on & on

50 ways to leave your lover

2005-05-24T22:39:00.000-04:00

Wardell Franklin, we hardly knew ye.

players of the game

2005-05-12T23:47:00.000-04:00

More on the ever stranger Kwame Brown saga, courtesy of On & On's first guest commentator, the good doctor himself, FL:

What Scoop doesn't really talk about is how not only did Kwame's pops beat up on him and his siblings, but the cat is also in prison for life for murder. I think a few of his other siblings are also in jail. And Basketball quite literally saved Kwame from the fate of his father and brothers. I think I read somewhere that he grew big enough to be great in Basketball and stand up to his father at about the same time, but his father's conviction saved him from ever having to really exercise that size. But nothing kept him from playing ball...that is until he got to the Wizards.

Unlike KG and Amare who had started trotting across the country as high school ballers, Kwame was pretty much a local kid from some podunk Georgia town. He only had one male rolemodel, his basketball coach of course, and who of course told him to turn pro. Then boom, he's landed into the hands of Michael Jordan, Charles Oakley and Jahidi White. There's a story about how during one particular workout during his rookie year White, who weighs about 3bills, sat on him. Coaching these mild-mannered gentlemen was none other than Doug Collins. And to just make it more fun, the year after they drafted Brown, they traded Rip Hamilton for the "tougher" Jerry Stackhouse, who would later admit he had no idea what he was doing on that team since he and Jordan essentially played the same position and had similar styles of play.

Scoop knows for damn well that the issue with Kwame Brown is not whether or not he is gay. What Jordan did to the kid was mess his head up and have a 19 year old fighting two dudes twice his age, while another goon, thinking this kid was going to take his job, joined in the fun. Essentially Jordan brought him back to the same environment that he thought he had escaped when he started playing basketball. Now you can charge a parent with Child-abuse, and you can charge an employer with all forms of harassment, but somehow in pro-sports (unless you're the dude who just sued Bill Romanowski) you can not say anything when Jahidi White throws you down while you're going for a dunk, proceeds to sit on you, and your bossess and teammates look the other way. Then to add insult to injury, they trade your good friend because he was not "tough enough." Interestingly enough this was the same logic that John Wesbrod recently used split up Mobley and Francis. Now I can understand Jordan bringing Stackhouse in to make his team tougher, but Doug Christie?

Of course having Jermaine O'Neal going on TV and saying that all a person needs to do is hit the gym and get their game up to solve all their ills in the NBA also does not help the matter here.

Jordan and his cronies in DC were a step above homophobic. Dudes in the locker room who walk around calling people "faggots" are homophobic. But what Jordan did was create an environment where what outside the lines could have been prosecuted as hate crimes could exist and thrive. The definition of the "flaming faggot" that Jordan, White, Oakley and Collins turned Brown into was definitely not what he could have thought it to be when he first got to DC, because it was not himself. Jordan and his cronies oversaw an anarchy of identity. Fostering a social-situation where punishment eventually overcame any desires for discipline forced Kwame Brown to revert from man-child, to child-man, and made the basketball court the place that he never intended it to be, the ring in which he had to fight his father. They turned the court into his prison.

Of course, I am riffing off of Foucault at the end and one can make an argument (if someone hasn't already done it) that the sporting arena is like the Foucaultian prison in terms of how it attempts to discipline masculine identities. But alas none of that will solve Kwame Brown's problems. For Kwame will land with the either the Hawks or the Magic next year. He will goof around with either Josh Smith or Dwight Howard, while catching alley-oops and smiling on the court. He will then give it to Etan Thomas or Antawn Jamison something awful the first time they meet.

Or he could end up like Leon and Dontonio trying to find his game and his self...I think there's still enough hope for the former to occur.

Nah'mean.

black nostaljack

2005-05-09T12:45:00.000-04:00

A spring weekend in BK does a body good, I tell ya. Hell, the sun was even out for a minute. ("They" say it's going to get into the 70s this week. Maybe I can finally put those sweaters away.)

