tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50443187373179838332024-03-13T10:08:12.556-05:00The Lost AlbatrossEmilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11393762115493350763noreply@blogger.comBlogger736125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044318737317983833.post-34253528190950835852018-09-04T13:28:00.000-05:002018-09-04T13:28:07.596-05:00How It Ends<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="4kn7b" data-offset-key="5oq75-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<span data-offset-key="5oq75-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">As Republican lawmakers give their <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/kavanaugh-hearings-launch-tuesday-amid-fresh-democratic-calls-delay-n905891" target="_blank">tongue bath</a> to poisonous SCOTUS nominee Brett Kavanaugh, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/04/politics/bob-woodward-book-donald-trump-fear/index.html" target="_blank">this piece by legendary journalist Bob Woodward</a> drops that paints an even more terrifying picture of the Trump White House than previously known.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="dbjb4-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">I mean, I'm glad some folks in the administration are trying to prevent greater catastrophe by simply hiding stuff from Trump, BUT IT SURE WOULD BE NICE IF SOME PEOPLE COULD GROW A SPINE AND SPEAK OUT PUBLICLY ABOUT THIS.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="2gfig-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Don't just retire and then get loud. Don't stay off the record and behind closed doors. DO SOMETHING, YOU COWARDS. If Trump truly poses this much danger to our country (and I believe he does), it is not enough to merely sabotage a little bit here and there behind the scenes. </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="ekcdf-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">(it also makes it all the more galling to see those who are still happily kissing the ring at this point, and so focused on preserving their fleeting sense of petty power that they would install a monster-enabling judge to a lifetime appointment on our highest court to do it, consequences be damned) </span></div>
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<b>Further reading: </b>Why <a href="http://www.scotusblog.com/2018/08/judge-kavanaughs-record-in-national-security-cases/" target="_blank">Brett Kavanaugh's</a> nomination and potential lifetime appointment to the SCOTUS is a <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/judicial/404862-brett-kavanaugh-is-a-threat-to-women-workers-and-the-environment" target="_blank">real and present danger</a> to everything from <a href="https://rewire.news/article/2018/08/28/brett-kavanaughs-forced-abortion-decision-is-about-far-more-than-reproductive-rights/" target="_blank">reproductive rights</a> to the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/10/climate/kavanaugh-environment-supreme-court.html" target="_blank">environment</a> to <a href="https://www.advocate.com/commentary/2018/7/12/all-damage-brett-kavanaugh-could-do-lgbt-rights" target="_blank">LGBTQ rights</a> to our <a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/07/10/627504728/brett-kavanaugh-supported-broad-leeway-for-presidents-under-investigation" target="_blank">very democracy</a>.</div>
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Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11393762115493350763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044318737317983833.post-6578721067850399632018-09-03T12:33:00.001-05:002018-09-03T12:33:58.105-05:00A chapter closesThis past weekend saw the publication of <a href="https://www.jsonline.com/story/opinion/2018/08/30/emily-mills-few-thoughts-and-thanks-chapter-closes/1139484002/" target="_blank">my final opinion column</a> with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.<br />
<br />
It's a bittersweet ending, to be sure. I'm ready to move on to new and different kinds of writing (having an Opinion on a weekly schedule can get to be a little exhausting), but I also recognize that their decision to end the section entirely is sadly indicative of larger problems and challenges facing newsrooms across the country.<br />
<br />
The MJS was locally owned for decades before <a href="http://archive.jsonline.com/business/gannett-purchase-of-journal-media-group-approved-b99702350z1-374946801.html/" target="_blank">Gannett</a> (which owns USA Today and 14 other papers in Wisconsin) bought it out in 2016. There have been several rounds of layoffs and budget cuts over time, as old school attitudes toward the news business have become increasingly obsolete - but the people with power over them continue to make poor and/or desperate decisions that see deep cuts being made to substantive local reporting and dedicated, knowledgeable reporting staffs.<br />
<br />
Fewer people are being made to do more with less. More wire stories run, creating duplication between newspapers and gutting any real local connection (or reason for people to subscribe to/read something that's ostensibly locally printed because all they see in it are national wire stories and, too often, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2018/04/10/how-sinclair-became-the-most-insidious-force-in-local-tv-news/?utm_term=.c1a96a59bcce" target="_blank">forcibly syndicated</a> op-eds and editorials that reflect the corporate and political interests of the owners, not the actual staff).<br />
<br />
I've had the privilege and pleasure of working with truly supportive and hardworking editors during my time with the MJS. They never once tried to influence my choice of topic or opinion, only offering light copy editing and fact-checking as needed. They and many other reporters at the MJS do truly great work with very little support. I honestly hope the pivot toward "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solutions_journalism" target="_blank">solutions-based journalism</a>" reaps rewards both in terms of community engagement and financial sustainability - but I also recognize that it's an increasingly uphill battle for the latter in particular.<br />
<br />
I don't have the answer yet for how to make quality news reporting a sustainable endeavor again. I've been part of a start-up non-profit media outlet that attempted a grassroots approach to the problem, and we managed for about 8 years before throwing in the towel. It was an eye-opening experience. Lots of well-meaning liberal/progressive people and organizations assured us that by becoming a non-profit we would reap financial support from sympathetic sources, but we quickly learned that 1) most of the money is on the other side, and 2) the money that is ostensibly on the side of progressive causes is tightly held and often narrowly applied to groups/people working on issues near and dear to the already well-off. Surprise!<br />
<br />
Anyway, before this becomes an even more unwieldy post, I mostly just wanted to say that, despite all of the examples of really nasty feedback I received during my time writing for the MJS, I got at least as much in the way of positive and supportive emails and personal comments from folks all across Wisconsin.<br />
<br />
I learned about folks living in far-flung rural communities and other medium and large cities about their experiences and frustrations trying to do the right thing for the greater good in the midst of such a divided and often vitriolic public discourse.<br />
<br />
We remain a very purple state, in point of fact.<br />
<br />
As far as I could tell, however, the vast majority of the feedback I got came from folks in their middle age and up. I think that's telling about the struggle news outlets like the MJS have to remain relevant to younger people - who, despite what some pearl-clutching pundits might have you believe, are by and large incredibly engaged in their communities and driven to do good work to build a better world. They are, in my experience, light years ahead of us in several key areas. I have hope.<br />
<br />
Part of that hope includes eventually figuring out newer and better ways of sharing information and ideas, and collaborating on work that lifts us all. That will mean some things many of us have always known or grown used to will have to come to an end, and that can be scary/painful. But we have to learn how to let go of certain things in order to make space for new life to grow and flourish. Let Millenials kill <a href="https://www.themarysue.com/how-to-fix-hooters-bad-ideas/" target="_blank">Hooters</a> and <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/why-have-millennials-fallen-out-of-love-with-diamonds" target="_blank">diamonds</a> and even <a href="https://www.wired.co.uk/article/millennials-kill-materialism-matthew-taylor-experience-economy" target="_blank">consumerism</a>. Let new generations cast off old institutions that reinforce gatekeeping by one narrow demographic, and embrace a messier, more diverse, more inclusive public sphere. Let's use our big ol' brains to figure out new and different ways to support one another.<br />
<br />
Some things must burn, so that greener shoots may grow in their place. We just have to make sure the outgoing regime doesn't fully poison the ground behind it.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11393762115493350763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044318737317983833.post-52780625933554479562018-03-01T11:52:00.000-06:002018-03-01T11:52:29.764-06:00Mail Call #15: Wrong, and Racist!Hello hello! A whole bunch of kids and teachers were murdered in their school recently, and the national conversation has once again turned to What Can We Do? <a href="https://www.jsonline.com/story/opinion/contributors/2018/02/23/after-florida-school-shooting-teens-change-gun-debate/365331002/" target="_blank">I wrote about it</a>. I fully expected to get some...interesting...responses, and boy did I.<br />
<br />Today, I'd like to focus on one in particular that feels fairly representative of a particular genre of political and social thought that is still all-too prevalent in America. It's based in false premises, racism, sexism, and a sort of peculiar fatalism inherent in so much of the unwillingness to really face the core issues that lead to things like mass shootings.<br />
<br />
Anyway, here's the email, annotated!<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
It struck me that the terrified students prayed when in danger. Remember praying isn't allowed in public schools. </blockquote>
OK I'mma stop you right there: This is a lie. Anyone can still pray in public schools. It simply cannot be an organized/school-sanctioned event, because, you know, <i>for now</i> we still live in a country with separation of church and state, and there are kids from all different religious and non-religious backgrounds in these schools, so prioritizing one flavor of religion over another would be pretty shitty and exclusionary. Also, you don't know how those kids reacted. Some probably prayed, sure. But you don't get to make a blanket statement like that. <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
And there you have insight into the core cause of our social problems. The Democrats/politicians always want to solve every thing with legislation. That's fine do it. Hasn't stopped the drugs. Burn the NRA down. Fine wont stop the guns. </blockquote>
This is that fatalism I was talking about. Strange, coming from the folks who are usually so hardcore law-and-order, this "why do we bother passing laws at all they don't work" POV. Why anything, indeed? <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Our problems are behavioral. Our society is now subject to mass shootings, massive drug usage, road rage, hit and runs, adultery, perversion, abortion, hate speech, scammers, homeless, rapists, bullying, weak soft kids (USA Olympic kids showed that) and more, at unprecedented levels we have ever seen and it's growing and will get worse.</blockquote>
OK now you're gonna shit on the young Olympic athletes? What the hell, man? Many of them kicked ass in their competitions, and I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that they've worked harder at this one thing than dear letter writer has at much of anything in his life. What a weird thing to harp on. The rest of his list is pretty standard, alas.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
As we have tried to remove God from our culture, broken up the family, have kids who have grown up without even knowing who their father is, minimized responsibility, ignored marriage, shunned religion, and mongralized our cities, what are you going end up with. A society and culture of the above paragraph. </blockquote>
"Mongralized." Gee, what on Earth could he be dog whistling here, I wonder? <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
This has been a slow progression over many years. I am no sociologist </blockquote>
NO REALLY?! GET OUT. No, really, get out. <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
but take away the cornerstones of the family and everything that goes with it and the void will be filled by people who have lost their way. We have a very sick country right now, particularity high school kids who are under a lot of social pressure to be liked and fit in. I remember. We wanted progress, we wanted liberalization, at the expense of our core foundations, were getting it. Legislate away. Behavior is in the mind.</blockquote>
Ah, the old "when you're young, you're liberal - when you're older, you're conservative!" line my own aunt tried to use on me a few times. Dude, I'm sorry, but this just means you're getting more bitter and closed off in your old age. Doesn't happen to everyone, thank goodness. <br />
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</span>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11393762115493350763noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044318737317983833.post-40832567202855669482018-01-29T14:26:00.000-06:002018-01-29T14:26:31.102-06:00A whole lotta meThanks to Craig Sauer for inviting me to be a guest on <b>The Wisconsin Podcast</b>! It's kind of rare that I get to be the one being interviewed, as opposed to the other way around, so it was great fun. You may also be unsurprised to find out that I can <i>talk</i>.<br />
<br />
