We're going to note Amy Goodman's appearences this month again. But, from the Democracy Now! e-mail that you can sign up for, I noticed the "CLOSED CAPTION" statement and I don't think we noted that before. (That would be me and my mistake.) We do have members who are hearing impaired/challenged. So let's note this at the top:

ABOUT DEMOCRACY NOW!
Democracy Now! airs on over 300 radio and tv stations, includingPacifica and community radio stations, NPR stations, public access tvstations, PBS stations, and on Free Speech TV (DishTV Ch. 9415) andLinkTV (DishTV Ch. 9410, DirecTV Ch. 375), World Radio Network'sEuropean Service and on the Community Broacasting Association ofAustralia service.
Now real-time CLOSED CAPTIONED on TV!
You can also listen to and watch all Democracy Now! shows online:
http://www.democracynow.org

[Note: You can also always read the headlines section and the majority of reporting segments have transcripts posted online.]

To bring Democracy Now! to your community, go to:
http://www.democracynow.org/bringDNtoyou.html

Before we note Goodman's dates for the Un-Embed the Media! tour for the rest of this month,
here's a heads up to tomorrow's Democracy Now!:

Tuesday, April 19:
* Will the Senate Foreign Relations committee vote to confirm John Bolton asambassador to the United Nations? We'll take a look at the latest.
* Tenth Anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing: We'll speak with thefather of one of the victims.

Now for the Un-Embed the Media! tour dates for April:

NEWS FROM 'THE EXCEPTION TO THE RULERS' BOOK TOUR
Amy has started her 50-city tour, Un-Embed the Media!, in celebration of the
paperback release of The Exception to the Rulers.
If you are interested inproviding ASL interpretation at her speaking events, please contact Tamiko.212-431-9090, outreach@democracynow.org

* Amy Goodman in Fairfield, CT:
Wed, Apr 20
*TIME: 2 PM
Sacred Heart University
University Commons
Free and open to the public.
For more information, call 203-371-7755

* Amy Goodman in West Hartford, CT:
Wed, Apr 20
*TIME:
7 PM
A Public Forum Presented by the West Harford Citizens for Peace & Justice.
Conard high School Auditorium.
110 Beechwood Road
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Sponsors include AFSC, PACE, CT Coalition for Peace & Justice, Pax Educare,
Bookworm, and many others TBA.

* Amy Goodman in Los Angeles, CA:
Thurs, Apr 21
*TIME:
7 PM
An Evening with Tariq Ali
Immanuel Presbyterian Church
3300 Wilshire Blvd.
Tickets:
$10.00 Donation at the Door.
No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Children under 12 accompanied by an adult will be admitted free.

* Amy Goodman in Claremont, CA:
Fri, Apr 22
*TIME:
Noon
Humanities Auditorium on the Scripps campus
981 N. Amherst Avenue
Claremont
This event is free and open to the public
For more information:
tracy_maclean@pitzer.edu or 909.607.7025
Sponsored by Scripps College Gender & Women's Studies and Intercollegiate
Media Studies of the Claremont Colleges

* Amy Goodman in Glendale, CA:
Fri, Apr 22
*TIME:
3 PM
Glendale Community College
Kreider Hall
1500 N. Verdugo Rd.
Glendale, CA 91208
Tickets:
$5 suggested donation

* Amy Goodman in Berkeley, CA:
Fri, Apr 22
*TIME:
8 PM
Florence Schwimley Little Theatre
1920 Allston Way,
Berkeley, CA
Tickets are $15.00.
They can be purchased in person at 2239 Martin Luther King Jr Way in
Berkeley or by calling 510-848-2288

* Amy Goodman in San Francisco, CA:
Sat, Apr 23
*TIME:
11 AM
San Francisco New Life Expo
Concourse Exhibition Center
635 8th Street at Brannan Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
Tickets available at the door or call 415-382-8300
Saturday General Admission: $15
Three-Day Weekend Pass: $30
Students & Seniors (60+) with ID: $10 per day, at door only
For more information, go to http://www.newlivingexpo.com/

* Amy Goodman in Ashland, OR:
Sat, Apr 23
*TIME:
6:30 PM
Book-signing Benefit
SOU library
Tickets are $35 ($25 for students), including book.
For more information, go to www.dnonjpr.org

* Amy Goodman in Ashland, OR:
Sat, Apr 23
*TIME:
7:30 PM
SOU's Britt BallroomTickets are $10 ($5 for students)
For more information, go to www.dnonjpr.org

* Amy Goodman in Los Angeles, CA:
Sun, Apr 24
*TIME:
1 PM
LA Festival of Books
Panel Discussion, Are We Making the World Safe for Democracy?
UCLA Royce Hall
Tickets are free and can be obtained by ticketmaster.
Details can be found at www.latimes.com/festivalofbooks

* Amy Goodman in St. Louis, MO:
Tues, Apr 26
*TIME:
7 PM
First Unitarian Church
5007 Waterman Blvd.
Free and open to the public.
For more information, call Left Bank Books, 314-367-6731, or visit their
website at http://leftbank.booksense.com

* Amy Goodman in Montclair, NJ:
Wed, Apr 27
*TIME:
7:30 PM
Montclair Union Church
67 Curch Street
This event is free and open to the public.

* Amy Goodman in New York, NY:
Thur, Apr 28
*TIME:
2-4 PM
Student Journalism in a Time of War
New School University
Tischman Auditorium
66 West 12th Street
Free and open to the public
For more information, email inprint@newschool.edu

* Amy Goodman in Tucson, AZ:
Fri, Apr 29
*Leo Rich Theater
Tucson Convention Center
260 S. Church Avenue
Tucson, AZ 85701
Tickets available Friday, April 8 at three locations:
Online at www.kxci.org
KXCI Community Radio, 520-623-1000, ext 13
Access Tucson, 520-624-9833
For more information about this event, please email Elaine Schramm at
ekschramm@aol.com or call 520-409-9900.

The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.

[Note: This post originally appeared at The Common Ills.]
 

The following information is from a Nation e-mail that went out to people who sign up for e-mail alerts at The Nation.

??? forwarded it to give the community a heads up.

This coming weekend, April 23rd and 24th, heralds the Los Angeles Times' celebrated Festival of Books.
Taking place on the campus of UCLA, the F.O.B. features dozens of free panel discussions with scores of prominent authors as well as hundreds of exhibition booths from publishers, book-stores and publications, including The Nation and Nation

Books.
http://www.latimes.com/extras/festivalofbooks/
The Nation will be at booth #344 all weekend.
So come meet Nation writers (schedule below), pick up free copies of the magazine, buy discounted copies of Nation Books and Nation magazine subscriptions and check out our inventory of celebrated political buttons.

