In my previous post, Why Artists Defend Roman Polanki, I analyzed the flap over the Roman Polanski arrest as a case of artists arguing for a privilege to behave like shitheels without being held to account for it. I advanced this as an explanation because I think it covers the facts better than some of… Continue reading Raymond & Polanski vs. “Mr. Society”
Month: September 2009
Why artists defend Roman Polanski
In 1977, Roman Polanski drugged, raped, and sodomized a 13-year-old girl. When he believed a sort-of-plea-bargain was about to come unstuck, he took it on the lam. He lived the high life in this self-imposed exile for thirty years, until busted in Switzerland recently. Now various of the usual suspects on the right wing’s enemies… Continue reading Why artists defend Roman Polanski
Mighty aches from little ACORN’s fall
In all the foofaraw surrounding the ACORN scandals, there is a huge important consequence of them understood – but not spoken – by everyone who follows politics as a blood sport. This story describing conditions in Michigan and tallying up some recent ACORN convictions for electoral fraud is an indicator. And, on top of Obama’s… Continue reading Mighty aches from little ACORN’s fall
Uncivil society and the collapse of the nomenklatura
A few moments ago, I read a review of a new book, Uncivil Society: 1989 and the Implosion of the Communist Establishment, and the following sentences jumped out at me: This is less a story of dissidents, so-called civil society, than of the bankruptcy of a ruling class–communism’s establishment, or “uncivil society.†The Communists borrowed… Continue reading Uncivil society and the collapse of the nomenklatura
Not long before the end
In California Dreamin’ I wrote: The U.S. as a whole will almost certainly face [California’s structural deficit] problem before the end of Barack Obama’s administration in 2012. Social Security obligations were due to exceed collections in 2013; even before Obama quadrupled the federal deficit this meant a giant blazing meteorite was already hurtling straight at… Continue reading Not long before the end
This blog got wormed
This blog is one of many that got hit late last week by a particularly nasty and invasive worm targeting WordPress sites. (No, it wasn’t a botched upgrade, as I saw at least one commenter speculate.) The first symptoms showed up either late Thursday or early Friday of last week, when links from the main… Continue reading This blog got wormed
Let these two asses be set to grind corn!
In The Book of Lies, the diabolically brilliant occultist Alesteir Crowley once wrote: “Explain this happening!” “It must have a natural cause!” “It must have a supernatural cause!” Let these two asses be set to grind corn! In the original, there is a sort of grouping bracket connecting the second and third lines lines and… Continue reading Let these two asses be set to grind corn!