TAKING WOODSTOCK to Madison, to Lansing, to America
By Kevin Stoda
Which side of America are you on?
HBO seems to have gotten the spirit of the age. It decided to show the film, TAKING WOODSTOCK, this March while most of the country is fixated on the abuses on "American Working and Poor Peoples' that newly elected state legislatures in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ohio have been carrying out in the name of the Koch Brothers and the GOP this 2011.
http://blog.aflcio.org/2011/03/01/in-michigan-attack-on-workers-and-on-democracy/
In short, this is the kind of emergency power legislation Americans are facing in March 2011. "There's no question that what we see in Wisconsin, with the commission of a violation of the Open Meetings law by the Senate in failing to provide notice of their intention to pass a bill eliminating the right of collective bargaining represents the kind of lawlessness-- of impunity--characteristic of tyranny. Since they control all three branches of government, they have reason to feel that they will never be called to account for their actions. The same or similar situations obtain in a number of other states, notably Ohio, Indiana, Idaho, and Michigan."
"But it is in Michigan that we see a more deadly form of tyranny that strikes at the root of the idea of the balance of powers that was built into our national Constitution. Briefly, the Michigan legislature has passed a bill--one hesitates to dignify it with the term "law," since it is clearly an act of lawlessness--that would allow the Governor Evans to seize control of the government of a town or city, displace its mayor, school board, judges, and anyone else who stands in the way, and impose unelected corporate control--even foreign sovereignty-- over matters ranging from school privatization to municipal courts . . . . The key language is this:
"Sec. 15 (4) Upon the confirmation of a finding of a financial emergency, the governor shall declare the local government in receivership and shall appoint an emergency manager to act for and in the place and stead of the governing body and the office of chief administrative officer of the local government."
TAKING BACK AMERICA
The movie, Taking Woodstock, is based upon a book from Taking Woodstock: A True Story of a Riot, a Concert and a Life. It "is a memoir describing the origins of the 1969 Woodstock Festival by Elliot Tiber with Tom Monte. It was published in 2007 by Square One Publishers, Inc., and was adapted into a movie of the same name by James Schamus, Ang Lee's long time writing/producing partner. It was released in August 2009. Tiber is portrayed in the movie by Demetri Martin."
"The book describes Tiber's involvement, as a young gay man, with the riots at the Stonewall Inn in New York City, and his key role in bringing the Woodstock festival to Bethel, New York." For over a decade Tiber lives a "double life"--gay in the Village in New York City, and straight back at mom and dad's in Bethel, New York.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taking_Woodstock_%28book%29
Perhaps, America, like Elliot Tiber, needs to come clean and stop living a double life--progressive in heart and soul while being adamantly pro-corporation when the tough gets going.
In the movie, TAKING WOODSTOCK, "After the final day of the concert, Elliot packs up his life and says farewell to his father, after his father encourages him to strike out on his own." His mom has indirectly supported him in this decision by showing him that she and her dad have been thrifty and can financially take care of themselves.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taking_Woodstock
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