SIGNINGS AT NATION BOOTH #344
Saturday, April 23
12:00 -- Jonathan Schell
1:00 -- Rebecca Solnit
2:00 -- Marc Cooper
3:00 -- Jon Weiner & Mickey Knox
4:00 -- Norma Barzman
Sunday, April 24
12:00 -- Katrina vanden Heuvel
1:00 -- Peter Biskind
1:30 -- Victor Navasky
2:00 -- Melissa Boyle Mahle
3:00 -- Larry Beinhart

And you can see Nation Books and Nation authors in F.O.B. panels all weekend. Featured panelists include Victor Navasky, Katrina vanden Heuvel, Jon Wiener, Jonathan Schell, Eric Alterman, Adam Shatz, Marc Cooper, Melissa Boyle Mahle, Larry Beinhart, Rebecca Solnit,
Ved Mehta, Peter Biskind, Stephen F. Cohen and Norma Barzman.

See the F.O.B. website for a full schedule of panel times and further info, including directions, about the Festival itself.
http://www.latimes.com/extras/festivalofbooks/

Don't miss this opportunity to attend California's premiere literary event.
And check out the Nation Books's site for info and ordering info on a range of new titles.
http://www.nationbooks.org/
Finally, please visit
http://www.thenation.com
regularly for new weblog postings; exclusive online reports; the RadioNation AudioBlog; info on nationwide activist campaigns; Nation History offerings; reader letters and special weekly selections from The Nation magazine--this week we're featuring magazine pieces by Naomi Klein, Katha Pollitt, David Hirst and Rep. Jim McGovern!

The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.

Democracy Now! (Marcia: "always worth watching):

Headlines for April 18, 2005
- Catholic Cardinals Meet to Elect New Pope
- U.S. Activist Marla Ruzicka Killed In Iraq
- Bolton Accused of Withholding Reports From Powell & Rice
- Sen. Hagel "Troubled" by Allegations About Bolton
- Second GOP Lawmaker Calls Delay to Step Down
- NYC To Pay Out $230,000 to Settle RNC Charges
- NY Prosecutors To Drop Charges in High Profile RNC Arrest
- Israel Clears Soldier involved in UK Journalist Killing
- 2,000 Pay Tribute To Chicano Leader Corky Gonzales

An Hour with Mexican Writers Elena Poniatowska and Paco Ignacio Taibo on the Mexican Elections, the Zapatistas and President Bush
In Mexico, turmoil and confusion continue to surround the upcoming presidential election. Last week, the Mexican federal Congress voted to impeach one of the leading candidates from his job as mayor of Mexico City. The politician -- Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador -- is now facing arrest over a minor four-year-old infraction. Once an arrest warrant is issued, he could lose his political rights and be barred from running for the presidency. Lopez Obrador has been comfortably leading opinion polls for next year"s elections to replace Mexican President Vincente Fox who cannot run again.
Today we look at this and other major issues in Mexico today with two of the country's best known writers: Elena Poniatowska is a founder of the newspaper La Jornada and Mexico"s first feminist magazine, "Fem." She is the first woman to win the Mexican National Award for Journalism. Paco Ignacio Taibo is a leading Mexican author. He has written more than 50 books, including novels, short stories, and essays, and is particularly known for his detective novels. He recently completed a novel with Zapaitista leader Subcommandante Marcos.
We also hear a new recording in English by Marcos recorded in the jungles of Chiapas.

Matthew Rothschild writes about a frightening court case in his latest "This Just In:"

It was not your usual judge's order in a case about the potential termination of parental rights.
Last October, Judge Barry Tatum of Wilson County, Tennessee, gave a Mexican woman, who is accused of neglect, six months to learn English up to the fourth-grade level or else he would proceed with the trial that could force her to relinquish her 11-year-old daughter.
The six-month period is up on Monday, April 18, and the judge has set a hearing on Monday to determine whether the woman, who speaks Mixteco, has learned enough English.
"The court specially informs the mother that if she does not make the effort to learn English, she is running the risk of losing any connection--legally, morally, and physically--with her daughter forever," the judge wrote in his original order, according to news accounts. "If the mother is able to learn English, she will be able to speak with her daughter for the first time in a substantive manner and will show her that she loves her and is willing to do anything necessary to connect with her."
The woman's attorney, Jerry Gonzalez, told The Progressive that the ruling was "outrageous and unconstitutional." He added, "It's in violation of every juvenile rule, every statute, and the constitution--no matter how you want to interpret it."

Also at The Progressive, Marcia e-mails to note Amitabh Pal's Blog:

The collapse on April 11 of a Bangladesh garment factory that has killed at least 30 workers emphasizes once again the need to reform the global economy(abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=662767).
The nine-story structure collapsed after a boiler exploded. Hundreds of workers remain trapped beneath the rubble, with the chances of survival for most of them appearing slim.
This is a snapshot of the toll of corporate globalization.
The complete suspension of basic rules for a factory that exported clothing mainly to the United States, Belgium and Germany is breathtaking. Not only was the factory allegedly in violation of even minimal safety standards, but apparently it was built absolutely illegally on swampland, a fact that local authorities seem to have woken up to only after the ghastly tragedy (news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4437513.stm).
Which American companies were purchasing clothing from this factory from hell?
"No one knows," says Charles Kernaghan, executive director of the National Labor Committee for Worker and Human Rights (www.nlcnet.org/news). Kernaghan points out that one of the ironies of the globalized economy is that workers can rarely read the labels of the companies they are sweating for, making it impossible to get such information from them. The owners (in this case, reportedly the son-in-law of a ruling party member of parliament) most often abscond after such disasters. And, sure as hell, the Western companies enjoying low-priced goods courtesy of the factory's disdain for the lives of its workers aren't going to issue press releases advertising their connection to such a factory.

