Woods Wins Wachovia

I had a long talk with my fair city of Charlotte, and she agrees. Tiger Woods should move to Charlotte. At least buy a house here. We got golf. Plenty of golf. And good golf! In fact the whole state has golf, just not in the counties that parade their illustrious hog waste lagoons. Mecklenburg is not one of those.

As a Charlottean, I'd like to congratulate Mister Woods on his fine victory, which happened to occur one year after his beloved father had made his way to deeper greens...which, incidentally was why he could not attend last year's Wachovia tournament.

So Tiger, I implore you. Put an anchor down here in this fair city and state. I swear you will not regret it. And if your bud, Michael Jordan has not yet seized an anchor, why not invite him too. In fact, you can invite Vijay, Phil and the other fine players to do the same. Surely you have the funds. And there are scores of wondrous estates from which to choose. Many within walking distance of the Quail Hollow club.

I think you will find, if you haven't already, that Charlotte's elites are good people, in the main. Practically as good as us common folk. They are also charitable and progressive, with a real sense of stewardship. Much like yourself, I should think.

Again, congratulations...to you and all the players. And thanks for bringing a little magic to Charlotte.

-Dave


Tom Sorensen on Tiger Woods' victory.

MrWondrous Presents...

Progressive Music


ELP performing Tarkus (Eruption) Tokyo 1972


yes - close to the edge pt. 2


ROBERT FRIPP - Frippertronics Demo (1979)


Dead Can Dance w/Lisa Gerrard- Sanvean


Dead Can Dance w/Lisa Gerrard - Cantara (Live)

MADE IN THE WAR ZONE - the weirdest CD ever!

NOW AVAILABLE ON EBAY FOR $9.00
(larger view)

Soundtrack for the soon-to-be-released film:
POWWOWIRAQSI:
Music in the Age of George the Unready

"MADE IN THE WAR ZONE"

This new CD from composer anonyMoses Dave Beckwith may well be, as some have said, "the weirdest CD ever!" Not sure. Haven't checked them all. But it is sufficiently weird, and spans a vast range of styles...from classical to industrial to rock to progressive to opera and more.

This is a one-of-a-kind CD that pays tribute to those who have sacrificed their lives for the war and current occupation of Iraq.

The CD opens with a piquant prayer (Prayer 1), then is followed by an astonishing piano rendition of the tragedy of 9/11...which happened to be witnessed by the composer. The piece, called "Prelude to September 11" starts out depicting the evening and wee hours of 9/10. As the night wears on, there are glimmerings of Gershwin and the decadence that was all to change in a few horrible hours. Then, as morning arrives, the piano takes on a determined relentlessness that ends in a fiery, explosive conclusion.

After a few moments of silence, comes the banging of the drums of war. "Banging the Drums", a powerful song with the first hints of war, signals the reorientation of America toward revenge, retaliation and war.

"Ululations and Warnings" represents the cries, ululations and warnings that also rally the warring parties.

This is followed by "Iraqalypse", a musical rendition of the march on Baghdad. Bombs and gunshots are heard in the distance...and foreground. And this is followed by "Drums of War" also known as "Mission Accomplished". It is a bombastic piece with orchestra, tympani and other percussives.

"First battle" is the first battle after the mission was accomplished, and the war became an occupation. The composer makes use of the "rock" format to convey the drive and almost rote mechanicality of this first taste of battle. But things get out of hand, and before long things are "Out of Control". Better buckle your seatbelts for this one!

As the storm passes, we hear the chanting of "Jihad". As a student of Indo-European languages, the composer was able to contruct an original language to convey some of the emotional aspects of the Iraqalypse. It is songs like this which have given rise to the notion that the composer and singer is "the male Lisa Gerrard". (I guess someone had to be!) Very strange! Play it sped up and you will laugh your arse off!

"O God!" represents the inner life of the soldiers. Thoughts of home, loved ones, girls...intermingle with the sound of guns and bombs and fear.

"Weenie" is a bit of comic relief featuring a guest singer who wishes to remain anonymous.

"Take THIS out" is the first rap/hiphop song and has some great rhythms and syncopations. A great dance tune!

"Nightmare 9" is the "Revolution #9" of the CD, and represents the dreamlife of the soldiers. Very very strange indeed!

This is followed by "Heaven", "a symphonic soothing". Music is indeed the great healer.

"Desert Nights" or "Desert Knights" is a representation of a battle that shatters the dreams and the peace, fought under the blanket of night.

"Angels in the Machinery". After a brief respite, the battles continue on...

"Admonition": The drowned-out voices of admonition.

"Tolling of the Bells" is a funereal lamentation and tolling of the bells for all those who have fallen. Beginning with piano, it tranforms into harp, strings, choir then the tolling bells.

The CD ends with a reprise of the prayer.

BUY IT NOW!

Network of Spiritual Progressives Meet in D.C.

Ray McGovern holds an umbrella for Colleen Ashworth, while I hold an umbrella for him.

The Network of Spiritual Progressives held Washington hostile last week, and began charting a new course for America. Speakers ranged from rabbis, sheikhs, pastors, Buddhists, Sufis, and people from all over the spiritual spectrum. Being there, I was reminded of what the great Sufi leader, Idries Shah once said about the phenomenon and metaphor of mistletoe...

Mistletoe is green year-round, even while the trees wherein it resides has lost its sap. Mistletoe feeds off the tops branches of all the great traditions, and thus stays alive and green. The Network of Spiritual Progressives also feed off the top branches of all the great traditions, and as such will grow and remain green...even while the individual traditions lose much of their sap or life...perhaps too focused on the roots instead of what is highest...


