Swans Commentary http://www.swans.com/ August 24, 2009
*** Many thanks to Don Durivan for his generous contribution. People, you need to SUPPORT US FINANCIALLY. We keep at it on a bi-weekly basis. All original content, which brings you thoughts and thoroughly researched facts to help you make your own decisions. We help you. Please help us. Check our Donation page: http://www.swans.com/about/donate.html. Send us a check or enclose a few $20 bills in an envelope and mail them to us. THANKS! *** P L E A S E ! ! ! Note from the Editors: If you landed on Swans while searching for an answer to whether Michael Jackson had a nose when he died, or if it's appropriate for a First Lady to don shorts; if you're looking for the scoop on John Edward's love child or Mark Sanford's mistress, you've come to the right place! Because it's time to turn off the television and redirect your attention to matters that matter... For example, why is US foreign policy so focused on Afghanistan (and Iraq, and Yugoslavia...)? The answer is neither new nor "democracy" -- but if you need a geopolitical primer read Gilles d'Aymery's treatment of the spectacle and reality of the West's Eurasia interests. Nor did Hillary Clinton visit Africa recently to export democracy - - as Femi Akomolafe reports from Ghana, she did what Western leaders always do best...when it comes to colonialism and imperialism. And if you're a post- racial liberal, you'll find Michael Barker's research on liberal philanthropy's cooption of anti-racism activism an eye-opener. Britons are rightly concerned about their military presence in Afghanistan and the rise in casualties, while being fed the same "fight them there so we don't have to fight them here" rhetoric. Peter Byrne considers the aftermath of terrorism in London and New York, along with the novelists capitalizing on the new wealth of material. Time to put down the terror novels and pick up Tiziano Terzani's *Letters Against the War.* Martin Murie continues his exploration of this powerful collection, with a review of Terzani's letter from Afghanistan in the days following 9/11. Jan Baughman takes a sardonic stab at the "death by socialism" rhetoric that's infecting the health care debate; while Charles Marowitz challenges our president (with his sharp tongue -- certainly not a gun) to take off his community-organizer / coalition-builder hat and put serious pressure on Congress for reform. And for a Kafkaesque moment, Michael Doliner follows Franz's confused spiritual journey in the midst of the Enlightenment and revolution. *Dans le coin français,* Graham Lea concludes his colorful observations on the riders, politics, and pharmacology of the 2009 Tour de France; Xavier Robert examines our role in making the planet uninhabitable and our responsibility to reverse course; Marie Rennard shows how liberalism is trumping solidarity and failing retirees; Patrice Houzeau pens a lunar- inspired literary fantasy; and we share the 1753 anti-Twitterati, legendary discourse of Mr. de Buffon on style and prose. The poetry corner is enriched by Guido Monte, who considers the mystery of the universe; Jeffery Klaehn, who exalts a mysterious love; and Art Shay, who recalls his former photographic subject, the recently-departed Robert McNamara. The looming departure of summer means the ramping up of football -- Raju Peddada reviews the diluted state of the game. Finally, we close with your letters, on Saul Bellows, the Cash for Clunkers scam, and more. # # # # # http://www.swans.com/library/art15/ga271.html Eurasian Spectacle And Reality - Gilles d'Aymery http://www.swans.com/library/art15/femia17.html Oh, Shut Up, Mrs. Clinton! - Femi Akomolafe http://www.swans.com/library/art15/barker29.html Liberal Foundations And Anti-Racism Activism - Michael Barker http://www.swans.com/library/art15/pbyrne107.html Counting The Dead In London - Peter Byrne http://www.swans.com/library/art15/murie77.html An Opportunity - Martin Murie http://www.swans.com/library/art15/jeb210.html Death By Socialism - Jan Baughman http://www.swans.com/library/art15/cmarow145.html "Yes We Can" -- But We Won't! - Charles Marowitz http://www.swans.com/library/art15/mdolin46.html How Kafka Became So Kafkaesque - Michael Doliner http://www.swans.com/library/art15/glea06.html Le Tour De France -- Part Two: So were the Riders all Heroes? - Graham Lea http://www.swans.com/library/art15/xavier01.html Gaïa et ses prophètes - Xavier Robert (FR) http://www.swans.com/library/art15/marier36.html Libéralisme et Solidarité : Quand le système faut - Marie Rennard (FR) http://www.swans.com/library/art15/houzeau01.html Douze brefs lunaires et d'autres lieux - Patrice Houzeau (FR) http://www.swans.com/library/art15/xxx136.html Discours sur le style - Georges-Louis Leclerc, comte de Buffon (FR) http://www.swans.com/library/art15/gmonte74.html Mystery Of The Universe - Multilingual Poetry by Guido Monte http://www.swans.com/library/art15/klaehn01.html So In Love - Poem by Jeffery Klaehn http://www.swans.com/library/art15/ashay13.html Snapshot Of A Strange (Love?) Before His Time - Poem by Art Shay http://www.swans.com/library/art15/rajup19.html Is The NFL Losing Its Game? - Raju Peddada http://www.swans.com/library/art15/letter172.html Letters to the Editor # # # # # Please, consider supporting our co-operative work financially. See http://www.swans.com/about/donate.html Swans (aka Swans Commentary), ISSN: 1554-4915, is a bi-weekly non- commercial ad-free Web-only magazine which provides original content to its readers. We encourage pulp publications to republish Swans' Work in print format. Please contact the publisher at <aymery AT ix.netcom.com>. Please, do not repost Swans' Work on the Web and other mailing lists: "Hypertext" links to any pages of Swans.com are authorized; however, republication of any part of this site, inlining, mirroring, and framing are expressly prohibited. We welcome your comments and suggestions. When writing to Swans, please indicate your first and last name as well as your city and state (country) of residence. 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