UNhappy Anniversary

One year ago today the Edward's Supreme Court decided a fateful ruling in Citizens United which eliminated all restrictions on corporate spending in elections.  Basically, the frightfully right-wing court sold out the soul of our democracy:  fair elections. 

Here's a question for the court:  if the constitution guarantees one vote per citizen-- how do shareholders of multiple corporations have their best interests represented multiple times by their corporate interests?  Not only is it not fair, it is not a way to operate a democracy.

We need to stop this.  New information just reached the surface that Justices Scalia and Thomas had, at the time of the ruling and still to this day, conflicts of interest that should have demanded they recuse themselves from ruling.  Scalia and Thomas! They each took oaths to uphold the constitution--not sell it out to the highest bidders of their choosing.

Scalia and Thomas have been featured guests at secretive political strategy sessions sponsored by Koch Industries, a multi-billion dollar conglomerate that has invested millions of dollars in political campaigns and causes. Koch Industries was a major beneficiary of the Citizens United decision, which overturned long-established law to permit corporations to spend unlimited amounts on political advocacy.

Please take action.  Here is a petition, a request, to the Justice Department to do a full investigation of this maleficence of justice.

Enjoy your day.  Don't celebrate this occasion.  Celebrate yourself for taking action to restore sanity to the highest court in our land.

Happy Festivus for the Rest of Us

This time of year is designed to be stressful and hence at least a tad disappointing.  In addition to all the year-end bookkeeping duties that anyone who pays taxes is too familiar with, we have overburdened ourselves with a competitive, consumerist mindset that could make the Pharaohs blush.  It's nonsense.  It doesn't really matter.  I have discovered that most people of substance prefer time spent creating happy memories.

Time, that is the commodity.  Happy memories are the rewards.

A writer for the famed 90s TV Show, "Seinfeld," Dan O'Keefe adapted a script for the half-hour sitcom from a tradition started by his father Daniel O'Keefe.  The father O'Keefe discovered the Festivus holiday in a 1966 book about obscure holidays.  Now, I don't promote the "airing of grievances" as a holiday tradition nor would I partake in the after dinner "feats of strength," as practiced in the fictional Costanza household.  I do however encourage finding your own way to celebrate.  Celebrate what you feel in your heart (and sometimes the work is in finding a feeling in your heart) with who you enjoy.

I applaud O'Keefe's idea to step outside the box and to unleash the chains of traditions.  Reexamine your habits and values and adjust what simply doesn't work.  If you can do nothing else, be brave with your own life.

Don't cave to societal pressures to spend what you can not afford or do what you resent or even to be anyplace where your heart is not safe and open.  I know this from experience.  It is a lovely thing to be free.  It is a fine day to be where I want to be and where I am wanted; and to appreciate the experiences that taught me the value in that.  I know the painful differences.

Continued blessings to us all.

PS - I just came across this lovely piece from The Christian Science Monitor (by way of Yahoo News)  with some simple, common sense down-home advise on staying sane and emotionally healthy all year round:

"Psychologists have found that happiness is positively linked to social connections that are substantial, not superficial. At a time when resources are scarce, we need to tap into a resource we already have in abundance: ourselves."

I repeat: substantial, not superficial.  We find what we seek.  We seek what we are.  We are our relationships.

Traveling to New Orleans?

When I think of New Orleans, I think music, food, fun, and some of the greats of American literature.  Check out Louis' literary pub crawl (it's a tour of sorts).  And please let us know what you think.

thanks for the love.  Stay safe out there in the holidaze madness.

What Morris Kight thought it might be like in 2010

In a 1976 radio interview with Jonathan N. Katz (this Jonathan Katz NOT that Jonathan Katz), Morris Kight said: 

"By the year 2010 the population will have doubled. If you believe that we're doing a lousy job now think what it'll be like with the decline of fossil fuel, deterioration of air and water, world wide wars. A lot of troubles are coming. Society can be conned into believing a lot of lies. Gays as sick or sinful is a lie. There are a lot of other lies."

As much as Kight loved being right, I can't imagine he'd be too happy about being this right.

Congratulations to all who voted

Another election season over.  California did right by the blues and rest of the country was given back to the reds.  If all is fair in love and war, than it's even more fair in an elected government.  We need to sit tight and let the people do their jobs.

Representatives from the tea party have been in office for less than 48 hours and they aren't complaining about Obama--yet.

Prop 19, though it didn't pass it proved that there are at least 47% of voters in favor of legalizing personal use of cannabis.  This has propelled the conversation forward in a huge way.  Recently, while going through some newspapers from 1970, I found a number of editorials calling for the death penalty for pot use.  So, this may not be the prize we hoped for--but it is huge progress.  Don't discount that and know that the initiative will be back on the ballot.

Interesting note about Prop 19, it didn't win Humboldt County.  Humboldt is the growing capital of the world for cannabis.  It is big business and family business in those parts and those folk scrutinized this bill.  Tells me, they didn't like the taxing aspect and that it was, in fact, a poorly written initiative.

Meg-a-bucks Whittman was told by the California voters what she can do with her almost 150 million dollars.  These were obscene amounts of money spent on this election, but Meg outdid all.  It's obscene because of the number of folk standing in food lines and sleeping on the streets.  She couldn't fix the world with her money anymore that she'd fix California with her "business expertise."

Glad to see Carly go away.

And oh so glad that California told those two Texas gazillionares what they can do with their oil.  There was a loud shout of "No on 23" heard throughout the state.

