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Archive for the ‘Obituary’ Category

I am not dumb.  –  Reza Baluchi

There is, of course, only one song appropriate for Gary Wright’s memorial; the links above it were provided by Amy Alkon, Stephen Lemons, Jesse Walker, Clarissa, Carol Fenton, Nun Ya, and The Onion, in that order.

From the Archives

I find paywalls distasteful, and so many people find this blog valuable as a resource I just can’t bring myself to install one.  Furthermore, I find ad delivery services (whose content I have no say over) even more distasteful.  But as I’m now semi-retired from sex work, I can’t self-sponsor this blog by myself any longer.  So if you value my writing enough that you would pay to see it if it were paywalled, please consider subscribing; there are four different levels to fit all budgets.  Or if that doesn’t work for you, please consider showing your generosity with a one-time donation; you can Paypal to maggiemcneill@earthlink.net or else email me at the same address to make other arrangements.  Thanks so much!

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They’re everywhere, literally everywhere.  –  “Madison”

As my memorial to Jimmy Buffett, I’m not going to share the ones everybody knows, but rather my own favorite of his songs.  The link above the video were provided by Mistress Matisse, Dan Savage, Carol Fenton, Lenore Skenazy, The Onion, Scott Greenfield, and Jesse Walker, in that order.

From the Archives

I find paywalls distasteful, and so many people find this blog valuable as a resource I just can’t bring myself to install one.  Furthermore, I find ad delivery services (whose content I have no say over) even more distasteful.  But as I’m now semi-retired from sex work, I can’t self-sponsor this blog by myself any longer.  So if you value my writing enough that you would pay to see it if it were paywalled, please consider subscribing; there are four different levels to fit all budgets.  Or if that doesn’t work for you, please consider showing your generosity with a one-time donation; you can Paypal to maggiemcneill@earthlink.net or else email me at the same address to make other arrangements.  Thanks so much!

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All I know is that my granddaughter was killed by the police.  I thought she was grocery shopping.

I’ll always remember Arleen Sorkin not merely for bringing the character of Harley Quinn to life, but for introducing me to this wonderfully-sinister little ditty from the Warner Brothers catalog.  The links above it were provided by Franklin Harris, Tracy Quan, Mistress Matisse, Conner Habib, and Phoenix Calida (x2).

From the Archives

I find paywalls distasteful, and so many people find this blog valuable as a resource I just can’t bring myself to install one.  Furthermore, I find ad delivery services (whose content I have no say over) even more distasteful.  But as I’m now semi-retired from sex work, I can’t self-sponsor this blog by myself any longer.  So if you value my writing enough that you would pay to see it if it were paywalled, please consider subscribing; there are four different levels to fit all budgets.  Or if that doesn’t work for you, please consider showing your generosity with a one-time donation; you can Paypal to maggiemcneill@earthlink.net or else email me at the same address to make other arrangements.  Thanks so much!

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So you guys made a guy pee himself?  –  laughing sow
Yeah.  –  smiling pig

Choosing an anti-war song for last week’s links column reminded me of this, probably the most powerful anti-war song I’ve ever heard; I cannot ever listen to it without being reduced to tears by the end.  The links above the video were provided by Angela Keaton; Popehat; Franklin Harris and Brooke Magnanti; Popehat again; and Christian Britschgi, in that order.

From the Archives

I find paywalls distasteful, and so many people find this blog valuable as a resource I just can’t bring myself to install one.  Furthermore, I find ad delivery services (whose content I have no say over) even more distasteful.  But as I’m now semi-retired from sex work, I can’t self-sponsor this blog by myself any longer.  So if you value my writing enough that you would pay to see it if it were paywalled, please consider subscribing; there are four different levels to fit all budgets.  Or if that doesn’t work for you, please consider showing your generosity with a one-time donation; you can Paypal to maggiemcneill@earthlink.net or else email me at the same address to make other arrangements.  Thanks so much!

