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 photo by Angelo Cricchi |
PATTI SMITH: DREAM OF LIFE TO PLAY AT NYC'S FILM FORUM Steven Sebring's film "Patti Smith: Dream of LIfe", recently featured at the Philadelphia and Sundance Film Festivals, will premiere in New York City at the Film Forum. It is scheduled to run from August 6 to August 19. Learn more about the film at its official site. 
THE DROP EDGE OF YONDER:2008 Rudolph Wurlitzer's new novel, The Drop Edge of Yonder, has been published by Two Dollar Radio.
FONDATION CARTIER SHOW The Fondation Cartier is hosting a major solo exhibition of the visual work of American artist and performer Patti Smith. Drawn from pieces created between 1967 and 2007, it strives to provide an insight into her lyrical, spiritual and poetic universe. Her expressive voice serves to magnify the installations created specifically for the exhibition: a synthesis of photographs, drawings and films. Patti Smith began to take photographs in 1967 for use in collages. In 1995, she returned to photography using a vintage Polaroid Land 250: "The immediacy of the process was a relief from the long involved process of drawing, recording, or writing a poem." Many of Smith's photographs embody significant personal meaning: Robert Mapplethorpe's slippers, Virginia Woolf's bed, Hermann Hesse's typewriter and Arthur Rimbaud's utensils. Others serve as a visual record of her well-traveled life. The exhibition also features a selection of the artist's drawings, several of which are borrowed from prestigious institutions such as the MoMA and the Centre Pompidou or from private collections. The powerful yet subtle drawings have been executed with a calligraphic sense of line entwined with poetry and text. They represent her solitary side. Her collaborative side is represented in films directed by Robert Frank, Robert Mapplethorpe and Jem Cohen and the audio performance of The Coral Sea with Kevin Shields. She will shoot a short film, specially commissioned for the exhibition. The exhibit also includes cherished belongings taken from her personal archives. Among them original manuscripts, a photograph taken by Constantin Brancusi and a stone from the river in which Virginia Woolf committed suicide. Inspirations The source of much of her inspiration has been key figures of French culture, including Arthur Rimbaud, Nicole Stéphane, Jean Genet, Antonin Artaud and René Daumal. Paris echoes throughout, from drawings executed in the Montparnasse district, where she lived during her first Parisian sojourn in 1969, to recent photographs taken in the garden of the Fondation Cartier, situated nearby. A Comprehensive Project To reflect the multitude of fields explored by Patti Smith, the exhibition is intended to be a comprehensive project that expands beyond the exhibition space. The Fondation Cartier is giving free rein to Patti Smith to oversee the programming for the Nomadic Nights as well as performing herself, offering solo and band performances as well as informal poetry readings. The Fondation Cartier's bookshop will, for a time, become the artist's personal library. Her choice of books, CDs, films and objects will enable visitors to further penetrate the rich universe of this iconic artist. March 28 > June 22, 2008 Fondation Cartier web site R.E.M. Tour Blog visits the show.
FREE INGRID BETANCOURT PARIS--The president of Argentina Christina Fernandaz joined the French Foreign Affairs minister, the Human Rights minister, First Lady Carla Bruni and relatives of the Betancourt family joined thousands of marchers Sunday to demand the release of kidnapped Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt. Marchers demonstrated near the Paris Opera to show support for Betancourt, who was taken hostage by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, in 2002 while campaigning for the country's presidency. The march was simultaneous in fourteen French cities. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner told reporters he wants to push fully for a humanitarian mission to save Betancourt, who is said to be gravely ill, suffering from hepatitis B and a ravaging skin disease. Argentine President Cristina Fernandez who was attending the rally before talks on Monday with President Nicolas Sarkozy also told reporters, "We are all here to support the release of Ingrid Betancourt and to support the humanitarian exchange which is an issue that must remain current." We join our hearts and minds with friends, family and activists who are negotiating for her release. We send her our love and energy and pray that she will be granted the physical strength to survive.
OBAMA ASSESSES RACE IN AMERICA
WHAT IS HAPPENING TO OUR PARK? What is happening to OUR Washington Square Park?
ARE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? ARE YOU SURE? The 2008 presidential primaries are in full swing. Don't get left out! Even if you think you're registered, you might not be on your state's voter list. I just checked that I was registered at VotePoke.org. In just a few seconds, you can make sure you're registered at the correct address--and you can register if you're not. You can also invite your friends to check. Please do it today! Click here to check your registration now!
