Columbia City Paper » Commentary

2012 All Politics, All the Time

admin — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 08:00:11 +0000

By Will Moredock

So what else is new in South Carolina?

It’s that time of year when wags and pundits are supposed to gaze into their crystal ball and Â declare what the coming year holds. I don’t have a crystal ball â€“ never claimed to. But I don’t need one to tell you that 2012 is going to a year of hard, mean politics in a state that is famous for bare-knuckled elections. And it all starts with the GOP primary.
Since South Carolina Republicans made themselves the first primary in the South in 1980, they have achieved a perfect record: No candidate has won the Republican presidential nomination without first winning the S.C. primary. This conservative little state salvaged the campaigns of Ronald Reagan, in 1980, and George W. Bush, in 2000, sending them to the White House when it looked like they might be headed for early retirement. It would be hard to overestimate the importance of this state in pushing the right wing tilt of U.S. politics over the last 30 years.
That right wing tilt has finally led the Republican Party to the logical and inevitable terminus, to the very brink of its own sanity. This year it looks like the Grand Old Party has finally stepped over that brink and S.C. has led the parade all the way.
The late William F. Buckley said he had spent his life separating the kooks from the conservatives. Today, the Republican Party has been taken over by the kooks; driven by the hype and hysteria of the Tea Party and the psychotic intransigence of Grover Norquist’s no-tax pledge; and personified by the likes Sarah Palin and Donald Trump. The GOP is dominated by gay-bashing, Jesus-loving Â nuts, who deny evolution and global climate change, and think President Obama is a Kenyan Muslim.
In recent years Republicans have demonstrated their true loyalties, fighting to remove environmental regulations on polluters, FCC regulations on broadcasters, SEC regulations on Wall Street bankers, fuel efficiency standards for automobiles. They call themselves the party of personal freedom. They love personal freedom so much that they support legislation to protect Americans’ right to use obsolete incandescent light bulbs, but they would amend the Constitution to take away a woman’s right to make her own reproductive choices.
The circus of GOP presidential candidates has been crisscrossing the country in an interminable series of televised debates, where we have seen the party faithful applaud Rick Perry’s record of executions in Texas and a proposal to let uninsured people die for lack of healthcare. The flying circus will soon be landing in the Palmetto State to campaign for the January 21 primary.
A recent NBC News-Marist poll shows former House speaker Newt Gingrich leading the field of seven candidates in this state. Let me say that again. The serial divorceÂ´ and serial adulterer, who was fined $300,000 by the House Ethics Committee, who last month was found to have received $1.6 million to lobby for the federal mortgage giant Freddie Mac â€“ yes, that Newt Gingrich is the favorite of S.C. Republicans. Â This says many things about S.C. GOPers; one of those things is that they â€“ like their great-great-granddaddies in 1860 â€“ have a death wish.
A victory in S.C. would probably launch Gingrich on to the GOP nomination. But, you see, Newt Gingrich cannot win the White House. Normal, rational, ethical people will be repulsed by his Â arrogance, his personal behavior, his unpredictable mouth. The same poll that showed Gingrich leading in the GOP primary race showed him losing to President Obama in the general election, 46 percent to 42 percent. If Obama can challenge Gingrich in S.C., imagine what he will do in the more deliberative regions of the country.
The possibility of Newt Gingrich carrying the GOP flag in next fall’s election has Democrats absolutely giddy. They love Newt so much that they are planning to cross over and flood the GOP primary next month just to make sure he gets the win. This, of course, will lead to outraged squealing and squirting by aggrieved GOPers, demanding strict party registration in future primaries.
Oh, where will it end? Where will it end?
The other political story to watch next year is Gov. Nikki Haley. It is hard to imagine how she has run afoul of so many rules and institutions in less than a year. Her mishandling of the Savannah River dredging may prove to be an epic fiasco. And now she has been found deleting office emails in violation of state law. This on top of a raft of other charges and suspicions.
â€œI believe she is the most corrupt person to occupy the governor’s mansion since Reconstruction,â€ John Rainey, a longtime Republican fundraiser and power broker said recently.
Will we see the Legislature or the attorney general move against her in 2012?
Stay tuned.

