Music Pick: Phil Ochs' "Crucifixion"

Phil Ochs (1940-1976) was the tormented 1960's protest singer who, unlike Bob Dylan, couldn't make the transition from protest circuit to super nova stardom. Ochs had it all - charisma, haunting voice, poet's gift for words, beautiful melodist - except ability to change with the times, and it doomed him. He hung himself after years of trying to remain relevant but he left of great body of uncompromising songs that continue to haunt and stir us. The best may be the feature "Crucifixion" which most consider his take on the JFK assassination fifty years ago today.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIwbeEGXj5E

Illinois fulfills Lincoln's pledge...150 years and one day later.

It was fitting, indeed touching, to listen live to Governor Quinn invoke the words of Illinois son Abraham Lincoln in the Gettysburg Address as he signed the Illinois Marriage Equality bill:

  "Our forefathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated
  to the proposition that ALL men are created equal".

Lincoln didn't just refer to white people or straight people, he was referring to ALL the people. So when Governor Quinn affixed signature to law he was fulfilling Lincoln's most eloquent vision spoken at Gettysburg exactly 150 years ago yesterday. All us Illinoisans, straight, gay, or a combination thereof should join together in our common humanity and celebrate this great advancement in human freedom in Illinois. Quinn mentioned the very public event was held in part to encourage the remaining 34 states to join with Illinois and the other 15 states to make marriage equality universal in America, as it is so becoming in much of the civilized world.

Sadly, homophobes and their enabler dead enders are digging in to feed the hole in their soul that drove them to keep the shackles of discrimination around Illinois gays. Springfield Catholic Bishop Thomas Paprocki held an exorcism ceremony simultaneous with the marriage equality bill signing "in reparation for the sin of same-sex marriage". Chicago Cardinal George offered this inhumane nonsense on the bill signing:  "This law...is bad because it will contribute over the long run to the further dissolution of marriage and family life, which are the bedrock of any society".  Paprocki and George didn't get the memo from boss man Pope Francis to get over homophobia to concentrate on true Catholic spirituality.  On the secular front, David E. Smith, executive director of the Illinois Family Institute, a state affiliate of the American Family Association, sent out a fundraising appeal warning that gay marriage in Illinois will help America's collapse like "Sodom and Gomorrah".

Just like racism didn't end with the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1965, homophobia will not end with today's gay marriage legalization. We all need to stand up for this advancement and resist calls for continued fear, ignorance and intolerance.

Sen. Kirk puts America second to Israel in Iran negotiations

Uncle Sam may sign Illinois Senator Mark Kirk's paycheck, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signs his marching orders to sabotage US efforts for forge a nuclear détente deal with Iran. Check out Kirk's website to see that his Iran issue may have well be drafted in Jerusalem. It has a chart with the alarming title: "IRAN'S DEAL OF THE CENTURY". The chart is completely one sided in showing that Iran gets everything it wants and America gets nothing. Really Senator? Only a fool or a warmonger like Kirk would believe such nonsense. It gets worse. Kirk adds this quote under the chart which shows his true allegiance:
 
   "This is a very, very, bad deal"
   - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Kirk also issued a public statement comparing the current US-Iran negotiations to "the agreement Neville Chamberlain had reached with Adolph Hitler in Munich". This comes right from the Israeli playbook of connecting any reasonable, sane and needed efforts to defuse tensions between the US and Iran as Nazi style appeasement. That is reprehensible hyperbole.

With these latest actions Kirk has vaulted past Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) as the Senate's top warmonger. He isn't satisfied having voted for every one of the three trillion dollars we've spent on criminal wars in the Middle East that have needlessly killed hundreds of thousands, including 6,000 GI's. No, Senator Kirk is bound and determined to risk further, even more catastrophic war, in his efforts to help Israel take out their rival for hegemony in the Middle East.

We can't blame Kirk's massive 2012 stroke for his bizarre and harmful support of the Israeli Likud Party's national interests. He has been championing their interests over Uncle Sam's for his entire career. It would have been nice, however, if Kirk's brush with early death would have been the epiphany that made him realize we should spend each precious day we have working for lasting peace instead of senseless war.

Congressman Roskam's Nov. 16 Women's Forum: The real agenda

My Congressman Peter Roskam is holding his first "Women's Forum" November 16 at the Prairie Landing Golf Club in West Chicago. Checking the agenda it does not appear Congressman Roskam is truly representing his quite dreadful record on women's issues during his four Congressional terms in his effort to connect with his female constituent...s. In the interests of Truth In Advertizing, here is a alternate suggested agenda for this evert:

Panel 1: Why I voted 43 times to prevent 20 million women from getting decent, affordable health care insurance

Panel 2: Violence against Women Act? I voted NO because it doesn't personally affect me or my Tea Party base

Panel 3: Support job creation for women? No dice: that would only help the President

Panel 4: Undocumented women: Pack your bags and get lost. No path to citizenship for you. It's a gignatic border fence and nothing more

Panel 5: Gay women subject ot job discrimination? Speaker Boehner said that doesn't exist. Fageddabout ENDA

Panel 6: Why you should have your rapist's baby

I suspect that the Congressman will turn down my alternative agenda. If he actually used it I'd sure like to be a fly on the wall when the fireworks start.