CONGRATULATIONS, STEVEN SEBRING Cinematographer Steven Sebring receives the Excellence in Cinematographer Award: Documentary for the film 'Patti Smith: Dream of Life' at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival awards night in Park City.
ARE OUR VOTING MACHINES SECURE? The cover story in the New York Times Magazine on Sunday, January 6, made plain the threat: The winner of the 2008 presidential election could be decided by flawed, insecure, and hackable electronic voting machines. Congress is poised to consider a new emergency paper ballots bill next week -- but we'll have to convince them to act right away. I signed a petition urging local, state, and federal officials to require paper ballots for our votes. Can you join me at this link, please?
iTUNES ORIGINALS NOW AVAILABLE Patti Smith's "iTunes Originals," a full-length set of new performances, classic tracks and revelatory interviews debuts exclusively on iTunes on Tuesday, January 8. Structured around new interviews and performances recorded at New York's Electric Lady Studios in the spring of 2007, the 90 minute "iTunes Originals" premieres new studio recordings of Smith's "pissing in the river," "ghost dance," and "peaceable kingdom" as well as exclusive new versions of the Allman Brothers' "Midnight Rider," the Doors' "Soul Kitchen," and Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit," featuring guest artist Steve Earle. The "iTunes Originals" collection also includes the original 1978 studio recording of "because the night"; the 1996 digital remaster of "frederick"; Patti's meditation on Kurt Cobain "about a boy"; "beneath the southern cross" featuring the late Jeff Buckley and John Cale; "one voice" (from 2000's gung ho); "my blakean year" (from her Columbia Records debut album, 2004's trampin'); and a mind-bending performance of her signature opus "gloria: in excelsis deo," recorded live at the Royal Festival Hall in London on June 25, 2005 in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the release of horses, Patti Smith's debut album. Purchase "iTunes Originals" at the iTunes Music Store
BENAZIR BHUTTO: Assassinated December 27, 2007 "You can imprison a man, but not an idea. You can exile a man, but not an idea. You can kill a man, but not an idea." Daughter of Destiny Two months ago, Benazir Bhutto returned to her homeland of Pakistan after eight years of exile. Now she is gone, along with the hopes that her presence might have represented a renewed unity amongst her people and government. Being a nuclear country, and its proximity to Afghanistan, alliance with a stable Pakistan is crucial to the Western World. Bhutto was prepared to take the risk to heal the divide, knowing the dangers and risks. She described herself as an "optimist in nature who put [her] faith in Pakistan and God in the effort to ward off extremists." She learned from her father that people had to stand up for what they believed in. She knew that the current government did not want a woman in a position of leadership. Her murder this morning was not unexpected, though as it unfolded and her valiance was silenced, her voice will continue in the hearts and minds of many. Benazir Bhutto first came to my attention in 1988 when she became the Prime Minister of Pakistan. At age 35, she was the first democratically elected woman leader in the Islamic world. Well educated and the essence of style, her physical demeanor, eloquent command of the language, and compelling message inspired me from the first time I saw her. Here was a woman of exceptional courage and conviction, who saw the execution of her father, the murder of her two brothers, the imprisonment of her husband, as well as her own persecution and did not hasten to heed the call of her people. She was a devotee of her faith, family, and country. As an Islamic world leader, she was hailed as one with great power. Now we are denied the fruits of her return into the world community. Hail, Benazir Bhutto. -- Andi Ostrowe
HUMAN ERROR: SAN FRANCISCO BAY
PATTI SMITH HOSTS BOB DYLAN PODCAST Patti Smith hosts music and conversation about Bob Dylan. His friends, early influences and collaborators discuss their close relationships with Dylan, the stories behind his greatest songs and other memorable moments of his career. Journalists and biographers add critical insights and provide historical contexts. A few of today's singer-songwriters also detail how Dylan's art influenced their own lives and careers. We also hear comments from Dylan, himself, from interviews recorded throughout the last 45 years. Learn more about the podcast. Subscribe on iTunes.
BROTHERS! WE ARE WITH YOU.
WHAT A WAR ON IRAN MIGHT LOOK LIKE Photos of the aftermath of Israel's air strikes on Lebanon give an idea of what a war on Iran might look like. View a slide show on Alternet.
 RUMI September 30 is the 800th anniversary of the poet and mystic Mevlana Jalel Rumi. His name stands for ecstatic flight. A good day for meditating our common humanity. A good day for meditating infinite love. Visit the Sufism and Mevlana Rumi page.
 EDWARD MAPPLETHORPE EXHIBITION IN NYC Edward Mapplethorpe September 6 - October 27, 2007 Opening reception September 6 Foley Gallery 547 W 27th STREET 5TH FLOOR NEW YORK, NY 10001 212.244.9081 FOLEYGALLERY.COM Foley Gallery is pleased to announce an exhibition of new works on paper by Edward Mapplethorpe. In this new body of work Mapplethorpe continues his formal exploration of line, combining the gestural impulses of action painting with the mechanical processes of the photographic medium. The artist's use of hair as subject allow for the play between control and randomness that has always structured and tempered his work to reach a new level of complexity. For Mapplethorpe, hair has always been emblematic of revolution, acting as a cultural signifier and barometer of change against the status quo. It's implementation here is evocative of both the conceptual and formal risks undertaken by the artist in creating this ambitious project. The exhibition is composed of unique works solely created in the darkroom without the use of traditional cameras. The result is a spiritual and organic balance between chaos and order encompassing a stunning visual range spanning from the intricate delicacy of fleeting lines to bold, graphic tangles of color. This new abstract work provides a telling connection not only to Mapplethorpe's history as a photographer but as an artist who has journeyed to push the limitations of the photographic process. The exhibition will include unique groups of color chromogenic prints and black & white lith prints along with a related edition of lithographs. Edward Mapplethorpe was born in Queens, NY in 1960 and lives and works in New York. He has been included in numerous group and solo exhibitions throughout the United States and internationally. In 2004, Mapplethorpe was the recipient of the Henry Buhl Foundation Prize. The exhibition will remain on view until October 27, 2007. Foley Gallery is open Tuesday - Saturday, 11am - 6pm. For more information or to request images, please contact the gallery at 212.244.9081 or via e-mail at info@foleygallery.com.
 COME BE MY LIGHT September 5: Today is the tenth anniversary of the death of Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, known to us all as Mother Teresa. She felt her calling at the age of twelve and devoted her life to the service of others and thus to God. The book Come Be My Light has been published to commemorate this day. It contains her private writings and compassionate commentary by her friend Father Brian Kolodiejchuk. It is a moving book that reminds us that even the most saintly of beings suffers the absence of God. Her trials and vigilance offer us strength and incite as to how we may conduct ourselves in the face of this absence. We pray that she no longer suffers, having seen the face of of the One whom she adored.
PLEASE CONSIDER Friends --
PATTI SMITH PERFORMS IN THE CURRENT STUDIO Patti Smith and Lenny Kaye performed in the Current studio at Minnesota Public Radio.
 AQUA TEEN HUNGER FORCE COLON FILM COMMENTARY CREW class of 2007 photographed by Barre Duryea Well my dream came true. Not only did I get to do commentary on the new Aqua Teen Hunger Force film but I got to hang out with this stellar cast of characters. From left to right (I think) is Dana (the voice of Shake), Todd from the Onion, me (I got to hang out with her as well) Dave (the creator), Fred (lincoln timeline), Jackson (introduced me to The Force), and Jay (important guy). I was heavily compensated for my work with impressive free stuff including three pairs of meatwad socks (cotton not polyester), and an Adult Swim hoodie. I'm wearing the socks as I write. Don't miss the Force late at night on the Cartoon Network and certainly don't miss the thrilling breakthrough film.
Guernica: April 26, 1937 Seventy years ago: The incomprehensible bombing and devastation of the Basque Village of Guernica by the Luftwaffe, drawing the people to mourn and Pablo Picasso to respond with humanistic mastery. THE GEOMETRY BLINKED RUIN UNIMAGINABLE She clawed through the rubble of her world head covered a scrupulous maid searching for gems a necklace mislaid by her mistress on the marble floor of a ballroom set against the battered sky She crawled with her babe limp as a doll in floral crayon fleeing hell straight into the light of her ancestors She crawled through arches suspended wrapped her babe in the shawl she had worn to market no more than a scar on the face of a hill hair ribbons fluttering girders blood silk oozing the wounded sky shot with holes foxes scuttling crackling wires patches of honey colored coats shivering down mixed with bits of calico and flesh She crawled a chessboard a cage of gold scaffolding she crawled with her face oblique placed her babe before the altar of the Art of War She picked through the remnants of the Basque countryside a cockeyed dress-maker piecing a pattern gone awry Through the rubble she crawled with one shoe the other foot gone a trail sticky and warm She crept into the belly of a fallen horse drawing its life into her mouth covering her doll with kisses she knelt entreating her god an immense crucifix swathed in telegraph wire that spun like a bottle in the center of a circle She made a sign over her breast and stuffed her mouth with biscuits Body of Christ...Body of Christ Horses wept jewels the size of fists swept by scholars with a mind to twist and level facets of each plane to be raffled when the bombing ceased Before the Art of War she laid her babe To be raffled with the heart of the artist bulldozed crucified then razed again to house an outstretched arm hoof and thigh reins that ran scarlet streaming the horses knotted mane dripping blood from the wounds of Christ dripping blood from the wounds of Spain Black and white blood dripping The ghost of Sophia pranced in her rag dress through walls of glass--the unspeakable The hairs on his forearms bristled the sense of her pressing in like a dosed handkerchief He picked up a stick and covered fresh sheets Dripping the hardened horn Dripping the indignant ring Slaughter flower dead child hoof capacious eye lighting the halls of the Spanish pavilion He bore down on the stick to canvas spent and on the seventh day he wept --patti smith BOMBING OF GUERNICA: ORIGINAL TIMES REPORT FROM 1937 This article by George Steer of The Times brought to the world news of the massacre by German pilots of more than 1,000 civilians in the Basque town. The outrage inspired Pablo Picasso's masterwork, and Steer has now been honoured for the piece: THE TRAGEDY OF GUERNICA BILBAO, April 27 1937 Guernica, the most ancient town of the Basques and the centre of their cultural tradition, was completely destroyed yesterday afternoon by insurgent air raiders. The bombardment of this open town far behind the lines occupied precisely three hours and a quarter, during which a powerful fleet of aeroplanes consisting of three German types, Junkers and Heinkel bombers and Heinkel fighters, did not cease unloading on the town bombs weighing from 1,000lb. downwards and, it is calculated, more than 3,000 two-pounder aluminium incendiary projectiles. The fighters, meanwhile, plunged low from above the centre of the town to machine- gun those of the civilian population who had taken refuge in. the fields. The whole of Guernica was soon in flames except the historic Casa de Jontas with its rich archives of the Basque race, where the ancient Basque Parliament used to sit. The famous oak of Guernica, the dried old stump of 600 years and the young new shoots of this century, was also untouched. Here the kings of Spain used to take the oath to respect the democratic rights (fueros) of Vizcaya and in return received a promise of allegiance as suzerains with the democratic title of Senor, not Rey Vizcaya. The noble parish, church of Santa Maria was also undamaged except for the beautiful chapter house, which was struck by an incendiary bomb. At 2 am today when I visited the town the whole of it was a horrible sight, flaming from end to end. The reflection of the flames could be seen in the clouds of smoke above the mountains from 10 miles away. Throughout the night houses were falling until the streets became long heaps of red impenetrable debris. Many of the civilian survivors took the long trek from Guernica to Bilbao in antique solid-wheeled Basque farmcarts drawn by oxen. Carts piled high with such household possessions as could be saved from the conflagration clogged the roads all night. Other survivors were evacuated in Government lorries, but many were forced to remain round the burning town lying on mattresses or looking for lost relatives and children, while units of the fire brigades and the Basque motorized police under the personal direction of the Minister of the Interior, Senor Monzon, and his wife continued rescue work till dawn. CHURCH BELL ALARM In the form of its execution and the scale of the destruction it wrought, no less than in the selection of its objective, the raid on Guernica is unparalleled in military history. Guernica was not a military objective. A factory producing war material lay outside the town and was untouched. So were two barracks some distance from the town. The town lay far behind the lines. The object of the bombardment was seemingly the demoralization of the civil population and the destruction of the cradle of the Basque race. Every fact bears out this appreciation, beginning with the day when the deed was done. Monday was the customary market day in Guernica for the country round. At 4.30 pm, when the market was full and peasants were still coming in, the church bell rang the alarm for approaching aeroplanes, and the population sought refuge in cellars and in the dugouts pre pared following the bombing of the civilian population of Durango on March 31, which opened General Mola's offensive in the north. The people are said to have shown a good spirit. A Catholic priest took charge and perfect order was maintained. Five minutes later a single German bomber appeared, circled over the town at a low altitude, and then dropped six heavy bombs, apparently aiming for the station. The bombs with a shower of grenades fell on a former institute and on houses and streets surrounding it. The aeroplane then went away. In another five minutes came a second bomber, which threw the same number of bombs into the middle of the town. About a quarter of an hour later three Junkers arrived to continue the work of demolition, and thenceforward the bombing grew in intensity and was continuous, ceasing only with the approach of dusk at 7.45. The whole town of 7,000 inhabitants, plus 3,000 refugees, was slowly and systematically pounded to pieces. Over a radius of five miles round a detail of the raiders' technique was to bomb separate caserios, or farmhouses. In the night these burned like little candles in the hills. All the villages around were bombed with the same intensity as the town itself, and at Mugica, a little group of houses at the head of the Guernica inlet, the population was machine-gunned for 15 minutes. RHYTHM OF DEATH It is impossible to state yet the number of victims. In the Bilbao Press this morning they were reported as "fortunately small," but it is feared that this was an understatement in order not to alarm the large refugee population of Bilbao. In the hospital of Josefinas, which was one of the first places bombed, all the 42 wounded militiamen it sheltered were killed outright. In a street leading downhill from the Casa de Juntas I saw a place where 50 people, nearly all women and children, are said to have been trapped in an air raid refuge under a mass of burning wreckage. Many were killed in the fields, and altogether the deaths may run into hundreds. An elderly priest named Aronategui was killed by a bomb while rescuing children from a burning house. The tactics of the bombers, which may be of interest to students of the new military science, were as follows: -- First, small parties of aeroplanes threw heavy bombs and hand grenades all over the town, choosing area after area in orderly fashion. Next came fighting machines which swooped low to machine-gun those who ran in panic from dugouts, some of which had already been penetrated by 1,000lb bombs, which make a hole 25ft. deep. Many of these people were killed as they ran. A large herd of sheep being brought in to the market was also wiped out. The object of this move was apparently to drive the population under ground again, for next as many as 12 bombers appeared at a time dropping heavy and incendiary bombs upon the ruins. The rhythm of this bombing of an open town was, therefore, a logical one: first, hand grenades and heavy bombs to stampede the population, then machine-gunning to drive them below, next heavy and incendiary bombs to wreck the houses and burn them on top of their victims. The only counter-measures the Basques could employ, for they do not possess sufficient aeroplanes to face the insurgent fleet, were those provided by the heroism of the Basque clergy. These blessed and prayed for the kneeling crowds--Socialists, Anarchists, and Communists, as well as the declared faithful - in the crumbling dugouts. When I entered Guernica after midnight houses were crashing on either side, and it was utterly impossible even for firemen to enter the centre of the town. The hospitals of Josefinas and Convento de Santa Clara were glowing heaps of embers, all the churches except that of Santa Maria were destroyed, and the few houses which still stood were doomed. When I revisited Guernica this afternoon most of the town was still burning and new fires had broken out About 30 dead were laid out in a ruined hospital. A CALL TO BASQUES The effect here of the bombardment of Guernica, the Basques' holy city, has been profound and has led President Aguirre to issue the following statement in this morning's Basque Press:-- "The German airmen in the service of the Spanish rebels, have bombarded Guernica, burning the historic town which is held in such veneration by all Basques. They have sought to wound us in the most sensitive of our patriotic sentiments, once more making it entirely clear what Euzkadis may expect of those who do not hesitate to destroy us down to the very sanctuary which records the centuries of our liberty and our democracy. "Before this outrage all we Basques must react with violence, swearing from the bottom of our hearts to defend the principles' of our people with unheard of stubbornness and heroism if the case requires it. We cannot hide the gravity of the moment; but victory can never be won by the invader if, raising our spirits to heights of strength and determination, we steel ourselves to his defeat. "The enemy has advanced in. many parts elsewhere to be driven out of them afterwards. I do not hesitate to affirm that here the same thing will happen. May to-day's outrage be one spur more to do it with all speed." WITHOUT CHAINS This song was written in early September 2006 in response to the release of Murat Kurnaz from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base after being detained for over four years. We are posting the song because of numerous requests. At this point the song may serve to raise questions as to the status of the Guantanamo detainees. This is a heart breaking legal and moral issue. We can not forget these human beings. Nor can we forget John Walker Lindh who has also served over four years of a twenty year sentence imposed without any hard evidence against him. Recently he was transferred from a medium-security prison in California to Supermax, the Federal Government's most secure prison. No explanation has been given. Our prayers are with him and others who have been imprisoned unjustly. We offer the song, as requested. Just a rough version. written with Tony Shanahan. Without Chains Download You may wish to review: Welcome Back Murat Kurnaz Free John Walker Without Chains by Patti Smith copyright 2007 For four long years I wasn't a man dreaming chained with the lights on in another world a netherworld four long years with nothing to say thoughts impure at Guantanamo Bay now I'm learning to walk without chains I'm learning to walk without chains learning to walk without chains without chains without chains born in bremen played guitar a young apprentice building ships loved and married heard the call is attaining wisdom a pursuit of fools journeyed to Pakistan to breathe the Koran taken in custody no reason why then a prison camp as an enemy Combatant (Chorus) Languished in a cell Four years and a day Then flown home A version of free Chained to the floor With eyes bound One last humiliation left to endure they say I walk strange that may be so its been a long time since I walked at all now I'm learning to walk without chains to talk without chains to breathe without chains to love etc... without chains without chains without chains
FOUR YEARS AGO No words can express the sorrow and frustration at marking this terrible anniversary. The loss of human life, destruction of Iraq and global instability. The abandonment of New Orleans is a microcosm of Baghdad. They are irrevocably joined. Our lack of attention, manpower and resources at home spiraled this public tragedy. All our resources, surplus, global goodwill squandered and spent. We are finding ourselves emotionally and physically bankrupt, just as Iraq. The Bush Administration falsely told the American people that the leadership of Iraq placed us in jeopardy. In the end, it has been the Bush Administration, burgeoned by cooperative media, that has led us so deeply astray. The lack of moral leadership in the Democratic party has also contributed to the present state of things. On the eve of the vote that gave Bush almost unanimous power to strike Iraq Senator Robert Byrd begged the Senate to reconsider. The Democrats, led by Joseph Lieberman, buckled under peer pressure and voted in favor of empowering Bush. Lieberman has shown himself to be pro-self and pro-war. It is impossible to conceive why the Democrats gave into him and snubbed Senator Byrd. On the eve of the strike against Iraq Byrd gave an impassioned speech laying out in very clear terms why the impending strike was wrong. It still brings tears to my eyes. We offer, in sad remembrance, Byrd's speech below. Thomas Paine said "We have it in our power to begin our world over again." We have to believe that but we also must take responsibility for the ruin committed in our name. Speech delivered on the floor of the US Senate by US Senator Robert Byrd March 19, 2003 3:45pm I believe in this beautiful country. I have studied its roots and gloried in the wisdom of its magnificent Constitution. I have marveled at the wisdom of its founders and framers. Generation after generation of Americans has understood the lofty ideals that underlie our great Republic. I have been inspired by the story of their sacrifice and their strength. But, today I weep for my country. I have watched the events of recent months with a heavy, heavy heart. No more is the image of America one of strong, yet benevolent peacekeeper. The image of America has changed. Around the globe, our friends mistrust us, our word is disputed, our intentions are questioned. Instead of reasoning with those with whom we disagree, we demand obedience or threaten recrimination. Instead of isolating Saddam Hussein, we seem to have isolated ourselves. We proclaim a new doctrine of preemption which is understood by few and feared by many. We say that the United States has the right to turn its firepower on any corner of the globe which might be suspect in the war on terrorism. We assert that right without the sanction of any international body. As a result, the world has become a much more dangerous place. We flaunt our superpower status with arrogance. We treat UN Security Council members like ingrates who offend our princely dignity by lifting their heads from the carpet. Valuable alliances are split. After war has ended, the United States will have to rebuild much more than the country of Iraq. We will have to rebuild America's image around the globe. The case this Administration tries to make to justify its fixation with war is tainted by charges of falsified documents and circumstantial evidence. We cannot convince the world of the necessity of this war for one simple reason. This is a war of choice. There is no credible information to connect Saddam Hussein to 9/11. The twin towers fell because a world-wide terrorist group, Al Qaeda, with cells in over 60 nations, struck at our wealth and our influence by turning our own planes into missiles, one of which would likely have slammed into the dome of this beautiful Capitol except for the brave sacrifice of the passengers on board. The brutality seen on September 11th and in other terrorist attacks we have witnessed around the globe are the violent and desperate efforts by extremists to stop the daily encroachment of western values upon their cultures. That is what we fight. It is a force not confined to borders. It is a shadowy entity with many faces, many names, and many addresses. But, this Administration has directed all of the anger, fear, and grief which emerged from the ashes of the twin towers and the twisted metal of the Pentagon towards a tangible villain, one we can see and hate and attack. And villain he is. But, he is the wrong villain. And this is the wrong war. If we attack Saddam Hussein, we will probably drive him from power. But, the zeal of our friends to assist our global war on terrorism may have already taken flight. The general unease surrounding this war is not just due to "orange alert." There is a pervasive sense of rush and risk and too many questions unanswered. How long will we be in Iraq? What will be the cost? What is the ultimate mission? How great is the danger at home? A pall has fallen over the Senate Chamber. We avoid our solemn duty to debate the one topic on the minds of all Americans, even while scores of thousands of our sons and daughters faithfully do their duty in Iraq. What is happening to this country? When did we become a nation which ignores and berates our friends? When did we decide to risk undermining international order by adopting a radical and doctrinaire approach to using our awesome military might? How can we abandon diplomatic efforts when the turmoil in the world cries out for diplomacy? Why can this President not seem to see that America's true power lies not in its will to intimidate, but in its ability to inspire? War appears inevitable. But, I continue to hope that the cloud will lift. Perhaps Saddam will yet turn tail and run. Perhaps reason will somehow still prevail. I along with millions of Americans will pray for the safety of our troops, for the innocent civilians in Iraq, and for the security of our homeland. May God continue to bless the United States of America in the troubled days ahead, and may we somehow recapture the vision which for the present eludes us.
 AIN'T IT STRANGE from The New York Times, March 12, 2007 On a cold morning in 1955, walking to Sunday school, I was drawn to the voice of Little Richard wailing "Tutti Frutti" from the interior of a local boy's makeshift clubhouse. So powerful was the connection that I let go of my mother's hand. Rock 'n' roll. It drew me from my path to a sea of possibilities. It sheltered and shattered me, from the end of childhood through a painful adolescence. I had my first altercation with my father when the Rolling Stones made their debut on "The Ed Sullivan Show." Rock 'n' roll was mine to defend. It strengthened my hand and gave me a sense of tribe as I boarded a bus from South Jersey to freedom in 1967. Rock 'n' roll, at that time, was a fusion of intimacies. Repression bloomed into rapture like raging weeds shooting through cracks in the cement. Our music provided a sense of communal activism. Our artists provoked our ascension into awareness as we ran amok in a frenzied state of grace. My late husband, Fred Sonic Smith, then of Detroit's MC5, was a part of the brotherhood instrumental in forging a revolution: seeking to save the world with love and the electric guitar. He created aural autonomy yet did not have the constitution to survive all the complexities of existence. Before he died, in the winter of 1994, he counseled me to continue working. He believed that one day I would be recognized for my efforts and though I protested, he quietly asked me to accept what was bestowed -- gracefully -- in his name. Today I will join R.E.M., the Ronettes, Van Halen and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. On the eve of this event I asked myself many questions. Should an artist working within the revolutionary landscape of rock accept laurels from an institution? Should laurels be offered? Am I a worthy recipient? I have wrestled with these questions and my conscience leads me back to Fred and those like him -- the maverick souls who may never be afforded such honors. Thus in his name I will accept with gratitude. Fred Sonic Smith was of the people, and I am none but him: one who has loved rock 'n' roll and crawled from the ranks to the stage, to salute history and plant seeds for the erratic magic landscape of the new guard. Because its members will be the guardians of our cultural voice. The Internet is their CBGB. Their territory is global. They will dictate how they want to create and disseminate their work. They will, in time, make breathless changes in our political process. They have the technology to unite and create a new party, to be vigilant in their choice of candidates, unfettered by corporate pressure. Their potential power to form and reform is unprecedented. Human history abounds with idealistic movements that rise, then fall in disarray. The children of light. The journey to the East. The summer of love. The season of grunge. But just as we seem to repeat our follies, we also abide. Rock 'n' roll drew me from my mother's hand and led me to experience. In the end it was my neighbors who put everything in perspective. An approving nod from the old Italian woman who sells me pasta. A high five from the postman. An embrace from the notary and his wife. And a shout from the sanitation man driving down my street: "Hey, Patti, Hall of Fame. I just smiled, and I noticed I was proud. One for the neighborhood. My parents. My band. One for Fred. And anybody else who wants to come along.
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