MUGGER's a Warmonger; Dylan '66 v. Dylan '75; Signorile as Liberal Shock Jock?; Comsymps at the Times; Lott's Foot-in-Mouth Disease; Dissing Olive Garden
MUGGER: I agree that Live 1966 is stunning and better than Live 1975. And both are better than Before the Flood. But if the 1975 version of "Hurricane" is a rote recitation to you, you're not having all the fun you're allowed.
Alex Crepeau, Brooklyn
The View from Over There
MUGGER: The last time I saw fit to take you to task for your ignorant view of the world from the protected perch this publication provides you, you chose to respond simply by disparaging my teaching credentials. I will try to be more succinct this time. The entire world, with the exception of England, Israel, Japan and Turkey (with a $4 billion bone) recognizes the canard of your myopic defense of the current administration. The peoples of the world, including the citizens of England and Japan, understand full well that our rush to war is nothing more than a grab for global petroleum dominance. The Bushies will stop at nothing, including despoiling our environment, creating deficits for our children and grandchildren to pay, and sowing the seeds of hatred for decades to come. America is the real rogue state, and the axis of evil is Bush, Cheney and Ashcroft. As you sow, so shall you reap.
Mark Aleshnick, Naha City, Okinawa, Japan
Short & to the Point
MUGGER: You are a miserable warmonger. May you be unsuccessful.
Otto M. Schiff, Carmel, CA
Localized
MUGGER: Could you please start spending more time writing about local politics? Think about Silver and Bloomberg. These two politicians are your government and part-time business (e.g. taxes) representatives. These two "good guys" represent me as well. For me they are both bad. I would like to ask you to write more about Bloomberg and business. I thought that Bloomberg is a businessman. Where is the business? Bloomberg acts like a guy who has spent his whole life in government. He governs like an old school Russian communist bureaucrat-the bad ones we were always taught to hate. "Cut, cut, cut. No! No! No! More blood you bastards." The rebuilding of downtown alone should produce thousands of jobs for New Yorkers. We should be at the start of a building boom period. A growth period. We are talking about blocks of expensive construction. The people that build downtown are some of the wealthiest people in the world. Where is the money? Where are the jobs? This Bloomberg guy is rolling down the block looking like a Scrooge that hates everyone, except for an elite group of yuppie billionaires. You live a very comfortable lifestyle. Other than smoking restrictions, are you happy with how Silver and Bloomberg are representing you? What is your opinion on Bloomberg's business abilities? From this start we can move down a long list of questions. Thanks for the consideration.
Clayton Patterson, Manhattan
Signoriffic
Another great column by Michelangelo Signorile ("The Gist," 12/11). Thank you!
Fredda Weinberg, Delray Beach, FL
Pointless
Michelangelo Signorile misses the entire point of the commentary regarding Howell Raines and the Augusta Country Club ("The Gist," 12/11). Free association is guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution. I would infer that Signorile also believes the Supreme Court was incorrect in confirming the Boy Scouts of America's right of freedom of association.
Gene H. Webb, California, MD
A Rosen by Any Other... Oh, Never Mind
So last year J.R. Taylor trashes power-pop fans in an article about the IPO ("Music," 11/28/01). This year he trashes us in an article about Eytan Mirsky ("Music," 12/11).
Have you no other music reviewers to cover this type of music? Why return Taylor to a scene he obviously despises?
He's never met me, yet he attacks me at every opportunity simply based upon the music I enjoy (I am a proud power-pop fan, so he thinks that there must be something wrong with me).
May I also point out a couple of flaws in his article: (1) not all power-pop music is upbeat and happy as Taylor seems to believe; (2) power-pop fans enjoy a lot of music that is upbeat and happy-so-fucking-what?; and (3)Taylor seems to enjoy putting down the sexual experience (or perceived lack thereof-is it a supposition or is he following folks home?) of fans rather than reviewing the music. Is his job to write about music or sex? Perhaps a change of beat is in order. (By the way, in my experience, those who have to point out flaws in others usually have bigger ones in the same area-call it the "methinks he doth protest too much" syndrome-apologies to W.S.)
