Cipherdom (deprecated)

The Sound of Two Cheeks Not Turning

"I strongly condemn the killings, and I urge and call upon all of the free world, nations which love peace, to not only condemn the killings, but to use every ounce of their power to prevent them from happening in the future." President GW Bush, June 11, 2003

Hmmm . . . Would that be the same "free world" and "nations which love peace" that you told to fuck off when they didn't applaud your Iraq adventure?

Bush made his remark today as the Israel/Palestine peace plan virtually disintegrated. He meant it as a dual condemnation of Ariel Sharon's attack on a prominent Hamas leader and of the Hamas response, which consisted of blowing up a commuter bus during rush hour, killing 16. It could just as well be a condemnation of Bush's own policies -- he makes an unconvincing peace activist.

Pro-Israel types now call Bush a hypocrite for not endorsing their attempts to kick terrorist ass the way the U.S. gets to kick it. Pro-Palestinians call him a hypocrite because he held a peace summit last week without, evidently, getting any promise of restraint from Sharon. It's worth noting that new Palestinian PM Abu Mazen has no direct control over the suicide bombing fanatics, whereas the Israeli military does exactly as instructed by Sharon.

Without one side's turning a cheek, killing will never stop. If only the Crusades had succeeded, I can hear Pat Robertson wishing. There are too many fanatics on each side who are content to perpetuate murder in the name of religion and nationalism. Even if Mazen is a Gandhi in waiting, he stands little chance in the face of hatred that Bush, Sharon and Arafat have been fanning for years.

Israelis elected Sharon for the same reason Americans will likely re-elect Bush: He makes them feel safer by doing more than just talking tough about terrorism. If we keep electing Bush and people like him, our future looks just as rosy as Israel's.

Objecting Conscientiously

I felt compelled to pull these insightful remarks by Dean from the relative obscurity of blog comments (see POX AMERICANA) into the blazing white glare that is a full-blown Cipherdom entry. So, he said:

But this position (of not voting your conscience because it will only guarantee The Right will always win) hasn't worked either. Even with Clinton. Although I think he's relatively better than our current leader, he's proven to be very comfortable with compromise, for political expediency. I feel this is a huge part of the problem these days. Issues are dealt with only through voter referendum, or in the courts. The legislative process is nearly bankrupt, in the interests of power and influence. It allows PAC money to flow directly into both camps. They are the constituency now. We - the people - barely have any say whatsoever. Look to the anti-war effort, for a painful example that barely anyone in DC hears the people's voice.

Sez I: It's hard to argue with any of that. Except I'd say you're being too hard on the peacenik effort -- though you earned the right, obviously, by marching at every opportunity. As someone who didn't protest as visibly, I think the fact that Bush proceeded to bomb anyway in no way negates the peace movement, not that I think that's what you meant. Pre-war, the protests were meaningful, inspiring. Why they ended when the war began is worth pondering. Out of respect to soldiers whose lives were on the line? Out of being intimidated by charges of anti-Americanism? Out of a sense of futility? I think people should be encouraged by the protests. There's no doubt in my mind that they made it harder for Bush to undertake the war, and they make it somewhat less likely that he can do it again.

To regain our influence, enough people need to seriously put their foot down and vote their conscience. Support an Independent. A Green. Whatever third party. Hey, even vote for No Candidate. Simply opting out for the lessor of the same evil (ie; the 'opposition' party), I'm afriad won't lead to any significant change. At least I'm willing to milk that cow for a few more elections and see what comes of it.

I have to differ with you here, because the stakes are so high -- survival of the species, not to put a fine point on it. We simply don't have the luxury of a few more Republican administrations and congresses. With the rate at which our collective physical well being is now threatened, things like social justice, health care and civil rights seem like luxuries. That's exactly how Bush and Co. want us to feel, of course. It's all so convenient for them, isn't it?

But there's a legitimate chance the Democrats will nominate an anti-war candidate -- one who of course will have zero chance of being elected. I could live with that easier than I could live with seeing Bush win in 2002 thanks to Nader. The Democratic primaries will be a mini-referendum on the war. We'll see how many Dems vote their conscience. If you believe polls, a large percentage of these voters opposed the war, at least before it happened. Lefties like us would do well to help nominate someone like Howard Dean, because that could breathe life into progressive politics.

Idealism aside, splitting the Democratic party in two by promoting the Greens will give conservatives more power, not less. I don't see any other possible outcome. The idea of a more powerful Bush, Ashcroft, Rumsfeld, etc. is genuinely terrifying.

