For everyone out there bitching about Number 44’s tango in Argentina, as noted here (give me a freaking break), I “see” you that and “raise” you this (here)…
…and It’s hard to find a more deserving scumbag for something like this besides Repug Alabama Governor Robert Bentley (tape included here is below in video, to go with this, this and this - can hardly wait to see how this all plays with those evangelical saps)…
…and this report tells us of the utter “cluster” voters in Maricopa County, AZ experienced when trying to vote the other night (some valuable perspective on that is here)…
…and even though this clip about U.S. gun violence is about a month old, I think it’s important for a few reasons, one of which is to point out that suicide by gun is statistically more of a threat than mass shootings; I honestly didn’t know that, but it figures…
…and I think this is way too damn funny; George Will is worried NOW about the Republicans becoming the party of white people…news flash: THEY HAVE BEEN FOR YEARS!!!...
…and kudos to the world’s greatest rock n’ roll band for this.
Thursday, March 24, 2016
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Wednesday Stuff
It shows you just how far Not Your Father’s Republican Party has strayed from reality when Former President Highest Disapproval Rating In Gallup Poll History actually looks like a statesman, timely in particular for the recent attack in Brussels (more here)…
...and Rev. Al talks to former Ohio governor Ted Strickland, running against Rob Portman; the main issue here is the Scalia vacancy on the Supreme Court of course (more on Portman is here, and on the whole "Reagan Democrat" thing noted in the clip, I give you this)...
…and in keeping with the Judge Merrick Garland thing, Samantha Bee has some fun over the latest Repug idiocy, as noted here (OK, sooo, they don’t want to consider Obama’s nominee because of the so-called “Biden Rule,” in which Biden is alleged to have said that a presidential nominee for the Supreme Court can only be considered during the lame duck session of the final year of a president’s term – and by the way, he didn’t actually say that…big surprise I know, but the quote was clipped…even though considering Obama’s nominee only during the lame duck session is EXACTLY what the Repugs want to do if, God willing, a Dem wins the White House…).
Memo to the American sheeple – the “party of Lincoln” is going to continue pulling this shit unless you get your asses to the voting booth (and unfortunately, because of the gutted Voting Rights Act, even THAT might not be enough, as noted here...here, however, is some GOOD news about Democratic voter turnout for a change)…
…and here’s a tune to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (noted here – and by the way, it’s not an act, it’s a federal LAW…the Dems continue to be behind the curve when it comes to messaging, and this is a prime example).
...and Rev. Al talks to former Ohio governor Ted Strickland, running against Rob Portman; the main issue here is the Scalia vacancy on the Supreme Court of course (more on Portman is here, and on the whole "Reagan Democrat" thing noted in the clip, I give you this)...
…and in keeping with the Judge Merrick Garland thing, Samantha Bee has some fun over the latest Repug idiocy, as noted here (OK, sooo, they don’t want to consider Obama’s nominee because of the so-called “Biden Rule,” in which Biden is alleged to have said that a presidential nominee for the Supreme Court can only be considered during the lame duck session of the final year of a president’s term – and by the way, he didn’t actually say that…big surprise I know, but the quote was clipped…even though considering Obama’s nominee only during the lame duck session is EXACTLY what the Repugs want to do if, God willing, a Dem wins the White House…).
Memo to the American sheeple – the “party of Lincoln” is going to continue pulling this shit unless you get your asses to the voting booth (and unfortunately, because of the gutted Voting Rights Act, even THAT might not be enough, as noted here...here, however, is some GOOD news about Democratic voter turnout for a change)…
…and here’s a tune to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (noted here – and by the way, it’s not an act, it’s a federal LAW…the Dems continue to be behind the curve when it comes to messaging, and this is a prime example).
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
More Tuesday Stuff
By the way, I didn’t say anything about the latest horrific terrorist attack, this time in Brussels, not because I didn’t care, but because I didn’t think I had anything terribly important to say.
However, I turned on my teevee earlier today and watched Tweety talking with Jonathan Capehart, who I pretty much respect, and some lady who worked in counterterrorism whose name escapes me, and the charter member of our Beltway courtier media was basically waxing along the lines of, gee, isn’t it interesting how terrorism can bring people together? Why, prior to the Iraq war, we didn’t like the French, with all of that “freedom fries” stuff, but after last year we united with them, or something.
Leave it to Chris Matthews to sneak in a plug for Former Commander Codpiece, trying to come up with more propaganda at the expense of a country which, actually, turned out to be right all along about Number 43’s mess in Mesopotamia (and by the way, my feelings for France have remained unchanged throughout).
