Could the Tide be Turning?

Let's hope!  A socialist is organizing and running for city council in South County.

Follow me!!!

I am getting better at this blogging thing slowly but surely!  I will first apologize for my horrible formatting and I promise I will figure this out soon.  However, I have just learned of a great blogosphere tool that brings out the inner-stalinist in all of us - following!  In all seriousness though, on the top of my sidebar to the right of this very post is the "following" gadget.  When you read my blog for the first time and automatically fall in love with it and crave it like crack, you just click on the following deal and add this amazing blog and you can now be updated of every fabulous new post I write.  Even better, I will be informed of your loyal service and this will look favorably upon your condition under my coming world reign.  Anyways, if you like it follow me and if you have a blog, I will follow you.  Thanks and tell your friends!

sincerely,

-Steve

Move the Center

I just got back from a great short documentary/lecture/book-signing with Naomi Klein at the Rio Theatre here in Santa Cruz.  All I can say that it was amazing and inspiring and I could think of no one who I would want to hear speak more than her amidst the economic crisis we are in.  If you haven't read The Shock Doctrine yet, I highly suggest you go out and pick it up.  Also, pay attention to her website because she's coming up with an updated piece about the bailout and a whole section of shockdoctrine.org devoted to resources about what's going on.  Anyways, I hope a ball gets rolling here to organize against this last great theft of wealth by the ruling class.

In Solidarity,

-Steve

"Revenge... now that's more motivating than hope." - Naomi Klein 

A Brief Comment on Free Markets

Lose your hard-on for them!  I'm sorry, but the competition and the profit-system can not do anything for human needs.  The financial chaos we are in right now was created because we left the greedy bastards on Wall St. to their own devices.  For- profit health care is the reason why 44 million Americans are uninsured while the rest of us have shitty plans that could bankrupt the majority of Americans in an instant.  Homes are being foreclosed due to real estate speculation and the deregulation of Fannie and Freddie can attest to that.

I'm sorry, I like public education and think that teachers are important.  I think that the money we waste on two wars could go into making those better.  I'm sorry for thinking that a truly democratic government would act in the interests of the people and has done and will do a far better job in creating jobs, providing health care, schools, day care, banks, pensions, homes, infrastructure, libraries etc. than the market has done.  It leaves our lives and our happiness at the whims of their profit, and funnels the wealth we create to speculating, asshole, frat-boy, CEO's at the top.

Redistribute the wealth.  Nationalize Corporations and tax the rich.  Imprison white collar criminals.  Spend, spend, spend our resources to benefit the people.

Get over it.

-Steve

Glenn Beck and the McCain Campaign: Racist Scum.

It's frightening to see the reaction of the right to the rapid decline of McCain in the polls. The video posted below is a recent one from Glenn Beck, who I would consider the worst of the worst in terms of radical right-wing pundits in the mainstream media (and with Lou Dobbs, Sean Hannity, and Bill O'Reilly in that mix that's saying a lot!) Just listen to the growing sense of fear and rage of this right-wing scumbag and his stupid freak friend. Aside from making the horrible argument for free markets and blaming working class and poor Americans for the economic woes brought upon them by the market forces and greedy CEO's and politicians that he loves so much, they go on to personally berate Michelle Obama with overt racist and sexist comments.  Especially saying she’s “Kim Jong Il dressed up like Oprah Winfrey.” 

 

And it’s not just this fringe individual making these racist statements, it’s been a part of the Republican’s “Southern Strategy” that used race-baiting to re-align the parties when Nixon campaigned in 1968 and take the racist, white, dixiecrat voters.  McCain/Palin have stepped up this racist rhetoric and it is garnering a frighteningly frenzied response from their supporters.  Watch the news (except for Fox, who are fanning these flames of racism) and witness the hatred, fear, and rage of this base of crazy honkies.  Even McCain got booed because he was not calling for Obama’s assassination.  And don’t think that makes McCain innocent – it has been his campaign that has stoked these fires that created this zealousness.

