Monthly Archives: July 2008

I WAS going to sign Don Siegleman’s letter of support to Congress at his website, donsiegelman.org/

I WAS going to call for Rove’s immediate arrest by bugging Nancy Pelosi after watching this useful report by American News Project.

But THEN I read on ROVE.COM that you could download Karl’s responses to the House committee’s questions, answered in detail and very helpfully.  It’s just that he didn’t want to have to go through the whole “under oath” dealy-o in between his appearances on FOX News and GOP fund raisers.

His responses are detailed in their denials of having anything to do with anything that ever happened to Don Siegelman.  In fact, some of the responses seem like he had already had this explanation down for some time.

His flat denials and pointed clarifications of what other people did or meant seem so specific, even though he refuses to say them under oath, I kind of have to believe the guy.  Everyone should just leave him alone.  Seriously.  Even me.  So I am adding a credit to the end of FREE FOR ALL! that says, “By the way, Karl Rove is totally not guilty of anything ever.”

THINGS YELLED AT ME WHILE HANDING OUT OBAMA/ADAMA STICKERS

Guest blogged by Asterios Kokkinos

*”I’m voting for McCain!” (Response: No matter who you vote for, make sure you
vote!)*”Who’s Adama?” (Response: He’s the guy from Battlestar Galactica!)

*”Oh my god, can I have a bunch of these for my friends?” (Response: Yes, but
only a few more, we paid for these ourselves)

*”Stop asking me if I want a sticker.” (Response: Trust me, you want these
stickers.)

*”Wow, these stickers are so clever, the film it is promoting must be GENIUS!”

THINGS I YELLED AT PEOPLE WHILE HANDING OUT OBAMA/ADAMA STICKERS
Guest blogged by Asterios Kokkinos

*Make sure to vote on paper! A vote on an electronic voting machine is practically a vote for the Cylons! It’s practically voting ON a Toaster!

*No more Floridas, No more Ohios, No more New Capricas!

*Don’t let them cut the corners off your vote!

*Humans vote, Cylons don’t! (Although that’s wrong, I liked the rhyme)

(Ennis note: Fuck that! They’ll keep producing extra voters!  If there were complaints about the ‘dead voting’ in old Chicago, how about when voters can literally resurrect on Election Day!)

*Help safeguard democracy throughout the fleet!

*Don’t forget to vote this Colonial Day!

Okay, this was a sublimely surreal experience tonight.

There I was, debating the significance of referencing the anxiety about Barack Obama being assassinated with Carl Weathers, A.K.A. Apollo Creed from Rocky, or B.K.A. “Carl Weathers” from Arrested Development, the funniest show ever shot on tape (i.e., not The Simpsons).

This dude Van has made a documentary about Obama’s campaign since January.   What angle you ask, in such a rich topic?  That is what me, Carl Weathers, and other friends of Van were discussing after watching 15 minutes of his film.

If there’s one thing I learned from both making FREE FOR ALL! and teaching doc film making at UCLA Extension, it is asking “What is PERSONAL about this?”  It’s a challenging line of questioning that is both dismissive and guiding.

What Van’s piece started to touch on is the real racial reactions to Obama: Black people saying it wasn’t his time, White people saying it was.

I did assert at one point that if Van’s intention was to convert undecided voters to choose Obama, his doc might as well be “Obama: He’s Not That Black.”  Because the people hung-up on voting for him at that point would still be trying to make themselves feel okay about it.

And deep down, while many Americans are more racist than they will admit, they are even more practical.

At any rate, Carl and I differed on how taboo it was to include a reference to the widely held fear that Obama would be assassinated.  If everyone was sharing that fear, it bears a mention in my opinion.  Carl felt that since everyone knew it, don’t put it out there any more.  Carl must be 60, but he looks like he flattened Sylvester Stallone yesterday.  So I made my point, but politely.

Obama in Berlin…

Obama excites 215,000 Germans into cheering his name, waving suddenly-trendy US flags at the massive, hard, statuesque tower of strength.

This park is the center of the bacchanal Love Parade.

McCain in Buffalo…

McCain defends his suddenly unpopular foreign policy in front of frozen weenies.