Black. White. and the ongoing issues of Race in America

Black. White.
Last night was the conclusion of the 6-part FX Reality Series "Black. White." which presented America with many challenges and some hope for the future.

The show took two families, one white from "loony-lefty" Santa Monica (Bruno, Carmen and daughter Rose) and another black from Hot-lanta (or Atlanta GA for you squares) featuring Brian, Renee and son Nick. Both families spent time together in an LA Suburb and literally living in each others skin as a way to gain some understanding of how race continues to affect our reality, our thinking and our lives.

At the very least, the show has sparked some discussion - and that's (usually) a good thing.

Brian

40-year-old Brian came into the project feeling that he basically knew all there was to know about "White America", and for the most part I can't say that he was wrong. White-Brian had little trouble melting into White society and quickly turning on his inner whiteness when the time came during his temporary undercover job as a bartender in a largely white neighborhood of Pasadena. He found himself somewhat shocked at the level of service and attention he received as a white patron at a golf shop where the attendent not only brought him a pair of shoes to try on - but actually put them on his feet by hand. Something that had never happened to him before in his life.

He and wife Renee seemed to be completely on the same page when it came to race issues, but greatly at odds with Brian's counter-part Bruno on the issue of whether ongoing racism remains a major factor in American life. Where as Bruno felt that the actions and racism of others was something you could choose to affect you or not, it could be argued that Brian was hyper-sensitive to each and every possible slight which may have had racial connotations.

As an LA Native myself, I feel that what the show didn't address is that southern-california by it's very nature is a locale where anti-ethnic racism is generally hidden. Even during the heyday of the civil rights movement it was rare for overtly racist rhetoric to be spoken aloud - but it was there, as was most eloquently made clear by the Oscar Winning Movie "Crash". Since that time and the passage of the Civil Rights Act, the truth is that displaying discriminatory tendencies and views can be considered a crime if actions can be linked to those views - this has created a "great quiet" where those who may feel negatively toward a minority person or group often dare not voice that opinion. Instead, they gives off signals and hints -- hints which people like Brian have remained constantly on their guard for, because essentially - a hint is all you're gonna get. (Taking this show to Brian's hometown of Atlanta would have made a major difference in how openly people would tend to display their racism IMO)

The downside of this is that sometimes a fairly innocent action or clumsy mistake can be interpreted as having a racial element when none-exists. Hence you have the conunndrum, do you dare to "cry wolf" at each potential issue - or do you instead try to "rise above it" and risk letting the genuine wolves who are still out there make a snack of you? Brian would clearly prefer the former to the latter. Bruno? Not so much.

Bruno

Bruno was certainly a lightening rod on the show. His basic view is that "Life is what you make of it", and there's little point in walking around feeling constantly aggrieved by the actions of others. You are responsible for yourself, and how you let other people impact you. A true "Boot-strapper" idealist.

But the revelation that put a lie to Bruno's "Shiny happy people" outlook is that he himself continues to this day to feel aggrieved, although he denies it, by an experience he faced in High-School basketball where he was "the best player on the team, and the other four (all black) players refused to pass him the ball". First of all, I have a hard time believing that any self respecting coach would allow the "best player on the team" to be block-out of the game like that. What school was he going to - at least 25-30 years ago - where four black players could get away with such a thing? Bruno claims that although that event deeply frustrated him at the time, it doesn't affect him today. Yeah, right.

[Update: Y'know his entire "I was the best guy on the team" stereo-typical white-guy self-aggrandizement rubs me the wrong way. This - "I was the best guy for the job, but they gave it to some unqualified black woman in order to fill the quote" - Bullshit. What the hell make you assume you're better than everybody else? If you were the best guy, GO GET A FREAKING REBOUND AND PROVE IT. Don't wait for someone else to do it and acommodate you, make your own luck - make yourself indispensible -- grab your own damn bootstraps pal! He expects Black people to turn the other cheek when he hasn't even found his yet?

Then again, maybe they didn't pass you the ball because you were an insufferable prick (who just happened to be White) and not nearly as good as you thought you were. Possible? I think so. Or else the coach should have been Sacked for letting this go on.]

Of all the people on the show Bruno was the one person who only saw racism directled against whites but never the reverse. When Black-Bruno and his wife Black-Carmen went out country line-dancing they got major-ly "Funny Vibed" with surreptitious looks and glares by the completely White crowd. It was enough to upset Carmen, but Bruno was oblivious. However when the two of them travel down to Leimert Park in the Crenshaw district (where Carmen reverted to "normal") they could certainly feel tension in the air from their presence. No one said anything negative to them, but apparently resentment directed at the Black Guy (Bruno in makeup, who frankly looks more like an Indian Sikh or an Egyptian than a Black man) daring to show up with a White-woman (Carmen) - playing into that ole' Jungle Fever vibe - was palpable.

The fact is, as I stated above, that culturally, whether they themselves are racist or not, many people have general learned that overtly displaying racism isn't "Politically Correct". Further, it can become civilly actionable and costly. Some, like Bruno frankly, have begun to rebel against this and like the bloviating racist of the right-wing will make inflammatory racisl statement against blacks or other immigrants openly under the guise of "i'm justing telling it like it is..." Bruno was expecting, even hoping, that someone was going to call him "Nigger", but that shit simply ain't happening, man. Not outside of a Aryan Nations or Skinhead Rally. (Well, maybe in Tujunga... it might happen, but hardly anyone else around LA.) Whether people speak or show their feelings, they still have them. Black people, IMO, have generally remained above board when it comes to whether they approve or disapprove of someone on racial grounds. They haven't yet learned not to say or express certain things. The irony of the Leimert experience from Bruno and Carmen wasn't that they were so upset with her for being white, they were upset with Bruno - who they perceived as a black man - who had strayed. It was Black on Black disapproval, not Black on White.

(In the area of full disclosure I will point out that I am a black man, who lives in the LA area and has been married to a white woman for the last 16 years. We've been to Leimert Park together many times, but never experienced anything like what happened to Black-Bruno and Carmen. So I have to wonder, if maybe Bruno's own confrontational attitude may have had something to do with the reaction he received. A little of his own medicine ya think?)

My favorite Bruno moment was when he went and visited the Self-made Black Man, a jazz musician who'd struggled through a difficult upbringing to became successful and affluent. Bruno's shining example of how a man can remake himself regardless of his circumstances and rise above all. And after Bruno delivers his big bad "up with the individual and down with group-ism speech" - the guys tells him "You're totally full of crap!"

Ohh, snap!.

I could spend this entire Diary on Bruno and his ridiculous anti-Black Rap song ("I don't speak in Ebonics"), or his virtual freak-out after Brian took him to the dominoes game ("Smoking and drinking and getting high - that's not my element") - but then I'd never get to anyone else. I mean seriously dude, the entire point of the show was to not be in your element, and learn from the process. WhataDumbass.

Brian ultimately began to suspect that Bruno himself might be a racist, and I can't say he's entirely wrong - but I am glad to see that he eventually saw past that learned to respect Bruno. I guess almost anything is possible then, eh?

Renee

Renee as I said tended to be in harmony with Brian on most issues, but her biggest conflict came with her opposite number - Bruno's wife Carmen. During a racial role-playing exercise Carmen while reading from a script blurted out "Yo, Bitch" - and Renee took huge offense. This began a brujah that lasted for weeks, and again goes back to what I mentioned earlier about racism sometimes only appearing in little tell-tale signs since the Civil Rights Era.

Renee simply couldn't understand how anyone could not realize how offensive that could be, even in that context. Brian backed her up on this, but I have to say I disagree with them on this one. Sometimes people make innocent mistakes, sometimes they say or do things that they simply don't realize have deeper meanings and an impact to people around them - and frankly Carmen was like blind and clueless bull in the china shop most of the time. Well meaning, but basically a train-wreck in process.