Checked out the Basquiat show at the Brooklyn Museum, which was dope. Going in, I was much more familiar with the legend and the bio than I was with the actual work. I was struck by how funny dude was -- I was really on some LOL sh*t a few times. In some spots it's just a kind of playfulness, even whimsy [did I just write that? Really?], whereas elsewhere it comes in the form of this razor-sharp commentary about history and culture and the silences of both domination and resistance. In some of the pieces, it's both. (see: "Hollywood Africans") Of course, the other thing that stands out is just how young duke was. Makes me think, WTF am I doing with my life?

Since the C's went out like lambs on Saturday, I'm going to try to scale back my NBA consumption significantly, which should free up some time for more important things like, oh I don't know, say, dissertating. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around this Kwame Brown thing, however. I don't think I'm alone either. There are definitely many stories yet to be told. And although I'm no Shaq fan, I think that Steve Nash winning the MVP is pretty suspect. Unlike most such arguments, I actually think that the "If Steve Nash were black..." formulation has some legs. Money gets a lot of credit for being quick, a reasonably good passer, and having four great targets to pass to on every possession. Plus he's "smart," which is the crux of the whole thing. How smart is he, in the basketball sense of the term, and is he any "smarter" than Jason Kidd or even Iverson? It seems like Nash's intelligence -- as demonstrated in his off-the-court interests and intellectual pursuits (and as contrasted with a great many of his contemporaries) -- gets projected by commentators onto his on-court play in ways that are fairly out of proportion with reality. I'm just sayin'...

In other news, what's really good with Jeb harboring an anti-Castro terrorist in this age of no shelter for the evil-doers? One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter, as they say. It will be real, real interesting to see how Gonzales, Rice, et al play this one. Extradition to Chavez? Indefinite detention? Look the other way?

Finally, I believe we may just have the summer's first heatrock, as the kids say. Freeway, "Where You Been," produced by Scott Storch, allegedly with ?uestlove on the drums. Storch mines the next frontier in Third World musics for the base sample/interpolation (good thing I'm not a music critic): an East Asian-sounding flute. The percussion stutters and Free's delivery is hungry but totally on beat. Straight flowin'. Best believe this track will be on iTunes repeat for the remainder of the week (replacing Beanie's "Feel It in the Air").

ain't nothin' but a maybe

2005-05-07T09:57:00.000-04:00

Somewhat lost in all the excitement in Chocolate City about the Wizards' playoff run (Chicago gave away last night's game -- and, thus, the series), has been the strange story of Kwame Brown, Michael Jordan's former #1 draft pick now being shown the exit.

This slightly odd, somewhat poorly-edited piece on Kwame by Scoop Jackson caught my eye the other day and started a little e-conversation amongst some friends. I'll repeat my initial commentary here and, with permission, maybe I'll add the email responses of a couple of my folks later:

admittedly, i haven’t followed the wizards particularly closely, even when they had mike. kwame brown has always just been this unfortunate draft dud to me – not “tragic” on the level of chris washburn or len bias – more like big mistake on the level of [insert name here]. his “failure” to this point was always more reflective of MJ’s incompetence as an executive than anything inherently wrong with the kid. basically, he never should have been drafted #1 in the first place.

reading scoop jackson’s piece on kwame got me thinking in another direction. i hadn’t heard before about MJ (allegedly?) calling brown a “flaming faggot.” jackson seems only to scratch the surface of the significance of this comment by talking about the insult to brown’s manhood but more or less avoiding the actual question of sexuality. is that purposeful or not? early in the piece jackson goes out of his way to describe brown’s appearance (manicured nails, impeccable braids, tailored suits) and later makes reference to beatings brown received from his father, with no further comment on context or motivation.

this is purely speculation, but my question is this: is the “tragedy” of kwame brown less about failing to live up to basketball expectations and instead about the struggles of a young black man against ostracism and the psychological and physical violence of homophobia (inside and outside of the world of sports)?

spirit in the dark

2005-05-04T11:06:00.000-04:00

Right.

So I've been home for a week. Trip was great but, just like that, all the California love has worn off and I'm back in the muck and the mire, all kinds of depressed.

