Crushing Krisis

Comic Books, Drag Race, & Life in New Zealand

Archives for March 2008

The Suppression of Don Siegelman

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I’ve been reading a lot of Huffington Post to stay up-to-date on the election cycle, although I often find myself the most intrigued by their non-election content.

This week Larisa Alexandrovna brought to light that a seemingly benign broadcast blackout of 60 Minutes in Alabama last week was likely connected to a shockingly Soviet attempt by the Republications to keep former governor Don Siegelman out of the sight and mind of his former electorate – a campaign that has lead to an election slimly lost by recount and a suspect conviction that has lead to his imprisonment.

It sounds too outlandish to be true, but the most disturbing part is that once you delve beneath the surface of the story the details of Republican opposition and flawed justice get even more incredible. For the background on Siegelman’s story, and it’s disturbing connection to Rove’s tenure in the White House, please see Larisa’s summary on alterna-news site The Raw Story. (Or, read her series, The Permanent Republican Majority: 1, 2, & 3).

Also in the government-coverups department, is the CDC trying to cover-up a major cancer threat?

The Element of Fire

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Dear Author highlights Martha Wells’ The Element of Fire, my favorite modern fantasy book not written by Steven Brust.

As impressive as Martha’s compelling characterizations are, they are possibly surpassed by her clever world-building. How many authors create a beautifully rendered Elizabethan environment for their first novel – complete with an accompanying well-defined (yet largely unseen) faerie realm – only to fast forward the entire world to turn-of-the-century technology in a sequel with nary a backwards glance? And, furthermore, then advance again to radios, pre-WWII tall ships, and zeppelins in her subsequent trilogy?

As delightful as her evolving world proved to be, none of Elements‘ sort-of sequels quite match the incandescent magic of the original, which you can download and read in it’s entirety for free.