Swans' Release: October 6, 2003

["Gilles d'Aymery" <aymery@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

http://www.swans.com/
October 6, 2003 -- In this issue:

Note from the Editor:  There are moments when you just want to 
crawl under a rock and hibernate until it's safe to come out; times 
when you cannot believe all that is happening around; the destruction, 
the violence, the stupidity... You want to scream; you want to shout, 
"bring the troops home!" "Stop pilfering the earth!" "Cease and 
desist!" But the silence is deafening; all you hear are some strange 
Austrian sounds with reactionary, womanizing, Hitler-admiring 
notes...and those are not the 'Sound of Music!' Then, the pundits will 
move their propagandistic platitudes onto the next story du jour... 
How to break away from this senseless rat-a-tat-tat? When will we 
collectively break away?  

It should come as no surprise that Swans' co-editors and California 
columnists wholeheartedly endorse Green Party candidate Peter 
Camejo -- a man of true convictions and real solutions -- for governor 
of California. Camejo's inclusion in the debates indicates he has 
become a force to be reckoned with (thanks to the hundreds of 
thousands of people who voted their conscience in 2002). All polls 
demonstrate that he won those debates. Vision and practical solutions 
to never-ending problems are his forestay (his bread and butter, 
literally). For those not familiar with him, we are posting a sampling of 
his viewpoints. Michael Stowell shares his first-hand experience with 
the Green Party and its leaders, and Scott Orlovsky describes the 
campaign circus with its biased reporting, virtually ignoring third-party 
candidates and slanting the race. Please Californians, vote your 
conscience!  

Once voters do elect -- as undemocratically as the process may be -- 
a governor, people's attention will be redirected to the other political 
circus, the 2004 presidential election. Well, let's take a lead on the 
"competition." Eli Beckerman covers the Howard Dean phenomenon 
and hopes that a person of vision will emerge without abandoning the 
grass roots nature of what a campaign should be (Dean will abandon 
it...). Vision is not an abundant resource in our inanimate world of 
proliferate propaganda, aptly portrayed by Phil Rockstroh. Yet, it 
does exist. Individuals do inspire and motivate. Kim Stafford's words 
are living proof of this: in the excerpt of The Muses Among Us: 
Eloquent Listening and Other Pleasures of the Writer's Craft, Stafford 
appeals to each individual to find and live his/her vision in order to 
"articulate new visions and collective responsibilities, and then [we] 
live them."  

As individuals, we cannot truly participate in society without 
questioning and exercising critical thinking. See Richard Macintosh's 
plea to stand for what we think is right and debunk the essential lies, 
and Philip Greenspan's insight into political/corporate organizational 
deceptions and scandals. Cases in point: Manuel García explains what 
the U.S. really wants for China -- it's certainly not what's best for 
China -- and Deck Deckert's Martian friend Yyuran takes on the 
alleged link between Saddam Hussein and 9/11, which Mr. Bush has 
finally admitted did not exist. Another topic that deserves questioning 
is the debate over medical marijuana. Jan Baughman reviews the 
book Prescription Pot, the story of one patient's fight to obtain and 
keep the right to government-grown pot to alleviate his suffering.  

In the end, we'll always have poetry, with the creative likes of R. Paul 
Craig and Vanessa Raney -- two strong voices, each speaking for the 
voiceless.  

As always, please form your OWN opinion, and let your friends (and 
foes) know about Swans. It's your voice that makes ours grow.  

                                    *********

Here is the list of all the pieces:

http://www.swans.com/library/art9/mws049.html
The Green Folks - by Michael W. Stowell

http://www.swans.com/library/art9/sorlov14.html
It's The Arnold Show - by Scott Orlovsky

http://www.swans.com/library/art9/ga164.html
Thank You, Peter Camejo: "Summary of his Platform"
Compiled by Gilles d'Aymery

http://www.swans.com/library/art9/elib013.html
Vision In 2004 - by Eli Beckerman

http://www.swans.com/library/art9/procks10.html
Dumb As Dirt - by Phil Rockstroh

http://www.swans.com/library/art9/krs001.html
Learning From Strangers - by Kim R. Stafford

http://www.swans.com/library/art9/rmac15.html
Doubt And Essential Lies - by Richard Macintosh

http://www.swans.com/library/art9/pgreen32.html
Super Deluxe Rip-Offs By The Most Distinguished
by Philip Greenspan

http://www.swans.com/library/art9/mgarci03.html
What The U.S. Wants From China
by Manuel Garcia, Jr.

http://www.swans.com/library/art9/rdeck045.html
He Lied - by Deck Deckert

http://www.swans.com/library/art9/jeb127.html
"Prescription Pot" - Book Review by Jan Baughman

http://www.swans.com/library/art9/rcraig01.html
The Aborigines - Poem by R. Paul Craig

http://www.swans.com/library/art9/vraney03.html
One Voice Strong - Poem by Vanessa Raney

http://www.swans.com/library/art9/letter30.html
Letters to the Editor

                                    #####

You are receiving this E-mail notification for you have expressed your 
interest in Swans and the work of its team, or someone suggested that 
we include you in our distribution list. If you wish not to receive these 
short notifications, simply reply to this E-mail and enter the word 
REMOVE in the subject line. We do NOT share your E-mail address 
with anyone.                

Thank you for reading Swans.    

Gilles d'Aymery   

--
Swans

"Hungry man, rush for the book: It is a weapon."  B. Brecht


~~~~~~~
PLEASE clip all extraneous text before replying to a message.