tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-199893102024-03-17T09:33:14.934-05:00Tony Palmeri's Media RantsWelcome To Tony Palmeri's Media Rants! I am a professor of Communication Studies at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. I use this blog to try to promote critical thinking about mainstream media, establishment politics, and popular culture.tony palmerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506831576450002435noreply@blogger.comBlogger1162125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19989310.post-23829511223969079832024-03-01T08:27:00.003-06:002024-03-02T10:32:11.132-06:00Yes We Have No Menckens <p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Exactly 10 years ago (March 1, 2014), I <a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2014/03/media-rants-not-so-invisible-mann.html" target="_blank">released a Media Rant</a> alerting readers to what was at that time the early stages of climate scientist <a href="https://michaelmann.net/" target="_blank">Michael Mann's</a> defamation lawsuit against climate change denialist trolls whose "critique" of him consisted of character assassination and allegations of research fraud. Thanks to our ridiculously slow legal system, it took literally more than a decade for Mann's suit to go before a judge and jury. In the end, after a contentious four-week trial, the six-member jury <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/08/climate/michael-mann-defamation-lawsuit.html" target="_blank">unanimously sided with Dr. Mann</a>, awarding him over $1 million in damages. To prevail, Mann had to meet the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Times_Co._v._Sullivan" target="_blank">actual malice</a> standard for public figures charging others with defamation, a high bar that required showing the defendants knew they were making false statements or acted with reckless disregard for the truth. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT6btPkbY0prFnclYcAoOTo65pTTLvc-uyf-JHUyBQ3ElsAbsgEdHJe3arBxY2fYuBFI_l6255fb7EhKSctj9JexvlvbNDfDlAHDhvnd4iBknvBRvMpU2MLu036P4f-eauLiun-LByfQrP61nhgBB2iek-ZsJ7DZ0WVdNhIDox6Oi67G_Up_vU/s270/mencken.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="187" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT6btPkbY0prFnclYcAoOTo65pTTLvc-uyf-JHUyBQ3ElsAbsgEdHJe3arBxY2fYuBFI_l6255fb7EhKSctj9JexvlvbNDfDlAHDhvnd4iBknvBRvMpU2MLu036P4f-eauLiun-LByfQrP61nhgBB2iek-ZsJ7DZ0WVdNhIDox6Oi67G_Up_vU/w139-h200/mencken.jpg" width="139" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>H.L. Mencken was an intrepid reporter and pundit for the Baltimore Sun and other sources. Though some of his writings can legitimately be accused of elitism and intolerance, his aggressive confrontations with the demagogic trolls of his time inspired a generation of journalists. </i></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Climate change activists hoped Mann's lawsuit would put climate science itself on trial. After the verdict, Dr. Mann did argue that the trial results were a "victory for scientists and science." Maybe that is true in a technical sense, but the fact that the mainstream media ignored and/or minimized the courtroom proceedings while they were going on meant that few people knew that the courtroom struggle between climate change science and climate change denialism was even going on. Think of it this way: imagine that the date of the Super Bowl wasn't announced in advance, and when the game finally got played it wasn't televised. Kansas City might still have "won," but who would care? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The United States is a global outlier in terms of the number of people who deny climate change is occurring or--even if they do accept the science--<a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2023/08/09/why-some-americans-do-not-see-urgency-on-climate-change/" target="_blank">do not see it as urgent</a>. The Mann trial featured defendants who typify the trolling style of discourse against climate science that, especially for large segments of the population caught in right-wing echo chambers and algorithms, is typically unquestioned and taken as fact. During the trial, the defendants did not hold back from launching attacks on climate science. Thanks to the limited media coverage, so far there's little evidence that the trial did anything to deter denialism from continuing; perhaps in the future the trolls might not be dumb enough to compare people they disagree with to pedophiles, or accuse scientists of fraud with scant evidence to back it up. Denialism does not require character assassination or accusations of research fraud to be effective; all it requires is unchallenged repetition of falsehoods. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The tragedy of the Mann trial is that, because of media negligence, it ultimately was not an event that allowed the public to hear and see a thorough debunking of climate denialist nonsense. For the trial to be THAT kind of event would have required major news outfits to report from the courtroom every day, like they did with Depp v. Heard, the Alex Murdaugh murder trial, or numerous other celeb and/or sensationalist courtroom clashes. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">What the Mann trial needed was an H.L. Mencken, an intrepid reporter with an ear for bullshit and the kind of acerbic style needed to go toe-to-toe with modern internet trolls. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I mention Mencken purposely in reference to the Michael Mann trial. In the 1920s science was under attack by Christian fundamentalists who pressed state legislatures and school districts to make it illegal to teach the theory of evolution. Very much like the modern online trolls, the critics of evolutionary theory resorted to absurd arguments to make their case, often preying on the fears and prejudices of religious folk convinced that science and spirituality could not coexist. (Very much like modern critics of climate science prey on the fears of working class people worried about potential job losses that could accompany the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy.). </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The conflict between fundamentalist Christian creationist dogma vs. evolutionary theory came to a head in the famous 1925 <a href="https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/scopes-monkey-trial/" target="_blank"><i>State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes</i></a> trial, called the "Scopes Monkey Trial" by Mencken. <a href="https://famous-trials.com/scopesmonkey/2132-menckenaccount" target="_blank">Covering the trial for the Baltimore Sun</a>, Mencken in his trademark style employed bitter sarcasm, ridicule, and mockery to call out the attempt to discredit secular knowledge not with reasoned evidence, but with superstition. He was especially bitter toward William Jennings Bryan, the four-time presidential candidate, former Secretary of State, and fundamentalist preacher who led the prosecution's argument against John Scopes. Mr. Scopes' "crime" was teaching the theory of evolution in violation of Tennessee's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butler_Act#:~:text=The%20Butler%20Act%20was%20a,place%20of%20the%20Biblical%20account." target="_blank">Butler Act</a> which prohibited such teaching. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7k5A3ozx1q-hLLw3k7Q23swIUP8jB22IfBIbDOc4qtDda6qDqSuYpRau7u3NECzQNLTVYQj3JD15m6ZDWiK457yisLFJgUSdH3V8mqdpQ_UjPi_i6tbFksr4OYmgaXJm_bVVFzp6ZslVWS4xiaHCj-C7h2kU1DqFGuc9D1lHZQwV9HD_84T3r/s500/menckenscopes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="500" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7k5A3ozx1q-hLLw3k7Q23swIUP8jB22IfBIbDOc4qtDda6qDqSuYpRau7u3NECzQNLTVYQj3JD15m6ZDWiK457yisLFJgUSdH3V8mqdpQ_UjPi_i6tbFksr4OYmgaXJm_bVVFzp6ZslVWS4xiaHCj-C7h2kU1DqFGuc9D1lHZQwV9HD_84T3r/s320/menckenscopes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Scopes, represented by the legendary lawyer Clarence Darrow, actually lost the trial. But Darrow masterfully turned the proceedings into a public referendum on what a democratic society should expect from its public schools. Should schools be spaces for expanding minds through rational exploration and discovery? Or should they be indoctrination centers for fundamentalist dogma? The fact that the trial was covered nationally, and passionately by people like Mencken, allowed the mass media audience of that time (primarily print newspapers and radio) to gain access to a vital debate that still plays out in public school districts across the land--today more typically targeting LGBTQA+ tolerance or Critical Race Theory instead of evolution. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Michael Mann's lawyers took on the climate denialist trolls in a manner very similar to the way Darrow handled the fundamentalists in 1925. Darrow was condemned at the time by "liberal" media outlets like the <i>New York World</i> for being too mean to the fundamentalists. Mencken's response reads like a blueprint for how to handle modern trolls: </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"<b>What the <i>World</i>'s contention amounts to, at bottom, is simply the doctrine that a man engaged in combat with superstition should be very polite to superstition. This, I fear, is nonsense. The way to deal with superstition is not to be polite to it, but to tackle it with all arms, and so rout it, cripple it, and make it forever infamous and ridiculous. Is it, perchance, cherished by persons who should know better? Then their folly should be brought out into the light of day, and exhibited there in all its hideousness until they flee from it, hiding their heads in shame."</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In short, Michael Mann and his attorneys did their part. They clashed with the trolls, defended climate science with real evidence, and put denialists on notice that there could be consequences for continuing to choose reckless disregard for the truth and character assassination as debate strategies. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Mann did his part, but the establishment mass media did not do theirs. A <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-50591-6" target="_blank">recent study</a> exploring the consequences of climate denialism concluded that, "<i>As a form of knowledge vulnerability, climate denialism renders communities unprepared to take steps to increase resilience</i>." The Mann trial gave mass media the opportunity to broadcast the facts of climate science to a national audience, expose the nonsensical attacks against it, and thus make us all a little less vulnerable against the "knowledge" spewed by bad faith actors who place fossil fuel and other corporate interests above human needs.</span> </p>tony palmerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506831576450002435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19989310.post-61668526637575074292024-02-01T11:24:00.004-06:002024-02-01T16:07:41.265-06:00Herb Kohl's Mixed Legacy <p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">When former Wisconsin Democratic Senator Herb Kohl passed away in late December, the majority of politicians praised him for his philanthropy, work ethic, and support for good causes. <a href="https://wisconsinexaminer.com/brief/philanthropist-and-four-term-senator-herb-kohl-dies-at-88/" target="_blank">Quotes from leading Democrats</a> (current Senator Tammy Baldwin called him "my role model") made it sound as if Kohl was part of Wisconsin's progressive tradition. Spoiler alert: he wasn't. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">No one should minimize the impact of Herb Kohl's philanthropic work. The millions of dollars he dedicated to education and other initiatives made--and continue to make--lasting impacts on the citizenry. The US Senate is <a href="https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2021/mar/25/tom-nelson/democrat-tom-nelson-right-claim-two-thirds-us-sena/" target="_blank">dominated by millionaires</a>, but few of them invest it in positive public initiatives as well as Kohl did. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSFguPntq9PgWRBn15BNuYFaEV6J7FEilK4VKARpO4oXgmHElbyU57lYwkJPNMix2ApopYbmtJs8XYWinfzV2IWYsZlqJTGsdo6mxIdGR0smzc9cxudUCr0UUuaEn6Ev1IIV5CHKYOTlNvI5tAS54TbLjqN_ut4mOp495cnizEZg1-RNXsLJA1/s640/kohl.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSFguPntq9PgWRBn15BNuYFaEV6J7FEilK4VKARpO4oXgmHElbyU57lYwkJPNMix2ApopYbmtJs8XYWinfzV2IWYsZlqJTGsdo6mxIdGR0smzc9cxudUCr0UUuaEn6Ev1IIV5CHKYOTlNvI5tAS54TbLjqN_ut4mOp495cnizEZg1-RNXsLJA1/w200-h150/kohl.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>Former Senator Herb Kohl</i></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Unfortunately, the Wisconsin media seems unwilling to assess Herb Kohl's US Senate legacy in a rigorous manner, and tend to conflate his philanthropy and senate work. The Madison Cap Times </span><a href="https://captimes.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-herb-kohl-checked-his-ego-at-the-door-then-got-things-done-for-wisconsin/article_659ec3b4-a59d-11ee-bf4b-4f8dad39aad9.html" style="font-family: helvetica;" target="_blank">editorial tribute</a><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> to Kohl is the best example, in which the writers include as part of his legacy that "marks him as one of the most significant elected leaders in Wisconsin history" the fact that he kept the Bucks in Milwaukee, funded the Kohl Center, funded the Kohl foundation, and gave out generous scholarships. None of the philanthropic work Herb Kohl engaged in required him to be a United States Senator. None. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Judging Herb Kohl's legacy as an elected official means taking an honest look at his impact on politics and policy. Journalists, historians, and pundits should not allow Kohl's affable personality and generous gift giving to prevent them from offering candid assessments of his Senate record. Kohl did many good things in his four terms, which have been <a href="https://wisconsinexaminer.com/brief/philanthropist-and-four-term-senator-herb-kohl-dies-at-88/" target="_blank">duly noted</a> in press coverage, but he was also on the wrong side of some of the most critical issues of his time--issues that had enormous impact on the lives of Americans.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Let's starts with Kohl's political legacy. In the early 2000s I attended a speech at UW Oshkosh delivered by then Wisconsin Secretary of State Doug LaFollette. During the question and answer period, a student asked Secretary LaFollette to talk about the role of money in politics. He answered by sharing an anecdote about his run for the United States Senate in the 1988 Democratic Party primaries. Running a grassroots campaign, LaFollette traveled thousands of miles across the state in a used car, knocking on doors and meeting voters in cities, towns, and villages. When he got way up to the northernmost county, he knocked on a door and an elderly woman answered. As I recall from LaFollette's remarks, here is how his conversation with that woman went: </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>LaFollette</b>: <i>"Hi I'm Secretary of State Doug LaFollette and I'm running to be your United States Senator."</i> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Woman</b>: <i>"That's what Herb Kohl is running for, right?"</i> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The woman knew about Kohl not because he had visited her home, but because he had saturated the state with millions of dollars of TV ads telling Wisconsinites he would be "Nobody's senator but your own." Kohl won the primary that year with a plurality of 47 percent of the vote, prevailing over former governor Tony Earl, progressive activist Ed Garvey, and LaFollette. Kohl defeated 36-year-old Republican Susan Engeleiter in the general election, and when all was said and done had spent around $7 million of his own money. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Kohl won three more terms (in 1994, 2000, 2006), each time defeating his Republican challenger by wider margins. He was certainly not the first multimillionaire to win a United States Senate seat, but he was one of the first to establish that flooding media markets with millions of dollars of television and other ad spots immediately transforms the flooder into a candidate the press will take seriously. That leads to the perverse situation--we saw it in 2016 with the Trump presidential campaign--where the richest candidate in the race also ends up getting the most FREE advertising from media corporations. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Throughout Senator Kohl's long tenure in office I was always frustrated by how the corporate media and the establishment Democratic party enabled the "nobody's senator but yours" schtick, as if we would somehow be better off as a state and a nation if every candidate for every office was self-funded. Obviously the dysfunction of contemporary politics cannot be blamed on Herb Kohl, but his success at using his personal fortune to insulate himself from serious electoral competition became the norm across the country. For higher office on both the Democratic and Republican sides, candidate recruitment involves the search for the "benevolent millionaire" who is somehow in touch with the grassroots. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Herb Kohl became one of the best examples of what campaign finance reform advocates feared would happen after the Supreme Court's horrendous 1976 <a href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/1975/75-436" target="_blank">Buckley v. Valeo</a> decision, which held as unconstitutional the limitation on expenditures by candidates from their own personal resources, as well as limitations on total campaign expenditures. The Buckley decision gave us the nefarious "money = speech" principle, which campaign reform advocate Derek Cressman aptly referred to as "<a href="https://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2016-01-29/reverse-buckley-v-valeos-40-years-of-campaign-finance-damage" target="_blank">court ordered corruption</a>." Justice Thurgood Marshall offered up a powerful dissent: </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>One of the points on which all Members of the Court agree is that money is essential for effective communication in a political campaign. <b>It would appear to follow that the candidate with a substantial personal fortune at his disposal is off to a significant "headstart."</b> Of course, the less wealthy candidate can potentially overcome the disparity in resources through contributions from others. But ability to generate contributions may itself depend upon a showing of a financial base for the campaign or some demonstration of preexisting support, which, in turn, is facilitated by expenditures of substantial personal sums. Thus, <b>the wealthy candidate's immediate access to a substantial personal fortune may give him an initial advantage that his less wealthy opponent can never overcome. And even if the advantage can be overcome, the perception that personal wealth wins elections may not only discourage potential candidates without significant personal wealth from entering the political arena, but also undermine public confidence in the integrity of the electoral process.</b></i></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i></i></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKvFjmUtfbcyHHkRuChSjaSE9UEpz6akQjL0a_BgLtG8XrF6AMy_LBW2wSSrYwLJEGOs4ayTTaq5Hb-JSkOnQvYqxqIqcZXdE4WTaJAD7ZXeU0fEJnDyge5vngvxSdMoJrQVMXozxqmAe1jqRBTej0kryN4raxKvcLpctXFApe9gR6oTbJiwqp/s252/thurgood.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="252" data-original-width="200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKvFjmUtfbcyHHkRuChSjaSE9UEpz6akQjL0a_BgLtG8XrF6AMy_LBW2wSSrYwLJEGOs4ayTTaq5Hb-JSkOnQvYqxqIqcZXdE4WTaJAD7ZXeU0fEJnDyge5vngvxSdMoJrQVMXozxqmAe1jqRBTej0kryN4raxKvcLpctXFApe9gR6oTbJiwqp/w159-h200/thurgood.jpg" width="159" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><i>When the Supreme Court opened up the floodgates for big money in Buckley v. Valeo, Justice Thurgood Marshall in his dissent anticipated the corruption that would follow.</i></b></span> </td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">The argument that millionaire self-financed candidates make is that, in not having to rely on Political Action Committee donations or contributions from individuals, they are truly independent. All these rich candidates campaign on some variation of Kohl's "nobody's senator but yours" theme. A truly independent politician in Washington, I think we would all agree, is one able to resist all the beltway lobbying, put principle over politics, stand with marginalized groups, refuse to support ill-conceived military operations, and take unpopular positions. I'm not sure Herb Kohl's record reflects that kind of independence. "Nobody's senator but yours" supported</span></span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>The 1996 Defense of Marriage Act</b>, which defined marriage as between one man and one woman. A truly independent senator would have stood up for the LGBTQ community. </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>The 1996 "Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act."</b> This bill was a cornerstone of the 1994 Republican "Contract With America," and was a result of years scapegoating of "welfare queens" and other attacks on the poor. With the Republicans taking over Congress in the 1994 midterms and fearing his own reelection chances, President Clinton signed the legislation and declared "the era of big government is over." A truly independent senator would have called out how the war on poverty was being transformed into a war on the poor. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>The 2001 Bush Tax Cuts.</b> George W. Bush entered office with a budget surplus. His tax cuts of 2001, which Kohl supported, disproportionately benefited the wealthy and set the stage for the massive deficits we see today. A truly independent senator would only support truly progressive tax policies. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>The USA PATRIOT Act of 2001</b>. Passed only six weeks after the September 11 attacks with virtually no deliberation and with senators openly admitting not having read its provisions, the PATRIOT Act greatly expanded the government's authority to <a href="https://www.aclu.org/documents/surveillance-under-usapatriot-act" target="_blank">spy on its own citizens</a>. Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold was the only member of the body to vote against it. "Nobody's senator but ours" voted for it. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>The Authorization For Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002.</b> This resolution passed the Senate 77-23, with 29 Democrats including Kohl voting Yes. If ever there was a time when the nation needed truly independent senators, it was for this vote. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.</b> This was the infamous Wall St. bailout. Legislation that, as <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/secrets-and-lies-of-the-bailout-113270/" target="_blank">Matt Taibbi correctly pointed out</a>, committed American taxpayers to "permanent, blind support of an ungovernable, unregulatable, hyperconcentrated new financial system that exacerbates the greed and inequality that caused the crash, and forces Wall Street banks like Goldman Sachs<span style="background-color: white;"> and Citigroup to increase risk rather than reduce it." Before the vote, polls showed that citizens were opposed to the bailout. A truly independent senator would have stood with them and demanded that the legislation do much more to hold elite financiers accountable and protect taxpayers before voting yes. </span></span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Each one of these pieces of legislation had enormous impact on society, with mostly negative and in some cases tragic consequences. The <a href="https://captimes.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-herb-kohl-checked-his-ego-at-the-door-then-got-things-done-for-wisconsin/article_659ec3b4-a59d-11ee-bf4b-4f8dad39aad9.html" target="_blank">Cap Times</a> swept all this under the rug in three sentences: "<span style="background-color: white;">That did not mean that Kohl got every issue right. We disagreed with his support for the war in Iraq and for the USA Patriot Act. He voted for tax cuts that didn’t sit well with us." </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">The purpose of this rant was not to trash the late Senator Kohl. He was a decent man with good intentions. It is no disrespect to Kohl to point out that he benefited from an extremely corrupt campaign finance system, and that his votes did not always reflect the independence he claimed his wealth gave him. As with all millionaire candidates, his wealth became a firewall which protected his incumbency from serious challenges within the Democratic party and from the Republicans. It ought to be possible for Wisconsin journalists to praise Kohl's philanthropy while taking a more rigorous look at his overall record in the Senate. </span></span></div><p></p>tony palmerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506831576450002435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19989310.post-5185036385460942022023-12-31T16:01:00.006-06:002023-12-31T16:52:14.034-06:00The 2023 Tony Awards <p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It's time once again for what Media Rants' readers spend months anticipating: the annual Tony Awards for Excellence in Media. From the </span><a href="http://www.tonypalmeri.com/mediarants5.htm" style="font-family: helvetica;" target="_blank">first awards column</a><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> in 2002 to </span><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2023/01/the-2022-tony-awards.html" style="font-family: helvetica;" target="_blank">last year's</a><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> 20th anniversary edition, I've always been drawn to: </span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Insightful works that shed light on some important public issue. </i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Creative works that deserve a wider audience. </i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Informative works that provide eye-opening education on a difficult topic. </i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Courageous works that speak truth to power OR that speak truth to the powerless. </i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Humorous works that skillfully provoke laughter and thought at the same time. </i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Local works that promote community and civic engagement.</i></span> </li></ul><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In any given year, literally thousands of media texts meet one or more of these criteria. Being a Committee-Of-One, I recognize only those I have actually engaged repeatedly and/or received some inspiration from. If you do not like my list, create your own! I always enjoy hearing about what other media ranters think is worth recognizing. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">One final preliminary proclamation before we get to the Awards: I'm dedicating this year's post to all the courageous journalists and other media workers in Gaza who have been murdered for the "crime" of doing their jobs. <a href="https://cpj.org/2023/12/israel-gaza-war-takes-record-toll-on-journalists/" target="_blank">According to</a> the Committee to Protect Journalists, as of December 23, 2023 the war in Gaza has claimed the lives of 69 journalists and media workers (62 Palestinian, 4 Israeli, 3 Lebanese). I join the CPJ in <a href="https://cpj.org/2023/12/a-call-to-action-for-protection-of-journalists-in-israel-gaza-war/" target="_blank">calling on the international</a> community to do more to protect the lives of journalists, provide access and the ability to report, and investigate attacks against all media workers while demanding that belligerents end the impunity against them.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And now the Tony Awards! Drum roll please: </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>*Song of the Year: The Beatles, "Now and Then."</i></b> Thanks to Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and the great director and ultimate Beatles' fan Peter Jackson--who used modern technology to revivify John Lennon's voice from a muffled 1970's cassette tape and incorporate the late George Harrison's guitar--the world was treated to a "new" Fab Four tune. Though I share New York Times' columnist <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/21/magazine/the-beatles-now-and-then.html" target="_blank">Peter Baker's concerns</a> about how Jackson's use of artificial intelligence might set the precedent for monetary exploitation of fans via nonstop recycling of old material, the emotional tug of the song--especially for John Lennon devotees like yours truly--is too strong to resist even while recognizing the real possibility of bad motives of the wizards behind the curtain.</span></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">
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</div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">*Best Coverage of the Gutting of UW Oshkosh: The Staff of the Advance-Titan. </i>I have taught at UW Oshkosh for parts of five decades, and dedicated more than half of my chronological life to the institution. Many love the place as much as I do, but no one loves it MORE. Over many generations UW Oshkosh provided the children of working class families--people just like me--the knowledge and skills needed to navigate the complexities of life and become productive members of communities. The gerrymandered Republican legislature's devaluing of the entire UW has been short sighted and distressing for more than a decade, but not until relatively recently have campus administrators across the system stopped resisting the GOP's wanton demands for <a href="https://captimes.com/opinion/guest-columns/opinion-we-wont-remain-silent-while-austerity-guts-uw-campuses/article_0a400124-9e9d-11ee-b937-079304d5284b.html" target="_blank">austerity budgets</a>. In 2023 UW Oshkosh lost scores of outstanding employees in what appeared to be an outside-consultant driven process that gutted entire programs without sufficient regard to the impact on the campus' mission. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe2QrVwg6sOKyeM2kPikgSAFQI8qscHYxTumi2NBVsAz6UN4skrgZBeDgCLUX2F-XffZupLb15lr_ClsUFpTAtruB0b-FKkzqIbOoGfAxrLCRLlNTKbSZhA0K7ztTu75KFqXIGVc5naqKoRMFIo27vQms3EwBCgPQvaOuE9luh0Ud39CclOyPD/s1080/advancetitan.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe2QrVwg6sOKyeM2kPikgSAFQI8qscHYxTumi2NBVsAz6UN4skrgZBeDgCLUX2F-XffZupLb15lr_ClsUFpTAtruB0b-FKkzqIbOoGfAxrLCRLlNTKbSZhA0K7ztTu75KFqXIGVc5naqKoRMFIo27vQms3EwBCgPQvaOuE9luh0Ud39CclOyPD/w200-h200/advancetitan.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><i>The UW Oshkosh Advance-Titan has produced compelling and humane journalism throughout the crisis at UW Oshkosh. In the photo is the great Debbie Gray Patton, an amazing contributor to the campus for 27 years. If a campus is serious about thriving in the 21st century, it does not let someone like Debbie Gray Patton go. </i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">If an honest history of this most shameful year in the campus' history is ever written, the student-led </span><a href="https://advancetitan.com/" style="font-family: helvetica;" target="_blank">Advance Titan</a><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> newspaper should be praised for its outstanding coverage of the gutting. Rather than follow the lead of the establishment press and waste space on dubious administrative talking points, the AT focused consistently on the impacts of the downsizing on REAL HUMAN BEINGS. The AT editors and reporters refused to be spun by press releases and other forms of bureaucratic mumbo-jumbo. Instead, the paper actually did </span><i style="font-family: helvetica; font-weight: bold;">journalism </i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">as evidenced by stories like "</span><a href="https://advancetitan.com/top-stories/2023/10/17/staff-layoffs-stun-campus" style="font-family: helvetica;" target="_blank">Staff Layoffs Stun Campus</a><span style="font-family: helvetica;">" and "</span><a href="https://advancetitan.com/top-stories/2023/12/06/what-will-those-leaving-do-next" style="font-family: helvetica;" target="_blank">What Will Those Leaving Do Next?</a><span style="font-family: helvetica;">" Special shout outs to Editor-In-Chief Katie Pulvermacher, Managing Editor Kelly Hueckman, News Editor Anya Kelley, and Opinion Editor Aubrie Selsmeyer for recognizing the gravity of the moment and not shying away from their responsibility to tell the truth about the magnitude of the travesty visited upon UW Oshkosh. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>*Podcasters of the Year: Michael Barbaro and Sabrina Tavernise of the New York Times' "The Daily."</i></b> I've long been a fan of this magnificent podcast; five days a week, Barbaro and Tavernise take twenty minutes to shed light on issues in a way that is free of mindless partisan talking points and other standard digital world nonsense. They are at their best when they take a serious issue and elucidate it by focusing on a representative narrative. My favorite episode of the year was posted recently (December 19) and was called "<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/19/podcasts/the-daily/youth-football-cte.html" target="_blank">Football's Young Victims</a>." The episode focuses on the tragic case of <a href="https://concussionfoundation.org/personal-stories/legacy-stories/hunter-foraker" target="_blank">Hunter Foraker</a>, a high school and college football player who committed suicide at age 25 and was then found to have been suffering from the degenerative brain disease CTE. It is almost impossible to listen to this episode without coming to the conclusion that--at the very least--a national conversation about the wisdom of allowing youth to participate in contact sports where the risk of getting hundreds or even thousands of "<a href="https://concussionfoundation.org/cte-resources/subconcussive-impacts#:~:text=Subconcussive%20hits%20are%20those%20that,enough%20to%20see%20through%20symptoms." target="_blank">subconcussive hits</a>" is very high.</span> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/2dFqKUx1WqA4ZqtNpjh3CL?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius: 12px;" width="100%"></iframe></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>*The "This Ain't No Papal Bull Award": Pope Francis' Apostolic Exhortation "Laudate Deum" (Praise God)</i></b>. This exhortation is Francis' latest attempt to sound a clarion call on the issue of climate change. So-called "conservative" Catholics long for a return to the "good old days" when Popes spent most of their time condemning LGBTQ people, abortion rights, and Communism. Francis actually seems to think that God commands us to protect Mother Earth and take climate science seriously. He does not hold back in blaming powerful nations for the lack of sufficient progress: "<span style="background-color: white;"><i>Regrettably, the climate crisis is not exactly a matter that interests the great economic powers, whose concern is with the greatest profit possible at minimal cost and in the shortest amount of time</i>." Amen Brother.</span></span><span face="Tahoma, Verdana, Segoe, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px;"> </span></p><p><span face="Tahoma, Verdana, Segoe, sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: helvetica;">I also appreciate Francis' media ranting: </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: helvetica;"><i>The ethical decadence of real power is disguised thanks to marketing and false information, useful tools in the hands of those with greater resources to employ them to shape public opinion. With the help of these means, whenever plans are made to undertake a project involving significant changes in the environment or high levels of contamination, one raises the hopes of the people of that area by speaking of the local progress that it will be able to generate or of the potential for economic growth, employment and human promotion that it would mean for their children. Yet in reality there does not seem to be any true interest in the future of these people, since they are not clearly told that the project will result in the clearing of their lands, a decline in the quality of their lives, a desolate and less habitable landscape lacking in life, the joy of community and hope for the future; in addition to the global damage that eventually compromises many other people as well . . . </i></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcZEG0sP4wTBd8yJAKCa-jng4xBp6VLx0IflPfQVC3qOVGx_iz-JGYREfVGE-SY7xRdZv4x-DMqAZbzEisiZqzLR3brn8Qrm5NAU6Lse-GVb657cd-ogs4P9kSsmkV0KVQZLOE0vCPp6vOFhFsEsIbZTQV47H_DryXh8KfPmdCfbp5VuWWpSJo/s1000/popegreta.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcZEG0sP4wTBd8yJAKCa-jng4xBp6VLx0IflPfQVC3qOVGx_iz-JGYREfVGE-SY7xRdZv4x-DMqAZbzEisiZqzLR3brn8Qrm5NAU6Lse-GVb657cd-ogs4P9kSsmkV0KVQZLOE0vCPp6vOFhFsEsIbZTQV47H_DryXh8KfPmdCfbp5VuWWpSJo/w200-h133/popegreta.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Pope Francis met climate activist Greta Thunberg in 2019. "Laudate Deum" is the most explicit call for climate justice ever issued from the Vatican.</b></i></span> </td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: helvetica;"><i>This situation has to do not only with physics or biology, but also with the economy and the way we conceive it. The mentality of maximum gain at minimal cost, disguised in terms of reasonableness, progress and illusory promises, makes impossible any sincere concern for our common home and any real preoccupation about assisting the poor and the needy discarded by our society. In recent years, we can note that, astounded and excited by the promises of any number of false prophets, the poor themselves at times fall prey to the illusion of a world that is not being built for them.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>*Best Gen Z TikTok Pundit: Kat Abu.</i></b> Born into an upper-middle-class, conservative family in Dallas, <a href="https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/meet-kat-abu-tiktoker-mocking-184931237.html?src=rss&guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAM4-5vU76NIK1ujf1k2dBtlYAmK0pJubg4-7sKi_N4W_gN32O4gIaCZL0Npd_vR9Urb6aC4MFGhMfP5Qd4_IahPpA68oOItd3X3QgnE5eLsjXIqDmsX-pGck9mWLES8dpHUIj6xGLSEBxwyn3VZuSzIm0fjfYcHea8L45-yD9KuD" target="_blank">Katherine </a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228;"><span><a href="https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/meet-kat-abu-tiktoker-mocking-184931237.html?src=rss&guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAM4-5vU76NIK1ujf1k2dBtlYAmK0pJubg4-7sKi_N4W_gN32O4gIaCZL0Npd_vR9Urb6aC4MFGhMfP5Qd4_IahPpA68oOItd3X3QgnE5eLsjXIqDmsX-pGck9mWLES8dpHUIj6xGLSEBxwyn3VZuSzIm0fjfYcHea8L45-yD9KuD" target="_blank">Abughazaleh</a> (AKA "Kat Abu") produces some of the most hysterical political humor on the web. Her mix of Gen Z irreverence and biting satire is as if George Carlin got reincarnated as a 24-year-old female. My favorite segment is her weekly take-down of Fox News, featuring "<i>totally real and definitely not made up stories you might have missed</i>."</span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RC6to5SJ3Ls?si=BXspevrW4QE2vv-K" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>*Wisconsin-Based Investigative Reporting of the Year: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's "Behind the Gun" Series</i></b>. Driven by suicide, the Wisconsin's rate of gun deaths has doubled since 2004. The Journal Sentinel's <a href="https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/special-reports/2023/12/06/behind-the-gun-read-the-entire-project-here/71814275007/" target="_blank">Behind the Gun</a> (behind a paywall unfortunately) series is a remarkable piece of reporting that mixes data from every county, testimony from officials whose jobs require them to deal with gun issues, and narratives from gun owners to create a picture that upsets the preconceptions of "pro" and "anti" gun lobbies in the state. Kudos to lead reporter John Diedrich and contributors Natalie Eilbert, Alex Rivera Grant, and Ben Schultz for producing a series that should provoke us us to start thinking about guns in a way that allows all sides to come together to support practical reforms that might reduce the carnage.</span> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPElLo-GBPRdiBWAUozgWSqsJ8LV1Opj4y4BSgTumzMe0mXZe9_XPzT3xCVGvJhMz8Jql5ro_KUmdVUIDFNCsx2AEMFH5d_ewt5GkVXWXSO03S44ZTMntnaBgy7ZsKgrhXi1xynYoVKhf2sEnj1SYfKTUPF35NX66Mx922ovdFmHS41mFYWZyh/s400/behindthegun.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPElLo-GBPRdiBWAUozgWSqsJ8LV1Opj4y4BSgTumzMe0mXZe9_XPzT3xCVGvJhMz8Jql5ro_KUmdVUIDFNCsx2AEMFH5d_ewt5GkVXWXSO03S44ZTMntnaBgy7ZsKgrhXi1xynYoVKhf2sEnj1SYfKTUPF35NX66Mx922ovdFmHS41mFYWZyh/w150-h200/behindthegun.webp" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>In 2023 the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel released an eye opening series on guns in Wisconsin.</i></b> </td></tr></tbody></table><p><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>*The Liberal Icon-Buster Award: "<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/30/us/politics/nra-congress-firearms.html?smid=nytcore-android-share" target="_blank">The Secret History of Gun Rights--How Lawmakers Armed the N.R.A</a>" by Mike McIntire in the New York Times</i></b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">. Speaking of guns, I'll bet you thought that the biggest N.R.A enablers over the years were Republicans, right? That's certainly what I thought--until I read McIntire's well researched article. Turns out that liberal icon John Dingell (D-Michigan), the longest serving member of Congress in history, was also the most pro-N.R.A. Mr. Dingell's files were donated to the University of Michigan but kept under wraps for eight years. It took the New York Times fives months to get access to them. McIntire's thorough review of the files reveals a lawmaker who over many decades did everything possible to frustrate the passage of gun safety legislation. Even after supporting the assault weapons ban in the 1990s, Dingell behind the scenes was working to get it repealed. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">More than any other public official, Rep. Dingell was responsible for transforming the N.R.A. into a partisan lobbying organization. He literally wrote up a manual for the organization on how to effectively lobby Congress. For my liberal Democratic friends who might read McIntire's article and be tempted to rationalize or explain away Dingell's behavior, just ask yourselves how you would feel if it had been ANY Republican who did what Dingell did to the extent that he did it. Pardon the pun, but when it comes to exposing the officials who make even mild gun reforms impossible (as Dingell did), we need to be "straight shooters" and call out all sides. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlN6vBhgwJZPOiJ33S5mZK3RlR_vsNJ5eBnkFvkUnRGaNoIw2k1VOzyApdKlK0ydrZ8x7-rU-LgfH06i6MnlG685Uitf5f69o0GTtGepzTGDQnQGIkPxk1Ws6zWyLLkHifdoBE2Ga4MYeKKf2-Ib1kPsYzWyRsxmw33Wb0RUXzVE0EXgBWElMa/s871/dingell.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="653" data-original-width="871" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlN6vBhgwJZPOiJ33S5mZK3RlR_vsNJ5eBnkFvkUnRGaNoIw2k1VOzyApdKlK0ydrZ8x7-rU-LgfH06i6MnlG685Uitf5f69o0GTtGepzTGDQnQGIkPxk1Ws6zWyLLkHifdoBE2Ga4MYeKKf2-Ib1kPsYzWyRsxmw33Wb0RUXzVE0EXgBWElMa/w200-h150/dingell.webp" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>The late Michigan Congressman John Dingell, a liberal icon with a soft spot for guns, used the power of his office to "arm the NRA."</i></b></span> </td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>*Most Impactful Scholarship of the Year: William Baude's and Michael Stokes Paulsen's "<a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4532751" target="_blank">The Sweep and Force of Section Three.</a>"</i></b> <a href="https://www.law.uchicago.edu/news/william-baude-and-colleague-write-about-section-3-disqualification-trump-holding-office#:~:text=The%20professors%20are%20active%20members,determine%20the%20Constitution's%20original%20meaning." target="_blank">Baude and Paulsen</a> are conservative law professors and active members of the <a href="https://fedsoc.org/about-us" target="_blank">Federalist Society</a>. Their preferred method of legal analysis is "originalism," the theory that Supreme Court justices like Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch use as a justification to overturn laws they do not like. "The Sweep and Force of Section Three," which is written in a legalistic style but is fully accessible for anyone willing to put in the effort to read it with an open mind, makes what to me is an extremely convincing argument as to why Donald Trump should be disqualified from ballots in 2024. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigwO_GkHkpSt_dih6aCKbm-35GA0FYb7Mj_qowRpT97Ve6ZL9ZWpi6nRVQkvLixoMcGVR4dMzRyAyJPUaVEd8qo_eo5aJ_70fDZnXLp2Y40hb00d88M1n4p_9Quth7FzWCk3wvFin_qVYDipmPDXrVX-dwae1jfD-w_jiUYHhcP7citvK6UZoI/s700/14th-Amendment-Sec-3.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="700" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigwO_GkHkpSt_dih6aCKbm-35GA0FYb7Mj_qowRpT97Ve6ZL9ZWpi6nRVQkvLixoMcGVR4dMzRyAyJPUaVEd8qo_eo5aJ_70fDZnXLp2Y40hb00d88M1n4p_9Quth7FzWCk3wvFin_qVYDipmPDXrVX-dwae1jfD-w_jiUYHhcP7citvK6UZoI/s320/14th-Amendment-Sec-3.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>Conservative law professors Baude and Paulsen make a compelling case for excluding Donald Trump from election ballots based on the clear language of the 1th amendment.</i></b></span> </td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">After a lengthy explanation of the history of and rationale for Section Three of the 14th Amendment, which was designed to ban former confederate officials from holding office after the Civil War, the authors apply the section to Donald Trump's actions before and on January 6, 2021 to overturn the election of 2020. They argue that Trump did in fact engage in insurrection: </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>The bottom line is that Donald Trump “engaged in” “insurrection or rebellion”
and gave “aid or comfort” to others engaging in such conduct, within the original
meaning of those terms as employed in Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment.
