Pearl Jam Boots!

I'm excited to report that I now own bootleg copies of the two Pearl Jam shows that occurred here in Grand Rapids, one this past May 19, the other back in October of 2004. And in the finest bootlegger's tradition, I'm willing to make copies available to my friends who may be interested in hearing 'em. If I have to recommend one, I'd say go with the '06 show, since the sound quality is better, but both concerts are great, if you like PJ that is. Just let me know and we'll work out the details.

That's about it. I'm just happy to have these recordings and want to share the joy with anyone who'd appreciate them like I do!

High School Graduation

Went to the commencement ceremonies at Wyoming Park High School last night. Since it had rained pretty hard in the afternoon, they moved the ceremony indoors, an unfortunate development since the gym was sweltering hot (the crowd was just one mass of people fanning themselves with their programs) and it turned out to be a pleasant evening before the thunder and lightning returned in the middle of the night.

None of my kids were graduating, but we know a lot of this year's crop and figured it would be good to come out and support them.

Here's a picture of Curt, his girlfriend Ashley and Laura. In a way, it was kind of fun to be there without having to focus so much on my own children... it allowed me to better appreciate the significant moment that graduation represents for so many families and to just enjoy being a part of the crowd without having to focus on my other relatives and all the detail management that comes with having your own high-school grad to think about. I could just look at all the families snapping photos of each other, listen to all the congratulatory sentiments being expressed (and offer a few of my own) and get a little contact buzz from all the happiness and feeling of accomplishment that filled the campus after we were able to escape the confines of the gym and the tedium of so many cliches and conventionalities uttered during the ceremony itself.

I also got to see two former clients who I worked with at Wedgwood a few years ago make the walk and receive their diplomas. That was a good feeling too - one girl especially came to us in such rough shape back then, and it is remarkable to see her now. She's moved on from the program I used to supervise, into another home, but I feel like we were a big part of the process that got her to this point and it made me feel almost as proud as I did when my three oldest kids crossed the podium in 2003 and 2005.

Derek is due for a 2008 ceremony, so we can hold off on planning the open house for a little while longer...

"Incarnation" Bits 1: Updike on Matthew

Over on Julie's blog, a few posts down from where she's currently at, I commented in her "whatcha readin'?" query that I'm working through a volume titled Incarnation, a collection of articles on the New Testament written by various literary figures who were prominent in the late 80's. I found the book at a library clearance sale and I would like to share some samples from the text that may be of interest to people who read this blog either on purpose or by accident.

So here's a quote from John Updike on the gospel of Matthew. I'll offer more of these samples from time to time...

"In the Lutheran Sunday school I attended as a child... I was a mediocre student... But I was impressed by the saying that to lust after a woman in your own heart is as bad as actual adultery and deserving of self-mutilation, because it posited a world, coexistent with that of trees and automobiles and living people around me, in which a motion of the mind, of the soul, was an actual deed, as important as a physical act. And I took in the concept that God watches the sparrow's fall - that our world is everywhere, at all times, in every detail, watched by God, like a fourth dimension. Some of the parables - the one in which foolish virgins or ill-paid vineyard workers are left to wail in outer darkness - puzzled and repelled me, in their sketches of the dreadful freedom that reigns behind God's dispensations. But the parable of the talents bore a clear lesson for me: Live your life. Live it as if there is a blessing on it. Dare to take chances, lest you leave your talent buried in the ground. I could picture so clearly the hole that the timorous servant would dig in the dirt, and even imagine how cozily cool and damp it would feel to his hand as he placed his talent in it."

Next: Mary Gordon on Mark!

Tom Otterness Sculptures swarm across G.R.

Julie and I went for a date/stroll around downtown Grand Rapids last night, enjoying a beautiful springtime evening by walking around to check out the riverfront...



...a couple of high-profile new buildings under construction...


The new J.W. Marriot luxury hotel


A new art museum supposedly opening this fall, but it seems to be coming together slowly.

...and enjoy a nice Asian dinner on the sidewalk of the Monroe Center.



Though I'd seen a few pictures in the paper, I hadn't fully grasped the details of a summer sculpture installation that recently popped up for everyone to enjoy. Sculptor Tom Otterness has placed 35 original works of art at various spots around the downtown area and elsewhere. I took pictures of those that happened to be along our path, and here they are, in a collage format...



The statues are mostly pretty small and whimsical, even a little bit on the saucy side. Given Grand Rapids' well-known conservatism, I'd be surprised if someone hasn't registered a complaint about the "woman on top" pose you see in the lower left corner (even though she doesn't seem all that aroused, reading her book and all...) But some controversy has erupted about what I figure has to be the largest piece that Otterness installed, which is depicted below, with me sitting on its outstretched legs.



The cause of the controversy over this portrayal of "Gulliver" (notice the Lilliputian standing on his palm, holding the key that would unlock him from the bondage that the wee ones have imposed on him) is that the statue was placed in a so-called "sacred triangle" that is home to the City's recently-restored-after-decades-of-neglect Civil War monument. Here's an article about the situation (that will probably disappear pretty soon from the MLive website.) And here's another one, following up with the mayor's statement on the flap.

Here's a small photo I found of the monument before it was restored, from a website that sought contributions and support for the now-completed restoration project.



