Start

Today is Start.

We begin rehearsals for Animal Farm. Finally. Preparations, when producing a play, seem infinite. I can obsess & OCD & micromanage with the best of them, but eventually the preparations become a white noise loop and it feels damn fine to just drop the first shoe.

Serendipity: this is Banned Book Week. Other than an excellent way to get young people excited about reading "subversive" material, Banned Book Week is a nice time to remember how wonderful it is to live in a place where we have the freedom to disseminate thoughts and ideas (and books).

George Orwell's Animal Farm and 1984 both have a rich history on banned books lists around the world. Orwell wrote Animal Farm after his experiences fighting in the Spanish Civil War. He intended it to be an allegorical criticism of Stalinist corruption of the original Socialist ideals. (Orwell considered himself a "democratic socialist.") But he encountered difficulty trying to publish the book in Britain near the end of WWII, largely because publishers and government advisers recognized the book as anti-Soviet propaganda and, at the time, the Soviets were involved in a delicate partnership with the Allied forces, fighting Hitler's stomp across Europe. Orwell originally wrote a preface which complains about British government's suppression of his book, self-imposed British self-censorship and how the British people were suppressing criticism of the USSR, but somewhat ironically, Orwell's preface was censored and is not published in most editions of the book.

The Ukrainian edition of Animal Farm, published in 1947, was printed to be distributed among the numerous displaced Soviet citizens of Ukraine who were scattered across Europe. The American occupation forces assumed the edition to be propaganda printed on illegal presses, and handed 1,500 confiscated copies of Animal Farm over to the Soviet authorities.

And now (please forgive the clunky transition) we have a Vice Presidential candidate of the US in the year 2008 who, during her time as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, asked the town librarian how she could censor library books that some voters thought contained inappropriate language. The librarian, Mary Ellen Baker, "was aghast," according to the local press at the time. Palin later threatened to fire Baker for not giving "full support" to the mayor. Now despite the fervor of blog content on this subject, there remains NO evidence of what books Palin wanted censored, or even whether or not her threat to fire Baker was related to Baker's refusal to comply with the censorship. AND she never succeeded in censoring any books. But I don't really care. That's just plain nuts.

I've reached a point now on this blog where my political opinions are less than subtle. And I've said that I don't want our production of Animal Farm to be a partisan or protest statement. That's still true. But as far as this blog goes, I think part of my self-imposed job is to address examples of hypocrisy in current events as they relate to Animal Farm. I WOULD LOVE SOME COUNTERPOINTS if you've got them.

Palin & Couric

Why did John McCain put on such a pony show last week? NYTimes Op-Ed Columnists Frank Rich & Maureen Dowd both think it was partially to pull the focus away from this disastrous interview his VP running mate did with CBS anchor Katie Couric. Below is a link, where you can watch the excerpt and count for yourself how many times she uses the verb "shoring" and the phrase "crisis mode". Is this the Sarah Palin we'll see debating against Joe Biden on Thursday?

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/24/eveningnews/main4476173.shtml

And here's an excerpt from the transcript (I think it's funny that the transcripts often nullify dialectical nuances. For example, the very last phrase of this excerpt is written as "I'll bring them to you" when, in fact, I would have recorded more as "I'll bring thyem to ya"):

Couric: You've said, quote, "John McCain will reform the way Wall Street does business." Other than supporting stricter regulations of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac two years ago, can you give us any more example of his leading the charge for more oversight?
Palin: I think that the example that you just cited, with his warnings two years ago about Fannie and Freddie - that, that's paramount. That's more than a heck of a lot of other senators and representatives did for us.
Couric: But he's been in Congress for 26 years. He's been chairman of the powerful Commerce Committee. And he has almost always sided with less regulation, not more.
Palin: He's also known as the maverick though, taking shots from his own party, and certainly taking shots from the other party. Trying to get people to understand what he's been talking about - the need to reform government.
Couric: But can you give me any other concrete examples? Because I know you've said Barack Obama is a lot of talk and no action. Can you give me any other examples in his 26 years of John McCain truly taking a stand on this?
Palin: I can give you examples of things that John McCain has done, that has shown his foresight, his pragmatism, and his leadership abilities. And that is what America needs today.
Couric: I'm just going to ask you one more time - not to belabor the point. Specific examples in his 26 years of pushing for more regulation.
Palin: I'll try to find you some and I'll bring them to you.

