Rowhouse Logic - Breathtaking Inanity

I’ve said previously that I have no regrets about supporting Seth Williams or dedicating quite a bit of space on this site to that support. I still have no regrets about that. I did make some mistakes however. The one most apparent to me at the moment is that I was just too timid. I basically shot the site in the foot in terms of traffic by only focusing on one issue, and neglecting those that are important outside of by immediate geographical region and that I myself really care about. My thought was that I didn’t want to piss anybody off who might otherwise agree with me on the District Attorney’s race, and turn them off of a great Candidate. I didn’t want to fuck up, and in trying not to, I did. I’m still feeling my way through this whole mess, and the learning curve isn’t quit where I’d like it.

Another mistake I made was in pulling a post by a contributor that was about me personally. David, who may have given up on writing here, wrote a post about my penchant for swearing just a little worse than a sailor and provided some examples. I pulled it, not because I mind being made fun of - I deserve that, but because I didn’t want my own lack of social graces to reflect poorly on the candidate I was supporting. Silly, I know. I was defiantly over thinking the whole thing. It was a stupid move on my part and one I owe David an apology for. Anyway, David’s post is back up. If you want to look at it, it’s here, and no it’s not altogether inacurate, though I doubt I ever said “uncool”.

Will discovers that facts are stuborn things and then posts about it at 6:00 on a Friday. Go have a look.

I learned recently that the record companies look the other way when bloggers post a single track from a record and urge their readers to buy the whole album. Consider yourself so urged. Speaking of urges, today’s track, El Barrio, is from Joe Henderson’s album Inner Urge recorded on November 30, 1964.

The album, one of Henderson’s very best, features Joe Henderson on tenor saxophone, McCoy Tyner on piano, Elvin Jones on drums and Bob Cranshaw on bass. If you don’t understand the magnitude of that lineup, then I’m not sure what I can do for you other than urge you to have a listen and find out. I picked El Barrio itself because it’s fairly short and is not as well known as some of the other tracks on the record such as Inner Urge or Isotope. I think it captures some of the brutal passion of Joe Henderson quite well and is very good listen. Click here for the tune.

On a personal note, Joe Henderson is one of my musical heroes. He had a completely unique sound that digs into the inner recesses of your soul if you just let it. He’s a guy who’s playing I always used to torture myself with by making the most brutal of comparisons between my own playing and his. When I was in college I spend a few weeks transcribing some his solos from his album State of the Tenor, which brought me near the brink of a total meltdown. His phrasing and sense of time are so very peculiarly his and so very intricate that sometimes a few measures would take hours just to decipher cleanly on manuscript paper. What an experience though.

Not so much an apology or retraction as it is a minor clarification and confirmation that he seems to feel his comparison had some merit:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Republican senator who likened Democrats to Adolf Hitler during a heated debate over the future of U.S. judicial nominees on Friday said such language was a “mistake.”

Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania released a statement saying that “Referencing Hitler was meant to dramatize the principle of an argument, not to characterize my Democratic colleagues.”

“It was a mistake and I meant no offense,” added Santorum, who holds a key spot in the Republican leadership.

My Senator is a charming fellow isn’t he? Since he has so many dog related nicknames, I’d like to propose that we find a way to work “Drama Queen� into the mix as well. Something like “Everybody’s favorite dog loving drama queen Rick Santorum.�

Since I’ve been a bit silly about the Santorum issue, it seems appropriate to bring in a much more serious take on the affair. This is by Sterling Newberry:

References to fascism and naziism are common in overheated rhetoric. There is also the more delicate matter of real comparisons. The Nazi state pioneered so many things, technical and political, and then proceded to unleash them as horror, that every modern nation, if it looks over its shoulder, finds a leering SS officer in the distance as a warning. A warning as to what unrestrained powers of surveillance and the party state can do if left without check or ethical boundary.

Which is why the Santorum remarks comparing stopping the filibuster to Hitler’s occupation of Paris in 1942 are, simply put, an offense which the Senate should censure.

It was Trent Lott who stated that impeachable was “anything which brought disrepute” to the government. And given the long history of the Republicans raising hackles over Hitler references - including one which was a submission to an internet competition - the standard of disrepute is met. If Lott’s overpraising of segregationism is enough to force an individual from the leadership of his party’s caucus in the Senate, and if an affair with a prostitute enough to bring censure on the head of Barney Frank in the House, then this kind of explosive rhetoric in a time of war is an unconscionable attack on the patriotism and Americanism of his fellow members of the Senate.

