I am very excited to see this, as well.

This film focuses on Chomsky's linguistics over his politics, which is fantastic for me because I am quite caught up, chapter and verse, with his political leanings, and do not know anything about his language studies.  Maybe once and for all Gondry and Chomsky can hep me to transformational grammar!

You know, I only know one person who has prob read Chomsky's Aspects of the Theory of Syntax.  Perhaps this film is a primer for that 1965 magnum opus.













Mwah, ... 

Hoo-boy! (No Matter Who You Vote For, The Government Always Gets In)

Flame away, I do not care.  I am going to stand by my positions:

David Simon, and TBogg, and others have got this right.  It was us, you and me, and our numbskull "public servants" who signed off on all this PATRIOT ACT/FISA bullshit.  Why everyone is clutching their pearls, and/or rending their garments in the Trad Media/blogosphere and on both sides of the aisle politically is nearly as disgusting as all the spying.  We, you and me, signed off on all this shit! By either approving it, or allowing to happen.  Why the heck is anybody surprised here? The spying does not even constitute a crime.

Daniel Ellsberg, his friends, and wife.

But heads must roll, and that knucklehead GED kid (who somehow lucked in to doing the right thing) will most certainly have to pay.  And, while I have your attention, too: 

Just saw Gibney's We Steal Secrets, and Assange is not the amazing hero so many portray him to be.  Why the heck is nobody talking about Bradley Manning? But, then again, no one seems to be holding the NYT or The Guardian responsible, either.  Just Assange.  (And, it appears he sold out on a few of his own personal Core Values, too.)

Man, watch The Most Dangerous Man in America again.  Ellsberg; Chomsky; and Zinn, those guys are the badasses.

Those in power will always hate the whistleblower, and they will always collude with other people or institutions of similar power to find the most vulnerable link in the chain to publicly humiliate, incarcerate, torture, or kill said weak link.  Why is any of this so shocking?

No Matter Who You Vote For, The Government Always Gets In.

Nope, there is absolutely nothing to see here,

Just neveryoumind, already! Got this from Charlie Pierce today, who got the picture from Gawker.  I already knew about the heinously unconstitutional anti-choice law signed by Governor Brownback the other day, but I had no idea about the whole Jesus hearts Mary angle for Brownie's notes.  Kissing in a tree, indeed.  (Plus, am I wrong, or is the bill called Mega abortion bill?)

Meanwhile, Fox News wants to get the towels ready for another waterboarding party.  The Koch brothers are interested in buying eight newspapers, including the LA Times.  No one seems to be the least bit interested in doing something about the West, Texas fertilizer plant owners, despite the fact that they were in serious violation of just about every regulation imaginable and had not had a inspection by OSHA since 1985(!)  Really, I know.  I should just lay off those guys. Goshdarnit, they are the job creators in the boo-ti-ful Right to Work Bidness Paradise that is Tejas.

Then, there is the extremely icky icky story about Adam Savader.  Sad, too, as this might end up putting a crimp in his plans for his shiny new political blog that he had planned to unveil on us (and the world.)

Anyhoo, there is an antidote for all this awfulness.  On May 8, in Oakland, California at the Paramount Theater, Noam Chomsky will be a voice of reason to talk you off the ledge, and, perhaps get you in to the streets instead, trying to change life, as opposed to just reforming capitalism (policy, laws, etc, whathaveyou, ... )

(Oh, and two days after Chomsky's rap at the Paramount, the Paramount will be showing the noir classic, Laura, too.  Sweet!)

Mwah, ... 

I love the story Howard Zinn tells

In the spectacular documentary, The Most Dangerous Man in America Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers:  That Ellsberg, a former Marine Corps Troop Commander directed Zinn and his other Cambridge buddy, Noam Chomsky, on how to successfully conduct a non-violent protest on May Day, 1971, instructing them on when to move, when to lay down, when to get arrested, etc, ...

Ellsberg and his wife when they turned themselves in.

And, I also love that before wikileaks and Anonymous, Ellsberg and Tony Russo took on the establishment, the Nixon administration, and all the lies of the previous four administrations, and beat them in court so emphatically that whistle blowers like Julian Assange are now attacked through the media, and on trumped-up unrelated charges.

And, I love that Ellsberg and his wife, Patricia, are still out on the front lines every day, fighting for peace, and making sure we hold our Public Servants truly accountable.  A great great man.  And, an absolute must-see doc.

It was on PBS last night.  And, it is likely they will repeat it again soon.  Please watch.

All my love,


Michael David Spitler

Election Day Thoughts

Here is the greatest liberal progressive blogger of all-time, digby, with your drinking schedule for tonight.  She is much more pessimistic than me, so, that should tell you something.

(And, what the fuck? My parents were lucky enough to live in Switzerland from October 2001 until Obama was elected -- although my Da is still working in CH until he retires, and my Mum lives in Tulsa, OK now -- but, what does it say about our nation, that this thing, this General, this OEE, is this close?)

It is the media, dummy.

Unfortunately, after Obama has wrapped this thing up tonight, no media maven/pundit/expert will be held to bare.  The whole myth of a Liberal/Progressive media will only be; mistakenly, and righteously upheld.  

It was fixed, screams the Right.  Therefore, it must be so, says the media.

Read driftglass.  No one does better at exposing the false equivalency media circus than our Man in Chicago.  

The media are desperate to portray this OEE (Orchestrated Electoral Extravaganza) as a tight race.  Well, it is a tight race, as far as the national numbers are concerned, but, it is not a close race as far as the Electoral College is concerned.  (This is one of the main reasons Nate Silver's own employers, and others in the TradMedia hate him so much.  Plus, he is slender, talks in a high voice, and likes fine restaurants.) 

Why are the supposedly LeftTradMedia so willing to suck up to Mittens, and declare this a toss-up? Because, they have bills to pay, and Masters to serve.

Marx was fucking right, even if you are immediately turned off by my using his name.  

It is not race, or gender that ultimately differentiate between citizens of a culture, it is CLASS.  

Okay, enough lecturing, how about another great video, one of my all-time faves:

xxxoooxxx

I understand this point of view.

Five or ten minutes probably is all you need. And, we should all be more like Chomsky, trying to change life rather than reform the system.  (Love how he calls the 2012 General an " orchestrated electoral extravaganza".)

And, Obama does a lot of awful terrible stuff.  But even Chomsky says he would vote for Obama if he lived in a swing state.  He lives in Massachusetts and will be voting for the Green candidate, if he votes at all.

It is this simple:  If Romney has a chance to win your state, and you are a lefty,  you have to pull the Obama lever.  You have to.

************

I will watch the debate replay tonight, but I am not getting all hyped up about it.  Debates so rarely mean anything.  They are practically PSAs these days.   But I'm a politics junkie.  Curl up with a book, your sweetie, the beach, a sunset or a great movie instead.

Do not be like me.













All my love. Ardent