Harris Defends Sales Tax; Won't Veto Board Reduction

My Radio Commentary interview with Winnebago County Executive Mark Harris can be found here. The bulk of the interview features Harris justifying his proposed sales tax increase. In the last 5 minutes of the interview, Harris explains why he will NOT veto the county board of supervisors' recent decision to downsize from 38 to 36 so as to short-circuit a Progress Oshkosh proposal to shrink the board to 19.

Don't Know Much About History

The Intercollegiate Studies Institute recently released a study on American college seniors' civic literacy. Those of us who teach at the university level do not find the results shocking. According to the summary:

Responses from college seniors to a selection of individual questions display how little they actually know about basic historical facts, ideas, and concepts germane to meaningful participation in American civic life.

* Seniors lack basic knowledge of America's history. More than half, 53.4 percent, could not identify the correct century when the first American colony was established at Jamestown. And 55.4 percent could not recognize Yorktown as the battle that brought the American Revolution to an end (28 percent even thought the Civil War battle at Gettysburg the correct answer).
* College seniors are also ignorant of America's founding documents. Fewer than half, 47.9 percent, recognized that the line "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal," is from the Declaration of Independence. And an overwhelming majority, 72.8 percent, could not correctly identify the source of the idea of "a wall of separation" between church and state.
* More than half of college seniors did not know that the Bill of Rights explicitly prohibits the establishment of an official religion for the United States.
* Nearly half of all college seniors, 49.4 percent, did not know that The Federalist Papers—foundational texts of America's constitutional order—were written in support of the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Seniors actually scored lower than freshmen on this question by 5.7 percentage points, illustrating negative learning while at college.
* More than 75 percent of college seniors could not identify that the purpose of the Monroe Doctrine was to prevent foreign expansion in the Western Hemisphere.
* Even with their country at war in Iraq, fewer than half of seniors, 45.2 percent, could identify the Baath party as the main source of Saddam Hussein's political support. In fact, 12.2 percent believed that Saddam Hussein found his most reliable supporters in the Communist Party. Almost 5.7 percent chose Israel.
The full study can be found here.

Chavez, the Devil, Chomsky, and Us

Michael Albert of ZNET recently wrote an excellent essay about Hugo Chavez's scolding of Dubya' at the UN; the best best part of the essay is the lessons he draws for the so-called "Left." I think in this paragraph he is RIGHT ON:

". . . I think the difference between Chavez and most others even on the left is that Chavez is seeking to win, and we are instead seeking, as often as not, to avoid alienating pundits or to even appeal to them. We are seeking to avoid annoying anyone we like, or anyone we might like, or who might like us. We are seeking to avoid looking odd to anyone, or to avoid making a mistake, or to avoid seeming shrill and angry, or self serving, or passionate. And we need to transcend all that."

The full essay can be found here.

Scatterbrain

I've been placing Jeff Beck video footage over on TonyPalmeri.Com this week. He's a legendary rock/jazz guitar player. Pretty much every serious guitarist has him in the top five list. The poor guy has gone deaf after all those years of playing with mega-loud amps.

The tune below is "Scatterbrain," with Vinnie Coliauta (used to play with Frank Zappa) on drums.

Harris To Go On Sales Tax Increase Offensive

Winnebago County Executive Mark Harris claims that last year his proposal to raise the county sales tax was "bowled over by special interest groups." He told me in an email that opposition was driven by "critics that demonstrated a blatant disregard for the truth." This year Harris intends to go on the offensive: tonight he will provide county board supervisors with a detailed examination of why the tax increase is necessary, and he will soon unveil a "Cut Winnebago Property Tax" website.

Mr. Harris will be a guest on Radio Commentary (WRST 90.3 FM) this coming Friday at 6:15 p.m. Web streaming is available at the WRST site.

You can learn more about Mark Harris at the Mark Harris Watch.

Republicrat Integrity

From the Journal Sentinel:

Madison -- While details of a third gubernatorial debate were released today, plans for another one were canceled.

Both Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle and Republican U.S. Rep. Mark Green turned down attending an Oct. 11 debate at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. It was the only debate Wisconsin Green candidate Nelson Eisman was invited to, and he was the sole candidate to accept the offer.

