ADMIN, Russell Simmons calls for treating people more respectfully

Yahoo (Reuters, Daniel Trotta):

Prominent U.S. hip-hop executive Russell Simmons on Monday recommended eliminating the words "bitch," "ho" and "nigger" from the recording industry, considering them "extreme curse words."....

Simmons, co-founder of the Def Jam label and a driving force behind hip-hop's huge commercial success, called for voluntary restrictions on the words and setting up an industry watchdog to recommend guidelines for lyrical and visual standards.

I'm not exactly sure how it's going to work, but Proviso Probe is going to be moving in this direction, especially in decisions about which comments to allow. More later.

Atrios has posted two entries on Run DMC. In the first Atrios noted that Joseph "DJ Run" Simmons is the brother of Russell Simmons. And in the second entry Atrios wrote:

And the cover...

...which made it okay for white kids to like rap, white broadcasters to play it, and brought back Aerosmith from the dead.

OBIT, Kurt Vonnegut died yesterday

Kurt Vonnegut died yesterday.

poputonian at Hullabaloo quote and reflected on Vonnegut. poputonian ends with Vonnegut telling a story about his uncle Alex.

So I do the same now, and so do my kids and grandkids. And I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, "If this isn't nice, I don't know what is."

And here's a quote from the Wikipedia article:

With [Vonnegut's] columns for In These Times, he began a blistering attack on the administration of President George W. Bush and the Iraq war. "By saying that our leaders are power-drunk chimpanzees, am I in danger of wrecking the morale of our soldiers fighting and dying in the Middle East?" he wrote. "Their morale, like so many bodies, is already shot to pieces. They are being treated, as I never was, like toys a rich kid got for Christmas in December."

And he wrote some novels and short stories too.

[UPDATE: Atrios quotes one of those novels.

The visitor from outer space made a serious study of Christianity, to learn, if he could, why Christians found it so easy to be cruel. He concluded that at least part of the trouble was slipshod storytelling in the New Testament. He supposed that the intent of the Gospels was to teach people, among other things, to be merciful, even to the lowest of the low.

But the Gospels actually taught this:

Before you kill somebody, make absolutely sure he isn't well connected. So it goes.

The flaw in the Christ stories, said the visitor from outer space, was that Christ, who didn't look like much, was actually the Son of the Most Powerful Being in the Universe. Readers understood that, so, when they came to the crucifixion, they naturally thought, and Rosewater read out loud again:

Oh boy - they sure picked the wrong guy to lynch that time!

[End update]

MEDIA, don't fall for the lies about Iran

Yahoo (AP) headline: Bush: Iran supplying weapons in Iraq

Proviso Probe headline: Nyberg: Bush supplying lies to gullible media

Atrios put it like this:

Did the last 4 years not happen? Did these reporters not live through it? Did we not have a big discussion about how journalists should stop relying on the statements of administration officials and start asking for a little actual evidence?

The media deserves contempt for how it enabled the Iraq War. Partially they used 9/11 and the national mood as an excuse for their gullibility. "It just didn't seem right to question the President at that time," seemed to be the mood of journalists, editors, producers, publishers, CEOs and owners.

What's the #%&$ing excuse this time? Bush isn't popular. Americans are clearly sour about occupying Iraq indefinitely.

Yet the sheep in the national media are getting played the exact same way as with Iraq.

Here's what you need to know about Iran: it isn't a threat to U.S. national interests. And going to war against Iran whether by bombing or invasion will result in large numbers of Americans being killed.

Attacking Iran will hurt U.S. national interests. The Democratic Party has the votes to keep Bush from attacking Iran.

[UPDATE2: See TPMmuckraker.com (Spencer Ackerman) for details on how CNN's Barbara Starr got the story about Bush's claims about Iran wrong.]

[UPDATE: This Saturday there will be an anti-war meeting at the Maywood Public Library.]

The people voted against the war…
Tell the new Congress…

“Not One Penny More for the War!”

We don’t need Congress to spend another $100 billion for the Iraq War!

We need money to pay our heating and electric bills!
We need money to stop foreclosures!
We need money to stop water shutoffs!
We need money to feed our children!
We need money to pay for medical care!
We need money for jobs and education!

FEBRUARY 17TH has been declared NO MORE $$$$ FOR WAR DAY
It is a national day of coordinated protests across the country to demand that Congress VOTE NO!to any future funding of the war in Iraq

Come and Testify
at a COMMUNITY MEETING

(Congressman Danny Davis has been invited to come and listen. He is a cosponsor of Bill H.R. 508: To Require United States Military disengagement from Iraq)
Saturday – February 17, 2007 – 3:30 PM
Maywood Public Library (Room 202)
121 S. 5th Ave, Maywood Illinois

Bring the bills you can’t pay!
Bring your family!
Bring your determination to stop the endless war spending!

ALSO JOIN US IN WASHINGTON MARCH 17 AND CHICAGO MARCH 20
TO DEMONSTRATE TO END THE WAR AND BRING THE TROOPS HOME

Sponsored by: International Action Center
Chicago Chapter (773) 381-5839