Ira Rosen, Highland Park, NJ
Don't Count on It
MUGGER: I read and love your stuff regularly on JWR. Read tonight's column with great interest. One passage in particular made me sit up and take notice as it was the first I'd heard it, to wit: "I agree with New Hampshire's Sen.-Elect John Sununu that the man of 18 disguises won't run for president in 2004. Speaking on the Nov. 23 broadcast of Capital Gang, Sununu said: 'Gore is not going to run for president in 2004, because he'll only have one more chance to run for president, and his choice is going to be to run in 2008. What he's doing is consolidating liberal interest groups, those that have a strong influence in the primary process, reinforcing his credentials. He's against extending the tax cuts, making them permanent. He's trying to oppose the president and his initiatives in Iraq. He's...taking positions for nationalized health care. So he's consolidating that base. He'll make a decision that he's not going to run. But at the same time, in consolidating the base, remain a player in the run-up to 2008, and even remain a player in the selection of the nominee for 2004.'"
That is all eminently reasonable, rational and what a truly talented, brilliant and far-seeing politician would do. Which is precisely why it's dead wrong. MUGGER, snap out of it, this is Al Gore we're talking about here.
The Al Gore of "no legal controlling authority," Earth in the Balance, the inventor of the Internet, the stand-by-your-impeached-man that Bill Clinton will go down, as it were, in history as one of our finest and so much more. Of course, that was the more stable, already-elected Vice President Gore, the counterweight of gravitas to Bill Clinton's spontaneity. Remember? More recently, when operating on his own political instincts this is the guy who alternately sighed, scowled, swooped or charged in the debates, who decided now's the time to attack our President as we prepare to go to war, who thought a replay of the feel-your-pain "family" drivel would gain purchase.
In short, Al Gore is perhaps the most stunningly tone deaf, blind-as-a-bat, clueless politician of our age. He is Uriah Heep and no more or less. He's always a day late and a dollar short, misreading his crowd and peddling yesterday's patent medicines. He is not a leader, he is a nostalgic grasping for the things he remembers worked once for others.
The utter depths of Al Gore's soulless ineptitude can be summed up in one question, MUGGER: what sort of man is it who must pay a hardcore, angry feminist to advise him how to dress and carry himself as a man? Whatever sort of man that is, it is not a leader, nor a brilliant thinker of big thoughts nor a man who understands his countrymen. He will run.
Mark Shepler, Jupiter, FL
Zero Hour: Columbus Day
MUGGER: George W. Bush has made it clear that if the Iraqis do not reveal the whereabouts of their weapons of mass destruction and stop their deceit, then they will be severely punished: a greater hell than they already suffer will be inflicted upon them. But what if, as they claim, the Iraqis have no weapons of mass destruction? Then they have nothing to fork over.
The President has made it clear that he will tolerate no such thing, and the punishment for their "not coming clean" will be swift and forceful, to be followed by a decade of occupation to "rebuild Iraq" and control of Iraqi oil fields by the U.S.A. "to fight against terrorism."
A solution might be for the Iraqis to rush out to the world market to purchase a few weapons of mass destruction at any price asked, in order to have something to turn over to the inspectors and declare to George Bush. But such a shopping spree, at a moment like this, could only be taken as proof positive that the Iraqis are out of control and must be punished (and occupied) without further delay.
This whole situation puts one in mind of good old Cristoforo Colombo, who, when the Indians of Hispaniola and other Caribbean islands did not produce the gold he required, had their arms cut off. The trouble was they didn't have any gold.
Michael R. Marantz, Jamaica, VT
Monkey See, Monkey Type
I don't think it's considered proper to criticize a person by name-but who is this Franklin Johnson ("The Mail," 12/11) that you would print his bloviations? I know that given enough time, a roomful of monkeys can type out Shakespeare, but this missive makes me think a lot of zoos are missing a prime exhibit.
Steve Miller, Seattle
Keep the Faith, Tim
Thanks to you, Mike Signorile, for keeping up the pressure on Andrew Sullivan, W. and the nasty right-wing regime in Washington and elsewhere. Your writing from the wilderness helps keep me from despair in this depressing time.
Timothy M. Otte, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Jerry McCarthyism
James Carville does a great ventriloquism job in his letter to the editor signed Franklin L. Johnson ("The Mail," 12/11). What a waste of space.