The Eisman Cometh

The only peoples' candidate for governor, a man who wants to make a HUGE Difference for Wisconsin while the establishment candidates fight over which one is less corrupt, is coming to UW Oshkosh on Wednesday evening. That's right, Green Party candidate Nelson Eisman will be on campus so that all members of the Oshkosh community can hear for themselves what he is saying that is so threatening to the Doyle/Green camps that they have done all they can to prevent him participating in debates.

Nelson Eisman will speak at the UW Oshkosh Reeve Memorial Union, Room 227C, from 8:30 - 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 27. Admission is free and open to the public.

Rylance on Radio Commentary

Yesterday's guest on Radio Commentary was local pundit Dan Rylance. We talk about the primary election results, the Oshkosh tax referendums, the size of the county board, the Kevin Barrett situation, and a few other issues. The show starts off with the famed tune "The Wabash Cannonball," so don't think you clicked the wrong mp3 file. We are also in a new studio that we have not figured out the logistics to yet, so there are some annoying phone rings in there.

The interview is can be found here.

Manufacturing Chomsky

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez held up Noam Chomsky's Hegemony or Survival in his UN speech the other day, shooting the book to the top of Amazon's best seller list. Here's Chavez's "review" of the book:

First, and with all respect, I highly recommend this book by Noam Chomsky, one of the most prestigious intellectuals in America and the world, Chomsky. One of his most recent works: Hegemony or Survival: America’s Quest for Global Dominance (The American Empire Project) . It’s an excellent work to understand what’s happened in the world in the 20th Century, what’s currently happening, and the greatest threat on this planet; the hegemonic pretension of the North American imperialism endangers the human race’s survival . . .

The book is in English, in Russian, in Arabic, in German.

I think that the first people who should read this book are our brothers and sisters in the United States, because their threat is in their own house. The devil is right at home. The devil -- the devil, himself, is right in the house.

Ahmadinejad Invited To Speak At CU + Academic Slavery

Controversial Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been invited to speak at Columbia University, a move certain to upset New York politicians, pundits, and university haters in general.

I think the campus Greens should invite Ahmadinejad to speak at UW Oshkosh. Then before he gets here, our chancellor could assure everyone that no taxpayer dollars are being used to arrange the visit. Then he could reprise the Kevin Barrett provoked panel on "Why Smart People Believe Weird Things" and create another on "What Social and Psychological Conditions Predispose People to Develop and Accept Holocaust Denial?” He'd have to arrange these panels, of course, because our campus community apparently would not be smart enough to recognize on their own where Ahmadinejad is coming from, just like they are apparently not able to dissect the views of Kevin Barrett without first having his presentation framed as "weird." Plus the panels would allow our legislature and governor to rest assured knowing that we are good little boys and girls here at Oshkosh who will do what is necessary to stigmatize any event on campus that does not meet with the approval of Representive Steve Nass, right wing pundits, or other university haters.

I'm starting to think that we ought to replace the once venerated notion of "academic freedom" with one that is more realistic to the time we are living in, "academic slavery." In the era of academic freedom, the universities invite controversial ideas, urge an ethic of subjecting them to critical analysis, and defend the right of each individual to draw his or her own conclusions from the evidence presented to them. In the era of academic slavery, administrators and faculty go to lengths to protect their collective asses against the Nass-es of the world who are perceived as having power to punish us if we do not behave according to their definition of what is appropriate for the academy.

Will Lautenschlager Go After Doyle?

Bruce Murphy today opines that Doyle operatives and the guv himself played key roles in tanking Peggy Lautenschlager's bid for reelection. He then wonders, as have others, whether Peg will now "go after" Doyle to embarrass him before the election. I think that's the wrong question. The right question is: Will Lautenschlager continue to DO HER JOB now that she has declared "unity" with the Democratic ticket? If doing her job professionally and ethically means that the guv gets embarrassed, so be it.

My guess is that Lautenschlager will probably run for Congress someday, or some other office, and she's calculating that she's better off not offending even Democratic party lightweights like Doyle. So while hyper partisan Dems might worry that she'll embarrass him, the rest of us citizens should worry that she will turn a blind eye toward abuses that may be going on in the executive branch just to protect her future political prospects. I hope I'm wrong.

Council Looks To Shift Blame

The four members of the Oshkosh Common Council who voted to place a tax increase referendum on the November ballot cannot honestly think that it will pass. What this really represents is an effort to blame the citizens if and when deep cuts in city services happen. I can hear it now: "Well, we told you that taxes needed to be raised, and you voted it down."

