Adventures in My Mind
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Nov 16, 2004
Yes, the times they are a changin' From Tony Norman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Back in the days when this was a free country, it was possible to sing an antiwar song like "Masters of War" without having to give the Secret Service a second thought.Ah, yes. The good old days. There was a time when artistic expression didn't bring the black van or the guys with shades and in-ear monitors. But we voted for this expansion of the police state, where thought crimes are viewed as more dangerous than actual crimes, didn't we? Three cheers for the Christianistas and the states of red.
Norman goes on to talk of the jingoism that passes for political debate these days:Decades after the trauma of Vietnam, the public's attitude toward the military has become less skeptical than it was at the beginning of the Cold War. Since 9/11, most Americans prefer to let the yellow ribbons on their car bumpers debate the issues for them. "Support the Troops" has become shorthand for "Don't Ask Questions."The band, btw, was able to perform the song as planned after the Secret Service gave them the go ahead.
Man, it's going to be a long 4 years!
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 9:12 PM
Nov 14, 2004
Want mass transit? You'd better speak up
This editorial ran in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette a few days ago. It's about the crumbling finances of Pennsylvania's public transit systems - most specifically the Pittsburgh Port Authority's eminent need to drastically raise fares and cut service if Harrisburg does not come up with more funding.
I would like to rant to all people who voted red who don't give a damn about those who depend on affordable public transportation or to the rest in various shades of purple and blue who talk a good game about environmental issues but still sit alone in your hulking SUVs while stuck in rush hour traffic, but I won't. I don't want to lecture.
Instead, I will leave you with the names of important PA state officials who need to hear about why they should fully fund all of Pennsylvania's public transit systems.
Even if you have never a ridden a bus or a train, this issue requires your attention. Let the following people know that you want the Legislature to pass the funding formula in PA Senate Bill 1162 or PA House Bill 2697.
House Majority Leader Sam Smith, Republican:
www.samsmithpahouse.com
House Minority Leader Bill DeWeese, Democrat:
wdeweese@pahouse.net
Senate Majority Leader David Brightbill, Republican:
dbrightbill@pasen.gov
Senate Minority Leader Robert Mellow, Democrat:
www.senator-mellow.com/email2.htm
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 7:39 AM
Nov 3, 2004
From Dan Gilmore ...
People say there are two Americas. I think there are at least three.
One is Bush's America: an amalgam of the extreme Christian "conservatives," corporate interests and the builders of the burgeoning national-security state.
Another is the Democratic "left": wedded to the old, discredited politics in a time that demands creative thinking.
I suspect there's a third America: members of an increasingly radical middle that will become more obvious in the next few years, tolerant of those who are different and aware that the big problems of our times are being ignored -- or made worse -- by those in power today.
That third America needs a candidate. Or, maybe, a new party.A f*****g men!
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 10:48 PM
The thing that strikes me about yesterday's events is that there are nearly 59,000,000 Americans that I have no understanding of. We're all different, right? We all have our own thoughts, opinions, our own beliefs. I accept this. In fact, I usually value this diversity of thought. But I have never felt so isolated from the rest of the crowd.
What has this 59,000,000 seen in the last 1460 days that I haven't? Where did our paths diverge and how did they get so far apart?
I don't understand what happened yesterday. When left alone to themselves--away from the media blitz, away from the political spin, away from two years of noise--this 59,000,000 looked inside themselves and saw no reason for this country to change course and elect a new leader. Apparently we're doing well.
Well enough, in fact, to hand the largest number of votes in this country's history to a man who butchers the English language, who has created an illegitimate war, who has failed to capture the person responsible for 9/11, who has raised the defict to record levels, who has used reprehensible political tactics to divide the electorate, who has systematically deprived us of our civil liberties in the guise of security, who has given corporate America a blank check and an open door on policy issues, who has alienated us on the world scene, who is apparently sincere when he says that he has made no mistakes, and who proudly claims that he doesn't watch or read the news.
But with all that, and much more, this 59,000,000 said, "Yep. He's my guy." How can we see things so differntly? How can they turn out record numbers, while I and others who voted differently would've liked nothing better than to see him returned the dust swept plains of Texas?
A majority of Americans feel the situation in Iraq is deteriorating. A majority feels that country is on the wrong track. A majority feels the economy is a mess. A majority feel that we are worse off today than we were 4 years ago ...
A majority voted red.
0 Comments | Link to this post posted by Teddy 10:07 PM