Neither Gulliver nor any other works of art have any place in the vicinity of the monument, according to some regulations on the books and the sense of reverence that both the monument's creators and restorers want to maintain. However, what's done is done, and I personally don't think that the monument has been compromised, much less desecrated.
I'm all for anything that brings an air of lightness and unconventionality to our community's cultural life, which is actually pretty interesting compared to the Grand Rapids I grew up in back in the mid-70's, when "interesting places to go and do things" became a bigger priority for me.

So I hope you get a few smiles from the pictures. I may go hunt some more of them down now that I have a map!

Reply from Rep. Ehlers

Awhile back, I posted a letter I wrote to my U.S. Congressman, Vern Ehlers (R) from Michigan's 3rd District. He's paid me the courtesy of a reply, so I'm posting it here, as I said I would. I appreciate the obvious thought he put into it and the time he took to reflect on the questions I raised. I'm still not fully persuaded that he's as independent from the White House and his party leadership as he portrays himself to be, but his letter has made a favorable impression on me, I have to acknowledge that. Here's what he has to say:

Dear Mr. Blakeslee,

Thank you for your email, and I appreciate you following up with me after the town hall meeting. There were several people, as you know, who did not get an opportunity to ask their questions because there was such a good turnout and limited time availability. Thanks for your message and questions about Congress ceding too much power to the executive branch and about the President's policies. I appreciate knowing your views.

You asked whether or not I objectively and independently assess President Bush's policies. The short answer is yes. Because I am a moderate, both the Bush Administration and Republican Leadership seek my input, as well as that of my like-minded moderate colleagues, on legislation and often remove provisions to which we object. Many times, the public-at-large does not see these efforts, as the media and political organizations fixate on matters where they believe controversy lies.

My voting record also clearly shows that I have remained independent. I have voted contrary to the President's position more than anyone among the Michigan delegation's Republicans. For example, I voted against the first energy bill because I felt it gave too many tax breaks for fossil fuels when we should be supporting alternative energy sources. I also had strong reservations about the Administration's post-war planning efforts in Iraq and their funding proposals. Since the media is the main source of information for much of the public and these examples do not often come out, people can get the impression that I am beholden to the President or the Party. Clearly this isn't the case, as I am elected to represent the citizens of the Third District of Michigan.

I am, however, a strong supporter of Republican principles and priorities. As such, I usually side with Republican initiatives on limited government and strong moral values. I still have disagreements with my party while trying to achieve these goals, but I disagree with the Democrats' policies much more often than Republican ones. My voting record clearly reflects this fact. There is a difference between supporting your party because you believe in its goals and being beholden to it. This difference is often blurred by political organizations that are on the opposite side.

On the general question of executive and legislative power, as a Member of Congress, I am continually amazed at the prescience of the Founding Fathers in the brilliant design of our system of government. The checks and balances built into the framework of the executive, legislative and judicial branches are remarkable. We have seen over the 200+ years of the operation of our government a shifting of powers among and between the different branches, often depending on who was governing and what was happening in the nation and in the world. Regardless, the system has been stable and effective in governing.

There have been many books and articles written about the current state of affairs and the balance of power between the Congress and the Administration. There are some who are very concerned that the Congress has not asserted its responsibilities of oversight and review of the executive branch's actions and proposals. This includes many Members of Congress, both Republican and Democrat. I appreciate hearing your view on this matter. I think that the public elected its representatives to serve an important function in the legislative process and that we do have a responsibility to imprint our ideas and views through the legislative process. Unfortunately, sometimes our actions and involvement are not widely seen or reported to the public.

Thanks again for contacting me.
Sincerely,
Vernon J. Ehlers
Member of Congress

I'm Spiderman...

I found this on Rick's blog just now. It fits, so I'll share it here.

You are intelligent, witty,
a bit geeky and have great
power and responsibility.



Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

Pearl Jam: Live in Concert, Grand Rapids MI 5-19-06

Eddie Vedder looks pretty satisfied at the end of a long night's work. Basking in the adulation of thousands of screaming fans often has that confidence-boosting effect.

Even though it's only May, I think I can reasonably assume that I've seen the best live rock concert that I'll be privileged to witness in 2006. Since I worked the concession stand tonight, I should start by admitting that I pretty much missed the entire first half of the show, but things worked out nicely for me. I didn't have money-counting duties tonight (a fairly deliberate choice on my part, since I usually do) and that lack of extra responsibilities allowed me to check out from behind the counter earlier than usual, which resulted in free access to the long second half of the show (basically, everything that took place past two songs into the first encore - which, for a typical Pearl Jam show, is a lot more music than you might otherwise think!)

But before I get into describing the greatness of the band (and we'll have to see how adequately my words will be able to do that,) I'll say a bit more about the band in general and the night in particular.

Pearl Jam has been on my cultural radar for a number of years. Like most people, I first became aware of them somewhat vaguely during the emergence of the "grunge era" back in the early-mid 90's, when bands like Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots and Soundgarden were breaking out of the Seattle scene and injecting some much needed vitality and authenticity into a rock music scene that had become way too focused on show bizness and video-friendly hype. But I hadn't really given them a close listen until I bought the CD of their State College PA show, which I'd heard was PJ's "longest show ever" and for the price, a pretty good sampler of what the group was all about, I figured.

Then I got a chance to see them live on the "Vote for Change" tour in the fall of 2004. I got into that show for free because I had connections to the people who were working the voter registration tables. So I showed up, held clipboards for an hour, then got to walk into the back entry of the DeltaPlex and proceeded to get blown away by a full-force rock band the likes of which I hadn't seen in many years. You can read my impressions of that night here.

