A proper May Day in the US April 30, 2006
Posted by Delilah in : General, US , add a comment
I just got a call from my Mom and she reminded me that tomorrow is a holiday back home and just about everywhere in the world, except here. I was shocked, when I first got here 18 years ago, that not only this was not a day off here, but that there were no celebrations of any sort. Nothing. Growing up, every year of May 1st, my Dad would buy each one of us kids a “fleur de muguet“. And unions marched in the streets, and a lot of outdoor music - a day long festival celebrating working people. What’s wrong with that? Why not here where people work all the time? Ah yes, it smells communist - boo.
Anywho - this year, we’re getting a proper May Day celebration, complete with marches and an immigrant boycott. How excellent is that?
Genius Colbert
Posted by Delilah in : US, Washington Consensus, Entertainment , add a comment
What an amazing performance. Pure genius. And brave too.
West vs militant Islam April 28, 2006
Posted by Delilah in : General, Political Islam, US, World , add a commentIgnatius gets to the core issue. Bravo. The whole thing is worth a read but this is the bottom line:
The Muslim demand for respect isn’t something that can be negotiated, but that doesn’t mean the West shouldn’t take it seriously. For as the Muslim world gains a greater sense of dignity in its dealings with the West, the fundamental weapon of Iran, al-Qaeda and Hamas will lose much of its potency. (my emphasis)
Wolcott on the Sopranos April 27, 2006
Posted by Delilah in : Entertainment , add a commentThe last episode was lame. But, as always, Wolcott’s rendering is priceless.
The latest Sopranos was also a punctured tire. I’m no fan of the series, having happily missed entire seasons, but the storyline of Vito the Gay Mobster has been fascinating and oddly affecting. Outed after a night on the dance floor in black-leather Village People gear and the target of hostile attention, Vito looked as vulnerable as the last penguin on the glacier as he waddled around in his blue track suit, retreating to a picturesque village that’s gay-friendly–where a middle-aged male couple can share a booth in a diner together without it being a big deal, a mortal insult to the Bada Bing. The watchfulness with which Vito took everything in, the thawing of his wariness into a longing for a different type of normality (caressing a vase as if it were his own tender child), was very acted and paced, and a far cry from the caricature machismo of Paulie Walnuts and the rest of the crotch-grabbers. It was an daring imaginative leap to take Vito out of the cliche cheap hotel room with the suicide gun and release him out of captivity, if only for a whiff of freedom before the inevitable whack.
(more…)Bonjour Papa, bonjour Maman April 26, 2006
Posted by Delilah in : Iraq, US , add a commentI don’t know whether to laugh or cry at the desperation.
According to the AP:
The surprise visit by President Bush’s top national security officials was a dramatic show of support for Jawad al-Maliki, the Shiite selected to be prime minister, in a development the United States hailed as evidence of substantial progress. (silly hyperbole emphasized by me)
This is a puppet show for the US public because it’s sure as hell isn’t going to help matters over there. Support - especially the fake kind - from the US is not beneficial to the credibility of any Iraqi politician, quite the contrary.
No bad tools, just bad workers
Posted by Delilah in : Iraq, US , add a commentThat’s a French saying: il n’y a pas de mauvais outils, il n’y a que des mauvais ouvriers - or something to that effect. In other words, a tool is not responsible for its owner’s SNAFUs. Basta.
I’m talking about this FoxNews tool replacing that other tool before him. This is a guy who went on Bill Maher’s show a few months ago and, while eagerly (and stupidly) defending the misadventure in Iraq, claimed, among other inanities:
“Girls in Iraq can now [that the US is there, presumably] go to school and get an education”
This is the kind of stuff that makes my skin crawl. Iraqi women are, and have been, among the most educated in the Middle East. Can this jerk (now WH press sec) and the rest of the rightwing robots be that ignorant or do they (perhaps rightly) that their audiences are just as ignorant as they are. In fact, neither Maher, nor the other panelists called Snow on that falsehood. Bah.
