August 26, 2006

Saturday, August 26, 2006
Excellent.
There will be an artist trail in downtown North Adams this fall.

As the Doobies sang, we're takin' it to the streets.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 1:18 PM |||Comment (1) | Trackback (0)
RIP Marjean
Marjean Wisby, the woman behind the Blue Wisp Jazz Club in Cincinnati, has passed on.

I loved going to the Wisp when I lived in Cincinnati. You could always count on unbelievably good jazz. I got to play there once, when I sat with Adam (Greenberg's) Abominable Big Band about a decade ago. Many incredible musicians have played there - check their website for a partial roster. Every Wednesday night, the Blue Wisp Big Band plays, and you won't find a more talented assemblage of musicians in the world.

This woman will be sorely missed.

WF


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Friday, August 25, 2006
Continuing a thought from yesterday
Scot Lehigh picks up where I left off in the discussion about John Mark Karr and what it says about us and our priorities.

WF


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The Right Thing
The FDA has approved Plan B for over-the-counter sales.

The Nervous Nellies in the Religious Right are prophesying mass sluttiness and acres of Oh Noes! Dead BAYBEEES!!!!1!!!, but I don't see it happening.

First off, contrary to popular belief this pill is NOT an abortifacient - and no study outside of those funded by anti-choice and anti-woman types says that it is.

Secondly, it'll presumably lead to a drop (perhaps insignificantly so, perhaps not) in abortions, since fertilization will be prevented.

The FDA did the right thing here.

WF


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Friday Animal Blogging
This is Ryan.



Ryan is a 3 year old male Hound mix. He is an extremely handsome pooch with outstanding markings and coat and he knows it. He is independent, high energy, and does his own thing as is typical of his breed. He could use an obedience course. Children over 8 years old would be best and his new owners should have a fenced in yard. Come meet this very handsome dog.

Ryan and many other great animals are available at the Second Chance Animal Center on the Arlington/Shaftsbury Town Line in Vermont - take historic route 7A north of Bennington.

WF


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Thursday, August 24, 2006
RIP Maynard Ferguson, 1928 - 2006
Maynard Ferguson, the man with the horn, passed away yesterday at the age of 78.

I got to meet Maynard a month ago in Cleveland. He was a fraternity brother, and he was just named Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia's 2006 Man of Music (as well as a Signature Sinfonian) at the National Convention.

His joie de vivre was unmatched, as was his sound. Go listen to any mid-50s recording by Stan Kenton, or one of Ferguson's recordings with his Big Bop Nouveau band. I know what's on my playlist this weekend.

Rest now, Brother Maynard. No human prayer can add a greater glory to his star.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 9:47 PM |||Comments (2) | Trackback (0)
RIP Pluto, 1930 - 2006
Well, it was a good run, but Pluto is no longer a planet.

Pity, really. There was a nice symmetry there to the Music of the Spheres - Beethoven had nine symphonies, the solar system had nine planets.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 11:36 AM |||Comments (3) | Trackback (0)
Theory Thursday
By request this week: Modal Jazz - So What?

Before we get into detail, we need to define some terms.

In modern parlance, a mode is a series of pitches organized in a scalar fashion. What we think of as major and minor scales can be considered modes as well, though the modes offer more combinations of whole and half steps. There are seven modes, and we can build them by thinking of a C major scale over two octaves. You'll notice that these are the "white keys" on a piano keyboard:

C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C

The first mode, Ionian, is equivalent to a major scale, and can be created by going from C to C on the white keys.

C D E F G A B C - Ionian

Dorian is the second mode, and it goes from D to D.

D E F G A B C D - Dorian

Next up is Phrygian, from E to E.

E F G A B C D E - Phrygian

Following is Lydian, F to F.

F G A B C D E F - Lydian

Next, Mixolydian - G to G.

G A B C D E F G - Mixolydian

The penultimate mode is Aeolian, which runs from A to A and which is equivalent to the natural minor scale.

A B C D E F G A - Aeolian

Finally, we have Locrian, which runs B to B.

B C D E F G A B - Locrian

Each of these modes can be transposed, or located at a different pitch level - you're not just limited to the C major scale when you build them. Here's a chart to help you out; the numbers are the scale degrees, and you can build these modes off any major scale by starting at the given scale degree.

Ionian - 1 to 1
Dorian - 2 to 2
Phrygian - 3 to 3
Lydian - 4 to 4
Mixolydian - 5 to 5
Aeolian - 6 to 6
Locrian - 7 to 7

D Dorian is built off the C major scale. On what scale would G Dorian be built?


(theme from Jeopardy! goes here)


That's right - F major. Dorians are built on the second scale degree of a major scale, and G is the second scale degree of F major.

How are these used in jazz? Let's look at where we are in jazz history. To this point, jazz has operated under the same harmonic premise as most Western art music, using functional harmony. In functional harmony, each chord has a specific role (or function), and the harmony must move to a specific tonal goal (usually the tonic, or keynote of whatever key you're in). This motion is usually by fifths, and operates as follows:

ii - V7 - I

In English, that means that most phrases end with the chord built on the second scale degree (usually a minor chord), followed by the chord built on the fifth scale degree (a major chord with a lowered 7th), followed by the tonic chord (quality depends on key). Chords have function, and rules must be followed. This can be extended out to something like this:

iii - vi - ii - V7 - I

That progression is quite common in jazz, appearing (in a slightly modified form) in the bridge to "I Got Rhythm" by George and Ira Gershwin, and in other tunes that use the same chord structure (often referred to as "Rhythm changes"). The chords appear in the bridge as shown here (in the key of Bb):

D (iii)
Old Man Trouble
G (vi)
I don't mind him
C (ii)
You won't find him
F (V)
'Round my door

and then the I hits on the downbeat of the final phrase. In the Bebop era, these chords were used with all manner of upper extentions (stacked thirds beyond the basic triad of each chord), but the basic motion was still present.

When Miles Davis and others were looking to move in new directions in the early 1950s, they asked the same question that composers from Schubert to Schoenberg to Debussy to Copland to Stravinsky had asked - why does harmony need to be functional? Can't chords and their placement be chosen by color/sound? Why does ii have to be followed by V? Do we even need all these chords?

