
Registered Voter thought, but she realized that she hadn't listened to very
much at all. So she stayed and paid attention to the whole convention. And Conservative
Cat, high on a perch in a tree in a park near the convention, scowled and made
angry growls and hisses.
4. February 16, 2003.
This was one of my reports on attending the Anti-War Rallies in town before the
Iraq War. This article was also, in part, a reaction to many of the
anti-protester articles I'd read, which classified
protesters as idiots or anti American or anti-Soldier and so on. My take
contrasted pretty sharply with that analysis.
Yesterday's Rally
As previously posted I attended the Rally against the war
held in
We are told a number of things about about
those who would protest the war.
We are told that they hate our country. I saw no evidence
of that yesterday. I saw evidence that people were disappointed in some of the
choices their country has made, but not evidence that they hated our country.
That said, it's clear that President Bush is a rallying figure for many in the
crowd (posters included "Depose King George" and "W = Worst
President Ever", which is only a problem if you believe that opposing
President Bush is the same thing as hating America.
We are told that they hate out troops. This is patently
nonsense. I saw several posters that made their position clear. Although they
don't approve of the policies that have led our troops to
We are told that they are all burnouts and hippies, the
dregs of society. Well, there was some of that element there, but it was
swallowed up by the mass of normal people, concerned with where our country is
going.
We are told that they are all brain dead students,
mindlessly following their professors. I talked to several students, and all
seemed aware and certainly able to think for themselves. They all expressed
different viewpoints, but expressed them reasonably well.
We are told that the
anti war movement has been hijacked by the Stalinists and Maoists of ANSWER.
The Rally hear did not have any involvement from them.
I did see two ANSWER posters (see above), but the couple explained they had
received them at another rally in
Honking for peace is easier than working for peace, I
noted. Lots of people did honk for peace.
The rally seemed more serious this time around. The first
rally I attended (almost by happenstance) was much more in your face. There
were several placards that were very aggressive, that expressed more
anti-American views. This time around they seemed like they were more
interested in educating than in protesting, which is certainly a positive
change.
Said Gabriel "Gabe" Pendes, one of the organizers of the rally, when asked if
he saw this movement as working towards any long term goals, "You're organizing
against the war, and you also want to . . . these are the kinds of things that
really politicize individuals. It forces you to make political decisions. Once
you cross that line, once you become aware of your surroundings, it is very
difficult to go back and be like, 'Well I just don't care now.'"
Adam Smith (pictured
above), commented on his poster, saying, "It's a slogan that's been
thrown around. I've heard it at a few rallies, seen it on a button, on a
website. . . . [it refers to] the similarities between
his regime, his administration and a military coup. They are forwarding war at
all costs, and that is their mission statement." Mr. Smith made it
clear that he opposed the war at least in part, because of the unilateral way
we were pursuing it. He was also concerned that issue was taking precedence
over the real danger of nuclear war in
3. August 16, 2004. Scenes from the war on Nuance.
The Axis of Nuance
Once thing about the
Axis of Evil is the complete lack of nuance. As we are learning
from the campaign, nuance is bad. It's evil, really. Only monsters like
Democrats and John Kerry understand nuance. I mean we have wars on Drugs and
Terrorism; when are we going to get the desperately needed War on Nuance?
Take
Also it turns out that there are large groups of Iranians
who would like to see a more Democratic system of government. And yet these
very same Iranians would not like to see the
It's almost like many Iranians don't much care for their
leaders and yet don't like the idea of their leaders being pushed around by us.
The fiendish nuance appears in every corner of
Anyway if you want to read an article just filled with this
diabolical nuance, check out this one in today's New York Times. I look
forward to a day when we can rid the world of nuance.
