The Revolution Will Be Webcast

A Brave New World of Political Skulduggery? - washingtonpost.com

Finally, politics has embraced our post-modern condition with thr massive dissemination of the Hillary-Obama 1984 ad via (print, tv and web) media in addition to blog and email forwards. The ad is everything good about post-modernism - the mixing of media (video and text), the use of sampling (the reuse of the 1984 Macintosh commercial - aired during that year's superbowl incidentally), superbly crafted subtext(s) (which I go into here using only the video and not the audio) and the ability to spread itself virally. Oh Joy!

Gil Scott Heron was right in that the Revolution will not be televised. It will be brought about by thousands of free spirits creatively using the tools at their disposal to effect massive change. James Carville once made the point that the entire Renaissance was only 1500 people but they changed the world. This ad could herald something similar. I hope it really is the beginning of "citizen political ads" as the MSM has stated. And this WaPo article makes the point that the commercial was made very easily. While it "only" reached a few million of our 300 million citizens, those are the people paying attention early and who will be opinion and grassroots leaders in their communities.

This brings me to a point I haven't made on this blog yet. Namely, that political campaigns belong to the people, not the politicians. Abominations like McCain-Feingold give politicians too much control over the direction of political debate and cultural discourse by limiting who may participate and when they may participate. This is simply the political class's unique version of rent-seeking.

Ads like this show that the barrier to entry for political ads (now that YouTube and its rivals exist) is extremely low and relatively inexpensive. Normal citizens can now make their own advertisements (assuming the FEC doesn't freak out and ban them all) very cheaply and still have impact. What happens now is the question.

Another Nation Admits to Trackg UFOs

Breitbart reports that France has opened its secret UFO files to the public. These files cover 50 years of sitings.

It's fairly interesting that France is the second nation since 2005 to admit to researching UFOs up to the present day. The U.S. Disclosure Project has been trying to accomplish the same thing over here, even though Project Blue Book was officially closed in the late 1960s.

There are really two explanations as to why elite members of these last two nations are pushing to open their nations' respective files:

1) To prove that "there's no there there" and try to dispel the growing cultural belief in alien visitations (Jung would have an interesting take on the UFO phenomena).

2) It is part of the gradual acculturation process that began decades ago with the first alien-human contact during the Eisenhower Administration with the crash at Roswell.

Occam's Razor says that option (1) is more likely. I think I'll go with that one. The second option is too creepy to contemplate in any event.

Of course, we can now get into a conversation about Faction One vs. Faction Two, but we'll leave that for another time.

Hey Asshole - More info on CVS poor service

If you're going to leave a comment, be a (wo)man about it and leave an actual email address for me to respond to your comments and criticisms - and I will respond via email to comments. (Aside from this post) I'm not going to waste my blog space on replying to idiot/self-righteous morons. Unfortunately, some people are too cowardly to leave comments w/o doing it anonymously.

To the asshole who wrote saying I should have helped the old guy at CVS and criticized me for not being a decent human:

The fact is that I am the one who asked her to call the pharmacy tech from the day before, and Ms. Uneven suggested the pharmacy tech call her doctor. Yes, I used some literary license - it is afterall called a "portrait" as opposed to an actual retelling of the event. If you don't understand the difference, look at the differences between James Joyce's Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man vs. his actual biography. There are significant differences. Too bad you're too much of a coward to leave an actual email address to respond to so that we could have a real conversation about this.

For the record, the portrait was of an old man being beaten down by the beauracracy. It wasn't supposed to be a completely true story, just the outlines of a sad one.

Deconstructing the Hillary-Obama 1984 Ad

The Hillary-Obama Ad is a great juxtaposition of the most famous commerical of all time (Apple's initial upstart assault on dominant Microsoft, in turn based on Orwell's 1984) with the dates of the a previous general election and the commercial's first airing (1984) and the next general election 2008. Scroll down to watch the ad.

What happened in the 1984 election? - the Democratic candidate annointed by primogeniture (as only Republicans do), Walter Mondale, had beaten off an insurgent campaign based on new ideas and charisma, Gary Hart, to lose in a disastrous landslide in the 1984 general election (to Ronald Reagan). The visual reference to the 1984 commercial also provides the undertones (subtexts) that Hillary:

(1) Is Big Brother, again enforcing orthodoxy
(2) Again advancing through primogeniture in a party which finds such a process alien to its political DNA and distateful to its (small d) democratic roots.
(3) Will lose disastrously because (1) will produce an result completely in sync with the American People

What could happen in the 2008 election? - The American people, tired of the same (type) of people running the government as those of the last 20 years will pick a new (type?) of politician. It could be Barack Obama, Chuck Hagel, Newt Gingrich, Al Gore and a few others.

The visual statement: "2008 won't be like 1984" provides the undertones (subtexts):

1) It won't be Hillary. She represents the continuity of the political past, not the break from it we're all yearning for.
2) The above-referenced yearning which didn't really exist in 1984 because people were relatively satisified with President Reagan
3) Poses a direct challenge to Hillary (from the Obama campaign based on the logo, but they have denied it).
4) Hillary as recipient of the "two-minute hate" against which true-believers can rebel.

A Mo(u)rning Portrait

At the Waterfrong CVS earlier today (store #1348) , I overheard a distraught elderly gentlman patiently trying to pick up medicine for his wife/daughter (I wasn't paying that much attention). Apparently CVS had misplaced the prescritions he dropped off yesterday so that he could have them today. The CVS technician offered neither to call the doctor (most of which have answering services for emergencies) nor to call the CVS pharmacy tech working yesterday (whom he described well - I've been to that pharmacy before) to find out if she knew if she had misplaced them.

Instead of helping him resolve the issue, she blew him off and shooed him out. When he asked if she would call the doctor about the prescriptions, she said it was unlikely the doc would answer and his best bet would be to come back tomorrow. She also refused to call the accurately-describted pharmacy tech. As he patiently pointed out (if it were ME, I'd be boiling over at this point), he had dropped off the prescriptions Yesterday so he could have them TODAY for his sick loved one. No one should have to wait a day for basic medical treatment because a retail employee is lazy.

Watching him shuffle out of the door has darkened my mood. I hope that missing one day of medication won't harm his loved one's medical treatment. I wish customer service were a bigger priority for CVS pharmacies.

I think I'll transfer my prescriptions to a different branch or find a entirely new pharmacy in my neighborhood - hopefully I can find a locally-owned one.

External Validation Rocks!

"I even saw the lights of the Goodyear blimp, and it read Uneven Steven's a pimp." (With apologies to Ice Cube)

Of course, it WAS an honor to be nominated. I'd like to give a shout out to the Dewey Crew who have been calling me "Big Sexy" for years - you know who you are (of course most of those people have actually partied with me). I'm also grateful for the many votes I received from the DC blogging community. While some of the gracious people in this community know (and have done body shots with) me, not enough of you could possibly know me for me to win this award straight out. But thanks again for (further) external validation.

I won because of the method of voting. Different methods of voting produce different results. There is a whole branch of Rational Choice Political Theory dedicated to the different results that different voting methodologies produce. This is important enough that Democrats and Republicans both have crafted specific rules on legislative issue in hope of engendering their desired result through "democratic" means. Both parties are equally known for using their majority power to structure favorable voting rules for legislation coming to the floor (the acually most important method for determining what public policy will pass the House of Representatives). Both parties had their favorite rules, but the previous Democratic majority was masterful at it in a way that Republican never were. We'll have to see how this Democratic majority fairs

Being the second or third choice for most people when you're able to cast four per person means that you can be nobody's favorite and still win. This raises significant issues as to whether someone coming in first in such a contest (e.g., myself) is actually the democratic choice. In some sense the only contestant that can claim to be the "true" democratic choice is the "Condorcet winner", the one that beats EVERY other option in a head-to-head competition. I likely would not since I don't know enough of you.

All of that said, I DO APPRECIATE THE VOTES.

- US

Oh C'Mon, typical incompetence is not a conspiracy

Apparently, Mayor Nagin Suspects a plot To keep blacks away from New Orleans. Apparently it's all part of some plot by evil Republicans (or whichever party is now the party of racists - it used by the Dems until Nixon's Southern Strategy) to use natural disasters to disperse populations to benefit their party. Doubtful.