 

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We can lock him up, take his kid, put his dog in the impound.
–  Raiford Box

As my memorial for Robbie Robertson, I chose this example of kind of antiwar song I think most effective: one about the human costs of war.  The links above it were provided by Radley Balko; Scott Greenfield; Popehat; Jesse Walker and Radley Balko again; Phoenix Calida; and Elizabeth N. Brown, in that order.

From the Archives

I find paywalls distasteful, and so many people find this blog valuable as a resource I just can’t bring myself to install one.  Furthermore, I find ad delivery services (whose content I have no say over) even more distasteful.  But as I’m now semi-retired from sex work, I can’t self-sponsor this blog by myself any longer.  So if you value my writing enough that you would pay to see it if it were paywalled, please consider subscribing; there are four different levels to fit all budgets.  Or if that doesn’t work for you, please consider showing your generosity with a one-time donation; you can Paypal to maggiemcneill@earthlink.net or else email me at the same address to make other arrangements.  Thanks so much!

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I’ll kill this motherfucker.  –  Brian Williams

I’m sure most of my readers have seen any scene from Pee Wee’s Playhouse, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, etc I might choose to memorialize Paul Reubens with, so instead I dug up the first thing I ever saw him in, which you probably haven’t seen unless you’re as old as I am or nearly so.  The links above the video were provided by Gustavo Turner; Radley Balko; David Ley; Brooke MagnantiFranklin Harris; Jesse Walker; Nun Ya; and David Ley again, in that order.

From the Archives

I find paywalls distasteful, and so many people find this blog valuable as a resource I just can’t bring myself to install one.  Furthermore, I find ad delivery services (whose content I have no say over) even more distasteful.  But as I’m now semi-retired from sex work, I can’t self-sponsor this blog by myself any longer.  So if you value my writing enough that you would pay to see it if it were paywalled, please consider subscribing; there are four different levels to fit all budgets.  Or if that doesn’t work for you, please consider showing your generosity with a one-time donation; you can Paypal to maggiemcneill@earthlink.net or else email me at the same address to make other arrangements.  Thanks so much!

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If the government decides to point its finger at you, there’s really no question that they’re going to try to ruin you.  –  Jim Larkin

I never met Jim Larkin, but the unexpected news of his suicide brought tears to my eyes last Tuesday; those tears were not only for him, but for all of us living under the government that murdered him as surely as if he had been executed.

God help us.

His death was reported in many places online; of course the corporate media reports ranged from typical lie-parroting and bootlicking to outright grave-dancing, and the ghouls at the federal agency which hounded him to death had the jaw-dropping gall to “send condolences to his family and friends, and wish them sustenance and strength in a difficult time“.  As is not unusual these days, one needed to turn to the alternative press to read a truthful account, such as this one from Elizabeth Nolan Brown of Reason:

Lacey [and] Larkin built the Phoenix New Times from an anti-war student newspaper into a broad—and still-thriving—record of Maricopa County culture and politics…They [then] expanded their alt-weekly empire nationwide, eventually running 17 free papers, including the Miami New Times, Westword, the Dallas Observer, and The Village Voice…Collectively, the papers and their staffers were nominated for more than 1,400 national writing awards, won one Pulitzer, and were finalists for the Pulitzer six other times…Among the court battles they fought—and won—was one over infamous Sheriff Joe Arpaio demanding data on New Times readers; Arpaio was eventually forced to pay Larkin and Lacey a $3.75 million settlement, which they used to establish the immigrant rights organization Frontera Fund.  Another…was waged over a 1971 New Times ad for a group that helped women in Arizona (where abortion was illegal) travel to California for the procedure.  The case eventually helped invalidate Arizona’s entire abortion ban…

And this one from Mike Masnick of Techdirt:

…contrary to the public narrative you may have heard, Backpage worked closely with federal law enforcement to actually stop sex trafficking…But they refused to do the same for consensual sex work and that is why the feds eventually came down on them like a ton of bricks, all while telling the media and politicians that it was for sex trafficking.   But that was all bullshit.  And the bullshit extended to the process of the federal case against Larkin and Lacey, including when the defendants discovered an internal DOJ memo stating flat out that Backpage was helpful, rather than harmful, in the fight against sex trafficking.  The DOJ successfully got the court to say that they couldn’t use that in their defense