Good Pre-Press

Hey. Actor, journalist and theater aficionado Jaime Kleinman wrote a great preview article for us in Mpls/St.Paul Magazine. Check it out:
http://www.mspmag.com/entertainment/theater/113668.asp

Debate 1

I counted seven times Sen. McCain used some derivation of the phrase, "what Sen. Obama doesn't understand . . . "
I counted too many times Sen. Obama began a rebuttal with some derivation of the phrase, "Sen. McCain is absolutely right, but . . ."
I really wanted them to act on Jim Lehrer's plea that they talk to each other.
I really disliked Sen. McCain's tooth-clenching grin.

Just More Information

Educational Background of Candidates:

Obama:
Occidental College - Two years.
Columbia University - B.A. political science with a specialization in international relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude

Biden:
University of Delaware - B.A. in history and B.A. in political science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)

vs.

McCain:
United States Naval Academy - Class rank 894 out of 899

Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in journalism

Stunts

Note to reader: what follows is a completely imaginary conversation.

MCCAIN: I am suspending my campaign! The nation is in turmoil and they need me in Washington!
OBAMA: uh . . . wha? . . . Huh?
MCCAIN: I call upon the powers of President Bush to arrange a very special meeting with myself and Mr. Obama.
OBAMA: What would we talk about?
MCCAIN: Fighting for the salvation America, of course!
OBAMA: Okay, let's get in our respective jets and fly back to Washington to issue a joint statement on the turmoil of the American economy.
MCCAIN: And we shall not rest until the fighting is over!
OBAMA: What about the debate?
MCCAIN: I told you, I am suspending my campaign.
OBAMA: Um, okay, but . . . here's the thing. We both have private jets. It's easy for me to run off to Washington and wrangle this silly press stunt of yours and still be in Florida by Friday for our first presidential debate.
MCCAIN: I will not rest until -
OBAMA: Look, John, you've got to be able to think about more than one thing at a time if you want to be president.
MCCAIN: No, we need utter focus in this time of emergency, just like on 9/11 when we all stepped accross party lines to create that wonderful piece of emergency legislation, The Patriot Act! That's a fine example of Americans working together! "A crisis calls for all hands on deck!"
OBAMA: What the hell does that mean? You and I have been campaigning for 2 years. We're not on any of the relavant committees at this point.
MCCAIN: (whispering) I'm not ready for the friggin debate, okay?!?!
OBAMA: I can't believe this sh#$.
MCCAIN: Sarah? Sarah, where are you? Everybody's looking at me!

$$$

Animal Farm got funded.

Thanks MRAC.

Food For Your Moral Mind

If you've got 19 minutes free & you want to abolish the self-righteous political haze that's swirling around us in favor of a little perspective, check out Jonathan Haidt's speech at TED:

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/jonathan_haidt_on_the_moral_mind.html

"I didn't blink"

It may be old news at this point but "I didn't blink" was Sarah Palin's reply to Charles Gibson's question as to how she responded when John McCain asked her to be his running mate. Did she hesitate and question whether she was experienced enough?

“I didn’t hesitate, no,” she said.

He then asked if that didn’t that take some hubris.

“I answered him yes,” Ms. Palin said, “because I have the confidence in that readiness and knowing that you can’t blink, you have to be wired in a way of being so committed to the mission, the mission that we’re on, reform of this country and victory in the war, you can’t blink. So I didn’t blink then even when asked to run as his running mate.”

That "don't blink" approach to leadership scares the poop out of me. You didn't talk to your family? You didn't weigh the responsibilities of the acceptance? Not even for the amount of time it takes to wet the eyeballs?!? No. She didn't blink.