New Air Track- “Sonic Armada”

frjones — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:30:47 +0000

The French electro-pop geniuses known as Air will be releasing a soundtrack in the coming weeks to the revamped version of the 1901 film Le Voyage dans la Lune. For a brief, haunting glimpse into this project, check out “Sonic Armada” below.

Le Voyage Dans La Lune Tracklisting:
01. Astronomic Club
02. Seven Stars
03. Retour Sur Terre
04. Parade
05. Moon Fever
06. Sonic Armada
07. Who Am I Know?
08. DÃ©collage
09. Cosmic Trip
10. Homme Lune
11. Lava

… Click to continue

New Grimes track- “Genesis”

frjones — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:26:42 +0000

Canadian electro-goth artist Grimes aka Claire Boucher officially signed to 4AD yesterday from the small Canadian label Arbutus. Grimes will be releasing her new full-length, Visions, on February 21 via 4AD. In the meantime, we can sink our teeth into “Genesis”- a fresh track from the upcoming LP.

Grimes – Genesis by factmag

… Click to continue

Top 100 Songs of 2011- #20-1

frjones — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 02:54:05 +0000

2011 was an interesting year for music. Great sounds were thankfully everywhere- but songs, as opposed to albums, became suddenly more memorable. While there is no doubt that 2011 was an exciting time for full-length releases, more and more artists seemed to be embracing the idea of the single and crafting an album around it. Due to this apparent evolution, I will be counting down my top 100 songs of 2011. The rules are simple- obviously the track must have first been released in this current year. Also, no one album can have more than three songs make an appearance. Also, keep in mind, this list is subjective- I have not yet had the opportunity to listen to some of this year’s more popular releases.The new Jay-Z/Kanye West collaboration, Watch the Throne will not be making an appearance. Adele’s 21 and Drake’s Take Care were not taken into account either.

Note: I recently have listened to PJ Harvey’s Let England Shake in it’s entirety several times. At least two of those songs would have found a very high place on this list if I had heard them sooner. The album itself is incredible- ideally, it would easily have been in my top 5 of the year.

20- TV on the Radio- “Second Song”- Nine Types of Light

19- Cults- “Go Outside”- Cults
Cults – Go Outside by underhisempire2

18- Zola Jesus- “Vessel”- Conatus
Zola Jesus – Vessel by souterraintransmissions

17- Lykke Li- “Sadness is a Blessing”- Wounded Rhymes
Lykke Li – Sadness Is a Blessing by a.vourloumis

16- Other Lives- “For 12″- Tamer Animals
For 12 by Other Lives

15- Bon Iver- “Holocene”- Bon Iver
Holocene by boniver

14- Battles- “Futura”- Gloss Drop
Battles â€” Futura by m4spam

13- Foster the People- “Pumped Up Kicks”- Torches
Pumped Up Kicks by Foster The People

12- Radiohead- “Bloom”- The King of Limbs

11- tUnE-yArDs- “Bizness”- who kill
BIZNESS Tune Yards by CristinaBlack

10- Panda Bear- “Last Night at the Jetty”- Tomboy
Panda Bear – Last Night At The Jetty by bigasslens

9- Girls- “Vomit”- Father, Son, Holy Ghost
Girls – Vomit by artsandcraftsmx

8- St. Vincent- “Cruel”- Strange Mercy

7- Lana Del Rey- “Video Games”

6- Atlas Sound- “Terra Incognita”- Parallax
Atlas Sound – Terra Incognita by rslblog.com

5- Washed Out- “Amor Fati”- Within and Without
Washed Out – Amor Fati by DominoRecordCo

4- Cults- “Abducted”- Cults
Cults – Abducted by cultscultscults

3- Fleet Foxes- “Helplessness Blues”- Helplessness Blues
Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues by MMMusic

2- Radiohead- “Lotus Flower”- The King of Limbs

1- M83- “Midnight City”- Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming

- Fr. Jones

New Roomdance track, “Silver Mine” Available for Free Download

frjones — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 17:59:21 +0000

Columbia’s very own Roomdance is offering a new track as a free download for a limited time via Post-Echo (www.Post-Echo.com).Â Make sure to get on it while you still can. After all, everyone knows that nothing says holiday spirit quite like the sinister ambience of Roomdance.Â Â
Â
“Silver Mine” combines the sedating paranoia found on the Vulpine Creep EP, with more melodic elements.Â Waves of shimmering synths form an experience that is euphoric, unsettling, and undeniably Roomdance.Â Â StreamÂ ”Silver Mine” below.Â … Click to continue

Post-Echo: The Audio/Visual Experiment LIVE with Roomdance/Forces of a Street

frjones — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:40:34 +0000

On 12/3/2011, Art Bar hosted Post-Echo: The Audio/Visual Experiment featuring live performances from Roomdance, Forces of a Street, Cassangles, as well as visual contributions from local artists- Jason Stroud, Joel Floyd, Jessica Diaz, and Johnny Timmons. It was indeed an experience to be remembered. If you missed out, here’s some footage of the event.Â For further coverage of the artists involved with this event, visit www.Post-Echo.com .

… Click to continue

New Single from Forces of a Street- “Scope”

frjones — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 15:33:21 +0000

Columbia’s very own Forces of a Street release the first single from their upcoming, full-length LP, Pro Icarus- via Post-Echo (www.Post-Echo.com). Have a listen.

… Click to continue

Seasons of Change

admin — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 10:10:06 +0000

By Harvey Elwood Jr.

Every so often as segments of human-kind become less and less selfish, movements emerge that change and inspire thousands and then millions, towards the understanding that by working together change is possible, necessary, needed and even possible.

So as we continue to visit and communicate with family, friends and neighbors near and far during this wonderful season of holiday, we are reminded that the history of faith is founded on the idea of unselfish kindness, love and the importance of mankind working through our problems and moving forward to find and serve our better selves.

During recent timeâ€™s two significant and emerging movements – the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street have captured our attention and imagination, just as major change continues to takes place around the world. Governments not willing to change are now challenged by people â€œno longer taken in by petty artificial distractionsâ€ – willing to take their fight for jobâ€™s, justice and equality to the streets.

One movement has already changed the political landscape, while the other continues to define itself working to remove big bank corporate money and foreign multi-national interest out of politics and government.

These groups are people for the most part that are hurting and tired of the status quo, which seems frozen in its ability to fix the numerous problems we face as a nation.

With all the big money, bribes, hidden political investments and ramped corruption, itâ€™s hard to know whoâ€™s really behind all the ineptitude – â€œbut at least the American people are starting to pay attentionâ€

But in a state that ranks 45^th at the bottom of this country, in education, public health, poverty, and families most in need, itâ€™s no wonder that most Carolinians have not joined either movement in force. It maybe we just donâ€™t know who to blame for problems that seem irreversible.Â â€œBut one thing for sure, weâ€™ve stopped blaming each other and thatâ€™s a good thingâ€

The time spent by politicians with lobbyist, media consultants, private corporation sponsored lunches, dinners, trips and getting the rest of us to hate one another, would be better time spent forming real task forces that fix the problems the American people hired them for.

As we mark the 2012^th anniversary of the birth of Christ, perhaps now would be a good time to reflect on what many understand as the mission of his life, as explained in the gospels, regarding our national condition, how we treat, respect and look out for all our neighbors and how His life of activism and involvement changed to course of the world and our thinking.

And so as we continue to share in this season of giving, having just awoken from a long sleep of non – active involvement; just maybe weâ€™ll begin and in many cases continue to wake each day and ask ourselves how much better we make the world for ourselves and those we might happen to meet along the way, as an unselfish personal assignment of service to others that is truly Christ-like.

â– Harvey Elwood, Jr. of Orangeburg, – is a Semi-retired educator and host of â€œNew Perspectivesâ€ a weekly public affairs and information show aired on WSSB 90.3FM.Â

White Privilege

admin — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 12:35:20 +0000

Delusion and denial do not make sound opinionÂ

By Will Moredock

America’s greatest economic divide remains the gulf between the wealth of black families and white families. Between 1983 and 2007, that racial wealth gap more than quadrupled, according to a recent study from Brandeis University.

