Friday Stuff

I saw something about this that more or less floated by like typical wingnut flotsam, but kudos to Stephen Colbert for giving Dorothy Rabinowitz what she deserves for it – the last minute or so of this is priceless; and by the way, Stephen, to be serious for a minute, our condolences…



…and here is the latest on the Repug “rebranding” effort (too funny)…

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…and as far as I’m concerned, this is the story of the week – kudos to this young man; I basically could care less about the NBA Finals, but after watching this, I now hope San Antonio wins…



…and here’s a late entry that caught my ear, if you will – enjoy.

Wednesday Stuff

And our tut-tutting corporate media is shocked, shocked I tell you, that Edward Snowden apparently believes that he’ll never receive a fair trial in this country – see Bradley Manning and Deric Lostutter, as John Fugelsang notes in this clip…



…and so many of the usual Beltway suspects are mad at Snowden that somehow you have a feeling that he did the right thing (which, I’m sure, will be history’s ultimate judgment, if I were inclined to take a guess at that right now – good point by Dana Milbank that Clapper knew that question from Wyden in advance; no excuse for supposedly being caught off guard, unless of course he really does have something to hide…hmmmmm)…

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…and Rachel Maddow reminds us about some important history; I noted a little while ago that there are going to be a bunch of milestones this year, and this is another one…

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…and either this day or June 2nd would have been the 61st birthday of Pete Farndon of The Pretenders – not getting completely consistent info on that in the blogosphere, but here’s a good tune anyway.

Tuesday Stuff

I thought Rachel Maddow asked some good questions here about how someone like Edward Snowden could end up with access to such sensitive data, ably aided here by Barton Gellman of the WaPo…

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…and I swear it’s nothing but a drug for our corporate media, the whole “Bush Bounce” story line which is coming one of these days, one of these days (here)…forgetting totally that Number 43 really did end up with the highest disapproval rating in Gallup Poll history (and you really aren’t going to try and make me look that up, are you?).

Well, here is a reminder as to how truly wretched this guy was (NSFW - and speaking of immigration, it looks like Ted "Crash And Burn" Cruz didn't do a very good job of listening to the last White House occupant of his party here)…



Update 6/13/13: As I said, it's like a drug (here); I thought this guy knew better.

...and speaking of Texas mistakes (that "not guilty" verdict turns my stomach - and by the way, about 30 municipalities are about to run out of water, at a minimum; but climate change is "junk science")...



…and it was such a lovely evening that I decided to give “mellow” the rest of the day off again.

Monday Stuff

This story is based on one accomplishment by President John F. Kennedy 50 years ago (more here – and oh yeah, speaking of the economy)…

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…and this tells us about the other development from our 35th president on this day 50 years ago (a hell of a pair of milestones, if I may say so)…



…and this is the actual speech at American University…



…and this comes to mind when thinking of an appropriate song from that era.

Sunday Stuff

I have to admit that I’d fallen into the whole “well, if The Sainted Ronnie R were with us today, he’d be a Repug Party outcast” mindset a bit also – fortunately, Bill Maher provided a bit of shock therapy on that subject here (a lot more related stuff is here)...



…and I thought this was a highly informative exchange between Chris Hayes and Jeremy Scahill on the recent secrecy stuff involving Number 44…

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…and as you watch this, keep in mind that some nitwit wrote a column that the Bucks County Courier Times printed today claiming that the climate crisis must be a hoax because Al Gore bought an $8.9 million ocean-front villa (about par for the course with that rag)…



…and while this remains a good song, I have to admit that I’m getting awfully tired of presenting it with stories like this.



Update 6/10/13: Oh, peachy.

Friday Stuff

(I also posted here.)

Rachel Maddow talks with Sen. Jeff Merkley here about the latest Obama Administration revelations on surveillance (kind of ranted a bit about this last night already)…

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…and John Fugelsang has a good interview with Sister Simone Campbell on immigration reform here…



…and the Rev. Al tells us about more two-faced Repug antics on the health care law…

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…and I don’t know about you, but I’m in the mood for a touch of escapism.

Thursday Stuff

Well, this is interesting, but I want to hear more details – besides, this is coming from the same guy responsible for the clip below; let me know if Mikey the Beloved is still playing this same tune a month or two before next year’s election…



…and isn’t this lovely from President Hopey Changey (and why do I have a feeling that the “career intelligence officer” cited in the story could become the next Bradley Manning...an update is here)…

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Update 6/7/13: Oh, and by the way, Democrats, maybe we wouldn't be in this situation if you hadn't caved as you did here.