The response to Bebop was to strip away the upper extensions and slow down the harmonic motion, creating a cooler sound (hence the term Cool Jazz). Modes and modal theory offered one such path. Modes can be used for improvisation over certain chords. For example, if you have a mi7 chord, you can use the corresponding Dorian mode. For a 7 chord (dominant), use Mixolydian. For a half-diminished (ø7) chord, use Locrian. Chords with a #4? Lydian. Let's look at the Miles Davis tune "So What" (from Kind of Blue). The structure is insanely simple:

Dmi7-------|Dmi7-------|Ebmi7-------|Dmi7-------||
8 measures (count to "four" eight times) in each section

You can improvise over "So What" using just two scales - D Dorian over the Dmi7 chord (which is 3/4 of the form), and Eb Dorian over the Ebmi7 chord. If you have a piano or guitar, try it - play and hold the following notes over the given chords.

Dmi7 - D, F, A, C
Ebmi7 - Eb, Gb, Bb, Db

Over the Dmi7 chord, improvise using D E F G A B C D. Over the Ebmi7 chord, use Eb F Gb Ab Bb C Db Eb. See? It's easy!

One last thought - you can make your improvisations more interesting by playing up notes that differ from traditional major/minor scales. D Dorian contains D E F G A B C D; D minor is D E F G A Bb C D. Play "B", and play it a lot.

Innovation in modal jazz improvisation can come from interesting rhythmic patterns and also from using scalar ideas (up 2 steps, down one, repeat - make your own!). You're limited only by the prevailing mode - and your imagination.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 9:23 AM |||Comments (4) | Trackback (1)
Warhol was right
And the latest person to get his 15 minutes is John Mark Karr, who may or may not have killed JonBenet Ramsey nearly 10 years ago. Now his family is trying to sell the book and movie rights to his story.

Why? WHY?

Anyone who buys this book should forfeit their right to take part in civilized society for at least a decade. I don't say that because of Mr. Karr's innocence or guilt - that's really irrelevant to this. I say it because we're all cheapened when stupidity and vapidity are rewarded. Let's look at the players in this case:

(1) The Ramseys. They suffered a tremendous loss that no family should ever have to go through (including Iraqi families, for the record). Yet I still hold them in a certain amount of contempt for taking part in the whole childhood pageant thing. Stage parents frighten me - and most likely frighten their kids as well. A child is not a trophy, nor is it a meal ticket.

(2) John Mark Karr. I don't know if he's guilty or not, but from what we've seen in the news, he was obsessed by this case, so it's entirely possible he just wanted to be linked to it in some way. He also liked to marry young (his first wife was 12 or 13 when they married), and engaged in generally disturbing behavior. We shouldn't know anything else other than he was arrested and charged. We don't need to know what he ate on the flight back from Thailand, or how many times he went to the bathroom, or what he was wearing. He's not worth that.

(3) Karr's relatives. Rather then engaging in basic human decency and saying "No comment" until the trial starts, they're trying to cash in. This tells me that family is subservient to cash to them. Of course, given how Karr seems to have turned out, maybe it's best that he be nothing more than dollar signs to them; they obviously screwed him up something fierce.

(4) The media. Shame on all of you. Of all the stories in the world (the Middle East, economic problems, midterm elections, ongoing issues with education, etc. - I could go on and on), the Big Cable News Stations spent most of a week "reporting" about Karr and his background, and metaphorically digging up JonBenet's corpse over and over and over. And of course, JonBenet footage was always from the most titillating times when she was onstage - we need to feel guilty about our leering, after all, and in order to do that properly we gotta leer some more. There are reasons that the only news I really trust is The Daily Show (with NECN up there as well).

(5) Us. For not roundly and soundly sending the message that this, while important in terms of solving a crime, should not have dominated press coverage for over a week.

Through it all, we now all know (against our will and/or better judgment) who John Mark Karr is. If he's guilty, he should suffer the appropriate punishment, and if he's not, he should be set free. But now he's famous, and in today's world that is all that matters. There is no need to know who John Mark Karr is, or who Paris Hilton is, or who Richard Hatch is, but we all do. Fame has superseded all other measures of success. Warhol was indeed right.

WF


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Downtown Celebration
Wasn't it great to see all those people downtown last night?

More like this, please.

WF


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Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Nice.
Behold Game Over, in which classic video games (we're talkin' early '80s) are re-enacted with foodstuffs and other household items.

Some people have too much free time. How I envy them.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 10:16 PM |||Comment (1) | Trackback (0)
Oy.
Jeffy, you started out halfway decently, and then you missed the point entirely.

The good people at Ben Gurion Airport engage in psychological profiling - looking for behavior patterns, etc - and NOT racial or ethnic profiling. It's not perfect, to be sure, but it's a far sight better than "Hey! He looks swarthy! Get HIM!"

But hey, brown people scare you. We get that already. You're really no better than the screaming harpies and pantswetters who pester flight attendants when someone "who looks like one of them" gets on the same plane.

Furthermore, change "jihadi" to "crusader" and you've hit the likes of Paul Hill, Eric Rudolph, Tim McVeigh, and Operation Rescue. Last I checked, not a lot of Muslims there.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 9:56 AM |||Comment (1) | Trackback (0)
Kids these days
Apparently, some teenagers in Brattleboro, VT like to get a good all-over tan.

Two questions:
(1) Where were these people when *I* was in high school, and

(2) Anyone want to see me visit Brattleboro and take part? No? Me neither. Believe me - no one hates seeing me naked more than me.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 9:51 AM |||Comments (5) | Trackback (0)
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Open Gubernatorial Thread
Whom do you support for Massachusetts governor and why?

How about New York, for any readers from there?

Vermont?

Have at.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 9:37 AM |||Comments (9) | Trackback (0)
First in the nation
Scot Lehigh writes a good piece on New Hampshire's stubborn refusal to let another state have a say. If they are indeed considering having their primary in 2007, then I never ever want to read a letter from a New Hampshire resident complaining about the lengthening Presidential campaigns.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 9:30 AM |||Comments (4) | Trackback (0)
Monday, August 21, 2006
Slow News Day
You know it's a slow news day when the top story on Yahoo! is something about Britney Spears' HUSBAND.

WF


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Opa!
Jawa Girl and I went down to the Grecian Festival at St. George's on Saturday. Good food and good music.

WF


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Sunday, August 20, 2006
Sunday Religion Blogging
The debate over faith vs. works rages on.

Obviously, I cannot speak for non-Christian religious communities here, but within the Christian religions, the balance between faith and works differs sharply from denomination to denomination. St. Paul defined faith as "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1, KJV) Augustine of Hippo believed that faith was the source of all knowledge. Søren Kierkegaard argued faith was the basis of belief beyond argument, and not something that had to be proven. William Sloane Coffin defined faith as trust without reservation, not acceptance without proof.