(Also, this latest attack should put to rest the whole question of Apple and data encryption as far as I’m concerned. Yes, this creates an opportunity for abuse by the telcos, which they’ve been guilty of all along anyway, but when technology starts obstructing law enforcement, then, as far as I’m concerned, we’ve reached the water’s edge, as they say.)
I thought I’d offer a departure on this story from the typical media idiocy in this country and turn to our neighbors to the north instead…
…and, as I recall, RT wrote this song as sort of a spoof on the mind of a terrorist – with today’s events, I felt like hearing it again.
However, I turned on my teevee earlier today and watched Tweety talking with Jonathan Capehart, who I pretty much respect, and some lady who worked in counterterrorism whose name escapes me, and the charter member of our Beltway courtier media was basically waxing along the lines of, gee, isn’t it interesting how terrorism can bring people together? Why, prior to the Iraq war, we didn’t like the French, with all of that “freedom fries” stuff, but after last year we united with them, or something.
Leave it to Chris Matthews to sneak in a plug for Former Commander Codpiece, trying to come up with more propaganda at the expense of a country which, actually, turned out to be right all along about Number 43’s mess in Mesopotamia (and by the way, my feelings for France have remained unchanged throughout).
(Also, this latest attack should put to rest the whole question of Apple and data encryption as far as I’m concerned. Yes, this creates an opportunity for abuse by the telcos, which they’ve been guilty of all along anyway, but when technology starts obstructing law enforcement, then, as far as I’m concerned, we’ve reached the water’s edge, as they say.)
I thought I’d offer a departure on this story from the typical media idiocy in this country and turn to our neighbors to the north instead…
…and, as I recall, RT wrote this song as sort of a spoof on the mind of a terrorist – with today’s events, I felt like hearing it again.
Tuesday Stuff
This was a truly outstanding report last night by Rachel Maddow on what it took to get a U.S. president to set foot on Cuban soil for the first time since 1928 yesterday – someday, someone or something is going to write the proverbial book on Number 44, and they’re going to have a hard time trying to figure out how he was able to manage so many momentous accomplishments in the face of such relentless and utterly juvenile obstruction…
…and this report from Seth Meyers helps to uncover the utter fraud of voter ID laws, which, now as always, serve only as obstacles to keep Democrats from legally voting (here)…
…and Kyle Kulinski of Secular Talk takes a withering look (completely justified) at that waste of space Blaine Luetkemeyer in the U.S. House and his typically ludicrous (and misogynist) comments about Sen. Elizabeth Warren – NSFW…
…and I don’t know how on earth this has only less than 15K total views, but I hope I can help change that.
…and this report from Seth Meyers helps to uncover the utter fraud of voter ID laws, which, now as always, serve only as obstacles to keep Democrats from legally voting (here)…
…and Kyle Kulinski of Secular Talk takes a withering look (completely justified) at that waste of space Blaine Luetkemeyer in the U.S. House and his typically ludicrous (and misogynist) comments about Sen. Elizabeth Warren – NSFW…
…and I don’t know how on earth this has only less than 15K total views, but I hope I can help change that.
Monday, March 21, 2016
Monday Stuff
The Repugs like to point to the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago as the nadir of the “D” party; well, they ended up shooting themselves in the foot a bit, as it were, in 1976, as Chris Hayes tells us here with Charlie Pierce and Douglas Brinkley (didn’t know about the Ford/Reagan animus, but it doesn’t surprise me – even though he had a rep as a bit of a klutz, Ford was so much more of a man than Number 40 that it wasn’t even funny)…
...and it's time once more for another installment of "This Day In Doomsy History" from 3/22/10 (K.O. vents on how the Teahadists lost on health care reform; they would of course retake both the U.S. House and Senate even though I think Olbermann’s thesis here is still spot-on over the long term…anyone who thinks Donald Trump spontaneously arose from a vacuum should definitely pay attention to this clip)…
...and Trevor Noah struck back here at Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao over McConnell's obstruction against Obama's nomination of Merrick Garland (in particular, I love the bit at the end with the megaphone)...
…and here is a neat new tune to remind us (well, me anyway), that it’s officially spring and better weather days are coming.
...and it's time once more for another installment of "This Day In Doomsy History" from 3/22/10 (K.O. vents on how the Teahadists lost on health care reform; they would of course retake both the U.S. House and Senate even though I think Olbermann’s thesis here is still spot-on over the long term…anyone who thinks Donald Trump spontaneously arose from a vacuum should definitely pay attention to this clip)…
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
...and Trevor Noah struck back here at Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao over McConnell's obstruction against Obama's nomination of Merrick Garland (in particular, I love the bit at the end with the megaphone)...