At least I have this - my favorite party of the year -- to look forward to next weekend.

stop that train

2005-04-19T09:47:00.000-04:00

On & On is taking a little vacation out to the left coast for some much needed R & R and a little change of scenery. Any readers/critics/admirers out in the Yay Area wishing to hollerate, please do so. I welcome any recommendations for burrito spots or record stores.

While I'm gone, please feel free to talk amongst yourselves about:

Eugenics-as-pro-choice politics

Blood for oil

The possibilities and limitations of black male feminism

Hip hop journalism as ethnography ("these folks sure make it easy for a driver to turn left")

Peanut Butter Wolf trying to put Stevie Wonder onto Madlib in a Beverly Hills men's room by 'showing' him a CD

Back in a week.

expansions

2005-04-15T18:01:00.000-04:00

Ain't nothin', really. Frankly, I don't know how some of you dedicated bloggers do it -- all regular and topical and consistent and sh*t. Kudos to you.

Couldn't get out to the Chi for last weekend's feminism and (in?) hip hop conference, though I do know some people who were involved in various capacities. In betwixt and between all the other stuff I'm juggling, been trying to get the lowdown from various sources. Hashim's self-designation as a newly minted male feminist -- on the heels of his tacit endorsement of Lil' Jon and them Ying Yang boyz -- sparked an interesting, if somewhat frustrating, discussion.

I had more to say in response to various comments but elected to bow out of the post/counter-post exchange. My loss, perhaps. I will say this though, all sectarianism and self-righteousness aside, I think that in 2005 the line in the sand needs to be drawn well before rape and domestic violence (Hashim: "My position as a "hip-hop feminist" is simple. I expect myself, my friends, and the artists I support to treat women with common respect. This means I'm cool with artists making sexy songs, like Ying Yang Twins. I wouldn't be cool with them talking about raping, or hitting women. That's my standard."). "The Whisper Song" may be a lot things, but "sexy" ain't one of 'em.

you send me

2005-04-11T14:40:00.000-04:00

Lest there was ever any debate about this fact, I would like to confirm that New Hampshire and Indiana are two very different places.

Stay tuned for further profound revelations.

yelling away

2005-04-01T17:07:00.000-05:00

On the heels of the Winter Music Conference in Miami and her current URB magazine cover, Jon Caramanica provides a much-needed antidote to the M.I.A. hyperbole machine.

when we get by

2005-03-29T19:19:00.000-05:00

If I were a bit more organized, brave, and interested in blending my blog world with my real world vocations, I might offer up detailed book reviews and critical essays like some of my peers (still got that Mark Anthony Neale review in the chamber). Alas, I am none of those things at the moment and sufficiently contented to simply link away and keep it movin'.

To that end we have:

Robert Christgau on The Perceptionists and black indie hip hop (or 'alt rap' in his terminology...which, I suppose does have a distinct connotation separating it from 'indie' as such. Whatever.) [I'm a little mad that the techies at the Voice shorthand his name to 'xgau' in the link]

Raquel Cepeda -- not to be confused with Raquel Z. Rivera -- on the reggaeton takeover. I expect an S/F-J companion piece in The New Yorker by summer. (That sounded snarky; I didn't mean it to be. At least I don't think so.)

Reviews of new songs by Amerie, Q-Tip feat. Busta, and a lost (?) Rakim-Dre collabo track. Haven't heard the latter two, but the Amerie joint doesn't really work for me (I could possibly be persuaded). Back on "Why Don't We Fall In Love," the lightness of her voice didn't bother me at all. But the sheer nothingness of her presence on "One Thing" -- which, incidentally, has been given the proper Mr. K re-edit treatment (get ye self to The Lab, post-haste) -- and now on this "Rolling Down My Face" song I find to be another matter all together. Plus, the horn loop is distractingly Ed O.G. to me.

And lastly, but most significantly:

The passing of Harold Cruse (link courtesy of Zentronix). Cruse was, ironically, at once a towering figure and an oft-overlooked contributor to debates about African American political culture. Nevertheless, The Crisis of the Negro Intellectual is among the two dozen or so most significant works in twentieth century African American scholarship and letters. RIP.

countdown to armageddon

2005-03-25T15:27:00.000-05:00

Cheney in '08?!

