Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Born and Bred Capitalist
It's funny. I listen to WNYC Public Radio just about everyday. All Things Considered from 4-5pm gives me a balanced and wide-angled view of the days news. Brian Leher from 10am-Noon and Leonard Lopate from Noon-2pm tackle the pressing social, political and cultural issues of the day with lively interviews, live coverage and listener call-ins. At 3pm, Terry Gross hosts Fresh Air interviewing fascinating persons from the arts, the media and political arenas. Yesterday, she interviewed George Clooney and blew my mind with an in-depth look into his childhood, family history, political beliefs and artistic philosophy. And late at night, when I am alone in my room, pacing, smoking and awaiting poetic enlightenment, Overnight Music fills the void with soundwaves from classical compositions, jazz standards and avante-garde sonic bizzareness.
Yet, I am reluctant to spend the kind of money on WNYC in a year that I gladly and willingly spend on Cable TV every month or two. Sure, Cable is a worthwhile purchase in terms of The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, live sports coverage and ESPN Sports Center. My share of the cable bill is 20-something dollars a month. That's $240 a year! Even though I get so much more intellectual and entertainment value from WNYC, and probably spend more time with radio than TV, last year I only pledged $25 and this year have just made a $50 contribution to qualify for the tote-bag thank-you prize. Why am I so willing to give my hard-earned money to Cablevision, who demands that I pay for their service, and so reluctant to freely give money to WNYC, who will be there for me everyday with or without my contribution?
Is it because, deep down inside, we are all Hobbesian Capitalists who want the maximum personal gain with the minimal cooperative output?
Please tell me otherwise.
But I'm having trouble finding another reason.
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Yet, I am reluctant to spend the kind of money on WNYC in a year that I gladly and willingly spend on Cable TV every month or two. Sure, Cable is a worthwhile purchase in terms of The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, live sports coverage and ESPN Sports Center. My share of the cable bill is 20-something dollars a month. That's $240 a year! Even though I get so much more intellectual and entertainment value from WNYC, and probably spend more time with radio than TV, last year I only pledged $25 and this year have just made a $50 contribution to qualify for the tote-bag thank-you prize. Why am I so willing to give my hard-earned money to Cablevision, who demands that I pay for their service, and so reluctant to freely give money to WNYC, who will be there for me everyday with or without my contribution?
Is it because, deep down inside, we are all Hobbesian Capitalists who want the maximum personal gain with the minimal cooperative output?
Please tell me otherwise.
But I'm having trouble finding another reason.
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Hasta La Vista, Old-Man
The upcoming execution of Clarence Ray Allen by the State of California is appropriately complicated for the complicated debate over capital punishment. On one hand, the proponents of compassion and life-behind-bars can point to the obvious brutality of murdering a feeble, blinded and immobile 75 year old man, despite his previous crimes against our society. On the other, the defendants of justice and an-eye-for-an-eye can holler and scream that as long as Allen lives he poses a threat to society. Six years into his original life sentence, Allen conspired with a former inmate to murder 8 persons who would bear testimony against him in his appeals case. One of the persons was killed along with two bystanders before the former inmate, Billy Ray Hamilton, was captured and subsequently sentenced to death as well.
Unlike Tookie Williams, the last person to be executed by the State of California just a few weeks ago, Clarence Ray Allen's time behind bars was not marked by an effort towards self-improvement and spiritual redemption. Instead, he sought to murder all who stood in the way of his potential release from prison. The idea of this selfishness and disregard for human beings eradicates any compassion or sympathy in my heart for this man. Unlike Tookie Williams, whose assertions of innocence, means of redemption and absolute candor and dignity brought tears to my eyes. However, no matter how despicable Clarence Ray Allen may be-perhaps there is another way to punish him. I prefer this woman's reaction to the execution of Timothy McVeigh:
Well, Timothy McVeigh got just what he wanted. He went out in a blaze of media attention, however notorious. He does not have to live with what he did. Those who remain do. Maybe locking him away by himself without access to media or any other soapbox would have led him eventually to a state of remorse that could have led to true repentance. Now we will never know.
