Prometheus 6

The Party of the Neo-Confederates has been tossing about the term "community organizer" with disdain. Some of y'all, especially those community organizers among you, have noted the absurdity of hating on people whose job it is to help people.

Ah, but that because you've been fooled again by the fact that Neo-Confederate English uses the same sounds as Standard English while assigning them wholly different meanings. It's like the phonic version of written Chinese.

In this case, what you think means "someone whose job it is to help people" means, to them, "outside agitator."

I find that fascinating. I wonder if they'll get into the Republican convention at all.

With an Assist, Minority Press Sends Reporters to Democratic Convention
By SAKI KNAFO

Denver

A DAY before the start of the Democratic National Convention, on an airplane somewhere over the Midwest, The New Yorker’s esteemed political essayist Hendrik Hertzberg was spotted eating a sandwich. About 10 rows behind him sat a group of reporters from lesser-known New York-based publications: The Irish Echo, The Haitian Times, Sing Tao Daily, The Weekly Bangla Patrika, a Polish-language newspaper called Nowy Dziennik and an Arabic-English paper called Aramica.

When Candidates Lie

Dear Stumped:

It seems that, from time-to-time, politicians make assertions that are
demonstrably incorrect, yet their statements are treated as legitimate arguments in debate. Why the reticence in the press to employ a descriptor such as "falsehood" or "lie" when one is clearly offered up? I guess I am getting old, but in my youth, assertion did not sit at the same table as logic and deduction in debate.

Grey at the Temples

First of all, having nothing to do with the next reviews, I actually meant to weave a reference or two from Trading Places into White History, Part II.

Thirty years ago, the mayor of Chicago was unseated by a snowstorm. A blizzard in January of 1979 dumped some 20 inches on the ground, causing, among other problems, a curtailment of transit service. The few available trains coming downtown from the northwest side filled up with middle-class white riders near the far end of the line, leaving no room for poorer people trying to board on inner-city platforms. African Americans and Hispanics blamed this on Mayor Michael Bilandic, and he lost the Democratic primary to Jane Byrne a few weeks later.

Let's assume people are trying to make up their minds about what Iran's recent missile tests mean for U.S. security. Let's see what they are being told about this story.

A single set of physical facts underlies all those stories.

It strikes me that the word truth has been disconnected from its meaning, which has been replaced by the meaning associated with the word "plausible." And what is plausible depends more on what you know than what is actually the case.

Let me give you another example.

Although Senator Obama would never embrace such a ludicrous analogy himself, the early debates among African Americans about whether he was “black enough” really stemmed not just from his mixed racial heritage or his rather atypical life experiences, but from his strikingly post-racial political persona and agenda, which seemed more than a bit disquieting to those who had grown up under Jim Crow and risked their lives to overthrow it.

Dutch photographer Maarten Dors met the limits of free speech at Yahoo Inc.'s photo-sharing service, Flickr, when he posted an image of an early-adolescent boy with disheveled hair and a ragged T-shirt, staring blankly with a lit cigarette in his mouth.

Without prior notice, Yahoo deleted the photo on grounds it violated an unwritten ban on depicting children smoking. Dors eventually convinced a Yahoo manager that — far from promoting smoking — the photo had value as a statement on poverty and street life in Romania. Yet another employee deleted it again a few months later....

Dors ultimately got his photo restored a second time, and Yahoo has apologized, acknowledging its community managers went too far.

`Public' online spaces don't carry speech, rights
By ANICK JESDANUN

NEW YORK (AP) — Rant all you want in a public park. A police officer generally won't eject you for your remarks alone, however unpopular or provocative.

Say it on the Internet, and you'll find that free speech and other constitutional rights are anything but guaranteed.

he and Dr. Valdesolo brought more people into the lab and watched them selfishly assign themselves the easy task. Then, at the start of the subsequent questioning, some of these people were asked to memorize a list of numbers and retain it in their heads as they answered questions about the experiment and their actions.

