Seth in CA (for the summer)

truthout?

I just don’t know what to make of this chapter of Plamegate.

“Qassams, shmassams”

Sderot shuts down in protest of Qassam attacks

Vice premier Shimon Peres (Kadima) on Monday voiced skepticism over the reaction of the government and the citizens of Israel to Qassam rockets.

“We have to stop the hysteria we are all rousing. Instead, we must say: ‘We will get through this, we won’t leave here.’ What happened? Qassams, shmassams! Kiryat Shmona was also fired upon for years.”

So wait, is that a translation from the Hebrew? Or if he was speaking in English, how would you translate that into Hebrew?

A SethInCA Project: Help engage Cynthia Rodriguez Matthews with the Netroots

(Cross-posted at Daily Kos, Calitics, and MyDD)

The short version: I’m going to go interview Cynthia Rodriguez Matthews, the Democratic candidate for Congress who’s challenging David Dreier in CA-26. I’d like to encourage her to become involved with the netroots, and as a start I want to reach out to her with your questions. Please post any questions you’d like me to ask her in the comments section.

The long version: Two weeks ago, Cynthia Rodriguez Matthews pulled a major upset and won the Democratic nomination for Congress in the 26th District of California. Her primary opponent and the assumed favorite of the race was Russ Warner, who had made a decent show of fundraising and received the endorsement of Gen. Wesley Clark. But Matthews, who was also the nominee in 2004, pulled an upset and won.

I’ve speculated (dirty tricks?) about the reasons for Warner’s disappointing defeat, but the bottom line is that Matthews is the nominee this year. And if ever there was a year for a turning of the tide in Congress, this is that year. Even if she can’t quite win in this Republican district (46% R to 35% D), she’s still fighting the good fight, not to mention forcing Dreier to spend money defending his seat. Or at least, that’s the hope. In 2004 she came closer than any other challenger in California in her race to unseat closeted Republican David Dreier (54-42). She and two radio hosts gave Dreier hell on immigration, and during the campaign she publicly “came out” and challenged Dreier to do the same. Print media ignored the story, but it got some play on the radio and the web.

I called her office on Friday (guess who answered the phone? Matthews!) to ask for an interview, and her staff agreed. Later this week I hope to head over to campaign headquarters to take some pictures and ask her some questions. My hope isn’t just to ask her some questions, but to try to get her more involved with the netroots. So far, her website is a disaster, but hey, Russ Warner’s spiffy website didn’t win him the nomination.

This is where you come in: please post questions you’d like me to ask her in the comments. (Maybe some advice for her too.) I’ll bring some questions of my own, and we’ll see what happens. Watch SethInCA for the results.

Prologue: Adventures in Santa Monica

I’ve got a bunch of LA pictures to post later. Consider this a prologue.

I met this guy in Santa Monica but forgot to take his picture. Thanks to Google and Flickr, here’s someone else’s picture of Jerry Rubin, selling his peace stickers.

Photo Credit: scurvesahead.

Jerry “Peace Activist” Rubin legally changed his name so it would show up that way on the ballot when he ran for some office (or maybe it was so he wouldn’t be confused with the other Jerry Rubin).

I was wearing Eric’s Harvard Dems shirt and he asked me about it; I expected him to yell at me for being a Democrat but instead he said “good for you” and then proceeded to launch into a tirade against Ralph Nader. Apparently Rubin launched a hunger strike in 2004 to protest Nader’s candidacy. In his mind, Nader should have been helping elect President Kerry — then giving him hell once he was in office. Sounds good to me.

Activist Goes on Anti-Nader Hunger Strike:

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — A peace activist who once fasted for 63 days to protest movie violence and war toys is launching another hunger strike to persuade Ralph Nader to abandon his presidential bid.

Jerry Rubin, 60, said he plans to consume only liquids from Saturday until Nov. 2 if Nader doesn’t take a meeting with him.

“I know Ralph Nader and I don’t think he’s doing the right thing,” Rubin said Saturday. He said the consumer advocate’s campaign is dividing the progressive political movement.