Topics covered ranged from my upbringing, coming out as queer, having a pastor father, writing weekly opinions for the MJS and dealing with online commentary/insults, the value and risk of social media, the hows and whys of <i>Our Lives </i>magazine and being an editor, roller derby, and the 2011 Wisconsin protests and state politics generally. SO MUCH STUFF.<br />
<br />
Listen here: <a href="https://www.wispod.com/podcast-political-commentary-in-a-divisive-era-emily-mills-17/">https://www.wispod.com/podcast-political-commentary-in-a-divisive-era-emily-mills-17/</a><br />
<br />
And be sure to give his podcast the ol' subscribe!Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11393762115493350763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044318737317983833.post-56324510611623216432018-01-03T14:31:00.001-06:002018-01-03T14:43:46.791-06:00Best of 2017 Music Mix Tape<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2VUY0pqSQok/Wk09hgdPUsI/AAAAAAAAGSE/salMiNfL0psc6j_7Hn0OiZHwvVDwKhJpQCLcBGAs/s1600/wm64.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2VUY0pqSQok/Wk09hgdPUsI/AAAAAAAAGSE/salMiNfL0psc6j_7Hn0OiZHwvVDwKhJpQCLcBGAs/s320/wm64.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
All right, here it is! Finally winnowed down my picks for my annual
mix tape to something that fits on an honest-to-goodness CD. But you can
listen to it on Spotify <a href="https://open.spotify.com/user/millbot/playlist/5TyR5p03gleyaIyMU8iFAT" target="_blank">RIGHT NOW</a> if you want! <br />
<br />
What a fucking year. Good music becomes all the more important in keeping us sane and focused and also allowed to sometimes check out from this too often cruel and ridiculous world. I take enormous comfort in the continued dedication of humankind in creating art, though, and all those day-to-day small acts of kindness that persist.<br />
<br />
But seriously, 2017 can pretty much get fucked. This music, however, can definitely stay. Lots of amazing work coming out of all genres, despite what some of the naysayers like to claim (ahem Bono). Music is alive and thriving. A lot of it definitely reflects the current atmosphere, too, with deeply political messages. <br />
<br />
Obviously, this
is never meant to be a definitive "best songs of the year" list so much as a
"some of my favorite songs that came out this year" so it is highly
subjective and likely misses a whole bunch of real good stuff. (I even
try to capture more in my <a href="https://open.spotify.com/%E2%80%A6/%E2%80%A6/playlist/3rQBtrfWgOSriN6qWDFbey" target="_blank">main/longer list here</a><a data-ft="{"tn":"-U"}" data-lynx-mode="async" data-lynx-uri="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fopen.spotify.com%2Fuser%2Fmillbot%2Fplaylist%2F3rQBtrfWgOSriN6qWDFbey&h=ATNZEBFy30mJU3a43CPIMkHa4lgRf4y7sJJJFva5VzNy1q8pVP6me090MsvjUwbf0GhqTjiEyK81dcoY02Ru6X6Z2p1nF-_p-mf37kEzJDHLYX1AtoQ7F_6Kdsn49GaL7-juji2cQHPat9N4F9iZDNfpN-nb_srEzL3GSFmaoZIqiFidxz0BGDBFQz_BD44vhqN8xh8O1vFwnBJY4EIziY9J91isWCQXon8_ETRGbHIpe7IPKl2CtiwOG2e423jZCxuW9Hpe4OU6M79vpK_HrCg-wrj52QXS_N8" href="https://open.spotify.com/user/millbot/playlist/3rQBtrfWgOSriN6qWDFbey" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span class="text_exposed_show"></span></a><span class="text_exposed_show">)</span><br />
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<br />
Enjoy! And feel free to let me know in the comments what songs and artists you were digging on this year. <span class="_ezo" id="u_2j_5" style="color: #eb6575; font-weight: bold;"></span><br />
<br />
<b>TRACK LIST:</b><br />
1. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2WcOdz96ko" target="_blank">"Blood in the Cut"</a> - K.Flay<br />
2. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnRnseRe64I" target="_blank">"Cut Connection"</a> - Jesca Hoop<br />
3. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-_NNIX8cDA" target="_blank">"Die Young"</a> - Sylvan Esso<br />
4. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dp45V_M4Akw" target="_blank">"Drew Barrymore"</a> - SZA<br />
5. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RQDPwODja4" target="_blank">"Disco Tits"</a> - Tove Lo<br />
6. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXyA4MXKIKo" target="_blank">"Woman"</a> - Kesha<br />
7. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgFDXSCHkgo" target="_blank">"Momentz (ft. De La Soul)"</a> - Gorillaz<br />
8. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTkywyKV-9U" target="_blank">"Antifa"</a> - Ministry<br />
9. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzZyCSOKktI" target="_blank">"Venus and Serena (ft. Taj Raiden & Q the Sun)</a> - Lex Allen<br />
10. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgU92lqEbz8" target="_blank">"Uncle Usi Taught Me"</a> - Brother Ali<br />
11. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaEzhEOCqg4" target="_blank">"Atalanta"</a> - Rina Mushonga<br />
12. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOubjLM9Cbc" target="_blank">"Cold Little Heart"</a> - Michael Kiwanuka<br />
13. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5hMBxYqq5c" target="_blank">"Fool's Errand"</a> - Fleet Foxes<br />
14. <a href="https://tinaandherpony.bandcamp.com/track/back-in-your-life" target="_blank">"Back In Your Life"</a> - TINA & HER PONY<br />
15. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPbiklLnDQo" target="_blank">"Fire"</a> - Beth Ditto<br />
16. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3hjpNuvapQ" target="_blank">"Strangers (ft. Lauren Jauregui)"</a> - Halsey<br />
17. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMNtC7V0pTE" target="_blank">"VRY BLK (ft. Noname)"</a> - Jamila Woods<br />
18. <a href="https://fourtet.bandcamp.com/track/two-thousand-and-seventeen-2" target="_blank">"Two Thousand and Seventeen"</a> - Four Tet<br />
<br />
NOTES:<br />
<br />
1. <b>K.Flay</b> has had herself an interesting career in a short period of time, surfing the lines between genres and now seemingly settling into a really interesting spot that blends elements of roots country and electronica in a way that I decidedly do not hate.<br />
<br />
2. I've loved <b>Jesca Hoop</b> since I saw her open, years ago, for either Ani DiFranco or the Ditty Bops (I honestly can't remember which). She has such a unique take on folk that I hesitate to even call it folk. Just good stuff, and doesn't really sound like anyone else. I think she may secretly exist on an entirely different plane.<br />
<br />
3. <b>Sylvan Esso</b> stormed onto the scene with their debut record, and I adored the mix of quality lady vocals, poetic lyrics, and creative electronic underpinnings. Plus, the fella in the group is from Middleton, Wisconsin (right next door to Madison), so their tour stops here are always super packed and fun, with shoutouts to parents in the crowd.<br />
<br />
4. <b>SZA</b> came to my attention thanks to a DJ friend of mine (mad thanks to Lolo) dropping her track, "Julia," in the middle of a set a little over a year ago. I've been hooked ever since, and thank goodness, because her newest album, <i>Ctrl</i>, is fantastic. Definitely check out the whole thing. Consider SZA part of the bleeding edge of the insanely good/evolving genre of alt. hip-hop/R&B/electronica. I don't even know what to call it, frankly.<br />
<br />
5. I'm a little obsessed with <b>Tove Lo</b>. Turns out she's amazing live, too, with great production value and live band elements, plus costume changes! All on what must be a pretty tight budget, from what I can tell. I appreciate the hell out of her commitment to raw and honest tunes with dark techno underpinnings but superbly poppy hooks. And being unabashedly sexual. Also her videos are works of art, generally. If you haven't seen <a href="https://www.vevo.com/watch/tove-lo/fairy-dust/SEUV71600223" target="_blank">"Fairy Dust"</a> yet, get on it.<br />
<br />
6. <b>KESHA</b>, Hot damn, what a re-debut album this is. She came back from years of fighting with her old label for freedom from an abusive producer with full proof that she's an incredible artist. Fuck the haters. Also, tell true, this record is definitive proof that she'd been undervalued and underused by said old label and fuckwad producer, because her voice is legit, the lyrics are delightful, and the genre-bending (from country to dirty rock to electro-pop) is done with aplomb. I struggled between including "Woman" vs. "Old Flames" because the latter is a spectacular duet with the amazing Dolly Parton. But you can't really beat "I'm a motherfuckin' WOMAN" for a refrain, so. Anyway, point is, GOOD FOR YOU KESHA, GET IT ALL KESHA. And fuck rape culture.<br />
<br />
7. It's been a long time since <b>Gorillaz</b> put out a record, and their strange and wonderful <i>Humanz</i> pretty much made up for the lapse. What can I say? It's strange as hell, but it just works. Bonus: De La Soul!<br />
<br />
8. I'm always excited when an old industrial band puts out new shit that's actually good and relevant. <b>Ministry</b> pulled that off with "Antifa," from <i>AmeriKKKant</i>, which is obviously super duper political and timely. It's all the grungy guitars and stompy beats and biting commentary/quotes that I want and love in my angry tunes.<br />
<br />
9. <b>Lex Allen</b> is from Milwaukee, and I've had the pleasure to both meet and see this incredibly dynamic and delightful human perform live on several occasions. The video for this track in particular is an awesome ode to body positivity and basically a big ol' queer celebration. What's not to love? Cat is going places.<br />
<br />
10. Good <b>Brother Ali</b> always lays out the real shit with pointed but smooth lyricism, and this tale of travel woes and discrimination and the wisdom of our elders is no exception.<br />
<br />
11. I stumbled randomly onto this <b>Rina Mushonga<i> </i></b>track thanks to Spotify's wanderings and have been in love with it and her music generally ever since. Kind of a lovely cross between R&B, Caribbean rhythms, and some nameless soul of the city (with hints of Little Dragon). I look forward to hearing a lot more from her.<br />
<br />
12. <b>Michael Kiwanuka<i> </i></b>was also a random Spotify find, but I immediately dug his throwback Motown/TSOP-inspired sound. I think this track got some radio play, and rightly so. Great groove.<br />
<br />
13. I've yet to be disappointed with a <b>Fleet Foxes</b> record<i>. </i>They have such a distinctive sound that it would be easy for it to become repetitive, but somehow they infuse each new album with fresh energy, and frankly the sound is so lovely that I don't mind some amount of familiarity between efforts. Their music makes me want to wander in the woods and go barefoot in streams.<br />
<br />
14. <b>TINA AND HER PONY</b> were introduced to me by a family member who is a huge folk and roots fan, and saw them perform a criminally under-attended show here in Madison. He's since made it his mission to tell more people about them, and hopefully bring them back to town to a better response. I think they're worth it.<br />
<br />
15. Holy shit was this solo <b>Beth Ditto</b> record everything I could have hoped for. I'd always enjoyed her work with Gossip, but it always felt like one final element was always lacking to keep their music from feeling <i>complete</i>. Hard to put my finger on. Whatever it was, though, got added to this solo endeavor--it feels <i>full</i>. Fantastic grooves, and that big, beautiful voice to tie it all together.<br />
<br />
16. I'm supposed to like <b>Halsey</b> because she's an out bisexual (solidarity!) but I'm a little hit and miss with her work. I really, really like this song, however, and good Lord if I am not a sucker after all for a duet between two women, who sing openly about a relationship <i>between two women</i>. All in a lush, wistful pop tune? Count me in.<br />
<br />
17. I came to <b>Jamila Woods'</b> song via recently discovering the work of <b>Noname</b>, who joins her on this playful but serious song about identity, racism, and solidarity. All good stuff, check them both out.<br />
<br />
18. It felt appropriate to end the mix with this gorgeous song by instrumental electronic outfit <b>Four Tet</b>, from their newest record, <i>New Energy</i>. I honestly just enjoy everything they do so much, but this track in particular feels extra special. Good way to ring out the old year, refresh, and get ready to do better in the new. Plus, I'm always a sucker for hammer dulcimer.</div>
Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11393762115493350763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044318737317983833.post-76407838576140719512017-08-09T21:01:00.001-05:002017-08-09T21:01:37.299-05:00Mail Call #14: Churlishly YoursI write about <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/story/opinion/columnists/emily-mills/2017/08/04/mills-just-cant-get-behind-foxconn-deal/538099001/" target="_blank">economics</a> and immediately my age and maturity are called into question. Though, hey, given that my photo appears with all of my columns, I suppose I should take it as a compliment of my youthful glow that this guy thinks I'm in my mid-20s (I'm 35, btw):<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
I'm astonished by your attempt to discredit such tremendous
economic news, but I immediately recognize it as a reflection of your
hatred for "Walker" and President Trump. You should recuse yourself from
writing about either until you're willing to accept
that both are capable of doing some very good things. </div>
<div>
<br />
</div>
<div>
I think in a few years, maybe by the time you're 30, you'll be able
give even your most hated political villains, credit where due and not
write such churlish immature nonsense. </div>
</blockquote>
This is a theme that continues throughout much of the hatred of my columns - that all of my criticism of Walker and/or Trump stems from me being a sore loser, and just hating any and all politicians with an (R) after their name.<br />
<br />That may be a pleasant enough fantasy, and a way to easily write off anything I may have to say regardless of its actual merits, but it ain't true. Then again, I'm just a churl, so what do I know?Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11393762115493350763noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044318737317983833.post-28750780983287931882017-06-28T12:19:00.000-05:002017-06-28T12:19:34.184-05:00Mail Call #13: Dr. Jerry Zelm has a lot of time on his handsOne of my most frequent letter writers is a fella by the name of Dr. Jerry Zelm. He really, really dislikes me and my writing, and is unafraid to let me know. Frequently. Mostly I don't respond, because I don't hate myself and have better things to do with my time. But I think it's about time I gave the good doctor an ol' fashioned call-out.<br />