<u>If the public record is accurate, the case is not even close</u>.[emphasis added]. He is no longer eligible to
the office of Presidency, or any other state or federal office covered by the Constitution. All who are committed to the Constitution should take note and say so.</i> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">They also have little sympathy for the argument, which is gaining currency in the establishment media, that keeping Trump and other insurrectionists off of ballots is somehow anti-democracy: </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I<i>mportantly, it is also wrong to shrink from applying Section Three on grounds
of “democracy,” whether on the premise that Section Three should be ignored or narrowly construed because it limits who voters may choose, or on the premise that only
the voters should enforce Section Three. It is true, as we have said, that limiting
democratic choice is not something to be done lightly, but it is something the Constitution does, and for serious reasons. The Constitution cannot be overruled or disregarded by ordinary election results. (And we note that there is particular irony in
invoking democracy to shrink from applying Section Three to the insurrectionists of
2020-2021, who refused to abide by election results and instead sought to overthrow
them.)</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As of this writing, the Colorado Supreme Court and the Secretary of State of Maine have used Baude/Paulsen-like arguments to keep Trump off the primary ballot in their states. Undoubtedly the matter will end up in the United States Supreme Court. Given <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/framers-14th-amendments-disqualification-clause-analysis/story?id=105996364" target="_blank">that it is clear</a> the framers of Section Three clearly meant it to apply not just to Civil War insurrectionists, will the so-called "originalists" on the Court be guided by that philosophy as they decide on how to rule? Don't count on it.</span> </p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>*Most Powerful Iraq War Retrospective: "Iraq War Veterans, 20 Years Later--'I don't Know How To Explain the War to Myself."</i></b> <b><i>(New York Times Op-Doc Video).</i></b> A description of the video from creator Michael Tucker: </span></p><p><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Months after the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, I began filming the U.S. Army's 2nd Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment (known as the Gunners) in Baghdad. The unit was housed in a bombed-out palace on the banks of the Tigris that they named Gunner Palace. </span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Rather than just making a movie about the men, I suggested that we make a film together -- an offer that the soldiers quickly embraced. They told the story of the war as only they could: They played guitar, spat out rhymes and played to the camera. But behind all their bravado and posturing, they were just kids who desperately wanted the world the understand the war through their eyes. </span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In the last two months of 2003, the Gunners lost three men to I.E.D attacks. They scrambled to create makeshift armor for their soft-skinned vehicles using scrap metal. When asked by a soldier about the lack of armor in 2004, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld famously said, "You got to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time."</span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">They were the army we had. They fought an enemy they couldn't always see in a land they didn't understand for reasons that were never entirely clear. In the midst of the pandemic, I visited the men an spoke with them about how they make sense of their role in a war that has yet to be fully reckoned with. In "The Army We Had," the veterans grapple with a past that still reverberates powerfully through their lives.</span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As you watch this video, keep in mind that the Iraq War was brought to us by the same people who are now advocating for an expanded US military presence in the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and other places. </span></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RIWfH3iEgXU?si=EXQWBDK3bh708mD5" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>*Wisconsin Journalist of the Year: Dan Shafer of the Recombobulation Area. </i></b>This is Dan's second Tony Award. I continue to be in awe at how ONE PERSON can produce as much well researched, insightful, pointed political content as Mr. Shafer does across a number of platforms. He is especially good at untangling the key features of legislation coming out of Madison and calling out those engaged in obstructing bills that have majority public support. I also greatly admire and appreciate how he refuses to engage in the lazy <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_balance" target="_blank">bothsidesing</a> that is now a standard, unfortunate feature of the mainstream press. Check out Dan's <a href="https://www.therecombobulationarea.news/p/2023-year-review-recombobulation-area" target="_blank">summary of 2023</a> and then consider becoming a <a href="https://www.therecombobulationarea.news/subscribe?coupon=7db9d4f6" target="_blank">paid subscriber</a>. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_zGHwAbjQiqwDt1nYk9CiiM4wFyBq1CQIbxokHNhW7xBCEoXGCY9fiajAa8CNiaSmof4r4RAEYbFgaP08ONTaNQN_15pZPI94dI-rA8zfmzvotH26dP-v0EyINObCApsaQvCQvkq9_BlQjz5uHZPWCOeO-Gq4b13MbY9lkNIWN1swEyew6SYD/s255/danshafer2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="198" data-original-width="255" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_zGHwAbjQiqwDt1nYk9CiiM4wFyBq1CQIbxokHNhW7xBCEoXGCY9fiajAa8CNiaSmof4r4RAEYbFgaP08ONTaNQN_15pZPI94dI-rA8zfmzvotH26dP-v0EyINObCApsaQvCQvkq9_BlQjz5uHZPWCOeO-Gq4b13MbY9lkNIWN1swEyew6SYD/w200-h155/danshafer2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Dan Shafer produces consistently high quality journalism for the Recombobulation Area.</span></i></b></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>*National Investigative Journalism of The Year: ProPublica's "<a href="https://www.propublica.org/series/supreme-court-scotus" target="_blank">Friends of the Court</a>" Series</i></b>. ProPublica's scathing expose' of Supreme Court Justices' cozy relationships with billionaires was so rigorously researched and sourced that--before the first installment even appeared online--the Wall Street Journal published a "<a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/behind-scenes-alito-wall-street-journal-prebuttal-editorial" target="_blank">pre-rebuttal</a>" from Justice Samuel Alito. Probably the most explosive finding was Justice Thomas receiving more than 20-years of luxury vacations paid for by <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-disclosure-filing-harlan-crow-real-estate-travel-scotus" target="_blank">Texas billionaire</a> and GOP mega-donor Harlan Crow. Only a partisan hack could possibly read the <a href="https://www.propublica.org/series/supreme-court-scotus" target="_blank">entire series</a> and conclude that major ethical reforms are not necessary. Kudos to ProPublica reporters Justin Elliott, Joshua Kaplan, Alex Mierjeski, Sergio Hernandez, Al Shaw, Mollie Simon, Brett Murphy, Kirsten Berg, Andrea Bernstein, Andy Kroll, Illya Maritz, Paul Kiel, Jesse Eisinger, and ProPublica Editor-In-Chief Stephen Engelberg for brilliantly upholding their mission "<em style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #303030; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">To expose abuses of power and betrayals of the public trust."</em></span><em style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #303030; font-family: "tiempos text", Georgia, Times, "times new roman", serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </em></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/l650TOL1PbM?si=9NMEJIjMEWGEmzMI" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Many thanks to everyone who reads Media Rants. Happy New Year! </span></p>tony palmerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506831576450002435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19989310.post-57749038396410357062023-12-01T10:37:00.001-06:002023-12-01T10:37:11.239-06:00The Rational Revolution<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I've recently had the honor to cohost "<a href="https://civicmedia.us/shows/rational-revolution" target="_blank">The Rational Revolution</a>," a weekly public affairs radio program created by city of Appleton Alderperson <a href="https://www.appleton.org/government/common-council/council-members/district-11-kristin-alfheim-alderperson" target="_blank">Kristin Alfheim</a> and community activist <a href="https://forgeorganizing.org/author/emily-tseffos" target="_blank">Emily Tseffos</a>. Kris and Emily launched the program in August of 2023 for <a href="https://civicmedia.us/" target="_blank">Civic Media</a>, a new radio/podcasting effort with an expressed <a href="https://civicmedia.us/about" target="_blank">mission</a> to "champion the practice of democracy through the power of honest and informative local voices." Rational Revolution airs live every Thursday from 7-8 p.m. CST on <a href="https://wgbw.fm/" target="_blank">WGBW 97.9 FM</a>, The Talk of Green Bay, and <a href="https://wiss.fm/" target="_blank">WISS 98.3 FM</a>, Oshkosh Air Support. All shows are recorded and available as a podcast, both at <a href="http://civicmedia.us">civicmedia.us</a> and on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBTQgJN6naJbmF3TlWha7FPMhcLmI3uaD_vcO7xu9zxP89xltisk8flYYGFDACkVIxinZF5WTqKHb0Jaa2q4xj2fBYzX01dPs4lfpyORjzVj2tCGhQRH7nu9_9vraAOhNsWZKnPYwzQyzQdzGV4gTab4IdwMXXHIq1Qx1fEyWvh858s8gc9pX3/s640/Alfheim-color-photo.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="640" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBTQgJN6naJbmF3TlWha7FPMhcLmI3uaD_vcO7xu9zxP89xltisk8flYYGFDACkVIxinZF5WTqKHb0Jaa2q4xj2fBYzX01dPs4lfpyORjzVj2tCGhQRH7nu9_9vraAOhNsWZKnPYwzQyzQdzGV4gTab4IdwMXXHIq1Qx1fEyWvh858s8gc9pX3/w200-h134/Alfheim-color-photo.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Kris Alfheim</span></i></b> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I'll get into why Kris and Emily created the show in the first place and how I got involved, but first a little more about Civic Media. The brainchild of talk-show veteran Mike Crute and software engineer/entrepreneur Sage Weil (pronounced "while"), Civic Media is conceived of as an alternative to the glut of right-wing programming available across the radio spectrum and in digital spaces. But instead of just being a left-wing version of right-wing media, Civic Media brands itself as pro-democracy and pro-local communities. Crute and Weil see Civic Media as "Hometown Radio Refreshed." </span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ndHW6pei02E?si=6dJZJsSsYNeKQdLF" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Can Civic Media succeed in the current radio marketplace and political climate? <a href="https://www.insideradio.com/free/wisconsin-s-civic-media-providing-alternative-to-conservative-talk-radio/article_20e1af12-cdac-11ed-be43-9b1b9c99309c.html" target="_blank">According to</a> UW Madison Journalism professor Mike Wagner: <span style="background-color: white; color: #000019;">“There is a lot of conservative talk available, and there is less middle-of-the-road and liberal talk available. So, there’s an opportunity for Civic Media to reach a potentially untapped market. I think Civic Media’s model of being less ideologically extreme and having hosts who are more center, center-left is a novel take on an untapped market.”</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #000019;">That leads us back to Kris, Emily, and the Rational Revolution. In addition to serving on the Appleton City Council, Kris grew up on a Wisconsin beef farm, works in the Financial Services industry, and ran for the District 19 State Senate seat in 2022. When launching Rational Revolution, she said, "The people of the Fox Valley are craving rational conversations about topics that affect their families. No yelling, no belittling, just discussion in order to build understanding and empathy on issues." </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #000019;">Emily is a native of Slinger, WI who moved to Tennessee and while there became active in a number of causes. She came back to Wisconsin and lives in rural Outagamie County, where she is forceful advocate for children in need, women's rights, and much else. Upon the creation of Rational Revolution, she said, "Too often politics today is performative, distilled into clickbait headlines and sound bites. Wisconsinites deserve better." She added that the goal of the show is to "break down issues piece by piece, discussing the sometimes well-intentioned visions of legislation in Madison and Washington and the real life impacts of legislation in our communities." </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8oF7ZZq4emZYX0Pkr-6Hl14s5WDZTabdXV-j9L25Ug6GsKSN5vxIOIOS51DS18aPkmGOVarUekPVKVH0xjOd8LQxIBAx1HCZLzOsIJTzZ7TiQtZdeb-GiNhz16E38MSVgqkxZ6TiYnsQ65mHIXnUVKl4iP-IzVDsi2zRMwePUmpOdR3i76bwe/s225/emilyt.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8oF7ZZq4emZYX0Pkr-6Hl14s5WDZTabdXV-j9L25Ug6GsKSN5vxIOIOS51DS18aPkmGOVarUekPVKVH0xjOd8LQxIBAx1HCZLzOsIJTzZ7TiQtZdeb-GiNhz16E38MSVgqkxZ6TiYnsQ65mHIXnUVKl4iP-IzVDsi2zRMwePUmpOdR3i76bwe/w200-h200/emilyt.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Emily Tseffos</span></i></b></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #000019;">In their first episode on August 4th, they talked about Wisconsin's gerrymandered legislative maps and role of the Wisconsin Supreme Court in that area: </span></span><p></p>
<iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/6eAdrkd0sMYNOkyhCVaQQg?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius: 12px;" width="100%"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">During the rest of the summer the two invited a number of enlightening guests to join the conversation, including: </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">*<a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/2cZucwJgSY1l6JxMOPEhdR?si=EqigKkcRT7uRa-tgX93BDg" target="_blank">Corrine Hendrickson, owner of Corrine's Little Explorer Family Childcare</a> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">*<a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/4EZ7Wp5GGwmAwbPNmwfVVy?si=4381acf4d7a94c18" target="_blank">Libby Jacobs, Project Manager of Equity Programming at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">*<a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/4ifcVOzW9vUwZfWxKO17VQ?si=00927ed1794e4ef3" target="_blank">Dean Raasch, City of DePere Alderperson</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">*<a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/7LTbOPbT5wEpYNaPHPpeI0?si=c17a4cbb09c3448b" target="_blank">Former 8th District Congressman Reid Ribble</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">*<a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/3dHuNrJXnBE9JJm7AKKZ7D?si=1eaf4d68857b473f" target="_blank">Linda Bjella, President of the League of Women Voters Appleton-Fox Cities</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In late September Emily left the program to announce that she would be r<a href="https://www.emilytseffos.com/" target="_blank">unning for the 56th District</a> State Assembly seat. That's when I was invited to cohost some programs. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Why me? For one thing, I become acquainted with Kris Alfheim during her run for the state Senate in 2022. I was impressed by her eloquence and sincere belief that politics at its best is inclusive and works toward rational solutions to pressing problems. Even though Kris was running in a gerrymandered district favoring the Republican, she put an enormous amount of effort into the campaign, knocking on tons of doors while also finding time to inspire candidates and voters in surrounding districts. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Secondly, I met Civic Media production specialist Todd Michaels at an open house at the WISS station on South Main Street in Oshkosh, and told him that I supported the Civic Media mission statement and <a href="https://civicmedia.us/about" target="_blank">core values</a> (democracy, honesty, transparency, community, prosperity, people), and would be willing to help promote the station in whatever way I could. When Emily stepped down, Todd thought I might be a decent replacement, at least in the short term. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I've cohosted about a half-dozen shows so far, and what's striking to me is how much the mission of Civic Media is very much in sync with what I used to do in the 1990s and 2000s while co-producing and/or co-hosting a number of cable access public access shows like "Commentary" with former Oshkosh Mayor James Mather, "Eye on Oshkosh" with Fox Valley journalist Cheryl Hentz, "Battleground" with former Winnebago County Board Supervisor Ron Montgomery, and "Radio Commentary" with Oshkosh activist Bob Knudsen. In those shows everyone knew that I was on the "left" (whatever that means), but I cultivated a reputation for being respectful of all viewpoints, and trying to have civil discussions even with guests whose views I found to be seriously wrong-headed. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3HYsGOGf9tU?si=2FLrwLjg85gYtXk9" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">That kind of programming is much more difficult to do now, for a number of reasons. Mainstream cable tv, right wing talk radio, and clickbait social media shows have conditioned people to the idea of "argument as war." Consequently, discussions that do not have some kind of ugly clash that can go viral on the Internet tend to get ignored. The argument as war mentality has also conditioned people to think that all political discussants are bad faith actors, manipulators, or otherwise full-of-shit. That is, it is hard for people these days to accept that there really, really are people in the public sphere whose primary agenda is to raise the quality of discourse in the political arena. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Take a listen to some of the <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/7AI0EV9AbjCj9aJDm1APzR" target="_blank">Rational Revolution episodes</a>. Go to the App Store or wherever you get your apps and download Civic Media. If you have the Civic Media app, you can text message Rational Revolution during the live show on Thursdays from 7-8 p.m. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Thanks for listening!</span> </div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Here is our most recent episode: </span></div>
<iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/5SuoRmx9kxr9CxDbTuSeQe?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius: 12px;" width="100%"></iframe>tony palmerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506831576450002435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19989310.post-59220194165840956992023-11-01T07:36:00.000-05:002023-11-01T07:36:21.528-05:00The Modern Manicheans and Media <p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">October of 2023 will forever be remembered as the month in which Republicans in the United States House of Representatives dealt with global and domestic chaos by . . . . shutting down the institution for nineteen days. It was like a pathetic, hyperpartisan, debased version of Henry David Thoreau's dictum from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Disobedience_(Thoreau)" target="_blank">Civil Disobedience</a>: "<i>That government is best which governs least.</i>" </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">How did they get there? Eight Republican House members, upset with fellow Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy because he dared to negotiate with President Biden and House Democrats on a deal to keep the government open, put forth a motion to depose him. For their part, House Democrats refused to rally their voting bloc to rescue the Speaker unless he negotiated some kind of power sharing arrangement with them--which he of course refused to do. Thus McCarthy was removed from his post after only 269 days, the shortest reign in more than 140 years. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">After nineteen agonizing, embarrassing days, what McCarthy called the "<a href="McCarthy on confronting Gaetz at closed meeting: 'I told him to sit down'" target="_blank">Crazy Eights Led by Matt Gaetz</a>" decided they could support <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/10/28/how-mike-johnson-went-little-known-house-speaker-24-hours/" target="_blank">Louisiana's hard right conservative Mike Johnson</a> for Speaker. Johnson apparently met Rep. Ronny Jackson's (R-Texas) criteria for the position: You have to be "<span style="background-color: white;">smart enough to get to 217 but stupid enough to want the job.”</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Dom7sjDRou8" width="320" youtube-src-id="Dom7sjDRou8"></iframe></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The conflict between the "Crazy Eights" (aka "MAGA Republicans") v. moderate Republicans and Democrats is typically referred to as "populists" v. the establishment. Some Democrats and Leftish pundits would argue that MAGA is not populist, but fascist. Their reasoning goes something like this: Populism is a bottom-up movement driven by mostly working class people. In contrast, fascism is a top-down takeover of traditionally [small-d) democratic institutions, typically animated by allegiance to a cultish leader. Donald Trump, the Dems argue, is the crazy eight cult leader. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">For me, MAGA Republicans are neither populist nor fascist. To be truly populist or fascist requires a level of commitment to principles and public policy ideas that take hard work to formulate, advocate for, and organize movements around. MAGA Republicans <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/176349/real-reason-republicans-cant-elect-speaker" target="_blank">don't really have much interest in policy</a>. Their most defining trait is that they hate Democrats, and they hate anyone who <i><b>works with</b></i> Democrats. The moment Mr. McCarthy negotiated with Dems to keep the government open--which is another way of saying "the moment he did his job"--he was toast in MAGA world. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">One of the most ridiculous parts of modern electoral politics in the USA is that it is now possible to get elected on a platform of "if you let me serve you I promise never to work with the other side." Think about the absurdity of that position when put in a job interview context: </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Employer</b>: So, Mikey, why should you prevail over all the other qualified candidates? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Mikey the Job Candidate</b>: Because if you hire me I pledge I WILL NOT DO THE JOB.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Politics as resentment, grievance, temper tantrum, trolling, score settling, rejecting any hope of compromise before negotiations even start, and shouting into cable tv and podcast echo chambers is not really politics, at least not in any meaningful sense. Rather, it's a kind of dogmatic mania more typically found in religious movements. In fact, the crazy eight have more in common with the Manichean religion of the 3rd-5th centuries than they do with any coherent American political tradition. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manichaeism" target="_blank">Manicheans</a> believed in a strict duality between good and evil; everything on earth featured forces of light vs. forces of darkness. Journalist Glenn Greenwald, in his book <a href="https://wallwritings.me/2008/12/14/george-bushs-legacy-a-deadly-manichean-mindset/" target="_blank"><b><i>A Tragic Legacy</i></b></a>, argued that the George W. Bush administration was destroyed by the good v. evil mindset: </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-style: italic;"></span></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">[Manichaeism is] a very simplistic idea that even early Christianity rejected as not appreciating the complexities of how the world actually is and the ambiguities, the moral ambiguities that characterize who most of us are in most situations. George Bush views <b><i>the world and his followers viewed the world through this lens of pure good versus pure evil.</i></b> (emphasis added).</span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And it’s not me saying that. He said that in virtually all of his speeches. And when you see the world that way what it means is that if you’re on the side of pure good, as he asserted that he was and we are, it means that anything that you do, no matter how limitless, no matter how brutal and immoral, is inherently justifiable because it’s being enlisted for service of the good.<br /><br /> And by contrast, anything that you do to those on the other side is inherently justified as well because they’re pure evil. And from the war in Iraq to the torture camps and secret prisons that we set up all of the things that have done so much damage, I think that’s the mentality that lies at the heart of it.</span></blockquote><p style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #333333; font-style: italic; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></p><p style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Today's crazy eight, MAGA Republicans have little regard for George W. Bush. In fact, they consider him to be a RINO (Republican in Name Only). <b><i>Yet all they have really done is taken Bush's Manichean mindset and moved it from foreign affairs to the domestic realm</i></b>. We see it most clearly in efforts to shut the government down, erect barriers to make voting more difficult, and framing existential issues like climate and infectious disease prevention as partisan.</span><span face="Rubik, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15px;"> </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlc9eSJ3-3oi7Z6OwbfuMJ38Tm39la8XNp5bNGwEU3IkKhrC13gbxUmrBWqQj88GK0fqhaIBy9xdvZGmecetRQ2iBeW12CvYGm-lD6T5cYBfqPqG6vj3sVQXKElYKQLFUt7ApNpTU_tX8MFSTFPIz_gwkX0LUaqCs_bfIHr_El3Ap_GYDvnR0R/s450/greenwald.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="292" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlc9eSJ3-3oi7Z6OwbfuMJ38Tm39la8XNp5bNGwEU3IkKhrC13gbxUmrBWqQj88GK0fqhaIBy9xdvZGmecetRQ2iBeW12CvYGm-lD6T5cYBfqPqG6vj3sVQXKElYKQLFUt7ApNpTU_tX8MFSTFPIz_gwkX0LUaqCs_bfIHr_El3Ap_GYDvnR0R/s320/greenwald.jpg" width="208" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Glenn Greenwald's 2007 character study of George W. Bush showed how a Manichean mindset of good v. evil animated the administration's foreign policy. Today's MAGA Republicans have taken that mindset and applied it to domestic politics.</span></i></b> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The state of Wisconsin has been reeling from malicious GOP Manicheanism since 2011, when then<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"> Governor Scott Walker didn't even pretend to consult with Democrats (or even moderate Republicans) before pushing the union-busting Act 10 on the state. Since then we've seen the Wisconsin GOP on a Manichean rampage: the most </span></span><a href="https://www.jsonline.com/story/opinion/2023/10/10/wisconsin-legislature-redistricting-bill-gerrymandered-maps/71121540007/" style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" target="_blank">gerrymandered</a><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"> voting districts in the country, refusal to allow hearings for Democrat-sponsored bills, </span></span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/05/us/wisconsin-power-republicans.html" style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" target="_blank">taking powers away</a><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"> from the governor's office the moment a Democrat got elected, dismantling a </span></span><a href="https://urbanmilwaukee.com/2015/10/13/op-ed-dont-kill-the-government-accountability-board/" style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" target="_blank">government accountability board</a><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"> that was recognized nationally for excellence, </span></span><a href="https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2023/10/17/republicans-reject-seven-evers-appointees-including-elections-commissioner-and-dnr-board-members/" style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" target="_blank">firing</a><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"> the Democratic governor's appointees at a </span></span><a href="https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2023/oct/25/melissa-agard/agard-correct-that-gop-senate-more-than-doubled-fi/" style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" target="_blank">record rate</a><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;">, </span></span><a href="https://pbswisconsin.org/news-item/wisconsin-republicans-withhold-uw-pay-raises-in-fight-over-school-diversity-funding/" style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" target="_blank">holding University of Wisconsin System employees raises hostage</a><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"> over a disagreement over Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies at the campuses, and many, many more. Indeed, Wisconsin might be the poster child for religious style persecution masquerading as serious politics<span>. </span></span></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">To be clear, Democrats are not innocent victims in all of this. They have their own Manichean moments, such as the obsession with Russia conspiracies, carrying out their <a href="https://www.vox.com/22961590/redistricting-gerrymandering-house-2022-midterms" target="_blank">own brand of gerrymandering</a> where they have majorities, and keeping their progressive wing on the margins by discouraging competitive primaries. Still, the Dems having Manichean "moments" is not the same as being overrun by a philosophy that is hostile to democratic norms, which has happened in a tragic way to the modern Republican party. </span></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">What role does the mainstream news media play in enabling a Manichean movement? I find myself agreeing with political scientist Lilliana Mason. In an essay in <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/10/06/republican-leaders-mccarthy-expert-roundup-00120170" target="_blank">Politico</a> she wrote</span></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">. . . our political news media privileges stories about conflict. This focus plays into deep-seated human inclinations to pay attention to bad things — and is rewarded with public attention. This incentivizes news media to tell Americans a story about politics that is largely about division, animosity and attention-seeking strategies — all laid over an “us vs. them” framework. Politicians know that all they need to do to gain attention is to start a fight. Very little news media focus on the hard work and compromise of governing a nation, partly because they know that very few Americans will pay attention.</span></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Mason is the author of <a href="https://press.uchicago.edu/dam/ucp/books/pdf/course_intro/978-0-226-52454-2_course_intro.pdf" target="_blank">Uncivil Agreement: How Politics Became Our Identity</a>, which does an excellent job of showing the roots of the "us v. them" reality we are now mired in. In it she quotes political scientist Seth Masket, who in 2016 said, "The Republican Party is demonstrating every day that it hates Democrats more than it loves democracy." Seven years later, that brand of Manicheanism is stronger than ever. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBS24qH5HbMLydPf6_J7oJpRQaPR39p0NiPxLbc1g76AUvjorsH_RtYBJEibIfCQ7UppWkh2kcvqa4-oAn2DovwuddF0xziX1mHOjg0zdUhL3fUyJ1c3elua50ITqckW1kwS6i2M51UYRijJ3CcR2iiL2jgI8KSF2GvJFfOsq-0x_HqeQGaOha/s1000/mason.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="1000" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBS24qH5HbMLydPf6_J7oJpRQaPR39p0NiPxLbc1g76AUvjorsH_RtYBJEibIfCQ7UppWkh2kcvqa4-oAn2DovwuddF0xziX1mHOjg0zdUhL3fUyJ1c3elua50ITqckW1kwS6i2M51UYRijJ3CcR2iiL2jgI8KSF2GvJFfOsq-0x_HqeQGaOha/w200-h112/mason.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>Professor Lilliana Mason's excellent book Uncivil Agreement explores the roots of the extreme us v. them politics of our time.</i></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: white; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: helvetica;">Matt Taibbi's </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hate-Inc-Todays-Despise-Another/dp/1682194078" style="font-family: helvetica;" target="_blank">Hate, Inc</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: helvetica;">. takes things a step further and shows how promoting hate of other Americans is now the dominant business model of cable news. If he is correct, it would make sense for media to give attention to politicians who rate higher on the religious zealotry scale than on anything resembling political pragmatism. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: helvetica;">If it is true that our democracy is on the ropes, in part because of the Manicheans takeover of one of the major political parties, what do we do about it? Here are eight suggestions designed to prevent us from becoming crazy eight style people: </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><blockquote><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: helvetica;"><i>*Organize at the local level with people who want to make a positive difference in the lives of others. </i></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>*Have difficult conversations with friends, family, coworkers, and others. </i></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>*Support independent media. </i></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>*Resist the temptation to call people you disagree with "evil." Use the term "mistaken" instead. </i></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>*Accept that you too are probably mistaken on a number of issues. </i></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>*If a public policy idea makes sense to you, support it NO MATTER WHO ELSE does. </i></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>*If a public policy idea strikes you as harmful, call it out even if your side supports it. </i></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>*Get in the habit of willfully seeking out ideas that you disagree with. Make sure that your disagreement is grounded in something more solid than hostility to the people stating the idea(s).</i></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: helvetica;"> </span></p></blockquote><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: helvetica;"></span></p>tony palmerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506831576450002435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19989310.post-56062120007884604172023-10-01T10:28:00.005-05:002023-10-02T06:32:34.611-05:00Celebration of the Music of 1973, Part 2<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Back in July, <a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2023/06/celebration-of-music-of-1973-part-1.html">I identified 25 of the best albums of 1973</a>. As noted in that post, 1973 was the height of the so-called "classic rock" era, even though much of the best music of that time was/is not necessarily "rock" in the most strict sense. The majority of the artists were practicing a kind of musical gumbo, mixing and mashing together multiple genres from rhythm and blues to jazz to soul to heavy metal to folk and others. New recording technologies, FM radio, and social movements for freedom sparked an amazing burst of creativity that may never be matched. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I've written about this before, and I'll say it again: the importance of FM radio in creating an audience for boundary-pushing music cannot be overstated. Fifty years ago, the most popular artists attained that status not just because of their musical talents, but because FM radio music directors were committed to an ethic of expanding the musical tastes of listeners. They hired DJs to play the music who actually loved it. By the late 1970s that ethic would be gone, replaced by market survey driven playlists, canned shows hosted by bland jocks, and a kind of soft-censorship of creative art. MTV was probably the final nail in the coffin of progressive, ear opening rock radio. Music that pushes boundaries never went away, but finding it requires the patience to navigate streaming sites and (mostly) online guides to new music. In the early 70s you could get exposed to the creativity just by turning on your radio. Former DJ Richard Neer, one of the pioneers of the early FM radio format at WNEW-FM in New York, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/books/02/07/fm.neer/index.html" target="_blank">told CNN</a>: </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"For a brief period, what we were doing was an art form. It didn't last . . . But it died a lot sooner than it had to."</span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEjw_UkOoDpTbex1ZT0wPPs6u-a0DH91Clz8Jrj26aVO8xm8deyy6FaN4yCJLyrbrYOX7PoMt_rxQKX6i8zDOW01BblHFYnr9x9QXfjHnrRuDI5BbOW8f2zCYvLiaA9iTXCAZyU2m7PfXA31TyZ46e31XmYc3YPaEHfUYyZ719JRIxnNvW4AlM/s2340/sklarstratus.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2340" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEjw_UkOoDpTbex1ZT0wPPs6u-a0DH91Clz8Jrj26aVO8xm8deyy6FaN4yCJLyrbrYOX7PoMt_rxQKX6i8zDOW01BblHFYnr9x9QXfjHnrRuDI5BbOW8f2zCYvLiaA9iTXCAZyU2m7PfXA31TyZ46e31XmYc3YPaEHfUYyZ719JRIxnNvW4AlM/s320/sklarstratus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>The legendary Leland Sklar in his home studio, with the actual bass guitar that he played on the classic track "Stratus" from the 1973 Billy Cobham album "Spectrum" </i></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But enough lamenting the sad state of contemporary FM radio. Let's instead celebrate the music of 1973! Below are my personal top-25 from that year. The ranking is just for convenience and to make for easier reading; they are all relatively equal to me. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#25: Billy Cobham, "Spectrum."</b> When discussing art, words like "remarkable," "iconic," and "groundbreaking" are frequently overused. However, those accolades actually do fit when discussing drummer Billy Cobham's epic "Spectrum" album. With Cobham and keyboardist Jan Hammer bringing their jazz chops to the table, and with bassist Leland Sklar and guitarist Tommy Bolin adding a blues/rock sensibility, the result was something unprecedented and extraordinary. This album supposedly so inspired the late Jeff Beck that it solidified his drive to record jazz-rock records in the mid-1970s. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Sklar's playing on "Stratus" is probably my all time favorite bass riff. Ever. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/b1rX9E8NuRw?si=SLdokdclBeJPY7ZE" target="_blank">Billy Cobham: Stratus</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/b1rX9E8NuRw" width="320" youtube-src-id="b1rX9E8NuRw"></iframe></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#24: Hall & Oates, "Abandoned Luncheonette."</b> I've never been a great fan of Darryl Hall and John Oates, but as time has passed I've developed more appreciation for their unique pop sound--a sound that was much more musically ambitious and sophisticated than I was able to recognize at the time. These guys were thoroughly grounded in R & B and soul traditions, resulting in minor masterpieces like "She's Gone" from "Abandoned Luncheonette." Today, a moving ballad like that would probably have an electronic dance music beat and a "featured" rapper in the middle for no apparent reason. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/87Q042KlxI4?si=nmecWnPfseAMPPmx">Hall & Oates: She's Gone</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3Cos7id7HtE" width="320" youtube-src-id="3Cos7id7HtE"></iframe></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#23: ELO, "On the Third Day."</b> Jeff Lynne of the Electric Light Orchestra is one of the true geniuses in rock history. There was no way the Beatles would reunite after the death of John Lennon, but if they had done so, it's entirely conceivable that Lynne would have been brought on board as John's stand-in. John Lennon himself was a huge fan of ELO, calling them "son of Beatles," and in 1974 he praised the song "Showdown" <a href="https://youtu.be/DOBm8hcvWDw?si=i2u2IRubQvWJHRlR" target="_blank">during an interview on WNEW-FM radio in New York</a>.</span> </p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/JHsUGJ4jDsw?si=fyYHSOgoNrOwI4Ze" target="_blank">ELO: Showdown</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JHsUGJ4jDsw" width="320" youtube-src-id="JHsUGJ4jDsw"></iframe></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#22: Paul Simon, "There Goes Rhymin' Simon."</b> One of Simon's premier post Simon & Garfunkel records, featuring a number of songs that stayed in heavy FM radio rotation for much of the 1970s and 1980s. My favorite is probably "American Tune," Simon's Watergate scandal lament whose melancholy melody and lyrics I came back to frequently during the Covid crisis: </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>And I don't know a soul who's not been battered</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>I don't have a friend who feels at ease</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>I don't know a dream that's not been shattered </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Or driven to its knees</i></span><i style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"> </i></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/0OEWBq_jzuA?si=smiDRGoYBEMJ0dbf" target="_blank">Paul Simon: American Tune</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AE3kKUEY5WU" width="320" youtube-src-id="AE3kKUEY5WU"></iframe></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#21: Renaissance, "Ashes are Burning."</b> English progressive rock band Renaissance featured the lead vocals of Annie Haslam, one of the most underrated singer/songwriters in popular music history. "Ashes are Burning" received much FM airplay in the 1970s, with beautiful songs like "Carpet of the Sun" and "Can You Understand" becoming quite popular at the time. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/upIlhve5r-g?si=F-gvFz7kcbzTxcL1" target="_blank">Renaissance: Carpet of the Sun</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/upIlhve5r-g" width="320" youtube-src-id="upIlhve5r-g"></iframe></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#20: Bob Marley and the Wailers, "Burnin'."</b> The sixth album by reggae gods Bob Marley and the Wailers, but the first to achieve commercial success in the United States. The album starts with "Get Up, Stand Up," which might be the most powerful musical call to action ever recorded. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/X2W3aG8uizA?si=P9XsoJO-iEYHEiJD" target="_blank">Bob Marley: Get Up, Stand Up</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/X2W3aG8uizA" width="320" youtube-src-id="X2W3aG8uizA"></iframe></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#19: Genesis, "Genesis Live."</b> Most people know the band Genesis as the Phil Collins led outfit with a string of pop hits in the 1980s and 1990s. The original Genesis featured Collins on drums, but the singing and most of the songwriting was done by the great Peter Gabriel. "Genesis Live" is an important album in the history of "progressive rock," with abstract lyrics, complex arrangements, and a theatrical live performance defining the genre about as well as any other recording of the time. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/4su9Sz0n0ns?si=xPQJ5eB7YVrBa6Vl" target="_blank">Genesis: Watcher of the Skies</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/z5NOV0-EH0c" width="320" youtube-src-id="z5NOV0-EH0c"></iframe></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#18: Mike Oldfield, "Tubular Bells."</b> There is only one movie that I've seen once and refuse to see a second time. That's William Friedkin's "The Exorcist," an amazing cinematic achievement that terrified me to the point of almost wanting to seek counseling. (People raised in a Catholic tradition will understand that.). Part of the soundtrack of that film was Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells," recorded when he was only 19 years old. Once attached to The Exorcist, the haunting melody became instantly iconic. Because I do not like being reminded of the terrifying scenes from that film, I do not often listen to Tubular Bells. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/bv_4sZCLlr0?si=crWcYT1jURFrO00U" target="_blank">Mike Oldfield: Tubular Bells</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bv_4sZCLlr0" width="320" youtube-src-id="bv_4sZCLlr0"></iframe></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#17 Iggy and the Stooges, "Raw Power."</b> Born James Osterberg in 1947 in Muskegon, MI, "Iggy Pop" became the "Godfather of Punk." "Raw Power" was a hard rockin' good time whose soaring guitars and playful zaniness represented a style that would ultimately be imitated by scores of punk bands in the USA and Europe throughout the 1970s and all the way up to today. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/pIFJ9LQz7Kk?si=B_wu4fZTRqJPQM9q" target="_blank">Iggy Pop: Shake Appeal</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TCmDBlUoSew" width="320" youtube-src-id="TCmDBlUoSew"></iframe></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#16: David Bowie, "Alladin Sane." </b>One of the classics of Bowie's "glam rock" period, featuring a number of songs that stayed in his concert set for decades, most notably "The Jean Genie" and "Panic in Detroit." (Both tunes reveal Bowie's Chicago electric blues roots.). This was the first album that Bowie wrote and recorded after he had become an international star, a stressful period for him in which he was truly "A Lad Insane." </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/BLbi6y4ktgc?si=2X6RaDvB-9dwkTws" target="_blank">David Bowie: The Jean Genie</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BLbi6y4ktgc" width="320" youtube-src-id="BLbi6y4ktgc"></iframe></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#15: Nazareth, "Loud and Proud."</b> How the fuck are Scottish hard rockers Nazareth NOT in the rock and roll hall of fame? Lead singer Dan McCafferty and guitar player Manny Charlton in the 1970s were right up there with Black Sabbath's Ozzy Osborne and Tony Iommi, Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, and Deep Purple's Ian Gillan and Ritchie Blackmore for heavy metal histrionics. Loud and Proud has a number of original tunes on it, but Nazareth's cover of Bob Dylan's "Hollis Brown" and Joni Mitchell's "This Flight Tonight" were remarkable reworkings of those classic songs. In fact, Nancy Wilson of Heart <a href="https://youtu.be/7MR28NW1sLM?si=HmVLhdZD0UQSxJ_G" target="_blank">claims that she stole the riff for the hit song "Barracuda"</a> from Nazareth's cover of "This Flight Tonight." </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/ylW6sC6NNhY?si=SMVDAHjrG3bf-J5z" target="_blank">Nazareth: This Flight Tonight</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ylW6sC6NNhY" width="320" youtube-src-id="ylW6sC6NNhY"></iframe></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#14: Marvin Gaye, "Let's Get It On.'</b> Unlike 1971's "What's Goin' On," Gaye's 1973 effort was not a politically charged recording. However, it did solidify his reputation as probably the greatest soul singer in the world not named James Brown, Ray Charles, Nina Simone, or Aretha Franklin. The title track remains as a soul classic. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/tQj1kPmQXwE?si=MvB4HZ-b5b8j_9-8" target="_blank">Marvin Gaye: Let's Get It On</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9vAiESu5wrA" width="320" youtube-src-id="9vAiESu5wrA"></iframe></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#13: Al Green, "Call Me."</b> Speaking of legendary soul singers, how about Al Green? If you ever watch the music competition shows like "American Idol" or "The Voice," it always seems like the majority of the contestants strive to imitate Al Green's falsetto style. A number of critics consider "Call Me" to be Green's masterpiece, in part because its links to later artists are so clear and easy to hear. Believe it or not, there was a time when a great song like "Here I Am" would actually be played on FM rock radio. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/vHAXp39WjZM?si=Fzsn6KJZCHb2neOO" target="_blank">Al Green: Here I Am (Come and Take Me)</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aTpDFXhgGjM" width="320" youtube-src-id="aTpDFXhgGjM"></iframe></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#12: James Brown, "The Payback."</b> Hard to talk about soul masters without getting to the Godfather of Soul himself, Soul Brother #1 James Brown. In 1973 he released "The Payback," one of his many funk masterpieces of the era. The title song of the album has been sampled by hip hop and other artists over 400 (!) times. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/keYaO7GdT-Y?si=3z9rqHyOwknSgtRt" target="_blank">James Brown: The Payback</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/keYaO7GdT-Y" width="320" youtube-src-id="keYaO7GdT-Y"></iframe></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#11: Black Sabbath, "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath." </b>The 5th album by the original Black Sabbath line-up, and the last truly spectacular one they recorded in my humble opinion. The album is the epitome of the Sabbath brand: head bashing guitar riffs, socially conscious lyrics, a rhythm section that wakes you up like Vincent Vega giving Mia Wallace the adrenaline shot in Pulp Fiction, and Ozzy Osborne's extreme vocals that send bats into hibernation. Sabbath at that time had great appeal to alienated, socially awkward kids like me, and the fact that they were for the most part banned from FM radio made their mystique even greater. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/IH-scIRAl-Y?si=SfXI3vHNm8KKBjao" target="_blank">Black Sabbath: Killing Yourself To Live</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IH-scIRAl-Y" width="320" youtube-src-id="IH-scIRAl-Y"></iframe></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#10: Bachman Turner Overdrive, "BTO II."</b> I think Canadian musician Randy Bachman, co-founder of 1960s iconic band The Guess Who and leader of BTO, is another one of those seriously under rated singers, songwriters, and guitar players. Unlike Black Sabbath, BTO did not play metal for the alienated kids as much as for the blue collar folks. There's a working class ethic to their early albums not only in the music, but in the band's image: "average" looking dudes with weight issues who rejected ANY pressure to conform to the more flashy "glam" images of the time. In that way they were actually quite refreshing. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/NCIUf8eYPqA?si=vPzCGYQtBwC0WF8m" target="_blank">BTO: Takin' Care of Business</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NCIUf8eYPqA" width="320" youtube-src-id="NCIUf8eYPqA"></iframe></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#9: Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, "Brain Salad Surgery."</b> Anyone old enough to have purchased this album in vinyl in the 1970s will remember what seemed like an intricate jacket/sleeve that reinforced the band's avant garde image. I remember being impressed by the fact that the album included a quote from Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera (who wrote "Tocatta" that appears on the record): "Keith Emerson has beautifully caught the mood of my piece." To me that seemed to add some credibility to the album, as if ELP were saying, "see, even SERIOUS composers like our stuff." Portions of "Karn Evil 9" dominated FM radio for much of the 1970s, a fact that actually motivated punk rockers because they were known to hold up ELP as an example of the kind of music they were reacting against. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/IwSTe9uit48?si=qZqCYWe-VjVjXcAn" target="_blank">ELP: Karn Evil 9, First Impression Part 2</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IwSTe9uit48" width="320" youtube-src-id="IwSTe9uit48"></iframe></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#8: The Who, "Quadrophenia."</b> Pete Townshend's most ambitious project. "Quadrophenia" is an epic example of the "concept" album that Pete pioneered several years previously with "Tommy." Much more than Tommy, Quadrophenia had autobiographical elements; it calls forth the "mods v. rockers" battles in England that the band's members were literal participants in during the early 1960s. For me, Quadrophenia should be considered a central text in any discussion of the baby boomers: its themes of alienation, generational strife, striking out against authority, getting lost in sex/drugs/alcohol mirages, and desperately wanting to know LOVE are things that define that generation. I consider Pete Townshend's theme song on this record, "Love, Reign O'er Me," to be one of the most profound pieces of recorded music in global history. And I'm not exaggerating. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/DhLsC2FpDZk?si=4GkuYk7vS1dUMwJ3" target="_blank">The Who: Love, Reign O'er Me</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DhLsC2FpDZk" width="320" youtube-src-id="DhLsC2FpDZk"></iframe></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#7: Queen, "Queen."</b> Not the band's best album by any means, but it holds a special place in the hearts of all Queen fans for being the one that introduced remarkable Freddy Mercury to the world. "Keep Yourself Alive" got the most radio attention, though "Great King Rat" and "Liar," I would argue, have the lyrical imagination and Brian May guitar theatrics that would define the band as they moved forward. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/JofwEB9g1zg?si=HX8lIjp0qMXF-ioM" target="_blank">Queen: Keep Yourself Alive</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/D9Sez-RZVs0" width="320" youtube-src-id="D9Sez-RZVs0"></iframe></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#6: ZZ Top, "Tres Hombres."</b> My all time favorite ZZ Top record, and considered by most critics to be the masterpiece of the band's early days. When ZZ Top inducted Cream (Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker) into the rock and roll hall of fame, it became clear how much TOP--like Cream--saw their music as an expression of love for American blues. "Tres Hombres" is the best example of that expression. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/3-dxpinUORo?si=4stQZmRtrUQyvDQe" target="_blank">ZZ Top: Waitin' For the Bus/Jesus Just Left Chicago</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3-dxpinUORo" width="320" youtube-src-id="3-dxpinUORo"></iframe></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#5: Stevie Wonder, "Innervisions."</b> In 1973 Stevie Wonder was only 23 years old, and yet Innervisions was his 16th studio album. "Innervisions" is one of a string of early 1970s albums from Stevie that showcases socially conscious lyrics backed up by funky beats and soul arrangements. "Living For The City" is one of the most extraordinary songs ever to come out of Motown, a recording that forever put Stevie in the same ballpark as Marvin Gaye in "What's Goin' On." </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/Nu95a_RiH54?si=t-iF5yayeM4cIA6G" target="_blank">Stevie Wonder: Living For The City</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rc0XEw4m-3w" width="320" youtube-src-id="rc0XEw4m-3w"></iframe></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#4: Elton John, "Goodbye Yellowbrick Road."