'TBH Politoons'
Thanks, again, Tim!
Baron Dave Romm
Perspectives
By Baron Dave Romm
The good news is that the bad news is wrong... mostly.
The country is still evenly divided. By many factors, it is more Democrat than Republican than it was just a few years ago.
After 1996 elections, the Governor of Minnesota was a Republican, as was one of its senators. Congress was controlled by the Republicans, 226-207-2 in the House. Breaking historical patterns, after 1998 the Democrats picked up seats in the House to trail 223-211-1. In the Senate the GOP was in control 55-45 after both the 1996 and 1998 elections. In 2000, it was the Democrats again breaking historical patterns and increasing their numbers in the House down only 221-212-1 and tying 50-50 in the Senate, which quickly became 49-50-1.
In other words, the GOP in the Senate hasn't recovered from George W. Bush "winning" in 2000, nor has the GOP in the House advanced past when Clinton was reelected in 1996. Voter suppression and the death of a fiery liberal spirit may have swung a very divided electorate narrowly to the Republicans, but its premature to talk of the death of a party. When the Republicans lost seats in 1998, they got rid of Newt, and eventually recovered. How can there be "historical trends" when three elections in a row have not gone as history predicted?
Digression: I rather like the thought that this election DID follow historical patterns, and the party that won the Presidency in 2000 lost seats midterm. The bothersome detail is that Bush and co. cheated to get to the White House. After failing to overturn an election by the sham impeachment, the Supreme Court stole the 2000 election with two terribly unconstitutional decisions: The first that Cheney, despite having legal residence and paying taxes in Texas, wasn't a Texan. The second being Bush v. Gore, which said that Bush's civil rights were harmed by the possibility that more people voted for Gore.
Still, the danger exists. The last time the goppies controlled all three branches was the Spring of 2001, turning a mild downturn into a disastrous economic bust and changing priorities allowed the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Before that was in the 1920s, leading to the Great Depression and rising isolationism leading to the Nazi takeover of Germany and WWII. Things will get worse before they get better, but they WILL get better.
Much as I'm disgusted by the Republicans, it's not enough to get me to become a Democrat (or Green or Independence or...)
I'm not a Democrat because Democrats are confused.
Oh, not all of them, and not all the time. Individual Democrats have clearly articulated positions and maintain a consistent courageous stance. But as a party, it doesn't seem to be going anywhere. All politics are local, to be sure, but that makes it a lot harder to buy national and state tv ads to support your candidates.
I'm not a Republican because Republicans are evil.
Oh, not all of them, and not all the time. The outpouring of support and prayer after 9/11 proved that a lot of these people are good people, and I thank them. Still, too many cheered the attacks on NYC and Washington, the two cities most reviled by the far right, as the palestinians cheered American deaths. Falwell and co. played "blame the victim", and didn't get denounced by the radical right. The Falwell Riots in India killed at least five; here, he gets invited to be a guest on "news" shows.
I'm a great believer in Democracy. If enough people vote for a position, that position should carry the day even if I disagree with it... until I can convince enough people in my direction. This country has always been a bit to the right with a set of laws that are a bit to the left. The Constitution is one of the most liberal documents in history, and its what makes the U.S. great.
But there are political positions that make no sense, and are not founded in a democratic system of debate and analysis.
By my historical perspective, from the founding of the Republic up until the early 80s, approximately 15% of the U.S. population has been clinically insane. Facts don't matter to them. Faith is malleable, depending on which charismatic charlatan is using God this week. Creationism, keeping the races apart, keeping women barefoot and pregnant, stifling any viewpoint that they don't want to hear... these are profoundly ungodly and unamerican, yet are the backbone positions of the Taliban wing of the GOP.
One of the things I simply don't forgive the Republicans is using mass communications to pump up the hysteria and fear, and drive up that 15% figure to about 20%. Most of these used to be Democrats; the George Wallace wing. Nixon's "Southern Strategy" to steal the racist vote was successful, and now they're the Buchanan wing of the GOP. The ravings of Father Coughlin were institutionalized by Roger Ailes.