<br />
Here's the latest:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Ms Mills: Like most of the liberal press you have once again lost all credibility. We finally have a non-political president who is trying to make significant improvements in this country with decisive action. Yet you and the rest of your angry and rabid friends use every occasion to obstruct. Example: Hillary whined that Comey and Russia were responsible for her losing the election. But soon as Trump does the right thing and removes him, Hillary and the rest of the liberals cry foul. Please list one single thing that you have given Pres Trump credit for ... you can't do it because your total intent is to obstruct. Emily girl, you lost ... get used to it. There's a new Sheriff in town and he's going to continue to do the right thing for those who elected him. That means a daily "butt kicking" for libs like you! Keep writing, your articles are often quite amusing! <span id="x_yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494767054898_3144"><br /></span></blockquote>
He's available for (paid) speaking engagements, if you find this sort of thing appealing. Seems like a well-adjusted, knowledgeable guy, yeah?<br />
<br />
Drop him a line with your thoughts. He seems really into communication.<br />
<br />
http://www.jerryzelm.com/<br />
gzelmchiro@yahoo.comEmilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11393762115493350763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044318737317983833.post-5031308783530274692017-04-12T12:34:00.000-05:002017-04-12T12:34:04.874-05:00Mail Call #12: Actually no, it's not my jobIn lieu of responding to this email sender directly, I figured I'd put this out to the world in an effort to educate folks about how opinion writing can sometimes work.<br />
<br />
Email:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Mills-<br />I wrote you a week ago and am still waiting for an answer. Isn't it part of your job to answer reader email or only those that pander to the liberal viewpoint?<br /><br />Paul from Menomonee Falls</blockquote>
Thanks for asking, Paul! To answer: No, it is not part of my job to answer any or all reader emails. I am a freelance writer, therefor not employed by the <i>Journal Sentinel</i>. I get paid a fixed amount to write a weekly column and that's it. The time I spend responding to reader emails is all pro bono/off the clock. I don't get paid for it. I still do it, though, when people send me thoughtful questions or stories or responses - yes, even those people who disagree with me, so long as it's in a coherent way that doesn't just spend a lot of time insulting my person.<br />
<br />
Paul's first email, it should be noted, did not fall into that category.<br />
<br />
So there you have it, friends: Not all opinion/column writers are employed by the papers that run their work. Actually, I'd venture to guess we're freelance more often than not, these days. And we don't get paid to spend time responding to all of the vitriol that finds it's way into our inboxes. You wanna throw me a few bucks to do it, though? Feel free.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11393762115493350763noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044318737317983833.post-37257975390603970822017-01-11T13:36:00.000-06:002017-01-11T13:36:48.132-06:00Mail Call #11: Through the Rabbit HoleBoy howdy, the things people say in light of my ongoing criticism of president-elect Trump. Some people act like they ain't got no relations, I swear.<br />
<br />
Here's a greatest hits list again, for your reading (dis)pleasure:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Why don't you just hold your breath, then? All your articles are left wing bullshit. You are obviously a lesbian liberal. Just wait and see what Donald Trump will do. It's about time that the swamp is drained. You are just a poor looser. I suppose you are also crying about young women unable to get birth control. why don't they just close their legs?</blockquote>
I'm bisexual, actually, but thanks. This letter was also apparently sent by another woman, which is extra depressing.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Your party has been in charge the last 8 years. Your party has been in charge of the cities forever. How is all this "racism" possible? I know it is fashionable in your circles to look down on working people who get their hands dirty, your party even wrote them off in 2011. These are the people that pay the bills and they are weary of self appointed "elites" making horrible decisions in the name of globalism and diversity.<br /><br />I suggest you put on your big girl pants and go out and do an honest days work for once, if you're capable of it. Maybe you would be able to gain a little perspective, or is that beneath you ? Take a look in the mirror and stop projecting your hate on to others. Stop being a crybully. Help us to make America great again!</blockquote>
Ooo, "crybully" is a new one.<br />
<br />
I asked this guy why he voted for trump. This was one of the reasons he gave:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I'm concerned about the culture of the United States. It has been kind of a Dinty Moore stew with all the different races and nationalities. I would like to keep this recipe (it tastes good) as it is which means immigrations should approximate the groups that are already here. I know you probably think I am a racist regarding Mexicans but I'm not. However ... I don't want so many in this country that it becomes a Latino dominate culture. I refuse to apologize for liking my own culture and wanting to keep it.</blockquote>
Frankly, I wouldn't mind living in a "Latino dominate" culture but agree to (racistly) disagree, I guess.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Face it, Emily, Donald Trump could create lasting world peace, reverse “global warming”, end all wars, do away with nukes, personally create a renewable energy fuel and cure cancer, all before he even takes office and you liberals would still hate him.<br /> <br /><br />Rather than take out your vitriol against the man, why don’t you get a real job (not writing for a dying newspaper) and become part of the solution instead of bashing everything he tries. How are we ever going to move forward as a country if you snowflake liberals can’t get over the fact that America did not want a old white woman who can not tell truth if she had to. Get over it.</blockquote>
Dude, if Trump did all of the things listed in the first paragraph I would be STOKED. Also, you might be amazed how many people seem to honestly think that my only job is writing this column. I <i>wish</i> it paid enough to get by on but, um, no. Just no.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Thank God not a lot of voters think like you. if you feel so depraved living here try moving to another country see how you like it.<br /><br />take ur own advice get out of ur town (Madison) from time to time see how life really is. time for u to grow up act like a responsible adult<br /><br />I went to school in Madison. it is truly a fucked up community. is it bc of your generation. prolly.<br /><br />Blood</blockquote>
I'm honestly not sure if "Blood" is this person's signature or just a vaguely threatening closing note. Regardless, I don't feel terribly "depraved" living here but I'm also going to guess that this person would look at a lot of what I choose to do with my life and disagree (if they figured out the difference between "depraved" and "deprived" anyway). C'est la vie.<br />
<br />
The "grow up" mantra is definitely a favorite go-to of my detractors, by the way. Along with the "you stupid little girl" and "you look like a man," etc. these are all pretty clear cases of ceding the argument. If you have a valid debate point, make it. You don't need to attack someone's person to do that, so when you do, it just tells me you ain't got nothing else.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Oh Emily Emily Emily. Still spewing the same old bullcrap. Example: UNARMED black people being shot by police in disproportionate numbers. Funny, why didn't you mention about armed and unarmed black people being killed by blacks?<br /> <br /><br />Why don't you mention there are more whites killed by police then black. Why don't you mention that most of these black people that are shot by police would still be living if they knew how to listen to orders. I have a lot of great examples to disclaim the bullshit you spewed, but i refuse to waste any more time trying to get you to open your eyes and see what a lot of the American people feel, but you refuse to see. DEMOCRAP POLICYS dont work, THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN! Every big city with all these killings, robbery s, rapes, car chases, and every other crime you can think of are all lead by DEMOCRAP mayors, every single 1 of them! Now you just hide in your little liberal hometown of MADISON, and stay away from Milwaukee because you know better! Why though? So repulsed by you idiots failure to admit, YOUR ALL FUCKED UP! People have spoken Emily! Milwaukee journal has lost so many subscribers because of liberal media like your self. WAKE THE F--K UP EMILY!!!!</blockquote>
You guys I think this person knows my name.<br />
<br /> Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11393762115493350763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044318737317983833.post-56702998716128514512016-12-29T22:19:00.000-06:002016-12-29T22:19:03.111-06:00Best Music of 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rRlg6OuN7tg/WGXgDCdV-zI/AAAAAAAAFIY/so3hdXu8g9gqG3Tn0gm4L2xds8GyqiCSACLcB/s1600/EmsBestof2016cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rRlg6OuN7tg/WGXgDCdV-zI/AAAAAAAAFIY/so3hdXu8g9gqG3Tn0gm4L2xds8GyqiCSACLcB/s320/EmsBestof2016cover.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
It's that most wonderful time of year again, and frankly, after the shitshow that was 2016 generally, I'm grateful to have something to look back on that doesn't totally suck: music! In fact, a whole bunch of really excellent music came out this year--everything from iconic rappers A Tribe Called Quest riding in to the rescue, to the continued evolution of electro-pop into some really fucking lovely and dark-tinged jams from Tove Lo, to the warmly funky but deeply personal grooves of Solange and Frank Ocean.<br />
<br />
There was so much good music, in fact, that I ended up having to do a lot of cutting in order to get a mix that fit onto an 80 minute CD. If you want the full list (which I'll likely be adding to a bit over the coming months, as I inevitably get introduced to other great music that came out in 2016) you can <a href="https://open.spotify.com/user/millbot/playlist/76ab3wgOt1PpQbZAOijbGW" target="_blank">head over to Spotify for a listen</a>.<br />
<br />
The following is the pared down final mix. Obviously this doesn't include everything worthy of a year-end best-of list, but it's what I've been listening to and loving, and I hope you enjoy at least a few tracks. And please, as always, do what you can to buy these songs/albums and support the artists as much as you can. <br />
<br />
<b>Em's Best of 2016 Which Was Otherwise a Garbage Fire</b><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMsok5m5yD4" target="_blank">"True Disaster"</a> - Tove Lo, <i><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/lady-wood/id1143635682" target="_blank">Lady Wood</a> </i></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcS6MA9fu-I" target="_blank">"Same Old Blues"</a> - Phantogram, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/three/id1123134469" target="_blank"><i>Three</i></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9z3Nk1en1LU" target="_blank">"Don't Hurt Yourself ft. Jack White"</a> - Beyonce, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/lemonade/id1107429221" target="_blank"><i>Lemonade</i></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIreuaDVJdA" target="_blank">"Smile More"</a> - Deap Vally, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/femejism/id1119693708" target="_blank"><i>Femejism</i></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv6jER7wrPM" target="_blank">"Born Again Teen"</a> - Lucius, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/good-grief-deluxe/id1062112567?app=itunes" target="_blank"><i>Good Grief</i></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KN_na84b9ik" target="_blank">"Worship"</a> - Lizzo, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/coconut-oil-ep/id1150159667?app=itunes" target="_blank"><i>Coconut Oil EP</i></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR7ntKOpmbs" target="_blank">"Rendezvous Girl"</a> - Santigold, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/99-cents/id1054734475?i=1054734478&app=itunes" target="_blank"><i>99cents</i></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vO2Su3erRIA" target="_blank">"We the People..."</a> - A Tribe Called Quest, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/we-got-it-from-here...-thank/id1173106678?app=music" target="_blank"><i>We got it from Here... Thank You 4 Your service</i></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_AQFnqMY3E" target="_blank">"Long Live the Chief"</a> - Jidenna, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/long-live-the-chief-single/id1068670132?app=itunes" target="_blank"><i>single</i></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpfJfSG_c1g" target="_blank">"U-Turn"</a> - Tegan and Sara, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/id1097169273?app=itunes" target="_blank"><i>Love You to Death</i></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XS5dzDa56E" target="_blank">"Like an Animal"</a> - Rufus Du Sol, <a href="http://smarturl.it/RUFUS_LAA" target="_blank"><i>Bloom</i></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxj1NK4bZhQ" target="_blank">"Algo Esta Cambiando"</a> - Bomba Estereo, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/amanecer/id993274533?app=itunes" target="_blank"><i>Amanecer</i></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kqlf9FAKPRc" target="_blank">"Garden (ft. Jay Electronica & Aine Zion)"</a> - Ameli Sande, <a href="https://lnk.to/esLLTAID" target="_blank"><i>Long Live the Angels</i></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_hNsq5e5W0" target="_blank">"Make You Feel"</a> - Alina Baraz, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/urban-flora-ep/id982017568?app=itunes" target="_blank"><i>Urban Flora</i></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTqNemB6mio" target="_blank">"Mad (ft. Lil Wayne)"</a> - Solange, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/a-seat-at-the-table/id1159507212" target="_blank"><i>A Seat at the Table</i></a></li>