We all know that in November the garbage fee will be rejected, and so will this inane tax increase referendum. Instead of taking the easy way out and imposing an across the board 3% cut, it's time for the City Manager and this Council to start coming up with some criteria for determing what the city's priorities should be given the budget situation Madison has placed us in.

How to Steal an Election With a Diebold Machine

Fascinating and frightening stuff. Be sure also to read Babblemur's excellent account of the mendacity in Winnebago County.

Robert Scheer on Flaws in the 911 Narrative

In the video below, former L.A. Times columnist Robert Scheer offers a cogent perspective on the popularity of 9/11 conspiracy theories. One thing he reveals, which I did not know before, is that the 9/11 Commission did not get to speak to any of the "key witnesses" held by the US government who allegedly know something about the 9/11 plot. Not only that, but the Commission did not even get to talk to the CIA interrogators of these witnesses. Really builds trust in the government's version of events, eh?

Audio: Palmeri and Underheim

My conversation with soon-to-be former District 54 State Representative Gregg Underheim can be found here. In the interview he says he is actively seeking a position as a lobbyist FOR the UW System.

Palmeri v. Blaska

My "Week in Review" opposite former Dane County Supervisor Blaska can be found here. I think I only made one clever point, which was that Democrats in the 8th CD see John Gard as a "rash on the body politic," therefore it's appropriate that they selected an allergist (Steve Kagen) as their nominee. Okay, I admit it's not THAT funny, especially since "rash" may be too polite a descriptor for someone who wants to bring Cheneyesque values to our congressional delegation.

First Sham Debate Tonight

Tonight from 7-8 p.m. is the first sham "debate" between the establishment candidates for governor, Jim Doyle and Mark Green. Today's Journal Sentinel reports that neither of these characters are serious about balancing the state's budget: "Both Doyle and Green have positioned themselves as budget hawks. But when it comes to offering specific budget-balancing plans, they speak only in generalities."

The Green Party candidate for governor, Nelson Eisman, proposes a restoration of progressivity in our tax policy as the way to balance the budget. Unfortunately, the few people who will actually be watching the Doyle/Green snooze fest won't be hearing Eisman as the "We the People" (what people?) outfit has decided he is not worthy of being on the stage with candidates who will make the state's budget problems worse.

Friday "Week in Review" + Radio Commentary

I'll be on Friday's Wisconsin Public Radio "Week in Review" with host Joy Cardin and other guest Dave Blaska, former member of the Dane County Board of Supervisors from 8 - 9 a.m.

Then on Friday evening from 6:15 - 7:00 p.m., "Radio Commentary" returns to WRST 90.3 FM radio in Oshkosh. I will be interviewing soon-to-be former District 54 State Representative Gregg Underheim of Oshkosh. I ran against Gregg twice: in 1996 as a Democrat and in 2004 on the Green ticket. Web streaming is available on the radio station site.

So Much For Touch Screen Voting

After all the hype and nonsense about the compatibility of Diebold touch screen voting machines with other voting technology in Winnebago County, and all of the cheap shot attacks against critics of the system, the local press describes the less than stellar debut of the technology here and here. Imagine the situation we would be in right now if one of the elections had been close?

Meanwhile, a couple of Princeton professors have just released a report showing how easy it is to hack the Diebold machines. Here's a summary. Diebold's rapid response PR team immediately sent out this response.

Why Lautenschlager Lost

No one thought that Peggy Lautenschlager would have an easy time getting reelected. A drunk driving conviction is difficult for any politician to overcome, especially the top law enforcement official in the state. I think it's likely that Falk voters bought the argument that Peg would not be able to defeat the Republican in November, but I don't think that's the main reason she lost.

Peggy lost, in my opinion, because her campaign barely mentioned the fact that she has been the only official in the state standing between Jim Doyle and a complete turnover of the state to corporate interests. Yes, she talked about "standing up to special interests," but in a manner that was so general and vague that she essentially let Doyle off the hook. Lautenschlager needed to tell the voters that ours is a system of checks and balances, and especially being that Wisconsin gives its governor enormous budget and other powers, it is vital that the AG stand up to the governor whether he is a Democrat or Republican. Falk will be fine if Mark Green gets elected governor, but we have no assurances at this point that she will stand up to Doyle. A corporate Democrat governor with a toady in the AG's office is a frightening prospect. Let's hope Kathleen asserts some indepedence in the next few weeks.

