The Weekly Poll
Results
The 'All American?' Edition...
Actor/Producer Tom Hanks said at the LA premier of the Mormon polygamy themed HBO series 'Big Love', "The truth is a lot of Mormons gave a lot of money to the church to make Prop-8 happen. There are a lot of people who feel that is un-American, and I am one of them." A few days later he gave a qualified recantation by saying, "Last week, I labeled members of the Mormon church who supported California's Proposition 8 as 'un-American,'" I believe Proposition 8 is counter to the promise of our Constitution; it is codified discrimination. But everyone has a right to vote their conscience; nothing could be more American. To say members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who contributed to Proposition 8 are 'un-American' creates more division when the time calls for respectful disagreement. No one should use 'un- American' lightly or in haste. I did. I should not have."....
This week's poll has two questions...
Should Mr. Hanks have made that recantation?
and...
If banning gay marriage is discrimination isn't it the same to ban polygamy (or polyandry) between consenting adults?
Charlie is first up with...
Not living in California these days, I wasn't aware of Prop-8. I think the worst thing about Hanks' position is the notion that things should be judged as "un-American" or American.. As Chomsky writes:
NC: The notion "anti-Americanism" is a revealing one. It is drawn from the lexicon of totalitarianism. Thus people who think that the US is the greatest country in the world are "anti-American" if they criticize the acts of the Holy State, or join the vast majority of the population in believing that the corporate sector has far too much influence over government policy, or regard private corporate institutions created by state power and granted extraordinary rights as "a return to feudalism" (to quote old-fashioned conservatives, a category that now scarcely exists). And so on...
In totalitarian societies, the usage is standard. In the former Soviet Union, for example, dissidents were condemned as "anti-Soviet" or "anti-Russian." Where a democratic culture prevails, the usage would be regarded as comical. If people who criticize Irish government policies were condemned as "anti-Irish," I suppose people would collapse in ridicule in the streets of Dublin. At least they should.
The notion has an interesting history. It traces back to King Ahab, the epitome of evil in the Bible, who denounced the Prophet Elijah as an "ocher Yisrael" (a proper translation, now used in Israel, is "hater of Israel"). His reason was that Elijah condemned the acts of the evil King, who, like totalitarians since, identified the state (himself) with the population, the culture, the society.
People are entitled to revere King Ahab and Soviet commissars, and to adopt the term "anti-American," on their model. But we should have no illusions about how they are choosing to identify themselves.
Hanks' recantation didn't actually refute the notion of "un-American," which is my biggest problem with it. He was right to make the recantation, but should have expanded on it.
And: If banning gay marriage is discrimination isn't it the same to ban polygamy (or polyandry) between consenting adults? Yes, as long as they are voluntarily consenting. I couldn't see myself entering any of these kinds of relationships personally, although polygamy has a certain appeal...
Adam is next...
If banning gay marriage is discrimination isn't it the same to ban polygamy (or polyandry) between consenting adults? Yes. Polyamory rarely works in humans (we're too possessive) but occasionally it does and who cares what adults are involved? I have always maintained that any number of consenting adults should be allowed to go to City Hall and sign a contract. The more adults in the house the better chance of someone always being there for the kids.
Should Mr. Hanks have made that recantation? No. There was no need. The Mormons are a bunch of thugs more concerned about other men's pee-pees (to an alarming degree- closeted much?), than the well-being of their own children and families. How many Mormon parents have already chosen their gay children over the precious Church?
Kitchenrat was succinct with...
Both questions can be answered quite simply; the phrase "un-American" should be reserved for situations in which grace, tolerance or enlightenment occur.
joe with the little j was too...
There is no debate with the religiously insane, you either accept what they say or you are part of the problem and they will pray for you. That is my opinion. Tom should not apologize for telling it like it is. He will get nowhere trying to talk with them.
SallyP(al) occasionally strident said...
My reply number to Part 1 is, that while I would not have recanted the statement had I said it, Tom Hank is much nicer than am I - and I would expect nothing less from him - he is a real gentleman...
