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“Spread the wealth”
“The really big fortune, the swollen fortune, by the mere fact of its size, acquires qualities which differentiate it in kind as well as in degree from what is possessed by men of relatively small means. Therefore, I believe in a graduated income tax on big fortunes, and … a graduated inheritance tax on big fortunes, properly safeguarded against evasion,
GOP racism watch
Colin Powell’s message isn’t getting through to some. Marcia Stirman, not a fringe figure but a Republican official in New Mexico, declared in a letter to the editor, “I believe Muslims are our enemies.” She also labeled Barack Obama a “Muslim socialist.” Asked later to clarify her view of Muslims, she said: “I don’t trust them at all. They’ve sworn across
No on Prop 8
Andrew Sullivan notes that the vicious Proposition 8, a California ballot initiative that threatens to strip gay couples of all civil equality, is being massively bankrolled by the Mormon Church — which, incidentally, was founded in the 19th century by a fraud and con man. Donate to the No effort here. [Update: Fairness demands that I acknowledge this.]
Palin: feminist when convenient
This boggles the mind: Campaigning later in the day in Henderson, Palin made a direct play for female voters, particularly those who backed Obama’s primary rival, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. ”Barack Obama just couldn’t bring himself to pick a woman who got 18 million votes in the primary,” Palin said. She told the crowd the situation was a ”too familiar
Musical haps NYC
I’m glad to be back in the New York mix, as overwhelming as it is, and wanted to mention some shows I’ve seen: Jason Rigby at Cornelia Street Café, Oct. 17: With Russ Johnson on trumpet, Mike Holober on Rhodes, Cameron Brown on bass, Gerald Cleaver on drums. Rigby has a deep, resonant tenor sax sound and an effortless command
Zimbabwe’s nightmare continues
In this week’s New Yorker, Jon Lee Anderson makes the important point that Robert Mugabe, supposed anti-colonial liberator, is by now indistinguishable from a colonial emperor. The piece makes for painful, infuriating reading: In 2005, Mugabe and his wife moved into a new twenty-five-bedroom mansion in Borrowdale Brook, a Harare suburb, which cost a reported ten million U.S. dollars to build.
Ron Paul’s values
During primary season, some progressive-minded people flocked to Ron Paul, not only failing to note his extreme right-wing views, but greeting reports of those views with anger and ostrich-like denial. So it’s worth a mention that Paul has endorsed Chuck Baldwin of the Constitution Party for president. Baldwin is a militantly anti-choice, anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim, anti-feminist, pro-gun nut. Again, Ron Paul has
Three articles
I have three articles in new/recent issues of Jazz Times: “Doubled Up” [pdf], on Chicago drummer Mike Reed. “Post-Pop” [pdf], on singer-songwriter Rebecca Martin. “Earn Your Keep: Jazz and the Lost Art of Apprenticeship” [pdf], in the 2008/09 Jazz Times Education Guide.