</b> In vinyl terms, Goodbye Yellowbrick Road was a double album, and each of the four sides had a distinct personality. In that sense it was like the Beatles' White Album, and really the entire effort was extremely Beatles-esque. "Bennie and the Jets" remains a concert favorite to this very day, but Elton over the years has at various times included all the song on this album in shows at one time or another. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/p5rQHoaQpTw?si=Ie-uY0HQO1Jp6KO-" target="_blank">Elton John: Bennie and the Jets</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/p5rQHoaQpTw" width="320" youtube-src-id="p5rQHoaQpTw"></iframe></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#3: Led Zeppelin, "Houses of the Holy."</b> The album Zep released previously to this one ("Led Zeppelin IV) included global sensation "Stairway to Heaven" and so there was little chance of the band topping that. And yet for me, "The Rain Song" from "Houses of the Holy" is far superior to "Stairway." "The Rain Song" is one of the few times Zep found a way to mix Jimmy Page's acoustic and electric sounds, along with Robert Plant's vocal range, with a touching set of lyrics that cut deep into universal human experience. Unlike "Stairway," the meaning of which has been debated ad nauseum for 50+ years, "The Rain Song" is a simple but powerful expression of what it means to be a human being in love. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/57Lz92Tir8o?si=qlgv-7ViDNGsyZ-z" target="_blank">Led Zeppelin: The Rain Song</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/g8VduT7aR2c" width="320" youtube-src-id="g8VduT7aR2c"></iframe></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#2: Tom Waits, "Closing Time."</b> If there was a contest to nominate the most unique singer/songwriter of all time, I am quite sure that Tom Waits would get a substantial amount of votes. "Closing Time" was his first album, and his voice is not as deep and gravely as it would be in all future recordings. "Closing Time" gained popularity over the years, in part because almost all the songs on it have been covered by other artists who made them more well known. The best example is "Ol' 55, which Waits released as a single but became a hit for the Eagles. Waits did not appreciate the Eagles cover, calling it "antiseptic," and in an interview he went further: "<span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;">I don’t like the Eagles. They’re about as exciting as watching paint dry. Their albums are good for keeping the dust off your turntable and that’s about all.” Ouch! </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://youtu.be/xSgX2TAZAbE?si=elAwqWqk7rsaJid0" target="_blank">Tom Waits: Ol' 55</a></span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xSgX2TAZAbE" width="320" youtube-src-id="xSgX2TAZAbE"></iframe></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#1: Pink Floyd, "Dark Side of the Moon."</b> An album that in its day was the most commercially successful rock album of all time, which was ironic given it was essentially an extended critique of the human condition. Whenever I teach "the Rhetoric of Rock and Roll," we usually listen to a couple of songs off this album, and there are ALWAYS a handful of students who ended up digging into the entire Pink Floyd catalogue as a result. Like The Who's "Quadrophenia," Dark Side of the Moon is another record that defines the baby boom generation; I've always loved the fact that for decades people searched for hidden messages in it, and the insistence that the album synchronizes perfectly with The Wizard of Oz (which Roger Waters calls <a href="https://youtu.be/Onl2Wtitx0c?si=w4rn3kiNdFLMYz1w" target="_blank">Bullshit</a>) is just hilarious. In all seriousness, Dark Side of the Moon is a brilliant record, with a musical integrity and thematic intelligence that is extremely rare to find in any era. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/yl-Ms_ek-kE?si=T3RlmGoROx7nGVOX" target="_blank">Pink Floyd: Time</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Qr0-7Ds79zo" width="320" youtube-src-id="Qr0-7Ds79zo"></iframe></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There you have my top 25 of 1973! Hope you enjoyed it! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">See Also: </span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2022/06/celebration-of-music-of-1972-part-1.html" target="_blank">Celebration of the Music of 1972, Part 1</a></span></li><li><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2022/09/celebration-of-music-of-1972-part-2.html" target="_blank">Celebration of the Music of 1972, Part 2</a></li><li><b><u>Ten Bold Cover Tunes Series:</u></b></li><ul><li><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2019/06/ten-bold-cover-tunes-part-i.html" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: blue; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ten Bold Cover Tunes, Part 1</span></a></li><li><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2019/07/ten-bold-cover-tunes-part-ii.html" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: blue; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ten Bold Cover Tunes, Part II</span></a></li><li><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2019/09/ten-bold-cover-tunes-part-iii-guitar.html" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: blue; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ten Bold Cover Tunes, Part III: Guitar Hero Edition</span></a></li><li><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2020/02/ten-bold-cover-tunes-part-iv-dare-to.html" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: blue; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ten Bold Cover Tunes, Part IV: Dare to Cover Johnny Cash Edition</span></a></li><li><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2020/03/ten-bold-cover-tunes-part-v-i-wont-back.html" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: blue; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ten Bold Cover Tunes, Part V: I Won't Back Down Edition</span></a></li><li><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2020/04/ten-bold-cover-tunes-part-vi-bring-it.html" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: blue; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ten Bold Cover Tunes, Part VI: Bring It On Home To Me Edition</span></a></li><li><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2020/05/ten-bold-cover-tunes-part-vii-kennedy.html" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: blue; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ten Bold Cover Tunes, Part VII: The Kennedy Center Honors Edition</span></a></li><li><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2020/07/ten-bod-cover-tunes-part-viii-classical.html" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: blue; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ten Bold Cover Tunes, Part VIII: Classical Music Covers Edition</span></a></li><li><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2020/08/ten-bold-cover-tunes-part-ix-covering.html" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: blue; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ten Bold Cover Tunes, Part IX: Covering Spoken Words</span></a></li><li><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2020/10/ten-bold-cover-tunes-part-x-last-night.html" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: blue; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ten Bold Cover Tunes, Part X: Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream Edition</span></a></li><li><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2021/06/ten-bold-cover-tunes-part-xi-original.html" style="background-color: #fefdfa;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ten Bold Cover Tunes Part XI: Original Tunes That Got The Twist And Shout Treatment</span></a></li><li><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2022/01/ten-bold-cover-tunes-part-xii-theme.html" style="background-color: #fefdfa;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ten Bold Cover Tunes Part XII: Theme From Peter Gunn Edittion</span></a></li><li><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2022/04/ten-bold-cover-tunes-part-xiii-reggae.html" style="background-color: #fefdfa;" target="_blank">Ten Bold Cover Tunes Part XIII: Reggae Versions of the Classics</a></li></ul></ul><p></p>tony palmerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506831576450002435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19989310.post-77636332859018375772023-08-31T14:15:00.006-05:002023-09-01T10:11:22.168-05:00Real Assaults on Free Speech<span style="font-family: helvetica;">If your only source of information about the First Amendment was Wisconsin's mainstream media, you would think that contemporary assaults on freedom of speech and expression are the product of "cancel culture," or social media censorship carried out by private tech companies, or the <a href="https://badgerherald.com/news/2023/02/21/uw-system-free-speech-survey-results-show-reluctance-to-express-opinions-by-conservative-students/" target="_blank">alleged hesitation of conservative students</a> to speak out on UW campuses. While cancel culture, private censorship and free speech at the UW are all important and deserve attention, allowing them to dominate the media space allotted to First Amendment issues ends up diverting attention away from much more substantive and disturbing attacks on free speech rights. In this post I'm going to describe four current assaults on free speech and expression that <b><i>have</i></b> certainly been covered in the mainstream press, but not with the sense of urgency given to the issues previously mentioned. We need to reverse that. </span><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><u>Free Speech Assault #1: The Murder of Laura Ann Carelton</u></b>. The great writer George Bernard Shaw famously said, "Assassination is the extreme form of censorship." In August we saw a chilling example of that, when 66-year-old Laura Ann Carelton, an "<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/laura-ann-carleton-magpi-store-owner-killed-pride-flag-best-friend-interview-melissa-lawton/" target="_blank">unapologetic LGBTQ ally</a>," was shot dead by an individual who objected to her display of pride flags.</span> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV_Mz5ODG8hiFKS3p4LgyGH7YaVdqa6xporFY45B2prfCvMOeaqAFeeuM3ngVOcOP32OZso1viuSCfLO1ce2arEJanUfDiclEOsh2PReStrvb3NJ34_1KlafhmGO415TIykQLxCxeNTYpP7Cr4xcRFOJ3N0B8qoOiwiZYXLJBOV2b42bo496KV/s645/carelton.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="363" data-original-width="645" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV_Mz5ODG8hiFKS3p4LgyGH7YaVdqa6xporFY45B2prfCvMOeaqAFeeuM3ngVOcOP32OZso1viuSCfLO1ce2arEJanUfDiclEOsh2PReStrvb3NJ34_1KlafhmGO415TIykQLxCxeNTYpP7Cr4xcRFOJ3N0B8qoOiwiZYXLJBOV2b42bo496KV/s320/carelton.webp" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>Laura Ann Carelton was murdered for flying a pride flag. Her killer's social media presence featured extreme anti-LGBTQ rhetoric. Such rhetoric is has increasingly become normalized on the political right.</i></b></span> <br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Carelton's assassin, who was himself killed in a shootout with police, maintained a social media site dripping with hatred of the LGBTQ community. Anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric occurs against a backdrop of the Republican Party <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/03/25/lgbtq-rights-gop-bills-dont-say-gay/" target="_blank">sponsoring hundreds of bills</a> in the last few years that would restrict LGBTQ+ rights in a number of areas. When allies like Ms. Carelton are targeted, it sends a chilling message to other activists who dare use their free speech rights to stand for equality.</span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjppyP7Hg6IiusN5nYMmJ0dCmFsD6m1i4DEAUEKaqxWYiw5VkoAuygJ5PT1dUPrXuXrYgwSRYB3oYBf8EgLm-_4jdadXUwEyQwYCUsTCvNchGfYGj-SB_1oVm4_aoNofwiQgUsADeH4OThusnQaZQcCkqbUnFzEkZ6rQZLXHa1vOAkkAmxHceRj/s2340/ikeguchi.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2340" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjppyP7Hg6IiusN5nYMmJ0dCmFsD6m1i4DEAUEKaqxWYiw5VkoAuygJ5PT1dUPrXuXrYgwSRYB3oYBf8EgLm-_4jdadXUwEyQwYCUsTCvNchGfYGj-SB_1oVm4_aoNofwiQgUsADeH4OThusnQaZQcCkqbUnFzEkZ6rQZLXHa1vOAkkAmxHceRj/w185-h400/ikeguchi.jpg" width="185" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><u>Free Speech Assault #2: The Marion County Record under siege</u></b>. Also in August, police in tiny Marion County, Kansas, apparently at the behest of a local businesswoman upset with the Marion County Record's reporting about her, <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/08/11/police-stage-chilling-raid-on-marion-county-newspaper-seizing-computers-records-and-cellphones/" target="_blank">staged an unprecedented raid</a> on the of the office of the newspaper. They even raided the home of the paper's publisher <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_K._Meyer" target="_blank">Eric Meyer</a> (who previously spent almost twenty years at the Milwaukee Journal). Meyer's 98-year-old mother Joan, who was co-owner of the paper, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2023/08/22/marion-county-record-joan-meyer-vpx.cnn#:~:text=Newly%20released%20video%20shows%20Joan,later%20withdrew%20the%20search%20warrant." target="_blank">literally died</a> the day after the raid. What an awful tragedy and travesty. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The paper has a <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/08/22/1195291862/the-marion-county-record-that-police-raided-has-a-history-of-hard-hitting-report#:~:text=Hourly%20News-,The%20'Marion%20County%20Record'%20that%20police%20raided%20has%20a%20history,newspapers%20vanish%20across%20the%20country." target="_blank">long history</a> of hard hitting reporting, which is increasingly rare for local newspapers. In fact it was the paper's brand of accountability journalism, not some bogus charge of enabling "identify theft" as claimed by the businesswoman, that led to the raid. The Reporters Committee For Freedom of the Press, along with 35 news outlets, condemned the siege. <a href="https://www.rcfp.org/marion-county-record-raid-letter/" target="_blank">In a letter to the Marion police</a>, they said in part: </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #2d2d2d; font-family: helvetica;"><i>“Your department’s seizure of this equipment has substantially interfered with the Record’s First Amendment-protected newsgathering in this instance, and the department’s actions risk chilling the free flow of information in the public interest more broadly, including by dissuading sources from speaking to the Record and other Kansas news media in the future."</i> </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #2d2d2d; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #2d2d2d; font-family: helvetica;">It would be difficult to find a more stunning and stark violation of the First Amendment's guarantee of press freedom. To support the Marion County Record, you can <a href="http://marionrecord.com/cgi-bin/credit.cgi?subscription:MARION+COUNTY+RECORD" target="_blank">subscribe here</a>. </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #2d2d2d; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #2d2d2d; font-family: helvetica;"><b><u>Free Speech Assault #3: SLAPP in Wisconsin</u></b>. One of the most shameless and shameful ways thin skinned, powerful individuals and interests attempt to silence their critics is through filing sham defamation lawsuits designed to bankrupt the critics. <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/slapp_suit#:~:text=Strategic%20Lawsuit%20Against%20Public%20Participation,legal%20claims%20against%20the%20critics." target="_blank">According to</a> Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute, a "Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation" (SLAPP) Suit, </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #2d2d2d; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #2d2d2d; font-family: helvetica;"><i><span><span style="color: #333333;">"refers to lawsuits brought by individuals and </span><a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/entity" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 28, 114); box-sizing: border-box; color: #001c72; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;">entities</a><span style="color: #333333;"> to dissuade their critics from continuing to produce negative publicity. By definition, SLAPP suits do not have any true legal claims against the critics. People bring SLAPP suits because they can either temporarily prevent their critics from making public statements against them or more commonly to make critics spend all of their time and resources defending the SLAPP suits."</span></span><span face=""Open Sans", "Sohne Buch", Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #333333;"> </span></i></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #2d2d2d;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span face="Open Sans, Sohne Buch, Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span>Wisconsin Republican Senator Cory Tomczyk is currently providing the nation with a textbook case of how to use a SLAPP suit to try and drive a publication out of business. The <a href="https://wausaupilotandreview.com/2021/08/28/threats-against-elected-officials-marked-heated-debate-on-community-for-all-resolution/" target="_blank">Wausau Pilot & Review</a> in 2021 reported on a contentious meeting concerning a diversity resolution. As a part of the story, the reporter pointed out that Tomczyk, who was not in the Senate at the time, had been overheard calling a 13-year-old boy who supported the resolution a "fag." Tomczyk denies saying that, even though there were multiple witnesses who overheard it, but he did admit in a deposition to using that language at other times. His goal now seems to be to drive the newspaper out of business</span>.</span> </span></span></div><div><span face="Open Sans, Sohne Buch, Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #333333;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZHB3-75jmlStOufHX11B2DMwFA4wGuFyoV5cPRx-9RFyfz-kzTyP1Iwi75CN2oSV2YAbcZoMEhlwmCgbJnny6trnWpB8IIc9dfrBQcjUot-Bp5SABcatc7RsV00-GlCW7g4lZEB52Q2Xl4W1QAFwZ2hsuwwv42-LtWEjpx0kv0nZZeb4dl0N/s331/shereen.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="331" data-original-width="331" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZHB3-75jmlStOufHX11B2DMwFA4wGuFyoV5cPRx-9RFyfz-kzTyP1Iwi75CN2oSV2YAbcZoMEhlwmCgbJnny6trnWpB8IIc9dfrBQcjUot-Bp5SABcatc7RsV00-GlCW7g4lZEB52Q2Xl4W1QAFwZ2hsuwwv42-LtWEjpx0kv0nZZeb4dl0N/w200-h200/shereen.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><span><i><b>Shereen Siewert is the editor of the Wausau Pilot & Review. The paper is fighting for survival because Wisconsin law does not allow defendants victimized by frivolous lawsuits to recoup legal expenses</b></i></span>.</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face="Open Sans, Sohne Buch, Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;">In April a judge dismissed Tomczyk's lawsuit, which should have been the end of it. But he decided to appeal, for what appears to be a malicious desire to put the paper out of business. Because Wisconsin does not have anti-SLAPP legislation, what Tomczyk is doing is perfectly legal. Editor Shereen Siewert <a href="https://wausaupilotandreview.com/2023/08/17/commentary-cory-tomczyk-wages-war-on-small-media-outlet/" target="_blank">told journalist Bill Leuders</a>, </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111;"> "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111;">even if we win, we lose, because there is no way for us to counter sue or recoup our losses in any way … because we live in Wisconsin.”</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: helvetica;">On August 22, Wisconsin's State Senate Democrats <a href="https://pbswisconsin.org/news-item/wisconsin-democrats-want-to-deter-slapp-lawsuits-as-republican-state-senator-sues-wausau-media-outlet/" target="_blank">introduced legislation</a> that would allow Wisconsin to join more than 30 other states that ban sham SLAPP lawsuits. Unfortunately the legislation has little chance of passing, or even getting a hearing, as long as Wisconsin's legislature remains the poster child for extreme partisan gerrymandering. </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: helvetica;">The Wausau Pilot & Review has set up a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/wausau-pilot-review-legal-defense-fund" target="_blank">legal defense fund</a> on GoFundMe. Please consider supporting them if you have the resources to do so. You will not only be helping to rescue a great newspaper, but also rescuing the First Amendment from a malicious attempt to undermine it. </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #2d2d2d;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #2d2d2d;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: helvetica;"><b><u>Free Speech Assault #4: Book Banning In Schools</u></b>: Last month <a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2023/08/what-if-first-graders-google-waukesha.html" target="_blank">I posted a rant</a> on the case of former Heyer Elementary School (Waukesha, WI) teacher Melissa Tempel, in which her termination was a direct result of her attempt to allow her first-graders to sing "Rainbowland" at a school sponsored spring concert. </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #2d2d2d;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #2d2d2d;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: helvetica;">It turns out that so-called conservatives, who have spent years lamenting the loss of free speech, are promoting widespread censorship of literature in schools. According to a New York Times summary of <a href="https://pen.org/report/banned-usa-growing-movement-to-censor-books-in-schools/" target="_blank">a report from free speech advocacy group PEN America</a>: </span></span></div><div><span color="var(--color-content-secondary,#363636)" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span color="var(--color-content-secondary,#363636)" style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">From July to December 2022, PEN found 1,477 cases of books being removed, up from 1,149 during the previous six months. Since the organization began tracking bans in July 2021, it has counted more than 4,000 instances of book removals using news reports, public records requests and publicly available data.</span></i></span></div><div><span color="var(--color-content-secondary,#363636)" style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div><span color="var(--color-content-secondary,#363636)" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>The numbers don’t reflect the full scope of the efforts, since new mandates in some states requiring schools to vet all their reading material for potentially offensive content have led to mass removals of books, which PEN was unable to track, the report says</i>.</span></span></div><div><span color="var(--color-content-secondary,#363636)" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span color="var(--color-content-secondary,#363636)" style="background-color: white;"><span>The bulk of the censorship attempts appear to be aimed at any literature that includes LGBTQ+ or racial inequality themes. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/20/books/book-bans-united-states-free-speech.html?action=click&pgtype=Article&state=default&module=styln-book-bans&variant=show&region=MAIN_CONTENT_1&block=storyline_top_links_recirc" target="_blank">According to the NYT</a>, in 2022 the most commonly banned books were </span></span><span face="nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif" style="background-color: white; color: #363636;"> “</span><a class="css-yywogo" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/01/books/maia-kobabe-gender-queer-book-ban.html" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-color: var(--color-signal-editorial,#326891); text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-thickness: 1px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;" title="">Gender Queer</a><span face="nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif" style="background-color: white; color: #363636;">” by Maia Kobabe, “Flamer” by Mike Curato, “Tricks” by Ellen Hopkins, a graphic novel edition of “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood and “Milk and Honey,” a poetry collection by Rupi Kaur. Much of the censoring is done in the name of "parental rights." (Unfortunately it is hidden behind a paywall, but if you want to read an outstanding testimonial about what it is like to be a school official in a district besieged by a censorship regime, try Bridgette Exman's "T<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/01/opinion/book-ban-schools-iowa.html" target="_blank">his Summer, I Became the Book Banning Monster of Iowa"</a> in the Sept. 1, 2023 New York Times.). If you are facing a censorship crusade in your own school district, the National Coalition Against Censorship has a <a href="https://ncac.org/resource/book-censorship-toolkit" target="_blank">good toolkit</a> to assist fighting back. </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span face="nyt-imperial, georgia, "times new roman", times, serif" style="background-color: white; color: #363636;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">MSNBC's Ali Velshi has created a "<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/183383.Velshi_Banned_Book_Club" target="_blank">Banned Book Club</a>" podcast that not only keeps a running list of banned books in America, but also interviews authors of such books. In each and every case, the author is rational, reasonable, and interested in addressing serious topics in thoughtful ways that challenge the imaginations of readers of all ages. In other words, the authors are the exact opposite of those who seek to censor them.</span><span style="font-size: 20px;"> </span></span></div><div><br /></div>
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<div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I hope this post has clearly demonstrated the extent to which freedom of speech and expression are under assault in the United States. Every victim mentioned in this post (Laura Ann Carelton, The Marion County Record, The Wausau Pilot & Review, and authors of banned books) represent good faith actors using their first amendment freedoms to promote tolerance, democratic participation, keeping officials accountable, and making people think. To be a patriotic American must mean, at least in part, that we would do what we can to intervene to prevent the assaults on such actors from occurring or continuing. </span></div>tony palmerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506831576450002435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19989310.post-16177337533397135352023-08-01T13:39:00.004-05:002023-08-08T10:41:14.357-05:00What If First Graders Google "Waukesha School Board?"<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><u>August 8, 2023 Update</u></b>: <i>Melissa Tempel has set up a GoFundMe page to help support her struggle with the Waukesha School District. Please support her if you can. Melissa's fight is the fight of every person who believes in education as preparation for living in a democratic society. Here's the link</i>: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: CircularXXWeb, Trebuchet, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre;"><a href="https://gofund.me/20955f73">https://gofund.me/20955f73</a></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> -TP</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">_________</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Melissa Tempel has been an elementary school teacher for more than 20 years. She's won a number of teaching awards, been praised by students and their families, and never been the subject of any disciplinary proceedings. Until now. In July she was fired from her first-grade teaching job at Heyer Elementary School in Waukesha, WI <a href="https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/education/2023/07/12/what-to-know-about-the-events-leading-to-melissa-tempels-firing/70249191007/" target="_blank">after she tweeted her opinion</a> on the school district administration's decision to prevent her first graders from singing the Dolly Parton and Miley Cyrus song "Rainbowland" at a school sponsored spring concert. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUG9SBMrWijSTs0tfNopplcTKhGNJ7rNZjYjUuW_sCxUGGSKkd6lTXGrFH5BRpX4NWOnAjIVx2kCGlUiKOyJJaV23gg3tnLDIoRS60AmGQWyS8Ic6ifU-VyXLtK4kQMYgP2QcV0o99XjE4-HIHOfGVVLhdSY4PSbzhgs_ZU3mbIuyPaJWInMAw/s870/tempeltweet.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="870" data-original-width="580" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUG9SBMrWijSTs0tfNopplcTKhGNJ7rNZjYjUuW_sCxUGGSKkd6lTXGrFH5BRpX4NWOnAjIVx2kCGlUiKOyJJaV23gg3tnLDIoRS60AmGQWyS8Ic6ifU-VyXLtK4kQMYgP2QcV0o99XjE4-HIHOfGVVLhdSY4PSbzhgs_ZU3mbIuyPaJWInMAw/w266-h400/tempeltweet.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: helvetica;">What is happening to Melissa Tempel must be seen as part of an ongoing backlash, promoted by right wing forces, against diversity, inclusion, and equity in education. The state of Florida under governor DeSantis is <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/23593369/ron-desantis-florida-schools-higher-education-woke" target="_blank">ground zero</a> for such efforts, but Wisconsin is not too far behind. Ms. Tempel, who is half-Korean, was not even allowed to have an "Anti-Racist Classroom" sign in her room, as that too would somehow violate the district's "Controversial Issues in the Classroom" policy. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1V5rLxjwRdB95AyOyM9EWlwDc0_Oipb5E/view?pli=1">If we take them at their word</a>, in firing Ms. Tempel the board was merely upholding district policy. In media coverage, board members claimed to object to "Rainbowland" not because of the lyrics celebrating tolerance and inclusion, but because some of the children might google "Miley Cyrus" and be confronted by her sometimes raunchy image. <b><u>Memo to the Waukesha School Board</u></b>: Someday in the not too distant future those first graders will google "Waukesha School Board" and the search results will not assure them that you acted in their best interests. They will come to understand that you projected your own fears, insecurities, and partisan preferences onto their teacher and classroom. They will come to understand that you tried to hide your intolerance behind a mask of "protecting children." They will come to understand that when cold bureaucrats accuse conscientious educators like Ms.Tempel of "indoctrinating" students, that they are engaging in the worst kind of hypocrisy and gaslighting. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vxVRcrmzv4w" width="320" youtube-src-id="vxVRcrmzv4w"></iframe></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">At the root of the controversy in Waukesha is the district's "Controversial Issues in the Classroom" policy, a document that--when enforced strictly--reduces educators to nothing more than bland information dispensers. Take a look at the <a href="https://go.boarddocs.com/wi/wauk/Board.nsf/Public#" target="_blank">policy</a>, and ask yourself how any teacher--especially in areas like social studies and history that by definition require the introduction of controversial issues into the classroom--could possibly do their job effectively when being micromanaged by it: </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;"> </span><strong style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES IN THE CLASSROOM </strong></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Board believes that the consideration of controversial issues has a legitimate place in the instructional program of the District.</span></i></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i> </i></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: helvetica; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><i>Properly introduced and conducted, the consideration of such issues can help students learn to identify important issues, explore fully and fairly all sides of an issue, weigh carefully the values and factors involved, and develop techniques for formulating and evaluating positions.</i></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i> </i></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: helvetica; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><i>For purposes of this policy, a controversial issue is a topic</i></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i> </i></span></p><ol id="l1" start="1" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; list-style-type: upper-alpha; margin-block-start: 1em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: inherit;"><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">on which opposing points of view have been promulgated by responsible opinion.</span></span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /> </i></span></p></li><li style="box-sizing: inherit;"><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: helvetica; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><i>Which may be the subject of intense public argument, disagreement or disapproval</i></span></span></p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i> </i></span></p></li><li style="box-sizing: inherit;"><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Which may have political, social or personal impacts on students and/or the community, and</span></span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /> </i></span></p></li><li style="box-sizing: inherit;"><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: helvetica; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><i>which is likely to arouse both support and opposition in the community.</i></span></span></p></li></ol><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i> </i></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: helvetica; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><i>The Board will permit the introduction of controversial issues when use in the instructional program:</i></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i> </i></span></p><ol id="l2" start="1" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; list-style-type: upper-alpha; margin-block-start: 1em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: inherit;"><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">is related to the instructional goals of the course of study</span></span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /> </i></span></p></li><li style="box-sizing: inherit;"><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">is appropriate for the age and maturity level of the students engaged in the discussion.</span></span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /> </i></span></p></li><li style="box-sizing: inherit;"><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: helvetica; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><i>does not tend to indoctrinate or persuade students to a particular point of view;</i></span></span></p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i> </i></span></p></li><li style="box-sizing: inherit;"><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">encourages open-mindedness and is conducted in a spirit of scholarly inquiry;</span></span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /> </i></span></p></li><li style="box-sizing: inherit;"><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">does not cause a substantial disruption in the school environment.</span></span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /> </i></span></p></li><li style="box-sizing: inherit;"><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">does not create a hostile school environment.</span></span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /> </i></span></p></li></ol><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: helvetica; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><i>Issues pertaining to human growth and development, as defined by statute, are subject to 118.019, Wis. Stats.</i></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: helvetica; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><i><br /></i></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: helvetica; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><i>When controversial issues have not been specified in the course of study, the Board will permit the instructional use of only those issues which have received prior approval by the principal.</i></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: helvetica; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><i>A teacher may express a personal opinion, only after all student discussion on the topic has concluded. A teacher shall identify his/her personal opinion as such, and must not express such an opinion for the purpose of persuading students to adopt the point of view. The classroom shall not be used as a forum for the discussion of District employment issues.</i></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></span></i></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The Board recognizes that a course of study or certain instructional materials may contain content and/or activities that some parents find objectionable. Teachers shall provide effective advance notice to parents of controversial issues that are part of the planned instruction in the classroom.</span></span><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /> </i></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: helvetica; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><i>If a parent indicates to the school that either content or activities conflicts with his/her religious beliefs or value system, the school will honor a written request for his/her child to be excused from particular classes. The student, however, will not be excused from participating in the course or activities mandated by the State of Wisconsin and will be provided alternative learning activities during times of parent requested absences.</i></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">_______</span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">If I were to rewrite the policy, it would simply say this: </span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></i></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Board believes that the consideration of controversial issues has a legitimate place in the instructional program of the District.</span></i></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i> </i></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: helvetica; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><i>Properly introduced and conducted, the consideration of such issues can help students learn to identify important issues, explore fully and fairly all sides of an issue, weigh carefully the values and factors involved, and develop techniques for formulating and evaluating positions.</i></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: helvetica; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><i><br /></i></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>In our district we respect our teachers as professionals and public intellectuals. We respect the right of parents and/or guardians to raise questions and concerns about the issues that a teacher brings into the classroom, and we are happy to facilitate parent/guardian meetings to address such questions and concerns. However, we will never micromanage our teachers in a way that will make them afraid to do their jobs properly or engage in self-censorship. </i></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The policy as espoused by the Waukesha School Board, like similar policies in school districts across the country, reflect what education scholar Henry Giroux refers to as the "teacher proof" curriculum. In such a curriculum, all the teacher does is dispense pre-approved content, most of it designed to prepare students to be not much more than obedient workers. In its place, Giroux proposes a curriculum designed to create space for teachers and students to learn about their responsibility as citizens in a democratic culture. Such education would respect teachers as public intellectuals and encourage them to spark their students to recognize that they have agency in such a culture. </span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEKtTy0xayZMSqvuzpLiNP3t9Ib2ml_A2WqbwRfF6oU5wgHrGiW1-lo_-igHU7At3FVpDbRR4naCY1eJqQd7qbXLcvxCCf3cMPISDEf6DdnpGuS0xQnVcmfxQ_cNh1ocG3-NmlnZmOu6eCb62krn5jTeRnwqpY9-vrGLHUsHoyYQ8EzxgI72Yw/s1000/giroux.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="658" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEKtTy0xayZMSqvuzpLiNP3t9Ib2ml_A2WqbwRfF6oU5wgHrGiW1-lo_-igHU7At3FVpDbRR4naCY1eJqQd7qbXLcvxCCf3cMPISDEf6DdnpGuS0xQnVcmfxQ_cNh1ocG3-NmlnZmOu6eCb62krn5jTeRnwqpY9-vrGLHUsHoyYQ8EzxgI72Yw/s320/giroux.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>Henry Giroux is a prolific writer on the politics of education. He has written over 70 books and hundreds of articles. My favorite is probably his 2011 "<a href="https://www.peterlang.com/document/1051020" target="_blank">Education and the Crisis of Public Values: Challenging the Assault on Teachers, Students, and Public Education</a>." The book addresses themes that are at the heart of the controversy involving Melissa Tempel</i></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">What does it mean for a teacher to be a public intellectual? Giroux quotes progressive educator Israel Scheffler, who argued that teachers should be seen not merely as a "performer professional equipped to realize effectively any goals that may be set for them. Rather [they should] be viewed as free men and women with a special dedication to the values of the intellect and the enhancement of the critical powers of the young." That's exactly what Melissa Tempel has been doing for more than 20 years. To remove her from her job over a tweet is deeply wrong on moral and probably legal grounds. </span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-block: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Melissa Tempel deserves our support. Her situation is about more than the First Amendment rights of teachers, though it is <a href="https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/west/2023/08/01/were-fired-waukesha-teacher-tempels-first-amendment-rights-violated-rainbowland-ban-tweet/70419937007/">pretty clear that hers were violated</a>. Her situation really is about US as citizens. Are we going to let reactionary school boards micromanage teachers and reduce them to nothing more than information dispensers carrying out a "teacher proof" curriculum? You can email the Waukesha School Board <a href="https://sdw.waukesha.k12.wi.us/page/board-members">HERE</a> and let them know that you support Melissa Tempel and ask them to reconsider their decision.</span> </p>tony palmerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506831576450002435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19989310.post-4299451841345336512023-06-30T10:45:00.004-05:002023-06-30T13:24:55.680-05:00Celebration of the Music of 1973, Part 1<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Last year I dropped two posts celebrating the 50th anniversary of the music of 1972. Those posts can be found <a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2022/06/celebration-of-music-of-1972-part-1.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2022/09/celebration-of-music-of-1972-part-2.html" target="_blank">here</a>. They were so well received that I've decided to turn the celebration into an annual event. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">When it comes to popular music, 1973 (like 1972) represents the high point of the classic rock era. The remarkable creativity of the music of that time period was the result of three main factors. First, artists benefited from advances in studio recording technology pioneered by 1960s bands like the <a href="https://www.loudersound.com/features/how-brian-wilson-recorded-pet-sounds-and-reinvented-music" target="_blank">Beach Boys</a> and the <a href="https://centerstagemusiccenter.com/recording-innovations-of-the-beatles/" target="_blank">Beatles</a>. Bands or individual singer/songwriters with enough of a production budget could take the time necessary to make recordings as provocative as possible. What might have been a simple folk song in 1953, with a three-chord guitar arrangement, by 1973 could be an elaborate score featuring string or horn arrangements, the synthesizer, and/or a variety of special effects. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Second, record company executives at the time took risks on artists that marketing surveys or focus groups might have told them to avoid. The risk paid off: 1973 ended up being <a href="https://bestsellingalbums.org/year/1973" target="_blank">quite profitable</a> for the record companies, as it turned out that the baby boomer audience really dug all of the fresh, original sounds. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Third, FM radio was generally excellent at the time. Even smaller market stations featured DJs who loved the music and did not spend every day updating the weather and running through stale playlists. The best jocks were music lovers, and they used their shows to educate listeners about the uniqueness of bands, singer/songwriters, albums, and individual songs. (Former WNEW-FM DJ <a href="https://www.amazon.com/FM-Rise-Fall-Rock-Radio/dp/0812992652" target="_blank">Richard Near's book</a> is must reading on this topic.). </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This post identifies 25 noteworthy albums from 1973. Later this year, part II will identify another 25. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>#50: Sly and the Family Stone, "Fresh"</i></b>. The last top-10 album recorded by this legendary funk-rock outfit, "Fresh" is today widely recognized as a funk classic. Pop culture critic Eoghan Lyng's <a href="https://www.culturesonar.com/sly-and-the-family-stones-fresh-at-50/" target="_blank">50th anniversary review</a> says the record, "didn't disappoint, an album that was contemporary yet as scintillating as anything heard on the rock airwaves." My favorite song on the album is "If You Want Me To Stay," a funk-rock-pop classic that the Red Hot Chili Peppers did a <a href="https://youtu.be/jsXkP0HTf3w" target="_blank">spectacular cover of</a> in 1985. </span></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/gZFabOuF4Ps" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Sly and the Family Stone: If You Want Me to Stay</span></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"> <iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gZFabOuF4Ps" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>#49: Joe Walsh, "The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get"</i></b>. In between guitar legend Joe Walsh's stints with the James Gang (1968-1971) and the Eagles (1976-today), he released three great albums, the second of which was his breakthrough "The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get." The album's most famous song, "Rocky Mountain Way," gives us a guitar riff that's every bit as iconic as Clapton's "Layla" and Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water." In 2012 Walsh <a href="https://youtu.be/m8N5F1iUNSM" target="_blank">revealed to Howard Stern</a> how the song came about. </span></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/4Fz-mHGXgzs" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Joe Walsh: Rocky Mountain Way</span></a></p><p style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4Fz-mHGXgzs" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>#48: Ellen McIlwaine, "We the People".</i></b> The late Ms. McIlwaine (died 2021) was one of the most underrated singer/songwriter/slide guitar players in the history of music. In the 1960s she was a popular act at Manhattan's famous <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cafe_Au_Go_Go" target="_blank">Cafe Au Go Go</a>, opening for some of the great blues musicians of the time. "We the People" demonstrated her eclectic mix of blues, gospel, pop, and rock. The most heard song on the album was "I Don't Want To Play," a tune that best represents her vocal, lyrical, and slide guitar style. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/2DEjdzd0Roo" target="_blank">Ellen McIlwaine: I Don't Want to Play</a> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2DEjdzd0Roo" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>#47: Billy Joel, "Piano Man".</i></b> Billy's breakthrough album that put him in the same league as Elton John, Paul Simon, and other noted singer/songwriters of the era. The title track is probably the most famous, but for me "Captain Jack" is the tune that makes the entire album worth the price of admission. The song's message about a bored, 21-year-old suburbanite masturbator whose mom still makes his bed and who has to visit heroin dealer "Captain Jack" to get a thrill in life was 50-years ahead of its time. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/koft_Yschnc" target="_blank">Billy Joel: Captain Jack</a> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/koft_Yschnc" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>#46: The Allman Brothers, "Brothers and Sisters".</i></b> One of the Allman's most popular albums from their classic period, "Brothers and Sisters" was a breakout record for guitarist/singer/composer Dickie Betts. Two Betts penned tunes, "Ramblin' Man" and the instrumental "Jessica" became staples on FM radio and in the band's live performances for many years. The Allman Brothers defined the southern rock sound and inspired scores of artists in the genre. </span></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/yRDivUb5EeA" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Allman Brothers Band: Jessica</span></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yRDivUb5EeA" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>#45: The Marshall Tucker Band, "The Marshall Tucker Band".</i></b> Want an example of an Allman Brothers inspired band? How about the Marshall Tucker Tucker Band? From Spartanburg, South Carolina, their debut album in 1973 incorporated blues, jazz, country, and pop elements. "Can't You See," written and sung by lead guitarist and main songwriter Toy Caldwell (died 1993) remains as one of the towering tunes in the southern rock genre. </span></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/-48Za7VZR_c" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Marshall Tucker Band: Can't You See</span></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-48Za7VZR_c" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>#44: Lynyrd Skynyrd, "Pronounced 'Leh-'Nerd 'Skin-'Nerd".</i></b> Want another example of an Allman Brothers inspired band? Lynyrd Skynyrd's first album was one of the most popular debuts in rock history, with a number of songs that got heavy airplay on FM radio throughout the 1970s and beyond. After a tragic 1977 plane crash killed lead singer Ronnie Van Zant and other band members, the song "Free Bird," with its poignant lyrics, soulful Van Zant vocals, and Gary Rossington's jaw dropping guitar runs, took on added meaning for the band's legion of fans. </span></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/0LwcvjNJTuM" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Lynyrd Skynyrd: Free Bird</span></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0LwcvjNJTuM" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>#43: Bruce Springsteen, "Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J."</i></b> When this debut album by Bruce was released, it was popular with music critics who saw him as the new Bob Dylan. It wasn't until two albums later, with the release of "Born to Run," that Springsteen became a household name. "Greetings From Asbury Park" actually survives as one of his best albums, with songs that remain in his concert set list to this very day. </span></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/lCGtLWd_E9A" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Bruce Springsteen: Growin' Up</span></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lCGtLWd_E9A" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>#42: Steely Dan, "Countdown to Ecstasy"</i></b>. The second album from probably the greatest jazz-rock outfit of all time. The innovation and creativity that Steely Dan band leaders Donald Fagen and Walter Becker brought to popular music--both lyrically and instrumentally--was remarkable in its time, inspired generations of musicians, and still sounds as fresh as anything you will hear on the radio today. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/Sq8OU-7JDFA" target="_blank">Steely Dan: My Old School</a> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Sq8OU-7JDFA" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>#41: Paul McCartney and Wings, "Band on the Run".</i></b> In 1973 all of the former Beatles released solo albums. "Band on the Run" defined McCartney's post-Beatles sound, included a number of radio hits, and is still his most successful post-fab four recording. </span></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/QZGurhtlve8" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Paul McCartney: Band on the Run</span></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QZGurhtlve8" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>#40: Ringo Starr, "Ringo". </i></b>After the breakup of the Beatles, the world learned that drummer Ringo Starr was actually a pretty good songwriter. He had a number of hits in the early 1970s; several of them appeared on this album. </span></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/t6CMSuT98-E" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ringo Starr: Photograph</span></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/t6CMSuT98-E" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>#39: George Harrison, "Living in the Material World".</i></b> George's 4th solo album, "Living in the Material World" gives us the former Beatle at his most preachy and spiritual. </span></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/s-KAvPbO8JY" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">George Harrison: Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)</span></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/s-KAvPbO8JY" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>#38: John Lennon, "Mind Games"</i></b>. Not John's best album, but still a significant part of his catalogue. The title track has always fascinated me because on it John plays slide guitar in a way that sounds like a full orchestral arrangement. If someone told you that the London Symphony Orchestra was playing on the song you would believe it. </span></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/QLeObvcUii4" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">John Lennon: Mind Games</span></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QLeObvcUii4" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>#37: The Pointer Sisters, "The Pointer Sisters". </i></b>The debut album from the legendary girl group, The first song on the album, a cover of Allen Toussaint's "Yes We Can Can," is a soul-funk classic. </span></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/F2U1OUxXSMM" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Pointer Sisters: Yes We Can Can</span></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IzZkjjENj_w" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>#36: Tanya Tucker, "What's Your Mama's Name"</i></b>. Released when she was just 14 years old, "What's Your Mama's Name" was Tanya Tucker's country teen-idol classic. She was a big influence on modern stars like Taylor Swift, and really all artists that got their start as teens. </span></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/ebgGN9U3sf0" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Tanya Tucker: Blood Red and Goin' Down</span></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ebgGN9U3sf0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>#35: The Eagles, "Desperado"</i></b>. The Eagles' second album, featuring the country and folk influences that were the Eagles' brand in those early days. Thanks to the Seinfeld episode in which <a href="https://youtu.be/mKNgd9pGgnE" target="_blank">Elaine's boyfriend is mesmerized</a> by the song "Desperado," I've never been able to listen to it again without chuckling. </span></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/aelpqWEBHR4" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Eagles: Desperado</span></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aelpqWEBHR4" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>#34: Aersosmith, "Aerosmith".</i></b> The first album by the Boston-based band led by lead singer Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry. The album became most known for the mega-hit "Dream On" which was, paradoxically, the song least typical of the Aerosmith sound. The song that best represents the Aerosmith sound, for me anyway, is "One Way Street," a rockin' blues based tune that shows the band's Rolling Stones and garage rock influences. </span></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/XAnqknd2C5w" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Aerosmith: One Way Street</span></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XAnqknd2C5w" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>#33: Suzi Quatro, "Suzi Quatro"</i></b>. The first album from a groundbreaking artist. Before Suzi Quatro, hard rock had been a mostly male-dominated field. With her funky bass playing and raunchy vocals, Suzi showed that women could rock with the best of them. Her cover version of "All Shook Up" might be the best one ever recorded. Elvis liked it so much he actually <a href="https://youtu.be/R16yPzfn9i8" target="_blank">invited Suzy to Graceland</a>. </span></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/o1YSleZA0yw" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Suzi Quatro: All Shook Up</span></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/o1YSleZA0yw" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>#32: Steve Miller Band, "The Joker"</i></b>. Steve Miller is a guitar legend. In the 1960s he mostly recorded and performed psychedelic rock in tune with the hippy vibe of the era. "The Joker" did not really deviate from that formula, but the songs were less spacy and more radio-friendly. The title track is one of the first songs I remember hearing as a 12-year-old, and at the time I thought it was the coolest thing I had ever heard. It certainly was the first time I had ever heard the word "pompatus." </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/dV3AziKTBUo" target="_blank">Steve Miller Band: The Joker</a> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dV3AziKTBUo" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>#31: The Doobie Brothers, "The Captain and Me</i></b>". One of the best albums from the original Doobie Brothers. "Long Train Runnin'" was one of those monster hits that was rockin' enough for FM radio but catchy enough for AM. It features the great Tom Johnston at his vocal high point. </span></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/CVsLEI-hCXw" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Doobie Brothers: Long Train Runnin'</span></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CVsLEI-hCXw" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>#30: The Spinners, "Spinners".</i></b> The first album released by the Spinners after they left the Motown label, "Spinners" is a classic example of the "sweet soul" sound. In 1973 "I'll Be Around" and "Could It Be I'm Falling In Love" were in heavy radio rotation. </span></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/EU4UTDrSwQc" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Spinners: Could It Be I'm Falling In Love</span></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EU4UTDrSwQc" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>#29: Little Feat, "Dixie Chicken"</i></b>. Thanks mostly to lead singer, songwriter, and guitar player Lowell George (died 1979), Little Feat had one of the most unique sounds in rock history. They were a kind of funk, country, R & B, jazz, pop, rock hybrid that has never been recreated. "Dixie Chicken" was the band's breakthrough album, and created a loyal fan base. </span></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/yaHEfJApEVM" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Little Feat: Dixie Chicken</span></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yaHEfJApEVM" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>#28: New York Dolls, "New York Dolls"</i></b>. The debut album from a band that had great impact on the "glam" rock movement of the early 1970s and the punk rock movement that would start later in the decade. The entire album is a high energy, rockin' good time. </span></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/2aQTGqqXHw4" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The New York Dolls: Personality Crisis</span></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/E1I4A5yazr4" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>#27: Jim Croce, "I Got A Name".</i></b> Folk singer Jim Croce died tragically in a plane crash at the age of 30. "I Got A Name" was released after his death. It includes some of his most popular songs, including the title track and "I'll Have to Say I Love You In a Song." </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/O_BEFyNNIvM" target="_blank">Jim Croce: I Got A Name</a> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/O_BEFyNNIvM" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>#26: Chicago, "Chicago VI".</i></b> How popular were the jazz-rock-pop band Chicago? In the 1970s they released five consecutive albums that reached #1 on the charts. Chicago VI was the second of them, and also the last one to include all the original band members. Other bands have produced songs with great horn arrangements, but Chicago had a way of doing it in a Beatles-esque fashion that appealed to serious as well as casual listeners. </span></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/7g3lUCZG1eY" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Chicago: Feelin' Stronger Every Day</span></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/e-wHixgp2RE" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Sometime before the end of the year we will post the to-25 of 1973. Have some suggestions? Feel free to reply to this post or <a href="mailto:palmeri.tony@gmail.com" target="_blank">email me</a>. </span></p>tony palmerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506831576450002435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19989310.post-12973892048866572222023-06-01T10:10:00.005-05:002023-07-02T18:20:56.394-05:00Artificial Intelligence, The Free Market, and Joyless Culture<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In late May, hundreds of industry leaders, scientists, academics, and others intimately involved in the development of advanced artificial intelligence </span><a href="https://www.safe.ai/statement-on-ai-risk" style="font-family: helvetica;" target="_blank">signed on to this statement</a><span style="font-family: helvetica;">: </span><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>"Mitigating the risk of extinction from A.I. should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks, such as pandemics and nuclear war."</i></b><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> The statement follows a period of fairly intense media and government scrutiny of A.I., including a May 23, 2023 </span><a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/committee-activity/hearings/oversight-of-ai-rules-for-artificial-intelligence" style="font-family: helvetica;" target="_blank">headline grabbing hearing</a><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> on the matter by the US Senate Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYghi4PMbjao2DzwC4YvxxLp3Mc1c8_DvyGQW5gQuwmbwuDLhIfLpJzAcqACPSIFziImGeGK-NF1u4kP6xpFtgkKb0F_4-Yd7fDYucnpMlRvV7EK8rECMF4IIcEQBukV3Mkjq7KwRRrIJM6rUptFeub11dznr_fHi14A5PbBp1VLzUHdkSHw/w200-h113/altman.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="200" /></td></tr></tbody></table><b style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sam Altman, the