2. May 22, 2004. This article could
be a lot more despairing than it turns out to be--I'm
surprised at how mild I sound. Basically this one covers one difference between
Conservatives and Liberals, and discusses the creation of separate media
organisms designed to serve each group. So basically one
potential end for
Gravity Flows on the Power Lines
The difference between Liberals and
Limbaugh Conservatives is this. Liberals think that they're right. Limbaugh
Conservatives know that they're right.
This is not an insignificant difference. If you only think
you are right, but you admit the possibility of error, well, than it makes
sense to pay attention to people who disagree with you, doesn't it? I mean you
could be wrong. So why not listen to their arguments.
On the other hand if you know you are right what's the
point to listening to anybody but yourself? Well the one value is to use other
sources to convince people who don't agree with you to agree with you. But of
course that's a very different exercise than reading other sources to see if
they have a good argument. I admit it's an exercise I sway into at times, given
the nature of this site.
That's why Tony Blankley can speak quite comfortably about sedition laws.
He knows the country isn't ready for him, but that doesn't change his opinion
that they would be a good idea. I mean if there is one right answer, and he has
it, why bother allowing people to express opinions that are only going to hurt
our war effort. I mean if it is, to borrow the Kantian Term, a categorical
imperative to continue to support the President, than anybody who expresses
disagreement with the President or the course of action he's taken is, by
definition, a traitor.
Which brings us to Rush Limbaugh yesterday.
"And I'm going to tell you something, folks, I
don't watch mainstream media anymore. And I can't tell you, I don't watch them
at night. I got them on in here now, but this is work. The only part of this
job that's work is, you know, glancing up as these TV monitors now and then to
find out what the hell they're saying when I'm engaged in getting the truth
out. When I get home at night I so rarely turn this stuff on. I can't tell you
the last time I've watched one of the big three networks and I am not kidding,
and I haven't read the New York Times in a long time, and I haven't read the
Washington Post in a long time, and I haven't read Time or Newsweek or U.S.
Snooze. It isn't necessary anymore. You can cherry pick things from those
publications; do a key word search on the Internet.
You don't need to go through all the gibberish and garbage that's there. You
can find what's relevant that might be interesting or whatever."
Great news eh? Now there's no reason to listen to stories and facts that
contradict your opinion. All you have to do is listen to Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Cal Thomas and Glen Beck, watch Fox News, read the
Washington Times, the Wall Street Journal Editorial Page, and you don't run
much of a risk of hearing an opinion you don't already agree with. Now to me,
because I know I might be wrong, this seems like a somewhat horrifying
prospect. I mean once you admit the possibility of error, well, you want to
hear what the other side is saying.
But the Limbaugh Conservative admits no possibility of
error.
"Let me tell you what is happening here. And I know
this because I am living it. You have the red and blue states where the country
is supposedly more divided than ever, and more partisan than ever. Well, guess
what? You have a red and blue media now."
Rush Limbaugh paints a happy picture of the future victory
of conservatism over liberalism, which is nice I suppose.
He might be right, but I don't necessarily think it's going
to be his brand of conservatism. Let's face it Rush has been telling his
audience that the economy has turned around since 5 minutes after Bush was
Elected. He sold them on the idea that to fight terrorism we had to invade
The Limbaugh Conservatives have never had a better chance
to implement their agenda. President Bush is as close to an extreme right wing
president as we've had. They have control over Congress, they have the Supreme
Court, they have new and better ways to get their message out, and so on and so
forth. It's hard for them to pull of that oppressed minority gambit they used
to love so much.
And yet with all this opportunity to win over the American
people, the race in November is still neck and neck. I suspect that the
Limbaugh conservatives are going to be over taken by the traditionalist
conservatives and by libertarian conservatives who are frustrated at the
arrogant foreign policy of the Bush Administration. But who knows?
1. February 20, 2004. Songs from the
Struggle. A collection of rebel and leftist songs including tracks by
Joan Baez, Gil Scott-Heron, Rage Against the Machine
and so on. It's pretty cool, I think.