It is sick that we even have to discuss this as a viable possibility.

rigor mortis

2005-03-25T11:35:00.000-05:00

Wouldn't you know it, now that I'm halfway re-inspired and have a few things worth blogging about I ain't got a lick of time. Trying to line some things up for next year, got advisors cracking the proverbial whip, a slew of out-of-town trips on the calendar. I really need not be dilly-dallying in the blogosphere any more than I already do.

*sigh*

I need to get my sh*t together.

people get ready

2005-03-15T20:07:00.000-05:00

From Darfurgenocide.org:

MEDIA ALERT/RELEASE
For Immediate Release from DarfurGenocide.org
For “Fast for Justice in Sudan” on March 16th

Thousands Join “Fast for Justice in Sudan”
Nationwide Effort Demands Immediate Action to End Genocide in Darfur During Key Votes This Week in the US Congress and UN Security Council

On the eve of key votes in the US Congress and United Nations Security Council regarding measures to end the genocide in Sudan, almost 2000 Americans from all 50 states have committed to go without food on Wednesday, March 16th. This rapid, nationwide response answers a call issued by DarfurGenocide.org over the weekend to generate pressure on the US Congress and the UN as they consider support for security measures and humanitarian relief.

“We cannot allow governments to hide behind half-measures and diplomatic gridlock while the Sudanese government’s genocide-by-starvation steadily continues. With our small sacrifice, we hope to spark the consciences of our leaders to meet the moral urgency of the moment,” said DarfurGenocide.org Co-Director Ricken Patel.

Over 300,000 people have already been killed in Darfur since the Government of Sudan launched its plan to “change the demography” of its western province two years ago. The government’s “janjaweed” militias continue to massacre civilians, and have already forced over 2 million people to flee their homes for camps where they are vulnerable to attacks, disease and starvation.

Hundreds of people continue to respond to the recent “call to fast.” A map is available that displays the location of every participant and a personal testimonial of their reasons for fasting. Each version includes data on 400 of the fasters nationwide and can be accessed through www.darfurgenocide.org.

One example of a testimonial from Columbus, OH: “I’m striking in solidarity with and to bear witness to what the people of Darfur are enduring, and also to send a message to our governmental leaders that we have a moral imperative to do all we can to stop atrocities like Rwanda and Darfur …so that genocide is never EVER an answer again in the house of our world community.”

The “Fast for Justice in Sudan” is organized by DarfurGenocide.org, a web-based information and action resource devoted to ending the genocide in Darfur. DarfurGenocide.org is a project of Res Publica, a group of public sector professionals dedicated to promoting good governance and virtuous civic cultures.

Contact Information
Ricken Patel, Co-Director, DarfurGenocide.org
(M) 646-229-5416
ricken@therespublica.org
www.darfurgenocide.org

If you can't join, please consider helping to spread the word.

sweet premium wine

2005-03-10T18:16:00.000-05:00

Whose ideas was it to stage the 50 Cent-Game "G-Unity" charade at the Schomburg? Was the Apollo not available? Seriously.

Who said the following, in response to a question about claiming the title of "best producer on the mic"?: "J-Dilla is a dope producer. Other than Dilla and me, no one. I'm not trying to sound cocky, but I have to stake my claim. Who's going to go up against me, Pete Rock, Large Professor, Madlib? I don't think so. Again, I'm not trying to sound cocky. I just want to be known as a great rhymer and producer." If you guessed Hezekiah, you are on that same good good that he's apparently on. And if that's the case, where can I cop?

Whatchu know about Prophet Jones, your instructor for "Advance Topics in Stunting: The Art of the Deal"?

Is O.C. "back" or has he been sounding this good and just now getting some quality production again? And what's up with Pharoah playing the Nate Dogg role? Can we get a verse, dun? (Incidentally, why not just call the track "Everyday"? I had to actually listen to the song before I worked out the phonetics of "e-v-a-r-i-d-a-e").

Who got them Dilla beat tapes? I just got up on #3 and this sh*t is absurdative (c) Mos. Talk to me, people...

as if you read my mind

2005-03-03T12:11:00.000-05:00

Been thoroughly uninspired blogwise lately, hence the unplanned for weeklong hiatus. That and trying to be productive on the work front. PE symposium; 50 Cent's me-against-the-world mania; local,state, federal and global conservative skullduggery; the return of 'Toine; dissertation anxiety...don't want to blog about none of it. Hell, I don't even want to take the time to link the topics I just mentioned.

