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Category Archives: History

Of Wikipedia, revisionism, serial killers, The Duke and Michelle Bachmann: the past is the present, the future is the present, and the present is fucked

Posted on 2011.06.28 by Bonesparkle 2 comments

In case you missed it, America’s newest official candidate for the presidency, Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, kicked off her campaign in her hometown of Waterloo, IA yesterday by confusing John Wayne with John Wayne Gacy. Honest mistake. Anybody could have made it. I mean, it’s still odd. I know first-hand how attuned Iowans can be to their own local histories.

Saturday Video Roundup: beauty queens, history and current events

Posted on 2011.06.04 by Bonesparkle One comment

This morning, a pop quiz. One question. Compare and contrast the following two videos. First video (the money shot begins around 0:13).

More than marketing: The Blueflowers and the New Wave of Americana

Posted on 2011.05.09 by winterSmith 10 comments

I’ve never much cared for the musical genre broadly known as Americana, and lately I’ve been thinking about why this is. I suppose it’s acceptable to say hey, I’ve listened to a lot of these artists and most of them just kinda bore me, but that seems unsatisfactory for a guy who thinks about music like I do. After some

An open letter to President Barack Obama: congratulations – now, how will you spend your political capital?

Posted on 2011.05.02 by winterSmith One comment

_____ TRANSCRIPT

The American Parliament: our nation’s 10 political parties

Posted on 2011.04.26 by winterSmith 3 comments

Part two in a series. Forgive me for abstracting and oversimplifying a bit, but one might argue that American politics breaks along the following 10 lines: Social Conservatives Neocons Business Conservatives Traditional Conservatives (there’s probably a better term, but I’m thinking of old-line Western land and water rights types) Blue Dog Democrats New Democrats Progressives

9/11 happened on Obama’s watch! GOP noise machine already hard at work on the history books of the future

Posted on 2010.01.11 by winterSmith 13 comments

Something wicked this way comes. Item: Former White House Press Secretary Dana Perino says “we did not have a terrorist attack on our country during President Bush’s term.” Item: GOP apologist Mary Matalin says President Bush “inherited the most tragic attack on our own soil in our nation’s history.” Item: Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani says “We had

Democracy & Elitism 2: performance elitism vs privilege elitism, and why the difference matters

Posted on 2009.12.02 by winterSmith 84 comments

Part two in a series. “Elite” hasn’t always been an epithet. In fact, if we consider what the dictionary has to say about it, it still signifies something potentially worthy. Potentially. For instance: e·lit·ism or é·lit·ism (-ltzm, -l-) n. 1. The belief that certain persons or members of certain classes or groups deserve favored treatment by virtue of their perceived

Democracy & Elitism: an introduction to the American false consciousness

Posted on 2009.11.30 by winterSmith 9 comments

Part one in a series. Is there a more radioactive word in American politics today than elitist? Admit it – you saw the word and had an instinctive negative reaction, didn’t you? If not, then count yourself among the rarest minority in our culture, the fraction of a percent that has not yet had its consciousness colonized by the “evil

Why American media has such a signal-to-noise problem, part 1

Posted on 2009.08.03 by winterSmith 19 comments

Part one of a two-part series. From Cronkite to Couric: the Kingdom of Signal is swallowed by the Empire of Noise The recent death of Walter Cronkite spurred the predictable outpouring of tributes, each reverencing in its own way a man who was the face and voice of journalism in America for a generation or more. The irony of all

America and its presidents: what the fuck is wrong with you people?

Posted on 2009.07.13 by Bonesparkle 21 comments

Let’s begin with a brief Q&A with America. Q: Let’s say you’re sick with a potentially deadly disease. Who do you want for a doctor? A: The smartest, most experienced and highly qualified expert in the field. Q: You’re looking to invest your life savings. Who do you trust to handle your money? A: The brightest, most agile financial mind

The summer of the Son of Sam: a fantastic critique at Secondat

Posted on 2009.06.20 by winterSmith 6 comments

This week’s TunesDay featured a couple of new videos from Jeffrey Dean Foster, including one for “The Summer of the Son of Sam,” which is maybe the best song on Million Star Hotel, which is in turn one of the best CDs that way too few people have ever heard in the history of popular music. Anyhow, it’s always nice

Ten years on: the enduring lessons of Columbine

Posted on 2009.04.20 by winterSmith 20 comments

Part one of a series April 20, 2009: 11:19 am MDT Ten years ago a co-worker turned to me and said something that I’ll never forget, no matter how long I live: “Hey, Sammy, there’s been a school shooting in Littleton.” Since that day a great deal has been written and said about Columbine High School and the events of

Let the economy die?! Rushkoff’s goals are noble but his plan needs work

Posted on 2009.03.27 by winterSmith 13 comments

A couple of weeks ago author and NYU media theory lecturer Douglas Rushkoff penned a provocative essay for Arthur Magazine. Entitled “Let It Die,” the essay explains why we should stop trying to save the economy. In a perfect world, the stock market would decline another 70 or 80 percent along with the shuttering of about that fraction of our

Jon Stewart, Jim Cramer and the rampaging cowards of journalism

Posted on 2009.03.14 by Bonesparkle 31 comments

First, just in case you haven’t seen it, please review the video (in three parts). The Daily Show With Jon StewartM – Th 11p / 10c Jim Cramer Unedited Interview Pt. 1 Daily Show Full Episodes Important Things w/ Demetri Martin Political Humor Jim Cramer

An open letter to America’s progressive billionaires

Posted on 2009.03.10 by winterSmith 46 comments

Dear Mr. Buffet, Mr. Gates, Mr. Turner, Mr. Soros, Ms. Winfrey, and any other hyper-rich types with progressive political leanings: If this essay has, against all odds, somehow made its way to your desk, please, bear with me. It’s longish, but it winds eventually toward an exceedingly important conclusion. If you’ll give me a few minutes, I’ll do my best