Still Eggplant

Here are a few random links to things you might have missed:

- How one guy traded one red paper clip into a house through 14 increasing-in-value trades. Awesome!
- Interview with Barak Obama on The Street Prophet on religion and progressive politics.

You know soccer has hit the big (a.k.a American) time when it starts to take after black America and the players play the dozens. Reports now say that Zidane head-butted Materazzi because he called his mother a whore.

Can’t you just see it? The rules will change and instead of penalty kicks at the end we’ll have players talking about the mothers of the other team! “Well, even if you didn’t put your hand on the ball, your momma puts her hands on my balls every night!” And the crowd lets out a collective “Wooo! No he didn’t.” The announcer then goes “Well, folks, that’s a fatal knock-out for the Italians. The French have won the game this time. And I think we’ll all agree that the Italian’s mother is a skanky ho.”

And you know, just like when Madonna made Vogue, the world loves to move to the beats of American subculture (the blacks, the gays, etc.). It’s only a matter of time before America will become a soccer behemoth. ‘Cause America’s reaction is always to beat everything into submission.

File this under Soccer Goes Ghetto

(Source, Source)

Technorati Tags: head butt, soccer, the dozens

The netroots, I think, is somewhat suffering from an ideological and practical upheaval. On the one hand, you have some folks who are just itching for a fight where they (the netroots) can win to gain power within the political establishment — to be taken seriously. But oddly enough, they tend to keep touting their “wins” — wins that are often simply ways of looking at a situation rather than clear cut wins. My take is that the progressive blogoshpere is definitely a force. But the structure, power and influence are not complete, as of yet.

That group often talks about itself as progressive. And they tend to be fairly ideologically pure. I would say, to my mind, Chris Bowers represents that group most succinctly.

On the other hand, you have Markos Moulitsas Zuniga who, while progressive, is less ideologically pure and a bit more about being strategic. His book, from all I’ve read (because I confess I haven’t read the actual book), is about strategy and not as much about ideology. Ideology is talked about within the context of the strategy for how to make up a winning coalition. Zuniga, I believe, thinks that America is actually a lot more progressive than we tend to think of it.

So, I think what we have are two, perhaps three, different larger groups within the netroots who have formed an aliance that actually is less aligned than I think people think it is: 1) True, old style Democratic progressives who more closely resemble, to me, the Christian fundamentalists in terms of their place within the party, and 2) Party loyalists who feel that the current road to the center does not reflect where America actually is and is part of the losses the Democrats have been encountering. There’s a third group, I think, that is less concerned with either ideology or strategy. That group is really just along for the fight.

I’ve taken a bit of a step back from being part of the whole netroots movement and have just been an observer of late. I’ve come to believe a bit less in technology, which was the story about the blogs and the movement for a while. I’m also feeling less about the need for a voice for all of the people. Yes, I believe we need a people’s voice. But I also believe we need systems and strategy. I believe the netroots needs stronger leadership. This new leadership needs to be both more facilitative and more directive simultaneously. It needs to create trust. It needs to be more transparent. But it also needs to be less elitist.

One of the reasons the whole netroots movement has been as successful as it has been is because of the numbers. But the numbers aren’t exactly what one would think. I know I’ve been surprised by the number of activists who actually follow through on actions. For instance, while DailyKos gets somewhere in the neighborhood of 6M visitors a day, it only has about 100K registered users (around 95K just a few days ago). A very popular service that provides users with ways to keep up on political action has over 5M users (registered for different services) but only has about a 20% rate of users who are actually acctive with the service.

What this means to me is that while some are content to “chat” and read along with the blogosphere it’s often more of a pastime and not something people engage in with a regular basis. Something needs to change, I think. There have been some efforts to organize people on the Internets. But those efforts have not really succeeded. There needs to be a way to float the cream to the top (there’s always too much to read! since everyone wants to say something), and the leadership is fairly passive, I think. Yes, there’s a certain amount of leadership in the blog world. But it’s often, in my mind, more about reaction, posturing, single issues, news sharing, and trying to build a place for the netroots.

I’m talking about a more facilitative leadership that both listens and persuades and helps develop a certain cohesion within the blogosphere. I think that’s a hard thing to develop. And it has to figure out a way for everyone to actually feel like they have a voice even if it’s one that only comes in once in a while. It has to be a leadership that will engage even the most passive part of the netroots and help them feel a true part of the blogoshpere.

One idea that I’ve recently had is to develop pods. I don’t know how they would be organized: geography? issue? random? other demographics? And this is just one ideal. But it’s reminiscent of cell structures in that there’s a way for each individual to have a real voice within a larger structure. Each pod’s voice would then be ushered into a larger structure. Hmm. This feels a bit like representation. And it is. It would be sort of like a shadow political process but with a better referential/communication structure that is about influencing policy and our current political process. Pods would need to be small enough to make sure that each person, even if she/he only chimed in only once every three or four months, would be heard. Right now there is a level of commitment that’s part of the netroots process that is too high and that keeps well-meaning, engaged people out of the process or on the sidelines.