Spiritual Progressives dancing in Lafayette Park

Dancing is not just permitted...it is encouraged by Spiritual Progressives. Indeed...David danced before the Lord with all his might. Why shouldn't we?


Rabbi Michael Lerner talks to Peter Gabel, President of New College

Michael and Peter are two of the leading lights of both Tikkun and the Network of Spiritual Progressives...and I personally would like to thank them again for their Herculean efforts, as well as the wondrous outcomes.


Jim Wallis speaking at All Souls Unitarian Church

The Reverend Wallis was among the highlights of the week. He is perhaps the leading voice in the Evangelical tradition to have seen the light, and is now carving a new path.


Cindy Sheehan shares her sentiments, which were also shared by the crowd

While hanging out with Cindy Sheehan, Ray McGovern, and other voices of hope and dissent, it was easy to feel like their bodyguards...knowing how passionate some people are against them. These are good people whose voices need to be heard. They are well worth defending. Strange that some would have the mother of a slain soldier silenced.

Photos by Jude Nagurney-Camwell

The Opinion Age

The Opinion Age, the stunted little brother of the Information Age, is moving into adolescence.
Allow me to let my literary brother to speak my thoughts:

(George Bernard Shaw from "Man and Superman"

DON JUAN. "Pooh! why should I be civil to them or to you? In this
Palace of Lies a truth or two will not hurt you. Your friends are
all the dullest dogs I know.
They are not beautiful: they are only decorated.
They are not clean: they are only shaved and starched.
They are not dignified: they are only fashionably dressed.
They are not educated they are only college passmen.
They are not religious: they are only pewrenters.
They are not moral: they are only conventional.
They are not virtuous: they are only cowardly.
They are not even vicious: they are only "frail."
They are not artistic: they are only lascivious.
They are not prosperous: they are only rich.
They are not loyal, they are only servile;
not dutiful, only sheepish;
not public spirited, only patriotic;
not courageous, only quarrelsome;
not determined, only obstinate;
not masterful, only domineering;
not self-controlled, only obtuse;
not self-respecting, only vain;
not kind, only sentimental;
not social, only gregarious;
not considerate, only polite;
not intelligent, only opinionated;
not progressive, only factious;
not imaginative, only superstitious;
not just, only vindictive;
not generous, only propitiatory;
not disciplined, only cowed;
and not truthful at all--liars every one
of them, to the very backbone of their souls."

Not intelligent, only opinionated? Sound familiar?
Sounds like, well, ME, doesn't it!
(But that is just my opinion!)

Who was it that said: "Thinking is better than knowing, but seeing is better than thinking."?

Life...or something like it

LOSLI has awarded this blog, anonyMoses, with BEST SOUTHERN BLOG.
(Very perceptive of them!)
:)

Among the other winners are these gems:

Best Liberal:Eschaton
Best Moderate:The Moderate Voice
Best Video Blogging:Crooks and Liars
Best Humor Progressive:Jesus' General
Best Humor Conservative:Protein Wisdom
Best Progressive Reporting:Daily Kos
Best Conservative Reporting:Instapundit
Best Limericks:Mad Kane
Least likely to Put Cream in His Coffee / Pissed off Progressive: Rook's Rant
Best Californication: (Meant in a good way)Skippy the Bush Kangaroo
Best DC Blog:INDC Journal
Best Law Blog:Talk Left
Best American Flag Themed Posts:The Pirate's Cove
Best Semi-retired Blogger:Charlie from The Pusillanimous Wankers
Best Southern Woman's Blog:Iddybud
Best Snark:T-Bogg
Best Blogger Jess is Still Trying to Get:Ayn Clouter
Best at Finding Silly Sites of the Day:Pen-Elayne
Best Community:The American Street
Best Caption Contests:Rox Populi
Most Reminiscent of Hunter S. ThompsonBillmon
Best Jeff Gannon / James Guckert CoverageAmerica Blog
Best Blog to Make Jess Smile... Even When I Try Not TooTild
Best Maha BrahaThe Mahablog
What the F***k BlogWTF Is It Now?
Best Blogger Without a Blogroll (That I Can Find)Uggabugga

I''ll be hosting this week's Tarheel Tavern

I'm thinking about making this week's Tavern..."The Cross-posted Edition". By this I mean that I hope to cross-post it at other venues, such as Blogcritics, Daily Kos, American Street, or other such places as would draw yet more eyeballs to each participant. And being a kindly old soul, I would like to extend my generosity by saying that you can write pretty much what you damn well please, and I will sift through and pick out what I need for my little scheme.

If there is something you would particularly want me to use, either mark it as such, or write to me at baruchthescribe at yahoo dot com whereupon I might light upon your suggestion with greater felicity and huffman. Sooner is better.

Jane at Pratie Place has already jumped in, with a piece called:
Christmas in the schools: music educators weigh in

She plays the role of "J.P.", and does a splendid job of it too. I want to invite you to participate in her discussion, which really should be our discussion, and so I am going to suggest that you weigh in. Comments are blogs, according to some, and so I may use your comment as your submission on The Tavern, and link it back to your homeblogsitethingimapoo, as the Germans say. You may also post a comment here, and alert me to the bostpost you would like for me to use.

As a Liberal Christian, or liberal christian, or progressive TAOIST, or practicefailing bUdDhIsT, or Presbyunitarian, or sufijudaistical mystic, or whateverrrr, one, which is to say I, agree with her on the subtle and blatant atavism that we bring forward, to a changed world, a changed demographic, and expect the people to adapt to the products, rather than have the products adapt to the people. I mean...who is boss here?

