The Fulcrum
Friday, May 21, 2004
It's Still Rock an' Roll to Me
Nick Hornby, in the New York Times writes about getting older and listening to Rock n' Roll. He writes with intelligence, but best of all, heart about a feeling I know well.
I've found my music taste goes in cycles. I loved the straight-ahead rock of the 70s, especially that music from my highschool years. During the 80s when music was just awful, I stayed with the 70s stuff. In the late 80s and early 90s when grunge and metal came on the scene, I was right there. Now, in the early 00s - or whatever we're calling this decade - I'm disenchanted again with most rock. So my computer and CD player are loaded with bits and pieces of new albums, when I find a track or two I like, but mostly I still listen to Alice in Chains and Nine Inch Nails and Bush and Nirvana.
But the cycle will continue. In fact, I'm starting to hear a few new things out there that I really like...
It's hard not to think about one's age and how it relates to rock music. I just turned 47, and with each passing year it becomes harder not to wonder whether I should be listening to something that is still thought of as more age appropriate — jazz, folk, classical, opera, funeral marches, the usual suspects. You've heard the arguments a million times: most rock music is made by the young, for the young, about being young, and if you're not young and you still listen to it, then you should be ashamed of yourself. And finally I've worked out my response to all that: I mostly agree with the description, even though it's crude, and makes no effort to address the recent, mainly excellent work of Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Robert Plant, Mr. Springsteen et al. The conclusion, however, makes no sense to me any more.I'm only a couple years younger than Nick's 47 and while I've never really thought I should be listening to music "more age appropriate," I've often been asked or seen the look that asks the question, "you really listen to that stuff?" But Hornby's piece is more about finding the joy and the noise that ought to be in rock n' roll and is often missing in modern, commercial rock or the niche genres.
I've found my music taste goes in cycles. I loved the straight-ahead rock of the 70s, especially that music from my highschool years. During the 80s when music was just awful, I stayed with the 70s stuff. In the late 80s and early 90s when grunge and metal came on the scene, I was right there. Now, in the early 00s - or whatever we're calling this decade - I'm disenchanted again with most rock. So my computer and CD player are loaded with bits and pieces of new albums, when I find a track or two I like, but mostly I still listen to Alice in Chains and Nine Inch Nails and Bush and Nirvana.
But the cycle will continue. In fact, I'm starting to hear a few new things out there that I really like...
Railroaded
As though it were really surprising, all the news outlets today are screaming about railroad security (see, e.g., here and here).
Those who remember into the mist of time that is 2001 and 2002 will remember something about calls to protect airports and shipping ports and mass transit systems - including railways. Just as BushCo. resisted calls to form a Department of Homeland Security during those dark days, so, once that department was created, did they resist giving it free reign to secure those parts of the homeland that needed it most - including railways.
So now we find out that there are vague warnings about our rail lines, there are notices out about how to identify a "suicide bomber," and a small IR signaling device was found on a rail line "on the tracks near a rail yard in Philadelphia." This last has triggered, not an explosive device, but an investigation.
I wonder if that investigation will include the question of why it took almost 3 years to consider beginning to protect our mass transit systems. The safe money is on "no."
Those who remember into the mist of time that is 2001 and 2002 will remember something about calls to protect airports and shipping ports and mass transit systems - including railways. Just as BushCo. resisted calls to form a Department of Homeland Security during those dark days, so, once that department was created, did they resist giving it free reign to secure those parts of the homeland that needed it most - including railways.
So now we find out that there are vague warnings about our rail lines, there are notices out about how to identify a "suicide bomber," and a small IR signaling device was found on a rail line "on the tracks near a rail yard in Philadelphia." This last has triggered, not an explosive device, but an investigation.
I wonder if that investigation will include the question of why it took almost 3 years to consider beginning to protect our mass transit systems. The safe money is on "no."
Thursday, May 20, 2004
Lashing Out
Read the ever wonderful Josh Marshall on how and why the conservatives - now that their grand adventure is proving to be both costly and futile - are lashing out at anyone who opposes or ever has opposed them.
Let's be a little more clear about what's going on here. Having led the country perilously close to humiliation and defeat, the architects of the war want to shift the blame for what's happened to their opponents who either said the whole thing was a mistake in the first place or criticized the incompetence of its execution as it unfolded. They take the blame, the moral accountability, by 'wishing' for a bad result. That at least is Podhoretz's reasoning.
Foreign Fighters Wed in Iraq?