AND, Part 2: My reply here is: WHY THE HELL ARE WE BANNING POLYGAMY in this day and age anyway?? The American people - and the government in particular - are/is so GD concerned with the sex lives of it's neighbors and fellow citizens, it makes me puke! Like all the, "Decent, heterosexual, bigoted, Family Value idiots" have done SUCH a great job with their, "Marriages between one man and one woman!! The divorce rate in the US is astronomical. EVERYONE, and his brother, is cheating on, or dissatisfied with, their spouses - even GD ministers - and they DARE to criticize anyone who falls outside to their definition of NORMAL?? I'm not even going to go there! Discrimination is always wrong in MY book, no matter their race, sex, or religion! Unless is directly affects me, it's NOT MY BUSINESS to tell someone how to live!!
DC Madman avers...
I won't mince words. Tom Hanks is a spineless wimp for not standing up for his beliefs and knuckling under to a little criticism from a church. He probably shouldn't have used the term "un-American" he should have called them "backward and ignorant".
Marriage will always be an institution of religion, civil unions are a right given by the state. Sorry gays, you won't be married in any church of your choosing. Some forward thinking churches will accept gays and the backward ones won't. The current zeitgeist is gay unions are acceptable while polygamy is not. Perhaps polygamy will gain favor in the future. Currently whenever a polygamous cult is exposed it seems to have elements of child abuse/rape and incest attached. Perhaps in the future if the religio-crazies take over those behaviors will be accepted. They seem to be acceptable behaviors if you look in selected portions of the bible (Google is our friend).
Most people aren't aware that Media sets the current zeitgeist. People tend to believe what they're told rather than think critically and independently (for proof read or watch Noam Chomsky's Manufacturing
Consent). When the Mormon Church dumped millions of dollars in advertising against Prop 8 they tilted the zeitgeist their way. Churches should not be involved in politics, they have too much power and suppress rational thought (think Muslims and the Taliban). Had religion not stifled thought and creativity for the past couple thousand years we would have been on the moon and had the Internet a few hundred years ago.
DanD has an interesting take, as always...
As far as the current dilemma of Tom Hanks. I believe that Tom is hankering to become a politician, a sort of a "smart-man's" Ronnie Raygun. If you look real close at his apology, it really is not that much of an apology. Basically, he's sorry for taking the Mormons on for acting like ass-hats. He's just practicing for his first campaign run.
sjmcros objectively notes...
Tom Hanks should have recanted his original statement about the Mormons who supported Prop 8 being un-American. The vote was disappointing, and Prop 8 should not hold up under Constitutional scrutiny, but people who vote their conscience should not be called "un-American." This is a pejorative devised by the right wing to divide the American people, and those of us who care about the country cannot engage in these types of polemics.
In the case of polygamy and polyandry, the concern is more for the results of such relationships than for the moral-or immoral-nature of the relationships. What about the children of these relationships? What about the property gained and/or lost in such relationships? Who is liable for what in these relationships? Is wife (or husband) No. 3 liable for the actions of wife (or husband) No. 1? The questions are so entangled as to present no viable solutions, hence the restriction to one man-one woman. I'm talking legalities; others can argue the moralities.
Well, Poll-fans, my opinion is very much in line with sjmcros. Mr. Hanks did the right thing by taking the moral high ground with his retraction and while I do not have any issues over multiple partner unions, in theory, I believe that the legal aspects would be confounding beyond measure...
So, there it is... Thanks to all responders (and you readers, too!) Yer the Best!
BadToTheBoneBob
New Question
The 'Stimulate me... Please!' Edition
Are there any aspects of the pending 'Stimulus Bill' that you find to be inadequate or inappropriate?