Game on.

Vote!

November 2 - get prepared, review your sample ballot, know the issues and understand your position.  It's your civic duty.  This is the only "homework" we really get in life--to effectively participate in our government.

I voted today.  I always vote early and vote by mail.  I enjoy the process.  I spent a little time online this afternoon researching the judicial appointments.  Most of these are "yes" or "no" votes (should they be elected to the office).  It can be a little complicated.  If you live in California, I found a cool website that helps you to "choose your judges," the three Supreme Court Justice choices.  It is a system, based upon your personal answers to a short survey, how you would likely vote based upon your values and preferences.

The rest of the judges, you're on your own.

If you're looking for some opposing views on the judges, this site is much more right-leaning than myself, but it's a good comparison and I use this as a "Reality Check," meaning that if this guy is for something then I'm generally not.

For the State Measures, there are some excellent resources with organizations recommendations.  My recommendation is for your to check out a few of these, compare them, and then check your own conscience and vote the way you truly want to see the world operate. 


League of Women Voters go over the Measure quite thoroughly, you can get a lay-man's understanding of the issues and the impacts.

Go beyond your comfort level a little this time.  I am a big proponent of dismantling the two-party system and we'll do that not by creating a three-party system.  We'll dismantle the two-party system by not supporting the parties.  Support the candidate, the idea, the value system, support the hair cut if you must.  But be willing to see beyond your party lines. 

The most important thing is- Vote.

Los Angeles Irish Film Festival

Thursday, the last day of September 2010, was a huge successful festive kick-off to the fourth LA Irish Film Festival at the new location for the Academy of Motion Picture, Arts and Sciences (on Vine Street in Hollywood). 

The festival kicked off with two rare silent films, great finds from the archives, with an original musical composition by the extremely talented Eimear Noone.  From 1914 is a film about the story (one of the many stories) of Ireland's fight for independence using patriot Father Tom Murphy, who had a price on his head, and the famed Irish leader (depending upon who you talk to) Robert Emmet.  Included is news footage from the day that included a piece with the big man himself, Michael Collins.  the second silent film, with an original composition by Noone, was the very funny "William Rogers in Dublin," from the American Cowboy's trip to the city in 1927.  It was most likely Rogers who, unwittingly, set a precedent for teasing the Irish just for being Irish.

The festival was off to a successful start and officially began with the contemporary dramady (a word the Irish probably detest), "Pierre's Bounty."  Unfortunately, it won't get a wide release in the States but will be available on DVD.  It's funny, it's unpredictable, and it has the ever so good Jim Broadbent. 

Followed by cheer and regalia till sometime in the early hours of the first day of October, 'twas a good start to a weekend of talent and cheer.

I was back for the closing night (I prefer to bookend these kinds of things) at the Aero Theatre on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica.  The documentary, "BallyBrando," about the making (or the monumental unmaking) of a film "Divine Rapture," that had begun filming in Ballycotton in 1995 starring Marlon Brando, Johnny Depp, Debra Winger, and John Hurt.  After 10 days of filming in the small Irish village, the movie came crashing down on everyone's hopes when the young producer, Barry Navidi, found out that he'd been "had," and the escrow account that contained all the production monies was a fraud.  some of the best interviews include the village locals who entertained and boarded the American interlopers, only too briefly.  Brando's cook said, that Brando told her that Ireland made him feel "more at home here than anywhere else in the world.  It's nice because this was all weeks after the disastrous suicide of his young daughter, Cheyenne.  Perhaps the documentary will do what the feature film could not do, put Ballycotton on the motion picture map.  If you ever had the opportunity to see this documentary, see it.

Followed by a brief Colin Devlin set on his acoustic and electric guitars.  Good stuff.

The festival closed with a screening of the 1990 film, "The Field," starring Richard Harris and, once again, John Hurt (can't really get enough of John Hurt).  "The Field," is a poignant, yet sad, tale of an Irishman and his field and an American interloper coming back "to find his roots," as the locals sneer.  This Ireland at its most heartbreaking, depressing, and it's what gives them a reason to drink.  Jim Sheridan, the film's director, was at the last minute unable to make the evening.  He was supposed to conduct a tribute to Richard Harris by way of interviewing Harris' three grown sons, Jared, Damian, and Jamie (and his grandson joined them on stage but I didn't catch the young boy's name).  Middle son Damian was a bit snarly and wouldn't take the bloody gum out of his mouth as he spoke.  All three work in the film industry, to varying degrees of success.  Their talk, moderated by Paul Quinn, was unfocused and did little to enlighten anyone but to the fact that as children these boys met a lot of famous people.  One of the brother's began with, "well, my step father is Rex Harrison," and that pretty much began the litany of names dropping.

A reception followed across the street from the Aero at EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY (a children's book and art store).  They kindly opened their doors for us as their first public opening.

The series was compiled by Lisa McLaughlin-Strassman (who also uncovered the two silent films that opened the weekend) and Juli C. Lasselle.  Gwen Deglise assisted. Rachele Rath, my new friend, organized the voluteers.

Any day is a good day to be Irish, but this was the best weekend to be Irish in Los Angeles.  Thank you to the Irish Film Board for keeping their doors open in these economically challenging times and for funding some of the best artists in the world.  I felt like I was in the middle of the Saudi Arabia of Northern Europe--there is an oil well of talent yet to be found.

Blessings to all!