Roger L. Simon: New Look, Deeper Thoughts

We have spruced up Pajamas Media a bit (be patient-there will be glitches) and I thought there could be no better debut piece for the new look PJM than my friend Lionel Chetwynd's Open Letter to Senator Obama. Like many of us--except the mainstream media, it seems--Lionel has profound doubts about the Senator's recent speech. But he takes a different tack I haven't seen elsewhere, bringing us into the realm of forgiveness--those who do and those who don't.

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Here is some feedback on the new setup. I had previously bookmarked the Pajamas Media blogroll page. Before last night, one could open multiple tabs on it. Now one cannot. That is not to my liking. Guess that is why I am a conservative: I do not view all change as inherently good.

In it he recommends to Mr. Obama that "You say you are devoted to Reverend Wright because he brought you to Christ. I can only imagine how powerful a relationship that forges. But, my imperfect understanding of the Christian Faith tells me you can do him an equally magnificent service: You can help bring him back to Christ. Show him redemption and salvation lie not in the satisfaction of doing little dances in a pulpit while you slander good and decent people. Teach him that great leadership and Christian love abjures the very filth � and I pick that word deliberately � that he spews on an apparently regular basis...

And if I had heard any such approach from Mr. Obama - even following the appearance of Mr. Wright's corrupt and corrupting YouTube performances - I should have relaxed the greater part of the intense skepticism I hold for his oh-so-glib candidacy. It would have demonstrated some real leadership, germane to the office of President of all of us.

But Mr. Obama continues his dance of the seven veils, and I have no idea of his principles or ultimate goals, other than acquiring power.

Skepticism remains firmly in place, tempered by all the suspicions raised by grandmother-abuse and other thinly concealed weaknesses. 'Typical white person', indeed.

Good essay. Reminds me of an experience Chetwynd had when planning a possible film about the Dieppe operation in WWII.

Nina and I were talking just yesterday about the very subject Mr. Chetwynd so brilliantly covers.

For a long time in our work with people we have promoted the notion (we may have appropriated it from Castaneda's Don Juan, or some similar dubious source) that there are two types of people in the world: victims and warriors. The latter aren't necessarily fighters, like soldiers or Marines, but are at the least people who don't submit, who are not craven.

Demagogues like "Reverend" Wright try to keep people in a passive, victim mode, and those listening to the sermons are always (said to be) victims of some powerful group, against whom they are urged to "fight," but the "fighting" is purely a passive construct, for if they were really to attack the sources of their failure, they would cease to be victims, and would be of no further use to Wright or, alas, to Mr. Obama.

Thanks for the feedback, GringoTex. We'll look into it. Obviously, this was not intentional.

Roger, you have truly shown tolerance and endorsement of diversity by accepting feedback from a die-hard Celtics fan.(by virtue of New England origin, never a Mavs fan. Unless maybe Mark Cuban hired Bill Russell as coach and/or GM. Which is not likely.)

I tried emailing a friend a link to the Charlie Martin piece on the record industry, but he hit a registration wall. Is this a glitch? I don't recall ever having to register at Pajamas to read articles.

The new web layout is more "professional" .i.e. generic and cold, less friendly and less welcoming. Please don't try to look like the big boys, it is much better to be distinctive and carve out your own niche. Your role model in spirit should be Dudge, not NYT.

I had hoped Obama would be a shallow incompetent like Mayor Nagin, or a floundering Washington DC outsider like Jimmey Carter, or a sleazy hustler like Kwame... The country can survive men like that, and it provides an opportunity for leadership to emerge in the House and Senate.

I hate the thought that Obama is a racist schmuck, because I really don't like the idea of voting for McCain, but it looks like I have no choice.

however, I want that pop-out thingy that happens when I hover over Phyllis Chesler's photo...

March 25, 2008: New Look, Deeper Thoughts

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