Returning to the "grunge era" topic... Not that these new bands were completely unaffected by the commercial aspects of being pop stars. Some embraced that but faded quickly like all other fads. Nirvana's central figure, Kurt Cobain, apparently got overwhelmed and psyched out by the ordeal to the point where he took his own life. And Pearl Jam, well, their story was kind of odd in that they seem to have taken their fame and popularity as more of a curse than a blessing. They strove mightily to remain uncommercial, dismissing any obvious pre-occupation with pumping out radio-friendly hits or broadly accessible albums that went according to the standard rock-n-roll formula. And so they simultaneously prospered (by working with the rules and priorities that they established for themselves) and faltered (by producing albums that contained enough quirkiness and stumbling experimentation to lead to ever-diminishing album sales as fewer habitual CD buyers found reasons to pick up the latest PJ because of the wierd stuff that would have to be skipped over.)

Along the way though, through their battles with TicketMaster (the monopolistic overseer of national-scale touring operations) and other skirmishes with the corporate overlords, PJ found a way to do something increasingly rare in the world of big-time rock bands - maintain a truly indie sensibility even as the band matured, settled into a comfortable routine and most importantly, remained essentially intact over the long haul, an accomplishment remarkably rare among their peer group. They are widely seen as the "last band standing" among the groups that broke out in the 1990's. Who else can you think of that is still making vital new music among that company?

In 2000, the band did something utterly unique and remarkable by releasing every concert they played on their world-wide tour (72 dates in all) on commercially available CDs. This had never been done before, at least by a band of their stature. I consider this to be a remarkable stroke of luck and/or genius on their part, because I think this move contains the key to their longevity and the remarkable connection they've established with their fan base. They basically became emblematic as the one band willing to lay it all out there for the whole world to see, and by doing so, provided a fresh alternative (and a genuine alternative, not "alternative" as a style) to the glut of pre-packaged, micro-managed, overly processed entertainment acts out there competing for consumer dollars.

They repeated this experiment in 2003 with a fresh batch of live CDs from another world tour, but now, with the advent of internet downloads, they have taken their musical distribution to a new level, offering next-day downloads of their concerts to fans from their official website. Of course, a lot of these recordings go on to be distributed "for free" between friends, but I am confident that the band is getting paid handsomely for their willingness to put the tunes out there. And a major reason as to why these concerts are all worth considering for purchase by fans is that they never play the same setlist twice.

So what other major bands does this remind you of? The Grateful Dead come to my mind. Today's Grand Rapids Press review mentioned Phish, but I think the Dead started this thing and deserve credit for establishing the template. PJ are IMO a much harder rocking band than either of the two I just mentioned, so they have a niche unto themselves, but the groove and the moveable feast that their fans have created certainly bear significant similarities. I think that a lot of PJ's fans like the fact that Pearl Jam themselves wear their own hearts on their sleeves when it comes to the bands that they love - notably, the Who, the Ramones, the Buzzcocks, Neil Young and pretty much all the groups that paved the way for PJ's own blend of gnarly thrash and funky-chunky riffing.

The band's attention to some of the rapidly-vanishing touches that characterized the golden age of rock also makes them distinctive in today's environment. They commission artists to create original posters for each concert they perform (which of course become desirable collectors items on a flourishing secondary market.) They load their album packaging with illustrated lyric booklets and won't be caught dead packaging their products in plastic jewel cases, opting instead for paper-based (better for the environment, you know.) They are certainly well-known for being outspoken on political issues, which led them to participate in the 2004 "Vote for Change" tour that sought to mobilize opposition to President Bush's re-election. (Which it did, only there were still too many people who were unable to see through the fog of confusion and deception and still voted for the guy anyway.) And when it comes to the music, they have shown over the course of their career, a discerning, cultivated sense of taste that incorporates elements of all the sub-genres of rock that preceded them - rootsy r'n'b, British invasion pop, heavy metal, pub rock, acoustic folky touches, psychedelia, punk, arena rock and so on. Pearl Jam can sound authentic and skillful in each of these styles, giving their music an eclectic sheen that always keeps things interesting and just a bit unpredictable.

Anyway, enough with the background info on the band. Perhaps you know all this about Pearl Jam, and more - there's plenty more to be said, but you want to know about Friday's show. I'm getting to it.

Let me start by describing the crowd. I've seen a lot of audiences over the past couple years of working these shows at Van Andel Arena, and this group was by far the most likeable, accessible, relatable bunch that I've seen - in other words, these are the people most like myself! The Springsteen audience was pretty cool too, and there are a lot of other crowds that I've enjoyed, but this time, I just saw a lot of folks who were more or less cut out of the same cloth as I am, though I am a few years older (or more) than most. There weren't too many teens there though. It was a mostly 20 - 30 something crew. All white. Mostly working class or lower-tier professionals - not much obvious "dress-up" going on, unlike say, the Metallica, Motley Crue, Aerosmith, Van Halen or Def Leppard audiences. I suppose that a Pearl Jam audience has its own "uniform" (mostly jeans and band t-shirts or some other fairly casual, unassuming upper-body wear) but no obvious fashion statements. Other than tattoos. One can see in the picture at the top of this post that the band has the same approach to its wardrobe selection. I took it at the end of the concert. Mike McCready had on some kind of checkered pants, and Jeff Ament's pants were cut a few inches above the ankle, but otherwise, the band could have exchanged clothing with most any member of the audience and no one would have noticed the difference. And the bespectacled-software-engineer look of Stone Gossard really seemed incongruous to my image of hard-rockin' guitarists, but I saw a lot of guys in the audience who had that same "brainy rock aficionado" affect, and I suppose that could be described as my style as well, with or without the goatee.