Many believe the votes Nader received in Florida in 2000 would have gone to Democratic candidate Al Gore (search) had Nader sat out the election. Gore lost the state — and the national election — to George W. Bush (search) by 537 votes.

Rubin is often confused with now-deceased “Chicago Seven” defendant Jerry Rubin. He legally changed his name to Jerry Peace Activist Rubin to avoid confusion with the 60s radical.

The peace activist is no stranger to hunger strikes: In 1988, he broke a two-month fast with a bite from a giant pizza topped with a pepperoni peace sign that he then left for “Rambo” star Sylvester Stallone.

He again fasted in 1997 to persuade movie production company Dreamworks SKG to abandon plans to relocate its headquarters to wetlands. He collapsed after 26 days, but Dreamworks abandoned the idea, saying it could not reach a satisfactory financial agreement.

Mmm…sustainable whaling

Someone better alert the Sea Shepherds:

Pro-whaling nations have won their first vote towards the resumption of commercial whaling for 20 years.

The meeting of the International Whaling Commission backed the declaration by a majority of just one.

Anti-whaling countries say they will challenge the outcome, which Japan has described as “historic”.

But pro-whaling nations need support from three-quarters of the commission to overturn the 1986 ban aimed at protecting the endangered species.

The resolution, tabled by St Kitts and Nevis where the meeting is being held, declared: “The moratorium, which was clearly intended as a temporary measure, is no longer necessary.”

…

Tokyo believes whale numbers have risen sufficiently to allow the hunting of certain species.

However, Japan’s Deputy Whaling Commissioner, Joji Morishita, said any future commercial whaling would be on a much smaller scale than in the past.

“It’s not going back to the commercial whaling, it should be the beginning of sustainable whaling, plus protection of depleted and endangered species,” he said.

About the Sea Shepherds:

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society was founded in 1977 in Vancouver BC by Captain Paul Watson. The mandate of the organization was marine mammal protection and conservation with an immediate goal of shutting down illegal whaling and sealing operations.

With financial support from Cleveland Amory of the Fund for Animals, the society’s first ship a North Atlantic sea trawler “the Westella” was purchased in Hull, England (UK) and renamed the Sea Shepherd. It’s first mission was to the ice floes of eastern Canada to interfere with the annual killing of baby harp seals known as whitecoats.

In the same year, 1979, the Sea Shepherd hunted down and rammed the notorious pirate whaler the Sierra in a Portugal harbor ending its infamous career as the scourge of the seas.

The success of the seal campaign and the ramming of the Sierra was the start of Sea Shepherd’s historical 160 voyages over the next 2 decades, enforcing international laws where no law enforcement existed – on the high seas.

Sea Shepherd continues to accomplish its mission by upholding and enforcing international treaties, laws and conventions of world governments.

Sea Shepherd is committed to the eradication of pirate whaling, poaching, shark finning, unlawful habitat destruction, and violations of established laws in the World’s oceans.

To that end, Sea Shepherd assists national and international bodies in the enforcement of international law under authority of the United Nations World Charter for Nature.

Sounds like they just enforce laws (through that most unsubtle of methods–ramming their reinforced ship into whalers); maybe they’d better start lobbying too.

Greenpeace has more.

Friday abstract art blogging

Didn’t (quite) forget this time:

Mark Rothko
Red, Orange, Tan, and Purple, 1949
Oil on canvas 84 1/2 x 68 1/2 inches (214.5 x 174 cm)
Private collection
©1999 Kate Rothko Prizel & Christopher Rothko / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Live from Winthrop House!

The fine folks at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School who host this blog have enabled Flash, which means I can finally embed audio and video. First up is a very unmixed track from RecKlez‘s concert live from Winthrop House, which followed the Arab Jewish Falafel Social, hosted by the Society of Arab Students, the Progressive Jewish Alliance, and Harvard Hillel. Press the play button to enjoy Gypsy Bulgar. If the player doesn’t work (or if you want us on your iPod), you can download the mp3.