Eventually, after several naive attempts of her own at connecting with white people by joining a knitting club (what the heck was she thinking there? - "Yeah, that's what White People do - they Knit!" Brilliant? er - not so much) Renee eventually did meet someone who she "clicked with" and shared a great deal of personal values with who happened also to be white. It wasn't easy, but it's possible. It's ironic that she and her new found friend were mostly drawn together by the things they had in common. Both were catholic and had a similar perspective on raising their children. Her friend was fairly progressive, and took the lead on confronting this one off-duty police officer (in the exact same line-dancing bar that Bruno & Carmen had previous went to) who had this speil justifying racial profiling in Glendale.

(Another disclosure moment, me and my wife lived in Glendale for several years -- and everything he said about Glendale PD being intolerant and borderline racist is dead on target in my experience)

Finding common ground with someone who you already have a great deal in common with is realively easy, finding a bridge to someone whom you don't share common ground with is the ongoing challenge. We shouldn't all have to basically be alike in order to relate. We are different, and we're going to stay different. Thank God, Honor Allah and Praise Buddah for that.

Carmen

Oh, what to say about Carmen. Poor naive, sheltered Carmen. More than a few times I had to wonder - "what Planet is this woman from?" with her Let's wear Daishiki's to a Black Church deal. She was so clueless, but at the same time so curious and interested in learning what it was she didn't know -- which was a lot.

I do think she was overly bashed for the "Yo, Bitch" comment -- but at the same time she followed that up with some truly off-the-wall moments. Like when the her daughter Rose's poetry group visited the house and she called one of them "a beautiful black creature". Definitely an awkward moment.

There are certain things that you shouldn't say until have built a bridge of understanding, because it's possible that you can be misunderstood without that foundation, without that common foothold. This country is made up of many different people, with many different cultural perspectives. Carmen is like the one person you don't want to leave holding the cartoons of Mohammad.

She'd turn them into Greeting Cards.

I think there's a lot of hope for Carmen, a massive potential for growth -- and unlike Bruno -- quite a bit of desire to go about that process, but it's going to be painful. She's going to make some stumbles as many of us will, but I suspect she'll have the courage to keep. I suspect few of the rest of us will.

Nick

16-year old Nick entered this living situation simply because his parents dragged him into it. He had no interest in race, or racial matters. His response to the entire deal was a shrug. "Whatever".

But in many ways, Nick was the one person who needed to go through this experience even more desperately than Bruno. At the outset he refused to see racism, and didn't even care. Now, on the one hand that could be a good thing -- he was effectively "color-blind" just as Bruno would claim to be, but the problem is that in being blind -- you see nothing even when there actually is something to see.

Nick is like lots of kids I see everyday in South Central. Oversized t-shirts and shorts, that are basically a basketball uniform passing as street clothes. (Constantly, ready to shot a hoop at the drop of a dime...) They idolize the Rap Star, the Hustler, the Gangster with an addiction to Bling without any appreciation of the education or hard work it takes to earn it. He had a lot to learn, and his parents had clearly been trying hard to reach him -- but it was obvious that the harder they tried, the more he shut down and thickened his skin. The harder they banged on his skull, the harder his head became.

But in the end, Nick may have been the one person to make the most important strides after a visit with a real former Gang-member --- not some wannabe -- the real deal. Nick got a little Scared Straight treatment that seemed to wise him up a bit. Everything he thought was cool, wasn't so cool. And after a visit to the Seiman Wiesenthal Center (The Museum of Tolerance) he started to see that all the things that mom and dad constantly harped on him about -- responsibility, education, direction -- we're things that other black and white people fought and many died to grant his generation.

And all this occurred within his father's lifetime.

It's only been 40 years since we had our own domestic terrorists bombing churches in Selma Alabama for ethnic and religious reasons. Slavery may have been a long time ago, but Slavery didn't really end in 1865. It didn't end with the Emancipation Proclamation (Which itself was quasi legal Unitary Executive Directive), or the 13th Amendment (which ended Slavery - except for the "Duly Convicted" and of course The Black Codes), or the 14th Amendment (which supposedly guaranteed the equal protection of the laws regardless of race -- except for Plessy v Ferguson and Jim Crow!), or the 15th Amendment (which supposedly granted the right to vote -- except for Poll Tax).

It didn't end until a century later - in 1965, and it could be argued that with continued economic segregation, ongoing employment discrimination, rollbacks of Affirmative Action and voter disenfranchisement -- it hasn't really ended at all, merely moved increasingly underground, where you have to be like Brian - hyper-sensitive to catch it, identify it (accurately) and fight against it - or else it'll catch you.

Rose

Rose was a blessing for this show. She seemed to immediately and intuitively understand nearly all the issues and complexities of situation right from the start. Like her mom, she was hungry for knowledge - but far more sensitive to her own responsibility to avoid some of Carmen's mind-numbing faux-pas.

She showed the best balance between Bruno's blunt idealism with Carmen's empathy, blending to two together into a strong mix of compassion and practicality. She seemed for more aware of the vulnerability, pain and frustration that 400 of overt (and covert) oppression has heaped on these people -- and that they carry much of that pain to this very day. It has shaped who they (well, ok who "we") are in both positive and negative ways, forging both strength and weakness. Passion and folly. Both Black-Bruno and Black-Rose walked around their home neighborhood of Santa Monica to see if people were going to react differently to them. Where Bruno was basically - Bruno in black-face, Rose wasn't. She was almost instinctively different, not only in dress but also mannerism. She internalized the sense of distance that comes from being "the other", where Bruno saw no difference in anyone reaction (or simply refused to look close enough expecting unrealistically that anyone would be criminally stupid enough to be obvious about it), Rose picked up on the change in vibe almost immediately.

Rose was the only person on the show who seemed to have not only a different color, but a different hair style -- a different wardrobe and a different demeanor. (Not like Brian who had his little tight-assed white guy walk and super straight diction even when he was in make-up) She was a practically a different person, and I don't think it was deliberate - I think it was just happening because of the circumstances. Sometimes you do perceive yourself as an internal reflection of how the world perceives you.

Ultimately the differences between black and white Americans isn't simply a matter of skin-tone. It is about who you are as a person, who you are culturally, socially, how you relate to others, what you're expectations of them are as well as how you treat them. These vary wildly not only between black and whites, but between blacks and other blacks - between whites and other whites.

Prejudice is simply coming to a conclusion. You may indeed have facts to draw on to build that conclusion (every cliche is based on at least some truth), but the problem is do you have all the facts? And further, can you take the risk of disregarding what you think you know long enough to discover what you don't know? Do you have the guts to face the possibility that everything you currently believe just might be completely wrong?

The key to defeating racism and all forms of bigotry, is having the courage to take those risks. You might find out that those young hoodlum looking kids really do want to rob you -- or you might find out that they don't want your bling because it's dated and wack. Do you avoid the risk, or do you have a duty not to presume and prejudge them without real evidence? You might feel that the elderly couple just crossed the street to avoid a confrontation or coming in contact with you, but then again maybe they were just headed to a different store? Should you ignore it, get upset about it - or simply list it under "unknown"?

Sometimes our perceptions and preconceptions are right on the money - sometimes they're not. We all have the capacity to be racists and bigots -- the question is, do we have the courage that Brian, Bruno, Renee, Carmen, Nick and Rose displayed to try not to be?

And can we afford not to find that courage, somewhere - somehow?

Vyan

Linking Bush to Plame - Next Steps

Yesterday's dramatic revelation by Jason Leopold put us in a very strange and unique position.

We now know that the President has a direct connection not only the leaking (of allegedly declassified) information to the press, but also that he was aware of the (false) claim Joseph Wilson wife was the person who "sent him to Niger". A claim that eventually led to the disclosure of her identity by Robert Novak.

Not being a mainstream reporter, Leopold's article has so far received little or no notice by other press outlets -- but we know about it, and therefore we are a step or three ahead of the rest of the country on this issue.

The facts appear to be that the President was apparently involved in a conspiracy to perpetuate a series of lies that falsely led us into war -- and resulted in an act that his own father says was treasonous.

