Saturday, January 15, 2005

Open Park - 2005 Inauguration Blog

Open Park - 2005 Inauguration Blog: "With the 2005 Inauguration but 10 days away, preparations are in high gear. Construction crews are working double shifts to finish the media booths on the west front of the Capitol, the bleachers are up on Pennsylvania Avenue and partisans of all stripes are finalizing their plans to make the start of President's George W. Bush's second term a memorable one.
If you can't join us here in Washington or are put off by the great swatches of chain link fencing that are rapidly cordoning off central D.C., then you've come to the right place. With on the scene reports from Open Park's WiFi hotspot along the parade route and on Capitol Hill, we'll be blogging the festivities live all day on January 20 and providing some local color in the run up to the main event. "

JINSA Online -- #462 No WMD, So...

JINSA Online -- #462 No WMD, So...: "The Iraq Survey Group (ISG) returned to the U.S. having found no cache of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. So, was the war a mistake? Or worse, did “Bush lie”? No and no.

Leave aside for the moment the essential rightness of removing one of the past century’s worst dictators - a designation hard to come by, given the competition. Leave aside the essential rightness of removing the immorally applied sanctions regime that the UN said was responsible for 5,000 “excess deaths” of Iraqi children each month. And leave aside the essential rightness of stopping the flow of blood money into the corrupt pockets of the Oil-for-Food scammers and Saddam himself.

Go ONLY to the specific issue of Saddam, WMD and the ISG conclusion.

Friday, January 14, 2005

Anti-Bush inaugural bashes to abound - The Washington Times: Nation/Politics

Anti-Bush inaugural bashes to abound - Loyal Republicans, esteemed statesmen, satin-wrapped ladies and country music luminaries have their place in the spectrum of inaugural festivities.
But so do guerrilla poets, die-hard Democrats, punk rockers, hip-hop artists, disc jockeys and assorted noisemakers who will people alternative celebrations to mark President Bush's second term in office.
At last count, there were about 60 events emphasizing the political cachet of the more creative variety, according to Counter-Inaugural 2005, a District-based group that is publicizing the poetry readings, ersatz proms and street theater of "J20" — alternative patois for Jan. 20.

David Rovics: Counter Inaugural Gig & Beyond

So the inauguration of our illustrious corporate dictator is coming right up, and a week of events in the DC area has already started.

Folks are heading to DC from all over the place, so I thought I'd send this bit to everybody. My participation in the various events begins on Sunday (Jan. 16), with one or more events each day through Friday (Jan. 21). Most of the events I'm involved with and more can be found at www.counter-inaugural.org.

Watch the counter-inaugural press conference held December 21, 2004 at the National Press Club. [watch video]


Photo: Washington University Daily

After the Counter-Inaugural, I have solo shows and gigs with Robb Johnson and others, in Florida, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Kansas, Washington state, Oregon, California, Arizona, Ontario, Ohio and elsewhere, in February, March and April. (After that I head back to the midwest briefly and then to tour Scandinavia with Anne Feeney in May and Britain with Attila the Stockbroker in June.)

My 2005 gig itinerary

From February on there are various dates free in pretty much every region I'll be in, in case you or anyone you know might want to organize something.

Listen to David's new song, Election, that was recorded December 30, 2004:

play lo-fi play hi-fi MP3 Lyrics/Story

Thursday, January 13, 2005

Reuters: Green Day's 'Idiot' Back at No. 1 on U.S. Charts

Entertainment News Article | Reuters.com: "LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Grammy-nominated punk trio Green Day returned to the top of the U.S. pop charts Wednesday with its hit opus 'American Idiot,' which sold just 178 copies more than Eminem's reigning champ.
'American Idiot' (Reprise/Warner Bros.) sold 100,167 copies in the week ended Jan. 9, according to Nielsen SoundScan, taking its total to 1.9 million units. Worldwide sales stand at over five million copies, the label said.
Upon its Sept. 21 release, the album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, a first for Green Day, and it also opened at No. 1 in Britain, Canada, Japan and Australia.

'American Idiot' yielded seven Grammy nominations, including album of the year, the first time a punk release has made the coveted category. The Grammys take place in Los Angeles on Feb. 13. "

Watch 'American Idiot' Video

Monday, January 10, 2005

AP: ABC News: '9/11,' 'Passion' Tops at People's Choice (Video)

ABC News: '9/11,' 'Passion' Tops at People's Choice
Filmmakers Michael Moore and Mel Gibson were all smiles after they won top honors at the 31st Annual People's Choice Awards.

Both men had controversial films that fared well at the box office last year. Moore's film "Fahrenheit 9/11," which took a critical look at President Bush's actions after the 2001 terror attacks, won the favorite movie award, while Mel Gibson's explicit "The Passion of the Christ" won in the favorite drama category.

Moore dedicated Sunday's win to the U.S. troops fighting overseas and said he was "amazed" that people voted his film their favorite. "I love making movies and I'll take this as an invitation to make more 'Fahrenheit 9/11s,'" Moore said. (Watch Video)

Thank you! Thank you very much.

We live in a great country and we all love our country very much and I am so amazed that you did this — the people of America — that you voted for this film. I can't thank you enough.

I'm honored and gratified and I know that there are many people tonight — mothers and fathers across this country — with sons and daughters in Iraq. Our prayers are with them and I dedicate this award to them tonight.

I want to thank, most of all, the people out there who voted for this. I don't want you to give up. This country is still all of ours. Not just right or left, democrat or republican, it's all of our country.

I love making movies and I'll take this as an invitation to make more ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’s.

Thank you very much. Thank you very much.

Photo: Director/Producer Michael Moore accepts the award for Favorite Movie for 'Farenheit 9/11' during the 31st Annual People's Choice Awards in Pasadena, California(AFP/Getty Images/Kevin Winter)

Related Story:
"Fahrenheit 9/11" voted viewers' favorite movie of 2004

MTV: Usher, 'Fahrenheit,' 'Passion,' 'Shrek 2' Win Big At People's Choice Awards
The nominations were determined by editors at Entertainment Weekly magazine, the People's Choice production team and a panel of pop culture fans. For the first time in the organization's history, all winners were determined by Internet voting, which topped more than 21 million votes.