June 29, 2009
June 29, 2009
Trade liberty for safety or money and you'll end up with neither. Liberty, like a grain of salt, easily dissolves.
The power of questioning -- not simply believing -- has no friends. Yet liberty depends on it. ***
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Note from the Editors:
Our apologies for not having anything to say at present about the upheaval in Iran, whose spiritual and political leaders were glad to have their actions overshadowed by the sexual shenanigans of America's spiritual and political leaders, who in turn were saved by the death of Michael Jackson and the mass migration of the press corps to... Neverland. How fitting. We do have a few things to say, however, about the health care crisis in this country, with Jan Baughman and Gilles d'Aymery pondering profitable illnesses and pseudo-reform, respectively. We also have a few words from Martin Murie regarding those who contend that war -- another profit industry -- is an inevitable function of the human species. We may one day address the hypocrisy of those conservative leaders caught picking at the forbidden fruit, but for now we'll focus, with the help of Michael Barker, on more subtle hypocrisy and the self-defending capitalist would-be saviors of the planet. It's a full plate.
We'll pass for now, since there's plenty in the mainstream media, on the death of the androgynous icon who paved a musical path for African Americans -- then sculpted and bleached himself white -- and instead look at Moris Farhi's gender-bending novel, A Designated Man, which Peter Byrne reviews. Charles Marowitz pens an apropos sonnet for seniors bewailing their (highly profitable) ills, while Guido Monte shares his paradoxical haiku. In the French Corner, Marie Rennard reviews the contradictions of French ideals and policies of discrimination using a famous song by Charles Trenet that we publish in both languages; newcomer M. L. Gambié offers a poetic short story; and from Simone Alié-Daram, a poem on the European elections voting day. We close with your letters, on French bread controversies, health care reform, Rappin' Raju, and news from Canada on a nuclear first-strike and the influence of the Jewish Lobby.
As always, please form your OWN opinion, and let your friends (and foes) know about Swans. It's your voice that makes ours grow.
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"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your common sense."
Quotations Search:
RESISTANCE: In The Eye Of The American Hegemon
Ralph Nader
What is
YOUR Purpose?
Question
YOUR Answers!
War is NOT
the Answer
Think
before you think! —Stanislaw Lec
Don't believe everything you think!
Sites on our Mind
Physicians for a National Health Program Single Payer Action Single-payer system Activism under the Radar Screen Le coin français
Localize!
Relocalize!
Conserve!
Don't believe.
Think! |
America: Myths and Realities
Health Care Profits Of Doom
While the debate over the details of health care reform continues and the negotiations between the two parties and the lobbyists escalate, the desire of 72% of the populace, according to a recent New York Times poll, for a government-run national health plan remains a dispensable item on the table. Before the deal is closed and this option is once again swept under the rug, it's important that we in the majority frame the issue, make our demands known, and not allow private companies to continue to set government agenda. More... Jan Baughman is a clinical researcher and Swans' co-editor.
Tidbits Flying Across the Martian Desk
Blips #87
"The word bipartisan usually means some larger-than-usual deception is being carried out."
Gilles d'Aymery is Swans' publisher and co-editor.
Patterns Which Connect
Murder From Above
"War is Terrorism" puts war in a special file, separate from "Just Wars" and other euphemisms that strike me as pacifiers -- abstract bones for us to chew on. Tiziano Terzani's collection of letters, each of which is a treasure trove, goes even further: "Killing under all circumstances is murder." More... Martin Murie is a writer and veteran activist.
Buying The Environment To Save Capitalism
Neoliberal environmentalists see two ways to save the planet. The first involves purchasing tracts of land to remove it from the marketplace (temporarily anyway), and the second requires the attachment of a monetary value to environmental goods and services to ensure that they are profitably and efficiently utilized. Both non-solutions locate the answer to environmental destruction in the most unlikely place; that is, in hands of an ideology that is committed to sustained growth on a planet with finite resources. This should not be the case; capitalism is not a sustainable world order, it must be replaced with a system that rejects the individuality of the marketplace and embraces communities and collective humanity. Consequently, seriously approaching the issue of environmental protection requires a consideration of solutions that lie outside the capitalist box and offer ideologically-inspired alternatives that can address the root causes of unwarranted environmental destruction. This line of pragmatic thinking has been evolving within socialist and anarchist circles for decades. More... Michael Barker is an independent researcher who currently resides in Australia.