Over at The Daily Howler, Bob Somberby is addressing the press' refusal to let go of a tall tale (also known as a lie) once they've created it. But before moving to that, what better way to ease into such a topic then to address the Elite Fluff Patrol squad leader? From today's entry:

THROW THE BUMILLER OUT: It's the journalistic car wreck that just keeps on happening! In this morning’s New York Times, Elisabeth Bumiller pens her weekly "White House Letter"--and this time, it's Dear Leader's love of baseball that provides the setting for the soft-soap sponge-bath she hands George Bush every week.
Bumiller's vacuous method is on full display this morning. As usual, she picks a fatuous, feel-good topic: Bush's great love for the national pastime. Then she quotes a string of Bush admirers about the fabulous personal qualities we can see from his history with the sport. A former deputy baseball commissioner says that Bush was "the ideal baseball owner." Bush's Number One Shill, long-time friend Roland Betts, is rolled out to describe the skillful way his buddy promoted the Texas Rangers. (Betts is IDed as a business associate.) Meanwhile, completely unremarkable facts are hyped. ("To this day, I can still recite the starting lineup of the 1954 Giants," Bush is quoted saying.) And a warm sponge-bath of feel-good imagery takes us right back to the cradle:
BUMILLER (1/18/05): Mr. Bush's first exposure to baseball was as an infant in the lap of his mother...
This is propaganda so stupid and crude that it would have embarrassed the Chinese Commies. To date, Bumiller hasn't portrayed Dear Leader swimming rivers under enemy fire, but she does grind out the feel-good reports every Monday morning. (And most likely Betts is working up a story along those inspiring lines.) And yes, the Times kept presenting this clownish feature all through the 2004 campaign. And no--the paper provided no corresponding feature about the wonders of Candidate Kerry. Anyone would have thought of that--except the great minds at the Times.
Of course, like any competent flack for Mao, Bumiller airbrushes every episode which might distract from Dear Leader's goodness. What can we learn about Bush from a review of his baseball career? She doesn't mention the land-grab he engineered in Texas, in which working-class citizens were bullied into giving him and his partners free land and a shiny new stadium (see THE DAILY HOWLER, 7/16/02). For the record, complaints about this episode are hardly a left-wing fever dream; in June 1999, conservative Byron York wrote a cover story for the conservative American Spectator in which he went into great detail about the unseemliness of this matter. York said that "the record of Bush’s rise to wealth" was "topped off by a taxpayer-subsidized baseball bonanza that may leave some Republicans feeling queasy about how their candidate got rich." But because it might bother even Republicans, Bumiller knows it must be disappeared. After all, Bumiller isn't fair-and-balanced; Bumiller writes about a Dear Leader. Result? If dogs like York need re-education, they can get it in the Times every week.

The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.

[Note: This entry originally appeared at The Common Ills.]
 

For those missing chuckles at the expense of the Elite Fluff Patrol Squad leader Elisabeth Bumiller, Luke of wotisgood4 e-mailed us a link to this parody: "I Scream, You Scream, President Bush Screams for 'Ice Cream!'"

Here's an excerpt, courtesty of community member Dallas:

Today President George W. Bush followed his dinner with two scoops of Mama Lucy's Chocolate Ice Cream. This is not a new thing. Since his inauguration, the President has really enjoyed ice cream a lot!
"Ice cream is the President’s little pick-me-up," said press secretary Scott McClellan, "He just needs something sweet after dinner. Ice cream is indeed sweet and often consumed after dinner."

For additional chuckles, you can check this morning's paper for Bumiller's latest White House Letter which is an authentic piece of Bumiller's writing.

Lori and Ben have both e-mailed regarding the news from the Times yesterday morning that another employee is stepping forward to speak about Bolton. For more information on how it's playing out thus far, check out Folding Star over at A Winding Road:

The Republicans seem to have come into the Committee with their minds made up. They'd give Bush the UN Ambassador he wanted, regardless of anything that came to light in the hearings.
But, wait! Lugar's statement that it's 'unlikely' may contrast with another statement from a Committee Republican!Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska said today that he's 'troubled' by the allegations and might vote against Bolton- deadlocking the Committee and keeping the Nomination from a full Senate vote- if anything further emerges.
Last week, it seemed that moderate Senator Chafee of Rhode Island was the only hope of stopping the nomination. Hagel's statement may be some sort of political maneuvering. It's possible that he has no intention of really voting against Bolton but is using the threat to get something he wants on some other matter. You always have to take these things into account.
But it's also possible that Hagel is truly signaling that he will vote no if others come forward with the truth about Bolton. And with Senator Hagel stating that he feels that way, it may become even more likely that Senator Chafee will come around.
Please continue to call and write the Committee members, particularly the Republicans. The Democrats on the Committee have signaled their commitment to defeating this disastrous Nomination and all it's going to take is one of the ten Republicans voting the facts, rather than out of party loyalty.

My own thoughts, since Ben & Lori asked, as Folding Star notes, you've got Hagel on the fence right now and that's it. Lugar and the other Republicans probably do have their minds made up.

What's America thinking? He's a bad boss?

Some Republicans are no doubt thrilled by the idea that he's "authoritarian." Democrats would do better to quit playing Waiting for Guffman and start explaining to the people why his leadership ("authoritarian" or just plain abusive) is a problem.

It's a problem because it doesn't fit in with diplomacy. It's a problem because it goes to an issue of what we want to be and how we see ourselves. Are we a nation of bullies?

The American people have been misled by fear mongering and we continue down this path or we can start addressing what we stand for.

If the Democrats suddenly got their heads on straight collectively (some individuals do have their heads straight), there's no guarantee that they could stop Bolton's nomination. They could, however, lay the groundwork for why you want to vote Democratic in 2006. (Apologies to Green Party members and third party members. I'm speaking of strategy here, not attempting to sway anyone from their party of their choice.)

Start standing for something. That's the selfish reason for the Dems to address this issue. The non-selfish reason is that this a dialogue the country needs to have. But I'll take the dialogue for any reason.

I'm not suggesting that Senate Dems, at this late date, attempt to educate the people on unipolar systems or the historical significance or the hostilities and dangers they can result in for the people in a country fancy itself the big bad. It's a little late for that, the Dems abdicated that opportunity.

I am suggesting that the Dems get their act together and start explaining why someone who bullies employees and underlings and has a record of anti UN statements isn't the person fit to hold the position.

If they're too scared to make the arguments in their own words, I'd suggest that they check the record for the Bully Boy's father's statements on the UN and the importance of diplomacy. If they need someone to hide behind because they don't have the guts to do it themselves, trot out seventies statements from George H.W. Bush.

But do something beyond, "Here's another witness who will tell America that Bolton is a bully and a lousy boss." You're not expanding the debate. Republicans like the authoritarian figure.
You need to make a case that takes Bolton's public record on the UN and his activities in leadership and demonstrates why, as a result, he is unfit to serve at the UN.

Making that case, and appealing to our better nature, sets up Democrats for a better showing in 2006. Otherwise you're just playing Waiting for Guffman and leaving America still waiting.