His family made this statement in the paper he co-founded:

…Jim fought for voices and issues ignored by society.  He fought against police brutality, he fought for immigrant rights and, above all, he fought tooth and nail for free speech.  He wasn’t afraid to pick up the unmovable boulders of our society and shine light on the corruption beneath.  While many publishers abandoned journalistic principles in the face of pressure and harassment, Jim stood fast and fought for the truth…

But it’s Michael Lacey’s comments which are, unsurprisibly, the most poignant:

I never saw my friend do a dishonest or dishonorable thing in his entire life.

I had a four-decade friendship with a wonderful man.

Now I have only his memory.

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The system that they…tell the public guarantees accountability is a farce.  –  Thomas Beck

I know many will view this as a double sacrilege (because Prince), but I’ve never liked “Nothing Compares 2 U”.  So I thank Greg Lukianoff for pointing me to this song, which not only better showcases O’Connor’s singing (IMHO), but also seems more lyrically appropriate.  The links above the video were provided by Gustavo Turner; Walter Olson; Jesse Walker; Isley; Aaron Ross Powell and Jesse Walker again; Missy Mariposa; and Radley Balko, in that order.

From the Archives

I find paywalls distasteful, and so many people find this blog valuable as a resource I just can’t bring myself to install one.  Furthermore, I find ad delivery services (whose content I have no say over) even more distasteful.  But as I’m now semi-retired from sex work, I can’t self-sponsor this blog by myself any longer.  So if you value my writing enough that you would pay to see it if it were paywalled, please consider subscribing; there are four different levels to fit all budgets.  Or if that doesn’t work for you, please consider showing your generosity with a one-time donation; you can Paypal to maggiemcneill@earthlink.net or else email me at the same address to make other arrangements.  Thanks so much!

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We’re going to take [your] baby one way or another.  –  LA sheriff’s deputy

In memory of the passing of Tony Bennett, I chose this video of him performing his signature song on MTV Unplugged in 1994 to illustrate his undying appeal across decades and generations.  The links above the video were provided by Dan Savage, Jesse Walker (x2), Scott Greenfield, Mike Masnick, Franklin Harris, and Scott Hechinger, in that order.

From the Archives

I find paywalls distasteful, and so many people find this blog valuable as a resource I just can’t bring myself to install one.  Furthermore, I find ad delivery services (whose content I have no say over) even more distasteful.  But as I’m now semi-retired from sex work, I can’t self-sponsor this blog by myself any longer.  So if you value my writing enough that you would pay to see it if it were paywalled, please consider subscribing; there are four different levels to fit all budgets.  Or if that doesn’t work for you, please consider showing your generosity with a one-time donation; you can Paypal to maggiemcneill@earthlink.net or else email me at the same address to make other arrangements.  Thanks so much!

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If thou have a great black bowl in thy hand and it be full of good ale and thou leave anything therein, thou puttest thy soul into greater pain.  –  The Heege Manuscript

I recently saw a Twitter thread asking for people’s favorite David Bowie songs, and I honestly have to say this is mine; I’ve liked it ever since it was in heavy rotation when the film came out.  The links above it were provided by Jesse Walker; Lenore Skenazy; Kevin Wilson; Jesse Walker again; Radley Balko; Elizabeth N. Brown; and Conner Habib, Dan SavageFranklin Harris, in that order.

From the Archives

I find paywalls distasteful, and so many people find this blog valuable as a resource I just can’t bring myself to install one.  Furthermore, I find ad delivery services (whose content I have no say over) even more distasteful.  But as I’m now semi-retired from sex work, I can’t self-sponsor this blog by myself any longer.  So if you value my writing enough that you would pay to see it if it were paywalled, please consider subscribing; there are four different levels to fit all budgets.  Or if that doesn’t work for you, please consider showing your generosity with a one-time donation; you can Paypal to maggiemcneill@earthlink.net or else email me at the same address to make other arrangements.  Thanks so much!

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