you keep using that word; I do not think it means what you think it means...

I think Obama is incompetent. I just don't think so the way you think so.

me & the Iranians

If, as it appears, Iran's government is developing nuclear weapons, then we need to remember our common interests with the Iranian people. They just want to survive, raise their families and live in peace. So do we. The 9400 warheads maintained by the U.S. are a hideous, colossal waste and an instrument of exploitation. Solidarity with the people of Iran and a pox on both our ruling classes.

It's on in Honduras

A little over two hours ago CNN reported that the coup-government in Honduras is holding Brazil responsible for harboring Jose Manuel Zelaya in its embassy in Tegucigalpa. As a result, the coup-government claims, Zelaya's presence has caused instability.

This is childish doublespeak. The coup government of Honduras has had the people under a state of siege for weeks now. If they were smart, they'd have seen Zelaya's return as inevitable; for them to now accuse Zelaya or Brazil or anyone but themselves of instigating instability is laughable and, I think, rather evil.

Wouldn't this make for a great science fiction story?

A race of beings emerging from a warlike state of nature begins behaving cooperatively in their attempt to master the material externalities around them. They develop agriculture, husbandry, and productive industry. For whatever myriad explanations, hierarchy ensues, manifested most starkly in (1) material distribution and (2) access to both the reception and production-distribution of information. This results in a small class of these planetary dwellers enjoying almost complete material and ideological control.

Among other strategies to maintain this control, the elite beings keep the rest of their race in a state of deliberate under-education; more to the point, among the elite beings, there may be some debate about whether their non-elite counterparts (who outnumber them by approximately 80-1) should receive an enriching, empowering education, a functional, technical education, or no education at all. Most of the time, the middle position prevails, since technical skill among approximately half of these worker-citizens is necessary to keep the by-now-rather-complex infrastructure running for maximum material convenience. However, the more conservative and authoritarian elements of the elites constantly exercise pressure on their government to cut off the provision of resources to the education system, able to appeal to several configural, unrelated, and largely contrived arguments, from hypocritical appeals to resource shortages (hypocritical because the elites are busy funding all sorts of generally non beneficial things) to theological and ideological attacks on the entire educational enterprise.

So emerges an increasingly permanent, larger, and progressively more problematic mass of uneducated beings, their heads filled with mythology and distrust, given to anomie and alienation, malleable for immediate political purposes by some elites but ultimately unmanageable, or controllable only through unbearable brutality.

In fact, similar sci-fi stories abound. As I was writing this allegory, I remembered "The Cloud Minders," an excellent Star Trek TOS episode, as well as the Residents' album "Mark of the Mole," and I could probably think of four or five short stories, novellas, and novels that at least play with, and perhaps even epitomize, the structure of my story. But what inspired this particular angle was the education question. It has ever been thus: Reinhold Niebuhr's classic turn of phrase captures the problem as paradox: "dominant classes have always tried to withhold the opportunity for the exercise of rational functions from underprivileged classes and then accused them of lacking capacities, which can be developed only by exercise."

I would love to edit an anthology of science fiction stories, one perhaps from every age or era, dealing with the question of material hierarchy and its resultant ideological control.

Creationism is stupider than a sack of bones

Viewing this video of a creationist instructor talking to an audience of children at the Big Valley Creation Science Museum makes me question the limits of free speech. Those kids can't defend themselves against the dumb shit they are hearing from this cretin, and they think it's "science." Watch this one to be simultaneously amused and enraged. And remember--this is what creationists and their naive "moderate-pluralist" allies mean when they say their perspectives should be given equal time. They mean ludicrous, insulting crap like this.

It was a little hard to dance to, I'll give it a 6...

My first thought is, oh hell, now the Republicans will blame this on the hapless foreign policy of the Obama administration (they're hapless, but not for easing back on American thuggishness). But then I was gripped with the regret that I hadn't actually attended the speech. Muammar G-g-g-gaddafi that is. His first visit to America, more a comedy tour than a visit by a head of state.