(My opinions on the above. As always, I could be wrong.)

The reality of the way some Republicans are seeing this is different than the way some on the left are seeing it. That's why you can find a conservative writer for a publication we won't name comparing Bolton's actions to Liza Minelli's alleged behavior towards David Gest. It's all a joke to them.

Via BuzzFlash, you can get a heads up to a story from the Majority Report:

Last night, a woman named Melody Townsel came on the show to tell Sam a personal story of her bizarre and harassing run-in with John Bolton, George Bush's nominee to be U.N. Ambassador. The run-in took place in 1994, when Bolton worked for a private law firm. Melody has spoken with minority council to the Foreign Relations Committee, and may be called to testify next week. She suspects, unfortunately, that her expirience with John Bolton may not be unique.
Interview clip here.
Full 6 minute interview here.
Her tale was written up by a friend as a dailykos.com diary, where you can read the full text of her letter the the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. That can be found here.

From the Daily Kos link:

Within hours of sending a letter to US AID officials outlining my concerns, I met John Bolton, whom the prime contractor hired as legal counsel to represent them to US AID. And, so, within hours of dispatching that letter, my hell began.
Mr. Bolton proceeded to chase me through the halls of a Russian hotel -- throwing things at me, shoving threatening letters under my door and, generally, behaving like a madman. For nearly two weeks, while I awaited fresh direction from my company and from US AID, John Bolton hounded me in such an appalling way that I eventually retreated to my hotel room and stayed there. Mr. Bolton, of course, then routinely visited me there to pound on the door and shout threats.
When US AID asked me to return to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan in advance of assuming leadership of a project in Kazakstan, I returned to my project to find that John Bolton had proceeded me by two days. Why? To meet with every other AID team leader as well as US foreign-service officials in Bishkek, claiming that I was under investigation for misuse of funds and likely was facing jail time. As US AID can confirm, nothing was further from the truth.
He indicated to key employees of or contractors to State that, based on his discussions with investigatory officials, I was headed for federal prison and, if they refused to cooperate with either him or the prime contractor's replacement team leader, they, too, would find themselves the subjects of federal investigation. As a further aside, he made unconscionable comments about my weight, my wardrobe and, with a couple of team leaders, my sexuality, hinting that I was a lesbian (for the record, I'm not).

(Note, amyindallas is the author of The Daily Kos entry above quoting from the letter of Melody Townsel.)

Townsel could be a genuine Guffman. Her tale's something that could resonate. It's certainly a frightening and embarrassing story.

But also frightening is Dafna Linzer's "Bolton Often Blocked Information, Officials Say
Iran, IAEA Matters Were Allegedly Kept From Rice, Powell" from the Washington Post:


John R. Bolton -- who is seeking confirmation as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations -- often blocked then-Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and, on one occasion, his successor, Condoleezza Rice, from receiving information vital to U.S. strategies on Iran, according to current and former officials who have worked with Bolton.
In some cases, career officials found back channels to Powell or his deputy, Richard L. Armitage, who encouraged assistant secretaries to bring information directly to him. In other cases, the information was delayed for weeks or simply did not get through. The officials, who would discuss the incidents only on the condition of anonymity because some continue to deal with Bolton on other issues, cited a dozen examples of memos or information that Bolton refused to forward during his four years as undersecretary of state for arms control and international security.
Two officials described a memo that had been prepared for Powell at the end of October 2003, ahead of a critical international meeting on Iran, informing him that the United States was losing support for efforts to have the U.N. Security Council investigate Iran's nuclear program. Bolton allegedly argued that it would be premature to throw in the towel. "When Armitage's staff asked for information about what other countries were thinking, Bolton said that information couldn't be collected," according to one official with firsthand knowledge of the exchange.

Refusing requests from the State Department? Denying the existance of data? If both reports are true (Washington Post's and The Daily Kos), they could deliver the knock out punch. One story is the harrassment/abuse of someone not working for him, the other speaks of a disregard for duties. Both go beyond the "authoritarian" frame that allows Bolton to come off so well to some Republicans. Dems should work very hard to make the case to the people.


The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.

From this morning's New York Times, Krista e-mails to note Marc Lacey's "Victims of Uganda Atrocities Choose a Path of Forgiveness:"


The International Criminal Court at The Hague represents one way of holding those who commit atrocities responsible for their crimes. The raw eggs, twigs and livestock that the Acholi people of northern Uganda use in their traditional reconciliation ceremonies represent another.
The two very different systems - one based on Western notions of justice, the other on a deep African tradition of forgiveness - are clashing in their response to one of this continent's most bizarre and brutal guerrilla wars, a conflict that has raged for 18 years in the rugged terrain along Uganda's border with Sudan.
The fighting features rebels who call themselves the Lord's Resistance Army and who speak earnestly of the import of the Ten Commandments, but who routinely hack up civilians who get in their way. To add to their numbers, the rebels abduct children in the night, brainwash them in the bush, indoctrinate them by forcing them to kill, and then turn them - 20,000 over the last two decades - into the next wave of ferocious fighters seeking to topple the government. Girls as young as 12 are assigned as rebel commanders' wives. Anyone who does not toe the line is brutally killed.
The international court, invited to investigate the war by President Yoweri Museveni, has announced it is close to issuing arrest warrants for rebel leaders including, no doubt, Joseph Kony, the self-styled spiritualist calling the shots. But some war victims are urging the international court to back off. They say the local people will suffer if the rebel command feels cornered. They recommend giving forgiveness more of a chance, using an age-old ceremony involving raw eggs.

Billy e-mails to note Jonathan Fuerbringer's "As Stocks Slide, Investors Hope for Positive Earnings Reports" and to ask why "the paper refuses to track other stories the way they do this? Most of the time, we get a revelation and then silence." From Fuerbringer's article:


After last week's market plunge - when America's three main stock gauges fell more than 3 percent - Wall Street and unusually nervous individual investors are looking to the flood of earnings reports this week to see how optimistic corporate America is in its outlook for the economy.
Almost a third of the companies in the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index and almost half the 30 companies that make up the Dow Jones industrial average are to report earnings for the first three months of the year. But more importantly, many of them will comment on the financial quarters ahead and could either counter or reinforce the current pessimism about the economy.


Billy: Considering the ever tanking economy and the bankruptcy law just passed, I'm wondering what sort of laws Congress had passed prior to the Great Depression and, if any were passed, did Congress reverse them when economic losses were a reality for most Americans?

