(I also posted here.)
Maybe we’re not quite “feeling the Bern” as we once were in this seemingly endless primary campaign, but Bernie Sanders is still pretty damn formidable, and moments like this have a lot to do with it (to help, click here)…
…and again, I have to ask what the supposed threat is of putting those accused of plotting against our country in a “super max” prison; I would expect the fearmongering noted in the story from the politicians, but those in law enforcement really should know better; besides, as the attorney points out, if these individuals are tried and acquitted, then they shouldn’t even have been incarcerated in the first place (and no, I don’t think it’s hypocritical to point that out because I don’t live in any of the states mentioned in the story)…
…and here come Chucky and Davey Koch again…such champions of alternative energy – NOT!...
…and after that last item, I feel like hearing a song about a car.
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Wednesday Stuff
(I also ranted a bit here.)
Umm, my answer to the question posed here is, ohhh, they’ve pretty much been off the rails since the election of The Sainted Ronnie R and the utterly ruinous movement conservative ascendancy.
(By the way, I've read a lot of well-meaning, intelligent people I admire bemoan the current state of one of our two major political parties, wondering what to do. Here's what I say; do to them what they'd do to us. By that I mean if they're drowning, don't toss them a life preserver. Toss them an anvil instead.)...
...and speaking of Number 40, here's a new ad from MoveOn.org telling those in "the world's greatest deliberative body" to do their damn jobs ...
...and do you want to get back at U.S. Senate Repugs (including this guy) who oppose a hearing on Obama's Supreme Court nominee? Well then, support the people running against them (including this guy - don't quite understand the push-back from the city council president, or whoever that guy was)...
…and a hat tip to Gregg Whiteside of WRTI in these parts for this; Peer Gynt was first performed 140 years ago today – time for a bit of culture.
Umm, my answer to the question posed here is, ohhh, they’ve pretty much been off the rails since the election of The Sainted Ronnie R and the utterly ruinous movement conservative ascendancy.
(By the way, I've read a lot of well-meaning, intelligent people I admire bemoan the current state of one of our two major political parties, wondering what to do. Here's what I say; do to them what they'd do to us. By that I mean if they're drowning, don't toss them a life preserver. Toss them an anvil instead.)...
...and speaking of Number 40, here's a new ad from MoveOn.org telling those in "the world's greatest deliberative body" to do their damn jobs ...
...and do you want to get back at U.S. Senate Repugs (including this guy) who oppose a hearing on Obama's Supreme Court nominee? Well then, support the people running against them (including this guy - don't quite understand the push-back from the city council president, or whoever that guy was)...
…and a hat tip to Gregg Whiteside of WRTI in these parts for this; Peer Gynt was first performed 140 years ago today – time for a bit of culture.
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Tuesday Stuff
If money were no object (a big “if,” I’ll admit), I don’t think this would be a bad place to live regardless of who was president (more here)…
...and I'm glad Chris Hayes noticed too (here)...
...also, Michael Brooks of “The Majority Report” takes a justly deserved parting shot (I'm sure it will be that) at Dr. Ben Carson before Carson drops out of the Repug presidential primary and, no doubt, takes a good, long nap…
…and John Oliver does it again, this time on abortion and so-called TRAP laws (not terribly funny since the subject isn’t supposed to be, but enlightening, and the sloths are cute too)…
...and I am sooo glad to see somebody call out that supposedly "moderate" John Kasich, and what a great job Samantha Bee does with that here (and again, I have to ask the question; imagine the outcry if a Democrat had said this? And nice comeback on the latest Kasich idiocy here)...
Update 2/25/16: Just add this to the pile.
...and happy 70th birthday to Rusty Young of Poco (perilously close to country music, but that's OK).
...and I'm glad Chris Hayes noticed too (here)...
...also, Michael Brooks of “The Majority Report” takes a justly deserved parting shot (I'm sure it will be that) at Dr. Ben Carson before Carson drops out of the Repug presidential primary and, no doubt, takes a good, long nap…
…and John Oliver does it again, this time on abortion and so-called TRAP laws (not terribly funny since the subject isn’t supposed to be, but enlightening, and the sloths are cute too)…
...and I am sooo glad to see somebody call out that supposedly "moderate" John Kasich, and what a great job Samantha Bee does with that here (and again, I have to ask the question; imagine the outcry if a Democrat had said this? And nice comeback on the latest Kasich idiocy here)...
Update 2/25/16: Just add this to the pile.
...and happy 70th birthday to Rusty Young of Poco (perilously close to country music, but that's OK).
Monday, February 22, 2016
Monday Stuff
Bye, “Jebya” (here – and again, what’s really sad is that, as somebody said, for a Bush, he’s actually somewhat competent…for a Bush)…
…and Seth Meyers weighs in on the whole “Apple vs. the government” privacy debate…I’m not going to kid you; I’m still on the fence a bit with this, but I just have one question…if this were September 12th, 2001, would we seriously be having this discussion? Wouldn’t Jeb’s awful brother (Number 43, I mean) and his acolytes be HOWLING about how “you’re either with us, or you’re with the terrists”?...
Update 2/26/16: I have to admit, though, that this column makes good points in response.
…and he would probably laugh in my face if I ever said this to him, but as far as I’m concerned, Jerry Mitchell is a great American…
...also, did you know that "No Corporate Tax" Pat Toomey is standing in the way of Number 44 trying to get a Supreme Court candidate confirmed? Well, he is (more here - to do something about it, click here)...
…and it looks like we had more senseless gun carnage recently, as noted here; just another day in these United States (and a typical performance by our corporate media is noted here).
Update 2/26/16: Nothing to see here, move along...
…and Seth Meyers weighs in on the whole “Apple vs. the government” privacy debate…I’m not going to kid you; I’m still on the fence a bit with this, but I just have one question…if this were September 12th, 2001, would we seriously be having this discussion? Wouldn’t Jeb’s awful brother (Number 43, I mean) and his acolytes be HOWLING about how “you’re either with us, or you’re with the terrists”?...
Update 2/26/16: I have to admit, though, that this column makes good points in response.
…and he would probably laugh in my face if I ever said this to him, but as far as I’m concerned, Jerry Mitchell is a great American…
...also, did you know that "No Corporate Tax" Pat Toomey is standing in the way of Number 44 trying to get a Supreme Court candidate confirmed? Well, he is (more here - to do something about it, click here)...
…and it looks like we had more senseless gun carnage recently, as noted here; just another day in these United States (and a typical performance by our corporate media is noted here).
Update 2/26/16: Nothing to see here, move along...
Friday, February 19, 2016
Friday Stuff
RIP Harper Lee - you know the movie (and more importantly, the book it's based on)…
…and kudos to Media Matters and Brian Stelter of CNN for busting the Foxies on still more propaganda, this time on the Black Lives Matter movement (here)…
...and God, did I miss John Oliver (LOVE the Wisconsin poem I can't repeat, and this Joel Kleefisch nematode and Debbie Riddle can cry me a goddamn river…and believe it or not, this wasn’t even the best segment; check out the bit at the end with New Zealand and MP Stephen Joyce – have to see it to believe it)...
...and Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao is talking out of both sides of his mushy face again, as usual, on Obama and Supreme Court nominations here (as stated many, MANY times before, we can thank idiot Southern voters for continuing to send this clown back to Washington every six years...in the clip, though, McConnell is actually correct for the last ten seconds, but not in the way he thinks)...
…and I give you the latest installment of “This Day In Doomsy History” (again, more or less) from 2/18/09, in which Mike Papantonio discusses the lack of GOP leadership, which of course would be filled by the Teahadists – still, though, I think this clip is timely in light of this (sooo, their “leader” now is this guy, Trump I mean? And isn't THIS just precious, by the way? Leave it to a "Catholic" like Bill Donahue to "give to Caesar what is Caesar's" at it were, and I'm not talking about a pizza - I think Donahue is the only one who is "confused" here, or pretending to be that)…
…and Cenk and John of The Young Turks tell us about that Repug presidential candidates’ debate, such as it was, on Wednesday night (here – Anderson Cooper should be utterly ashamed...NSFW)…
…and Thom Hartmann brings us Economic and Labor News for the week (the way the U.S. House Repugs treated Obama’s final budget was scandalous even for them)…
...and here's kind of an apropos Friday tune.
…and kudos to Media Matters and Brian Stelter of CNN for busting the Foxies on still more propaganda, this time on the Black Lives Matter movement (here)…
...and God, did I miss John Oliver (LOVE the Wisconsin poem I can't repeat, and this Joel Kleefisch nematode and Debbie Riddle can cry me a goddamn river…and believe it or not, this wasn’t even the best segment; check out the bit at the end with New Zealand and MP Stephen Joyce – have to see it to believe it)...
