COP 24/7 has always been a full throated promoter of "voices carrying while speaking volumes." This platform was designed to interact with our readers, allies, supporters and or haters who want to share their point of view. Even though often we get "crickets" we never quit trying to engage any and all of you who read our post. CorneliusOnpoint has taken the position that as a media piece standing in the gap to fulfill a mission to inform, we are proud of not only our staying power but our commitment to be unapologetic open to all topics. Over the past seven years we've covered everything from female circumcision, killing all the right people in Uganda to the latest local crowning. It's all been chronicled here in cyberspace as our unique snapshot and time capsule for future LGBTQ individuals and beyond to discover. It's been an amazing run and there's no stopping us now! Join us, for the latest of "what's really going on."
Night Moves in the City
Even though COP 24/7 was on the road this week, we are never and I mean never out of touch with the "In's and outs" of what's happening locally. Case in point, the recent news accounts concerning KARK's Meteorologist, Brett Cummings and the untimely death of Dexter W. who was found dead by police. The whole affair was making the wire rounds literally across the country and at first I wasn't sure if this had actually happened in my city. However, after paying closer attention to details, I learned that indeed this was the tragic situation. Unfortunately, as most sensational stories take off, it was the angle that Mr. Cummings was found in a "tub" with a dead man allegedly with a chain wrapped around his neck. As usual, the devil is always in the details and of course it's all about who you hear it from or where you here those important factors. It's no secret that in an age of "reality TV" vs actual reality, everything and I do mean almost everything is ripe for news coverage by someone. Mr. Cummings surely knew that the situation in which he found himself was not just going to be swept under the carpet and for his sake no one would ponder a thought about it. No matter the affluence, abject relation to "white privilege" or his access to the best attorney was not going to allow the media circus or hot glare of the spotlight not burn its course. It's simply got the right mix to titillate, raise eyebrows and "gay tainted" fuel for raucous chatter that could easily be elevated to the absurd. Let's face it folks, we live in the land of rubberneckers and tragedy watchers waiting for the next train wreck ala "Casey Anthony." For some this is all they have to live for, others need to measure the suffering to their own and subsequently the fallout is flung far and wide for mass consumption. Meanwhile Cummings friends and supporters have ignited the social networks with their own sense of "swift justice" filled with sympathy and outrage. Facebook postings cite the insensitivity and pandering gossip as over the top bitchiness with calls for "folks to leave Brett Cummings alone."Not realizing that these catcalls will do nothing more than give the story "legs" and punchlines galore. Wouldn't it be great if we had such outrage for all Gays, Lesbians and Transgendered people who are murdered or brutalized across the state.. Yet while this entire circumstance gets investigated, at its core is the fact that the actions of these individuals have resulted in the death of one person, called into question their personal choices and set in motion significant ramifications that will reverberate throughout their families, if not the rest of their lives. Ultimately, we must all remember that life is not really a box of chocolates as spoken by Forrest Gump, but rather a box filled with the actual choices that we fill it with. Stay tuned, its not over until its over.
And Now a Moment from Michael Moore
Here Comes "HERE COMES TROUBLE" -- My New Book Arrives in 6 Days ...from Michael Moore
Wednesday, September 7th, 2011
Friends,
I have some good news to share with you. I have written a big, new book! It is, without a doubt, the most personal work I've ever done. It's called HERE COMES TROUBLE. It contains two dozen short stories, all based on events in my early life, before I became a filmmaker. They tell how, from a young age, the "personal" in my life slowly boiled up and exploded, quite unexpectedly, into the political.
And next Tuesday, September 13th, you will be able to read these stories that, until now, I've only told to my close friends -- friends who, by the way, have long encouraged me to share them with you.
This is my first major book in nearly eight years, and it is, I believe -- if you'll allow me to say this without jinxing it -- the best damn thing I've ever written.