I think we have to take a long hard look at these issues, examine them closely and fairly -- then spread the word.

Coming on the heels of the Fitzgerald filing which indicates that Scooter Libby received Presidential authorization to disclose (then classified) NIE information to Judith Miller we now have this from Jason Leopold on Truthout.org.

In early June 2003, Vice President Dick Cheney met with President Bush and told him that CIA officer Valerie Plame Wilson was the wife of Iraq war critic Joseph Wilson and that she was responsible for sending him on a fact-finding mission to Niger to check out reports about Iraq's attempt to purchase uranium from the African country, according to current and former White House officials and attorneys close to the investigation to determine who revealed Plame-Wilson's undercover status to the media.

Other White House officials who also attended the meeting with Cheney and President Bush included former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card, then-National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, her former deputy Stephen Hadley, and Deputy White House Chief of Staff Karl Rove.

It's been well discussed that the Uranium Niger Claims were based on forgeries, and the that NIE included many doubts about both that claim and the intended uses for the aluminum tubes (Facts which Rove and Hadley attempted to hide during the Election).

It's also been well documented that Cheney and Libby were personally informed by the CIA that these claims had been disproven.

I have another issue to address - the subject of the meeting in question.

The discussion that "Plame sent Wilson to Niger" is yet again the repetition of falsehood that seems to have originated from a June 10th classified State Dept addendum to an CIA document on Wilson's trip. Both the CIA and Wilson himself have already directly responded to, and debunked this allegation:

The original source for this claim seems to be a document produced by the INR which was attached to Wilson's report to the CIA, but the claim made by that document was disputed by the CIA nearly two years ago by Mike Allen and Dana Milbank at the Washington Post.

Sources said the CIA is angry about the circulation of a still-classified document to conservative news outlets suggesting Plame had a role in arranging her husband's trip to Africa for the CIA. The document, written by a State Department official who works for its Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR), describes a meeting at the CIA where the Niger trip by Wilson was discussed, said a senior administration official who has seen it.

CIA officials have challenged the accuracy of the INR document, the official said, because the agency officer identified as talking about Plame's alleged role in arranging Wilson's trip could not have attended the meeting.

"It has been circulated around," one official said. CIA and State Department officials have refused to discuss the document.

The Senate Intelligence report has also been referenced on this point, but it appears that their claims that Valerie Plame-Wilson was at least perpherally involved in suggesting her husband be dispatched to Niger really almost entirely on the exact same INR analyst who the CIA claims "wasn't at the meeting" in question.

Wilson responding to the Senate Report's suggestion that his "Wife sent him" to Niger:

First conclusion: "The plan to send the former ambassador to Niger was suggested by the former ambassador's wife, a CIA employee."

That is not true. The conclusion is apparently based on one anodyne quote from a memo Valerie Plame, my wife sent to her superiors that says "my husband has good relations with the PM (prime minister) and the former Minister of Mines, (not to mention lots of French contacts) both of whom could possibly shed light on this sort of activity." There is no suggestion or recommendation in that statement that I be sent on the trip. Indeed it is little more than a recitation of my contacts and bona fides. The conclusion is reinforced by comments in the body of the report that a CPD reports officer stated the "the former ambassador's wife `offered up his name'" (page 39) and a State Department Intelligence and Research officer that the "meeting was `apparently convened by wife who had the idea to dispatch him to use his contacts to sort out the Iraq-Niger uranium issue."

In fact, Valerie was not in the meeting at which the subject of my trip was raised. Neither was the CPD Reports officer. After having escorted me into the room, she departed the meeting to avoid even the appearance of conflict of interest. It was at that meeting where the question of my traveling to Niger was broached with me for the first time and came only after a thorough discussion of what the participants did and did not know about the subject.

So the first important and independantly verified point about the meeting of the anti-Wilson Cabal is that the key element of their discussion - was a falsehood. Wilson's wife did not send him to Africa. The second point, is what exactly did they decide to do with that information at that point?

Cheney's involvement in this meeting is particularly interesting since he stated while appearing on Meet the Press (Sept 14, 2003)...

I don't know Mr. Wilson. I probably shouldn't judge him. I have no idea who hired him and it never came [up]...

Apparently he did (think) he knew who hired him, and it did come up.

I've always been curious as to who exactly the "CPD Reports Officer" and "INR Analyst" were. Was the INR analyst David Wurmser (who appears to be fully cooperating with the Fitzgerald investigation and whom Raw Story indicates was told about the Wilson/Plame connection by someone at CIA) or was it the VP NSA Assistant John Hannah?

Last night on Keith Olbermann, David Shuster pointed out that the one thing that is missing from the Fitzgerald filing is a link between the President and Plame.

SHUSTER: Well, I would think the latter, in fact, in this particular case, the source that is talking to the AP wasn‘t reasonable at all, because it doesn‘t make any sense that somebody the president would not want this information to get in the hands of the public or the media, but would say, Well, go ahead and declassify it. Declassifying it does exactly that, so there‘s a contradiction. But the other thing to focus on, Keith, and that is the next shoe to drop that many people here in this town believe is the whole idea of most of the conversation that Judy Miller remembers of her meeting with Scooter Libby on July 8 that was prompted by the vice president saying, Yes, you‘ve got the authority to talk to Judy Miller from the president, most of the conversation she remembers was not about the National Intelligence Estimate but was about Valerie Plame, about her identity, and where she worked at the CIA.

According to the Fitzgerald Indictment - Libby had already revealed Plame's identity to Judith Miller on June 23rd, at least a week before the President declassified anything - but long after the meeting between the Veep, Prez and underlings was already held discussing Valerie Plame's link to Wilson's trip.

On July 6th Wilson's Op-ed "What I didn't find in Africa" was published by the New York Times.

On July 8th, two days later and still two days before the President declassified portions of the NIE via the Vice President, Libby spoke to Miller again.

On or about the morning of July 8,2003,LIBBY met with New York Times reporter Judith Miller.When the conversation turned to the subject of Joseph Wilson,LIBBY asked that the information LIBBY provided on the topic of Wilson be attributed to a “former Hill staffer ” rather than to a “senior administration official,” as had been the understanding with respect to other information that LIBBY provided to Miller during this meeting.LIBBY thereafter discussed with Miller Wilson ’s trip and criticized the CIA reporting concerning Wilson ’ s trip. During this discussion,LIBBY advised Miller of his belief that Wilson ’s wife worked for the CIA.

That would be "advised Again" actually. Shuster continued...

And furthermore, leading up to that meeting in June, the vice president and Scooter Libby had discussed where Valerie Plame worked at the CIA. So a lot of people in Washington are buzzing about the idea, exactly what was the vice president‘s role? What kind of instructions did he give to Scooter Libby as far as what to focus on in this meeting? And secondly, did the vice president at any point in his conversations with the president make some sort of mention of this other information, not the NIE, but Valerie Plame‘s status at the CIA? Did the president and vice president talk about that?

Well, it's seem that Leopold has found that missing link.

Assuming Leopold's sources are accurate, Fitz already has this information but hasn't yet revealed it. Most likely, this is fodder for his second investigation which is ongoing and may indicate that possible Conspiracy and Obstruction Charges may be on the line for Hadley, Rice, Rove, Card, Cheney and the President.

But what about Treason, espionage and revealing the name of a Covert Agent?

Espionage under USC Title 18 Section 793 requires that the persons intent is to "reason to believe could be used to the injury of the United States or to the advantage of any foreign nation", and frankly though their efforts were deeply misguided - it would be difficult to directly make the case that anyone in the chain between Plame and the President were deliberately attempting to hurt the United State or help any other nation, even if that is exactly what the end result has been with the loss of Plame's cover and the viability of Brewster/Jennings as a front for non-proliferation efforts.

The Covert Agent charge depends largely on whether there was a willful and knowing violation of Inteligence Identities Protection Act, which requires that the parties involved in disclosing the identity be aware that the person is a covert operative.

