Greg Mitchell's Blog, page 93
May 5, 2014
Paine Control
Paine College in Augusta in lockdown now--and claim of "active shooter'--after second shooting within 24 hours. They thought things were settled after yesterday's scare. Now this. Unconfirmed report has one student shot in head. A local medical center complex also on lockdown as search for shooter or shooters continues. Latest from local TV: According to the Paine College communications officer, "this is active shooter situation and we are barricaded in the office." More to come.
You Know Who You Are
If you're having that kind of day (or if you are, say, a GOP leader in Congress): The great Warren Zevon, "My Shit's Fucked Up."
The Return of Jayson Blair
One of the key stories we covered and uncovered at Editor & Publisher when I was editing the magazine from about 2001 to 2009 was the Jayson Blair fabrication scandal at The New York Times, which among other things led to the exit of top editor Howell Raines. Now I see the first doc on it is airing tonight on the Independent Lens series on PBS--via Channel 13 in New York and one hopes elsewhere. (For more of Blair's "work," go here.) I remember when Jayson sat for an interview with Joe Strupp in my office when he was promoting his quickie book--which was a complete bomb despite wide publicity. For the following month no one would sit in "The Jayson Blair Chair." It became kind of a gag but was no laughing matter. Still, Judy Miller and Michael Gordon deserved a worse fate, and Raines' bigger sin was the paper's coverage of the run-up to the Iraq war. Here's a bit of a preview:
Kent State, 44 Years On
Yes, I was in college on this day--and helped lead protests that shut school down. Here's Neil Young doing his song, live acoustic, a year later. Ben Harper version here.
John Oliver Vs. Death
Opening segment on episode 2 of John Oliver's new HBO news/comedy series was a lengthy take on the botched execution in Oklahoma, and John came out against the death penalty. Mixed in some laughs, if you can handle that. Not sure if I like John's new Michael Kinsley look, though. My own recent ebook vs. the death penalty.
May 4, 2014
Did Lou Gehrig Not Die from 'Lou Gehrig's Disease"
An Olbermann segment on claims that actually Lou died due to post-concussion syndrome (or that his ALS was triggered by it). NYT covered a few years back.
Julia-Joe 2016
The special vid at last night's Nerd Prom,with the Veep and the "Veep."
May 3, 2014
Calling Frank Underwood
Just released trailer for upcoming edition of mega-popular Call of Duty game--starring Kevin Spacey in very Frank Underwood mode--with theme of longshot chances in bringing democracy after U.S. invasions.
'Apartheid' Warning Common in Israel--But Taboo in USA
Valuable AJE piece on fact that writers and political figures in Israel often use the term "apartheid" in warning about what might come to exist, or already is present, but it seems to be taboo in the U.S.--witness the firestorm over John Kerry's remark this week and his backing off. Also, Juan Cole on U.S. report calling the many racist attacks on Palestinians by Israeli settlers as "terrorism."
The initial response of the State Department was to defend Kerry’s warning, with spokeswoman Jen Psaki even going so far as to tweet links from liberal blogs ThinkProgress and Daily Kos referring to current and former Israeli leaders who made similar remarks.
But Psaki’s attempts to quell the outrage were short-lived. Within a day, Kerry put out a statement saying that he will “not allow my commitment to Israel to be questioned by anyone” and that he wishes he had “chosen a different word to describe my firm belief [in] a two-state solution.” Interestingly, he reiterated Psaki’s point that a whole host of Israeli leaders have made the same warning he did but said apartheid is “a word best left out of the debate here at home.”
Therein lies the puzzle: American politicians are fearful of using the same terms that are used by their Israeli counterparts out of the caution not to offend an American pro-Israel lobby that demands more fealty to the Israeli government than Israelis have themselves.
To understand the reasons behind — and the potential implications of — this absurd double standard, it’s useful to review the fierce debate the comparison sparked in the past.