Race is underrated as an issue in this country. Larry Flynt was shot not because he is a disgusting purveyor of filth, but because he showed a racially mixed couple and the shooter knew "It was what God wanted."
All the big failures of the last 150 years have been from the right regardless of party: Slavery/civil war, Bank panics, Prohibition, Coolidge/Hoover economics leading to the Great Depression, isolationism, McCarthyism, Vietnam War, massive deficit spending, Supply side economics, training and funding Osama bin Laden, mishandling war on drugs, censorship of schoolbooks re: Evolution, banning of books, Whitewater "investigations" and impeachment, hounding poor Vince Foster before and after his death, criminal negligence before 9/11 and refusal to be held accountable afterwards, asinine tax cuts.
Meanwhile, all the successes in that time have been liberal, regardless of party: Fighting to end slavery, Trust busting, repeal of Prohibition, the rise of unions (preventing Communist takeover, among other things), Welfare, staying out of both WWI and WWII until US was directly threatened then going in to win, The New Deal, The Marshall Plan, Civil Rights, women's liberation, ending the Vietnam War, recognizing China, policy of containment for USSR (vs. hot war), NATO, handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Space Program, EPA and environmental regulation, reducing the Reagan Debt.
Conservatives are people who haven't figured out that they've lost. Liberals are people who haven't figured out that they've won.
The far right keeps plugging away at their "cultural war", not realizing that they're the only ones fighting it and that they're on the wrong side. This is the Big Lie at work, and if you say something over and over and over enough times, people will believe it. Too many hear Rush Limbaugh's voice more than they hear their family's voices. This will warp anyone. They haven't figured out that they've lost... the Civil War.
Meanwhile, the far left hasn't quite realized that they pretty much carried the day. Things are not perfect, to be sure and much work remains to be done, but: The Civil Rights movement in the 50s and 60s created a large black middle class. The Womens Rights movement of the 60s and 70s (which got its real start with the introduction of The Pill in 1960) worked and women (and men) have a great deal more options than they did. Welfare and Medicade (indeed, many of the New Deal and Great Society programs) prevented people from starving to death so we'd have a pool of workers when we need them; contrary to Republican spin, Welfare is a necessary refinement that helps capitalism work. Etc. etc. etc. The problem for the left is that times change, and the solutions that worked 40 years ago might not apply to the problems of today.
To some, the Clinton administration was an example of opportunities lost. That's Republican spin; To me, Clinton's biggest achievement was holding the extreme right at bay, in the manner that Eisenhower didn't. He fought the good fight, and came out on top. Al Gore also held the extremists at bay in 2000, chipping away at their majority in the House and bringing the Senate to even. However, he didn't count on just how evil his opponents were, and lost the battle for the election itself.
Having rambled on about the past, let me turn to the future. Predictions:
Now that it's not necessary to browbeat Democrats with the issue, invading Iraq will dissolve in importance. Sabres will be rattled, Bush will declare victory, inspectors will head in, and the goppies will convince everyone that we've somehow scored a victory. We haven't. The terrorists have won.
To find out what's really happening, follow the money. Track the Carlyle Group and the bin Ladens' investments. Keep watch for Prescott Bush Jr., Neil Bush, and anyone who was a member of the Skull and Bones Society at Yale.
Greater tension between Muslims and Christians, even here in the US. Notably, Saudi Arabia will swing more Wahhibi.
More guns everywhere. Invest in Kevlar Futures and rent-a-cop organizations.
Unless the Dems show a bit of backbone, there will be a generation of horrible, right wing judges in the federal system. Even if they do show a bit of backbone, there will be a generation of bad right wing judges in the federal system. Like 1984, this election was about judgeships as much as anything else.
