DPO Summit 2011
DPO Summit 2011, a set on Flickr.
Occupy Portland
Downtown Portland, Oregon is typically pretty quiet on Sundays. Not this Sunday.
Thousands participated in the Portland Marathon‘s 40th annual race– including Multnomah County Commissioners Debra Kafoury, Loretta Smith, and Judy Shiprack.
Also taking to the streets were, of course, hundreds of Occupy Portland protesters. Initially, I was thoroughly skeptical of this Occupy Movement. I certainly empathize with the protesters’ frustrations and anger against a system that has become so radically unfair. However, the lack of coherent message and without any clear and specific action items being articulated by the protesters, this Occupy Movement seemed nothing more than a trendy exercise in civil unrest. The cathartic value in this exercise is understandable, but as a political organizer, the disorganization of Occupy’s message rendered the movement pointless from my perspective.
Yet, as this movement continues to persist and swell, Occupy is making an impact in American politics that I thought could not be possible. As public spaces across the nation continue to be claimed by Occupy protesters week after week, chatter has risen from the level of local news reports, to national news pundits, and now even among electeds and aspiring Republican presidential candidates.
Making known in this sort very public way, the frustrations felt by most of us who have been swindled out of the American Dream, is obviously a good thing. The big question is, though, “What are we actually going to do about it.” I do not thing the Occupy Movement yet has an answer to this, which is a huge let down.
Fortunately, I believe that the answer can be pretty easily found in the field guide to progressive organizing 101. This energy and passion of this movement needs to be translated from budding political cache into real political capital. The most obvious way to do so is through getting out the vote for candidates and legislation that dismantle the entrenched system that supports rampant corporate greed. More needs to be followed though.
Despite all criticism of the Occupy movement, it is undeniable that these protests around the country have been well organized. The organizers of this movement need to look inward to become apart of the formal political process by considering elected office. Tea Party activist and religious, right-wing radicals have done just this at the detriment to us all. True progressives must fight back to reclaim the helm of our government– majority does matter.
Fear da Bo0m ‘n Bu$t: ft. lil’ Hayek & Johnnie “Mac Daddy” Keynes
Famed Champion of Afghans, Charlie Wilson, Dies at Age 76
Dawn.com reports that the former US lawmaker and hero of the film “Charlie Wilson’s War,” who championed covert CIA support for Afghans fighting Soviet troops in the 1980s, died Wednesday at age 76, announced Memorial Medical Center-Lufkin hospital.
Fulsome tributes poured in for Charlie Wilson, who despite a playboy image became an influential player in the Cold War, funneling billions of dollars in weapons to the Afghan mujahideen through a secret CIA program.
His exploits became the subject of the 2007 movie adaptation of a book chronicling his efforts, starring Tom Hanks as Wilson and Julia Roberts as the Houston socialite Joanne Herring who helped him win support for the ambitious covert war.
“Charlie Wilson led a life that was oversized even by Hollywood’s standards,” said a statement from Texas Governor Rick Perry.
Snow in D.C. Aint No Thang: 10 Underreported Headlines
Peter Parks/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
- Avalanches in Afghanistan, death toll near 200
- Iran steamrolls U.S. led nuclear negotiations and moves forward with uranium enrichment
- Economic turmoil brewing in European Union
- Power up the Twitter Machine: protesters take to the streets marking the 31st anniversary of the Iranian Revolution
- Ukraine heads back into the arms of Mother Russia
- Sarkozy finally realizes ‘French national identity’ debate is racist and undemocratic
- Israel continues unwelcomed intrusions into Lebanese airspace
- Civil unrest in Sri Lanka over arrest of former army commander Fonseka
- Major battle imminent as Islamist insurgents invade Somali capital
- Polluted waters run deep in China (pictured above)
HGTV, the Snowmageddon of 2010 & Liberal Talk Radio
Image via Gather.com
One of the few benefits of a snow storm is that while trapped in the house, I’ve had plenty of time to catch up on some reading watch TV and surf the web guilt-free. Taking a break from a glutenous HGTV marathon, I stumbled across a radio talk show on a local cable access channel.
The host was young, bright, liberal, and seemed pretty reasonable– an antithesis to radio talk shows’ usual ranting loons like Limbaugh and Beck.
Directed by the talk show’s host, I googled his website and spent the remainder of Sunday night listening to past podcasts of this progressive talk show and watching re-runs of Property Virgins.
The show is Midweek Politics Radio with David Pakman, and I’m diggin it!
Like myself, Pakman leans left but is slightly conservative on some economic and foreign policy issues. The nationally syndicated show first aired back in 2005, is broadcast from Massachusetts and produced by Louis Motamedi.
‘War is Boring’ Now in Full Technicolor
I picked up my first graphic novel, The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation, a few years ago at a book store in the PDX airport. Since then, I’ve been hooked! I’m not too keen on the typical superhero comics, but a huge fan of Watchmen and the DMZ series by Brian Wood and Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli.
I’m a regular reader of the blog War is Boring, and am really looking forward to the release of the War is Boring graphic novel this August. Illustrated by Matt Bors, the book is written and based on the experiences of freelance journalist David Axe.
Human Terrain: War Becomes Academic
Human Terrain the movie began as an investigation into a controversial US military program to embed social scientists in Iraq and Afghanistan that ends on a tragic note when an advisor to the film joins a Human Terrain Team and is killed by a roadside bomb. Directed by James Der Derian, Michael Udris, David Udris.
2010 Quadrennial Defense Review [DRAFT]
A draft of the first ever Quadrennial Defense Review has been leaked and I finally got my hands on a pdf copy.
At this point, I’m only ten pages into the Defense Department’s comprehensive assessment of national security. Nonetheless, I think its worth posting so more eyes can take a look at this document that will likely directly impact U.S. foreign policy.
So far, cyberspace security seems to be a central concern.
2010 QDR
The True and Twisted Mind of the American Man
Charlie LeDuff’s US Guys is absolutely enthralling. Echoing the voice of Hunter S. Thompson, LeDuff explores the colassal and often mythologized American man.
US Guys belongs on the list of 1,001 Rules for My Unborn Son and should be required reading for every thoughtful American man. Buy this book!
LeDuff’s preface alone is brilliant:
There are certain things and American man should know. And if he does not know them, he at least has been convinced that he should somehow know them, even if they are a detriment to him.
The American man has been taught that while it is better to avoid a fight, he should have been in a fight; that honor cannot always be defended with reason. He should never admit fear. He should strive to put the blade in his adversary’s chest, not his back. An American man should know how to load and fire a gun. He should know how to ride a horse, bet on a horse, bet on the stock market and bet on the cards. A good man should know a woman’s body and know how to please her. His woman, in turn, should never speak anything but well of him in public. An American man should Read more…