…and RIP Esther Williams, someone who was apparently an accidental star, but what a life of notoriety…

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…and here’s a song for the occasion while I try to un-grit my teeth.

Wednesday Stuff

Right now, we’re smack in the middle of the period of time between the shooting of former New York Senator (and one-time presidential candidate) Robert F. Kennedy and his death 45 years ago (and if we had the ER technology and patient care methods back then that we have now, it’s possible that he would have lived despite his wounds)…



…returning to the present day, Jim McDermott gives us a lesson in how a member of the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party is supposed to act (here)…



…and Martin Bashir connects the dots big time on the supposed IRS “scandal,” when in fact the real travesty is the usual wingnut demagoguery at work (including this)…

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…and man, this guy is so gonna score for this (but what an awful thing to do to a mix tape : -).

Tuesday Stuff

I got a kick out of this – Joel McHale is pretty funny IMHO on “The Soup”…



…and really, Governor Bully? A primary in August??? When most of the world is on vacation???

If I were a New Jersey taxpayer, I’d be hopping mad over having to shell out about $20 mil for both a primary and special election. That being said, this is a cunning move – God knows I’ll never be a Christie fan, but on the one hand, he makes it easier for Cory Booker to run for Lautenberg’s seat by letting voters focus on that election by itself, and it also puts the screws to Barbara Buono running against Christie even more because she won’t get the benefit of Booker’s “coat tails,” assuming he would have them with Booker at the top of a ticket instead of Buono.

And oh yeah, it also helps to preserve Christie’s top Repug “dog” status in NJ as the guv gets ready to run for prez in 2016 (and you KNOW that’s coming), assuming Booker wins (more here)…



…and Ed Schultz helps us all to “keep our eye on the ball” (good point by E.J. Dionne on health care – it’s a net plus big time, even with a story like this)…

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…and I realize that, when it comes to badly-needed immigration reform, what you’ll usually hear from our corporate media is the “horse race” stuff, such as “Will Marco Rubio, Rand Paul and ‘Calgary’ Cruz Support It?” Well, here is a taste of reality on this issue (Update 6/5/13: Hat tip to Atrios for this...)…



…and John Fugelsang gives us an interesting report on Repug U.S. House Rep (and consummate hypocrite) Stephen Fincher…



…and best wishes for a speedy recovery to this guy (probably the lifestyle catching up with him a bit).

Monday Stuff

Yes, I know, we have yet another “Oh goodness gracious, whatever shall the Republican Party do?” discussion including “daughter of Breitbart” S.E. Cupp, but the takeaway for me would be the themes the millennials hit on here, which, basically, are a total refutation of the Teahadists and the “one percent” who call the shots in that party, and always will…

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…oh, and by the way, they’ll never have any interest in actual governance either, as shown here…

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…and RIP Sen. Frank Lautenberg – while a lot of folks quite rightly now pay tribute to him for his many accomplishments (including me), let’s not forget that he was also one of the very few politicians who stood tall of the issue of G-U-N-S…



…and except for the “ain’t no Democrat” part, I think of Lautenberg and I think of this tune also (and I can hardly wait to see which Republican “Governor Bully” chooses to take Lautenberg’s seat - Christie also called for an election early also...and oh yeah, I guess Lautenberg was a bit of a "capitalist" too).

Sunday Stuff

RIP Jean Stapleton (don’t know what’s up with the train at the end)…



…and I give you Republican U.S. Senate candidate Gabriel Gomez of Massachusetts, caught in a bit of a memory lapse here at the very least and an ethical morass at the very worst, on the issue of his client list while he worked for a private equity firm (hey, at least he didn’t say he had “binders full of women”)…



…though, with a move like this, he might as well have…



…and last Friday marked what would have been the 65th birthday of drummer extraordinaire John “Bonzo” Bonham of Led Zeppelin.

Friday Stuff

Somehow I have a feeling this isn’t the “welcome” to the FBI that James Comey anticipated…

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…and I’m sure this won’t quell the wingnut outrage over the Teahadist/IRS stuff that marks the beginning of ’Scandal’ Summer, but high marks go to Lawrence O’Donnell for trying…

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...and I think this is important to remember in light of this...