Send your response, and a (short) reason why, to
M Is FOR MASHUP - Special
THE QRADIPS SHOW w/ DJ Useo
By DJ Useo
Hey y'all, I'm taking a moment to invite you to listen to a special
online radio show. It's a 2-hour special of
THE QRADIPS SHOW w/ DJ Useo (www.qradip.blogspot.com) celebrating the arrival of the
25th QRADIPS show. Qradips is another word for mashup, & on my radio
show you'll hear some of the wildest tracks made. In the first hour
of the show you'll hear the tracks that proved to be the most
popular from the former 24 QRADIPS shows. Just check out this savory
playlist -
(Best Tracks From The First 24 Shows)
01 - DJ Yoda w/ DJ Spinbad-Lamacq (pt.1)
02 - Pop Razors-There's The Doorzzzz
03 - Tony Crackburn Orchestra-Nutria X Ray
04 - Brighton Drag Queen Massacre (aka Budtheweiser)-Tourettes 678 (South Park vs Rednex)
05 - DJ Pantshead-Junga Nova Soul
06 - 'uncredited'-Jocko Rolfo Plus 3 (Devo vs Rolf Harris)
07 - Ex-Dublxero-Nookies Don't Lie
08 - G3rst-Bloom To Me (Nirvana vs Koop)
09 - Go Home Productions-Pinocchiohead On LSD (Pinocchio vs Radiohead vs The Beatles)
10 - DJ John-Rockin Down The House with Rum & Coca Cola (Andrews Sisters vs MI 7)
11 - Dsico-This Is Missy Country
12 - The Freelance Hellraiser-Marshall's Been Done To Death (Eminem vs 'As'st')
13 - The Gumbyoids-To Be With W.C. Fields Forever (Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera vs Firesign Theatre)
14 - G3rst-Friends Around The Clock (Bill Haley & The Comets vs The White Stripes)
15 - RIAA-Guess I'm Falling Into Bubbles
16 - RX-My Name Is RX
As if that wasn't fine enough, I'll then be joined in the second hour by DJ Petrushka, who'll play you a ton of Unreleased Exclusive tracks by me & a batch of my cuts from the first 24 shows that went over the best. Normally, DJ Petrushka follows my hour-long shows with her PAT THIS WEEK but she's kindly granted me her time to celebrate the occasion of the 25th show.
Show starts at 7 pm gmt 2 pm est February 3 2009 at
http://www.sound-unsound.com
No membership required simply choose the appropriate radio link for your personal computer.
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Bart Wilson: Fair's fair (theatlantic.com)
The Ultimatum Game: what an eye-opener for economists. You never know what you're going to get until you actually run the experiment...
James Lieber: What Cooked the World's Economy? (villagevoice.com)
It wasn't your overdue mortgage.
'Do you like baked beans?': Judith Easton, 12, interviews Jamie Oliver
JO: On his 40th birthday. I was [Brad Pitt's] present and they şew me over from England. I was the surprise, and I cooked him a beautiful dinner, and he had about 12 friends around the table and they were all people that you'd recognise. He's a really nice guy, really fun, generous, and I've seen him ever since.
'Were you upset when you didn't pass your 11-plus?': Emilie Carling, 11, interviews Jacqueline Wilson (guardian.co.uk)
JW: It's so awful when people say to you, I really like your first book, and then you feel you've never managed to progress at all. I particularly like it when people say that my latest book is their favourite. I have a horror that people start to think, "Oh yes she's just producing the same old book but with a different name." I don't know whether they have got better and better but I've-certainly tried harder and harder with each one.
"Milk, Sulphate, and Alby Starvation" by Martin Millar: A review by Gerry Donaghy
Alby Starvation, the titular character of Martin Millar's debut novel (originally published in 1987), is a speed dealer in Brixton who likes reggae and comic books. Sadly, but to the benefit of the reader, his physical and mental state are deteriorating at a rapid pace. He has no job. It appears as if he's dying, with a face "that looks a hundred years old." On top of all this, it seems that the Milk Marketing Board has put out a contract on his life. Starvation believes his one chance at survival is to sell his comics so that he can buy a gun to defend himself.
RACHEL LASTRA: Meet Evan Edwards (curvemag.com)
Comedian Evan Edwards lets us in on the ups and downs of being "An Inconvenient Ass."
Dana Stevens: It Girl(s) (slate.com)
The three sides of Anne Hathaway.
Rosanna Greenstreet: Q&A with Pete Postlethwaite (guardian.co.uk)
Q: Tell us a joke.
A: George W Bush.
Roger Ebert: Elevating the Oscar winners, Part #4: Best Supporting Actor
I expect the late Heath Ledger to win the Oscar for best supporting actor for "The Dark Knight," but I'm not choosing his performance as the "most elevating" out of sympathy. It was elevating for an entirely separate reason: He transformed the character of the Joker, who we thought we knew so well, into a suffering, haunted being, stripped of all emotion except for ruthless self-pity.
Roger Ebert: Elevating the Oscar winners, Part 5: Best Supporting Actress
Viola Davis, of course. She walks into "Doubt," which is a great film to begin with, and stuns us with a scene that portrays an entire reality outside the closed world of the school.