38-year-old co-founder of OpenAI, told a US Senate Committee, "if this technology goes wrong, it can go quite wrong , , , We want to work with the government to prevent that from happening."</span></i></b></div></b><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Mainstream media coverage and punditry tends to focus on the emergence of A.I. with a tone that makes audiences feel as if A.I. represents the coming to fruition of the warnings of generations of science fiction writers. We've all heard the dire scenarios: artificial intelligence will take away our jobs, enable even faster and more devious spread of disinformation, further dumb down our children, turn humans against each other, and/or make us completely irrelevant. Lisa Joy Nolan, co-creator of HBO's popular sci-fi epic "Westworld" (which imagines a world of sentient robots that eventually mirror the "real" human capacity for violence and revenge), </span><a href="https://winteriscoming.net/2023/03/24/lisa-joy-nolan-westworld-looks-like-documentary/" style="font-family: helvetica;" target="_blank">now believes</a><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> that the show should be considered a "documentary film" as opposed to fantasy. </span><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As someone who works in higher education, I have more than a passing interest in the implications of <a href="https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt" target="_blank">ChatGPT</a> and other A.I. devices for teaching and learning. The <i>Chronicle of Higher Education</i> has published a number of recent essays on the topic, with titles like "How Will Artificial Intelligence Change Higher Ed?," "How ChatGPT Could Help or Hurt Students With Disabilities," "Will ChatGPT Change How Professors Assess Learning?," "ChatGPT is Already Upending Campus Practices, Colleges are Rushing to Respond," and so on. On my own UW Oshkosh campus, A.I. sparked a spirited discussion among instructors on an email distribution list, been the topic of a guided discussion on Zoom, been brought up for discussion in virtually all academic departments, and will probably be a major subject of faculty/academic staff senate and/or administrative policy initiatives in the near future. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZpa9i0mwr8QWlFbfz1yqt4MaWgrGnHzDdTcQGh5RU-RKUJDd4BgoizqvSi-z-xNGCWQgYIIo-7UgPJyIAPssizY3Jb1wc9NYr4Qicmfv0bR-uwHrT_u1j798vNJ4ZAfk4CPCrWJpcbnsvZ1Jhf-_JlMFShGjkx5bvz5rnR-1g-4wg17KhpQ/s275/dolores.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZpa9i0mwr8QWlFbfz1yqt4MaWgrGnHzDdTcQGh5RU-RKUJDd4BgoizqvSi-z-xNGCWQgYIIo-7UgPJyIAPssizY3Jb1wc9NYr4Qicmfv0bR-uwHrT_u1j798vNJ4ZAfk4CPCrWJpcbnsvZ1Jhf-_JlMFShGjkx5bvz5rnR-1g-4wg17KhpQ/w200-h133/dolores.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>In the hit HBO program "Westworld," Evan Rachel Wood's character Dolores Abernathy is a sentient robot who mimics the human capacity for ruthlessness and revenge. Much reporting and punditry about A.I. imagines a world overcome by intelligent bots.</i></b></span> </td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">My own observations of the dominant perspectives on A.I., both outside and within higher education, is that for the most part they tend to see A.I. as more causal than symptomatic. It's very similar to the mainstream view of cell phone usage; "the phones have made us more distracted and less able to live in the moment" is a common refrain. Maybe that's true. But can anyone point us to the Edenic period when the majority (or even a significant percentage) of humans stayed focused on tasks at hand and lived in the moment, especially in radically individualistic cultures like the United States? As someone who has now been teaching for forty(!) years, I promise you that American college students have NEVER had an easy time staying task focused and in the moment. Thus a strong argument could be made that problematic phone behavior was and is a symptom of the human tendency to seek distraction and do anything to avoid the real hard work of communicating in the moment with other human beings. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">When it comes to artificial intelligence, I see the abuses as symptoms of two major features of modern society: (1) the uncritical acceptance of the idea of the free market, capitalist economy as best suited to serving human needs; and (2) the joyless culture that results from mass-level allegiance to the values of that economy. Obviously this is a big topic that deserves book-length treatment. In this rant I will only sketch out a few ideas. <b><i>I promise that none of them have been generated by ChatGPT. </i></b></span></p><p><b><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Artificial Intelligence and the Free Market</span></i></b></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">When the Soviet Union broke down in the late 1980s and early 1990s, western media immediately adopted the Reagan Administration's framing of the upheaval as the victory of democracy and the market economy over tyranny and communism. More rigorous reporting would have exposed the over simplicity (and absurdity) of this framing. It would not have required defending the corruption and cruelty of the Soviet empire builders to point out that their defeat did nothing to minimize anti-democratic tendencies in the west, and nothing to challenge what Eisenhower called the "unwarranted influence" of the military-industrial-complex. Indeed, more than thirty years after the disappearance of the Soviet Union, the only thing Democrats and Republicans in Washington can agree on is raising the military budget. As <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/debt-ceiling-military-spending/" target="_blank">noted by journalist John Nichols</a>, "there's never a debt ceiling for the military-industrial-complex." </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The market economy that rose from the ashes of Cold War, technically called "neoliberalism," is essentially a global version of Reaganomics. Canadian author and activist Naomi Klein in her 2014 book <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Changes_Everything_(book)" target="_blank"><i>This Changes Everything</i></a> succinctly identified the three main policy pillars of neoliberalism as <span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;">"</span><i>privatization<span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"> of the public sphere, </span>deregulation<span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"> of the corporate sector, and the lowering of </span>income<span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"> and </span>corporate taxes,<span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"> paid for with cuts to </span>public spending</i><span style="color: #202122;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>.</i>" </span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">The impact of neoliberalism on blue-collar workers should no longer be up for debate. The so-called "free-trade" deals empowered corporations to engage in the never ending quest for cheap labor, with devastating results for American manufacturing. Promises that workers would be retrained to participate in a much-hyped high wage business service economy turned out to be hollow. Instead what we've had is a mostly bipartisan enabling of low road economic practices. The Democrats became so overtly associated with these practices that millions of Americans impacted by them somehow imagined Donald Trump as a potential solution. Some Dems, like Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, have recognized the "<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/10/democrats-should-reject-neoliberalism/671850/" target="_blank">wreckage</a>" of neoliberalism and advocated for reforms that would move the economy toward a high road. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">Absent some kind of radical reforms of our economy, artificial intelligence systems will easily wipe out huge swaths of the white-collar economy. And why wouldn't it? Does anyone honestly believe that multinational corporations--eager to exploit foreign labor abroad while betraying blue collar workers at home--will not eagerly do the same thing to college educated, white collar workers? The fact that most white collar workers, in the 1990s up to today, showed little solidarity with those victimized by the low road economy will make the road to reform more difficult. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">If the global, neoliberal economic order remains intact, then the vanguard leading that economy will make sure artificial intelligence benefits them exclusively. At the same time, they will gaslight the masses with a rhetoric of how "A.I. disrupting the work force in the short term is a necessary condition for long term growth." In such an environment our only real hope is to engage in grassroots organizing rooted in an international spirit of solidarity across lines of class and race. This will not be easy, and the odds of failure are much greater than success. But if the alternative is to trust that the same vanguard that got us into this mess will somehow be more moral and mindful when it comes to A.I. impacts, then we are fooling ourselves. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><i>Artificial Intelligence and Our Joyless Culture</i></b></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">Here I will focus primarily on academia, as that is the realm of existence I have most familiarity with. My experience has been that every time a new technology is introduced that has implications for education, academics divide into two groups. The "neo-Luddites" are usually slow to accept or adapt to technological change, want strict policies put in place to deter student cheating, and resist any suggestion that "tried and true" methods of education (e.g. the lecture, the lengthy term paper, the essay test, etc.) might be anachronistic. The "Futurists" do not dismiss any of the neo-Luddite concerns, but generally see technological change as something we should embrace and shape to help meet the requirements of sound pedagogy. The Futurists are the kinds of instructors who might address student cell phone use not by banning it entirely, but by using phone apps in classroom activities so that the technology can be put at the service of learning. Similarly, the Futurist might have a policy in place to punish irresponsible use of A.I., but they are also more likely to educate students on "smart" uses of it. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">Most teachers, myself included, have both neo-Luddite and Futurist tendencies. What has always frustrated me, whether in the relatively low-tech classroom of my early teaching days or the more high-tech environment of today, is what seems like a high percentage of students who simply do not get joy out of the act of creation. When I tell students that I have been writing a column of at least 900-1000 words every month for over twenty years, and a huge reason for that is the sheer joy I get out of thinking, creating, and provoking, I often get perplexed looks back at me. Many of my colleagues across campus get similar reactions when they talk about their own creative output, whether it is peer recognized scholarship, artistic performance, or any number of expressive works. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">I've come to the conclusion over the years that the problem is we somehow created a culture that places a high premium on behaviors that do not correlate very highly with joy: getting the "right" answer, repeating back "authoritative" knowledge, and doing everything on-time. I often require students to come see me to talk about paper or speech assignments, and those meetings are fascinating because students frequently expect me to tell them what to write or say. I try hard in those meetings to provoke them to come out with some original thoughts, and then praise them lavishly when they do in the hope that they will get a feeling of joy from creating something that someone else perceived as fresh and original. Sometimes I unwittingly do end up giving them an idea for a paper or speech, in large part because I am experiencing joy in thinking about the topic while we engage in conversation. Obviously there are exceptions to what I am describing here; a number of students get joy from the act of creation. But the exceptions always seem to prove the rule. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">Student support systems on campus, all of which are run by extremely competent and well-meaning professionals, sometimes reinforce the joylessness. For example, when students are having difficulties with course material, they are often told to go talk to the professor to find out "what they want." Or when told to seek academic advising, they are told that the meeting should be strictly about "what courses to take." In a real sense, the students are being prepared for the neoliberal economy described earlier, in which their material success will be tied to their ability to appease power. I</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;">f you think the lack of joy in education is confined to higher ed, you should read Susan Engel's excellent 2015 piece in the Atlantic called "</span><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/01/joy-the-subject-schools-lack/384800/?utm_source=atlfb" style="font-family: helvetica;" target="_blank">Joy: A Subject Schools Lack</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;">." </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinqgr_578h_0RerSscxNtAOjlcAEuncGnNWbUdvnz0J7YBeyRyAgVA6MVC6HhQX9lgZVPBBU8JOBYZXrig8VK5ycK-pKsY_6W6aKTCH-GEBAhRjL8kfF4QZhaNGnxE4fXfDBr_upjabauIOoIGpjBn-3tFCXOwS4RcdMvyezN8mUaV6CnmHw/s1280/chatgpt.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1280" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinqgr_578h_0RerSscxNtAOjlcAEuncGnNWbUdvnz0J7YBeyRyAgVA6MVC6HhQX9lgZVPBBU8JOBYZXrig8VK5ycK-pKsY_6W6aKTCH-GEBAhRjL8kfF4QZhaNGnxE4fXfDBr_upjabauIOoIGpjBn-3tFCXOwS4RcdMvyezN8mUaV6CnmHw/w200-h200/chatgpt.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>A number of schools have already banned ChatGPT. The argument of this rant is that moves to ban A.I. systems minimize or ignore the cultural issues that make A.I. attractive in the first place.</i></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">In a joyless culture, using A.I. to write a paper makes total sense, does it not? If I get no joy out of creating original work; if my only real value is the extent to which I can repeat back existing knowledge, and do it on time, then why not use A.I? In this culture, the joy of creativity is simply not part of the equation. <a href="https://www.intelligent.com/nearly-1-in-3-college-students-have-used-chatgpt-on-written-assignments/" target="_blank">As of January 2023</a> nearly 1 in 3 college students reported using ChatGPT on written assignments, and I expect that to rise substantially in the next few years. Academics, especially the neo-Luddites, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2023/01/30/chatgpt-going-banned-teachers-sound-alarm-new-ai-tech/11069593002/" target="_blank">will rush to create policies to deter and/or ban A.I.</a> usage, but they will be missing the point: as long as we continue to prioritize and reward joyless behaviors, even our "best" students will continue to be content with "getting shit done." The joylessness of school work was a problem before A.I. and will continue to be in the future unless we make a concerted effort to rethink our dominant cultural values. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">Of course what I am describing is not just a problem for students or for education in general. I read <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/27/nyregion/avianca-airline-lawsuit-chatgpt.html?smid=nytcore-android-share" target="_blank">an article</a> in the <i>New York Times</i> recently in which a lawyer representing a man who sued an airline used artificial intelligence to prepare a court filing. The lawyer's </span><span style="background-color: white;">legal submission, which will now be subject to a hearing to discuss possible sanctions, was "<i>replete with bogus judicial decisions, with bogus quotes and bogus internal citations</i>.” The lawyer in question did not promise to never use artificial intelligence again. Rather, he "<i>will never do so in the future without absolute verification of its authenticity</i>." </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">No doubt that lawyer will claim that he simply was overwhelmed with work and ChatGPT presented a quick way to get the court filing in on time. When academics are caught using A.I. to write scholarly articles they will probably say the same thing, as will journalists and any other professional whose work relies on message creation. In a joyless culture that is the product--at least in part--of the unforgiving and predatory economy in which we exist, we should expect nothing less. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>Wanting to mitigate the risk of extinction from A.I. makes total sense. Thinking we can do that without addressing the serious deficiencies of the culture that created A.I. makes NO sense.<b> </b></i></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #202122; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>July 2, 2023 Update: In today's New York Times, writer and podcaster Evgeny Morozov has an op-ed called "<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/30/opinion/artificial-intelligence-danger.html" target="_blank">The True Threat of Artificial Intelligence</a>" that also makes a connection between AI and the neoliberal economy. --Tony Palmeri</b></span></span></p></div>tony palmerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506831576450002435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19989310.post-79631154427084992862023-05-30T10:59:00.005-05:002023-06-06T16:40:45.819-05:00Songs of Summer<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>Matt King and I recently recorded a podcast in which we each list what we think are the top-ten summer songs of all time. Not surprisingly, a few songs appeared on both of our lists. Here's the podcast, followed by links to the songs:</i></b></span></p><p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/b0GDsd8Dqfg" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe> </p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/GAM1k9vEVqg" style="font-family: helvetica;" target="_blank">Eddie Cochran, "Summertime Blues"</a><span style="font-family: helvetica;">: Eddie Cochran died tragically in 1960 at the age of 21. He remains a giant of early rock-and-roll, a representative of the energetic and gritty rock that shook up the boredom of late 1950s culture. "Summertime Blues," with its theme of a rebellious youth getting hit with rejection from all the "adults" in society, is for me the archetype of the great summer song. </span></p><p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GAM1k9vEVqg" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/JpNy6z5sz1M" target="_blank">Led Zeppelin, Dancing Days</a>: We wanted at least one heavy metal tune on the list, and Zep obliged. "Dancing days are here again, as the summer evenings grow." This song actually has a line in it that has perplexed Zeppelin fans for decades: "I saw a lion he was standin' alone/with a tadpole in a jar." Sounds like a dream. Or an acid trip. </span></p><p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JpNy6z5sz1M" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/Kr0tTbTbmVA" target="_blank">DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, "Summertime"</a>: Before Will Smith became a famous actor and <a href="https://youtu.be/Z8LtP1GsoeA" target="_blank">Academy Awards ceremony pugilist</a>, he was the rapper known as The Fresh Prince. "Summertime," a nostalgic reflection on growing up in Philly, was one of his and DJ Jazzy Jeff's biggest hits. </span></div></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Kr0tTbTbmVA" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/mKpsuGMeqHI" target="_blank">Dick Dale and his Deltones, "Misirlou"</a>: What would a list of great summer songs be without including at least one from the Surf genre? Quite possibly the greatest rock guitar player in history, Dick Dale absolutely tore it up with his cover of an old Middle Eastern tune called "Misirlou." Dale's version is now over 60 years old (it was released in 1962) and it still sounds as dynamic and fresh as ever. Amazing. </span></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mKpsuGMeqHI" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://youtu.be/TdrL3QxjyVw" style="font-family: helvetica;" target="_blank">Lana Del Rey, "Summertime Sadness"</a><span style="font-family: helvetica;">: Lana Del Rey, the Queen of Melancholy, gives us a summer song that is 180 degrees from the typical cheeriness of that season's songs. This is not a song you want to request the DJ play at your best friend's August wedding. </span></div></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TdrL3QxjyVw" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/x6Tz-OlwpVk" target="_blank">The Beach Boys, "All Summer Long"</a>: Before the release of the transformational "Pet Sounds" in 1966, the Beach Boys were know as the ultimate west coast pop band, writing and singing mostly upbeat and cheerful tunes that reinforced the image of California as the youth mecca of the world. "All Summer Long" is one of those tunes. </span></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/x6Tz-OlwpVk" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/OpYA9NLq5y4" target="_blank">The Lovin' Spoonful, "Summer in the City"</a>: Released in 1966, this tune was not typical for the Lovin' Spoonful, whose output up to that point had been a kind of folk-country-pop-rock hybrid. "Summer in the City" features John B. Sebastian's most soulful vocals, and unlike most summer songs it actually laments the daytime heat. </span></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/U7ofnHmxE-I" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
<div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/ucU5c9ilIIc" target="_blank">Olivia Newton John and John Travolta, "Summer Nights"</a>: We include this song in honor of the late Olivia Newton-John, whose performance as Sandy Olsson in the 1978 film "Grease" becomes more iconic with each passing year. Every cisgender high school boy had a crush on Olivia in 1978. Trust me, I know. </span></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ucU5c9ilIIc" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/CXFsWAkLoXQ" target="_blank">Alice Cooper, "Schools Out"</a>: "School's Out" was one of the first songs I remember hearing on the radio, and as a middle-schooler at the time I found it amusing. Today it's hard to imagine an artist writing a fantasy about a school being "blown to pieces" without being accused of somehow advocating for it to happen. </span></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CXFsWAkLoXQ" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div>
<div><a href="https://youtu.be/1KnK3z6DKaI" style="font-family: helvetica;" target="_blank">Seals and Crofts, "Summer Breeze"</a><span style="font-family: helvetica;">: Released in 1972, Jim Seals' and Dash Crofts' "Summer Breeze" was an early 1970s anthem symbolizing America's movement away from the turbulence of the 1960s. In that sense it was very much like the Eagles' "Take It Easy" which was released in the same year. I remember hearing them frequently played back-to-back on AM radio. </span></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1KnK3z6DKaI" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/HNBCVM4KbUM" target="_blank">Bob Marley, "Three Little Birds"</a>: From the 1977 album "Exodus," Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds" is classic reggae. Marley's politically charged anthems (e.g. "Redemption Song," "War," and many others) make it easy to forget that a large part of his art was and is a simple celebration of life. "Three Little Birds" is a wonderful representation of that part of him. </span></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HNBCVM4KbUM" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/eFjjO_lhf9c" target="_blank">Bryan Adams, "Summer of '69"</a>: Canadian rocker Bryan Adams' summer classic came out at the height of the electro-pop music revolution inspired by MTV going on at the time. Not only did "Summer of '69" represent a worthy contribution to the summer song genre, but it also assured the rock audience that rock-and-roll was not dead. </span></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eFjjO_lhf9c" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/2RHTiXvELNg" target="_blank">The Go-Go's, "Vacation"</a>: Billboard magazine called this 1982 song the <span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;">"perfect summer record" that was "uptempo, optimistic and the aural companion for lazy days at the beach." The Go-Go's hated making music videos, and guitar player <a href="https://ultimateclassicrock.com/go-gos-vacation/#:~:text=Watch%20the%20Go%2DGo's%20Music%20Video%20for%20'Vacation'&text=Lots%2C%E2%80%9D%20Valentine%20admitted%20in%20the,the%20band's%20inebriation%20only%20enhanced." target="_blank">Jane Wiedlin claims</a> that in the "Vacation" famous water skiing scene the band members are actually drunk.</span></span></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2RHTiXvELNg" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/fd02pGJx0s0" target="_blank">Norah Jones, "Sunrise"</a>: In 2005 Norah Jones won a Grammy Award for best pop vocal performance for this poignant folk ballad. If we think of summer mostly as the season of love, this song would have to be the anchor of the soundtrack. </span></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fd02pGJx0s0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/wvUQcnfwUUM" target="_blank">Mungo Jerry, "In the Summertime"</a>: Mungo Jerry leader Ray Dorset claimed that he wrote this 1970 catchy summer classic in 10 minutes. In this #metoo era, the song's sexism does not come off as funny and irreverent as it might have in 1970. However, there is one lyric in the song that we should probably all take to heart: "Life's for living." </span></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wvUQcnfwUUM" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/EPEqRMVnZNU" target="_blank">The Drifters, "Under the Boardwalk"</a>: For anyone's who's ever had or contemplated having a summer tryst, the Drifters' 1964 will always bring back that feeling. </span></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EPEqRMVnZNU" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/uZD8HKVKneI" target="_blank">Glenn Frey, "The Heat Is On"</a>: The late Glenn Frey recorded this song in 1984 for the hit movie "Beverly Hills Cop" starring Eddie Murphy. Given that the climate crisis has made summers much hotter for many around the world, "The Heat Is On" might be a contender for the 21st century International Anthem. </span></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uZD8HKVKneI" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/CdvITn5cAVc" target="_blank">Martha and the Vandellas, "Dancing in the Street"</a>: Martha and the Vandella's glorious 1964 version of this song is perhaps the greatest example of the sound of the Motown House Band, the Funk Brothers. Given the emergence of street protests in support of civil rights in the early 1960s, this song can rightly be heard as a metaphor for the political activism of the time. </span></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CdvITn5cAVc" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>tony palmerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506831576450002435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19989310.post-61189623160951210792023-04-30T20:30:00.005-05:002023-05-03T07:43:38.580-05:00On Tucker Carlson, Broken Clocks, and Media Strategy<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">When Fox News founder Roger Ailes passed away in 2017, I wrote a piece called "<a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2017/06/roger-ailes-and-eristic-revival.html" target="_blank">Roger Ailes and the Eristic Revival</a>." That piece made three main points: </span></p><ol style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333;"><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Fox News did not originate but did magnify the worst tendencies of post-World War II news media in the United States.</span></b></span></li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The real significance of Fox is its revival of the ancient “eristic,” an intoxicating mode of argument rooted not in the civil exchange of ideas for the purpose of arriving at sound public policy, but in the desire to defeat and humiliate opponents.</span></b></li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The end and tragic result of Fox’s magnification of the news media’s worst tendencies and revival of the eristic has been the death of political conservatism as a force for generating new ideas or reformulating old ones.</span></b></li></ol><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Fox's <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/04/tucker-carlson-has-left-fox-news.html" target="_blank">recent termination</a> of its most popular pundit, Tucker Carlson, gives us another opportunity to opine about the network. With the possible exceptions of Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity, no one exemplified the Fox formula as well as Carlson. That formula, summarized aptly some years ago by NYU journalism prof Jay Rosen as "<a href="https://pressthink.org/2010/11/resentment-news-and-more-blondes-per-square-foot-explaining-what-fox-news-channel-is/" target="_blank">resentment news</a>," shows no signs of going away at Fox even though it was at the root of the shoddy "journalism" that cost the network <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/04/18/business/fox-news-dominion-trial-settlement" target="_blank">$787.5 million</a> to settle a defamation suit with Dominion Voting Systems. Though released text messages and emails show conclusively that Carlson knew the Trump alternative universe claims about election fraud were utter bullshit, he <a href="“Please get her fired,” Mr. Carlson said. He added: “It needs to stop immediately, like tonight. It’s measurably hurting the company. The stock price is down. Not a joke.”" target="_blank">continued to amplify MAGA conspiracies</a> and resentments on air because "<i>our viewers are good people and they believe it.</i>" When Fox reporter Jacqui Heinrich fact checked a Trump tweet alleging voter fraud and concluded the Trump claim was inaccurate, Carlson texted Hannity and Laura Ingraham: </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">“<i>Please get her fired . . . It needs to stop immediately, like tonight. It’s measurably hurting the company. The stock price is down. Not a joke</i>.”</span></span></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span>Why did Fox's stock price go up during the Carlson years? A <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/04/30/us/tucker-carlson-tonight.html" target="_blank">New York Times analysis</a> of over 1,100 Tucker episodes found an "apocalyptic" world view featuring a fear instilling narrative of "they" want to control "you." "They" are the "ruling class," invoked in over 800 shows the Times analyzed from 2016-2021. It's an intoxicating narrative, one that has deep roots in what historian Richard Hofstadter famously called the "<a href="https://archive.org/details/paranoidstyleofa00rich/page/n7/mode/2up" target="_blank">paranoid style</a>" in American politics. As noted in the Times analysis, Carlson "often begins segments with a grain of truth or an accurately quoted study, but then he distorts a concept to fit his narrative."</span> Apocalyptic rhetoric made Tucker the most watched pundit on cable television. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">That Tucker Carlson uttered an occasional "grain of truth" and often mocked the mainstream punditocracy made it tempting for some with small-d democratic leanings to want to see him as something other than a <a href="https://www.vox.com/videos/2017/7/21/16008190/strikethrough-white-supremacists-love-tucker-carlson" target="_blank">white supremacist enabler</a>. As <a href="https://prospect.org/politics/2023-04-25-tucker-carlson-smuggest-man-on-air/" target="_blank">noted by Lee Harris and Luke Goldstein</a> in the <i>American Prospect</i>, some of Carlson's sensible populist rants reflected views not stated or emphasized on nightly news shows that reject toxic nativism. Thus, Carlson's show would be literally the only place on cable to hear such views. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SUW8kbZyucI" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">For example, since making his populist turn Carlson regularly says things that used to be associated with the political left, such as: "<span style="background-color: white;"><i>Market capitalism is a tool, like a staple gun or a toaster. You’d have to be a fool to worship it. </i></span><span style="background-color: white;"><i>Our system was created by human beings for the benefit of human beings. We do not exist to serve markets. Just the opposite</i>.” In 2019 he even ended up endorsing Elizabeth Warren's economic policies, telling his mostly MAGA audience that the Massachusetts Senator's critique of multinational corporations was a message abandoned by the mainstream Republican party and reflected "<i>Trump at his best</i>." MSNBC and CNN certainly have talking heads sympathetic to the political left, but it's more of a political left as it exists within the Democratic Party. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #454545;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Carlson's populist persona even allows him to take on the National Security State, something that during the George W. Bush years was the province of mainstream Democrats. Pseudo-left, libertarian substackers and podcasters like <a href="https://greenwald.substack.com/" target="_blank">Glenn Greenwald</a>, <a href="https://www.racket.news/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=substack_profile" target="_blank">Matt Taibbi</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/badfaithpodcast" target="_blank">Briahna Joy Gray</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3M7l8ved_rYQ45AVzS0RGA" target="_blank">Jimmy Dore</a>--all of whom make sensible critiques of how cozy mainstream media have become with security state officials--are all persona non grata at CNN and MSNBC even though their takes on the CIA/NSA/FBI attempts to infiltrate the public sphere were once common in so-called left circles. Carlson had Dore on to say something that is no longer uttered on those networks friendly to Democrats: “<i>Your enemy is not China. Your enemy is not Russia. Your enemy is the military-industrial complex</i>.” Even if we agree, as most people do, that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is illegal and cannot be justified on any moral grounds, do we REALLY believe that Russia is a bigger threat than the military-industrial-complex? The fact that the Russia-Ukraine war is being used by the national security state to resuscitate the images of people who gave us debacles in Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, and other places is distressing. And it's absolutely pathetic that a resentment merchant like Tucker Carlson is one of the few pundits with high visibility willing to call that out. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #454545; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">Tucker Carlson is not going away any time soon, and even without the backing of Fox he will continue to command a large audience. What does that mean? Should people genuinely concerned about the abuses inflicted on society by market capitalism, or worried about the national security state inching us ever closer to World War III, or bothered by government censorship--should anyone taken with those and other issues that so-called progressives used to be outspoken about give kudos to Tucker and share his videos when he espouses a sane position? Assuming Tucker reemerges with a program on which he will have guests, should people who genuinely believe in progressive causes ever appear on his show? </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #454545; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">The short answer is, "it depends." It is true that when Tucker Carlson says something sane, just as when Donald Trump says something sane, the most logical response is that old quote dating back to the1700s:"<a href="https://english-grammar-lessons.com/even-a-broken-clock-is-right-twice-a-day-meaning/" target="_blank">Even a broken clock is right twice a day</a>." I can certainly understand the school of thought that says appearing on Tucker or sharing his rhetoric, even if it is to promote a good cause, ends up providing cover for his brand of resentment politics. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #454545; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">On the other hand, I think Nathan Robinson in 2022 made a good point that an authentic left movement should be "<a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/2022/04/the-left-must-be-strategic" target="_blank">ruthlessly strategic</a>" on such matters. Robinson used the example of Chris Smalls of the Amazon Labor Union, who took much criticism from the online left for appearing on Tucker even though his appearance probably reached a significant number of Amazon warehouse workers who share his critique of the corporation. As argued by Robinson: </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white; font-style: italic; text-indent: 52.5px;">Carlson is indeed a truly loathsome individual, who </span><span style="color: black;">uses white nationalist rhetoric<span style="background-color: white; font-style: italic; text-indent: 52.5px;"> and tries to </span>scare white people into fearing “gypsies” and other immigrants</span><span style="background-color: white; font-style: italic; text-indent: 52.5px;">. But in believing that Carlson’s loathsomeness should automatically preclude speaking on his show, we see a lack of attention to the kind of strategic thinking that differentiates what we might call “union organizer mentality” from “media critic mentality.” I am sure Chris Smalls is aware that Tucker Carlson and Fox News are the enemy—Smalls is a </span>revolutionary labor organizer<span style="background-color: white; font-style: italic; text-indent: 52.5px;">. The value of appearing on Fox is instrumental: there are Amazon warehouse workers who watch Fox News and listen to Tucker Carlson . . . For Smalls, the question of whether to go on Fox News is: “What does it do for the ALU?” It is </span><span style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 52.5px;"><b><i><u>not</u></i></b><i> </i></span><span style="background-color: white; text-indent: 52.5px;"><i>“Is Tucker Carlson a good or bad person who deserves credibility?” In other words, Smalls’ choices are outcome-driven rather than an expression of moral preferences.</i> </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; text-indent: 52.5px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Carlson may be the ultimate broken clock, but if in his post-Fox career he continues to command large audiences, then critics of the market, labor organizers and critics of the national security state need to be reflective about the consequences of appearing or NOT appearing on his program. People on the political left--whether they call themselves liberals, radicals, progressives, or whatever--should be very angry with a mainstream "liberal" media that forces this kind of strategizing. How is it possible that critiques of capitalism, rejection of the apparatchiks who gave us Iraq and Afghanistan, and critique of the military-industrial complex are more welcome on Tucker than on traditional "liberal" platforms? It's long past time for the so-called media left to reclaim those positions so that a resentment based broken clock like Tucker Carlson cannot continue to use those positions as a shield to cover for his overall apocalyptic world view. </span></span></p>
tony palmerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506831576450002435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19989310.post-1921344858400302112023-04-04T11:00:00.003-05:002023-04-18T13:14:43.053-05:00Love For All, Hatred For None<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><b>[Note: The Ahmadiya Muslim Community in Oshkosh invited Mayor Lori Palmeri and other distinguished Fox Valley leaders to speak at their 2023 Iftar. Mayor Palmeri could not make it, and she asked me to attend in her place. The Ahmadiya leaders graciously asked me to say a few words. Below is a transcript of my remarks.]</b></i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">My name is Tony Palmeri. I’m a professor
of Communication Studies at UW Oshkosh and former </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">member of the Oshkosh Common Council</span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 16pt;">.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">My spouse Lori Palmeri is the Mayor of
Oshkosh, and she was recently elected as the Representative in the State
Assembly for this 54</span><sup style="font-family: helvetica;">th</sup><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> District.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Unfortunately, she could not be here
tonight due to a prior commitment—she is at an event honoring firefighters in
our community. Her term </span><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>as Mayor</i></b><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> ends on April 18</span><sup style="font-family: helvetica;">th</sup><span style="font-family: helvetica;">,
and she will not be returning to that position. She asked me to remind you to
vote for a new mayor and council on April 4</span><sup style="font-family: helvetica;">th</sup><span style="font-family: helvetica;">!</span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0eyVoxWf5YbeL0k_Ozt0OFnADiEMzhv5Um1tZOmsF7DED90xHxuNdJN4abEBmqO1XOf9sfS28ccM2IcnxXDldeUntt1A107_3c123fq0xN9Hkks77rfb9o4sk9USgvwDWF31C7cugnqXKteQ6s6OQtKOi3Nz9FEWB9Hq-LEtk51bxQVPWaw/s617/iftar23.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="617" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0eyVoxWf5YbeL0k_Ozt0OFnADiEMzhv5Um1tZOmsF7DED90xHxuNdJN4abEBmqO1XOf9sfS28ccM2IcnxXDldeUntt1A107_3c123fq0xN9Hkks77rfb9o4sk9USgvwDWF31C7cugnqXKteQ6s6OQtKOi3Nz9FEWB9Hq-LEtk51bxQVPWaw/w200-h181/iftar23.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Mayor Palmeri sends her greetings. She
wants me to tell you that she has always respected and admired the Adhmadiya
Muslim community, and her respect and admiration has grown in her four years as
Mayor.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">She is especially appreciative of your
spirit of openness and tolerance, of your support for the city’s diversity,
equity, and inclusion initiatives, and your deep commitment to the values of
family, community, and civic engagement.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Most of all, Mayor Palmeri has been moved
by your profound and simple message: </span><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Love For All, Hatred For None</i>.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">The Mayor and I try to live that message,
but like all human beings we sometimes fall short. <b><i>We all fall short at times,
don’t we?</i></b> In a world filled with so much negativity, with so many bad faith
actors trying to keep us divided, it is sometimes difficult to remember that we
must always have love for all and hatred for none, even when there is so much
pressure moving us off that path.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">In Oshkosh we are blessed to have YOU to
remind us of that profound and simple message. Love for all, hatred for none.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><span>And you have had impact</span></b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">. Allow me to share
with you just one example. In 2010 I was on the Oshkosh City Council. That was
the year the city received your request to turn this building into a house of
worship.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">When your request became public, members
of the City </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Council started receiving
phone calls, emails, and other communications. Much of it expressed concerns
about noise and traffic congestion and other things that were sincere and certainly
not trivial, but did seem exaggerated.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As I started communicating with people who
were expressing concerns, it became clear to me that what we were at least in
part dealing with was a fear of Islam, which was not surprising given the political
climate of that time and the mostly irresponsible media coverage of Muslim
people in the first decade of the 21<sup>st</sup> century</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">As the date of the vote on your request
got closer, much of the communication the council was receiving got more angry,
and some of it had a bullying or threatening tone. One person approached me in
the grocery store and said “if you vote for the mosque I will never vote for
you again.” I know some of my colleagues on the council received similar
communications.</span></p><p><b><span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">But your demeanor in those days inspired
me.</span></span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Even though your motives were being
questioned, you did not respond with anger even though it would have been
understandable had you done so.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><span>You had the facts</span></b><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> and the law on
your side but did not immediately threaten lawsuits, even though it would have
been understandable had you done so.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><span>You did not refuse</span></b><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> to meet with
anyone, including people making irrational statements, even though it would
have been understandable had you done so.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><span>Instead, you went out of your way</span></b><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> to address every
concern and to accommodate concerns in whatever way possible.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">No matter what was thrown in your
direction, no matter what obstacles were placed in your path, you responded
with love for all, and hatred for none.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b><span>So, in 2010 in our own little corner of
the world,</span></b><span>
right here in Oshkosh, we had a contest between <b><i>fear</i></b> and <b><i>love</i></b>.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">And love won. <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b><span>Love won.</span></b><span> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">I believe Love can and must win at the
global level. The peace and security that we all seek is not possible without
love. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b><span>But the victory of love is not inevitable</span></b><span>. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">We must act. We must act. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">For love to win we must practice what
political theorist Danielle Allen and others call <b><i>political friendship</i></b>.