...and Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao is talking out of both sides of his mushy face again, as usual, on Obama and Supreme Court nominations here (as stated many, MANY times before, we can thank idiot Southern voters for continuing to send this clown back to Washington every six years...in the clip, though, McConnell is actually correct for the last ten seconds, but not in the way he thinks)...
…and I give you the latest installment of “This Day In Doomsy History” (again, more or less) from 2/18/09, in which Mike Papantonio discusses the lack of GOP leadership, which of course would be filled by the Teahadists – still, though, I think this clip is timely in light of this (sooo, their “leader” now is this guy, Trump I mean? And isn't THIS just precious, by the way? Leave it to a "Catholic" like Bill Donahue to "give to Caesar what is Caesar's" at it were, and I'm not talking about a pizza - I think Donahue is the only one who is "confused" here, or pretending to be that)…
…and Cenk and John of The Young Turks tell us about that Repug presidential candidates’ debate, such as it was, on Wednesday night (here – Anderson Cooper should be utterly ashamed...NSFW)…
…and Thom Hartmann brings us Economic and Labor News for the week (the way the U.S. House Repugs treated Obama’s final budget was scandalous even for them)…
...and here's kind of an apropos Friday tune.
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Thursday Stuff
OMFG, IT'S ZOMBIE REAGAN!!! And do you want to know what's scariest of all? HE REALLY IS A DEMOCRAT!!! (here)...
...and Jimmy Kimmel redid Dubya's ad for his "little brother" in S.C. here (heh)...
...and turning to something serious with a bit more substance, I'd like to think that we'd do the same thing as the Aussies profiled in this AJAM story, but Number 44 has been a bit of a disappointment lately when it comes to immigration enforcement (again, without a law crafted by those numbskulls on Capitol Hill), and don't even get me started on what the standard bearer for the Repugs would do (here..."it's hard to square that circle" indeed)...
...and hey, did you hear the one about Iraq admitting that it lost radioactive material, probably to ISIS? Unfortunately, it's no joke - terrific...
..and cash-only pot dispensaries are creating a problem for banks, and subsequently, the IRS; we need to get serious about this stuff and treat it like we treat any other business enterprise (convert $$ to other security types)...
...and "Good Vibrations" by Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys (and The Wrecking Crew, let's not forget) was recorded 50 years ago yesterday (the instrumental of the first version of the song...don't read a connection into this tune and the prior item, by the way).
...and Jimmy Kimmel redid Dubya's ad for his "little brother" in S.C. here (heh)...
...and turning to something serious with a bit more substance, I'd like to think that we'd do the same thing as the Aussies profiled in this AJAM story, but Number 44 has been a bit of a disappointment lately when it comes to immigration enforcement (again, without a law crafted by those numbskulls on Capitol Hill), and don't even get me started on what the standard bearer for the Repugs would do (here..."it's hard to square that circle" indeed)...
...and hey, did you hear the one about Iraq admitting that it lost radioactive material, probably to ISIS? Unfortunately, it's no joke - terrific...
..and cash-only pot dispensaries are creating a problem for banks, and subsequently, the IRS; we need to get serious about this stuff and treat it like we treat any other business enterprise (convert $$ to other security types)...
...and "Good Vibrations" by Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys (and The Wrecking Crew, let's not forget) was recorded 50 years ago yesterday (the instrumental of the first version of the song...don't read a connection into this tune and the prior item, by the way).
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Wednesday Stuff
RIP Vanity – “Action Jackson” is definitely a guilty pleasure movie for yours truly, full of tongue-in-cheek moments kind of like the one in the clip…NSFW (on somewhat of a similar note, I recently saw “Deadpool” with Ryan Reynolds, which is full of that sort of thing – I give it a thumbs up, as it were, though it’s definitely rated R for a reason)…
…and Rachel Maddow and Dahlia Lithwick talk about the impact on Supreme Court cases now with Scalia gone; they acted like it was kind of funny/strange, but both of them are too smart to NOT know that we're in what could be dangerous legal waters here...
…and speaking of the latest Supreme Court vacancy, I give you more great stuff from Samantha Bee here (again NSFW)…
...and this is one of the best Motown homage tunes that I've ever heard.
…and Rachel Maddow and Dahlia Lithwick talk about the impact on Supreme Court cases now with Scalia gone; they acted like it was kind of funny/strange, but both of them are too smart to NOT know that we're in what could be dangerous legal waters here...
…and speaking of the latest Supreme Court vacancy, I give you more great stuff from Samantha Bee here (again NSFW)…
...and this is one of the best Motown homage tunes that I've ever heard.
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Tuesday Stuff
I thought this was a good report by Rachel Maddow on South Carolina politics in general (what a bunch of rubes) and Ted Cruz's wacko endorsements in particular (including clips about Dubya doubling down with typical arrogance about his Bob Jones University speech in '00), but along with all the nutsiness in this video, Maddow was too polite to point out that Dubya won the South Carolina primary mainly because of this...
…and this is a little late but still worthy of mention – it looks like Governor Bully haz a sad over dropping out of the Repug presidential primary (awwwwww)…
…and normally I get fed up with Bill Maher over his “liberals should do this, liberals should do that” act, but on this subject he’s absolutely right, and way to light up with Killer Mike and Margaret Cho to make a point (here)…
…and congrats to Linda Ronstadt for winning a lifetime achievement award at the Grammys last night.
…and this is a little late but still worthy of mention – it looks like Governor Bully haz a sad over dropping out of the Repug presidential primary (awwwwww)…
…and normally I get fed up with Bill Maher over his “liberals should do this, liberals should do that” act, but on this subject he’s absolutely right, and way to light up with Killer Mike and Margaret Cho to make a point (here)…
…and congrats to Linda Ronstadt for winning a lifetime achievement award at the Grammys last night.
Saturday, February 13, 2016
Saturday Stuff
With his every utterance (either in print or spoken word), gesture and physical act of any kind whatsoever, Antonin Scalia did all he could to antagonize anyone who did not share his political orientation, which is all the more reprehensible because he was permanently ensconced in an institution which is NOT supposed to be political. This post gives but a small sampling of how Scalia looked at our government overall and how that was manifest in his odious rulings (sorry I didn’t do a better job on confirming the sources; of course, it doesn’t help that the CNN link is expired – more is here and here).
It’s not possible to cover in a single post the legal destruction caused by Scalia’s utterly wrong-headed judicial rulings (let’s see, how about Bush v. Gore, Heller – which codified by law the NRA’s propagandistic misinterpretation of the Second Amendment to the Constitution – and dismantling the Voting Rights Act for starters, as well as Citizens United), but this retrospective of sorts from yours truly represents a bit of a sampling.
Thom Hartmann puts Scalia in the proper context IMHO (and to consider Scalia a Catholic is probably the most wrong-headed possible way to categorize him; he never represented any religion I was ever taught or encouraged to practice)…
…and I think Cenk and The Young Turks have done a great job of cataloging Scalia’s insanity (and yes, I think it’s safe to call it that) here; I give you a sampling below…
Update 2/16/16: I also thought this was a typically thorough analysis from Ian Millhiser (here).
…turning to other matters, best wishes for a Happy Valentine’s Day…
…and here is an opposing point of view :-) – might have to crank the volume.
Friday, February 12, 2016
Friday Stuff
Kudos to these Carrier employees for not holding back on their awful management (here) – I don’t know if I’ll ever need a Carrier product, but if I do, I guarantee that I’ll look somewhere else; I’ve heard a variation of this shit myself, something like “we’ll save $2 million a year by sending your jobs to Mumbai”…
...and I think that's a good intro of sorts to this week's Economic and Labor News from Thom Hartmann...
...and I thought this was a good report by AJAM on the importance of Wisconsin in the fall elections – of course, I don't think it was too swift on the part of DWS (interviewed here) to let the Repugs host their phony-baloney "debates" first, but there you are...
…and to me, this was the biggest non-reported story of the week – yeah, ol’ Hangin’ Judge JR sure has delivered the goods time and time again for conservatives, hasn’t he, as Burt Neuborne says?...
...and speaking of climate, with the winter weather going on in these parts, I have a feeling that you’re going to hear something like this sooner or later…
…and with that in mind, it’s time for today’s regional weather forecast; I don’t know if this will be the coldest night of the year or not, but I have a feeling it will come close.
...and I think that's a good intro of sorts to this week's Economic and Labor News from Thom Hartmann...
...and I thought this was a good report by AJAM on the importance of Wisconsin in the fall elections – of course, I don't think it was too swift on the part of DWS (interviewed here) to let the Repugs host their phony-baloney "debates" first, but there you are...
