Greg Mitchell's Blog, page 9
April 9, 2015
But Still: What Rhymes with Orange?
Trailer for "Orange is the New Black" just released, returning June 12.
Snowden on Passwords
John Oliver posts unaired portion of his Snowden interview...
April 7, 2015
And NOW...HBO
New service launches today and John Oliver unveils...
April 6, 2015
Oliver Meets Snowden
Yes, John Oliver's main segment on HBO last night re: the Patriot Act renewal and clueless Americans took an unexpected turn when John suddenly bolted for Russia--and interviewed at some length Edward Snowden. Oddly, "dick pics" would play a telling role....
April 5, 2015
For Opening Day
From Japan. They are still fanatic about it there--perhaps because no basketfall, hockey and pro football drafts to distract them...
More Japanese media in --> Jrock Radio
More Japanese media in --> Jrock Radio
Posted by Jrock Radio on Friday, March 27, 2015
April 3, 2015
When Good Friday Comes
One of the finest vocal performances ever--and greatest Good Friday song--featuring Sam Cooke with the Soul Stirrers, mid-1950s.
March 30, 2015
Fools Gold
John Oliver off this week but posted an anti-April Fools' Day blast.
March 29, 2015
Back on the 'Streets'
Van Morrison on new album re-visits one of his greatest songs off his greatest cult album, Veedon Fleece--with Mick Hucknall dueting. The atmosphere of the original still tops this, but still. Live from 1974 below that, and full concert (opening with "Ballerina").
March 28, 2015
Lessig Backs Warren
The well-known Harvard prof and activist Lawrence Lessig just sent an email to MoveOn members declaring that he was "in" on backing Run, Liz, Run. And calling for dough, of course.
I'm Lawrence Lessig, a Harvard professor and the founder of MAYDAY Super PAC—the "SuperPAC to end all SuperPACs"—which many MoveOn members helped launch. I'm writing to you because I want Elizabeth Warren to run for President, and I'm asking you to join me.
The biggest problems we face—a rigged economy, climate change, the engulfing corruption of our political system by big money—have something in common: If we don't tackle them soon, we won't get another chance.
It keeps me up at night.
But what wakes me up in the morning is another thought: We really do have a chance to win in 2016. If we can elect leaders with the courage and independence to tackle the hard stuff—and build the mega-movement necessary to make sure they actually do it—we could see the kind of progressive sea change that brought the Gilded Age to an end more than a century ago.
But honestly? The only way I see this working is if Senator Elizabeth Warren runs for president.
That's why—as my next big project—I've joined the Run Warren Run campaign. I'll be giving a major speech in New York on April 20 to lay out the case. But right now, today, I'm asking for your help to supercharge this effort—before conventional wisdom congeals and everyone decides that the 2016 primaries are already over.
Can you chip in $3 to help fund the Run Warren Run campaign?
Yes, I'll chip in and help convince Elizabeth Warren to run for president.
Look: From everything I know, running for president is really, really hard. Most sane people would hate doing it. So I completely understand why my friend and former colleague has, to date, not shown any interest in doing so.
It's just that the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that she should reconsider.
We're now facing the prospect of no vigorous Democratic primary, potentially a primary season without even a single debate, generating a nominee who has not had to enlist the support of a genuine grassroots base. That's dangerous—not just for Democrats, but for our democracy.
Elizabeth Warren would change all of that. Not just because she'd guarantee a primary where every candidate has to take a stand. But because she (and, I believe, she alone) would galvanize the kind of movement that we'll need if the next President of the United States is to have a prayer of tackling the hardest, most urgent crises of our time.
The Run Warren Run campaign is doing something extraordinary: By organizing on the ground in the early primary states, it's keeping open the possibility of a Warren candidacy, in a moment when the primary is supposedly sewn up—and in the process forcing issues like economic inequality and political corruption to the center of the debate. But it can only keep going with our support.
Can you chip in $3?
Yes, I'll chip in, and help the campaign to draft Elizabeth Warren keep going and growing.
I don't pretend to know whether Elizabeth Warren will ultimately decide to run. But I do know this: There's always been one thing, and one thing only, that could convince her to take on a challenge. Not money. Not power. Just one thing: the realization that her jumping into the fray was necessary to make a difference.
This is one of those moments. And the more of us that raise our hands and say we're ready to fight by her side, the more clear it will become to her that she has a once-in-a-lifetime chance to fight the central battles of our nation. Not alone. With a movement. That's our role: to show her how much energy is waiting to be unleashed if she enters the race.
March 23, 2015
The Real Crime of Municipal Violations
John Oliver's main segment last night on how local towns and cities--even beyond Ferguson--use ticketing to pay for government, and how so many people wind up with massive bills or even end up in jail.
