Other Things to the Fore

This blog is called, “About Music and Other Things”. The blog is essentially mine. I’m the only contributor, and I’m a musician, composer, and publisher of music. The blog begins with the premise that a musician has something to say about music, of course, but that a musician’s view of the rest of the world is different from other sorts of views, and provides a valuable perspective on those Other Things. I have also felt that it was important for non-musicians to give their views on music, because of their perspectives. I’m now hoping to be joined here by someone who is not necessarily a musician, and who has something to say about many issues. I have not convinced this person yet, but I hope that will be the case. I don’t want to embarrass this person, whom I’ve known most of my life, so I won’t say any more. The point in all of this is that A Weblog About Music & Other Things is about to become more about the Other Things, without forgetting to be about music.

In the future, you’ll see more comment on the political scene, by which I mean more than just the coming US elections. So far, there has been little debated in the primaries, and I expect less as the general election looms. The Democratic nomination race has been about whether you hate women because you don’t like Hillary Clinton, or whether (to a lesser extent) you hate African-Americans because you don’t like Barack Obama. I don’t care for either politically, but then I’m much less concerned about them than the policies they support, and I’m not crazy about what I’ve read and heard. As for McCain, well, he’ll get little mention here, as I don’t expect that anyone would construe the left-of-centre politics obvious in this blog as being remotely ready to give McCain’s platform the time of day. In fact, the only reason to consider the Democrats is that so many people who call themselves “progressives” are poised to support the Democratic Party’s candidate, even though he doesn’t really have any progressive positions, when you come to look at them. In that respect, at least my contribution will be, in part, to show the Democratic Party to be the (less than it was) slightly to the right-of-centre party of corporate imperialism that it is.

As I have said, the politics is more than elections. True change and progress toward social and economic justice isn’t going to happen only at the ballot box, and isn’t going to happen at all with an electoral system such as the one in use in the United States. It takes action away from legislatures and courthouses, and it takes bringing forward issues and insights not always heard or available. If we are ever going to force issues into elections (other than whether preferring someone as a candidate other than Hilary Clinton somehow constitutes virtual violence against women, for example) we must bring forward issues and views on issues amongst ourselves, and see to it that they are seen and discussed by others. This means getting beyond the corporate media, which is not concerned about the candidate’s platform or ideas, being more concerned with the platforms or ideas of candidate’s pastors. (As one who has served as a parish pastor myself, I’m amazed at all the fuss. No one in a million years would assume that a parishioner would have the same views as his or her pastor, especially most of those parishioners.) We heard much less about H. Clinton’s views on issues than we heard from leading members of mainstream women’s organizations on her candidacy. It got down to the level of being opposed to Hilary was being anti-feminist. I seem to remember that Margaret Thatcher is a woman, too, but that few progressives would support such an obvious right-wing figure just because she is a woman.

Politics is social, economic, and cultural, too. To that end, I am commending to your immediate attention the website iNTERNETSCELEBRITIES.com This site’s genius speaks for itself.

So, in the future, this blog will take on more interests. Moreover, if the other person I have in mind to become a contributor here actually takes up my offer, you may see debates right here between us, as we may very well disagree at many points. That should be welcome, though, and should, I hope get more of you to offer comments.

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