<li><a href="https://vimeo.com/183253581" target="_blank">"Pink + White"</a> - Frank Ocean, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/blonde/id1146195596" target="_blank"><i>Blonde</i></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfNOdsvMke4" target="_blank">"I Can't Go On Without You"</a> - Kaleo, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/a-b/id1107254993?app=itunes&ign-mpt=uo%3D4" target="_blank"><i>A/B</i></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S0aCzxPs8w" target="_blank">"Nobody"</a> - Rachel Yamagata, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/tightrope-walker/id1135933906?app=itunes" target="_blank"><i>Tightrope Walker</i></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-JqH1M4Ya8" target="_blank">"Lazarus"</a> - David Bowie, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/blackstar/id1059043043?app=itunes" target="_blank"><i>Blackstar</i></a><span class="HOEnZb"><span style="color: #888888;"><span class="m_3737322872739090331gmail-HOEnZb"><span style="color: #888888;"><br /></span></span></span></span></li>
</ol>
Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11393762115493350763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044318737317983833.post-56566149386672134232016-12-02T11:02:00.003-06:002016-12-02T11:03:34.731-06:00Emily's Handy Guide to How I Generally Respond When People React Badly to My Presence in Women's Public Restrooms<div class="_6a _43_1 _4f-9 _nws _21o- _3tbo" id="u_jsonp_5_18">
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</div>
<br />
1. Them: "Oh my God it's A MAN!" Me: "Oh my God a MAN where?! WHERE?!" *jumps, squeals as though running from a spider, makes a scene until they leave/leave me alone*<br />
<br />
2. Them: *does a double take at the sign on the door after seeing me at the sink* Me: *dramatically stares at own body, then back at them, then around the room, then gets stone cold calm and leaves while making unbroken eye contact*<br />
<br />
3. Them: "What the fuck?! Get OUT you're not supposed to be in here!" Me: "Oh my God I'm so sorry is this the restroom for assholes? I'll show myself out."<br />
<br />
4. Them: *sees me at sink, runs back outside and tells/yells at someone about there being a man in the restroom* Me: *calmly finishes washing hands, checks self out in mirror, strolls out of there and makes meaningful eye contact with them, possibly also winks*<br />
<br />
5. Them: *actually does something threatening/violent* Me: "Hi hello yes you don't get to police who you think belongs in this restroom, may I please introduce you to my friend the ACLU."<br />
<br />
6. Them: *is startled for a moment, then realizes their mistake and smiles bashfully* Me: "It's cool, have a good day." *bows and/or curtsies and disappears into a puff of glitter and smoke*<br />
<br />
(take care of yourselves/do what you need to do to stay safe and healthy, babes) xoxoxoEmilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11393762115493350763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044318737317983833.post-4796369570357263472016-11-15T13:06:00.000-06:002016-11-15T13:32:22.565-06:00Mail Call #10: Trumpocalypse<div class="tr_bq">
It's been a weird, depressing week. I can only imagine it's going to get even more weird and depressing going forward into a Trump presidency (ugh, why are you making me write that, America?!). The email responses to <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/story/opinion/columnists/emily-mills/2016/11/11/mills-feels-like-sky-falling/93677808/" target="_blank">my last MJS column</a> - my initial response to the election results - certainly seem to back up that assessment.</div>
<br />
Here's a Greatest Hits:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The Constitution won with Trump's election, even though I am not a fan of the man. Liberalism lost because it discriminates against any opposition to their views and agenda. Especially white Christians. You liberals believe white Christians vote on color and racism. If you knew any of us, you would know it is about policy, not skin color. Maybe people of color will finally realize why not try a Republican. Democrats sure talk a good story but have never helped us or respected us. Your young, hopefully you can be more objective in your future!</blockquote>
What do you say, people of color who <a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/11/09/behind-trumps-victory-divisions-by-race-gender-education/" target="_blank">overwhelmingly voted against</a> Donald Trump? Why <i>not</i> try a Republican/demagogue? Here's another one:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
When Barack Obama won two terms for the Presidency there were few, if any, protests from conservatives. Yet now there is hatred and protests across the country against Donald Trump's election. It's been said that liberals don't know how to lose graciously. I love the Packers, but if they don't win another game this season it won't bother me that much, because the real Super Bowl was November 8th and the conservatives won. Long live Democracy and America.</blockquote>
Conservatives didn't protest? Actually, <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=tea+party+obama+protests&espv=2&biw=1751&bih=1032&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwig476WtKvQAhWMLSYKHTCFCKgQsAQITQ" target="_blank">they did</a>. And then they went to town demonizing Obama, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama_citizenship_conspiracy_theories" target="_blank">accusing him</a> of being a Marxist Kenyan usurper, <a href="http://www.theroot.com/articles/news/2016/10/wisconsin-college-football-fan-appears-in-obama-noose-costume/" target="_blank">hanging him</a> in effigy, and blocking him at every turn in Congress, even going so far as refusing to do their basic duty and allow a vote on his final Supreme Court nominee. The list goes on. But tell me again how y'all accepted Obama's presidency with graciousness. And then compare the election of an openly racist demagogue with a fucking Packers game.<br />
<br />
This was a nice letter [sic]:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The citizens of this country have finally stood up to slime like you!You lazy bitches who NEVER worked a day in you life are about to be put back in your RAT holes where you belong! You and others like you have turned the democrat party into a cesspool of perverts,degenerates, and illegals! Hopefully you will be relegated to your place in history with the other EXTINCT vermin!</blockquote>
Hey, I l<i>ike</i> my party of perverts, degenerates, and "illegals" (i.e. human beings from various walks of life who are looking for a better life). And I've held jobs since I was 15, but that's neither here nor there, since I am apparently a lazy rat bitch (rats make good pets, FYI).<br />
<blockquote>
Try and get over the results of this election. I understand how Obama won the 1st time, but the 2nd time threw me for a loop because his 1st term was a failure. So is his 2nd term. But we didn't take to the streets and riot.<br />
<br />
Americans are starved for leadership since there has been a shortage for the last 8 yrs.What Trump said over a decade ago about women does not diminish his ability to be a leader. I have heard worse in the breakroom of where I work.........from the women.<br />
<br />
In fact, I bet you used a similar phrase at some point in your life.</blockquote>
Uh, no, no I have not.<br />
<blockquote>
A friend of mine made me aware of a article you wrote called feels like the sky is falling. I will make this short and sweet, get your head out of your ass and write a article about the rioting being done and hate crimes being done by your party the DEMOCRAPS. 1 of the many reasons i don't read the this rag the MILWAUKEE URINAL. Your a typical LIBTARD living in your own blind little world. THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN BITCH! GET OVER IT! I think your a woman, sorta hard to tell from your picture. Good day LIB! 4 years from now you will be a conservative, oh i take that back, you will still be in denial!</blockquote>
He seems nice.<br />
<br />
I'll end it on this note (though I got plenty of other...entertaining...letters). This one really caught my interest. I think this gets more at the root of the disconnect in how a lot of white voters approached the election. I won't dismiss the author's feelings outright, though I still think they're based in a very privileged/white POV and experience of America. The pain and fear expressed here are real, I've no doubt. But the blame is, I think, utterly misplaced. So how do we go about addressing that in an effective way?<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The people who are protesting and rioting in the streets over the election are providing positive proof that we did it right. Or at least as right as was possible.<br />
<br />
Sure, Mr. Trump is a shining example of what we don't want in our president. I voted for him because there was no other choice. No good Republicans were left; even Bernie would have been better (a bit screwy, but probably harmless). Vote for the Bride of Satan? Never! I have read that she was kicked off the Watergate legal team in the 1980's for self-serving unethical behavior, and I would say she has gone downhill from that ever since.<br />
<br />
The people who have been the backbone of America for generations are desperate. We (factory workers, farmers, etc.), hard workers all our lives, have watched America die for fifty years. If we passed laws they were overturned by liberal judges or simply ignored. Laws to keep out criminals (anyone who crosses the Rio Grande without papers is a criminal) are not enforced. Our jobs were sent to China or given to illegals. We were (are) ignored.<br />
<br />
<br />
We might not be able to return our country to greatness, as Mr. Trump wants. It is probably too late for that. But maybe we can reverse things for a bit, slow down America's death spiral. Like a cancer patient being offered dangerous surgery that won't cure him but might give him some extra time (four years?).<br />
<br />
We simply voted for Trump because we felt we had no other choice. There is a good chance that we will fail quickly, but he is simply the only hope we have left.</blockquote>
I mean, how do you show someone who thinks Trump is "the only hope we have left" that he and his ilk represent a very real and present danger to them? White folks, we have a lot of work to do on our own people. And it's going to take enormous reserves of compassion, and a willingness to get out of our own bubbles to talk to/get to know people from all walks of life. The emotional (and physical) labor of talking about how race and class impact our country and day-to-day lives has too long fallen on the shoulders of people of color / those actively and often violently oppressed by the status quo. We need to step the fuck up.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11393762115493350763noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044318737317983833.post-50920197857935652392016-10-28T14:47:00.001-05:002016-10-28T17:57:31.592-05:00Mail Call #9: Michelle Litjens says helloI am thrilled to report that none other than former state rep Michelle Litjens wrote a letter to the editor in response to my recent column making the case for why we need more women in politics, tying it to legislation over women's health and reproductive rights. Litjens, if you don't remember, was part of the Republican controlled Legislature that passed Act 10 (the extreme, anti-union measure that prompted months of protest in the state), as well as being a hardcore anti-choice, pro-gun advocate. So the ideological bent of her letter should make a bit more sense, in that context. I appreciate that she took time to respond, so I've done the same (in bold, below):<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In response to Emily Mills’ article on Oct. 23, <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/story/opinion/crossroads/2016/10/21/mills-women-needed-politics/92539586/">“Needed: More women in politics,” </a>while she is absolutely correct about that statement she is completely wrong about others (Crossroads). </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
We
do need more women in politics. When I served in the Legislature, women
were less than a quarter of the representatives. But I am unaware of
any “institutional and systemic barriers” to women running for office.
In fact, the common saying is true: “When women run, women win.” <b>That's just...not a factual statement. Lots of women lose their races. I'm not even say they always lose because of sexism, but to claim that women always win when they run just doesn't make any damn sense. Also, just because you, a single human being, are "not aware" of certain things does not mean those don't exist. This is a fairly straight-forward concept for most.</b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Women
are less likely to run for office because of lifestyle choices
candidates are forced to make every day. Will a candidate attend a
pancake breakfast, church picnic, fall festival or his or her kid’s
basketball game? This choice is easier for a man to make than a woman.
Not because society says so, but because women say so. <b>She lost me here. This makes no actual sense. Is she arguing that men have an easier time putting work before their family? I'm honestly not even sure, this statement is so convoluted. Regardless of the details, though, those "choices candidates are forced to make every day" and how men vs. women respond to them is very much tied up in those aforementioned institutional and systemic barriers--a culture that demands completely different levels of accountability from for mothers vs fathers, pays women less for their work, etc.</b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
My
exception to Mills’ article is her comments about third-term abortions.
