Brother Ray

With all the talk this week about Reagan dying, Thursday came the news of someone that really affected my life in a positive way. Ray Charles was one the great musicians of all time. And, I, for one will miss his voice. I can't think of too many people that have had such an influence on popular music in the last 50 years. In my mind the only thing greater than his music is that he never let his blindness be a factor to slow down his life. It was more of an inconvenience to him rather than a disability. I have never heard of him using an excuse or whining about the bad in his life. If only everyone would face up to their challenges and not blame others for their mistakes this world would be a better place.

New: New York Times Issues Correction About Wisconsin Protest

People reading the Knight Ridder report about George W. Bush's visit to Concordia University in Wisconsin were informed that there was "no hint of protest."

By coming to Concordia, a conservative campus and the largest Lutheran university in North America, Bush all but guaranteed a warm reception. There was no hint of protest during the ceremony, and some audience members shouted, "We love you, W," when he took the stage.

Actually, there was a protest during the ceremony. I attended it. We must have been missed by the eye of the reporter because we weren't allowed anywhere near Bush's venue. Looks like my article about free speech zones has some new material. The New York Times issued this correction:

An article on Saturday about remarks by President Bush at a commencement address at Concordia University in Mequon, Wis., referred imprecisely to protests against his policies. While no protesters were at the actual ceremony, the Secret Service did allow them several blocks away.

Dancing on Reagan's Grave?

Wehhlll.....

One of the first posts I saw on the day of Ronald Reagan's passing seemed, at the least, in poor taste. It was entitled "Reagan is Dead - Finally!" The post was by some guy who aspires to be "the most dangerous mind on the Internet", and draws a lot of attention to himself by making sensational, offensive, thoughtless posts, kind of like the radio jocks that poked fun at Berg after his unfortunate demise.

Now, I see that more sites have put on their dancing shoes for this occasion. I was very surprised to see that one of my favorites, Democracynow.org, has joined the shindig. If you have ever watched an Internet broadcast that portrays a clearer picture of what is actually happening in this country right now than Democracynow.org, I would be surprised. My neighbor turned me on to it awhile back and I've been addicted ever since.

So, why take the opportunity of someone's death to run stories like "Reagan Was the Butcher of My People?" Perhaps it's to present an alternative view to all of the buzz about how this country is forever in his debt. It doesn't seem real classy to bash Reagan right now, just as it wasn't en vogue for Michael Moore and the Dixie Chicks to protest the Iraq War when everyone thought Saddam Hussein really had weapons of mass destruction pointed at us. George W. Bush and John Kerry have even suspended the Presidential race for five days to allow the nation to mourn Reagan.

Maybe we can take these five days to remember Reagan for who he really was, whether it be optimist, patriot, or butcher. Let's just not get so carried away with sentiment that we displace reality. When I was a kid I thought that Reagan was a pretty cool guy. I didn't know anything about right wing death squads or "Reaganomics". I just thought he seemed like a positive person. Now I believe he was a human being who was part of something much bigger than he ever understood.

I won't be taking this opportunity to slam Ronald Reagan. But, I cannot be one of the majority you are hearing now who are singing his praises.

Enemy Combatant

After I met with Joe in person to discuss this piece, we've decided to take it down for now. It is a work of fiction being written by Joe about an over-zealous environmentalist. Some extreme phraseology didn't really apply to what was actually being said. And, left open to interpretation... well, let's just say someone skimming it over might get the wrong idea (Jim's picturing an elderly woman in Wyoming calling the FBI.)

This is one we'll have to try again.


Jim & Joe
peace

Free Speech Zones: Out of Sight, Out of Mind

By J.R. Engeriser, Milwaukee Urban Star

What happens when a bus full of peace protesters takes a wrong turn and gets a little too close to George W. Bush? I was on that bus and what did happen was, as Bush Sr. would have said, “a little scary”.

You can tell something big is happening. As we drive down the highway I see police staked out for miles at every exit. Roads everywhere are blocked off. And, the Secret Service and local police have established what the Bush administration refers to as a “free speech zone” located several blocks away from where the President will speak. This is where we, the protesters, may stand. We are confined to one side of the road in a muddy area behind roadblocks. Bush will never see us or hear our message to him, and the media will have to go out of their way if our protest is to be covered at all.

With all of these roadblocks, it is hard to tell where you are supposed to go. A confused bus driver puts us within sight of Concordia University, Bush’s venue for today. Suddenly, our bus is surrounded. There are several police cars, motorcycles, and men in riot gear. A man in a camouflage three wheel vehicle drives out of the nearby woods. After a short talk with officials, it is determined that we are now not allowed to leave.

On the bus, conversation is buzzing. “Are we under arrest?” “Why are we being detained?” We don’t seem to be getting any answers. Then a man in a suit pulls up in a car and looks us over. “He is Secret Service,” I am told by someone on the bus. The man who is now in charge of our freedom seems somewhat pissed when I take his picture. With a wave of his hand, we are escorted away from the area with police both in front of us and behind us. When the police leave us back by the protest area where people like us belong, it is apparent that we are free to go.

Is it because George W. Bush is the most hated man on earth that he needs such an exaggerated perimeter of security? Moreover, what exactly is a “free speech zone”? Didn’t the entire United States of America used to be a free speech zone? These are the questions that Bill Neel was asking when he was arrested in Pittsburgh for holding up a sign that said “The Bush family must surely love the poor, they made so many of us.” Because his sign was not pro-Bush, he was arrested. People carrying signs in favor of the President were allowed to stay. Free speech has a larger perimeter if your message is approved.

These stories seem to be popping up everywhere. In Italy, during a recent visit by Bush, two radio stations planning full coverage of street protests mysteriously had their power turned off by the local electric company. When asked about the outage, the company said there was some "strange maintenance work" going on. Strange indeed. I guess Americans aren’t the only ones who lose their liberties when Bush comes to town.

John Ashcroft, our Attorney General, had this to say “To those who scare peace-loving people with phantoms of lost liberty … your tactics only aid terrorists, for they erode our national unity and … give ammunition to America’s enemies.”

So we protesters are now the terrorists, it may seem. What Ashcroft and company should be afraid of is the erosion of trust in our government that they have caused. The current administration has taken that to a whole new level with lies to the U.N., A war started for profit, and the Patriot Act, which strips us all of our rights. Bush has stated that the terrorists attack us because they hate freedom. The authors of the Patriot Act certainly hate freedom...

Here I went into a rant with some rhetoric. Wingnut inspired me to put in some facts about the Patriot Act. More to follow...

Update: I just found out that Knight Ridder reported a warm reception and "no hint of protest." Looks like I'll be adding some info.

Jim

More To See

Plug Pulled on Rome Radio Stations Covering Bush Protests

Bush in Wisconsin (Protest Pictures)

Police scolded as Bush protester acquitted

There she goes again

Just a lighter note posting here. Jennifer Lopez got married AGAIN on saturday afternoon to singer Marc Anthony. How about we start up an office pool type contest to guess how long this marriage will last. Factor into your guess that Marc Anthony just got divorced himself.