Within Christian beliefs, faith plays a central role - to be considered a Christian, one must believe in the existence of God, that this God sent His only son as a sacrifice for our sins, and that this sacrifice is the central act of Christianity. There is wide disagreement of just how literal these events were, but the events form the basis of Christian faith. Most Christians further believe that faith must manifest itself in some way that shows the positive influence of Christianity. Christians refer to this as works. Our friends in the Roman Catholic Church have categorized works further into corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Protestant and Restoration churches do not usually sharply define works in this way, relying more on the general belief that "good works" are necessary for continued salvation.

In those churches that practice adult baptism, hearing and believing the Gospel - faith - is what leads the hearer to repent and confess their sins and then be baptized - works. Some churches believe the moment of repentance and confession is the moment of salvation, and the baptism is merely an outward act triggered by faith. Others believe salvation is not granted until baptism. This line of demarcation is what separates the Anabaptist tradition from the Restoration tradition. Furthermore, there is strong debate over the condition of one's soul following initial salvation. Those in the Calvinist tradition believe that once salvation is granted, it is granted for good, and no amount of works (good or bad) can change it. This belief is drawn from the idea that salvation is a gift of God (which is generally accepted in Christian theology) and that once granted it cannot be "un-granted." Others, drawing upon the Wesleyan and Campbellite traditions, believe that salvation, though freely given of God, can be removed if the person does not carry out certain works or if the person engages in sinful behavior. To be sure, even the Calvinists do not believe that works are irrelevant - on the contrary, they believe works are a manifestation of the ideals of faith. And also to be sure, good works are not just limited to people of faith - there are many atheists and agnostics who live up to the ideal of "Love thy neighbor" to a greater extent than many who claim the mantle of Christ.

Our Jewish friends have what is called a mitzvah, which can literally mean a Biblical commandment; in a larger sense it can also mean any act of human kindness.

What say you on the role of faith versus the role of works in salvation and in general?

WF


// posted by Wes @ 9:39 AM |||Comments (7) | Trackback (0)
Everyone's a critic
Shorter this guy: How come no one exhibits Dogs Playing Poker or Velvet Elvis? And no one paints like that Thomas Kinkade fella.

Sir, just because artists are less representational doesn't make them lesser artists. I reserve some of my most vile criticism for contemporary "artists" who are more interested in being ironically detached than actually saying something through their art, but all periods and genres of art produce artists who have something profound to say. And I would never point to a genre or artist (especially one of the greats like Cezanne) as being indicative of the "decline" of art. If you believe art begins and ends with representational painting, sir, I'm sure you can find something at your local craft store that is inoffensive to your fragile tastes.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 9:30 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
And Verdi turned 'round in his grave.
I see our local Johnny One-Note is at it again (bottom story) with his tales of woe on how the Evil Court System is Destroying Fatherhood.

August 05, 2006

Red Speck Strikes Again 2: Electric Boogaloo
I see where His Mediocrity The Governor Willard (R-UT) took money out of flood relief for the Berkshires and redirected it to the North Shore.

Has he been here? Has he even set foot in Berkshire County during his tenure as Governor? I know he's not been to North County.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 9:14 AM |||Comments (4) | Trackback (0)
New Rule
Anyone who cites the Family Research Institute, whose chair once promoted the idea of "branding" homosexuals on their faces, forfeits their right to engage in civil discussion for at least six months.

This letter writer seems to be the resident anti-gay right-wing slackjaw for the Berkshires, as I've seen his name before.

August 05, 2006

Saturday, August 05, 2006
Red Speck Strikes Again 2: Electric Boogaloo
I see where His Mediocrity The Governor Willard (R-UT) took money out of flood relief for the Berkshires and redirected it to the North Shore.

Has he been here? Has he even set foot in Berkshire County during his tenure as Governor? I know he's not been to North County.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 9:14 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
New Rule
Anyone who cites the Family Research Institute, whose chair once promoted the idea of "branding" homosexuals on their faces, forfeits their right to engage in civil discussion for at least six months.

This letter writer seems to be the resident anti-gay right-wing slackjaw for the Berkshires, as I've seen his name before.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 9:08 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
Friday, August 04, 2006
Friday Animal Blogging
This is Teddy.



Teddy is a 6-7 year old male Min Pin/Jack Russell. He is here because his previous family had two other dogs. They are not allowed to have three dogs. He loves to eat and he is an excellent mouser that would challenge any cat. He is a happy dog who loves to be spoiled. He has a typical little dog attitude. Come meet Teddy, he will make a great friend.

Teddy and many other animals are available at the Second Chance Animal Center on the Arlington/Shaftsbury town line in Vermont.

And a bonus: Remember those two kittens we've been fostering? They were supposed to be temporary. However, Jawa Girl turned to me Monday night and said, "You know we're keeping Dido, right?" I know when I'm outvoted. This means that Chloe needs to find a home. So if you want to see this around your house:



you can get Chloe early next week at the Second Chance Animal Center as well.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 8:49 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
Nutmeg
Scot Lehigh gives us some more info on the Lamont/Lieberman race in Connecticut. Some folks have called Ned Lamont a "one-issue" candidate who is a "radical" and "out of the mainstream." Nothing could be further from the truth.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 8:42 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
They Get Letters
Shorter this guy: You kids get the heck off my lawn!

WF


// posted by Wes @ 8:39 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
Topia
Last year, certain factions tried to raise a stink about the Topia Arts Center fundraiser, because they presented a reading of a play (a high-quality play, for the record - you'd think people who were so overly dramatic about "our boys over there" would know good drama when they saw it) that dared question Dear Leader (the stink was raised under the guise of "supporting our troops," which is about as far from reality as you can get).

I wonder if this year it'll be just too dang loud.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 8:34 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Putting aside politics
Thoughts go out to the family of Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Chris Gabrieli, whose mother died yesterday.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 9:52 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
Development
Three items are coming before the North Adams Planning Board in a couple of weeks. I must say I'm the most excited about the possibility of a pub close to campus (to compete with the Pitcher's Mound, which is an alright place to be sure, but we need more options).

It's not that I'm a heavy drinker - far from it, actually - but it'll give people Something To Do. Tie this in with the cinemas coming downtown and you're starting to hit critical mass.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 9:45 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
Swan Song
State Sen. Andrea Nuciforo, Jr. (D-Pittsfield) has most likely cast his last vote in the State Senate.