Besides, seriously, who cares which monkey jumps through loops and twists itself into knots on a daily basis at the podium of the White House briefing room? Different face, same crap, no difference. We’re all just going through the motions here, while we pray for divine relief.
Kevin Zeese has it going on April 25, 2006
Posted by Delilah in : So-called Democrats, Palestine, Maryland, Iran, US Congress , add a commentUnless you’re morally bankrupt, it is not possible to listen to what Kevin Zeese has to say and not want to support his campaign. The entire piece is well worth a read but here are some choice quotes, pointing out the obvious to the willfully blind:
I wonder who signed this ugly sounding thing - one more is a sea of daily aggression:
He [Zeese] said the question of whether the hawkish, hard-right, pro-Israeli Lobby in America wants to see war with Iran gets answered in an ad which was in the New York Times, the Financial Times, and other newspapers. Its a full page ad by the American Jewish Committee, put out on April 4th. The center of the bulls eye is Iran and the headline is: Can Anyone Within Range of Irans Missiles Feel Safe? I think thats a pretty inflammatory ad. Its signed by more than a hundred people…I think its a pretty strong indication of where the Lobby stands. That isnt the only proof we have that the hawkish Israeli Lobby wants to go to war.
Inflammatory? That’s putting it mildly. I wonder who were all these signatories and what their motives truly are, other than hate. They sure as hell aren’t motivated by anyone’s wellbeing in the US. (more…)
Sliding towards thirdworldism April 24, 2006
Posted by Delilah in : US , add a commentTo many, while rich and powerful, the US never came across as a particularly enlightened place, as a whole. Despite some serious attempts in states such as California or major cities like NY, the dominant theme is not one of progress. The religiosity, prudishness and militarism have always been an accepted fact of life. Some 20th century issues are still up for debate and social oppobrium: abortion, homosexuality and, in the past 5 years, we’ve had a stupid “debate” about crazy stuff like creationism forced down our collective throat.
Other, even more ominous signs of thirdworldism are flashing red lights all over the place. For example:Who’ll pick the next UN Sec Gen? April 20, 2006
Posted by Delilah in : World , add a commentWe can only guess. Annan is leaving soon and the General Assembly wants to assert itself.
According to the Financial Times:
The United Nations Security Council will today face a challenge to its monopoly on choosing a successor to Kofi Annan, the outgoing secretary-general.
At a General Assembly meeting, disgruntled second-tier nations will ask why the 15-member Council - and in particular the US, China, France, Russia and Britain - should secretly control the most important decision the organisation faces this year. (emphasis mine)
That’s just one of the numerous outrages having to do with the self-assigned, self-implemented, self-controlled, privileges of the permanent five. The GA has been screaming about this for many years. To. No. Avail. Nada, zero, zilch.
When the west created the UN, they weren’t stupid, they made sure that whatever criteria they picked to appoint themselves bosses of the world could never be matched by the great majority of the world’s nations. Their only criteria was, basically money (GDP) and nuclear power. They declared themselves bosses of the world, et voilà. (more…)
Sopranos develop a socio-political angle (spoilers alert) April 19, 2006
Posted by Delilah in : Entertainment, US Congress , add a comment
Pic from HBO
You guys in Europe waiting for the DVD, and not wanting to know anything, pls skip right through this post.
As hooked as I am on the series itself, all the characters in the Sopranos are detestable, with zero redeeming traits, but I’ve always found this guy, Vito, to be among the most repulsive. I especially disliked the slimy way he had of intimidating Meadow’s boyfriend after he saw him giving a blow job. Poor kid was obviously terrified of him.
