STAY CONNECTED. AS THE WORLD BURNS...
DECEMBER 2005 UPDATES:
'TIS THE TREASON
A year end round up to spread some "Holiday Cheer." Although the religious right in America would have you believe that there's a war on Christmas, you need just walk into a store -- any store -- and you'll be blasted with annoying Christmas songs. (My worst this year was someone singing Jingle Bell Rock at double the speed, which made it doubly annoying!) So if the right is in need of a reason to knicker-knot, there's enough gender-bending-stereotype-ending on the cultural landscape to make a Pope blush, a cowgirl cringe and a homophobe hysterical.
Aside from an out-of-control Administration that is spying on Americans (as well as everyone else) in violation of the Constitution, things are going swimmingly swell. The "elections" in Iraq went as smoothly as if it were taking place in Zimbabwe, and America has a new "Plan for Victory," which is simply that. A meaningless plan that will make the empty promise of "Mission Accomplished," look as realistically based as the "last throes" of the insurgency, as Dick Cheney put it. (Maybe he meant last throws of their grenades before moving on to bigger, more powerful weapons.) Terrorism is alive and well and breeding in Iraq. Er...Plan for Victory...is there not just a Plan B?
Happy New Year. (Soon to be renamed "Happy January," so as not to offend Jews, Chinese and the many others for whom the New Year begins on a different day.)
- Annoy.com Editorials
- 'Tis the Treason
- Annoy.com Covers
- Brokebank Mountain
- He's Watching You
- Rootkits and Bootkicks
- First Amendment Project Roundup
- Every Step You Take...
- Burning Flags and Soiling Seals
- Words that Kill and Bombs That Chill
- Irrit8
- Gender Genre
- A Poof in Prada
- Previous Email
- Things Fall Apart
NOVEMBER 2005 UPDATES:
THINGS FALL APART
Yes, yes, I know I'm about a month late on my update. Profound and profuse apologies. From Larry Flynt to Tom Delay's tint, I hope the wait proves worthwhile.
The fourth anniversary of September 11th came and went with little fanfare. As I predicted on the first anniversary, America is too attention deficit disordered to focus on the same tragedy with the same intensity for longer than a year without resorting to kitsch sentimentality wrapped in consumerism.
This year, the morphing of the twin towers into two pink triangles, titled Agenda, was aimed to explore how, for some, the notion of appropriating iconography of the modern gay movement (which in turn, appropriated the icons from the artistic whimsy of the Third Reich - used as an execution filtering device to designate homosexuals) conjured the same visceral reaction that morphing the towers in swastikas had, which I had done on the second anniversary. (Analysis notwithstanding, the series makes for a damn pretty triptic.)
- Annoy.com Editorials
- Things Fall Apart
- Annoy.com Covers
- One Flu Over the Cuckoo's Nest
- Agenda
- Upcoming Exhibitions/Appearances
- Art of Engagement, Jack Rutberg Fine Arts
- Big Deal, SOMArts Gallery
- Propaganda 2.0, project:
- Scope Miami, Toomey Tourell
- News and Stuff...
- Exotic Erotic Ball Panel
- Ballet Russes
- Freedom of Expression During Times of War
- Previous Email
- Execution and Evacuation: Race Against Time
SEPTEMBER 2005 UPDATES:
EXECUTION & EVACUATION: RACE AGAINST TIME
What a difference a week makes!
I know it was quite recent since I sent my last email, so this one will be relatively short and unfortunately not so sweet.
Hurricane Katrina and the floods that followed dealt a devastating blow to the Gulf Coast, but not as deadly, disastrous and catastrophic as the blow dealt by inefficiency, mismangement and extraordinary lack of compassion of America's leaders, Republicans and Democrats alike. America failed and the world watched.
My first response, in an open letter to President Bush, Hero Fiddles: Mass Destruction for Real, reflects the horror and anger I felt as I watched people pleading for their lives while nothing was being done to help. I have received a lot of email from it, all of which has been favorable, despite my heavy-handed tone. Seems like a lot of people feel this way. It's not about blame and finger pointing. It's about accountability.
The second editorial, Execution and Evacuation written September 5th, is less raw with emotion, but no more forgiving of those that should have been accountable, but failed. Among other things, it compares the pride Israelis felt after the hostage rescue at Entebbe in 1976 with the shame Americans are feeling in the manner in which our government responded to the devastation wrought by Katrina
And then of course, the Annoy.com cover, Race Against Time which reminds us exactly how urgently things are prioritized when political expediency and family connections color the equation.
I know most Americans feel hideous about how this has all played out, but these are the leaders we elected to serve us, and therefore, the blame lies with us.
The writing was on the levee.
- Annoy.com Editorials
- Hero Fiddled: Mass Destruction For Real
- Execution and Evacuation
- Annoy.com Covers
- Race Against Time
- News and Stuff...
- First Amendment Project Auction
- Writers of the Storm
- Freedom of Expression During Times of War
- Containing Controversey
- Previous Email
- It Takes Reality and other Observations
AUGUST 2005 UPDATES:
IT TAKES REALITY & OTHER SUCH OBSERVATIONS
I am editing a web log for the First Amendment Project over whose Board I preside, as well as working on a couple of projects that are not ready for human consumption just yet.
