Whoever it was in 1969 who named the very first Bob Dylan bootleg album “Great White Wonder” may have had a mischievous streak. There are any number of ways you can interpret the title — most boringly, the cover was blank, like the Beatles’ “White Album” — but I like to see a sly allusion to “Moby-Dick.” In the seven years since the release of his first commercial record, Dylan had become the white whale of 20th-century popular song, a wild, unconquerable and often baffling force of musical nature who drove fans and critics Ahab-mad in their efforts to spear him, lash him to the hull and render him merely comprehensible. --- Bruce Handy, NYTimes ____________________________________________ I figured we can start fresh with Bob Dylan. Couldn't resist this photo of him striking a Woody Guthrie pose. Looks like only yesterday. Here is a link to the comments building up to this reading group.
I knew of that "pledge," but hadn't read it. That's downright creepy.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I agree that voters have not done their part by, at minimum, staying informed. When you read the exit polls it's amazing to find out what people actually believe.
Not to mention, I should add, what candidates like Bachmann actually believe.
ReplyDeleteavrds -- The thing about voters, whether in Iowa or my benighted state of Georgia, is that they really believe they are staying informed.
ReplyDeleteMore the tragedy of it. Fox News does not an informed electorate make.
ReplyDeleteI was going to respond that if she does make it, she would make an easy opponent for Obama, but .... these days, given your point above, who knows. And given the cuts to education nationwide, it can only get worse.
Enjoyed some badly needed R&R in Druskininkai this past week. Nice to see some new posts when I got back.
ReplyDeleteThis "marriage vow" business first cropped up last month when some Iowa yahoos got Michelle and Santorum to sign it. It was nice to see that Romney at least steered clear of it. This has to be the most outlandish "pledge" yet concocted with all its references to blacks in America, as if it was some kind of halcyon period back in those antebellum days. And, these teabaggers would like us to believe they are not racist. I can't even imagine any presidential candidate touching a "pledge" like this with a ten-foot poll.
Oddly enough, Bachmann signed the pledged but then claimed the copy she signed didn't include the stuff about slavery. Haven't seen anything to corroborate her version of events.
ReplyDeleteOr probably more to the point, she never bothered to read it. "I believe in marriage. Sure, I'll sign."
ReplyDeleteRegardless, to pretend she doesn't believe that stuff now that she has been called on it is a little disingenuous. All these far righters seem to be feeding on a deep-seated racism, and a fear that they are losing their country demographically to non-white, non-protestants.
As a friend said to me the other day -- we have become an extremely diverse country, and yet we are still dominated by a small number of white male conservatives. No wonder they are trying to restrict the right to vote around the country. Someone might stop and figure that out and actually vote them all out.
Very scary that she and Perry seem to be the front runners for the repubs.Have a great new 23 inch all in one gateway with wifi and it still won't accept my google id here.bosox
ReplyDeleteJust when you thought it couldn't get any worse,
ReplyDeletehttp://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/seven-ways-rick-perry-wants-change-constitution-131634517.html
Maybe we should get rid of the 13th,14th, and 15th amendments as well?