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The Ground Zero Mosque Controversy & What is at Stake

Published

on August 2, 2010

. 1 Comment

Would the Anti Defamation League have opposed Park 51, the controversial Islamic cultural center and Mosque, had its founder, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, sought to develop the center in a building that was twelve as opposed to just two blocks away from Ground Zero?

Distance from the Epicenter

Questions about distance and radius are not unfamiliar to anyone who living in NY during and after the 9/11/01 terrorist attacks. The Red Cross and FEMA had their red zone maps. Trauma, a topic also discussed in my July 4th Fireworks Politiku, is very real to those who suffer in its aftermath. What 9/11 victims experienced, suffered from and in some cases are still suffering from, deserves all the support and respect one would expect from a socially conscious and sensitized civilization.

What I just don’t get about all this

Will having a Mosque and cultural center near ground Zero, truly deepen the suffering of a 9/11 survivor simply because it is there to serve a community of moderate Islamic practitioners?

Given the complex nature of trauma and how it manifests, I honestly don’t see how a 9/11 survivor’s response to Park 51 would be any easier to predict than other potential emotional triggers in that part of town.

As someone who was downtown the morning of the attacks, I go to that part of the city when I have to and co-exist with the discomfort as best I can. It’s constantly changing as are the different things that get to me about being there. Would an Islamic cultural center resonate with me as anything besides an Islamic cultural center? Probably not.

The Perceived Threat

I grew up in an educated, politically involved, middle-class Jewish family in Washington, D.C. and have chosen to reside in multicultural cities for most of my adult life because it is where I feel most at ease. I am not afraid of a moderate Islamic cultural center with an interfaith focus because, for me, ignorance, intolerance and extremism is the greater threat.

I do not agree with all of Imam Feisal Abdul Raufmight’s politics –but then– I disagree with a lot of my friend’s politics, as well.

Isn’t this what living and thriving in a multicultural urban metropolis is all about?

The Actual Threat

The actual threat, as I see it, is a potential anti-semitic backlash that the ADL’s intolerance could unintentionally end up causing.

Hopefully those following the issue will understand that the ADL’s extremist position does not represent all Jews. Hopefully…

Politiku Submission Call

Please email Politiku submissions on this topic along with your first and last name and url (if you’d like us to link to it) to Guest Assistant Editor, Rachel Levy by 9:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday, August 2nd.

Rachel’s email address is levy166 (at) gmail.com We hope the Politiku will represent a wide range of Jewish voices on this issue and will post the Politiku we select on Huffpo.

Need the run down or a refresher on what, exactly, Politiku is? Visit the FAQ section of our Facebook Fan page and follow our tweets as well!

Military Vet P.T.S.D. Politiku

Published

s000z

on July 6, 2010

. 5 Comments

The July 5th submission pile-up of “Fireworks & Combat Trauma Politiku” –written by military vets with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder– in response to my July 4th Shout Out– made me feel like a US Postal Service employee on December 26th. Craig Newmark’s and Lily Casura’s superbly written posts had already done an exceptional job of explaining Politiku and PTSD to a large group of readers.

Despite –and perhaps because of this– I pushed for anonymity. Nothing to mess up a job prospect than a Google search connecting an applicant’s name to a widely misunderstood medical condition like PTSD, right?

All anonymous politiku contributors were verified as combat vets with PTSD, by the way. What really made the difference was the fact that Lily had been working with many of these vets through her site Healing Combat Trauma and they trusted her. One of these vets, Angela Peacock, is a former U.S. Army sergeant and Iraq war vet with PTSD, was even comfortable having her name attached.

Although I had no direct contact with Angela during the writing process, Lily informed me that she is a remarkable spokesperson on the topic of female military vets dealing with PTSD. In honor of her willingness to shed some light on this dark and murky issue, Angela is the featured author of the post.

I am posting in hopes that Angela as well as the anonymous vets who have contributed Politiku and every vet in the country now dealing with PTSD, will get access to the resources needed to support their efforts towards recovery.

Angela Woytus-Peacock Politiku
fire lights up the sky/ like old memories burning/ frazz-le-ing my nerves

red white and boom pow/ I can smell watermelon/ old smoke wafting by

staring in silence/ fires are burning inside me/ time to run and hide.

