Long after America turned its attention away from endless war and toward endless elections, The New York Times has published a shocking, surely Pulitzer Prize-worthy exposé revealing that the Pentagon has been embedding an army of military analysts in the press, known as "message force multipliers," to win and maintain support for the Iraq War, torture, and the like. Who knew! Of course, the article politely refrained from labeling the MFMs as propagandists (but one such analyst did use the term Psyops) and though they noted that most had direct ties to defense contractors, they also didn't reference the military-industrial-congressional complex. Perhaps that will come in Part 2... Meantime, the Pope is going to have to step up his prayer schedule to counter this deeply entrenched, for-profit cosmarchy; as Aaron Karmin points out, the antiwar prayers have not been answered, and we on the ground need to save ourselves from our country's misguided policies. Which brings us to Carol Warner Christen's perspective on disproportional representation by corporate capitalists... forget all those presidential signing statements; Carol rewrote the Preamble to the Constitution so that it accurately reflects, for all to see, just how the system works. Another voice of reason is heard in the form of Joel Hirschhorn on delusional democracy and voting for change, and by Gilles d'Aymery in search of meaningful dialogue -- any dialogue! -- on the entire mess we're in.
Meanwhile, Mr. Bush is putting the finishing touches on his legacy as the green president, revealing his bold new plan to stop the growth of US greenhouse gases...by 2025 -- long after he, the polar bears, and the right whales are gone from sight. Martin Murie assesses the environmental legacy of the Shrubite era. If all that's not enough to make you laugh, then perhaps Peter Byrne's comic play, in which an uber-shopper husband is pitted against his buy-local wife, will do. And who else but Charles Marowitz could use "Nature's boobs" in verse, as he pokes poetic fun at the faux reality of plastic surgery and breast implants. Of course, never straying too far from his Shakespearean roots, he also brings a book review on one of the many thousands of Bard biographies worth a read. Finally, Guido Monte and Francesca Saieva share the multilingual poetry that burns inside their chests, and we close with your letters on the Article V convention; Philip Greenspan and Kurt Vonnegut's words of wisdom; thoughts on Peter Handke and the high-priced propaganda that paved the way for the Yugoslav War; and more.
As always, please form your OWN opinion, and let your friends (and foes) know about Swans. It's your voice that makes ours grow.
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Aaron Karmin: Different Gods
America is in more danger from its own misguided policies than from foreign enemies. We must work to change direction and set new priorities for the sake of the country and the world. More...
Carol Warner Christen: It's Not Over Until The States Sing
Through military, monetary, religious, and media manipulations, the US Constitution has become obsolete and America has lost her humanity. The time is long overdue to rethink our roots and root causes. More...
Joel S. Hirschhorn: Nightmare Political Scenario
Americans need to wake up to their delusional democracy, first by realizing that a Democratic administration and Congress is not the answer to change. The country is in dire need of an Article V Convention. More...
Gilles d'Aymery: Blips #69
A few selected issues that landed on the Editor's desk, from flying penguins to alien canards; walking swans and zooming cars; battle fatigue and economic denial; all of which lead to the ultimate question: How do we have a meaningful discussion, and more. More...
Martin Murie: Polar Bear Stand-Off
Polar bears, right whales, and humans alike remain unprotected species trumped by America's thirst for oil and hunger for power... Analyzing refusal of Kempthorne to show up at a congressional hearing. More...
Peter Byrne: I Shop, You Shop, Why Won't She Shop?
An uber-shopper husband is pitted against his buy-local wife in this witty short play. More...
Charles Marowitz: Work Done
What rhymes with Nature's boobs? Charles Marowitz examines the faux reality of plastic surgery and breast implants as only he could -- in poetry. More...
Charles Marowitz: Bill Bryson's Shakespeare: The World As Stage
Of the tens of thousands of Shakespeare biographies, Bill Bryson's Shakespeare, The World As Stage provides a succinct yet panoramic view of the man and his works. More...
Guido Monte & Francesca Saieva: Journey... n.6: Words Through A Deep Night
Monte and Saieva describe the wounds inside their chests, going beside the world's horrors. More...
On seeking an end to America's disproportional representation, and demanding an Article V convention; Philip Greenspan and Kurt Vonnegut's words of wisdom; thoughts on Peter Handke and the high-priced propaganda that paved the way for the Yugoslav War, and more. More...
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