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Putting Torture Memos to Music

| Thu Apr. 23, 2009 12:54 PM PDT

I know we're not supposed to be advocates around here, but I can't help it. I think I love Jonathan Mann. He's like our own hometown Flight of the Conchords. The SF Bay Area musician and self-videographer set out in January to compose a song and music video a day, something a once-a-quarter songwriter like yours truly can barely comprehend. And Mann has delivered, too, producing 113 ditties so far this year about culture and current events (posted at his website, RockCookieBottom.com) thus catching the attention of our good friend Rachel Maddow, who invited him on her show last Friday to perform a song that calls on Paul Krugman to step up and help America with its fiscal policy and I think this is a run-on sentence isn't it? Mann told Maddow he was awaiting the release of the torture memos so that he could set 'em to music. And here's what he came up with: Mann channeling John Yoo on waterboarding. If it's a hit, Yoo, being a lawyer, will probably demand a cut of the royalties. Indeed, he may well need it for his legal defense fund.

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Michael Mechanic is a senior editor at Mother Jones. For more of his stories, click here.

Comments

Putting Torture Memos To Music

Submitted by Dredd (not verified) on Fri Apr. 24, 2009 6:01 AM PDT.

Put Naomi Wolf's statement that we should not prosecute CIA agents (who do torture) to music too. http://blogdredd.blogspot.com/2009/04/i-disagree-with-naomi-wolf.html

royalties

Submitted by disdaniel (not verified) on Sat Apr. 25, 2009 1:56 PM PDT.

"Yoo, being a lawyer, will probably demand a cut of the royalties" I know you were joking, but I would like to point out that John Yoo's torture memo(s) being classified as secret were almost certainly not copywrighted in accordance with legally recognized copywrite standards. Furthermore since Yoo was employed by the US government at the time of the writing of the torture memo(s), his writtings could logically be considered "works for hire" and therefore property of Uncle Sam. I believe Johnathan Mann is in no legal jepardy. John Yoo...not so secure. PS when are those "libruls" that run California gonna object to UC Berkeley's continued employment of this War Criminal?