And while some may incorrectly guess "God", the real answer is that the onus rests on the slumponixonian shoulders of Mammon, and his gathering. Not a smattering, but a splattering hath this throwback foisted forth upon "we, the future", who should have known better, but who, in the meantime, are too busy rifling through carseats for change, as it is nowhere else to be found in our stay the course parade off lemming heathcliff. I mean Montgomery Clift. Mount Gomer.
(Pinterian pause)


As so it was that the Tarheel Tavern hath stepped proudly forth into this new realm beyond the yesterday, where songs needn't words, not words salads, nor salads breads, nor breads spoons, nor spoons nightmares, nor nightmares daze. These things I quoff into my hank gurdjieff, eternal footman, and butling, mathatma choate, all to lay before you, the treasures we all share, lest we not be here at all. As we are scarce as the breeze which cloaks all in her brief chancely dance, gasped as eternal. Fickle fackel tea.

So go. Rrrrrrrrrrrite!

Square Yon Virgin

What if the Jesus family had been uncool?

Most people will agree that Jesus had a pretty hip family. I mean, they were pretty liberal and progressive for their time, and even somewhat mystical. They burned incense, healed people, peregrinated around in sandals and talked about philosophical matters. They never bothered with trying to fit into any so-called "mainstream". They must have known that great minds and hearts; great men and women are never nourished this way. They were not squares. But what if they had been? What if Mary were a square yon virgin?

All theories and nostrums will be considered...

What do these great blogs have in common?
(Feel free to click at random, and report back on what you learn.)
Planet GrenadaA la GaucheAcross the Great DivideAfter School SnackAjeebAll Facts and OpinionsAmerican ErroristAmerican SamizdatAn old soul...angela bowers : tales from under the barAngry White KidanonyMosesAnother Liberal BlogAnti-Zionist Notesanti-[everything]AntithetonApostate WindbagArancaytar's Little CornerArran's Alleyat easeAtavistic EndeavorBait and Switch PresidentBanality FairBarking DingoBenjamin Solah's blogBig BoardBiomes BlogBionic OctopusBlog d'Elissonblog me no blogsBlogosphere ZooBlur BeltBrian Patton*Brown Rab Girl FishBy Beauty DamnedBy the grace of GodCanadian Lefty in the Land of King GeorgecatamitebastardCat's BlogChicken Foot StewClass War NotescoadunateCoffeeHouseStudioComments From Left FieldContraWebConvoluted Insanity*Crack the BellCultural RevolutionCurmudgeonCurmudgeonly CrabCut to the ChaseD r. M e n l oDave's Big BeefDead Men Left*debwireDefCon4Democracy for CaliforniaDemocrat VoiceDemocrat Voice, All in OneDiaLogicdiogenesian discourse*Disillusioned kidDispatch from the TrenchesDissent ChannelDoug IrelandDr ForbushDrubloodDyskepticEl Osoet aliaEverything You Know Is Wrongex-lion tamerExecutioners Thong*FeministeFighting the War on ErrorFighting the War on ErrorFire Horse SocietyFishBowlFreedoms GateFront LineGentle BreezesGod of BiscuitsGreat Minnesota Progressive NewswireGreatScat!Guns, Germs & Steeledhalfgeek.netHammer and NailHeart, Soul & HumorHegemo's Creative Class WarfareHenry BaumHIV/AIDS News & OpinionHope 4 AmericaI protestIddyBudIdeological QuagmiresillogicallogicalityImpastoIn Search of UtopiaIn the DarkInspector LohmannInternational Rock CityIntolerable Banality of EvilIsland Dave's ViewJeebasJesus ReportingJews sans frontieres*JimtopiaJohn P. Hoke's AsylumJulie SaltmanKing of Zembla*Land of the Free, Home of the Bravelast 5 pagesLast Day of My LifeLast Left Turn Before HootervilleLeft End of the DialLEFT is RIGHT*Left of CenterLenin's Tomb*Liberal CenterLiberal-Feminist BiasLife in the Third LayerLoaded MouthLogical VoiceLOSLILucky White GirlMad KaneMadison County Young DemocratsMaitri's VatulBlogMajikthiseMaking Out with the Chaos DemonMarian's BlogMEDIACRITYMessenger PuppetMockingbird's MedleyMotor City Bad KittyMouse MusingsMullah BillDougNever Knew I was living in theNewsHogNick LewisNJ Spoken WordNo Religion NowNow ThenOdessa StreetOff-The-Record, Off-The-WallOhio LiberalOneWomanWreckingCrew*Orient LodgeOutside The AsylumO'eo CookieP!pas au-delaPBA HeadquartersPeace GardenPesky' Apostrophe*PharyngulaPinko Feminist HellcatPolitical StrategyPortaPulpitPostcards from NowherePrairieWeb BlogPreemptiveKarma.com*Princess Wild CowProgressive Change for Tsunami VictimsProgressive Co-OpProgressive Democrats of AmericaProgressive InkProgressive SocietyquintonotesRaks InfinityRampaging PMSRANDOM THOUGHTS on PoliticsRatboy's AnvilRay GarraudRed HarvestRepublic of T*Rising HegemonRob's Blog*Rooftop ReportRox PopuliRussell RantsSardonic SideshowScience And Politics*Scrutiny Hooligans*Semitism.netSense of UrgencyShabOOty's Madness*Shameless AgitatorShining Light in Dark CornersSilence is Consentsimianbrain.comSimply Appalling*SmokeWritingSpontaneous Arising*Stained Glass Soulstartle the echoesState Of The QusanStraight BannanaStreak's BlogSusannity!Swerve LeftT. Rex's Guide to LifeThatColoredFellasWeblogTheory of Powerthings as it isThoughts by MonikaThoughts from Kansas*Thoughts from Kansas*Threading the NeedleTildTileseyTotal Information AwarenessTown and PlanetTrebz.comTsuredzuregusaUnrepentant LeftistVast Dairy State ConspiracyWard ReportWatchingTheWatchersWatermarkWealth BondageWhat It Is TodayWhere the Dolphins PlayWhere We're BoundWhy are we Back in Iraq?Wilson's Blogmanacyour village voice and Zeldhead?