He tore up a copy of the UN charter in front of startled delegates, accused the security council of being an al-Qaida like terrorist body, called for George Bush and Tony Blair to be put on trial for the Iraq war, demanded $7.7tn in compensation for the ravages of colonialism on Africa, and wondered whether swine flu was a biological weapon created in a military laboratory. At one point, he even demanded to know who was behind the killing of JFK. All in all, a pretty ordinary 100 minutes in the life of the colonel.

Note to The Guardian's Ed Pilkington: That last sentence was a little awkward; either make it its own paragraph to give yourself comedic pause, or eliminate it altogether for comedic understatement (I prefer the latter).

Tearing up sacred things in front of audiences in New York is not always good for your career...

Hey conservatives: stop lying about ACORN

Once again, the right is lying about ACORN--in this case, not only Fox News, but the individuals who made those notorious videos--and they're apparently lying on an epic scale.

I may not have a huge dog in the ACORN fight, but I have the biggest dog in the world in the truth-telling fight. Moreover, as a friend of mine said today, "[We] took their first time home buyers class - it was amazing. They do good work. They help people get and keep their homes. Any large organization can have employees who make bad decisions. I would just like to say - cut them some slack. The good outweighs the bad by far."

Police report filed by ACORN exposes false claims by individuals behind videos

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Shared Sacrifice Weekend--Melissa Sue Robinson

Our guest tomorrow is Melissa Sue Robinson, Mayoral candidate in Nampa, Idaho: progressive, transgender activist, and human rights campaigner. You can read about Ms. Robinson at
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/05/melissa-sue-robinson-tran_n_278162.html
Call-in number is (347) 327-9615. Don't miss this important interview.

Shared Sacrifice Weekend--Melissa Sue Robinson

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"Here's the deal: you get the needle, and I'm banging the prosecutor. Any questions?"

Not a whole lot to say about this.

I love the reaction of the ADA, too..."significant procedural victory" indeed...

What makes the ruling perhaps a bit curious — a point made by the three dissenting judges — is that the affair was not confirmed until last September, long after Hood’s trial. Defense attorney David Dow seized on that fact Wednesday, saying he was stunned by the ruling. When the Court denied a stay on the issue last year, said Dow, “it denied a stay because it said ‘There’s no proof. Come back to us when you have some proof.’” According to Dow, he landed the proof, in the form of sworn testimony from the judge and prosecutor. “And what do they say?” Dow asked. “‘Tough, you lose anyway.” The ruling came despite the fact that the lower court judge had recommended Hood be allowed to pursue the claim, going so far as to say the state’s “hands are unclean.” John Rolater, assistant district attorney for Collin County called Wednesday’s ruling “a significant procedural victory.” Hood is on death row for the 1989 robbery and murder of Ronald Williamson and Tracie Lynn Wallace in Plano. His attorneys had tried to explore the issue of whether the relationship between judge and prosecutor had affected the trial for years but had little except rumors.

Sexual Assault Prevention Tips Guaranteed to Work!

I love this list of "tips" guaranteed to prevent sexual assault. I think it sends an extremely powerful and necessary message, and let's just say it gets closer to the root of the problem.

Sexual Assault Prevention Tips Guaranteed to Work!

1. Don’t put drugs in people’s drinks in order to control their behavior.

2. When you see someone walking by themselves, leave them alone!

3. If you pull over to help someone with car problems, remember not to assault them!

4. NEVER open an unlocked door or window uninvited.

5. If you are in an elevator and someone else gets in, DON’T ASSAULT THEM!

6. Remember, people go to laundry to do their laundry, do not attempt to molest someone who is alone in a laundry room.

7. USE THE BUDDY SYSTEM! If you are not able to stop yourself from assaulting people, ask a friend to stay with you while you are in public.

8. Always be honest with people! Don’t pretend to be a caring friend in order to gain the trust of someone you want to assault. Consider telling them you plan to assault them. If you don’t communicate your intentions, the other person may take that as a sign that you do not plan to rape them.