Hopefully, the fire will come back soon.

So as not to be the total Grinch Who Took the Fun Out of Procrastination, I give you British (?) producer (producers?) Blackbeard's re-working of Talib Kweli's "Get By" for your aural pleasure. (select 'free' option and then scroll down the pg. for the link).

he got so much soul

2005-02-24T08:32:00.000-05:00

he don't need no records. (c) me, by way of Main Source.

Biggest surprise of last night's hip hop love-in at the Bronx Museum: the Original Jazzy Jay's 45 minute opening DJ set in which he played nary a vinyl record. Not even CDs for that matter. Strictly mp3s via a Powerbook + turntable set-up with either Serato Scratch or Stanton Final Scratch (couldn't tell which). Cutting, scratching and doubling up classic b-boy breaks and familiar and obscure funk, soul, disco and rock "records" pretty much seemlessly. I gotta admit, I was thrown.

Of course, CD turntables are standard in clubs these days and I've definitely seen DJ's incorporate digital music stored on laptops into their sets alongside vinyl (see: ?uestlove), but to see one of the true originals go all the way digital was quite a sight. Although I sometimes suffer from purist tendencies, I couldn't be mad at him. I mean, luggin' records up and down stairs and in and out of car trunks is a b*tch. Just imagine doing it for 30 years...

hideyaface

2005-02-23T15:01:00.000-05:00

A DJ's worst nightmare: getting jacked for your records. Sh*t is foul, yo. I appreciate Rich's spirit though. Gotta just keep rockin'.

Folks might have to get a little donation record pool going to help keep the (jump 'n) funk alive.

* * *

In other news, my blog template went haywire a few weeks ago when I added the Haloscan stuff. Whenever I get the time to sort it out, the blogroll will get a much-needed updating. Apologies for outdated and missing links.

* * *

Jeff Chang, Kook Herc, Jazzy Jay tonight @ the Bronx Museum.

Yah mo be there.

* * *

Weird story about Patriots owner Robert Kraft in Jerusalem "to attend the reopening of a stadium he funded for an Israeli flag football league" (to which he brought along a certain little piece of hardware, for no apparent reason). Huh? This fine piece of ESPN World Service reporting concludes with Kraft likening the Patriots' teamwork to the well-oiled machine that is Israeli democracy:

"You get three out of four Super Bowls by subjugating the ego for the good of the whole," he said. "In Israel, this is in the fabric of the country, to create a democracy that thrives against the odds."

Oh.No.He.Didn't.

First Schilling, now we find out that Bob Kraft is a delusional Zionist? I swear, if I wasn't a born and bred Sox/Pats/Celts fan...

Hua Hsa, help.

here but i'm gone

2005-02-21T08:34:00.000-05:00

The students of the world are the ones who bring about a change; old people don't bring about a change. I mean I'm not saying this against anybody that's old -- because if you're ready for some action you're not old, I don't care how old you are. But if you're not ready for some action, I don't care how young you are, you're old; you need to get on out of the way. Some of us get too old while we're still in our teens.

-El-hajj Malik El-Shabazz (Malcolm X), Homecoming Rally of the OAAU, November 29, 1964

* * *

More than any other single book, The Autobiography of Malcolm X changed my life. It feels funny to say that. It is, perhaps, risking cliche -- now more than a decade on from the early '90s hagiography and Spike's big screen rendering. So be it. It's the truth.

I first read the book in the summer when I was 13 and it effectively re-oriented my whole vision of myself and the world, both past and present. Malcolm's life can teach us many things -- about being bold, the power of words, the risks of blind devotion, the necessity of a global vision -- but I think two traits stand out for me in particular: self-reflection and humility. As I get older I realize just how important these things are -- and how profoundly difficult it can be to truly incorporate them into one's daily living. Malcolm had the courage to look within and embark upon a path of continuous self-transformation. At the same time he had the faith to humble himself to a greater power and to newly emergent truths.

