Tuesday, November 22, 2005

11/22/63

For a long time in this country, November 22 was marked by TV specials in which the news media congratulated itself on the job it did covering the assassination of John F. Kennedy. That tradition seems to have faded and except for ten and five year anniversaries, the date is largely ignored. If you'd like to return to that fateful event in 1963, this web page offers an hour of radio from that day. It's what was broadcast on station KLIF in Dallas and it'll remind you of (or educate you to) the scary way the information dribbled out then. The first part of this recording is of bulletins interrupting some pretty ironic song selections.

For what it's worth, I went through a brief Conspiracy Theory period earlier in my life. Eventually, I settled down to the belief that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone and that all the anomalies in that scenario were explainable and far more likely than any tale of multiple gunmen. I also decided there was no point in debating the issue with those who were sure (and in some cases, too eager to believe) something else had happened. Each year, if we believe the polls, a teensy percentage of the population comes over to my view. At this rate, we should all be on the same page by November 22, 2163 — just in time for the self-congratulatory news specials that will air that day.

• Posted at 9:15 AM · LINK

Ten-Hut!

Later today, BBC Radio is airing a new documentary on Phil Silvers. They had one on a few months ago which I mentioned here but this one is hosted by Michael Palin. It should be accessible on this page at some point. Somebody let me know if you find a better link.

• Posted at 2:48 AM · LINK

Piano Man

Forgot to mention what Carolyn and I did Sunday evening. We went up to Royce Hall at UCLA to hear Ahmad Jamal make music for about ninety glorious minutes. Accompanied by the other two members of his trio — Idris Muhammad on drums, James Cammack on bass — he played and played and played, and the audience was very happy. There's something very comforting about being in the presence of someone who does something about as well as it can be done. It was also not lost on us that it was a 75 year old man, steeped in the history of jazz, who was up there on that stage displaying so much energy.

Apart from the yutz behind me who kept kicking the back of my chair and the walk up the Janss Steps to the plaza, I had a very good time. If Mr. Jamal and his accompanists come anywhere near you, go listen.

• Posted at 2:37 AM · LINK

Today's Political Rant

I assume you all saw the other day when Representative Jean Schmidt (R-OH) slammed Representative John Murtha with a letter from a former serviceman saying "Cowards cut and run. Marines never do."

I almost felt sorry for Ms. Schmidt. First, other Republicans pounced on her and made her retract her comments. She had to go to the mike, deny that she was referring to Murtha and ask that her comments be stricken from the record. Then other Republican Congressfolks went out and "defended" her by claiming she was unaware Murtha had been a decorated Marine. This is known as the "not rude, just ignorant" defense. Given the choice, I think I'd rather have people think I was rude. Finally, a spokesperson for the gentleman who wrote the letter she was quoting is now saying, "He did not mention Congressman Murtha by name nor did he mean to disparage Congressman Murtha...he feels as though the words that Congresswoman Schmidt chose did not represent their conversation."

In other words, everyone around this lady has opted to cut and run.

But you know what's really wrong with her statement? It's the introduction of the issue of "cowardice" into this whole discussion. It's a phony issue, first of all because it's irrelevant. If it's right for the U.S. to have an occupation in Iraq and to be doing whatever it is we're doing there, it's right. It's not a matter of anyone's bravery. God help us if we're only staying there to prove we're tough...or that our soldiers are tough...or that someone's tough.

Which brings us to the big question: Who's the alleged coward here? John Murtha because he doesn't want someone else to get killed? The man may be wrong but either way, it's kind of unlikely that he's going to die as a result of the U.S. staying or not staying in Iraq. Throughout history, a lot of very craven people have been perfectly happy to send others off to war. If anything, Murtha was showing a certain amount of bravery for taking a position that, he must have known, would have caused him to be attacked and insulted and investigated. (It also would not be an act of cowardice for our Marines and other troops to leave Iraq if that's what their leaders decide. Most deserters could be called cowards but I don't think that's who anyone was talking about here.)

It's arguments like this that make me agree with whoever said Politics is just high school with human lives on the line.

• Posted at 12:16 AM · LINK

November 23, 2005 • Current • November 21, 2005