(ed - but Hurricane Katrina really did vastly redistribute hundreds of thousands of poor people who had never left their home neighborhoods, let alone towns. Many of them won't be coming back. But the lack of federal help (i.e., tax expenditures) in bringing these people back to New Orleans doesn't make it a conspiracy)

The government is generally very bad at big things (like this), and very good at little things (actually processing Social Security checks etc.). And I doubt the folks that brought us the Iraq War (complete with flower offering children), the ham-handed firings of the US Attorneys, and Plamegate could really get away with something like this.

Bad things happen. There's not always an invisible hand (except in capitalism) no matter how much we want the bad things to be CAUSED so that we have someone/thing to rail against.

A True Conspiracy? Did RFK Really Kill Marilyn?

FBI file links Kennedy to Monroe's death - World - smh.com.au

According to this articlte, the FBI had an ACTUAL FILE about RFK's role in inducing Marilyne Monroe's suicide. Even more, it was buried for DECADES as a classified document that detailed RKF's on and off again sexual relationship w/ Norma Jean. Apparently, it even conjectures that RFK had her killed when she realized he had no intention of divorcing his wife and marrying her.

Of course, this is a Kennedy Hater's dream.

Taegan Goddard Describes My Life

This describes a lot of my life w/ a few caveats. I really like to read Political Wire before the WaPo or NYT, and having a dual-tuner TiVo means never having to get out of bed to tape anything on Sunday. Plus, the PBS and local weekend political shows are always worth watching. I'm also pretty much over Prime Minister's question hour until there's a new PM (though that's just a matter of taste and I think we should require something similar of our President(s).


Instructions for becoming a political junkie, courtesy of Political Insider. (Required reading for college students and budding politicos).

But enough about me.

The routine of one obsessed political junkie:

DAILY TASKS: Wake up. Check Drudge. Read the NYT and WaPo. Check Political Wire, the hotline blog, politico.com, the AP wire, the Reuters political wire, and MSNBC.com. Read ABC's The Note when it arrives in my inbox, around 10am. Throughout the day, check Drudge at least once an hour, check Political Wire a few times, check the hotline blog every hour or two. Once or twice a day, read Wonkette, Political Insider, potomacflacks.com, cqpolitics.com, HuffingtonPost, and TVNewser. Watch Hardball at 5pm or 7pm. During commercials, check in on Sit Room.

MUST READS: Everything by Howard Fineman (Newsweek). Almost everything by George Will. Everything by David Yepsen and Tom Beaumont (DM Register). Everything written by Mike Allen and Roger Simon (Politico).

TRICKS OF THE TRADE: Keep '08 staff list. Google alert names of spokespeople from campaigns to follow messaging. Check presidential websites weekly.

MONDAYS: Read Dana Milbank's Washington Sketch (WaPo).

TUESDAYS: Read E.J. Dionne's column in the WaPo.

WEDNESDAYS: Read Maureen Dowd and Tom Friedman's NYT columns.

THURSDAYS: Read Novak's column. Read John DiStaso's weekly Union Leader column. Read David Brooks' Thursday NYT column.

FRIDAYS: Read the Time articles that matter. Tivo HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher.

WEEKEND: Savvy political junkies know that Novak's must read "Inside Report" column is printed on townhall.com on Saturday, a full day before it's available in his syndicated column. Read Maureen Dowd's Sat column in the NYT. Read David Brooks' Sun NYT column. Tivo all three network Sunday talk shows and FNC's Fox News Sunday. Tivo the Chris Matthews Show. Tivo McLaughlin Group and McLaughlin One-on-One. (Sunday recording requires taping shows at the same time). Watch at my leisure on Sunday. Watch C-SPAN's Road to the White House on Sunday night. Fall asleep watching Prime Minister's questions on C-SPAN.

REPEAT

Plagiarism is the Sincerest Form of Flattery - I'm looking at you Jazz Chill Corner

Jazz Chill Corner decided to repost my 2007 Music Festival listing w/o any type of attribution. You can compare them side by side - a his here and mine here and you'll see they're identical. He couldn't even be bothered to add a few new ones.

Not only does this probably violate my creative commons license, it's just rude not to give credit where it's due. It's called a footnote in academia (or a hat tip in the blogosphere). When I reposted E)'s stoner job search ad and commented on it, I gave her credit because that's appropriate.

While I'm flattered, it'a just not polite to acknowldege my hard work to compile that list (and solicit more info for future updates) or provide a link to the original source.

Gotta Love the Post-Modernism of Robotics Ethics Laws Based on Asimov

The tradition of SciFi writers predicting the future continues and has now advanced from Jules Verne to Isaac Asimov. It'll be interesting to see how long it takes to get to some of the things Heinlein predicted.

That said there is something vaguely creepy about an entire national obsession with robots and the need for a nation to actually have a robotic ethics codes. Even the Europeans are getting in on the act. Though it does make practical sense for nations whose populations are imploding. However, it seems premature to establish robotic ethics at all before any of them pass the Turing test.

The most interesting implications of robotics combined w/limited AI are those related to creating sex robots. And all new successful technology from the VCR to the internet has been driven through its applicability to pornography (and making its use more anonymous). If robots are to become commonplace this is the most profitable place for manufacturers/researchers to start. And regardless of what I think, it's only a matter of time before some company starts doing this. Most likely Korea or Japan due to the population pressures mentioned above (which is getting worse due to the aborting of what would be female children in those cultures - we're actually witnessing cultural suicide, from a detached perspective, it would make an excellent PhD thesis).

The positive aspects the spread of sex robots could virtually eliminate trafficking in women and sexual slavery. This has enormous potential to reduce human rights abuses and vastly improve the lives of women around the world since sexual slavery would become comparatively more expensive.

Of course, despite these positive cultural impacts, the christianists likely will rise up in outraged opposition. I'm sure they'll find some obscure Biblical passage to justify opposing another form of sexual release. More likely however, they'll just trot out the chestnut about Onan. Any literate reader of Scripture would realize his punishment was due to "gaming the system" to keep fucking his sister-in-law - which Hebrew law condoned in order to give her a son, but which activity would have to stop once she became pregnant - not for having sex that didn't result in conception (even the Song of Songs praises sexuality) which as become the justification for opposing birth control etc.

Does it matter what the Pope thinks about Biotech?

Obviously the Pope's opinion is wrong, especially his comments on artificical insemination for infertile couples (doesn't that go against God's command to "be fruitful and multiply" - of course people like Benedict don't really use logic). Additionally, the Pope is wrong and Andrew Sullivan right on gay marriage - if you're pro-marriage you allow gays to have civil union because it would provide the same social benefits to and from these couples that married people receive.

But does it even matter that he has an opinion? He is not the head of Christendom, only Catholicism (which recently has been seeking to reconcile with many of the protestant denominations). Aside from Catholics and christianists, do we even care?Most Europeans seem to ignore him. And what about the Chinese who have no cultural connection to the Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Christianity and Islam)? It's unlikely they would respond to his opinion either.

Additionally, the entire protestant movement was based on the idea that the Catholic church was too dogmatic and didn't allow others to interpret Christianity as they saw fit. So there's really no reason for him to pay much attention to him since the Anglican Church, to which I belong, does not agree with him.

Designer Babies in the UK

At the end of the day I completely support this. The individual and social benefits to eliminating genetic diseases such as diabetes, parkinsons, alcholism etc. are enormous.

I'd love to have my future children partially designed to eliminate hereditary diseases. That's a no brainer.

Unintended Social Consequences & Controversies of This Technology

Would I use this technology to enhance their intelligence and athletic ability - of course, what responsible parent wouldn't want their child to have every possible advantage. This is more controversial because thousands(millions?) of individuals making individual decisions for similar reasons can cause an unintential social movement. Such genetic enhancement runs counter to our American ideals of fair play (witness our laws against performance enhancing drugs for athletes).

What about the ethics of deleting a gay gene, deaf gene or genes that make you fat? Parts of our society would do this without blinking. But other parts of our society(beyond the christianists) will have severe issues with this? E.g., won't deaf culture die out and should it (which is a huge issue)?

Depending on how far such technology progresses, it also has has the potential to cement the position of those at the top and eliminatig the eternal goal of meritocracy and social mobility. Without the last two, our Democratic-Capitalist society will eventually collapse due to revolts and possible revolutions - they'll be slow in coming, but they'll come. And it won't just be our nation, it will occur in other nation where the same technology is available and utilized.

