He Knew All The Words

Are we going to help our fellow citizens come to their senses, or are we going to let our society devolve into fascism?

I left Ohio in 1992. I felt I needed to escape a community that displayed hatred and ignorance in a vile manner such as this:

I live in New York in 2010. I feel the need to escape a community that displays hatred and ignorance in a vile manner such as this:

I despise the those who are using intolerance and mob mentality as an election year tool. And I despise those who are standing by doing nothing or trying to reason with those who would give hatred another victory in this country. It’s time to call this sick, intolerant ignorance what it is: pure bigotry.

Remember a year ago or so when Netflix was in the news because they held a $1,000,000 contest to see who could come up with the best prediction software for them? The idea was, tell the world your problem (“We need good algorithms to better predict what our customers will like based on their movie ratings”), offer a big prize (“best software solution will win $1,000,000!!!”), then implement this wondrous new tool.

Well I hate to break it to them, but no, my high ratings of “Another Country” and “To Sir, With Love” are not very predictive of my interest in — let alone my liking of — dinosaur movies, Eddie Izzard, or, um, “Spice World.” If I were Netflix, I’d ask for my money back. Idiots.

What world is it where I agree with Michael Bloomberg and disagree with Howard Dean?! Bizarro 9/11 World, apparently.

In a surprising and disappointing move, Dean is calling for “compromise” on the issue of the so-called Ground Zero Mosque. Dean’s argument takes the form of a rational, let’s-all-calm-down reasoning of facts. He even numbers the facts as he goes. But he makes a completely illogical jump when he gets to fact number four:

Fourth, there are many Americans, about 65 or 70 percent, including many family members of the victims, who have very strong emotional resistance to building on this site. Some of them may have other feelings such as hate, fear, etc., but the vast majority of these people are not right-wing hate mongers.

What Dean does not say next is telling. Sure, he may be right that the majority of these people are not right-wing hate mongers, but they are ignorant nonetheless, and hurtful in expressing their ignorance in terms of opposing the building of the mosque. Wouldn’t it be more helpful to explain to these presumed non-haters that all that’s happening in this debate is that they are being manipulated by a right-wing media smear job? (And excuse me, but that is something Dean has plenty of first-hand experience with). Wouldn’t it be more useful to point out that what these good-natured people are opposing is simply the building of a new building, given that the existing building is already being used as a mosque, and that there is another mosque around the corner? Wouldn’t it be more instructive to have a dialogue about the fact that this is a totally fake controversy, ginned up in a big election year by people who always use fear as their main political tool?

Howard Dean has given voice to so many of my political feelings over the past seven years. He spoke truth to power against the Iraq war early and often. More recently he did the same for healthcare reform. It is a shame that on this insane, slippery slope toward plain-spoken religious bigotry he is so utterly and completely wrong.

For true leadership on this issue, take another look at Bloomberg’s speech on August 3. And for absolute clarity on what this is really all about, read Glenn Greenwald’s reaction to Dean — as well as his whole history on this at Salon and also his wonderful piece on this issue for The New York Times.

Thea turned three this week. Jim made her a pink flamingo cake. So adorable — both the cake and the little girl!

Here is the obituary for my Aunt Palma as it appears in the Youngstown Vindicator. Aunt Palma was one of the most warm-hearted people, with an easy laugh and smile that we’ll always remember.

I’m no great fan of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, but I believe in giving credit where it’s due. And after the bigoted vitriol spewing forth from anti-American “patriots” who believe only crosses and Stars of David belong anywhere near the World Trade Center, credit is due to Michael Bloomberg who gave the best speech about this issue to date.

The proposed mosque and community center to be built a couple blocks from where I now sit, just a few blocks away from the World Trade Center, has sparked such insane opposition, with claims that it’s offensive to be so close to the WTC site since the terrorists who destroyed it did so in the name of Islam. But the whole point of American freedom of religion is to allow our people to worship as they choose, wherever they choose. And Bloomberg rightly points out that the private property rights that are deeply woven into the fabric of our society simply prevents the government from telling the building owners what they can and cannot do with their property anyway. I’m repulsed by the ignorant bile that being vomited in our faces daily by crazy right-wingers and certain slices of the Jewish/Israeli lobby. Bloomberg, backed by future-mayor/City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and a host of religious leaders of all stripes, knocks this one out of the park — with Lady Liberty herself peering over his shoulder. It’s a terrific speech.