Given that Saddam was compared to Hilter, Senator Santorum’s remarks are an attempt to equate his political enemies with enemies of the state. We cannot survive in a polity where the great and mighty may slur their political opponents with this brush, particularly when the powers of the government are extended as part of the War on Terrorism and the Patriot Act. A government which has been entrusted some of the usual liberties of individuals must not take liberties itself.

But even more profoundly it reveals that tiresomely obvious truth: reactionaries are motivated by hate. It is clear that Senator Santorum hates his political opponents, and hates them to an immoderate degree. Since he cannot behave with the decorum expected of a Senator, it is time that that body, if it had any courage, relieved him of the stress and strain of attaining a standard of good manners to which he is clearly incapable of holding himself to. So in addition to censure, the Senate should, again, if it had any honesty about the powers which it has voted the government, and the grave meaning which those powers imply, expel him from the Senate, and declare the seat vacant, to be filled by the normal process of the state of Pennsylvania.

(Via the Liberal Avenger)

Well OK, so I exaggerate. But there is a party in my neighborhood this weekend. The Italian Festival will be happening about 4 doors down from my house. After a few years of no festival, in recent years it’s been back, bigger and better than ever. The official website will probably do a better job of outlining all the activities than I can, but I’ll just guarantee you a fun time. Albert over at Dragonballyee has also been talking about the festival.

Parking will be yucky, so I strongly recommend public transportation. The 23 bus runs down 12th Street and the 47 runs down 8th. Both will get you within easy walking distance.

Since I live in the neighborhood, I’ll be there both days. I believe that my blogmate, Chris and his wife will be there on Sunday.

If you see a long-haired woman walking around with a square-assed dog, that’s me.

Hope to see you there!

Will asks a good question with regards to Bob Casey; where the hell is he in all of this? This is a big wide open opportunity to make some noise, increase visibility and we hear nothing. Not even a peep. I’ve said before that Casey strikes me as the political equivalent of Valium, but perhaps a side of beef on a meat hook is more like it.

I wrote and deleted a number of posts over the last month or so on Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. I deleted them for any number of reasons, but mostly because they weren’t very good. Anyway, I used the same line in all of them and my dumb little post on America’s favorite dog lover reminded me of it so I figured I’d share:

Senate Majority Leader Frist, as you may well know, is a real doctor, but he plays a dangerous psychopath on TV.

Yeah I know, not great, but when you’re working with limited resources you have to take what you can.

Please stop. Haven’t you embarrassed us enough already? It’s not as if people think of our commonwealth as a garden spot. Being represented by a dangerous psychopath such as yourself, really isn’t helping matters. Just stop. You’re going to lose next year no matter what, why make things by worse by saying all of those strange things from the floor of the Senate while completely unmedicated? If you keep saying things that are totally unhinged, you may even find you have trouble landing one of those cushy think tank jobs you’ve been angling for.

First of all, thanks to all of the people who wrote me nice notes giving me encouragement and asking if I’m doing ok. I am. Thank you. Look, I’m a political junky and a fairly emotional guy and that can be a pretty volatile mix after an election. I don’t usually have to throw my heart into these things because it’s usually already there well before my mind has a chance to catch up.

Secondly, I attended the Philly Future Blogger Meetup thing last night which was a very nice time. It’s always a good to meet some of the people who do the same thing I do and try to pick their brains for a little guidance. For most of my adult life, I’ve approached social gatherings where I don’t really know anybody with the same strategy; drink way too much and make an ass of myself (I’m available for weddings and formal events by the way).

I accomplished the first part pretty well, but I think I mostly contained the making an ass of myself bit (please don’t correct me on that). The closest I came was an awkward comment I made, about my wife’s long ago suggestion that I get butt augmentation surgery, to Becky from Good Grief! Does This Blog Make My Butt Look Big?. Possibly the best blog name ever if you ask me. I was just struggling to remember it and, well, whatever.

Thirdly, I’ll probably stay light on the posting for a little while longer. I have a wife, a job, a cat and a friend’s website I’m helping out with that all need some attending to. I need to find some new stuff to write about and get involved with. I’ve focused so much attention to one issue of late, that I’ve pretty much turned the entire site over to it for the last month or so. I admit to having a one track mind, so it will be an interesting struggle to branch back out.

I work in the technology industry and I love being surrounded by the youthful idealism of my young co-workers. Their enthusiasm is contagious and if it weren’t for them, I probably never would have seen the Chapelle Show and I doubt that I would have ever heard of Bongo Jones or Pepper’s Ghost. But as much as I love them, I just don’t get their politics.