Thank you, Malcolm. Peace go with you, brother (As-Salaam Alaikum).

modern marvel

2005-02-16T01:01:00.000-05:00

Now, uhh, usually I don't do this but -- in the immortal words of Pharrell --

GOTDAYUM...IT'S A NEW DAY!

(In semi-related news we have the ultimate Grammy mash-up [via Spine Magazine]: Usher & PB Wolf . For real for real? )

lovers and friends

2005-02-15T10:57:00.000-05:00

This morning's online edition of the Times features a story on the latest neo-con "traditional values" hustle, the marriage covenant. Leading the charge in front of 5000 Little Rock die-hards was Arkansas' Republican governor and his wife:

Upgrading their vows to that of a covenant marriage, a legally binding contract available only in Arkansas, Arizona and Louisiana, the Huckabees hope to jump-start a conservative movement that has shown little sign of moving in recent years. A covenant marriage commits a couple to counseling before any separation and limits divorce to a handful of grounds, like adultery or abuse.

I didn't have to read much more to know where this was going. The abomination of gay marriage, radical feminists, abortion, the crumbling of Western Judeo-Christian civilization...blah blah blah.

I've heard it all before. (c) Sunshine Anderson.

So I continued on through my morning ritual of headline reading and blog perusal. Eventually I ended up here, trying to do the knowledge on yet another, far more nefarious, conservative scheme. As I was trying to get my social security primer on, I followed a link to this list of "front groups funded by the right-wing to push privatization." Alongside the first organization, the Alliance for Retirement Prosperity, was a listing of so-called "allied groups." Jumping right out of that little honor roll was a group called Black America's Political Action Committee (BAMPAC).

Hmm. Now I was intrigued. I mean, I'm black. I live in America. These people were very generously taking it upon themselves to represent my interests. I had to see what they were all about.

According to the Center for Media & Democracy's Sourcewatch project, BAMPAC "supports conservative policies and African-American candidates. Its name misleadingly suggests that it represents the point of view of African-Americans, but in fact opinion polls and voting patterns show that the vast majority of African-Americans disagree with BAMPAC's political positions. BAMPAC claims to be nonpartisan, but its IRS tax statement explicitly states that its mission is to elect Republicans."

Could it be? Was it so? I was crushed. Bamboozled again by black conservatives. I had to do more investigating to confirm this sorry state of affairs.

I decided to go directly to the source. What are Black America's most pressing issues, I wondered. School choice, enterprise zones, pro-life advocacy, and, yes, social security reform, I soon learned. And who are the candidates that Black America can trust to fight for our interests in the halls of power across this great land? Good people like Wallace Jefferson (if he's good enough for the Young Conservatives of Texas and the Texas Chemical Industry's PAC, well, gosh darn, who am I to say anything?), Winsome Sears (with Rick Santorum and the Virginia Automobile Dealers Association on her side, how did she not win?), and Sen. Lindsey Graham, noted champion of black causes.

I continued down the list until one name practically lept from the screen:
Gov. Mike Huckabee, the family man from Hope.

And, like that, it all came full circle. Then it struck me. I needn't worry anymore. Here was our next black president. With any luck, within a generation or two, America will finally be able to do away with black people as we know them.

london calling

2005-02-12T10:20:00.000-05:00

Can't say I'm fully over my bout of dread-and-doom paralysis but I'm working on it. Of course, as Ian reminds us, there's no shortage of sh*t to be heated about here in the land of milk and honey.

As a first step of getting my mind right, I'm heading out tonight to check the legendary DJ Norman Jay @ APT. Although his reputation certainly preceded him, I got my first exposure to Jay and his "Good Times" sound when I attended the Notting Hill Carnival for the first time in 2003. There are about 40 sound systems spread out across the Carnival but the following that Norman and his brother have is unparalleled. They do their thing from the top of modified double-decker and Southern Row below is jammed with people in either direction for the entire time they're up there. Philly soul, house, two-step, reggae, a dash of hip hop and 'nuff disco, positivity and danceablity are the ties that link their tunes together. Their influence on folks like Gilles Peterson and DJ Language is obvious.