Angela Woytus-Peacock is a former U.S. Army sergeant and Iraq war vet with PTSD.

Anonymous Fireworks & Combat Trauma Politiku
No Fi – Er – Works, No !/ Got P – T – S – D, Need Help !/ Stop War, Fix V – A !

Anonymous Fireworks & Combat Trauma Politiku
some one call the cops/ poor neighborhood kids don’t know / they will find out soon

July Fourth Politiku Update

Published

s000z

on July 3, 2010

. 1 Comment

Fireworks & Combat Trauma Politiku

Craig Newmark’s recent blogpost about National PTSD Awareness Day inspired me to draft a proposal for a series of Politiku workshops for U.S. Military Veterans dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder due to combat trauma. Craig referred me to Lily Casura, author of the website HealingCombatTrauma.com for additional info on the topic.

4th of July Fireworks can be stressful, isolating, alienating and outright exhausting for vets suffering from PTSD. Moreover, they may not necessarily be in the mood to the political issues behind their most recent tours of duty with their civilian families who only know what the media tells them and, in all fairness, why should they? Why should one individual be singlehandedly responsible for setting the record straight, given how polarized the issue has become? Given the diversity of perspectives on this issue, how accurate would one individual’s perspective be, anyway?

Most of us –myself included– grew up associating Fourth of July fireworks with excitement. In Washington, DC, Dad, Mom my brother and me would all go to the Ellipse early to place a picnic blanket by the Reflecting Pool and twirl sparklers as the sun set while waiting till 9:30 when it was dark enough for rose shaped streaks to rip open the sky as we cheered. We would then ooo and ah as the twinklies descended on parachutes and then head home in a blissful fume of post grand finale haze. Though each and every family has their variation upon the theme, it seems to me most Americans still honor the 4th in some way involving family and fireworks. It’s an altogether awesome holiday — one of the few in this country that truly everyone can be a part of!

From Susannaspeier.com

For soldiers dealing with combat trauma, however, the explosive blasts can trigger a more visceral fight/flight response because of their similarities to the blasts and explosions experienced in Iraq and/or Afghanistan. Being surrounded by explicit and implicit displays of patriotism and anti-patriotism can further augment a shell shocked combat vet’s sense of displacement.

I want to be clear that Politiku is not therapy. A Politiku writing workshop for vets dealing with combat trauma might be of value to some because it is a journalistic and literary based technique would enable these individuals to condense their complicated, timely and multifaceted experiences into simple and accessible piece of poetry for them to choose to share with others or not.

This Politiku proposal is 21 slides; mostly images. Assuming you’re on vaca don’t wanna be bothered with anything too long and complicated, I assure you that the proposal (embedded below) is a fast, readable and generally un-confusing read and so check it out, okay? Speier July Politiku Pitch

A project like this would benefit the readers as much –if not more– than it would benefit the writers. Politiku written by combat Vets suffering from PTSD has the potential of helping those who might not otherwise be comfortable with this issue due to its complexity and seeming inpenetrability.

The samples in the Power Point proposal — provided by Yours Truly — are my attempt to give a reader a better sense of what a Politiku written by a vet might look like. Here is where the next request comes in:

Submission Call

If you would like to Politiku about vets with PTSD on July 4th and fireworks please post your Politiku in the comment section.

If you are a vet with PTSD and would still like to Politiku but prefer to remain anonymous, you can email your Politiku to to susanna (at) susannaspeier (dot) com and I will feature it anonymously. I will assume that any politiku received in my inbox is mean for anonymous posting.

Need more specifics on how to write Politiku or want to follow for updates and info on future posts? My Facebook fanpage has an FAQ. You can also go to my Huffpo column to read other Politiku posts if you want to get a better sense.

World Science Festival Connects Celebrity Artists, Physicists, Geneticists, Neurologists and Broadcasters

Published

s000z

on June 5, 2010

. 0 Comments

The 2010 World Science Festival gave some of the world’s leading physicists, biochemists, astronauts, geneticists & astronomers opportunities to discuss their work on celebrity moderated panels.