Considering how the act of writing is filled with so much self-loathing, being able to make a statement like that is, trust me, no small feat! (And you don't have to take my word for it -- Publishers Weekly just gave it their top starred review, calling it "outstanding" and a "triumph." I will not argue with these people; they have credentials and they know what they're doing.)
This is a book of 24 short stories -- but they are all nonfiction. From a chance encounter at the age of 11 with Bobby Kennedy to a tense moment in Virginia outside a rest room door marked "Colored"; from the gay kid in the neighborhood who was beaten to a pulp to the night some in my church cheered the news of the death of Martin Luther King; from a ruckus I raised at 17 that helped end a form of racial discrimination nationwide to becoming one of the first 18-year olds in the U.S. elected to public office; from planning my escape to Canada during the Vietnam War to having my newspaper raided by the local police; from confronting Reagan in a German cemetery as he laid a wreath on the graves of Nazi soldiers to surviving a terrorist massacre by showing up 20 minutes late -- this was my life before I even thought of putting the first roll of film inside a camera. Some of these stories are funny, others are devastating, but all of them have something to say, not just about yours truly, but about the country we once thought we were (and about the one we've now, incredibly, become).
Next Tuesday, September 13th, HERE COMES TROUBLE will be in your local library and bookstore. It will be available online, on eReaders and even on iTunes (the audio version that I recorded).
You can order your own copy of the book right now from Amazon (you can also order one to be shipped from your local bookstore or from Barnes & Noble).
If you'd like to read one of the stories from the book for free, you can click here.
My book tour begins next week on the "Today Show" followed by visits to Stephen Colbert, Rachel Maddow, Jimmy Kimmel, Bill Maher and, of course, "The View."
Then I'm off to visit 20 or so cities in the fall (the full list will be on my website in a few days). One of my missions on the tour will be to help local libraries across the country that are struggling to survive. For my part I will be giving half of all my royalties on every book that is sold at the events on my tour to these local libraries.
I'll tell you more about HERE COMES TROUBLE in the days to come, and if you haven't signed up for my Twitter feed, please do so 'cause I'll be giving away signed copies each day this week (click here to get my tempting Tweets).
Thanks again for all your support through the years. I promise I won't wait another 8 years 'til the next book! I can also promise you're gonna love this one!
Yours,
Michael Moore
MMFlint@MichaelMoore.com
MichaelMoore.com
Night Moves in the City
Even though COP 24/7 was on the road this week, we are never and I mean never out of touch with the "In's and outs" of what's happening locally. Case in point, the recent news accounts concerning KARK's Meteorologist, Brett Cummings and the untimely death of Dexter W. who was found dead by police. The whole affair was making the wire rounds literally across the country and at first I wasn't sure if this had actually happened in my city. However, after paying closer attention to details, I learned that indeed this was the tragic situation. Unfortunately, as most sensational stories take off, it was the angle that Mr. Cummings was found in a "tub" with a dead man allegedly with a chain wrapped around his neck. As usual, the devil is always in the details and of course it's all about who you hear it from or where you here those important factors. It's no secret that in an age of "reality TV" vs actual reality, everything and I do mean almost everything is ripe for news coverage by someone. Mr. Cummings surely knew that the situation in which he found himself was not just going to be swept under the carpet and for his sake no one would ponder a thought about it. No matter the affluence, abject relation to "white privilege" or his access to the best attorney was not going to allow the media circus or hot glare of the spotlight not burn its course. It's simply got the right mix to titillate, raise eyebrows and "gay tainted" fuel for raucous chatter that could easily be elevated to the absurd. Let's face it folks, we live in the land of rubberneckers and tragedy watchers waiting for the next train wreck ala "Casey Anthony." For some this is all they have to live for, others need to measure the suffering to their own and subsequently the fallout is flung far and wide for mass consumption. Meanwhile Cummings friends and supporters have ignited the social networks with their own sense of "swift justice" filled