There's no justice in the world

Let me get this straight: Madonna is going to be inducted into the Rock Music Hall of Fame, but the Moody Blues have never been inducted?

Clearly, artistic achievement is less important than how many records you sell.

Pelosi knew about waterboarding

It was reported yesterday that Nancy Pelosi was notified way back in 2002 on the CIA's plans for using torture against terrorism suspects. According to a "congressional source", "Pelosi did not raise objections at the time."

This is one reason why I will be voting for Cindy Sheehan's independent candidacy in her race against Pelosi the 2008 Congressional election.

Global math

As a recent AP report puts it,

The Bush administration's position, that technology, private investment and economic growth - rather than mandatory emissions cuts - will save the planet from global warming, is taking a beating this week at a U.N. climate change conference in Indonesia.

There's a slight problem with the current US position on this issue. If emissions have to be cut by a certain amount in order to save the planet from the disastrous effects of global warming, then the only way that "technology, private investment and economic growth" would be effective in combating global warming is if those efforts cut greenhouse emissions by at least as much as what the mandatory emissions cuts would require. And if "technology, private investment and economic growth" don't lower greenhouse emissions by at least as much as mandatory emissions cuts would require, then they are not going to be effective at combat global warming. Either way, as the rest of the industrialized world understands, the current US policy is completely bogus.

But then, you knew that.

Letter to the Editor

A letter in today's San Francisco Chronicle:

In your Dec. 4 editorial ("Rein on his reign") regarding Venezuela's recent vote on constitutional reforms, you expressed gratitude for Venezuelans' not giving up their voices in voting down reform measures. You did give President Hugo Chavez credit for conceding defeat, although you somehow felt the need to insult him at the same time. And you either failed to see or failed to concede what is most significant about the election: that this election proves democracy is alive and well in Venezuela.

It is time for the corporate media and the United States government to start acknowledging that Venezuela has a vibrant democracy, that freedom of speech and assembly are both alive and well and that the electoral process is free and fair. Above all, it's time for the United States government to stop interfering in Venezuela's democracy.

GEORGE FRIEMOTH

Inverness

When is the last time the United States has conducted a nationwide referendum on anything? Can you imagine George Bush subjecting himself to a recall election like Chavez did a few years ago? With Bush's 30% approval ratings, I don't think he'd win such a vote, as Chavez did. Maybe the United States is not always the best qualified to judge how democratic other governments are.

Takes me back to Eighth Grade

Not only do I actually remember this promotional ad for two short lived television series in 1972, but I remember watching both of the shows:

Convenience

This editorial cartoon by Tom Toles summarizes in a nutshell what we are up against if we want to save this planet.

I'm one of 3400 people.

The day after the mayoral election, the final results were not in by a long shot, because of a snafu that required a long counting process. Nevertheless, the San Francisco Chronicle, wasted no time coronating Gavin Newsom for his second term. But I wondered what the final election results really were. I don't recall the Chronicle ever publishing them, or if they did I must missed it, so I finally went to the SF Department of Elections web site.

I discovered that the candidate I voted for, Ahimsa Sumchai, got 3400 votes, or 2.37% of the total vote count.

It is a shame that in an ostensibly progressive city, a progressive candidacy like Ms. Sumchai's got steamrollered by the powerful Newsom political machine. But there you have it. San Francisco is not as progressive as its reputation.

More depressing is the fact that measure E, that would have held Newsom accountable for his actions, was narrowly defeated, getting 48.61% of the votes.

Dumb and Dumber

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Mark Morford stirred up some controversy by writing this column titled "American kids, dumber than dirt", subtitled "Warning: The next generation might just be the biggest pile of idiots in U.S. history".

Now I will be among the first to recognize that there are plenty of smart kids out there. But as a generation, it is hard to deny that today's kids aren't very smart when you just consider this quote from Ken Burns as to what inspired him to develop his documentary series on World War II:

"The thing that really got me mad was finding out that a huge number of our high-school graduates think that we fought with the Germans against the Russians in the second world war. It's so unbelievable."

If that doesn't prove that there is a lot of stupidity out there, I don't know what does. However, that doesn't necessarily prove that our kids are any dumber than older people. It may be that stupidity crosses age boundaries and persists across the generations. Who knows, maybe sixty years from now, people will graduate from high school thinking that back in the year 2003 Saddam Hussein actually had weapons of mass destruction.

The Unlucky 7

93% of the United States will be able to watch Sunday's game between the Colts and the Patriots, which is being hailed as the "game of the century". Depending on whether the Raiders game sells out, I could be one of the unlucky 7% who won't be able to watch it. I haven't watched a single NFL game all season, but even I am interested in seeing this game.