Don’t you love it when your friends better themselves? Laura went to summer school and learned how to build websites. She’s officially launched her own portfolio site, which is — needless to say — perfection. You’ll be amazed by the amount of wonderful work she’s done over the years. Go check it out!

Thursday night I had the pleasure of going to The Museum of the City of New York for the premiere screening of The Bungalows of Rockaway, a new documentary produced by my friend Elizabeth Harris. It tells the story of the development, demise, and the beginnings of renewal of beachside bungalows on the Rockaway peninsula in Queens. It was a fascinating look into a bit of New York history that I knew nothing about. It’s easy to think of New York’s history as an American tale of the development of a huge international metropolis — but this film reminds us that a big part of our history is about working people, affordable housing, ocean & beach access, and redevelopment projects that can permanently alter the character of neighborhoods, often for the worse. It’s a terrific nugget of information and charm. It is planned to be broadcast on New York’s Channel 13 PBS station in September. Some out of town cable systems may carry that channel, so check your local listings or the film’s website for more information.

After that nice intellectual pursuit on Thursday, Friday night was all about pop culture, in the form of the 21st century’s first matinee idol: Zac Efron. Pity such a good looking young man is stuck in the trashy piece of moviemaking that is Charlie St. Cloud. Efron actually does a good job, or at least as best he can given how god-awful the script is. But you know, the cinematography is gorgeous, and he’s gorgeous, so it’s not an unpleasant way to spend 100 minutes unwinding after a hard week. However, this movie is a good example of how hard it is to adapt a novel to film. I can imagine the otherworldly themes of this story could work well in a novel, but it becomes a joke on the screen no matter how beautiful the scenery or the actors. So if you haven’t gone yet, or if you aren’t having a bad week, this isn’t really one to add to your scheduled movie-going or your Netflix queue. It’s pretty weak. If you’ve seen the preview and cringed, well, you were right. To get a much better taste of Efron’s acting talents, check out the little-seen Me and Orson Welles, a small period piece about Welles’ theater troupe, which was directed by Richard Linklater and which comes out on DVD next month. Preview here, Netflix link here.

In other news, this week’s episode of Mad Men sucked. [WARNING: Spoilers ahead, so if you haven't watched it yet you should skip this.] I’m tired of Don Draper being a fuck-up. How long do we have to settle for this redefining of his character? Yeah, I get it: He’s a big fat liar who must be punished. He’s unhappy. Until he’s true to himself he can’t be true to those around him nor succeed in his work. What’s new? That’s been the theme throughout all three previous seasons. Except before the focus of the show was on the advertising, Don’s brilliant ideas, and the interaction of the personal with the business-related. Now it’s becoming just a boring soap opera. I liked this season’s premiere episode last week because it was establishing the time jump from season three, the new business landscape, and introducing new characters and situations. But this week felt like retread of a lot of that, with a ridiculous storyline about Sally of all people thrown in for good measure. One of the things that I hated about the first season of Glee that just ended, was that every time the story shifted to the adults it seemed a waste of time and utterly stupid. Please tell me we’re not going to have the opposite problem with Mad Men now making eleven-year-old Sally’s character a major plotline. Reintroducing Freddy (now sober!) was a welcome twist this week. Reintroducing the perverted little shit from down the street, Glen, was a big mistake. And once you learn that Glen is played by Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner’s son then you can really see this emperor is wearing no clothes. One thing I do like is the ongoing development of Peggy, who’s always been my favorite character. I mean, I’m tired of her getting the short end of the stick, and I don’t like her new smug boyfriend, but it’s all interesting and her character’s rich for further development. So let’s hope that keeps up. Here’s what I hope does not happen next: Given the already rocky relationship of Betty and Henry, if Don and Betty get back together I’m turning off the show permanently. Just kill Betty and Henry off in a car crash or double-suicide already and let Don rise to the occasion with the kids. Here’s what I hope does happen: I loved the return of the smarmy Lee Garner of Lucky Strike. Please please please let a future episode push him even further over the line of appropriateness with Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce and then threaten to fire them — at which point I want Don to blackmail him for being gay and making them fire Sal. It’s a long shot — and totally un-PC which is why it would work and why it probably won’t happen — but I can dream can’t I? Anyway, the writers need to get back to advertising, pitches, and a bit of success. Something new, sure — but new and successful. The hook of this show has always been that despite the soap-opera level of sex, office intrigue, the smoke and the booze, and the excess v. repression themes, you really wanted to be these people, you wanted to go back in time and live in their world (or relive in that time if you were there then). The current direction of the storylines — particularly Don’s — doesn’t make me want to do that. It makes me want to change the channel.