…and here is a neat new tune to remind us (well, me anyway), that it’s officially spring and better weather days are coming.
Saturday, March 19, 2016
Saturday Stuff
Even though I support Bernie Sanders, I gotta tell ya’ that I LOVE the comeback to “The Donald” from HRC here (click on link if you want to see the truly stupid Trump ad that started the dustup)…
…and speaking of the all-but-named Repug presidential nominee, John and Cenk respond to the latest threats from “Fergus Laing” at a potentially brokered convention – yeah, he sure knows how to blow those dog whistles, all right (I know the answer before I ask, but where the hell is all this concern for disenfranchisement towards “the blahs” as opposed to elderly white conservatives?)…
…and Thom Hartmann brings us economic and labor news for the week (this first story is so utterly appalling that I feel personally ashamed, though I’m not sure what I could do that I haven’t already done about that – it should be yelled about from every conceivable location in this country, especially our houses of worship for a change…other stuff out there besides abortion, war, and trying to put the bite on us for more money)…
…and today marks the 13th anniversary of Dubya’s disastrously failed war in Iraq (here) – I give you a tune for the occasion.
…and speaking of the all-but-named Repug presidential nominee, John and Cenk respond to the latest threats from “Fergus Laing” at a potentially brokered convention – yeah, he sure knows how to blow those dog whistles, all right (I know the answer before I ask, but where the hell is all this concern for disenfranchisement towards “the blahs” as opposed to elderly white conservatives?)…
…and Thom Hartmann brings us economic and labor news for the week (this first story is so utterly appalling that I feel personally ashamed, though I’m not sure what I could do that I haven’t already done about that – it should be yelled about from every conceivable location in this country, especially our houses of worship for a change…other stuff out there besides abortion, war, and trying to put the bite on us for more money)…
…and today marks the 13th anniversary of Dubya’s disastrously failed war in Iraq (here) – I give you a tune for the occasion.
Friday, March 18, 2016
Friday Stuff
Yeah, we sure get the picture all right, CNN hairdo lady (Ashleigh Banfield?) – how about covering all of what a Democratic political figure actually says in a speech next time, OK? (here)…
...and Chris Hayes talks to NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio; I thought de Blasio’s summary of why younger voters are “feeling the Bern” is pretty spot-on (and nothing to be proud of, by the way)…
…and Lawrence O’Donnell interviews Kim Foxx, who recently defeated Anita Alvarez in the Democratic primary for Cook County, IL prosecutor - more here (kind of a quick cut at the end there)…
...and RIP Philly doo-wop (you can Google it) legend Lee Andrews.
...and Chris Hayes talks to NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio; I thought de Blasio’s summary of why younger voters are “feeling the Bern” is pretty spot-on (and nothing to be proud of, by the way)…
…and Lawrence O’Donnell interviews Kim Foxx, who recently defeated Anita Alvarez in the Democratic primary for Cook County, IL prosecutor - more here (kind of a quick cut at the end there)…
...and RIP Philly doo-wop (you can Google it) legend Lee Andrews.
Thursday, March 17, 2016
Thursday Stuff
I’m sure Merrick Garland is an eminently qualified jurist and may very well end up to be a reasonable selection for the U.S. Supreme Court. However, as we know, there are no reasonable political actors in the “party of Lincoln” these days, and I think Thom Hartmann’s analysis is correct (as is this, and this is interesting also).
Even as his time grows short, Number 44 seeks to burnish his creds as a moderate – he has never been a progressive, and he never will be…hard to consider all of this to be anything but another example of President Hopey Changey pissing on his base once again…
...and Chris Hayes interviews Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who talks about how the U.S. Senate has gone "the extremist route" and how that ties into Trump (Nail. Hammer. Head.)...
...and RIP Frank Sinatra Jr.; I always gave him credit for trying to establish his own identity while trying to crawl out from under the shadow of one of the most prominent figures of the 20th century (and a little sense of humor can go a long way too)…
...and happy St. Patrick's Day, everybody (was tempted to go with Dropkick Murphys, but I changed my selection at the last minute).
Even as his time grows short, Number 44 seeks to burnish his creds as a moderate – he has never been a progressive, and he never will be…hard to consider all of this to be anything but another example of President Hopey Changey pissing on his base once again…
...and Chris Hayes interviews Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who talks about how the U.S. Senate has gone "the extremist route" and how that ties into Trump (Nail. Hammer. Head.)...
...and RIP Frank Sinatra Jr.; I always gave him credit for trying to establish his own identity while trying to crawl out from under the shadow of one of the most prominent figures of the 20th century (and a little sense of humor can go a long way too)…
...and happy St. Patrick's Day, everybody (was tempted to go with Dropkick Murphys, but I changed my selection at the last minute).