Pox Americana

I remember Matt Drudge* when he was a pioneering spammer and obscure but insistent crank in the dark corners of UseNet. Ambition and a lack of scruples propelled him to the top of the slagheap that is Internet "journalism." All that aside, the Drudge Report is one of my guilty pleasures. On any given breaking story, his site is likely to have some out-of-the-way link to an article (reputable or not) that gives a spin you won't find in the mainstream press. Give him his due: Drudge is way less sneaky about his biases than, say, Fox News is -- assuming that's possible. He is a perfectly qualified journalist, unless you think the ability to write is still a prerequisite.

Today he ran this photo (at left) to commemorate the rollout of Hillary Clinton's book. She looks demented, like the missing third sister from Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? Hillary continues to get a raw deal from the press, IMO, but I couldn't help laughing at this picture. The senator can't win no matter what she does. If she'd broken down for Barbara Walters's benefit, the pundits would call them crocodile tears. Because she kept her composure, she gets called an Ice Queen, as in this spiteful column by the overrated Tom Shales.

*The photo above is probably not Matt Drudge, though I can't prove that. It's more likely a prairie dog, the vehicle for our hemisphere's first outbreak of monkey pox. A pet store three miles from where I live was identified as the source of p-dogs that have now infected 33 people in IL, IN and WI. Me, I'm just glad Du Page county is on the map at last. According to the Chicago Tribune:

"The Illinois Department of Agriculture, along with state and federal health officials, is trying to track down 115 customers -- both individuals and pet stores -- that bought exotic animals from Phil's Pocket Pets since April 15."

This just in . . . The store's name is now Phil's Pocket Pets & Pestilence.

I suppose there used to be little trans-species outbreaks like this all the time, and we never heard of them until 9/11 and Judith Miller's excellent book, "Germs." Not sure whether that makes me more or less nervous.

Pack up your troubles . . .

I quite like Richard Thompson's new CD, "Old Kit Bag." You expect superb songs and guitar from RT, but his underrated singing elevates "A Love You Can't Survive," the story of a lapsed idealist haunted by the woman he left behind. The outstanding bassist Danny Thompson really, um, stands out on "One Door Opens," a sprightly celtic number. DT had to miss the current tour due to health problems. There's an ironic song called "Outside of the Inside" that skewers fundamentalism and chowder-headed Americanism alike.

For what I assume is a limited time, RT's official web site has a ripping good video webcast of his recent solo gig at The Fez in NYC.

Last best chance

This was a day of promise, according to the Media Monolith. Palestinian prime minister Abu Mazen made, for all intents, his debut on the world stage. TV teaches us that symbolism counts, and the cameras showed that he dresses like we do, unlike Arafat. I wonder if his countrymen care whether he wears a burnoose. Also unlike Arafat, Mazen has renounced terrorism. To this point, Ariel Sharon is saying some but not all of the right things about ending the occupation. To this point, Bush is not bored with the process.

I found this handy overview of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Here's hoping peace can finally ensue, though radicals on each side will do their best to derail it. BTW, the "road map" doesn't call for creation of a Palestinian state until 2005 -- after the U.S. presidential election.

Back home

Whoa, a whole week passed between posts, thanks to work, houseguests, and a trip to Missouri. Saw my first non-Chicago major league baseball game as the Cardinals hosted Pittsburgh on Saturday. I loved the atmosphere -- very knowledgeable fans, minimal gimmicks. Had great seats just behind the Cards' on-deck circle. They lost 4-3, with the tying run thrown out at home in a bang-bang relay from left field. Boy, that was an exciting play. I grew up a White Sox fan, and my father would disown me if I stopped rooting for them. But it gets harder and harder. It's not the losing -- hell, we're used to that. It's the ballpark and atmosphere that I hate. Too much loud music and hokey "spectacle," as if they don't trust fans to find the game itself sufficiently interesting. All adds up to a pretty depressing way to spend an evening or afternoon, not to mention $200 or so for a family of four.

We raced home from Missouri to catch the finale of Six Feet Under. Amazingly, the local cable co. lost HBO's signal for the last five minutes, and all of the season premiere of The Wire (highly recommended, btw). Had to catch the west coast feed starting at 11 central, and goddam if the signal didn't drop at the exact same spot! Fortunately, it came back after a few seconds. Was a decent send-off for the Fisher clan -- cliffhanger is that we don't know just how Nate's wife died. The season started off abysmally but improved a lot halfway through.

Sunday evening on HBO is the only tv I'll go out of my way to watch. They're clearly positioning The Wire to hold people's attention on Sunday evenings while SFU and the Sopranons are on hiatus. It's an excellent detective procedural, with input from the great George Pelecanos. There are over two dozen central characters, but somehow it all stays on-track, and the cumulative effect is like an absorbing saga. I'm also happy that they now have Tom Waits singing the series theme song, after previously using some unknown vocalist who butchered his "Down in the Hole."