Thinkprogress has pointed out that the Libby indictment indicates at least three instances where Libby's behavior shows that he was aware that what he was doing in revealing Plame's identity was highly sensitive and potentially criminal.

Some of the oh-too-careful maneavering by people such as Karl Rove "I didn't know her name and didn't leak her name." are clearly ment as a dodge to the fact that he did reveal her identity (as "Wilson's wife") and such an act is a violation of section 421 of the IIPA.

Still direct willfulness and knowing-ness is difficult to prove - particularly when there are so many lies flying back and forth. I know from my time working in a Dod secure environment (12 years) that classified information should only be shared on a "Need to Know" basis, and that it is incumbent on the person providing the information to both ensure that they are only providing it to someone with the appropriate clearance, as well as informing them on the level of sensitivity of that information so that the newly informed person maintains it's protection.

In other words, anyone who was aware of Plame's employment status (which Fitz has well pointed out was classified) would have also had to know that she was an undercover operative, and would have been required to include that fact in sharing that information with any other cleared persons. I find it pretty much inconceivable that the President, Vice President and various support staff could have been in a meeting about Wilson, mention that "his Wife sent him to Niger" and not also know that his wife was a covert operative - but it is in fact, possible that they didn't know.

This is where the identity of that CPD and INR officers who made the initial false claims becomes crucial, because if they disclosed this information in the addendum to the CIA memo and didn't properly mark or identify the level of sensitivity of this information he (or she) were the first domino in the chain and is highly vulnerable to various charges including violation of the IIPA. (And again, if one of these people is Wurmser (who worked Non-proliferation under John Bolton at State, Cheney and the President's goose is already pretty well cooked)

In conclusion, persons downstream from the original breach by the CPD Officer (who shared information about a meeting he didn't even attend) to the INR analyst and eventually to Novak and possibily including the President along the way may not technically be in legal jeopardy (depending on exactly what they did and didn't say to investigators and the grand jury) -- but that doesn't absolve them from their violation of duty and the oath to the American People and the Constitution to "Protect this Nation from all threats".

Including in this case, themselves.

Even without knowing the Leopold story 63% of those polled think the President Acted Illegally and Unethically in Declassfying selected portions of the NIE.

Impeachable? Oh, yes - I think so.

<> But Indictable? That remains to be seen particularly since a full After-Action Report on the Plame outing remains undisclosed.

Vyan

When a leak is not a leak...

From Firedoglake today: The American public may have a short attention span about certain stories in the news - tending to go for the more sensational over the intricate detail sorts. But they understand one thing very clearly: liars and hypocrites make for a good storyline. Especially when the liar or hypocrite has previously wagged his finger at them on television and proclaimed that he deplores that thing which, ultimately, we find out he has in truth done. And so we come to George Bush. Leaks are bad. Shading the truth is horrible. I'm a gonna "restore honor and integrity to the White House" kind of guy. ...unless, of course, my political self is roasting on a public perception spit, in which case I will selectively release only that previously classified information that makes me look good -- while I keep all information which calls my judgment into question conveniently classified. (It's good to be the King, isn't it George -- until you get caught, that is.) We've arrived in a completely amazing place, deep through the looking glass where the President can brazenly accuse people who perform the public service of Whistle-blowing an Illegal Surveillance Program as "Leakers", yet do an amazing about face when releasing classified information in order to debunk the TRUTH - and claim that isn't a "Leak". Oh, really? First there is the fact that the President didn't follow standard declassification procedure when he authorized Libby to talk to Judith Miller about the NIE. I worked in a secure environment under to perview of the DOD for 12 years. From that experience I know that all classifed documents are clearly Marked as such, and that any changes in classification require that these documentes either be re-marked, or destroyed and re-created with the new classificaiton - yet there is no indication that this took place an July 10th when Scooter talked to Judy. Scott McClennan was asked about this. Q Back when the NIE was released on July 18, 2003, you were asked that day when that had been actually declassified. And you said in that gaggle that it had been declassified that day. And if that's the case, then when the information was passed on to the reporter 10 days earlier, then it was still classified at that time. MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think you're referring -- a couple of things. First of all, it was publicly released that day, so that's when a portion of the National Intelligence Estimate that we were making available to the public was released. The second part of your question is referring to an ongoing legal proceeding, and referring to a filing in that legal proceeding. We have had a policy in place, going back to the October time period of 2003, that we are not going to comment on an ongoing investigation or an ongoing legal proceeding. That policy remains unchanged. Of course, Scotty ducked the question - but his answer is revealing in that he links it to the "ongoing investigation" and that means that persons involved in sharing that information, and violating standard classification procedure just might include the President and Vice President. So it remains an open question as to whether the information given to Judy was technically still classified or not, and the Presidents Press Secretary has not denied that it was. Then there is the fact that the information itself was quite suspect. From the NYTimes. WASHINGTON, April 8 -- President Bush's apparent order authorizing a senior White House official to reveal to a reporter previously classified intelligence about Saddam Hussein's efforts to obtain uranium came as the information was already being discredited by several other officials in the administration, interviews and documents from the time show. A review of the records and interviews conducted during and after the crucial period in June and July of 2003 also show that what the aide, I. Lewis Libby Jr., said he was authorized to portray as a "key judgment" by intelligence officers had in fact been given much less prominence in the most important assessment of Iraq's weapons capability. Mr. Libby said he drew on that report, the October 2002 National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq, when he spoke with the reporter. However, the conclusions about Mr. Hussein's search for uranium appear to have been buried deeper in the report in part because of doubts about their reliability. In short, in that NIE the INR had questioned the legitimacy of Niger documents, and suspected they might be forgeries. There were also doubts from the Energy Dept. about the intended use of the Aliminum Tubes that Iraq had purchased. Did Libby release this? Hell, no. The truth remained classified while Libby (illegaly) released the same set of lies that most of Congress had seen. Senator Bob Graham saw more than most, and he was troubled by what he saw. At a meeting of the Senate intelligence committee on Sept. 5, 2002, CIA Director George Tenet was asked what the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) provided as the rationale for a preemptive war in Iraq. An NIE is the product of the entire intelligence community, and its most comprehensive assessment. I was stunned when Tenet said that no NIE had been requested by the White House and none had been prepared. Invoking our rarely used senatorial authority, I directed the completion of an NIE. Tenet objected, saying that his people were too committed to other assignments to analyze Saddam Hussein's capabilities and will to use chemical, biological and possibly nuclear weapons. We insisted, and three weeks later the community produced a classified NIE. There were troubling aspects to this 90-page document. While slanted toward the conclusion that Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction stored or produced at 550 sites, it contained vigorous dissents on key parts of the information, especially by the departments of State and Energy. Particular skepticism was raised about aluminum tubes that were offered as evidence Iraq was reconstituting its nuclear program. As to Hussein's will to use whatever weapons he might have, the estimate indicated he would not do so unless he was first attacked. So even if Hussein had the weapons the NIE stated that he would only use them in self-defense, and what did we do? We attacked him. Did Libby share this with Judy? Hell, no. According to Scotty, this is what he did. But let's go back to the time period that you're talking about, because I think it's important for the public to know or recall that time period. There was a lot of debate going on about the pre-war intelligence that was used in the lead up to the decision to go into Iraq and remove a brutal tyrant from his position of power. There were irresponsible and unfounded accusations being made against the administration, suggesting that we had manipulated or misused that intelligence. That was flat-out false. The National Intelligence Estimate was a document that was provided to members of Congress. It is the collective judgment of the intelligence community. And because of the public debate that was going on and some of the wild accusations that were flying around at the time, we felt it was very much in the public interest that what information could be declassified, be declassified. And that's exactly what we did. Uh huh... Now, let's look at the "leakers" that the President has railed against - people like Russel Tice. Former NSA intelligence agent Russell Tice condemns reports that the Agency has been engaged in eavesdropping on U.S. citizens without court warrants. Tice has volunteered to testify before Congress about illegal black ops programs at the NSA. Tice said, "The freedom of the American people cannot be protected when our constitutional liberties are ignored and our nation has decayed into a police state. ... AMY GOODMAN: Russell Tice, you have worked for the National Security Agency. Can you talk about your response to the revelations that the Times, you know, revealed in -- perhaps late, knowing the story well before the election, yet revealing it a few weeks ago -- the revelation of the wiretapping of American citizens? RUSSELL TICE: Well, as far as an intelligence officer, especially a SIGINT officer at N.S.A., we're taught from very early on in our careers that you just do not do this. This is probably the number one commandment of the SIGINT Ten Commandments as a SIGINT officer. You will not spy on Americans. It is drilled into our head over and over and over again in security briefings, at least twice a year, where you ultimately have to sign a paper that says you have gotten the briefing. Everyone at N.S.A. who's a SIGINT officer knows that you do not do this. Ultimately, so do the leaders of N.S.A., and apparently the leaders of N.S.A. have decided that they were just going to go against the tenets of something that's a gospel to a SIGINT officer. ... AMY GOODMAN: And what do you think of the news that the National Security Agency spying on American citizens without a court order and foreign nationals is now sharing this information with other agencies like, well, the other agency you worked for, the Defense Intelligence Agency? RUSSELL TICE: Intelligence officers work with one another all the time. As an analyst, you might have a problem. Everybody gets together. It's just common sense to find out what everybody knows, you know, come to a consensus as to what the answer is. It's sort of like a puzzle, you know, chunks of the puzzle. And maybe you have a few chunks as a SIGINT officer, and the C.I.A. has a few chunks in their arena and D.I.A. has a few elements of it, and everybody gets together and does a little mind meld to try to figure out what's going on. So it's not unusual for the intelligence community to share information. But when we're talking about information on the American public, which is a violation of the FISA law, then I think it's even something more to be concerned about. So people like Russel Tice have come forward and tried to end violations of FISA, yet what has the Administration had to say about them? Q The purpose of releasing portions of this clearly had a political implication for the administration. There is a debate going on, and you wanted to counter that debate. And, yet, you're criticizing Democrats, saying that they are engaging in crass politics for saying that they're -- that this was leaking. How do you not see that there was a -- MR. McCLELLAN: For the reasons I stated. That's a very good question. Let's talk about the distinction. There is a difference between leaking classified information that could compromise sources and methods, which could be harmful to our nation's security. The terrorist surveillance program is a prime example. There was an unauthorized disclosure of this vital program that is helping to prevent attacks and save American lives. This is a program that is aimed at intercepting international communications involving known al Qaeda members or suspected al Qaeda affiliates. And it is vital to our nation's interest. General Hayden, the number-two man in our intelligence community, said its disclosure is harmful to our nation's security. So there is a clear distinction here. Democrats refuse to recognize that distinction. That is engaging in crass politics. Let me get this straight, disclosing that the Administartion is failing it's Constitutional Duty and Legal Requirements under FISA to obtain Warrants - even three days after they begin eavesdropping - is bad. But perpetuating lies about non-existence weapons in order to justify an unprovoked war - is good. Welcome to bizarro world people. I know we've been here for a while now, but sometimes looking back at exactly where we are is simply startling. And it looks like our first exit of this insane highway will be in November 2006. Maybe. Vyan