…and I don’t know if this is a put-on or not, but it looks like May (for another couple of hours on the “left” coast at least) is National Masturbation Month (seriously?), so here is a tune for the occasion (definitely don’t miss the ‘80s, for the most part anyway).

Thursday Stuff

(I also posted here.)

And as long as she’s departing, why not give “Moon Unit” Bachmann a chance to tell her story, OK…

Bachmann Retires - watch more funny videos

…and paging MSNBC – given this, do you really think you can afford to keep blowing off this guy (I mean, nothing against Chris Hayes, but c’mon! And yes, I know the Freedom Tower has risen, to the credit of all of the workers who have worked so diligently to turn this awful page - I bring this back partly because of this)…



…and I haven’t had anything to say about guns for a little while, but fortunately, Lawrence O’Donnell did so here, bringing the outrage big time against Glock’s Paul Jannuzzo, in a quiet, understated way that’s all the more powerful…

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…and I’m not as big a fan of the second recording from this band as I am of their debut, which knocked me out – I still like this tune, though.

Wednesday Stuff

On the one hand, I’m tired of all the “Oh my gosh, whatever will the Republican Party do?” stuff out there (let it sink is my answer), but despite that, I think this clip from Rachel Maddow on Bob Dole’s recent remarks is instructive (and Steve Schmidt, a bright guy, isn’t dumb enough to call out Rand Paul, Mike Lee, and “Calgary” Cruz by name – I found myself agreeing with about 85-90 percent of what Schmidt said)…

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…and to sign the petition in opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline, please click here…



…and I thought this was a nice little video on the health care law…

…and I can’t imagine national politics in this country without “Moon Unit” Bachmann (a lot more sane, I hope - more here)…



Update 5/30/13: And here is more of the "Queen of the Crazy Train" in action.

…and considering Bachmann, what other tune could I offer but this one?

Tuesday Stuff

I’m glad everyone made it home safe and sound after the Memorial Day holiday; Ed Schultz tells us why here (and speaking of the “party of Lincoln,” they may never have money for the necessities, but they also never have a problem trying to pass their stinking tax cuts)…



…and speaking of money, kudos to Martin Bashir for “getting the back” of Professor Krugman (I don’t care if Kent Conrad is a Dem – the man is a walking turd)…

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…and John Fugelsang tells us about the latest dustup between His Holiness and The Vatican (how dare Francis actually tell the truth like that! And Current's videos still don't "frame" properly)…



…and I was tempted to note the recent birthday of a certain R. Zimmerman, but I knew the 50th anniversary of “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan” was coming up; here is a memorable tune from the recording for the occasion (trying not to make an obvious choice).

Monday Stuff

Happy Memorial Day...



...and yes, even though pictures are allowed now of our fallen heroes returning to Dover, I think this song is still timely as long as we’re at war, which, sadly, we still are.



Update: Oh, and by the way, here is something Mikey the Beloved and his pals should try to remedy with all speed (basically, get rid of the damn sequester once and for all for everyone), instead of puffing up themselves over more symbolic gestures like this.

Saturday Stuff

You know, it really is embarrassing to see “Nooners” fawning over The Sainted Ronnie R like this, but she’s been able to make a profitable living out of it, so why change I guess…



…and oh yes, wasn’t Ronnie so “warm and sunny” here (set the “way back” for “People’s Park,” Sherman)…



…and I thought this was a moment of Fix Noise showing its true sexist colors…



…and by the way, I don’t know how many others besides me noticed this week that only about nine percent of eligible Bucks County voters exercised their franchise in this week’s primary – this goes out to everyone who thought it wasn’t worth it to do their duty as citizens (here - had to substitute this for "The Ostrich" by Steppenwolf due to technical difficulties).

Friday Stuff

(I also posted here.)

Oh, by the way, PA Gov Tom (“Space Cadet”) Corbett, I think I found another “missing Latino” (here - NSFW)…



…and I’m glad to hear TRMS go after world-class nut job Alex Jones (here - I'm sure Gohmert listens to Jones also)…

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…which makes me wonder if Jones watches Robot Chicken, which is intentionally funny, as opposed to Jones, who is uproarious totally by accident…



…also, I thought this was a great interview Rachel Maddow conducted with Jameel Jaffer of the ACLU in response to the recent speech by President Obama about terrorism (as usual, good words, but we’ll see if they translate into good actions, and we’ll also see if Number 44 gets any help, which he usually doesn’t unfortunately)…

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…and I hope this nails the metaphorical coffin shut on whether or not Number 44 is indeed a “socialist,” a charge Republicans have been leveling at Democrats of various stripes for about, oh, I’d say 50 years at least (yes, I can dream, I know)…



...and here’s a bluesy tune to segue into the holiday weekend – hope it’s a good one for all.