Thanks for your service, Senator.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 9:40 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Stay cool.
Drink water and juice today. Stay close to fans or air conditioning. And make sure your pets are taken care off.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 9:31 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
Unfrozen Caveman Columnist
Shorter Jeff Jacoby: Voting isn't important.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 9:30 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
The heart breaks
The story of Army Sergeant Brian Fountaine of Boston's Dorchester neighborhood, who now wonders why.

All the platitudes about freedom mean nothing, you realize. We're in the process of sending a generation to the lawnmower, and for what? Iraq had no WMD of import, no connections to those who attacked us on September 11, 2001, and was no threat to us or our interests.

And now these same people want to take a military taxed to the breaking point and put pressure on Iran and Syria.

The blood of Americans is on the hands of every last one of you - from the President all the way down to the chickenhawks who are only too happy to send people to die while they sit in air-conditioned rooms - who supported this indecency. May sleep never visit you again without images of horrific death, and may your ears constantly be filled with the shrieks of the dying.

UPDATE: And for the record, their blood is on all of us - for we didn't do enough to stop it.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 9:20 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
General Court Wrap-Up
The Eagle gives us a post-mortem on this year's legislative session. The failure of the higher ed funding bill to be enacted is arguably the biggest failure this term.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 9:15 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
Monday, July 31, 2006
Development, affordability, and WiFi
One of the things we who believe in Muni WiFi will have to be careful about is making sure that this rising tide does indeed life more than the yachts. Though it is not the sole reason (or even the main reason) for it, WiFi does figure into the gentrification* of the Virginia Piedmont.

*Gentrification here in the most literal sense, the creation of a landed gentry set apart by class from the workers.

(hat tip to Governing magazine's blog)

WF


// posted by Wes @ 11:20 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
Law of Unintended Consequences
James Carroll (I have GOT to meet this guy) tells a truth - indeed, the Middle East has been transformed by the Bush Junta's policies. Sadly, the transformation made things even worse.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 10:45 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
Labor Relations
Steve Early writes in the Globe about the strike that may have mortally wounded the labor movement, the most important movement of the 20th century - the Air Traffic Controllers' strike of 1981.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 10:42 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
I haven't forgotten
I see that Boston is using a novel approach to muni WiFi. I am intrigued by this.

It's taken some time, but I'm about ready to call that long-promised meeting of interested citizens to get the Muni WiFi ball rolling in NA.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 10:38 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
If you build it, he will come.
North Adams has been entered (by Councilmember Chris Tremblay) in the Granite City Electric Field of Dreams III contest.

North Adams isn't up on the website yet, but I'm told it should be on there soon. So when it is, vote early and often!

WF


// posted by Wes @ 10:32 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Sunday Religion Blogging
Maybe it's all the ministers in my family (great-great-grandfather, great-grandfather, grandfather, great-uncle, cousin, brother, brother-in-law), but I've always appreciated good theological discussions. One of the most painful ordeals for progressives of faith in recent years has been the near-total overtaking of the Christian religion (in almost all forms and denominations) by those who would use it for political and temporal power.

So it's nice to see the tide starting to turn. While I am fully aware the Bible is much more than the words of Jesus, it is telling that the central figure in the faith never once mentions abortion or homosexuality. He actually DOES mention helping the poor, clothing the naked, and feeding the hungry, yet somehow those issues are never mentioned in "nonpartisan" voter guides from the Christian Coalition and their ilk.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - the fundamentalists/Dominionists/nascent theocratic fascists do not worship Jesus of the Bible. They apparently worship a fellow named JEEEEzus!, who is a rich white guy from the suburbs who only cares about abortion and homosexuality. Nothing else explains the rise of the "Prosperity Gospel" movement, which is one of the weakest theological arguments ever made.

One more thought: the desire to bring about Armageddon should never be the basis for foreign policy, whether practiced by individuals or a government. This is true across Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and all other faiths with an eschatological basis.

July 08, 2006

Saturday, July 08, 2006
A lovely day.
Mowed the yard this morning, then Jawa Girl and I took Julie the Wiener Dawg to a plot of land owned by Second Chance Animal Center (where Jawa Girl works) and let her run free while we had a picnic lunch.

Anything going on today?

WF


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Friday, July 07, 2006
Congratulations are in order
Kudos to Dr. Steve Green, Vice President of Academic Affairs at MCLA (and a personal friend) for being named Sociologist of the Year by the New England Sociological Association.

Dr. Green is one of the Good Guys.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 12:57 PM |||Comments (3) | Trackback (0)
Friday Animal Blogging - Older Cats Need Love Too Edition
This is Romeo.



Romeo is a 12 year old black and white male cat who is at the Second Chance Animal Center because his owner passed away. He is a declawed cat so he needs to be an indoor only cat. He is a very calm, gentle and friendly cat.

Many people come in to the shelter and look at kittens. And while kittens are very very cute (believe me, Miles, Ella, and Mingus were!), sometimes older cats find themselves at the shelter too. Romeo may not have too many years left, and he deserves a nice home as much as any other cat.

UPDATE: Good news! Romeo has found a home!

WF


// posted by Wes @ 9:56 AM |||Comments (7) | Trackback (0)
Thursday, July 06, 2006
On the road again...
Anyone who has known me for, say, 14 seconds or more knows I love me some maps. In the room in which I am typing this there are maps of North Adams, Berkshire County, Massachusetts (by towns), the United States, and the world. Jawa Girl routinely gives me maps from her subscription to National Geographic.

Probably because of my love of maps and my love of travel, I've become quite interested in roads and how they are maintained. I'm enough of an environmentalist that I'm not in favor of a huge increase in road building, but I do think we should maintain the roads we have.

With that said, what do you all think of this idea from Joseph M. Giglio?

WF


// posted by Wes @ 8:35 AM |||Comments (3) | Trackback (0)
BWLI
Good to see the Berkshire Wireless Learning Initiative still going strong.

A colleague offered some good suggestions with regard to muni WiFi. Now that things are finally settling down after the wedding, look for a meeting sometime in July or August. (Yes, I know - I wanted it earlier too, but life has a way of getting in the way.)

WF


// posted by Wes @ 8:26 AM |||Comments (12) | Trackback (0)
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Pogrom's Progress
Well, now.

Seems a Jewish family was run off from a school district in southern Delaware for...

being Jewish.

And what's worse - the slackjaw behind Stop the ACLU is "pleased we had an effect in this case."