While it’s my ordinary inclination to suppress and to deny any tendency towards the star struck swooner response; the exhilaration of meeting and interacting with luminaries Painter, Chuck Close and Playwright, David Henry Hwang and Astronaut, Leland Melvin in a forum established to bring science and art together would have been impossible –not to mention, petty– to try and suppress. And all things considered, I didn’t mind. In fact, I realized that when the celebrity is in the context of meritocracy, I’m kinda into it.

From World Science Festival

David Henry Hwang told me the science stories that had the greatest influence on him were the sci-fi stories he read as a kid. Asimov’s Foundation Trilogy and books by Robert Heimlin.

From World Science Festival

Chuck Close talked to me about how he and Rob Rauchenberg’s creative processes were based in the techniques they developed due to their learning disabilities.

Leyland Melvin talked about how difficult it was to get accustomed to gravity again after being in space. Walking on the beach and looking at the horizon line helped, he explained.

From World Science Festival

And…I got to play the Therumond.

Waiting for Tsunami Politiku

Published

s000z

on February 28, 2010

. 1 Comment

“Waiting for Tsunami”

The message was posted on my Siberian-Angelino friend Sasha’s Facebook wall. My Exurbian-Malibu cousin, Jennifer’s, posted Tsunami watch updates on her Facebook wall, as well.

My anti-social-media dad left me a concerned voicemail warning yesterday. Uncertain, due to my transient existence, which coast I would actually be on when the anticipated Tsunami hits, he also warned of the foot of snow on the ground, waiting to greet me in NYC.

From Susannaspeier.com

How are residents of California –the state hit hardest, first by the recession and now the upcoming 40% health insurance hike– bracing up for the supposed seismic sea wave headed their way?

Is it concern for our own shorelines or is it a sense of connectedness to the recent Chilean tragedy that has us hovering in anticipation or is it anxiety or the upcoming Health Care Reform legislation?

Trulyfool Politiku
‘X’ sport sand and sea:
Hanging ten, tsunami speed
(Ambulate yourself)

s000z Politiku
Glad it didn’t break…
…there’s not much to write now, tho
no news is good news

Valentine’s Day Politiku

Published

s000z

on February 14, 2010

. 0 Comments

From Susannaspeier.com

Saint Valentine

St. Valentine’s Day –the day originally established to commemorate a priest who defied Claudius II to perform marriage ceremonies against the explicit orders of the tyrannical Emperor’s ruling that young men remain unmarried in order to maintain a strong army –is political in origin.

From Susannaspeier.com

Sex and Politics

The connections made between politics and Valentine’s Day in 2010 however, brings sex scandals to mind. The public needs to know whether or not their elected officials are having extra-marital affairs as it could reveal a greater history of corruption. A sex scandal will affect public trust and and sometimes, as in the case of John Edwards, even destroy a political career. Should politicians who are no longer even on the federal payroll continue to get this much media attention, though?

Former Rep. Charlie Wilson (D-TX)

Earlier this week, Amy Anderson, a high school friend, who I recently reconnected with through Facebook, posted Charlie Wilson’s obituary on her Facebook wall. The retired Congressman’s heart gave out just four days before Valentine’s Day.

From Susannaspeier.com

Photo of the real Charlie Wilson taken a couple of years ago

Wilson, known as much for his womanizing as for his controversial politics, was played by Tom Hanks in the 2007 movie, “Charlie Wilson’s War.”

Mike Nichols’ and writer, Aaron Sorkin’s work on the film was nothing less than sublime in the way it rose above and beyond Hollywood’s pedantic tendency to enlighten the public with pre-packaged moral high ground conceits, wrapped in red tin foil and placed in heart shaped boxes with ribbons around the edge.

Amy, who had interned for Charlie Wilson a decade after events portrayed in the film took place, however, called my attention to other areas that had been, well, Hollywoodized. The buxom secretaries who were referred to as “Charlie’s Angels,” for example, were actually, “really smart” unlike the bubbleheaded bimbos Hollywood had taken the liberty to inflate.

From Susannaspeier.com

The Hollywood and the real Charlie Wilson story.

In honor of the late Saint Valentine as well as the late Charlie Wilson I am featuring Amy’s Politiku in this Valentine’s Day Politiku post.

