Ramblin' with Roger

Kenneth Lay, 64, one of the Enron felons, died today. And my initial thought was “Bummer.” I wanted him to live a good long life and, it was hoped, develop some real contrition. Is this grossly insensitive?
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Someone sent me a review copy of a TCM movie “Edge of Outside”, a TCM original documentary about independent movie makers such as John Cassavetes, John Sayles, Spike Lee and many more. I got it today. The show premieres tonight at 8 p.m. EDT. Ain’t gonna be reviewing it before then. It DOES rebroadcast later tonight, and again on July 19, so I will review it anyway.

In her part of the blogiverse, Kelly writes: “But here is my ultimate question…..How many books can one person read at a given time?”

Here’s something that bothers me somewhat. Lately I don’t read any books. I mean from cover to cover. I START lots of books, but never finish them.

For instance, my friend Janna lent me “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay”, the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Michael Chabon, TWO YEARS AGO. It’s of the comic book genre, with which I have a passing familiarity. Yet at some point, I stopped, and I’d have to start all over again.

I took out “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou, started reading, and got annoyed, because I’m reading the stuff I read before and haven’t gotten to the new stuff yet.

I have any number of books by Bob Woodward (Wired, The Commanders, The Brethren) started but never completed, not to mention of other political books in the same boat.

The only reason I finished that Jimmy Carter book (barely) that I reviewed last month is that it rained at the Hall of Fame game.

Several years back, well Before Lydia, I belonged to a book club and read at least 10 books a year, so I USED to be able to read books.

I find anymore that I prefer the company of things I can refer to – I AM a reference librarian – such as the Joel Whitburn Billboard charts books, Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide and other cinema books, The Complete Guide to Prime Time Network and Cable Shows, ESPN Sports Almanac, guides to specific TV shows, and the like.

And I do read periodicals, LOTS of periodicals, actually, things I can start and stop reading, such as newspapers and magazines. And when it’s Wednesday and I haven’t finished Sunday’s newspaper- often the case – I feel a little guilty reading other stuff.

But this summer, I’m reading a book. Maybe two. Probably one I already own (or have borrowed). And now that I’ve put it out there, I imagine/expect that you’ll hold me to it.

Patriotic oldies you should list to while you read this, preferably aloud.

Modified from an e-mail from the Bill of Rights Defense Committee:
Dear Friends, Independence Day 2006 is here! As we celebrate 230 years of liberty and democracy, we must reclaim the spirit of our founding principles and stand up for the freedoms that we’ve lost in recent years. Let’s bring awareness to our communities about the erosion of constitutional protections and insist that our representatives help us fight to restore the Bill of Rights. We have compiled some suggestions from a recent conference call with community activists. BORDC will post all of your events on our website, so others in your town or around the nation can see what’s happening in your area. Please send your Independence Day event information to Linda Stone or to Hope Marston*Here are Independence Day ideas for reclaiming the message!
Meet with your Congressional representatives. While Congress is in recess, July 1-9, it’s a good time to set up local meetings, or attend their town hall meetings. Take lots of allies! Find Congressional contact information here We’ll also exchange tips and challenges to setting up appointments with members of Congress.
Connect with Independence Day events already occurring in your area. Pass out flyers at parades and community gatherings. Flyers. Carry placards in your local parade. Placards. Distribute Bill of Rights book marks. Bookmarks. Pass out BORDC “Dissent is Patriotic” buttons and bumper stickers. Catalogue.
Ask your local officials to hold public hearing/fact-finding sessions. Public utility commissions and attorney generals can hold such sessions to determine local reaction to domestic surveillance, and whether local and state laws have been abridged. In many states, the ACLU has already begun this process.
Recent News coverage:
Oregon 1
Oregon 2
Washington
Maine
Hawaii

If your community has not yet passed a resolution affirming civil liberties, draft a petition to demonstrate support for a local resolution and circulate it at local July 4th events.
Convert your community resolution into an ordinance, which has the force of law. Take a look at the following ordinances from eight communities: Ordinances Start work on a statewide resolution. State toolkit
Get petition signatures at local events for a resolution based on this model resolution: Resolution
Call on your local public utilities to disclose whether or not they are releasing customer phone records to the government’s domestic spy program.
Send a letter to the Federal Communications Commission demanding the FCC investigate AT&T and Bell South’s role in domestic spying for the NSA at a time when these two companies are seeking approval for a merger.
Send a complaint to the Federal Communications Commission:FCC