Roger Ebert: Dude, where's my breakfast?
Breathless reports have swooped around the web about John Anderson, film critic for Variety, pounding the legendary publicist Jeff Dowd (aka The Dude) at Sundance. There was a jab to the chest! One to the shoulder! Dowd kept his guard down! A punch to the head! Anderson turned and walked away, then came back and threw his best right to the jaw!
Marilynn Preston: In The Market For a Healthy Change? Can The Colas and Drink This In (creators.com)
I'll cap my appeal with some splashy statistics: In 2005, carbonated soft drinks replaced white bread as the No. 1 source of calories in the American diet. In 1946, the average American consumer drank 11 gallons of soft drinks a year. Now we are up to 60 gallons a year. Oyeh-oyeh.
answered:
Reader Comment
Groundhog Day
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Another summer day in the middle of winter.
New Hall Of Fame Inductees
New Jersey
A note from New Jersey to Jon Bon Jovi: You may have been snubbed by the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame, but you're still wanted in the Garden State.
Bon Jovi and 12 others - including NBA star Shaquille O'Neal and civil rights activist Paul Robeson - were named to the New Jersey Hall of Fame on Monday. The honor is meant to highlight positive contributions made to a state often stereotyped as a land of corrupt politicians, belching refineries and gangsters.
Other inductees to the hall's second class include funnymen Bud Abbott and Lou Costello; astronomer Carl Sagan; Yankee shortstop Phil Rizzuto; novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald; poet Walt Whitman; comedian Jerry Lewis; tennis star Althea Gibson; inventor Guglielmo Marconi; and writer William Carlos Williams.
Failing to make the cut this year were actor Jack Nicholson, President Woodrow Wilson, musician Count Basie and novelist Philip Roth.
New Jersey
Club Jenna Interrupts Super Bowl
KVOA-TV
Since Janet Jackson's bejewelled right nipple popped out during the
half-time show at the 2004 Super Bowl, the term "wardrobe malfunction"
has become part of the rich history of American football's showpiece event.
Yesterday, as this year's clash between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the
Arizona Cardinals neared a thrilling climax, TV viewers in Tuscon,
Arizona, witnessed an intimate exposure of a completely different order.
Shortly after 7.30pm, with less than three minutes to play in a tightly
fought final, the Cardinals had taken the lead with a crucial touchdown.
Fans watching in Arizona would have been forgiven for scenting a victory
for their team against the odds. Then the pictures from Tampa disappeared.
Instead, viewers in the Tuscon area were astonished to see a woman
unzipping a man's trousers to reveal "full male nudity" followed by what
was described as "a graphic act" between the couple. Somehow, the feed
from Super Bowl XLIII had been mixed up with a 30-second excerpt from
Club Jenna, an adult cable TV channel featuring Jenna Jameson, one of
America's most famous porn actresses.
KVOA-TV
Meets United Nations Envoy
Aung San Suu Kyi
Detained Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi met United Nations special envoy Ibrahim Gambari on Monday during his mission to try to coax her and the military junta toward talks on political reform.
Crushing any hopes of a breakthrough or compromise, a spokesman for her National League for Democracy (NLD) said the party was sticking to a list of preconditions it wants met before it sits down with the former Burma's ruling generals.
The terms include the release of all political prisoners, including Suu Kyi, a review of the new constitution and honoring of the results of the 1990 election that the NLD won by a landslide but which the army ignored, spokesman Nyan Win said.
Suu Kyi dictated similar conditions for a rumored visit by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to Myanmar to inject some life into the non-existent political reform process, he added.
Aung San Suu Kyi
In Brazil
TV Is Essential
A Brazilian judge awarded $2,600 in damages to a man who sued a store for not replacing his faulty television set, ruling that it was an "essential good" needed to watch soccer and a popular reality TV show.
The customer took Casas Bahia, Brazil's largest furniture and home appliances retail chain, to court for "moral damages" inflicted by not being able to watch television.
"In modern life, you cannot deny that a television set, present in almost all homes, is considered an essential good," ruled the judge from Campos, a town north of Rio de Janeiro.
"Without it, how can the owner watch the beautiful women on 'Big Brother,' the national news broadcast or a football game," the judge quipped.
TV Is Essential
Chaco Canyon, N.M.