…and to me, this was the biggest non-reported story of the week – yeah, ol’ Hangin’ Judge JR sure has delivered the goods time and time again for conservatives, hasn’t he, as Burt Neuborne says?...
...and speaking of climate, with the winter weather going on in these parts, I have a feeling that you’re going to hear something like this sooner or later…
…and with that in mind, it’s time for today’s regional weather forecast; I don’t know if this will be the coldest night of the year or not, but I have a feeling it will come close.
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Thursday Stuff
Do you find yourself wondering how “The Donald” got so “yuge”? I think this is the answer…
…and kudos to Rachel Maddow for continuing to beat the proverbial drum on the Flint water crisis (oh, and by the way, this tells us how you can give that idiot Rick Snyder the treatment he deserves)…
…and the more I hear about stuff like this, the more I believe that Bernie Sanders is on the right track (and way to go, hard-haired middle aged white guy with no clue about “socialism”...the last three minutes of this clip with Cenk are great, by the way)…
…and happy 54th birthday to Sheryl Crow.
…and kudos to Rachel Maddow for continuing to beat the proverbial drum on the Flint water crisis (oh, and by the way, this tells us how you can give that idiot Rick Snyder the treatment he deserves)…
…and the more I hear about stuff like this, the more I believe that Bernie Sanders is on the right track (and way to go, hard-haired middle aged white guy with no clue about “socialism”...the last three minutes of this clip with Cenk are great, by the way)…
…and happy 54th birthday to Sheryl Crow.
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Wednesday Stuff
I thought this was some pretty intelligent political analysis on the win in New Hampshire by “The Donald” not just on the part of Rachel Maddow, but Lawrence O’Donnell also (here)…
…and turning to Michael Brooks of “The Majority Report,” I thought this was some thoughtful commentary on the appeal of Bernie Sanders; to paraphrase a slogan from another era, IT’S THE MILLENNIALS, STUPID!...
…and kudos to Samantha Bee for this awesome monologue on the candidates of the “party of Lincoln” (here) - NSFW...
…and it’s a damn shame that Al Jazeera America is going to call it quits, because, again, I don’t see this type of reporting anywhere else; the sorry state depicted in this video is overwhelmingly the fault of those numbskulls on Capitol Hill for punting on common sense immigration reform, but Number 44 gets some of the blame here too for stepping up deportation…
…and hey look, Governor Bully decided to give up his hopeless run for the White House (here), though I guess calling it a “run” is a stretch…heh; brings to mind this tune…
…and we saw RT put on another great show last night at the McCarter Theater in Princeton (promoting this), including this number referring to a certain individual in the spotlight at the moment…wonder who it could be?
…and turning to Michael Brooks of “The Majority Report,” I thought this was some thoughtful commentary on the appeal of Bernie Sanders; to paraphrase a slogan from another era, IT’S THE MILLENNIALS, STUPID!...
…and kudos to Samantha Bee for this awesome monologue on the candidates of the “party of Lincoln” (here) - NSFW...
…and it’s a damn shame that Al Jazeera America is going to call it quits, because, again, I don’t see this type of reporting anywhere else; the sorry state depicted in this video is overwhelmingly the fault of those numbskulls on Capitol Hill for punting on common sense immigration reform, but Number 44 gets some of the blame here too for stepping up deportation…
…and hey look, Governor Bully decided to give up his hopeless run for the White House (here), though I guess calling it a “run” is a stretch…heh; brings to mind this tune…
…and we saw RT put on another great show last night at the McCarter Theater in Princeton (promoting this), including this number referring to a certain individual in the spotlight at the moment…wonder who it could be?
Tuesday, February 09, 2016
Tuesday Stuff
(By the way, I don’t have anything particularly brilliant to say about the New Hampshire primary, except that maybe the Clintons would do well to discard this strategy of what amounts to trolling women supporters of Bernie Sanders, as noted here).
Meanwhile, I think it’s good once in a while for us to get a reality check in terms of how the rest of the world looks at us, so here is something on that…
…and speaking of world stuff, kudos to our neighbor to the north for doing what they can (including this Hamilton, Ontario man in particular) to help those suffering from the horrors inflicted by the regime of Rick Snyder on the people of Flint, Michigan…
…and Kyle Kulinski tells us of 18 cities and towns in our beloved commonwealth of PA with what is actually WORSE drinking water than that inflicted on Flint, believe it or not (remember this the next time you hear about how wonderful natural gas supposedly is – NSFW)…
…and this is a pretty basic, primitive kind of tune actually, but I think it works, so here it is.
Meanwhile, I think it’s good once in a while for us to get a reality check in terms of how the rest of the world looks at us, so here is something on that…
…and speaking of world stuff, kudos to our neighbor to the north for doing what they can (including this Hamilton, Ontario man in particular) to help those suffering from the horrors inflicted by the regime of Rick Snyder on the people of Flint, Michigan…
…and Kyle Kulinski tells us of 18 cities and towns in our beloved commonwealth of PA with what is actually WORSE drinking water than that inflicted on Flint, believe it or not (remember this the next time you hear about how wonderful natural gas supposedly is – NSFW)…
…and this is a pretty basic, primitive kind of tune actually, but I think it works, so here it is.
Monday, February 08, 2016
Monday Stuff
ROFLMAO (here) – makes up a bit for the fact that Bill Maher gave more free air time to that “glibertarian” fool P.J. O’Rourke…
…and Larry Wilmore brings us up to speed on the latest developments with the GOP clown car of presidential candidates here (and what can I say about Jeb! but GENIUS! And after watching this clip, I think I liked “Rubio The Robot” better than the one in the “Nightly Show” clip)…
...and "Too Big To Fail" is still very much alive, according to Bloomberg News (terrific – and shockingly, Jeb! is actually right about making the banks raise their capital requirements)…
…and happy birthday to drummer Fito De La Parra of Canned Heat.
…and Larry Wilmore brings us up to speed on the latest developments with the GOP clown car of presidential candidates here (and what can I say about Jeb! but GENIUS! And after watching this clip, I think I liked “Rubio The Robot” better than the one in the “Nightly Show” clip)…
...and "Too Big To Fail" is still very much alive, according to Bloomberg News (terrific – and shockingly, Jeb! is actually right about making the banks raise their capital requirements)…
…and happy birthday to drummer Fito De La Parra of Canned Heat.
Friday, February 05, 2016
Friday Stuff
Sorry, I couldn’t resist based on this (h/t Atrios – NSFW of course)…
...and how much do you want to lay odds that one of the books the kids WON’T be getting is “Fast Food Nation”? Still though, the “Golden Arches” does something right for a change…
…and this brings me up to speed on the Economic and Labor News from Thom Hartmann…
…and I’m going to sneak in an extra special installment of “This Day In Doomsy History” here from five years ago; see, tomorrow is the 105th birthday of The Sainted Ronnie R, and with that in mind, I give you the following video featuring one of the very few times when he was properly called to account by a politician, Walter Mondale in this case, though Reagan of course ended up cruising to re-election that year (more here)…
...and yeah, Cenk provides the proof in the following video that they all lied, every stinkin' one of them - they should all be in orange jump suits with ball peen hammers pounding away at a concrete slab...
...and RIP Maurice White of Earth, Wind and Fire.
...and how much do you want to lay odds that one of the books the kids WON’T be getting is “Fast Food Nation”? Still though, the “Golden Arches” does something right for a change…
…and this brings me up to speed on the Economic and Labor News from Thom Hartmann…
…and I’m going to sneak in an extra special installment of “This Day In Doomsy History” here from five years ago; see, tomorrow is the 105th birthday of The Sainted Ronnie R, and with that in mind, I give you the following video featuring one of the very few times when he was properly called to account by a politician, Walter Mondale in this case, though Reagan of course ended up cruising to re-election that year (more here)…
...and yeah, Cenk provides the proof in the following video that they all lied, every stinkin' one of them - they should all be in orange jump suits with ball peen hammers pounding away at a concrete slab...
...and RIP Maurice White of Earth, Wind and Fire.
Thursday, February 04, 2016
Thursday Stuff
By the way, good for Dem U.S. House Rep Elijah Cummings concerning the horror show in Flint – under the circumstances, that’s exactly how a Dem is supposed to act (could probably have conducted this interview for a little while longer, but it’s good for what it is)…
...and this story is so appalling that it's hard to find the words to truly communicate my disgust...
…and kudos to Sabah Muktar for this – all the best…
...and here's a neat little tune I've had much on my mind lately.