Another odd anomaly worth mentioning before I get into reviewing the band itself is that a lot of the guys in the arena were suffering a serious conflict of interests, as the Detroit Pistons were playing a crucial Game 6 in their NBA playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Basically, it was "win or go home" for them, and the game was a close nail-biter the whole way. Our concession stand has a TV parked just off to the corner on the outside, and we saw a huge, enthusiastic crowd gather while the opening band (My Morning Jacket) was playing. The drama of the game was such that the crowd remained and even grew after Pearl Jam began playing! Fortunately for the faithful die-hards, the Pistons did win the game, so the 60 or 80 or so who stuck out the game until the buzzer sounded were able to celebrate with a lusty roar, then dash into the arena to fully enjoy the rest of the program. I did marvel at the number of people who paid $60 a ticket to stand in the concourse watching a basketball game on TV, but they paid their money and made their choice and it was certainly a lively, energized scene while it lasted.

OK, now, finally, I get around to describing the show! As I said, I got to watch the show from the middle of the first encore until the end. They opened with a curious choice, "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town," a mid-tempo, wistfully reflective number that didn't exactly light up the place, though it's a cool enough song in its own right. What I heard of the beginning was a pretty solid collection of hits, featuring the first pair of singles from their new CD, "World Wide Suicide" and "Life Wasted." They are both pretty crisp, fluent rockers, probably not all that difficult for these guys to play, but fun and catchy once they get into your head. Other, older tracks like "Even Flow" and "Daughter" found their way into the mix. But since I was pretty busy catering to customers, I'll have to leave it at that.

When they came out for the encore, Eddie Vedder spoke to the crowd about "experimenting" with them, which in PJ parlance indicates that they are going to perform some rarely-played numbers from their back catalog. This wound up producing a fairly quiet, meandering "acoustic set" of tunes that were probably unfamiliar to a significant portion of the crowd who were there mainly to see a famous rock band. However, this is where Pearl Jam's marketing savvy comes into play. You see, Grand Rapids is probably one of, if not the, smallest towns they'll play on the American leg of their tour. So it made for a perfect spot to plug in some obscurities that will no doubt boost the sales of concert downloads for this particular show! If you doubt this, I invite you to check out the comments made by some die-hard fans on the band's message board. These kids (I really hope that none of them are much older than, say, 25 or so) go to some embarrassing extremes to demonstrate their enthusiasm over the mere mention of certain song titles that Pearl Jam has chosen to perform live on stage! Now, did those songs sound so orgasmically terrific to those of us actually sitting there listening to them? Well, I can say for myself that I didn't lose control of any bodily functions, but I did appreciate the band's willingness to take some risks and make the show a unique one. I intended to download the concert in any case, but I imagine a lot of their fans in other areas will give this one serious consideration as well.

The set concluded with a return to form as they trotted out "Crazy Mary" (with Vedder passing his wine bottle to a fan in the front row, who took a few hits off it, then passed it around to others until it was empty, after which, I'm sure some kind of crucial decision was made about who got to keep the bottle.) Then they broke into "Alive" which basically proves to be one of the greatest rock anthems of all time, as 22,000 hands stretched high and 11,000 voices rang out "Oh-oh-oh-oh I'm still alive!" as if their on-going existence had been recently been seriously imperiled. Then it was time for another encore break.

After a few minutes of cheering, during which the unsuspecting working people at the arena realized that the show was still not over, the band came out one more time, and this is when the show kicked up to a new and transcendent level. No, not transcendent - tran-splendent! (Remember that scene in Annie Hall where Shelly Duvall was going on and on about Bob Dylan, and she used that word while Woody Allen rolled his eyes helplessly? Well, this is what she was trying to evoke.) Vedder said that they were done "experimenting" and were going to drive it home now, and that's what they did, with a blazing barrage of fast numbers including "Do the Evolution," "Comatose" (from their new album, which sounds a lot like AC/DC at the beginning,) "Satan's Bed" and "Blood." Finally, they finished with a birthday salute to Pete Townshend by covering the Who's "Baba O'Reilly" and wrapping it all up with their traditional closer "Yellow Ledbetter" which is basically a group sing-along accompanied by McCready's robust guitar-noodling, an emotionally evocative tune with lyrics that don't really say anything but somehow stir the sentiments anyway.

So it was a three hour, 31-song outing. Not too many groups put forth so much effort on a nightly basis. But it does occur to me that Pearl Jam have perfected their skills and have, amazingly enough, arrived at a plateau where they just might have the staying power to keep the rock and roll fires burning for another 15 years or more. Who'da thunk it back when "grunge bands" were just the next phase to come along at a time when it seemed like rock would always be at the heart of contemporary pop music?


"Good night, everyone! We'll see a couple thousand of you all at our next stop in Cleveland tomorrow evening!"

Quickie Da Vinci Code Review

I've had an interesting day. I went to see "The Da Vinci Code" this afternoon and I saw Pearl Jam in concert tonight! Pretty cool, if you want to know my opinion. My Pearl Jam write-up will have to wait until tomorrow, but it was a fantastic, impressive, convincing performance. A truly special evening of contemporary rock music "as good as it gets." I really felt like I was watching an epic-quality band performing a show for the ages at the peak of their powers, but that's all I'll say about it now.

