or Powell's or me• • •
"Mike and Jon, Jon and Mike—I've known them both for years, and, clearly, one of them is very funny. As for the other: truly one of the great hangers-on of our time."—Steve Bodow, head writer, The Daily Show
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"Who can really judge what's funny? If humor is a subjective medium, then can there be something that is really and truly hilarious? Me. This book."—Daniel Handler, author, Adverbs, and personal representative of Lemony Snicket
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"The good news: I thought Our Kampf was consistently hilarious. The bad news: I’m the guy who wrote Monkeybone."—Sam Hamm, screenwriter, Batman, Batman Returns, and Homecoming
June 06, 2006
Osama Speaks!
In response to our previous digressions about his name, Sam Husseini explains:
At 18 when I applied for US citizenship (they have a space on the form for this, or did at the time), at my father's urging, I changed my name legally to Samuel Hennessy. Crazy guy wanted his son to have a relatively easy life -- racism against Arabs is hardly a post-9/11 phenomenon. Around the time of the Gulf War, I partly went back to Sam Husseini in my writing and activism. Now I suppose I'm gradually "reverting" back to the original, Osama (or, more properly, Usamah) Husseini (Hussayni, really). I should say that in some places, where I felt comfortable, like the Park Slope Food Coop, in the early '90s I'd always been Osama Husseini.
Sam also plaintively asks:
Anyway, so were it not for my name, would there be any discussion here on the, um, substance of my article?Posted at June 6, 2006 12:59 PM | TrackBack
I should have responded to the initial post, but I was like, "Gosh! That's a lot of reading to do!" Anyhow, I did the reading now so I'm ready.
I really want to stand by him and hope for excellence in indie media and something that would run counter to the lazy, awful mainstream media and the poisonous propaganda machine of Fox News, but I'm weary and tired and I've grown so, so cynical of a capitalist system that encourages companies and individuals to do anything for a buck. Could the Pacifica that Sam dreams about survive in a system where the exact opposite of it thrives? In a system powered by people who want it and the truth dead?
Maybe my cynicism and pessimism are just significantly higher than usual. I would do everything in my power to help just such an entity, but I'd feel the heavy weight of futility in my actions.
Posted by: BRG at June 6, 2006 01:38 PMI'm in deep agreement with Sam's article. He expresses the legitimate criticism that is the grain of truth in Marc Cooper's vitriolic attacks on Pacifica stations. Sam conveys it in a way far more likely to be heard and taken to heart among the communities who could make the change happen.
Seven years ago, some seriously ill-intentioned people nearly succeeded in selling off what could be one of the left's most precious resources. Thanks to heroic efforts, and no thanks to Marc Cooper and several other people who should have known better, the stations remain available to us. But they're much less effective than they could be.
Posted by: Nell at June 6, 2006 04:04 PMGawd, man, stick with Sam Hennessey! Don't be dumb.
Many Hans Schneiders became Jack Snyders in WW I.
Fear is a good thing, not a bad thing, it keeps you out of trouble, and sometimes alive.
Posted by: John at June 6, 2006 04:36 PMThank you Jonanthan.
Posted by: patience at June 6, 2006 06:19 PM