That little bit of extra mental exertion was enough to eliminate hypocrisy. These people judged their own actions just as harshly as others did. Their brains were apparently too busy to rationalize their selfishness, so they fell back on their intuitive feelings about fairness.

“Hypocrisy is driven by mental processes over which we have volitional control,” said Dr. Valdesolo, a psychologist at Amherst College. “Our gut seems to be equally sensitive to our own and others’ transgressions, suggesting that we just need to find ways to better translate our moral feelings into moral actions.”

Deep Down, We Can’t Fool Even Ourselves
By JOHN TIERNEY

In voting against the Bush tax cut in 2001, Senator John McCain said he “cannot in good conscience support a tax cut in which so many of the benefits go to the most fortunate.” Today he campaigns in favor of extending that same tax cut beyond its expiration date.

Senator Barack Obama last year called himself a “longtime advocate” of public financing of election campaigns. This month, he reiterated his “support” for such financing while becoming the first major party presidential nominee ever to reject it for his own campaign.

Do you think either of these men is a hypocrite?

An Urban "Street Lit" Retirement
Omar Tyree | Posted June 19, 2008 9:49 AM

For the record, I never called my work "street literature" and I never will. When I began to publish ground breaking contemporary novels with Flyy Girl in 1993, and Capital City in 1994, I called them "urban classics." They were "urban" because they dealt with people of color in the inner-city or "urban" population areas. They were "classics" because I considered myself one of the first to start the work of a new era. But now, after sixteen years and sixteen novels in the African-American adult urban fiction game, I feel like the man who created the monster Frankenstein. Things have gotten way out of hand. So it's now time to put up my pen and move on to something new, until the readership is ready to develop a liking for fresh material on other subjects.

Our Brains on Marketing: Scans Show Why We Like New Things
New study may explain why marketers are able to exploit our sense of adventure and fascination with things we perceive as fresh
By Nikhil Swaminathan

We know not to judge a book by its cover—but new research shows that may be exactly what we do.

Scientists have discovered that novel objects perk up the reward system of our brains, indicating our sense of adventure—exploring or learning something new—may be just as tempting as cash and other prizes in the choices we make. Researchers say the finding may explain why marketers are able to bolster sagging sales by simply repackaging old products.

(Due to spotty ISP service last night, this is a bit late)

In our discussions of principles for interpretation of the Constitution, I've noticed the sequence of statements is given weight. It has been argued the most important amendments in the Bill of Rights are the first ones declared. It has been argued that Congress, as the first branch defined in the Constitution, is first among equals. I think that lends weight to my suggestion that the preamble should be given more importance.

Yes, the preamble...the very first sentence in the document.

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

NY Times

This advertisement is meant to draw attention to Mr. McCain’s “Lexington Project,” a plan he announced this month to give the United States energy independence by 2025. The script encapsulates many elements of that proposal, but also describes it as “bipartisan,” which would seem to imply that Democrats do or would support it, or were consulted in its elaboration. But Democrats, following the lead of their presumed nominee, Senator Barack Obama, have already condemned Mr. McCain’s call for a summer gas tax holiday, the first step in his effort to lower prices at the pump; in addition, they say that he has in the past opposed incentives intended to encourage development of solar and wind energy. Mr. McCain also avoids using the word “offshore” in reference to drilling for oil and gas to increase domestic supplies, an essential element of his plan that has drawn criticism not only from Democrats but also from some Republicans, like Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California.

Sometimes I think about the whole “government of the people, by the people and for the people” thing and wonder what happened. So far, the greatest damage to that ideal has been caused by the foolish decision to extend constitutional rights to corporations. Corporations are collective entities, and as such have more force than any of the humans they compete with. They simply have the upper hand, economically speaking. Giving them constitutional rights insures they have the upper hand politically and culturally as well.

tavis's final tjms commentary

In April 2008, Tavis announced his decision to clear a few things off his plate so that he could devote his time and attention to some exciting and empowering projects that various divisions of his company, The Smiley Group, Inc., have underway.

