Swans Commentary
http://www.swans.com/
January 12, 2009
Note from the Editors: Welcome to the final Swans edition of the George W.
Bush presidency. While the world counts down the clock with all the
giddiness
and anticipation of New Year's Eve in Times Square, the soon-to-be former
president continues to talk up his legacy, focusing on the negatives that
cannot be proven (e.g., his policies prevented another 9/11) and
ignoring the
actualities that we'll be struggling to undo for decades. Still, one cannot
deny, as Gilles d'Aymery humorously illustrates, that Bush's techniques
were
quite superior, from his Americanism to militarism and famous malapropisms.
In days he'll resume country-club life, further removed from the plight of
veterans returning from his wars unable to leave the violence behind, and
he'll be sheltered from the fallout of corruption under his watch (thanks
Democrats!), which we've exported to Afghanistan. Charles Marowitz connects
the dots between these two consequences of the Bush Doctrine.
Another master of connecting the dots in the form of following the money --
Michael Barker -- reveals that even world-renowned primatologist Jane
Goodall
has connections to democracy-manipulating elites, believing that those who
created the problem will help her fix it... We've heard how well that
works,
but when things "do-good-all" well, such as the recent presidential
elections
in Ghana, not a peep transpired in the Western press. Femi Akomolafe
explains
the dreadful silence. When it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,
however, the MSM has been lavishly defending the Israeli latest rampage,
carefully ignoring that a worldwide public opinion tide is slowly turning
away from Israel and its aggressions. Gilles d'Aymery provides a summary of
articles and analyses that demonstrate this shift, while Marie Rennard
speaks
from her heart to the helpless "stolen lives" that the strong inflict upon
the weak. Her words are more powerful -- and so much simpler -- than
anything
written elsewhere.
Our cultural corner is rich with treasures. Peter Byrne reports from the
London scene where billionaires are ratcheting up the prices and
blurring the
public and private domain of the art world. Isidor Saslav draws us into the
wonderful world of Ravel and shows that a musical première can, in fact,
occur twice. Paul Buhle reviews Richard Quinney's latest autobiography with
its life/death, man/nature contradictions, and Raju Peddada brings us on
another trip to India where he faced these same contradictions while
visiting
an animal sanctuary. Time is rendered invisible through the words and
photography of Guido Monte, and budding poet Michael Eddins reminds us
of the
lonely times of adolescence. Last but not least, our Martian Blips meander
from rising prices (dog food included), the economic crisis and the suicide
epidemic in the financial world, to disappearing cultural landmarks. We
close
with your letters on a failure of imagination, the death of Harold Pinter,
and the American way of life. We'll be back in two weeks, on the other side
of W.
# # # # #
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/ga264.html
In Defense Of George W. - Gilles d'Aymery
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/cmarow127.html
The Devil's Brigade - Charles Marowitz
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/barker11.html
Jane Goodall's Elite Monkey Business - Michael Barker
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/femia02.html
Ghana Elections: Good News Is No News - Femi Akomolafe
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/marier25.html
Stolen Lives - Marie Rennard
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/ga265.html
Walking Away From Israel Made Easier - Gilles d'Aymery
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/pbyrne90.html
Money In The Picture: London Art - Peter Byrne
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/saslav09.html
How Many World Premieres Can A Musical Work Receive? - Isidor Saslav
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/pbuhle01.html
Richard Quinney's "Field Notes" - Book Review by Paul Buhle
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/rajup06.html
Convalescing Kings - Raju Peddada
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/gmonte59.html
Tempo Invisibile (Invisible Time) - Poem by Guido Monte
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/eddins04.html
Alone - Poem by Michael Eddins
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/desk077.html
Blips #77 - From the Martian Desk - Gilles d'Aymery
http://www.swans.com/library/art15/letter156.html
Letters to the Editor
# # # # #
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Gilles d'Aymery
--
Swans
"Hungry man, reach for the book: It is a weapon." B. Brecht
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