“Where Is the Community Organizer We Elected?”

As President Obama approaches the end of his first year in office, the scrutiny of his administration, specifically the decisions he's made in regards to foreign policy and the economy, is only going to increase. This is how it should be. One dynamic critics can point to is the still-growing chasm between the haves and have-nots in the U.S. Two disparate figures, Wall Street profits and the rate of hunger in the US, are skyrocketing. Washington in general and Obama in particular seemed (and still seem) to be more interested in making sure banks are taken care of before citizens.

Robert Scheer talks with Amy Goodman about this on a recent episode of Democracy Now!, asking the question "Where is the community organizer we elected?"

Vimeo Pick: Germans in the Woods

It seems appropriate on this, the anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the event that lead to direct American involvement in World War II, to highlight this film. It takes place during the Battle of the Bulge and is a brief, incredibly powerful story of how war destroys lives, even those of the victors.

Germans in the Woods from Rauch Brothers on Vimeo.

Vimeo Pick: Ramona Falls, "I Say Fever"

I love this video. Just sit back and take it in. Nothing much seems to happen for the first 30 seconds or so, but then...just watch it. And it will probably help if you are NOT tripping on anything when you watch it.

Ramona Falls "I Say Fever" from Barsuk Records on Vimeo.

Vimeo Pick: H2Oil Animated Sequences

Check out this really nicely done animated sequence from a Canadian company that's putting together a documentary, "H2oil." The subject is infuriating, but it's presented in a very accessible, artistic way.

H2oil animated sequences from Dale Hayward on Vimeo.

Obama Escalates The War in Afghanistan

I just finished listening to President Obama's speech at West Point where he announced that 30,000 more U.S. soldiers are going to Afghanistan.

The detractors have already laid out their reasons why it won't work, and I'm inclined to agree with them.

IF Al Quaeda goes away, IF the Taliban cooperates, IF the Afghan government stands up on its own two feet - there are a lot of factors in this equation that do not depend on the US. 2011 is the scheduled date to start drawing troops down. I think it's going to be a lot longer than that.

Post #300!

This is post #300! After several starts and re-starts, I’ve finally got this thing on a semi-regular publishing schedule. I would like to say THANK YOU to everyone out there who takes the time to check out this blog. I’m still not 100% sure what this blog is supposed to be, but for now it’s a great opportunity to communicate with people who like hearing what I have to say.

The Cubby Bear, Then and Now

A hat-tip to Chicagoist for digging up this short documentary about a well-known Northside bar in Chicago, the Cubby Bear. The footage was taken in 1984 and shows how back then the place hosted hard-core Cubs fans by day (these were times when the Cubs only played day home games) and then became a hang-out for young punk rockers at night. It's a very different atmosphere from the current Wrigleyville scene, which mostly features drunken frat-boy douche-bags during the day, and drunken frat-boy douche-bags at night.