Category Archives: Art and Ideas

Amalia Rodriguez Sings Povo Que Lavas No Rio.

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Hitler bombs Guernica and invades Poland. In Portugal, Salazar comes to power; in Spain, Franco. Salazar demands that all fado singers carry identity cards. Everywhere there are allied and nazi spies, looking for supporters and traitors.

It was at this time, in 1939 that the legendary fadista Amália Rodriguez made her debut at the fado house Retiro da Severa.

By then, fado had left the streets and taverns where it had begun and had entered the bourgeois venues. Amalia quickly became the most original and celebrated artist in the genre, an international star who performed everywhere, from opera houses to Broadway and Hollywood. But the government in Portugal had nothing good to say and Salazar always derided her as ‘the little creature.’

Here, Amalia sings Povo que lavas no rio (“The people who wash in the river”).
The washer women are poor and the song, like many of hers, becomes political by the very fact of her singing it, for she sang many anti-fascist poets, besides Portuguese classics, like Camoens.

“Povo que lavas no rio
Que talhas com o teu machado
As tábuas do meu caixão.
Pode haver quem te defenda
Quem compre o teu chão sagrado
Mas a tua vida não………”

— Excerpt from Povo Que Lavas No Rio,
Lyrics by Pedro Homem de Mello
Music by Alain Oulmain (a Franco-Portuguese anti-fascist poet whom she helped set free after the Portuguese secret police arrested him)

“People who wash in the river/ Who with their axes hew/ The boards of my coffin/ There are those who value you…….”

Yet, of the poverty in which she grew up, she was always dismissive:

“We never complained about life. Sure, we knew there were people who were different from us, otherwise there would be no revolutions. But I never heard anybody talk about that. It’s the privileged classes who discuss that type of thing, not the poor. And, after all is said and done, there’s also class discrimination among the poor. We were like social outcasts.”

Of God she said, “Even if he doesn’t exist, I believe in Him,”

On the Need for Wisdom in Politics

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A useful description of the importance of prudence or wisdom (sophia) rather than theory or formal education in statesmanship:

Following a discussion of virtue as a mean between extremes, Aristotle attributes to concrete action a higher degree of truth than to general principles of ethics.

The mark “of a man with high moral standards is his ability to see the truth in each particular moral question, since he is … the standard and measure for such questions.” (20) Ethics in politics, then, is not merely announcing moral postulates or retreating before the complexities of the world.

What matters, said Voegelin, are

not correct principles about what is right by nature in an immutable generality, nor the acute consciousness of the tension between the immutable truth and its mutable application (possibly even with tragic overtones), but the changeability, the kineton itself, and the methods to lift it to the reality of truth. The truth of existence is attained when it becomes concrete, i.e., in action. (21)

In classical and Christian ethics, the first of the moral virtues is sophia or prudentia because without adequate understanding of the structure of reality, including the conditio humana, moral action with rational coordination of means and ends is impossible. (22)

Voegelin’s characterization of the spoudaios (who sees the “truth in concrete things”) carries an important moral message for the democratic statesman. No amount of single tangible facts imparted through education can substitute for the type of experience that pushes great men to the limits of their human possibilities. The knowledge of the statesman grows out of the eternal laws by which man moves in the social world. The validity of those laws, the Aristotelian truth that man is a political animal, does not derive from “objective” facts in conformity with the mathematizing models of the natural sciences. The key to those laws of man lies in the practical wisdom through which the statesman elevates his experiences into universal laws of human nature. (23)”

— “Eric Voegelin and Reinhold Niebuhr on the Moral Resources of Democracy,” Greg Russell in Modern Age, Sep 22, 2006

Hayek on the Inadequacy of Mathematical Economics

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“There is something fundamentally wrong with an approach which habitually disregards an essential part of the phenomena with which we have to deal: the unavoidable imperfection of man’s knowledge and the consequent need for a process by which knowledge is constantly communicated and acquired. Any approach, such as that of much of mathematical economics with its simultaneous equations, which in effect starts from the assumption that people’s knowledge corresponds with the objective facts of the situation, systematically leaves out what is our main task to explain. I am far from denying that in our system equilibrium analysis has a useful function to perform. But when it comes to the point where it misleads some of our leading thinkers into believing that the situation which it describes has direct relevance to the solution of practical problems, it is high time that we remember that it [equilibrium analysis] does not deal with the social process at all and that it is no more than a useful preliminary to the study of the main problem.”

— Friedrich Hayek, “The Use of Knowledge in Society,” VII, 31

Maria Callas Sings Casta Diva

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Maria Callas sings Casta Diva (O Pure Goddess) from Bellini’s Norma.

This is one of the most beautiful examples of bel canto I know, and who better to sing it than Callas…

It’s an invocation to the moon goddess by Norma, the Druid priestess who prophesies the fall of Rome. A nice fit for my little blog’s entry into the world of multimedia…..

O Pure Goddess, who silvers
These sacred ancient plants,
Turn thy beautiful semblance on us
Unclouded and unveiled...
Temper, O Goddess,
The brave zeal
Of the ardent spirits,
Scatter on the earth the peace
Thou make reign in the sky…

PS: Here’s a quite lovely one by pop singer Nana Mouskouri, imaginatively set in Greece.

Massive Push to Criminalize Criticism of Israel (Links/Video added)

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Paul Craigs Roberts writes about H. R. 1913 (“Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009”), at Counterpunch:

“It has been true for years that the most potent criticism of Israel’s mistreatment of the Palestinians comes from the Israeli press and Israeli peace groups.  For example, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz and Jeff Halper of ICAHD have shown a moral conscience that apparently does not exist in the Western democracies where Israel’s crimes are covered up and even praised.

Will the American hate crime bill be applied to Haaretz and Jeff Halper?  Will American commentators who say nothing themselves but simply report what Haaretz and Halper have said be arrested for “spreading hatred of Israel, an anti-semitic act”? ……….

A massive push is underway to criminalize criticism of Israel.  American university professors have fallen victim to the well organized attempt to eliminate all criticism of Israel.  Norman Finkelstein was denied tenure at a Catholic university because of the power of the Israel Lobby. Now the Israel Lobby is after University of California  (at Santa Barbara,) professor Wiliam Robinson. Robinson’s crime:  his course on global affairs included some reading assignments critical of Israel’s invasion of Gaza.

The Israel Lobby apparently succeeded in convincing the Obama Justice (sic) Department that it is anti-semitic to accuse two Jewish AIPAC officials, Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman, of spying.  The Israel Lobby succeeded in getting their trial delayed for four years, and now Attorney General Eric Holder has dropped charges.  Yet, Larry Franklin, the DOD official accused of giving secret material to Rosen and Weissman, is serving 12 years and 7 months in prison….”

My Comment (May 8, 2009):

H.R. 1913 was sponsored by Rep. John Conyers [D, MI-14] and voted on by the House on April 29, 2009 (passing 248-175 with largely Democrat support).

Complaints about the legislation have focused on several things.

  • The bill’s perceived fuzziness in defining the class of protected persons (“sexual orientation”) and in defining “bodily injury.” Both could make the legislation very elastic in application
  • The possibility that the legislation could be used to chill religious speech
  • The possibility that pastors who preach orthodox Christian views on controversial social issues could be prosecuted if an unstable person in their congregation later commits a “hate crime”
  • The granting of even more federal power to oversee, fund, direct, and intervene in local and state authorities
  • The redundancy of new legislation on “hate crimes” (since there are such laws already on the books)
  • The elusiveness of  the notion of “hate crime” and its inherent intrusiveness, since it claim to assess the state of mind of the perpetrator and the victim and of a whole class to which the victim belongs.

Christian groups have been particularly agitated by it, believing that it principally targets fundamentalist/orthodox Christian preachers.

That may well be so, but in the context of the financial scandal and ongoing Middle Eastern policies, I’d argue that the legislation has as much to do with criticism of the US government, especially of Zionist and Middle Eastern policies. For instance, see this effort at ending protests against US aid to Israel, at Muzzlewatch.

H.R. 1913, like H. R. 1955 before it, is meant for home-grown dissidents, a.k.a., people who object to federal government policies.

Action: Please call your  House or Senate representative at 1-877-851-6437 or toll 1-202-225-3121. and urge them not to vote for yet another thought crimes bill HR 1913.

Think of the two initiatives below as further context:

1. US Army Concept of Operations for Police Intelligence Operations, 4 Mar 2009 (see wikileaks)

2. The Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 (H.R. 1955/S- 1959, a bill sponsored by Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA) in the 110th United States Congress. It was introduced in the House on April 19 2007, passing on Oct 23, 2007, was introduced to the Senate on August 2, 2007 as S-1959, declared dead on arrival there after a powerful grass-roots campaign against it,

but has since been referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means, April 2, 2009, according to wiki.

H.R. 1955

C. S. Lewis on Habit and Will

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“No amount of piety in his imagination and affections will harm us if we can keep it out of his will. As one of the humans has said, active habits are strengthened by repetition but passive ones are weakened. The more often he feels without acting, the less he will be able ever to act, and in the long run, the less he will be able to feel.”

C. S. Lewis, “The Screwtape Letters,” p. 71.

Google Searches

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Never google yourself. You’ll be in for unpleasant surprises.

Here are a few:

Some blog post refers to me as a CIA2/Mossad operative.

On the strength of what, I wonder? Shouldn’t a Mossad operative at least know some Hebrew?

Maybe it was that post on Tikkun Olam I did around Easter?

You’d think the chump editor who runs this blog would realize that someone who taught comparative religion and mythology for several years could be expected to know something about the symbols and doctrines of various religious traditions, especially the one they came from.

Or, perhaps it’s a spoof of some kind that I missed. I didn’t read the post through and don’t intend to. It didn’t look like much.

What’s funny is I get articles turned down all the time for being too critical of  Zionist figures in the government (for eg. Chertoff) or for criticizing the banking cartel (this is supposed to be code language for anti-Semitism).

What’s also funny is that recently, I’ve been linked by Christian blogs, some of my leftist friends have suspected me of Christian theocratic tendencies (on the strength of having some pieces published at Lew Rockwell) , whereas, last year, a Christian blog classified me as “demonic,” presumably for my interest in so-called occult studies.

So I am Mossad and anti-Semite, Christian theocrat and demonic

Jihadi and Hasbara

Far-right wing-nut and Knee-jerk leftist

You’d think the geniuses would ask why a Mossad double-agent would go to such career-busting trouble to point out the Zionist component of the two biggest stories of the last five years (torture and the financial heist. But, for some people, any one who doesn’t fall into an easy left-right, religious-secular, statist-libertarian box is someone who must have ulterior motives…..

Debt And Sin In The Bible

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A British Christian libertarian blog on why canceling the debt is questionable from a Christian perspective:

“Should Christians be concerned about this [the levels of debt contracted by the government]? One angle on this is the fact that in the teaching of Jesus, sin is often compared with debt. Two obvious examples are the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:23-35), and the fact that in the Lord’s Prayer as found in Matthew’s gospel, disciples are taught to pray “and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” (Matthew 6:12) In other words, there is a correspondence between sin and debt.

Many may consider sin not to be serious, but the Christian does. I am reminded of the words of Anselm of Canterbury, addressing Boso in Cur Deus Homo (Book 1, chapter 21) “You have not yet considered what a heavy weight sin is.”

If sin is serious and Jesus compares sin to debt, surely it follows that for Christians, debt is serious as well. And if that is so, government borrowing which will saddle our country with huge levels of debt, possibly for decades, is serious.

Yes, it is true that in the Old Testament, there was provision for the cancellation of debt every 50 years in the Jubilee, but to argue that such a provision means that one of the world’s wealthiest nations (that has incurred its debts by living beyond its means) should have its slate wiped clean is simply ridiculous.

Perhaps the message for Christians who are not horrified by the levels of debt that we are incurring is: “You have not yet considered what a heavy weight debt is.”

Top Ten Christian Libertarian Blogs

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Greg at The Holy Cause lists the top 10 Christian libertarian blogs , with Lew Rockwell and the popular Pro Libertate making the cut among the blogs I follow.

Now Greg want to make another list of Christian libertarian blogs and invites nominees and suggestions. This sounds like an interesting way to get to know more bloggers out there. Here are Greg’s criteria:

(1) The blogger(s) openly professes Christianity, and includes biblical content at least occasionally in blog postings . This is a “big tent” as far as the definition of “Christian” is concerned.
(2) The blog has libertarian content as one of its main thrusts. This libertarian content may include activism, advocacy, commentary, debate, economics, education, persuasion, politics, research, etc. This too is a “big tent” but will of necessity be judged somewhat subjectively. An example – Father Hollywood easily qualifies, despite the fact that he has significant other content. It helps that his other content has a Christian thrust.
(3) The blog must have some longevity, being a minimum of 2 months old.
(4) The blog must show consistent and recent postings. “Consistent” means averaging at least one posting per week. “Recent” means at least two postings in the last month

Speaking Blogistani….

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Thanks to all readers who write in to correct my frequent typos.
You will have to forgive me for speaking blogistani.

For years, I taught spelling, grammar, punctuation, and the rest. I corrected fine distinctions of meaning. I forced captive student to rewrite words.

But it turned out that I was more captive than they were.

Blogistani is now my native language and I speak it like any transplant, picking up the rules as I go along.

One rule of blogs is that corrections should appear as corrections.

But for minor matters of grammar and spelling, that would create a fine mess and be more confusing than useful most of the time. So I simply rewrite mistakes as I spot them. And the same goes for changes in style, or additions of non-essential detail (although I’ll make note of an update and time, if the information is more critical).

Of course, for any important details, or for citations or quotes where other people are affected, or for breaking news, I cross out and insert an apology as well.

There are also some physical reasons.

The charm of blogistani is that you can speak it as you go along and so I rarely reread my posts before posting. I like the feeling of writing on the run. That has its upside – I catch all those fleeting thoughts. But it also has its down side – typos.

Another thing. I rarely wear my glasses and sometimes don’t see errors until I (or you) reread a post.
This isn’t vanity (since I lead a reclusive life). It’s my fixation with the thesis that crutches make muscles weaker. And glasses are crutches. I got that notion into my head as a child when I read a copy of the “Bates’ Method,” which is a system of natural corrective exercises for myopia. Whether they work or not, I don’t know. But after a lifetime of squinting at piano scores, exam papers, manuscripts, and pixels, in all sorts of light, without my glasses, my eyesight hasn’t got any worse than the original prescription. I see this as something of a vindication of a pet crank of mine, and naturally I hang on to it by going without my glasses.

The third reason for my blindness is my way of reading. I either read at lightning speed, absorbing big chunks of reading matter at a glance….or I take forever to get through a paragraph.

Both styles of reading suit me and have their uses.

I use the slow method for philosophy and fiction.

I use the fast method for getting through the news on the net.

Fast reading is also partly a bad habit left over from exams in India, where we had to extract the salient facts from reams of overwritten material. My eye sometimes doesn’t actually see the individual phrases but gets the information out of the writing holistically. People who sight-read music a lot use the same technique. They can get through and synthesize a lot of information this way very fast. But it also means they need to proof their writing more than most people.

I’ll post more on this subject, because I’ve thought about it a lot over the years – how we absorb information, how we remember it and reuse it, how we process our sensory input.

And I come at this not from the point of view of a specialist in cognitive research (although I’m familiar with some of it), but from the point of view of pedagogical theory….