The Trial of Trayvon Martin

"Wherever the 'Stand Your Ground' law exists, I will not perform in that state or in that part of the world." ~ Stevie Wonder

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*had planned to write a longer post but haven't gotten to it yet, so here are several thought-provoking pieces on the Zimmerman verdict in the Trayvon Martin case:

here is Connie Schultz's piece: http://www.creators.com/opinion/connie-schultz/from-my-perch-of-white-privilege.html

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Eugene Robinson's take: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/eugene-robinson-black-boys-denied-the-right-to-be-young/2013/07/15/d3f603d8-ed69-11e2-9008-61e94a7ea20d_story.html

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http://www.egotripland.com/pharoahe-monch-stand-your-ground-trayvon-zimmerman/

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http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/04/01/1078914/-If-Trayvon-Martin-had-been-white-and-George-Zimmerman-were-black?detail=email#

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http://www.thenation.com/blog/175274/trayvon-martin-lament-rallying-cry#

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http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/07/on-the-killing-of-trayvon-martin-by-george-zimmerman/277773/

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jul/14/open-season-black-boys-verdict

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http://billmoyers.com/2013/07/18/george-zimmerman-off-the-hook/

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http://www.thenation.com/blog/175344/standing-trayvon-waiting-lebron%E2%80%A6#

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Florida "Justice": Marissa Alexander (fired warning shot) 20 yrs; Stephanie George ($120 in drug sales): LIFE; Zimmerman: free to go (from Steven Oh)

  

Thursday Night Music Club (double blast from the past ed.)

so, we were watching Hullabaloo on PBS the other day from 1966. One of the bands was The Zombies and the host asked each group member to introduce himself--one fellow said "Rodney something Argent." I then proceeded to bore my wife w/ some trivia about Argent's next band, self-titled, and how he then became a producer.

and this is how we're watching a video of somebody called Tanita Tikaram on VH1. I still have a copy of this song on cassette. Enjoy.

Nate Silver says goodbye to NYT, hello to ESPN

(via Jay Rosen)

interesting piece on Nate Silver's move to ESPN (some Keith Olbermann talk along the way, too):

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/113967/what-nate-silvers-move-means-times-and-espn# 


PS--I'm in favor of anything that provides less air time for Skip Bayless and Steven A. Smith--

Joe Biden? President? yes, President Joe Biden

(via Jay Rosen)

good read from GQ on VP Joe Biden: http://www.gq.com/news-politics/newsmakers/201308/joe-biden-presidential-campaign-2016-2013?mbid=social_twitter_gqmagazine&currentPage=all

The Fate of the Republic?--what it means if Manning is found guilty

Yochai Benkler, Harvard Law School Professor and key expert witness for the defense, wrote this piece in March of this year; he and his coauthor explain what's at stake if Bradley Manning is found guilty of "aiding the enemy."

Today, the judge in the Manning trial declared that the charge of "aiding the enemy" is still on the table--

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/14/opinion/the-impact-of-the-bradley-manning-case.html?_r=1&

Propaganda at Home--how cozy

hmmm--didn't hear much about this (ironic, yes?). Well, on July 2 the law that prohibited propaganda domestically went away, probably for good (I know, I know--but Fox and MSNBC have been it doing for years, you say. But this is different, I respond).  Worth reading just to see how easily it sells: e.g. "this way people can hear what is out there and decide for themselves" (I'm less than optimistic that Americans can find the time to sift through this kind of broadcasting w/ the appropriate skepticism).

More important than ever for our teachers to continue teaching critical reading/thinking skills, so they can recognize bunk when they see it.

You can read the entire piece yourself (don't trust me):

http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/07/12/us_backs_off_propaganda_ban_spreads_government_made_news_to_americans

Thursday Night Music Club (an evening in Kent ed.)

