Evan Bayh

Senator Evan Bayh has decided not to seek re-election. We look at just what that means for his constituents and those progressives who have supported him.

Evan Bayh- Commentary by Ray Baker

Community of Nations

Last week the United States hosted a gathering of nations in New York. Many countries were represented and many heads of state had time to address the body. President Barack Obama had an opportunity to speak before the body and kept his remarks consistent with what he has been saying on the world stage thus far into his presidency. Sadly he was again polarizing as those on the political right criticized him for apologizing for the United States past behavior. Some on the political left praised the president for his honest and candid reflections on the United States presence in world affairs. However, not every speech was common fare. There were some notable United States allies and enemies who took to the stage who received considerably different responses.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations and went into a tirade against the Nazis, Iranians and and all members of the body who stayed seated as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke. Ahmadinejad again stood on the world stage and denied the holocaust ever existing. Members of the United States delegation left when Ahmadinjad came to speak as did delegations from many other nations. On the other side of that coin, there were delegations that left in protest against Israel when Mr. Netanyahu rose to speak. Mr. Netanyahu received fair to favorable coverage in the United States media although the Palestinian Authority has a war crimes suit against Israel before the World Court at The Hague.



A man who did not receive such favorable response was Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi. Gaddafi addressed the body for nearly two hours. He rambled through much of his speech failing to strike a consistent theme or tone. He was not a poised nor polished speaker and his thoughts were not clear to say the least. However he did seem to have merit to his suggestions. He was the only speaker who suggested a one state solution to problems in the Middle East. He suggested that if the future of the Israelis and the Palestinians were linked as one there would be more incentive for cooperation. He also pointed to a positive Arab-Israeli relationship citing the Arab harboring of Jews in the wake of the holocaust.

Muammar al-Gaddafi is by not means a saint, nor are his comments the most profound words uttered from the podium at the United Nations. However neither is Mr. Netanyahu or any other foreign leader who has risen and spoke from that podium. Many leaders across the world have the metaphorical "blood on their hands". As listeners to the speeches from the United Nations, we have to be critical of what we are hearing and who we are hearing it from. We must be vigilant to weed out the rhetoric and find the substantive points of the speeches.



In doing that, we as the American public must also be fair. If we are going to be open-minded and hear Mr. Netanyahu out before reaching a conclusion about him, we must also hear Mr. Gaddafi before we simply dismiss him. Neither of the men are angels, but likewise neither are devils. They are merely two players on the world stage who we hope can help solve a centuries old problem. To dismiss either one as a mad man who can offer nothing of merit is disrespectful to both men. Since much of the United States press won't offer a fair minded approach to Mr. Gaddafi and some foreign press services won't offer honest observations of Mr. Netanyahu that puts the burden on the citizens to do the necessary research and think critically and come to their own conclusions about the world around us.

Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man

Usually I use this space to discuss a relevant political matter of the day. However I wanted to use this space to comment on a disturbing behavior matter regarding a particularly famous artist. It is nothing new for an artist to go through crisis. Because of their fame and popularity it often plays itself out in front of millions of people where as everyday people can make similar or worst transgressions and its only known by that persons close network. With that, this then becomes a plea. A plea for critics, fans and friends alike to intervene and understand the plight and portrait of this particular artist as a young man.

The rapper Kanye West has never been bashful about being in the public. This can date back to him being so eager to put his music out, that he funded and shot the first video to his single off his debut record. It is that same confidence and brashness that has garnered him millions of fans around the world. However as we know there is a thin line between confidence and arrogance. Kanye's behavior has often done more than simply crossed that line. Sometimes he has all out trampled over that line in self-indulgence. One can argue he loves to hear himself talk. Or you can make the case that like most celebrities he feels any press is good press. Finally some see it as his desire to be seen in the limelight by as many preening eyes as possible.

What is worth noting though is that lately Kanye West in his music and behavior has struck a bit of a different tone. The tone he struck was one of a young man who has lost his way. One who since the death of his mother and lost of his fiance has been quite evidently without direction and seemingly tired of the spotlight. We can first see his tantrum at the Los Angeles International Airport. Kanye, tired of the media and the attention that his superstar status has garnered him, takes the cameras of those taking pictures of him and goes on a tirade destroying their equipment. Then in a guest verse in the song "Put On" he laments about how people don't know his stress and how he has money and fame and it still doesn't amount to anything. There after on another record "Forever" he details that he'd love to "trade his grammy plaques just to get his granny back" and that he "used to want this thing forever, but you can have it back". Finally on Jay-Z's hit record "Run This Town" Kanye begins the last verse wishing that when he's in church he'd prefer not to be photographed. His most recent outburst saw him rudely interrupting an awards show.

This pattern of behavior seems potentially troubling. It seems to speak to a young man who is losing control of accurate decision making. In doing so we (the public) watch him go through a serious breakdown and crisis that sees him drinking in public, and being artistically unfocused. What the public must notice is that this is not the first time we have seen an artist do this. Great artist before him have also suffered from their own fame. Artist such as Michael Jackson, James Baldwin and Paul Robeson have all suffered from public persecution in one form or another. Kanye is no different. What is happening to him could and would happen to any of us if we were in the public eye. It is made worst because as we all have seen, Kanye is an artist that wears his feelings and emotions on his sleeves.

Hopefully in the very near future Kanye West takes some time to regroup and organize himself and his emotions. From there he can focus on his art and get back to the aspect of him that makes millions fans of his work. More than wanting good music (no pun intended) the public should want for him to get his life and himself under control. We as a viewing public have seen far too often what happens when a star shines too bright and ultimately fizzles out. We've seen it with Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Dave Chappelle and Martin Lawrence. Kanye West is showing signs that this "Hollywood life" is threatening his mental and emotional well-being. Now more than ever those who care about him should get him back to a healthy and comfortable place of being. A place where we the public pass judgment on his music and not his behavior.