Librarian's Rant

Wednesday night I had the great fun of taking my friend Michael to see Mark Russell tape his latest political comedy show (not to be confused with the next night's debates, which are their own form of comedy). He performed live here in Des Moines, at the beautifully restored Hoyt Sherman Place Theater.

Russell was smart, witty and took no political prisoners, as it were. Dan Rather got a particularly hard beating, as that was the freshest news:

From now on, "60 minutes" will only broadcast thoroughly factual and completely researched stories. The program will be changed to "30 Minutes."

But all the political hopefuls (and their entourages) got some time:

If Kerry loses, the Democrats will have allowed the Republicans to keep sole possession of the White House, the Supreme Court, the Senate, the House, the flag and Christianity.

Dick Cheney is taking his usual high road with the subtle implication: "Vote for Bush or we all die."

The debate between Edwards and Cheney will look like two of the seven dwarves - Happy and Grumpy.

How about a debate between the Bush daughters and the Kerry daughters. Jenna could bring the beer.

Teresa Heinz Kerry is two things I admire: tough and sophisticated. Which means she can tell you to 'Shove it!' in seven languages.

The show will be broadcast on Iowa Public Television (celebrating its 35th anniversary) this Sunday night and also next week. Check your local listings.

So Nader's off the ballot in Ohio (and Oregon, I believe). So...shouldn't every state that DOES have him on their ballot go back to his petitions and make sure there aren't any dirty tricks? Do you think they only used them in Ohio?!

Link is to my brother's blog. More info from there.

In this rather grim election season, a little voting fun. Click on Vote, then try to vote for Kerry-Edwards...

Thanks to Dan for the link.

Seems that a Federal judge ruled part of the Patriot Act unconstitutional today. Originally from Reuters:

Judge Rules Against Patriot Act Provision

Sep 29, 12:07 PM (ET)

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Part of the Patriot Act, a central plank of the Bush Administration's war on terror, was ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge on Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Victor Marreo ruled in favor of the American Civil Liberties Union, which challenged the power the FBI has to demand confidential financial records from companies as part of terrorism investigations.

The ruling was the latest blow to the Bush administration's anti-terrorism policies.

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that terror suspects being held in places like Guantanamo Bay can use the American judicial system to challenge their confinement. That ruling was a defeat for the president's assertion of sweeping powers to hold "enemy combatants" indefinitely after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

The ACLU sued the Department of Justice, arguing that part of the Patriot legislation violated the constitution because it authorizes the FBI to force disclosure of sensitive information without adequate safeguards.

The judge agreed, stating that the provision "effectively bars or substantially deters any judicial challenge."

Under the provision, the FBI did not have to show a judge a compelling need for the records and it did not have to specify any process that would allow a recipient to fight the demand for confidential information. [emphasis mine]

My big brother pointed the way.

I'm tired of hearing about Senator Kerry's war record in Vietnam. Not because I think it doesn't matter, but because I think it does. I also think the constant harping is simply a ploy to distract us from the real issues of the day. I have little doubt that John Kerry served with reasonable honor in a bloody, awful, pointless war 35 years ago. I've heard so directly, first-hand from Gene Thorson, an Iowan who served with him. The attacks by the so-called Swift Boat Veterans (started by another Iowan, to our shame) are ludicrous. And horribly effective during this dirty, vicious election season.

Now there seems to be something like an answer to the attacks (as if the recants by the original ad participants wasn't enough). A new film, Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry comes out this Friday in limited national release. It has been critically praised in Time magazine, The New York Times and Entertainment Weekly:

If the big brains behind the Democratic presidential campaign are still in search of a strategy, they might want to consider getting every undecided voter in America to see Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry. This potent and eye-opening documentary, assembled by director George Butler (Pumping Iron) from a vast array of archival footage, shows us what the media has presented only in fragmentary glimpses: a compelling, blow-by-blow account of John Kerry's service in Vietnam -- and, more than that, the full revealing chronicle of how he ultimately came together with hundreds of his comrades to form Vietnam Veterans Against the War.

For show times and locations, go here. I'm disappointed that it is showing at three locations in the Des Moines metro area, but only one other location in the rest of the state. Time to make some phone calls.

Many times in the last year, I've thought about those women who fought so hard to achieve suffrage for women in this country. Last February, HBO premiered an astonishing film, Iron Jawed Angels, which dramatized the struggles of the 'second generation' of suffragists. This was a more outspoken, more militant group, determined to win the fight, and often clashing with their elders in the Cause.

I mention this because HBO is re-airing the film a number of times over the next month. For obvious reasons. Over 20 million young women who were eligible to vote in 2000 did not. That's shameful! A point that watching the film should drive home to you. Many historians question the tactics these women used, but no one questions that women's suffrage was long past due (well, no one with a soul, anyways).

I can't tell you how many women told me in 2000 that they just couldn't be 'bothered' to vote. That's insane. Even if you're conflicted about a presidential race, your local and legislative races have, if anything, MORE impact on your daily life.

So, for goodness' sake, VOTE already!

Food for thought: Are you registered to vote? ARE YOU SURE? Many people don't realize that they're not until they go to their polling place. It's generally too late at that point. Call your county elections office NOW and verify. It just takes a few minutes. Also, do you know where your polling place is? Many folks don't know, and end up not voting on the day. Find out!

Tracey brought this to my attention. Ear Wax Candy. Ew.