9. Don’t forget: you can’t have sex with someone unless they are awake!

10. Carry a whistle! If you are worried you might assault someone “on accident” you can hand it to the person you are with, so they can blow it if you do.

Well done, feministlawprofessors.com!

Photo of the day

Thanks to Travis Neal for this one...In case the picture is too small, the guy in top center's sign says "We have no idea what we're talking about!"

Morning Music: "Love Is Our Cross to Bear"

A great cover...



"Love can pull you out of yesterday..." I sure hope so.

It's always good to stick to your agenda

Several people have already reported this story: "A Johns Hopkins University student killed an apparent burglar with a samurai sword after discovering the man in his garage, police said Tuesday."

Forgive my morbid sense of humor this morning, but...



"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You have invaded my garage. Prepare to die."

Update: Banton show CANCELLED in Salt Lake, still scheduled in Aspen, Denver; my conversation with representatives from those venues

Lots of news about the Buju Banton controversy. Salt Lake's Urban Lounge has now cancelled the October 8 show. And I just finished having two very interesting conversations with the venues in Aspen and Denver regarding Banton's tour dates there.

At 1:27 PM, the Deseret News released the following information:

The Buju Banton concert scheduled at the Urban Lounge on Oct. 8 has been canceled. Urban Partners Inc., the company that books the shows for the Urban Lounge and Kilby Court, axed the show after it was brought to their attention that gay organizations consider Banton's lyrics homophobic. "When initially scheduling the Buju Banton event, we were unaware of his hateful anti-gay message," Urban Partners said in a statement. "Upon further review, Urban Lounge has decided to cancel the event."

Denver update: I called the Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom. The receptionist took a message for me, and confirmed that they had received several inquiries and complaints about booking Mr. Banton. When I asked whether these were local or national calls, she said they were local. At the time of my call, she said she could "not presently confirm" whether the show would go on as scheduled. She said she would have one of the owners call me back. And, to my pleasant surprise, I received a call a few minutes later from Jay Bianchi, co-owner of Carvantes. "We are not cancelling the show," he confirmed, and said he believed the truth is "somewhere in between." He also pointed out some other interesting insights: The Cervantes, he said, is "not in the financial position" to cancel the show. He said one Denver-area activist who complained was invited to attend the show for free to find out for himself what Mr. Banton is saying and singing presently. Mr. Bianchi also admitted that rumors that Banton has been videotaped singing "Boom Boom Bye" in more recent years did raise troubling questions.

One of Mr. Bianchi's more insightful comments was that most of the emails he has received from GLBT activists did little more than cut and paste already-used message points. Mr. Bianchi seemed to imply (reasonably, I think) that such emails were probably not as persuasive as ones that were unique and written personally by the senders.

My conversation with a promoter from Belly Up Aspen was equally productive. She told me that the owner, Michael Goldberg, was extremely concerned about the complaints he'd been receiving, and that the venue was connected with many progressive, pro-gay causes (which is true). She believed that those who were complaining about Banton were relying on outdated information, and that she believed Banton had apologized. In fact, however, she was referring to the same press release I posted in last night's blog post, which did not, in fact, contain a personal apology from Mr. Banton, and contained some other inconsistencies. I assured her that Shared Sacrifice Media was not on a witch hunt, that we believed the Aspen community and the Belly Up venue were respectable, progressive entities, and that we just wanted every side of the story. She promised to have Michael Goldberg get back to me. She said they had received some "uneducated" emails by protesters relying on the previously mentioned outdated information. She said "we support the gay community." No reason to doubt that, even though it's questionable whether Mr. Banton and his publicists have sincerely repudiated the hateful language of his past.

Here's a request--something that would be very helpful for us. It's been alleged that Mr. Banton recently said "the war between me and faggots will never end." If anyone has a citation or reliable link confirming or denying this allegation, PLEASE send it to me at stannard@sharedsacrifice.us.

