The Wreck of the E

Why we are fascinated by this is beyond me? but here on the anniversary of the wreck of the E and friends of mine are named Ed and Fitzgerald, we need to recognize this in some way. Here are the workers that went to a watery grave in Lake Michigan in 1975.

The War as Catalyst

The election shows that even though the anti-war movement is anemic and the Democrats ran away from the issue both parties have to address the issue head on if they want to do well in 08.' This is evidenced by the firing of Rummy and Nancy Pelosi's comments that the #1 issue for the country is now the war. This talk will fade as Rove and Bush trot out new tactics with the Baker/Hamilton Commission with their new man at the Pentagon at the point. The Democrats hope for a calming because they are split on the issue-some Dems in liberal districts in cities have hard core Out Now constituencies and other suburban/rural Dems have a more hawkish/nationalist pose.

Cockburn points to the losers in the election-Neo-cons and liberal free traders.

To the Gallows?

Maybe he can join his old buddy?

Election 2006

Democrats win despite running away from the major issue in the campaign: the war. The other major issue was corruption. Schizophrenic voters in Arizona became the first voters in the US to vote down a ban on gay marriage and civil unions while at the same time deciding to punish immigrant workers by denying them another set of benefits not banned previously and making them speaks god's language, English! I say god's language following a former Texas governor who once quipped, "if English is good enough for Jesus and the bible, it's good enough for me." South Dakotans joined Arizonans in rejecting some very reactionary legislation by voting down a Draconian abortion bill passed by the legislature that would have banned all abortions.

A major dissapointment here in Wisconsin as gay haters everywhere united to say yes to changing our constitution so that the sodomites, I guess the yes voters are not having any kind of sex besides that which is holy?, cannot have the right to patriarchy's crowning achievemnt, marriage. Across the country it is amazing that we now have in the documents that are supposed to define our equality and limit the power of government over the individual-at least in theory-language that creates second class citizens. The gay rights movement needs to now re-think their electoral strategy and take a page from the civil rights movement and take to the streets. Equality now for all!

The Legacy of 1979 and the FSLN

As someone who felt personally crushed with the defeat of the FSLN in the Nicaraguan elections of 1990 yesterday's presidential results come as bitter sweet.
Given the FSLN's shift to the right the legacy of the party now seems to be the ending of the US backed Somoza family dictatorship and the implementation of a liberal democracy. Certainly a far cry from the revolutionary goals of Carlos Fonseca and the other heroes of the revolution that died in the struggle but a significant gain nonetheless.
Given the functioning democracy in Nicaragua as a result of the FSLN, which the US opposed by the way, if you hadn't noticed, it is even more appalling that the US now wants to punish the Nicaraguan people by threatening to cut off aid as a result of the election. Particularly given that the US has punished this tiny country for at least 150 years for trying to maintain its independence and dignity, which has led to war and sanctions that now rank Nicaraguans as poor as the average Haitian.

Viva Sandino! Patria Libre O Morir!

Bruno

Bruno talks to a Gay converter from Arkansas.

Bruno asks club owner, "if techno music was invented in the 1930's would Hitler have come to power?" He also asks, "the 1980's: the rise of techno and the fall of Apartheid, a coincidence? Watch the answer here.

Hunting Deer and Jews? With Borat

On the ranch with Borat.

A True Daughter of the Revolution

Some easy listening from the DKRP!

And have you seen the Metro?

Gillo Pontecorvo

Pontecorvo: dead. Long live the work of Gillo Pontecorvo!Obit for THE master radical film maker.

Dictat Ad Nasuem Erum Sanctamonius!

Madison Bishop orders churches to play a pre-recorded sermon this Sunday, or Saturday night for the late risers?, deriding the opponents of a mean spirited change to the Wisconsin contitution that would change nothing given that it is already illegal for gays to get married and for civil unions to be recognized. Why exactly does this sect of Christianity get tax free status?

