Sunday, August 29, 2004

Today's Political Rant

I don't have a good feeling about the protest demonstrations that have already commenced in the avenues of New York. I think people have the right to protest, and there are times when they almost have the obligation...but I'm not sure I understand the goal here. Is the idea that the folks massing in the streets will cause either George W. Bush or the leaders of the Republican party to change policies? That ain't gonna happen. Or maybe the idea is that as Bush and Co. are inside Madison Square Garden, the protesters will be reminding America that a lot of G.O.P. claims — that they have the Iraq situation in hand or that we've "turned the corner" on the economy, to name two — are unsupported by the facts. That might make sense except that the Republicans will have little trouble arguing back that the marchers are a bunch of unAmerican lowlifes. (Five points to the first Fox News commentator who comments on their hair length, sexuality, drug use or personal hygiene.)

At a time when this country is appallingly polarized — what was that about being "a uniter, not a divider"? — I fear the protests will ratchet up the angry rhetoric, and maybe not in a constructive manner. A certain amount of America wants to believe in the institution of government over mob rule in the streets. If the choice is "Bush versus Kerry," they can get behind the idea that Kerry might be more competent because swapping a Republican for a Democrat does not threaten the very structure of our nation. But if it comes down to "Bush versus those rioting in the streets," emotions and sympathy can easily go to the guy in power. During the Vietnam War and its protests, I saw an awful lot of people gravitate to Johnson and then Nixon...and not because they really thought those men where leading the country in the right direction.

This was especially the case when protests turned violent. Even if the current ones don't, somewhere, someone's gonna take a swing at someone else. Somewhere, there will be blood to photograph. The press is dying to cover a riot because that makes for gripping television. And the G.O.P. is dying to portray the protesters as the kind of radical scum that Middle America abhors and to make the election be about that. I hope I'm wrong but my gut is telling me we're about to go back to '72 and the silly argument that a vote for the Republican incumbent is a vote against anarchy.

• Posted at 11:17 PM · LINK

On My Teevee

I enjoyed watching Frazetta: Painting With Fire, a documentary on the great illustrator, Frank Frazetta, which is now turning up on the Indepedent Film Channel. (Next airings: September 7) The 105-minute film features interviews with a couple dozen artists and Frazetta friends and families, including Neal Adams, Dave Stevens, John Buscema, Bill Stout, Al Williamson and Ralph Bakshi. They all talk at length about how great Frazetta is. There are a lot of chats with Frazetta himself. He talks at length about how great Frazetta is. I've always been a bit dubious at the suggestion that painting barbarians, even as well as Frazetta has, represents some high water mark of 20th century art...but once the film gets past that, it's an engrossing, sometimes touching portrait of an amazing artist. Of particular interest is the segment on Frazetta's struggle to keep creating art after a series of strokes robbed him of motor control in his right hand. He switched to his left and went on being Frazetta...and he's still better at it than all the others who've tried being Frazetta.

• Posted at 11:48 AM · LINK

Busted!

Last Friday evening, police in Toronto swooped down on a comic book convention, closed down one booth and arrested its operators...and not, like you might imagine, for selling Groo. Here are the details.

• Posted at 9:52 AM · LINK