Now, I'll admit, I can't always get with the records Norman plays -- sometimes they're a little too positive and he occasionally sets up shop right on the borderline of cheese -- but I will say this: the people never stop dancing and he always brings it right back home with a record you didn't even know you were fiending for. For me, at Carnival that year, that record was Main Source's "Looking at the Front Door." Incredible track. Golden era greatness. Not all that unusual to hear it out in New York (depending on your choice of nightspots, I suppose) but dropped right then and there, at the peak of Carnival Monday, was unexpected perfection.

A few months after that, I got the chance to interview Norman which was dope. Very unassuming and humble about his accomplishments. Our conversation was made all the more interesting as it took place in the same week that dread poet Benjamin Zephaniah boldly rejected indunction into the Order of the British Empire -- an honor that Jay himself had very proudly accepted the previous year. While ever the gentleman, let's just say that Norman had some strong feelings and choice words about the whole situation.

Anyway, I'm going to try to be a good boy today and get some work done so that tonight I can go out and enjoy the "Good Times."

mark of the beast

2005-02-10T23:20:00.000-05:00

I'm paralyzed.

All week I've been wanting to vent -- my disbelief, my anger, my sadness -- about the ever-increasing absurdity that is Bush's "war on terror" but the words won't come. This has been going on for more than three years now and yet it's as if a switch was flipped for me in the past couple of weeks. I think the breaking point may have been the Gonzales confirmation. The reward for a man who, with the help of a couple key players, went to extraordinary semantic lengths to justify the use of torture is nothing less than the highest law enforcement position in the land. All because of some Booker T. bootstrap sob story.

What.Thee.Fock.

Every week more information comes to light about the utter amorality of this Administration. It seems that when agents of the U.S. government are not torturing teenage "enemy combatants" themselves, the government gets somebody else -- Egypt, Syria, Jordan -- to do its dirty work. In the tradition of Seymour Hersch, Jane Mayer reports in this week's New Yorker on the U.S. policy of "extraordinary rendition" -- i.e. outsourcing torture.

Kidnapping. "Waterboarding." People simply left to die.

All in the name of "freedom."

I read these things and all I can think of are the words of James Baldwin in his open letter to an imprisoned Angela Davis in November of 1970:

If we know, and do nothing, we are worse than the murderers hired in our name. If we know, then we must fight for your life as though it were our own -- which it is -- and render impassable with our bodies the corridor to the gas chamber. For, if they take you in the morning, they will be coming for us that night.

I know all this to be true. And yet still I remain paralyzed.

the proxy

2005-02-08T11:23:00.000-05:00

As part of a series on the use of torture in the "war on terror", Britain's Channel 4 filmed "The Guantanamo Guidebook" in which 7 male volunteers, originally recruited by ads seeking tough guys, are subjected to low levels of torture for 48 hours in an East London warehouse made to resemble conditions at Guantanamo Bay prison. According to The Guardian, "All were offered counselling after filming was finished." (I should hope so).

Meanwhile, some European nationals are gradually being released from Guantanamo while the families of others still struggle along. But even for those who regain their freedom -- or, at the very least, their human and legal rights -- what comes next?

Consider the story of Martin Mubanga, a young British-Zambian brother, who spent 33 months in custody at Guananamo before being released for lack of any credible evidence that he was a member of Al-Qaeda plotting against Jewish organizations in New York.

b.y.s.

2005-02-05T13:45:00.000-05:00

Romeo's making a list and he's checking it twice. Best believe Fred-Ex will not be delivering on Sunday.

How 'bout them Phillies?

* * *

I am, admittedly, sadly untutored in the history and politics of Eastern and Central Europe and the former Soviet republics (Maybe I need a tutor). So, from my position of ignorance, things seem pretty damn wild and wooly over in those parts. I mean you've got Yuschenko getting poisoned and now all manner of suspicious activity is jumpin' off in Georgia. And that's not even to talk about how Chechnya gets down.

Umm, yeah.

part 4 - psalm

2005-02-04T12:18:00.000-05:00

"Here at this final hour, in this quiet place..."

Goodbye, Ossie. Thank you, for your example of an honorable and dignified life.

You will be missed.