The GOP will offer Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-RI) the moon.
The GOP will be better at bribing Sen. Dean Barkley (I-MN, Ventura's "garbageman" appointee) than the Dems.
John Edwards will be the Dem presidential nominee in 2004.
Senate investigations into 9/11, Harken, Haliburton and almost anything else harmful to the Bushies will continue to be squelched.
Republicans will gloat and freepers will be more obnoxious than usual.
Democrats will blame themselves, but a few will build on their solid foundation and become the majority party again, possibly as early as next election.
Al Queda has been fairly predictable in the timing of its attacks, and we're due for another one in a year or two. The Bushies, who care more about creating a climate of fear they can exploit far more than they care about saving the lives of Americans, will blame everyone but themselves. Bush and Ashcroft are doing everything Osama bin Laden wanted them to do. We have officially lost the War on Terror.
To end on a more positive note: What you can do.
First off, don't let them (or anyone) get away with lies. Counter hysterical dittohead arguments with facts and polite reasoning. This will change very few minds, but you won't be descending to their level and eventually their hangover will wear off and they might see reason.
Counter ad hominem arguments by pointing out that they aren't making a legitimate argument. Anytime someone attacks you rather than your position ("You never voted Republican in your life", "Are you drunk?") just turn the mirror back on them: "My voting history is why you're so soft on crime?" or "Are you buying?" or somesuch. This also will change very few minds, since they've spent hours a day listening to Rush and co. slinging ad hominems and believe that insults are political statements, but try to teach them some manners by example.
Write letters to the newspaper and other media outlets. Many papers have ombudmen you can phone when a slanted story appears. Don't be afraid to call and talk to them. E-mail is not as effective as a call; too many conservatives are technophobes.
Indeed, write your Congressmen, even the ones you disagree with. If nothing else, you'll have a paper trail.
Volunteer and contribute time as well as money to your causes. This doesn't have to be a political party.
Baron Dave Romm is a conceptual artist and a noble of Ladonia with a radio show, a very weird CD collection and an ever growing list of political links. He reviews things at random for obscure web sites. You can read all his music recommendations from Bartcop-E here.
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Quite a pretty day. Last 3 days, while it was raining, all the kid wanted to do was ride his bike. Do you think he wanted to go for a ride today?
The neuter & spay clinic was cancelled yesterday because of the rain. Really want to get the kittens clipped & nipped. Supposed to be rescheduled next weekend - just in time to coincide with the 'Grandma' visit. Wonder if the kittens will share
their meds with me?
Tonight, Monday, CBS opens the night with a fresh 'King Of Queens', then a fresh 'Yes, Dear', followed by a fresh 'Raymond', then a fresh 'Still Standing', and caps it with a fresh 'CSI: Miami'.
Scheduled on a fresh Dave are Robin Williams and David Caruso.
Scheduled on a fresh Craiggers are Peter Boyle and Trust Company.
NBC starts the night with a fresh 'Fear Factor', then a fresh 'Third Watch', followed by a fresh 'Crossing Jordan'.
Scheduled on a fresh Jay are Tim Russert, Kelly Rowland, and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers.
On a RERUN Conan, the scheduled guests are Wesley Snipes, Steve Coogan, and Oasis.
On a RERUN Carson Daly, the scheduled guest is James Taylor.
ABC has MNF, where the Raiders visit in Denver. Depending on your time zone, a fresh 'Monk' will either air before or after the game.
The WB offers a fresh '7th Heaven' and a fresh 'Everwood'.
Faux has a fresh 'Boston Pubic', then a 'special' - 'TV's Funniest Game Show Moments 2'.
UPN offers a fresh 'The Parkers', a fresh 'One On One', a fresh 'Girlfriends', and a fresh 'Half & Half'.
Anyone have any opinions?
Or reviews?