Biological Data Storage

How cool is this? Using artificial DNA to store information in bacteria is just brilliant and potentially will lead to faster computer processors, and EMP-proof data storage for corporations. Someone's going to figure how to make a lot of money off of this.

For all the potential benefits, it does raise three questions:

(1) What exactly is "artificial DNA," and what are its other potentially malicious uses of which we should be wary?

(2) Can this data be written into creatures beyond bacteria? Will I eventually be able to use my dog as a backup storage device? How cool would that be?

(3) Will scientists be able to use this artifical DNA to modify humans? In what way will they choose/be able/forced to do so? How far away is this?

Anyway, just things to consider. Still doesnt' change the coolness factor.

Of Course the Government Abused Its Power

Another name for Big Government Conservativism is Fascism and we're rapidly sliding down that slope. Fortunately, American-style fascism hasn't made "the trains run on time" (witness Katrina, Walter Reed, Iraq), so America likely will survive and recover from the latest assault on the Bill of Rights.

I'm shocked, shocked the FBI is abusing the powers granted to in the abomination known by the Orwellian name "The Patriot Act." Most of the extreme provisions in this bill should have been allowed to sunset per the originial law. However Congress, and especially the spineless Democrats raised few objections to expanding to renewing these provisions and only eliminate some of them.

And now the government is attempting to resurrect the Total Information Awareness system. Of course this time they're getting the private sector to do it for them so they contract for the services instead. [Note: to bring in another of my favorite themes,the original seal for the TIA office prompted many concerns from conspiracy groups about the Masons, Illuminati etc. taking over]. FOr real problems TIA could cause, see here.

Begin Self-Involved Explication

Many of the provisions in the Patriot Act simply gave the FBI the same powers to pursue suspected terrorists that the DEA already possessed for going after potential drug traffickers. On that front these provisions could be considered relatively harmless. One the other hand the War on (Some) Drugs could easily be ended by legalizing most drug consumption, regulating it and putting it in the hands of corporations. This would also result in the defunding of many of the terrorism organizations. I had a really interesting conversation about this at CPAC with a law enforcement officer advocating legalizing drugs for these reasons. For what it's worth, he told me he had a much better reception this year than last.

End Self-Involved Explication.

Shamrock Festival Rocked! RFK Management Blows! DC Police Are Professional

I say the festival rocked because I am no longer there. The management company decided to stop honoring VIP wrist bands for the VIP area (which was not the organizers fault). Like I always do with bad customer service, I asked to speak to the supervisor but was told no. He was only 10 feet away so I walked towards him to straighten everything out. Before I even got to him I was physically assualted by the staff - attempting to break my arm by pushing it up behind my back - and physically threatened further by the staff. The staff also refused to give me their names etc. so that I could file a formal complaint with the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission (who run RFK) and the police. That is unacceptable, but typical cover your ass behavior by the type of uneducated people who work these jobs and realize their in the wrong. (To quote the asshole professor from Real Genius "[they're] laborers ... that's what you get for not having an education").

I was visibly upset by their unwarranted assault and called the police on 911. Someone came very promptly, and I was escorted out of the event. I don't blame the police - they were doing their job and in their situation I would take the management company's word over mine since the management company is also part of DC government. I was very tense and the officers kept commenting on it and asked me to relax as we walked out. They were very professional the whole time and I appreciate their difficult jobs. I also believe that law enforcement at any level is second only to military servicen in terms of noble callings and professions deserving respect. Kudos to the DC police for handling this well.

However, if I were the guys who sponsored the event and the D.C. Sports & Entertainment Commission stopped honoring the tickets I had sold (as well as vendor passes - many of whom also were barred from the VIP area despite the fact they were supposed to have access), I would stop having Shamrock Fest and Blocktober Fest at RFK. They did not provide acceptable customer service to the festival promoters.

Instead, I would do like the HFStival and do the events at Ravens stadium in Baltimore. In addition to better management, there is more to do around the stadium than at RFK, and it's just a better environment for having a good time than the RFK area. Of course, there will be a new Nationals stadium, so maybe they can do it there in the future.

RFK deserves to close due to poor management and inability to resolve customer service issues. Maybe the DC United (our excellent soccer team that not enough people see) could play at the new stadium too. For a WaPo article that mentions previous management problems at the stadium, click here.I worked in customer service for over five years service is a big thing for me.

Despite all the drama the festival was fun. The Connells aren't quite as good as they were 15 years ago, but still put on a solid show, as did all the Dewey Bands and Kelly Bell. I'm bummed I'm missing DJ AM and Carbon Leaf, but that's what happens for sticking up for yourself with the government (you can't fight city hall). I'm sure they'll both put on excellent performances.

Even a Convicted Pot Smuggler Needs a Job

Hat tip to E:) for this great picture.



And let's face it, the guy is qualified to run a medium size business. I mean managing 120 employees and shipping operations for a $100 million business must take some solid education and management skills. That said, do you really want to hire somebody who may start laundering illegal funds through your company? I don't think that's a good risk consdiering US Zero Tolerance laws Could result in the government seizing the company.

Of course, only in Canada would someone think about something like this.

Sell the book! Sell the book quick!

As a libertarian, I am deeply conflicted about the now-infamous " Beltway Madam", Ms. Debra Palfrey, but think that she should sell her little black book of clients before the courts stop her from doing so. (ed - little black book my ass - the 10,000 names and phone records weigh 46 pounds)

Begin Self-Involved Explication

My main source of internal conflict is that while I support the right to engage in prostitution as a matter of principle, I abhor trafficking in people and sexual slavery. I don't doubt that Ms. Palfrey and people at her level of the sex industry don't buy and sell people to provide sexual services. However, the fact that they exist helps fuels demand for all types of escort services, especially the more downscale ones. Escort services that compete on price (as most services do in our capitalist society - I am pro-capitalist btw) seem more likely to be run by those who engage in sex trafficking.

End Self-Involved Explication

Now that that's over, I really do think that she has the absolute right to publish the book or sell it since it is her property and I am offended the prosecutor is trying to stop it. Simply doing that and embarassing some people is not the same as blackmail and the prosecution should stop pretending that it is. There is no law against embarassing thousands of people simultaneously.

At this point there has mainly been only small comments of titillation that some people will be embarassed. No one yet has really thought through the implications. After all, Brent Wilkes is going to jail for procuring prostitutes for Congressman Duke Cunnigham and others. There likely will be many other lobbyists in there as well, which will present problems for some of them, and not just of the going to jail variety. I'm talking about their personal life fallout.

Many of the people in the book likely procured sexual services for themselves. However, many of the lobbyists in the book will tell their wives/girlfriends/boyfriends that they simply were procuring the escorts for their clients. Many of the significant others will believe this because people who play at the level where it's plausible to hire an escort for a Congressman know how the game works. The problems will come for those who have cheated on their wives in the past and remained together or those who have had past relationship problems that this further contributes to. I feel bad for them

Finally, the publication of this book may result in some resignations from Congress or other scandals on K Street. We can only hope . . .

I got Lollapalooza Tix! I got Lollapalooza Tix!

All 3 days for $60! Limited Pre-sales are THE BEST REASON to sign up for festival email lists and band listservs. Regular tickets for Lollapalooza go on sale next month.

For a list of other upcoming music festivals, see here , which will be updated sporadically.

Oh, and Big Props to Blogger for hosting their party at SXSW this weekend!

2007 Music Festivals (Updated)

Thanks to everyone who helped update the Music Festiva list. As you may know, I put this list together because I have missed too many of them by not knowing their exact dates until it was too late. Some of these are a bit off the beaten path, but should be well worth it.

Again, thanks to everyone who helped update this list. Please Keep 'em coming.