Political friendship is not a shallow display of civility. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Political friendship means treating all
human beings, even strangers, as we treat our closest friends. With our closest
friends we <b><i>act in good faith</i></b>, <b><i>we listen, we take turns, we compromise, we
problem solve, and most importantly we sacrifice individual preferences for the
greater good</i></b>. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">If we can practice that kind of friendship
with ALL human beings, then love will win. And we can have the peace and
security we crave. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">I want to close by thanking you for the
friendship you have shown Mayor Palmeri and me, and for the friendship you’ve
shown the entire community, <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Representative Palmeri wants Oshkosh and
Wisconsin to be known as places that stand for love for all and hatred for
none. She looks forward to partnering with you to make that happen. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Thank you. </span></span></p>tony palmerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506831576450002435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19989310.post-42221555202449427122023-04-01T12:51:00.001-05:002023-04-01T15:00:00.689-05:00Media Should Call Out Xenophobic Showboating <p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">American leaders should never minimize, make excuses for, or enable human rights abuses around the world--no matter where such abuses occur, and no matter if a nation committing abuses is a "strategic partner" of the United States. That includes China, whose human rights abuses are <a href="https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2022/country-chapters/china-and-tibet" target="_blank">well documented</a>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Unfortunately, more often than not American leaders' critiques of foreign governments are hypocritical, self-serving, mindless, and ignorant. This is especially true when the critiques are bipartisan. Post-World War II, bipartisan agreement on the evil of a foreign adversary is typically a grotesque form of groupthink benefiting not the cause of freedom as much as bottom line military-industrial-complex interests. When foreign policy stupidity reigns in Washington, we should remind ourselves of George Washington's Farewell Address admonition to <b><i>"guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism." </i></b></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivqlRdgHHagLkX12EwMzLyG6rRLs3SMoGfqizw5LOb2r7qQ13OfW4ccD6akZPIPHvx_Co0yp4g4rSDx_i0KSpdRh1CvHQ0aH2OOfT6bvbUsPhKQRjkBO6vP2eLqHZL34YKWxqcHhbY4p4tLRzi66IKYq3OQ3ieDzymtpy3l4qBEGyLHSv97g/s640/bipartisanxenophobia.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivqlRdgHHagLkX12EwMzLyG6rRLs3SMoGfqizw5LOb2r7qQ13OfW4ccD6akZPIPHvx_Co0yp4g4rSDx_i0KSpdRh1CvHQ0aH2OOfT6bvbUsPhKQRjkBO6vP2eLqHZL34YKWxqcHhbY4p4tLRzi66IKYq3OQ3ieDzymtpy3l4qBEGyLHSv97g/s320/bipartisanxenophobia.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><i><b>The new Cold War with China is bipartisan; Wisconsin Republican congressman Mike Gallagher (right) and Illinois Democratic congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi lead the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. Gallagher seeks "ideological warfare" with China, which he claims is a "lost art." </b></i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The new bipartisan Cold War with China does not feature a morally upright United States Congress standing tall for global democracy and human rights. Rather, this Cold War is primarily an inane and paranoid theater of the absurd in which lightweight congressmen from safely gerrymandered districts think they are sounding tough when they "boldly" call for a Tik Tok ban. Remember, these were the same characters (especially the Republicans), who told us during election time they were going to be "laser focused" on inflation and jobs. Most of them worry about the Chinese Communist Party using nefarious digital means to dumb down our youth and undermine the future of democracy. But the same people either minimize or have nothing to say about <b><i>an actual attempt</i></b> to prevent the peaceful transfer of power on January 6, 2021. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">One of the main offenders in the New Cold War era is Wisconsin congressman Mike Gallagher. The new Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, whose name appropriately enough is "McCarthy," appointed Gallagher as Chair of the "Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party." If you had a dime for every time Gallagher says "Chinese Communist Party," you would be quite rich. Gallagher refers to "ideological warfare" as a "<a href="https://gallagher.house.gov/media/press-releases/gallagher-announced-chairman-select-committee-china" target="_blank">lost art</a>" and longs for a return to the Reagan era with big military budgets backed up by black v. white views of the world. (Note: We are already approaching a <a href="https://rollcall.com/2023/03/14/watershed-1-trillion-defense-budget-on-the-horizon/" target="_blank">trillion dollar a year</a> defense budget.). At a time when the United States and China should be working together on climate mitigation initiatives, poverty eradication, helping to negotiate peace in the Russia v. Ukraine war, and other initiatives that might actually benefit humanity at-large, our new Cold Warriors are getting us <a href="https://www.vox.com/world-politics/2023/3/25/23656256/americas-hypersonic-arms-race-china-russia-missiles" target="_blank">prepared for a new arms race</a>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Gallagher <a href="https://gallagher.house.gov/media/press-releases/gallagher-biden-budget-not-serious-document" target="_blank">opposes President Biden's budget</a> because it fails to (you guessed it) "combat the threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party." He's upset that the budget allegedly "increases spending on domestic progressive priorities at more than double the rate of defense . . . and shortchanges the Pentagon at the worst moment possible." At the same time, he <a href="https://gallagher.house.gov/media/press-releases/gallagher-ferguson-introduce-bill-ban-biden-cancelling-student-loans" target="_blank">introduced a bill</a> to "ban Biden from cancelling student loans." </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">While Gallagher's Select Committee on China called to mind the worst of the red-baiting Congressional excesses of the 1950s, for pure comedy it was no match for a recent hearing held by the Energy and Commerce Committee. Chaired by Republican Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington state, the hearing was called "Tik Tok: How Congress Can Safeguard American Data Privacy and Protect Children From Online Harms." Listening to and watching the hearing, you would think that Tik Tok is uniquely awful in the big tech world, or that surveillance of private data is something invented by the Chinese Communist Party. As noted media law scholar (and my former student) Chris Terry might say, "I know journalism is hard," but someone should <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/the-nsa-files" target="_blank">ask Edward Snowden</a> if the Chinese Communist Party invented private data surveillance.</span> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AvsIogVNs7w?start=150" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The most hysterical part of the hearing, in a pathetic way, was congressman Dan Crenshaw's (R-Texas) questioning of Tik Tok CEO Shou Zi Chew. Crenshaw's comments, like so many of his colleagues that day on both sides of the aisle, represented what digital rights activist Evan Greer calls <b><i>"Xenophobic Showboating."</i></b> Crenshaw started off his remarks by sarcastically thanking Chew for "bringing Democrats and Republicans together." At one point Crenshaw clearly was trying to "own" Chew by pointing out that under China's 2017 national intelligence law, Chinese citizens must cooperate with Chinese intelligence and are bound to secrecy. Chew interrupted to say, <b><i>"Congressman, first, "I'm a Singaporean."</i></b> Did Crenshaw know that Chew was from Singapore? I don't think he did, and he tried to cover it up by suggesting that it did not matter. Crenshaw closed with a paranoid rant about Tik Tok being part of a Chinese Communist Party conspiracy to weaken America from within, through controlling our youth. A full transcript of this mostly shameful hearing can be <a href="https://techpolicy.press/transcript-tiktok-ceo-testifies-to-congress/" target="_blank">found here</a>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Only a handful of members of congress, including Wisconsin's Mark Pocan and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/22/nyregion/jamaal-bowman-tiktok.html " target="_blank">New York's Jamaal Bowman</a>, had anything rational to say about Tik Tok. They rightly condemned the "hysteria" over Tik Tok, and argued--correctly in my view--that discussions about the platform should be placed in a larger context of data manipulation by Big Tech in general. <span style="background-color: white; color: #100e13;">These points are reinforced by investigative journalist Julia Angwin: </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #363636;">But when you dig into the national security allegations against TikTok, it is telling that most of the charges could just as easily be levied against the U.S. tech giants. And most of the tech companies’ exploitation of data has not been curbed by the government . . . [Yet]s</span><span style="color: #363636;">ecuring data from internal threats has been a problem for all the Big Tech companies. Google has </span><a class="css-yywogo" href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/g5gk73/google-fired-dozens-for-data-misuse" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="border: 0px; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-color: var(--color-signal-editorial,#326891); text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-thickness: 1px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="">fired</a><span style="color: #363636;"> dozens of employees for data misuse, including obtaining user data. Microsoft admitted to </span><a class="css-yywogo" href="https://www.pcmag.com/news/microsoft-searched-bloggers-hotmail-to-find-windows-8-leak" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="border: 0px; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-color: var(--color-signal-editorial,#326891); text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-thickness: 1px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="">snooping in a blogger’s Hotmail account</a><span style="color: #363636;"> to see who was leaking internal documents. At Twitter, </span><a class="css-yywogo" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/interactive/2022/twitter-whistleblower-sec-spam/?itid=ap_josephmenn&itid=lk_inline_manual_4" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="border: 0px; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-color: var(--color-signal-editorial,#326891); text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-thickness: 1px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="">internal controls were so lax</a><span style="color: #363636;"> that an ex-employee was convicted of using his access </span><a class="css-yywogo" href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/aug/09/twitter-saudi-arabia-dissident-spying" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="border: 0px; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-color: var(--color-signal-editorial,#326891); text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-thickness: 1px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="">to spy on Saudi dissidents</a><span style="color: #363636;">, and a whistle-blower said that the company had hired an employee in India who had used his access to spy on Indian dissidents.</span></i></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #545454; margin: 1.5em 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://www.fightforthefuture.org/news/2023-02-28-new-dontbantiktok-campaign-calls-for-privacy-legislation-instead-of-hypocrisy-and-censorship " style="background-color: transparent;" target="_blank">Evan Greer</a><span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent;">argues that the red scare is no substitute for better data privacy laws: </span><span style="color: #100e13;"><i>“TikTok uses the exact same surveillance capitalist business model of services like YouTube and Instagram. Yes, it’s concerning that the Chinese government could abuse data that TikTok collects. But even if TikTok were banned, they could access much of the same data simply by purchasing it from data brokers, because there are almost no laws in place to prevent that kind of abuse. If policymakers want to protect Americans from surveillance, they should advocate for strong data privacy laws that prevent all companies (including TikTok!) from collecting so much sensitive data about us in the first place, rather than engaging in what amounts to xenophobic showboating that does exactly nothing to protect anyone.”</i></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #545454; margin: 1.5em 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #100e13;">What is the role of big media in the New Bipartisan Cold War? Not surprisingly, but still tragically, big media are allowing xenophobic nonsense to be put forth as a legitimate political position. What we need from big media (and from all media, actually) is an independent spirit that calls out human rights abuses on all sides, and refuses to be the stage on which xenophobic showboating performs. <a href="http://www.tonypalmeri.com/mediarants49.htm" target="_blank">As I've written about before</a>, during the McCarthy period of red baiting in the 1950s, only a small group of journalists and commentators (especially Edward Murrow of CBS, Bill Evjue of the Madison Capital Times, and independent journalist George Seldes) had the backbone to take on McCarthy and his enablers throughout the government. We need a new generation of principled journalists and commentators to do the same today. </span></span></p>tony palmerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506831576450002435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19989310.post-45777750111040957722023-03-01T07:42:00.001-06:002023-03-01T07:53:50.501-06:00In Memory of a Populist Political Scientist <p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">My friend and mentor, <a href="https://www.fissbillspoklasnyfuneralhome.com/obituaries/James-Doc-Simmons/#!/Obituary" target="_blank">Dr. James Simmons</a>, passed away recently at the age of 76. Jim was a widely published scholar in the field of Political Science, a UW Oshkosh campus leader, a community activist, and much loved by his family and friends. Through his example he inspired me in many ways, some of which I will describe in this post. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">When I arrived on the UW Oshkosh campus in the fall of 1989, three people made an immediate impression on me: Doug McClain, Barbara Sniffen, and James Simmons. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsgTq5zShbOMxdlENvJYFFPsCjsZq9gTTeoa_3UcDbljt3RsR7ipvfjaRJTgGzzSb9itrSfxW0o8ybg5qpLbS8jBa9voGdeCkUUvXoRB1QKTuIeeG-tNIKIF4GtJoA1KNx6bWetlx2fcs5_9h4eRc6KSy4qacKPDeXuzQnrN609AlLYn0tXQ/s900/simmonsandrylance%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="900" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsgTq5zShbOMxdlENvJYFFPsCjsZq9gTTeoa_3UcDbljt3RsR7ipvfjaRJTgGzzSb9itrSfxW0o8ybg5qpLbS8jBa9voGdeCkUUvXoRB1QKTuIeeG-tNIKIF4GtJoA1KNx6bWetlx2fcs5_9h4eRc6KSy4qacKPDeXuzQnrN609AlLYn0tXQ/s320/simmonsandrylance%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><b>In the 1990s and 2000s I produced and co-hosted (with former Oshkosh Mayor James Mather) a public affairs television program called "Commentary." Jim Simmons was a regular guest. In the picture are (from left) Jim Simmons, me, local author Dan Rylance, and Mr. Mather.</b></span> </td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The late Doug McClain was an Assistant Dean of Students. A deeply spiritual man with an infectious smile who could not say a bad word about anyone, Doug taught me that academia at its best stands for the love of great ideas and the love for all humanity. On the basis of just a few short conversations Doug recognized in me a passion for helping people to become their most authentic selves, and so he recruited me to work with student leaders on developing their communication and leadership skills. Doug passed in the late 1990s, yet to this day whenever I find myself getting cynical about the prospects for positive change, I remember Doug's radiant optimism for the inspiration I need to get back on track. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The late Barbara Sniffen was as close to a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Jones" target="_blank">Mother Jones</a> figure as I will ever meet. A History professor by trade, Barb was a first class hell-raiser. Passionate about labor union activism, she was known for her assertive recruitment of faculty and staff to join the Wisconsin Federation of Teachers. By assertive I mean "in your face." Though they would never admit it, UW administrators walked in fear of Barb; she was the gadfly who stood up to them on all major issues, all of the time. After I was in Oshkosh for about a year, Barb chased me down on campus and said, "Tony you're smart and a good public speaker. You need to do more to fight for justice around here." At first I was offended, but then I realized she was right. When she passed away in 2003 I called her a <a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2023/02/barbara-sniffen-fighter-mentor-friend.html" target="_blank">fighter, mentor, and friend</a>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And then there was Jim Simmons. He also arrived at UW Oshkosh in fall of 1989, and from the first time I met him (at a new faculty orientation) I was blown away by his vast knowledge of history and politics, two topics that I've always been consumed with. In one of our earliest conversations I happened to mention to him that I had recently seen a picture of the Ku Klux Klan marching across the Main St. bridge in Oshkosh in the 1920s. Jim proceeded to give me a lengthy, awe inspiring lecture on the history of the Klan in the Midwest, which was fascinating and terrifying at the same time. People who know Jim will remember that intense sparkle he got in his eyes whenever he riffed on something he had a good deal of knowledge about. I remember leaving that interaction--and dozens of future interactions--thinking that I needed to do a hell of a lot more reading just to keep up with him. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Around 1996 Jim and I became close friends. That year the city manager of Oshkosh announced he was retiring. The form of government in Oshkosh always appeared strange to me, in large part because placing executive power in the hands of an unelected bureaucrat seemed to run counter to the basic principles of representative government. Given that the city manager was retiring, I wondered if it might be a good time to change the form of government to be more like Appleton, Green Bay, Madison, and many other cities that place executive power in the hands of an elected mayor. Changing the government at that time, I reasoned, would not require firing a city manager. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I had absolutely no idea how anyone would go about changing the form of government, so as was typical for me at the time, I called Jim Simmons. He responded to me as if he had been waiting for the call for years, providing me with an incredibly detailed overview of the history of government in Oshkosh. Inspired by our conversation, I wrote a letter to the local Oshkosh Northwestern arguing that the City Council should hold off on starting a search for a new city manager, and should instead ask the voters if they wanted a stronger mayor position instead. Within days, I received numerous emails and phone calls from people who had been involved in previous attempts to change the form of government. They were mostly older men who in their lives had been everything from city workers to assembly line workers to small business owners, and they told me how they had been condemned by the local media as "two percenters" every time they tried to expose the problems with the government. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jim suggested that we arrange a meeting at the Oshkosh Public Library to see how much interest there was in the issue. About twenty people showed up at the first meeting, which shocked me. We ended up calling ourselves "Citizens of Representative Democracy" (CORD), and put in place a process of getting the thousands of petition signatures necessary to put a change of government referendum on the ballot. Jim put an unbelievable amount of work into that effort, not only collecting signatures, but also developing promotional literature, wording the referendum so it would pass legal muster, and handling all media inquiries. His wisdom and eloquence kept all CORD supporters motivated. It was really in this time period that I began to see Jim for what he was: <b><i>a Populist Political Scientist with a genuine love for people at the grassroots level</i></b>. His interaction with the CORD activists--few of whom had college backgrounds--was grounded in a deep respect for the "little guys and gals" whose names rarely get mentioned in the press, but who are the true salt of the earth. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The change of government referendum came close but did not pass. For his efforts Jim took a beating in the local media (which supported the manager form of government), but he gained the admiration and respect of many for the way he spoke truth to power. For me, he did something even more important:<b><i> he spoke truth to the power-less</i></b>, which is not something the typical academician does. Jim was a public intellectual in the best sense; guided by political science theories and scholarship, he helped people at-large solve practical problems. He was acting in the best tradition of what has been referred to in the UW as the "<a href="http://scifun.org/WisIdea/WisIdea.htm" target="_blank">Wisconsin Idea.</a>" </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8lQCBvxzC1I" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://youtu.be/8lQCBvxzC1I" target="_blank"><b><i>I interviewed Jim Simmons numerous times. Here is a typical sample of our conversation (recorded in 2014) from a program produced by Cheryle Hentz called "Eye on Oshkosh". </i></b></a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Some years after the CORD movement, I wrote a Media Rants piece for the SCENE newspaper called "<a href="http://www.tonypalmeri.com/mediarants28.htm" target="_blank">Deonstructing Don Kettl</a>." Jim was always a fan of the Media Rants column, and in that particular year (2004) he happened to be the editor of the Wisconsin Political Science Association Journal. He liked the Kettl column, and asked me if I would be willing to write an expanded version of it for the WPSA journal. I was honored that he liked the piece and of course said yes, but I asked him if he was concerned about possible pushback. Professor Kettl after all was Republican Governor Tommy Thompson's favorite UW professor, and a respected scholar at UW Madison. My problem was not really with Dr. Kettl as much as Thompson's use of him to provide a kind of intellectual cover for his "reforms" of state government--most of which were supported by the monied interests that run the state capitol. I remember Jim saying, "don't worry about pushback.It's a good piece and it belongs in the journal." </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Well, after the piece came out a few University of Wisconsin Madison faculty went apoplectic. The main argument of my piece was that professor Kettl had become a symbol of the tendency of the modern professoriate to become tools of power as opposed to challengers of it. The critics could offer no rational response or counterpoint to that argument. Instead they called on Jim to resign as journal editor, and launched a number of personal attacks at me. It was a bizarre display of a kind of academic thin skin that made it painfully obvious why governor Thompson--who brought big money and big business influence to Wisconsin--did not fear the professoriate. Of course Jim Simmons did not resign as journal editor, and he pointedly defended his own and my integrity throughout the process. Jim truly had my back, something I will never forget. </span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhK1Wc7fqOPb1h_l6jH_dPM9pRR4ycq4XMGoeAzQSQQQnAKlhiuCk_57nAzO4Lv-3kllL85rvxUXL_9moeLGzDV5DtmVvBfajH5xor1Pwv0KqdxV7A2Kf3cTHRq_ioXXRLS0ojfdU8eaVZzx9JZzVDZdCYsaGSjMZupD0yFrVVsoGLDPEtiA/s599/whatgovernmentcando.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhK1Wc7fqOPb1h_l6jH_dPM9pRR4ycq4XMGoeAzQSQQQnAKlhiuCk_57nAzO4Lv-3kllL85rvxUXL_9moeLGzDV5DtmVvBfajH5xor1Pwv0KqdxV7A2Kf3cTHRq_ioXXRLS0ojfdU8eaVZzx9JZzVDZdCYsaGSjMZupD0yFrVVsoGLDPEtiA/w134-h200/whatgovernmentcando.jpg" width="134" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>Jim Simmons' book "<a href="https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/W/bo3645112.html" target="_blank">What Government Can Do</a>," co-authored with Ben Page in the year 2000, argued that government can and should create policies to reduce poverty and inequality </i></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">If an honest history of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh campus is ever written, Jim Simmons should occupy a prominent place in it. He was a master of faculty governance who could cite complex handbook language from memory. He took on administrative bullies, and never compromised the shared governance principles that are supposed to frame administrative, faculty/staff, and student interaction. He kept reminding university employees--including the faculty--that they were WORKERS with interests that must be fought for. Jim had a great career, but he was not a careerist; it was more important for him to search for truth and lend his expertise to worthwhile causes than it was to gain academic status or rewards. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Thank you James Simmons for all you did to make Oshkosh a better community, UW Oshkosh a better campus, Wisconsin a better state, and the United States a better nation. You will not be forgotten, and your legacy will continue to inspire generations of future scholars and activists. </span></p>tony palmerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506831576450002435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19989310.post-72714990566769906502023-02-24T10:55:00.000-06:002023-02-24T10:55:07.229-06:00Barbara Sniffen: Fighter, Mentor, Friend (From 2003)<p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><b>[Note: This obit was originally written in 2003. UW Oshkosh is currently in the process of revamping their website, on which this piece appeared. I'm moving pieces from that site to this blog. Barb Sniffen is still greatly missed.].</b></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">November 4, 2003</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Barbara Sniffen, UW Oshkosh Professor Emeritus of History and passionate TAUWP (American Federation of Teachers) advocate, died in her sleep last Thursday night while attending the Wisconsin Federation of Teachers Convention. "Shock" does not even begin to describe the feelings of everyone who knew and loved Barbara. Though we knew she suffered from a variety of ailments including a bout with cancer, her energy and enthusiasm always made it difficult to imagine that she might someday leave us. I know I speak for all TAUWP members in offering the deepest condolences to Barbara's husband, son, and the rest of her family and friends.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I suspect my history with Barbara Sniffen matches that of many others: I stood in awe of Barbara the fighter, sought guidance from Barbara the mentor, and was comforted by the warmth of Barbara the friend.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There will never be another fighter like Barbara Sniffen on the UW Oshkosh campus. When I first arrived at the campus in 1989, like most faculty recently out of graduate school I was naive about the realities of university power and politics. I had great faith and belief in the idea that the American university really was a place where students, faculty, staff, and administrators stood united in the search for truth. Barbara Sniffen understood, more keenly than most, that administrative power trips, unfair workplace rules, and double standards blocked the truth search. There's a famous quote by the great African-American abolitionist Frederick Douglass that always reminds me of Barbara every time I hear it. That quote says, <i><b>"Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will."</b></i> Most people who met Barbara were shocked that this tiny, outwardly reserved looking older woman could be so brazen and forceful. I think Mark Twain explained it best, "<i><b>It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog."</b></i><br /><br />Two short stories, both from the last two months of Barbara's life, I think illustrate her fighting spirit. A little over a month ago I returned to my office after teaching one morning and saw a message on my telephone answering machine. It was from Barbara, saying there was something "urgent" she wanted to tell me. Between meeting with students and doing assorted other odds and ends, I did not return her call. When I got home that evening, there was a message on my home answering machine from Barbara: "Tony, you really do have to call me. This is extremely important." I called her early the next morning, and what she wanted to tell me was that Kay Neal (who followed me as chair of the department of communication) had finally joined TAUWP. You see, Barbara had been recruiting Kay for years and years and years to join the organization. Barbara aggressively recruited faculty to join the organization, and she refused to accept "NO" from anyone. When a faculty or staff member finally joined, Barbara considered it a great moral victory and a significant stride toward attaining justice for all members of the campus community. I used to laugh at how seriously Barbara took the whole issue of membership recruitment, at how she would religiously come to every campus opening day ceremony in September and place TAUWP membership cards in the hands of everyone who wanted one and especially in the hands of those who did NOT want one. Now I cry wondering how we will ever replace that exuberance and persistence that really is the lifeblood of any organization or community, be it a university community or any other.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Then just a few weeks ago the UW Board of Regents met on the UW Oshkosh campus. Our new Wisconsin Federation of Teachers TAUWP representative Kevin Kniffin (Barbara loved the fact that the WFT hired someone whose name was so similar to hers) and staff organizer Andrew Cantrell had been busy taping TAUWP signs on the doors of the Reeve Union building in which the Regents would be meeting. But Barbara went one step further: she placed the signs in the women's' rest rooms, an act that drew the ire of the Reeve Union management and the campus police. When Kevin, Andrew, and I broke the news to Barbara about the authorities' displeasure with this evil act of civil disobedience she had committed, she was just beaming. She was like an energetic teenager who had moved the minute hand on her parents' watches back so as to extend the curfew. Nothing gave her more pleasure than tweaking the establishment, even if it meant placing--gasp!--unauthorized flyers in their rest rooms</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Barbara was always chastised, even by many of her friends, for being overly confrontational, exaggerating problems, and personalizing issues. Often I would say to these critics, "look, I don't always agree with Barbara's style of communicating, but on the other hand if I were taken hostage somewhere and allowed just one phone call, I'm pretty sure Barbara Sniffen is the person that I'd contact. She'd set the wheels in motion to get me released in ways that no mellow and non-confrontational diplomat ever could."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I think Barbara was amused by the criticisms aimed at her, and saw them as signs of the discomfort that most of us feel when someone urges us to confront power. She got a big kick, for example, at how some members of the university faculty would claim to throw her caustic "TAUWP Comments" newsletters right in the trash, yet they somehow were able to engage in point by point refutation of every claim in the Comment.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">If there are angels in Heaven, I can see Barb right now organizing them to confront God about all the violence and misery on Earth. I can hear her telling them, "Look, there's all this talk about love and peace around here and yet the boss tolerates wars, natural disasters, hunger and disease. Let's demand that this Great Spirit start acting like one."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But Barb was not only a great fighter. She was a tremendous mentor and friend.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I believe the greatest gift a mentor can give to a mentee is the confidence to use their talents and abilities for a cause bigger than themselves. In my 14 years at UW Oshkosh, Barb Sniffen was one of only a handful of people who steered me away from the narrow careerist agenda that plagues so many people at a modern university. Barb kept reminding me that someone with my abilities was obligated to join the centuries old struggle for justice and human rights. She showed me the folly of trying to curry favor with people in power if they do not respect basic principles of democracy like due process and equal opportunity. She showed me the necessity of exposing those who abuse power and demanding accountability from them, even if that means great personal discomfort and sacrifice of many of the rewards available to people who remain silent in the face of injustice. In her personal example she showed me the truth of Margaret Mead's declaration to <i><b>"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."</b></i> Barbara Sniffen never let me forget that I could be that ONE thoughtful citizen who could change the world.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ultimately, Barbara Sniffen was a friend. In her one sensed a deep love of humanity in general and a genuine care for everyone in her immediate environment. In Barbara's presence I always felt like I was around a modern version of Mother Jones, the great late 19th and early 20th century champion of the rights of children and the oppressed. Mother Jones told us to <i><b>"pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living." </b></i>Barbara told us the same thing, loud and clear.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I think the best way for us to pay tribute to Barbara Sniffen is to pledge to continue that fight. I only hope that in my fight I can display the passion and dignity that Barbara modeled for us so eloquently.</span></p>tony palmerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506831576450002435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19989310.post-83706418765502805322023-02-01T08:09:00.007-06:002023-05-22T09:26:44.164-05:00The January 6th Committee: Government of the Media, By the Media, and For the Media<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In the early 1970s I was not like the typical urban middle-school boy. Most were into wiffle ball, rol</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">ler skates, etch-a-sketch, two hand touch football, super elastic bubble plastic, collecting baseball cards, an occasional game of checkers or chess, </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheelie_bike" style="font-family: helvetica;" target="_blank">wheelie bikes</a><span style="font-family: helvetica;">, and playing bottle caps. Some even displayed spectacular feats with hacky sacks, hula hoops and jump ropes. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Me? I enjoyed some of those activities, but they all seemed to pale in comparison to my fascination with political rhetoric. My parents looked at me strangely when I sat in front of the rabbit ear TV fixated not on Bugs Bunny (pardon the pun) or the <a href="https://youtu.be/XMl6HnhFFIA" target="_blank">Banana Splits</a> (Google them) as much as <i>Meet the Press</i> or <i>William F. Buckley's Firing Line</i>. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: helvetica;">For a kid like me, and for millions of Americans, the Congressional Watergate Hearings of 1973-1974 were an eye-opening, transformative experience. President Nixon in November of 1972 had been reelected in one of the biggest landslides in history (he carried 49 states and 60 percent of the popular vote), yet barely two years later the corruption exposed by the Congressional Hearings pushed Tricky Dicky into resigning the office. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/IfXPcQroX1U" target="_blank">Video: A Look Back at the Senate Watergate Hearings</a> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: helvetica;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IfXPcQroX1U" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></p><p><span a="" all="" an="" and="" as="" at="" baker="" carolina="" civil="" come="" committee="" did="" dogged="" egregious="" ennessee="" ervin="" even="" expect="" expedient="" fascinated="" from="" grandstanding="" gt="" had="" hearings="" hours="" how="" howard="" i="" in="" indeed="" interest="" it="" like="" matter="" me="" members="" models="" most="" narratives.="" nbsp="" no="" not="" of="" off="" on="" orth="" p="" politically="" pontificators="" produced="" promoting="" pursuit="" real="" rehearsal.="" sam="" self-serving="" senators="" servants:="" should="" sides="" slickly="" some="" spent="" still="" struck="" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: helvetica;" that="" the="" their="" they="" time="" truth="" understood="" upset.="" ven="" was="" watergate="" we="" were.="" were="" what="" who="" youngster=""><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: helvetica;">The Watergate hearings were educational--anyone following them closely learned a great deal about how government "works"--and had enough surprise and suspense to keep even a middle school kid glued to his seat. Because the hearings occurred before the age of cable news, no one had to suffer through hours of hyperpartisan corporate media telling us who among the committee members and witnesses to love or to hate. There was not the equivalent of a Fox News doing whatever it could to defend Nixon and undermine the process, nor was there the equivalent of an MSNBC treating Democrats on the Committee like trusted old friends. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: helvetica;">In their testimony before the committee, Nixon's henchmen like John Ehrlichman, H.R. Haldeman, and John Mitchell tried to defend a theory of executive branch power that would justify pretty much any of Nixon's actions--a theory that's been referred to as the "imperial presidency." Watching both Democrats AND Republicans joust with Nixon's henchmen and challenge the theory made me feel that I really was watching government of the people, by the people, and for the people. </span></p><p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">Fifty years later, I watched pretty much all of the hearings conducted by the Select Committee to Investigate the Attack on the United States Capitol. Even though a line from congresswoman and committee co-chair Liz Cheney's opening remarks should be included on the Wikipedia page of pretty much every Republican member of Congress (</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><b>"Tonight, I say this to my Republican colleagues who are defending the indefensible: There will come a day when Donald Trump is gone, but your dishonor will remain"</b></i>), the hearings as a whole did not convey the sense of civic emergency as powerfully as the Watergate committee did decades earlier. Indeed, through most of the hearings I kept asking myself how 12-year-old Tony would be reacting to the proceedings, and I concluded that he would be disappointed that the hearings seemed to be a "made for TV moment" in a literal sense. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUknTvgg6akKvZQQZB3S7dcUPeN9TuAApZsFNDTMikjV4X_vmajghU65Echh9N9VCN5bkIl9kccurQRieDy8hY4DsZXhjIfEU93onvx7hYjwG2wV3nqxF0_x9Sk8P1fEjT3RcwoLoFkKKdFtRBBJU1incQXHmPVL3xhvEU4mnFsxF3k3SZQ/s936/liz2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="760" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUknTvgg6akKvZQQZB3S7dcUPeN9TuAApZsFNDTMikjV4X_vmajghU65Echh9N9VCN5bkIl9kccurQRieDy8hY4DsZXhjIfEU93onvx7hYjwG2wV3nqxF0_x9Sk8P1fEjT3RcwoLoFkKKdFtRBBJU1incQXHmPVL3xhvEU4mnFsxF3k3SZQ/s320/liz2.jpg" width="260" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>In the opinion of this blog, Liz Cheney's call out of GOP cowards should be featured on all of their Wikipedia pages and should be a permanent part of their legacy.</i></b></span> </td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">In fairness to the January 6th Committee, they faced a set of constraints that their Watergate era ancestors did not. For one thing, the Republican Party in 1972-1974 was not dominated by trolls for whom "owning the libs" was more important than protecting the institution of government or even protecting just their personal integrity. For another, the Watergate Committee did not have to deal with a 24-hour a day "news network" (i.e. Fox and even more right wing outlets like One America News) that spent most of its on-air time undermining the investigation. Finally, even though Nixon's cronies were morally compromised and complicit in his crimes, none of them had the audacity to ignore congressional subpoenas like Mr. Trump's enablers have done. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">The January 6th Committee admirably refused to be deterred by the constraints and ended up producing an 845-page <a href="https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-J6-REPORT/pdf/GPO-J6-REPORT.pdf" target="_blank">final report</a> that is kind of like the <i>USA Today</i> in how it includes scores of colorful photos to help our attention-challenged culture stay focused on the seriousness expressed in the printed words. Unfortunately, the Committee took its desire to make the events of January 6th "accessible" to an extreme, and that's where they erred. Though he would have not used this exact language to describe it, young middle-school Tony would have been frustrated by (1) the slickness of the production, (2) the fact that all the politicians on the panel seemed to be acting as if they were in a movie about the government's investigation of January 6th, and (3) that the entire series of hearings seemed to be guided by some kind of "narrative arc" leading to an already established conclusion. Young Tony was intrigued by the Watergate hearings in part because they seemed radically different from almost everything else on TV at the time. The January 6th hearings, on the other hand, seemed to go out of its way <b><i>to be like</i></b> a big budget media production. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">My feelings about the January 6th committee's obsession with producing a made-for-TV spectacular were confirmed by a lengthy December 23, 2022 <i>New York Times</i> piece called <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/23/magazine/jan-6-committee.html" target="_blank">Inside the Jan. 6 Committee</a> (behind a paywall). Turns out that the Committee hired James Goldston, former president of ABC News, to handle media production efforts. Working closely with Goldston was Melinda Arons, former ABC "Nightline" producer. According to testimony received by the <i>Times'</i> reporters, the nine televised hearings that aired from June - October 2022 were "meticulously choreographed." One senior staffer said that "Every word was intentional . . . nothing was spontaneous." </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;">Goldston and Arons treated the committee members as if they were actors: "</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #363636;">Each hearing was preceded by at least two rehearsals held in the Cannon Caucus Room on evenings or weekends. Each monologue was timed with a stopwatch usually held by [Timothy]Mulvey, the communications director. One rehearsal lasted five hours, and the script of the hearing had to be cut nearly in half." Somehow I cannot imagine old Sam Ervin or Howard Baker participating in something like that. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvwx6ykvZV-nNRgYtv5i4noYvUwuF_ZeBcQqhs7arnu5OHolpr5d_7P7Nr2Prk-93Gkp_Dk3UuL1Gyec7gw8dcGVM6Xg6sBYwgw_lgKtCEfIbughCB-U615YKPbmdqstBJfXTn_UdY-BV4X4Ch3RMOybAquAg2tChbG6dbONVlOw_Y5km-DA/s640/GOLDSTON-ABC-NEWS.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="640" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvwx6ykvZV-nNRgYtv5i4noYvUwuF_ZeBcQqhs7arnu5OHolpr5d_7P7Nr2Prk-93Gkp_Dk3UuL1Gyec7gw8dcGVM6Xg6sBYwgw_lgKtCEfIbughCB-U615YKPbmdqstBJfXTn_UdY-BV4X4Ch3RMOybAquAg2tChbG6dbONVlOw_Y5km-DA/s320/GOLDSTON-ABC-NEWS.webp" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><i>The January 6th Committee literally hired a former TV executive (James Goldston) to help make the hearings more viewer friendly.</i></b></span> </td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #363636;">Because the Committee was concerned with constructing a compelling narrative that would keep viewers engaged (like a <a href="https://abc.com/shows/2020" target="_blank">20/20</a> broadcast), they had to invent provocative characters. Gripping true crime narratives always feature heroes, villains, and those who have "seen the light." That latter category of characters were what I found to be most repulsive; it included gaslighters like former Attorney General Bill Barr and former White House Counsel Pat Cipollone, both of whom were allowed to rebrand themselves as somehow deserving kudos for telling Mr. Trump that he lost the election. That they had enabled and even propagated Mr. Trump's bullshit for years was politely ignored. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #363636;">Just as appalling were the characters the Committee transformed into principled public servants just because they resigned as a result of the insurrection. This group includes deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews, deputy national security adviser Matthew Pottinger, transportation secretary Elaine Chao, education secretary Betsy DeVos, Northern Ireland special envoy and former acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, acting chair of the Council of Economic Advisers Tyler Goodspeed, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a;">deputy assistant secretary of commerce for intelligence and security John Costello, and White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham. Given Trump's erratic and shameful behaviors long before 1/6/21, the idea that January 6th was the "bridge too far" for these people was laughable. Unlike Jeb Stuart Magruder, Nixon's deputy director of communications who came clean to the Watergate Committee and famously said, </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"Somewhere between my ambition and my ideals, I lost my ethical compass," Trump's "principled public servants" made no such mea culpas. Instead they simply reinforced the Committee's narrative that the primary ethical villain in this entire travesty was Mr. Trump himself.</span> </span></p><p><span style="color: #363636; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><i>As important as the January 6th Committee's work was, and as sincere as most of its members appeared, the panel was ultimately a classic example of what happens when we get government of the media, by the media, and for the media.</i></b> The committee's work resulted in viral videos, social media trends, and enough video to be used in dozens of the inevitable documentary films, podcasts, and a myriad of additional media products that will be coming from all ends of the political spectrum. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #363636; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">Meanwhile, Mr. Trump has been allowed back on Twitter and Facebook, his main competitors for the 2024 GOP nomination are running on Trumpian themes, and the mass media is once again providing the former president with free advertising that candidates dream of. If the situation were this dire in 1974, middle school Tony would have probably backed off on the political rhetoric and started taking Bugs Bunny and the Banana Splits more seriously. At least Bugs and the Bananas didn't pretend to be anything other than entertainment. </span></span></p>tony palmerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506831576450002435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19989310.post-57086257069025404902023-01-12T12:50:00.000-06:002023-01-12T12:50:24.636-06:00Ten Tunes From the Great Jeff Beck <p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Like millions of his fans, I am still in shock at the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/11/arts/music/jeff-beck-dead.html" target="_blank">passing of the great Jeff Beck</a>. Especially for baby boomers, Beck was the epitome of the Rock Star; the essence of COOL, kind of like The Fonz of guitar players. Along with his contemporaries Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck defined the classic rock guitar sound and the guitar player image. He had an uncanny ability to adapt his style to a variety of genres including blues, rhythm and blues, rockabilly, jazz, reggae, techno, classical and more. He wrote many influential tunes, but when he chose to cover someone else's music he always found a way to give the song new life. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6b7OqIkf9P7BCDJ1bVvlWIn5Xaj_uY8xyJvxT8-92Pp6OaI8n965o487CRQCrZCQVscU2MzArWppMfbQkjlWknUjzcOQNHPNL6GIp6pjLntCQNZWeWwICgOZtdDHu21Sk8DzBKV04bqy56gu3I_qydEgzFkqHjk081ncvnLGO5wPC4O6WWg/s1280/beck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6b7OqIkf9P7BCDJ1bVvlWIn5Xaj_uY8xyJvxT8-92Pp6OaI8n965o487CRQCrZCQVscU2MzArWppMfbQkjlWknUjzcOQNHPNL6GIp6pjLntCQNZWeWwICgOZtdDHu21Sk8DzBKV04bqy56gu3I_qydEgzFkqHjk081ncvnLGO5wPC4O6WWg/s320/beck.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Below are ten of my personal Beck favorites, organized chronologically: </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>*Groundbreaking Guitar Style: "Shapes of Things" (1966).</b> Rock historians all agree that The Yardbirds were one of the most important bands of all time, as they laid down the foundation for what became "hard rock." Beck's playing on The Yardbirds' "Shapes of Things." which is one of the earliest examples of the feedback sound that became the trademark of guitar giants like Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page, expanded the possibilities of the instrument for an entire generation. </span></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Jc17DqcA6Qc" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div><a href="https://youtu.be/Jc17DqcA6Qc" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Yardbirds' "Shapes of Things"</span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>*Reveling in Ravel: "Beck's Bolero" (1966).</b> One of the most influential instrumental tunes of the classic rock era, an opus that actually has members of the Who (Keith Moon) and what would become half of Led Zeppelin (Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones) playing on it. My guess is that the French composer Joseph Maurice Ravel (died 1937) would have been intrigued by this treatment of his famous score. Maybe he and Beck are discussing it right now in some alternative universe. The version below is from Beck's 1968 album "Truth." </span></div><div><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LLkLcnu_e_g" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/LLkLcnu_e_g" target="_blank">Jeff Beck "Beck's Bolero"</a> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>*Jam Master Jeff: "Rice Pudding" (1969). </b>Beck recorded two albums with vocalist Rod Stewart in the late 1960s as the Jeff Beck Group, "Truth" and "Beck-Ola". Stewart claims that this band was actually the biggest influence on what became the wildly successful Led Zeppelin. I think that that is probably true, though ironically the influence is most clearly shown in the sprawling, raucous instrumental "Rice Pudding." The tune is exactly the kind of jam that found an audience largely due to the risk taking and general excellence of early FM radio. </span></div><div><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/w4_KR_6Eb-Y" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/w4_KR_6Eb-Y" target="_blank">Jeff Beck Group "Rice Pudding"</a> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>*Wonderful Cover of a Signature Stevie Wonder Tune: "Superstition." (1973).</b> After the break up of the Jeff Beck Group, Beck experimented with a "super group" formation. He recruited drummer/vocalist Carmine Appice and bassist Tim Bogert, both formerly of the legendary Vanilla Fudge, to record an album with him. The resulting "Beck, Bogert, Appice" album is a minor classic, even though Beck had suggested over the years that the album was a bit of a sell out in that he was aiming for commercial success. I think every song on the album is amazing, but the cover of Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" is a rare and intoxicating example of a metal/soul hybrid. </span></div><div><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uS3XJQA6voE" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div><div><a href="https://youtu.be/uS3XJQA6voE" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Beck, Bogert, Appice "Superstition"</span></a></div></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>*Not Quite Jazz, Part I: "Freeway Jam" (1975).</b> In the mid-1970s Jeff Beck recorded and released two mostly instrumental albums ("Blow by Blow" in 1975 and "Wired" in 1976) that I think have mistakenly been called "jazz" by generations of music fans and critics. Oh there are certainly jazz elements in each, but there's much more going on. In fact I would argue that these records represent a jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, rock hybrid that was unprecedented for the time and remains unique. </span></div><div><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u6jHlW414sQ" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div>