A late night wedding or a safe house for foreign fighters in Iraq?
The details are covered in all the news outlets and all over the blogosphere right now, so I have nothing new to add in that department. I do want to emphasize something I've been posting in comments at various blogs, especially over at Counterspin Central.
Distilled, it goes something like this: Abu Ghraib has destroyed any credibility we may have retained in the Middle East.
The upshot? Regardless of what really happened at 3:00am in the far desert of Iraq, the destruction of a safe house or the massacre of a wedding party, whatever BushCo. says about it has no currency with the Middle East press or the public. In fact it may have less currency here in the US as well as we've already seen the lengths the administration will go to make the issue of prisoner abuse go away.
Cover-up, denial, keeping the ICRC from unannounced inspections, and now trying to foist the whole thing off on a handful of low-ranking soldiers; this has all been disastrous to our attempts to show our best face in the region. Dissembling is too mild for what's gone on over abu Ghraib, the lies and the deception are spread widely throughout the upper echelons of the military and throughout BushCo. Now this. Where are the gun-camera tapes from the helicopters involved in this? Where are the Tactical Operation Center logs that would probably show the activity taking place just prior to and during the operation? Where are the pilots involved?
Not that these things need to be served up on a plate for every incident like this, but if they exist and the are exculpatory, why not use them? Why the dismissive denials when our credibility is so diminished? It can only make the Iraqis and the rest of the region suspicious. And we've certainly not given them any reason lately to not suspect something's amiss.
The details are covered in all the news outlets and all over the blogosphere right now, so I have nothing new to add in that department. I do want to emphasize something I've been posting in comments at various blogs, especially over at Counterspin Central.
Distilled, it goes something like this: Abu Ghraib has destroyed any credibility we may have retained in the Middle East.
The upshot? Regardless of what really happened at 3:00am in the far desert of Iraq, the destruction of a safe house or the massacre of a wedding party, whatever BushCo. says about it has no currency with the Middle East press or the public. In fact it may have less currency here in the US as well as we've already seen the lengths the administration will go to make the issue of prisoner abuse go away.
Cover-up, denial, keeping the ICRC from unannounced inspections, and now trying to foist the whole thing off on a handful of low-ranking soldiers; this has all been disastrous to our attempts to show our best face in the region. Dissembling is too mild for what's gone on over abu Ghraib, the lies and the deception are spread widely throughout the upper echelons of the military and throughout BushCo. Now this. Where are the gun-camera tapes from the helicopters involved in this? Where are the Tactical Operation Center logs that would probably show the activity taking place just prior to and during the operation? Where are the pilots involved?
Not that these things need to be served up on a plate for every incident like this, but if they exist and the are exculpatory, why not use them? Why the dismissive denials when our credibility is so diminished? It can only make the Iraqis and the rest of the region suspicious. And we've certainly not given them any reason lately to not suspect something's amiss.
Wednesday, May 19, 2004
Poor Loser
Same-sex couples have won a battle in Massachusetts, But Governor Mitt Romney won't let them have their moment of victory in peace. Not that you'd expect anything less...
One day after the start of same-sex marriages in Massachusetts, Gov. Mitt Romney demanded copies of marriage applications from four cities and towns that are defying his order not to marry out-of-state couples.Some wedding parties are probably still going on, the last piece of cake yet to be eaten, the cork in the last bottle of bubbly yet to be popped. Bigots, it seems, never rest.
[snip]
For weeks, Mr. Romney, an opponent of same-sex marriage, has been saying that gay and lesbian residents of other states cannot marry in Massachusetts unless they intend to move here. He has said he does not want Massachusetts to become "the Las Vegas of same-sex marriage."
The governor has threatened to fine or criminally prosecute town clerks who issue licenses to out-of-state couples, and he has said that the state will not record those marriages and will inform the couples that their marriages are "null and void." The demand for the license applications on Tuesday appeared to be the first step in that process.
[snip]
Mr. Romney's stance on out-of-state couples is based on a 1913 law, adopted in part to bar interracial marriages. The law says the state cannot marry out-of-state couples if their marriage would be void in the couples' home states. The governor has interpreted that to mean that since no other state will marry same-sex couples, Massachusetts can marry only its own residents or those who swear under oath that they intend to move here.
Tuesday, May 18, 2004
Gas Pains
Maybe Kellogg, Brown & Root were just ahead of their time when they were gouging the Pentagon for gasoline earlier this year...
