Friday, April 02, 2004

Cause celebrex, n., An issue arousing widespread controversy or heated public debate that goes on so long you'll need chemical assistance if you hear any more about it. Origin: familiar phrase cross-pollinated with pain medication. For local examples, see Yow, Billy; Taormino, Tristan. 4:55:29 PM    comment []

Kos offers an explanation of his hostile reaction to the killings in Fallujah, which understandably sparked a lot of condemnation in the blogosphere. Meanwhile, an important conversation about private military contractors is happening in the comments below his post. "They are execrising (sic) military force in a way that will be seen by those against whom they execrise it as an action of the United States government, and yet the (sic) are NOT representing the US Government, nor are they subject to the strictures of the Uniform Code of Military Justice." An article from Esquire by Tucker Carlson about armed US contractors in Iraq. 4:25:53 PM    comment []

Sex-toy company Adam & Eve will sponsor Tristan Taormino’s upcoming lecture, “My Life as a Feminist Pornographer” at UNCG. Taormino has been at the center of a controversy since UNC-Wilmingon professor and Internet columnist Mike Adams criticized her earlier visit to Greensboro. From the press release: "Adam & Eve, based out of Hillsboro (sic), North Carolina, has announced they will match all funding brought in by the students to make sure Taormino is able to speak at the University." There are links to relevant documents at the bottom of the release. Do not click on this link to the Adam & Eve website if you do not want to see nudity, ads for sex toys and porn, etc. The sponsorship will no doubt further infuriate the already furious. Which will serve as a valuable marketing platform of Taormino, the Wesleyan grad who modestly claims not to be a porn star, and Adam & Eve, the Hillsborough company that has fought and won tougher battles before. Adam & Eve claims to have "created the adult mail order industry in 1974 as the first mail order condom distributor at a time when cheap, effective contraception was unavailable in most areas...Adam & Eve stands for sexual freedom, intimacy and safety through its products, services and health information." 12:23:20 PM    comment []

Hoggard has more on Mark McDaniel's speech, and says it was enough to keep him from bolting the GOP, which he had promised to do if the local party didn't repudiate Yow. Fair enough -- stay and fight for the soul of your party, knowing you aren't alone. Hoggard also links to Republican candidate for commissioner Carl Allen, who rips county GOP chairman Marcus Kindley and touts Yow's Republican opponent, Donald McDowell.   Not long ago, I wrote a column about Democrats confronting racial politics in their own party. 11:49:31 AM    comment []

A great letter to the N&R this morning, from Terrance McConnell of Greensboro: "At this month's meeting of Conservatives United for a Better America (CUBA), the following items were endorsed: • declared that all parts of the Bible are literally true, and explained that in Matthew 19:24 ("I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God") Jesus was urging followers to work for a cut in the capital gains tax. • asserted that claims about global warming are based on "junk science," and that schools should teach only creationism, not evolution. • condemned the Massachusetts' Supreme Court for being anti-majority in imposing gay marriage on the populace, and praised North Carolina Republicans for not allowing the people to vote on a lottery. • criticized Democrats for not respecting states' rights, and applauded Attorney General Ashcroft for trying to overturn the law allowing assisted suicide that has been supported twice by a majority of Oregon voters. • commended President Bush for bringing basic constitutional freedoms to Iraq, and told Bush's critics to shut up. • blamed liberals for stifling progress by regulating business, and thanked Bush for working to ban stem cell research. • blasted liberals for making decisions for people, and urged that all abortions be banned. Next month's meeting of CUBA will focus on inconsistencies in the voting record of John Kerry." * * * Also in this morning's N&R mailbag, Wake Forest's Charles Kimball calls out Pulitzer-winning Elon journalism prof Michael Skube for mispresenting his views in a recent opinion piece. Kimball convincingly trashes Skube's "facts," and concludes with a zinger: "Is this how students at Elon University are learning to be journalists?" 8:36:17 AM    comment []

Trudy Wade's abstention last night was the biggest punk-out of the evening. She said she couldn't vote for the resolution rebuking Billy Yow for his role in marketing a racially inflammatory t-shirt because it didn't call on all commissioners to be held to a higher standard of behavior. Puh-leeze. The resolution singled out every commissioner who has been involved in marketing a racially inflammatory t-shirt while serving as an elected representative of the people of Guilford County. That was the issue at hand, not the general behavior of the board. At least Steve Arnold had the guts to vote the wrong way -- Wade was both wrong and weak. One of the tragedies of the situation is that some of the stuff Yow is yelling about does need to be discussed. But he just keeps shooting himself in the foot, then putting his foot in his mouth, which is a really disgusting mixed metaphor for the damage Yow does. I was shocked that the N&R didn't mention Mark McDaniel's brief speech (noted below). McDaniel quoted MLK to the effect that good people need to stand up to the racists among them, then ripped Yow a new one. Having a prominent local Republican chastise Yow in that forum was important, and people should know that it happened. 8:22:05 AM    comment []