<div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/u6jHlW414sQ" target="_blank">Jeff Beck "Freeway Jam"</a> </span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>*Not Quite Jazz, Part II: "Blue Wind" (1976).</b> Beck always had a way of bringing out the best in other musicians. On the album "Wired," he seemed to liberate legendary composers/instrumentalists Jan Hammer and Narada Michael Walden from pure jazz, working with them to create a more soulful version of jazz-rock. I love the live version of "Blue Wind" performed at the Hollywood Bowl in 2016 at a concert celebrating Beck's 50th year in music. </span></div><div><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cts2KwSGDso" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/MDTcmavN5Rc" target="_blank">Jeff Beck "Blue Wind"</a> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>*Spiritualizing MTV: "People Get Ready" (1985). </b>By 1985 Music Television was dominated by Michael Jackson, electro-pop, and misogynistic garbage. Ironically, two old school rockers (Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart) added some spirit to the channel with an amazing version of the Impressions's 1965 Civil Rights era hit "People Get Ready." No one will ever top Curtis Mayfield's original vocals on that track, but Stewart actually comes close. Meanwhile the video introduced a new generation to Jeff Beck's soulful guitar playing. </span></div><div><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yC_j_dzkaVE" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div><a href="https://youtu.be/yC_j_dzkaVE" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart "People Get Ready"</span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>*Techno Vibe: "What Mama Said."(1999). </b> In 1999 Beck released his first album of original music in ten years, "Who Else!" On it he collaborated with the great Jennifer Batten, a superior guitarist in her own right who played on Michael Jackson's world tours in the 1980s. The album calls to mind "Blow by Blow" and "Wired," but it has a techno edge to it not found in those earlier records.</span> </div><div><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GJErzI-aP1M" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/3kNJ2jsgfC0" target="_blank">Jeff Beck "What Mama Said"</a> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>*Showin' 'Em How It's Done: "Behind the Veil" (2007).</b> The Crossroads Guitar Festival was founded by Eric Clapton to provide a space for showcasing the greatest guitar players in the world. Jeff Beck's 2007 appearance featuring bassist Tal Wilkenfeld remains as one of the most mesmerizing performances in the history of the festival. </span></div><div><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SX0aix_wdME" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div><a href="https://youtu.be/SX0aix_wdME" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jeff Beck "Behind the Veil"</span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>*Getting Back to the Roots: ""Live in the Dark" (2016).</b> In 2016 Beck recorded an energetic, socially conscious set of tunes with indie British rockers Rosie Bones and Carmen Vandenburg. The album "Loud Hailer" is actually one of his greatest accomplishments, showing truly how you are never too old to rock and roll. </span></div><div><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QrvfhDQbHHE" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/F6dsffOrOoI" target="_blank">Jeff Beck "Live in the Dark"</a> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This post was just a small taste of Jeff Beck. Search his catalogue and you will not be disappointed. Thanks for the memories and inspiration Jeff, and rest in peace. </span></div>tony palmerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506831576450002435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19989310.post-26226869221259135472023-01-01T09:30:00.002-06:002023-01-01T10:00:59.322-06:00The 2022 Tony Awards<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Welcome to the 2022 Tony Awards for excellence in media. Just as I was finishing up this post, the news reported on the death of the legendary Barbara Walters. While she was a bit too establisment friendly for my taste, there is no doubt that she helped shatter the glass ceiling for women broadcast journalists. She always seemed fully engaged with her interviewees, a quality that influenced me greatly over the years when I've had the opportunity to interview people on television, radio, podcasts, and even in this blog. I'd like to dedicate this year's Tony Awards to the late Barbara Walters. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg96Zx4YDrKwPRNID2h8K6rGQrYE2EvVmcqvLGMmMV_G7H3CbrDluxVBK4aKC8wTF4w1N9gs9Tu0wxIKPHHW3VUZMKaXNEoLJFANf5oH7BbQ5ffRcX9kXmuHjONdZbjPX3Ts8rSLSM_Ox11LhNGdAaihoybueYvOV5digYJuUUERuPGzrBhwQ/s600/walterswithsadadbegin.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg96Zx4YDrKwPRNID2h8K6rGQrYE2EvVmcqvLGMmMV_G7H3CbrDluxVBK4aKC8wTF4w1N9gs9Tu0wxIKPHHW3VUZMKaXNEoLJFANf5oH7BbQ5ffRcX9kXmuHjONdZbjPX3Ts8rSLSM_Ox11LhNGdAaihoybueYvOV5digYJuUUERuPGzrBhwQ/s320/walterswithsadadbegin.webp" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>Barbara Walters' 1977 interview of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin featured the engaged style that has impacted generations of journalists.</i></b></span> </td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">People often ask me how I decide what media to recognize for Tony awards. The answer is that I operate from no strict set of criteria, but I am generally drawn to:</span></p><ul style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;"><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444;"><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333;"><b><i style="background-color: white; color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">insightful works that shed light on some important public issue.</span></i></b></span></span></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444;"><b style="color: #333333;"><i style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">creative works that deserve a wider audience.</span></i></b></span></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444;"><b style="color: #333333;"><i style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">informative works that provide eye-opening education on a difficult topic.</span></i></b></span></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444;"><b style="color: #333333;"><i style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">courageous works that speak truth to power OR that speak truth to the powerless. </span></i></b></span></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444;"><b style="color: #333333;"><i style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">humorous works that skillfully provoke laughter and thought at the same time.</span></i></b></span></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444;"><b style="color: #333333;"><i style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">local works that promote community and civic engagement.</span></i></b></span></li></ul><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;">It's important to recognize excellence in media for a few reasons. First, recognition helps increase the chances that those honored will produce even more. Media producers are human, and like all of us they respond to positive reinforcement. </span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;">Second, it's become too easy to trash modern media in an overly simplistic, vulgar fashion that makes it sound like EVERYTHING is now nothing more than clickbait or hyperpartisan trash or otherwise compromised. Wallowing in that negativity makes it easier to justify not supporting ANY media, which is unfortunate because most of the great work being done today will not survive without grassroots support. </span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;">Finally and most important, it's no secret that our society is in a civic crisis that is the result--at least in part--of the population being chronically underinformed, misinformed, and/or disinformed. By recognizing and sharing quality works, we are doing at least SOMETHING to help rectify the civic crisis. </span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;">And now without any further adieu, here are the 2022 Tony Award recipients for excellence in media. </span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;"><b>*Song of the Year: Neil Young and Crazy Horse, "Love Earth."</b> At the age of 77, Neil Young shows no signs of slowing down as a singer/songwriter or activist. Early in the year Young got into a well publicized <a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/neil-young-explains-spotify-beef-howard-stern-1235172086/" target="_blank">spat</a> with Spotify over the company's choice to platform Covid misinformation, so he left the streaming service. Late in the year he released a new album with Crazy Horse called "World Record." Produced by the legendary Rick Rubin, the album is classic Young and Crazy Horse, filled with provocative doses of personal and planetary insights, whistle worthy melodies, and an occasional soaring guitar. </span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aTouMWlq754" width="320" youtube-src-id="aTouMWlq754"></iframe></div></div><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/aTouMWlq754" target="_blank">Video: Neil Young and Crazy Horse, "Love Earth"</a></span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;">The song "Love Earth" pretty much sums up Young's philosophy of life:</span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: black;">Love Earth, we can bring the seasons back</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: black;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black;">Love Earth, a place where all the children can live</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: black;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black;">Love Earth, can you imagine that?</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: black;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black;">Love Earth, your love comes back to you</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: black;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black;">So I’m calling out, I’m calling out to you</span></i></span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #444444;">One YouTube viewer/listener left this comment: "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; white-space: pre-wrap;">In everyone's lifetime, there are maybe 4 or 5 songs that feel like an invisible hand reaching into their body and caressing their soul. This is one of them." I'm not sure I would go that far, but compared to what wins Grammy, MTV and VMA awards these days, the song rates very high. </span></span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;"><b>*American Glasnost Award For Outstanding Historical Reporting: "More Than 1,800 Congressman Once Enslaved Black People. This is Who They Were, and How They Shaped the Nation" by Julie Zauzmer Weil, Adrian Blanco, and Leo Dominguez in the Washington Post</b>. "Glasnost" was the Mikhail Gorbachev era policy in the former Soviet Union that encouraged openness and transparency about the historical wrongs of the government. The United States has never had an offical Glasnost; in fact attempts to tell the truth about our past usually get met with fierce pushback, including attempts to prevent school children from hearing the truth. </span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVI5-qo0X2-8xIfBQxlJdVT5xe60wm17UFu9BT-PtIsoNxk4kAYFRgEb1TXRY_XUjLlDOeabFAhgaiONZJRA9gk7ziHGV3V9EFRDV9_6KrGThDqjLndlAS7S3CPK1DY0koCD7BV5LClytS80hKG2A02PrQwyH3BFKMi388twKHt3ItQVXWzg/s205/rebeccafelton.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="196" data-original-width="205" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVI5-qo0X2-8xIfBQxlJdVT5xe60wm17UFu9BT-PtIsoNxk4kAYFRgEb1TXRY_XUjLlDOeabFAhgaiONZJRA9gk7ziHGV3V9EFRDV9_6KrGThDqjLndlAS7S3CPK1DY0koCD7BV5LClytS80hKG2A02PrQwyH3BFKMi388twKHt3ItQVXWzg/s1600/rebeccafelton.jpg" width="205" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">The first woman to serve in the United States Senate, Rebecca Felton of Georgia, was appointed to the position by the governor in 1922 after the unexpected death of incumbent Thomas Watson. Felton was an outspoken white supremacist who with her husband owned slaves before the Civil War. The Washington Post report is filled with stories like Felton's that need to be more widely taught in schools.</span></i></b> </td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #444444;">The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/interactive/2022/congress-slaveowners-names-list/" target="_blank">investigative report</a> (registration required) on the extent to which members of Congress exploited and profited from slavery is must reading. The report destroys the myth that Congressional slave holders were only from the south. As the report notes, </span><span> "enslavers in Congress</span><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"> </b><span>represented 40 states, including not just the South but</span><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"> </b><span>every state in New England, much of the Midwest, and many Western states."</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>*Best Coverage of Donald Trump's 2024 Campaign Annoucement: "Trump, Who as President Fomented an Insurrection, Says He is Running Again" by Isaac Arnsdorf and Michael Scherer in the Washington Post.</b> If political journalism in America had any collective integrity, then literally EVERY report on the Trump '24 campaign would paraphrase Arnsdorf and Scherer's introductory and concluding paragraphs in their <a href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:ZDM8IXPhmJoJ:https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/15/trump-2024-announcement-running-president/&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" target="_blank">November 15th, 2022 story</a> on Trump's announcement. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Introductory Paragraph: </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><span style="color: #2a2a2a;">Donald Trump, the twice-impeached former president who refused to concede defeat and inspired a failed attempt to overturn the 2020 </span><a class="contextual_link" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/?itid=lk_inline_manual_2" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(213, 213, 213); box-sizing: border-box; color: #1955a5; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">election</a><span style="color: #2a2a2a;"> culminating in a deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol, officially declared . . . that he is running to retake the White House in 2024.</span></i></span></div><div><span style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Concluding Paragraph:</b> </span></span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;"><i><span style="color: #2a2a2a;">And he has profoundly altered the tenor of American public life — shattering long-held standards of decorum and civility with often shocking attacks on </span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/11/22/a-brief-history-of-the-lock-her-up-chant-as-it-looks-like-trump-might-not-even-try/?itid=lk_inline_manual_56" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(213, 213, 213); box-sizing: border-box; color: #1955a5; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">political rivals</a><span style="color: #2a2a2a;">, </span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2016/06/01/437ccae6-280b-11e6-a3c4-0724e8e24f3f_story.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_56" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(213, 213, 213); box-sizing: border-box; color: #1955a5; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">judges</a><span style="color: #2a2a2a;"> and </span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-renews-attacks-on-media-as-the-true-enemy-of-the-people/2018/10/29/9ebc62ee-db60-11e8-85df-7a6b4d25cfbb_story.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_56" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(213, 213, 213); box-sizing: border-box; color: #1955a5; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">reporters</a><span style="color: #2a2a2a;">. He has frequently made </span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/trump-race-record/2020/09/23/332b0b68-f10f-11ea-b796-2dd09962649c_story.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_56" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(213, 213, 213); box-sizing: border-box; color: #1955a5; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">racist</a><span style="color: #2a2a2a;"> and </span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/10/16/trump-jews-israel/?itid=lk_inline_manual_56" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(213, 213, 213); box-sizing: border-box; color: #1955a5; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">antisemitic</a><span style="color: #2a2a2a;"> remarks, mocked </span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2016/08/02/donald-trumps-revisionist-history-of-mocking-a-disabled-reporter/?itid=lk_inline_manual_56" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(213, 213, 213); box-sizing: border-box; color: #1955a5; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">people with disabilities</a><span style="color: #2a2a2a;"> and </span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-attacks-protections-for-immigrants-from-shithole-countries-in-oval-office-meeting/2018/01/11/bfc0725c-f711-11e7-91af-31ac729add94_story.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_56" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(213, 213, 213); box-sizing: border-box; color: #1955a5; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">denigrated developing countries</a><span style="color: #2a2a2a;">, </span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-recorded-having-extremely-lewd-conversation-about-women-in-2005/2016/10/07/3b9ce776-8cb4-11e6-bf8a-3d26847eeed4_story.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_56" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(213, 213, 213); box-sizing: border-box; color: #1955a5; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">bragged about sexual assault</a><span style="color: #2a2a2a;"> and </span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/michael-cohen-scheduled-to-be-sentenced-for-crimes-committed-while-working-for-trump/2018/12/11/57226ff2-fcbf-11e8-83c0-b06139e540e5_story.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_56" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(213, 213, 213); box-sizing: border-box; color: #1955a5; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">paid hush money to a porn star</a><span style="color: #2a2a2a;">, </span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/dictator-envy-trumps-praise-of-kim-jong-un-marks-embrace-of-totalitarian-leaders/2018/06/15/b9a8bbc8-70af-11e8-afd5-778aca903bbe_story.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_56" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(213, 213, 213); box-sizing: border-box; color: #1955a5; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">praised dictators</a><span style="color: #2a2a2a;">, </span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/politics/proud-boys-stand-back-and-stand-by-trump-doesnt-condemn-white-supremacists-at-debate/2020/09/29/7b22d025-ce73-4f38-879e-d3740b9c1339_video.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_56" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(213, 213, 213); box-sizing: border-box; color: #1955a5; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">declined to disavow extremists</a><span style="color: #2a2a2a;">, </span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/politics/trump-knock-the-crap-out-of-tomato-throwers/2016/02/01/1d1fe1e2-c92b-11e5-b9ab-26591104bb19_video.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_56" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(213, 213, 213); box-sizing: border-box; color: #1955a5; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">inspired his supporters</a><span style="color: #2a2a2a;"> to </span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/08/11/fbi-building-breach-armed/?itid=lk_inline_manual_56" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(213, 213, 213); box-sizing: border-box; color: #1955a5; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">resort to violence</a><span style="color: #2a2a2a;"> and </span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/05/08/very-fine-people-charlottesville-who-were-they-2/?itid=lk_inline_manual_56" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(213, 213, 213); box-sizing: border-box; color: #1955a5; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">defended white supremacists</a><span style="color: #2a2a2a;"> and </span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/09/01/trump-jan-6-rioters-pardon/?itid=lk_inline_manual_56" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(213, 213, 213); box-sizing: border-box; color: #1955a5; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Jan. 6 rioters</a><span style="color: #2a2a2a;">.</span></i></span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a;"><b>*Best Revival: Creem Magazine.</b></span><span style="color: #2a2a2a;"> </span><span style="color: #2a2a2a;">If you came of age in the 1960s or 1970s and were a rock and roll fan, then most likely Creem Magazine took up space in your head. Based in Detroit, the original magazine circulated from 1969-1980, with its high point the early 1970s when legendary music critic Lester Bangs served as editor. The magazine was known for its irreverence, humor, and celebration of this thing called "rock culture." </span></span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a;">In 2022 JJ Kramer, the son of Creem founder Barry Kramer, relaunced the magazine with a <a href="https://www.creem.com/" target="_blank">website</a>, oversized print edition (released quarterly), and weekly newsletter. I subscribed to the oversized print edition, and was impressed at the attempt to rekindle the old energy. The print edition includes lots of great photography, information about old and new bands, and stories for all generations of rock fans. </span></span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSUTzS5eiqECSXqiHyaDJHiq9V8O2WK-RIXj-DXaxdixtCPoK6WIbqtQuhe2oKZLDRAbDBHOQHVNEZzJ2H2exnmU29WdKAhqMGaFSffDH0ecfxWr4yFC77kKEr8Rm6rrxQOqFMKTq3aVbd3Azh7_BunCMTXlXAI6rDtEx2AuE6KC-3w2Qx-w/s3908/creem2022.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3908" data-original-width="2223" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSUTzS5eiqECSXqiHyaDJHiq9V8O2WK-RIXj-DXaxdixtCPoK6WIbqtQuhe2oKZLDRAbDBHOQHVNEZzJ2H2exnmU29WdKAhqMGaFSffDH0ecfxWr4yFC77kKEr8Rm6rrxQOqFMKTq3aVbd3Azh7_BunCMTXlXAI6rDtEx2AuE6KC-3w2Qx-w/s320/creem2022.jpg" width="182" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">I keep my print edition of the new Creem Magazine with my Beatles' Yellow Submarine lunch box. I mean where else would you keep it?</span> </i></b></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #2a2a2a;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: helvetica;">Will the print edition of Creem survive the digital era? Probably not, but I plan to enjoy it while it's around. </span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;"><b>*Twitter Thread of the Year: Michael Harriot on the Jerry Jones Photo. </b>Jerry Jones is the billionaire owner of the Dallas Cowboys football team. In 2022 the Washington Post unearthed a photo of the young Jerry Jones, taken on September 9, 1957. In the photo, the 14-year-old Jones is part of a group of white students trying to prevent six Black students from trying to enter North Little Rock High School. Jones and his buddies prevented the Black students from reaching the top of the stairs. </span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-thQFiNuvWoPbYv_POlAuHXrGlapHnoKvHBfXd2rdyLejhlOomBfEQHH_dXxbcuOl-knuPR8k1w3h1j59i1qoLWl73jjoJ8kNdOPzEpmJHuQcktVXIMUVfaPdT6ElvEk_ESZ4RVu6GYdVZSzVJihdRGiSjcqU2o2ZI-5AQSCbgC24_77UWw/s2500/jerryjones.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="2500" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-thQFiNuvWoPbYv_POlAuHXrGlapHnoKvHBfXd2rdyLejhlOomBfEQHH_dXxbcuOl-knuPR8k1w3h1j59i1qoLWl73jjoJ8kNdOPzEpmJHuQcktVXIMUVfaPdT6ElvEk_ESZ4RVu6GYdVZSzVJihdRGiSjcqU2o2ZI-5AQSCbgC24_77UWw/s320/jerryjones.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;">Jones admitted that it was in fact him in the photo, but claimed ignorance of what it portrays. And while the national press did not sweep the photo and its implications under the rug, the attention given to it--and the consequences for Jones personally--was minimal compared to what happens whenever an athlete of color does or says something controversial. (think Colin Kaepernick or Kyrie Irving). </span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBbL1NYdD9FsEPupjB4ZVQrj10iEacySwTv3SLTMy99d0HTXidHeKUSD6NyaQn7rMd5vroINq7Go035KATshU3q3shuB_sj_rRu7a9PdXvGa89pNx8MGKXvjA5vseQJXW_o00_grF813BIMCEbiLGXSMCjOtL7hbs26vTpzz2r9t4HmaGJew/s1296/michaelharriot.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="730" data-original-width="1296" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBbL1NYdD9FsEPupjB4ZVQrj10iEacySwTv3SLTMy99d0HTXidHeKUSD6NyaQn7rMd5vroINq7Go035KATshU3q3shuB_sj_rRu7a9PdXvGa89pNx8MGKXvjA5vseQJXW_o00_grF813BIMCEbiLGXSMCjOtL7hbs26vTpzz2r9t4HmaGJew/w200-h113/michaelharriot.webp" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>Michael Harriot showed one of the good uses of Twitter: using it as a space to challenge mainstream media minimizing of the bad acts of certain powerful people.</i></b></span> </td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #444444;">Michael Harriot, senior writer for </span><a href="http://theroot.com">theroot.com</a><span style="color: #444444;">, got tired watching mainstream pundits find ways to rationalize Jones' actions and came with an </span><a href="https://twitter.com/michaelharriot/status/1596756606066335744" target="_blank">insightful thread</a><span style="color: #444444;"> that got to the root (no pun intended) of the problem. Here are some excerpts: </span></span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;"><i>The point is not that Jerry Jones was a violent segregationist. The point is that he can watch something like this and never MENTION IT FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE. The point is not that Jones has never hired a Black head coach . . . </i></span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;"><i>It's about how people can rationalize racism with fantastical excuses that have no basis in logic or reality. </i></span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;"><i>Jones not knowing what was going on that day is as unbelievable as the CEO of a company with an 80% Black workforce saying "I can't find a qualified shift leader." </i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>And the crazy thing is, PEOPLE WILL BELIEVE IT . . .</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>But this isn't about 1 day 65 years ago. </i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>It's about NOW. It's about WHY this inequality persists. </i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>But I truly understand why some people ALWAYS seem to land on the side of defending whiteness: I even understand WHY some people will stand and watch and do nothing. </i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span><i>We are all just trying to reach the top of that stairs.</i></span> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>*Best Elon Must Explainer: Alan Macleod's "Elon Musk is Not a Renegade Outsider--He's a Massive Pentagon Contractor" in Mint Press News.</b> Speaking of Twitter, one of the most depressing stories of 2022 was the purchase of the platform by a billionaire who appeared to be most interested in using it to work out his midlife crisis before an audience of billions. That billionaire, Elon Musk, presents himself in public as some kind of Deep State critic. He would have us believe that he is somehow standing up for the right of little guys and little gals to exercise unlimited free speech without fear of cancellation. His hypocrisy on the free speech front <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/16/tech/musk-censors-press/index.html" target="_blank">has been exposed</a>. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFspiJjWi7rJ11gs-ZGfqdjuPlR5p5LpxKUSRtTqMBTXW6E5el0k6v-NCyomXpy27L1TXvpgU6eaAuwRuU3kJnBiI73BPUdMJruhqCn1toR0ibWITI2dUuKDgvAURTWEfXyq4xN09NqeLttHzOp7zD7eVhyuccm_em6SZRuEqFQn3eIkyQtg/s649/musk.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="365" data-original-width="649" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFspiJjWi7rJ11gs-ZGfqdjuPlR5p5LpxKUSRtTqMBTXW6E5el0k6v-NCyomXpy27L1TXvpgU6eaAuwRuU3kJnBiI73BPUdMJruhqCn1toR0ibWITI2dUuKDgvAURTWEfXyq4xN09NqeLttHzOp7zD7eVhyuccm_em6SZRuEqFQn3eIkyQtg/s320/musk.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">If Mr. Musk actually follows through on the directive from his unscientific poll, that will only give him more time to do what he does best: figure out ways to get money from taxpayers.</span></i></b> </td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span>While most people are now aware of Mr. Musk's hypocrisy and managerial incomptence, his actual participation in the swamp culture that he decries remains largely unknown. That's why </span><a href="https://www.mintpressnews.com/elon-musk-not-renegade-outsider-cia-pentagon-contractor/280972/" target="_blank">Alan Macleod's reporting</a><span> deserves wider exposure. He shows how Musk's public image is largely a fraud; the tech "genius" has received billions of dollars in government contracts, tax breaks and subsidies. According to Macleod, Musk "is not a crusading rebel challenging the establisment: he is an integral part of it." </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;"><b>*Best Political Substack: Heather Cox Richardson's "Letters From an American."</b> Heather Cox Richardson is a Professor of History at Boston College. She's an excellent example of how scholars can use the independent publishing Substack platform to communicate with engaged citizens in a scholarly yet accessible manner. <a href="https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/" target="_blank">Letters From An American</a> is one of the most useful sources I consult, as Professor Cox Richardson writes about history in a way that helps make sense of current events. That's something I've tried to do on occasion with <a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2022/08/media-rants-at-20.html" target="_blank">this blog</a>, but without nearly the amound of wisdom and eloquence found in Letters From an American. <a href="https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/december-5-2022" target="_blank">Her piece</a> on the Biden Administration and Congress' actions in response to the dispute between raiload workers and management is a great example of how she elucidates current public policy by expertly linking it to policy decisions made in the past. </span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOqrurmhZexYcXKT6NQ-0hS7lN4nx-IgdZkjQgdn4r7SD1DEIg-35uFXPAi-Wmjtek9S59ZN77htWJ8eyEXL0diS03yeXc_j2HL4Ebj0nhsx0ITFxWI79-Y7ByDfa_hOZsRQioV601IhsDd4xSJ5GSaf3QsQphU_S7Jz4KfMSaht-9uSSDHA/s264/heathercr.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="191" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOqrurmhZexYcXKT6NQ-0hS7lN4nx-IgdZkjQgdn4r7SD1DEIg-35uFXPAi-Wmjtek9S59ZN77htWJ8eyEXL0diS03yeXc_j2HL4Ebj0nhsx0ITFxWI79-Y7ByDfa_hOZsRQioV601IhsDd4xSJ5GSaf3QsQphU_S7Jz4KfMSaht-9uSSDHA/s1600/heathercr.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>Professor Heather Cox Richardson is a public intellectual in the best sense: she explains the historical forces impacting current events in a way that is engaging and accessible. </i></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;">The remaining awards go to Wisconsin based media. </span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #444444;"><b>*Wisconsin Focused Investigative Report of the Year: Natalie Eilbert's "As Domestic Violence in Wisconsin Surges, Shelters Unable to Keep Up With Need."</b> Ms. Eilbert writes for the Green Bay Press Gazette, which is part of the USA Today Network (Gannett) in Wisconsin. <a href="https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2022/11/08/wisconsin-domestic-violence-deaths-hit-all-time-high-shelters-jammed/10435893002/" target="_blank">The article</a> (unfortunately hidden behind a paywall) compiles and interprets data from a number of sources to reach a disturbing concludsion: "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #303030;">What is clear is that Wisconsin has a domestic violence problem unlike just about anywhere in the country." Disturbing data from the story: </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">--Wisconsin was ranked No. 8 in women killed by men in 2020. </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">--Wisconsin had 17% of all domestic violence deaths in 2021. </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">--Not since the Great recession have domestic violence cases been so high, which may indicate economic strains in one of the root causes. </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #303030;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqJv12hbz-hNd2o3GHGCz9MS-GKgGTVsvag7xT0q6IoXS7f--AvLxBarXw3KbeVa6ToD_Hsy6L1ztNlKkj-kEh66mHJJcbP796QC1X9BXfnv3HvSs1wqD2qVIsM-Iw2VBXFfZsJdRj7NJsVQ3ssJ_4gWmBme9fNDebB40IxImyQjwioRDFA/s225/natalie.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqJv12hbz-hNd2o3GHGCz9MS-GKgGTVsvag7xT0q6IoXS7f--AvLxBarXw3KbeVa6ToD_Hsy6L1ztNlKkj-kEh66mHJJcbP796QC1X9BXfnv3HvSs1wqD2qVIsM-Iw2VBXFfZsJdRj7NJsVQ3ssJ_4gWmBme9fNDebB40IxImyQjwioRDFA/s1600/natalie.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Poet and journalist Natalie Eilbert: "What is clear is that Wisconsin has a domestic violence problem unlike just about anywhere in the country."</b></i></span></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The story also reveals a shockingly high number of domestic violence deaths in the state are the result of gun violence, in part due to the "boyfriend loophole" which keeps guns in the hands of physically abusive, threatening partners because they are not married to their victims. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Stories like this should create a sense of urgency in the state government to do something to address the problem. Don't hold your breath waiting for the most gerrymandered legislature in the nation to do anything. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Natalie Eilbert is an award-winning poet and journalist. Her forthcoming book of poetry and reporting called <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Overland-Natalie-Eilbert/dp/1556596685/ref=sr_1_3?crid=17QEGC9C8CEOL&keywords=natalie+eilbert&qid=1672520180&sprefix=natalie+eilbert%2Caps%2C101&sr=8-3" target="_blank">Overland</a> elaborates on the theme of violence against women and a number of other imperative topics. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b style="color: #444444;">*Local Television Feature of the Year: Small Towns With Jeff Alexander</b><span style="color: #444444;">. Finally, FINALLY, a media depiction of small town folks that does not portray them all as gun obsessed, liberal hating Trump toadies. WBAY-TV reporter Jeff Alexander and videojournalist Michael Bergman spent the year profiling small town residents who display inspiring humanity. My favorite feature in the series was </span><a href="https://www.wbay.com/2022/12/02/small-towns-appleton-mans-journey-horrors-war-healing-nature/" target="_blank">the story of Iraq War veteran James Overesch</a><span style="color: #444444;">, whose nature photography is not only spectacular for us to look at, but for him is a way of healing the scars of war. James' website can be found </span><a href="https://jamesovereschphotos.com/" target="_blank">here</a><span style="color: #444444;">. </span></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKtRIzEOibc0iMvNSwjpVoAGe-iorJfppgGluprbhgU7hQ2V89Cnr7dk7t4iEnUZEdvk2EhI_yvo2zxkfcmw3c1M6LLR-dGkvz3q4Mpy_n7OTuclAcgzu90OrIT6dXM_i26iMSdflp4rHmWmi4AMOXuKhLDRYRxESWpeEAHNkvQouTAZwTig/s720/jeffalexander.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="720" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKtRIzEOibc0iMvNSwjpVoAGe-iorJfppgGluprbhgU7hQ2V89Cnr7dk7t4iEnUZEdvk2EhI_yvo2zxkfcmw3c1M6LLR-dGkvz3q4Mpy_n7OTuclAcgzu90OrIT6dXM_i26iMSdflp4rHmWmi4AMOXuKhLDRYRxESWpeEAHNkvQouTAZwTig/w200-h200/jeffalexander.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>Small Towns with Jeff Alexander is a rare example of mainstream media covering small town folks in a way that defies the conventional stereotypes. </i></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>*Best New Wisconsin Substack: Mike McCabe's "More Verb Than Noun."</b> I've been a fan of Mike McCabe since his days of leading the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. Post-WDC he's been involved in a number of grassroots organizations, ran a spirited campaign for governor in 2018, and published two books. Whenever I am in doubt about how to frame an issue facing the state, I look to see how Mike is framing it and that usually guides me in the right direction. Here is Mike's rationale for <a href="https://mikemccabe.substack.com/" target="_blank">More Verb Than Noun</a>: </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><i style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The blog is named for what its author has been saying for years . . . that democracy is more verb than noun, which is to say deeds we do more so than a possession we have. <u>If we don’t do it, we won’t have it</u>. Same goes for morality. It’s been said that God is shorthand for good. More an act of doing and a way of living than a person, place or thing. Love is like that too. It’s not something we can keep as a pet or store in the attic, it’s a way of being treated and treating others. Again, more verb than noun.</span></i></div><div><span style="color: #404040;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaVY0MWPVnbYjkxt1J6FMcdLkviwS6sCMeaybRgqIg6E-GMjuAa4kRl-oi2YaEkp1qhP_Izhi6e-72RbBzTSSWGVETNPalexfO8TM5Y5ZY8EF4WyVPJzv0PktxjpRDleok4gQOyUvs_65E5CzbXYv5cu9qN4L1C-sOGLFlCpwxvTWv2A4KSg/s264/mccabe2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="264" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaVY0MWPVnbYjkxt1J6FMcdLkviwS6sCMeaybRgqIg6E-GMjuAa4kRl-oi2YaEkp1qhP_Izhi6e-72RbBzTSSWGVETNPalexfO8TM5Y5ZY8EF4WyVPJzv0PktxjpRDleok4gQOyUvs_65E5CzbXYv5cu9qN4L1C-sOGLFlCpwxvTWv2A4KSg/w200-h145/mccabe2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Mike McCabe's "More Verb Than Noun" substack explores issues related to how we do this thing called democracy</span></i></b>. </td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Mike's substack is free and you can <a href="https://mikemccabe.substack.com/subscribe?utm_source=menu&simple=true&next=https%3A%2F%2Fmikemccabe.substack.com%2F" target="_blank">subscribe here</a>.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/Iqw0QrSacPM" target="_blank">Listen to Mike talk about the substack on the Running on MT podcast</a>. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Iqw0QrSacPM" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
</span></span><span face="Spectral, serif, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"" style="color: #404040; font-size: 19px;"> </span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #404040;"><b>*Watchdog of the Year: Wisconsin Watch.</b> Wisconsin Watch is the news outlet of the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism. Journalists with Wisconsin Watch published 60 stories in 2022, every single one of which upheld the organization's mission to "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111;">Protect the vulnerable. Expose wrongdoing. Explore solutions." My favorite was probably "<a href="https://wisconsinwatch.org/series/democracy-on-the-ballot/" target="_blank">Democracy on the Ballot</a>," a multi part series showing the real threats to democracy in Wisconsin. To see all 60 stories, <a href="https://wisconsinwatch.org/tag/wisconsin-watch/" target="_blank">click here</a>. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsRWCRbNoI-TrFpATMS194YwN3-8yp0rytQDu9aL0sdyy6B5_uvtgXkHf_TMEQmEomT204xqdr-jbAHr_c4kD_zXRBiJcZW1NT2vJ-2DjlDyskJHru2o0KmfzXZqDcRoTJ1bWzsw35DG7aANjgvjLwUpxND2E3UgQdq7ADh3ptCXznPQCmSw/s703/dee_hall_03_sq.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="702" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsRWCRbNoI-TrFpATMS194YwN3-8yp0rytQDu9aL0sdyy6B5_uvtgXkHf_TMEQmEomT204xqdr-jbAHr_c4kD_zXRBiJcZW1NT2vJ-2DjlDyskJHru2o0KmfzXZqDcRoTJ1bWzsw35DG7aANjgvjLwUpxND2E3UgQdq7ADh3ptCXznPQCmSw/w200-h200/dee_hall_03_sq.webp" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><i>Dee Hall is Managing Editor of Wisconsin Watch. One of Wisconsin's premier investigative journalists, Hall has helped make Wisconsin Watch into a key player in the effort to hold the powerful accountable. </i></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>*Best Midterm Election Coverage: Dan Shafer's The Recombobulation Area.</b> Dan Shafer is an award-winning Milwaukee based journalist. His "Recombobulation Area" substack is chock full of well researched reporting and opinion on all things political in Wisconsin. I found his coverage of the midterm elections to be an invaluable source of information that helped me see through the hyperpartisan crap I was seeing in the mainstream news. </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Shafer sent out 97 newsletters in 2022, which is pretty amazing even for someone who dedicates full-time hours to the task. Check out <a href="https://recombobulationarea.substack.com/" target="_blank">Dan's summary of 2022 </a>and please consider subsribing. </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgORoo8bB4qhI3nRl2QG89FjnVk6Vem9phoy9w4017fp5I0j7xz25CZZ_yaWCSL-z0a9efi9NOFsYSq9VsXCiQ8SB_vb41QFIezDK1IVOkAfcMO3V0ZQgi1uslWnkY3je5AiG68VCRCmwWYSVqFOpi3W7VLhQN7yXZN7A0iugsx9bLGAfDcYw/s224/danshafer.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="224" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgORoo8bB4qhI3nRl2QG89FjnVk6Vem9phoy9w4017fp5I0j7xz25CZZ_yaWCSL-z0a9efi9NOFsYSq9VsXCiQ8SB_vb41QFIezDK1IVOkAfcMO3V0ZQgi1uslWnkY3je5AiG68VCRCmwWYSVqFOpi3W7VLhQN7yXZN7A0iugsx9bLGAfDcYw/w200-h200/danshafer.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>Dan Shafer "recombobulates" Wisconsin news in a way that's refereshing for anyone trying to get a grasp of what is truly going on in the state. </i></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>*Best Oshkosh News Site: Miles Maguire's Oshkosh Examiner</b>. This is Miles' 6th consecutive Tony award for excellence in journalism. There simply is no news source in Oshkosh that covers local news with as much depth and clarity as The Oshkosh Examiner. In 2022 Miles added "<a href="https://oshkoshexaminer.com/the-other-side-whats-so-bad-about-the-signs-of-the-times/" target="_blank">The Other Side</a>," an engaging debate on difficult, divisive issues between retired UW Oshkosh professors Tom Herzing and Barry Perlman. I'm sure in the future he will provide space for even more voices. </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD3RfAr7p6cVdtcfUKi6R5v_PRL8woYk1_EEp6v4Tr6E78xsZk9s2C35mCIJ6k1gztS2--j3C3ieGW2AVEt8OuB87i1CEpPYpnghQeYJXeUv-qW9frUxN1csU7DXPcrvZH-7AZ0o4sWd1QrbiNJ3ulGLhRSqmZ1bo81cD-oPPIpBuistlZZg/s264/miles5.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="191" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD3RfAr7p6cVdtcfUKi6R5v_PRL8woYk1_EEp6v4Tr6E78xsZk9s2C35mCIJ6k1gztS2--j3C3ieGW2AVEt8OuB87i1CEpPYpnghQeYJXeUv-qW9frUxN1csU7DXPcrvZH-7AZ0o4sWd1QrbiNJ3ulGLhRSqmZ1bo81cD-oPPIpBuistlZZg/w145-h200/miles5.jpg" width="145" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>Miles Maguire continues to produce some of the most in-depth reporting on local reporting in the city of Oshkosh. </i></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">A subscription to the Oshkosh Examiner is only $5 per month. It's hard to see how Miles can continue to produce the volume of material he does without more support from the community. <a href="https://oshkoshexaminer.com/why-subscribe-to-the-oshkosh-examiner/" target="_blank">To subscribe, go here</a>.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: "Publico Roman", Georgia, "serif"; font-size: 20px;"> </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: "Publico Roman", Georgia, "serif"; font-size: 20px;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZwkDhFYdrVz3bolyfLW28hGEL9zb9T49mtsyPqasvRz705f5itApgQbsJrLzG42AX_YFfNB961Qi_a79qrStzCMmbKATEvy34_d74gGgh1Oi6AYes9y9szJ54ITMyerj7wDz0kLfkmUVWsbcF0GMdQNgJj_8vTpbPjVnoD1lL24t9IQnHEA/s777/oshkoshexaminer.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="437" data-original-width="777" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZwkDhFYdrVz3bolyfLW28hGEL9zb9T49mtsyPqasvRz705f5itApgQbsJrLzG42AX_YFfNB961Qi_a79qrStzCMmbKATEvy34_d74gGgh1Oi6AYes9y9szJ54ITMyerj7wDz0kLfkmUVWsbcF0GMdQNgJj_8vTpbPjVnoD1lL24t9IQnHEA/s320/oshkoshexaminer.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>Be sure to check out the Oshkosh Examiner to get Miles Maguire's take on the top stories of 2022. </i></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />There you have it: another year of Tony Award winners. Disagree with any of my choices? Cool. Write up your own! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Congratulations to all recipients and Happy New Year to all!</span> <br /></div>tony palmerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506831576450002435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19989310.post-53078380620665053532022-12-01T11:29:00.003-06:002022-12-01T13:43:25.237-06:00Painful Midterm Templates<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">To the great detriment of my mental health and overall well being, I follow midterm elections very closely. This year was especially taxing on me because my dad was ill and my spouse Lori Palmeri was running for Wisconsin's 54th assembly district seat. <a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2022/11/tribute-songs-for-my-old-man.html" target="_blank">Dad passed in late October</a>. As for Lori, her race turned out to be highly contentious. Thanks to the Wisconsin Republican Party the state's legislative districts are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/aug/13/america-is-full-of-democracy-deserts-wisconsin-rivals-congo-on-some-metrics" target="_blank">among the most gerrymandered in the nation</a>, leaving no more than a dozen (out of 99) assembly districts that can be called truly competitive. The 54th happens to be one of them, and so I had to watch defamatory attacks on Lori featuring partisan ferocity usually reserved for candidates running for US Senate, Governor, or President. Thanks to her hard work knocking on doors and the support of dozens of spirited volunteers, she won the race. But as a sign of how fucked up our politics have become, her opponent never called to offer congratulations and <a href="https://oshkoshexaminer.com/palmeri-tops-herman-to-represent-oshkosh-in-wisconsin-assembly/#memberful_overlay" target="_blank">told the Oshkosh Examiner</a> that he lost not because of his own shortcomings or that maybe all the nastiness backfired, but because the voters apparently "want to hire a criminal." Class act right there. [Note: Lori's alleged "criminal" past was thoroughly <a href="https://www.wbay.com/video/2022/10/07/exclusive-oshkosh-mayor-lori-palmeri-opens-up-about-troubled-past/" target="_blank">vetted by local media</a>. People of good faith understood that her story of surviving a childhood and young adulthood filled with abuse that nearly killed her was in fact a story of great courage and character. Only bad faith actors, like the partisan hacks who produced the attack ads, would conclude that Lori's past should define her as "criminal."]. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisXOYMunteXhzNAymEJL6UIhswvO7ugqtrvi3Wdk6tctHGsvujvBpQA6PtiwguSYX693eRLrtrTgeE3Ip2YSChffhIvYNHKiVqcsWl9GZ-gHLRfA-gEUQvJl6I7xN-kY9rsn7Go0iCRoc1moq4nEK1vdNrHtCmda6hyra03f73Aua-aNxNDg/s1920/loricongrats.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisXOYMunteXhzNAymEJL6UIhswvO7ugqtrvi3Wdk6tctHGsvujvBpQA6PtiwguSYX693eRLrtrTgeE3Ip2YSChffhIvYNHKiVqcsWl9GZ-gHLRfA-gEUQvJl6I7xN-kY9rsn7Go0iCRoc1moq4nEK1vdNrHtCmda6hyra03f73Aua-aNxNDg/s320/loricongrats.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Clearly Lori's race was painful for me because of my personal connection to it. But like millions of Americans, I found the ENTIRE midterm election season painful. Part of the pain was a product of the establishment media's reliance on tired, stale, demobilizing templates to frame coverage of the races. Reliance on tired templates is a feature of lazy journalism, something I commented on in a </span><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2018/08/wisconsin-elections-cure-for-lazy.html" style="font-family: helvetica;" target="_blank">piece written during the 2018 midterm cycle</a><span style="font-family: helvetica;">: </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>To put it bluntly, political journalism in Wisconsin--by which I mean the reporting and editorializing produced by the establishment, corporate media that reaches the largest number of readers/viewers/listeners--does not cover elections in our state in a way that provides meaningful information and commentary capable of provoking increased voter participation. In a word, the quality of journalism concerning elections in Wisconsin is LAZY. (It's also vapid, scandal obsessed, and privileges "insider" views--but those are all byproducts of the laziness.).</i></span><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">What I described four years ago has become, by any measure, substantially worse. Here are some of the most painful templates of the most recent campaign season. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><u>*The Hack Template:</u></b> The Hack Template refers to the tendency of establishment media to treat purely partisan attacks as if they are legitimate contributions to campaign discourse. In 2016 Donald Trump became a master of manipulating this tendency of the press; screeds against "Low Energy Jeb" or "Little Marco" would end up as feature segments on the talking head shows and get commented on by so-called "serious" pundits. The schtick caught on: It's not an exaggeration to say that competive elections have now become little more than expensive exercises in trolling. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Fourth Estate should be the firewall preventing the trolls from polluting campaign discourse. Yet mainstream Wisconsin journalism rarely reports on candidates without making as part of the story some cheap-shot trolling by the opponent. Especially in a social media era in which false or misleading information gets shared across multiple platforms instantly, one would think that ethical, rigorous journalism requires vetting attacks before publishing them. That does not happen in mainstream Wisconsin journalism, probably out of fear of offending the political king and queen makers in Madison. Meanwhile the television stations are more than happy to broadcast horrific troll ads for the right price. It's really pathetic and outrageous. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><u><b>*The Will S/he Drop Out of the Race Template:</b></u> This is a template that is doing substantial harm to the Democratic Party. I trace it to the presidential primaries of 2016, when Bernie Sanders faced enormous pressure from Party operatives to drop out of the race before all states had held their respective primaries or caucuses. Since then it has become somewhat of an article of faith among establishment Democrats that candidates who "don't have a shot" at winning (presumably because they do not have high poll numbers, do not have huge personal fortunes, or have not successfully tapped into the wealthy donor base) should just drop out. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMc8bPokwlkwJCam2BKi0Vsrta5E29Tje4apD5_P6MHoh4M-CotSO6tqvZyBOJW7lgYzG3ZFguLxgQTFc3ItnZjVziGrs4MQihzxu64b_QHXUzJR_QJ-cdwVJActoQA7IIEO3r90dtgWsx_9uKDUT-GbnyrmoK2lmdad74gCZvDwScKd2ptg/s1280/dems4senate.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMc8bPokwlkwJCam2BKi0Vsrta5E29Tje4apD5_P6MHoh4M-CotSO6tqvZyBOJW7lgYzG3ZFguLxgQTFc3ItnZjVziGrs4MQihzxu64b_QHXUzJR_QJ-cdwVJActoQA7IIEO3r90dtgWsx_9uKDUT-GbnyrmoK2lmdad74gCZvDwScKd2ptg/s320/dems4senate.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><b>2022 Democratic candidates for US Senate invited to debate: Mandela Barnes, Sarah Godlewski, Alex Lasry, Tom Nelson, Steven Olikara. Only Olikara, who could not break double digits in the polls, stayed in the race until election day. </b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Unfortunately the mainstream media adopted "will s/he drop out" as a template for campaign coverage. In the 2020 presidential primaries, all of the so-called "moderate" candidates (Buttigieg, Klobuchar, and others) spent the final months of their campaigns mostly commenting on whether or not they would stay in the race. Eventually they all bowed out to "clear the moderate lane" for Joe Biden. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In Wisconsin in 2022, there were a number of talented candidates running for US Senate on the Democratic side (Mandela Barnes, Tom Nelson, Sarah Godlewski, and Alex Lasry were the most prominent). For some reason, the Party establishment in Washington immediately latched on to Barnes as the preferred candidate. By primary election day every major candidate had dropped out except Barnes. The lack of a truly competitive primary ended up seriously hurting the Barnes campaign, as it reinforced the illusion that the Lt. Governor had already locked up support among constituencies that Democrats have to do well with to beat the GOP in a close statewide election. Tragically, voter turnout in Milwaukee in November was down substantially from 2018. It's pure conjecture on my part, but I firmly believe that if the primary candidates had remained in the race, that would have mobilized a higher primary vote in Milwaukee (and other areas of the state), which would have ultimately benefited Barnes in November. (Note that Evers/Barnes won the 2018 election in spite of the fact that few of the primary challengers dropped out before primary election day.).</span> </p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><u>*The "Some People Think the Ads Are Racist" Template:</u></b> Senator Ron Johnson and his campaign flacks insisted with a straight face that their ads run against Mandela Barnes were primarily about highlighting differences between the candidates on the issues of crime and the economy. To me that sounded as if D.W. Griffith, maker of the most racist film in history ("The Birth of a Nation") had said that the film was about different perspectives on how to rebuild the south after the Civil War. A film critic writing about Griffith's film who did not acknowledge its portrayal of the KKK as virtuous heroes and African-Americans as predatory buffoons, or could only muster up a tepid "some people say the film is racist," would be rightly castigated as incompetent or perhaps racist him or herself. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXrWN2SneicgDBDee7ZdzhHxo-daSGnOzFN9M8_y8KuPf-Q0In4M15qd3dCbPQx3x0F5TTmfVWQznvw8v9FIQR4X6EPkq9Mj_MLYItIbBgiDMRgO-5U7R4hQchmPJ6HjAjKAxAPaNlRAUAeCA2hLbJfh9_Az0WLw6rC_JybJyieeiaPtjVlA/s660/barnes.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="415" data-original-width="660" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXrWN2SneicgDBDee7ZdzhHxo-daSGnOzFN9M8_y8KuPf-Q0In4M15qd3dCbPQx3x0F5TTmfVWQznvw8v9FIQR4X6EPkq9Mj_MLYItIbBgiDMRgO-5U7R4hQchmPJ6HjAjKAxAPaNlRAUAeCA2hLbJfh9_Az0WLw6rC_JybJyieeiaPtjVlA/s320/barnes.webp" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><b>Even though the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel published photo evidence of the GOP's willful darkening of Mandela Barnes' skin tone, the racist nature of the ad campaign was still framed mostly as an accusation made by Democratic partisans.</b></span> </td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Establishment journalists in Wisconsin were not comfortable calling out the blatant racism in Johnson's ads. Take the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which <a href="https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/09/22/mandela-barnes-supporters-accuse-republicans-airing-racist-ads-race-us-senate-race-ron-johnson/8074904001/" target="_blank">headlined a story</a> by two of their most prominent political writers like this: <b><i>"Supporters of Mandela Barnes accuse Republicans of airing racist ads in Senate race with Ron Johnson." </i></b>"Supporters accuse" implies that the racism in the ads is somehow up for debate. This in spite of the fact that the most prominent of the ads linked Barnes to three women of color (AOC, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib) seen on the screen while Barnes is labeled "different" and then "dangerous." Other ads show a person committing a crime circled in red while Barnes' name is on the screen in an obvious attempt to link the two. And of course some of the ads darkened Barnes's skin in a way designed to make him appear more threatening to a certain type of White voter. No one denies that Mandela Barnes' positions on crime or any issue are legitimate topics for campaign ads. But the aesthetic of these ads were despicable in their deployment of subtle and overt racism.</span> <span style="font-family: helvetica;">The ads actually reminded me of the late Senator Jesse Helms' <a href="https://youtu.be/Ap9HbMxfWyw" target="_blank">"Hands" ad</a> run against his African-American opponent Harvey Gantt. Helms and his cronies insisted the ad was merely about the candidates' positions on racial quotas. But clearly it was a racist attempt to frighten White voters in North Carolina. </span></p><p><u style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>*The "Wave" Template:</b></u><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> Is it finally time to retire the "wave" metaphor when discussing midterm elections? In 2022 the wave template, which dominated establishment media coverage of the election season for months, never seemed to have any basis in reality. While polls were showing that Democrats would lose seats (as is the norm for the Party that controls the White House), never did any reliable poll suggest a blowout. In fact the idea of a "red wave" seemed to come primarily from the Republican Party itself. For reasons that are not clear, the establishment media took a GOP talking point (i.e. "2022 is going to be a Red Wave year") and made it one of the dominant framings of the campaign season. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Even if there had been a Red Wave, the volatility of the electorate this decade could easily give us a "Blue Wave" in 2026 or 2030. It's long past time to retire the Wave metaphor.</span> </p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><u><b>*The High Stakes Debate Template:</b></u> In theory, debates between candidates competing for votes should be a valuable part of the election season--perhaps THE most valuable. A real debate provides engaged voters with clear evidence of whether or not candidates have a compelling message, can communicate their thoughts coherently, and (especially in the this era of Trump-endorsed candidates) are grounded in objective reality. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Mainstream media enjoy promoting candidate debates as some kind of "high stakes" event that will make or break the election. Debates are framed as boxing matches, in which candidates aim to score a "knockout blow." Consequently, the debates become nothing more than an extension of the trolling found in the candidate ads and other campaign communications. In fact in this social media age, the main function of the debates is to produce "viral moments," which are usually clips of a candidate saying something profoundly stupid, or making an odd nonverbal gesture, or "owning" his or her opponent. If the Kennedy-Nixon debates occurred in a social media age, Nixon's 5 o'clock shadow would have had 90 million shares by midnight. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIKWp4zMFMgey4xWomRa5LNuUlvUSmSr9rsjrkL8vxWHCXk3oa5VophGiTuurjziNEOQZsem4qhGIWSw2EkFRM7zCA1pwKdtSx5ElWcnkPosqeeZW8Hq2Q2ca2e2Y_U42tIPgA0U1DUS8aqyf7lH7jgBTalRyXlgfSBcbvqRVcCDAJlLG2MA/s1280/hobbslake.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIKWp4zMFMgey4xWomRa5LNuUlvUSmSr9rsjrkL8vxWHCXk3oa5VophGiTuurjziNEOQZsem4qhGIWSw2EkFRM7zCA1pwKdtSx5ElWcnkPosqeeZW8Hq2Q2ca2e2Y_U42tIPgA0U1DUS8aqyf7lH7jgBTalRyXlgfSBcbvqRVcCDAJlLG2MA/s320/hobbslake.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><b>Arizona Democratic candidate for Governor Katie Hobbs (left) refused to debate her Republican opponent Kari Lake, claiming that Ms. Lake was only interested in "spectacle." Given that Hobbs won the election, we can probably expect more candidates in the future to refrain from debating.</b></span> </td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Even though today's political debates are largely a sham, I still find it unfortunate when candidates refuse to participate in them in the probably naive hope that we might be treated to some substance. It's especially troubling when Republican candidates refuse to debate not out of any concern with promoting troll culture, but because they think the League of Women Voters and other debate sponsoring organizations are part of some liberal conspiracy. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Arizona's Katie Hobbs, the Democratic candiate for governor who ultimately won the election, refused to debate her opponent, former TV broadcaster Kari Lake. While I believe Hobbs should have debated, her reasons for not doing so were at least rooted in opposition to troll culture. She said that a debate with her opponent would be fruitless because "Kari Lake . . . has shown that she is not interested in any kind of substantive conversation, she's only interested in creating a spectacle." For anyone who watched Lake's primary and general election campaigning, it's hard to disagree with Hobbs. (Note: As I write in late November, Lake still <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/11/30/23484972/kari-lake-election-denier-arizona-trump" target="_blank">refuses to concede</a>, confirming what she said in the campaign about how a loss for her could only mean that cheating took place. Does that sound like someone who deserves to be invited to a serious debate? I think not.)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Mainstream media need to stop promoting debates as if they are literal fights. That kind of "high stakes" framing encourages the kind of spectacle Hobbs refused to participate in. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><u><b>*The Horse Race Template:</b></u> The horse race template is like the curmudgeonly great-grandfather of all the others mentioned. It conceives of election coverage as an insider baseball affair filled with nonstop coverage of polls, campaign strategy, and "moments." It enables and empowers the Steve Bannons of the world, who <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2021/11/16/media/steve-bannon-reliable-sources/index.html" target="_blank">infamously said</a> that the way to deal with media is to "flood the zone with shit." Indeed, the Bannon shit strategy is why so many pundits anticipated the "Red Wave." Mainstream media gave credence to and reported on junk polls (i.e. "shit") that suggested a Republican landslide. Media hungry for horse races ate it up, like Secretariat grazing on grass planted in manure compost. (Read NYU journalism prof <a href="https://twitter.com/jayrosen_nyu/status/1059864337928671233" target="_blank">Jay Rosen's 2018 thread</a> on the citizens' agenda for an alternative.).</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWRblJl97-UGJSB1hSndtljs0mU75cPJSF5sS_Pp6bNbCor3nACVVkgLbUGbV-6hpp79hXXTb8Ug3MXdyjMntrUKexPy_7RIArp3iUaWhDdHOQhFW8xfCStjCnUeTLovhQ_jKDn4zlVvbSiofCDIHHsqL7Sm4n9aY330_1aLu7Xi-CEJAdGw/s1200/bannon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWRblJl97-UGJSB1hSndtljs0mU75cPJSF5sS_Pp6bNbCor3nACVVkgLbUGbV-6hpp79hXXTb8Ug3MXdyjMntrUKexPy_7RIArp3iUaWhDdHOQhFW8xfCStjCnUeTLovhQ_jKDn4zlVvbSiofCDIHHsqL7Sm4n9aY330_1aLu7Xi-CEJAdGw/s320/bannon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In conclusion, maybe American politics is so inherently awful that it will inevitably produce pain for anyone who dares to monitor it. But this post really is not about politics as much as journalism. Political journalists have choices in how to cover campaigns, but consistently make choices that enhance the pain. Some will argue that the coverage templates I am describing are merely a product of the commercial pressures faced by modern mainstream media. But if that is true, what evidence is there that these templates actually increase rates of viewership, readership, or listenership? None that I am aware of. If anything, these templates are furthering the decline of political journalism. That's tragic, because we've never needed fresh, principled, rigorous political journalism more than we need it now. </span></p>tony palmerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506831576450002435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19989310.post-43111093398948288162022-11-01T10:43:00.005-05:002022-11-30T11:27:23.836-06:00Tribute Songs For My Old Man <p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">My dad passed away on October 23 at the age of 93. Music icon <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/28/arts/music/jerry-lee-lewis-dead.html" target="_blank">Jerry Lee Lewis died</a> almost a week later and in our celebrity obsessed culture he will get more attention. But when it came to being a husband, father, and son, Frank Palmeri was the real Rock Star. You can see his <a href="https://www.newcomeralbany.com/Obituary/255936/Frank-Palmeri/Albany-NY?fbclid=IwAR12_OZcaVCAagVhf7P8u8DPipHiUr02F1im-Irj4svsxD4ztuLPvdWvUDs" target="_blank">obit here</a>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Father Frank was all about family, food, and frugality. The sacrifices that he made for his family--which included working long hours to help pay for his kids' private school education and caregiving for many years for his elderly parents--were acts of love done without expectation of payback or praise. After retiring from the shoe repair business he learned his way around the kitchen and became an amazing cook, and was especially extraordinary at Italian cuisine. He experienced great joy from the act of preparing meals for others; it was his method of gift giving. (If you watch Stanley Tucci's excellent "<a href="https://cnncreativemarketing.com/project/tucci" target="_blank">Searching For Italy</a>" program on CNN, you'll see that my dad's penchant for seeing food as a gift is a profoundly Italian way of imagining the proper relationship of people to meals.). And as for frugality, my dad was legendary for holding on to his limited possessions until they absolutely had to be replaced. I always chuckled when he insisted that his more than 50-year-old suit was "brand new" because he had only worn it a few times. By contributing little to the landfills and being satisfied with what most of us would call a minimalist lifestyle, Frank Palmeri was "green" before it became chic. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6qF9jZhX_kC8VLJSWPqIApDlC4goACOuCMCdFEQX6r-A3bXqTE12Wd-hLpMCy-urIFhxS2MWZiz3RQd4YeYEONZpstNuIBJvwrD_j1NeKxVhI5zorKnDpuqwuOQZafScOoMIySAA-AN5FLEJqGmnu--efX1PCxPolDHJqtjOIxn5B2PpvLQ/s3133/dadgrill2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3133" data-original-width="2349" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6qF9jZhX_kC8VLJSWPqIApDlC4goACOuCMCdFEQX6r-A3bXqTE12Wd-hLpMCy-urIFhxS2MWZiz3RQd4YeYEONZpstNuIBJvwrD_j1NeKxVhI5zorKnDpuqwuOQZafScOoMIySAA-AN5FLEJqGmnu--efX1PCxPolDHJqtjOIxn5B2PpvLQ/s320/dadgrill2.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Frank Palmeri was able to feed a small army with just a small charcoal grill. Preparing meals gave him joy and was his main form of gift giving.</i></b></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">At this point you must be in the mood for music. I've always been a fan of tribute songs. When someone close to me--or someone not close to me but whom I admired--passes, I find myself thinking of these songs. Here are the top 10 I find myself coming back to often. This time I dedicate them to my old man. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#10: "My Old Man" by Ian Dury and the Blockheads</b>. The late Ian Dury was one of the true originals of the British New Wave rock movement of the 1970s, a brilliant lyricist whose albums oozed irreverence, snark, and satire. I've always loved "My Old Man" because Dury's description of his dad as a proud and gritty working class dude immediately reminded me of my own. </span></p><p><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">My old man was fairly handsome</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;" /><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">He smoked too many cigs</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;" /><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">Lived in one room in Victoria</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;" /><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">He was tidy in his digs</span></span></i></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/ooPVuG8ZbNE" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ian Dury and the Blockheads: My Old Man</span></a></p><p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ooPVuG8ZbNE" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#9: "All Those Years Ago" by George Harrison. </b>This and the next two songs have a connection to John Lennon, my favorite rock star of all time. John's bandmate George wrote a touching tribute for his friend that has a spiritual vibe we can all send to the departed in our own lives. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">Deep in the darkest night</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;" /><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">I send out a prayer to you</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;" /><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">Now in the world of light</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;" /><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">Where the spirit free of lies</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;" /><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">And all else that we despised</span></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/eNL40ql4CYk" target="_blank">George Harrison: All Those Years Ago</a></span></p><p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eNL40ql4CYk" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#8: "Empty Garden" by Elton John.</b> One of the most touching songs ever written. Elton was talking about John Lennon, but all of us know of "a gardener like that no one can replace." </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 14px;">Who lived here?</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 14px;" /><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 14px;">He must have been a gardener that cared a lot</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 14px;" /><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 14px;">Who weeded out the tears and grew a good crop</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 14px;" /><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 14px;">And we are so amazed, we're crippled and we're dazed</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 14px;" /><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 14px;">A gardener like that one no one can replace</span></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;"><a href="https://youtu.be/SWyy7Huc6KA" target="_blank">Elton John Empty Garden </a></span></p><p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SWyy7Huc6KA" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#7: "Julia" by the Beatles.</b> John's tribute to his own mom. I have always found the first line to be quite mesmerizing: </span></p><p><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 14px;">Half of what I say is meaningless</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 14px;" /><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 14px;">But I say it just to reach you, Julia</span></span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt;"><a href="https://youtu.be/TZip_br_v3w" target="_blank">The Beatles: Julia</a></span></p><p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TZip_br_v3w" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#6: "I'll Be Missing You" by P. Diddy and Faith Evans.</b> Diddy's 1997 paean to his hip hop soul mate Christopher Wallace (aka The Notorious B.I.G) beautifully samples "Every Breath You Take" by the Police. All of the songs on this list relate to different stages of grief; Diddy's is about that initial state of shock when we still have not quite accepted that our loved one is gone. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">It's kinda hard with you not around (yeah)</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;" /><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">Know you in Heaven smilin' down</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;" /><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">Watchin' us while we pray for you</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;" /><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">Every day we pray for you</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;" /><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">'Til the day we meet again</span></i></span></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/NKMtZm2YuBE" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">P. Diddy and Faith Evans: "I'll Be Missing You" </span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NKMtZm2YuBE" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#5: "Carry on Jon" by Blackmore's Night</b>. Jon Lord of Deep Purple was one of the great keyboard players in rock history, creating a unique sound for Purple that helped distinguish them from other blues-based metal bands. His former bandmate Ritchie Blackmore, a guitar god in his own right, paid tribute by writing and recording a beautiful instrumental. The melody and instrumentation sparks memories of the best Lord/Blackmore jams of the early Deep Purple days. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><a href="https://youtu.be/R5bc06vGF_c" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Blackmore's Night: Carry On Jon</span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/R5bc06vGF_c" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#4: "Tears in Heaven" by Eric Clapton. </b> Written after the tragic, accidental death of Clapton's 4-year-old son Conor, "Tears in heaven" is a penetrating expression of grief that balances the debilitating impact of sorrow with a hope for strength to carry on. </span></p><div class="ujudUb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; margin-bottom: 12px;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span jsname="YS01Ge">Would you know my name?</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">If I saw you in heaven</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">Would it be the same?</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">If I saw you in heaven</span></span></i></div><div class="ujudUb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; margin-bottom: 12px;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span jsname="YS01Ge">I must be strong</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">And carry on</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">'Cause I know I don't belong</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">Here in heaven</span></span></i></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/JxPj3GAYYZ0" target="_blank">Eric Clapton; Tears in Heaven</a> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JxPj3GAYYZ0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#3: "Miss You C." by Nils Lofgren. </b>Long time guitar player in Bruce Springsteen's E-Street Band (and before that a short stint in Neil Young's Crazy Horse), Nils Lofgren wrote and recorded a tribute for soul great Ray Charles called "Miss You Ray." After the death of the legendary E-Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons, Nils rewrote it as "Miss You C." It's a touching tune with a great line for those of us missing our dads: </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;"><i>I miss you Dad, your gentle spirit way</i></span><i><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;" /><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">Still life is grand, I owe so much to you</span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><a href="https://youtu.be/OW2wZGlUERs" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Nils Lofgren: Miss You C.</span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OW2wZGlUERs" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#2: "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd.</b> The song that expresses in the most direct, simple way possible what all of us feel when we think of our departed loved ones: <b><i>How I wish you were here</i></b>. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">How I wish, how I wish you were here</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;" /><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">We're just two lost souls</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;" /><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">Swimming in a fish bowl</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;" /><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">Year after year</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;" /><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">Running over the same old ground</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;" /><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">What have we found?</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;" /><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">The same old fears</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;" /><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">Wish you were here</span></i></span></p>
<a href="https://youtu.be/IXdNnw99-Ic" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here</span></a><br /><br />
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IXdNnw99-Ic" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#1: "No Time To Cry" by Iris DeMent. </b>One of my all-time favorite songs. Alternative country artist Iris DeMent has a way of plucking the heart strings in ways that few artists can match. "No Time To Cry" explores how difficult it is for us "grown ups" to experience true grief. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/l7VGGmTJqZs" target="_blank">Iris DeMent: No Time To Cry</a> </span></div><div><br /></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/l7VGGmTJqZs" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><div class="ujudUb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; margin-bottom: 12px;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span jsname="YS01Ge">My father died a year ago today,</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">The rooster started crowing when they carried Dad away</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">There beside my mother, in the living room, I stood</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">With my brothers and my sisters knowing Dad was gone for good</span></span></i></div><div class="ujudUb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; margin-bottom: 12px;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span jsname="YS01Ge">Well, I stayed at home just long enough to lay him in the ground</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">And then I caught a plane to do a show up north in Detroit town</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">Because I'm older now and I've got no time to cry</span></span></i></div><div class="ujudUb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; margin-bottom: 12px;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span jsname="YS01Ge">I've got no time to look back, I've got no time to see</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">The pieces of my heart that have been ripped away from me</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">And if the feeling starts to coming, I've learned to stop 'em fast</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">Cause I don't know, if I let them go, they might not want to pass</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">And there's just so many people trying to get me on the phone</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">And there's bills to pay, and songs to play, and a house to make a home</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">I guess I'm older now and I've got no time to cry</span></span></i></div><div class="ujudUb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; margin-bottom: 12px;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span jsname="YS01Ge">I can still remember when I was a girl</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">But so many things have changed so much here in my world</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">I remember sitting on the front porch when an ambulance went by</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">And just listening to those sirens I would breakdown and cry</span></span></i></div><div class="ujudUb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; margin-bottom: 12px;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span jsname="YS01Ge">But now I'm walking and I'm talking doing just what I'm supposed to do</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">Working overtime to make sure that I don't come unglued</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">I guess I'm older now and I've got no time to cry</span></span></i></div><div class="ujudUb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; margin-bottom: 12px;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span jsname="YS01Ge">I've got no time to look back, I've got no time to see</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">The pieces of my heart that have been ripped away from me</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">And if the feeling starts to coming, I've learned to stop 'em fast</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">Cause I don't know, if I let them go, they might not want to pass</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">And there's just so many people trying to get me on the phone</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">And there's bills to pay, and songs to play, and a house to make a home</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">I guess I'm older now and I've got no time to cry</span></span></i></div><div class="ujudUb WRZytc" jsname="U8S5sf" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; margin-bottom: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span jsname="YS01Ge">Now I sit down on the sofa and I watch the evening news</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">There's a half a dozen tragedies from which to pick and choose</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">The baby that was missing was found in a ditch today</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">And there's bombs a-flying and people dying not so far away</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">I'll take a beer from the 'frigerator and go sit out in the yard</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">And with a cold one in my hand I'm gonna bite down and swallow hard</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">Because I'm older now and I've got no time to cry</span></span></i></div></div>tony palmerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506831576450002435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19989310.post-64269029671067673572022-10-01T17:56:00.002-05:002022-10-03T14:19:46.538-05:00Free Speech Survey Returns To University of Wisconsin <p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Last April, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater interim chancellor Jim Henderson resigned abruptly, in part because of his objection to the manner in which System campuses were being mandated to conduct a "free speech" survey that he and other chancellors objected to. Initially, then UW System interim President Michael Falbo agreed with the chancellors and halted system participation in the survey. For reasons that are not completely clear, Falbo changed course and once again communicated to the chancellors that the survey would go on. <a href="https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/education/2022/04/05/university-wisconsin-whitewater-interim-chancellor-suddenly-resigns/9465160002/" target="_blank">According to Henderson</a>, <span style="background-color: white; color: #303030;">"That discussion focused more on the political fallout of not doing the survey rather than the merits of doing it." </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Henderson's resignation succeeded in placing the survey on the radar of system faculty, staff, and students. At that time Matt King and I <a href="https://youtu.be/fdUY72qVyhw" target="_blank">interviewed first amendment scholar Chris Terry</a>, who explained numerous problems with the survey including vague questions and the real possibility of participants' identity being compromised.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fdUY72qVyhw" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe> </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Many others <a href="https://captimes.com/news/education/uw-system-postpones-free-speech-survey-after-criticism/article_24dc3178-921f-57ee-98cb-d6368dd83b39.html" target="_blank">expressed similar concerns</a>, leading the UW Stout Menard Center for the Study of Institutions and Innovation to go back to the drawing board and revise the survey based on feedback received. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Well, the survey is now back, and I regret to say that--at least based on the draft I have seen--it actually seems worse. <b>To be clear:</b> I have no interest in questioning the motives of the researchers, and I take them at their word that they are only interested in gathering data that can better inform discussions about possible changes to UW policies on free speech and expression. If the five researchers behind the study were motivated by politics or were being exploited by Republican politicians in search of data to continue their long standing vendetta against the UW, then it would be the job of each campus' Institutional Review Board (IRB) to call that out. So far the IRBs have not done that. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Here are my main concerns: </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">1. The Menard Center is funded by the <a href="https://www.uwstout.edu/about-us/news-center/donation-menard-family-will-expand-universitys-civil-liberties-center" target="_blank">Koch and Menard families,</a> both major Republican donors. Financial support from corporate interests does not necessarily undermine academic research, but in the interests of full transparency the survey instrument should let student participants know more about the <a href="https://www.weau.com/content/news/Menard-family-donates-more-than-2-million-to-UW-Stout--566103311.html" target="_blank">funding sources of the Menard Center</a>. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">2. A large number of the questions are very difficult to comprehend. I have been teaching a class on the First Amendment and Free Speech for more than 20 years, and yet the majority of survey questions puzzle ME. Here's an example: </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"How much do you feel that people who express political views you find offensive are causing harm to those they offend." The answers that participants can select are: </span></span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Not at all </span></span></li><li>A little </li><li>Somewhat </li><li>Quite a bit</li><li>A great deal</li></ul><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Because we have no idea what kind of situation the survey writers have in mind, the only possible answer for such a question is "it depends." A survey participant might think that a group of men yelling "The Jews will not replace us" as they march across campus is quite harmful to the entire campus community. That same participant might be offended by someone carrying a "Re-Elect Ron Johnson sign" on campus, but not see it as harmful as much as irritating. We can imagine literally thousands of scenarios that would change the way a person thinks about the question. So do they answer "A little"? "Somewhat"? </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">3. The survey seems to discourage critical thinking about free speech controversies. Take this question, for example: "If some students feel that certain views expressed on campus cause harm to certain groups of people, what do you think university administrators should do?" The responses are:</span></span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">They should <u>ban</u> the expression of those views. </span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">They should <u>allow</u> the expression of those views. </span></span></li></ul><p></p><p><span style="color: #303030; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">The only rational response to a question like that is "I'm not sure." What views are we talking about? Holocaust Denial? 9/11 Conspiracies? #Blacklivesmatter? #Metoo? Where are the views expressed? In the classroom? In assigned materials for a course? At an event sponsored by a recognized student organization? In a private meeting room among like-minded students? What CAN the administrators do based on UW policies and court precedents involving student speech? The question is asking for a black/white response on something that is inherently gray. A critical thinker expects the administrators to wade through the gray area and arrive at a rational decision based on the facts and the law, but that response is not allowed. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #303030; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">4. The survey includes a somewhat bizarre section which the researchers claim is designed to "gauge students' engagement in free expression behaviors and their perceptions of experiencing negative consequences for engaging in such behaviors." Here is a sample question: </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #303030; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">"Since you have been a student at your current university, have you ever disagreed out loud with one of your instructors about a controversial topic?" If yes, "Did you receive any negative <u>institutional</u> consequences, such as being reported, suspended, or expelled, for disagreeing out loud with one of your instructors about a controversial topic?" Yes No </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #303030; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">This section of the survey almost seems to invite explosive headlines: "UW students report being suspended and expelled for disagreeing with instructors." What's likely to occur is that the number of students claiming to be reported, suspended, or expelled for expressing disagreement will far outnumber actual reports. Thus, the survey is in effect inviting students to take what might be unfair, cheap shots at instructors. It's kind of like a "ratemyprofessor.com" approach to survey research. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #303030; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">Even worse, this survey allows anyone who HAS been disciplined for harassing or threatening communication to rebrand himself or herself as some kind of free speech champion. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #303030; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">5. Regardless of what the researchers tell us, I am not convinced that the anonymity of the respondents will be protected. The survey asks for gender identity, race or ethnicity, sexual orientation, religious preference, political party identification, and political leaning. Even if no individual names will be reported out, surveys like this invite gross generalizations about entire groups based on their responses to questions that lack specifics. We will end up with conclusions like this: "White, male, conservative, Protestant Republicans do not believe that offensive views are harmful while Black, female, liberal, Protestant Democrats do." </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #303030; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">6. Rather than help to shed light on the "culture war," this survey places the University of Wisconsin IN the war. Almost all the questions feed into the narrative of campus conservatives being censored or cancelled by the "woke" mob of professors and liberal students. At a time when System schools are facing enrollment crises, mental health challenges, difficult budgets, and failing to retain quality faculty and staff, the UW will somehow give prominence to a survey that will inevitably reinforce Wisconsin's legislative Republican fantasies about campus free speech. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #303030; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">Please do not misunderstand. I DO believe that investigating the state of the first amendment on college campuses is important and valuable. The issue is what is the best way to investigate it. My suggestion is for the System President to put the brakes on the Menard Center survey. Then, the Board of Regents should recruit a team of actual first amendment scholars to perform a "Free Speech Audit" of the UW System. My preference would be for the scholars to be from outside of Wisconsin so that they are not as easily subject to pressure from the bad faith actors running the current state legislature. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #303030; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white;">As part of the Free Speech Audit, the team would hold forums on each campus for the purpose of giving students an open forum to speak out about their free speech concerns. That would actually accomplish what the Menard Center researchers say they want: civil discussion on the campuses about topics that matter. </span></span></p>tony palmerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506831576450002435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19989310.post-44144004450449448142022-09-01T09:06:00.002-05:002023-07-10T13:53:54.512-05:00Celebration of the Music of 1972, Part 2<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Back in July I celebrated <a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2022/06/celebration-of-music-of-1972-part-1.html" target="_blank">26 albums released in 1972</a>, one of the most magical years in the history of popular music. In that year, a number of established artists reached their creative high point and--thanks to the idealism of FM radio programmers of the day--felt empowered to take risks and challenge the listening audience to think beyond the traditional 2-4 minute tune. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">That listening audience was primarily aged 30 and under. Their embrace of this music was a powerfully symbolic way of distancing themselves from the older generation. That's why when listening to this music today, what's remarkable is how its appeal is now <b><i>multigenerational</i></b>. When I teach "The Rhetoric of Rock and Roll" at UW Oshkosh, most students get introduced to these artists and tunes for the first time and the majority become fans instantly. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The purpose of the July post and this one is NOT to wax nostalgic about great music of a bygone vinyl era. I am not one of those boomers convinced that today's music is unlistenable. A plethora of great bands and individual artists exist in our digital streaming era. I guarantee you someone will be celebrating today's tunes 50 years from now. My guess is that the best of today's artists are also fans of the music mentioned in these posts, and probably see themselves as consciously continuing the tradition of stretching creative boundaries. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">So without any further adieu, let's get to 25 more albums of 1972: </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#25: Curtis Mayfield, "Super Fly."</b> The soundtrack from the film of the same name, Super Fly is a masterpiece of soul, in the same league as Marvin Gaye's "What's Goin' On" in terms of its poignant fusing of social commentary and gripping melodies. I've always loved these lyrics from "Freddie's Dead," one of the album's signature tunes: </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif" jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">We're all built up with progress</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;" /><span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif" jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">But sometimes I must confess</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;" /><span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif" jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">We can deal with rockets and dreams</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;" /><span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif" jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">But reality</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;" /><span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif" jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">What does it mean?</span></i></span></p><p><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/0B6TKClPFQA" target="_blank">Curtis Mayfield, Freddie's Dead</a> </span></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0B6TKClPFQA" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#24: Steely Dan, "Can't Buy a Thrill."</b> Steely Dan's first album. It's hard to communicate just how fresh and vital this music sounded at the time. The founders of the band, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, were the essence of COOL. The first time I heard Elliott Randall's lead guitar on the hit song "Reelin' in the Years," my 11-year-old Brooklyn brain thought, "What the fuck is <b><i>that?</i></b>" Years later I found out that Led Zeppelin's guitar maestro Jimmy Page considers Randall's guitar work on that tune to be his all time favorite guitar solo. It also turns out that Elliott Randall was great friends with Jimi Hendrix, and he claims that the two of them were great fans of . . . you guessed it: Curtis Mayfield. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/4dPRGfGmCmU" target="_blank">Steely Dan, Reelin' in the Years</a> </span></div><div><br /></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4dPRGfGmCmU" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#23: The Eagles, "Eagles."</b> The first album from what would become one of the most successful bands in history, with a sound that defined "country rock" for a generation. For me, the Eagles did not become a truly outstanding band until guitar hero Joe Walsh joined them for the 1977 "Hotel California" album, but this Walsh-less debut effort is still a classic. After the turmoil of the 1960s, "Take It Easy" became a clarion call for everyone to chill out just a bit. Glenn Frey's and Don Henley's vocal harmonies filled the void left when the Beatles' John Lennon and Paul McCartney pursued solo careers. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://youtu.be/4v8KEbQA8kw" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Eagles, Take It Easy</span></a></div><div><br /></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4v8KEbQA8kw" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#22: Roxy Music, "Roxy Music."</b> The debut album from one of the groundbreakers in the "glam rock" or "art rock" genre. Listening to this recording fifty years later, the sophistication of the lyrical themes, instrumentation and melodies is quite striking. For pop music historians, Roxy's lead singer Bryan Ferry and keyboardist Brian Eno are--rightfully--icons of the progressive rock sound of the early 1970s. Moreover, the band's visual image ended up inspiring early 1980s MTV electro-pop bands. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://youtu.be/JIuEz4KyYGA" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Roxy Music, Ladytron</span></a></div><div><br /></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XCzhAeukF1A" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#21: Yes, "Close to the Edge."</b> I have no hard evidence to back it up, but my gut tells me that in 1972 the progressive rock band Yes were probably extremely popular among college Liberal Arts majors. The band's complex musical arrangements and cryptic lyrics no doubt inspired some intense--often marijuana facilitated--conversation between youth for whom Philosophy, Rhetoric, and English Literature made a difference. I personally am a huge fan of Herman Hesse's classic novel "Siddhartha," and when I discovered that "Close to the Edge" was based on the novel, my appreciation for both increased dramatically. Lead singer Jon Anderson considers "Close to the Edge" to be the band's greatest achievement. In our attention deficit era it is hard to imagine a band setting out to write and record an 18-minute song, but in 1972 FM radio was interested in raising the aural bar, so albums like this could actually get a fair hearing. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://youtu.be/51oPKLSuyQY" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Yes, Close to the Edge</span></a></div><div><br /></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/51oPKLSuyQY" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#20: Deep Purple, "Machine Head."</b> This is the album that features "Smoke on the Water," the song that gave us THE RIFF that every novice guitar player since 1972 has set out to master. Air guitar players figure it out pretty quickly. In all seriousness, I've often wondered if Deep Purple wish they had never recorded THE RIFF. Sure it made them tons of money and gave them international recognition, but it's actually not even close to being the best song on "Machine Head," and it stereotyped them as a typical heavy metal band when--in actual fact--the heavy metal label is way too limiting to describe Purple's musical style. Deep Purple went through a number of personnel changes over the years, but the "Mark II" version performing on Machine Head (and the next album on the list, "Made in Japan") is widely recognized as the classic line-up. Ian Gillan on vocals, Ritchie Blackmore on guitar, Roger Glover on bass, Jon Lord on keyboards, and Ian Paice on drums gave us many hours worth of glorious jams. They deserve to be remembered for more than THE RIFF. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://youtu.be/zUwEIt9ez7M" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Deep Purple, Smoke on the Water</span></a></div><div><br /></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zUwEIt9ez7M" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#19: Deep Purple, "Made in Japan." </b>Riding on the success of THE RIFF, Deep Purple later in 1972 released a live album; four vinyl sides of in-your-face, blues based rock and roll. "Highway Star" was an FM radio mainstay for many years. In terms of production quality, what I love about "Made in Japan" is that, like the Who's classic "Live at Leeds," the crowd noise is minimized so that nothing distracts your ears from the remarkable jams. You almost get the feeling that you are sitting in the front row. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://youtu.be/7zKAS7XOWaQ" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Deep Purple, Highway Star</span></a></div><div><br /></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7zKAS7XOWaQ" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#18: Johnny Cash, "America: A 200-Year Salute in Story and Song."