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From politics to parenting, music to mayhem, VITAL has seven new blogs with a little something for a lot of different tastes. But you should click here and see for yourself.

33 a.m. Bye-bye, Mr. Bowen

Those (like myself) who don’t keep a list of all civilian personnel currently embedded in Iraq might not be familiar with attorney Stuart W. Bowen Jr. A Republican and long-time associate of the current president, Bowen was sent to Iraq in 2004 to open a federal oversight agency, the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction. During his tenure, he has exposed shoddy and dangerous construction, fraudelent use of funds and numerous incidents of bribery and conspiracy related to the reconstruction of Iraq. He’s even sent some of the worst offenders to jail. Not surprisingly, he has repeatedly investigated three of the biggest U.S. companies with contracts in Iraq – Haliburton, Parsons and Bechtel. What may be surprising (or not), then, is the language buried deep inside the massive military authorization bill signed two weeks ago by Bush that eliminates Bowen’s position on Oct. 1, 2007. From a few yards back, it figures. But many of those who followed the bill closely are more taken aback than the average bear. And that includes Republicans. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) is especially shocked. She says she read what she thought was the final conference report (this is where House and Senate versions of a bill are made to line up) and that the provision was not there. Other lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are in agreement. Turns out the language was slipped in at the last minute by “Congressional staff members working for Duncan Hunter, the California Republican who is the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and who declared on Monday that he plans to run for president in 2008.” (NYT, Nov. 3, 2006). Josh Holly, House Armed Services spokesman and, I’m sure coincidentally, a member of Hunter’s staff, said that “politics played no role and that there had been no direction from the administration or lobbying from the companies whose work in Iraq Mr. Bowen’s office has severely critiqued.” Haliburton, Parsons and Bechtel, naturally, aver that they made absolutely no effort to lobby against Bowen or his office. Several lawmakers have come forward to say that they will fight the termination. Let’s see what happens next.

Name it?

My editor called me this week about my new VITAL Source blog. She wanted to know two things. The first: “Are you going to have your first blog entry in on time?” I stammered. “Um. Define ‘on time.’” “Very funny. The new website goes live at midnight on Wednesday, November 1. On time would be before that.” Oh. My. Okay – time to blog. “Yes, I’ll have it to you.” I wasn’t sure how I was going to pull it off. In addition to mothering three school-age children and being a homebirth midwife, I returned to school full time this fall to finish that English degree I started back in 1991. I had projects and papers due, and just wasn’t sure when I would get it done. Unfortunately, I didn’t fare much better on her second question. “What are you going to call it?” “Call what?” I asked innocently. “Your VITAL blog.” “Call it? Like a name?” “Yes, like a name. For your blog. For the new website. Do you read your emails?” I didn’t really need to answer that question since I was clearly perplexed by this entire conversation. “I assumed it would have the same name as my column?” This last sentence sounded more like a question which, in honesty, is what it was. She waited on the other end of the phone while I figured out that I needed to come up with a title for my blog. “Okay, I’ll come up with something during Sociology and call you back.” As I got off the phone, I was filled with dread. I’m not good at naming things. My cat’s name is Kitty because I just couldn’t come up with anything better. I kept thinking that I’d give her a real name eventually, but seeing as how she’s 13 years old now, it seems unlikely. It took days to name each of my children, though I had been preparing for it for nine months each time. I sank into my seat in class and started thinking. I was just getting in my car to leave Alverno and pull the three o’clock, white-knuckle, Hail-Mary drive back to Tosa to pick my kids up from school when my cell rang again. “Got a title for me?” My editor is good because she’s persistent. “Yes! I do! I have one.” “Give it to me.” “Oh Mama! A slightly crunchy blog.” She waited for a minute to see if I was joking. I waited a little long to indicate that I wasn’t. “Okay then.” I could hear her writing it down. I think I could also hear her shaking her head in disbelief at my decided lack of ability in naming anything. But maybe I’m projecting. “I told you I wasn’t good at this…” She assured me that it was fine and we talked about a few other things before we ended the call. Despite the fact that I was obviously unprepared for the launch of the new site and our new […]

VITAL Seeks News/Politics and Music Writers!