David D. Kirkpatrick and Philip Shenon have "Ralph Reed's Zeal for Lobbying Is Shaking His Political Faithful:"


In Washington, federal investigations of Mr. Abramoff, a close ally of Tom DeLay, the House majority leader, have revealed that Mr. Abramoff paid Mr. Reed's consulting firm more than $4 million to help organize Christian opposition to Indian casinos in Texas and Louisiana - money that came from other Indians with rival casinos.
Mr. Reed declined to comment for this article; he has said publicly that he did not know that casino owners were paying for his services and that he has never deviated from his moral opposition to gambling. But the episode is a new blemish on the boyish face that once personified the rise of evangelical Christians to political power in America.
Some of Mr. Reed's past patrons - including the Rev. Pat Robertson, the Christian broadcaster who set Mr. Reed on the national stage by hiring him to run the Christian Coalition - say his work with Mr. Abramoff's Indian casino clients raises questions about how he has balanced his personal ambitions with his Christian principles.
"You know that song about the Rhinestone Cowboy, 'There's been a load of compromising on the road to my horizon,' " Mr. Robertson said. "The Bible says you can't serve God and Mammon."

When you wonder how shlock songs linger, look no further than the likes of Pat Roberston. "Rhinestone Cowboy?" On the subject of music, Kat's delayed her latest Kat's Korner but expects that it will be done this evening.

Rebecca has an entry commenting on ad copy passing for journalism in the New York Times Sunday Magazine cover story for April 10, 2005:

the article is headlined 'our ratings, ourselves.' it's by jon gertner and nobody freak if you missed it because i'll give you a basic summary.
to track who's watching what and listening to what better, arbitron is trying an experiment in houston, texas. you basically wear something the size of a beeper and it allows recording of what you watch and listen to. the author notes that a small chip could be implanted on a page that would also, at some point in the future, allow what you read to be monitored - including how long you spend reading it, what pages you turned, etc.
this article runs over six pages of text. triple columns on each page, magazine style of text.
and in all this excess wordage, jon gertner never once raises any issues of privacy concern.
he's doing a great job marketing, but i don't think i'd call this reporting.
it's a puff piece for new technology. i don't see any print ads that are tied in with the article, but why run print ads when the story itself is one long advertisement?
arbitron should be thrilled (nielsen less so) because this is a writer firmly in arbitron's camp.
that arbitron managed to place ad copy in the form of an article in the new york times, lengthy ad copy at that with high gloss photos including 1 that's two pages, is a victory for arbitron.
whomever set us this article should be promoted. tremendous public relations victory.
but it's not a news story because a news story requires something other than 'let's brag about tracking.' the article notes that houston radio stations have been talking into changing their feed so that arbitron could track and that they were talked into doing this at their own expense. the author of this ad copy notes that arbitron basically has some 'way awesome salesmen.'
while i'll hope that arbitron has sales women as well, the fact is they sold to jon gertner as well.
whether he bought it blindly or willingly, i have no idea.

The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.

[Note: This post originally appeared at The Common Ills.]

At the World Bank/IMF spring meetings this weekend, officials will spend most of their time fretting about high oil prices. But the size and growth of global imbalances--particularly America's twin deficits--are the real reason to worry
SPRING in Washington means the arrival of cherry blossom and, less colourfully, the world's central bankers and finance ministers, for meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. As the officials gather this weekend, their mood might not match the season. Top of their list of worries is the thought that high oil prices might be pushing the world economy into trouble.
Although oil prices took a tumble this week, back towards $50 a barrel, the policymakers' concern is understandable. Oil prices are still 70% higher in real terms than they were two years ago. Granted, that pales against the great leaps of 1974, when prices jumped by 185% in real terms, and 1978-79, when they rose by 158%; but it is quite some climb nonetheless.
Lately, official worries have been publicly vented. On April 7th economists at the IMF caused a stir when they suggested the world needed to get used to a "permanent oil shock". Thanks to strong demand and tight supply, they argued, oil prices would be substantially higher in future than they had been in the 1990s. Jean-Claude Trichet, president of the European Central Bank, recently pointed to the rise in oil prices as an "unwelcome" risk to global economic growth. In a comment reminiscent of the 1970s, he urged consumers to become "good energy savers".

That's from The Economist's "Running out of puff?" and Carolyn e-mailed that in. (Piece does not list an author.)

From the Financial Times, we'll note Heba Saleh's "Egypt's judges take a stand against electoral fraud:"

The Egyptian government is facing an unprecedented challenge from the country's judges who have warned that unless new laws were passed guaranteeing their full independence, they would refrain from supervising this year's presidential and parliamentary elections.
A meeting on Friday of more than a thousand judges in Alexandria also demanded that the judiciary should supervise all stages of the electoral process, from the preparation of voters lists to announcing the results.
"That is where reform should start," said Hesham Bastawisi, a judge in the Cassation Court, the highest court in the Egyptian system. "Only if there is a fully independent judiciary can Egypt have reform and democracy."
The government has rejected calls for foreign election monitors saying that the judiciary - which has a long-established reputation for independence - will supervise the elections.
But judges complain that in the last election in 2000, their role was often restricted to watching ballots being cast while outside many polling stations police prevented opposition voters from entering.

From Australia's ABC, Juan e-mails in to note "UN tells Aust to resolve Nauru detainee cases:"

The United Nations (UN) has called on the Federal Government to find a humanitarian solution to deal with asylum seekers still detained on the Pacific island of Nauru.
Many of the 50 detainees have been on Nauru for more than three years, under the Government's so-called "Pacific solution".
Most have been denied refugee status, but are refusing to return to their home countries of Iraq or Afghanistan.

While in Australia, we'll check in on our friend Luke of wotisitgood4. Jimmy e-mails in "carter the unstoppable sex machine:"

* " Bush mustered low approval ratings immediately before the election, surged on Election Day, then saw his ratings plunge immediately afterward. Yet Big Media has no curiosity about this anomaly.... "When the autopsy of our democracy is performed, it is my belief that media silence will be given as the primary cause of death."" LINK this is a Tribune Media Services article - itll be interesting to see if it gets any distribution - currently news.google only points to the bradblog. ten bux sez we dont see it widely carried... the subtitle is "The 2004 election was stolen — will someone please tell the media?"
* Rawstory does a piece on the Baker-Cater Commission on Federal Election Reform and the astro-turf ACVR. (i dont think ive discussed this much - bradblog has been all over it). the problem with having baker involved is obvious at face value. you'd think that having carter involved was probably good news - but the commission has been claiming that the CarterCenter has been involved as well - it turns out that isnt true, Carter left the Carter Center at about the same time that he joined this commission. anyways, the commission is totally stacked with GOP lawyers, and astroturf groups who are trying to give the appearance of being independent which are all stacked with GOP lawyers. and of course, people like conyers and velvet revolution and anyone who might be actually independent or on our side have been specifically excluded. similarly the agenda has been restricted to (basically) 'how do we keep repugs in power'. if they have to cheat, even at this level, then we can presume they arent really serious... (btw - carter got shunned for the papal funeral)