I found a great graphic from this web site that illustrates the situation:



Yup, I'm located in one of those tiny red areas that illustrate where the game may not be shown--specifically the area labeled "sux 4 u".

Earthquake

When I told my ex back in 1993 that I was moving to San Francisco, the reaction I got was one of surprise. "You're afraid of earthquakes," it was pointed out to me.

It's true. And every time I feel one, I get a little scared. I've never been through a big one, but tonight's 5.6 quake lasted a bit longer than the ones I've felt up to now. This was the highest magnitude quake I've ever experienced. I got up from my computer chair during the quake, wandered aimlessly, not sure what to do. Then when it was over after 10-15 seconds, I went back to my computer and looked it up on the USGS web site to find out the magnitude and epicenter.

Another reason not to vote for Hillary Clinton

KALW broadcasts the daily commentaries of progressive activist Jim Hightower. This morning's commentary discussed yet another example of the corruption that is rife in the American political process--one that affects both major parties. Like many leading Democratic Party politicians, the Clintons have a long history of cozy associations with corporate donors, so this should come as no surprise; but it does provide an example of why I will not be supporting Hillary Clinton for President. Here is the commentary:

Surely you don’t think that campaign donations from wealthy interests are intended to buy favors from our lawmakers – do you?

Me either. For example, the fact that a New York billionaire and his family have donated thousands of dollars to the campaigns of Senators Hillary Clinton and Chuck Schumer has absolutely nothing to do with the coincidental fact that the two senators have siphoned a million of our tax dollars into his rock and roll tourist development being built near Woodstock, New York. How do I know this was not a quid pro quo? Because Sen. Clinton’s spokesman told us so: “One thing had nothing to do with the other,” he said.

Alan Gerry, a former cable television mogul, is the developer of the Woodstock project. He, too, has come forward to assure us that his donations to Clinton and Schumer are unrelated – totally unrelated – to the million dollars in federal tax funds he received. Making political contributions, explains Gerry, is not about gaining favors, but merely is “something we think a good citizen should do.”

I’m sure you agree with that, don’t you?

Yet, some busybodies will try to make a fuss about the timing of this money exchange. Yes, it’s true that the senators funneled our tax dollars into Gerry’s project on June 21. And, yes, it's true that the Gerry family donated $20,000 to Schumer only five days later, then donated $9,200 to Clinton four more days later. But, picky-picky! It’s not like Gerry sent a note with his donations, saying, “Thanks a million – here’s my bribe money.” How can people be so cynical when it’s obvious that Gerry was simply feeling civic-minded after learning that his two senators had behaved in such a statesmanlike manner? He was just expressing his love for America – and nothing says “love” like cash.

Really, people, you just have to learn to trust our system of government.

“Timing of gift stirs ‘earmark’ debate,” USA Today, October 17, 2007

Pearls Before Swine: Meeshunn Akkomplished

Welcome to America.

I normally don't read Leah Garchik's gossip column in the San Francisco Chronicle, but this item caught my eye while I was doing the Sudoku:

The Arab Film Festival opened at the Clay Theatre on Thursday with a showing of "Making Of," a movie about a young man lured by Islamic terrorists, whom he rejects in the end. Its star, Tunisian actor Lotfi Abdelli, was an invited guest, his visa having been obtained by festival officials with the help of Nancy Pelosi's office.

But upon arriving at San Francisco Airport, Abdelli was detained by security officials for 41/2 hours. They peppered him with repeated questions, took his cell phone, asked him to identify every person in its directory, to translate every note in Arabic on the device and asked him "all the time, the same question: Why am I here? ... About people I know, people I don't know." Abdelli was carrying a DVD of his movie, which they watched and concluded "my film is glorifying terrorists. I said, 'No, my film is against this.' " (Ironically, Bashir Anastas, festival executive director, has received complaints from community members who thought the film too critical of Muslims.)

The interrogators "left, they came back. They were very polite," said Abdelli, but the questions went on. A filmmaker traveling companion, let through immediately, waited for him, along with board president Kathy Kenny. Abdelli had no chance to call for help. "They asked me all the time the questions, I was a little bit lost." Kenny described him emerging from the ordeal as "traumatized and humiliated."

To his interrogators, said Abdelli, "Artist or not, you are Arabic, you are young, you have potential." The festival (www.aff.org) continues at the Roxie until Thursday, and then at the California Theatre in Berkeley through Sunday.