The List So Far

March 9-11 Langerado (Sunrise, CA)
March 9-18 South x Southwest Music Festival (Austin, TX)
March 10 Shamrock Festival 2007 (Washington, DC - RFK Stadium)
March 15 - April 1 Savannah Music Festival
March 23-24 Ultra Music Festival (Montreal, Canada)
April 20-21 Dewey Beach Pop Festival(Rehoboth,DE)
April 27-29 Coachella (Indio, CA)
April 27-29 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (New Orleans, LA)
May 4-6 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
(New Orleans, LA)
June 1-3 Rock am Ring (Germany)
June 1-2 Rock im Ring (Nuremberg, Germany)
June 7-10 Chicago Blues Festival
June 8-10 The Download Festival (Donnington Park, Leceistershire, UK
June 22-24 Glastonbury Festival (U.K.)
June 22-24 Sierra Nevada World Music Festival (Booneville, CA)
July 5-7 Essence Music Festival (New Orleans, LA)
July 5-8 Roskilde Festival (Roskilde, Denmark)
July 6-8 Vancouver Island Music Festival.
July 7 Live Earth/Earth Aid (henceforth referred to as Live Earth Aid). (Washington, DC)
July 7 Ozzfest begins
Mid-July Heineken Jammin' Festival (Italy)
July 14-15 Pitchfork Music Festival (Chicago)(lineup TBA 3/16)
July 18-21 10,000 Lakes Festival (Detroit Lakes, Minnesota)
July 19-21 Goodstock (West Virginia)
July 19-22 Festival Internacional de Benicassim (near Valencia, Spain with an excellent line-up)
July 27-30 Eclipe Outdoor Electronic Music Festival (Montreal, Candada)
August (TBA) Burning Man
August 3-5 Lollapallooza (Chicago, IL)
August 8-13 Shambhala (Canada)
August 18-19 V Festival (Hylands Park, Chelmsford & Weston Park, Staffordshire - UK)
August 24-26 Reading and Leeds Festival (U.K.)
August 30 - September 2 Chicago Jazz Festival
September 1-3 Bumbershoot link is to last year's lineup but Rumor is that Kanye West is headlining again. (Washington State)

I have some downtime in August, so I'd love to start at the Eclipse Festival in Montreal end at Bumbershoot in WA and then head home.

I would like for this list to be as comprehensive as possible, so please let me know (and include a link) about festivals left off this list, no matter where they are in the world. Thanks!

Also please let me know if the Pixies or Garbage are playing near you, so I can figure out where I can see them play again. Thanks!

Ok, So Al Gore Didn't Announce (Yet)

Ok, so Gore didn't announce for President at the Oscars the way I predicted. Oh well, sometimes I'm wrong. However, he basically received a nomination speech from Leonardo DiCaprio.

Gore also is nominated for a Nobel Prize. Given the Nobel Committee's recent penchant for including political considerations in its awarding process, Gore likely will win. He also has accumulated enough money in the private sector to jump start a late campaign (similar to the Gingrich strategy).

I believe that Gore will announce for the Presidency shortly after winning the Nobel Peace Prize, and will be the nominee.

The Shamrock Festival is Going to Rock!

I love music and music festivals (no surprise to regular readers). The Shamrock Festival is going to ROCK! And let me tell you why.

In the past, the Shamrock and Octoberfest music festivals have been held in Ballston. They generally feature a mix of local talent and VERY popular cover bands such as Mr. Greengenes, Burnt Sienna, Kristen and the Noise, Laura Lea & Trip Fabulous. Love Seed Mama Jump usually plays too - they have an eclectic mix of their excellent original music plus covers. (You know - the typical Dewey Beach bands). Kelly Bell usually plays too and this year features Scott's New Band - a reworking or LRS.

This year is going to be better because it will be at RFK. This will minimize the crowding, but possibly make it bigger. It also is going to have major headliners and a lot of the favorites I mentioned above.

I hope that this eventually supplants the now-defunct HFStival.

Bad Service at Best Buy (Another One for the Best Buy/Ketchum Viewers)

Best Buy's customer service leaves much to be desired - Pay Attention you Best Buy and Ketchum folks still checking out my entries about boycotting Geek Squad for corrupt practices.

Ms. Uneven and I went to two different Best Buy locations last night since both our laptops have crapped out in the past week (My real boycott effort/annoyance is aimed specifically at Geek Squad, and not Best Buy per se). The first location we went to (Best Buy in Potomac Yards off Route One - Store 493) we had to stand in line for 45 minutes just to get some service. And then we had to go to the other Arlington location to get what we needed.

Per the norm, the Pentagon City store (Store 276) was so understaffed we couldn't find anyone to help us. We knew specifically what we wanted (due to the help we received at the Potomac Yards branch), but we couldn't find a sales associate and no one bothered to help us for 20 minutes. Due to this poor service, we walked out only with the new laptop and nothing else despite our intention to purchase a significant dollar amount of periperals.

The fact that customer service is so bad at those locations is a real problem. Best Buy's poor service at that location lost them several hundred dollars in sales from me.

PS - I have over 5 years experience working in retail and customer service. Best Buy needs to take lessons from some of the other retail giants on how to provide good service.

The War at Home is still on!

I'm very excited about this generally. Given the sheer amount of references to/jokes about drugs and premarital sex, I'm surprised the Lifestyle Police have let them stay on the air. BTW - I predicted a while back it would only last one season. I was wrong.

I think the use of the characters performing a monologue against a totally white backdrop is great for demonstrating the inner monologue, as well as for setting future jokes. Very PoMo.

Geek Squad Paranoid of Boycott Effort

Best Buy Executives and Ketchum folks (their PR) firm have been checking out my last post on boycotting Geek Squad all week. Apparently, some folks at Ketchum and Best Buy haven't figured out how to mask their IP addresses from the Stat counter. The Best Buy and Ketchum people spent over an hour on the site. Apparently figuring out how to respond to the original article I linked to and commented on.

Some Circuit City people have been checking it out too. Possibly to figure out how to benefit from this.

Why You Should Boycott Geek Squad

This horror story about Geek Squad's corrupt corporate practices, is enough for me to never use them again. It is simply unconsionable, that they would charge for services not performed and refuse a full refund for forcing the customer to fix what they claimed they couldn't.

After reading this post, you may think "where else should I go to get my laptop fixed? Well, if you're in DC, there is an excellent laptop repair service in Dupont Circle called Cyberlaptops. They have repaired three of my laptops at very reasonable prices and have excellent service. I have no affiliation with the company other than satisfied customer.

If we all start boycotting and helping the little guy, Geek Squad will be forced to provide better service at lower prices

The Comments Heard Around the World

Maureen Dowd's recent column has put Hillaryland and her campaign into a tizzy with her comments by David Geffen. While they've been covered extensively, here is a summary of what Hillaryland is upset about:

Mr. Geffen said the Clintons lie “with such ease, it’s troubling” and that the Clinton political operation “is going to be very unpleasant and unattractive and effective.” Mr. Geffen called Mr. Clinton a “reckless guy” who had not changed in the last six years, and suggested that Mrs. Clinton was too scripted.

The real panic in Hillaryland is that Geffen's defection will signal to other high dollar donors that it's ok to raise money for someone else. Their other fear is that Geffen was right: Clinton still has a zipper problem (just like John Boehner - Carl Hulse of the New York Times told me this about Boehner while we were waiting for last year's GOP leadership elections) and Clinton's problem WILL come out during the campaign and cost her some valuable media time. Additionally, talking about him and his pecadillos really doesn't help her much.

Her status as trailblazing first lady to become a Senator and presidential candidate puts her in the same category as Vice Presidents running to succeed predecessor. It's hard for her to tie herself to the successes of her husband's administration without being tarnished with his administration's failures. This proved awkward for Al Gore, and as the latest spat shows, will be even harder for her. Gore could separate himself from Clinton by picking Joe Lieberman, but Hillary can't do anything similar.

Here only real way to distance herself from her husband's failures is to try to intimidate the political class and punditocracy into not tying her to her husband. She even brought back the 90s meme of the "politics of personal destruction." Ironic for a woman who once boasted that her husband's election would give us "two for the price of one"

(Oh and then there are the reports that the whole Hillaryland reaction was actually due to Bill's furiousness about criticism regarding his pardon of multi-millionaire fugitive Marc Rich).

Unfortunately for her, the Clinton years, and Bill's ongoing affairs will be issues that will be embarassing and a challenge for her campaign to overcome. Good thing for her she has enough money to become the nominee anyway. Bad thing for the Democratic party.

CNN late to the Zeitegeist: Al Gore to Annouce at Oscars

CNN posts an article about Gore declaring for the Presidency at the Oscars tonight. The article rehashes a series a points I made here.

The Washington Post disagrees with this prediction.

Another Defense of Lobbying

The latest issue of The Hill contains a cogent defense of lobbying, and why it is necessary for democracy. It also echoes some of the arguments I make here.