At the bottom of the economic pyramid, at least 25 percent of black families in 2007 possessed no financial assets whatever to see themselves through the economic storm. And that storm struck in 2008.

Today, the Great Recession is taking a toll on most American families, but the higher up the income scale you live, the less you are likely to feel it. The children of affluence receive the fruits of their ancestors’ opportunities and good fortune. They use it to educate themselves, to start businesses, to invest. It is a simple and inarguable fact that wealth perpetuates wealth. It is also a fact that poverty begets poverty. Anyone who knows American history understands the wealth gap between black and white.

Slaves were brought here early in the country’s history to build the wealth of white people. They were not allowed to own or accumulate wealth. After Emancipation, white legislatures passed laws to keep black people removed from the wealth, power and opportunity that whites considered their birthright. During the Great Depression, government policies shut blacks out of home ownership. State and local laws segregated blacks into neighborhoods where home values did not increase as rapidly as in white neighborhoods. Blacks lacked the wealth to assist their children in making the down payment on a new home. As blacks have inched into the middle class in recent years, most of their wealth â€“ for those who have been able to accumulate any â€“ has been tied up in their homes. With the collapse of the housing market since 2008, that wealth has been slashed â€“ along with the chance for black parents to help their children or pass a legacy to them.

Â Â I was reminded of this sad history recently as I reread my colleague Jack Hunter’s City Paper column from September 28, 2011. There Jack describes working for his father’s electrical contracting company for a number of years as a young man. â€œI did this off-and-on throughout high school and for a solid eight-year stretch later in life,â€ he tells us.

Jack is a good writer with some interesting ideas. I have invited him to speak to my opinion writing class at the College of Charleston and always found his insights useful. But like most white people, Jack’s world view has a serious blind spot â€“ himself.

Jack fails to see that he is not just part of a larger society, but part of the flow of history. He is not the self-made creature he would have you believe. He hates labor unions and social safety nets, but like most conservatives he doesn’t need them. Jack worked for his father and his family was his safety net.

I do not fault him for this. I have turned to my family for help at a critical time. That’s what families are for. But some families are able to help more than others. Some are not able to help at all. Jack has the comfort and security of knowing that if things do not work out in his new career as a right wing spinmeister, he will never have to sleep on the street; he will never want for a meal.

Another point in Jack’s column that needs to be debunked: He writes of his father, â€œ…nobody ever gave him anything. He earned every bit of it.â€

Jack, maybe your father started out poor, but he also started out white. From the day he was born, Jack’s father had an enormous advantage which many in this state never had. His white skin opened doors not available to many people.

White skin offers many advantages, but â€“ sadly â€“ it does not guarantee any degree of empathy and self-awareness. Most white people still believe that they are the authors of their own opportunities and good fortune, that they owe nothing to anyone else. They desperately, violently reject any suggestion that their wealth and privilege are â€“ at least to some degree â€“ the result of centuries of brutal laws and public policy.

Conservatives think that their world view is some god-given truth. Indeed, many will thump the Bible and read chapter and verse to show why they enjoy some special status or privilege. Others citeÂ Burke or Buckley. I believe the primary determinant of a person’s philosophy of life can usually be found in his bank statement. In the South, it can also be determined by his skin color.

Denial â€“ whether of global climate change or history â€“ may be good politics, but it does not make good policy. It’s wisdom I hope my friend Jack will gain with age.

POST-ECHO: The Audio/Visual Experiment

frjones — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 17:53:30 +0000

Columbia’s very own Post-Echo takes center stage on December 3rd at Art Bar in the Vista for Â Post-Echo: The Audio/Visual Experiment. Â Featuring musical performances from Roomdance, Forces of a Street, Cassangles, and DJ Bobby Sweatt- the event is also showcasing assorted forms of visual art from members of the Post-Echo label (including the paintings of Joel Floyd aka MouthsandTongue) as well as other talented local artists, including Jason Stroud and Jessica Diaz.

Wait. Â What exactly is Post-Echo? Â Look no further. Â Go here.