Charlotte/Matthews Bloggers meetup at Kaldi's Koffee House at &pm Saturday

Quality vs Quantity
Notes from our first meet-up!

When I walked into Kaldi's Blog Cafe, I could have been faced with a throng of angry young Hitlers...in which case I could have called the meeting a smashing success because of all the people who attended. But alas, it is quality, not quantity. So instead of a throng of screeching Hitlers, I got two young men, one of which I brought myself, and the other of whom wandered over to where my driver and I were eating quiche, pastries and fruit, and drinking Kaldi's high-octane house blend, and said, in English, "Is this the blog group"? That young man was Steve Dunn, of the Begging to Differ blog, and president of the Plaza-Midwood Association. The fellow I brought was Jack (Le Petit Jacques) of History of Time Travel.

As I had only posted the meeting 2 days before, I really didn't expect anyone to be there, except maybe Pam, whom I wanted to help with blogging. And so to even have one show up was a bit of a miracle. Steve himself said that he had only seen the announcement an hour or so earlier.

My first impression of Steve Dunn was that he could have been a twin brother of Jack my my dear friend, Rob Urban, with whom Jack and I like to party in Amsterdam, Paris, Manhattan, Charleston, and occasionally Charlotte. So when I blurred my vision, which is something we right-brainers like to do, I could imagine three old friends once again gathered...only the setting was more reminescent of the Harvard Club than the funky European haunts (although The Grand had some elegant spaces, and is highly recommended), and so to incorporate that image, I would have to blur Jack into, say Ken Phillips, and Ken, Rob and I had some great conversations at The Club, while Jack, even though his sister lives and teaches in Cambridge, never made it up to visit.

And so people are blurring left and right, and I'm thinking "this is some goood coffee"!

Unblurring my eyes, I began to see that Steve was not Rob, and Jack was not Ken, and I was not Clay Aiken. I was Sidney Poitier. A white Sidney Poitier. Well, off-white. Clinton-white. And Jack and Steve were having a discussion.

I finally finished wolfing down my food and joined in...

The discussion ranged from Sidebars, to Amsterdam, to bloggercons and meetups, and on to pedagogy; How and what does one need to teach when teaching blogging, and what are the best ways to effect that change?

My own vision is that we will grow a network of blogger meetups through our large county, and focus on teaching the teaching of blogging. In other words, we can teach people how to blog, and then teach them how to teach others how to blog. In this way, we can grow the Charlotte blogosphere in a most efficient manner, and, among other things, have a goodly number of bloggers with important things to convey when the September 17th BlogFest, BloggerCon, or whathaveyou comes to Charlotte.

One of the things we discussed was what I perceive to be a certain slowheadedness in Charlotte when it comes to innovation. Steve tended to disagree, but I am not sure what proff he could point to to show how fast we are. And I know that the folks in Greensboro and Chapel Hill will tend to back me up, as their blogosphere has evolved far beyond Charlotte's blogosphere, which, alas, it still largely inchoate. But Steve did make some good points in support of a fastheaded Charlotte, and when compared with, say, Gastonia or Marshville, he certainly has a point. But as I was discussing with Jack on our return home...we, in Cambridge, were discussing HDTV in 1980, while I never heard a peep about it here until, oh, the late '90s. And when I moved back to Charlotte, from Massachusetts, back in '96, having been on the Net for a couple of years...very few people had even heard of the Internet. Now the same applies to blogging.

I wish it were otherwise. But alas, Charlotte does not have a Harvard, an MIT, a BU or BC, a Brandeis, a Radcliffe or Wellesley...where the future is constantly being created. But some of the people in Boston would point to the West Coast, and that that there is where the future is actually being created. It is a relative thing, but take a drive out into the boonies, and you will see this relativity in practice.

And so a compromise is in order... Charlotte is in between Greensboro and Spartanburg...and I'm glad we are ahead of Spartanburg.

The Laws of Physics states that for every action there is a reaction, and so one comes to expect that no matter what one says, there will, sure as Physics, be a reaction, and often an opposing reaction. And, just as with Begging to Differ, there will be Thesis, Antithesis, and, occasionally, Synthesis. All to please Hegel, the comb-over philosopher.

But I digress...

Steve, it turns out, lives about 3 blocks from me, and so I suggested we find a closer place to have microlocal meetups...but we both agreed that Kaldi's is a good place to have them until that point where splinter groups are needed. Until that time, I hope to continue to meet and grow other meetups. As President of the Plaza-Midwood Neighborhood Association, Steve could teach and organize those folks, and I can talk to the folks at the Commonweath-Morningside Neighborhood Association and get them involved.

John McBride is blogging for the Elizabeth neighborhood, so I will talk with him, and see if we can get our adjoining neighborhoods together on some projects as well. And where help is needed, help will go. At least as far as I am concerned.