Some "Conspiracies" May Not Be. . .

The Salt Lake Tribune reports claims that Timothy McVeigh had government help. If so, this would be a sort of covert Wag the Dog effort to outrage and alienate Americans enough to begin trading their liberties for "security."

I'm not sure I buy this one. It seems to fall into the Conspiracy as Causation fallacy instead of being based on a rational analysis of events.

Some Conspiracies Are Real . . .

The movie Breach is a true life thriller about Robert Hanssen who betrayed our national secrets to the Soviets and Russians in exchange for monetary gain.

I don't remember all the details about this from when it was in the news, but I certainly hope he had to pay bribery taxes.

It is the existence of real conspiracies (like the one to betray your country) that prompts the continued belief that there are Hidden Masters pulling all the strings. Excessive government secrecy and classification also create an aura of mystery about what the military could be "hiding," such as aliens et al at Roswell. It is entirely possible that nothing happened out there, but the issuance and retraction of the press release about capturing a "flying disk" possibly stoked the increasing paranoia we now feel towards the government.

More Potential for Biotech

How cool is this?

Scientists Grow Mouse Teeth From Single Cells
02.19.07, 12:00 AM ET

MONDAY, Feb. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Using tissue regeneration technology, Japanese researchers have been able to grow a new tooth from single mouse tooth cells and use it to replace natural teeth in a mouse.
The achievement is "a breakthrough in the development of bioengineered organs and proposes a novel concept for the organ replacement in future regenerative therapies," lead researcher Takashi Tsuji, associate professor, Department of Biological Technology, Tokyo University of Science, said in a prepared statement.

Reporting in the Feb. 19 online issue of the journal Nature Methods, Tsuji's team started by using the two cell types that form teeth -- mesenchymal and epithelial cells. They grew sufficient quantities of each of these cells and then injected them into a drop of collagen. This eventually developed into a budding tooth, which they transplanted into the cavity left by an extracted tooth in a mouse. . .

Regeration and cloning of limbs leads to a whole host of ethical issues that no one has confronted yet with the exception of a few Science Fiction writers. Our society as a whole has had no real discussion or discourse on the implications of such technologies because scientfic/medical research is far outpacing the ability of our society to digest these changes and adopt a coherent, consensus regarding these changes. For example, regeneration may lead to longer life spans for those here whenn it is fully realized, but may also lead to the birth of fewer children, resulting in the loss of some genes and increased risk of decimating plagues.

More Dicussion of our Impending Loss of Habeas Corpus

The Washington Post has an article on the appeals court decision I discussed here.

Maybe all is not lost . . .

Here is another good discussion of the issue from Talk Left. It is causing me a bit of Cognitive Dissonance though since I have been a proponent of the Unitary Executive theory.

New Tools to Control the Masses

Just the thing to handle rioting students in the developing world, or peaceful protesters in the Washington Mall. . .

Conspiracy Goes Mainstream (Again)

Joe Conason's latest book(and essay) rehashes the implications of Dye & Ziegler points about our society in their excellent book The Irony of Democracy. It also retreads Hofstadter's The Paranoid Style in American Politics.

But does his book contribute to a new left-wing paranoid syle in American politics, or is he on to something? Remember, "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross" - Sinclair Lewis

10 Zen Monkeys has a discussion of this meme.

The Slippery Slope to Facism Gets Steeper

I must confess, I always thought that Big Brother would be established by the radical left and not the right. After all, Jeanne Kirkpatrick's famous essay made the point that right-wing authoritarian governments have the potential to evolve into democracies. No one has seriously considered the possibility of a modern democracy moving towards fascism since the mid-20th Century.

Removing the ability of some people to gain habeas corpus review is just a step towards limiting its ability to all of us.

Regenerating Limbs through Biotechnology

Biotechnology has the potential to radically affect our culture. Here's an interesting story from the AP with about the cultural implications of biotechnolgy.

Allowing soldiers to regrow lost limbs might enable our military to lower its recruiting goals to still meet its obligations. Alternatively, the technology could be used for civilian uses, but such use could be regulated in a way that not everyone needing such a procedure will get it.

Science Finding Ways to Regrow Fingers

Feb 18 11:33 PM US/Eastern
By MALCOLM RITTER
AP Science Writer


NEW YORK (AP) -- Researchers are trying to find ways to regrow fingers _ and someday, even limbs _ with tricks that sound like magic spells from a Harry Potter novel.

There's the guy who sliced off a fingertip but grew it back, after he treated the wound with an extract of pig bladder. And the scientists who grow extra arms on salamanders. And the laboratory mice with the eerie ability to heal themselves.

This summer, scientists are planning to see whether the powdered pig extract can help injured soldiers regrow parts of their fingers. And a large federally funded project is trying to unlock the secrets of how some animals regrow body parts so well, with hopes of applying the the lessons to humans.

The implications for regrowing fingers go beyond the cosmetic. People who are missing all or most of their fingers, as from an explosion or a fire, often can't pick things up, brush their teeth or button a button. If they could grow even a small stub, it could make a huge difference in their lives.

And the lessons learned from studying regrowth of fingers and limbs could aid the larger field of regenerative medicine, perhaps someday helping people replace damaged parts of their hearts and spinal cords, and heal wounds and burns with new skin instead of scar.

Italian Government Forced 13-year-old to have an abortion

Turning a hypothetical government ban on abortion on its head: The Italian government is forcing a 13-year-old to have an abortion. This is a true life cautionary tale of what can happen when we the people consent to let the government have control over reproductive decisions.

Banning abortion is just the first step on the slippery slope of giving all control over reproduction to the government. Laws regulating who is allowed to reproduce in this country were passed at the hight of the American Eugenics movement in the early 20th Century. As a side note, the Nazi Regime obtained much information on forced sterilization etc. from American States that had passed Eugenics laws already.

If I were a stronger pro-lifer, I might be more concerned that banning abortion in the U.S. would be just the first step towards eventually mandating abortions for specified categories people. Think of a dystopia even more twisted than Brave New World, 1984, or modern-day China.

And of course, this happens in China too, but in a Western nation?

Rose Joins Her Own Conspiracy?

I am a huge fan of Two and a Half Men. On last week's episode, Charlie's stalker neighbor Rose on Two and a Half Men left town for London last week. Actually, she left the recurring role on that show for a starring role in Drive. It seems to be a cross between Rat Race and the Kaiser Soze elements of the Usual Suspects. We'll have to see how that plays out though. . .

I always liked Rose's character. My theory was that since Rose already had her MA in Pschology, she was working on her doctoral thesis and Charlie was her subject. The twisted things she does to Charlie, in addition to allowing her to exact her revenge for how he treated her, allows her to chart Charlie's reactions. I figured this would all be revealed as the twist at the end of the series. The only way this is going to happen now is if Melanie Lynskey new show is cancelled or she gets killed off it.

Bummer.

A Blow Against the Mercury Causes Autism Conspiracy

Many celebrities and influential people have concluded that mercury (poisoning) is the cause of autism. In fact, Congressman Burton has been heavily involved with the campaign to link the two and used his Chairmanship of the Government Reform Committee as a pulpit to preach that view.

It now turns out that he was wrong.

Minus one for the Autism Conspiracy.

2007 Music Festivals

I love Music Festivals, but have missed a large number of them by not knowing their exact dates until it was too late. Therefore, I have compiled a list of the top 2007 Music Festivals. Some of these are a bit off the beaten path, but should be well worth it.