So Crazy It's Gotta Be True

According to this story in the London Guardian: "Up to 11 stingrays have been found dead and mutilated on Australia's eastern coast since the Crocodile Hunter's death, prompting fears that Irwin's fans are exacting their revenge on the normally docile fish."

Well, if true it at least proves that Bill O'Reilly is not the only genuine dumb ass in the world.

Extra! Amy Goodman moderates Loose Change Debate--World Doesn't End!

Today on Democracy Now!, host Amy Goodman moderated a debate between the makers of the film "Loose Change" and the editors of a Popular Mechanics book debunking 9/11 myths. It really is incredible: the film makers are able to state their views and the world doesn't end, no one turns into a frog or a pumpkin, and life goes on. Imagine that.

Below is an interview with Loose Change director Dylan Avery.

Simmons/Rylance on EOO + Academia After 911

Tune in to Eye on Oshkosh on Oshkosh Cable Access Television this week (Monday 7 p.m., Thursday 1 p.m., Saturday 6 p.m.) for a great discussion of local, state, and national politics with UW Oshkosh Political Science Chair Jim Simmons and former North Dakota elected official Dan Rylance. There's an especially good exchange on the show about the Kevin Barrett affair, in which Rylance laments the loss of space for noncomformist thinking on America's campuses.

I think Rylance is correct in stating that our thinking has become more conformist since 911. Back in the day, a student group had to take over a campus building, or at least threaten to take one over, in order to be lambasted as irresponsible or lectured on civics by pompous and self-serving professors and administrators. Today it's enough just to announce the showing of a controversial movie and/or invite a speaker with unpopular views.

Voting Green Party on Tuesday

Our friends over at Babblemur have some good reasons for voting Green Party on Tuesday, which I plan to do also. The only even marginally interesting race in the other party primaries is the Falk v. Lautenschlager race for DA, and that one is interesting chiefly because it will show whether Democrats at the grassroots level have it within them to say "Screw You" to Jim The New Democrat Doyle as he attempts to have removed the only elected Democrat (Lautenschlager) who has provided any meaningful opposition to his Republican-lite "regulatory reform" agenda.

Too bad Kathleen Falk didn't do the right thing and challenge Doyle in a Dem primary.

Castle: "put your vote where your mouth is.”

According to the Northwestern, Oshkosh Mayor Bill Castle--pretty much the only staunch defender of the garbage fee left on the Council--is going to ask his colleagues to place a referendum on the November ballot to exceed the state imposed levy freeze. He can't honestly think that the public will vote to raise taxes in the context of living with a city administration and council whose competence is seriously under question after a series of mishaps (land sale, Five Rivers, Leach bathrooms, etc. etc.). Gotta love this quote though:

“A lot of what you hear out there is we know we need these things, but we don’t want a fee, give it to us in taxes,” Castle said. “If they all vote down the garbage fee, that’s good to say, but put your vote where your mouth is.”

Vanishing Vacations: Blaming the Victims

A few years ago in one of my intro public speaking courses, a student got up in front of the class to talk about the issue of vacation time. He started off the speech by showing the audience a chart that compared the average amount of vacation time enjoyed by the British, Germans, French, Italians, Spanish, and Americans. The Americans were dead last, as I recall, far behind the next closest (which I think were the British).

After that intro, I thought he was going to try and persuade us to become part of some movement to get justice for American workers--at the very least I thought he would ask us to write a letter to our congressman or something. Instead, and I'm not making this up, he said: "since you probably won't have more than a few days of vacation, you should spend that time in Boca Raton." The rest of the speech showed us pictures of beautiful Boca.

That student like so many American workers seemed to have internalized the idea that you just can't do anything about bad treatment anymore. In a recent essay, writer Mark Ames takes aim at the American worker for participating in his own demise. He writes:

. . . America's workers - are such willing collaborators in their own existential demise. According to a New York Times article, British workers get more than 50% more paid holiday per year than Americans, while the French and Italians get almost twice what the Americans get. The average American's response is neither admiration nor envy, but rather a kind of sick pride in their own wretchedness, combined with righteous contempt for their European worker counterparts, whom most Americans see as morally degenerate precisely because they have more leisure time, more job security, health benefits and other advantages.