So my brief take on DVC is that reports of the movie's awfulness are highly exaggerated. I'm not really sure why the critics were so hard on it, unless they just didn't like all the hype surrounding the project and feel some need to want to level the playing field by discouraging people from seeing the film. My interest was held throughout, there were some nice visuals and atmospherics and the subject matter was handled with respect and a fair amount of deftness, given the contrived talkiness necessary to explain what was going on to viewers who didn't have the benefit of a printed page sitting in front of them.

Perhaps one reason that I found the movie intriguing and enjoyable is that unlike a lot of viewers, I enjoy the chance to discuss in depth the kinds of historical and theological conundrums that are at the heart of the story. I was also fine with the fairly straightforward and non-edgy handling of the material - though I could also see myself enjoying a film on these topics that took more risks or pushed the viewer harder in different ways, I didn't "need" the movie to go that far for it to satisfy me. I like the simple fact that such a film was made and presented to a mass audience, and I think that it dutifully accomplishes the task set before it of bringing a widely read text into a new medium and adapting in a way that pays proper respect to the source.

Some people will not like the film, whether its because of the theological questioning that goes on in it, or because it's not cinematically compelling enough to get a positive reaction from an audience that probably demands a lot from their films. Some of the criticism I've read took Ron Howard and most of the cast to task for not making the project "fun" enough, or creating a lighter, brisker tone. I am really not sure how that could have been done, considering the night time setting of so many scenes and the grim circumstances that many of the characters find themselves in. I'm glad they didn't make it campier or with some kind of quirky ironic or action-flick attitude. Really, I think that a lot of critics just developed some kind of a chip on their shoulder about the movie and let the harpoons fly - and it may be the case that others are following their lead and just piling on. Or perhaps some kind of a mindset and reputation has begin to attach itself to the project and there's little that can be done to alter it by now. All I can say now (since I don't want to get into any spoiler territory at this time) is that I left the theater with a smile on my face and a feeling that I had gotten what I came for. I would even be happy to sit through it again in the near future, and I think there is a good chance that I'll add the DVD to my collection, especially if they throw in a nice bonus disc filled with background materials, documentaries and any other resources that allow for further exploration of the facts behind the fiction.

Ray McGovern: Speaking Truth to Power

Last Thursday night, I went to the Wealthy Theater in Grand Rapids to hear retired CIA analyst Ray McGovern give a talk in what was once hoped to be a joint appearance with West Michigan Congressman and Chair of the House Intelligence Committee Pete Hoekstra (R). Hoekstra backed out after a recent visit from McGovern where he showed up wearing an orange jumpsuit and returning a distinguished service medal that he'd been awarded earlier in his career with the CIA.

McGovern and Hoekstra have differing views on the war in Iraq and President Bush's exercise of executive powers, especially as they pertain to intelligence gathering both here in the USA and abroad. Needless to say, they also have different opinions about the degree of ethical integrity that was exercised in the lead-up to the war. McGovern speaks with the quiet, dignified authority of an informed insider who understands clearly what kinds of maneuvers and power plays were employed in order to sell the public and elected officials on the necessity of an invasion of Iraq. And given the disastrous consequences of this war, McGovern has taken it upon himself to confront, as best he can, those who bear the largest share of the responsibility for these circumstances. Earlier this month, he got a substantial blip of media coverage for squaring off with Donald Rumsfeld with blunt directness in the middle of a public speech by the Secretary of Defense. Confronting Rumsfeld with his own words, he left the architect of this war stammering for words and denying what he had said, in public and on video, just three short years ago. McGovern's preparedness for this encounter was so thorough that the fact-checkers at CNN were actually surprised to discover that they could poke no holes in McGovern's recollections, and that got him a prime time guest spot with Paula Zahn. Wow, aren't you impressed? :o)

Anyway, here are my notes from the talk, jotted down, somewhat incomplete, but they give a sense of what the man has to say and perhaps they can have the effect of getting you to consider what you might be able to do as a responsible citizen in our society in response to the war in Iraq and the on-going transformation of our understanding of things like "civil liberties," "privacy," "truthfulness and accountability in government," and other quaint notions that may or may not be so relevant in this 21st century war on terrorism era that we inhabit.

I'm going to give you the raw shorthand version, but please comment if there's anything you'd like me to expand on.

27 years in CIA as an analyst (not a spy)
CIA's purpose - to give non-political, non-partisan straight talk to government officials - a source that the president should not have to worry about saying the right thing to curry favor with power.

McGovern recaps the lies that were employed to justify war in Iraq:

yellow cake uranium transaction from Niger to Iraq
aluminum tubes that C. Rice stated "could only be used for atomic purposes"
smoking gun "in the form of a mushroom cloud"
State Dept. informed Powell that no evidence of nuclear program starting in Iraq had been found - which Powell ignored.
Downing St. memo - "the facts are being fixed around the policy"

Greg Thielman - "no such thing as the perfect crime"

Nuremberg perspective - a country that initiates a war of aggression has committed the "supreme military crime"

war crimes-accumulated evil-torture

quote of Bush post-9/11 "I don't care what international lawyers say, we're going to kick some ass" (source: Richard Clarke, "Against All Enemies")

John Walker Lindh - got 20 years imprisonment in exchange for signing off a statement that he had not been tortured in his interrogation by US military and government. 20 years was a light sentence compared to what he was facing without the sign-off.