Wednesday Stuff

John Fugelsang and Dem Rep Joe Crowley make some good points here about the dustup currently underway between the Teahadists and the IRS...



…and I totally get that John is, first and foremost, a comedian, but he makes some starkly serious points here about sexual violence in the military…



…and this is one of the most ridiculous stories that I’ve heard in a long time – seriously, Florida? This is considered a matter in your state that actually deserves prosecution as a felony??...

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…and I was kind of waiting to see if the guy gets his blocked knocked off, as they say – guess I’ll have to wait for the sequel.

Tuesday Stuff

Leave it to John Fugelsang to call out the wingnuts on Number 44 and a certain Richard Milhous you-know-who...



…and if you want a feel-good story out of the Oklahoma tornado disaster – well, try this…



…and I realize that the tragedy in Oklahoma really isn’t an occasion to play politics, but first, it should be noted that many schools in that state lacked sufficient procedures and facilities in the matter of what to do about a tornado (here), and second, it’s typically disgusting for Inhofe to try some kind of one-upsmanship over the Hurricane Sandy disaster, as noted here - more here ("hard to explain" my ass)…



…and for no particular reason, I now offer this.

Monday Stuff

(By the way, click here if you are able to provide assistance to the victims of the Oklahoma tornado disaster - truly awful stuff, and our prayers and best wishes go out to the victims.)

Does anyone else besides me think that it utterly stinks to high heaven that, not only can the Kochs potentially buy up a newspaper chain (here), but they can also call the shots about what gets aired on “public” TV, as noted here?...



Update 5/29/13: Hat tip to Daily Kos for this...

…and welcome back, Ed Schultz, taking on two important questions…

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…and I forgot this dandy little item from the latest episode of “Real Time” – NSFW…



…and RIP Ray Manzarek of The Doors.

Saturday Stuff

(I also posted here.)

I thought this was a pretty good wrapup of the recent Washington insanity from Reverend Al, Joe Crowley, and Melissa Harris-Perry…

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…and there’s more here in a similar vein from Rachel Maddow with David Axelrod…

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…and all of this gets what I think is the appropriate treatment from Stephen Colbert here (I once said that Louie Gohmert was the stupidest person in the galaxy, but that may not have been accurate…possibly the stupidest person in the universe might be closer to the truth)…



Update 5/24/13: Yes, I know this is a starkly serious topic, but would it be too cheeky on my part to say that Gohmert is a subject matter expert in this area (re., brain-dead life forms)?

…and I’m tempted to use this great commentary as a spring board into my personal tale of misery with Chase Bank, but don’t worry – I won’t burden anyone with that; only a little worse and a lot better than the stuff Dave Ramsey describes here…



…and I’ll let Bill Maher get the last word (here)…



…and this isn’t how I really feel – just a good tune (video’s OK too).

Friday Stuff

Consider this graphic as something informational for the benefit of our lap dog Beltway corporate media, since, by their actions this week, they apparently don’t know the meaning of the word…

…and I’m not going to tell you that I buy every single word of this report (particularly the debt stuff considering the bar graph in the third clip here), but I thought this from RT provided some context on the damned sequester that I don’t see anyone else reporting…



…and even though this commentary is a bit wonky, and I think he’s a little too hard on Nancy Pelosi (oh, right - "balance"), Lawrence O’Donnell provides the best reporting that I’ve yet heard on the stuff about the IRS and those zany Teahadists (and that struck me as a polite rebuke of Rachel Maddow for saying that “Man Tan” Boehner isn’t very good at his job, even though I think she’s right)…

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…and speaking of TRMS, OMIGOD, IT’S ANOTHER OBAMA SCANDAL!!! HE ACTUALLY DID A BETTER JOB THAN WE THOUGHT ON SOMETHING!!! QUICK, CALL JONATHAN KARL AT ABC NEWS!!!...

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...and happy belated 60th birthday to Mike Oldfield – better pack a lunch for this one (still have that image after all these years of Max von Sydow in silhouette holding that black medicine bag).