After 12 years as the resident political commentator and social critic for the Tom Joyner Morning Show, Tavis offered his final commentary on Thursday, June 26, 2008.

Via the African American Literature Book Club.

The 10th HARLEM BOOK FAIR
Anniversary Celebration & Gala
Harlem, New York
in association with the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
July 17 - 20, 2008
West 135th Street from 5th Avenue
  to Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd.

The programs of the 10th Anniversary Gala and Celebration of the Harlem Book Fair will begin on Thursday, July 17th at Abyssinian Baptist Church and conclude on Sunday, July 20th at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. The outdoor festival will be held on Saturday, July 19, from 11 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on West 135th Street between 5th and 7th Avenues.

Why Aren’t We Shouting the Battle Cry of Freedom?
By Bernie Horn
Created 06/15/2008 - 8:40pm

Why freedom? It is, quite simply, the most popular political principle in America. This is not merely an assertion; it is the conclusion of a nationwide poll conducted by Lake Research Associates. Why should we be surprised by that? Freedom is the cornerstone of America’s value system. It is the most sacred word in our civic religion. It’s the battle cry that best sums up the reason for our nation’s founding.

But it is also a major stumbling block for progressives, because this word is barely on the fringe of our vocabulary. That is our biggest message framing problem because, as Celinda Lake says, “If we want to compete on values, we have to find a way to use freedom.”

After years of warrantless wiretapping, illegal imprisonments, and torture, we should all be saying the F-word with regularity. No, no, I mean freedom. Why do progressives seem allergic to this word? Why aren’t we shouting the battle cry of freedom?

There's a pattern to everything, but EVERYTHING is in the pattern. The human failing is to make patterns from parts, and call it the whole.

from some book in my library, by Michael Moorcock

Let's look at some unequal transactions.

It's some holiday. There are three schools and an enormous pile of toys, one random toy for each kid in each school (numerically speaking). The rules are the kids in school A get to pick first, the kids in school B choose next, and the kids in school C get what's left. Ask the kids in school A and they'll tell you everyone gets to pick a toy. Ask the kids in school and they may tell you it's the day they're given a picked-over toy that most of the kids didn't want. "Every kid gets a toy" would be a true but inadequate description.

Okay. Now let's look at race relations, pre-1964.

Clinton: 'You Can't Tell How Far a Frog Will Jump Until You Punch Him'
May 29, 2008 4:53 PM

ABC News' Eloise Harper Reports: Facing an increasingly improbable candidacy for the White House, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., showed no signs of stopping on the trail in South Dakota and cited an old Arkansas, saying in an off-handed reference to her campaign: "you can't tell how far a frog will jump until you punch him."

Is that REALLY an old Arkansas saying? Do they punch frogs often in Arkansas?

His bottle labels follow a long tradition of exploiting the town's name. Even city officials do it.

A sign posted on the way out of town reads, "Temporarily Out of Weed," while another says "100 Percent Pure Weed." Dillmann noted those examples in an appeal letter he sent to the alcohol bureau.

Once, Dillmann said, his wife, a former teacher, was delayed on a field trip to San Francisco as tourists clamored to pose next to the school bus, which said "Weed High."

Come on...laugh.

Drug references on alcoholic beverages were banned in 1994, agency spokesman Art Resnick said.

"We protect consumers of alcohol beverages against misleading advertising and labeling," he said.

Dude, we know the difference between beer and weed. Weed is this town in California.

Brewer ordered not to use ‘Legal Weed’ caps
Says it’s just a play on where he makes beer; regulators call it misleading
The Associated Press
updated 9:25 p.m. ET April 23, 2008

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Vaune Dillmann thought the wording on his bottle caps was just a clever play on the name of the Northern California town where he brews his beer — Weed.