(See below for addresses)
Marian Anderson Award
Danny Glover
Actor Danny Glover addresses guests after being awarded the annual Marian Anderson Award, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2002, in Philadelphia. The annual award honors artists whose leadership on behalf of a humanitarian cause or issue benefits society.
Photo by Brad C. Bower
Airs This Wednesday
Bob Newhart
Every self-respecting couch potato knows Bob Newhart from his TV work — particularly the classic 1970s "Bob Newhart Show," where he played Chicago's most befuddled shrink.
But before scoring in sitcoms, Newhart made his name as one of the finest of standup comedians — the humorist famous for his "button-down mind".
Newhart was honored this year with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, at a ceremony taped Oct. 29 at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Among those gathered to salute the man who never phoned it in are Richard Belzer, Tim Conway, Kelsey Grammer, Bernie Mac, Suzanne Pleshette and the Smothers Brothers as PBS presents "On Stage
at the Kennedy Center: The Mark Twain Prize," airing Wednesday at 9 p.m. EST.
Bob Newhart
World's Largest Motorcycle Fund-Raiser
'Love Ride 19'
The main streets of normally quiet Glendale were packed with leather-clad riders and rumbling Harley-Davidsons Sunday for
the start of Love Ride 19, billed as the largest motorcycle fund-raiser in the world.
Grand Marshal Jay Leno took credit for the sunny morning that followed three days of rain in Southern California.
"I made some calls, pulled a few strings," Leno quipped as he introduced a stageful of celebrities, including "Easy Rider" star
Peter Fonda, "Terminator 2" actor Robert Patrick and country singer Dwight Yoakam.
Singer Pat Boone introduced his recently recorded patriotic song "Under God" and led the crowd in the national anthem.
A post-ride concert was to feature former Fleetwood Mac leader Mick Fleetwood and his band, along with singer Sheryl Crow.
'Love Ride 19'
Too Many Disks!
AOL
John Lieberman poses with thousands of America Online promotional compact disks at his home in El Cerrito, Calif., Friday, Nov. 8, 2002. Lieberman and Jim McKenna
are asking anyone and everyone to send their unwanted CDs to them and once they get a million they're driving them to AOL headquarters in Virginia and asking
them to politely stop. Armed with their Web site, the two have collected over 80,000 of the disks, which offer trial subscriptions to AOL's services.
Photo by Paul Sakuma
Playing by the Rules?
Radio Disney
Among radio broadcasters across the country, Hilary Duff's sugary pop tune "I Can't Wait" has fallen completely flat. A single station -- in Albuquerque -- has played the song just one time, and that was back in September.
There is, however, a glaring exception: the Radio Disney empire. On its 52 stations nationwide, "I Can't Wait" is ranked No. 1, with Duff getting more airplay than Britney Spears. In Los Angeles, Disney's
KDIS-AM (710) has played the song a whopping 850 times during the last six weeks.
So why is Radio Disney in such a hurry to play "I Can't Wait"?
Critics in the industry think they have an answer: Duff is under contract with Buena Vista Records, which is a sister company of Radio Disney, which is affiliated with the Disney Channel, which
telecasts "Lizzie McGuire," which stars Duff.
Many question whether the cozy relationship among the players -- all owned by Burbank-based entertainment giant Walt Disney Co. -- violates arm's-length broadcasting rules of the Federal Communications Commission.
"This stuff clearly violates the spirit -- if not the letter -- of the law," said media expert Robert McChesney, a professor of communications at University of Illinois. "It undermines the integrity
of the public airwaves, corroding editorial space with commercial factors. It's very damaging."
For the rest, Radio Disney
Film Criticized in Mexico as Too Hollywood
'Frida'
Frida Kahlo "would have walked out," Mexico's most famous society commentator said in a damning review of Hollywood's take on the cult Mexican painter, to be released in her homeland this month.
Mexican actress Salma Hayek, who has the title role and also produced "Frida," has come home to promote the film before it opens nationally in Mexico on Nov. 20.