It's like a classic case of East Bloc lumpen-spite: middle Americans would rather see the European system collapse than become beneficiaries themselves. If there is one favourite recurring propaganda fable Americans love to read about Europeans, it's the one about how Europe is decaying and its social system is on the verge of imploding; we Americans pray for that day to come, with even more fervour than we pray for the End of Days, because the very existence of these pampered workers makes us look like the suckers and slaves we really are. This is why you won't see Bono or Sir Bob Geldof rallying the bleeding-hearts anytime soon on behalf of America's workers. They're not in the least bit sympathetic. Better to stick with well-behaved victims like starving Africans.

Vogeler Letter to Garvey

Green Party US Senate candidate Rae Vogeler sent the letter below to Ed Garvey, requesting that she be given the opportunity to speak at the so-called Fighting Bob Fest this Saturday. Rae's supporters have been told that she cannot speak because she is a candidate. Does Ed really expect anyone to believe that if Tammy Baldwin, for example, were challenging Herb Kohl in a Democratic primary that she would not be invited to speak at BobFest? Does he want us to believe that if Spencer Black were challenging Doyle in a primary for governor that Spencer would not be speaking?

You can email Ed at Comments@FightingBob.com

Hi Ed,

I hope you're doing well. I am sending this email to again request speaking at "Fighting Bob Fest" this Saturday, September 9th. My campaign has asked several times, and has been turned down each time.

I was told I could not speak because I am running for office. It seems peculiar that Tammy Baldwin, a Democratic Party candidate for Congress, is allowed to speak at "Fighting Bob Fest" and I am not. It has come to my attention that Gwen Moore spoke in the past when she was running for Congress as a Democrat. And it is most unusual that no Green Party speaker at all is scheduled this Saturday.

I mentioned this situation in my WORT radio interview today at 12:30 pm, and numerous people called in, dismayed that "Fighting Bob Fest" is not living up to Robert La Follette's legacy. He ran for President in 1924 as a Progressive Party candidate, breaking with the Republican Party. I said on WORT that he is probably turning over in his grave, knowing that a Chautauqua in his name is denying third party candidates speaking privileges, especially given the theme "Hold Them Accountable." I am trying to hold Herb Kohl and others accountable for supporting the Iraq war, cuts on domestic programs, and infringements on our civil liberties.

I ask that you reconsider your decision and be accountable to those who want diverse voices at "Fighting Bob Fest 2006." I am interested in an equal opportunity to address the grandstand audience at the festival. I respectfully request a reply with your decision by 5:00 pm, Thursday, September 7th. I would be happy to speak with you directly about how long and the content of my speech. You can reach me at 608-237-1337.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Rae Vogeler - http://www.VoteRae.org

Concealed Carry In Minnesota

It's only a matter of time before the Wisconsin legislature passes some kind concealed carry legislation. Verlyn Klinkenborg's piece in the New York Times describes what happened to another so-called "progressive" state--Minnesota--after the law went into effect. One disturbing part of the Minnesota law is that it does not allow a member of the public access to names of individuals in their community who have applied for a permit. The next time a concealed carry bill gets discussed in the Wisconsin legislature we need to insist on the public's right to know who is carrying a gun in their neighborhood.

Andy Sabai on the Barrett Visit

Andy Sabai (Sa-bye) is co-chair of the UW Oshkosh Campus Greens. Below is the letter he sent recently to the Oshkosh Northwestern. He writes with a maturity and ability to see the big picture that is sadly missing from some faculty and administrators who have chosen to comment on this situation.

A Response to the Kevin Barrett Visit Controversy

by Andy Sabai

There are many emotions and opinions that have bubbled up to the surface over the Campus Greens inviting Kevin Barrett to speak on campus October 26th. The Campus Greens have come under fire for bringing this controversial figure to the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. Unfortunately the release of this information was abrupt and did not include our reasons for hosting him.

First, it is important to understand what the Campus Greens are. Our organization is devoted to progressive change through political means. Beyond supporting Green Party candidates, we will work to support legislation that follows the four pillars of the Green Party: Peace and nonviolence, grassroots democracy, social justice, and ecological wisdom. We will hold politicians responsible for the legislation they support, and also work to educate the public as to the importance of these issues and how they can help.

