August 6, 2004
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Sudan
It was estimated that 1,000 people a day are dying in the Sudanese camps. I haven’t had a chance to read it yet, but darfurgenocide.org appears to be a source for learning more about what is going on and what to do about it.
Nifty. Can someone buy this for me?There’s a renfest for sale on ebay. A nice one.
Actors and Musicians in PoliticsI’ve noticed that some people really seem to take offense when big-name artists take a strong political stance. They seem especially annoyed if the artist tries to use their fame to point more attention towards whatever issues they feel are important.
I don’t really understand the problem. Many of us care about political and social issues and do what we can to get people to hear what we have to say. We often use what assets we have available to help us. If one of your assets is fame, it is something you can use. By using it, an actor or musician can easily hurt their professional interests, but if it is worth it to them to do it, what is the problem?
Where I really don’t get it is in the case of musicians. Many musicians write and play music inspired by their passion and beliefs. Can you imagine Rage Against the Machine not taking a stance? Art and music is a part of a culture’s soul. Of course it should be vocal about its opinions.
Of course, I am a bit prejudiced by the fact that my band is fairly political in nature.
Fact Check is still at it:There’s a grassroots Internet campaign trying to smear Teresa Kerry. It’s bogus. (Actually, I think there is something to being held responsible for any stock you own, but the campaign vastly overstates Kerry’s “ownership” of Heinz.)
Kerry’s approach toward painting a grim picture of our current economy may be based on dubious claims. Unfortunately, I’m a bit too tired at the moment to effectively parse this article, so maybe you can read it and let me know if it makes sense or not.
Additionally, a group called “Swift Boat Veterans for Truth” has been running ads basically calling Kerry a liar. Senator John McCain has condemned these ads and called on President Bush to do the same.
Among other things, I really respect John McCain for the fact that he seems to hate spin even more than I do. He truly appears to be a man of principle.
As for the concept that Kerry is the most liberal senator, I have only two words: “I wish”
It is interesting that the Democrats aren’t trying to refute this claim. Perhaps they hope that they can use it to gain back the support of all the progressives that have gone independent or ditched the Democrats for other parties.
As for Edwards being the 4th most liberal: In 2003, his voting record did come in at 4th. It sounds impressive until you realize that he was 40th in ’02, 35th in ’01, 19th in ’00, and 31st in ’99.
Dirty DeedsThe “Minnesota Politics” web log took issue with State Representative Kahn being charged with stealing her opponent’s campaign literature.
I would take issue with her NOT being charged. Stealing campaign signs and literature, or trying to win an election by stifling the voice of your opposition is a direct affront to the concept of Democracy and should not be tolerated in an elected official. Especially not one of Kahn’s experience.
