Ted's Polish-Mexican PageThe two best reactions to the Brad Paisley “Accidental Racist” thing are both from American Prospect writer Jamelle Bouie:
Now streaming: Rick Ross and a re-united Sleater-Kinney in “Accidental Rapist.”
— Jamelle Bouie (@jbouie) April 8, 2013
When will we have the Rammstein/Matisyahu team-up, “Accidental Fascist?”
— Jamelle Bouie (@jbouie) April 8, 2013
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
I resisted writing anything about the Steubenville rape case, mostly because so much of what was out there made the point better than me.
I thought we’d heard the last from the apologists on this one, but here we go again with more blame the victim clap trap from one of Steubenville’s local NAACP leaders, of all people.
Much of the outrage in the hours after the verdict centered on the reporters covering the case and their “poor guys” take on the story. The sympathy for the perpetrators was particularly vexing since it came from a reporter at CNN, the network that hosts Nancy Grace. I don’t think the reporters were making excuses for rape in general. This was about the status of the two of them as football players. Had the two boys involved have been just regular students you would have seen them raked over the coals. What we saw here was the culture of impunity around student athletics. You’d hope that after the outrage of Penn State that someone would reconsider. I guess not.
I don’t get defending them at all, athletes or not. I’ll admit that as a male, I worry about false accusations. I also know that a perpetrator can be misidentified. This is why we have investigations and trials. Yes, I get “beyond a reasonable doubt.”
But, there was no “he said, she said” here. There was no “good guy” who misread a signal, no question about who was involved. They had sex with a woman who was totally incapable of telling them that she didn’t want it, and posted the video of the woman on the internet. These two were hunters posing with the big game they just bagged.
It’s hard to see shades of gray in that. I don’t know why anyone with a soul would.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
I don’t get a lot of comments here. I do, however, get plenty of spam. Most is bot-praise that has nothing to to with what I wrote, of course.
This one caught my eye. It linked back to a site selling purses:
The next time I read a blog, I hope that it doesnt disappoint me as significantly as this one. I mean, I know it was my selection to read, but I basically thought youd have something interesting to say. All I hear can be a bunch of whining about some thing which you could fix in case you werent too busy searching for attention.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
As part of my exalted new position, I sometimes have to go to public meetings after hours. Last night, I had to attend one regarding an ongoing transportation project.
Afterward, I spoke to a man with an obvious London accent. He told me it used to be cockney, but after living here so long, he’s got one that’s much more understandable for Americans.
As we talked, I learned that he was 81 years old and survived the Blitz as a boy. He told me about watching battered soldiers returning after Dunkirk and how his family and neighbors made soup for them. He talked about going to bed and wondering if the next boat load would be Germans.
He also asked a few questions about city issues. The funny part was, he thanked me for talking to him.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
I’m hopeful about the selection of Francis I. Maybe I am being naïve given that he had to, at the very least, cut a deal with one of the more brutal governments in this hemisphere to keep his job and his life.
It is worth noting that no less than Adolfo Pérez Esquivel has come to Francis’s defense on that matter. Still, his silence during that time, when so many in the Church and among his Jesuit brothers chose not to be quiet, makes his record murky at best.
Two important facts make me hopeful. One is that he is a Jesuit. It makes him an outsider, despite his status as a cardinal. Yes, he no doubt had to get the votes of insiders to get elected, but there are plenty on the inside who have been embarrassed by the rot at the heart of the Church. He is a member of an order that was founded by a man and his companions that knew that the way to grow and strengthen the Church was to widen its horizons.
A side note to that: the Jesuits have historically been involved with the sciences, and Francis himself is a chemist. The last few popes have embraced science, but to have one that is a scientist and comes out of the Jesuit tradition is an important sign that religion and science can coexist. This guy won’t be visiting the Creation Museum anytime soon.
The other is the selection of the name: Francis. This has been written about to death, but it is an important signal. The guy didn’t seem to have much time for the trappings of his previous office. Reports I’ve read are that former cardinal would have rather ridden on the bus and discuss his beloved San Lorenzo than ride in the limousine provided by the archdiocese.
Yes, despite his advocacy on behalf of the poor, he has the same retrograde views on homosexuality and women’s rights that the church has had for decades. But, I wonder if the humility of St. Francis will allow him to at least get a discussion going on the topics. Maybe he’ll know to work to make those of us who disagree feel more welcome. His clash with his country’s president over gay marriage, where his tactics helped him lose the fight, may have taught him a few lessons too.