The fundamentalists extremists who miscall themselves "Christian" are lining up with Jews and the state of Israel for one reason and one reason only - they believe there has to be a huge battle there before JEEEEzus! comes back. At that point, any Jew who doesn't convert to their narrow brand of extremist faux-Christianity will be killed. Why some Jewish folks *cough*Joe Lieberman*cough*Jeff Jacoby*cough* insist on hanging with these people (whose whole theology requires the Jews to give up their Jewishness or perish when all is said and done) is beyond me.

Mr. Kareiva of Stop the ACLU and the citizens and board members of the Indian River School District who supported this deserve all the scorn and maledictions civilized people can pour out.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 11:48 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (1)
Music of the spheres
Ms. Hilda Banks Shapiro of Great Barrington lets us know that Stephanie Wilson of Pittsfield, currently on board the space shuttle Discovery, was an outstanding clarinetist as well.

It makes the heart proud to hear stories like that. If you asked Astronaut Wilson, I'd wager she'd tell you her musical studies had a positive impact on her studies to be an astronaut. This is the sort of thing that cannot be measured by a soulless standardized test designed to appeal to people who don't have clue one about how education should function.

Further interesting fact: Neil Armstrong played euphonium (my first brass instrument, for the record) in the Purdue University Band while in college. Mr. Armstrong lives in the Cincinnati area - I never got to meet him (his teaching days at UC were pretty much over by the time I started work on my MM, and we music majors didn't get out of the music building much), but I always wanted to get a euphonium into his hands and have him join a TubaChristmas concert - anonymously, of course.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 11:07 AM |||Comments (2) | Trackback (0)
No Justice
Ken Lay has died without serving a day in prison. I hope that Herculean efforts were used to try to save him, because the thought of Ken Lay not serving one second of the time due him makes my blood boil.

Personally, I believe he should be buried in a prison cemetery.

And of course, this has to be a relief to Bush, because now he doesn't have to think about pardoning Kenny Boy.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 11:02 AM |||Comments (6) | Trackback (0)
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
The Testament of Freedom
Like I did two years ago, I'd like to put up the text of Randall Thompson's The Testament of Freedom, a setting of the words of Thomas Jefferson. It seems right.

Movement 1 (from A Summary View of the Rights of British America, 1774):

The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time; the hand of force may destroy but cannot disjoin them.

Movement 2 (from Declaration of Causes and Necessity of Taking up Arms, 1775):

We have counted the cost of this contest, and find nothing so dreadful as voluntary slavery. -- Honour, justice, and humanity, forbid us tamely to surrender that freedom which we received from our gallant ancestors, and which our innocent posterity have a right to receive from us. We cannot endure the infamy and guilt of resigning succeeding generations to that wretchedness which inevitably awaits them, if we basely entail hereditary bondage upon them.

Our cause is just. Our union is perfect. Our internal resources are great...We gratefully acknowledge, as signal instances of the Divine favour towards us, that his Providence would not permit us to be called into this severe controversy, until we were grown up to our present strength, had been previously exercised in warlike operation, and possessed of the means of defending ourselves. With hearts fortified with these animating reflections, we most solemnly, before God and the world, declare, that, exerting the utmost energy of those powers, which our beneficent Creator hath graciously bestowed upon us, the arms we have been compelled by our enemies to assume, we will, in defiance of every hazard, with unabating firmness and perseverence, employ for the preservation of our liberties; being with one mind resolved to die freemen rather than to live slaves.

Movement 3 (from Declaration of Causes and Necessity of Taking up Arms, 1775):

We fight not for glory or for conquest. We exhibit to mankind the remarkable spectacle of a people attacked by unprovoked enemies, without any imputation or even suspicion of offence. They boast of their privileges and civilization, and yet proffer no milder conditions than servitude or death.

In our native land, in defence of the freedom that is our birthright, and which we ever enjoyed till the late violation of it -- for the protection of our property, acquired solely by the honest industry of our fore-fathers and ourselves, against violence actually offered, we have taken up arms. We shall lay them down when hostilities shall cease on the part of the aggressors, and all danger of their being renewed shall be removed, and not before.

Movement 4 (from letter to John Adams, 1821 and A Summary View of the Rights of British America, 1774):

I shall not die without a hope that light and liberty are on steady advance...And even should the cloud of barbarism and despotism again obscure the science and liberties of Europe, this country remains to preserve and restore light and liberty to them...The flames kindled on the 4th of July, 1776, have spread over too much of the globe to be extinguished by the feeble engines of despotism; on the contrary, they will consume these engines and all who work them.

The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time; the hand of force may destroy but cannot disjoin them.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 8:55 AM |||Comments (5) | Trackback (0)
IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.
(Note: Light blogging today. Do something uniquely American. Listen to a Sousa march or some jazz. Have a cookout. Celebrate our 230th birthday in grand style. It's still good to be an American, all of the present regime's best efforts to the contrary notwithstanding.)

Every year, on July 4, I reread the Declaration of Independence. You should too.


The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

The 56 signatures on the Declaration appear in the positions indicated:

Column 1
Georgia:
Button Gwinnett
Lyman Hall
George Walton

Column 2
North Carolina:
William Hooper
Joseph Hewes
John Penn
South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge
Thomas Heyward, Jr.
Thomas Lynch, Jr.
Arthur Middleton

Column 3
Massachusetts:
John Hancock
Maryland:
Samuel Chase
William Paca
Thomas Stone
Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia:
George Wythe
Richard Henry Lee
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Harrison
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Carter Braxton

Column 4
Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Franklin
John Morton
George Clymer
James Smith
George Taylor
James Wilson
George Ross
Delaware:
Caesar Rodney
George Read
Thomas McKean

Column 5
New York:
William Floyd
Philip Livingston
Francis Lewis
Lewis Morris
New Jersey:
Richard Stockton
John Witherspoon
Francis Hopkinson
John Hart
Abraham Clark

Column 6
New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett
William Whipple
Massachusetts:
Samuel Adams
John Adams
Robert Treat Paine
Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins
William Ellery
Connecticut:
Roger Sherman
Samuel Huntington
William Williams
Oliver Wolcott
New Hampshire:
Matthew Thornton

WF


// posted by Wes @ 8:38 AM |||Comments (4) | Trackback (0)
Love Freedom?


Thank a Massachusetts liberal.

(props to my buddy and fraternity brother George Cullinan for the idea)

WF


// posted by Wes @ 8:33 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
Monday, July 03, 2006
by definition unfinished
I haven't posted on James Carroll's columns in a while, but this one deserves special due. A taste:

America is by definition unfinished, because it forever falls short of itself. Not that this nation is more moral than others, but its half-formed foundational ideal required a moral purpose at the start -- and a moral purpose to the end. That is both creative and creatively undermining. Born in a challenge to authority, American authority continually inhibits its own exercise (what the Supreme Court did last week in challenging the executive and legislative branches over Guantanamo). Recognitions of personal alienation inevitably open into demands for the reform of alienating systems -- and in America that is the work of politics. It never stops.