Chocolate
Chocolate for your sweetheart this Valentine's Day? Folks may be surprised to know how far back chocolate goes - perhaps 1,000 years in what is now the United States. Evidence of chocolate was been found in Pueblo Bonito in Chaco Canyon, N.M., the earliest indication of the tasty substance north of Mexico, Patricia L. Crown of the University of New Mexico and W. Jeffrey Hurst of the Hershey Center for Health and Nutrition report in Tuesday's issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Drinking chocolate was associated with a variety of rituals in ancient Central America, including weddings, but Crown said she is not sure of its exact uses in her area.
The discovery, dated to between A.D. 1000 and 1125, indicates trade was under way between the Chaco Canyon residents and cacao growers in Central America.
But the nearest cacao plantation would have been more than 1,000 miles away, so importing the material would have been a major undertaking, she said. Chocolate was probably something not consumed often, she said in a telephone interview.
Chocolate
Warrant Issued
Joe Francis
A Los Angeles court on Monday issued an arrest warrant for "Girls Gone Wild" founder Joe Francis for failing to appear at a hearing in a tax evasion case.
The hearing was set to deal with a request from Bernhoft Law Firm to withdraw as Francis' legal counsel.
U.S. District Judge S. James Otero issued the arrest warrant when Francis failed to show up for the hearing, said Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office.
He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted in the tax evasion case, which was filed in 2007 by authorities in Nevada but transferred to L.A. because that is where he lives.
Joe Francis
3rd Time The Charm?
Gary Collins
Authorities say they arrested actor and TV host Gary Collins on suspicion of drunken driving.
According to an arrest report, deputies in the coastal county of Santa Barbara pulled Collins over Saturday evening after noticing him driving a motor home erratically. The 70-year-old was arrested by the California Highway Patrol after failing a field sobriety test. He was later released on $25,000 bail.
The arrest comes roughly 13 months after Collins pleaded no contest to driving under the influence and served a four-day jail sentence in a suburb of Los Angeles. He was placed on two years of informal probation, and records show he was admonished about the dangers of drunken driving.
Records also indicate he was convicted of DUI in 2004 in Malibu. They did not indicate whether he has an attorney.
Gary Collins
Masterpiece Acquired By British Galleries
Titian
Two national galleries said Monday they raised 50 million pounds ($70 million) after a public appeal to keep Titian's 16th century masterpiece "Diana and Actaeon" on display in Britain.
The National Gallery of Scotland and the National Gallery, London, bought the painting for a third of the 150 million pounds ($210 million) the Renaissance masterpiece was estimated to be worth on the open market.
About 400,000 pounds ($568,000) of the 50 million came from private donations from individuals. The rest of the money came from government, charities, arts bodies and the galleries. The galleries, one in Edinburgh and one in London, will take turns showing the painting for five years each.
Titian's masterpiece, which depicts a scene from a poem by Ovid, was painted for King Philip II of Spain and sent to him in 1559.
Titian
Ten New Species Discovered In Colombia
Amphibians
Ten new species of amphibians -- including three kinds of poisonous frogs and three transparent-skinned glass frogs -- have been discovered in the mountains of Colombia, conservationists said Monday.
With amphibians under threat around the globe, the discovery was an encouraging sign and reason to protect the area where they were found, said Robin Moore, an amphibian expert at the environmental group Conservation International.
The nine frog species and one salamander species were found in the mountainous Tacarcuna area of the Darien region near Colombia's border with Panama.
Because amphibians have permeable skin, they are exposed directly to the elements and can offer early warnings about the impact of environmental degradation and climate change, Moore said. As much as one-third of all amphibians in the world are threatened with extinction, he said.
Amphibians
Feels Effects Of Economy
Another Bank
Applications from would-be donors at a Loveland sperm bank have spiked in recent months, jumping from about 150 applications in a year to 400 since September. Betsy Cairo of CryoGam Colorado told Denver station KMGH-TV that there have been 172 applicants in January alone. Cairo says it's the economy, adding that there aren't that many applications during good times.
Dr. Eric Surrey of Denver's Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine said he's noticed an increase in women volunteering to become egg donors, but not as much as the number at CryoGam.
Cairo would not say how much a sperm donor can earn but added it's not as easy as it sounds. Of the applications received since September, only four donors have been accepted.
Another Bank
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