Federal alcohol regulators thought differently. They have ordered Dillmann to stop selling beer bottles with caps that say "Try Legal Weed."

What types of ad hominems might then be justified? Walton argues that an ad hominem is valid when the claims made about a person’s character or actions are relevant to the conclusions being drawn. Consider, for example, former New York governor Eliot Spitzer, who was caught on a wiretap arranging to hire a prostitute for $4,300. Because this behavior ran counter to Spitzer’s anticorruption platform, its unveiling would prevent Spitzer from governing successfully; thus, criticizing this aspect of his character was relevant and fair. In an earlier scandal, in 1987, televangelist Jimmy Swaggart was seen at a motel with a prostitute. Because his behavior undercut his preaching and status as a Christian role model, a character attack based on this incident would have been spot-on.

Character Attacks: How to Properly Apply the Ad Hominem
A new theory parses fair from unfair uses of personal criticism in rhetoric
By Yvonne Raley 

A doctor tells her patient to lose weight, and the patient thinks: “If my doctor really believed that, she wouldn’t be so fat.” A movie aficionado pans the latest Tom Cruise flick because Cruise is a Scientologist. A home­owner ignores a neighbor’s advice on lawn care because the neighbor is a ... you name it: Democrat, ­Re­publican, Christian or atheist. These examples illustrate classic uses of ad hominem attacks, in which an argument is rejected, or advanced, based on a personal characteristic of an individual rather than on reasons for or against the claim itself.

Putting the focus on the arguer or person being discussed can distract us from the issues that matter. Rather than concentrating on an individual’s character, we should, in these cases, be asking ourselves questions such as, Is the doctor’s advice medically sound? Is the Cruise film entertaining? Is the neighbor’s lawn healthy? Meanwhile ad hominem attacks can also unfairly discredit an individual, especially because such critiques are often effective.

Welcome to History Is A Weapon!

If this is your first time at the site, it can look a little daunting. To help you navigate, we'll spell out how everything is organized so you can find what you need.

This is an online Left reader focusing largely on American resistance history. The readings are organized in sections ("Chapters"). If you are struggling with a particular question, you can go that chapter. For example, if you want to know "Why are there so many people in prison?" you can go to "Chapter 3: The Long Chain". We'll include a good starter essay here for each.
If you aren't dealing with a particular question, feel free to work your way through all the starter essays and head back to the issues that stirred you the most. Here we go:

Let the candidates wrestle with this issue of increasing economic inequality, rather than President Bush’s spurious and deeply offensive rant comparing advocates of international diplomacy with those who appeased Hitler and the Nazis.

Let the candidates wrestle with the war without end in Iraq that is not just destroying lives but is taking a toll on this nation’s soul. The war is sapping the resources and energy needed for the hard work of putting the U.S. back on a sound socioeconomic footing. 

Let’s Be Serious
By BOB HERBERT

The general election is about to unfold and we’ll soon see how smart or how foolish Americans really are. The U.S. may be the richest country on earth, but the economy is tanking, its working families are in trouble, it is bogged down in a multitrillion-dollar war of its own making and the price of gasoline has nitwits siphoning supplies from the cars and trucks of strangers.

Keeping Secrets: In Presidential Memo, A New Designation for Classifying Information
By Walter Pincus
Monday, May 19, 2008; A15

Sometime in the next few years, if a memorandum signed by President Bush this month ever goes into effect, one government official talking to another about information on terrorists will have to begin by saying: "What I am about to tell you is controlled unclassified information enhanced with specified dissemination."

That would mean, according to the memo, that the information requires safeguarding because "the inadvertent or unauthorized disclosure would create risk of substantial harm."

Bush's memorandum, signed on the eve of his daughter Jenna's wedding, introduced "Controlled Unclassified Information" as a new government category that will replace "Sensitive but Unclassified."

Hat tip to James MacLean.