I'd like to see what the folks in Dilworth, NODA and other areas of town are doing about it. Charlotte is so big, and such a car-dependent city, the notion of having a city-wide meetup for all time is simply impractical. This is what BloggerCons are for. But prior to that time, I hope to see a thousand pints of Lite springing up all over this county. We will need all the help we can get.

I am going to contact the good folks in Greensboro, Chapel Hill and Cambridge to learn not to reinvent the wheel, and to glean the good things they have already discovered.

If the Charlotte media is going to have an essential blackout of blogging, which seems to be the case, it will be up to bloggers themselves to spread the word. I am excited about the prospects.

Steve, Jack...thanks for coming out. It was a real pleasure, and I look forward to picking your ample and protean brains again very soon. And for those who may want to join us...don't worry if you don't have a laptop or even a computer. If you have one, you will be accommodated, but what is more important is simply your presence.
I didn't even bring pencil or paper. And your level of skill is also unimportant. If you are a seasoned blogger, you can help with the planning of the BloggerCon. If you are new, you can receive help on getting started. Liberal, Conservative, Libertarian, Progressive...it doesn't matter. This is about education, not culture war. All viewpoints are welcome.

Go Tarheels!

When: Saturday, April 2, 7:00 PM
Where: Kaldi's Koffee House, 157 N. Trade Street, Matthews, NC
What: Charlotte/Matthews Bloggers meetup

No Cornpone Pseudophilosophy Zone

Opinion is not philosophy. Opinion is not fact. Opinion is not knowledge. Opinion is not even wisdom.

Take this bit from Shaw's "Man and Superman", and apply it to today:

"DON JUAN. Pooh! why should I be civil to them or to you? In this
Palace of Lies a truth or two will not hurt you. Your friends are
all the dullest dogs I know.
They are not beautiful: they are only decorated.
They are not clean: they are only shaved and starched.
They are not dignified: they are only fashionably dressed.
They are not educated they are only college passmen.
They are not religious: they are only pewrenters.
They are not moral: they are only conventional.
They are not virtuous: they are only cowardly.
They are not even vicious: they are only "frail."
They are not artistic: they are only lascivious.
They are not prosperous: they are only rich.
They are not loyal, they are only servile;
not dutiful, only sheepish;
not public spirited, only patriotic;
not courageous, only quarrelsome;
not determined, only obstinate;
not masterful, only domineering;
not self-controlled, only obtuse;
not self-respecting, only vain;
not kind, only sentimental;
not social, only gregarious;
not considerate, only polite;
not intelligent, only opinionated;
not progressive, only factious;
not imaginative, only superstitious;
not just, only vindictive;
not generous, only propitiatory;
not disciplined, only cowed;
and not truthful at all--liars every one
of them, to the very backbone of their souls."

Think about that for a little while, as I gather my thoughts.

YOU ARE BEING FRAMED

Create a poll. Ask questions like:

Clean Air. For or Against?
FOR
AGAINST

Clean Water. For or Against?
FOR
AGAINST

Choices. For or Against?
FOR
AGAINST

When framed in this way, which is clear and straightforward...most people would proclaim that they are for clean air, for clean water, for choices, and so on. And so those whose livelihoods include dirtying up the water and air, or taking away people's choices...frame the question differently.

Industry regulations. For or Against.
FOR
AGAINST

So suddenly the issue is not clean air, rather it is regulations.
But polluters are catching on. And so with one hand they take away the restrictions on polluting, and with the other, call it something that sounds appealing to the "clear" (literally) majority, by calling it something that sounds warm and fuzzy, like "Clear Skies", "Healthy Forests", "No Child Lying Liars"...no wait, I think it was "No Child LEFT BEHIND". A take off on "Kiss My Left Behind", no doubt...

The whole idea of "compassionate conservatism" is, Lakoff writes, an Orwellian construct masking the true intent of the policies. The key craftsman of this strategy is "the right's language man, Frank Luntz," who notes that conservatives can gain the upper hand--even when science is against them--by using language strategically. "People who support environmentalist positions like certain words," Lakoff writes in Elephant. "They like the words healthy, clean and safe because these words fit frames that describe what the environment means to them. Therefore, Luntz says, use the words healthy, clean and safe whenever possible, even when talking about coal plants or nuclear power plants.

I was turned on to George Lakoff in the mid-80s, when my Semantics teacher put "Metaphors We Live By" on the reading list. It was tremendous then, and remains so. A smallish book, I would highly recommend it to those interested in language, metaphors, politics or Lakoff.

Anyway, you needn't remain framed.
Here are some keys to the escape hatch:

Lakoff and Framing in the News

Clear Skies, Healthy Forests: Why Language Matters
E/The Environmental Magazine, CT - Mar 3, 2005

Recommended Reading for Liberals
Political Gateway, FL - Mar 1, 2005

Thinking of Jackasses
Atlantic Online - Mar 1, 2005

Tribe looks forward to the past
Taipei Times, Taiwan - Feb 26, 2005

Dean, Lakoff, and the Elephant.
BlueOregon, OR - Feb 24, 2005

Don't think of framing this
Lincoln Journal, MA - Feb 23, 2005

War of words over Social Security
The Green Bay News-Chronicle, WI - Feb 15, 2005

How Progressives Can Start Winning Again By Renaming Their Opponents and Reframing The Debate
Common Dreams - Feb 9, 2005

don't think of an elephant! (review)
Blogcritics.org - Feb 5, 2005

NOTICE OF REVOCATION OF INDEPENDENCE

A message from John Cleese to all Americans
(via Progressive Blog Alliance)

excerpt:

NOTICE OF REVOCATION OF INDEPENDENCE

By John Cleese

To the citizens of the United States of America,

In the light of your failure to elect a competent President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective today.