The few local critics who have seen the Miramax film have bristled at what they termed superficial portrayals of some of Mexico's most revered artists by foreigners speaking accented English.
"Frida Kahlo hated gringos (Americans) and all that had to do with 'gringolandia,"' she added, using a pejorative that Mexicans use to evoke U.S. capitalist excess.
In the film, Hayek wears the colorful Indian peasant dress the artist adopted and her eyebrows meet in the middle, as did Kahlo's. But she does not have Kahlo's mustache
or the limp left by childhood polio and aggravated by her street car accident.
'Frida'
Gives to College Scholarships
Oprah Winfrey
Talk show host Oprah Winfrey stunned a college audience with a major donation for scholarships.
While giving the keynote speech at Cuyahoga Community College's scholarship luncheon, Winfrey offered to match the $600,000 the event was expected to raise for scholarships.
College President Jerry Sue Thornton was as surprised as everyone else.
"We had no idea," Thornton said. "This means so much. We had to turn away students who wanted to come in the fall because we didn't have enough scholarship money."
Oprah Winfrey
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
Announces Engagement
Lopez & Affleck
Jennifer Lopez is engaged to be married to actor Ben Affleck, the singer-actress revealed during a television interview to be aired later this week.
The announcement, made during an interview with Diane Sawyer of ABC News, follows weeks of media speculation which was heightened earlier this month when Lopez
showed off to television cameras a pink diamond on her ring finger.
Californian Affleck, 30, who has never been married, will become 32-year-old New Yorker Lopez's third husband.
The couple cannot be married until Lopez's divorce from her second husband, dancer Cris Judd, is finalized in late January. Lopez filed for divorce in late July, citing
irreconcilable differences after less than a year of marriage.
Lopez & Affleck
Delta Junction, Alaska
Trans-Alaska Pipeline
The trans-Alaska pipeline sits to one end of the vertical support tracks on which the pipeline slides on after an earthquake, Sunday Nov. 3, 2002, near Delta Junction, Alaska. When a team of 25 seismic engineers designed the 800-mile trans-Alaska pipeline to withstand a magnitude 8.5 earthquake, they didn't expect it to be tested in their lifetimes. They were wrong. Sunday's 7.9 magnitude earthquake - the worst ever recorded on the Denali fault in Alaska's Interior - left a 145-mile crack across the landscape. But the pipeline withstood the powerful quake just as designed - damaged but not ruptured, and not spilling oil.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The 18-Month 'Lost Weekend'
May Pang
Just two weeks after Yoko Ono won her September court battle to reclaim John Lennon's photographs and notes stolen by his former aide, the other
love of Lennon's life made a bombshell discovery.
Native New Yorker May Pang, who had a secret affair with the ex-Beatle almost 30 years ago, finally found out that Lennon's passion burned for her
long after their romance had ended.
Reading an interview with Lennon's unofficial biographer Robert Rosen, who was a witness in Ono's legal action, Pang was shocked to find out that
Rosen branded Lennon's love for her as the "saddest" aspect of his writings.
According to Rosen, a former pal of Lennon's aide-turned-thief, Frederic Seaman, the ex-Beatle's continued desire for Pang was evident in many of the
diary entries he made from 1975 until his slaying outside the Dakota apartments on Dec. 8, 1980.
"It was so clear he was dying to be with her and he couldn't do it. He wrote about that a lot," Rosen said.
Until then, Pang knew nothing of the writings.
The Pang-Lennon affair was one of the most unusual romances in the annals of rock history - one that began in 1973, when Ono suggested the attractive
23-year-old should become Lennon's mistress.
Lennon and Pang eventually lived together for 18 months, traveling between Los Angeles and New York.
The relationship ended almost as suddenly as it began. A terse call from Ono telling Lennon to come to the Dakota for a mysterious "smoking cure"
was all it took to get him back home for good.
