What most people don't want to hear about Bill Clinton.

"Bill Clinton offers essentially the same belief system as both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, one in which private industry runs the government through payoffs to ex-officials, and government returns the favor through bailouts. If Americans are ever going to grapple with the power of banks over their lives, they are going to have to come to grips with the real track record of their leaders, including Bill Clinton. And it isn’t pretty. And until people like Bill Clinton can be compensated in ways that aren’t obviously corrupting, and their track records honestly assessed, elections will continue to be unimportant, simple popular ratification of an increasingly authoritarian creditor state."

The above quote is from Matt Stoller's article "Clinton's no liberal hero":
http://www.salon.com/2012/09/14/clintons_no_liberal_hero/

Announcing my new e-book: POEMS BELOW THE LINE.

It's finally here: POEMS BELOW THE LINE is a compilation of new and selected "B-side" poems
spanning the years 1997-2012.  The book costs $1.99 and will gradually appear in various online e-bookstores.  Below is the link for its page on Smashwords.com
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/235590

More of what's in the SoCal poetry pond.

This bromantic poem isn't as irritating as "What's In The Pond?" but with some of the same in-the-club cutesiness.
Again stating that the two poets above are usually much better than this.  But Rat Pack-style joking
can often be found at ostensibly Literary poetry readings.
Also, notice the use of an ethnically-incorrect word (in a not-Lenny Bruce context) by the poet on the left, followed by audience laughter.

The temptation to escape your country in turmoil: Terrence Malick's wife on America and 9/11.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/terrence-malick-wife-september-11-to-the-wonder-369391

Having read the above article, I'm having a hard time figuring out exactly what went through the minds of Alexandra Wallace and her famed filmmaker husband Terrence Malick (someone whose reputation will always rest on his 1970s films BADLANDS and DAYS OF HEAVEN, regardless of his later work following roughly two decades of retirement).

Are they the type of showbiz people who want to escape the USA when it's in turmoil a la celebs who talked about moving to, say, Switzerland during the Vietnam War?

Or do the Malicks think the Canada of 2012 is a sufficient panacea even considering its Rightward drift over the last 11 years (from not heeding Bush 43's call to Iraq to Canada pulling its embassy out of Iran)?

A-list literary feud: Bret Easton Ellis and his disdain for the late David Foster Wallace.

http://somecamerunning.typepad.com/some_came_running/2012/09/ellis-island.html

The above column from film critic/blogger Glenn Kenny is a good entry point for the Ellis/Wallace dust up that began via Ellis' Twitter feed.

Brief thoughts on Bill Clinton's marathon DNC speech.

Re Bill Clinton's 48-minute reprise of his Number One spoken-word hit from 1992, PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST:

I thought Clinton's too-long speech had its effective moments in making case for Obama's re-election--though it's too much to expect either Clinton or Al Gore (who touted his friendship with JP Morgan Chase's Jamie Dimon on Current TV) to apologize for NAFTA and repealing Glass-Steagal, helping create the mess Obama has tried (albeit mildly) to clean up and Romney/Ryan would only make worse.

Ted Strickland DNC Speech Democratic National Convention

Strickland wasn't part of last night's prime-time speechifying.  But he's worth watching--saying
things that need to be said--even if they're the kind of partisan rhetoric which apparently makes some DNC folks uncomfortable.

Chuck Norris and wife Gina's dog whistle to GOP evangelical Christians.

More coherent than Clint Eastwood's GOP convention talking-points improv, but resorts to invoking Ronald Reagan-as-God, plus playing on fundamentalist Christian fears of victimization.
Also, notice how Chuck and Gina don't motivate viewers to vote for Mitt Romney, but against "1000 years of darkness" presumably resulting from Barack Obama being re-elected for four additional yearws.