Jimmy also e-mailed in Luke's "executive disorder:"

* " Democratic strategists say that they hope DeLay will hang on--saying that the longer DeLay remains in power, the more time the Party will have to tie his scandals to other members. This position was echoed today by the British magazine The Economist." LINK
* davidcorn picks up on my point that negroponte hadnt read the robb-slivermann report. turns out he hasnt read the other wmd report. intelligence failures? what intelligence failures? LINK
* davidcorn: "conservatives are lining up for DeLay's lemmings express. Democrats ought to be delighted to see conservatives embrace DeLay as the embodiment of their movement. That way, if he falls, they will fall too." LINK
[. . .]
* "In the 11-page statement, devoid of remorse but rife with anti-abortion and antigay language, Mr. Rudolph said he had originally intended to bomb the Olympics every day to "confound, anger and embarrass" the government for legalizing abortion... As for the attack on the gay nightclub, Mr. Rudolph, who has a gay brother, wrote that homosexuality practiced in private was acceptable, but that any effort to "drag this practice out of the closet" and have society recognize it as legitimate or normal "should be ruthlessly opposed."" LINK i wonder if he thinks abortion is ok if practised in private...
[. . .]
* "The Bush administration is impeding an investigation into the Education Department's hiring of commentator Armstrong Williams by refusing to allow key White House officials to be interviewed" i guess they dont want to be asked: "who else is gettin some?" LINK
* scott ritter slams pat roberts LINK
* "But as the Social Security debate continues to unfold, do not underestimate President Bush's ability to still get his ideas enacted. Indeed, even without broad Congressional or public support, President Bush just may have an ace up his sleeve. How might he enact his private accounts idea without such support, you may ask? By executive order." LINK ive long feared that something like this would happen. i figgered they must have something up their sleeve. the article ends on this hopeful note: "So this fall, whether the issue is Social Security or what to do in the nuclear standoffs with Iran and North Korea, keep your eyes on the ace up President Bush's sleeve." good fucking grief. i dont know the journo - carlos watson - but his gig is called Inside Politics (cnn) - so ill assume that he isnt kidding... grrrrrrrr

The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.

April 22, 2005
Chicago, Illinois
Event: Dahr Jamail Reports Back from Iraq.
Time & Date:
Friday, April 22nd.
Doors open at 5pm,
Presentation Starts at 6pm.
Location: The Peace Museum - 100 N. Central Park Ave.
Located within the Gold Dome Building.
View Map/Directions - http://tinyurl.com/3ngqj
Sponsors: Voices in the Wilderness and The Peace Museum
Contact: Scott Blackburn - scott@vitw.org, 773.784.8065
Download the flyer
For complete information for all of Dahr Jamail's events in Chicago please visit http://vitw.org/jamail/

E-mail me asking for a reminder here or else note in your calenders now, planners, brains, whatever now because I will probably forget to do a heads up later in the week unless I'm reminded. E-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.

[Note: This entry originally appeared at The Common Ills.]

By telling Jaafari to re consider before making any changes, Rumsfeld probably thought he was being helpful and pragmatic. The US has invested heavily in training the new security forces and the loss of key personnel could undo all that good work. Instead, Rumsfeld caused offence.
Since he last visited Iraq, an election has been held and a new government elected. The umbilical cord to the US has been cut and the new order does not take kindly to being governed in the way that they were when the US administrator Paul Bremer reigned supreme in Baghdad.
If Rumsfeld wanted any evidence that things had changed he only had to look at last weekend’s demonstrations, in which tens of thousands of Shias took to the streets of Baghdad to demand the withdrawal of the US coalition garrison.
The official US view is that their forces will remain in Iraq until the insurgency has been crushed. While that is acceptable as long as the violence continues and the Iraqis fail to deal with it, the presence of 130,000 US troops has also provoked fears that the US wants to create a new Middle East power base to replace Saudi Arabia. In fact, that concern is not a million miles removed from US policy but lecturing the new Iraqi government was hardly the best way of promoting it. Not for the first time in his career, Rumsfeld has been found guilty of shooting from the lip.

That's from Trevor Royle's "Rumsfeld offers advice to Iraq … and offends its new PM." It appears in the UK Sunday Herald and, credit where it's due, BuzzFlash has a heads up to that article currently.

From Scotland's The Herald, we'll note "China stands firm on anti-Japan riots" by Audra
Ang:

CHINA refused to apologise after a Japanese consulate was damaged during a fresh round of anti-Japanese protests at the weekend.
The country instead accused Tokyo of offending China with its handling of Japan's wartime history.
Japan blamed China for the damage as authorities allowed fresh protests in at least six cities over Tokyo's bid for a permanent UN Security Council seat and what critics claim are efforts to conceal wartime atrocities.

Rory e-mails asking if the New York Times has touched on the following story? I'm not recalling them covering it, no. From The Independent, Andrew Buncombe's "Bush administration 'broke its own embargo to sell arms to Haiti police:'"

The Bush administration has been accused of ignoring its own arms embargo and overseeing the sale of $7m-worth (£3.7m) of weapons to the Haitian government to equip its police force.
Human rights groups say the police carry out routine executions of dissidents and weapons are often illegally funnelled to armed militia.
Robert Muggah of the Swiss-based Small Arms Survey, a non-profit group, said that last year the US effected the sale of thousands of weapons to the interim government headed by Gerard Latortue, despite a 13-year arms embargo. "They are meant to brace up a shaky security force, but the reality is they could actually undermine security by jeopardising an innovative disarmament effort just getting under way," said Mr Muggah, who has spent several months in Haiti interviewing diplomats and UN officials for a report.
The embargo was established after a coup that ousted the elected president Jean-Betrand Aristide, who was forced into exile for a second time last year. Washington, which had long under- mined his presidency, refused to help him. The weapons embargo remains in place.