with sympathy and outrage. Facebook postings cite the insensitivity and pandering gossip as over the top bitchiness with calls for "folks to leave Brett Cummings alone."Not realizing that these catcalls will do nothing more than give the story "legs" and punchlines galore. Wouldn't it be great if we had such outrage for all Gays, Lesbians and Transgendered people who are murdered or brutalized across the state.. Yet while this entire circumstance gets investigated, at its core is the fact that the actions of these individuals have resulted in the death of one person, called into question their personal choices and set in motion significant ramifications that will reverberate throughout their families, if not the rest of their lives. Ultimately, we must all remember that life is not really a box of chocolates as spoken by Forrest Gump, but rather a box filled with the actual choices that we fill it with. Stay tuned, its not over until its over.And Now a Moment from Michael Moore
Here Comes "HERE COMES TROUBLE" -- My New Book Arrives in 6 Days ...from Michael Moore
Wednesday, September 7th, 2011
Friends,
I have some good news to share with you. I have written a big, new book! It is, without a doubt, the most personal work I've ever done. It's called HERE COMES TROUBLE. It contains two dozen short stories, all based on events in my early life, before I became a filmmaker. They tell how, from a young age, the "personal" in my life slowly boiled up and exploded, quite unexpectedly, into the political.
And next Tuesday, September 13th, you will be able to read these stories that, until now, I've only told to my close friends -- friends who, by the way, have long encouraged me to share them with you.
This is my first major book in nearly eight years, and it is, I believe -- if you'll allow me to say this without jinxing it -- the best damn thing I've ever written.
Considering how the act of writing is filled with so much self-loathing, being able to make a statement like that is, trust me, no small feat! (And you don't have to take my word for it -- Publishers Weekly just gave it their top starred review, calling it "outstanding" and a "triumph." I will not argue with these people; they have credentials and they know what they're doing.)
This is a book of 24 short stories -- but they are all nonfiction. From a chance encounter at the age of 11 with Bobby Kennedy to a tense moment in Virginia outside a rest room door marked "Colored"; from the gay kid in the neighborhood who was beaten to a pulp to the night some in my church cheered the news of the death of Martin Luther King; from a ruckus I raised at 17 that helped end a form of racial discrimination nationwide to becoming one of the first 18-year olds in the U.S. elected to public office; from planning my escape to Canada during the Vietnam War to having my newspaper raided by the local police; from confronting Reagan in a German cemetery as he laid a wreath on the graves of Nazi soldiers to surviving a terrorist massacre by showing up 20 minutes late -- this was my life before I even thought of putting the first roll of film inside a camera. Some of these stories are funny, others are devastating, but all of them have something to say, not just about yours truly, but about the country we once thought we were (and about the one we've now, incredibly, become).
Next Tuesday, September 13th, HERE COMES TROUBLE will be in your local library and bookstore. It will be available online, on eReaders and even on iTunes (the audio version that I recorded).
You can order your own copy of the book right now from Amazon (you can also order one to be shipped from your local bookstore or from Barnes & Noble).
If you'd like to read one of the stories from the book for free, you can click here.
My book tour begins next week on the "Today Show" followed by visits to Stephen Colbert, Rachel Maddow, Jimmy Kimmel, Bill Maher and, of course, "The View."
Then I'm off to visit 20 or so cities in the fall (the full list will be on my website in a few days). One of my missions on the tour will be to help local libraries across the country that are struggling to survive. For my part I will be giving half of all my royalties on every book that is sold at the events on my tour to these local libraries.
I'll tell you more about HERE COMES TROUBLE in the days to come, and if you haven't signed up for my Twitter feed, please do so 'cause I'll be giving away signed copies each day this week (click here to get my tempting Tweets).
Thanks again for all your support through the years. I promise I won't wait another 8 years 'til the next book! I can also promise you're gonna love this one!
Yours,
Michael Moore
MMFlint@MichaelMoore.com
MichaelMoore.com
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