Also, of course, we're going to be podcasting on this controversy again tonight, from 8-9 PM mountain time. You can find the podcast at blogtalkradio.com/shared_sacrifice.

UPDATE: Thanks to Jimbo Maritato, Shared Sacrifice's resident culture guru, we have an answer to the reference question above: The line is from the song "Fire Burn Batty." The video is here. Jimbo advises: "The line you are looking for is belted out at the 2:20 mark." He found the information from a comment on Robin Gorsline's blog.
The video contains other seemingly demeaning references to gays. See for yourself. I may have to email the venues in Denver and Aspen for follow-up commentary.

Have I (and others) judged Buju Banton unfairly?

I love bloggers and podcasters, as well as readers and listeners. When things come together right, these netizens update and contextualize mainstream media stories that get the big picture wrong and then move on to their next wrong big picture.

Thanks to Andy, who in his unique way forced me to get more facts, and Jimbo, who found some of those facts for me, I was led to LA Weekly music blogger Randall Roberts, who found this public statement by allegedly homophobic musician Buju Banton, in the context of the protests I've mentioned in my last two posts:

For the record, [Boom Bye Bye] is the only song he ever made on the subject - and he does not perform it today. ...
He does not advocate violence. There has never been a shred of violence at any of his live shows. In fact, he commonly preaches against violence - against all people. Buju's consistently positive messages of peace, love and enlightenment have never been lost in the music. His 1995 Grammy-nominated album 'Til Shiloh marked a spiritual and musical transformation that yielded the classic narratives "Untold Stories," "Wanna Be Loved" and "Murderer," which personified the horrific increase in gun crimes in Kingston's inner city. His Grammy-nominated Inna Heights (1997) garnered him numerous comparisons to the late, great Bob Marley. Long before Hollywood raised its collective consciousness about Darfur, there was Buju Banton wailing about the genocide happening in "Sudan" on 1999's Unchained Spirit. His Friends For Life (2003) and Too Bad (2006) projects were both acknowledged with Grammy nods for Best Reggae Album. Buju's latest Roots Reggae opus, Rasta Got Soul (2009), has already been welcomed with critical acclaim in the US, Europe and Japan.
The artist's love for humanity is not just demonstrated in words but also in deeds. Twelve years ago he responded to the AIDS crisis in Jamaica by launching Operation Willy, an organization focused on raising monies for HIV positive babies and children who lost their parents to the disease. For three years he served as a celebrity spokesperson for Upliftment Jamaica, a US-based non-profit committed to working with underprivileged youth back home.
Yet none of these personal and professional accomplishments matter much to a gay lobby hell bent on destroying the livelihood of a man who has spent an entire career making amends -- his way. Sadly, their 17 year fixation on waging war against one artist has prevented them from turning this initiative into a larger, more fruitful discussion that could perhaps effect real change.

Questions remain. What has Banton himself said? Has he apologized and repudiated his statements? Is he letting his progressive activism and philanthropy speak for itself? Is his PR machine just spinning to get back at what it sees as a heavy-handed "gay lobby" (why would they use such a loaded, conspiratorial term)?

And what about this inconsistent bit of information? The Guardian reports that Banton signed a pledge against homophobia. Pink News, however, reports that Banton denies signing that pledge, but they don't attribute a source to that report. Meanwhile, the previously cited Guardian article also says (in 2007) that Banton "was filmed performing Boom Bye Bye at a concert in Miami last year"--which means 2006, which renders his PR outfit's statement that he "does not perform it today" rather curious. Did they mean "today, as in the Thursday evening while we're writing this press release"?

This is certainly an opportunity to step up discussion of identity politics, media manipulation (to which something some of our listeners on the podcast think I've fallen victim), and the need for a common progressive movement against all violence, homophobia and racism. And Buju Banton deserves his due--whether contempt for preaching hate, commendation for correcting himself and doing the right thing, or the acknowledgment that he is neither villain nor victim in this increasingly confusing controversy.