Molestors to the Right of Us...

In recent days there have been two - count 'em TWO - reports of Bush Administration Homeland Security Officials arrested for attempted child molestation.

WOW:

"The deputy press secretary for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was arrested Tuesday for using the Internet to seduce what he thought was a teenage girl, authorities said. Brian J. Doyle, 55, was arrested at his residence in Maryland on charges of use of a computer to seduce a child and transmission of harmful material to a minor. The charges were issued out of Polk County, Fla. Doyle, of Silver Spring, Md., had a sexually explicit conversation with what he believed was a 14-year-old girl whose profile he saw on the Internet on March 14, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said in a statement...read on"

Then you have this from AmericaBlog.

Again, does Bush vet anybody for any job in this administration, or is it all just buddy after buddy after buddy who gets in (Brownie), who gets the contracts (Dubia, Halliburton)? One big Harriet Miers administration.

But this one really takes the cake. The head of Operation Predator was a child sex predator? Jesus Christ people. I'd like to know how this guy got his job.

...that law enforcement agent, Frank Figueroa, used to run Operation Predator.

The victim, a 16-year-old girl, said Figueroa pulled up a leg of his shorts, exposed himself and masturbated for about 10 minutes, according to the Tampa Tribune.

This is beyond pathetic, but after letting Jeff Gannon/Guckert, a part-time gay male prostitute, into the White House Briefing Room repeatedly - should we really be surprised?

And I really wonder if O'Reilly, who loves to be "looking out for the folks" with is bloviating over Jessica Lundsford is going to do a special investigative report to "Get to the bottom of this?"

Somehow, I doubt it.

Vyan

Fitz begins to unravel Plame Conspiracy

Evidence Suggests White House Conspiracy
By Jason Leopold
t r u t h o u t | Report

Thursday 06 April 2006

Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald stated in a court filing late Wednesday in the CIA leak case that his investigators have obtained evidence during the course of the two-year-old probe that proves several White House officials conspired to discredit former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, a critic of the administration's pre-war Iraq intelligence.

This is the first time the special counsel has acknowledged that White House officials are alleged to have engaged in a coordinated effort to undercut the former ambassador's credibility by disseminating classified intelligence information that would have contradicted Wilson's public statements.

Fitzgerald's court filing was made in response to attorneys representing I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, who was indicted on five counts of perjury, obstruction of justice, and lying to investigators related to his role in the leak, who are desperately trying to obtain evidence from the government to prove Libby did not intentionally lie to the grand jury when he was asked how he found out about Plame Wilson and whether he shared that information with the media.

Furthermore, Libby's attorneys have argued that they are entitled to the evidence in order to prove Libby was not engaged in a "plot" to discredit Wilson. But Fitzgerald said he does not have evidence that would prove that theory. Instead, Fitzgerald said the evidence he has obtained proves there was a coordinated effort by White House officials to discredit Wilson.

"There exist documents, some of which have been provided to defendant and there were conversations in which defendant participated, that reveal a strong desire by many, including multiple people in the White House, to repudiate Mr. Wilson before and after July 14, 2003.

Although Fitzgerald makes it abundantly clear that Libby is not charged with conspiracy, he argues that Libby's suggestion that no there was no White House plot to discredit Wilson is ludicrous given the amount of evidence Fitzgerald has in his possession that suggests otherwise.

"Once again, defendant ignores the fact that he is not charged with participating in any conspiracy, much less one defined as a "White House-driven plot to punish Mr. Wilson," the filing states. "Moreover, given that there is evidence that other White House officials with whom defendant spoke prior to July 14, 2003, discussed Wilson's wife's employment with the press both prior to, and after, July 14, 2003 - which evidence has been shared with defendant - it is hard to conceive of what evidence there could be that would disprove the existence of White House efforts to "punish" Wilson."

MORE: http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/040606R.shtml

Once again, Libby seems to be overplaying his hand. He has not been charged with plotting to discredit Wilson by revealing the identity of his CIA agent Wife. He's been charged with lying to the FBI and the Grand Jury, period. This court revelation itself comes fast on the heels of the revelation just yesterday that Libby's sharing of NIE information with Judith Miller was authorized by the Vice President and the President.