We need to be vigilant about challenging racism at every turn in the coming months.  I hope not, but things may start to get violent in this country.  This not only stems from my own observations, but from repeated warnings by moderate commentators and writers and leaders I respect a great deal.  Even Paul Krugman, an economist who pretty much only writes about the economy, especially in the midst of this crisis, had to take a break in his blog and make a post about this rising tide of racial hatred on the right.  He writes:

The crisis isn’t the only scary thing going on. Something very ugly is taking shape on the political scene: as McCain’s chances fade, the crowds at his rallies are, by all accounts, increasingly gripped by insane rage. It’s not just a mob phenomenon — it’s visible in the right-wing media, and to some extent in the speeches of McCain and Palin…

What happens when Obama is elected? It will be even worse than it was in the Clinton years. For sure there will be crazy accusations, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see some violence.

The next few years are going to be very, very tough.

 

Former Civil Rights leader and Democratic Congressman, John Lewis, stood up to the McCain campaign to McCain’s face on the floor of congress and powerfully articulated what they are creating:

"During another period, in the not too distant past, there was a governor of the state of Alabama named George Wallace who also became a presidential candidate. George Wallace never threw a bomb. He never fired a gun, but he created the climate and the conditions that encouraged vicious attacks against innocent Americans who were simply trying to exercise their constitutional rights. Because of this atmosphere of hate, four little girls were killed on Sunday morning when a church was bombed in Birmingham, Alabama.

"As public figures with the power to influence and persuade, Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are playing with fire, and if they are not careful, that fire will consume us all.”

 

Do me a favor, if you hear a racist comment, joke, or even epithet, don’t let it go unchallenged.  We need to stop this dangerous trend dead in its track. It is not only ignorant, wicked, and backwards as all hell, it creates a climate of violence and oppression.  We have now not only a moral, but an immediate political obligation to confront this. If you need help, contact me or my posse, Beast Crew and the United Front, who recently shut down racist Katie Smith on myspace. Also, personally reprimanding people you know only goes so far, get engaged in anti-racist movements and causes that not only fights extremist racist groups but also advances the struggle against racial inequality in America.  If not, we get more Katrina’s, more Jena’s, and more of this bullshit.

In Solidarity,

-Steve

Miracle at St. Anna

All I can say is go see it!  I know this is two weeks too late but I have been busy with school (but not too busy to see this amazing film the day it came out).  I write with this sense of urgency for a few reasons.  First, it's a great movie by one of my all time favorite directors (Spike Lee) and I wish to pass my enjoyment and recommendation on to others.  Secondly,  it is such an important historical film that finally recognizes the neglected role of African-American soldiers in World War II, and the racism and hypocrisy of this country that they had to persevere through.  St. Anna also gives credit where credit's due by recognizing the contributions of the Italian peasantry and the resistance fighters who also get the historical shaft in the United States. And finally, building off the last point, not enough people are seeing this important movie and it made less money than a stupid, post- Mike Seaver, Kirk Cameron, fundamentalist movie called Fireproof.

Now, I'm not a film critic and there's no way I could write it better than Roger Ebert, whose review you should definitely check out, but I will weigh in on the controversy over the representation of the actual massacre at St. Anna and the Partisans in the film in general.  The other great review by Joe Allen at Socialist Worker, highlights the neglected history of African-American soldiers in World War II and is the first review that I've read to (rightly) bring up the controversy in Italy.  Pro-Partisan/anti-Fascist groups are angry with the film over what they view as the movie's version of the massacre at St. Anna as being provoked by Partisans, in collaboration with the Nazis.  

Now,  they have every reason to be sensitive about this subject, especially since fascism is on the rise again in Italy and Europe in general.  I also agree, that Spike Lee's response was insensitive to say the least.  However, I believe he could have made a better case for his film's treatment of the events in question than just saying "I don't apologize for anything." (For the record, James Mcbride, the author of the novel and the screenwriter did apologize).  

