As some of you may know, I am gainfully employed.  In fact, I work several jobs:  Mother, employee, artist and writer.  

Which is why it is personally important to me that Senator Obama supports the arts.

It has taken me four days to get my wits together and write this diary.  I can't promise that it will be anything close to coherent.  I just know one thing.  We desperately need to elect Barack Obama as the next President of the United States.  The humanity of our nation's children depends on it.

I have been teaching Art in the urban public schools of Miami for 26 years.  I just lost my job, since any student who cannot score above a certain level on the FCAT exam that Jeb Bush instituted as a requirement for graduation does not receive any elective courses throughout their entire high school career.

It is a tragedy beyond my wildest nightmare.

Episode 1: In which Uncle Clumseythumbs, attempting to write an introductory diary, smacks up against his penchant for longwindedness in the form of a character limit on Daily Kos Diary Entries, and reverts to old poetry.

Briefly put: I tried to write a longer op-ed form of entry, but found myself overwhelmed by the sheer volume of things I haven't said anywhere in the past year. Thus, as introduction (this is my first diary), I'll post some of my political poetry that has been published elsewhere on the web.

The poems presented here are part of a work in progress, tentatively titled "Exile's Anthem." Hope some of you enjoy.

One of the things which impressed me about Barack Obama, which has been all but ignored by the media, is his support of arts and arts education in the United States.

"I don’t want our teachers teaching to "The Test" – I want our children learning art, and music, and poetry, and science, and history, and civics. I want them to have a full, well-rounded education. And I want our teachers to get in touch with the desire to teach them."
-- Obama 2/16/08

Alright, it's Sunday night of a three day weekend, getting nigh round midnight in these parts. Things seem to be slowing down here at Kos as we trundle off to dream of stump speeches and ARG polls.

Music is my thing...goes well with being a fervent political junkie.  Provides a nice sound track.  My preference is to keep expanding what I listen to...So I come here, with hat in hand, asking you to tell me what you are enjoying.  Expand my horizons.  Expand the horizons of your fellow Kossians.

More after the flip

The KPFA Morning Show’s Aimee Allison spotlighted an important new theater production this morning. The play, Aftermath of War: in their own words, is based on a four month research project at City College of San Francisco that included reading blogs, books, articles and eventually interviews of servicemen and women who’ve seen war first hand.

You can hear the interview here:

this holiday i am saddened by the loss of one of the brightest american opera singers america has ever known.

she was more than just a singer - she was an inspiration to all who love music.

beverly sills died of lung cancer on monday - her voice now left to those wonderful recordings for us to enjoy.

i had the great privilege of working on an opera where she was more than just the star - she was the inspiration!

The mood is different this year, perhaps even jubilant.  The arts warriors remind ourselves that support for arts and arts education is bipartisan, but the Congress itself has shifted from a culture of somewhat suspicious meanness to one of more considered generosity, and that feels, if nothing else, innovative.

I am here with 35 college students, dancers all.  It will be an exhausting day for them, but it is beginning with inspiring talks and performances, and I know from past years that, for some of them, today will change their lives.  They will find their voices and their passion. Their feet will hurt and maybe even their heads, but they will understand how Congress works and why they have to vote. Some of them will have their futures swim into focus.

Dance Warriors, last year

Crossposted from The Clark Community Network

Reg: Hi, I'm Reg. I'm here with General Wesley Clark, former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO and 2004 Presidential candidate. First, I'd like to thank you for your work with VoteVets and stopiranwar.com.

General Clark Thank you.

Reg: Everyone please go and sign the petition

General Clark Please.

Reg: at stopiranwar.com, all one word. But I also know that you're more well-rounded than that. So, I wanted to ask some questions you are not ordinarily asked about.

General Clark Okay.

A few years ago I went into a gallery to look for some art and saw some really mind-blowing collages unlike anything I've ever seen in my life. I asked to meet the artist to discuss his works.

George J.E. Sakkal showed up with many more impressive works, but I commissioned George to create a new, more musical work for me, which I now proudly own the original of ...

The Sound of Jazz

But little did I know, as I kept in touch with George, was his history in/with the Middle East. He shared with me this letter for which I have gotten his permission to post on DailyKOS. I ask you to take the time to read his letter outlining his extraordinary history in the Middle East, an explanation of his latest works, and then take the time to look at his works either in-person or on-line.

The Pueblo Grande Museum Auxiliary has decided, for the first time, to offer credentials to bloggers, allowing them to attend and cover the 30th Anniversary Indian Market in Phoenix, Arizona on December 9th and 10th. The blogger credential, which will offer the same access as a standard media pass, is available by contacting the Auxiliary’s Public Relations office at pr@pgmarket.org.

I wrote about the specifics of the market and the credential in my post at LiquidNixon.com. For this discussion, I am more intrigued by the potential implications to the blogosphere and on public relations. This is the first instance that I have heard of where credentials were issued to bloggers for anything other than a political event.  While I believe that we are a long way off from having major media attractions, such as sporting events credential bloggers, it makes sense to me that smaller events would look to blogs to help inform the public.

He is an advocate for returning creativity and art to their rightful place in school and society. He suggests that this should happen not simply because it makes us more human and makes life more enjoyable (though he does make that argument too), but because creativity, imagination and innovative thinking are essential for success in today's world.

I have been delving deep lately in the annals of jazz history and re-discover some great music. I am listening right now too that song "They Can't Take That away from Me" from the record " Desert Island Discs: Ella and Louis" recorded in 1956. This deceptively simple song is so powerful that when I first heard it a few days ago it gave me chills. Ella has such a command of her voice. Her phrasing just behind the beat in a fashion that is so sexy and sensual, that I would challenge anyone to find a modern singer with such a command yet sensitivity of his or her voice. Then you have Armstrong come in with a sultry gritty voice that is so unique and powerful on it's own that I get goose bumps every time I hear him sing. Never mind his trumpet playing...man he was a genius.

I am in New York City rehearsing our production of FEAR UP: Stories from Baghdad and Guantanamo with an amazingly adroit and brave cast of actors. We are so fortunate to have such talent to tell the important stories of what we are creating in the Middle East and at Guantanamo. But as I am working on theatre in legitimate spaces, I have been thinking about the value of theatre that confronts and challenges out in the world.

"Nonconforming Uses: Architect Teddy Cruz at the Borders of Tomorrow" -- by Rebecca Solnit.

http://artspolicy.colum.edu/...

But here we are in 2006.  Not only are we back to cowering in fear of a mysterious enemy who might unleash death and destruction on us, but we are now in fear of unleashing the death and destruction of our very democracy, brought about by the very people we elected to protect and preserve it.

This has created an enormous sense of hopelessness, that is being echoed and amplified in the Arts world, and expressed by our youth.

This nineteenth century opera, by Gounod, is one of the most performed in the United States.

The teacher said the opera is "a great part of our civilization and Western culture."

Little did she know that this would make her a victim of a witchhunt by the Chrristian Right.

See here.