Alberto Gonzalez/David Eddington - memorandum that exempts al Qaeda and Taliban prisoners from Geneva Convention

6 reasons to not torture:

1. Reinforces poor image of USA
2. Endangers our troops - physically, emotionally, spiritually - mentions McCain, who drew strength during his ordeal that "at least my country doesn't do such things." Can our military prisoners have such confidence now?
3. Brutalizes the brutalizer
4. Torture doesn't work (flawed results, hear what victim thinks you want to hear)
5. Morally, intrinsically wrong (like rape and slavery)
6. Recruiting tool for al Qaeda and other anti-American groups

Uzbekistan has been a destination for some detainees, where they are tortured and info extracted is given back to USA/UK, "supposedly" not in violation of UN Human Rights charter.

"Black prisons" - incognito prisoners - identity and destinations unknown

Warrantless eavesdropping is not the problem - the ones being denounced are those who leak the truth of what's happening.

Mary McCarthy - fired for supposedly leaking to Dana Priest mere weeks before her retirement even though McCarthy denies being the source. Made an example of, one of Porter Goss' last acts before he resigned.

Legislation to revoke pensions of retirees who are found to have leaked or otherwise compromised national security. CIA given authority to make warrantless arrests - a thoroughly unprecedented move for the agency to take on police-like powers, esp. internally in USA. McGovern likens this intentional effort to silence and stifle dissent to fascism.

Michael Hayden - nominee to replace Goss as DCI - throughout his career impressed colleagues by his strict adherence to the NSA's "11th commandment" - "Thou Shalt Not Monitor the Conversations of Americans"

But "9/11 changed everything" - Cheney declared "we're going to have to get into the black stuff." Hayden's been nominated to head CIA because he'll do what he's told.

Thomas Aquinas lamented fact that there's no word for the "virtue of anger." All other virtues indicate a middle point between the two extremes of vice, but there's no such term that adequately summarizes the moderation between raging fury and unreasoned patience. "How much needs to happen before we get truly angry?"

Quoting a member of the resistance to National Socialism in Germany - these words were found in a poem he wrote as a statement of confession, which McGovern read in German, then translated:

"I'm guilty, but it's not what you think. It's earlier that I should have realized my duty. I should have spoken out louder."

Here's another report of McGovern's lecture from a local alternative media outlet. To my knowledge, neither the local paper nor TV news covered McGovern's visit.

Running Around Like Crazy

No time for blogging the past few days as I've been pretty constantly on the move here and there. Let's see, I think it started on Wednesday, when I was supposed to have attended a day-long CPR training session, but it got postponed until next week which creates some inconvenience for my schedule that I'll just have to deal with I guess. That gave me an opportunity to get some things done at work, where I made calls trying to coordinate speakers to come talk to our staff about what's happening in the world of teenage street gangs these days and current trends in substance addiction among youth in our area. After work that night, I went to hear Ray McGovern speak, which I'll have to summarize more properly soon (but not now.) That pretty much filled my night.

Thursday I led a CPR training in the morning and listening skills in the afternoon. Then I went to a concert of the Wyoming Park Concert Band where my son Derek plays saxophone and a few of the students that I know were performing for the last time as they are soon to graduate from high school. The rest of that evening was spent socializing with relatives after the concert.

Friday morning I had to leave earlier than usual and drove up to Muskegon to present a Therapeutic Interventions class to a group of around 20 foster parents in the afternoon. It was a day-long conference, so I attended a class on working with GLBTQ teens in foster care, which also deserves a longer description here than I have time to give, so I'll get back to it - keep me accountable! Upon finishing my class, John (my co-presenter) and I drove back to Grand Rapids. I went into the office for a minute, checked my messages, stopped to fill up for gas ($2.99 per gallon!) got a hamburger and iced tea for the road, and headed off to Spring Arbor to pick up Curt and move him and all his stuff back home. That was a couple hour drive there and back, and when we got back home, it was rainy (weather's been yuck the past few days) but we hauled it all into the basement and laundry room and went upstairs to discover Julie and Derek were watching King Kong (the new version) so we settled down into that. Talk about being part of a food chain...

And now it's Saturday morning, the house is a mess, we need to go over our bills and basically I'm just filling the gap here explaining what all has kept me away from this blog, the discussion list and most everything else computer-related the past few days, other than the odd quickie comment I drop here or there when I take a few minutes to check out messages and blog updates.

OK Gotta GO!

My Meeting With Rumsfeld - by Ray McGovern

I heard a talk by the author of this article tonight. He's in Grand Rapids today, after getting national media attention in Atlanta last week. I'll have more to say about his comments tonight when I get a chance to blog it tomorrow, but I have other things to do now. But this article is pretty good for starters!

My Meeting With Rumsfeld - by Ray McGovern

Beautiful Weekend

This past Saturday and Sunday were about as good as it gets for fans of springtime weather. Here are a few pics of how I spent the time.



Splitting logs in my mom's back yard on Saturday.



Playing disc golf at Jaycee Park in Kentwood on Sunday.



What form! What follow-through!



I handed the camera over to Julie and Lys so they took the liberty of snapping pics of the cute little wildflowers popping up here and there in the woods.





I hope it's sunny and warm over in your part of the world (unless you live in the southern hemisphere and need the cooler temperatures to keep your ecosystem in balance...)