In terms of what was actually on the film, I did not get the perception that the Partisans were bad or collaborator's at all.  In fact I felt quite the opposite.  The Partisans die heroically in battle fighting alongside the African-American soldiers against the Nazis, defending the city.  Nazi military officials discuss their policy of killing 10 Italian villagers for every one Nazi killed by a Partisan, which was historically accurate.  They also express that they are on the hunt for a lead partisan named The Butterfly, and that they have informants in their search for him.  The character, Rodolfo, was either a Partisan who was a horrible traitor and betrayed his comrades in order to collaborate with the Nazis, or was placed there from the beginning as an informant (they allude to his brother having been a fascist).  With both scenarios, Rodolfo, is portrayed as a horrible, selfish, back-stabbing Judas that gets his divine justice 30 years later, as the film reveals at the end.  The actual scene of the massacre was horrifying and displayed the absolute evil and devastation brought about by the Nazis - wherever they were. 

The other aspect that I could see as being controversial is that "the Butterfly" feels guilty about the killing - not because he caused it, but because he feels some sense of guilt for not turning himself in.  These would seem to be the moral questions of any revolutionary guerilla who has to continue his or her fight for the people by remaining clandestine, and sometimes having innocent sympathizers die for that necessary secrecy.  When he discovers that Rodolfo is a traitor, he tries to kill him.  Either way, the controversy is unfortunate, because the fight against racism in the United States is the same as the fight against the far-right in Italy.  Both sides of this controversy should be in solidarity over this movie, but I will concede that Lee should have made the St. Anna massacre clearer, as well as the heroism of the Partisans.  However, this does not negate its importance, especially in this country, whose history and society continue to be blighted by racist untruths and neglect of African-Americans' sacrifice and struggle that we are all better off for today.

-Steve

P.S.  I also saw Michael Moore's, free new documentary called Slacker Uprising.  Go to www.slackeruprising.com to download it free.  It has great right-bashing and cool cameos so yea.  Also, check out Mike's plan for the financial crisis.  He's saying what politicians should be - Main St. needs to be bailed out and that we need a national bank, free from the predatory, insecure, unequal, and unpredictable nature of private banks.

P.S.S.  In less serious movie news, Nick and Norah's Infinite playlist was super sweet and funny.

My peers brilliant insight into racism and life in general...

“Hey, no wonde​r you'​re all singl​e.​

BIRTH​DAY PARTY​ TONIG​HTTT

There​ will be some finee​ee asss bitch​es.​ You shoul​d total​ly come!​

21 and havin​'​ funnn​nnnn !!!”

 

“word to all your friends that will jump down my throat for the political incorrectness of this comment: SUCK IT.”

“the people who matter know that I am colorblind...it was just funny. fuckers.”

“i really didnt expect YOU to stoop this low. when i have never been anything but overly kind and legit with you. youre only bitter and hate life because I am friends with (your ex-girlfriend) and I know where my loyalties lie.  “colorblind", for me, is a good description. so fuck who "usually uses the term". its a song by the counting crows, and the lyrics are perfect. god im glad i dont believe everything i read. youre so ignorant.”

This was all said in a serious argument about racism.  What the hell is going through people’s heads these days?  Everything is reduced to some dumb-shit, non-important, certainly not clever or relevant personal attacks.  I really think that’s how the majority of my college peers see things.  How did everyone get so fucking stupid?  How could anyone be so self-obsessed with such a worthless and uninteresting life?  We talk about racism and you talk about how we can’t party and how we don’t understand “girls”? Is this their thought process about everything…

Racism? Who gives a shit about that. Besides I’m sooo tired of black ppl.

It’s just a girl thing.  We’re just so wildly emotional and irrational that we can be racist if we want, ok?

Anyone who thinks about “politics and equality and all shit” all day must not be getting laid. Party with some sexy bitchesss lzrs.

I just wanna be free to do my own thing, you know?  I wanna starve myself to lose weight to impress boys, and wear more make up to impress boys, and be dumber to impress boys, and waste my time on E at raves to meet boyz.

I actually just met the most amazing guy.  He totally knows how to have fun and he’s in an amazing electronic group that srsly changed my life.  Haven’t you heard “rub your ass in my face”? He put it on a mixtape…A MIXTAPE!!!

Why can’t you keep an open mind?  So what if he’s a date-rapist. You don’t know my history, you don’t know me, fuck off and get laid with us sexy slutssss.

I’m sorry I don’t believe everything I read and you know that cuz I don’t read anything! You ignorant virgin pc lzr.  When have politics gotten anyone laid with fine bitchesss?

I hate people. fuck.

-Steve