Right — I was ten when this song came out. I remember begging my mom to buy me a magazine at the grocery store that had the lyrics in it. And since sometime in my college years — maybe 10 or 12 years after it’s original release — this song has always had summer written all over it for me. Is it the great guitar riff? Is it Pat’s snarling vocal? I don’t know. But I do know this a great live recording of it. She can really sing (no autotune for this diva!)….

Okay. So, that’s done. Can summer please go away now?

Last night I returned to Bargemusic for the first time in many years. I’d gone to hear chamber music on this old boat once or twice before, but that was over a decade ago. Now, living so close, I am happy to have my eyes re-opened to it. Scott and Carter and I met there to hear The Voxare Quartet play the second of three programs dedicated to composer Terry Riley in honor of his 70th birthday.

The setting is a 100-foot steel barge, docked at the Brooklyn landing of Fulton Ferry, nestled in between the River Cafe and the new Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 1. The view is of the lower Manhattan skyline. The music is intimate, and gently rocking with the waves.

The Voxare Quartet created a unified and well-sequenced program, beginning and ending with Riley, and slotting Nico Muhly, Philip Glass, and David Lang between. The Muhly piece — Stride — was terrific, with the slowly breathing opening chords evoking an accordion or a distant harmonica. In her introduction to piece, violinist Emily Ondracek made note of the “beautiful cello solo” it features, and she was right. Cellist Adrian Daurov played with gusto throughout, and he made the most of this wonderful moment in the work. The Glass piece, Company, is one I know well, though this was the first time I ever heard it performed live. Voxare plays with all the bright sound and furrowed brow you’d expect from a young ensemble, and it made Company come alive for me in a way recordings rarely can.

The focus of the concert, and the highlight, was the second half: a soulful, passionate, and inspired reading of Riley’s Cadenza on a Night Plain. The work contains a wealth of musical styles and opportunities, with wonderful solos for each player, song-like bluesy passages, and fierce ensemble moments that require good communication between the players and an unerring sense of meter. It seemed like an very difficult piece to play. Voxare exceeded the challenge. It was a rousing, exciting performance.

But it’s too goddamned fucking hot on the subway platforms.

I’ve sung Elizabeth Warren’s praises many times before. I just watched a lecture she gave in Berkeley in 2007 that made me cry. It’s an hour long, but I urge you to take the time to watch it. She reveals the insane breakdown of the middle class that has come to pass in the last quarter century. It’s disturbing to hear her lay out the underlying details of the economic realities that we’ve come to accept as inevitable. And she’s talking about how this destruction of the middle class is breaking our country, how it could permanently rip the very fabric of our nation, and how it could eventually lead to a political instability that could destroy us. It’s that big. She’s that good. This video is worth every minute of your time it takes.

After being introduced Warren takes the stage at the 5 minute mark, if you want to skip ahead to when she begins:

Written in pencil in 1998:
The year of the drought we went canoeing on the Little Miami River. Everything was brown except the water—the water was clear. August. A river has a name to identify it in memory. All four of us were quiet for long stretches of time, hurrying nowhere. Sunshine. Because of the drought the river was shallow in places, enough so for a canoe to catch on the riverbed. Rick and Keith and Kim. Kim and I shared a canoe. Unexpectedly, I was not afraid. I had driven into town with Frank, a nursing student. That was 1988.

