Friday, December 21, 2012

Friday Stuff

So let me guess –we’re all still here, aren’t we :-)…



…and maybe I’m in the minority here, but I think Joe Scar took it too easy on this idiot Tim Huelskamp – somehow I have a feeling this numbskull would be singing a different tune if one of his kids had been murdered in Newtown (and once again, heckuva job, Kansas voters, for electing this clueless meat sack)…



…and I think The Eternal George Carlin nailed Wayne LaPierre here based on this (borderline language of course, but funny stuff)…



…and turning to the seasonal items, I think ol’ Pearl was onto something here…



…and I present the following because I don’t feature nearly as much jazz here as I should…



…and I offer the following without comment.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Thursday Stuff

(I also posted here.)

I read a really good Guest Opinion today in the Bucks County Courier Times (and how often can I say that?) about the importance of the Production Tax Credit for funding renewable energy, particularly wind power, here; one of the things you learn is that the U.S. House Repugs haven’t renewed the PTC (big surprise, I know) and what kind of an impact that could have on jobs (potentially killing 37,000 nationally…the next time you hear Boehner, Cantor or Mikey the Beloved whine about the supposed job-killing regulations of the Obama Administration, tell them to make sure their own glass house is polished before they start throwing stones…P.S., that Texas Teahadist nematode Blake Farenthold was re-elected; to contact these clowns and tell them to renew the credit, click here)…



…and I just have three words for Rachel Maddow’s commentary on the ATF – Nail. Hammer. Head (here)…

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…and time for seasonal stuff – I usually end a post with this, but I want to change the order; you’ll find out why soon enough…



…and I give you this from The Ghost of Vinyl Christmases Past…



…and you won’t find much country music here, so savor this…



…and I want to close this post with this – amazing when you consider that this group hasn’t been signed by a major label.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Wednesday Stuff

Let’s not mourn the loss of Robert Bork as far as I’m concerned, for the reasons Jeffrey Toobin of The New Yorker articulates here; basically, by his behavior during the “Saturday Night Massacre” of the Watergate era, he ended up furthering a vision of supreme executive power and lawlessness, which The Sainted Ronnie R and Number 43 dutifully expanded on every way that they could (and as Toobin points out, Ted Kennedy was actually being kind in his remarks during Bork’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing – as far as I’m concerned, the fact that Bork stepped down from the federal bench soon afterwards is telling - this is interesting, though)…



…and gee Dems, way to utterly suck the life out of your base, as David Cay Johnston notes here (even Number 40 knew this was a bad idea, as noted here – and by the way, in a related story, President Hopey Changey ought to give this a read…interesting and a bit disturbing also…if the Repugs had managed to field a somewhat astute individual instead of Willard Mitt – a stretch for that bunch, I know – we’d be getting ready to swear in Number 45 instead)…

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…and it’s back to a mix of seasonal stuff.







Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Tuesday Stuff

Bill Moyers recorded this after the shootings at the premiere of “The Dark Knight Rises” over the summer, but he might as well be talking about today. And by the way, what do I see when I drive south on Route 1 in Trevose, PA today after getting off the PA Turnpike? A huge yellow billboard with black letters advertising a gun show at the Philadelphia Expo Center.

As Martin Bashir says, lather, rinse, repeat…



…and RIP Sen. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii; I knew absolutely nothing about him until the Watergate hearings (and yes, I’m dating myself, I know) – his bravery should be remembered, but also his keen mind and his legendary service on behalf of a nation that, for a time, treated him as an enemy…



…and here’s a seasonal number as a bit of a tribute…



…and does anyone have a bicarbonate of soda?

Monday, December 17, 2012

Monday Stuff

Godspeed to Eddie Weingart – a bit of an eerie coincidence in that I have relatives in Silver Spring, MD (here)…



…and is Martin Bashir ever spot-on, talking about the gun carnage that preceded the Newtown, CT massacre (literally impossible to keep track of them all without a score card)…

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…and I’m going to go out on a bit of a limb here…I’m going back to the more funny and upbeat Christmas stuff, though I know the sorrow is still too overwhelming at times; not ashamed to admit that I’ve been sobbing a bit too, but I need a laugh from time to time to stay sane – I can assure you that the nature of this most recent slaughter from a nut with an automatic weapon will preclude me from ever forgetting about it…ever…but for now, let’s try to smile a bit, OK?



Sunday, December 16, 2012

Sunday Stuff

I gave up on this show a long time ago, but I have to admit that this was a nice touch (I have trouble with videos from Hulu - just refresh please if it doesn't appear right away)…



…and we know what the top story is, and as long as it has occurred it should be so, but let’s not forget about this too…



…and here are two more seasonal tunes…



A Profile In Cowardice (Updates)

As noted here, all 31 pro-NRA U.S. Senators refused invitations to appear with Dancin’ Dave on “Meet The Press” today (I don’t have a confirmation, but I strongly suspect that “No Corporate Tax” Pat Toomey of PA is one of them). And as noted here, the NRA’s Facebook page disappeared also (and I believe their Twitter feed went down as well).

Wow, for a bunch of supposed heroes, they sure are acting like a bunch of stinking cowards. Wouldn’t now, of all times, be the opportunity for them to try and defend their thoroughly indefensible positions?

This reminds me of the global warming denialists who are nowhere to be found on 100-degree summer days or during a period of prolonged wildfires due to excessive heat.

In a related story, as they say, J.D. Mullane, the head carnival barker for the fourth-estate freak show that is the Bucks County Courier Times, typically blames “the culture” and says that we have a “fake debate” about gun control in this country here (what else can you expect from a newspaper that routinely accepts advertising from the gun industry?).

One final thought (and yes, I guess this is a bit of a nod to the conservative point of view)…I keep hearing about how the mother of the shooter stupidly went out and bought an automatic weapon for some reason and taught her disturbed son to aim and fire; he subsequently killed her that way along with his other victims, including the children (who apparently were shot so many times in the face that they needed to be identified from photos).

Any word whatsoever on what became of the father?

(Also, here is more on the victims - the next time I read anyone in the Courier Times complaining about how teachers supposedly have it so easy...well, those cement heads would do well to recall the heroism of the teachers during the shootings, as noted here.)

Update 1: By the way, I know I mentioned Toomey earlier, and thus far I’ve found no comment from him on the shootings. Maybe this is why.



Update 2: This is a message to anyone who owns an automatic gun of any type (unless you are in law enforcement and have a good reason to do so).



Update 3: By the way, I’ve seen a lot of comments out there basically saying that we need more funding for mental health services and access and support of other types for those services. I wholeheartedly agree. But good luck getting that type of funding with the Teahadists in charge of the U.S. House, with Mikey the Beloved as a member of course; these people want “offsets” for hurricane and disaster relief – good luck trying to get dollars for the type of services that would help to fend off the next lunatic with a gun.

Update 4: Interesting article in the New York Times here – I haven’t made it all the way through yet, but it looks like all of the “Fast and Furious” nonsense from Darrell Issa and his House Oversight Committee ended up sucking all the oxygen out of an effort by the Justice Department “to expand the background check system in order to reduce the risk of guns falling into the hands of mentally ill people.”

Heckuva job, U.S. House Repugs.

Update 12/17/12: Dana Milbank recently whined about how no one is taking Joe (“Short Ride”) Lieberman seriously now that he’s just marking time until he’s finally gone (and why isn’t he gone by now, actually?). Maybe this is why (taking a page from Mullane – I don’t recall anyone ever dying from playing a video game – duuuh!).