AP Photo from CNN.com
AP Photo from CNN.com
Piling On
Colin Powell has already begun distancing himself from BushCo., saying things and intimating others that show that he is as disgusted with them as the rest of us are. Now it's time for others to follow suit.
From the UPI:
Stay tuned... oh, and you might want some popcorn for this one.
From the UPI:
Even worse for Rumsfeld and his coterie of neo-conservative true believers who have run the Pentagon for the past 3½ years, three major institutions in the Washington power structure have decided that after almost a full presidential term of being treated with contempt and abuse by them, it's payback time.It is already accepted that the sources for Sy Hersh's latest expose on abu Ghraib were members of the Army and the CIA; what remains to be seen is whether the Senate Majority Leadership is willing, in its pique, to bring down a US President from their own party.
Those three institutions are: The United States Army, the Central Intelligence Agency and the old, relatively moderate but highly experienced Republican leadership in the United States Senate.
Stay tuned... oh, and you might want some popcorn for this one.
A Hero or A Pariah?
I never thought that Spc. Joseph Darby, the young soldier who exposed the torture of prisoners at abu Ghraib would be considered anything other than a hero. But I guess I should not have been so naive.
Rivka, at Respectful of Otters, reveals the ugly reality:
Rivka, at Respectful of Otters, reveals the ugly reality:
In Washington, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld praised Darby for his "honorable actions." But Washington is a universe away. "They can call him what they want," says Mike Simico, a veteran visiting relatives in Cresaptown. "I call him a rat."Read the rest of the story, but be prepared to be saddened by the revelation of the worst of us as Americans and as human beings.
[snip]
An Army spokesman confirmed that Darby is on leave in the United States but wouldn't disclose where he is.
Monday, May 17, 2004
Clueless IV
Just to shine a little light on the troop redeployment from Korea to the Middle East:
For 90% of the soldiers in South Korea, the assignment is considered a "hardship tour." The duration is one year, with the opportunity to get one trip home paid for by the military. Families are not usually allowed to accompany the soldiers on this tour. The location of the units in Korea means that they would be very much on the leading edge of any mischief perpetrated by the North; which means being constantly on alert, spending lots of time on exercises. It is a very stressful 12 months.
One of the first things that soldiers acquire when reporting for duty in Korea is a "countdown calendar." They typically know, to the day, when they are going home. So from the first day, they are crossing days off the calendar.
In the middle of all of this, the separation from family, the high OPTEMPO (operational tempo), the unknowns across the DMZ, imagine getting notice that you must pack your bags and head off to Iraq or Afghanistan. For a year (maybe more).
Imagine what that would do to your morale. Imagine what that would do to your job performance. Soldiers hate to be jerked around more than anyone else. Mostly because they are jerked around more than anyone else.
I've done that tour in Korea. I can't even imagine the confusion and the fury making its way through the 2nd Infantry Division right now. I'm sure the exact brigade being redeployed has not been notified yet. So the entire division will be distracted from its primary duty. And will soldiers ready to return to the US after nearly a full year be held up to deploy with their units? Probably.
Watch for the shit to hit the fan on this...
For 90% of the soldiers in South Korea, the assignment is considered a "hardship tour." The duration is one year, with the opportunity to get one trip home paid for by the military. Families are not usually allowed to accompany the soldiers on this tour. The location of the units in Korea means that they would be very much on the leading edge of any mischief perpetrated by the North; which means being constantly on alert, spending lots of time on exercises. It is a very stressful 12 months.
One of the first things that soldiers acquire when reporting for duty in Korea is a "countdown calendar." They typically know, to the day, when they are going home. So from the first day, they are crossing days off the calendar.
In the middle of all of this, the separation from family, the high OPTEMPO (operational tempo), the unknowns across the DMZ, imagine getting notice that you must pack your bags and head off to Iraq or Afghanistan. For a year (maybe more).
Imagine what that would do to your morale. Imagine what that would do to your job performance. Soldiers hate to be jerked around more than anyone else. Mostly because they are jerked around more than anyone else.
I've done that tour in Korea. I can't even imagine the confusion and the fury making its way through the 2nd Infantry Division right now. I'm sure the exact brigade being redeployed has not been notified yet. So the entire division will be distracted from its primary duty. And will soldiers ready to return to the US after nearly a full year be held up to deploy with their units? Probably.
Watch for the shit to hit the fan on this...