"This '[Lost] Weekend' business was the only way he could put it when he went back to Yoko. It was his concept," Pang said.
For more, May Pang
Bob's Daughter Shows Fashions
Cedella Marley
Bob Marley's Grammy-winning daughter, Cedella, on hiatus from wailing reggae tunes, presented her clothing line at a fashion show on Saturday.
Marley's creations are on show at Caribbean Fashionweek, which ends Sunday. Though she says she designs for women with an eye for the adventurous, Marley does not
like to put a label on her Catch A Fire line.
Strong on denim with an urban theme, the Catch A Fire line has caught on with celebrities in the United States, including singer Gwen Stefani of No Doubt and actress Angela Bassett.
After winning four Grammies as a member of the Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers reggae group, Bob Marley's first-born daughter decided to switch gears and pursue
her longtime hobby of fashion designing. Two years later, her casual wear is picking up steam.
Cedella Marley
www.catchafireclothing.com/
Still Going Strong at 88
Jack LaLanne
With 88 years behind him and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, fitness guru Jack LaLanne could be forgiven for resting on his laurels — but he's too busy.
"How many of you have a disease called flabbyseatitus?" LaLanne asked about 100 men and women as he led them through a workout Friday at the Arthritis Institute
of the Desert Regional Medical Center.
His secret to longevity? Devotion to routine. LaLanne said he wakes at 5 a.m., lifts weights and swims for two hours.
Breakfast is soy milk mixed with 50 grams of protein powder, while lunch consists of four egg whites and six raw vegetables. For supper, it's fish — salmon is his
favorite — 10 raw vegetables and a couple of glasses of wine.
LaLanne said others can keep fit like him if they pass on caffeine, sugar and cigarettes.
Jack LaLanne
BartCop TV!
Score Another One For 'America's Most Wanted'
Suspect Surrenders
Chalk up another capture for "America's Most Wanted," as a fugitive surrendered after being profiled on the Fox television program.
A spokesman for the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms says Prescott Sigmund was wanted for interstate transportation of explosives in a July car bombing that critically injured his brother.
Special Agent Harold Scott says Sigmund turned himself in in Missoula, Mont., where he was living under an assumed name. He'll probably appear in federal court in Montana on Tuesday.
Suspect Surrenders
Medinaceli, Spain
Bull
A bull runs through the central Spanish village of Medinaceli early Sunday Nov. 10, 2002 fitted with flaming tar balls on its horns in a re-enactment of a centuries-old ritual.
The midnight ritual dates back to the 16th century and is celebrated as part of a festival honoring the town's patron saints.
Photo by Wilfredo Garcia
Salacious Gossip
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton got more than he bargained for when he ate at Palm Beach's famed Bice restaurant with James Carville and 10 others last weekend. A pal asked Clinton to meet his female
dining companions in the garden, and Clinton complied, shaking hands with one while the other put on her lipstick. When the lipstick-applier was finished, she "squealed loudly" and
declared her willingness to give Clinton oral sex, according to New York magazine. Clinton "just stood there for like a minute. But then all these people at other tables broke out
in hysterics. Bill just went inside and had his dinner."
Bill Clinton
Show Opens in Chicago
Michelangelo
More than four centuries ago, a melancholy young nobleman from the Medici family, Francesco I, second Grand Duke of Tuscany, had a secret chamber built at one
of his palaces in Florence. He filled it with exquisite art works, jewels, natural curios and scientific specimens.
Francesco spent days at a time hiding from the world in what he called his "studiolo" or study. Other rulers of the day who had similar vaults called them "wonder cabinets."
The curators of an exhibition that opened Saturday at the Art Institute of Chicago, "The Medici, Michelangelo and the Art of Late Renaissance Florence," devote a
whole room to Francesco's wonder cabinet, but the truest wonders are in surrounding galleries: Art works created as the Renaissance was winding down in the city of its birth.