It isn’t true that “hardcore anti-abortion activists continue to spout
harmful lies” about third-term abortions. Maybe Mills was unaware that
abortionist Kermit Gosnell of Philadelphia was sentenced to life in
prison for murder. <b>Aaaand PIVOT.</b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In the grand jury’s report, Gosnell didn’t call
it murder, he called it “ensuring fetal demise.” And how did he
accomplish this demise? The jury wrote, “The way he ensured fetal demise
was by sticking scissors into the back of the baby’s neck and cutting
the spinal cord. He called that ‘snipping.’ ” <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kermit_Gosnell" target="_blank">Kermit Gosnell</a>'s case is an aberration, and does not reflect anything remotely close to medical best practices in terms of abortion procedure and women's health. He was (rightfully) punished for gross malpractice. What he was doing is already illegal even with the protections provided by Roe v. Wade. And it was a single case. Litjens has long been an advocate for doing away with abortion rights, and during her time in the Legislature <a href="http://archive.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/hot-debate-ahead-on-matc-bill-endofsession-measures-ri4it1c-142850255.html" target="_blank">sponsored bills</a> that significantly chipped away at (especially rural) women's right to access comprehensive and scientifically-based reproductive care.</b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Please, Ms. Mills,
don’t patronize me by saying we need more women in politics because we
need more abortion proponents (it was men who upheld Roe vs. Wade). We
need more women in office because women bring a different thought
process to the room. We contribute ideas during bill draftings that men
just don’t think about because of our differing life experiences. <b>She makes my argument for me. Though I do believe the debate over reproductive rights and women's health would be very, very different had women been at the table all along, I also don't for a moment believe all women think exactly alike on that, or any, issue. But Litjens and I are in agreement that we need more women in office because women bring a different thought process and set of experiences to the room. </b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Elected
women are valued for far more than just their reproductive rights. And,
I might also remind Mills, that many of us women would end that
reproductive right at birth control.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Michelle Litjens</b><br />
Former state representative<br />
56th District, 2011-’12<br />
<i>Oshkosh</i></blockquote>
Again, my biggest takeaway here is that Michelle is willfully ignorant of the fact that even she is the product of systemic sexism. It's a little easier when you're a right-leaning white woman, of course, but even then I'm not keen to drive wedges between people who should be fighting to lift each other up over an oppressive system that hurts us all. The first step is learning that we all have different experiences and outlooks, and that just because you personally have not experienced something doesn't invalidate that experience for someone else. And that just because you, personally, would not make a certain decision--doesn't give you the right to dictate whether or not it might be the right thing for someone else. Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11393762115493350763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044318737317983833.post-77868489227793764172016-10-16T23:01:00.001-05:002016-10-16T23:01:50.263-05:00Mail Call #8: Men would like me to think about Bill ClintonCatching up with emails in response to my recent article about <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/story/opinion/columnists/emily-mills/2016/10/14/mills-trump-recording-throws-light-rape-culture/92081888/" target="_blank">Trump and rape culture</a>. SO MANY men, all saying the exact same damn thing, like broken, paternalistic mandroids:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Emily not once did you mention Bill Clinton in your article? Something to think about.</blockquote>
...<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I was reading your column in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel regarding the treatment of woman at the hands of rich and powerful men and I notice something that was conspicuously absent. There wasn’t any mention of former president Bill Clinton.</blockquote>
...<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Didn't see Bill Clintons name even once in your column. It's really sad that liberal journalists can bring themselves to cover an issue from both sides. </blockquote>
...there are a lot of people who can't tell the difference between reporters and opinion columnists, y'all.<br />
<br />
These entries go on, and on.<br />
<br />
Let me put this simply:<br />
<ol>
<li>Bill Clinton is not currently running for president. Trump is.</li>
<li>Trump is <i>on tape</i> bragging about committing sexual assault.</li>
<li>Hillary Clinton is not personally responsible for any crimes her husband may have committed.</li>
</ol>
I will end on this incredibly on-point post made by a friend of a friend, because it should be the most important take away from all of this:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
WE DON'T GET TO PICK WHICH VICTIMS WE BELIEVE BY WHICH CANDIDATE THEY SUPPORT </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Liberal friends: you know what's not cool?<span class="text_exposed_show">
Posting a link to allegations of rape against Trump and then trying to
demonize Juanita Broaddrick et al for allegations against Bill Clinton.
You're not forensic investigators. You're not gonna blow holes in
decades-old rape cases, and you damn well shouldn't be trying.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="text_exposed_show">
Conservative friends: you know what's not cool? Defending Trump's
harassment and rape and misogyny by pointing out someone else did those
things, too. That doesn't make it ok! Two people doing rape just means
both people are horrible! Also unfair: making Hillary culpable for all
of her husband's sins. She certainly has things to answer for, but she
didn't rape anybody. Keep that in mind, please. </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="text_exposed_show">
Oh, are there
inconsistencies in someone's story? Yeah, I bet if you ask me about my
rape you'll find inconsistencies in mine; it was years ago and, you
know, traumatic. Do these accusers have something to gain? Maybe, but I
can tell you as a fact that they probably suffer a lot more than they
gain by making up stories like this; look at the way all these women
have been dragged through the mud for decades. Rape has a false
reporting rate of about 4%, just like most other crimes. While it's
possible these stories are made up, it's very very very likely that they
are not, especially when so many women have come forward. </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="text_exposed_show">
Listen
up, y'all: WE DON'T GET TO PICK WHICH VICTIMS WE BELIEVE BY WHICH
CANDIDATE THEY SUPPORT. If you want justice for rape victims (and you
damn well better) then you need to accept that even someone you support
might be a horrible person, even if this fact makes your decision making
suddenly very morally fraught and messy. </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="text_exposed_show">
So if you are outraged
about Trump or Bill Clinton, that's good! It's good to be outraged about
people who molest, demean, assault, and otherwise abuse others. But
don't act like your opponent's accusers are all telling the truth while
the ones accusing your team are all liars. Every victim deserves
justice.</div>
</blockquote>
Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11393762115493350763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044318737317983833.post-53315379232897731502016-10-03T22:36:00.001-05:002016-10-03T22:42:29.291-05:00Mail Call #7: Trumping Reason (or coherence)Trump supporters continue to spout confusing word salads at me. I think this person is anti-clean water and voting because of abortion? Or something? You decide:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="direction: inherit;">
It is amazing how progressives pick and
choose among 'human rights'. Finding from the right to life a right to
feticide. Finding a right to vote. Finding a right to my environment's
clean water.</div>
<div style="direction: inherit;">
<br /></div>
<div style="direction: inherit;">
Finding, from the right to life, a right to defense of life but not the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.</div>
<div style="direction: inherit;">
<br /></div>
<div style="direction: inherit;">
Truly Meme Magic. The Alternative Right is right. TRUMP 2016</div>
</blockquote>
<br />
On a more positive note, I've gotten a much higher than normal volume of positive email responses to <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/story/opinion/crossroads/2016/10/01/mills-familiar-scene-debate/91356382/" target="_blank">my column about the Clinton/Trump debate</a>, largely from women, and specifically largely from older women who express how much relief and righteousness they felt at seeing what they've been experiencing their whole lives put into words. I find this incredibly humbling and gratifying, but also infuriating that so many women have had to suffer these indignities in relative silence for so damn long.<br /><br /> No. Fucking. More.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11393762115493350763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044318737317983833.post-42480221389169397232016-09-16T23:41:00.000-05:002016-09-16T23:41:17.545-05:00Mail Call #6: The Eloquence of Trump SupportersI don't even know. I'm not even sure which of my columns this was in response to:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Don, Ron, and Mike Trump Hillary, Russ and Little Tommy Nelson! Defend your sick candidate and spin some more lies! Really tired of the Limousine Liberals. the super rich hypocrites on the left! We don't care about how much money Trump has or had, we care about our country getting back to some kind of normal and stopping this social engineering and corruption of our young! Who's the Hillary body double? Unreal how they're trying to snooker the great masses who can't read beyond social media headlines. Signed by One of the Deplorables and wearing it proudly...</blockquote>
Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11393762115493350763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044318737317983833.post-48845375627993476762016-07-25T09:35:00.002-05:002016-07-25T09:36:24.042-05:00Mail Call #5: Pro-plagiarism!<div class="readMsgBody">
<div class="ExternalClass MsgBodyContainer" data-link="class{:~tag.cssClasses(PlainText, IsContentFiltered)}" id="bodyreadMessagePartBodyControl1442f">
<div dir="ltr">
Another week, another logically incoherent email response to a column. Today's installment comes in reply to <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/gop-convention-offered-disturbing-sign-of-things-to-come-b99766050z1-387989572.html" target="_blank">my recent piece</a> on the Republican National Convention garbage fire.<br />
<div style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri'; font-size: 12pt;">
</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri'; font-size: 12pt;">
Emil (you were Emil before you became Emily, right) You seem to have a problem with the passage that Melanie Trump used from michelle obama’s speech which was written by others by the way. Would you have preferred her to use the words that she (obama) uttered in another a speech, “ this is the first time in my life I am proud to be an American”. Ya she said that. Quite sure she wrote that herself. Possible help from barry . You could have written, thank god she (Melanie) didn’t use the words “this is the first time in my life I am proud to be an American’ The fact is Melanie Trump is very proud to be an American all of the time. I guess michelle obama is occasionally when it suits her purpose . Hey, keep up the quality freelance writing in Madison. “The peoples republic of Madison” <br />
<br />
Enjoy your rigged convention That would be a great topic for next Sunday’s freelance writing <br />
<br />
does “freelance writing” mean they won’t pay you for your efforts???</div>
</blockquote>
<div style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri'; font-size: 12pt;">
</div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri'; font-size: 12pt;">
I'd like to note that I find no insult in being "accused" of being transgender (I am not), and if you <i>open</i> your letter with such a random and transphobic remark, you've effectively ceded your ability to actually win the argument. Of course, folks like this don't really care about changing anyone's mind. They just want to continue feeling superior in their own minds, without having to actually reflect on and analyze what they're spouting. Because the rest of this letter is a totally weird mishmash that, I think, is trying to excuse Melania Trump's (or her speech writer's) plagiarism because at least she used the positive parts of Michelle Obama's speech and not a taken-out-of-context and frequently misunderstood bit from another of her speeches from years ago.</div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri'; font-size: 12pt;">
</div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri'; font-size: 12pt;">
Or something. Who knows anymore. </div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri'; font-size: 12pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri'; font-size: 12pt;">
I also enjoy the bit where this person seems to utterly misunderstand what the term "freelance" means.</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11393762115493350763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044318737317983833.post-69757204350239043712016-07-06T15:34:00.002-05:002016-07-06T16:23:15.330-05:00Mail Call #4: GOBMENTIn response to <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/sen-ron-johnsons-backdoor-maneuver-for-private-schools-b99750423z1-384337871.html" target="_blank">my article</a> about Sen. Ron Johnson's attempt to let private charter schools take public money without any oversight or accountability - all errors are the email author's:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In your opinion and that of the journal, let’s keep all those failing kids in
failing schools to keep the low life education machine well greased with (MY)
taxpayer money. Don’t give , the only real Senator this state has had
since well before you liberal communist/socialists where BORN a chance.
Senator Johnson has been trying to help the kids ( YOU) the liberals, have
placed into a second class role in the lib society! Keep them poor and
dependent on “GOBMENT” programs for existance. The liberal way to keep them
voting for the loosers in the world of politics! Don’t believe that...look
at your dismal record of failure after failure and open your socialist
eyes!</blockquote>
Aside from the part where this person completely misses the point I was making, their email is certainly an argument in itself for higher standards and proper funding for education. Clearly, they suffer from its lack. Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11393762115493350763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044318737317983833.post-71142343018378754262016-06-09T10:14:00.001-05:002016-06-09T10:14:34.626-05:00Mail Call #3: Votes for No One I DislikeI wrote about how Voter ID disenfranchises people. As usual, folks got angry: <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
You are the most in competent IDIOT liberal of them all!If one does
not have the Brains or minimal effort to get a voter ID they DO NOT
have the right to Vote!You and the other Liberal,America haters want to
vote for them!Trump will Win and America will put you and others like
you back in the septic tank you crawled out of!</blockquote>
Trump will put us all back into the septic tank. Now that's comforting. Do folks listen to themselves when they write this shit? <br />
<br />
And a two-fer for you today:<br /> <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
You liberals always have something to cry about. What is wrong about
having an ID to vote. If voter fraud is unheard of as you claim why
worry about it. The reason you guys are so upset is because you are worried.
there is something to the lefty cliche "Make sure you vote and vote
often". You guys have to gather up people from cemeteries, prisons
and people with dementia from nursing homes to cast a vote. The rest are
young people who are still wet behind the ears and easy to deceive.
This leaves a balance of people who votes are bought . The group that
wants more free this and free that. You cater to minorities like Blacks
and Latino's and promise them anything as long as they vote for the
Democrats. That leaves the rest of us who labor hard and are the ones
Liberals to pay all these freebies, and we just want to make sure you
don't pull the wool over ours eyes.
