The Left
Greater Surbiton
Marko Attila Hoare, a Balkan specialist whose views I greatly respect, recently launched a blog called Greater Surbiton. From his bio: I have been variously accused of being a neoconservative, Trotskyite and Croat nationalist and a supporter of Islamism and Western imperialism. Depending on how you define these terms, some or all of this may be accurate. I’m honored to
Stockhausen: a political postscript
I listened to a fair amount of Stockhausen while writing my recent Anthony Braxton feature [pdf]. Now that he has died, I want to vent on an obscure political detail likely to be left out of most of the obits. No, not the notorious 9/11 comment. I’m speaking of Cornelius Cardew’s 1974 essay Stockhausen Serves Imperialism, largely and very deservedly
“But that’s okay”
Amira Hass has an interview in Haaretz with writer/activist Arundhati Roy, whose hard-left politics I’ve critiqued a number of times on this blog. What can I say … For someone so famously tough-minded, given to speaking out on the need for critical, hard-hitting journalism, Hass sure can throw softballs when she wants to. Reporting on Roy’s recent appearance in Italy,
A rebuttal on Pinter
I have a letter in today’s NY Times Arts & Leisure section, objecting to Sarah Lyall’s Oct. 7 puff piece on Harold Pinter. Pinter’s political views are as crude as they come — leave it to an arts journalist not to examine them in any depth. The playwright didn’t simply protest NATO intervention in the Balkans; he joined the International
Janeane Garofalo, poseur
Janeane Garofalo fancies herself politically informed, a critical thinker, but she certainly disproved it on last night’s edition of Real Time with Bill Maher. Aside from botching the French president’s name (“Sarkozky,” Maher’s mistake as well), the 9/11 conspiracy theory dabbler first offered a rousing defense of Maher’s satellite guest, former CIA creep-turned-author Michael Scheuer. Funny, since Scheuer is an
Kucinich’s shame
On the question of whether to engage a regime such as Syria’s, last discussed here: There is world of difference between the kind of engagement Barack Obama has recommended, or that Nancy Pelosi undertook in April, and the deplorable toadying of Dennis Kucinich as seen in this video interview. The congressman’s hometown paper tears him a new one here (and
Pike on Pilger
Far-left polemicist John Pilger is very happy to report that boycotting Israel is an idea that is catching on. Only problem is his evidence — he cites a group, Independent Jewish Voices, whose founding author is flatly opposed to the boycott. Pilger is either inept, dishonest or both. Jon Pike of Engage comments. More on Pilger here and here.
Counterpunch v. Cooper
Joshua Frank, writing in Counterpunch, has indicted Marc Cooper for the high crime of criticizing Ward Churchill. In case you’ve forgotten, Churchill is the widely vilified Colorado academic who penned the 9/11 essay “Some People Push Back” and used the term “Little Eichmanns” to describe employees of the World Trade Center. Churchill’s essay is here. Before I respond, a reminder