The exhibition, which runs through Feb. 2, covers the years from the accession of Francesco's father, Cosimo I, in 1537, to the death in 1631 of Archduchess
Maria Maddalena, widow of Francesco's nephew, Cosimo II. By the latter year, the Medici — and Florence — were in decline, and the city's art was reverting to an almost medieval religiosity.
For a lot more, Michelangelo
Tops Teen Survey
'American Dreams'
Cheryl Gottlieb, a teenager from East Meadow, N.Y., watches NBC's 1960s-era drama, "American Dreams," for insight into two people not on television — her mom and dad.
Gottlieb was one of 1,000 teenagers surveyed by ElectricArtists, an online marketing firm, about which new television shows they were most excited about this fall.
"American Dreams" and ABC's comedy, "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter," topped the list.
In their youth, Gottlieb's mom and dad might have watched a show because it annoyed their parents. But the teenagers who liked these new programs told ElectricArtists it was
partly because they could see their parents in the characters.
"American Dreams" features contemporary music stars performing songs of the 1960s — Usher singing Marvin Gaye's "Can I Get a Witness," for instance.
'American Dreams' Survey
'8 Simple Rules'
'American Dreams'
In Memory
Merlin Santana
Merlin Santana, a television and film actor who appeared in this year's Eddie Murphy movie "Showtime," was shot to death while sitting in a parked car, authorities said Sunday.
Santana, 26, was killed early Saturday in South Los Angeles, police spokeswoman Lucy Diaz said.
He was sitting in the passenger seat shortly after 2:30 a.m. when at least one person approached the car and fired, Lt. Clay Farrell said.
The driver escaped injury, drove off and flagged down police. Paramedics responded but Santana was pronounced dead at the scene, Farrell said.
No arrests were immediately made and investigators had not determined a motive for the attack.
The New York-born Santana had a recurring role on "The Steve Harvey Show," playing Romeo Santana. The role won him nominations for NAACP Image Awards and ALMA Awards, which honor Hispanic performers.
One of his earliest roles was as Stanley, the faithful admirer of Rudy Huxtable on the hit series "The Cosby Show."
He also had guest appearances on several television shows, including "Major Dad," "Moesha" and "Sister, Sister."
He later joined the casts of "Getting By" and the short-lived James Earl Jones drama "Under One Roof."
Merlin Santana
In Memory
Johnny Griffith
Johnny Griffith, a classically trained musician who played keyboards on many Motown hits of the 1960s, died on Sunday at age 66, his publicist said.
The cause of death was not immediately disclosed.
Griffith, a member of the Funk Brothers, played on such hits as the Supremes' "Stop in the Name of Love" and Marvin Gaye's "I Heard it through the Grapevine."
He also toured with artists including Aretha Franklin, Sarah Vaughn and Dinah Washington.
Artists who defined the Motown sound of the 1960s, which fused gospel, soul and pop, included Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson and the Four Tops.
Griffith had just appeared with the Funk Brothers on Thursday night at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. The performance was part of the premiere for the launch of "Standing in the Shadows of Motown," a new film that recognizes the achievements of the Funk Brothers.
Griffith is survived by his wife, Delma Reid Griffith, and three children: Jonathan Jr., Beth and Rhonda. He is also survived by two step sons, Roman and Charlie Reid III, and two grandchildren, Ronnie and Shaynae.
According to the www.allmusic.com Web site, Griffith also played on hit songs including Jackie Wilson's "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher" and the Chi-Lites' "Have You Seen Her," among many others.
Johnny Griffith
S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald
Memorial Bell
Heidi Brabon, right, rings The Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Bell in memory of her father, Blaine Howard Wilhelm, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2002, at the Mariners' Church of
Detroit during the Edmund Fitzgerald memorial service in Detroit. The freighter S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior on Nov. 10, 1975, killing all 29 members
of her crew, including Brabon's father, who was a oiler on the ship.
Photo by Paul Warner
'The Osbournes'
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