Wednesday, February 03, 2016
Wednesday Stuff
Sacrilegious? Maybe, but I call it turnabout fair play given the motley field in the GOP clown car (here)…
…that being said, I have to tell you that I’m concerned about this; NO EXCUSE for an “enthusiasm gap” on our side, if that’s what’s going on…
…and we learn here that Former four-star Gen. David Petraeus is basically going to skate for his “kiss and tell” antics with biographer and former shagging companion Paula Broadwell (more here)…
...and like it or not, it’s time once more for another installment of “This Day In Doomsy History” from 2/2/11 (close enough), in which now-retiring Dem U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland calls out the Repugs trying to repeal the Affordable Care Law (timely in light of the latest idiocy form the “party of Lincoln” here…definitely will miss Mikulski)…
…and yeah, I guess there is something in it this time of year, isn’t there?
…that being said, I have to tell you that I’m concerned about this; NO EXCUSE for an “enthusiasm gap” on our side, if that’s what’s going on…
…and we learn here that Former four-star Gen. David Petraeus is basically going to skate for his “kiss and tell” antics with biographer and former shagging companion Paula Broadwell (more here)…
...and like it or not, it’s time once more for another installment of “This Day In Doomsy History” from 2/2/11 (close enough), in which now-retiring Dem U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland calls out the Repugs trying to repeal the Affordable Care Law (timely in light of the latest idiocy form the “party of Lincoln” here…definitely will miss Mikulski)…
…and yeah, I guess there is something in it this time of year, isn’t there?
Tuesday, February 02, 2016
Tuesday Stuff
(Not to suck up or anything, but so far, I would say this is the post of the year.)
Turning once more to the Flint disaster, I thought Ed Schultz had a really good interview with Dem U.S. House Rep Dan Kildee of Michigan about the entirely-made-by-Rick-Snyder water crisis, including the fact that Snyder is turning to “dark money” to fund a PR campaign in response (typical Repug reaction to think that branding and marketing can fix everything – and let’s not forget this)…
...and in a related story, the next time you hear anybody bitch about how rotten unions supposedly are, remember this...
...and I think it's appropriate to revisit this item in light of this (yeah, I know that field is generally awful, but "Calgary" Cruz? Really?? And with that utterly lame "Princess Bride" shtick too? And kudos to Mandy Patinkin - leave it to Cruz to take first place in an Iowa three-way...heh)...
…and do you want to know why Bernie Sanders made such a strong showing in Iowa? Maybe this has something to do with it (and this)…
...and happy 50th birthday to Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots, with the Teletubbies tripping on acid (or something)...
…and Gene Kelly died 20 years ago today (among other things, a truly great Democrat from an era full of those kinds of folks).
Turning once more to the Flint disaster, I thought Ed Schultz had a really good interview with Dem U.S. House Rep Dan Kildee of Michigan about the entirely-made-by-Rick-Snyder water crisis, including the fact that Snyder is turning to “dark money” to fund a PR campaign in response (typical Repug reaction to think that branding and marketing can fix everything – and let’s not forget this)…
...and in a related story, the next time you hear anybody bitch about how rotten unions supposedly are, remember this...
...and I think it's appropriate to revisit this item in light of this (yeah, I know that field is generally awful, but "Calgary" Cruz? Really?? And with that utterly lame "Princess Bride" shtick too? And kudos to Mandy Patinkin - leave it to Cruz to take first place in an Iowa three-way...heh)...
…and do you want to know why Bernie Sanders made such a strong showing in Iowa? Maybe this has something to do with it (and this)…
...and happy 50th birthday to Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots, with the Teletubbies tripping on acid (or something)...
…and Gene Kelly died 20 years ago today (among other things, a truly great Democrat from an era full of those kinds of folks).
Monday, February 01, 2016
Monday Stuff
If Bill Maher wants to blame the Internet for the decline in our political discourse, I guess he has the right to do that; I would also blame right-wing talk radio, cable news, etc., along with “reporters” who think “access” is more important than telling the truth (I would also blame Maher for allowing the wingnuts to spew their garbage on his show, which he is prone to do on occasion...NSFW)...
…and this answers a question I’ve wondered about for a little while – so we can blame that darn peanut farmer for the outsized importance of Iowa (joke…actually, some pretty savvy moves by Carter here if I do say so myself)…
...and after this, I should be just about caught up on Thom Hartmann videos...
...and yesterday marked what would have been the 70th birthday of legendary singer/guitarist Terry Kath of Chicago – he experienced a terrific rise but an awful fall made worse by health problems and drug abuse before he succumbed to an accidental gunshot wound; here is his vocal of a tune appearing on his final album with the band.
…and this answers a question I’ve wondered about for a little while – so we can blame that darn peanut farmer for the outsized importance of Iowa (joke…actually, some pretty savvy moves by Carter here if I do say so myself)…
...and after this, I should be just about caught up on Thom Hartmann videos...
...and yesterday marked what would have been the 70th birthday of legendary singer/guitarist Terry Kath of Chicago – he experienced a terrific rise but an awful fall made worse by health problems and drug abuse before he succumbed to an accidental gunshot wound; here is his vocal of a tune appearing on his final album with the band.
Friday, January 29, 2016
Friday Stuff
Yep, looks like “The Donald” is out to “play” everybody, including our veterans of course – no line he and the other Repugs won’t cross…
…and David Shuster of Al Jazeera tries a bit of fact checking from that candidate farce last night…
…and I’m still a little behind on my Thom Hartmann videos, but I’m trying to catch up…
...and RIP Paul Kantner (and yes, I know it's Marty Balin on the vocals; happy 74th birthday to Balin, by the way).
…and David Shuster of Al Jazeera tries a bit of fact checking from that candidate farce last night…
…and I’m still a little behind on my Thom Hartmann videos, but I’m trying to catch up…
...and RIP Paul Kantner (and yes, I know it's Marty Balin on the vocals; happy 74th birthday to Balin, by the way).
Thursday, January 28, 2016
Thursday Stuff
The Challenger explosion took place 30 years ago today (as far as I'm concerned, that tragedy happened primarily because of the stupefying, idiotic misjudgement of The Sainted Ronnie R as well as the calamitous negligence of Morton Thiokol, as noted here)...
...and hey, lookee here – Ed Schultz is now with RT; here, he talks with Marin Katusa, Fund Manager of the KCR Fund and a New York Times bestselling author, about what’s going on in U.S. energy markets – then, Simone Del Rosario discusses Saudi Arabia's decades-old secret leverage, which is (wait for it...) the amount of debt we stupidly ran up with our "allies" (of course, that's what really matters, not the type of debt our corporate media cares about - I think the scenarios discussed here are a bit dire and some of these are “glass half empty” projections, but Katusa is no slouch on this stuff, so we should all pay attention)...
...and speaking of energy, I don't know if anything is actually rotten in Denmark or not, but if something is, it's not that country's commitment to wind power...
…and I guess this qualifies as a “relationship” song; sorry, no “message music” tonight.
...and hey, lookee here – Ed Schultz is now with RT; here, he talks with Marin Katusa, Fund Manager of the KCR Fund and a New York Times bestselling author, about what’s going on in U.S. energy markets – then, Simone Del Rosario discusses Saudi Arabia's decades-old secret leverage, which is (wait for it...) the amount of debt we stupidly ran up with our "allies" (of course, that's what really matters, not the type of debt our corporate media cares about - I think the scenarios discussed here are a bit dire and some of these are “glass half empty” projections, but Katusa is no slouch on this stuff, so we should all pay attention)...
...and speaking of energy, I don't know if anything is actually rotten in Denmark or not, but if something is, it's not that country's commitment to wind power...
…and I guess this qualifies as a “relationship” song; sorry, no “message music” tonight.
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Wednesday Stuff
So it looks like "blue tarp guy" in Oregon bit the dust - cry me a river...
...and Lawrence O’Donnell interviews former U.S. House Rep Patrick Kennedy, JFK’s nephew, in response to some truly insulting idiocy from Ted Cruz on the subject of our 35th president, particularly Cruz’s utterly mean-spirited paraphrasing of the quote from RFK’s eulogy…
Update 2/1/16: Either not enough Iowa voters saw this report, or those that saw didn't care (here).
...and I thought this was a good report by Chris Hayes focusing on the latest antics from "Governor Bully" (what a buffoon - Christie, I mean; LOVE the sidewalk sign with the mop AND the box of donuts)...
…and this tells us about a celebration for Joan Baez’s 75th birthday, which apparently took place earlier this month – probably an understatement to call her a liberal icon; here is a tune for the occasion.
Update 11/18/16: And typically fighting the good fight as noted here...