Which is, in other words, cowboy politics. Don't blink. Shoot from the hip, ask questions later. Or, as the current Leader of The Free World has revised the maxim, "Just shoot. And don't ask me questions about why I shot or what I shot at because I know what I'm doing (I am the Decider)." Or: "Shut up. YOU gave me the gun. Poppa knows best. Just shut up."

Jacob Weisberg recently wrote a book called "The Bush Tragedy". I have NOT read the book, but I did listen to a lengthy interview with the author on NPR. Below is an excerpt from Alan Brinkley's book review in The New York Times:

(Weisberg) portrays Bush as a willfully careless figure, only glancingly interested in his legacy or even his popularity. “To challenge a thoughtful, moderate and pragmatic father,” Weisberg argues, “he trained himself to be hasty, extreme and unbending. He learned to overcome all forms of doubt through the exercise of will.” Tragedy, in the Shakespearean form that Weisberg seems to cite (although there is nothing tragic about Henry V either), requires self-awareness and at least some level of greatness squandered. The Bush whom Weisberg skillfully and largely convincingly portrays is a man who has rarely reflected, who has almost never looked back, and who has constructed a self-image of strength, courage and boldness that has little basis in the reality of his life. He is driven less by bold vision than by a desire to get elected (and settle scores), less by real strength than by unfocused ambition, and less by courage than by an almost passive acquiescence in disastrous plans that the people he empowered pursued in his name.

So, "what did you think when ( _____ ) asked you to be his/her running mate?"

The response I would hope for from ANY person considering running for public office (mother/father, man/woman, republican/democrat, etc.) to this question would be something along the lines of: "I thought deeply about the committment. I spoke with my family/trusted friends. They fully support me, they know what an enormous job this would be and they know what a tremendous opportunity this is. I am prepared and I beleive I am the best person for the job for reasons A, B and C."

We need leaders who blink. We need leaders who weigh the options. We need leaders who recognize their hubris and put it aside in favor of making an informed decision.

Blog? How exciting and terrifying...this is my first time--(I guess this means I am no longer a blog virgin?) I don't really know how to do this--I guess I'll signout and ask my teenager.

McCain Ad Distortions

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/week37/index.html

Another

"John McCain says he's about change too, and so I guess his whole angle is, 'Watch out George Bush -- except for economic policy, health care policy, tax policy, education policy, foreign policy and Karl Rove-style politics -- we're really going to shake things up in Washington,'" he said. That's not change. That's just calling something the same thing something different. You know you can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig. You know you can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called change, it's still going to stink after eight years. We've had enough of the same old thing."

Barack Obama, 9.9.08, in Virginia

Another Quote

"In America, we change things that need to be changed. Each generation makes its contribution to our greatness. The work that is ours to do is plainly before us; we don't need to search for it. We need to change the way government does almost everything: from the way we protect our security to the way we compete in the world economy; from the way we respond to disasters to the way we fuel our transportation network; from the way we train our workers to the way we educate our children . . . I will reach out my hand to anyone to help me get this country moving again. My friends . . . I have that record and the scars to prove it."

John McCain, RNC, 9.4.08

AF Team Finalized

I'm ecstatic to welcome the Ivey Award-winning Christiana Clark (my very own doolsey-boo) into the company of Animal Farm, bringing the total ensemble to a whopping 14! Thank you, all of you, who have signed on to do this project for far less compensation than you are worth. May we all win the lotto.

So here's the team:

Jon Ferguson - Director

Ellen Fenster - Assistant Director

ENSEMBLE:

Kiana Adams

Jason Ballweber

Katie Bradley

Jason Burnstein

John Catron

Christiana Clark

John Cole

Shannon Forney

Heidi Hunter-Batz

Lindsay Marcy

Kenneth Pierce

Piper Sigel-Bruse

Dario Tangelson

DESIGNERS:
Ron Albert (lights)

Erica Zaffarano (set)

Tim Cameron (sound)

Jim Hibbeler (props)

Lindsey Strange (costumes)

STAGE MANAGER: Kristin Campbell

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: Sally Bell