We’re looking for writers for CD and concert reviews, interviews, news features (not lifestyle) and political commentary. If you think you’ve got what it takes, contact us today by clicking the link below. You’ll be taken to a contact form. Fill in the subject line as follows: SEEKING WRITERS. In the body, include your interests, your background, your contact info and any links to your work already available online. Hopefully we don’t need to say that your message should be well-written and demonstrate that you have a command of the language, as well as grammar and punctuation. Click here to contact us.

And trade “them” for what?

By Jon Anne Willow Dear Readers, Being a monthly publication has its disadvantages of timing. Never is this more apparent to me than when I have to write this column before a momentous event, knowing most people won’t read it until after. Such is the case with these midterm elections. As of this morning, both liberal and conservative think tanks are predicting that Democrats will pick up 18-22 seats in the House (15 are needed for a majority) and 2-3 seats in the Senate (of the six needed for a majority). In short, by the time you read this, it’s likely that Democrats will take back one of the houses and hold a stronger position in the other. It would seem that change is in the air. But I’m troubled. The other evening, VITAL hosted a screening of Robert Greenwald’s Iraq For Sale: The War Profiteers to a packed room at Bremen Café. Granted, this is pretty far-left stuff, attracting mostly those who already know they’re mad as hell and aren’t going to take it anymore, so I wasn’t surprised that the lively talkback session after the film touched on wholesale revolution in the streets. But as PeaceAction’s George Martin whipped up the crowd with enthusiastically rejoined calls to “Send them home!” I couldn’t help but ask: And trade “them” for what? Is our collective memory so short that we’ve forgotten that Republicans rode into Washington in 1994 as reformists, vowing to end a very real decade of Democratic power-mongering and scandal? Does anyone recall that even though Democrats are campaigning on Bush’s poor handling of the “War on Terror,” 145 of 211 Democratic Representatives voted in favor of the 2001 USA PATRIOT Act and only one Senator against? Or that 66 Democrats in the House voted in favor of the reauthorization in 2005 and only three Democratic Senators against? Are we impressed today by Congressmen like Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), who positions himself as the “People’s Defender” yet voted in favor of Bush’s recent evisceration of the Constitution as it pertains to prisoners of war? Will Democratic voters, at some point, acknowledge the irony of their present mood? Let’s put this in perspective. This election serves one very valuable purpose: to restore some modicum of party balance within the three branches of our federal government. But a Democratic House will not have the power to make sweeping changes to our domestic policies on health, education, jobs, campaign reform and the federal budget. And even if the will to do so is there, this cash-strapped nation is so committed to military spending at this point that to withdraw significant funding from the war to reallocate it to domestic interests would potentially put the lives of our deployed soldiers in even greater peril. I’ll lay down money that few Democrats with future political aspirations will take up that charge, for fear of alienating their home base and drawing easy fire from angry, organized Republicans. It’s all very interesting. While I applaud the […]