The List So Far

March 9-11 Langerado (Sunrise, CA)
March 9-18 South x Southwest Music Festival (Austin, TX)
March 15 - April 1 Savannah Music Festival
March 23-24 Ultra Music Festival (Montreal, Canada)
April 20-21 Dewey Beach Pop Festival(Rehoboth,DE)
April 27-29 Coachella (Indio, CA)
April 27-29 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (New Orleans, LA)
May 4-6 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
(New Orleans, LA)
June 1-3 Rock am Ring (Germany)
June 1-2 Rock im Ring (Nuremberg, Germany)
June 8-10 The Download Festival (Donnington Park, Leceistershire, UK
June 22-24 Glastonbury Festival (U.K.)
June 22-24 Sierra Nevada World Music Festival (Booneville, CA)
July 5-7 Essence Music Festival (New Orleans, LA)
July 5-8 Roskilde Festival (Roskilde, Denmark)
July 6-8 Vancouver Island Music Festival.
July 7 Live Earth/Earth Aid (henceforth referred to as Live Earth Aid). (Washington, DC)
July 7 Ozzfest begins
Mid-July Heineken Jammin' Festival (Italy)
July 19-21 Goodstock (West Virginia)
July 19-22 Festival Internacional de Benicassim (near Valencia, Spain with an excellent line-up)
July 27-30 Eclipe Outdoor Electronic Music Festival (Montreal, Candada)
August (TBA) Burning Man
August 3-5 Lollapallooza (Chicago, IL)
August 8-13 Shambhala (Canada)
August 24-26 Reading and Leeds Festival (U.K.)
September 1-3 Bumbershoot link is to last year's lineup but Rumor is that Kanye West is headlining again. (Washington State)

I have some downtime in August, so I'd love to start at the Eclipse Festival in Montreal end at Bumbershoot in WA and then head home.

I would like for this list to be as comprehensive as possible, so please let me know (and include a link) about festivals left off this list, no matter where they are in the world. Thanks!

Also please let me know if the Pixies or Garbage are playing near you, so I can figure out where I can see them play again. Thanks!

Next Stop: Dystopia?

This mind reading techology, though in its infant stage, has a number of implications, some cool, some creepy.

The Creepy Implications
Our society continues its slide towards a police state - I always thought it would be done by the left; imagine my disappointment at being blindsided by the fascists. This technology could become used to routinely screen airport travelers and border crossers. Due to its enormous appeal for stopping terrorism, the people will learn to live with or ignore the hassle and it will spread. The end result will be the stifling of dissent by those in power - and who will those be?

Cool Implications
That said, it also has some pretty cool implications in terms of pioneering technology that will eventually be able to help those that are currently parapalegics or bed-ridden.

(Bio)Ethically Interesting Implications
The above begins to raise the questions of the gradual emergence of cybernetic organisms (CyBorgs). It will start out gradually, as a means of helping victims of war and accident. But how will it end? Will people decide to add an additional set or arms like Dr. Octopus? Will they be allowed to? How will our religious conservatives react to this?

Another implication is the possibility that humans will eventually be able to augment their intelligence, knowledge and skills by downloading information directly into their brains. This possibility is raised in Johnny Zed . Again, how will our religous conservatives react? What about our liberals concerned that such a technology will further widen the gap between the haves and have-less. What about our national puritan streak that makes us ban performing enhancement drugs for sports - would that translate to academia and science?

Good bye to a Creator of Mass Culture

Robert Adler's contributions have helped my stereo, DVD player and TiVo make life much easier and entertaining. Not to mention the use of my cell phone . . .

He, Philo T. Farnsworth and Edward Bernays did more more to create mass culture/media than anyone else until the creation of the internet.

Goodbye to someone who made it easier to be an agoraphobic couch potato obsessed with convenience . . .

Jericho Returns! Vanished resurrected (temporarily)

I just learned that fans ov Vanished can watch the complete season (though cancelled) on the web. I am very excited to see this show unwind.

Jericho finally returns this on Wednesday. Last week CBS aired a composite episode to bring new fans up to speed and to remind current fans of the intricacies of the plot and conspiracy.Whose side is Hawkins on? . . .

Jericho has done a good job of integrating its website into the show (especially during the looooong hiatus). That has allowed the curious viewer to carefully review Hawkins' actions and determine which side he is on. It currently seems as if he is some part of Homeland Security (the successor Department of FEMA as the new bugaboo for some conspiracy theorists).

Regardless, I am anxious for the 12 new episodes in a row, but anxious that that may indicate there will be no second season. But really what you do with a second season except stretch it into a big rebuilding America thing and morph the show into some type of Peacemaker-type drama). And if there is a second season, I'll be watching.

A brief word on 24 and civil liberties

I haven't watched 24 since the end of the first season (which rocked!), but have been getting into the current season (how could you not if you watched the season premiere).

Like most people concerned with national security, I almost believe that our troops and intelligence officers should be able to use all of the same techniques Jack Bauer does. Almost. However, once we start allowing that to occur against "foreign enemies" how soon until it turns to "domestic enemies" whether native born citizen or legal resident alien.

Actually empowering the government with the legal authority to act the way Jack Bauer does (which pretty much breaks the law in every episode) is just the first step on the road to tyranny. That said, I believe that the real life Jack Bauers should only act like him in extreme circumstances; but they should do so with the full understanding they are breaking the law. If they're actions are truly justified and protect Americans, then the agent would qualify for a Presidential partdon. Hmm... maybe we should offer our military forces and intelligence operatives that deal. "You can act like this, but if it doesnt pay off you're going to jail. If it saves lifes you'll get a pardon."

Screw the Politics: Earth Aid is going to Rock! (and Al Gore will be President)

I will happily shell out the $500 for VIP tickets to Live Earth Aid. The line-up, though not finalized, threatens to outdo that of the 1998 Tibetan Freedom Concert in talent. That concert, in my humble opion, actually had a better lineup than any music festival since, and including, the original Woodstock.

And I really don't care about the politics of the concert, and neither should you. Really, who are you hurting by not seeing a kick ass concert line up? Yourself, that's who!

Plus, if you go the American Concert you're likely to witness Al Gore lay the foundation for (or further) his effort to become President. Potentially, he'll announce, and all the publicity surrounding the concent, plus the simulcasting of the event will allow Gore to build an enormouse following.

My previous theory was that the'll announce at the Oscars if he wins. Which he still may do, but doing so may complicate his efforts to pull off the concert (due to FEC regulations and campaign finance laws). And it's actually a smart strategy for him to drop hints at the Oscars and then use the run up publicity to the concert will raise his national profile. Additionally, the concert would be the greatest presidential announcement venue EVER!

Back for the New Year

Thanks for checking back. I know it's been awhile, but life got in the way. Anyway I'll be back shortly with more comments on Politics, Post-Modernism and Pop Culture.

Hello 2007!

Happy New Year!!!

-US

Conspiracy Entertainment 2006-2007

This TV season has been especially good for conspiracy/paranoia entertainment, and featured three new shows. First we had the now-cancelled Vanished which looked to be a cross between the Da Vinci Code, Numb3rs and the X-Files (just the conspiracy of powerful string pullers, not the alien or supernatural aspects. It was quite good until cancellation. Next we had The Nine, which definitely had conspiratorial elements to it. Finally we had Jericho, the only of the three to survive. Possibly, because it centered on a very real fear: nuclear attack and what happens when communications collapses (not to mention the government).

And of course, the inimitable 24 which has returned with a fifth conspiratorial nightmarish day for Jack Bauer.

Of these four, the only two which are still on are ones that explicitly address the threat of terrorism, much in the same vein that Cold War films and TV mini-series were popular in the '80s became hits. It seems conspiracy's that ensnare government officials in non-terrorist activits is ok for our downtime reading, but the anti-terror alpha waves better be conveying terrorist-related conspiracies.

_________

PS Threshold made a short return on the SciFi Channel, but one year of episodes is not really enough to become a regular show without the creation of new episodes.

Battlestar Gallactica's Occupation/Resistance Theme

Thas been the occupation/resistance theme on Battlestar Gallactica, that began with a series of webisodes over the summer to give the fans small fixes until the return of the show.

What was compelling about that storyline is that it showed how a conspiracy (the resistance) forms and how its aims are not always domination at first but distraction. During that storyline Col. Tighe gins up the resistance to harass the occupier Cylons and maintain morale until Admiral Adama can return with the Battlestar and stage the rescue.

Additionally, others have written about the above story line being a critique of the US occupation of Iraq. That may be an interesting post-modern point. I enjoy that critique, but still want our troops to succeed in their mission of pacifying Baghdad and restoring enough order for the Iraqi government to finish the job. Therefore I choose to view that storyline as fitting into the very American meme of David defeating Goliath in an epic struggle (e.g., The Revolution, Civil War and WWII) to achieve/retain freedom.

The ABC 9/11 Docu-Drama & The Red Dawn Effect

Democratic officials are extremely upset about ABC's planned miniseries on the 9/11 attacks. They claim (accuracy to be determined) that the mini-series is inaccurate and unfair to Democrats.