Songs of the Struggle
This has been a fun project and a first
for "Make me a Commentator!!!" We have set up a selection of classic
protest tracks for you to listen to and enjoy. Below is a link to Rhapsody
which is a music service set up by Real and other people apparently.
They now have quite a bit of music (as opposed to when these counter Napsters started when you basically had the $.99 bin of
music to pick from). Anyway if you have Rhapsody you can click on the link
below and listen to the set.
Protest Songs on Rhapsody
And here's the track listing.
Pulp - Common People “I said pretend you've got no
money, / she just laughed and said, / "Oh you're so funny." / I said
"yeah? / Well I can't see anyone else smiling in
here.” – This is a song that I discovered fairly recently, though it came out
back in 1995, I guess. But this is probably the best song on social class that
I can think of (with the possible exception of John Lennon’s “Working Class
Hero.”) Plus it’s damn fine tune and funny as hell. From Hits.
U2 - Sunday
Bloody Sunday “How long Must We Sing this Song?”
This was one of the first political songs that really sunk in when I was back
in high school. I didn’t pick up on the references to
Gil
Scott-Heron - The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. “Green Acres, The
Beverly Hillbillies, and Hooterville / Junction will
no longer be so damned relevant, and / women will not care if Dick finally gets
down with / Jane on Search for Tomorrow because Black people / will be in the
street looking for a brighter day.” This is a classic revolution song that
everybody sort of knows (at least the title, anyway). I first heard Gil Scott
Heron on the Underworld “Back to Mine” album (the track was B-Movie) and was
impressed; and then put one and one together and went looking for his other
stuff. From Pieces of a
The
Clash - The Guns of Brixton, “His game is called surviving.” Continuing
in the paranoid revolutionary vibe, here’s the Guns of Brixton by the angry
Clash. It beat out “London Calling” (which I love, but decided was not direct
enough) and “Know Your Rights” (which was the song that I loved as angry
teenager, but hasn’t aged as well as “The Guns of Brixton.)" From
A3 - Mao
Tse Tung Said, “I will
fight. Let them hear it in the night” The quotation that opens this song is, as
you probably know, from the Reverend Jim Jones.
Revolution doesn’t always work out the way you expect it to. The other one I
might have used here was the Beatles “Revolution” but decided I liked this one
better (and because I’m using Rhapsody “Revolution” wasn’t available). From Exiles
on
Public
Enemy - Night of the living Basheads. “And
brothers try to get swift an' / Sell to their own, rob a home / While some
shrivel to bone / Like comatose walkin' around”
Really didn’t consider any other Public Enemy Song; this one still sounds as
urgent as it did when it was penned. Largely, I suppose, because the issues
haven’t really changed. From 20th Century Masters - Public Enemy
Rage Against the Machine - Guerilla Radio. “It has to
start somewhere / It has to start sometime / What
better place than here / What better time than now.” This was originally The
Ghost of Tom Joad, which I really like as well. But decided that Guerilla Radio was more concise and direct.
Rage Against the Machine is the most important
political band of the 1990s. From the Guerilla
Radio single.
Wyclef Jean (with Prodigy of Mobb Deep) - Rebel Music. “You get yours and I get
mine and we’ll help each other through the bad times” – This song had a lot of
competition. Obviously in doing this I wanted to hit certain artists and
certain genres and certain time frames, and one of them was modern hip-hop. So
I put a lot of songs in the hopper and this one and “Rock the Nation” by
Spearhead kept popping out on top. I finally went with Rebel Music, but Rock
the Nation is a very cool song as well. From The Preachers Son.
Joan
Baez - We Shall Overcome. “Deep in my heart, I do believe” This is
almost more of a prayer than it is a song. I find Joan Baez’s voice alternately
annoying and beautiful, but on this one she comes down on the beautiful side. From Joan
Baez in Concert.
