In response to Steven Stark’s “Presidential Tote Board” column, “About-Face Time,” I have to complain that by literally writing off candidates such as Dennis Kucinich — candidates who actually stand for something besides a vague sound bite — Stark is contributing to the unfair advantage the media has given to Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and yes, even John Edwards. All three of those candidates are essentially moderates in progressive’s clothing who refuse to take clear stances in order to appease the voters that probably would never vote for them anyway.
Congressman Kucinich is the only candidate to offer a comprehensive vision for a united America. His is a conscientious effort to begin to restore how our country is perceived internationally.
Even if he did not maintain such a position, though, no candidate should have his voice quelled in the presidential candidate forum, nor be deemed illegitimate because of his refusal to sell out to vested interests.
Both Kucinich’s campaign and the campaign of Senator Mike Gravel only accept donations from individual contributors. This guarantees that the common good of the people would be either candidate’s foremost priority should they be elected president.
It is shameful that members of the media repeatedly buy into the Nader-ization (or even Castro-ization or Chavez-ization) of those candidates who have been marginalized namely out of misguided fear that any government that dares to represent its citizens is tyranny.
Ashley Green
Brookline
Strange days
Jeff Tamarkin did a stellar job reviewing the Doors’ Live in Boston 1970 CD. The Doors were a blues-based band, with jazz, poetry, and flamenco influences, where each member provided key support for the rest of the sound.
The Doors’ 1970 Boston performance was energized, and — though not without flaws — was successful in taking fans in attendance on a mystical journey. By April 1970, the band was trying to rebound from the PR suicide of the previous year’s Miami debacle. In fact, the entire 1969 tour to promote The Soft Parade album had been scrapped due to cancelled bookings. But by 1970, with the upcoming Morrison Hotel, they were determined to promote the album that brought them back to their bluesy roots.
A regular staple of the Doors’ 1970 concerts was a blues-driven medley of train-themed covers — “People Get Ready”/“Mystery Train”/“Crossroads.”
The performance at the Boston Arena was no different. “People get ready, there’s a train coming/You don’t need no ticket/You gotta climb on board,” Jim Morrison sang that night during a cover of “People Get Ready.” A Doors concert was a train ride, a voyage into the inner realm of the mind. The question would be: would the train go veering off the cliff or reach its next destination?
The many faces of Morrison — the poet, the drunk, the crooner, the shaman, the rock star, the asshole, and the charmer — were on display that night, not a collage of edits and spices from a handful of gigs, as with the Absolutely Live double album. This new Boston Arena release gives us two complete unedited sets, warts and all. A job well done!
Tarn Stephanos
Former Chief Writer for The Doors Collectors Magazine
Somerville
Editor’s note
Our cover story of June 20, by Adam Reilly, reported on obsessive levels of hate some Red Sox fans generate over Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy. The article included a highly offensive reference to his wife, published by an irresponsible sports blogger. Dr. Shaughnessy is both a mother of three children and highly regarded psychologist practicing in her hometown of Newton. The slur should never have been written or repeated, and the following week the paper carried an apology for having republished it in the Reilly article. We are sorry for any distress or embarrassment caused to Dr. Shaughnessy.