Notes on The Vast Right Wing Conspiracy

Daily Kos :: The Vast Right Wing Conspiracy
by kos
Tue Feb 8th, 2005 at 12:16:31 PST

Alternet has the most comprehensive news article anywhere about Rob Stein's powerful PowerPoint presentation.
Read the article and store its contents for future reference. You'll be hearing a lot more about Stein and his PPT in the coming months and years. "

Excerpts from Alternet:

If you want to know how the conservative message machine was built and what progressives can do to respond, just ask Rob Stein.

Consider that the conservative political movement, which now has a hammerlock on every aspect of federal government, has a media message machine fed by more than 80 large non-profit organizations – let's call them the Big 80 – funded by a gaggle of right-wing family foundations and wealthy individuals to the tune of $400 million a year.

And the Big 80 groups are just the "non-partisan" 501(c)(3) groups. These do not include groups like the NRA, the anti-gay and anti-abortion groups, nor do they include the political action committees (PACs) or the "527" groups (so named for the section of the tax code they fall under), like the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which so effectively slammed John Kerry's campaign in 2004.

To get their message out, the conservatives have a powerful media empire, which churns out and amplifies the message of the day - or the week - through a wide network of outlets and individuals, including Fox News, talk radio, Rush Limbaugh, Oliver North, Ann Coulter, as well as religious broadcasters like Pat Robertson and his 700 Club. On the web, it starts with TownHall.com

Fueling the conservative message machine with a steady flow of cash is a large group of wealthy individuals, including many who serve on the boards of the Big 80.

Rob Stein has brilliantly documented all of the above in "The Conservative Message Machine Money Matrix," a PowerPoint presentation he has taken on the road across the country, preaching to progressives about the lessons that can be learned and the challenges that need to be overcome.
...
However, "progressives should not emulate what conservatives have done," says Stein, a former activist and chief of staff under Ron Brown at the Commerce Department in the Clinton administration. "Conservatives have built remarkably successful institutions and strategic alliances in the 20th century that presumably are consistent with their values and, we know, are effective in promoting their beliefs.

"Progressives have different values, this is the 21st century, the conservative infrastructure is in place and will continue to grow, and so we have to do it all differently," Stein adds. "We must build from both the ground up and from the top down. We must be technologically sophisticated and new media, narrowcast-savvy. We must build institutions capable of great flexibility to deal with the rapid pace of change in the world. We need a new generation of leaders able to integrate the local/global complexity of the world to manage our institutions in 2010, 2020 and beyond."

...

It Didn't Happen Overnight

The story of the conservative rise that Stein portrays begins back in the early 1970s, when there was panic among conservatives, especially in corporate boardrooms, that capitalism was under serious attack, and something drastic had to be done about it. The National Chamber of Commerce asked Lewis Powell, a former head of the American Bar Association and member of 11 corporate boards, to write a blueprint of what had to be done. The result, says Stein, is one the most prescient documents of our time. The memo lays out the framework, the goals and the ingredients for the conservative revolution that has gained momentum and power ever since. Two months after penning the memo, then-President Richard M. Nixon appointed Powell, a Democrat, to the U.S. Supreme Court.
...
Stein describes how the message machine works. If Rush Limbaugh wants something on vouchers – it's immediately in his hands; if Fox News' Bill O'Reilly needs a guest to talk about the "death tax," he's got him from one of the think tanks. Stein estimates that 36,000 conservatives have been trained on values, issues, leadership, use of media and agenda development. These are not the elected officials, but rather the cadre of the conservative network. Stein figures that the core leaders of the Big 80 groups he studied are about 2,000 people who make between $75,000 and $200,000 and have all been trained in the Leadership Institute.

The wealthy conservative families that have been the early bread and butter of the movement and continue their support are relatively well known at this point, including Scaife from Pittsburgh, Lynde and Harry Bradley from Milwaukee, Joseph Coors from Colorado; and Smith Richardson from North Carolina. Important networking goes on at the Philanthropy Roundtable, where groups are showcased.

But the key today to keeping the message machine fed is what Stein calls the "investment banking matrix," which includes key conservatives like Grover Norquist, Paul Weyerich, and Irving Kristol, who raise, direct, and motivate. Stein estimates there are about 200 key people who invest an average of $250,000 a year and about 135 of them also serve on the boards of the Big 80 groups

"Each of these groups are 'mission critical,' and they are strategic, coordinated, motivated and disciplined," says Stein, adding that the investment bankers monitor them closely.

Then there is the conservative media machine, which operated at full power to get George W. Bush re-elected in 2004. Conservatives and their allies were able to magnify their message through a network of right-leaning TV and radio channels, including Rupert Murdoch's Fox News Channel, which provided Bush and Co. with a 24/7 campaign infomercial - for free. Here was a news network with more viewers than CNN and MSNBC combined, constantly repeating, often verbatim, the messages out of the White house and the Bush campaign.

More help for Bush came from the far-less known religious broadcasters. "Under the radar screen, the Christian Church community has created a formidable electronic media infrastructure and now plays a major role influencing public opinion," says Jeffrey Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy. The religious media are producing and distributing "news," commentary and cultural guides, and their reach and influence are undeniable.