Conservatives are harder to fool than the liberals Some day the liberal
base might wise up but I doubt it, at least as long as you are running
the schools and universities, where you shout down any opposing views
and spread lie upon lie. </blockquote>
Lots of unfounded and actively disproved dog whistling in this one. Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11393762115493350763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044318737317983833.post-7886552838791719502016-05-25T14:47:00.000-05:002016-05-25T14:47:02.031-05:00Mail Call #2: "Your small problem"This one is just plain difficult to parse, but came in response to <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/bathroom-bills-attack-basic-rights-b99715554z1-377588771.html" target="_blank">one of my articles</a> in support of equal/safe/fair access to bathroom facilities for transgender folks.<br />
<br />I swear, some people's children:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I was only a young boy when I realized I wanted to get the ole snip snip. Not until recent times have I been able to muster enough mental and physical strength to cut through my 14 inch fire hose. After all is said and done I love being a born again woman, but have to say I disagree with your article on transgender bathroom rights. If I'm a boy I should use the boys bathroom and if I'm a girl I should use the girls bathroom. I don't want any degenerates or sickos in my bathroom while I'm trying to peacefully do my business. All in all I think you're plain wrong so please quit your job because it's not that big of a deal and I'm sorry you look like a man but don't take it out on the anti transgender people because your problem can be easily solved.<br /><br />Please stop lashing out about your small problem and find something else to do, thank you.</blockquote>
Really hitting a lot of the finer points here:<br />
<ul>
<li>Weirdly disjointed commentary on his own gender identity, alleged penis size (natch) </li>
<li>Transphobia! Transmisogyny!</li>
<li>Nice little attempted jab about me "looking like a man" (I look like me, no apologies needed)</li>
<li>Urging me to "quit my job" (this column writing business is freelance but you'd be amazed how many people seem to think I'm employed full time by MJS) because his opinion differs</li>
<li>Belittling of what is a very real, very serious issue for a lot of folks by calling it a "small problem"</li>
</ul>
Sadly, this email is pretty representative of the super hateful, misguided, fearful, gross commentary I've received every time I write about transgender rights. I've hesitated to post any of it, frankly, because lord knows my trans friends don't need more of this disgusting vitriol in their lives, but I also want to show everyone else exactly the kind of hurtful shit trans people have to deal with all the time. It shouldn't be up to them to shut it down, either - that's the role of us, the allies.<br />
<br />
So speak the fuck up whenever and wherever you hear anything remotely like this being spewed. Point out why it's wrong, why it's hurtful, why it matters - how much <i>easier</i> it is just to be decent to one another. Dollars to donuts the email writer above could have used a lot more of said decency in their life, too, to have steered them away from the clearly confused, ignorant, and fearful place they're in now.<br />
<br />
Take care of each other. <br />
<ul></ul>
Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11393762115493350763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044318737317983833.post-77295398593836546502016-03-30T17:50:00.000-05:002016-03-30T17:50:08.022-05:00Mail Call #1So I've had the honor of contributing an <a href="http://search.jsonline.com/Search.aspx?k=emily+mills&s.x=0&s.y=0" target="_blank">opinion column</a> to the <i>Milwaukee Journal Sentinel</i> for the past couple of years. They let me wax philosophic about any topic that tickles my fancy, and it's been a great opportunity to both expand my own knowledge and understanding of a wide variety of issues, but also to receive feedback from all across the state.<br />
<br />
I have a separate email account set up specifically to take that reader feedback, in fact, because sometimes it's important for mental sanity to have things sectioned off a little. I've been more than pleasantly surprised to find that a good 50% of the responses I get are actually positive/supportive, and come from a wide range of people from all across Wisconsin. Of the negative/opposing feedback, too, I'm very grateful that some folks take the time to offer it constructively and seem to genuinely want to have a discussion.<br />
<br />
There's about 20-30% of the feedback, though, that occupies its own, let's say "special" place. I've been sharing some of the greatest (see: weirdest, most out there) hits on my Facebook page for awhile, and more than a few people have no urged me to turn it into a regular archive. That brings us here. I consider this somewhat cathartic for me, honestly, because sometimes I just don't know what drives people to take time out of their days to send such ridiculous and hateful (and often wildly misplaced) bile. I have to believe that, if we met in person, we could probably find at least one thing in common and get past all this (if not ultimately agree on everything) divisiveness. But I also know that some folks are just hell bent on being nasty and feeling righteous.<br />
<br />
These are their stories. No names/identifying information included. Enjoy?<br />
<br />
<b>Feb. 28, 2016 - in re: my column <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/partisan-politics-and-the-court-b99677335z1-370283171.html" target="_blank">"Partisan Politics and the Courts"</a></b><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>What in God's name makes you think you know so damn much? And that only liberal thinking is hones,fair and just thinking? And that any one even slightly left of you and Madison is wrong, selfish, uncaring,self-serving -etc. well you get the point? Was is your public schooling? Your college profs? your parents? your friends-assuming you had any? Jesus woman -you haven't even been around long enuf to put you bra and undies on right -where did you get the fucking idea that you can tell educated, charity giving, job creating, church going people the kind of shit you spill every week? Was it some poor fuck at the newspaper? Well we know ho well that is going don't we? That's why so many people quit buying it. Have fun now with this bilge because I would predict it won't last long for you.<br /> You a a fucking little twit with a large opinionated ,not quite mature, narrow minded mouth. Here's an idea-try gay parade and party planning. [sic]</i></blockquote>
<br />
(note to that final suggestion: done and done!)<i> </i>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11393762115493350763noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044318737317983833.post-41066690941403875762015-12-28T15:06:00.000-06:002015-12-30T09:56:12.066-06:00Best of 2015: My favorite music from this yearAnother year, another collection of music. This has become a favorite tradition for me, both because I love sharing music I dig with other people and because it reminds me to keep better track of new music that comes out in a given year. Lots of folks like to bemoan the decline of modern music but the thing is, if you actually pay attention, there's so much incredible work that gets released all the time. And it's more accessible than ever. People are still coming up with creative new ideas and grooves, reshaping and honoring old themes, fusing styles, breaking ground, having fun, and making us dance/think/nod our heads.<br />
<br />
The only reason to give up on modern music would be if you're just lazy. Don't be lazy. There's a whole world of awesome shit out there for the listening!<br />
<br />
The following is my by-no-means-complete-or-comprehensive mix of some of my favorite music that was released in 2015. It was a great year for music. As always, please consider purchasing any tracks/albums that you find yourself enjoying. We need to support those who work hard to bring us this goodness, and we need to do it with our ears and our dolla dolla bills, y'all.<br />
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<br />
<b>EM'S BEST OF 2015 MIX - "Big Wheel Keep On Turnin'"</b><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AU9_0pxiDjY" target="_blank">"Never Ending Circles,"</a> CHVRCHES, <i>Every Open Eye</i></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJqd15_1SoQ" target="_blank">"Waking Hour,"</a> Jennifer Hall, <i>self-titled EP</i></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQfge7DcGsU" target="_blank">"XO, Skeleton,"</a> Hailey Wojcik, <i>Book of Beasts EP</i></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdNgHnLJWgw" target="_blank">"Surface Envy,"</a> Sleater-Kinney, <i>No Cities to Love</i></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ObpxB1_TV8" target="_blank">"Ripe,"</a> Screaming Females, <i>Rose Mountain</i></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-nr1nNC3ds" target="_blank">"Pedestrian at Best,"</a> Courtney Barnett, <i>Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I just Sit</i></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVm2x53BQwc" target="_blank">"Someday Soon,"</a> Lindi Ortega, <i>Faded Gloryville</i></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU8VX5EnN34" target="_blank">"Planet for Sale,"</a> THEESatisfaction, <i>EarthEE</i></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYU3j-22360" target="_blank">"Figure 8,"</a> FKA twigs, <i>M3LL155X</i></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hho_AJZ7Wd8" target="_blank">"Circles Out of Salt,"</a> Snow Ghosts, <i>A Wrecking</i></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0Cftwtlho4" target="_blank">"Far,"</a> The Soft Moon, <i>Deeper</i></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1AaKBbNGkk" target="_blank">"The Day Is My Enemy,"</a> The Prodigy, <i>The Day Is My Enemy</i></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qvnb1HDT258" target="_blank">"Quicksand,"</a> Bjork, <i>Vulnicura</i></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzFYmz2lfT4" target="_blank">"Saint Claude,"</a> Christine and the Queens, <i>Christine and the Queens</i></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tv9YoYCKNoE" target="_blank">"Flesh without Blood,"</a> Grimes, <i>Art Angels </i></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QP3HQQyk98Y" target="_blank">"Lose Control,"</a> Robyn & La Bagatelle Magique, <i>Love Is Free EP</i></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyodeHtVvkA" target="_blank">"Queens Speech 4,"</a> Lady Leshurr, <i>Queens Speech 4 - Single</i></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CV_sZuNRyc" target="_blank">"You Tell Em,"</a> Zebra Katz & Leila, <i>Nu Renegade EP</i></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10Kc7RK2rOs" target="_blank">"Call It Off,"</a> Shamir, <i>Ratchet</i></li>
</ol>
<i>A little about each track...</i><br />
<br />
<b>Never Ending Circles by CHVRCHES: </b>So far this Scottish electro-pop outfit is two-for-two when it comes to incredible intro tracks for their albums. From the first note of the song, Chvrches dispels any fears that might have existed that they couldn't continue and build on the momentum of their debut, <i>The Bones of What You Believe</i>. The impressive thing about <i>Every Open Eye</i> is that it both manages to stay true to the exuberant vision of the first record without sounding like a retread. There are new ideas aplenty here, and a lot of catch-as-hell music to boot, all with Lauren Mayberry's understated but confident lead vocals to bolster it.<br />
<br />
<b>Waking Hour by Jennifer Hall: </b>I was an idiot and went home early from a show in Madison that featured a friends' band, followed by Hailey Wojcik (also featured on this mix), and then Jennifer Hall, missing Hall's set at the end (I WAS TIRED, SUE ME). Thankfully, said friend gave me a copy of this singer/songwriter's fantastic EP and I was hooked right away. Lush, beautiful, interesting, and creative - Hall has a powerful voice that she uses expertly to compliment the genre-bending, melodic music that makes each track a goldmine. I hope she releases a full-length ASAP.<br />
<br />
<b>XO, Skeleton by Hailey Wokcik: </b>Like I said, I got to see Hailey live (and meet her briefly, very nice), performing as a one-woman show with a scaled down backing track, letting her voice and guitar/bass work take center stage. And pulled it off with aplomb. I love how familiar and yet new her music sounds, like the indie women of my teenage years (i.e. the mid-to-late '90s). A little rough around the edges in all the best ways.<br />
<br />
<b>Surface Envy by Sleater-Kinney: </b>Speaking of the bands that inspired young Em, Sleater-Kinney has been such a rewarding band to follow through the years. Each record charters their evolution and solidifies their status as rock royalty, far as I'm concerned, with zero compromises and a never-faltering commitment to melt faces with ovaries-to-the-wall rock n' roll. There's no one else who sounds like them, either, no matter how much (usually male) reviewers like to compare every all-lady rock outfit to them.<br />
<br />
<b>Ripe by Screaming Females: </b>I'm late to the party with this band, having only stumbled onto them with this most recent release, but I'm glad to be here. Shredding guitars, and lead singer Marissa Paternoster's ridiculously unique, warbly alto, give this outfit a special, bone-shaking quality that I love.<br />
<br />
<b>Pedestrian at Best by Courtney Barnett: </b>The Australian singer-songwriter seems to be taking the music world by storm at this point, and I'm glad to see her coming in for so many accolades, landing this record on a number of prominent best-of lists for the year. She has a style reminiscent of Dylan, with sprinklings of early Liz Phair, a little bit of country, with the twist of wry Aussie wit. I could see her almost spoken word style of lyric delivery not being everyone's jam, but hot damn <i>those lyrics</i>. Dense, clever storytelling make this record soar.<br />
<br />
<b>Someday Soon by Lindi Ortega: </b>Humorously enough, Lindi is part of a group of musicians that I was turned onto through the soundtrack of Canadian sci-fi show "Lost Girl." Since then, I've been waiting for her new record with some anticipation, since I think this Canuck does Nashville country better than most of the Americans now toiling in the industry there. She was apparently signed by a major label back when, charmed by her goth looks and old-school Americana style, but then dropped after they decided to go a different route (see: Lady Gaga). This is a lovely track, something of a throwback to the greats like Patsy Cline.<br />
<br />
<b>Planet for Sale by THEESatisfaction: </b>How can you not love a collective of queer black women making their own, unique, kicked back beats and songs that largely focus on social and political issues without getting particularly ham-fisted, instead insinuating itself into your earholes with nods to classic soul and R&B? You can't not, that's how.<br />
<br />
<b>Figure 8 by FKA twigs: </b>I'm a recent convert to the musical genius of this dancer-turned-musician. Her music videos are mesmerizing. The music is not particularly easy to categorize, either, which I adore. Soaring soprano gymnastics layered over intricate, artsy electro-hip-hop? That might be as close as I can come to describing it. Good shit. Excited to see where she goes from here.<br />
<br />
<b>Circles Out of Salt by Snow Ghosts: </b>Moody as fuck, beautiful but gritty electronic/industrial with awesome lady vocals. Right up my alley. The whole record is a fascinating story-journey, with tons of atmospheric soundscapes, and did I mention moody? Feel this stuff in your gut.<br />
<br />
<b>Far by The Soft Moon: </b>I am a sucker for industrial rock, specifically the stuff that came out in the late '80s and early '90s, before EBM started to more fully take over the genre. The Soft Moon has mastered the sound while offering some new ideas of his own - just good, dark, industrial-infused music for working out your angry ennui.<br />
<br />