We have been getting an enormous amount of media attention thanks to one of our Advisory Board members, Pulitzer Prize winning author, Michael Chabon, who orchestrated an incredible campaign that has 16 top authors auctioning off the name of a character in their upcoming books to raise funds for First Amendment Project. Visit the auction and possibly immortalize yourself in a fabulous novel. The poster I designed for the event will be auctioned too.
My editorial, Reality Blows, looks at why Tom Cruise is becoming about as popular as Donald Rumsfeld, and my most recent, It Takes a Prick, explores how America finally seems to be second guessing the spin that's being fed to them by an Administration that seems to be losing control by the hour.
And then there are women's rights in Iraq, which inspires my most recent Annoy.com cover. Iraqi women must be delighted that liberation of Iraq meant the subjugation of women, where the only common thread uniting Iraq's armed Islamists, be they Sunni or Shia, is an intense hatred of women that rivals their hatred for the United States, Britain and their "allies."
If this is how America spreads democracy, the clap would have been more appreciated. Till next time.
- News and Stuff...
- First Amendment Project Auction
- Writers of the Storm
- Freedom of Expression During Times of War
- Containing Controversey
- Annoy.com Editorials
- It Takes a Prick
- Reality Blows
- Annoy.com Covers
- Neo Constitution
- Valerie Blame
- Annoy.com Feature
- The Gay Agenda
- Previous Email
- In God We Lust
JUNE 2005 UPDATES:
IN GOD WE LUST
Of course my Annoy.com covers have been getting me into trouble of late, although not compared to the deluge of mail I received relating to my editorial on Don Imus, Imus and the Flies. The fact that Sid Rosenberg, whom I criticized venomously, was fired after mocking Australian singer Kylie Minouge's breast cancer added fuel to the fire. A google search for Sid Rosenberg and Imus brings my editorial up in the top 20 results and a search for Bernard McGuirk brings up my criticisms of him in the top 2, above MSNBC's biography.
Newsweek's little faux pas -- failing to authenticate a story about interrogators at Guantanamo Bay flushing a Q'uran down the toilet -- provided fodder for the White House to deflect criticism of its own policies by blaming Newsweek for America's lack of global popularity. My image of the Q'uran in the toilet on the cover of Newsweek prompted much criticism, but quite honestly, I would have done the same had the story been about the Bible or Torah.
The Ann Coulter cover of Time, inspired by Time's decision to put this moron on their cover received much attention too, although very graphic and not recommended for opening at work!
The John Bolton cover received scant attention, perhaps reflective of the fact that no one really cares about him one way or the other. (Until he's representing America at the United Nations!) And , of course, I've yet to hear from Hummer!
Other than that, nothing is more important in America than Michael Jackson and Jesus, in that order. Till next time, adios.
- News and Stuff...
- "Joto" Exhibition
- Annoy.com Editorials
- In God We Lust
- Annoy.com Covers
- Holy Shit, Newsweek!
- Dry As a Bone
- Viva La Devolution
- Weapon of Mass Destruction
- Jewdicial Activism
- Ambassassain: Semi Sawed-Off Diplomatic
- Annoy.com Feature
- John Paul II: A Legacy of Shame
- Previous Update
- Freedom, Flies and Wife Support
APRIL 2005 UPDATES:
FREEDOM, FLIES & WIFE SUPPORT
The death of Terri Schiavo last Thursday left some extraordinarily deep rifts in its wake, not the least of which was exposure to a growing religious fervor that is bringing America ever closer to a dangerous kind of theocracy. Not to be outdone, the Pope clung to life for two days while overeager news channels, like Fox, reported that he was dead before he actually died. But America's "culture of life" is admirable if you ignore the hundred thousand or so Iraqis killed so far, the more than 1,500 American servicemembers or the 152 people Mr. Bush executed as governor of Texas (mocking Karla Faye Tucker's plea to have her life spared). Abstinence only approaches to reproductive education and the havoc such a policy wreaks globally on fighting AIDS is not even worth mentioning at this point. (And you thought Mr. Mbeki's policies were problematic). With America's renewed commitment to rid the world of dictators, rather than praying for the Pope, consider praying that Zimbabwe either strikes oil or opens their reclaimed land to U.S. military bases. Oh, and a belated Happy Easter and Passover as we celebrate even more death in the name of religion. Till next time, enjoy the show.
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News and Stuff...
- First Amendment Project
- Art of Engagement
- Uncovered at Upfront
- Imprints at Axis -
Annoy.com Editorials
- Imus and the Flies
- Annoy.com Covers
- Don't Feed Me, I'm Fat
- The Eternal Challenge
- Previous Update
- A Midwinter Night's Scream
FEBRUARY 2005 UPDATES:
A MIDWINTER NIGHT'S SCREAM
- The Beat Goes On...
- Numb & Number (Again!)
- BIG
- Uncovered - Annoy.com Editorials
- A Midwinter Night's Scream
- 2005, With Faith - Previous Email
- Popsicle Pathology
NOVEMBER 2004 UPDATES:
POPSICLE PATHOLOGY AND OTHER MADENING MALADIES
The gruelling exhibition run is almost over and it has been quite a ride. Pulling off two distinct exhibitions back to back was a tad stressful, and the idea, moving forward, is to spread them out more evenly. Nonetheless it's been a great experience. The response has been overwhelmingly positive although the funny thing is that when you live with what you've created for so long, you become immune to its impact on others. So the strength of the adjectives used to describe my work were quite fascinating to me.