I hate talking politics in the workplace; usually it’s just not a good idea. But since yesterday was the primary, I decided to check in with a few of the kids (whom I already knew to be left-leaning) only to discover that everyone I spoke with was a registered Independent.

I’ve got nothing against Independents. In fact, with my opinions ranging all over the political spectrum, I probably should re-register as an Independent. Whoa Nellie, not so fast.

What do we need to say so people understand that change happens at the local levels and then hopefully works up to the higher levels? If you really want to know if your vote counts, look at the local elections, particularly those with low turnout. In yesterday’s D.A. race, with a total turnout of less than 107,000, Lynne Abraham beat Seth Williams by about 12,285 votes. In a city the size of Philadelphia, that’s nothing.

My two closest friends, both of whom live in Philadelphia, are registered Republicans. Matt or Joanie, if either of you are reading this, “What is the point of being registered as a Republican in Philadelphia?” You rarely get to make any difference in a primary because most everyone runs unopposed. Until somebody decides to challenge Sam Katz on his mission to become Philadelphia’s first Republican mayor in eons, you really can’t make a difference at the local level. (Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone if you vote Republican every November, my concern at this point is the primary.)

I ask the same question of my kind-hearted, young co-workers. “If you enjoy living in Philadelphia and care about it’s future, why not register as a Democrat so you can have a voice in the political process?”

Ideally we should have both strong Democratic and Republican parties in Philadelphia, but since I don’t see that happening anytime soon, it seems like the only way to be a catalyst for change is by becoming a registered Democrat.

I made a mistake in my last post in that I really only spoke of myself and didn’t acknowledge the wonderful group of people who formed together to support Seth Williams. This election was important to me and its outcome was very emotional. Despite that emotion, I really shouldn’t be speaking only about myself and my own reaction.

A terrific group of people came together in the last month or so to support a terrific candidate, and I really couldn’t be any prouder of them. Off the top of my head I’d like to acknowledge Albert, Jane, Matt, Karl, ACM, Dan, Jim, Susan, Chris (not me), Tim, Alex, West End, America’s Home Town, Frank, Melissa and many others I’m too spent to recall. I’ll get them all straight tomorrow or the next day and provide links. I just have to say that I’m very pleased to have been part of this with all of them and I’m thrilled they let me in on the ride. Also, I’m glad to have done what little I could for Seth, even if it was not enough. I wish him the best. I expect and hope that I’ll be seeing a lot more of him in the coming years. Huge future on that guy.

A little from Dan:

I will leave you with what Seth said in his concession speech at the party: People said a positive, issues driven campaign could not be run in Philadelphia. People said that if an African-American candidate ran for DA, he had to resort to racism, to pour gasoline on his own City. He refused, and ran a campaign where he can look his daughters in the eyes, and tell him he is proud of what he did. And, he finished with the same thing that he said when he led a group of PSU students to Harrisburg to protest apartheid:

His feet are tired, but his soul is rested.

Go Seth!

It’s all over and the results aren’t so good. We lost this election today and Philadelphia lost a great District Attorney. I knew what the score was a long time ago, but it’s funny, I’ve still had to hold back the tears a few times throughout the evening. We lost tonight and we were right. That’s a real tough loss to swallow. That rattles your head for a long time.

I have no regrets. This was absolutely the right thing to do and the right time to do it. I supported the right person with the right positions and I will never, ever regret that. You can throw me to bottom of the deepest ocean and I will never regret my position on this race. Like all of you, I give a damn about what happens next. I give a damn about our city and I give a damn about its citizens. I choose to live here, I see the promise, I feel the pain and I give a damn. I made the right choice and no loss, no matter how hard, can take that away from me. Don’t let it get taken from you either.

Seth is not done. Far the hell from it. Seth Williams is 38 years old and just ran an insurgent campaign against the machine. He made a damn good showing against overwhelming odds and with very few useful friends. He did it without ever throwing around the worthless, divisive crap we’re used to in this town. He dealt with the issues in the most serious way possible and came up with real solutions. THAT IS IMPORTANT! (For the reporters who may cover this from some stupid blog angle, please take note of that sentiment). Seth Williams has a long way to go, and if you don’t think he’s going that long way, you better get your head out of your ass.

Anyway, if you are feeling a little off over tonight’s results, please don’t feel alone. Believe me, don’t feel alone. A lot of us are right there with you. This wasn’t a great night. It’s been so long since we’ve won that most of us don’t recall what victory smells like. We’ll smell it again soon.