...and Lawrence O’Donnell interviews former U.S. House Rep Patrick Kennedy, JFK’s nephew, in response to some truly insulting idiocy from Ted Cruz on the subject of our 35th president, particularly Cruz’s utterly mean-spirited paraphrasing of the quote from RFK’s eulogy…
Update 2/1/16: Either not enough Iowa voters saw this report, or those that saw didn't care (here).
...and I thought this was a good report by Chris Hayes focusing on the latest antics from "Governor Bully" (what a buffoon - Christie, I mean; LOVE the sidewalk sign with the mop AND the box of donuts)...
…and this tells us about a celebration for Joan Baez’s 75th birthday, which apparently took place earlier this month – probably an understatement to call her a liberal icon; here is a tune for the occasion.
Update 11/18/16: And typically fighting the good fight as noted here...
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Tuesday Stuff
Yeah, about 1:08 of this nonsense is all I can tolerate also; just think for a second that this idiocy actually WORKS for a significant share of our electorate (not even going to try to debunk the nonsense...well, except for this...not a fan of Common Core, but don't blame Obama, blame the governors, including this guy)...
...and this is the best news I've heard in a long time (more here) - of course, don't expect to hear an apology from any of the Repugs or their acolytes for their monumental, prejudicial misjudgment on behalf of those two idiots (more here...and let's not forget this too)...
…and I don’t care if John Cox is a Republican or not – I still think this is a hell of an idea…
…and I never thought that I’d be giving credit to Cher for anything except “Moonstruck,” but kudos to her, Pearl Jam, Eminem and everyone else here stepping up to help the residents of Flint with their water crisis that is utterly man-made, at the hands of their governor whose conduct here is almost too unspeakable for words (and this loser isn't much better)…Snyder truly deserves to be prosecuted as far as I’m concerned (had to reach way back into the archives for this one).
...and this is the best news I've heard in a long time (more here) - of course, don't expect to hear an apology from any of the Repugs or their acolytes for their monumental, prejudicial misjudgment on behalf of those two idiots (more here...and let's not forget this too)...
…and I don’t care if John Cox is a Republican or not – I still think this is a hell of an idea…
…and I never thought that I’d be giving credit to Cher for anything except “Moonstruck,” but kudos to her, Pearl Jam, Eminem and everyone else here stepping up to help the residents of Flint with their water crisis that is utterly man-made, at the hands of their governor whose conduct here is almost too unspeakable for words (and this loser isn't much better)…Snyder truly deserves to be prosecuted as far as I’m concerned (had to reach way back into the archives for this one).
Monday, January 25, 2016
Monday Stuff
Gee, where are the Repugs and all of those stupid “Support Our Troops” yellow ribbon stickers NOW; more on that scumwaffle Hegseth is here (first bullet), and more on Repugs versus vets and the VA is here...
...also, I think this Vice News report on homelessness is timely once more in light of this, particularly since the two participants were decided yesterday (and I think Robert Marbut deserves the very fate he attempts to stigmatize)…
…and I know we just observed MLK day a week ago, but I think this latest installment of “This Day In Doomsy History” (more or less) from 1/21/08 featuring Bill Moyers is still instructive because it shows yet another media overreaction, this time on the incredibly obvious observation by presidential candidate Hillary Clinton that it take a president to sign legislation into law (or unless the president’s veto is overridden, as in this case), in regards to the Civil Rights Act in this example…and I think we all should ask ourselves if anyone from the “party of Lincoln,” particularly this guy, would support such a law if it needed to be passed now…
…and whaddaya say to a little Monday funk?
...also, I think this Vice News report on homelessness is timely once more in light of this, particularly since the two participants were decided yesterday (and I think Robert Marbut deserves the very fate he attempts to stigmatize)…
…and I know we just observed MLK day a week ago, but I think this latest installment of “This Day In Doomsy History” (more or less) from 1/21/08 featuring Bill Moyers is still instructive because it shows yet another media overreaction, this time on the incredibly obvious observation by presidential candidate Hillary Clinton that it take a president to sign legislation into law (or unless the president’s veto is overridden, as in this case), in regards to the Civil Rights Act in this example…and I think we all should ask ourselves if anyone from the “party of Lincoln,” particularly this guy, would support such a law if it needed to be passed now…
…and whaddaya say to a little Monday funk?
Friday, January 22, 2016
Friday Stuff
The sixth anniversary of the utterly wretched Citizens United ruling was yesterday (here) – time once more for K.O.’s Special Comment...
...and to me, Carly Fiorina deserves to be strung up by her thumbs for this; if I were a parent of one of those kids, I’d be mad as hell for not being asked for permission first – her departure from this bad burlesque of a presidential campaign can’t come soon enough…
…and with the prior clip in mind, do you want to know what life would be like in this country without Roe v. Wade (and what the wingnuts want even with it, including this lunatic)? Watch this about Ireland (gets pretty graphic around 1:45 – 1:55, but for a good reason - NSFW)…
…and with the prior two videos in mind, I give you this…
…and as I’ve said before, I’ll definitely miss Al Jazeera America since I don’t know of too many news organizations that do this type of reporting (and in case you were wondering whether or not the VA faced pressure from budget cuts that led to the circumstance in this video…and the answer is yes…I ask that you read this)…
…and at a certain point, I just don’t have the words – luckily, Stephen Colbert still does (here)…
…and returning to the music of Glenn Frey, I can’t find a copy of the awesome video for this song without the audio stripped out; must be some stupid legal thing – luckily, the tune is great enough to stand by itself…
…and former Eagle Bernie Leadon wrote and sang this for fellow folk rocker Gram Parsons who died in 1973, but I think this fits now for Frey too (on an unrelated note, good luck dealing with the snow).
...and to me, Carly Fiorina deserves to be strung up by her thumbs for this; if I were a parent of one of those kids, I’d be mad as hell for not being asked for permission first – her departure from this bad burlesque of a presidential campaign can’t come soon enough…
…and with the prior clip in mind, do you want to know what life would be like in this country without Roe v. Wade (and what the wingnuts want even with it, including this lunatic)? Watch this about Ireland (gets pretty graphic around 1:45 – 1:55, but for a good reason - NSFW)…
…and with the prior two videos in mind, I give you this…
…and as I’ve said before, I’ll definitely miss Al Jazeera America since I don’t know of too many news organizations that do this type of reporting (and in case you were wondering whether or not the VA faced pressure from budget cuts that led to the circumstance in this video…and the answer is yes…I ask that you read this)…
…and at a certain point, I just don’t have the words – luckily, Stephen Colbert still does (here)…
…and returning to the music of Glenn Frey, I can’t find a copy of the awesome video for this song without the audio stripped out; must be some stupid legal thing – luckily, the tune is great enough to stand by itself…
…and former Eagle Bernie Leadon wrote and sang this for fellow folk rocker Gram Parsons who died in 1973, but I think this fits now for Frey too (on an unrelated note, good luck dealing with the snow).
Thursday, January 21, 2016
Thursday Stuff
Thom Hartmann give us econ and labor news (pot going strong in Colorado with apparently no ill effects, and I like the proposed law in CA making politicians advertise their corporate donors)...
…oh, and apologies for being a bit behind on this great MLK day segment from Larry Wilmore (here)…
…and yeah, I’m definitely not going to take a shot at the kids either, but as appalling as it is to use them for props, as far as I’m concerned, all that’s missing here are the brown shirts (and I’m not so sure it’s terrible that lefties are posting about this…actually NOT NSFW with Jimmy Dore, so that’s progress)…
...and time for some cool new music from this century.
…oh, and apologies for being a bit behind on this great MLK day segment from Larry Wilmore (here)…
…and yeah, I’m definitely not going to take a shot at the kids either, but as appalling as it is to use them for props, as far as I’m concerned, all that’s missing here are the brown shirts (and I’m not so sure it’s terrible that lefties are posting about this…actually NOT NSFW with Jimmy Dore, so that’s progress)…
...and time for some cool new music from this century.
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Wednesday Stuff
God, I love it when the wingnuts have a circular firing squad (here); they end up blasting each other better than I ever could...pass the popcorn (and kudos to Charles Pierce for keeping a straight face)...
...and you know what? It's almost funny at this point with Governor Bully - almost (here, and yeah, I guess he WOULD be opposed to a healthy eating initiative - ooooh, YOU BAD LI-BU-RUUL! HOW DARE YOU CRITICIZE CHRISTIE's APPEARANCE!)...
…and sticking with the "Last Word" host, this is a truly ballsy “Rewrite” segment from Lawrence O’Donnell about Donald Trump and “The Duke”…and oh yeah, O’Donnell is absolutely right (I seem to recall reading how pissed off Wayne was about the movie “High Noon,” which is actually the antithesis of the supposedly great American western…O’Donnell says something I’d actually been thinking about but never gave a voice to myself…and oh yeah, I’ve GOT to go see “Trumbo” now)…
…and even though “classic” rockers have been dropping like proverbial flies lately, it’s time to commemorate the passing of yet another one, and that would be drummer Dale Griffin of Mott the Hoople…RIP.