<b>The Day Is My Enemy by The Prodigy: </b>Here's another electronic outfit that I've been following since that time after our 8th grade dance when the DJ decided to play stuff he liked as we were all waiting for our parents to pick us up and take us home. I mustered up the courage to approach the kid and ask him what it was that he was playing, and he flashed me The Prodigy's "Music for the Jilted Generation." I went to the mall music store and bought my copy the next day, and the rest is history. The group's output as been mixed ever since, with some soaring highs and weirdly phoned-in lows, so I was thrilled when this first track dropped off their most recent effort and it was just. so. BOLD. And they're still fun to see live, after all these years - got to see them perform in Prague this past November.<br />
<br />
<b>Quicksand by Bjork: </b>Speaking of my earliest electronic influences, Bjork continues to innovate the hell out of music in general, never ceasing to be a tiny Icelandic powerhouse of creativity. And she doesn't get nearly enough credit for it, far as I'm concerned, especially considering how many people seem to enjoy glossing over and/or ignoring entirely the fact that she does the lion's share of production on her records. This is a great track on a great album.<br />
<br />
<b>Saint Claude by Christine and the Queens: </b>The last track added to my mix, I was only just turned onto this French musician by <a href="https://medium.com/matter/pay-women-the-money-they-need-to-make-the-culture-e0d80c8cda70#.xjoww2trc" target="_blank">this great article</a> about how women in music and the arts are kicking ass and taking names but still being ignored, underfunded, and underrepresented in seats of power. I went and took a listen and instantly fell in deep like (which could easily grow into love, given time) with this project--both for the lovely music and the dance-heavy music videos.<br />
<br />
<b>Flesh without Blood by Grimes: </b>I love Grimes. She's a one-woman powerhouse of production, creativity, engineering, delightfully weird vocal embellishments, beautiful soundscapes, and is just generally super listenable while being a totally uncompromising badass. <br />
<br />
<b>Lose Control by Robyn & La Bagatelle Magique: </b>I love Robyn. Like, really really a lot. So I'll basically listen to anything she's involved with, including this collaboration with French outfit LBM. Good thing it ends up being a delightful, electro-disco romp.<br />
<br />
<b>Queen's Speech 4 by Lady Leshurr: </b>I don't usually include singles on this mix, but this one by British trap artist Lady Leshurr caught my eye as a triumph of freestyle flow, wit, and simple but killer beats. Plus the DIY vid is delightful.<br />
<br />
<b>You Tell Em by Zebra Katz & Leila: </b>ZK initially caught my attention with his incredible, creepy, confident tribute to how queer men and drag queens playfully cut each other down to size with "Imma Read," and it's super fantastic to see him continuing to innovate and be artsy as fuck, giving no fucks, with his new EP and collaboration with Leila. Watch the videos, too. Funded in large part by a grant from the Austrian government and filmed in Austria, it's some unsettling, visually interesting work.<br />
<br />
<b>Call It Off by Shamir: </b>I love this record. I love this track. I love this kid. And I love that he comes into a world where being a young queer person of color is something he can openly celebrate and inject into his art. The guy has a unique as hell voice, too, and with such catchy, fun production work, it makes for quite the package deal. Stoked to see where he goes from here, too.<br />
<br />
<b>HONORABLE MENTION OF MY OWN PROJECTS</b><br />
<br />
Not included on the mix, because I'm not a complete narcissist, but I feel worth mentioning are the projects that I had the great good fortune to be involved with this year:<br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>Meghan Rose - "In Your Bones"</b><br />
I wrote and recorded all the drum tracks for this record, released earlier this year. Meghan is basically my platonic musical life partner (and one half of Damsel Trash with me). This was a serious labor of love for her, involving years of writing and preparation and pouring her heart and soul into each song and lyric. We spent a week up in the hinterlands of Ontario, Canada recording this with Grammy and Juno winning producer <a href="http://www.darrylneudorf.com/" target="_blank">Darryl Neudorf</a> (who also produced, for instance, people like Neko Case). It was, simply put, an incredible experience, and the end product is something I couldn't be more proud of. Support kick ass, unsigned musicians and <a href="http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/meghanrose" target="_blank">buy it here</a>.<b> </b>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11393762115493350763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044318737317983833.post-40555226136169676792014-12-26T13:35:00.000-06:002014-12-26T14:49:42.998-06:00Best of 2014 mix<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Another year gone by, another chance to dig through the bins and reflect on all the great music released over the course of those 365 days.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This started as a way for me to prod myself into keeping more on top of new releases, and as a fun gift to my friends and family, and mostly that's still what it is. I don't pretend that this list is even remotely exhaustive - I know I've left off a whole bunch of great songs and artists from 2014, and there are more still that I've simply not yet heard. Feel free to leave your own suggestions for great music from the past year in the comments section. I'm always keen to be introduced to new stuff, or even old stuff I've been missing out on for far too long.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I will say this: Of the music I did find and listen to this year, there was just <i>so much good shit</i>. I'm currently thinking about putting together a second mix composed entirely of local Madison-area bands and/or bands that I played shows with this year, because that can and should fill its own compilation.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For now, here's my list of my favorite music from the year, which ranges in genre from dance, electronic, folk, punk, industrial, R&B, and more. Please note that some songs have explicit lyrics and/or videos and may be NSFW (aww yeah):</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Em’s Best of 2014<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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1. <a href="https://lizzoandcarolinesmith.bandcamp.com/releases" target="_blank">“Let ‘EmSay”</a> – Lizzo & Caroline Smith, <i>single</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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2. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBHepXRdc-s" target="_blank">“Feel of Love”</a> – Tensnake, <i>Glow</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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3. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcsfftwLUf0" target="_blank">“Busy Earnin’”</a> – Jungle, <i>Jungle</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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4. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vnoz5uBEWOA" target="_blank">“Hideaway”</a>
– Kiesza, <i>Sound of a Woman</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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5. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGqFbmF1NKc" target="_blank">“Could I Be”</a> – Sylvan Esso, <i>Sylvan Esso</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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6. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxmncVPYRco" target="_blank">“Every Little Thing”</a> – Rӧyksopp & Robyn<o:p></o:p></div>
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7. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp7Y19-eprY" target="_blank">“Cthulu”</a> –
EMA, <i>The Future’s Void</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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8. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZoxdPGu_4E" target="_blank">“Ain’t That Easy”</a> – D’Angelo & The Vanguard, <i>Black Messiah</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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9. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hi4pzKvuEQM" target="_blank">“Gold”</a> –
Chet Faker, <i>Built On Glass</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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10. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6drfp_3823I" target="_blank">“Strong”</a>
– London Grammar, <i>If You Wait</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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11. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-oyj287xVE" target="_blank">“Before the Words”</a> – My Brightest Diamond, <i>This
Is My Hand</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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12. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO_fpF32y5g" target="_blank">“Bring Me Simple Men”</a> – Timber Timbre, <i>Hot
Dreams<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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13. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzUsheeHdug" target="_blank">“Blue Ridge Mountain”</a> – Hurray for the Riff Raff, <i>Small
Town Heroes</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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14. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JawK7QcEGKU" target="_blank">“Destination”</a>
– Nickel Creek, <i>A Dotted Line</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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15. <a href="http://youtu.be/FDTA3iKSa-g?t=1m37s" target="_blank">“Before Too Long (ft. Amanda Palmer)”</a> – Missy Higgins, <i>Oz</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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16. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HrnIIJbPA8" target="_blank">“10th Floor Ghost Girl”</a> – Cibo Matto, <i>Hotel
Valentine<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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17. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEE7iw5WYJI" target="_blank">“Talking Transgender Dysphoria Blues”</a> – Against Me!, <i>Transgender
Dysphoria Blues</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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18. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XE2051n3O-I" target="_blank">“Don’t Mess With Me”</a> – Brody Dalle, <i>Diploid Love</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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19. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4h5uEPH5IFE" target="_blank">“Consuming Guilt”</a> – Youth Code, <i>A Place to Stand</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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20. <a href="https://thelmaandthesleaze.bandcamp.com/track/aint-ur-baby" target="_blank">“Aint Ur Baby”</a> – Thelma and the Sleaze, <i>Heart Like
a Fist<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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NOTES:</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>"Let 'Em Say" by Lizzo & Caroline Smith</b></div>
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You gotta love a song that's both ridiculously catchy <i>and</i> released with proceeds going to benefit a good cause. You also gotta love Minneapolis-based hip hop artist Lizzo, who I was first turned on to with last year's killer single, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQaRQe86suA" target="_blank">"Batches & Cookies."</a> Great flow, great production work, great artist.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>"Feel of Love" by Tensnake</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
This whole album is just <i>so good. </i>No hyperbole, I think it's one of the most listenable (all the way through) of the year, but then I like that twinkly '80s synth pop shit with all my heart.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>"Busy Earnin'" by Jungle</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I recently heard this track in the background of a Green Bay Packers commercial and had to chuckle--seems to be another instance of someone only listening to the hook and not the rest of the lyrics, but hey, I'm all for wider exposure for this group, who first grabbed my attention with the video for their song, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JkDzNOgO3U" target="_blank">"Platoon,"</a> that features the coolest little b-girl on the planet.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>"Hideaway" by Kiesza</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Look, what can I say, early '90s club music was what first turned me onto house in general, and was pretty damn influential for my wee adolescent brain. It would appear the same was true of Canadian singer-songwriter Kiesza, who emulates that ridiculously fun sound without coming off as stale and totally derivative. Plus, this video is just ridiculously fun. Check out her moody cover of Haddaway's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-01dsXDqGE" target="_blank">"What Is Love."</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>"Could I Be" by Sylvan Esso</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I had no idea that one half of this electronic duo originally hails from Middleton until I went to see them live at a sold-out concert next door in Madison, and his parents were in the audience. A friend turned me onto Sylvan Esso much earlier this year, and shortly thereafter I began hearing their track "Coffee" on The Current fairly regularly. It's a great album all the way through and I'll be stoked to hear where they take the project next.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>"Every Little Thing" by Rӧyksopp & Robyn</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
So here's the thing: I adore Robyn. And I've loved Rӧyksopp since "What Else Is There" first came across my radar. So when the two began pairing up a handful of years ago, I was in heaven. This EP is masterful from front to back, sandwiching a couple of club bangers in the middle of some seriously lush epics.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>"Cthulu" by EMA</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
You have to dig an artist that's able to mash up '90s grunge, industrial, and modern electro while still maintaining musical soul, and that's basically what EMA does on this record. This track in particular, I think, exemplifies that hybrid sound, and also features one of my favorite, slow building crescendos of any song this year.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>"Ain't That Easy" by D'Angelo & The Vanguard</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
A last-minute entry for the year, D'Angelo took 15 years between his last record and this one, but the album doesn't sound at all piecemeal or scattered. In fact, <i>Black Messiah</i> may be one of the best records of the year, if I do say so myself. It's just gorgeous. It doesn't hurt that he tapped one of my favorite drummers, Questlove, to be part of the backing band.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>"Gold" by Chet Faker</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