Letter in today's NY Times Magazine

I agree with this letter that appeared in today's NY Times Magazine:

What Americans have in mind when they want other countries to be “democratic like we are” is our political system, in which voters get to choose between two corporatized parties, financed by the same moneyed interests that agree on major issues, while elections focus on lesser issues, personalities and smears (Noah Feldman, Oct. 7). Policy options and citizen involvement are minimal. Candidates who stray beyond conventional rhetoric or propose more than cosmetic reforms are quickly relegated to the “extremes.” Voters are obliged to pick the lesser evil and so end up with more evil no matter who wins.

There is a thriving business of interchangeable corporate and government political operatives working to reproduce this system in other lands. Their obvious aim is not to spread actual democracy but to earn their money by setting up compatible, and therefore more easily dominated, outposts of the American empire. The rest of the world got wise to this a long time ago.

Pete Karman

New Haven

Nostalgia trip

While driving home home tonight, I tuned to KFRC on the car radio, and there I heard Casey Kasem announcing that Spanish Harlem by Aretha Franklin had dropped to number 21 "this week" on the Billboard charts. I was listening to an entire broadcast of American Top 40 from 1971--even the jingles. It was like I was back in seventh grade all over again, except without the zits and the social awkwardness.

For an aging fogy like myself, this is a pure nostalgia trip. Back when I was a kid, my local home town radio station began playing "American Top 40" on Sundays the same year that the show was syndicated, in 1970; and I used to listen to it fairly regularly, on my AM clock radio, in the years that immediately followed. Listening to the rebroadcast of an old show tonight--oh my God, even a song by the Partridge Family I probably haven't heard in 36 years, called "I Woke Up In Love This Morning"--really takes me back.

I can't tell from KFRC's web site if this is a regularly scheduled syndicated program for their Saturday night schedule, but that seems like a reasonable inference.

As I write this, they are now playing "Every Picture Tells a Story" by Rod Stewart--the title track of what Casey Kasem said was the number one album in the country at the time of the broadcast.

La Terre Meurt

La terre meurt

Les océans sont des poubelles
Et les fronts de mer sont souillés
Des Tchernobyls en ribambelle
Voient naître des foetus mort-nés
Dans cinquante ans, qu'allons-nous faire
De ces millions de détritus ?
Et ces déchets du nucléaire
Dont les pays ne veulent plus

Sous nos pieds, la terre promise
Patrimoine de nos enfants
Petit à petit, agonise
Nul ne s'en soucie
Et pourtant des espèces devenues rares
Sont en voie de disparition
Et la laideur chante victoire
Sous le plastique et le béton

La terre meurt
L'homme s'en fout
Il vit sa vie
Un point c'est tout
Il met à son gré, à son goût
Le monde sens dessus dessous
La Terre meurt
Où allons-nous ?

Dans la finance et les affaires
Le pétrole est le maître mot
Il mène à tout, même à la guerre
Et nul ne s'inquiète de l'eau
Où en sont la flore et la faune
Et qu'advient-il du firmament
Privé de la couche d'ozone
Gardien de l'environnement

Sous le ciel, le sol se révolte
Car l'homme trompe la nature
Quand il trafique les récoltes
Il hypothèque son futur
Sous le soleil, les forêts brûlent
Et l'on gave les champs d'engrais
Dans la boulimie majuscule
Du rendement et du progrès

La Terre meurt
L'homme s'en fout
Il vit sa vie
Un point c'est tout
Il met à son gré, à son goût
Le monde sens dessus dessous
La Terre meurt
Où allons-nous ?

Il est temps de prendre conscience
Que l'homme ne respecte rien
Il se fiche de l'existence
Des baleines et des dauphins
L'éléphant meurt pour son ivoire
La bête rare pour sa peau
Et dans les grandes marées noires
Le mazout englue les oiseaux

La société consommatrice
Avance impunément ses pions
Tandis que les arbres pourrissent
Dans les villes et leurs environs
La sècheresse se déchaîne
Effaçant tout signe de vie
Et certaines races humaines
Crèvent d'abandon et d'oubli

La Terre meurt
L'homme s'en fout
Il vit sa vie
Un point c'est tout
Il met à son gré, à son goût
Le monde sens dessus dessous
La Terre meurt
Où allons-nous ?

La Terre meurt
Réveillons-nous

Ahimsa Sumchai

Ahimsa Sumchai appears to be the most progressive candidate running against Gavin Newsom in the election for San Francisco mayor. It is a crowded field and she has gotten little attention in the mainstream press (the Chronicle has almost entirely ignored her). The list of endorsements on her web page include the Peace and Freedom Party, the Green Party, and Cindy Sheehan. Not bad. The Bay Guardian is also listed as an endorser, although in actuality the paper issued a joint endorsement of three candidates, including her.

A Manatee

From the SFGate web site: