The Imperial Vice Presidency and Visual Narrative

Salon.com has a very telling piece by Sidney Blumenthal on the Cheney vice presidency. What was most interesting to me however was the photo (shown here) placed in the article. I’ve become increasingly interested in how photography and television imagery frame particular narratives. Oftentimes, an image imbedded in an article may have more influence than the actual text. This photo of Cheney here needs no explanation. If you are interested in the use of visual narratives, especially political analysis I recommend a wonderful blog, BAGnews, which is run by Dr. Michael Shaw.

Here is a sample of a very interesting comparative analysis of Hillary and Obama, which includes some feminist theory. Let me know what you think. Is there anyone here at SDU considering some sort of related research? I would be very interested in hearing from you.

I will be taking a course next semester, “Hollywood War Zone,” which will explore among other things, the use of visual narrative as Pentagon propaganda.

Californiatopia?

Governor Schwarzenegger is quite clear that California is not simply another state. “We are the modern equivalent of the ancient city-states of Athens and Sparta,” he recently declared. “We have the economic strength, we have the population and the technological force of a nation-state.” In his inaugural address, Mr. Schwarzenegger proclaimed, “We are a good and global commonwealth.” Regional devolution would most likely be initiated by a very large state with a distinct sense of itself and aspirations greater than Washington can handle. The obvious candidate is California, a state that has the eighth-largest economy in the world.

If such a state decided to get serious about determining its own fate, other states would have little choice but to act, too. One response might be for an area like New England, which already has many regional interstate arrangements, to follow California’s initiative — as it already has on some environmental measures. And if one or two large regions began to take action, other state groupings in the Northwest, Southwest and elsewhere would be likely to follow.

Richard Rorty, Philosopher, Dies at 75

"Richard Rorty, whose inventive work on philosophy, politics, literary theory and more made him one of the world’s most influential contemporary thinkers, died Friday in Palo Alto, Calif. He was 75."

Rorty’s writings have been very influential on my own “philosophy” about academia, democracy, and ultimately how I view America and my place in the world. He was unique for several reasons. Undoubtedly one the most influential American thinkers, he blurred the lines between philosophy, politics, and literary theory. In particular, Rorty has brought the differences between literature (as the nearest textual practice to philosophy) and philosophy into a common discussion. He emphasized that the kind of arguments that literature makes are in fact more open and dynamic (and thus more suited to a liberal/pragmatic world-view) than the kind of arguments that philosophy makes.

I recommend this article, "The Decline of Redemptive Truth and the Rise of a Literary Culture," for a fairly recent summary of Rortian philosophy.

From within a literary culture, religion and philosophy appear as literary genres. As such, they are optional. Just as an intellectual may opt to read many poems but few novels, or many novels but few poems, so he or she may read much philosophy, or much religious writing, but relatively few poems or novels. The difference between the literary intellectuals’ readings of all these books and other readings of them is that the inhabitant of a literary culture treats books as human attempts to meet human needs, rather than as acknowledgements of the power of a being that is what it is apart from any such needs. God and Truth, are, respectively the religious and the philosophical names for that sort of being.

He is most misunderstood and attacked from critics on the "right" and "left" for his assertion that there is no truth out there and that we (philosphers in particular) should simply stop searching for truth and get about the practical business of creating a better society. Better, of course, being defined not by epistemology but by social consensus. When I've argued that Wikipedia represents "the truth," its largely based on Rorty's concept of "unforced agreements."

Stanford University, were Rorty taught comparative literature has an obiturary here. Jürgen Habermas writes a eulogy which you can read here. Todd Gitlin has also written something here.

Ivy League provides academic cover for US dictatorship

The Case for the Strong Executive via The Agonist
by Harvey Mansfield, Professsor of Government at Harvard

Under some circumstances, the rule of law must yield to the need for energy.

Now the rule of law has two defects, each of which suggests the need for one-man rule. The first is that law is always imperfect by being universal, thus an average solution even in the best case, that is inferior to the living intelligence of a wise man on the spot, who can judge particular circumstances. This defect is discussed by Aristotle in the well-known passage in his "Politics" where he considers "whether it is more advantageous to be ruled by the best man or the best laws."

Giuliani’s Tie to Texas Law Firm May Pose Risk

This from the NY Times:

Mr. Giuliani has drawn support from Texans who were notable donors to President Bush, including a former Enron president, Richard D. Kinder, and business executives who direct many of the nation’s oil, gas and energy producers.

That affiliation adds to Mr. Giuliani’s personal wealth but also could pose political risks for him. The firm is perhaps the nation’s most aggressive lobbyist for coal-fired power plants, heavy emitters of air pollutants and carbon dioxide, a gas associated with global warming. Environmentalists say the firm played a significant role in persuading the Bush administration to roll back major provisions of the Clean Air Act.

This will indeed pose "political risks" but I see this as a clear sign that Giuliani will win the Republican nomination. Forget what you hear about the "Christian Right" having problems with this guy. From the perspective of the Republican power elites, they've got their man; a broadly popular (and electable) candidate firmly committed to "old economy" industry and wealth.

About his law firm Bracewell & Giuliani

A new chapter in a 60-year history of global excellence began during 2005, as Bracewell & Patterson became Bracewell & Giuliani. Former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani joined the firm as a name partner and brought his international reputation to its newly established New York office. With a presence in the world’s financial capitals of New York and London, at the heart of political and regulatory leadership in Washington, DC, throughout the important international energy and trade centers of Texas, and in the rapidly expanding economy of Kazakhstan, Bracewell is strategically positioned to serve the commercial law needs of its worldwide client base.

Dreaming in Cuban

Dreaming in Cuban: An Historical Perspective
by Dorte Rasmussen

In Christina García’s Dreaming in Cuban from 1992, we learn about and experience the history and culture of Cuba from both inside and outside the Caribbean island. Three generations of women dominate this magically told story of a family divided by the political, social and geographical split, caused by the communist revolution in Cuba. García brilliantly intertwines the factual and historical aspect of Cuba with her own fictional and magical story of the woman, making Cuba an active and important character in the story, by using the history events as time reference to tell the story of the women.

read the entire article

US: Wal-Mart Denies Workers Basic Rights

"In the 210-page report, “Discounting Rights: Wal-Mart’s Violation of US Workers’ Right to Freedom of Association,” Human Rights Watch found that while many American companies use weak US laws to stop workers from organizing, the retail giant stands out for the sheer magnitude and aggressiveness of its anti-union apparatus. Many of its anti-union tactics are lawful in the United States, though they combine to undermine workers’ rights. Others run afoul of soft US laws."

"Wal-Mart workers have virtually no chance to organize because they’re up against unfair US labor laws and a giant company that will do just about anything to keep unions out. That one-two punch devastates workers’ right to form and join unions." ~Carol Pier, senior researcher on labor rights and trade at Human Rights Watch~