Written on the computer in 2010:
The last winter of the century we took a taxi through Times Square. Everything was in bright color and blur. The people on the street were dressed for the cold, smiling, and the traffic was heavy. Verdi and Bach were mixing in memory. I sat on the left side of the cab, Damion to my right. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes and I looked at him for a long time. Everything felt like slow motion. We were contented, and not in a rush, and the slow crawl down Broadway to Seventh Avenue felt right, like a well-paced silent movie in Technicolor. That was 1999.

Written in 1999:

Echo of a Slow Moving River

The little river barely moved
that summer
I barely made a move either

The drought got worse while
idle people scratched at this and that

Friends around me—they were quiet
I was
longing so
The cul-de-sacs were sick with thirst
from sipping poison

The bank had sunk down to the water
falling like a drunk man

Remind me with your closing eyes
this taxi
is just like that droughted river

The street slows down beside the nighttime
open as any man

Two people embraced near the trees
standing quiet

The river idled slowly under floats
The shadows of the trees became the little ripples
on the water’s silent skin

A deeper yellow settled on the ground then
An afternoon descending

There, what could anyone say aloud
It was all the same, simply echoes

Two people slouching in a car
We are quiet

Here, what haven’t I said to you
Like summer did, we are waiting

Rachel lays out just how far we’ve come in less than one-half of one term since Obama’s inauguration. And even with her appropriate nod to some liberal disappointment (raise your hand if you’re still pissed about the public option!), the list of this administration’s accomplishments is staggering.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Frank Rich uses his Times column today to ruminate on the state of marriage in the USA. After noting the recent separation of Al and Tipper Gore and recent (4th) nuptials of Rush Limbaugh—and after sincerely wishing them both happy futures—he turns to the politics of marriage:

But there is a shadow over marriage in America just the same. The Gores and Limbaughs are free to marry, for better or for worse, and free to enjoy all the rights (and make all the mistakes) that marriage entails. Gay and lesbian couples are still fighting for those rights. That’s why the most significant marital event of June 2010 is the one taking place in San Francisco this Wednesday, when a Federal District Court judge is scheduled to hear the closing arguments in Perry v. Schwarzenegger, the landmark case challenging Proposition 8, California’s same-sex marriage ban. A verdict will soon follow, setting off an appeals process that is likely to land in the Supreme Court, possibly by the 2011-12 term.

I myself haven’t followed this trial all that closely—mostly out of fear of getting my hopes up. Personally I think the likelihood of the current Supreme Court (+Hagan) striking down discriminatory marriage statutes out in the states is slim-to-none. Possible, sure, but highly unlikely. A tactic of going for federal government recognition of those same-sex marriages performed legally in the five states that allow them probably would pass the Supremes. But the stated impetus behind the current case is right on, and more power to those lawyers and plaintiffs and all of us if they somehow succeed.

Importantly, Rich points out the great part of the plaintiffs argument that domestic partnerships and such that are not-quite-marriage are really no solution:

Domestic partnerships and equal economic benefits aren’t antidotes, Boies explains, because as long as gay Americans are denied the same right to marry as everyone else, they are branded as sub-citizens, less equal and less deserving than everyone else. That government-sanctioned stigma inevitably leaves them vulnerable to other slights and discrimination, both subtle and explicit. The damage is particularly acute for children, who must not only wonder why their parents are regarded as defective by the law but must also bear this scarlet letter of inferiority when among their peers.

Anyway, politics in this country have recently been rather narrowly focused—the 2008 election, the Great Recession, the two wars, the upcoming midterms, the god-damned oil leak in the Gulf that nobody can seem to do anything about. It’s really about time to get the marriage equality issue back out front and center. And I’m quite happy that it’s not in the hands of the federal government, especially given how the Obama administration and Congress together are botching their handling of the repeal of DADT. Take a quick read of the Frank Rich piece, and do me a favor—email it to a couple of people who might have forgotten that you have a personal stake (me!) in this case.