Art during wartime

By Amy Elliott + Illustrations for Terror Chic by Joy Harmon (top) and Kristopher Pollard (bottom) In 1932, Betty Gow was accused of a playing role in the now infamous kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby. The Scottish nursemaid was never tried, though conspiracy theories about her involvement persist. Seventy-four years later, the incorrigible Ms. Gow is back – in Milwaukee, organizing her creatively inclined friends for Terror Chic 11/9, a showcase of art, fashion, and music in response to life during wartime. The show – and the alias – is the brainchild of teacher, writer, artist and all-around jetsetter Terisa Folaron. Recently returned from a year and a half abroad in Southeast Asia, she’s back in the “experimental swing of things” – first with The Dystopia Project this past October, an artistic response to the internment of artists and composers during the Holocaust – and now with Terror Chic. “Art offers a very personal and direct response to these events,” Folaron says. “[Other mediums] are not as accessible, or immediate, or intimate.” True as that may be, the years following 9/11 and the declaration of war on terrorism have made us all ask how much is too much, how soon too soon. Folaron’s research led her to reports that even fashion designers had backed off previously prevalent camouflage, epaulets and Maoist color schemes to avoid inflaming the sensitivities of a society suffering from post-traumatic stress. In direct retaliation to that, Terror Chic aims to cast a spotlight on the connection between art and war. It’s about creating at full tilt. Every piece of art, music and design was commissioned specifically for the show, and Folaron hopes that the event will give artists the chance to network, collaborate and start a conversation she feels has been tacit. “I approached an artist friend one day and asked, How has the war on terrorism changed your art? His response? ‘That’s right. I forgot we are at war,’” she says. “I laughed, until I received similar responses from other artists.” So what should we expect at the Hide House on 11/9? A somber Cold War vibe and tongue-in-cheek haute couture? Probably some combination thereof, as Terror Chic explores a range of perspectives on the current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, from unabashed anger to dogged support. It also spans a range of musical styles, from the “happy hardcore” of Juniper Tar to the cello experimentation of Janet Schiff. Participating musicians contributed to a Terror 11.9 compilation CD, mastered by Ben Derickson of Zod Records and available exclusively at the event. Then there’s the art: photographs by Emma Freeman and Amanda Rose, pixel art by Craig Robinson, prints by Dwellephant, Matt Cipov and Joy Harmon, among contributions from many other highly regarded artists. Artwork will be for sale and buyers and collectors are encouraged to make an appearance. And have we stressed that there’s a catwalk? More specifically, that a fashion show will take place on the catwalk, featuring area designers, models and stylists – […]

27 a.m.

So on Monday four of us from the office went for a free lunch at Bravo! It’s a new “Italian” place in Bayshore Mall’s soon-to-be-unveiled shopping village. The restaurant itself was passable, with economically-priced entrees of biblical proportions and $6 desserts. The staff was “practicing,” which meant thousands of people got invitations for a complimentary meal over three days, to help the staff get the kinks out before the real opening in a few weeks. Except for the fact that the server didn’t take my order first (I was the only female at the table and we had a comment card with which Charlie was judiciously keeping score) and the manager completely interrupted us to give his spiel, it was fine. If I ever get tired of waiting in line for a table at Maggiano in Mayfair I’ll consider Bravo! an option. What was really interesting (and a little disturbing) about the whole experience, though, had little to do with fake Roman columns abutting black-painted, acoustic tile ceilings. It was the shopping village itself that both fascinated and frightened us. Hundreds of workers in hard hats scurried about, frantically putting the finishing touches on storefronts, landscaping and street dressing in what appeared to be a desperate attempt to be open by holiday shopping season. And wow, I do believe this will be a one-of-a-kind retail experience for most of us Milwaukeeans. Ever been to the city of Kohler? How about Disney World? On a cruise ship? The new Bayshore has exactly that feel. It’s a city within a city, complete with street signs, sidewalks, condos(!) and a town square where school groups and jazz acts will no doubt entertain shoppers as they spend their way through the plaza. I bet there will be greeters in blazers to help us find our way around and to let us know what exciting retail events are on tap for the day. I wouldn’t even be surprised if some sort of card program is in the offing, where you can just charge away on your Bayshore card and get one convenient bill in the mail at a later date! Needless to say, we didn’t litter or take pictures. We had no desire to have some guy in a cartoon animal suit quietly escort us to an underground holding area for questioning. No, we certainly didn’t want to share the fate of the two young women being escorted out of Kohl’s in handcuffs as we hit the parking ramp. Hopefully they were just shoplifting and hadn’t tried to pull the head off Bayshore Bear, the mall’s shopping mascot.

Stay Away From Me

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