Murray Waas:

"Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff has testified that President Bush authorized him to disclose the contents of a highly classified intelligence assessment to the media to defend the Bush administration's decision to go to war with Iraq, according to papers filed in federal court on Wednesday by Patrick J. Fitzgerald, the special prosecutor in the CIA leak case...read on"

In their effort to suppress to protestations of Wilson, the Vice President allowed Libby to share then classified information with a Reporter - backed by the President's personal ok. The issue here then turns onto whether or not this permission also extended to revealing Plame's ID. Plame-Wilson herself is not mentioned within the NIE, but it's interesting to note that the full classified NIE did contain several references which supported Wilson's position that the Niger-Uranium claims were bogus, such as the INR speculation that the Niger document may have been a forgery, as well as the Energy Dept doubts about the Aluminum Tubing having anything to do with Uranium enrichment. Libby didn't release this information, he released info from the sanitized one-page summary that had been given to Congress which had all doubts and questions about Iraq's WMD expunged.

Although this revelation doesn't place the President directly in the line of persons who wished to out Plame, it does involve him in the "Conspiracy" to discredit Wilson - but many questions remain unanswered, which were brought up last night by Former White House Council John Dean on Countdown with Keith Olbermann.

The President does indeed have the authority to classify and declassify - but there is a procedure for doing so - and although the President can change that procedure, he is required to follow it while it is in effect. Nothing in this recent Libby revelation indicates that the President followed any type of declassification procedure, which would include notifing the George Tenet and the CIA that portions of the NIE - which they produced - were now considered "Unclassified".

What this does prove yet again, is that President Bush is a bald-faced Liar - since he claimed no less than eight times not to know the source of the leak. That's because he was one of the sources of the leak.

Vyan

Bush Admin may have spyed on Domestic Calls?

Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales suggested on Thursday for the first time that the president might have the legal authority to order wiretapping without a warrant on communications between Americans that occur exclusively within the United States. "I'm not going to rule it out," Mr. Gonzales said when asked about that possibility at a House Judiciary Committee hearing.

The attorney general made his comments, which critics said reflected a broadened view of the president's authority, as President Bush offered another strong defense of his decision to authorize the National Security Agency to eavesdrop without warrants on international calls and e-mail messages to or from the United States. Mr. Bush, in an appearance in North Carolina, told a questioner who attacked the program that he would "absolutely not" apologize for authorizing it. "You can come to whatever conclusion you want" about the merits of the program," Mr. Bush said. "The conclusion is I'm not going to apologize for what I did on the terrorist surveillance program."

At the House hearing, Mr. Gonzales faced tough questioning from Democrats and Republicans but declined to discuss many operational details. Representative F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., the Wisconsin Republican who is chairman of the Judiciary Committee and one of the administration's staunchest allies, accused the administration of "stonewalling."

"Mr. Attorney General, how can we discharge our oversight responsibilities if every time we ask a pointed question, we're told that the answer is classified?" Mr. Sensenbrenner asked. "Congress has an inherent constitutional responsibility to do oversight. We are attempting to discharge those responsibilities." The House and Senate have conducted limited inquiries into the surveillance program, which many Democrats contend is illegal. Republicans on the Senate intelligence panel have agreed on measures to impose new oversight but allow wiretapping without warrants for up to 45 days.

more
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/07/washington/07nsa.html

Ok, with this revelation - how much of the "we're only listening to al Qaeda calling to the U.S. from overseas" arguement begin to crumble?

Vyan

General Zinni tells it like it is

From Crooks and Liars.

Gen. Zinni was the second guest on "Meet the Press," today and was very powerful in his observations in the run up to the war, Rumsfeld, Cheney and Bush's loyalty to his people rather than to their performance which has been appalling by his standards. Russert let him give uninterrupted answers to his questions.

Video-WMP Video-QT

Zinni: ...I heard the case being built to go to war right away- I was hearing a depiction of the intelligence that didn't fit what I knew. There was no solid proof that I ever saw that Saddam had WMD....

(transcript via TP)

ZINNI: I saw the - what this town is known for, spin, cherry-picking facts, using metaphors to evoke certain emotional responses or shading the context. We know the mushroom clouds and the other things that were all described that the media has covered well. I saw on the ground a sort of walking away from 10 years’ worth of planning. You know, ever since the end of the first Gulf War, there’s been planning by serious officers and planners and others, and policies put in place - 10 years' worth of planning were thrown away. Troop levels dismissed out of hand. Gen. Shinseki basically insulted for speaking the truth and giving an honest opinion.

The lack of cohesive approach to how we deal with the aftermath, the political, economic, social reconstruction of a nation, which is no small task. A belief in these exiles that anyone in the region, anyone that had any knowledge, would tell you were not credible on the ground. And on and on and on, decisions to disband the army that were not in the initial plans. There’s a series of disastrous mistakes. We just heard the Secretary of State say these were tactical mistakes. These were not tactical mistakes. These were strategic mistakes, mistakes of policies made back here. Don’t blame the troops. They’ve been magnificent. If anything saves us, it will be them.

MTP now has a full transcript up and this is being well covered on Dkos.

The most telling thing is the Zinni is simply stating the truth. The claims by Bush, Cheney and even Powell that there was "No doubt" that Saddam had WMD and intended to use them against the U.S. was completely unfounded. This section here is especially telling...

MR. RUSSERT: I want to bring you back to August 26, 2002. The Veterans of Foreign War had a convention, a meeting. Vice President Cheney was the guest speaker. You were honored, as you can see the medal around your neck there. This is what the vice president said on that day.

(Videotape, August 26, 2002):

VICE PRES. DICK CHENEY: Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction. There is not doubt that he is amassing them to use against our friends, against our allies and against us.

MR. RUSSERT: After that event, The Washington Post captured your thinking in a conversation with you. "Cheney's certitude bewildered [retired General Tony] Zinni. ... `In my time at CENTCOM, I watched the intelligence, and never - not once - did it say, "He has WMD."' Though retired for nearly two years, Zinni says, he remained current on the intelligence through his consulting with the CIA and the military. `I did consulting work for the agency, right up to the beginning of the war. I never saw anything. I'd say to analysts, "Where's the threat?"' Their response, he recalls, was, `Silence.' Zinni's concern deepened as Cheney pressed on. ... Zinni's conclusion as he slowly walked off the stage was that the Bush administration was determined to go to war. A moment later, he had another, equally chilling thought: `These guys don't understand what they're getting into.'" Why did you think that on that day?

GEN. ZINNI: Well, first of all, prior to that, I heard the president say because this--these rumors of debates and people pushing for this entry into Iraq that the president said, "Well, look, I'm going to listen to the debate, and then I'll look at the intelligence." First of all, I thought that was a little backwards, but I said, "Well, the president hasn't made up his mind to this point, and when he looks at the intelligence, takes an honest look at it, when he hears the debate, he'll realize that this isn't something that should be done now, and it should--and if you're going to do it, you would do it in a way to try to restart the United Nations process, go back to what President Bush 41 had done."

But what I heard on that stage today, or that day was not the case of restarting that process in any serious way. I heard the case being built to go to war right away. And what bothered me, I had been hearing about some of the assumptions on the planning, dismissal of the for--previous plans, and I was hearing a depiction of the intelligence that didn't fit what I knew. There was no solid proof, that I ever saw, that Saddam had WMD.

Now, I'd be the first to say we had to assume he had WMD left over that wasn't accounted for: artillery rounds, chemical rounds, a SCUD missile or two. But these things, over time, degrade. These things did not present operational or strategic level threats at best. Plus, we were watching Saddam with an army that had caved in. It was nothing like the Gulf War army. It was a shell of its former self. We knew we could go through it quickly. We'd stripped away his air defenses. He was at our mercy. We had air superiority before we even--or actually air supremacy before we would even start an operation. So to say that this threat was imminent or grave and gathering, seemed like a great exaggeration to me.

MR. RUSSERT: The president, the secretary of state, all said he was not contained, he was not in a box, that he was a madman.

GEN. ZINNI: Well, I think that's--that is an insult to the troops who, for 10 years, ran the containment: those brave pilots who flew the no-fly zones, those sailors who enforced the maritime intercept operations, our soldiers and Marines that were on the ground out there that responded to every crisis, our support for the efforts of the inspectors that were in there. You know, we--we had less troops on a day-to-day basis out there than go to work at the Pentagon every day doing this. And these were not assigned troops to CENTCOM. These were troops that rotated in and out. We had allies out there that helped foot the bill for this, $300 million dollars to $500 million dollars a year supporting us with bases, supporting us with overflights, supporting us with assistance in kind, joining us in places like Somalia and the Balkans when we required coalition troops. I thought the containment worked remarkably well, and it was a tribute to our troops and how they handled it.

Simply incredible.

Vyan

Rock Star II Auditions - Hollywood

Last year the CBS show Rock Star : INXS twisted the American Idol idea on it's head by using a reality show to help choose the new lead singer for a real, genuine band. In that case it was the group INXS who had lost their singer to a tragedy nearly a decade ago.

This past Friday the final set of open auditions were held for the new season of Rock Star in Hollywood, which will feature an all new group called Supernova (w/ Tommy Lee of Motley Crue, Jason Newsted of Metallica and Gilby Clarke of Guns N Roses) and being a big fan of all three of these groups I decided to come out and give it a try. Over the flip is the diary my experience.

9:00 Arrived via the Metro Rail in the Center of Highly-Weird California -the town isn't really a town because it's a marketing campaign - lugging my 20lbs Line-6 Combo Practice Amp and Strat-styled Yamaha guitar and get in the line which extends around the block just as the rain starts to trickle down (and I'm of course thinking -"OH, shit- MY AMP!"). Fortunatey for me- and my amp - the rain was pretty sparse and I had brought a pair of vinyl pants for the stage which double quite nicely as a rain shield for those delicate electronics.

9:30 Line isn't really moving as the doors are supposed to open until 10:00. Some people are clearly nervous, some are beginning to vocalize - while others complain "Oh, no - soon everybodies going to be singing". I'm trying to warm my voice up a bit considering how early it is in the morning, but really doing what I need to do - which is basically screaming at the top of my lungs - just doesn't feel right in such a public space. So instead I settle for option #2, which is to chew some gum and hope it gets rid of that dreaded morning phlem. (It's a singer thang, trust me on that one)

9:46 Camera crew shows up -- so I take a picture of them, taking a picture of the line. They don't say much to many people, until one guy asks me to step back as my pacing out of bordem is messing up his shot. Thanks dude. Thank God I'm not here to be noticed or anything vain like that. I'm just doing it for the da kids. Really. Honest. Cross my heart and hope not to Cheney!

10:00 Doors open, line begins to creep forward once every 10 or 15 mins. Some people have friends who came with them, I don't talk much and try to keep focused on my CD player which has the two tracks that the drummer from my last band Glitched had done a quickie vocal-less remix and emailed to me the day before. I also had "Man in a Box" by Alice in Chains and "Set if Off" from Audioslave on the disc since the requirements were that you be ready to do up to three songs and one had to be a cover. I also had the guitar an amp for doing one of my own original songs depending on where I saw weaknesses in the competition. My number one option though - was use the CD and perform Drown. I knew the song pretty well, and would simply focus on the performance itself without worrying about playing guitar and/or remembering lyrics.

10:45 Some old guy shows up with a "I Support the President" sign. Which generates a few hoots and negative comments from the people in line. Besides being completely wrong-headed politically, this guy with typical Hollywood pay-attention-to-me defecit disorder then starts to dig into us with "Hey, you guys here for Americon Idol? - I love Ryan Seacrest". Hey,doofus, this is ROCK STAR featuring members of Metallica, you might as well have accused us of wearing tutu's and buggering cats - so we toss back -"What do you drink, bathwater?" - and "I hope you reserve your tickets to the Impeachment!". [Later I realize that his sign probably was in response to the Censure Hearings which were talking place in the Senate today, not this this guy was about to deliver a nuanced argument on how the President hasn't willfully violated the law and the 4th Amendment with his NSA Spying program]

It generates about five minutes of fun and foolishness that slightly bonds the hopefuls together, but generally most people are clearly nervous and tightlipped as the entrace to the Knitting Factory looms into view.


11:30 - Inching ever closer.

The sign says - "Rock Star -->" This Way. Where all your hopes and dreams will soon be crushed into dust. Enjoy.

<>11:55 Starting to move out of the drizzle and into the foyer. A table is setup to accept applications and another camera crew, this one from TV Guide is filming people in line and having them perform their songs. I manage to get a shot of the ever-so-photogenic blond and beeming host.










But by this point in time, I'm not so worried about singing my song, I'm starting to wonder when and where I'll be able to take a piss. And I'm not the only one, I'd say about 1 in 5 people in line are starting to do the "Pee pee dance".

12:15 We turn in our applications, which basically is a release form for any music your going to perform and allows for CBS to use your likeness how they see fit and royalty free - in perpetuity. Wha-hoo, screwed by "da man" already. (Yeah, that's right - I actually bothered to read it, silly me.

Our pictures are taken with a digital cam, we're given a number (I was #174) and split into two lines -one for odd, one for even- for the impending slaughter like good little cattle. Some people are starting to vocalize more openly and I'm starting to recognize songs. I heard this pretty thrilling three-part harmony Journey song in the background, and then one girl was doing Skid Row's "I Remember You". (Ya aint gonna hear that one on American Idol. Not!).

12:45 Some people are getting their Primp On. One gal in a long leather jacket was having her already sky-high hair touched up by a friend - yeah, just a little more and she'd be have her own personal ozone-hole and be ready to join Vixen circa 1988. (Not that I'm much different with the bottle of Cobalt Blue Spiker in my pocket)

13:00 Still in line, close enough to see the door, pardon the Mike and the Mechanics reference but "All I need is a toilet." and all my tension will flow away like water. In fact, exactly like water.

13:15 I step out of line -(not to worry I'm already tagged and numbered like any good free-range musician should be) - to take a quick look down Hollywood Blvd and see if there are any bathrooms around (yeah, right). There's a little deli, but of course it's "Customers Use Only". I'm not hungry and the last thing I need is something to drink. I head back to the line, and two other guys ask me as soon as I get back - "Did you find a bathroom?". I give 'em the lowdown and they both go for it. A buddy of theirs stays behind to watch their guitars.

13:30 I see that security is letting people into the club one at a time for a bathroom break. Aha, I knew I held out for a reason. Besides if I'd lost it, I had brought a second pair of pants with me anyway. I take my turn and use it as a chance to case the layout. As I come in there's a black guy on stage singing Extreme's "More than Words". He's good, but missing some of the notes. That's a tough song to do properly. They have video setup recording the performance. It's a fairly relaxed atmosphere, not too many onlookers. I don't recognize anyone famous inside, just do my business and head back out.

13:45 The auditioners are grouped into lots of ten to enter the club. I take another quick trip inside to change into my vinyl pants. This time some girl is singing to some punk backing tracks badly off-key. Then a couple minutes later our group goes in. We line up along the wall, and get the low-down from the sound guy. Their only going to let us have part of the song, just enough to get the flavor -- if you're cut off, don't take it personally it's not the "Hook" - everyone gets cut off. You can provide a CD with backing tracks, play along with acoustic guitar - or have a friend do it, or simply sing acapella. The song can be original or a cover. I'm prepared to do all three but choose Door number #1 Johnny since it'll be easiest for me all around and I won't have any distractions (no guitar parts or cover lyrics to remember)

14:00 I'm third in line, the two people ahead of me do "Bring me to Life" by Evanescense (A good pick) and a Cheap Trick song respectively. Both are good, not drop dead awesome - but good.

I go up, and do my thing. I stay relaxed, take control of the stage like I own it. Grab the mic stand and swing it around so I can get my Steven Tyler Mojo going. I don't stand still and sing like everyone else seems to - I jump, pace, dance and Rock Out! I'm not nervous and I don't care that I'm alone on stage, I've played a dozens and dozens clubs like this -- I'm home.

