Op-Ed

Given Jason’s instructions for the month, I thought it might be fun to focus on the passionate (and unusually literate if you normally read local papers) voices of the Times’ Opinions/Editorials pages at the back of section A.

Headline: Hot-Button Vox Pop
Story: Of the 76 different ballot initiatives across the country, many of which were “too patently concocted and financed by out-of-state forces to be considered authentic,” only about a third of them passed. The NYT editorial board interprets this as a sign that voters are beginning to lose interest in the simplistic yes/no initiative process, and that they’re beginning to expect more from their elected officials.
Song: The Futureheads, “Yes-No”
Some of the ballot initiatives here in Massachusetts were debated like crazy in the press, especially initiative #1 which would have allowed wine sales in grocery stores. Our airwaves were clogged with ads from the powerful lobbies on both sides, with the powerful liquor store lobby (who’d gotten in bed with the Mass State Police) eventually winning out. The powerful post-punk fury of the song suits the story perfectly. The lines “I don’t believe, I don’t believe it’s smart/Try and explain such a complicated thing” reflects the editorial’s view to a T: politics isn’t a simple business — it’s complicated and nuanced, and it requires more than just passionate yelling on both sides to get a satisfactory answer to big questions.

Headline: Bipartisanship on Hold
Story: With a new Democratically-controlled congress set to be sworn in in just a few short months, Dubya puts on a strong face, publicly “looks forward” to meeting & greeting the new power pols, all the while loading up the docket for the lame duck congress with things he’d like to have done before the Dems officially take power.
Song: The Killers, “Smile Like You Mean It”
“Smile Like You Mean It” was the first phrase that popped into my head when thinking about Dubya’s situation: he can’t be pleased with the election results, but he dare not show it in public with the big shift left (not absolute left, just left enough to get things closer to the center) if he wants to save face. Thankfully the Killers were there with just the right kind of dark, new wave anthem of a song for my playlist.

Headline: After the Election: A Shake-Up, and a New Tone
Story: One of a number of letters to the editor, Bill Mares of Burlington, VT, reacts to the resignation of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, noting tht “Before the Iraq invasion, he arrogantly overrode his generals’ pleas for more troops,” and that he “sent the grunts in to fight with inadequate protection.” His final comment is that “the long-term damage to American military morale is beyond counting.”
Song: Def Leppard, “Gods of War”
Didn’t know that the Leps had such an anti-war streak in ‘em, didja? The song samples speeches of Ronald Reagan’s and Margaret Thatcher’s, and it’s quite an indictment of US & British global military activity in the 80’s. Oh, and it totally rocks, too — it was always a favorite of mine from Hysteria’s highly underrated second side (I miss my vinyl copy), but Wikipedia notes that it was only one of three songs from the album to not be released as a single.

Headline: After the Election: A Shake-Up, and a New Tone
Story: In another letter to the editor about Rumsfeld’s resignation, Michele Yulo of Atlanta, GA, hopes that Rumsfeld’s resignation doesn’t turn him into a scapegoat for the people really responsible for the “Iraq debacle.” She bluntly calls out Dubya: “President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and friends must be held accountable for getting us into this mess knowing full well that most of the intelligence refuted their arrogant and poorly thought-out strategy.”
Song: David Holmes Presents the Free Association, “Everybody Knows”
I wish this song’s rough, rumbling, frightening refrain (”Everybody knows the truth/Everybody knows it’s you”) could ring in Dubya’s ears. Holmes’ gritty, paranoid, and aggressive urban funk shines a light on one of the most maddening things about the situation in Iraq — Bush and Co. absolutely lied to get us into war there, and nobody’s willing to call them out. Maybe with the changes coming to congress we’ll have proper oversight hearings, finally exposing Dubya & his crew for what they are.

Headline: Sex-Change Criteria
Story: In a letter to the editor, Thomas R. Frieden, MD, Health Commisisoner of NYC, states that while NYC was the first place in the nation to issue transgendered people new birth certificates, it is also “the only jurisdiction that issues them with no sex listed.” The city is planning on changing this policy, but the criteria for a “sex change” has to be established before a changes can move forward.
Song: Hedwig and the Angry Inch, “The Origin of Love”
It’s amazing to think that NYC (of all places) is the only place in the country that doesn’t officially assign a new sex to someone who’s undergone a sex change operation. Crazy. This brings up all sorts of questions about sexual identity, and it instantly made me think of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, James Cameron Mitchell’s rock n’ roll musical/film about a transgendered rock singer. The show’s music is far removed from the showtune BS that dominates modern theater — it’s all full-blown rock n’ roll, fueled by Bowie and Iggy instead of Gilbert and Sullivan. This particular song is one of the soundtrack’s real standouts: it accurately recasts the creation myth from Plato’s Symposium, which defined all of humanity as being composed of both sexes — with eight limbs — before the Gods split the beings in two, as a stirring rock ballad. Fantastic, fantastic stuff.

Headline: After the Election: A Shake-Up, and a New Tone
Story: In yet another letter to the editor about the war in Iraq, Donna J. Anton of Hayle, England, mother of a 19-year-old marine in Iraq, wonders if after Rumsfeld’s resignation Dubya and his “cronies” will “continue to risk the lives of my son and his comrades in arms.”
Song: Manic Street Preachers, “The Masses Against the Classes”
The focus on Dubya and his cronies made this a letter about class distinction — the rich and powerful thoughtlessly deployed the sons and daughters of middle- and lower-class families into Iraq because it doesn’t cost them anything. This righteous anger instantly made me think of everyone’s favorite pro-socialist Welsh punk-rock outfit, the Manic Street Preachers. They’ve long championed far leftist politics and social policies and railed against American imperialism (my favorite example is “Baby Elian,” a song criticizing the US policy as it relates to Cuba), and this single is a fantastic combination of class warfare rallying cry and raging punk hooks.

Headline: The Great Revulsion
Story: Regular contributor Paul Krugman looks at the Democratic shift in power on capitol hill, the end to hyper-conservative Republican rule, and how the change was finally realized.
Song: Sam Cooke, “A Change Is Gonna Come”
I know Cooke’s classic was written about the civil rights movement and race relations, but the heartfelt passion and hope mirrors what Krugman’s been hoping for during the last eight years. He recalls a piece he wrote about three years ago: “I have a vision — maybe just a hope — of a great revulsion: a moment in which the American people look at what is happening, realize how their good will and patriotism have been abused, and put a stop to this drive to destroy much of what is best in our country,” and that seems to be what’s happened. People figured it out, and they made the right choice in this last election. The job for the new congressional leadership won’t be an easy one, and it may not end up being a success, but right now the road ahead looks much brighter.

Download: Uncle Sam’s “Op-Ed” (zip — SaveFile)
(Click here for download instructions)

You can download the songs & XML file individually, too:

Download: The Futureheads, “Yes-No” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: The Killers, “Smile Like You Mean It” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Def Leppard, “Gods of War” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: David Holmes Presents the Free Association, “Everybody Knows” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Hedwig and the Angry Inch, “The Origin of Love” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Manic Street Preachers, “The Masses Against The Classes” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Sam Cooke, “A Change Is Gonna Come” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Uncle Sam’s “Op-Ed” (XML playlist)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)