July 2009
You Betcha Sarah Palin Has a Higher Calling by Walter Brasch
Sarah Palin said she had a "higher calling" that required her to resign 17 months before her term ended as governor of Alaska, and not to seek a second term.
I have no idea where this "higher calling" came from, but I suspect it could only have come from two sources. The first one is God. I don't know what God said to Sarah Palin, but I suspect it might have been something like this:
Rush Limbaugh is still a big fat idiot by Joe Conason
And so are his Fox News pals, who lambasted Sen. Al Franken's "stolen election"
Noam Chomsky on “Crisis and Hope: Theirs and Ours” by Amy Goodman
Noam Chomsky, speaking at Riverside Church in Harlem on June 12, 2009.
AMY GOODMAN: Today, a Democracy Now! special with one of the most important dissident intellectuals of our time, Noam Chomsky.
How 'Public Enemies' Kills Its Gangsters by Stanley Crouch
In his new film, Michael Mann manages to take 1930's gangster culture - rendered so vividly and compellingly by author Bryan Burrough - and render it flat as a pancake.
"He ain't no gangster. He's a real old-time desperado. Gangsters is foreigners; he's an American."—Gramp Maple, The Petrified Forest
That Was Awesome by Kevin Conley
What stuntmen think are the best stunt films of all time.
Fridge full of beer, bowl of hot popcorn, which would you rather see? One more round of Jack Nicholson's septuagenarian spit takes or DMX racing a quad-runner out a sixth-story window? That may seem like a false choice, but for anyone with even mild insomnia, it's the sort of decision you face a lot in life. Enough late nights and enough action flicks and pretty soon you have a crypto-list of favorite stunt films.
About us
Launched in 2009, Plumb Line is a Montreal based web magazine of cultural criticism. While focusing on its vibrant home city, its scope is international. Providing original content, Plumb Line also visits the darkest and most neglected corners of the web to expose thoughtful and engaging criticism of today’s culture.
Plumb Line seeks to provide voices to those otherwise not heard in the mainstream media. Scratching the surface of underground culture, we understand that smart, intelligent and unique artists are spawned from many and all types of societies and circumstances.
As such, we welcome submissions touching on any of the subsections here at Plumb Line (Politics, Film, Music, Art & Literature). Whether you are a student looking to write outside the tight confines of acadamia, an aspiring writer or just a stay at home mom with something to get off your chest, send your submissions to submissions@plumblinemag.com
Robert McNamara Was Never Really in Touch with His Role in Causing Atrocity in Vietnam by Andrew Lam
Living in Vietnam during the war as a child, I witnessed enough American military power to know that no ideology or rationale can justify killing more than a million innocent civilians. So upon news of Robert McNamara's death I took another look at his confession in "The Fog of War", the documentary by Errol Morris.
How McNamara Lost World War II by Greg Palast
In 1995, in Chicago, veterans of Silver Post No. 282 celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of their victory over Japan, marching around a catering hall wearing their old service caps, pins, ribbons and medals. My father sat at his table, silent. He did not wear his medals.
Michael Jackson's Death Was Tragic, But He Was Little More Than an Icon of Mediocrity by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez
He was not a musical genius; didn't break down racial barriers; wasn't a great dancer; didn't change American culture.
I have watched the fawning nonstop media coverage of the death of Michael Jackson with skepticism this past week.
Yes, premature death is tragic. Upon that we can (mostly) all agree.
The Great American Bubble Machine by Matt Taibbi
From tech stocks to high gas prices, Goldman Sachs has engineered every major market manipulation since the Great Depression - and they're about to do it again
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