I went to see Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow with some friends last week. A visually yummy film. Plot? Well, I think there was one. Did it matter? Not at all!

A little virtual tour of our evening:

Louise: "Dude! No way! Giant robots! With laser beam eyes!"
Ayanna: "Dude! Jet Packs!"
Katie: "Dude! Robot birds!"
Brian: "mmmm...Angelina Jolie in an eyepatch!"
Tom: "Ninja! Dudes! No, wait, ninja robots!!"
Ayanna: "Dirigibles! Honey, can we get a dirigible?!"
Louise: "Godzilla?!"
Katie: "Dinosaurs! And isn't that Dumbledore?!"
Ayanna: "I want my jet pack!"

It was a nearly perfect movie experience. A movie designed with me (and my friends) in mind.

James Quinn, a founder of Library Underground, has had his poem The Real Jesus selected to be part of the 50th anniversary celebration for the University of Wisconsin, Madison Library. According to Jim's wife Aimee,

As part of the celebration, musical works were commissioned by the School of Music to be performed at a special concert to mark the anniversary. Jerry Hui, a graduate student in musical composition at UW Madison, found James' library-themed poem, "The Real Jesus" on the Internet, and contacted James for permission to use it as the basis for his composition. The concert will take place on Monday, Sept. 27, 2004 in Madison.

Thanks to fellow LU'er Chris Zammarelli for the heads up.

It's been all over the blogs, and last night Richard Clarke discussed it with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show. (Clarke was great, btw.) It's the worst kept secret in the government, so why haven't we, the public, seen it? It's the NIE, the National Intelligence Estimate, and I gather it is NOT a rosy picture; but it's at least a measure of honesty. So where is it? Senator Bob Graham (D-FL), along with an astonishing number of Republican legislators, are calling for it to be released, so we can have an honest look at where we are.

MoveOn.org has a petition to sign calling for the report's release.

Last night Clarke mentioned that the administration has plans for the tough spots in Iraq, which have predictions of very high American casualties, but that they're holding on to them until mid-November. I suppose it makes sense from their perspective. If they win, they have impunity for 4 more years. If they lose, they can try to get what they went to Iraq for (whatever that is) before they leave.

Now, I'm not one of those who believes we should summarily pull out of Iraq. I'm a firm believer in cleaning up one's own messes. But neither do I think a gratuitous loss of life is the answer. What I know to be true is that we cannot make decisions without accurate information. So bring on the report and let us be an informed electorate.

I just had to cancel a plane reservation, due to a family funeral. Okay, fine. I get that I will take a hit of $100 on this. I'm not thrilled, but I knew it when I signed up. However, when I called United (I'm not going to give them a link, the bastards), they announced they had a new "automated purchasing system" via the phone that they wanted me to try (I hadn't heard this last week when I called). As I was just making a change to my reservation, I hit 0 to get a person. Thankfully they still allow that. Just before I got the person, though, I was informed that if I made a reservation over the phone, I'd get a $5.00 'call center charge', but that no such charge applied to booking online. Now I usually book online, so this affects me very little, but...

...the technology divide just got more expensive, folks.

From the Oregon Mail Tribune:

A local librarian checking on a company’s request to set up a voter registration booth in the library discovered the company was not affiliated with a non-partisan national group as it claimed.

Sproul & Associates, Inc. of Phoenix, Ariz., phoned and mailed the library in September, saying it had been hired by America Votes.

That came as news to America Votes.

"This organization (Sproul) absolutely has nothing to do with America Votes," said Kevin Looper, the state organizing director for America Votes.

America Votes is a non-partisan political organization formed in July 2003 to increase voter registration, education and participation in electoral politics.

Libraries in Oregon and other states have been contacted by Sproul. Looper said attorneys at America Votes’ Washington, D.C. headquarters have taken over.

"We are in the process of pursuing all of our legal options to pursue (an order to) cease and desist."

But the man behind the matter says it was an innocent mistake.

"We were not trying to copy their name," said Nathan Sproul, owner of the consulting and management company. "All we were trying to do is register people to vote."

In September, the Jackson County Library Services Central Library received a letter from Sproul & Associates, Inc. which began:

"Our firm has been contracted to help coordinate a national non-partisan voter registration drive, America Votes! in several states across the nation."

The letter went on to ask if the company could register people to vote in front of the library.

Meghan O’Flaherty, headquarters library manager, contacted Kevin Looper, who informed her America Votes did not hire the firm.

That’s when she learned that Sproul & Associates, Inc. is a political consulting firm headed up by former Arizona state Republican Party executive director Nathan Sproul.

"The only problem I have with it ... is that they’re misrepresenting themselves as someone they’re not," she said. [emphasis mine, dirty tricks theirs]

Via LISNews.

Turns out letting off steam might lose you your job. The Globe, via LISNews, reports that a Canadian woman lost her job for posting unflattering photos of the area where she lived. Seems she worked for the tourism agency. Hmmm.

For once, it's not from Unshelved (yes, that was a shameless plug for Bill and Gene--today's comic is a classic!).

It's a Frazz comic.

Thanks to Ruhama on the NexGen list.

This is only a political rant in the most obscure sense. I got an email from my friend Angie; her son, Peter, is my 'fairy godson' and much beloved. He's also four, which is a great age for inadvertent wisdom. Here's Ang's email:

Peter quote, when we somehow got on the topic of the
alphabet:

"Mama, I don't do W any more."

HA!

That's my good liberal boy