So many of the troubles in the Church right now can be traced back to arrogance: the burgeoning financial imbroglio, the alienation of younger Catholics and, worst of all, the sex abuse scandals. Maybe putting on that brown robe and wandering the countryside and learning from ordinary folks is what these guys need.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
I learned of the death of long time local musician Jesús Acedo yesterday.
Jesús is a familiar name for those of us who remember a Tucson scene pre-Calexico. His band, the Black Sun Ensemble was often incomprehensible. But it didn’t matter. You sat there and took it in, because after a while you’d realize how beautiful and brilliant what you were listening to was.
Jesús described his own music in one interview as “middle-eastern psychadelic rock.” You can believe that or just give it a listen.
The Black Sun Ensemble got written up in Rolling Stone and opened for Camper Van Beethoven on tour back in ’89.
That particular tour led to one of the more storied incidents in that period of Tucson rock when fellow ensembleer Odin Helgison was taken into custody along with one of Paul McCartney’s daughters.
Ah, the good old days.
Jesús dealt with mental illness for most of the last decades of his life. I don’t know how he passed away, but I can’t help wondering if it was related to the hurricane that raged in his head.
Rich Hopkins told me once that he burned tapes of a recording his band had completed because he thought they were possessed by demons. I’ve had friends who tell me that his brilliance was because of the illness, but I gotta wonder how often it got in the way too.
At one point, he took to calling himself Jesús Ángel de la Paz. Maybe now he’s found some of that peace.
About a year or two ago, I was supposed to meet a friend for lunch downtown. My friend cancelled. I was walking back to my car and saw Jesús. He said hi and wanted to tell me how good the donuts were at the place he was living. He wanted to know what I was doing.
“So, you missed lunch?”
He wandered off. I continued my walk. I was far away from my car, so he caught up to me. He gave me a donut. I can’t imagine the guy had very much at that point to be offering me food.
Some people talk about the mentally ill as having “troubled souls.” His soul seemed to be just fine.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
As I looked out on this cold morning, I thought about the words of the Founding Father that is currently popular after a best seller was published about him last year. He believed those two hundred short years ago that we are in for a future full of hope and looking ahead. I can think of nothing more true.
But, there is danger in the world. There are foreign shores full of people with ideas different than ours. We must be resolute but cautious when facing these challenges.
Here at home, we have divisions. Some believe some ways, others believe other ways. We must both honor and get beyond these difference, but in a way that recognizes the truth that our differences are what unite us.
We must pursue fiscal policy in the coming years, as well as social and foreign policy. All of these things are our calling as citizens and leaders. Doing any less would be shirking our obligations to generations to come.
There are words from scripture that are appropriate here.
In closing, let us remember that our country is two centuries old and founded by people who are no longer alive. Their legacy is this nation we call home.
God bless the United States.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
My favorite Twitter feed is Tweets of Old, where comedienne Julia Stiles reprints “brevities” from old newspapers.
This weekend featured four tweets from turn of the century newspapers:
The Tombstone Limburger Cheese Club met last evening. A new member was initiated and the secret session lasted until midnight. AZ1899
— R.L. Ripples (@TweetsofOld) January 12, 2013
Owing to the recent train car robberies at Yuma, there is a lingerie famine as well as a scarcity of “Kitchen Queen” flour sacks. AZ1907
— R.L. Ripples (@TweetsofOld) January 12, 2013
Bisbee will prohibit bells on ‘buses, owing to their conflict with gongs on the ambulances. AZ1907
— R.L. Ripples (@TweetsofOld) January 12, 2013
An armed horde of hobos is marching in the direction of Phoenix. AZ1907
— R.L. Ripples (@TweetsofOld) January 12, 2013
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
Phil Plait posted a video of the Vela Pulsar at his always cool Bad Astronomy blog.
I was doing a bit of last minute shopping yesterday and I stopped by Heroes and Villains. They were selling decks of playing cards called Sexy Lady Bookworms. The cards are being sold to benefit Phoenix-based charity Kids Need to Read.
The cards feature models who seem to be drawn from the local rockabilly and roller derby community. I don’t recognize any of the women on the cards, but Frankie Stein of the Mission Creeps is on the website. If she’s on the cards, I haven’t spotted her.
The pictures were taken at local bookstores: Antigone, Bookmans, Mostly Books, Heroes and Villains and the Book Stop.
And to answer your question, they are all fully clothed. A few alluring poses, but that’s the most titillation you are going to get. Sorry.
The cards can be purchased at Antigone, Mostly Books, 444 Tattoo Shop, ZOË Boutique, The Coyote Wore Sideburns, Black Rose Tattoo, Toxic Shock Records and Heroes and Villains. There is also a calendar available.
You can also buy the cards and calendars at their website.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
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