Tracy Meadows, Brenham, TX
Dylanology
MUGGER: An interesting, honest review ("MUGGER," 12/11). Part of me agrees with your feelings on Live 1975?part of me doesn't. It definitely isn't as good as I'd hoped. It almost certainly isn't as enjoyable as Live 1966. However, this band had a great sound, and Bob was on a roll for sure. But there are some key tracks missing and some song versions I myself would not have picked.
Trevor Gibb, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear, England
Signo the Shock Jock
Mike Signorile: I just wanted to tell you that you are one of my favorite writers, up there with Arianna Huffington and a few other leftists who not only have great intelligent reasoning but also kick major right-wing ass. I look forward to your columns! Keep up the good work! Now if we could only start our own version of faux news, with people like you, and our own AM radio, perhaps we could counter the evil Republican machine.
Yoni Reinberg, Philadelphia
Must Be that Dallas Air
Mike Signorile is probably unaware that the Moonies have probably less influence over the editorial content of The Washington Times than the Socialist Party does over that of The New York Times ("The Gist," 12/11).
Anyway, half his rant is directed toward an assistant editor who is not a Moonie, but a Seventh Day Adventist. So Bob McCain's a racial bigot? Howell Raines is a politically correct socialist pimp. Both viewpoints have been discredited by history.
And regardless of his motives, Bush was correct: The Washington Times does "bring sanity to Washington D.C.," no matter how annoying that may be to Signorile's ilk.
Kim du Toit, Dallas, TX
Re: Tort
MUGGER: Okay, it's probably time to retire the cute-and played-out-"tort lawyer" add-on to Edwards' name every time you put it into print. Unless you're willing to do this for everybody. Racist empty suit Trent Lott! Hell no I don't pay taxes John Snow! Also: the first Bush lost for a lot of reasons, but leaving Saddam in his palace wasn't one of them (but hey, way to keep your eye on the ball); if you think Friedman's stupid for suggesting we can't afford the war and the impending tax cuts, bury your money in the backyard; and you're right about Bob.
Harley Peyton, Los Angeles
Who Cares if He's a Racist?
MUGGER: I never cared for Trent Lott. He didn't seem to be smart and he was too accommodating to the Democrats. He was like Jimmy Carter, too nice for the job. And now he really has done something stupid and not only hurt himself but hurt all Republicans. Now if they could just get rid of Tenet and Mineta, it would make a good trio.
Donald W. Bales, Kingsport, TN
Hard News
Michelangelo Signorile rambles on that The New York Times must be a legitimate newspaper because they were hard on Clinton during the 90s ("The Gist," 12/4). My memory tells me that they were only hard (I know, a poor choice of words) on Clinton for his sex scandals. As we've all heard before: "Sex Sells" in newspapers, and the Times was only too happy to jump on him for this. Matters of national security, poor response to terrorist attacks during his years in office, stealing of FBI files, lying about nearly everything he said, etc., was just too much for the Times and they gave him a pass. Any stories leaning that way were usually relegated to the less-read Saturday editions. If Signorile is to be credible he can't be saying the Times is truly an unbiased newspaper.
Frank Higbie, Bridgewater, NJ
Too Much Information
MUGGER: The GOP should pick someone else than Trent Lott to lead them in the trenches. I mean, this guy Lott has pulled two boners (not only the comments about Strom Thurmond, but he was also clueless about Jeffords' defection) and he doesn't even have a big dick.
Gary Schwartz, Fort Lee, NJ
The Foot in Lott's Mouth
So, trendy Trent Lott has once again found his "conservative" cordovan inelegantly ensconced inside his lower lip ("Daily Billboard," 12/11). At this late stage, no one should be surprised at the vile verbiage spilling from the mouth of this Sordid Son of the South and all around Good Ol' Boy. The real amazement is why this decrepit dinosaur is in charge of anything, let alone the Senate of these United States.
Indeed, Trent Lott is the perfect anti-Bubba. The anti-Bill Clinton clone, that is. His job has been to slap a gap-toothed grin and fatback sheen onto the active, racist policies of the Republican Party in the segregationist South. Lott's profuse repudiations and apologies for his remarks at a birthday party for Sen. Strom Thurmond speaks more to fierce, behind-the-scenes politicking than his dubious contrition. Heavy heat from high places has him groveling grotesquely.
