Author: Ruby Sinreich
Looking back makes me look ahead
Cross-posted at OrangePolitics.org.
Tonight’s showing of Norwood Cheek‘s “Young Rock” compilation of rock videos with bits of local stuff in between was amazing! When I saw those videos 10 years ago, I thought the whole thing was a little trite, but now it has become a powerful document of Chapel Hill and Carrboro, as well as the ‘indie rock’ scene of the era.
Images of the old Cat’s Cradle (and many people’s uncertainty over whether it would survive that homeless era)… Mama Dip at her old location… the basement of the party house on Pritchard Avenue (still having parties)… Al (still at Al’s Garage)… Merge Records (now gone to Durham)…Bill Smith (still the chef at Crook’s Corner)… Frank Heath remembering the old old old Cat’s Cradle at Rythm Alley… and a lot of my friends with less gray hair and more energy than they have now!
I came away from it certain that we are not making enough music videos these days! We need to get to work. I guess the Flicker workshops at the ArtsCenter on Saturday are a good start.
Holy Invasion of Privacy, Batman!
First they want to tell us who we can fuck/love/marry. Then they wanted our medical records to see if we had a morally-unapproved abortions. Now the "Transportation Security Administration said Tuesday that it planned to require all airlines to turn over records on every passenger carried domestically in June, so the agency could test a new system to match passenger names against lists of known or suspected terrorists." (New York Times).
I have good reason to be concerned because, a) I fly all the time for work, and b) as someone who is publicly opposed to the Bush Administration (and have been since the first one) I am surely on a few lists somewhere. It may sound paranoid, but I know people who have been bugged, it can happen.
I’m suprised Ashcroft hasn’t banned the ACLU yet. Here’s a hysterical view of the makover he’d like to give you (and me, of course).
Reason #117 to Dispatch Bush
McSweeney’s is posting these daily. This is my favorite one so far. It answers a question I have had in my head for a while.
By combining political events and government business on his trips, President Bush has transferred some of the costs of primarily political appearances to taxpayers. In February 2002, Bush raised $2 million at two receptions for New York Governor George Pataki. Because he also gave a 21-minute speech at the New York Police Department’s command-and-control center, 54 percent of the trip’s expenses were billed to the government. Taxes are also used for the full $57,000-an-hour cost of flying Air Force One, regardless of the purpose of the trip, as well as for all communications and security costs. President Bush took 28 political trips in his first 16 months in office, eight more than President Clinton did in the same period. At each political stop, the White House staged an official event as well.
In January, Bush visited the grave of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. just before attending a $2,000-a-person fundraiser in Atlanta. A church near the memorial site hosted a civil-rights symposium on the same day; the Secret Service initially told organizers that they would have to cut it short.
(Sources: Jeffrey Gettleman and Ariel Hart, “Bush Plan to Honor Dr. King Stirs Criticism,” New York Times, January 15, 2004. See article at: commondreams.org. Mike Allen, “On the Way to the Fundraiser,” Washington Post, May 20, 2002. See article at: washingtonpost.com.)
Can US Senate candidates play nice?
Bowles 2004 told me to send this letter to all my friends, but I’m not that kind of spammer. Here you can read it at your leisure. The only action they’re asking for is for people to sign on with their name and e-mail address. It’ll probably get you added to their list, but you should probably be on their list anyway. The election is 7 weeks away!
Dear Friend,
This week, Republican Richard Burr announced that he plans to launch a “blitzkrieg” of negative attack ads against Erskine Bowles, who is running for the US Senate in North Carolina.
I believe this election should be about the issues, not attack ads. That’s why I’ve joined Erskine Bowles in calling on Richard Burr to ban all negative messages, advertising and mailings in the race for the US Senate.
Please join me and demand that the candidates stay focused on the issues of importance to North Carolina by signing the petition today:
www.bowles2004.com/sticktotheissues
Erskine Bowles believes that the people of North Carolina are entitled to an honest and open discussion of the issues that affect them—but he needs our help to ensure that his opponent gets the message.
Thank you for helping put North Carolina first.
Bowles is quite pathetic, and difficult for a progressive to support, but all you need is a few reminders about Richard Burr, and you’ll at least know who to tell everyone to vote for (hint: it’s Bowles).
My media empire
I forgot to mention that I am also the proud recipient of today’s Village Pride Award from WCHL! Next stop: world domination…
I was Just on BBC!
I just wrote an e-mail to the BBC Newshour when they asked “Does it matter that Kofi Annan says the US action in Iraq was illegal?” They read my letter! First!!!! Here’s what I wrote:
YES! Yes, it matters that the U.S. invasion of Iraq was a massive violation of international law. The fact that it was allowed to stand by the U.N. and the world community erodes the authority of the U.N. in particular, and sets a horrible example for other despots to act with impunity whenever their personal interests dictate. President Bush must be held accountable by the U.N. even if the people of the United States fail to comprehend the implications of our militarism. History will have to tell us the true story of the Bush administration as the American newsmedia are unable to do so.
UPDATE: This page show the letters they have received (including part of mine).
Save the handguns
Everyone is jumping on the bandwagon to support the Starlite Drive-in whose screen burnt down last month. Now I have personally enjoyed the Starlite in the past, and I don’t want it to go away, but it has another function beyond being a drive-in. The Starlite also has a gun and ammo shop in the snack bar.
I’m not saying they shouldn’t be allowed to sell guns (although I wish no-one was allowed to), but it’s a little hard for me to reach deep in my pocket and support this drive-in/gun shop. Do we really need more guns in Durham? I wish the Save Our Starlite Foundation would think more critically about what the results of their labor will be. I imagine many Triangle residents would support the campaign if it promised to not fund or support any of the weapon-related activities of the Starlite instead of burying their heads in the sand pretending the guns aren’t there.
The Dems Losing Strategy
I’m starting to think that I might not be crazy. Recently, much more respectable (or should I say “credible”) voices, such as Micah Sifry have echoed my long-running sentiment about the Democratic Party’s on-going neglect and abuse of it’s would-be base voters. What I don’t get is that seeing how this has been a losing strategy ever since Clinton left office (he raised it to an art), why do they persist? And why should we still support it?
As I have written recently, I see institutions like MoveOn as a much viable future for building progressive political power and for winning elections than the Dems. One is building a war-chest, the other is building a movement.
Although it presents quite a moral crisis for me, there is no doubt I will vote for John Kerry this year. But he and the Dems owe me one, and I already think they don’t intend to pay me back.
Wow
Look what
Google Local
can do. (Pointer from Dav.)