Because we wish to educate the public about what we feel are the overstepping of the legislature's boundaries in calling for the firing of Kevin Barrett, we decided to invite him to come speak to our fellow students, faculty, and the community directly. Few people know any details of his views and the context in which this controversy began. We do not support or condemn his hypothesis on who is responsible for the tragic events of September 11, 20001--views that to my knowledge he does not even teach in class. Our opinion is that the state legislature should not impinge on the academic freedom given to professors, no matter what their full time status. The truth of Kevin Barrett's views will be decided by his peers, students, the public, and most of all history. This is the process of academic thought. The legislature does hold the purse strings on the university, but they should not be given the right to manipulate what university employees can discuss inside or outside the campus.

I am disappointed by many of the university staff who hope that this issue just go away. It will not. Kevin Barrett's view may be a far flung example of one idea that government wants to suppress, but many would also suppress stem cell research and mandate the teaching of creationism. If we have brought embarrassment to this institution by allowing one man to speak his mind, then I have grossly overestimated the strength and purpose of this university.

The condemnations of individual teachers by bureaucracies are some of the most embarrassing episodes of western history; e.g. Copernicus, Galileo, and John Scopes of the Scopes Monkey Trial fame. Of course, history and science have shown they were right. If they had been wrong they would hardly be worth mentioning, like Felix A. Pouchet who tried to show that the spontaneous generation of bacteria could happen. He was proved wrong by Louis Pasteur whose work was driven by his political and religious views as much as science.

The Campus Greens invitation to Mr. Barrett has already sparked debate as to the boundaries of academic freedom, the role of state government in this area, and whether or not he has a valid argument. I am proud to be a part of creating this dialogue. Those in the state capital are welcome to engage too, but they have no right to use their power to try to silence this kind of academic discussion.

On the Barrett Visit, Part I

Lots of people have contacted me privately via email, phone call, and in-person discussion to ask what I think of the UW Oshkosh Campus Greens' effort to bring the controversial Kevin Barrett to campus in October. Because I am swamped preparing for classes that start on Wednesday (note to the Oshkosh Northwestern: I'm teaching 13 credits worth of classes this semester), I can only be brief here. However, I will be writing the cover story for the October Valley Scene newspaper on the topic of academic freedom, a story in which the Barrett affair will figure prominently.

First of all, I want to applaud the Campus Greens, a group I have served as advisor for (I cannot serve as advisor this year because my schedule doesn't allow me to make the meeting times), for having the courage to stand up for academic freedom on our campuses. They understand that the effort to terminate Mr. Barrett from his teaching position at UW Madison had to do not with the quality of his teaching (the UW Madison administration examined his syllabus and course materials and concluded that what he is doing is completely acceptable), but with the views that he holds as a private citizen. They understand that the forces driving the move to terminate Barrett were not UW Madison students or his faculty and academic staff colleagues, but right wing talk radio and UW haters in the state legislature.

Reasonable people can disagree over whether the concept of academic freedom allows for professors to state unpopular views in the classroom (I think it does allow for that), BUT THAT IS NOT EVEN WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT AS REGARDS BARRETT, as he does not teach his 911 views in the classroom. The Barrett situation deals with whether academic freedom allows for professors to state unpopular views OUTSIDE the classroom without fear of losing their jobs. I find it unfortunate that UW Oshkosh Chancellor Wells chose to avoid the substantive issues raised by the Barrett visit in his apparent attempt to assure the UW haters in the legislature that we are all very responsible subordinates here at Oshkosh.

It's interesting that when the city of Oshkosh last year agreed to give a key to the city to a man who has two fake "degrees" from a diploma mill, we heard not a peep from the UW Oshkosh administration or the faculty most critical of the Barrett visit.

More later.

Falk Ends Wink And Nod Campaign

Everyone knows that Kathleen Falk would not be challenging Peg Lautenschlager for Attorney General were it not for the fact that the latter was caught drunk driving. So in an "it's about time" kind of way, it was a relief to see the Falk camp finally come out with an ad that places the drunk driving arrest squarely on the table. Oh, the ad is truly awful, and I don't think it will do anything other than solidify the reputation Falk has developed as a shameless opportunist, but at least the disgusting "wink and nod" campaign (i.e. every time Falks says "we have a gang problem" or some other Dem spin doctor nonsense it really means "Peg got caught driving drunk") of the last six months has now officially come to a close.

September 4th: Pete Seeger on Democracy Now!

COMING UP ON DEMOCRACY NOW!

Monday, September 4, 2006:

An hour with legendary folksinger and activist Pete Seeger talking about his music, politics, Woody Guthrie, censorship, the background to the songs "We Shall Overcome" and "Where Have All the Flowers Gone," and more.