I don’t know if this is the right structure. But something has to change, I think. There’s so much energy among the netroots. Somehow that energy needs to be harnessed and directed. There are far too many in-fights right now. There’s a lack of acknowledgment of the true rifts between various groups. And while it looks like there’s participation by the masses, that participation is actually far more limited people want to acknowledge.n

Technorati Tags: daily kos, democratic party, democrats, emerging voices, establishment, internet rant, MyDD, netroots, powers that be

As many people know, I have extreme ambivalence about the whole issue of the netroots. I’m very much a people-powered type of guy. I’m against, in principle, imperialistic structures. But I also believe in order. And I don’t think anarchy really achieves much — well, except chaos (and that can sometimes be a good thing). I also believe the Establishment (the political Powers That Be) has not really been listening a whole lot to the voices that have been coming across the transom from the people. That’s a bad thing. Then there are all of the issue groups fighting to make their particular issue heard, and not just heard but a priority. And I think these issue groups fighting for primacy amongst themselves and beginning to take an agnostic approach to party loyalty is a thing that I’m not always sure how to deal with (I sympathize with most of the issues while thinking that the public and our government only has so much attention span and ability to change).

Anyway, The New Republic published a blog post on how the netroots might help to break the hold the special interest groups have on the Democratic Party. I, for one, think that would be great! Actually, the more I think about it, the more I wonder if having the special interest groups outside the party process might just be exactly where they need to be. They can lobby Democrats and Republicans, alike. And it keeps the Dem Party from being too closely aligned with just a set of issues and gets it to be about a more cohesive policy approach. Or that would be my hope.

We’ll keep watching and posting thoughts . . .

Technorati Tags: democratic party, democrats, netroots, the new republic, special interest groups

I meant to post this here and got confused and posted it elsewhere. Sorry. The date was June 27th.

Today marks the 57th anniversary of the Stonewall raid. Following the lead of Joe.My.God, I’m publishing the newspaper account of that fated event in proud memory of those who sent us on our prideful way.

HOMO NEST RAIDED – QUEEN BEES ARE STINGING MAD

-by Jerry Lisker, New York Daily News, July 6th 1969
She sat there with her legs crossed, the lashes of her mascara-coated eyes beating like the wings of a hummingbird. She was angry. She was so upset she hadn’t bothered to shave. A day old stubble was beginning to push through the pancake makeup. She was a he. A queen of Christopher Street.
Last weekend the queens had turned commandos and stood bra strap to bra strap against an invasion of the helmeted Tactical Patrol Force. The elite police squad had shut down one of their private gay clubs, the Stonewall Inn at 57 Christopher St., in the heart of a three-block homosexual community in Greenwich Village. Queen Power reared its bleached blonde head in revolt. New York City experienced its first homosexual riot. “We may have lost the battle, sweets, but the war is far from over,” lisped an unofficial lady-in-waiting from the court of the Queens.
“We’ve had all we can take from the Gestapo,” the spokesman, or spokeswoman, continued. “We’re putting our foot down once and for all.” The foot wore a spiked heel. According to reports, the Stonewall Inn, a two-story structure with a sand painted brick and opaque glass facade, was a mecca for the homosexual element in the village who wanted nothing but a private little place where they could congregate, drink, dance and do whatever little girls do when they get together.
The thick glass shut out the outside world of the street. Inside, the Stonewall bathed in wild, bright psychedelic lights, while the patrons writhed to the sounds of a juke box on a square dance floor surrounded by booths and tables. The bar did a good business and the waiters, or waitresses, were always kept busy, as they snaked their way around the dancing customers to the booths and tables. For nearly two years, peace and tranquility reigned supreme for the Alice in Wonderland clientele.
The Raid Last Friday

Last Friday the privacy of the Stonewall was invaded by police from the First Division. It was a raid. They had a warrant. After two years, police said they had been informed that liquor was being served on the premises. Since the Stonewall was without a license, the place was being closed. It was the law.
All hell broke loose when the police entered the Stonewall. The girls instinctively reached for each other. Others stood frozen, locked in an embrace of fear.
Only a handful of police were on hand for the initial landing in the homosexual beachhead. They ushered the patrons out onto Christopher Street, just off Sheridan Square. A crowd had formed in front of the Stonewall and the customers were greeted with cheers of encouragement from the gallery.
The whole proceeding took on the aura of a homosexual Academy Awards Night. The Queens pranced out to the street blowing kisses and waving to the crowd. A beauty of a specimen named Stella wailed uncontrollably while being led to the sidewalk in front of the Stonewall by a cop. She later confessed that she didn’t protest the manhandling by the officer, it was just that her hair was in curlers and she was afraid her new beau might be in the crowd and spot her. She didn’t want him to see her this way, she wept.
Queen Power