Also from The Independent, we'll note Andrew Gumbel's "Ecuador in turmoil as Supreme Court is dissolved:"

Tens of thousands of Ecuadorians took to the streets over the weekend in an uprising against their President, former army colonel Luis Gutierrez, accusing him of assuming more dictatorial powers in a bid to stay in office.
In Quito, the capital, convoys of cars bearing Ecuadorian flags paraded through the streets on Saturday night with horns honking, with similar protests promised for last night. Thousands of citizens also gathered across the city, banging pots and pieces of wood and waving rolls of toilet paper, a symbol of their desire to clean up the "mess" of the Gutierrez presidency.
The crisis, which has been fomenting for months but became critical only a few days ago, has taken on the quality of a Latin American uniformed farce. President Gutierrez first imposed a state of emergency in Quito - banning street protests and large political gatherings - then retracted it when the entire panoply of Ecuadorian political parties, along with the military brass and the US government, told him he had gone too far.
At the root of the crisis is a decision, taken by the Ecuadorian Congress at the President's prompting, to replace the Supreme Court last December. The new court promptly quashed all outstanding corruption charges against two former presidents, whose support Mr Gutierrez needed to maintain a slim majority in Congress.
The two, both accused of looting the country for personal gain, returned from exile in Panama this month, provoking fury in the opposition and on the streets.

From The Financial Times, Lyle e-mails Andrew Balls and Scheherazade Daneshkhu's "Argentina rejects calls to reopen credit talks:"

Argentina has rejected a call from world financial leaders to come to an agreement with the creditors that rejected its record $100bn debt exchange offer earlier this year.
The International Monetary and Financial Committee, the IMF's governing body, issued a statement following its spring meeting at the weekend, calling on Argentina to come up with "a strategy to resolve the remaining arrears outstanding to private creditors".
This echoed the finance ministers and central bankers from the Group of Seven leading industrialised countries, who in their statement said: "Argentina needs to address the remaining defaulted debt." Both the IMFC and the G7 also said there should be no backsliding on structural reforms needed to promote sustainable growth in the country.
Roberto Lavagna, Argentina's economy minister, immediately responded, issuing a statement that said: "Argentina does not accept discriminatory action or demands in regards to debt restructuring."

From Open Democracy, Brady e-mails Andreas Lorenz's "China’s environmental suicide: a government minister speaks:"


Andreas Lorenz: China is dazzling the world with its booming economy, which grew by 9.5%. Are you pleased with this speed of growth, and what effect is it having on the environment of China?
Pan Yue: Of course I am pleased with the success of China's economy. But at the same time I am worried. We are using too many raw materials to sustain this growth. To produce goods worth $10,000, for example, we need seven times more resources than Japan, nearly six times more than the United States and, perhaps most embarrassing, nearly three times more than India. Things can't, nor should they be allowed to, go on like that.
Andreas Lorenz: Such a viewpoint is not exactly widespread in your country.
Pan Yue: Many factors are coming together here. Our raw materials are scarce, we don't have enough land, and our population is constantly growing. Currently, there are 1.3 billion people living in China -- twice as many as fifty years ago. In 2020, there will be 1.5 billion people in China. Cities are growing but desert areas are expanding at the same time; in these fifty years, habitable and usable land has been halved.
Andreas Lorenz: Yet, in the eyes of the world, each year China strengthens its reputation as an economic wonderland.
Pan Yue: This miracle will end soon because the environment can no longer keep pace. Five of the ten most polluted cities worldwide are in China; acid rain is falling on one third of our territory; half of the water in China’s seven largest rivers is completely useless; a quarter of our citizens lack access to clean drinking water; a third of the urban population is breathing polluted air; less than a fifth of the rubbish in cities is treated and processed in an environmentally sustainable manner.

E-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.

[Note: This entry originally appeared at The Common Ills.]

Robin e-mailed Friday to give the community a heads up to a site she and a colleague are doing entitled Watching America. The site has some sort of a counter or tracker, so consider that a heads up.

It sounds like a wonderful resource and if you're not interested, that's fine but try to pass it on to anyone you think might be interested.

We'll mention them again tonight in our global entry.

And on that topic, we are a resource/review. We will absolutely highlight things that members give us heads up to. However, if visitors pass on something that's a resource, we'll highlight that as well. A few weeks ago, I gave a heads up to a search engine that a visitor had passed on via e-mail. There have been about fifteen e-mails on that (two liked the engine, the rest didn't). As a result of the feedback, we won't highlight search engines again unless they're somehow benefitting the environment, human rights or something along those lines.

But if a visitor has something to pass on to the community that's a resource, we will highlight it.

And again, Watching America sounds like a strong resource. And if I've screwed up the links to it (which I sometimes do), you can copy and paste this into your browser address bar:

www.WatchingAmerica.com

So if I screwed up the link, just copy and paste.

And for anyone wondering, I do not know Robin. Robin says the site is a free site. There's no money being exchanged for this highlight nor any other favors. She contacted the site, and I'm sure others, to get the word out on Watching America and because it seems like something the community might find of interest, we're highlighting it. If you're able to help her get the word out further, please do.

The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.

Here's what's on The Laura Flanders Show today (which is this evening, tonight, or this afternoon if you listen live, depending on where you live; seven pm to ten pm eastern time):

As bad economic news piles up, will our side stop Congress from making matters worse? TIA SWETT of the Mobilization for Global Justice will call in live, from the weekend's protests in Washington at the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. Then representative SHERROD BROWN, D-OH, and author of "Myths of Free Trade: Why American Trade Policy Has Failed," on the upcoming congressional fight over CAFTA, the Central American Free Trade Agreement. And one day before the Catholic Church begins its deliberations on who the next Pope will be, ANGELA BONAVOGLIA, journalist and author of "Good Catholic Girls," on how Catholic women are leading the movement to bring change to the Catholic Church. Join the blog and check out Laura's book tour schedule. This week she's in Burlington, Houston and Austin, with Tariq Ali. Come out and introduce yourself!

Burlington, Houston and Austin? Here are Laura Flanders upcoming speaking dates:

Burlington, VT
Monday 4/18, 7-9 pm
Conversation with Tariq Ali at The University of Vermont.
Ira Allen Hall.
Co-sponsored by Vermont Progressive Party and the UVM Women's Center.

Houston, TX
Tuesday 4/19, 7:30 pm
Conversation with Tariq Ali at The University of Houston.
Houston Room, Second Floor, University Center.

Austin, TX
Wednesday 4/20, 7-9 pm
Conversation with Tariq Ali at The University of Texas.
Jester Auditorium, A121, 21st & Speedway.

Durham, NC
Monday 4/25 Noon
Brown Bag Lunch.
Duke University.
Perkins Library, Rare Books Room.
Co-sponsored by The Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History & Culture.
7 pmThe Regulator Bookshop.
720 Ninth Street.
(919) 286-2700.