Bob
Dylan - The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll. “Got killed by a blow, lay
slain by a cane / That sailed through the air and came down through the room, /
Doomed and determined to destroy all the gentle. / And
she never done nothing to William Zanzinger.” If this
song doesn’t get you angry, you may not be human. It beats out it’s album mates “Masters of War” and “The Times They are A-Changin’” by virtue of it’s specificity and it’s
implications. From Live 1975.
Billie
Holiday - Strange Fruit. “Pastoral scene of the gallant south, / The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,” The earliest song
on the list, and one that Lady Day was always passionate about. Not
surprisingly it wasn’t as popular as her less political numbers. I particularly
like the powerful trumpet on this version. From the Complete
Billie Holiday . . . (Box Set).
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young - 49 Bye Byes/
Pearl Jam - Fortunate Son. “Some folks are born
made to wave the flag, / yeah the red, white and blue.” Creedence
Clearwater Revival is another band who doesn’t appear on Rhapsody, but this is
a pretty credible version of Fortunate Son. From May 28 03 #38
Pete Seeger - Waist Deep in the Big Muddy. “I’m Not Going
to point any moral, I’ll leave that to yourself.” My
first exposure to this tune came from watching “Smothered” a movie about the
censorship troubles of the Smothers Brothers TV shows. Among the many things
censored on that show was a performance of this song by Pete Seeger. So when it came time to look at Seeger,
an artist I am not as familiar with, but one who clearly is important in the
history of protest music, I found this one, loved it and stuck with it. From Waist
Deep in the Big Muddy and Other Love Songs.
Marvin
Gaye - What’s Going on?.
“You see, war is not the answer / For only love can
conquer hate.” This one beat out “Exhuming McCarthy” by REM which was a song I
have had more of a history with (R.E.M. remains on my top four or five bands
ever). But at the end I had to give the nod to Marvin Gaye. From What's Going On?
The Byrds - Draft Morning. “Take my time this
morning, no hurry to learn to kill” A deceptively beautiful song; the subject
of some strong arguments between David Crosby and his former band mates. Still
once you realize what’s going on, well, the song has some teeth. From The
Notorious Byrd Brothers.
The Police - Driven to Tears. “Seems that when
some innocent die all we can offer them is a page on some magazine.” – It’s
hard to do an album of political songs without Sting, and he’s never cut harder
or deeper than on this track. Truthfully most of his songs are so tightly and
deeply produced, you usually miss the forest for the
trees (the other exception being “Fragile”) From Zenyetta Mondetta.
Sinead
O’Conner - The Lamb’s Book of Life. “Out of hopelessness we can come / If people just believe it can be done.” This is undoubtedly
on of the tracks that will have most of you scratching your heads. I don’t know
if you can sum up what rebellion, revolution or protest means with one song or
with one sentence. The truth is that revolutions often don’t work or bring
around a set of conditions a lot like the ones that just left. If there is
going to be a revolution (of any sort), what will make this one any different
than the ones before? Perhaps the only real revolutions are the ones we make as
individuals. From Faith and Courage.
Bob
Marley - Redemption Songs “Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery /
None but ourselves can free our minds” – I considered both No Woman No Cry
and Get up Stand up but ended up with this track as the ideal closer.
There’s a line from an old Love and Rockets song (actually the title of the
song as well) called“Be the Revolution
There it is. From Legend.
Other
songs that almost made the cut include "Working Class Hero" by John
Lennon, "Talking About a Revolution" by Tracy Chapman (both unavilable on Rhapsody, unfortnately),
"War" by Edwin Starr (which is ultimately a bit annoying, which is
why they usually use 30 seconds of it), "Exhuming McCarthy" by REM,
"Rock the Nation" by Spearhead (both mentioned above), and "One
by One" by Chumbawumba (a nice pro labor song
but a bit obscure I decided. Anyway enjoy the list; be back later with some
commentating.
Anyway hope you have
enjoyed. Check back tomorrow for a trip round the horn of the liberal
coalition.