In this instance, Lott's apostasy isn't the result of harboring racist beliefs. It's the inadvertent exposure of them. His Freudian slip could cost his party many precious votes. And a mountain of cash may be needed to restore the South's Republican political order. The backlash from black voters is an obvious concern.
Strom Thurmond's segregationist South is alive and well despite his failing health. The air in South Carolina towns is stale and heavy with the smell of racism and resignation. By comparison, the air in Atlanta is electric with the smell of success from international trade. Sadly, Atlanta is the rare bright light amidst the Bible Belt blight.
Trent Lott knows his return to the Senate majority leader post is probably toast. The saddest fact of all is our nation still struggles to vanquish a rampantly racist past. We must ask ourselves: Why do we, a 21st-century people, continue to support 12th-century leadership?
Franklin L. Johnson, Manhattan
City of Food Snobs
I'm sure you just missed it...everyone makes a mistake, but the lead paragraph of your food column this week started with the writer saying how much she likes the cannelloni at the Olive Garden ("Food," 12/11). I think we can all agree that anyone who would set foot in the Italian McDonald's shouldn't be allowed to live in the five boroughs, let alone write a food column. I trust you'll take care of the situation. Thank you.
Mike Strassman, Brooklyn
The Apathy Party
MUGGER's "GOP Hubris" (12/11) missed another interpretation of our election results. Average voter turnout continues to decline nationally, with only 40 percent of citizens going to the polls in 2002 on Election Day. The real winner was "none of the above" represented by 60 percent of Americans who stayed home. Republican control of both the House and Senate by such small numbers means that defections by a handful of more moderate GOP members can defeat any legislation. Parliamentary procedures and filibusters by opposition leaders, such as Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia and other masters of Robert's Rules of Order, can bring either legislative body to a standstill. Republicans lack the necessary votes to cut off such stalling tactics. Apathy by a majority of voters despite a media campaign whose cost was in the hundreds of millions of dollars is really due to the lack of substantive philosophical differences between Democrats and Republicans. The late Alabama Governor George Wallace was right when he said, "There ain't a dime's worth of difference" between Demopublicans and Republicrats. Both parties have morphed into one Washington Beltway-insider incumbency party with local branches in all 50 states. Their mutual desire is to regulate either our economic or civil liberties. Public officials at the city, state and national level are addicted to power. They believe pork barrel projects, at taxpayers' expense, are the best way to grease the wheels of reelection. Bipartisan gerrymandering, after the 2000 Census, resulted in fewer competitive districts on both the Federal and State level of government. Most races were decided by internal political primaries prior to the general election. Special interest groups continue to look for a political quid pro quo, in exchange for campaign contributions. In the end, taxpayers pick up the tab. Unless we give serious consideration to such alternatives as the Libertarian, Green or other independent parties-the status quo will continue.
Larry Penner, Great Neck, NY
Brooklyn Dodgers
MUGGER: I'm surprised at your love of Dylan (which we share). Too bad your political leanings are from hunger. You've embraced the party of Trent Lott, the know-nothing party. The party that screamed about eight years of Clinton gave us the two draft-dodging business criminals in Duhbya and Cheney. Pathetic.
Bruce Brodinsky, Brooklyn
Matt's Behind
I agree with Matt Seitz that Alexander Sukurov's Russian Ark is an impressive film, but I take issue with his calling it a milestone ("Film," 12/11). In September 1998 I wrote and directed the one-take digital feature Big Monday, which premiered the following March at the South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival in Austin, TX, and went on to have a healthy life at festivals around the country and abroad. Owing to its technical achievement, the film was written up in numerous production journals and even got a mention in the esteemed pages of Scientific American. In November 2000 it began airing on the Independent Film Channel as part of their series DV Theater. Again, while I agree that your reviewer is correct in asserting that it takes time for the technology to be used in new and innovative ways, I feel it necessary to note that it had been done four years earlier than he leads your readers to believe.
Michael Rehfield, Manhattan