--Miriam Thompson in a letter to the editor, Newsweek, 7/9/2001
The State District Attorney's office is gunning for a prompt fulfillment of Allen's sentence on January 17th. It is unlikely Schwarzenegger will grant the old man clemency, especially in light of his recent decision to allow Tookie Wiliams to die despite the hate mail he received from home.
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Unlike Tookie Williams, the last person to be executed by the State of California just a few weeks ago, Clarence Ray Allen's time behind bars was not marked by an effort towards self-improvement and spiritual redemption. Instead, he sought to murder all who stood in the way of his potential release from prison. The idea of this selfishness and disregard for human beings eradicates any compassion or sympathy in my heart for this man. Unlike Tookie Williams, whose assertions of innocence, means of redemption and absolute candor and dignity brought tears to my eyes. However, no matter how despicable Clarence Ray Allen may be-perhaps there is another way to punish him. I prefer this woman's reaction to the execution of Timothy McVeigh:
Well, Timothy McVeigh got just what he wanted. He went out in a blaze of media attention, however notorious. He does not have to live with what he did. Those who remain do. Maybe locking him away by himself without access to media or any other soapbox would have led him eventually to a state of remorse that could have led to true repentance. Now we will never know.
--Miriam Thompson in a letter to the editor, Newsweek, 7/9/2001
The State District Attorney's office is gunning for a prompt fulfillment of Allen's sentence on January 17th. It is unlikely Schwarzenegger will grant the old man clemency, especially in light of his recent decision to allow Tookie Wiliams to die despite the hate mail he received from home.
Sunday, December 25, 2005
Christmas!
Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy Holidays!!!
Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy Holidays!!!
Happy Kwaanza too...from me to you.
Happy Holidays you guys.
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Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy Holidays!!!
Happy Kwaanza too...from me to you.
Happy Holidays you guys.
Saturday, December 24, 2005
X-Mas Eve
The fam is together and the tree is decorated in all the ornaments from almost three decades and across multiple families. And, hopefully, another round of family poker is in the cards for the eve...A little different from the Christmas eves of past years.
Hoping everyone else out there with your respective families is having a wonderful evening.
Peace and love all.
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Hoping everyone else out there with your respective families is having a wonderful evening.
Peace and love all.
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Give-aways
Damian is right about Christmas. It sets up forced generosity when that same spirit should be revealed to those we're surrounded by all year long. And Damian embodies that lesson fully. All the same, I enjoy the Christmas season. I love seeing people work hard to put things together; families coming together for extended weekends or even full weeks. I've thoroughly enjoyed the unit I put together for my class through December, teaching them that giving is equally enjoyable as receiving. I'm a little frantic myself this week - in part because of an inability to get around normally - but mostly because I procrastinate. I'm still enjoying myself preparing for tomorrow's day of give-aways. We strung up decorated stockings on the windows with names on them and we all wrote letters to each other saying something about that person that we like. The kids started coming into school with little gifts for each other and sneaking them into the person's stocking when they weren't looking. I've put together individual bags for each of them and put them under the thoroughly decorated tree we have in the room. It's a practice of giving away. Spreading love and time to the people we share life with. And I have a secret nostalgia for Christmas music.
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Tuesday, December 20, 2005
It's On!
This will be the first time I will be affected by a union strike. True for many probably. Still, this will definitely make the next week interesting, if not annoying.
Five days before Christmas, the Transit Workers Union Local 100 has gone on strike citing a failure of the MTA to meet their fair demands on issues of wages, health benefits, and penions. No one knows how long this will last - the last one in 1980 lasted 11 days - but if this runs through Sunday and past, it will certainly cause a modicum of chaos in this most densely populated city in the country.