Amy Anderson Politiku
known for his tales of
too much whiskey and women
but he did much more

Good Time Charlie drank
whiskey and fought soviets
Hanks played him too sweet

tall in suspenders
wearing a crooked toupee
a real deal Texan

Amy Anderson has had many jobs, but her first was an Intern for Charlie Wilson.

Brad MacDonald Politiku

Love and politics
accommodate the extremes.
What is your safe word?

Rebecca Lieb Politiku
Strippers and whores aren’t
on the valentines day tab
this year, Blackwater.

Brandon Ruckdashel Politiku
Obama and John
Were two sides of the same coin
A Hope turned to naught

From Susannaspeier.co

Mistress with child and John Edwards
Melissa Parrish Politiku
roses a good choice
for wife of an official.
what to get mistress?

Ken Wheaton Politiku
VD also stands
for venereal disease
so back off Cupid.

Wei Shin Politiku
South Carolina?
Nay, Sanford’s Valentine’s in
South America.

From Susannaspeier.com

Governor Mark Sanford

Much as I find the actions that brought about the sex scandals distasteful, I also fear the obsessive public fixation on them might be harming us more than we realize.

I wont pretend that sex scandals are less interesting than a 2,000 word health care overhaul bill. I will, however stipulate that if we recognize the collective tendency to turn sex scandals into media magnets and then make an active choice to only follow subsequent investigations if they serve the public interest, we could find a better use for our time and attention.

Susanna Speier Politiku
Okay, Congressman…
…bring back the Public Option
and I’ll sleep with you.

Pending approval by The Huffington Post’s editorial staff, the complete version of this article and several other fabulous Politiku on this topic will post on my Huffington Post Column as “Sex Scandal Politiku.”

Please follow @Politiku on Twitter, as well.

New Year’s Resolutions

Published

s000z

on January 3, 2010

. 3 Comments

This Place is so Insanely Beautiful

I’m on top of a mountain in Malibu. Skies are blue, blue, blue. What else needs to be said? Well, its the beginning of 2010 and so lotsa stuff, actually…

New Year’s Resolution 2010 Biblio

I realize process of making and keeping New Year’s Resolutions is (or should be, at any rate) quite obvious. It doesn’t hurt to start by Google-ing up a refresher or two, though.

Also worth mentioning nothing what the top New Year’s Resolutions are and what overall stats are for keeping them. There’s a ton out there on the topic — everything from New Year’s Resolutions statistics, making New Year’s Resolutions, funny New Year’s Resolutions, New Year’s Resolutions for Kids, Broken New Year’s Resolutions, Green New Year’s Resolutions…

I created the following list by eliminating articles from sites trying to sell charts and virtual coaching software subscriptions. This is what I ended up with:

The Top New Year’s Resolutions, according to a US Government Poll — yr tax paying dollars at work, presumably

Psychology Today New Year’s Resolution advice

New Year’s Resolutions for NYC — Freakin’ hilarious NYTimes article (doubtful these will be of general interest, tho)

WebMD New Year’s Resolution advice

New Year’s Resolutions are for Dorkazoids

And in case you haven’t already figure this out — I’m into making New Year’s Resolutions. I’m even into keeping them. I realize I’m a total dork for taking New Year’s Resolutions so seriously. Fortunately, my dorkazoid status has little to no impact on my ability to make and maintain New Year’s Resolutions. Solipsism is, after all, part of the dorkazoid credo.

Acceptance of the Dorkazoid Credo

Dorkazoid credo acceptance also helps me get over the fact that making New Year’s Resolutions means admitting to the deepest, darkest storm clouds of shame, failure and self-loathing. For this brief moment in time, I will not allow these clouds to come between me and this clear day in Malibu.

What Happened With My 2009 New Year’s Resolution

Five hours a day of writing. Believe it or not, I met my goal. Only problem was that I didn’t connect my writing goals with financial goals.

Fact is, despite those few and far between entrepreneurial success stories, it is not easy to earn a living by creating online content. Even content published on insanely high traffic blogs like the Huffington Post doesn’t pay.

Although I published over 100 articles only a small percent of my words connected to market pay. Most of the paid gigs were for print publications. Print publications also provide a lot more editorial feedback and vital resources such as fact checkers, art directors and regularly accessible Editor-in-Chiefs.