Anywho - dude was outed and, given the supermacho BS associated with the lifestyle, that sent a shockwave through the famiglia. Shock, denial, anger, acceptance, etc - the dialogue was pricelessly funny at times and definitely pointed to fit the endless, backward “values debate” that has taken hold of this country in the past few years. (more…)
China on the move: first order of business? business
Posted by Delilah in : US, World, US Congress , add a comment
Pic from Xinhua
Seems to me, this guy has his priorities straight: visit Microsoft headquarters, dinner with Gates, visit to a Boeing commercial jet plan, lunch with Bush, Yale. Then, on to the Middle East and Africa.
Makes sense to me, more time in DC - where the confluence of arrogance and ignorance becomes more lethal each day - would be a waste. The undeniable, irreversible rise of China on the world scene has jerks in Congress in a tizzy. Their utter impotence is palpable.
Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., who chairs the House global human rights subcommittee, said in an interview that if China is not pressed hard enough this week on what he sees as Beijing’s systematic mistreatment of its citizens, Hu “could walk away from here without any sense of our serious human rights concerns, which only gives a greener light to further abuse.” (emphasis mine)
Now, come on - who the hell does he think he is fooling?
What does the Arab American Institute stand for exactly? April 18, 2006
Posted by Delilah in : So-called Democrats, Maryland , add a commentI was
surprisedshocked and mightily disappointed, yesterday, when I called AAI to ask them to help spread the word about Kevin Zeese’s run for MD Senate. The response I got was that “AAI’s policy is that we encourage our members to participate in the two major political parties, and we invite only the Democratic and Republican candidates to speak at our candidate events.”. Excuse me, WHAT? (more…)A (oh so shocking) shift in paradigm in Palestine
Posted by Delilah in : Palestine , add a commentUsed to be, old Arafat and the rest of the PA used to tie themselves in knots trying to conform to the Israeli/West diktat of condemning attacks against Israeli civilians while trying to explain the motivations of Palestinian youth giving up their lives for their land and their people. They tried, over and over, to explain the horrible conditions under which these people have been living for over 50 years, conditions that have been staring Israel and the West in the face for decades. To. No. Avail.
Scorn, contempt and further humiliation were the only visible results of such an approach. And definitely no progress on any sort of peace process. Adding insult to injury, when Palestinians chose their leaders freely, they get spat at and “starved” for not picking puppets of the west. (more…)
“Overthrow: America’s Century of Regime Change”
Posted by Delilah in : Washington Consensus, World, Iran , add a commentA must read review of what seems to be a must read book from former NYTimes correspondant Stephen Kinzer.
“Overthrow” is the history of forcible regime changes by the United States and its local allies over the past 110 years, starting with the undermining of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893, passing through Cuba (1898), the Philippines (1898), Iran (1953), Guatemala (1954) and elsewhere, and ending with present-day Iraq.
All of this with the noblest of intentions, no doubt:
But if you are going to use the argument that making a successful geopolitical omelet requires breaking eggs, you’d better have something edible to show for all the shattered shells lying around. As Kinzer makes clear, the problem is that all too many of the interventions he recounts were not just utterly ruthless; they were utterly unnecessary.
In pax americana, breaking eggs = collateral damage - mostly Arab, and mostly Muslim of late.
No freedom of speech if you’re speaking out against Israel April 16, 2006
Posted by Delilah in : Political Islam, Islam/Arab Phobia, US, Palestine , add a comment
Pic from the AP
This guy, Sami Al Arian has been, in my view, persecuted purely for speaking out, in the US, against Israeli occupation of Palestine and the abuse of Palestinian rights. Period. That’s it. Until 9/11, he used to hang out with Presidents, including Bush, etc. His systematic persecution began after 9/11. Pro-Israel forces in this country went after him, managed to get him kicked out of the University of Florida where he was teaching. Then the government brought charges against him and, in 2003, indicted him on the basis that “he helped finance terrorist attacks against Israel”.
He was acquitted in December of 8 of the 17 federal charges against him and the jury was deadlocked on the rest, but he has been kept in jail since then. What kind of justice is this? So now, he’s had to make a deal where he plead guilty to lesser charges so he can be deported. This is an outrage. I hope that once he is out, he can sue.