Recently, had the chance to see James McMurtry and the Bottle Rockets in Kent, Ohio at the Kent Stage (a re-imagined movie theater)--both acts were on my list of long time wanting to see, and neither one disappointed. Nearly four hours of music (I counted 21 songs by the Bottle Rockets and 16/17 for McMurtry). Witty banter, excellent musicianship and story-telling--everything you would want in a concert. Real shame that neither have completely gotten the mainstream following/sales they deserve. If you get a chance, check 'em  both out; you'll be glad you did.

Going back a bit for this one, but this song captures the best elements of McMurtry's songwriting (& I think I recognize the teal-blue Fender from the concert).  Here he is on "Levelland"--enjoy.

The Bottle Rockets played second and rocked out nicely--from the video, you can see their demographic ("we're a dude band") but it's all good. I'm not sure how a song about a fuel pump and Indianapolis could be poignant, but they pull it off. As evidenced during the live show we attended, the band resists labels, but I would call them intelligent roots rockers--do with that what you will. Here they are on "Indianapolis." Enjoy.

Biden vs Obama re NSA

The Joe Biden from 2006 refutes the Barack Obama from 2013 (you'll never guess who wins the debate).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4SRCOouw5I&feature=youtu.be

What is duckduckgo? (and why might you be interested)

(via Jay Rosen)

duckduckgo claims not to track your searches on its search engine; you can read more about it here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/10/nsa-duckduckgo-gabriel-weinberg-prism

PS--you know all those annoying ads that pop up? "double click" ring a bell? it's owned by Google--
PPS--one thing I learned by reading the linked piece above, is that you can get a lower airfare rate if you clean out your cookies on your browser (companies will bump up the price if you visit high-end sites)--

Thursday Night Music Club (Restore the Fourth ed.)

With the revelations that the government is spying on us and everybody else, and the US basically acting the bully, good ol' Pete Seeger seems appropriate. Here he is on his "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?"--enjoy.

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(from No Depression) Gillian Welch and husband David Rawlings at Austin City Limits--just because . . .

http://www.nodepression.com/video/gillian-welch-look-at-miss-ohio

Kasich and the Broken Pen--the new Budget in Ohio

(from the Rachel Maddow Show) 

Gov. Kasich has signed into the budget (yes, the budget--not a stand-alone piece of legislation where debate is encouraged and heard) about the most restrictive measures re women's reproductive rights in the country (e.g, women may not be allowed to use certain birth control now in Ohio).

I know this is such a divisive issue with little room in the middle for folks, and I won't belabor an argument here. I will say, however, that if this is the intent of the Republican legislature, then it needs to run through the proper channels. Slipping it into the budge of all places is a weak, chicken-you-know-what move by Kasich, who could have line-itemed the language out re abortion.

Like most things in a democracy, it's better when it's all out in the open for debate where people can offer testimony and science, not just personal  beliefs and intuition. Yet, time and time again we see these back-door legislative maneuvers by Republican-dominant bodies. In a democracy (or a democratic republic, if you prefer) sunshine must be allowed in; if not, then you have something other than a democracy.

For your consideration:

--more than half of women who seek abortion already have children and cite economics as the primary reason for their choice (i.e., the women say they can't afford another child)

--less than 10% of what Planned Parenthood does is abortion services. By law, no public money can be used to pay for abortions. Thousands of women only have access to their health care through Planned Parenthood; they will now lose access to pap smears, mammograms, and other vital healthcare because a handful of middle-aged white guys decide on their own that this is the thing to do in 2013. 

--also less than 10% of the women who have abortions, have multiple abortions for non-health related issues ("using abortion as birth control").

I'm not a reporter, but I'm guessing that the ALEC group was involved in this legislation--it has all the trappings that we've seen in other states: mandatory ultrasounds, legislative-mandated script to be read by healthcare provider, gag orders on folks who assist rape victims, etc. 

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(from Jonathan Turley)
more Ohio pride:

http://jonathanturley.org/2013/07/01/ohio-police-threaten-unconstitutional-searches-to-stop-citizens-who-react-suspiciously/