The crowd began to get out of hand, eye witnesses said. Then, without warning, Queen Power exploded with all the fury of a gay atomic bomb. Queens, princesses and ladies-in-waiting began hurling anything they could get their polished, manicured fingernails on. Bobby pins, compacts, curlers, lipstick tubes and other femme fatale missiles were flying in the direction of the cops. The war was on. The lilies of the valley had become carnivorous jungle plants.
Urged on by cries of “C’mon girls, lets go get’em,” the defenders of Stonewall launched an attack. The cops called for assistance. To the rescue came the Tactical Patrol Force.
Flushed with the excitement of battle, a fellow called Gloria pranced around like Wonder Woman, while several Florence Nightingales administered first aid to the fallen warriors. There were some assorted scratches and bruises, but nothing serious was suffered by the honeys turned Madwoman of Chaillot.
Official reports listed four injured policemen with 13 arrests. The War of the Roses lasted about 2 hours from about midnight to 2 a.m. There was a return bout Wednesday night.
Two veterans recently recalled the battle and issued a warning to the cops. “If they close up all the gay joints in this area, there is going to be all out war.”
Bruce and Nan

Both said they were refugees from Indiana and had come to New York where they could live together happily ever after. They were in their early 20’s. They preferred to be called by their married names, Bruce and Nan.
“I don’t like your paper,” Nan lisped matter-of-factly. “It’s anti-fag and pro-cop.”
“I’ll bet you didn’t see what they did to the Stonewall. Did the pigs tell you that they smashed everything in sight? Did you ask them why they stole money out of the cash register and then smashed it with a sledge hammer? Did you ask them why it took them two years to discover that the Stonewall didn’t have a liquor license.”
Bruce nodded in agreement and reached over for Nan’s trembling hands.
“Calm down, doll,” he said. “Your face is getting all flushed.”
Nan wiped her face with a tissue.
“This would have to happen right before the wedding. The reception was going to be held at the Stonewall, too,” Nan said, tossing her ashen-tinted hair over her shoulder.
“What wedding?,” the bystander asked.
Nan frowned with a how-could-anybody-be-so-stupid look. “Eric and Jack’s wedding, of course. They’re finally tying the knot. I thought they’d never get together.”
Meet Shirley

“We’ll have to find another place, that’s all there is to it,” Bruce sighed. “But every time we start a place, the cops break it up sooner or later.”
“They let us operate just as long as the payoff is regular,” Nan said bitterly. “I believe they closed up the Stonewall because there was some trouble with the payoff to the cops. I think that’s the real reason. It’s a shame. It was such a lovely place. We never bothered anybody. Why couldn’t they leave us alone?”
Shirley Evans, a neighbor with two children, agrees that the Stonewall was not a rowdy place and the persons who frequented the club were never troublesome. She lives at 45 Christopher St.
“Up until the night of the police raid there was never any trouble there,” she said. “The homosexuals minded their own business and never bothered a soul. There were never any fights or hollering, or anything like that. They just wanted to be left alone. I don’t know what they did inside, but that’s their business. I was never in there myself. It was just awful when the police came. It was like a swarm of hornets attacking a bunch of butterflies.”
A reporter visited the now closed Stonewall and it indeed looked like a cyclone had struck the premises.
Police said there were over 200 people in the Stonewall when they entered with a warrant. The crowd outside was estimated at 500 to 1,000. According to police, the Stonewall had been under observation for some time. Being a private club, plain clothesmen were refused entrance to the inside when they periodically tried to check the place. “They had the tightest security in the Village,” a First Division officer said, “We could never get near the place without a warrant.”
Police Talk

The men of the First Division were unable to find any humor in the situation, despite the comical overtones of the raid.
“They were throwing more than lace hankies,” one inspector said. “I was almost decapitated by a slab of thick glass. It was thrown like a discus and just missed my throat by inches. The beer can didn’t miss, though, “it hit me right above the temple.”
Police also believe the club was operated by Mafia connected owners. The police did confiscate the Stonewall’s cash register as proceeds from an illegal operation. The receipts were counted and are on file at the division headquarters. The warrant was served and the establishment closed on the grounds it was an illegal membership club with no license, and no license to serve liquor.
The police are sure of one thing. They haven’t heard the last from the Girls of Christopher Street.

Joe.My.God just posted how the Merriam Webster dictionary has just announced a preview of new words that will be part of its lexicon. Interesting words, I think. And I love words.

Newsweek published an intriguing article on Imaan, a British group that helps gay Muslims.

As a young man who was fundamentalist Christian and trying to come to terms with my homo/bi-sexuality, I understand the struggle somewhat. But Islam can be even more strident in its denunciations of homosexuality — i.e. jail or death when it’s combined with a religious government. Islam seems to be struggling to come to terms with a pluralistic world that has been dominated by democratic ideals that had their seed in Christianity. (I would posit that aspects of democracy came out of Jesus’ teachings that we’re all equal children of God along with the Calvinists’ interpretations of such that we can all have direct access to God — not just the priests.)

I have had a few friends and have worked with others who have Islamic heritage. While there might not seem like a lot of hope right now in terms of progress to making a place for homosexuality within Islam, I have hope. It’ll be interesting to see the evolution. But that’s more of an academic exercise. Right now there are so many Islamic people who are suffering because of their sexuality.

Technorati Tags: gay, GLBT, LGBT, LGBTQQI, Islam, queer