Vern Ehlers Visits Grand Rapids

I went to go sit in on a town hall meeting yesterday with my local congressional representative, Vern Ehlers (R), who represents the cross-shaped 3rd District in Michigan. I have somewhat conflicted thoughts about his performance as a legislator. On one hand, I think he is a "nice enough guy," a former science professor at Calvin College who is more in touch with environmental issues than most Republicans, whose personality and temperament reflect the image and populace of his Kent County constituency. He also is pretty good about responding to emails that I've sent him and this appears to be a consistent priority for him. But for the most part, he has been pretty ordinary as a congressman and seems pretty pliable when GOP leadership leans on him to toe the part line. He supported the war in Iraq and doesn't give the impression that he has a serious desire to address the numerous corruption issues and unchecked expansion of executive power that have been the hallmark of the current Republican majorities since President Bush assumed power in 2001. When it comes right down to it, I'd like to see him replaced with someone who is more in touch and willing to challenge the status quo, since I don't see much chance of him changing his approach at this stage of his career. But Grand Rapids has a solid Republican base, he has no primary challengers, and the Democrats have generally only sent up "token opposition" candidates over the years, effectively limiting our options. But we'll see who they can put on the ballot this year.

Media Mouse has a good write-up of the event if you want to get more details of what Ehlers had to say. A number of my colleagues in the local peace movement were there, some dressed in outrageous pink clothes and wigs (representing the Code Pink women's peace organization.) They were conspicuous enough that Ehlers never called on any of them. But at one point, he asked a question of a woman who made her point about encouraging him to push for paper records from electronic voting machines, since he chairs the committee that will hold that hearing. After making her statement, she handed the microphone to a prominent anti-war activist that Ehlers tried to dismiss because he hadn't been properly called on. It was an interesting moment of tension that I think the activist handled quite well by not grand-standing or provoking a confrontation, but simply asking Ehlers what he thought about a war that was and is illegal, was based on false pretenses and fails to meet the objectives that its advocates told us would result from a US invasion and occupation of a sovereign nation. Ehlers did choose to respond to the basic question of Iraq, but his response was a bland variation on "we'll have to wait and see, but in the meantime stay the course, hope the new Iraqi government is effective and successful, etc. etc. etc." Of course there are no easy answers at this point, but I remember Ehlers speaking of how he struggled with whether or not to support the war back in 2003. To me it seems that if he had really struggled with it back then, he ought to be profoundly disappointed and even outraged about it now, since so much of what he was led to believe has turned out to be wrong. The only people who I think can really defend this war are those who are too invested in defending the Bush legacy or their own stubborn insistence on being right to admit that this is a tragic blunder of major historic consequence for the United States as well as the people of Iraq. I just heard this morning that the morgues are packed to overflowing in Baghdad, with upwards of 4800 civilians dead so far this year as a result of sectarian violence and rampant crime. Freedom is on the march?!?!?

After he began taking questions from the audience, I raised my hand to ask Rep.Ehlers the following question: "Recent public opinion polls indicate that President Bush's job approval rating is currently in the low 30% range. Given that roughly two-thirds of Americans are dissatisfied with the president, how can you defend or explain his on-going efforts to expand the powers of the executive branch, relying heavily on secrecy and legal maneuvering to avoid accountability and openness toward the American people? My sense is that the Congress has little interest in confronting the president or keeping him in check. Given this administrations poor track record across a wide range of issues, it should be apparent that the time has come for stronger congressional leadership that takes seriously the needs and interests of the working and middle class citizens of this country, rather than the deep-pockets benefactors who have basically written their own legislative agenda and had it enacted by Congress."

Rather than call on me, he gave others a chance to speak their own version of truth to power. One guy got up and came close to ranting - his opening statement was "I don't have any problems - all I have is answers, and if you want some help solving these problems that have been mentioned, I can help you, but it will take me more than ten minutes!" He then went on to describe his trade as an appliance repairman and his conviction that cheap imported washing machines and refrigerators that use cheap relay devices that break down too easily are "ruining America" and that this simply doesn't need to happen! He went on in this vein for a few minutes before Ehlers' aide came to collect the microphone. Ehlers was genial enough when he said he had to move on to other questions, to which the man replied, "I'm only getting started!" But he did hand over the mike without the need for further security interventions.

Another concerned citizen critiqued not only Ehlers but pretty much the whole government establishment for succumbing to the pernicious influence of "globalism," invoking a host of bogeyman issues like "recognizing international law" and the general hang-up these folks have with things like "tolerance" and "diversity" - reminding me that for every disgruntled liberal peacenik like myself among his constituents, Ehlers probably has to deal with griping from two or three right-wing holdovers from the heyday of the John Birch Society and Trilateral Commission conspiracy theorists. But the fact remains, I have a serious point to make here and I demand answers and actions! Those guys are just crackpots barking up the wrong tree.

Anyway, since he didn't call on me, I'm going to send him an email with my question. I'll post his reply here when I get it.

Bono in Grand Rapids: Complete Coverage Here (Updated)

No, I didn't go see him. I'm not inclined to pay $150 membership fee to the Economic Club of Grand Rapids to gain admission (I'd rather donate that money to IGE.) But since the U2 singer/Man of the Year/Successor in the line that runs from Jesus --> St. Francis of Assisi --> Gandhi --> Martin Luther King --> Bono was just a few miles away from my house the other day, I figure I have a duty to update all my readers on the bigger-than-usual happenings in this town. So follow the links and read all about it!