</b> A patriotic opus from an artist who managed that rare feet of being admired by liberals and conservatives alike. Lincoln's Gettysburg Address is, for me, one of the top-5 speeches in American history. Cash's rendition of it here is amazing. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://youtu.be/ahd1U5-v2Mk" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Johnny Cash, The Gettysburg Address</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></a></div><div><br /></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ahd1U5-v2Mk" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#17: Black Sabbath, "Volume IV."</b> If we judge the greatness of rock and rollers by the sheer number of artists they've influenced, then I would say the greatest rock and roll artists of all time have to be Chuck Berry, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and Black Sabbath. Yes, Black Sabbath. Even though their music was literally censored from FM radio throughout the 1970s, they developed a loyal and insanely dedicated following. Their influence can be heard in virtually all heavy metal that followed, from the greats like Metallica and Korn to the local garage band that you call the cops on to get the noise turned down. Ozzy Osborne's personal quirkiness made it difficult for him to be recognized as for what he was: one of the truly great rock singers and lyricists of his generation. Meanwhile guitarist Tony Iommi created a unique, power lawn mower guitar style that's been imitated extensively but rarely done with the melodic flair of its originator. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Volume IV is probably my favorite Sabbath album, in part because the metal is balanced out with some mellow tunes. People old enough will remember how impressive were the color, glossy photos included in the jacket of the vinyl edition. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/u-08O2DUjRo" target="_blank">Black Sabbath, Tomorrow's Dream</a> </span></div><div><br /></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u-08O2DUjRo" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#16: Jimmy Cliff, "The Harder They Come."</b> When Americans think of reggae, they think of Bob Marley. Marley is the reggae GOAT of course, but the artist that "brought reggae to the world" is Jimmy Cliff. The soundtrack to the movie "The Harder They Come" is the archetype of hard core reggae: soulful social commentary backed up with syncopated beats. "<a href="https://youtu.be/U7dBMYUyRAQ" target="_blank">You Can Get It If You Really Want</a>" is a social justice activist anthem, and the title track is about as hard core reggae as you can get. A truly inspired and inspiring record. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/7Znh0OM9jiA" target="_blank">Jimmy Cliff, The Harder They Come</a> </span></div><div><br /></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7Znh0OM9jiA" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#15: Dr. John, "Dr. John's Gumbo."</b> A tribute to the music of New Orleans played by some of the greatest session musicians of the era. Dr. John (born Malcolm John Rebbenack, Jr. in 1941 in New Orleans) had a clear love of New Orleans jazz and R & B, and that love shines brightly in every tune on this spectacular recording. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/S_UYPu5RFXI" target="_blank">Dr. John, Iko Iko</a> </span></div><div><br /></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/S_UYPu5RFXI" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#14: Jethro Tull, "Thick as a Brick." </b>A masterpiece in the progressive rock genre. In vinyl album terms, I would say that the first side of "Thick as a Brick" is one of the most memorable album sides in the history of recorded popular music, right up there with side two of the Beatles' Abbey Road in terms of sheer innovation and musical surprises. Thick as a Brick was supposed to be a kind of parody of the excesses of progressive rock, yet ended up becoming iconic in the genre. It is probably Tull front man Ian Anderson's creative high point, and it's hard to imagine anyone playing guitar any better than Martin Barre does on Thick as a Brick.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://youtu.be/ldXdnZtTWp8" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jethro Tull, This as a Brick, Part I</span></a></div><div><br /></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ldXdnZtTWp8" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#13: Gary Glitter, "Glitter."</b> Given that Gary Glitter (born Paul Francis Gadd) was convicted of child sexual abuse in the 2000s, it is difficult to present him with any accolades. But regardless of his horrible crimes, it is still true that the 1972 "Glitter" album broke new ground in the "glam rock" genre. His energetic covers of 1950s records gave a new, fresh voice to those tunes, while "Rock and Roll" parts 1 and 2 became staples at pro sports and other events for decades. Fans of the movie "The Joker" will recall how Rock and Roll Part 2 is heard while Arthur dances down a staircase. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://youtu.be/zWakSmT2c3A" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Gary Glitter, Rock and Roll Part 2</span></a></div><div><br /></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zWakSmT2c3A" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#12: Alice Cooper, "School's Out."</b> Not Alice's best album by any means, but still a rockin' good time throughout. The title track was in heavy rotation on radio stations in the summer of 1972. If such a song were released today, an era that cannot grasp satire and parody, the artist would be accused of promoting anti-Americanism and school violence. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://youtu.be/CXFsWAkLoXQ" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Alice Cooper, School's Out</span></a></div><div><br /></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CXFsWAkLoXQ" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#11: Waylon Jennings, "Ladies Love Outlaws."</b> Waylon Jennings got his start in Buddy Holly's band. He survived "The Day The Music Died" (i.e. the day in 1959 that Buddy, the Big Bopper, and J.P. Richardson were killed in a plane crash) when he gave up his seat before take-off. Jennings became a successful solo artist, and in the early 70s was one of the recognized founders of the "outlaw country" sub-genre of country music. "Ladies Love Outlaws" is foundational in that sub-genre. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://youtu.be/IYTSwGNLPsE" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Waylon Jennings, Ladies Love Outlaws</span></a></div><div><br /></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IYTSwGNLPsE" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#10: The Moody Blues, "Seventh Sojourn."</b> By 1972 the fans of the Moody Blues treated them somewhat like gurus, intensely perusing the words on each album for insights about the human condition. "Seventh Sojourn," the band's 8th album, is a bit more political than their prior offerings (especially in the songs "Lost in a a Lost World," "The Land of Make Believe," and "When You're a Free Man."). But the album's best known song, "I'm Just a Singer in a Rock and Roll Band," is a pointed rejection of the band's guru status. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/N_J-hmyAS6c" target="_blank">The Moody Blues, I'm Just A Singer in a Rock and Roll Band</a> </span></div><div><br /></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/N_J-hmyAS6c" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>\<div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#9: Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, "Just Another Band From L.A."</b> The year 1972 was an active one for Frank Zappa. This live album represented his collaboration with Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman (aka The Turtles). The songs are the kind of irreverent comedy that, at the time, would have reminded listeners of iconic comedians like Lenny Bruce and George Carlin. I have have always loved Zappa's sarcasm in "Call Any Vegetable." </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; margin: 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Questions, Questions, Questions, flooding into the mind of the concerned young person today. Ah, but it's a great time to be alive ladies and gentlemen. And that's the theme of our program for tonight, "It's so FUCKING GREAT to be alive"! Is what the theme of our show is tonight, boys and girls. And I'm wanna tell ya, if there is anybody here who DOESN'T believe that it is FUCKING GREAT to be alive, I wish that they go now, because this show will only bring them down so much... </i></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; margin: 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>God Bless America<br />Land that I love</i></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; margin: 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://youtu.be/1BAu059IMYw" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Frank Zappa, Call Any Vegetable</span></a></p></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1BAu059IMYw" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#8: Frank Zappa, "The Grand Wazoo."</b> Zappa's trademark goofiness often hid the fact that he was one of the truly great jazz composers and musicians of his generation. "The Grand Wazoo" is a remarkable work of modern jazz, featuring primarily instrumental pieces in big band formats. In terms of composition and production quality, "The Grand Wazoo" may be Zappa's finest album. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://youtu.be/2zXp4ZfRGsA" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Frank Zappa, Blessed Relief </span></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#7: Nina Simone, "Emergency Ward!"</b> This is Nina Simone at her most activist and radical, her <span>Vietnam War album recorded in the studio with a few tracks recorded live at Fort Dix. Her cover version of George Harrison's beautiful song "Isn't It a Pity" is classic Nina Simone in how she almost seems to be in dialogue with the song; trying to discover its essence. She added some new lyrics to the song: </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif" jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">Lord knows it's a pity</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;" /><span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif" jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">Mankind has been so programmed</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;" /><span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif" jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">That they don't care about nothin'</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;" /><span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif" jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">That has to do with care</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;" /><span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif" jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">C-a-r-e</span></i></span></div><div><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: helvetica;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: helvetica;"><i><span jsname="YS01Ge">We take each other's minds</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">And we're capable of take each other's souls</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">We do it every day</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">Just to reach some financial goal</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">Lord, isn't it a pity, my God</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">Isn't it a pity, my God</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">And so unnecessary</span></i></span></div><div><span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif" jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;"><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div><span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif" jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;"><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><span jsname="YS01Ge">Maybe one day at least i'll see me</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">And just concentrate on givin', givin', givin', givin'</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">And till that day</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">Mankind don't stand a chance</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">Don't know nothin' about romance</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">Everything is plastic</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">Isn't it a pity</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span jsname="YS01Ge">My God.</span></i></span></span></div><div><span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif" jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;"><span jsname="YS01Ge"><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif" jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #202124;"><span jsname="YS01Ge"><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/LLn3FT9BsRs" target="_blank">Nina Simone, Isn't it a Pity</a> </span></span></span></div><div><div><br /></div></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LLn3FT9BsRs" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#6: Hot Tuna, "Burgers."</b> Hot Tuna in 1972 were led by three former members of the Jefferson Airplane (guitarist Jorma Kaukonen, bassist Jack Casady, and violinist Papa John Creach). "Burgers" was the group's first studio album, and it consists of an appealing mix of folksy and bluesy lyric tunes and instrumentals. Their cover of Julius Daniels' "99 Year Blues" is amazing, and "Water Song" showcases Kaukonen's ability to produce heavenly guitar melodies. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/6giiYDlqRQs" target="_blank">Hot Tuna, Water Song</a> </span></div><div><br /></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6giiYDlqRQs" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#5: John Lennon and Yoko Ono, "Sometime in New York City."</b> This was a double album, with one studio disc and another recorded live. The studio tunes were filled with grassroots political themes on feminism, prisoners' rights, racism, war and peace, and the war on drugs. No doubt many of the old Beatles fans listened to this and thought, "is that the same guy who sang 'She Loves You' and "I Want To Hold Your Hand?'" In "Attica State," a commentary on the tragic New York prison riot of the time, Lennon's lyrics represent one of the earliest statements against mass incarceration. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/h_vFMU8HiZc" target="_blank">John Lennon, Attica State</a> </span></div><div><br /></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/h_vFMU8HiZc" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#4: Al Green, "Let's Stay Together."</b> A truly extraordinary album from a man who would have to be in the conversation for GOAT when it comes to soul singers. Everyone loves the title song, but really everything on this record is splendid. Al Green deservedly gets all the attention because of his superior vocals, but the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let%27s_Stay_Together_(Al_Green_album)#Personnel" target="_blank">rhythm and horn section</a> deserve just a much recognition. They were right up there with Motown's Funk Brothers for finding ways to make the singer shine bright. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/XXx6RDzR6eM" target="_blank">Al Green, Let's Stay Together</a> </span></div><div><br /></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XXx6RDzR6eM" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#3: Bo Diddley, "Where It All Began."</b> Chicago's great grandfathers of rock and roll (Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley), were all still recording new music in the early 1970s, but even the progressive FM rock stations did not give them much attention. Consequently, some great music never got the hearing it deserved. One example is Bo Diddley's "Where It All Began." Apparently tired of his famous "Bo Diddley Beat" being ripped off by numerous artists without even citing Bo's influence, in 1972 Bo recycled the beat for himself in the song "I've Had It Hard." There are lots of other goodies on this album, including a searing guitar solo on "Bad Trip," and some funny, funky tunes like "Look at Grandma," "Hey Jerome," and "Take it All Off." </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://youtu.be/3fbCW1R8s2A" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Bo Diddley, I've Had it Hard Hard</span></a></div><div><br /></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3fbCW1R8s2A" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#2: Bill Withers, "Still Bill."</b> Bill Withers, from a small mining town in West Virginia, spent nine years in the United States Navy before starting a professional music career. His voice was one of the most unique in the history of popular music. "Still Bill" gave us the monster hits "Lean on Me" and "Use Me," but really everything on the record is of superior quality. Definitely one of the top five albums of 1972. <br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://youtu.be/qkaexjc-1os" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Bill Withers, Lean on Me</span></a></div><div><br /></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qkaexjc-1os" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>#1: The Rolling Stones, "Exile on Main St."</b> Exile was a "back to the roots" record for the Stones, four vinyl sides of rock and roll designed to showcase the Stones R & B, blues, old school rock, and soul influences. Definitely one of the better efforts of the Stones, with drummer Charlie Watts and bassist Bill Wyman at their rhythmic high point, and featuring some of the greatest original Mick Jagger/Keith Richards songs. Amazingly, they still perform a number of these songs in concert. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/6U8JlcB_BzA" target="_blank">The Rolling Stones, Tumbling Dice</a> </span></div><div><br /></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6U8JlcB_BzA" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Hope you enjoyed this celebration of the music of 1972. Rock on! </span></div>tony palmerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506831576450002435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19989310.post-1910345923244899652022-08-01T09:13:00.006-05:002022-08-18T10:11:55.087-05:00Media Rants At 20<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Believe it or not--and most days I personally cannot believe it--August of 2022 is the twentieth anniversary of Media Rants. It started out as a monthly print newspaper column for the independent Fox Valley (WI) SCENE newspaper, which at that time had an office in Appleton, WI. Then editor <a href="https://youtu.be/RKX-FcQiYa4" target="_blank">Tom Breuer</a> was familiar with (and a fan of) my media work in Oshkosh, and he asked me if I would write a monthly column of media criticism. He even suggested calling it "Media Rants." The first column was called "<a href="http://www.tonypalmeri.com/mediarantsdebut.htm" target="_blank">Local EAA Coverage Buries the Lead</a>." </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Back then the Fox Valley SCENE newspaper was available throughout the Valley in coffee shops, grocery stores, street vending machines and other locations. Readers frequently contacted me (usually via email or phone) to offer feedback, or praise the column, or condemn it. I didn't realize that the column actually had somewhat of a "following" until April of 2006, when I was invited to <a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2006/04/thursday-free-showing-of-good-night.html" target="_blank">participate in a panel</a> at the Appleton Public Library on the topic of George Clooney's film "<a href="https://youtu.be/Pv4s0wdDOK0" target="_blank">Good Night and Good Luck</a>" (an award-winning dramatization of legendary broadcaster Edward R. Murrow's courageous stand against the red-baiting Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy.). I met dozens of people that night who were familiar with the column, which shocked me because I had always assumed that the readership was probably little more than a handful of alienated political junkies like me. One person I met at that public library forum was Ms. Lori Hoover, who told me afterward that she was a regular reader of Media Rants. In 2013 Lori and I got married, so in a real sense Media Rants impacted my personal life as much as my public one. </span></p><table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr_jjjY5D_AR3OHiovFMe-DeZY7pk_zgz2N3_keCMgdILP4l43azJv49Gt2rKk-rVs4CqjZ1KKfW-KRZ4s8tNfx72-biLI_9Sm3RLOvFboHGlr4vf02SQ5N1W9j4Xv9uZq6MK5jqTlsKXCFg3m28hCTcrjdmXjrgaPsSwpnEoC3YbCn5iubw/s320/Palmeri-GNAGL.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr_jjjY5D_AR3OHiovFMe-DeZY7pk_zgz2N3_keCMgdILP4l43azJv49Gt2rKk-rVs4CqjZ1KKfW-KRZ4s8tNfx72-biLI_9Sm3RLOvFboHGlr4vf02SQ5N1W9j4Xv9uZq6MK5jqTlsKXCFg3m28hCTcrjdmXjrgaPsSwpnEoC3YbCn5iubw/s1600/Palmeri-GNAGL.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">A big audience showed up to the Appleton Public Library on April 27, 2006 for a panel discussion of "Good Night and Good Luck."</span> </b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOrXXKUNXOFNQsDJ7BOFUf_x0D74kJXTFOwKsK_px6MeZhHcMf7iPvuhYSxYy2t-MtwIByEm7IDiITmRO93nyTtx6W53_di0O-THR1WfzgNBJJyYhr4qk4PgVOO_syB_ePrCgva_LzNOvLRYWP8fIqqusDd3jZ0NhNSg9OJSE5G6f5D4Ly9Q/s692/murrowvmc.1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="692" data-original-width="486" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOrXXKUNXOFNQsDJ7BOFUf_x0D74kJXTFOwKsK_px6MeZhHcMf7iPvuhYSxYy2t-MtwIByEm7IDiITmRO93nyTtx6W53_di0O-THR1WfzgNBJJyYhr4qk4PgVOO_syB_ePrCgva_LzNOvLRYWP8fIqqusDd3jZ0NhNSg9OJSE5G6f5D4Ly9Q/s320/murrowvmc.1.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><b>The late Ed Murrow is one of my heroes, so it was an honor to be invited to discuss him. Discovering that night that Media Rants had a following was an extra bonus. </b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p>
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</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I know I don't have the years exactly right, but around 2010 the SCENE had Media Rants (and most other columns) in both print and online versions. Around 2016 publisher Jim Moran removed Media Rants from the print version, apparently because one of the paper's major advertisers was bothered by my criticism of Fox News and threatened to stop advertising with the paper if Media Rants stayed in. Moran could not afford to lose the revenue, so he gave in to the commercial blackmail. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I was not upset with Jim Moran, as I knew he had a deep respect and appreciation for what I had contributed to the paper. Of course I did not like being removed, but I also understood how difficult it was to keep a small independent newspaper afloat. Seeing the SCENE survive was more important to me than seeing my name in print. Besides, by that time most of the print readers of the column had discovered the online SCENE and this blog, so I did not see any noticeable drop in attention. I told readers upset with the removal of Media Rants to contribute financially to independent media so that they do not have to rely on advertising for support. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Unfortunately, the SCENE went out of business not too long after dropping Media Rants from the print version. Though much independent media (most of it online) has emerged since, none of it in my humble opinion matches the breadth and depth that the SCENE had during its "golden period" when it was edited by Tom Breuer and then Jim Lundstrom. The loss of the The SCENE was a<b><i> huge loss for the Fox Valley.</i></b> </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijTvW155JJOmoc2g91Wxj10K-XDq4fGojJ745sG16XXmIgpVrgYUJ0AMeqhrsLFeicDpB1oXIKLrNuW5Uw7dgM9ysCwvmQJN6KTmGUViSvzVE_FRwmIk461dJfamLH1K4PGa2ruQH-7jNKVYX_vdFQrAGQUZnyD0nr7gM6FYOJdqL9nQFt_g/s1546/mediarants2%20(3).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="1546" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijTvW155JJOmoc2g91Wxj10K-XDq4fGojJ745sG16XXmIgpVrgYUJ0AMeqhrsLFeicDpB1oXIKLrNuW5Uw7dgM9ysCwvmQJN6KTmGUViSvzVE_FRwmIk461dJfamLH1K4PGa2ruQH-7jNKVYX_vdFQrAGQUZnyD0nr7gM6FYOJdqL9nQFt_g/s320/mediarants2%20(3).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><i>The photo that ran in the SCENE for quite a few years.</i></span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Even without a print or online newspaper to host it, Media Rants has continued on in this space. Social media platforms drive a significant amount of traffic to it. The column continues in part because it's important to me to "practice what I preach" to my college students. As a teacher of rhetoric and civic engagement, I'm always urging my students to think critically about public issues not only so that they become more engaged as individuals, but so that they can help others frame those issues in ways that might lead to positive change. Media Rants, for better or worse, has always tried to model some of the lessons I teach students: </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>*Be engaged with the community and world around you. </i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>*On whatever issue(s) that matter to you, avoid the temptation to repeat back tired talking points. Be original and unpredictable. </i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>*Do not sacrifice your integrity in order to get more clicks or expand your audience. If you cannot look at yourself in the mirror after writing or speaking on an issue, you're doing something wrong. If your work makes a genuine contribution to the public sphere, an audience will find you. </i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>*Appreciate that you do NOT need an audience of millions to have an impact. If all of us positively impacted a HANDFUL of people in our immediate environment, we would be in a much better place as a city, state, nation, and world. </i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I've gone back over the 20 years worth of columns, and it seems like they fall into eight categories:</span> </p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Local History </b></li><li><b>Media Criticism </b></li><li><b>Media Theory </b></li><li><b>War and Peace </b></li><li><b>The First Amendment </b></li><li><b>Democracy and Human Rights </b></li><li><b>Music Criticism </b></li><li><b>Public Address Criticism</b> </li></ol><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Below are links to some of my favorite Media Rants columns in each of those categories. Some of them have hyperlinks in them that are no longer active that I have not had a chance to fix--my apologies. Columns with three asterisks (***) next to them are the ones that are either my personal favorites and/or received the most audience feedback. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Local History:</b> </span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="http://www.tonypalmeri.com/mediarants49.htm" target="_blank">Press Coverage of McCarthy</a> (April 2006)***</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2010/03/column-below-will-appear-in-april.html?m=0" target="_blank">Earth Day At 40</a> (April 2010)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="http://www.uwosh.edu/faculty_staff/palmeri/commentary/mediarants8.htm" target="_blank">King Karma: Yesterday and Today</a> (March 2003)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-oshkosh-city-council-2007-2011.html" target="_blank">The Oshkosh City Council: 2007-2011 Version</a> (May 2019)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2008/05/in-memory-of-pican-man-robert-l-doc.html" target="_blank">In Memory of the PICAN Man: Robert L. "Doc' Snyder </a>(1928-2008) (May 2008)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2007/06/on-faces-and-hands-tribute-to-doug.html" target="_blank">On Faces and Hands: A Tribute to Doug Boone</a> (June 2007)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="http://www.tonypalmeri.com/mediamonopoly.htm" target="_blank">Northeast Wisconsin's Media Monopoly</a> (August 2004)***</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="http://www.tonypalmeri.com/mediarants32.htm" target="_blank">Weapons of Mass Democracy (Ralph Nader's Visit to Oshkosh)</a> (November 2004)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="http://www.tonypalmeri.com/mediarants60.htm">Public Radio and the Wisconsin Idea</a> (April 2007)</span></li></ul><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTxDCeusuqDMgnvXk2Jvk4JWYe3bHP2D527qTdy8rT3JeH5zaaD-qdTnv6-_2Dxw2Kqof9vrxr8hvIFpfGR8eUIBgrJ_TjN2xJj194FFgD747PzmE3bYykOtpA0IW5XaCwe6GVYNqGLt2hPPSwOPojwFOp4VpllANkqu4KjOnFDpLY1APg-g/s228/palmerinader.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="228" data-original-width="221" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTxDCeusuqDMgnvXk2Jvk4JWYe3bHP2D527qTdy8rT3JeH5zaaD-qdTnv6-_2Dxw2Kqof9vrxr8hvIFpfGR8eUIBgrJ_TjN2xJj194FFgD747PzmE3bYykOtpA0IW5XaCwe6GVYNqGLt2hPPSwOPojwFOp4VpllANkqu4KjOnFDpLY1APg-g/s1600/palmerinader.jpg" width="221" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">In my high school years in the 1970s I read Ralph Nader's "Unsafe At Any Speed" and was impressed by his passionate activism. Meeting and introducing him in Oshkosh in 2004 was a huge honor.</span></i></b></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Media Criticism</span></b></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="http://www.tonypalmeri.com/mediarants4.htm" target="_blank">The Magruder Media's Ethical Compass</a> (November 2002)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="http://www.tonypalmeri.com/mediarants13.htm" target="_blank">Northeast Wisconsin's Iron Triangle</a> (August 2003)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="http://www.tonypalmeri.com/mediarants27.htm" target="_blank">It's Not a Witch Hunt If There's A Witch</a> (June 2004)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="http://www.tonypalmeri.com/mediarants28.htm" target="_blank">Deconstructing Don Kettl </a>(July 2004)***</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2010/02/march-media-rant-jo-egelhoff-reviews.html" target="_blank">Jo Egelhoff Reviews the Post Crescent</a> (March 2010)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2011/09/media-rants-journalism-in-hyper.html" target="_blank">Journalism in Hyperpartisan Times</a> (September 2011)<b>***</b></span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2012/12/fox-valley-media-in-2022-hopes-and.html" target="_blank">Fox Valley Media in 2022: Hopes and Expectations</a> (December 2012)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2012/10/ivan-boesky-broadcasters.html " target="_blank">Ivan Boesky Broadcasters</a> (October 2012)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2013/10/media-rants-bradless-for-bezos.html" target="_blank">Bradlees for Bezos</a> (October 2013)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2017/10/cop-culture-and-mindless-media-collusion.html" target="_blank">Cop Culture and Mindless Media Collusion</a> (October 2017)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2014/01/media-fumbles-football-cte-crisis.html" target="_blank">Media Fumbles Football CTE Crisis</a> (January 2014)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2015/08/foxs-frankenstein-and-sandman.html" target="_blank">Fox's Frankenstein and the Sandman</a> (November 2015)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2018/08/wisconsin-elections-cure-for-lazy.html" target="_blank">Wisconsin Elections: A Cure For Lazy Journalism</a> (August 2018)<b>***</b></span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2021/02/how-rush-routed-refuge-seekers.html" target="_blank">How Rush Limbaugh Routed the Refuge Seekers</a> (February 2021)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2021/07/60-years-of-media-milestones.html" target="_blank">60 Years of Media Milestones</a> (July 2021)</span></li></ul><p></p><p><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">War and Peace</span></b></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="http://www.tonypalmeri.com/mediarants71.htm">Will We Hear the Winter Soldiers?</a> (March 2008)<b>***</b></span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2009/03/media-awol-on-national-guard-coverage.html" target="_blank">Media AWOL on National Guard Coverage</a> (March 2009)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="http://www.tonypalmeri.com/mediarants3.htm" target="_blank">Peace Deserves Equal Time</a> (October 2002)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-meaning-of-manning.html" target="_blank">The Meaning of Manning</a> (September 2013)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2013/07/media-rants-gettysburgs-lesson-for-today.html " target="_blank">Gettysburg's Lesson For Today</a> (July 2013)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="http://www.uwosh.edu/faculty_staff/palmeri/commentary/openletter.htm" target="_blank">An Open Letter to Senator Russ Feingold</a> (May 2003)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2017/05/still-bombing-after-all-these-years.html" target="_blank">Still Bombing After All These Years</a> (May 2017)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2022/04/russiaukraine-nuanced-view-with-dr.html" target="_blank">Russia v. Ukraine: A Nuanced View With Dr. Michael Jasinksi </a>(April 2022)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2017/09/inching-toward-glasnost-american-style.html" target="_blank">Inching Toward Glasnost - American Style</a> (September 2017)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2017/08/its-war-stupid.html" target="_blank">It's the War, Stupid</a> (August 2017)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2021/11/national-guard-suicides-problem-is-war.html" target="_blank">National Guard Suicides: The Problem is the War on Terror</a> (December 2021)<b>***</b></span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="http://www.tonypalmeri.com/mediarants24.htm" target="_blank">Signs of Hope at Peace Rally</a> (April 2004)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="http://www.tonypalmeri.com/mediarants25.htm" target="_blank">How We Won The War</a> (May 2004)<b>***</b></span></li></ul><p><b></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj70q7a7QOD9aLPwUtiIuf81UkTjyI3c4F-zMNP_IDgcgXIOvZjibUz6XluJLvefIUbILZrQvNJz8mL6iR0dgdGXzJ3o8uSgojU9mC5WUsYiCAmcEZqMdG_PQOqMg_OWKy1G8t0k2qvQfYFwSa8aQ9choAZpMSe2uD9KyteHlPNbKhd4KfVHw/s960/tolovegas.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="960" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj70q7a7QOD9aLPwUtiIuf81UkTjyI3c4F-zMNP_IDgcgXIOvZjibUz6XluJLvefIUbILZrQvNJz8mL6iR0dgdGXzJ3o8uSgojU9mC5WUsYiCAmcEZqMdG_PQOqMg_OWKy1G8t0k2qvQfYFwSa8aQ9choAZpMSe2uD9KyteHlPNbKhd4KfVHw/s320/tolovegas.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>Tony Palmeri and Lori Hoover met on April 27, 2006 at an Appleton Public Library event sponsored by the SCENE newspaper in which Media Rants appeared. They got married in Las Vegas on May 31, 2013.</i></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Media Theory</span></b></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="http://www.tonypalmeri.com/mediarants14.htm">Walter Ong on Media</a> (October 2003)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2011/06/media-rants-on-heckling-vs-techling.html" target="_blank">On Heckling v. Techling</a> (June 2011)<b>***</b></span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2022/05/media-bias-leftright-vs-topdown.html" target="_blank">Media Bias: Left/Right v. Top/Down</a> (May 2022)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2015/03/media-rants-reflections-on-jon-stewart.html" target="_blank">Reflections on Jon Stewart</a> (March 2015)<b>***</b></span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2015/02/media-rants-how-we-kill-editorial.html" target="_blank">How We Kill Editorial Cartoonists</a> (February 2015)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2011/10/media-rants-social-media-masks.html" target="_blank">Social Media Masks </a>(October 2011)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2017/06/roger-ailes-and-eristic-revival.html" target="_blank">Roger Ailes and the Eristic Revival</a> (June 2017)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2017/12/awakening-from-dreamworlds-nightmare.html" target="_blank">Awakening From the Dreamworld's Nightmare</a> (December 2017)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2019/04/on-vertical-triangulation.html" target="_blank">On Vertical Triangulation</a> (April 2019)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2018/09/ocasio-cortez-shapiro-and-arguers-as.html" target="_blank">Ocasio-Cortez, Shapiro, and Arguers as Lovers</a> (September 2018)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2016/08/media-rants-still-photos-after-all.html" target="_blank">Still Photos After All These Years</a> (August 2016)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2019/12/on-trumpism-media-and-paradigm-shifts.html" target="_blank">On Trumpism, Media, and Paradigm Shifts</a> (December 2019)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2022/06/a-social-media-home-run-yanks-and-rays.html" target="_blank">A Social Media Home Run: Yanks and Rays Team Up On Gun Violence</a> (June 2022)</span></li></ul><p></p><p><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">First Amendment</span></b></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2014/05/media-rants-fondy-high-first-amendment.html" target="_blank">Fondy High First Amendment Fight</a> (May 2014)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2014/03/media-rants-not-so-invisible-mann.html" target="_blank">The Not So Invisible Mann</a> (March 2014)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2020/05/covid-19s-challenge-to-free-speech.html" target="_blank">COVID-19's Challenge To Free Speech</a> (May 2020)<b>***</b></span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2017/12/dr-chris-terry-on-net-neutrality-and.html" target="_blank">Dr. Chris Terry on Net Neutrality and Media Ownership</a> (November 2017)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2010/06/media-rants-justice-stevens-uneven.html" target="_blank">Justice Stevens' Uneven First Amendment Legacy</a> (June 2010)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2006/04/from-blackstone-to-blogging.html" target="_blank">From Blackstone to Blogging</a> (April 2006)</span></li></ul><p><b></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNAc-94crsL7fstMLRqFFvw0Pnd4mO1mqI2LHxwRfNiWOPhYNe4o95LnFwwhprCczqXXSGuE28kTdiIJ0TqlFZ9I8KRTQ4rllOh3QyajaVkbHum-qOzvoct57VO50_VaeBMAqPg_adoK2xHY7DCycZv1gQcSlVyKai7Rs_0nW6SIZYZLGTvQ/s960/tonylir.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="960" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNAc-94crsL7fstMLRqFFvw0Pnd4mO1mqI2LHxwRfNiWOPhYNe4o95LnFwwhprCczqXXSGuE28kTdiIJ0TqlFZ9I8KRTQ4rllOh3QyajaVkbHum-qOzvoct57VO50_VaeBMAqPg_adoK2xHY7DCycZv1gQcSlVyKai7Rs_0nW6SIZYZLGTvQ/w400-h211/tonylir.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">The UW Oshkosh Learning in Retirement organization invites me to speak at least twice a year. Most times I talk about themes that appear in Media Rants columns. It was an honor to receive a teaching award from the organization. </span></i></b></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Democracy and Human Rights </span></b></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="http://www.tonypalmeri.com/frp.htm">Fighting Reactionary Politics: Real Liberals, Real Conservatives, and Real Radicals Must Work Together</a> (April 2005)<b>***</b></span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2010/11/2010-tony-awards.html " target="_blank">The 2010 Tony Awards</a> (November 2010)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2016/12/talking-trump-in-2116.html" target="_blank">Talking Trump in 2116</a> (December 2016)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2015/12/media-rants-tv-debate-in-1860.html" target="_blank">A TV Debate in 1860</a> (December 2015)<b>***</b></span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2015/11/media-rants-pope-mystifies-mr-jones.html" target="_blank">The Pope Mystifies Mr. Jones</a> (November 2015)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2016/09/media-rants-proud-history-of-wasted.html" target="_blank">The Proud History of Wasted Votes</a> (September 2016)<b>***</b></span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2018/03/americas-children-need-un-intervention.html" target="_blank">America's Children Need UN Intervention</a> (March 2018)<b>***</b></span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2022/02/on-filibusters-silent-vs-civic.html" target="_blank">On Filbusters: Silent v. Civic</a> (February 2022)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2019/02/censored-in-2018-enemy-of-pathetic.html" target="_blank">The Enemy of a Pathetic Granfalloon</a> (February 2019)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2010/09/media-rants-for-compulsory-voting.html" target="_blank">For Compulsory Voting</a> (October 2010)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2020/12/election-2020-in-wisconsin-thank-you.html" target="_blank">Election 2020 in Wisconsin: Thank You Meagan Wolfe</a> (December 2020)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2015/07/media-rants-educating-for-public-sphere.html" target="_blank">Educating for the Public Sphere</a> (July 2015)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2020/04/tears-for-spheres.html" target="_blank">Tears For Spheres</a> (April 2020)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2009/05/free-press-infrastructure-project.html" target="_blank">A Free Press Infrastructure Project</a> (May 2009)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2020/01/censored-in-2019-minimizing-omnicide.html" target="_blank">Minimizing Omnicide</a> (January 2020)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2021/09/2001-2021-third-score-of-shame.html" target="_blank">The Third Score of Shame</a> (September 2021)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2021/01/from-pitiful-pierce-to-pugnacious-polk.html" target="_blank">From Pitiful Pierce to Pugacious Polk: Ranking the One-Term Presidents</a> (February 2021)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2021/10/government-by-dont-think-tanks-and.html" target="_blank">Government by Don't Think Tanks and Twitter Trends</a> (November 2021)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="http://www.tonypalmeri.com/mediarants72.htm">Baseball Owners and Big Media Strike Out on Decency</a> (April 2008)</span></li><li><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2021/04/talia-lavins-anti-fascism-primer.html" style="font-family: helvetica;" target="_blank">Talila Lavin's anti-Fascism Primer</a><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">(April 2021)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2015/04/media-rants-talks-to-mike-mccabe.html" target="_blank">Media Rants Talks to Mike McCabe</a> (April 2015)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2011/11/media-rants-interview-with-jay-heck.html" target="_blank">Media Rants Talks to Jay Heck</a> (November 2011)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2014/10/media-rants-interview-with-sam-mayfield.html" target="_blank">Media Rants Talks to Sam Mayfield</a> (November 2014)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="http://www.tonypalmeri.com/mediarants39.htm" target="_blank">Media Rants Talks to Curt Andersen</a> (July 2005)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="http://www.tonypalmeri.com/mediarants66.htm">Media Rants Talks to Stephen Richards</a> (October 2007)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2008/07/august-media-rant-interview-with-ron.html" target="_blank">Media Rants Talks to Ron Hardy</a> (August 2008)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2018/04/an-interview-with-tom-breuer-aka-aldous.html" target="_blank">Media Rants Talks to Tom Breuer</a> (May 2018)</span></li></ul><p></p><p><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Music Criticism</span></b></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="http://www.tonypalmeri.com/mediarants52.htm">Frank Zappa's Freak Out! at 40</a> (July 2006)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2018/07/eric-burdons-1968-rock-gospel-against.html" target="_blank">Eric Burdon's 1968 Rock Gospel Against Empire</a> (July 2018)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2019/08/on-woodstock-and-authentic-rock-and-roll.html" target="_blank">On Woodstock and Authentic Rock and Roll </a>(August 2019)<b>***</b></span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2020/06/deep-purples-in-rock-at-50-in-praise-of.html" target="_blank">Deep Purple's In Rock at 50: In Praise of Metal For the Ear</a> (June 2020) </span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2021/08/live-aid-at-36-reflections-on.html" target="_blank">Live AID at 36; Reflections on the Cooptation of Rock</a> (August 2021)<b>***</b></span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="http://www.tonypalmeri.com/mediarants63.htm" target="_blank">Music, Politics, and the Summer of Love</a> (July 2007)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2022/04/ten-bold-cover-tunes-part-xiii-reggae.html" target="_blank">The Ten Bold Cover Tunes Series</a> (various dates)</span></li></ul><p></p><p><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Public Address Criticism</span></b></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2013/04/challenge-common-sense.html" target="_blank">Challenge Common Sense</a> (April 2013)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2016/11/the-bad-man-speaking-poorly-media-rants.html" target="_blank">The Bad Man Speaking Poorly</a> (November 2016)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2020/08/loving-your-enemies-king-speech-we-need.html" target="_blank">Loving Your Enemies: The King Speech We Need Right Now</a> (August 2020)<b>***</b></span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2020/07/obama-in-osawatomie-and-trump-in-tulsa.html" target="_blank">Obama in Osawatomie and Trump in Tulsa: Tempered v. Toxic Trolling</a> (July 2020)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2018/10/judges-are-like-umpires-john-roberts.html" target="_blank">Judges are Like Umpires: John Roberts' Supremely Silly Simile</a> (October 2018)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2020/10/rethinking-jfks-edmund-g-ross.html" target="_blank">Rethinking JFK's Edmund G. Ross</a> (October 2020)<b>***</b></span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2021/10/ten-noteworthy-21st-century-speeches.html" target="_blank">Ten Noteworthy 21st Century Speeches</a> (October 2021)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2021/05/dumb-contemporary-commonplaces-part-2.html" target="_blank">Dumb Contemporary Commonplaces, Part 2</a> (June 2021)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://tpmediarants.blogspot.com/2021/05/dumb-contemporary-commonplaces-part-1.html" target="_blank">Dumb Contemporary Commonplaces, Part 1</a> (May 2021)</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">If you got this far, I want to offer my sincere thanks for your support of Media Rants over the years. A special shout-out to UW Oshkosh <a href="https://uwosh.edu/oce/personal-and-professional-development-programs/learning-in-retirement/" target="_blank">Learning in Retirement</a>, an organization that has a number of Media Rants fans as members and invites me to speak at least twice a year. Usually for LIR I do expanded, interactive versions of what I perceive to be the most engaging Media Rants columns. The response of LIR has been inspiring, and the organizers tell me that my sessions are always the most well attended. I'm deeply appreciative of the opportunity to engage that community. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Thank you for a great 20 years! </span></div>tony palmerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506831576450002435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19989310.post-31694721857949338762022-07-13T15:41:00.003-05:002022-07-14T14:30:48.461-05:00Review of Robin Trower's "No More Worlds to Conquer" <p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">With the obvious exception of the late Jimi Hendrix, British rocker Robin Trower might be the greatest Fender Stratocaster guitar player of all time. And that's no exaggeration: after leaving the band Procul Harum, Trower's early solo albums "Twice Removed From Yesterday" (1973), "Bridge of Sighs" (1974), "For Earth Below" (1975) and "Long Misty Days" (1976) kept Jimi's spirit alive while simultaneously expanding the range of Strat theatrics. Back in those days, Trower along with bassist/vocalist James Dewar and drummers Reg Isidore + Bill Lordan recorded some epic ballads like "<a href="https://youtu.be/aFBMcmv_Gy4" target="_blank">Daydream</a>" and "<a href="https://youtu.be/tRdod2Q_1_8">Long Misty Days</a>" along with driving rockers like "<a href="https://youtu.be/4kpdHWW9WD8" target="_blank">Day of the Eagle</a>" and "<a href="https://youtu.be/fVFoItkcpR0" target="_blank">Shame the Devil</a>."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Unfortunately, in the early 1980s video killed the radio star. Trower was one of many classic rockers of that period who kept recording new music, but most of it got lost in the haze of the titillating TV music of the time. That change from aural to visual in the way audiences consumed music, combined with the tragic decline of FM radio as a space for old-school blues-based rock-and-roll, effectively limited the opportunities for artists like Trower to attract a new audience. Then, in what was probably an effort to adapt to the changing musical landscape, Trower in the 1980s and 1990s experimented with sacrificing his blues roots for more of a "pop" sound. The results were not great, and his music of that period is not very memorable. The outstanding exception to that is Trower's 1994 "Twentieth Century Blues," a rockin' good time with Trower at his most Hendrix-like since the 1970s and the inspired vocals of <a href="https://www.livingstonebrown.com/" target="_blank">Livingstone Brown</a>. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCEyHowocfbNpKjZWB3GVnMaRVhhMP_i401fOGFU6Do6Pr3hZMZMLLQBvowgKGTUAcNCjz8xdFup9Z9E1kZo7KNuEgjJGy26ml0KI3F5au8vzDyL9x21UzwEoFARFl35S8u-u53F21qHyS0gh6Ad5Ut7Ua_eBkHe_tNrxH33Sfj-zXYgYsjg/s3278/ROBIN_TROWER_RB-49.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3278" data-original-width="3278" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCEyHowocfbNpKjZWB3GVnMaRVhhMP_i401fOGFU6Do6Pr3hZMZMLLQBvowgKGTUAcNCjz8xdFup9Z9E1kZo7KNuEgjJGy26ml0KI3F5au8vzDyL9x21UzwEoFARFl35S8u-u53F21qHyS0gh6Ad5Ut7Ua_eBkHe_tNrxH33Sfj-zXYgYsjg/s320/ROBIN_TROWER_RB-49.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><i>At the age of 77, Robin Trower has released one of his best albums. If Jimi Hendrix is the greatest Fender strat player of all time, a good argument can be made that Trower is #2. </i></span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In April of this year Robin Trower released what I think is his best album since the 1970s. "No More Worlds to Conquer" has melodies, guitar solos, and riffs that ALMOST approach Trower's aforementioned classic period from 1973-1976. It's kind of inspiring that at the age of 77(!) he's still looking for ways explore the depths of the stratocaster sound. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But the guitar by itself is not what makes the album work. Equally important here are the vocals of Richard Watts, who has a soulful quality in his voice that evokes the best work of James Dewar without sounding like an attempt to imitate. Songs like "<a href="https://youtu.be/xHYxxgRBarg" target="_blank">Deadly Kiss</a>," "<a href="https://youtu.be/4C3jrqQ6FCE" target="_blank">Birdsong</a>," and "<a href="https://youtu.be/fiigf3tWqzQ" target="_blank">No More Worlds To Conquer</a>" are poignant and powerful. Meanwhile "<a href="https://youtu.be/S6smx3_uofE" target="_blank">The Razor's Edge</a>" sounds like Jimi Hendrix came back from the grave to jam on it. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/Z4dc15vifOg" target="_blank">Robin Trower, "Ball of Fire"</a> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Z4dc15vifOg" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
</p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">If you are a classic rock fan, or just like to listen to great guitar playing and soulful vocals, be sure to check out Robin Trower's "No More Worlds to Conquer." If Trower does not get nominated for a Best Rock Performance or Best Rock Album Grammy for this one, there is something seriously wrong with the selection process.</span> </p>tony palmerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13506831576450002435noreply@blogger.com0