Thursday, May 13, 2004

We Get Letters...

Here's part of an e-mail I got this morning. I won't give the gent's name...

Question: What do www.newsfromme.com blog entries and radical islamo-fascist newspapers have in common?

Answer: A large number (10 seperate entries at last count) of articles on the abuse of muslim criminals at Abu Ghraib prison by relatively few US Army Soldiers. No mention of the murder of American Citizen Nick Berg by militant islamo-fascists.

You use terms like "ghastly", "horrifying imagery", and "horrible stuff" when describing Abu Ghraib. What descriptors do you have about the decapitation of Nick Berg? Your blog demonstrates where your priorities are.

Actually, I was working on a post about Nick Berg but hadn't come up with anything to say about it beyond the obvious. In the case of the torture stuff, you have some prominent folks out there trying to spin that all as a bunch of fraternity pranks and/or something that was commendable so I wanted to weigh in. In the matter of Berg, I think we're all pretty much on the same page, aren't we? There's no controversy there insofar as evaluating how horrible the act was. It's awful when anyone dies and particularly nauseating when it's done for show.

I think sometimes people don't get the way a weblog (and certainly this one) works. You don't comment on anything unless you think you have something noteworthy to say about it. Often when a celebrity dies, I get an e-mail from someone saying, "Well, since you didn't post an obit on So-and-so, obviously you hated him." Well, no. Maybe I just didn't think I had anything to say about him that was worth reading. It's also sometimes the case that we get busy and can't put aside paying work or personal obligations to post on the no-pay, no-deadline weblog...or at least to post something deep and thoughtful.

The piece I started to write about the murder of Mr. Berg was about the effects of the video being available for general viewing...but then I stopped because I hadn't viewed it and didn't really want to. I finally had a moment of curiosity since I was writing about it. I went over to a site where I'd noticed it had been posted and nervously clicked the viewing link. After about five seconds of Berg sitting there identifying himself, my screen froze up and I decided that if my computer didn't want to see it, I didn't either. (You'll note I'm not providing a direct link to the video. If anyone wants to see it, they can surely find it but I don't even feel comfortable linking to it.) Anyway, sight unseen, I agree it's what we all know it is...and I don't see that it makes the torture photos any easier to take. As others have noted, we expect more decent behavior of our soldiers than we do of "militant islamo-fascists." Our expressed outrage about the former might also cause such actions to be stopped, whereas the islamo-fascists aren't about to bow to American public pressure.

My above-quoted correspondent goes on to make some insulting remarks and to say that he used to enjoy my comic book and TV writing but apparently won't anymore. I think it's silly to link those things to this, too.

• Posted at 11:21 AM · LINK

Today's Political Rant

The other day, John Kerry got what must be the worst news he's had in a while: Pollster John Zogby is predicting that Kerry will win the presidency in November. Why is this bad news? Well, have you followed Zogby's track record? This is the man who in the New York Senate race of 2000 said it was too close to call and predicted "I think we're looking at a one point race." He said this the day before the election and the next day, Hillary Clinton beat her opponent 56%-44%. You and I could have just picked numbers out of a hat and been more accurate.

So if Zogby was that far wrong the day before an election, why should anyone listen to him a month before it, let alone six? I dunno. The bigger question to me is why he is climbing out on this limb now. At the moment, every poll shows Kerry and Bush pretty much tied, given the margin of error. If I were a nationally-known pollster who earned his income on the basis of accurate projections, I don't think I'd be calling it for a guy who doesn't have a lead — or even a running mate — no matter what my numbers indicated.

Zogby qualifies his forecast noting that "anything can still happen" and that Kerry could blow it. Obviously, this is so. We can all imagine dozens of things that could happen in the next six months including another terrorist attack, the capture of Osama Whatzisname, more revelations like the Abu Ghraib ones, Halliburton-related scandals...and of course, every candidate will say a couple of really, really stupid things that their opposition will successfully exploit. But doesn't the fact that "anything can still happen" only point up the futility of a prediction this far in advance? Especially during a volatile year for this country? I still think that when we look back at the election of November, 2004, we'll say it hinged on events that occurred in the few months before the vote.

Speaking of premature predictions: Some time ago here, I predicted that John Kerry's running mate would be Bill Richardson, the governor of New Mexico. I hereby withdraw this prediction. Since then, Republicans have hammered Kerry on being a pro-choice Catholic. I don't think that's a serious charge but I think it is a distraction Kerry doesn't need...and he therefore doesn't need another pro-choice Catholic on the ticket with him. My guess now would be Dick Gephardt who's a boring speaker but who could be of use in winning Ohio, Missouri and Iowa. If Kerry can win those states, he'll probably win the Oval Office. Personally, I'd rather see John Edwards because I think he's a more interesting speaker.

• Posted at 2:33 AM · LINK

Speaking of Great Voice Actors...

Over on my Cartoon Voices page, we have articles devoted to some of the great animation voice thespians, including Daws Butler, Mel Blanc and June Foray. Once a week or so, someone writes to ask, "When you are going to put up something about Paul Frees?" He was certainly in that category. In his day, he did as many cartoons as any man alive, and was darn near ubiquitous in commercials, narration and even the redubbing of other actors in movies. So he certainly deserves attention but, as I write the folks who ask why I haven't done an article on him, I never really met Paul Frees (only once on the phone) and have never felt I knew enough about him to write anything worth reading.

Fortunately, someone else does and has. I'm just enjoying Welcome, Foolish Mortals... which is subtitled, "The Life and Times of Paul Frees," a much-needed book by Ben Ohmart. It has an intro by June Foray, who played Natasha when Paul played Boris Badenov. It has an outro by Keith Scott, an amazing Australian voice talent who has since assumed some of Paul's roles. And in between, Ben tells us who Paul was, how he worked, how he lived...everything. Much of this book is a recitation of parts that Frees played, and you'll find yourself saying, "I didn't know that was Paul Frees."

(Here's one Ben missed: Near the beginning of the movie Gigi, there's a scene where Louis Jordan has a scene with several men who have been skillfully redubbed by Guess Who.) If this kind of thing interests you, you need this book. The title, by the way, refers to the job many people identify with Paul: The host at Disneyland's Haunted Mansion.

You can purchase this new book from Amazon at this link or directly from the author's company at this link. Ordering from the second of these may cost you a buck or two more (and will not pay me my Amazon kickback) but personally, I always like to see as much of the money as possible going to the author. And while you're at it, also order Scenes For Actors and Voices, a collection of scripts written by the great Daws Butler and compiled into a book by Joe Bevilacqua and Ben. Here's the link for Amazon and here's the link for the publisher. Lots of good stuff at the latter site.

• Posted at 1:14 AM · LINK