It took some sweet rollerskating to draw my attention to the video for this track, which led me to checking out the entire album, which got me into Chet Faker in general. Soulful vocals, solid grooves.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>"Strong" by London Grammar</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I first came across lead singer Hannah Reid when she provided guest vocals on a Disclosure track, and her haunting, low soprano made me want more. London Grammar walks a fine line of melancholy moodiness and lush musicality without bumping into what I feel like is, say, the main drawback with bands like The xx, where every song sounds the same and I can't imagine any new album every sounding any different. <i>If You Wait</i> feels like an ever-changing narrative, something they can build on in a part two that will still sound like LG without retreading old ground.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>"Before the Words" by My Brightest Diamond</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Shara Worden's solo project is always filled out with a wide array of extremely talented guest artists, and this record is no different, going so far as to feature an actual marching band at times. I had the good fortune of catching her when she came through town years ago as part of a festival line-up along with backing band Clare & the Reasons, and have loved her work ever since. She's a classically trained opera singer, for goodness sake.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>"Bring Me Simple Men" by Timber Timbre</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Aside from loving the good wordplay of their name, I also really love the sort of dark, dusty road, Lost Highway sound this band has landed on. A friend introduced them to be just this year and I've been diving into their back catalog ever since.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>"Blue Ridge Mountain" by Hurray for the Riff Raff</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Modern folk music that sounds as classic as anything Guthrie wrote, with a beautiful and grounded female voice leading the way. They apparently wrote this song based on the life of the Carter family, and I think it's a fitting tribute.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>"Destination" by Nickel Creek</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
They're back! They're back! After taking time off to work on their various solo/other projects, folk powerhouse Nickel Creek reunited for a 2014 release that picks up where they left off without skipping a beat. Superb musicianship coupled with catchy songwriting = win.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>"Before Too Long (ft. Amanda Palmer" by Missy Higgins</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Two musicians that I like a lot, working together on this really fantastic cover of Paul Kelly's 1986 cut, as part of Higgins' album of Australian cover songs, <i>Oz</i>.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>"10th Floor Ghost Girl" by Cibo Matto</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Another band that likes to take long periods of time off in between releases, Japanese I-don't-know-how-to-categorize-them act Cibo Matto released this sprawling tale of a haunted hotel that just solidified their reputation for unique/weird/awesome music.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>"Talking Transgender Dysphoria Blues" by Against Me!</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
This record, man, <i>this record.</i> Lead singer Laura Jane Grace kind of just knocked it out of the park when she went into the studio alone to write and record this sucker, before calling in the rest of the band to help flesh out the sound. I'm not sure if this is the first punk rock album to tackle the intensely personal journey of a transgender person (LJG), but it has to be the most guts-out, heart-on-sleeve, no-holds-barred one.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>"Don't Mess With Me" by Brody Dalle</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I first fell a little in love with Brody Dalle when she fronted the take-no-shit punk act The Distillers, and it's super fascinating to see the transition from that to her solo work on this record--not to mention going from the big, black mohawk spikes to the bleach blonde look she's got now. Not that I'm complaining, of course. It's an interest album with a lot of her characteristic, gravelly voice and guitar grit, but with a little added vulnerability around the edges.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>"Consuming Guilt" by Youth Code</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I was so freakin' stoked when this EP dropped, because it marks the first time in years that I've listened to an industrial record that sounded like the shit I grew up loving on the mix tapes my older brother used to make for me back in the early and mid '90s. The fun trick is, it also sounds totally new. I don't know how they pull that off, but they do, and I adore it.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>"Aint Ur Baby" by Thelma and the Sleaze</b></div>
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You know what the best way to be introduced to a new band is? Live, of course. I went to an underground queer/punk show a few weeks back that had these delightfully skuzzy bitches from Tennessee as the headliners, and I fell in love after the first down and dirty rock and roll song (not to mention their fucking amazing, hard hitting lady drummer).</div>
</div>
Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11393762115493350763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044318737317983833.post-38632928029913492132014-11-18T10:50:00.001-06:002014-11-18T13:16:08.926-06:00Racism, Cultural Sensitivity, and Roller Derby<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-htJKC0kz0UI/VGt4iUijDBI/AAAAAAAADE8/0UkM-1ddg_E/s1600/rbrd.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-htJKC0kz0UI/VGt4iUijDBI/AAAAAAAADE8/0UkM-1ddg_E/s1600/rbrd.png" height="320" width="305" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Back in September a skater from Florida posted to her
personal Tumblr to call out a different Florida league, the <a href="http://www.rebelbellesrollerderby.com/">Rebel Belles of Palm Harbor,
Florida</a>, accusing them of racism based on their team logo and colors.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://shaebay.tumblr.com/post/97816979128/racism-in-my-roller-derby-its-more-likely-than-you">In
the post</a>, Militant Bulstrode claims that the Belle’s gray, red, and blue
uniforms—not to mention their kepi hat logo with crossed rifles—was
representative of the Confederate flag and army uniforms from the American
Civil War. This, Bulstrode argued, was evidence of racism within the league,
and “the fact that they’ve completed a season (albeit an extremely short one)
without being called out on their logo/jerseys/team name needs to be rectified
immediately.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The Rebel Belles responded to the ensuing deluge of
criticism by writing and sharing a lengthy defense of the logo and uniforms, as
well as stating that the accusations of racism were “false and slanderous.”
They have also since changed the logo, and a post <a href="http://rebelbelles.tumblr.com/post/102488409598/recent-events-have-sparked-discussion-within-our">dated
Nov. 12</a> says the league is “seriously considering rebranding.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There’s no way to know the motivations of the individuals
responsible for the initial branding of the league, barring psychic and time
traveling abilities. Speculation about whether or not the individual members,
or indeed the entire league, are harboring racist ideas or beliefs is futile
unless those people come out and claim outright racist ideology. The Rebel
Belles have not, to my knowledge, done so. They have, in fact, gone out of
their way to claim to be an inclusive, non-discriminatory league. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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There are two possibilities in this case, as far as I see
it: Either the Rebel Belles were formed by Confederate sympathizers / white
supremacists, or they simply demonstrated a deep lack of understanding of
historical symbology and ignorance of their own white privilege.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I tend to go with Hanlon’s razor when it comes to this kind
of thing: “Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by
stupidity.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I say this not to impugn the overall intelligence of anyone
with the Rebel Belles, but rather to point out that we’re all prone to doing
stupid things from time to time. Some of those stupid things can stem from
prejudices we didn’t even know we had, too—the difference lies in how we choose
to recognize, address, and attempt to correct those things in the long run. And
the relationship the U.S. has with its history—specifically the Confederacy and
the Civil War—is fraught with whitewashing, misunderstanding, and worse (even
feminist folksinger Ani DiFranco isn’t free from the <a href="http://www.salon.com/2014/01/02/ani_difrancos_faux_pology_white_privilege_and_the_year_in_race/">pitfalls
of historical and racial ignorance</a>).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But that’s a whole other article. Let’s take a look at the
facts in this particular case: <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li>The Rebel Belles named themselves after the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebel_yell">rebel yell</a>, the term coined
for a battle cry specific to the Confederate army during the Civil War (and
Florida, for those of you less familiar with U.S. history, was a member of the
Confederate States of America, which seceded from the Union in 1861 and was
then forcibly beaten back into the U.S. after losing the war in 1865).</li>
<li>The Rebel Belles designed a logo using the gray kepi hat
that was standard issue for Confederate soldiers during that war, with two
crossed, red muskets underneath (also standard issue weapons during the war).
The RB’s claim the logo was meant to emulate the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Florida">Florida state flag</a>,
which does indeed feature a red St. Andrew’s Cross on a white field.</li>
<li>The RB’s have gray home team uniforms, accented with red and
blue. To claim that the use of the gray uniforms, and then the gray kepi, is
simply homage to their “historic theme” demonstrates a rather baffling lack of
sensitivity to the admittedly complex but deeply hurtful history in question. There
may be no actual rebel battle flag in their logo, but the Confederacy is still
all over their branding.</li>
</ul>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the end, it seems as though the anger spurred by the
team’s name/image has forced them to seriously reconsider and rebrand, which is
ultimately a good thing for everyone involved. No matter how well meaning they
might have been in attempting to give a nod to Florida’s past, the fact remains
that said past is inescapably tied to slavery and subjugation, and the
continued prejudice toward and oppression of minority populations in the U.S.
that are that evil institution’s legacy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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There’s no place for that in roller derby (or anywhere, of
course), a sport founded on the principle of inclusivity and bucking the status
quo. It’s good to call out these things when we see them. This kind of cultural
and racial insensitivity is sadly not limited to this one case, either. Painfully
enough, the skater who penned the original Tumblr post calling out the RB’s is
herself the member of a team called the <a href="http://ocalacannibalderby.webs.com/">Cannibals</a>, whose men’s derby
analog are called the Head Hunters. There are deeply problematic and culturally
insensitive elements in those names, too (glass houses, etc).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Clearly, this is a much larger conversation we <a href="http://www.derbylife.com/2013/09/the-color-of-roller-derby/">should be
having</a>—<a href="http://www.constantinereport.com/wausau-wis-roller-derby-connected-to-skinhead-movement/">within</a>
<a href="http://yoisthisracist.com/post/86905815443/a-local-roller-derby-team-is-called-the-woodstock">roller</a>
<a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10873901">derby</a>,
within sports (ahem, the Washington football team, <a href="http://nativeappropriations.com/2014/09/white-tears-and-aggressive-indians-native-activists-on-the-daily-show.html">anyone</a>?),
within our lives in general.<o:p></o:p></div>
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</div>
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<br /></div>
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The point isn’t to get caught up in name calling <i>or</i>
knee-jerk defensiveness, though, but rather to speak up when something is
harmful and/or hurtful, speak from the heart, push for constructive change--and
always, always be willing to listen and make your own changes when it’s you who’s
guilty of stumbling.<o:p></o:p></div>
Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11393762115493350763noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044318737317983833.post-91022896625255074812014-11-05T12:00:00.000-06:002014-11-05T12:00:02.874-06:00Post-election hangover<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
It's heartbreaking to wake up after a major election with the feeling that a large percentage of your fellow citizens have just kicked you--and themselves, really--square in the teeth. Yesterday's midterms are a prime example of wave elections based on doubling down on self-fuckery, voting out of spite and prioritizing winning over actual good governance and fairness.</div>
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To make matters worse, only about <a href="http://fox6now.com/2014/11/05/midterm-election-about-55-of-wisconsins-voting-age-population-cast-ballots/" target="_blank">55% of the eligible voters</a> in this state actually voted. That's seen as quite high for a midterm--which is, frankly, depressing as hell. Local elections have a far, far greater impact on our day-to-day lives than do presidential picks. I'd argue that elections matter more the more local they are--city/county up to state.</div>
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So what happened? Half of us stayed home. Was it because of all the voter ID nonsense, people being disenfranchised, turned off entirely by the process (maybe just assuming their vote doesn't matter, especially if they live in one of the now several gerrymandered-to-within-an-inch-of-their-lives districts)? I don't have the answers, obviously, but something is terribly, terribly wrong when just half of half of the voting population has the power to make these big decisions on behalf of us all.</div>
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Something has got to give.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=295709497283326&set=vb.223649167822693&type=2&theater" target="_blank">According to Ezra Klein</a>, anyway, we have 2016 to look forward to as a far better year for Democrats/progressives, but it doesn't make today any less depressing.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-top: 6px;">
Full breakdown of vote by county <a href="http://host.madison.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elections/election-results-governor-s-race-voter-turnout-by-county/html_97e36db8-5956-11e4-abad-23b8bc04af7a.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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In the meantime, I'm going to sit here and wait for the gushing thank-you notes from all the political comedians for sending troglodytic buffoon Glenn Grothman to the U.S. Congress. I'm looking at you, the Daily Show, Last Week Tonight, the Onion, and <a href="http://www.wonkette.com/" target="_blank">Wonkette</a>.</div>
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Meanwhile, the apparently rather powerful transportation / highway builders lobby in Wisconsin <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/voters-approve-state-transportation-fund-amendment-b99382155z1-281551851.html" target="_blank">won big yesterday as well</a>. They managed to sneak a cleverly worded referendum onto the ballot that passed with overwhelming numbers, despite the fact that what it actually does is enshrine corporate patronage into our state constitution.<br />
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A silver lining among all the depressing news, though, was how the referendum to support raising the minimum wage did: it won big.<br />
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Douglas 70%<br />Dane 74%<br />Eau Claire 61%<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;"><br />La Crosse 61%<br />Kenosha 63%<br />Milwaukee 66%<br />Portage 58%<br />Rock 64%<br />Wood 55%<br />Appleton 59%<br />Menasha 60%<br />Neenah 60%<br />Racine 72%</span></div>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">Now to see if our government pays any heed to the voice of the people on this one.</span></div>
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Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11393762115493350763noreply@blogger.com0