...and you know what? It's almost funny at this point with Governor Bully - almost (here, and yeah, I guess he WOULD be opposed to a healthy eating initiative - ooooh, YOU BAD LI-BU-RUUL! HOW DARE YOU CRITICIZE CHRISTIE's APPEARANCE!)...
…and sticking with the "Last Word" host, this is a truly ballsy “Rewrite” segment from Lawrence O’Donnell about Donald Trump and “The Duke”…and oh yeah, O’Donnell is absolutely right (I seem to recall reading how pissed off Wayne was about the movie “High Noon,” which is actually the antithesis of the supposedly great American western…O’Donnell says something I’d actually been thinking about but never gave a voice to myself…and oh yeah, I’ve GOT to go see “Trumbo” now)…
…and even though “classic” rockers have been dropping like proverbial flies lately, it’s time to commemorate the passing of yet another one, and that would be drummer Dale Griffin of Mott the Hoople…RIP.
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Tuesday Stuff
I suppose I’m presenting this video not so much as an exercise in masochism, but merely to demonstrate yet again the world of deep, deep, DEEP denial in which the wingnutosphere truly lives (here) – at least Julie Roginsky, God bless her, is TRYING to interject some reality (and oh yes, “Wall Street” Scott Brown is such an unimpeachable source when it comes to veracity – and by the way, what you might call an “inconvenient truth” or two on this subject can be accessed from here…the right wing chooses to deny reality yet again and tries to invent its own version instead)…
…and I guess I should be arrested because I may end up voting for HRC and I’ve seen the latest Michael Bay movie (heh)…
Update 1/21/16: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
…and kudos to Rachel Maddow for speaking truth to stoo-pid once more, this time on conservative hagiography in the matter of The Sainted Ronnie R and Iran (nice observations by E.J. Dionne also – I may add that book to my reading list)…
...and I thought this was a pretty good summary of how the “haves” have made out under Number 44 – and I don’t know who these commentators are, of course, but as far as they’re concerned, that Kenyan Muslim Socialist can’t do anything right I guess (by the way, I hope everyone at the news networks with initials for names pays attention to this clip at about 4:45 – 4:50 to find out just how much that supposedly ruinous deficit has actually shrunk)…
...and nah, there ain't no stinkin' income inequality out there - just li-bu-ruul propaganda, amirite? (snark mode off)...
…and bloody hell; we just get over commemorating the loss of Bowie and now along comes this – RIP (if you get the chance, watch that terrific documentary on The Eagles on Showtime, which I’m sure will be rerun now; among the many great stories, we basically learn that Jackson Browne gave up on “Take It Easy” in the middle of the second verse and Frey finished it…after hearing this tune so many times, to me at least, it’s easy to forget what a superb piece of musical craftsmanship it truly is…I may put up at least one more tune by Glenn Frey before the end of the week).
…and I guess I should be arrested because I may end up voting for HRC and I’ve seen the latest Michael Bay movie (heh)…
Update 1/21/16: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
…and kudos to Rachel Maddow for speaking truth to stoo-pid once more, this time on conservative hagiography in the matter of The Sainted Ronnie R and Iran (nice observations by E.J. Dionne also – I may add that book to my reading list)…
...and I thought this was a pretty good summary of how the “haves” have made out under Number 44 – and I don’t know who these commentators are, of course, but as far as they’re concerned, that Kenyan Muslim Socialist can’t do anything right I guess (by the way, I hope everyone at the news networks with initials for names pays attention to this clip at about 4:45 – 4:50 to find out just how much that supposedly ruinous deficit has actually shrunk)…
...and nah, there ain't no stinkin' income inequality out there - just li-bu-ruul propaganda, amirite? (snark mode off)...
…and bloody hell; we just get over commemorating the loss of Bowie and now along comes this – RIP (if you get the chance, watch that terrific documentary on The Eagles on Showtime, which I’m sure will be rerun now; among the many great stories, we basically learn that Jackson Browne gave up on “Take It Easy” in the middle of the second verse and Frey finished it…after hearing this tune so many times, to me at least, it’s easy to forget what a superb piece of musical craftsmanship it truly is…I may put up at least one more tune by Glenn Frey before the end of the week).
Monday, January 18, 2016
Monday Stuff
I thought this was one of the smartest commentaries I've heard in awhile about Trump and right-wing nationalism all over the world...
...and here is a clip of The Donald from 1988 talking about that year’s presidential election; I’ll give him some points for consistency (the boogeyman that year was the Japanese as I recall), but as usual, no specifics on anything…
…and “Wise defense spending” (more here)? God lady, are you some kind of a damn socialist or something? We have to bomb more dark-skinned people into oblivion…U-S-A! U-S-A! (yes, I know – snark mode off)…
…and in honor of Dr. King’s day, I give you a link to a portion of his speech at the Barratt School in Philadelphia in 1967 – truly words to live by (oh, and speaking of the prior item, he definitely had something to say about the military/industrial complex too, as noted here).
...and here is a clip of The Donald from 1988 talking about that year’s presidential election; I’ll give him some points for consistency (the boogeyman that year was the Japanese as I recall), but as usual, no specifics on anything…
…and “Wise defense spending” (more here)? God lady, are you some kind of a damn socialist or something? We have to bomb more dark-skinned people into oblivion…U-S-A! U-S-A! (yes, I know – snark mode off)…
…and in honor of Dr. King’s day, I give you a link to a portion of his speech at the Barratt School in Philadelphia in 1967 – truly words to live by (oh, and speaking of the prior item, he definitely had something to say about the military/industrial complex too, as noted here).
Saturday, January 16, 2016
Saturday Stuff
Kudos to the Newark Star-Ledger (and Rachel Maddow of course - more here and here) for holding Governor Bully accountable…” (Christie) lies like the rest of us brush our teeth” – truly precious…
…and good for the kid in this story for not pointing out what an utter dumbass Ben Carson is, though I’d have something to say to this idiot if I were the father, I have to admit (Jimmy Dore makes this NSFW)…
...and what the hell - here's a Bowie encore...
...and this one was covered a whole bunch of times, but he made the original...
…and this gets pretty freaked out at about 3:50 to 4:15, just to warn you (the theme from the “Cat People” remake in the 80s with some film clips)…
...and I didn't like the videos with the "Future Legend" intro segment, so I'm just presenting the final tune/video by itself.
…and good for the kid in this story for not pointing out what an utter dumbass Ben Carson is, though I’d have something to say to this idiot if I were the father, I have to admit (Jimmy Dore makes this NSFW)…
...and what the hell - here's a Bowie encore...
...and this one was covered a whole bunch of times, but he made the original...
…and this gets pretty freaked out at about 3:50 to 4:15, just to warn you (the theme from the “Cat People” remake in the 80s with some film clips)…
...and I didn't like the videos with the "Future Legend" intro segment, so I'm just presenting the final tune/video by itself.
Friday, January 15, 2016
Friday Stuff
RIP Alan Rickman – of all of the roles he played, maybe my favorite was that of Colonel Brandon in “Sense and Sensibility” (yeah, I know, Mr. Artsy Sensitive Type…great acting by communicating exactly what is going on with his character without saying a word) – I’m sure he’ll get well-deserved props for, among other things, helping to kick-start the whole “Die Hard” franchise with his terrific portrayal of villain Hans Gruber…also once shone playing “mad Monk” Rasputin in an HBO movie awhile back…
…and no, I won’t shed any tears either for a publication that was once called "Joe Lieberman Weekly"…
...and Thom Hartmann brings us econ & labor news for 1/4, a little behind again I know (boy, is he ever right about cleaning out the financial swamp of our political campaigns – might be a good idea to avoid Capital One, and it’s ALWAYS a good idea to avoid for-profit colleges…good for the University of California, though, for divesting from for-profit prisons; God forbid something in this country doesn't make money)…
...and this to me is so funny that I don't think any further explanation or embellishment is required...
…and as we wind down this week’s tribute to David Bowie, let’s not forget about some of his collaborations with a whole host of performers, including Freddie Mercury, Mick Jagger, Annie Lennox, and this guy…
…as well as his contributions to movies, including The Hunger (no, not the Hunger Games), The Man Who Fell To Earth, and Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (offbeat to be sure, in keeping with his persona - more here) - with his passing, the appreciation of his legacy on both music and popular culture overall will only grow greater over time.