Not that I, in any way, regret last year’s resolution. Seeing Politiku featured in Huffpo and then syndicated by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Newsweek was, of course, rewarding. I continue to Politiku. Just not as frequently. Same with other online publications I contribute to.

Hopefully my 2010 resolutions will protect me from neglecting my longer term and more substantial aspirations such as screenwriting, playwriting, publishing more articles in print magazines and continuing to create optimized web content for clients who can afford to pay market rates for my talent, education and expertise.

2010 New Year’s Resolutions

Resolution #1 – Don’t allow the number of pro-bono or even below market rate assignments to exceed paid ones. Unfortunately, Huffpo bloggers don’t get paid. Am therefore trying to figure out how to maintain my beloved Politiku column on the level I’m currently maintaining it on without having to sacrifice self-sufficiency.

Resolution #2 – Arrive five minutes early whenever possible
Best technique I can think of for improving punctuality.

Resolution #3 – Two days a week working out at the gym. Incredibly trite, compared to what some people do. Never been much of a gym rat, though but again, the key to succeeding is making resolutions that can be realistically maintained.

Resolution #4 – Full-time, long-term ‘dayjob’ – Having this stability will vastly increase my effectiveness in all other areas. It will enable me to pick and choose freelance gigs, rather than simply trying to be ubiquitously published. It will also enable me to refocus on screenplays. Hopefully, acting wont have to be entirely sacrificed since it’s something I love and will continue to need to always be doing, and always be needing to do, in some capacity.

Resolution #5 – I haven’t figured out the fifth one yet. I prefer odd numbers to even so I’ve decided to leave it as ‘standby’. Suggestions?

Between Now and 2011

There are other things that I need to do or am planning on doing. I’ll need to trust myself to do those other things –breaking them down into smaller steps and setting deadlines for those steps– without a resolution. Again, keeping resolutions realistic, mundane and ultimately doable increases the likelihood of its actually getting maintained through 2011.

How did things go with your 2009 resolutions?

What are your New Year’s Resolutions for 2010?

If you’d like to read my Huffington Post Politiku Neuroeconomics for New Years click here.

Neuroeconomics Politiku

Published

s000z

on November 17, 2009

. 6 Comments

The topic of the December Politiku was Neuroeconomics -or- the science of what happens to our brains when we shop. I ended

If you’d like to read my Huffington Post Politiku Neuroeconomics for New Years click here.

What is Neuroeconomics?

To really get something of a sense of what this is about, I suggest you read what others have to say about it:

Tim Hartford’s Slate.com article on Neuroeconomics

Sharon Begley’s Newsweek article on Neuroeconomics

Elizabeth Eaves’ Forbes article on Neuroeconomics

Paul B. Farrell’s Market Watch article on Neuroeconomics

Mad Men Politiku Call for Submissions

Published

s000z

on November 6, 2009

. 7 Comments

After the penultimate episode of Mad Men’s Season 3 last week, I realized the show’s dramatic genius lay in the micro collisions, as opposed to the macro historical aspects.

After tonight’s Season Three Finale, please Politiku on the subtleties of Mad Men. I would especially like to read your 17 syllable observations on the fine line between persuasion & manipulation; attraction & repulsion; desire & delusion; reflection & representation.

The deadline for submissions is already passed, however you can…

Click here to read the Mad Men Politiku post on Huffington

Click here for reviews of other blogs following Mad Men Season Three

Click here for a babbley but well intended (was new to blogging and didn’t get how spacing for the web and headers worked) and comprehensive description of my experience working as a featured background performer on the Mad Men, Season 2 episodes Three Sundays and Six Month Leave.

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Archive for the 'Politiku' Category

The Ground Zero Mosque Controversy & What is at Stake

Distance from the Epicenter

What I just don’t get about all this

The Perceived Threat

The Actual Threat

Politiku Submission Call

Military Vet P.T.S.D. Politiku

July Fourth Politiku Update

Fireworks & Combat Trauma Politiku

Submission Call

World Science Festival Connects Celebrity Artists, Physicists, Geneticists, Neurologists and Broadcasters