As the kids say, read the whole thing.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 8:54 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
From the Rejected Poetry Desk, Middle English edition
Courtesy of Jane, we find this little ditty that apparently didn't make the cut in The Canterbury Tales:

An INDIAN CHIEF, a COWBOYE and a COPPE
A WERKERE and a LEATHER MANNE (a toppe)
Did marche togedir in fraternitee
Al thogh thei were of varyinge lyveree.
Thei knewe sum auncient magicke remedye
For “Y M C A” dide they ful loude crye,
And lifte ther armes lyk vnto menne gone woode.
And eek yt semede their mappe was nat too goode:
Thogh Canterburye-warde we headede Est
In unison thei seyde to us ‘Go Weste.’

There simply isn't enough parody poetry out there.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 8:43 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Culture Club
The Globe today encourages the General Court to override Red Speck's veto of $13,000,000 for cultural facilities.

Good for them.

We've seen firsthand here in North Adams what an influx of culture-related money can do. (Now we need to go to the next step, an economy where the arts are but one part.) Red Speck's veto shows once again he does not care one whit about the municipalities of Massachusetts.

July 08, 2006

Saturday, July 08, 2006
A lovely day.
Mowed the yard this morning, then Jawa Girl and I took Julie the Wiener Dawg to a plot of land owned by Second Chance Animal Center (where Jawa Girl works) and let her run free while we had a picnic lunch.

Anything going on today?

WF


// posted by Wes @ 4:11 PM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
Friday, July 07, 2006
Congratulations are in order
Kudos to Dr. Steve Green, Vice President of Academic Affairs at MCLA (and a personal friend) for being named Sociologist of the Year by the New England Sociological Association.

Dr. Green is one of the Good Guys.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 12:57 PM |||Comments (3) | Trackback (0)
Friday Animal Blogging - Older Cats Need Love Too Edition
This is Romeo.



Romeo is a 12 year old black and white male cat who is at the Second Chance Animal Center because his owner passed away. He is a declawed cat so he needs to be an indoor only cat. He is a very calm, gentle and friendly cat.

Many people come in to the shelter and look at kittens. And while kittens are very very cute (believe me, Miles, Ella, and Mingus were!), sometimes older cats find themselves at the shelter too. Romeo may not have too many years left, and he deserves a nice home as much as any other cat.

UPDATE: Good news! Romeo has found a home!

WF


// posted by Wes @ 9:56 AM |||Comments (7) | Trackback (0)
Thursday, July 06, 2006
On the road again...
Anyone who has known me for, say, 14 seconds or more knows I love me some maps. In the room in which I am typing this there are maps of North Adams, Berkshire County, Massachusetts (by towns), the United States, and the world. Jawa Girl routinely gives me maps from her subscription to National Geographic.

Probably because of my love of maps and my love of travel, I've become quite interested in roads and how they are maintained. I'm enough of an environmentalist that I'm not in favor of a huge increase in road building, but I do think we should maintain the roads we have.

With that said, what do you all think of this idea from Joseph M. Giglio?

WF


// posted by Wes @ 8:35 AM |||Comments (3) | Trackback (0)
BWLI
Good to see the Berkshire Wireless Learning Initiative still going strong.

A colleague offered some good suggestions with regard to muni WiFi. Now that things are finally settling down after the wedding, look for a meeting sometime in July or August. (Yes, I know - I wanted it earlier too, but life has a way of getting in the way.)

WF


// posted by Wes @ 8:26 AM |||Comments (12) | Trackback (0)
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Pogrom's Progress
Well, now.

Seems a Jewish family was run off from a school district in southern Delaware for...

being Jewish.

And what's worse - the slackjaw behind Stop the ACLU is "pleased we had an effect in this case."

The fundamentalists extremists who miscall themselves "Christian" are lining up with Jews and the state of Israel for one reason and one reason only - they believe there has to be a huge battle there before JEEEEzus! comes back. At that point, any Jew who doesn't convert to their narrow brand of extremist faux-Christianity will be killed. Why some Jewish folks *cough*Joe Lieberman*cough*Jeff Jacoby*cough* insist on hanging with these people (whose whole theology requires the Jews to give up their Jewishness or perish when all is said and done) is beyond me.

Mr. Kareiva of Stop the ACLU and the citizens and board members of the Indian River School District who supported this deserve all the scorn and maledictions civilized people can pour out.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 11:48 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (1)
Music of the spheres
Ms. Hilda Banks Shapiro of Great Barrington lets us know that Stephanie Wilson of Pittsfield, currently on board the space shuttle Discovery, was an outstanding clarinetist as well.

It makes the heart proud to hear stories like that. If you asked Astronaut Wilson, I'd wager she'd tell you her musical studies had a positive impact on her studies to be an astronaut. This is the sort of thing that cannot be measured by a soulless standardized test designed to appeal to people who don't have clue one about how education should function.

Further interesting fact: Neil Armstrong played euphonium (my first brass instrument, for the record) in the Purdue University Band while in college. Mr. Armstrong lives in the Cincinnati area - I never got to meet him (his teaching days at UC were pretty much over by the time I started work on my MM, and we music majors didn't get out of the music building much), but I always wanted to get a euphonium into his hands and have him join a TubaChristmas concert - anonymously, of course.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 11:07 AM |||Comments (2) | Trackback (0)
No Justice
Ken Lay has died without serving a day in prison. I hope that Herculean efforts were used to try to save him, because the thought of Ken Lay not serving one second of the time due him makes my blood boil.

Personally, I believe he should be buried in a prison cemetery.

And of course, this has to be a relief to Bush, because now he doesn't have to think about pardoning Kenny Boy.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 11:02 AM |||Comments (6) | Trackback (0)
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
The Testament of Freedom
Like I did two years ago, I'd like to put up the text of Randall Thompson's The Testament of Freedom, a setting of the words of Thomas Jefferson. It seems right.

Movement 1 (from A Summary View of the Rights of British America, 1774):

The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time; the hand of force may destroy but cannot disjoin them.