…and no, I won’t shed any tears either for a publication that was once called "Joe Lieberman Weekly"…
...and Thom Hartmann brings us econ & labor news for 1/4, a little behind again I know (boy, is he ever right about cleaning out the financial swamp of our political campaigns – might be a good idea to avoid Capital One, and it’s ALWAYS a good idea to avoid for-profit colleges…good for the University of California, though, for divesting from for-profit prisons; God forbid something in this country doesn't make money)…
...and this to me is so funny that I don't think any further explanation or embellishment is required...
…and as we wind down this week’s tribute to David Bowie, let’s not forget about some of his collaborations with a whole host of performers, including Freddie Mercury, Mick Jagger, Annie Lennox, and this guy…
…as well as his contributions to movies, including The Hunger (no, not the Hunger Games), The Man Who Fell To Earth, and Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (offbeat to be sure, in keeping with his persona - more here) - with his passing, the appreciation of his legacy on both music and popular culture overall will only grow greater over time.
Thursday, January 14, 2016
Thursday Stuff
I thought this was a pretty good summary of BHO's tenure in An Oval Office from The Young Turks minus Ana (timed for the SOTU) – easy to forget just what a certain Barack Hussein Obama inherited from Former President Highest Disapproval Rating In Gallup Poll History…
…and to me, the real takeaway here is in the last minute when Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee talks about taking a public health approach to gun safety (follow up to the State of the Union address, the final one from Number 44 – sigh)…
...and for anyone who thinks renewable energy is going away, think again (here and here)...
…and I didn’t catch the name of the person in this video, but she’s absolutely right because of this – oh, and by the way, speaking of class action lawsuits, the Repugs in Congress (or their campaign contributors, more precisely) have dreamed up this latest scam…
Update 1/26/16: And the preceding video brings this to mind as far as I'm concerned.
…and returning to Bowie, he always gave credit to Mick Ronson for helping to come up with that whole Ziggy Stardust-era sound; once heard a funny interview where Bowie talked about how Ronson didn’t want to do the whole androgynous thing (he being a studly guy from Hull and all that), but he embraced it with no problem once he realized how the groupies responded to him for it…
…and let’s not forget that Bowie made sure that we found out about this guy too.
…and to me, the real takeaway here is in the last minute when Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee talks about taking a public health approach to gun safety (follow up to the State of the Union address, the final one from Number 44 – sigh)…
...and for anyone who thinks renewable energy is going away, think again (here and here)...
…and I didn’t catch the name of the person in this video, but she’s absolutely right because of this – oh, and by the way, speaking of class action lawsuits, the Repugs in Congress (or their campaign contributors, more precisely) have dreamed up this latest scam…
Update 1/26/16: And the preceding video brings this to mind as far as I'm concerned.
…and returning to Bowie, he always gave credit to Mick Ronson for helping to come up with that whole Ziggy Stardust-era sound; once heard a funny interview where Bowie talked about how Ronson didn’t want to do the whole androgynous thing (he being a studly guy from Hull and all that), but he embraced it with no problem once he realized how the groupies responded to him for it…
…and let’s not forget that Bowie made sure that we found out about this guy too.
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Wednesday Stuff
On another note, on the subject of Guantanamo, either charge the detainees and transfer them to a Supermax prison in this country (not like we have a shortage) or release them and close the damn thing…
Update: God, am I sorry to hear about this – AJAM deserves a lot of credit for courageous reporting of stories that matter as far as I’m concerned, but in today’s high-dollar media age, they had to make a big splash in this country and get dollar-paying subscribers in a hurry to become a “player,” and I’m sure this didn’t help…if they screwed the proverbial pooch, then they should owe up to it, but again, I don’t see ANY of the news networks with initials for names doing their type and quality of reporting.
…and I’m glad to see Seth Meyers give those Oregon militia idiots the treatment they deserve, including Mr.-Hiding-Under-The-Blue-Tarp Guy (and Little Ricky continues to be an utter embarrassment…more on the whole sentencing thing is here, and I think the student here deserves a lot of credit)…
…and even though it’s a new year, that doesn’t mean that I’ve done away with “This Day In Doomsy History” – I think this clip from 1/12/10 is a bit of a cautionary tale about the Teahadists; despite the fact that the political landscape is different now in some ways, it is still much the same as far as I’m concerned in other ways, at least in terms of the battle to keep the other side from getting the momentum because the consequences could be beyond disastrous if that happens… I thought Mark Leibovich's point was interesting about how both the energizing AND shrinking of the Repugs and their beloved "base" was taking place...this country ended up giving the Teahadists what they wanted in the fall elections that year; let's not make that mistake again…
…and I thought Cenk and Ana had some interesting remembrances on Bowie here, particularly his face off with Mark Goodman of MTV in 1982 over the lack of black artists on that network at that time…
…and speaking of “the thin white duke,” here is a cut from his ’74 performance at the Tower Theater in Philadelphia…
…and a latter-era selection.
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Tuesday Stuff
Yep, if you’re watching the Sunday morning gab fests, then you’re probably a Republican (and probably NOT reading this, I’m sure)…
..and Dem U.S. Congresswoman Karen Bass talks about what she thinks Obama will talk about on guns during the SOTU (she's absolutely right at the very end)...
...by the way, I'm probably going to be featuring Bowie stuff all week; hope you like it..."it's not the side effects of the cocaine, I'm thinking that it must be love" - I absolutely wore out my copy of this recording years and years ago...
...and here is Bowie singing "Arnold Layne" by Pink Floyd, with David Gilmour and Richard Wright.
..and Dem U.S. Congresswoman Karen Bass talks about what she thinks Obama will talk about on guns during the SOTU (she's absolutely right at the very end)...
...by the way, I'm probably going to be featuring Bowie stuff all week; hope you like it..."it's not the side effects of the cocaine, I'm thinking that it must be love" - I absolutely wore out my copy of this recording years and years ago...
...and here is Bowie singing "Arnold Layne" by Pink Floyd, with David Gilmour and Richard Wright.
Monday, January 11, 2016
Monday Stuff
I don’t think either one of these “money guys” from the Murdoch Street Journal are necessarily political; I think they’re just sticking to their fields of expertise here when it comes to forecasting what we could be looking at economically in 2016 – I still thought this was an interesting segment…
…and sticking with the economy, I thought this was a good segment on how the GOP presidential candidates pretend to care about poverty; this is actually an abbreviation of a longer clip at MSNBC’s wretched web site…
Update 1/12/16: Uh, yep.
…and RIP David Bowie – still in utter shock like just about everyone else I guess; in keeping with the example of George Harrison, Warren Zevon and probably more than a few others, he managed to complete his final recording before he left us; so much great music to choose from, but I liked this tune in particular, which actually is a cover originally performed by Johnny Mathis, believe it or not (David Live at the Tower Theater is a landmark performance, and “Serious Moonlight,” IMHO, is one of the greatest concert recordings of all time - I personally preferred the "thin white duke" phase as opposed to Ziggy Stardust)…
...though that doesn't mean he didn't make great music during the whole glam-rock thing too, like this.
…and sticking with the economy, I thought this was a good segment on how the GOP presidential candidates pretend to care about poverty; this is actually an abbreviation of a longer clip at MSNBC’s wretched web site…
Update 1/12/16: Uh, yep.
...though that doesn't mean he didn't make great music during the whole glam-rock thing too, like this.
Friday, January 08, 2016
Friday Stuff
Gabby Giffords was shot five years ago today, and Federal Judge John Roll and Christina-Taylor Green were murdered, along with 4 others, as noted here, among many other victims.
And as noted here, it's not as if the wingnuts hadn't been mad at Giffords prior to all of this horror unfolding (and yet again, with all due respect to Giffords - I don't care about Chuck Toddler and his corporate media mannequin - where is the Democratic equivalent to this?)...
...and I think it’s appropriate to revisit a typically fine Special Comment from K.O. on the subject…
…and I think Lip TV asks a good question here; namely, are armed white men more of a threat than terrorists, particularly given the stuff going on in Oregon (I hope Steve Moore is right at the end – we’ll see)…
...and this is a recap of the gun control measures proposed by Number 44 (opposed by all Republicans as far as I know, including this asshat)...
...and this tells us about the gun violence restraining order legislation enacted in California, stemming from the truly scary case of Elliot Rodger (easy to dismiss Rodger as a spoiled brat without looking below the surface, I realize – and as far as I’m concerned, Sam Paredes and his ilk can go right to hell; always throwing cold water on ANYTHING to keep guns out of the hands of lunatics)…
...and Thom Hartmann tells us about Missouri relaxing its gun control laws, and the inevitable follows (and yes, you guessed it - there's a theme to these videos)...