I’ll discuss the results, the local Philadelphia blogsospherere’s part in the election, and the whole weird blog regionalization thing that’s been catching on of late with regards to this election later. Until then, I’ll do my own thing in private.

Until then: I don’t regret a thing. I made the right call. A lot of people made that same call and I’m very proud of all of them.

The polls just closed. Now we wait. I don’t know that I’ll be thrilled with the outcome. We shall see.

[Updates in the comments as I get them . Join in if you like.]

Turnout is running very low. There are still 3 hours left. If you can get down to 1606 Walnut right now and lend a hand, do it. If you can’t do that, make some phone calls. Make sure everybody you know, knows about Seth Williams.

ACM has waded through some of the down ticket races on the ballot today so you don’t have to. The Judges are always of particular concern because it can be a massive chore to wade through intentionally ambiguous material just to find out who is actually qualified and has some type of background. I know ACM has put a lot of time and research into this, so it’s worth considering the recommendations when you go into the booth.

Today is the day. Get yourself to the polls, get your family to the polls, get your friends to the polls, get your neighbors to the polls and, if you can, go down to the campaign’s HQ at 1606 Walnut Street and help get some people you don’t know to the polls.

Take a stand for reform. Take a stand for results. Take a stand against the machine. Take a stand against apathy. Take a stand for the future of our party and the good of our city. Take a stand against the status quo. You have the power. At the touch of a button in the privacy of a polling booth you can make a difference. Stand up and be counted. Take a stand.

Previously, I’ve outlined why I think you should vote for Seth Williams today. You need only look through this site’s recent archives to see that I’ve committed myself to this candidate and the reasons why. If you are still not convinced, I’d like to point you to this post by Matt from Philly Future or this post by Dan at Young Philly Politics.

It’s time for me to shut up and time for all of us to take action. Get to the polls and vote for Seth Williams. Polls are open from 7:00 AM until 8:00 PM. You can find your polling place here. Feel free to contact me if you have any trouble. I’ll do whatever I can or get you in touch with people who can help.

I don’t want to distract anyone from the mission at hand for too long. And what, pray tell, is the mission at hand, Melissa? Ooh goody, I thought you’d never ask. The mission at hand is to get the heck off our sorry asses, collect our registered Democrat friends, neighbors, and family members, and vote for Seth Williams.

In case you don’t think you have time, you do. The polls open at 7AM and close at 8PM. There’s no excuse gang, get out there and push a couple of buttons on behalf of a good cause. The turnout probably won’t be spectacular, so the lines will be short. I’m telling you, any excuse you can come up with, I can come up with a bunch of reason’s it’s not valid. So, go ahead. Try me. Or you could just get out there and vote. Trust me, I can be a real pain in the ass. You’re probably better off just voting. Seth Williams, Lever #40.

Well, at least now I know it’s not my imagination. Will Bunch mentioned this on his blog, but here’s the direct link to the reason for all the German spam some of us are seeing. Be afraid, be very afraid, here’s an excerpt.

“Der Spiegel Online mentioned as a suspect today the NPD (German National Party), a neo-Nazi, anti-Semitic party that has advanced in some parts of the country lately. Last year, the NPD shook Germany when it got 9.2% of the vote in elections in Saxony, winning representation in the parliament there for the first time ever.”

Odd and pretty disturbing, I think. The really strange part is that I noticed German subject lines in my junk emails for about a week now. And many of the first addresses I noticed were at hp.com. Now, I’m seeing stuff that is coming from both Yahoo and Hotmail.

Based on the calls we were getting at work today, about 3 of our corporate clients have already been hit and I’d suspect more may get hit before things improve.

Vielen Glueck Alles!

Will Bunch:

The real enemy of American journalism is a fifth column, rising up from within ourselves. It’s the editors and critics who self-righteously attack “errors” in journalism while erring on the side of pro-government, pro-Establisment timidity every day. The self-appointed defenders of media ethics who swat flies while completely losing sight of why newspapers and an independent media exist in the first place, and what they are supposed to stand for. The captains of alleged honor and integrity who prefer to go down with the ship, watching the waves of citizens in search of real news migrate somewhere else, somewhere that’s not drowning in reassuring yet false “objectivity.”

Go read the whole thing as there is much, much more.

Note: The publish date and time on this entry is 2 hours earlier than I actually published it, so as to keep the stuff about today’s primary at the top of the page.