Movement 2 (from Declaration of Causes and Necessity of Taking up Arms, 1775):

We have counted the cost of this contest, and find nothing so dreadful as voluntary slavery. -- Honour, justice, and humanity, forbid us tamely to surrender that freedom which we received from our gallant ancestors, and which our innocent posterity have a right to receive from us. We cannot endure the infamy and guilt of resigning succeeding generations to that wretchedness which inevitably awaits them, if we basely entail hereditary bondage upon them.

Our cause is just. Our union is perfect. Our internal resources are great...We gratefully acknowledge, as signal instances of the Divine favour towards us, that his Providence would not permit us to be called into this severe controversy, until we were grown up to our present strength, had been previously exercised in warlike operation, and possessed of the means of defending ourselves. With hearts fortified with these animating reflections, we most solemnly, before God and the world, declare, that, exerting the utmost energy of those powers, which our beneficent Creator hath graciously bestowed upon us, the arms we have been compelled by our enemies to assume, we will, in defiance of every hazard, with unabating firmness and perseverence, employ for the preservation of our liberties; being with one mind resolved to die freemen rather than to live slaves.

Movement 3 (from Declaration of Causes and Necessity of Taking up Arms, 1775):

We fight not for glory or for conquest. We exhibit to mankind the remarkable spectacle of a people attacked by unprovoked enemies, without any imputation or even suspicion of offence. They boast of their privileges and civilization, and yet proffer no milder conditions than servitude or death.

In our native land, in defence of the freedom that is our birthright, and which we ever enjoyed till the late violation of it -- for the protection of our property, acquired solely by the honest industry of our fore-fathers and ourselves, against violence actually offered, we have taken up arms. We shall lay them down when hostilities shall cease on the part of the aggressors, and all danger of their being renewed shall be removed, and not before.

Movement 4 (from letter to John Adams, 1821 and A Summary View of the Rights of British America, 1774):

I shall not die without a hope that light and liberty are on steady advance...And even should the cloud of barbarism and despotism again obscure the science and liberties of Europe, this country remains to preserve and restore light and liberty to them...The flames kindled on the 4th of July, 1776, have spread over too much of the globe to be extinguished by the feeble engines of despotism; on the contrary, they will consume these engines and all who work them.

The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time; the hand of force may destroy but cannot disjoin them.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 8:55 AM |||Comments (5) | Trackback (0)
IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.
(Note: Light blogging today. Do something uniquely American. Listen to a Sousa march or some jazz. Have a cookout. Celebrate our 230th birthday in grand style. It's still good to be an American, all of the present regime's best efforts to the contrary notwithstanding.)

Every year, on July 4, I reread the Declaration of Independence. You should too.


The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

The 56 signatures on the Declaration appear in the positions indicated:

Column 1
Georgia:
Button Gwinnett
Lyman Hall
George Walton

Column 2
North Carolina:
William Hooper
Joseph Hewes
John Penn
South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge
Thomas Heyward, Jr.
Thomas Lynch, Jr.
Arthur Middleton

Column 3
Massachusetts:
John Hancock
Maryland:
Samuel Chase
William Paca
Thomas Stone
Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia:
George Wythe
Richard Henry Lee
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Harrison
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Carter Braxton

Column 4
Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Franklin
John Morton
George Clymer
James Smith
George Taylor
James Wilson
George Ross
Delaware:
Caesar Rodney
George Read
Thomas McKean

Column 5
New York:
William Floyd
Philip Livingston
Francis Lewis
Lewis Morris
New Jersey:
Richard Stockton
John Witherspoon
Francis Hopkinson
John Hart
Abraham Clark

Column 6
New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett
William Whipple
Massachusetts:
Samuel Adams
John Adams
Robert Treat Paine
Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins
William Ellery
Connecticut:
Roger Sherman
Samuel Huntington
William Williams
Oliver Wolcott
New Hampshire:
Matthew Thornton

WF


// posted by Wes @ 8:38 AM |||Comments (4) | Trackback (0)
Love Freedom?


Thank a Massachusetts liberal.

(props to my buddy and fraternity brother George Cullinan for the idea)

WF


// posted by Wes @ 8:33 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
Monday, July 03, 2006
by definition unfinished
I haven't posted on James Carroll's columns in a while, but this one deserves special due. A taste:

America is by definition unfinished, because it forever falls short of itself. Not that this nation is more moral than others, but its half-formed foundational ideal required a moral purpose at the start -- and a moral purpose to the end. That is both creative and creatively undermining. Born in a challenge to authority, American authority continually inhibits its own exercise (what the Supreme Court did last week in challenging the executive and legislative branches over Guantanamo). Recognitions of personal alienation inevitably open into demands for the reform of alienating systems -- and in America that is the work of politics. It never stops.

As the kids say, read the whole thing.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 8:54 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
From the Rejected Poetry Desk, Middle English edition
Courtesy of Jane, we find this little ditty that apparently didn't make the cut in The Canterbury Tales:

An INDIAN CHIEF, a COWBOYE and a COPPE
A WERKERE and a LEATHER MANNE (a toppe)
Did marche togedir in fraternitee
Al thogh thei were of varyinge lyveree.
Thei knewe sum auncient magicke remedye
For “Y M C A” dide they ful loude crye,
And lifte ther armes lyk vnto menne gone woode.
And eek yt semede their mappe was nat too goode:
Thogh Canterburye-warde we headede Est
In unison thei seyde to us ‘Go Weste.’

There simply isn't enough parody poetry out there.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 8:43 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Culture Club
The Globe today encourages the General Court to override Red Speck's veto of $13,000,000 for cultural facilities.

Good for them.

We've seen firsthand here in North Adams what an influx of culture-related money can do. (Now we need to go to the next step, an economy where the arts are but one part.) Red Speck's veto shows once again he does not care one whit about the municipalities of Massachusetts.

March 10, 2006

Friday, March 10, 2006
On the road again
Heading out to the Midwest for Spring Break and final wedding preps shortly.

I'll blog when I can, but it'll probably be light for a few days.

Be nice.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 12:23 PM |||Comment (1) | Trackback (0)
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Running Mates
Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey (R-Beverly) has chosen former State Police head and state representative Reed Hillman (R-Sturbridge) as her running mate.

Of course, the Democrats have four choices (Deb Goldberg, Sam Kelley, Tim Murray, and Andrea Silbert), and no one knows whom independent candidate Christy Mihos will tap (though rumors have been circulating around former Republican Congressman Peter Blute).

WF


// posted by Wes @ 8:55 AM |||Comments (4) | Trackback (0)
Worth a thousand words
Occasionally, an image just goes right to the heart of the issue.