The Lead-up:

The Original Announcement

When Bono Comes to Town

Story Behind Bono's Visit Not Easy to Get

The Bono Bio

The Event Itself

Bono takes GR pulpit

WZZM 13 Grand Rapids - Bono in Grand Rapids Thursday

People Respond to Bono's Message

Bono sees hope for Darfur ‘breakthrough’ - MSNBC.com

Sound file (mp3 format, 11:46 portion, from the beginning, but not until the end.)

Some mini-mentions:

EARVOLUTION: Bono continues Africa

TomKat bet $40 million on forever (#2 item in column)

APP.COM - Saturday celebs | Asbury Park Press Online

People in the news: Vaughn, Aniston, Richie - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

and for reportage on U2's one and only visit to GR, back in 1981:

GR catches Bono on his way up

24 years ago: U2 played at Fountain Street Church

No Calvin Spoof this year. :o(

Check out this sad example of censorship, happening right here in Grand Rapids. The annual "spoof issue" published by the Calvin College Chimes, campus paper of Calvin College (where I earned my Bachelor's Degree, so this hits close to home for me!) has been blocked by a committee that found too much of their satirical, irreverent humor to be out-of-bounds. While it's obvious that this material would be provocative in the eyes of some of the more devout members of Calvin's constituency, this seems to me to be going way farther than a respectable and intellectually enlightened academic institution should accept for itself. Clearly, the influence of money and political clout lurks behind this decision. I think this kind of suppressive action on the college's part will ultimately work against its own credibility and interests, but in the meantime, some people who put creative effort into this project are inconvenienced and probably dealing with tougher ramifications as well. Even worse, there will undoubtedly be a chilling effect on future expressions that want to get into the realm of satire and controversial humor. That's a real shame - some kind of resistance to this effort to impose prudish (and highly conservative) standards on the Christian community is needed to keep things in balance. I hear some local rumors that money is being collected to do an independent publication so perhaps I'll be able to support the cause that way. But in the meantime... the material in question is available on-line! (And here's a link to the object of the parody - a daily devotional pamphlet called "Today - The Family Altar.") So give it a look and a download for yourself to see what all the fuss is about. I think it's pretty funny myself, what I've read of it so far! And I think the targets of the lampoon have earned this kind of attention!

Is something funny going on?

A week or two ago, I mentioned Brian McLaren's "Secret Message of Jesus" book that I'm hoping to buy soon, using a coupon from the Family Christian Stores for 25% off. However, the stores in my area have not had the book ever since I started dropping by to pick up my copy. Even though it's advertised in their catalog. I've spoken with store managers and given them my number to call when a shipment of the books comes in. They've also checked other stores in the area to see if they have copies in stock. No, they don't.

So I am just wondering if there is any kind of suppression or censorship happening here? Has Brian McLaren finally gone too far? I don't think that the book has anything all that horribly provocative to say, based on what I've read, but there are a number of denouncers out there who just might have some kind of clout within the FCS retail chain and have decided they don't want to give McLaren's book any visibility. It sounds a little paranoid, I know, without any real evidence to confirm it, but it does get me wondering why a newly published book by a well-known author would not show up on retail shelves for weeks after it was due to hit the market? There are a couple of old McLaren titles mixed into the general stock, but certainly nothing approaching the unmissable promotional displays that the store lavishes upon much more pedestrian and uninteresting works (subjectively speaking of course.)

I could just go buy a copy at another store but I am interested in following this thing to whatever conclusion it leads. I'll keep you posted.

Pearl Jam - New CD out today

I went out and bought the new Pearl Jam CD this afternoon and figured it's worth a mention here. I've only listened to about half the album - enough to cover the drive from work to home, roughly. It's sounding pretty good - a hard rocking collection of tunes, very punchy mix of guitars and drums, and very "straight ahead" which hasn't always been a feature of PJ albums in years past, where they were a lot more experimental and artsy, apparently in an effort to "not be too commercial." Apparently the band had a phobia of being too locked in to corporate formulas or any of the other trappings that so many performers fall into in the effort to sustain and increase the level of popularity that they had previously achieved. I think it's fair to say that they are free from such concerns now, and are content to put out some of the freshest sounding hard rock to be found on new releases these days. I have a hunch that I'm going to really enjoy this record a lot and that it will be getting more than the "random iTunes shuffle" rotation in my various music playing devices over the weeks ahead. And probably that can also be said about PJ's back catalog as well...

Pearl Jam is a band that's been around for a long time, but I did not get into their music all that much until after I saw them in October of 2004 (even though I had already for a few months at the time owned their live set from State College PA that they recorded in 2003.) Since that show, I've done a good job catching up with them - I now own a few more of their live bootlegs as well as their first three CDs, their "Rearviewmirror" greatest hits collection and rips of their other studio albums that I borrowed from the library. This is the first PJ product that I bought immediately upon release. I'll be seeing them in concert again (kind of) in a couple of weeks when I work at the arena on May 19. Reviews of the CD and the concert to follow!

Crooks and Liars

Crooks and Liars presents: Stephen Colbert!

This website has a copy of the increasingly popular video clip of Stephen Colbert's astonishing presentation at this past weekend's "White House Correspondent's Dinner." What made his comments more noteworthy than the usual routine that he pulls off so brilliantly on the late-night "Colbert Report" (remember to keep both t's silent!) was his audience, which included the President of the USA, members of his cabinet, many other examples of the high and mighty, as well as the fawning sycophantic press corps that has been way too beholden and passive in settling for a stenographers role over the course of the current administration.

Watch the clip on a stream or download it for posterity - it's one of the most potent political/satirical statements I've seen in a long time, maybe ever, given the timing and context of it all.