Is it possible that they're afraid of the "Red Dawn Effect"? Red Dawn was a great Cold War movie that came out in October 1984 in which the Soviet Union and Cuba invaded the United States. Patrick Swayze, c. Thomas Howell, Leah Thompson, Jennifer Grey and Charlie Sheen all starred in this movie which featured a bunch of young freedom fighters rebelling against Soviet Occupied America.

Many Democratic analysts credit the movie's October release with helping Ronald Reagan win his 49-state landslide victory the following November.

It's possible that's why earlier today the Executive Director of the Democratic National Committee sent out the email below:


Dear Fellow Democrat,

Does a major national broadcast network want to stain itself by presenting an irresponsible, slanderous, fraudulent, "docu-drama" to the American public?

Not if you and I have the last word -- but either way, we're about to find out.

The ABC television network -- a cog in the Walt Disney empire -- unleashed a promotional blitz in the last week for a new "docudrama" called "The Path to 9/11". ABC has thrown its corporate might behind the two-night production, and bills it as a public service: a TV event, to quote the ABC tagline, "based on the 9/11 Commission Report".

That's false. "The Path to 9/11" is actually a bald-faced attempt to slander Democrats and revise history right before Americans vote in a major election.

The miniseries, which was put together by right-wing conservative writers, relies on the old GOP playbook of using terrorism to scare Americans. "The Path to 9/11" mocks the truth and dishonors the memory of 9/11 victims to serve a cheap, callous political agenda. It irresponsibly misrepresents the facts and completely distorts the truth.

ABC/Disney executives need to hear from the public and understand that their abuse of the public trust comes with a cost. Tell Walt Disney CEO Robert Iger to keep this right-wing propaganda off the air -- we'll deliver your message:

But we still know enough, thanks to news accounts and crack research, to fact check "The Path to 9/11" as a biased, irresponsible mess. Here's what you need to know:
Richard Clarke -- the counterterrorism czar for the Clinton administration, now himself a consultant to ABC News -- describes a key scene in "The Path to 9/11" as "180 degrees from what happened." In the scene, a CIA field agent places a phone call to get the go ahead to kill Osama Bin Laden, then in his sights, only to have a senior Clinton administration official refuse and hang up the phone. Sandy Berger, President Clinton's National Security Advisor, called the same scene "a total fabrication. It did not happen." And Roger Cressey, a top Bush and Clinton counterterrorism official, said it was "something straight out of Disney and fantasyland. It's factually wrong. And that's shameful."

Another scene revives the old right-wing myth that press reporting made it impossible to track Osama bin Laden, accusing the Washington Post of blowing the secret that American intelligence tracked his satellite phone calls. In reality, responsibility for that blunder -- contrary to "The Path to 9/11" -- rests with none other than the arch-conservative Washington Times.
The former National Security Council head of counterterrorism says that President Clinton "approved every request made of him by the CIA and the U.S. military involving using force against bin Laden and al-Qaeda," and the 9/11 report says the CIA had full authority from President Clinton to strike Bin Laden. Yet chief "Path to 9/11" scriptwriter Cyrus Nowrasteh, a friend of Rush Limbaugh, says the miniseries shows how President Clinton had "frequent opportunities in the '90s to stop Bin Laden in his tracks -- but lacked the will to do so."
ABC asked only the Republican co-chair of the 9/11 Commission, Tom Kean, Sr., to advise the makers of "The Path to 9/11". The producers optioned two books, one written by a Bush administration political appointee, as the basis of the screenplay -- yet bill the miniseries as "based on the 9/11 Commission Report."

This is a picture of bias -- a conservative attempt to rewrite the history of September 11 to blame Democrats, just in time for the election.

Tell Walt Disney president Robert Iger that you hold his company responsible -- and that this community demands that ABC tell the truth:

But ABC isn't the only company pushing this gross revision of history. ABC has enlisted the reputable education and children's entertainment company Scholastic, Inc. to send 100,000 letters to high school teachers, urging them to show students "The Path to 9/11". Scholastic has also created a discussion guide for teachers to use to encourage students and their families to watch this irresponsible fraud and then discuss it in school. The discussion guide does not in any way point out the concerns and criticisms that have been raised about the validity and accuracy of the film.

We've got to stop this now.
ABC/Disney must face an accountability moment. You can ratchet up the pressure on ABC by sending your own letter to Walt Disney CEO Robert Iger -- tell him to keep this propaganda off their air.

Uneven Steven is on Hiatus . . .

For the past few months, I have been working to make the world safe for Democracy. I'll be back around December.

Please do not de-link me. Like McArthur, I shall return. . .

More Good News in the War on (Some) Drugs

Heavy marijuana use not linked to lung cancer

"Despite popular belief, a new study shows that people
who smoke marijuana do not appear to be at increased risk of developing lung
cancer.

It seems even heavy, long-term marijuana users do not appear to
increase the risk of head and neck cancers, such as cancer of the tongue, mouth,
throat, or esophagus."

Well, it looks like another of the arguments against decriminalizing marijuana (the health one) has fallen to peer-reviewed science.

Conspiracy TV - And how to bring it back

Ok, all three conspiracy-related related shows from the major networks have been cancelled. These were, in order of quality/preference: Surface, Invasion, and Threshold. (Hmm, I hadn't noted the single name theme). I believe that these were all engaging, entertaining shows that could have a life on cable. To that end, I believe we should start a campaign to have them bring one or all (or an amalgam of all three, which I'll go into below) to the SciFi Channel, which has a history of picking up SciFI shows like Stargate SG-1. You can reach the SciFi Channel at: feedback@scifi.com

Anyway, here is my thought on how to combine Surface, Invasion, and Threshold: You have Miles, Rich, the doctor and Nimrod (from Surface) survive the tidal wave and monster and then make their way back inland. They find more clues, and stumble upon Dave (from Invasion's blog). Thinking there may be some kind of connection between the orange glowing creatures and the creation of Nimrod's species. In the meantime, Dave stumbles across the doctor's viral video of Nim's fellow monsters and tries to seek out her, Miles and Rich.

At this point, you can a few episodes of Dave and the doctor playing complicated computer tag trying to figure out if the other is legitimate or dangerous. During this time, they would both be gathering clues (including some from the military and some from the X-Files-like conspirators in Invasion and Surface. At some point, it would be revealed that Nimrod's species was engineered to counter the threat of the orange water creatures, but have become overly aggressive.

Meanwhile, the Airforce in Southern Florida would initiate a program similar to that in Threshold with the idea of tracking down Zura as well as the other hybrid escapees. Additionally, you could throw in elements of The 4400 where some of the hybrids are beneficial, but still have to be tracked down, and quarantined.

Anyway, I think that would be a good show and that SciFi should pick up invasion and Surface to make it work. It could be called Surface Invasion to combine the two and make the point that both undewater creatures do make it on land.

Democratic Political Corruption in DC

Ok, lots of people keep $90,000 in their freezer. And lots of people use their official office to funnel vast amounts of money to non-profits groups they founded. What's the big deal?

The big deal is that these are both uncommon occurrences. No one with $90,000 in cold cash keeps it in the fridge. If you're going to keep that kind of cash around, you're going to have a wall or giant fireproof safe. Plus, not only having the bribe on tape, but having Congressman William Jefferson joke about evading any FBI investigation does not help Democrats in their quest to tie the corruption issue around the necks of Republicans.

It also doesn't help, that their top member of the Ethics Committee is being investigated for corruption in using his position on the Appropriations Committee to reward his family, friends, supporters and non-profits.

What's likely to happen now that the issue is becoming bi-partisan is that Repubicans can go after Dems for corruption. And there are enough of them that have been lobbyists or engaged in dubious financial issues that Dems could be in for a rough ride. I bet RNC opposition researchers are already looking through annual financial disclosure forms are well as lobbying clients registrations and possible ties to Jack Abramoff.

The Delicious Irony of Bribery Taxes

I love the government's sentence of Duke Cunningham (The Republican Chairman of one of hte powerful Appropriations Subcommittees) for bribery. Not only does he go to jail for 8 years and 4 months, he has to pay $3.5 million in "penalties, restitution, and back taxes." It's the back taxes part that really pleases me: essentially all his bribe money (which he has to pay back) was also undeclared income which means he never paid taxes on it. He now has to pay taxes, interest and penalties on all of that money. That's like getting punished twice for the same crime - which he deserves for betraying the public trust.