Start a Circle of Scribes for a Letter to the Editor campaign. If you are part of a BOR (or related) group, plan a get together to write multiple letters. Workshop

Organize a “FOIA Request Party.” Since the government seems so interested in gathering data on political activists, let’s flood them for requests for information about what they’ve found! Gather a group to fill out forms for Freedom of Information Act requests to find out what information is in your government files, as the Pittsburgh Bill of Rights Defense Committee is doing in conjunction with the local ACLU. You may contact Dean Gerber of the Pittsburgh BORDC for more information. Info

Oregon attorney Dan Stotter, who has a website to guide you through the process, will provide an initial consultation at no charge. FOI Advocates

Keep in mind, however, that the FOIA process is a marathon, seemingly designed to test your endurance. If you really want to get the documents from the government, you have to be willing to run the entire marathon, and work the paper trail. BORDC plans to engage volunteer organizers in a phone workshop on this subject in the near future. Let us know if this is something you’d be interested in participating in!
Another important part of any event is to have good media coverage.Please let us know if you would like some help drafting a news release.
Thanks for all you do!
Linda Stone
Hope Marston
Bill of Rights Defense Committee
413 582-0110; 541 683-1604 BORDC
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A variation on the theme.
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A video, Henry Rollins: A Love Letter To Ann Coulter
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Greg’s take on “values”
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A strange perversion on the concept, here and here

You Belong in 1968

If you scored… 1950 – 1959: You’re fun loving, romantic, and more than a little innocent. See you at the drive in! 1960 – 1969: You are a free spirit with a huge heart. Love, peace, and happiness rule – oh, and drugs too. 1970 – 1979: Bold and brash, you take life by the horns. Whether you’re partying or protesting, you give it your all! 1980 – 1989: Wild, over the top, and just a little bit cheesy. You’re colorful at night – and successful during the day. 1990 – 1999: With you anything goes! You’re grunge one day, ghetto fabulous the next. It’s all good!

It was my decade for coming of age. But me, drugs? I’m MUCH too wholesome.

The Movie Of Your Life Is A Black Comedy

In your life, things are so twisted that you just have to laugh. You may end up insane, but you’ll have fun on the way to the asylum. Your best movie matches: Being John Malkovich, The Royal Tenenbaums, American Psycho

If Your Life Was a Movie, What Genre Would It Be?

I LOVED Malkovich. Not sure that I truly GOT Tennebaums. NO interest in seeing American Psycho.
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Got this press release from Cantaloupe Music, “the NYC-based art/indie label”, announcing the release of a promotional mp3 download from their latest release, “Bang on a Can/Don Byron: A Ballad for Many.” I was interested in this because clarinetist/composer Don Byron played in the area recently. “The CD is dedicated to ground-breakers, with a large-scale work dedicated to one-of-a-kind comic/satirist/star Ernie Kovacs [!] (this mp3 is an excerpt from this), and to the Tuskegee Airmen, the famous African-American WWII-era fighter squadron.
The excerpt, “Eugene II”, is available here, while the album (which I have not heard) is available through iTunes and/or Cantaloupe Music.
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No Nomar in the All Star Game? No way!

I was watching Wednesday’s Good Morning America the other day (naturally, NOT on Wednesday) when I saw something in the news scroll that puzzled me. According to some survey, “America’s the most patriotic country”, followed by Venezuela (the “Chavez factor”) and Ireland. So what does that MEAN? The article describes the criteria. Which, of course, begat the question for this Canada Day/U.S. Independence Day weekend:

1. What does patriotism mean to you?

It means to me, to lift it up when it’s right, to help it when it’s in trouble, to point out when it’s off track. It means to register and vote, to encourage others to do the same, to bug our elected officials, to be an aware citizen.

Oh, and It’s Summer. I have some old Nat Cole song on my mind, maybe because it WON’T make it onto Kelly Brown’s School’s Out for Summer CD Mix, only because I don’t own it.

So my other question, in the words of Marshall Crenshaw:

2. What is your favorite waste of time? For me, it Free Cell on the computer, usually when I can’t sleep.

Your replies are always appreciated.