Fox and a Vast Right Wing Conspiracy

Fox re-arranges schedule to air hysterical islamophobic docudrama just in time for the election.

Freedom's Daughter

I have never been the greatest fan of Indira Gandhi but always have had a soft spot for her dad. Sonia Gandhi has edited the letters between her mother-in-law Indira and her grandfather-in-law Jawaharlal. Quite a story of family love and politics of the struggle. Listen to them on BBC7.

Sir No Sir

The anti-war movement in the Army. Check it out!

Westerners Are More Promiscuous

Counter to common opinion a world wide study finds that westerners are fooling around more than other parts of the world.

Cheney Says Iraqi Violence Linked to US Mid-Term Election

Doubtful. It is not that the Iraqi resistance is not sophisticated but other developments seem to explain the high level of death including Bush Administration concerns about the mid-term elections.
For the Bushies the key to Iraq is Baghdad. In the last few months as the election loomed and events in the capitol city continued to decline the Pentagon put forward a plan called Operation Forward Together launched in June. This plan along with an effort to retake the city of Ramadi in Anbar Province has led to US soldiers leaveing the "comfort" of the Green Zone and showing a very heavy presence in Baghdad in particular. Recently a US soldier was captured, they say kidnapped in the media-not sure why?, and this had led to even more dangerous missions for US troops as they now need to go door to door in areas previously off limits.
Cheney is trying to give excuses to the flac catchers at Fox News so that they can spin the carnage before the election. Don't buy it. The US is losing in Iraq and they will eventually withdraw with a military dictatorship in place. The future is very bleak for the Iraqi people for sure.
Mission Accomplished!

Pino Arrested

Ex-Fascist dictator of Chile finally arrested.

Rodchenko

Alexander Rodchenko. Found this exhibit while perusing the Moscow Times.

Bureacratic Chic

The excess of the bureacracy is on view in Moscow. This phone is one of the many gifts given to Soviet leaders in the good ol' days.

From the article in the Moscow Times:

"The exhibition was conceived by a Cambridge anthropologist, Nikolai Ssorin-Chaikov, and an art historian working at the Kremlin Museums, Olga Sosnina. Together, the two curators searched archives and interviewed museum workers to compile the histories of 500 objects that were given to Soviet leaders from Vladimir Lenin to Mikhail Gorbachev, some of them elaborate official offerings, others deeply personal and somewhat naive."

All Out for Novemeber 7!

A short Q&A, brought to you by the folks at Fair Wisconsin.

Q: Can we defeat the civil unions and marriage ban?

A: Yes. To do so we must get the tens of thousands of people who have already said they will vote "No" to turnout at their polling places on Election Day.

Q: How do we do that?

A: In the last four days of the election, we need to fill thousands of volunteer canvassing and phone shifts. Please sign up here for as many shifts as you can:
http://www.fairwisconsingroups.com/gotv

Q: But is doing this really enough to win?

A: Absolutely. Because it's not a presidential election year, only about 40% of eligible voters get out to vote. But if we meet our volunteer goals, we can have face-to-face conversations with thousands of potential voters to remind them to vote on Election Day. If we do, we can increase turnout by several percentage points, which would be enough to win.

Q: How many volunteers do we need?

A: In Dane County alone, we need to fill over 6,000 shifts. And we need thousands more for Milwaukee and the rest of the state. Please sign up here:
http://www.fairwisconsingroups.com/gotv

Q: But I don't like knocking on doors.

A: Hey, that's not a question! But canvassing for GOTV is different than the canvassing we've been doing. We've already identified the "No" voters, we just need you to get them to the polls.

Q: Will we really be the first state to defeat a ban like this?

A: We really will be. No other state has defeated one of these at the ballot box. This is our chance to make history and to show the nation the tide is turning.

Please sign up today and ask your friends to join us as we get out the vote:
http://www.fairwisconsingroups.com/gotv

Good Career Move

K. Cobain is the leading earner as dead celebrity over taking his highness with John Lennon a distant fourth.