...and good for Trevor Noah here in a recap of Obama's actions on guns this week - terrific and totally justified smackdown at the end (sorry I couldn't fix the autoplay issue)...
...meanwhile, Wayne LaPierre of the NRA argues here for universal background checks - oh, by the way, he did so in 1999, as opposed to now...
...and of course, leave it to philly.com conservative quota hire columnist Christine Flowers to make it sound like the alleged legitimacy of Obama's tears is actually a "thing"...
…and sorry to disappoint, but I’m actually not going to conclude this with an anti-gun song, but instead will only note the recent passing of famed music producer Robert Stigwood; he will quite rightly be remembered as the guy who helped the Bee Gees resurrect their careers and rocket to proverbial super-stardom, but as far as I’m concerned, he’s the guy who hastened the breakup of Cream by making them tour almost to the point of exhaustion (though he did produce Clapton later...go figure) – this is the final tune from their final album.
And as noted here, it's not as if the wingnuts hadn't been mad at Giffords prior to all of this horror unfolding (and yet again, with all due respect to Giffords - I don't care about Chuck Toddler and his corporate media mannequin - where is the Democratic equivalent to this?)...
...and I think it’s appropriate to revisit a typically fine Special Comment from K.O. on the subject…
…and I think Lip TV asks a good question here; namely, are armed white men more of a threat than terrorists, particularly given the stuff going on in Oregon (I hope Steve Moore is right at the end – we’ll see)…
...and this is a recap of the gun control measures proposed by Number 44 (opposed by all Republicans as far as I know, including this asshat)...
...and this tells us about the gun violence restraining order legislation enacted in California, stemming from the truly scary case of Elliot Rodger (easy to dismiss Rodger as a spoiled brat without looking below the surface, I realize – and as far as I’m concerned, Sam Paredes and his ilk can go right to hell; always throwing cold water on ANYTHING to keep guns out of the hands of lunatics)…
...and Thom Hartmann tells us about Missouri relaxing its gun control laws, and the inevitable follows (and yes, you guessed it - there's a theme to these videos)...
...and good for Trevor Noah here in a recap of Obama's actions on guns this week - terrific and totally justified smackdown at the end (sorry I couldn't fix the autoplay issue)...
...meanwhile, Wayne LaPierre of the NRA argues here for universal background checks - oh, by the way, he did so in 1999, as opposed to now...
…and sorry to disappoint, but I’m actually not going to conclude this with an anti-gun song, but instead will only note the recent passing of famed music producer Robert Stigwood; he will quite rightly be remembered as the guy who helped the Bee Gees resurrect their careers and rocket to proverbial super-stardom, but as far as I’m concerned, he’s the guy who hastened the breakup of Cream by making them tour almost to the point of exhaustion (though he did produce Clapton later...go figure) – this is the final tune from their final album.
Thursday, January 07, 2016
Thursday Stuff
Just because that supposedly liberal MSNBC network rescheduled Rev. Al to ratings no man’s land on Sunday morning, that doesn’t mean that he no longer has anything worthwhile to say – far from it…
…and I’ll be honest; I know humor is highly subjective, but I never thought Jerry Lewis was particularly funny, and I NEVER got the whole French thing about how they thought he was some kind of a comic god or something – yes, absolutely give him props for all of the dough he raised to fight Muscular Dystrophy, but as far as I’m concerned, that’s it…
…and I give you John Oliver, someone who to my mind is legitimately funny, with a word or two on New Year’s resolutions…
…and here is a band I never get tired of.
…and I’ll be honest; I know humor is highly subjective, but I never thought Jerry Lewis was particularly funny, and I NEVER got the whole French thing about how they thought he was some kind of a comic god or something – yes, absolutely give him props for all of the dough he raised to fight Muscular Dystrophy, but as far as I’m concerned, that’s it…
…and I give you John Oliver, someone who to my mind is legitimately funny, with a word or two on New Year’s resolutions…
…and here is a band I never get tired of.
Wednesday, January 06, 2016
Wednesday Stuff
I think Rachel Maddow brings us an interesting report here on some of the campaign tactics shared by “The Donald” and George Wallace, but let’s not forget how well she starts this with the clip about LBJ and guns (the interview was with historian Michael Beschloss, by the way)…
…and this is a shocking bit of sanity from Falafel Man on the issue of guns, though why he chooses to close his remarks by saying “think about it, Mr. President” is something I cannot possibly imagine – oh, riiiight…Billo has to find a way to blame that Kenyan Muslim socialist somehow…
…and oh yeah, speaking of Bill Orally, Cenk tells us “a tale of two BLMs” (NSFW)…
...and today marks the 20th anniversary of the so-called "Blizzard of '96," which dumped about 2 1/2 to 3 feet of snow in these parts - here is a tune for the occasion.
…and this is a shocking bit of sanity from Falafel Man on the issue of guns, though why he chooses to close his remarks by saying “think about it, Mr. President” is something I cannot possibly imagine – oh, riiiight…Billo has to find a way to blame that Kenyan Muslim socialist somehow…
…and oh yeah, speaking of Bill Orally, Cenk tells us “a tale of two BLMs” (NSFW)…
...and today marks the 20th anniversary of the so-called "Blizzard of '96," which dumped about 2 1/2 to 3 feet of snow in these parts - here is a tune for the occasion.
Tuesday, January 05, 2016
Tuesday Stuff
I don’t know if this will turn out to be Number 44’s finest hour or not, but I have to tell you that it’s right up there (h/t Balloon Juice; more here – and of course, here is the predictable wingnut response; a voice of sanity on this is here, a person who has a perspective on this that I hope no one else is ever forced to acquire)…
...and Thom Hartmann gives us a history lesson on The Sainted Ronnie R and the beginnings of “austerity” (and actually, going back even further than that to Tricky Dick)…
...and John and Cenk tell us about Trump supporters and "Trump shame" (I'd be embarrassed too...have the guts to be honest, OK? This is actually kind of scary - this election concerns me a bit like the '00 election did - love to be wrong of course)...
…and for the occasion of President Obama’s announcement today, I tried to find an anti-gun song that I haven’t used already…at least, I don’t think I’ve used this before (Jeff “Skunk” Baxter plays the dobro I believe).
...and Thom Hartmann gives us a history lesson on The Sainted Ronnie R and the beginnings of “austerity” (and actually, going back even further than that to Tricky Dick)…
...and John and Cenk tell us about Trump supporters and "Trump shame" (I'd be embarrassed too...have the guts to be honest, OK? This is actually kind of scary - this election concerns me a bit like the '00 election did - love to be wrong of course)...
…and for the occasion of President Obama’s announcement today, I tried to find an anti-gun song that I haven’t used already…at least, I don’t think I’ve used this before (Jeff “Skunk” Baxter plays the dobro I believe).
Monday, January 04, 2016
Monday Stuff
I give you the following from here...
Update 1/5/16: OMFG.
...also, I don’t totally buy Philip Howard’s assessment when It comes to what he would call “excessive” environmental review (and I think an interesting counterpoint is here), but he does make a good point I believe when it comes to what it would take for the “party of Lincoln” to actually cooperate with Democrats on the vital issue of repairing and rebuilding our infrastructure…
...and this doesn’t have anything to do with politics as far as I know, but I’m sorry – I have to add it anyway (actually, I’m not sorry; love the line at the end)…
...and why do I have a feeling that, if the Black Keys and Little Feat somehow combined, they would sound like this?
If 100 Muslims banded together in a group with an open disdain for government, protested against the government and openly professed their willingness to kill federal officials and/or die if need be in opposition to the United States government – would they not be considered terrorists? What's the difference between a terrorist believing it's acceptable to kill Americans and right-wing militia members believing the exact same thing? Because when these militia idiots say they're willing to use force, they are quite literally saying they're prepared to kill Americans.Oh, and let's not forget this too (however, I should note that I don't agree with this assessment - MOVE was a very different circumstance that had gone on for years, and puh-leeze spare me Ramona Africa and her sob story)...
I've never quite understood how it's "patriotic" or "American" to believe you have the right to "rise up against" the government that was created by the United States Constitution. A government that's elected by the people.
Update 1/5/16: OMFG.
...also, I don’t totally buy Philip Howard’s assessment when It comes to what he would call “excessive” environmental review (and I think an interesting counterpoint is here), but he does make a good point I believe when it comes to what it would take for the “party of Lincoln” to actually cooperate with Democrats on the vital issue of repairing and rebuilding our infrastructure…
...and this doesn’t have anything to do with politics as far as I know, but I’m sorry – I have to add it anyway (actually, I’m not sorry; love the line at the end)…
...and why do I have a feeling that, if the Black Keys and Little Feat somehow combined, they would sound like this?
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