As veteran investigative reporter Robert Parry argues, Bush's electoral victory proved that the conservatives have achieved dominance over the flow of information to the American people - so much so that even a well-run Democratic campaign stands virtually no chance for national success without major changes in the media system. "The outcome of Election 2004 highlights perhaps the greatest failure of the Democratic/liberal side in American politics: a refusal to invest in the development of a comparable system for distributing information that can counter the Right's potent media infrastructure," according to Parry. "Democrats and liberals have refused to learn from the lessons of the Republican/conservative success."

The Road Ahead

Now, for the audience hearing Stein's presentation – in the face of such devastating information, and the power of the conservative juggernaut – one might expect that paralysis and depression would set in among the listeners. But in fact the opposite has been happening. The problem is being named. It is visible, concrete, it makes people angry and then determined to act.

And, says Stein, there are "very important lessons" to be learned from the conservative experience over the past 40 years. For starters, progressives must learn to find common ground and set aside some differences they may have. "A movement is built upon 'marriages of convenience' among disparate, but inter-related, strains of a broad coalition which is able to agree upon some core values," Stein believes. "It is okay for there to be disagreement within the family; not everyone will be equally interested in the same set of issues."

Citing the example of the Apollo Alliance, Stein says progressive groups "must develop well-managed, highly effective, issue-focused strategic alliances which transcend their institutional egos and their competitive instincts."

Stein sees reason for hope, citing the progressive momentum and energy evident during the 2004 presidential campaign in groups like the Center for American Progress, AmericaVotes, America Coming Together (ACT) and the Campaign for America's Future.

"However one evaluates the actual performance of these initiatives – and obviously they all have strengths and weaknesses – they represent a new breed of collaborative enterprise," says Stein. "AirAmerica, Democracy Radio, and Media Matters are also important new beginnings. And this is all happening because a highly energized, more strategic community of high net worth individuals made significant new financial commitments to all of these enterprises. This is exceedingly hopeful."
...
"A movement must have a diversified funding base of small, medium and large donors," Stein says. "The large donors must have the following attributes: be passionately progressive, intellectually curious, want to be operationally involved in the organizations they fund, willing to work and learn together as a community of donors, be willing to write very large checks every year to the groups they fund, and encourage their family and friends to also invest."

There are a lot of eyes on Stein as he moves forward to build a deeper, more dependable funding base for progressive infrastructure. Stein's effort is called the Democracy Alliance. He describes it as a network of high net worth individuals committed to promoting progressive ideals by investing in strategic, long-term local, regional and national capacity building.

THE FULL REPORT

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Juan Nukes Jonah, who blindly blathers on...

Juan Cole: Informed Comment

Opening excerpt:

Goldberg seems to like embarrassing himself, so he won't let go.

Let us see what has been established. First, I alleged that Goldberg has never read a book about Iraq, about which he keeps fulminating. I expected him at least to lie in response, the way W. did when similarly challenged on his book-reading. I expected Goldberg to say, "That is not true! I have read Phebe Marr's book on modern Iraq from cover to cover and know all about the 1963 failed Baathist coup!" But Goldberg did not respond in this way. I conclude that I was correct, and he has never read a book on this subject.

I am saying I do not understand why CNN or NPR would hire someone to talk about Iraq policy who has not read a book on the subject under discussion. Actually, of course, it would be desirable that he had read more than one book. Books are nice. They are rectangular and soft and have information in them. They can even be consumed on airplanes. Goldberg should try one.

MORE FUN WITH JUAN...

An argument that judgment matters but knowledge does not is profoundly anti-intellectual. It implies that we do not need ever to learn anything in order make mature decisions. We can just proceed off some simple ideological template and apply it to everything. This sort of thinking is part of what is wrong with this country. We wouldn't call a man in to fix our plumbing who knew nothing about plumbing, but we call pundits to address millions of people on subjects about which they know nothing of substance.
...
Poor Jonah can't get anything right when it comes to me. He tries to imply that I don't speak Arabic, citing a comment by As'ad Abukhalil on my recent al-Jazeerah appearance. As`ad praises me for apologizing to al-Jazeerah readers for not speaking Arabic in the bulk of the interview. What he didn't say was that I began by speaking in Arabic and I apologized in Arabic. I said I preferred to speak English because the subject required exactitude.
...
When we were bantering before the show in Arabic, and I explained how I felt to Fuad Ajami and the others, Fuad quipped that my Arabic was better than some (highly westernized) Arab rulers. I know three kinds of Arabic-- Modern Standard, Lebanese dialect and Egyptian dialect. My Arabic is not free of solecisms because I didn't start it until I was an adult, and sometimes something from one of the three slips into the other. But I did live in the Arab world nearly 6 years altogether, and do speak the language. Sorry, Jonah, the problem with not knowing what you are talking about is that you get things wrong.
...
I challenged Goldberg to a public debate on the Middle East, since that was the subject on which he attacked me. His response was not, quite frankly, the response of a man to a challenge. He wanted to put on all kinds of pissant conditions on the subject of the debate. It is sort of as though Wyatt Earp challenged a bad guy to a shootout after the outlaw burped rotgut whiskey in his face and called him a wimp. And when Earp challenges the black hat, the guy turns to jelly and says, "O.K., but you can't use that Colt, it has to be little bitty derringers like the one I use to shoot people in the back at night."
...
If he thinks he knows what he is talking about in print, why wouldn't he risk talking about the same things verbally and in person? I'll tell you why. It is because when writing an op-ed, he can get away with only seeming to grasp the facts, whereas in person he can be busted and shown to be only a poseur.
...
Goldberg also makes an elementary error in arguing that the fact that people in Iran are disillusioned with Khatami now, in 2005, has any bearing on their attitudes in 1997 when they first elected him. As a historian, Jonah, let me explain to you about this mistake. It is called "anachronism." It occurs when people argue that present conditions explain past ones. It doesn't work that way. Mostly because time's arrow goes forward, not backwards. I should explain that one too. It is called "the second law of thermodynamics." Apparently this law does not exist in Punditland, where the grand pooh-bahs are all permitted 3 anachronisms before breakfast.
...
In the end, I am saying that Goldberg's punditry is empty. All he has to offer us is a party line and a strongly held opinion. Not all pundits are in this category. Goldberg is particularly unsubstantive.
...
But Goldberg is just a dime a dozen pundit. Cranky rich people hire sharp-tongued and relatively uninformed young people all the time and put them on the mass media to badmouth the poor, spread bigotry, exalt mindless militarism, promote anti-intellectualism, and ensure generally that rightwing views come to predominate even among people who are harmed by such policies. One of their jobs is to marginalize progressives by smearing them as unreliable.