At least we get to keep SOME civil liberties

CNN.com - House approves Patriot Act renewal - Mar 7, 2006

Ok, it's not as bad as it could be. And, some of its original provisions WERE necessary. Hopefully, as the War on Terror winds down, we can keep watering down this monstrosity and gradually win back our inalienable rights.

Joby Fortson & Texas Redistricing

The New Yorker: Fact

Once again, a private email that Joby Fortson sent to a small group of his friends has made it into print in a story regarding the Texas 2002 redistricting. The original article, as well as this one, is unfair to Joby for a number of reasons:

(1) The original email was a personal message sent to a small number of friends, it was chock full of inside jokes that the general public, not being part of that social circle, didn't get; Because it was an email sent to friends, and not intended for outside distribution, comments on its grammar etc. really should be ignored.

(2) Joby is not, nor has he been, a political operative; rather, he is a very well educated person working in politics who took the time to do a quick and dirty analysis of the potential Texas redistricing results. Joby's analysis cannnot be taken to imply any work or assistance by him on the redistricting process;

(3) Any inferred malice on Joby's part was nothing more than good natured ribbing of his many Democratic friends. In fact, as a result of the email's inside jokes, Joby personally apologized to U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee in writing after the email became public.

(4) Politics is a contact sport, and as Joby points out, the Democrats in 2002 reaped what they has sown in the 1990 re-districting.

How do I know all of this? I am a professional colleague of his.

The fact that institutions like the New Yorker continue to use Joby's analysis as proof of Republican malfeasance, simply shows how far the liberal media has to stretch to malign the Republican Party and its members.

Good news for small "r" republicanism

Rise in Online Fundraising Changed Face of Campaign Donors

Excellent quotes from today's Thomas B. Edsell article at the Washington Post (Page A03)

" . . . The surging number of campaign contributors in 2004, especially the small donors who gave online, changed the character of one of the most important constituencies in U.S. politics, the people who finance presidential elections.
This key group has become more reflective of the middle class, has a higher percentage of women and is far more willing to contribute without being directly solicited. . .

" . . .More than half of Democrats gave online, more than double the percentage of Republicans. More than 80 percent of the contributions by people ages 18 to 34 were made online. Almost half of all small, online donors gave without being asked first by the campaigns. . . "

This is very good news for our Republic. It shows the beginning stages of movement away from television-centered, one-way mass communications, and back to a more grassroots involvement in the political process. After all, elections and politics belong to the citizen voters, not the politicians we elect.

Brownie is the new Jewel

I'm so happy these tapes surfaced to vindicate Mr. Brown. Like others, I had found fault with him; however after reading about and viewing the tapes on the news, and watching his interview, I have changed my mind. He was a scapegoat for the highest powers; they rewarded his loyalty by throwing him to the wolves. Much like Richard Jewel, he was simply a man trying to help others, and was then crucified by the media, and others (including me).

He deserves credit, and an apology, from all of us.

The Subtle Pessimism of Earl

My Name is Earl is supposedly a show based around a (flawed)conception of Karma; or as the show puts it "Do good things and good things happen; do bad things and bad things happen." Therefore the show seems appropriately upbeat. But this is only a superficial reading of the television program.

Despite the nobleness of Earl's mission to right the wrongs he has committed, it is never easy for him, and usually costs him more trouble than he caused in that particular instance. Therefore, in essence, My Name is Earl is really a show about a different concept: that no good deed goes unpunished. A proper lesson for our cynical/realist age.

Modern Technology: Turning War into a Videogame

Will Saletan has an excellent article about this interesting topic in Slate on Feb. 12 called Joystick vs. Jihad. Below are a few choice quotes to give you the flavor of the article...

This is the future of warfare: hunting enemies abroad at little or no risk to ourselves. A year ago, at least 750 unmanned aerial vehicles were assisting American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan; by now, the number is probably closer to 1,000. The Pentagon's budget and its Quadrennial Defense Review, released last week, propose a near doubling of our arsenal; within two decades, "45% of the future long-range strike force will be unmanned." ...

... In the Cold War, we used satellites to spy and intercontinental ballistic missiles to deter. We could track the Red Army level Moscow in minutes. But those devices won't work in the age of terrorism. You can't see an army, because terrorist don't have one. You can't threaten cities, because terrorists don't own any and don't care how many people die. Our lame attempt to kill Osama Bin Laden with cruise missiles in 1998 exposed the obsolescence of satellites and missiles. We need machines that can hunt and kill closer to the enemy...

...Drones fit the bill. In Kosovo, we used them to spy. After Sept. 11, we armed them with missiles. We hunted and blew away one al-Qaida operative after another—at least 19 hits in the last four and a half years, according to U.S. officials. Whenever a commando assault in unfriendly territory risked too many casualties, we sent a drone to do the job. We couldn't match terrorists' love of death, their willingness to take their own lives in the course of taking ours. But we could counter their expendable human killers with expendable inhuman killers. The joystick answered the jihad....

...Reluctance to kill was a big problem in World War II. By one military estimate, fewer than one in four American riflemen in combat pulled the trigger, and "fear of killing rather than fear of being killed was the most common cause." The Army tried to solve this problem by making its training exercises feel more like real combat. But what if we could do the opposite? What if we could make combat seem unreal? What if we could turn it into a video game?

Very interesting article that is worth a look in Slate.

DVR Undermines Olympics Ratings

Ratings of Games take dive for NBC�-�Sports�-�insider.washingtontimes.com

The real reason that the Olympics ratings are down compared to other television is the growing use of DVR. Many people watch their primtime shows while recording DVR so that they can fast forward through parts of the olympics they don't like (for me that would be all figure skating, biathlon, and some of the women's sports).

Because Nielsen doesn't yet provide reliale ratings for people who timeshift the primetime shows, it looks like olympic viewership is going down. However, I suspect that most people w/ DVRs (a growing share of the population) are simply watching the olympics during the pre-primetime hours and that total viewership is static compared with previous years.

Clinton Abandons Freedom of Speech

ISLAMABAD: Former US president Bill Clinton on Friday condemned the publication of Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) caricatures by European newspapers and urged countries concerned to convict the publishers.

What a coward. There's a reason that we, the United States, preserve and protect the freedom of the press - because it is essential to have as many different viewpoints as possible when operating a Democracy, as well as a basic human right (the right to free expression without fearing violence). But Freedom of Speech does not end becase somebody else is offended.

Now, I'm not saying the European Union is a democracy, because it's not. But civilized Westerners have been fighting for free expression since long before our Revolutionary War. The fact that Clinton would ask the US convict publishers shows that he really doesn't care about the values enshrined in our Constitution.
Clinton is backing away from American principles to appease the middle east and those in the West who sympathize with them. It really makes you wonder (again) whether he has any real principles at all, or is just a very talented opportunist.
Shame on him.

The Value of Lobbyists

The rise of the lobbyist is directly related to the poor pay on Capitol Hill and the Executive Branch. Every year or so, the Office of Personnel Management, the General Accounting Office, or the Congressional Management Foundation put out studies comparing the salaries of Hill Staff and Federal employees with their private sector counterparts. The results show private sector employees with the same education and background making upto TWICE as much money as their public sector counterparts.

Why does this matter? Because the people who do the legwork and have institutional memory leave the Hill or Executive Branch due to "status-income disequilibrium" (see Bobo's in Paradise by David Brooks). In other words, their salary is not commensurate with the prestige of the job they hold. So they look for a new position that pays more money. Thus Members of Congress thus lose the people who know best which policies and strategies have and haven't worked in the past.

However, Members still have access to those former staffers turned l0bbyists, and the former staffers still have access to their contacts including members. Without these former staffers turned lobbyists continuing to advise members, individual Congressmen and Senators would have to continually reinvent the wheel.

In short, lobbying provides a valuable service to Members of Congress, which is why they continue to flourish.

Oh- and the idea that a staffer can be bought off for a $50 lunch is absurd. Staffers value their positions, and want to protect their respective members, too much to do so.

Failed Equivalence btw Clinton Impeachment and Putative Crimes of W

ABC News: The Note: Hailing the Chief: "Wethinks doing everything you believe to be legal and justified to protect Americans against terrorism is not at all viewed the same way by the American people as doing everything you believe to be legal and justified to protect yourself from an intern sex scandal."