Boulder, CO
Monday 5/24 pm
Lecture at The University of Colorado, Old Main Chapel.
Followed by reception with the Women's Studies Department at the Women's Studies Cottage.
7 pm
Word is Out Women's Bookstore.
2015 10th Street.
303 449-1415.

Tuesday 5/3
12-1 pm
Lecture at Denver University.
Co-sponsored by the Gender & Women's Studies Department.
The Chamber Center.
The Garden Room.
5:30-7 pm
Reception.
The Denver Woman's Press Club.
1325 Logan Street.
7:30 pm
The Mercury Cafe.
2199 California Street.
(303) 294 9258

Thursday 5/5
4 pm
Keynote address at The University of Colorado Women's Studies graduation ceremony.
Old Main Chapel.
St Louis, MO
Thursday, 5/12,
7 pm
Reading.
Left Bank Books.
399 North Euclid.
(314) 367-6731

Friday, 5/13,
2 pm
The National Conference for Media Reform, panelist, "Creating the Solution." www.freepress.net/conference.

Jonah e-mails asking if "announcements take up time and space that could be devoted to real issues?" While I understand what Jonah's asking, I think Laura Flanders' or Amy Goodman's or
whomever's speaking events are real issues.

The book industry has lagged and cut back on speaking events. I'm not sure who puts together Flanders' and Goodman's speaking events, but they are doing a great job (as are the two women) because as Lucy noted last week, "Thank God, someone other than Cokie Roberts is coming to my university!"

From my own college days, I can remember the Republican chapters turned out this speaker or that speaker and the Democratic campus chapter didn't have anyone. (Has to do with funding and you can read David Bock's The Republican Noise Machine for more on that.)

I don't know that Goodman or Flanders claims a party affiliation (they are of the left) and voices not supported by either of the two major parties are even more important because they increase the dialogue.

Amy Goodman is in Las Vegas tonight.

Let's note that again:

Las Vegas, NV:
Sunday, April 17, 7pm
The Reading Room
3930 Las Vegas Blvd. South Suite 201
Las Vegas, NV 89119
Book signing event Free and open to the public

[Addtional speaking dates for Amy Goodman's Un-Embed the Media Tour can be found at The Exception to the Rulers web page -- which is also a permalink on the left side of this page.]

Hopefully it will be a sizeable turnout. But it goes beyond that. The people who attend will tell friends about it. The people in the area who learn about it (some after the effect) become aware that other voices are out there.

You can call it getting ideas into the market place (I'd call it getting ideas into the discourse) but
it does make a difference. And it makes a difference whether ten or fifty or one hundred or more attend. Both Goodman and Flanders are strong speakers and inspiring ones.

And any voice not appearing to plug the Fortune 500 is a big thing.

It's about planting seeds and getting ideas out there.

Anything that goes beyond the usual appearences that push Cokie Roberts as a Democratic (oh, my sides are hurting from laughing) increases our understanding not just of what's out there but it also lets us see that brave individuals (such as Flanders or Goodman, or Danny Schechter earlier with WMD) don't just have some regional appeal but have strong support if their ideas are able to be put out there.

I think it's great what they're doing (and the series that The Nation is planning). And notice something about the dates for Flanders or Goodman or anyone similar -- they aren't just going to "swing states." Unlike the Democratic Party's recent idea of how to run a campaign and connect with people, Flanders, Goodman, et al aren't taking the attitude of, "Oh, that state always goes Republican so what chance does little me have there?"

That's an attitude I hope Howard Dean strongly deals with. I think the country's tired of seeing shy, retiring national candidates.

Let's deal with two cities considered "extremely liberal" by the mainstream: New York City and San Francisco. Maybe they're so "extermely liberal" because they have more access to speakers and events than some other towns?

If an area is exposed to only one set of ideas (which media consolidation on all levels, but especially locally has allowed and encouraged), I think it's a big step to stereotype the area without considering how many "drop outs" you may have. People drop out all the time. They get tired of hearing the same exact thing being mouthed by various faces. They disengage from the process because they are getting one message and they realize that message doesn't speak to them. (And if you need to supporting evidence, you can look at voter turnout.)

Seeing a flyer or advert for Flanders, Goodman, The Nation, Schechter or whomever, means maybe you don't go to the event, but you may think, "Who is that person?" And if you see a book or a film or flip the radio dial or TV channel and come across one of them, you may pay attention. The mainstream media has focused on the right and some centerists and it's effected the country.

I realize what Jonah is saying and this isn't a slap on the wrist to him. We certainly have a ton of things to talk about and don't get to most of the things I have on my own list (I do try to get to the things members e-mail in regarding). There are days when I think, for instance, "Okay, today we're going to hit hard on what's going on in Iraq" (which requires going way beyond any reporting in the New York Times) and then a member e-mails something and Iraq (or whatever) gets put on hold.

On this end, I long ago had to let go of the idea that I could plan what we'd talk about because this is a community that's driven by members needs and interests. And we don't play gatekeeper by saying, "Oh that topic? Mmmm. No."

The occupation is very important, the environment is very important, human rights are very important. We could go on and on. But the most important thing, from members e-mails and I'd agree with this, is getting the word out. And certainly, anyone hearing a voice like Goodman or Flanders or Schecther or whomever is going to be exposed to more than one topic.

We can multi-task. (Even if I do a poor job of that.) We can focus on more than one issue at a time. And we need to because issues are related and we need to start integrating. And I'm summarizing an old college term paper here so I've probably lost everyone there. But briefly, in the atomist age we learned how to divide the atom, how to divide this that and everything else.
Classifications and systems and ladders, that's all great. It helps you analyze and learn. But we need to move towards integrating what we're learning and seeing. (Which isn't my original thought, Anais Nin spoke of that in great detail, and with great excitement, when she began to learn of computers in the early seventies and hoped that the integrated circuit might provide us with the means to start pulling things together.)

So I'm guessing that Jonah has some issues he wants addressed that he feels are getting lost.
We can get to those (e-mail what they are Jonah) and we can deal with those but we need to move towards synthesis and integration of ideas and that only happens if we get the word out. That's getting the word out as a community for us here. And that's what Flanders, Goodman, Schechter, The Nation, et al are attempting to do when they travel here, there and everywhere (to steal from the Beatles). So we'll note these things when members bring them up or I happen to notice them. (Members are better able to juggle and remember than I am.)

The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.

[Note: This entry originally appeared at The Common Ills.]