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Five days before Christmas, the Transit Workers Union Local 100 has gone on strike citing a failure of the MTA to meet their fair demands on issues of wages, health benefits, and penions. No one knows how long this will last - the last one in 1980 lasted 11 days - but if this runs through Sunday and past, it will certainly cause a modicum of chaos in this most densely populated city in the country.
Saturday, December 17, 2005
Preaching to the Choir
I had a lovely lunch downtown today with some of my Smith girlies---pretty much the first time any of us had had time to venture downtown all semester. Ironic that the only free time to be had was during "reading period" for finals--anyway.....on the way into town traffic was blocked for a minute or so by a long line of rotesters---by now a familiar, if not defining, sight on the streets of Northampton, Mass. Suddenly a feeling of exasperation came over me, surprising in both its timing and ferocity. My next thought explained my annoyance: "Why are these people protesting in one of the MOST liberal cities in the whole US of A??" Now I'm all for public displays of dissonance, disturbance, demonstrance (new word!) but what good do Mothers for Peace accomplish toting a 'coffin' through a town where lesbians sell fair trade coffee and organic tampons and "republican" is a dirty word (warranting a swargle of spit comparable to that from Switters and Bobby Chase). I guess people do what they can--where they can. But I can't help feel that these fervent protesters (whose commitment I can't doubt because they are out parading EVERY day) would be more effective somewhere else. I don't want to be de-sensitized, made comfortable with protest, to the point where I ignore any person with a petition out-stretched, a money-basket extended. But maybe Smithies need to be jolted every now and then too, maybe its the every-so-often coffin-bearer that DOES get through to us. I guess it just didn't happen today. My keening stomach may have taken precedence.
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Monday, December 12, 2005
12:01 am PST
I don't know the history of the case well, nor the history of Stanley Tookie Williams himself beyond being the founder of the Crips, but after following the news the last few weeks and reading this interview from two weeks ago I am fully convinced this man should not die.
He spoke with clarity and seeming objectivity on a dozen topics about his life, the death penalty, his execution. He spoke with peace and calm that identifies a redeemed man. He's gotten enough publicity and support to suggest to me that there's at least a minor possibility he's innocent of the murders he's in prison for. Then again, there's good possibility he killed others during his years as a gang leader.
In any case, after 20+ years in prison and turning himself into a deeply religious children's book author, he doesn't seem to be a danger to society any longer. Why the fuck wouldn't Schwarzenegger grant him clemency? Somehow revenge remains as an influence in our legal system.
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He spoke with clarity and seeming objectivity on a dozen topics about his life, the death penalty, his execution. He spoke with peace and calm that identifies a redeemed man. He's gotten enough publicity and support to suggest to me that there's at least a minor possibility he's innocent of the murders he's in prison for. Then again, there's good possibility he killed others during his years as a gang leader.
In any case, after 20+ years in prison and turning himself into a deeply religious children's book author, he doesn't seem to be a danger to society any longer. Why the fuck wouldn't Schwarzenegger grant him clemency? Somehow revenge remains as an influence in our legal system.
Monday, December 05, 2005
Facing judgement
Saddam Hussein and aides are standing trial for their possible involvement in the torture and massacre of over 140 Shia men in Dujail, a city north of Bahgdad, in 1982. Today was the third hearing in the trial.
From all implications, as well as eyewitness testimony today, they probably were. There was an attempted assassination in Dujail, and this eyewitness claims to be one of about 350 men arrested and tortured (some killed) during a four-year period following the attempt.
Should they be found guilty in this court (the legitimacy of which Hussein aggressively questioned) they could be executed. It would be the Tribunals' crime, however, to allow him escape from this world without judging him on the 1988 Kurdish massacres, the 1990 invasion of Kuwait, and the suppression of Shia andKurdish uprisings again in 1991.
These trials are a first in modern history. We had the Nuremburg trials, but the head honcho there made it easy on himself. Milosevic is gonna die before his trials end, which have been dragging on for years while he's been living in relative comfort. Most of the time, the dictator is hung or shot within days of his overthrow.