The thing that really annoyed me about Goldberg's sniping was it reminded me of how our country got into this mess in Iraq. It was because a lot of ignorant but very powerful and visible people told the American people things that were not true. In some instances I believe that they lied. In other instances, they were simply too ignorant of the facts to know when an argument put forward about, say, Iraq, was ridiculous.
...
The corporate media failed the United States in 2002-2003. The US government failed the American people in 2002-2003. That empty, and often empty-headed punditry, which Jon Stewart destroyed so skilfully, played a big role in dragooning the American people into a wasteful and destructive elective war that threatens to warp American society and very possibly to end the free Republic we have managed to maintain for over 200 years. Already severe challenges to our sacred Constitution have been launched by the Right. Goldberg is a big proponent of "profiling," which is to say, spying on people because of their ethnicity rather than because of anything they as individuals have done wrong. That is only the beginning, if such persons maintain their influence on public discourse.

Progressive Bible

The American Street puts it all together

George Lakoff is not the only genius helping to put Progressives on the map and into office. Now The American Street has done the work that will keep Progressives in good stead for months and years to come.

Come to the site. Bookmark it. Join. And if you can...donate.
It really is haaard work! This page should be a staple in every Progressive library and blogroll. 5 stars! *****

Rockridge Institute - Conceptual Levels: Bringing It Home to Values

Rockridge Institute - by Jason Patent, George Lakoff

Rethinking Progressive politics...

An introduction to framing and its uses in politics.

Conservatives vs Progressives

Over at the Principles Project, there is a discussion on the difference between Progressives and Conservatives.

Here were my general observations:

1. Lakoff is spot on when he locates one major difference between the two POVs in each's image of God, and their imitation thereof.Conservatives tend to think of a Strict Father, Liberals and Progressives tend to think of a Nurturing Parent -- certainly less sexist right from the start. And their umbrella metaphor covers nearly aspect of each's worldview.
2. A second distinction cuts across the egoism/ego-transcendence spectrum, or egoism/altrusm. It has been my experience that people who are involved in, or who have transcended the Ego...tend toward the Progressive side of the dial. Same with altruists.
3. Creative vs Reactive. Bob Fritz wrote eloquently about these competing worldviews. Artists and other creative types tend to be progressives, while those who react against their creations are the Conservatives.
4. Conscious vs Mechanical. As DH Lawrence says, "Death is not evil, Evil is mechanical." Well so is War and so much else. As Gurdjieff says, humans are asleep. Mechanical automatons in the main. Consciousness is the way out. Progressives are not afraid of being conscious, living life authentically, not mechanically nodding the head to every bloviation that comes their way.
5. Fear vs Love. Conservatives are moved and motivated by fear, Progressives by love, its antonym.
6. Visionary vs Rote. Progressives dare to dream big, GOOD dreams. Not PNAC-grade malevolence. We know that vision is a reality, so to speak, and that visionaries, not just echatologistic armageddonists are to be valued and heard.
7. The world is our oyster. Progressives can draw from the wisdom of the ancients and the east, or wherever it is to be found. Conservatives tend to shun universities, professors, yogis, gurus, sages, seers...if they don't fit into their little box of acceptable reading. We can read Darwin AND the Bible...AND the Bhagavad-Gita, AND the Tao te Ching...
8. When money is no longer the summom bonum, and human capital, wisdom, intellect, creativity, goodness make their overdue rise...tides will turn, tipping points will be reached, and bright outcomes can once again be anticipated.
9. Racism. At least down here in the South, there is the racial component which cannot be underestimated. Some folks are Conservatives just to be among white folk, and many Progressives are so in order to stand in solidarity with non-whites, knowing among other things, that there is still gross inequities and injustices that need addressing.
10. Deference vs Autonomy. Conservatives tend to toe the party line, and defer to those they perceive as more powerful. Progressives are less likely to do this, especially when facing untruths or bad behavior.
11. Competition vs Cooperation. Consider the relationship between sports and competition, sports and war, war and competition. They are interrelated. Libs and Progressives tend more toward diplomacy, cooperation. And speaking of which...every Progressive should read "The Evolution of Cooperation", as it will will help build a better organization, society and citizenry.
Not comprehensive, but a start...


So...which is the most important distinction? Take the poll!

voting on progressive principles begins

from Daily Kos Diarist "Juls"

the 2020 Democrats have spearheaded a wonderful and important project: using a highly interactive website to aid discussion and drafting of a set of progressive principles. this is a four week project, now into its second week. people have been logging in to discuss and propose various changes to the first draft. today and tomorrow everyone has an opportunity to vote on the proposed changes.