Clueless III
The situation in Iraq has gotten so bad, the troops stretched so thinly that the Pentagon may redeploy 4,000 troops from front-line duty in Korea to the Middle East. Reserve units are said to be experiencing troubles with recruiting new members and some estimates claim that troop rotations will have to become longer and more frequent. Equipment is being so used so heavily, that the Army has "recalled" 4 howitzers loaned to ski resorts for avalanche abatement and may be placed on active duty. Worries over continued safe supply of petroleum - combined with OPEC gaming of the market - has driven crude to it's highest price ever, with attendant soaring gasoline prices. Spending on continuing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan (anyone remember that place?) is resulting in the largest federal deficit in decades; if it continues at it's estimated pace it will be the largest in history very soon. Additional supplemental spending bills are already making their way through Congress.
Amidst all of this, BushCo. adamantly refuses to request even the smallest of sacrifices from the American people. Regardless of your position on the war, on Bush in general, you just have to admit that Bush's "mouth is writing checks [his] ass can't cover."
Amidst all of this, BushCo. adamantly refuses to request even the smallest of sacrifices from the American people. Regardless of your position on the war, on Bush in general, you just have to admit that Bush's "mouth is writing checks [his] ass can't cover."
Clueless II
On ABC News this morning, there was a piece on the still increasing cost of gasoline at the pumps. Somewhere in California the price on the pump was $4.079 per gallon. What got my attention even more than the price were the vehicles lined up to get gas.
SUVs. Lots of them.
One man admitted - and seemed to be laughing about it - that this was the second time it had cost him more than $50 to fill up his SUV.
Americans really do have a short memory. And no sense of the future. We live in the everlasting "now." Where gas is always cheap and plentiful, where it's always better to drive by yourself than to car pool or take public transit. If there were effective public transit, that is.
There is an old story - apocryphal perhaps, but maybe true - that in the early days of the auto industry, many of the major car companies bought local train and trolley lines around the country through front companies. Then they systematically dismantled them and sold the rolling stock for scrap. Those were the days of robber barons and the American nouveau riche. It seems that even today, we are paying for their greed and avarice.
Full Disclosure: I have a Honda CRV that has a 4-cylinder engine that gets around 30 miles to the gallon on the highway. But it is considered an SUV.
My other car is a small Saturn sedan that gets around 35 mpg.
SUVs. Lots of them.
One man admitted - and seemed to be laughing about it - that this was the second time it had cost him more than $50 to fill up his SUV.
Americans really do have a short memory. And no sense of the future. We live in the everlasting "now." Where gas is always cheap and plentiful, where it's always better to drive by yourself than to car pool or take public transit. If there were effective public transit, that is.
There is an old story - apocryphal perhaps, but maybe true - that in the early days of the auto industry, many of the major car companies bought local train and trolley lines around the country through front companies. Then they systematically dismantled them and sold the rolling stock for scrap. Those were the days of robber barons and the American nouveau riche. It seems that even today, we are paying for their greed and avarice.
Full Disclosure: I have a Honda CRV that has a 4-cylinder engine that gets around 30 miles to the gallon on the highway. But it is considered an SUV.
My other car is a small Saturn sedan that gets around 35 mpg.
Clueless
Despite intense weekend clashes with Shiite militia, despite the continuing revelations about Iraqi prisoner abuse and, finally, despite the assassination(?) of the head of the Iraqi Governing Council - despite everything - BushCo. are lining up to tell us that none of this affects their plans for Iraq, none of this affects their timeline for handing over "power" to Iraqis at the end of June.
Nothing these morons have said about Iraq has been true: from WMD to being greeted as liberators; from "Mission Accomplished" to al Qaeda links. Not one word they've spoken has even been in the same neighborhood as the truth. And yet they keep spouting platitudes and guarantees as though we are just supposed to keep believing them. Sadly, it seems that somewhere around 45% of Americans do just that. They keep on believing in the face of obvious lies, in the face of dissembling and deceit.
Just another weekend in Bush Country.
Nothing these morons have said about Iraq has been true: from WMD to being greeted as liberators; from "Mission Accomplished" to al Qaeda links. Not one word they've spoken has even been in the same neighborhood as the truth. And yet they keep spouting platitudes and guarantees as though we are just supposed to keep believing them. Sadly, it seems that somewhere around 45% of Americans do just that. They keep on believing in the face of obvious lies, in the face of dissembling and deceit.
Just another weekend in Bush Country.