(Me - Onstage w/Glitched-- in 2004)

The song flows out of me, and it should since I've already done it hundreds of times in reheasals and on stage with Glitched. The song is Hard rock/Metal, modern sounding but with a strong Metallica vibe - which is most appropriate with Jason Newsted out there watching. It goes just as I planned, and I did it about as well as I could have. Hopefully it translated well onto tape, but I have no idea if it did or not. All I could do is my best. Everything after that is up to them.

(<- Somewhere in the darkness is Jason Newsted, can you find Waldo?)

The moment is over fairly quickly - I get some enthusiastic applause from the other contestants. My work is done here, so I quickly change back out of my vinyl pants (they don't breathe so wearing them for longer than a few minutes can get kinda Fong-kay!) and back into my jeans. Jason Newsted is wandering around the back of the club watching, and chatting with the soundguy occasionally.

The other contestants file up, this one guy is onstage while I'm changing is pretty awesome. He has a great look, tats, doing an original song (I think) and sounded very modern like the band H.I.M or My Chemical Romance. He's a strong contender in my book. Later I learn his name is "Toreen". His girlfriend, Christy, is next and after a slightly rocky start she kicks the shit out of Journey's "Seperate Ways". I complement them both, and Christy tells me she's only their because of Toreen and she has bronchitis.

14:20 Before our group is done we have an older heavy-set black guy who is clearly an accomplished jazz singer go up. He sounds great, but I think he's at the wrong audition - this is ROCK STAR, not Lounge Singer. He'll kill 'em on the cocktail circuit - but not Webley Stadium.

Then we have this white kid, about 18-19 in a muscle shirt with well developed pecs and lats. He does Luther Vandrose and oversings it - which itself is quite an accomplishement. He's great too - if he's trying to be the fifth member of N'Suck. His best shot is probably to become Nick Lechey Mark II and see if Jessica's little sister Ashlee Simpson is still dating her slack-rocker boyfriend Ryan. There he might have a shot -here, auditioning to sing for guys who used to be in Metallica, Guns N Roses and Motley Crue? Maybe I'm wrong, but I just don't think so.

One of the last persons up is this girl in a wheel chair. Her mom(?) wheels her up to the mic, and she stands, shakily, to perform Tina Turner's version of "Proud Mary". She doesn't have the greatest voice, but she has the greatest enthusiasm. It isn't long before most of the other contestant, myself included, are singing backups from the audience. She really gets going on the "Doo doo doo" parts, and then kicks it into overtime on the fast part. The soundguy tries to stop here at the normal spot, just like everyone else - but it's no use. She's in the zone. We got Wilamena Hung in da house. Only she's sings better than he did, actually manages to finish the entire song and get a huge set of applause. Hey, could you cut-off somebody in a wheelchair halfway through?

Yeah, I could too - but don't spread it around.

The last guy gets an even bigger response doing "Whole Lotta Love" while accompanying himself on an unamplified electric guitar. Without the Marshall's, it's really pretty funny particularly when he gets to the moaning "Oh" parts. "Waaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy down insiiiiiiiiidde....". Oh yeah, baby.

What I wouldn't give to see the rest of those tapes, man. That's gotta be a goldmine of amazing moments, but this show is very different from American Idol specifically on that point - they don't broadcast the outakes and subject people to ridicule. I'm doing it here - cuz it's so much fun - but then only the other ten or twelve people in the room saw these performances at the time and most of them have their own opinions about them, including mine. (Hey, what's wrong with that guys pants!!! And why's his hair kinda blue? LOL) If you get out in public to perform, you need to be able to take a lump or two. If you can't take it - don't get on stage.

14:23 Finally out and done, and the line is still pretty long. Only this group of people isn't nearly a nervous and tight-lipped as those I went in with. They're having a great time. It's a party out here -- with tons of people singing all kinds of cover songs. It's like the band camp sing-a-long from hell, dude.

This one guy with a soft-curl fro (pictured right) is pretty much the de-facto band leader with about a half-dozen back-up singers. I joined in and did a couple different versions of "Purple Rain" while cameras scrolled by from some website or the other. I also met a pretty awesome local R&B singer out there by the name of Anthony Powers. (www.anthonypowers.com

Rockband.com has lots of great pics also, most of which were taken pretty much at this particular time (I swear I must have been a couple inches off camera for some of these shots, but I'm not in them).

I was having so much fun, I decided to hang around. Since I'd already been inside everybody wanted to know the scoop about how it was and what to expect. I borrowed a guitar and played "Hole Hearted" - which was one of my backup songs, although i never have learned all the correct words - which is why I didn't do it inside. Nobody else knew them either, so we were basically even.

(End of the Line)

15:00 I eventually wandered to the back of the line, where there were some others who'd already been in and out hang around doing rock song covers. We did "Patience", "Sweet Child 'O Mine", "My Sacrifice" (with modified lyrics that made fun of Scott Stapp getting beaten up repeatedly), "It's Been Awhile" (Staind) and if - if you can believe this - an acoustic version of System of a Down's "Chop Suey" (!?!).

(Shannon and her Guitarist - the "Chop Suey" Man)

The other guys who were still in line were Pop and R&B singers -- but this group were ROCK singers and the difference was obvious. These guys even made up a song on the spot called 'Hollywood Blvd" for this website that was filming for Showusyourcharacter.com, which was connected to USA Networks.

(Me with a borrowed Guitar, you can see Brian from Vicious Rumors and Ira from Metal Church walking around in the background in the video from Showusyourcharacter.com where I'm performing a song I didn't do in the audition.)

(Neal, his girlfriend and Shannon, Real Rockers!)

After doing about six songs I got to talking to the others, there was Shannon and her guitarist - then there was Neal and his girlfriend. Neal mentioned his old band Sunburn, and I suddently realized I knew this guy. I had seen that band in Sacramento, and was a big fan. They were from Walnut Creek in Northern California and I've been featuring one of their songs, "Last Words", on my Live365 Station for years. One of the other guys hanging out there was Brian (O'Connor) who was a friend of Neals and former lead singer for Vicious Rumors. He's yet another guy I knew of from NorCal, but I'd never really met him -- and even stranger yet, he knew of me and my old Sacramento band Planet X. We started talking about Jay from the Town Pump in Yuba City, who was the guitarist for my last group Glitched - and the fact that I'd just auditioned with a track that had Jay playing on it.. It was like NorCal Central down there, and we we're partying hard - Neal's girlfriend had gone across the street and picked up a twelve pack of Corona's. They were in the sharing mood, so you're talking semi-drunk rock camp-fire songs in the middle of the drizzle.

Toreen, Christy and someone else from Rockband.com's Pics

The little guy on the right posing is Dave Navarro (Jane's Addiction, Red Hot Chili Peppers) who will be the host of the show.

(Ira from Metal Church with Brian from Vicious Rumors - note the Corona's in their hands - Par-tay!!)

I got into an interesting coversation with Brian, who'd toured and performed in front of 50,000 person crowds with Vicious Rumors. He was terrified by this audition. Stomach all notted up, because you were completely under a microscope in there - it's completely different than having a faceless crowd of thousands. I'm sure he did fantastic though, but it just underscored another point that is different from AI and in fact different from the first season of Rock Star. IMO too many of the people auditioning were simply not suited to what this band was most likely to become. It might not be as heavy as Metallica, because this is clearly intended for the mainstream - but it also wasn't going to be Avril Lavigne. My best guest is that this project would probably emulate the success of Velvet Revolver, which was another "supergroup" of ex-GNR and STP personel. All the people doing Christina Aguilera were missing it IMO.

(<-- Yes, the Devil really does live on Hollywood Blvd).

If people like Neal, Brian and Toreen don't get picked then I certainly won't feel bad if I don't. These guys are the Real Deal, and I expect with or without this show we'll see them again. Heck, Neal said he was going to auditioning for the band Fuel soon -- so who knows, eh?

All in all, about 370 people showed up in Hollywood, about 50 of those will be called back on Monday for secondary auditions, from there things will eventually be wittled down to the 15 people who'll be in the fishbowl of the show. One way or the other, it should be entertaining.

Vyan