News Genius Quotes Of The Week, 06/21/2013

Welcome to summer! While government scandals and new issues with the NSA, FBI, and even NASA continue to flood in, stories have emerged across the spectrum. In the entertainment world, "chef" Paula Deen casually dropped the "n-word" and Thelonious Monk's tips surfaced again, while in politics, anti-gay Exodus International apologized and closed its doors. Kanye even got into the mix with a highly political new album. News Genius: can the drummer get some? - Gavin Matthews

5. “I cannot simply move on and pretend that I have always been the friend that I long to be today. I understand why I am distrusted and why Exodus is hated” - Alan Chambers, Exodus International Apology

boiseweekly.com

Gay “cure” ministry Exodus International finally issued a long awaited, yet unsubstantial apology for its wholesale mistreatment and abuse of the LGBTQ community this week. Group president Alan Chambers likened the harm he caused to an unforeseen accident, completely failing to make up for the very real physical and mental implications of his group’s efforts. Recognizing the hatred is not enough; Exodus has 40 years of “work” to undo. The silver lining? Exodus announced its closure the same day. Choosing one’s sexuality is no disease, but thankfully bigotry can be cured. Exodus, take your name to heart.

4. “Always leave them wanting more.” - Thelonious Monk, Monk’s Advice (1960)

lib.unc.edu

The king returns. Despite his untimely death many years ago, the teachings and styles of Thelonious Monk live on. Recently made popular again is his list of tips for musicians, covering everything from dress and style to which instrument really rules the bandstand. As it turns out, Monk’s advice does exactly what he suggested 53 years ago: leaves us wanting more.

3. “Have you ever used the N-word yourself? Yes, of course.” - Paula Deen, Deposition on Harassment Case

media.salon.com

In this week’s odd, yet not unexpected news, Paula Deen is in court for alleged harassment and racial abuse of a member of her restaurant's team. As part of the court proceedings, Deen was asked about her past and present use of the “n-word,” apparently a storied part of Deen’s history. Most damning was her framing of the word’s use in her past; when asked simply if she had used the term before, Deen coldly replied, “of course.” Because, as you know, we all drop racial slurs as part of everyday life. Deen has since offered a painfully canned apology, but the damage has been done. Butter has made even her words slippery.

2. “Does the FBI use drones for surveillance on American soil? Yes.” - FBI Director Robert Mueller, FBI Domestic Drone Use

rt.com

Following a series of more and more painful revelations about the sheer volume of domestic spying in the United States, evidence continues to mount. This week, facing Congressional review, FBI Director Robert Mueller admitted for the first time that, in some cases, the FBI has undertaken drone use to monitor U.S. citizens. While the exact cases and details remain hidden or classified, the implications are deep; in order for these measures to take legal form, authorization must exist somewhere. The legal basis for that authorization appears to be the same open-ended FISA laws that got us here in the first place.

1. “Today, there are more African-American adults under correctional control than were enslaved in 1850, before the Civil War.” - ACLU, “New Slaves” Private Prisons

okayplayer.com

The release of Kanye West’s long-awaited new album, Yeezus, brought with it a surprising amount of political critique. Within one of the “singles,” “New Slaves,” the modern prison system was debated, comparing private prisons to slave quarters. Who better to help break down the realities, then, than the ACLU? Adding fact-based research and anecdotal evidence, the ACLU added a verified annotation onto the actual lyrics of “New Slaves,” bringing to song even deeper into real life. Ye may be locked up in his artistic mind, but others suffer in for-profit prisons (from a total 2.3 million U.S. citizens in prison) across the country.