Hungry Man, Reach For The Book
Gender Bent And Bleeding
Moris Farhi's latest novel takes place on the island of Skender, which according to one character, the wise and maternal Kokona, remains true to its myth: According to this myth, when God sought to punish Satan, Satan tried to appear innocent by spitting the evil in him far out to sea. That spittle duped God and saved Satan's life. And Satan, in a rare act of gratitude, transformed the spittle into the island of Skender. Leagues out at sea, as we are, and the way we continue to whip up the evil in our souls with our feuds, are given as proof of the myth's veracity. In latitude and longitude the island lies somewhere off Greece or Turkey. More... Peter Byrne is an American-born teacher and writer who lives in Lecce, Italy.
Poetry
Sonnet For Seniors
Let us bewail our ills to one another; Charles Marowitz is an author of over two dozen books and numerous essays and articles.
Le coin français (The French Corner)
Douce France, doux pays de mon enfance...
Lorsque j'étais toute môme, à l'école primaire, j'aimais par-dessus tout les mardis après-midi, quand notre maître nous contait tout à la fois l'Histoire et l'Esprit de la France. Le regard perdu sur les marronniers de la cour, je l'écoutais nous raconter les rois, la révolution, puis l'empire napoléonien. L'époque moderne nous serait assénée plus tard, sans grande subtilité, durant les années de collège et de lycée. Pour l'heure, nous découvrions l'histoire de ces mots gravés au frontispice des mairies, Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité. More... Marie Rennard est une auteur et poète qui vit à Annecy, France.
Douce France
Il revient à ma mémoire Charles Trenet (1913-2001) était un chanteur français.
La maison du ruisseau
Un chemin sec que la voiture déchire à chaque passage dans des frôlements de buissons immenses. Contre les vitres remontées, de longues lianes crochues alourdies de mûres sanglantes accompagnent une seconde ma progression, me retenant, me relâchant dans un spasme vers l'arrière, refermant la béance un instant consentie. Les derniers centimètres sont un arrachement végétal, les feuilles déchiquetées volent, les parfums explosent en gerbes. More... Marie-Laetitia Gambié est une juriste et écrivain.
Jour d'élection
Trois notes de musique Simone Alié-Daram, à la retraite d'une carrière distinguée en médecine, est une auteur et poète qui vit à Toulouse, France.
Multilingual Poetry
Paradox
Life Leben Vida Guido Monte teaches Italian and Latin literature in Palermo, Italy.
Letters to the Editor
Some thoughts on Graham Lea's French bread essay and a defense of bread-making machines, some additional facts in support of Gilles d'Aymery's article on the American sick-care system, a shout-out to Raju Peddada on Rap, and news from Canada on a nuclear first-strike and the influence of the Jewish Lobby. More... We appreciate your comments. Please, remember to sign your e-mails with your real name and add your city, state, country, address and phone number. If we publish your opinion we will only include your name, city, state, and country. Thank you.
Swans by Subject
- Activism under the Radar Screen Keep in Mind...
– According to researchers at the University of Michigan's Center for Sustainable Agriculture, an average of more than 7 calories of fossil fuel is burned up for every calorie of energy we get from our food. So, it takes 3,500 calories of fossil fuel to eat your 500-calorie breakfast. – "They" say that nuking Hiroshima and Nagasaki was necessary to end the Pacific War and save lives. Was Hiroshima necessary? You be the judge. What will "they" say once they have nuked Iran? – According to tolerance.org, every day at least eight blacks, three whites, three gays, three Jews, and one Latino become hate crime victims. – Please support Swans. – You can syndicate Swans with our RSS Feed, courtesy of Sean M. Burke. – Support your local businesses. – Say NO to Amazon.com and the corporate bookchains! Support your local independent bookstores! Books can be ordered through Booksense. Simply enter your Zip code and click on "Go" to find all local independent bookstores near you: – You can visit Swans READING ROOM for some books we recommend. – Every time you reload the front page, one of 87 different quotes appears randomly in the left margin. – Thank you for visiting Swans and for reading its contents. Endeavor to become an agent of change. – And consider supporting our efforts.
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