Although the Iraqi High Tribunal was set up during the first 18 months of the US occupation, it has always been run by Iraqis and has gone through structural maturation since the formal Iraqi government took over. In any case, the whole thing should be interesting.
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From all implications, as well as eyewitness testimony today, they probably were. There was an attempted assassination in Dujail, and this eyewitness claims to be one of about 350 men arrested and tortured (some killed) during a four-year period following the attempt.
Should they be found guilty in this court (the legitimacy of which Hussein aggressively questioned) they could be executed. It would be the Tribunals' crime, however, to allow him escape from this world without judging him on the 1988 Kurdish massacres, the 1990 invasion of Kuwait, and the suppression of Shia andKurdish uprisings again in 1991.
These trials are a first in modern history. We had the Nuremburg trials, but the head honcho there made it easy on himself. Milosevic is gonna die before his trials end, which have been dragging on for years while he's been living in relative comfort. Most of the time, the dictator is hung or shot within days of his overthrow.
Although the Iraqi High Tribunal was set up during the first 18 months of the US occupation, it has always been run by Iraqis and has gone through structural maturation since the formal Iraqi government took over. In any case, the whole thing should be interesting.
Bearly Rebounded
"We have to kill them so they can live."
While I am having trouble fining an alternative solution to prevent unpleasant bear/human encounters in this overcrowded state, it seems a bit rash to start killing off hundreds of a species whose state presence has only recently grown to 1,600, up from a mere 100 in 1970. Especially in light of the fact that the hunts justifiers freely admit the bears natural habitats are shrinking and their search for food is becoming more desperate. Aren't we concerned that a combination of hunting and starvation could reduce population numbers to dangerously low numbers again in coming years? Maybe we should just set the bears loose in Camden. Plenty of them will get shot, and who knows, maybe some gang bangers will get eaten in the process.
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While I am having trouble fining an alternative solution to prevent unpleasant bear/human encounters in this overcrowded state, it seems a bit rash to start killing off hundreds of a species whose state presence has only recently grown to 1,600, up from a mere 100 in 1970. Especially in light of the fact that the hunts justifiers freely admit the bears natural habitats are shrinking and their search for food is becoming more desperate. Aren't we concerned that a combination of hunting and starvation could reduce population numbers to dangerously low numbers again in coming years? Maybe we should just set the bears loose in Camden. Plenty of them will get shot, and who knows, maybe some gang bangers will get eaten in the process.
Saturday, December 03, 2005
Play some poker...
There is a certain allure, a mystique to poker that keeps me coming back. I try to walk away from a freshly opened deck but hear the reds and blacks, see the snap of shuffling cards, and am impelled to sit at the table. I trust that the my judgement is free from the genetic static of an ancestor who, according to familial charges, is responsible for gambling away 2 generations worth of hard-earned immigrant savings on a variety of odds: horses, ball games, cards, god-knows-what worse. I like to believe that it is the beautiful perplexity of the game, its relatively simple structure that allows for endless nuance and elasticity, that I am attracted to and not the banality of winning or losing. Poker is a well-oiled machine with a devilish imagination. Regardless of y0ur steadfast orientation to the game, the cards are capable of crushing your wildest hopes in probable cogs, or washing away your statistical security with flooding rivers. Conservatives who run away and live to fight another day often win the battle, but sometimes the war is decided upon who Lady Luck suffers to win. Don't be naive. There is a certain truth to the primitive practice of sacrifice. (The Poker Gods demand a cow, now and again.) Perhaps it is only a psychological truth. A self-fulfilling prophecy, a chauvinistic paradigm. Either way, a rose by any other name still has thorns. And that is the image that truly embodies the game. At night my dreams are full of Kings and Queens, Diamonds, Hearts, Clubs, Straights and Full Houses-but it is the luxurious silken petals, the blood-dripping prickers, the intoxicating pheronomes of the rose that I keep coming back to.
