Month: July 2005

Should Roe go? KATHA POLLITT looks at the argument of Democratic Party insiders who ask whether abandoning abortion rights would win back white Catholics and evangelicals. Katha is author of Subject to Debate and a poet, essayist, and columnist for The Nation, was recently awarded the number 74 spot on right-wing hack Bernard Goldberg’s list of 100 People Who are Screwing Up America.

Also: REBECCA SOLNIT talks about her wonderful new book A Field Guide to Getting Lost — it’s a book about uncertainty, trust, loss, memory, desire, and place. She’s an activist and award-winning writer; her last book was the indispensible Hope in the Dark.
WEB EXTRA: Read Rebecca Solnit, “Taking the Measure of Victory,” at TomDispatch.com

Plus: THE SECRET HISTORY OF DISCO: Peter Shapiro talks about the way disco brought a polysexual, polyracial, polymorphous celebration — to a space beyond the reach of church, state and family; the way it became a worldwide phenomenon; and the way it ended in a homophobic, racist backlash. His book is Turn the Beat Around.
PLAYLIST: Bee Gees, “Stayin’ Alive” 1977, #1
Gloria Gaynor, “I Will Survive” 1979 #1
Sister Sledge, “We Are Family” 1979 #2
Chic, “Good Times” 1979 #1

“The Iraq war is over – and the winner is — Iran.” That’s what JUAN COLE says — he’s professor of history at Michigan, and he writes the famous “Informed Comment” blog about Iraq.

Also: Bush nominated John G. Roberts to the Supreme Court; how bad is this guy? DAVID COLE will explain; he’s The Nation‘s legal affairs correspondent, professor at Georgetown University Law Center, and author of the award-winning book Enemy Aliens: Double Standards and Constitutional Freedoms in the War on Terrorism (New Press), out in a revised paperback edition this month.

Plus: what do Eminem, Johnny Cash, John Lennon, and R.E.M. have in common? All see their their music in relation to social and political issues — that’s what they told ANTHONY DeCURTIS, contributing editor to Rolling Stone and author of In Other Words: Artists Talk about Life and Work. PLAYLIST: Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison, “Folsom Prison Blues”; R.E.M./Michael Stipe, “Losing My Religion” (Live–Athens GA); Eminem, The Marshall Mathers LP, “****/Kill You”; John Lennon Collection, “Instant Karma”

WEB EXTRA: Karl Rove update: “Luckily for Bush, it is not a crime to change the grounds on which you’ll pledge to fire someone.” — Jon Stewart. Watch Jon Stewart on Karl Rove

ROBERT SCHEER talks about Karl Rove’s crime: “To try to conceal the fact that the President had lied to the American public about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction program, Rove attempted to destroy the credibility of two national security veterans and send an intimidating message to any other government officials preparing to publicly tell the truth.” Scheer of course is a syndicated columnist and co-author of The Five Biggest Lies Bush told Us About Iraq.

Plus: It’s the 100th anniversary of the Wobblies! PAUL BUHLE has written a fabulous graphic history of the IWW: Mike Davis says “tell the bosses to go to hell and buy an extra copy of this wonderful history.”
The Travelling Wobbly Show opens in LA Sunday, July 17; reception 7-9 pm: at The Workmen’s Circle, 1525 S. Robertson Blvd, LA; 310 552 2007.

Also: GANG OF FOUR launched a post-punk scratchy, funky sound and sang songs about exploitation in love and work. Their 1979 debut album “Entertainment!” has had a huge influence, and now it’s been reissued by Rhino. We’ll speak with co-founder and singer JON KING and listen to some key songs.
PLAYLIST: Gang of Four, “Entertainment!” Rhino R2 78428
#2 “Natural’s Not In It”: “the problem/of leisure/what to do/for pleasure. . . ”
#4 ” Damaged Goods”: “your kiss so sweet/your sweat so sour . . .”
#7 “I Found That Essence Rare”: “the worst thing in 1954 was the bikini . . .”
“To Hell with Poverty” (single)

More stuff to read: Jon Wiener criticizes Alan Dershowitz (and praises Arnold Schwarzenneger), on the LA Times op-ed page Monday: http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-oe-wiener11jul11,1,6360784.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

Quagmire in Baghdad: Our Iraq war update with IAN WILLIAMS, UN Correspondent for The Nation and contributor to The Asia Times. His new book is Rum: A Social and Sociable History of the Real Spirit of 1776: “Rum was to the eighteenth century what oil is to the present.” He also details the showdown between the Bacardi family and Fidel Castro over the control of the lucrative rights to the Havana Club label.

Plus: Israel’s Gaza pullout plans: our Palestine-Israel update with AMY WILENTZ, contributing editor to The Nation, former Jerusalem correspondent for The New Yorker, and author of the award-winning novel about Palestinians and Israelis Martyrs’ Crossing.

Also: Take me to the river: poet and environmental visionary LEWIS MacADAMS, founder of Friends of the L.A. River, reads from “The River, Book Three,” a mini-epic about his life and work among the trash bags and red-wing blackbirds of the LA River.
Tues July 12,7 PM: Lewis premieres “The River, Book Three” at the downtown LA Public Library, 630 W. 5th St.: free but reservations recommended.
Also on the FoLAR calendar: Sunday, July 17, 4:30 PM: A Down by the River Walk, “Saunter In Studio City”: In the east San Fernando Valley, the River runs along many TV/movie studios, including Warner Bros, Disney, DreamWorks, Universal, and CBS. Historically the more-or-less natural River served as the back lot location for various studio productions, including Westerns. Meet at the Laurel Grove Footbridge (at the intersection of Laurel Grove and Valleyheart).
PLAYLIST: Talking Heads, “Take Me to the River” from Stop Making Sense Live CD