Today's cartoon by Dan Wasserman does just that.

How much of who we are - our ideals, our laws, our belief in this ephemeral thing called America - have we sacrificed on the altar of security?

WF


// posted by Wes @ 8:47 AM |||Comments (2) | Trackback (0)
Local Boy Makes Good
Good on local artist Glenn Shalan, who received an outstanding volunteer award from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Mayor Barrett's quote is especially cogent:

"He's one of the new people who are part of the growing arts community, he just showed up," Barrett said. "North Adams is special because it embraces change, and part of that is people like Glenn."

As North Adams moves from mill town to cultural center, now we have to go to the next step - making sure no one is left behind. The arts alone are not enough.

Wi-Fi would be a good start. Other thoughts?

WF


// posted by Wes @ 8:40 AM |||Comments (9) | Trackback (0)
Hot enough for ya?
Scientists have created conditions that led to a temperature reading of 3,600,000,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

Fortunately, it was a dry heat.

(I expect our creationist friends to say it never actually got over 6,000 degrees.)

WF


// posted by Wes @ 8:34 AM |||Comments (7) | Trackback (0)
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Irony
Christy Mihos, man of wealth and taste, bemoaning the lack of status for the common man.

While his Proposition One will no doubt garner support (and I like the idea of removing fees for students), it doesn't take into account what happens in an economic downturn. As my friends on the Right like to point out, that money has to come from somewhere, and I'm not thrilled with the idea of essential state services being defunded to appease homeowners (of which I plan on becoming this summer).

WF


// posted by Wes @ 8:36 AM |||Comments (15) | Trackback (0)
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Question
For those of you that got ticked off at Massachusetts for same-sex marriage:

The South Dakota abortion ban was, in the words of the Speaker of the South Dakota House, designed specifically to force a court case in an attempt to overturn Roe v. Wade. Does that attempt by one state to force national policy bother you on the same level that you claim Massachusetts' law did?

I think I already know the answer, but let's have the discussion anyway.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 8:37 AM |||Comments (41) | Trackback (0)
Monday, March 06, 2006
More on N'Awlins
James Carroll, as usual, says it far better than I could.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 8:38 AM |||Comments (4) | Trackback (0)
I'd like to thank the Academy
A rare pop-culture post: What did you think of the Academy Awards last night?

WF


// posted by Wes @ 8:36 AM |||Comments (13) | Trackback (0)
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Good news, everyone!
Someone took an old Superman pinball machine and turned it into a Futurama pinball machine.

Morbo enjoys the puny games you pathetic Earthlings play.

(props to Wil Wheaton - yes, THAT Wil Wheaton - for the catch)

WF


// posted by Wes @ 10:27 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
Vermont and population
Here's an interesting article from the New York Times about the exodus of young people from Vermont.

Jawa Girl and I are looking at houses, and one of the places we are looking is Bennington. Personally, I love this entire area, but we're balancing some work and financial things alongside quality-of-life issues in terms of where to buy our first home. Bennington is high on the list for various reasons.

One of the things that I like about Vermont is its size - it is very easy for people to take an active role in civic life. However, having grown up in an exceptionally rural area, I too understand the desire for young people to get off of the farm (you'll notice I haven't lived in Pinhook, Indiana since 1990).

How can a state like Vermont balance all these issues?

WF


// posted by Wes @ 8:57 AM |||Comments (4) | Trackback (0)
Shorter Jeff Jacoby
The issues involving Catholic Charities and adoption by same-sex couples are complex. Therefore, I will ignore the issues and blame the gays.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 8:39 AM |||Comments (2) | Trackback (0)
Best wishes for a speedy recovery
This desk wishes Maestro James Levine of the Boston Symphony Orchestra good health and a quick recuperation after he fell onstage following a performance of Beethoven's Symphony no. 9.

October 22, 2005

Saturday, October 22, 2005
Speechless
There are very few things that render me incapable of speech.

This is one of those things.

(Here is a direct link to the song.)

Props to Wil Wheaton dot Net in Exile.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 3:27 PM |||Comment (1) | Trackback (0)
Anyone remember They Might Be Giants?
Bomp-ba-dee-dah, bomp-ba-dee-dah, bomp-ba-dee-dah, bomp-ba-dee-dah (repeat)

Minimum WAAAAAAAAAGE!

*whip* Yah!

In all seriousness, the minimum wage is worth less proportionally than it has been in quite some time.

And on top of it, the Davis-Bacon act, requiring workers to get paid a prevailing wage, has been suspended in the Gulf, ostensibly to "make the rebuilding process run faster." Halliburton and others promptly used this suspension to hire undocumented aliens so the corporate bigwigs could pocket MORE of the money - YOUR money.

My friends on the Right often accuse me of trying to incite "class warfare." The class warfare has been going on for quite some time - and it isn't the lower or middle classes that started it.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 11:01 AM |||Comments (7) | Trackback (0)
Friday, October 21, 2005
Open Thread
Busy this morning. Go nuts.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 8:20 AM |||Comments (5) | Trackback (0)
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Hey, at least it wasn't George Mikan.
So a convicted felon wanted a LONGER sentence so the number of years he served was going to be equal to the number on Larry Bird's jersey (33).

Y'know, if I'm in that situation, I start claiming I'm a Robert Parish fan.

(See, growing up in a basketball-crazy state like Indiana occasionally pays off.)

WF


// posted by Wes @ 5:49 PM |||Comments (6) | Trackback (0)
Good stuff
Some people accuse me of being hyper-partisan. While I am a proud and committed Democrat, I am not so blind as to not recognize when a Republican does something good - and something good is what former Gov. A. Paul Cellucci has done in giving some leftover campaign funds to MASS MoCA.

In my interview with Rep. Bosley (below), he mentioned that Cellucci Weld (since Cellucci was Weld's Lt. Gov., I interposed the two; from all accounts, though, Weld and Cellucci started at the same point and came around at about the same time - WF) was unsure of the project at first, but when the local leaders (Mayor Barrett, Rep. Bosley, then-State Sen. Swift) talked to him about it, he got completely on board.

I ask you, readers - can you see Gov. Red Speck getting behind a project like MASS MoCA? Mad props to Cellucci.

WF


// posted by Wes @ 9:35 AM |||Comments (5) | Trackback (0)
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
A dilemma (well, not for me)
MCLA and the North Adams Transcript are sponsoring a meet the candidates night on MCLA's campus in one week.

Normally, I'd go, but the MCLA Concert/Community Band is performing that night as well, and I'm the conductor.