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Wednesday Stuff
…and kudos to Chris Hayes for setting the record straight on what led to the violence in Chicago recently at another
Update: Great catch here, by the way...
…and it isn’t my intention to spend so much time on “Fergus Laing,” but I think I need to; this clip is about a week old I believe, and I’m presenting this despite the laughably inappropriate background music for about the first 2:30 mainly because I respect the hell out of NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman…
…and it’s time to get a little more current again with the tunes…definitely a fan of hers from way back, and it’s good to see Bonnie Raitt just keep cranking out good music.
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Tuesday Stuff
(I also posted here.)
Yep, this is what “The Donald” thinks of women all right…
…and do you wonder how our neighbors to the north see all the political stuff going on in this country? I think this give us more than a hint…
…and Thom Hartmann brings us science and green news from last week (don’t mess with the bees, people, or we’re done as a species – the wolf stuff was interesting too IMHO)…
…and here is another one of those once-a-year songs.
Yep, this is what “The Donald” thinks of women all right…
…and do you wonder how our neighbors to the north see all the political stuff going on in this country? I think this give us more than a hint…
…and Thom Hartmann brings us science and green news from last week (don’t mess with the bees, people, or we’re done as a species – the wolf stuff was interesting too IMHO)…
…and here is another one of those once-a-year songs.
Monday, March 14, 2016
Monday Stuff
Kudos to one of Minnesota’s Dem U.S. Senators for this – “the world’s greatest deliberative body” is still waaay too chummy of a club for my tastes, but good for Al Franken for coming within a pinprick of popping that proverbial balloon (here)…
...and Rachel Maddow provided what I thought was a good summary of how we got to the point where that situation occurred in Chicago recently; more (here)...
…and John and Wes Clark, Jr. bring us their analysis of the most recent Democratic presidential candidates town hall session (yet again, Jimmy Dore automatically makes this NSFW)…
…and here is a public service announcement; if you haven’t made the adjustments you need to make for daylight savings time, you’re a little late.
...and Rachel Maddow provided what I thought was a good summary of how we got to the point where that situation occurred in Chicago recently; more (here)...
…and John and Wes Clark, Jr. bring us their analysis of the most recent Democratic presidential candidates town hall session (yet again, Jimmy Dore automatically makes this NSFW)…
…and here is a public service announcement; if you haven’t made the adjustments you need to make for daylight savings time, you’re a little late.
Friday, March 11, 2016
Friday Stuff
Yeah, I would say Number 44 "crushed it" here too - didn't he once give a speech where he said there was no "red" America or "blue" America?...
…and like it or not, it is indeed time once more for “This Day In Doomsy History” from the actual exact day, which would be 3/11/09 – K.O. brings us another episode of “Factor Fiction” with Billo and Bernard ("Fired From CBS For Lying About A Story") Goldberg (timely in light of this and this)…
…and this story just thoroughly saddens me; great reporting by CBS News (update is here)…
…even though this has been known for a little while, as the New York Times reported here, including this excerpt…
...and Robert Greenwald is back with another great new movie, as noted here (in light of yet another gun tragedy, as noted here)...
…and it looks like we have another new, unwanted growth industry in this country…
...and Thom Hartmann brings us economic and labor news for the week...
…and RIP Keith Emerson (featured at the very end, of course) – definitely not the way I wanted to end the week...
…though I think this is a better example of Emerson’s virtuosity, so here it is.
Update: Offered without further comment (ugh)...
…and like it or not, it is indeed time once more for “This Day In Doomsy History” from the actual exact day, which would be 3/11/09 – K.O. brings us another episode of “Factor Fiction” with Billo and Bernard ("Fired From CBS For Lying About A Story") Goldberg (timely in light of this and this)…
…and this story just thoroughly saddens me; great reporting by CBS News (update is here)…
…even though this has been known for a little while, as the New York Times reported here, including this excerpt…
“I look at companies like Starbucks — that’s the model,” (former CEO Steven) Nardizzi said. “You’re looking at companies that are getting it right, treating their employees right, delivering great services and great products, then are growing the brand to support all of that.”If I hear one more of these CEO assh*les talk about providing a public service as if they were running a corporation, I’m going to vomit. Your goal is to provide the best possible care for our veterans, not make a cup of goddamn coffee!!
...and Robert Greenwald is back with another great new movie, as noted here (in light of yet another gun tragedy, as noted here)...
…and it looks like we have another new, unwanted growth industry in this country…
...and Thom Hartmann brings us economic and labor news for the week...
…and RIP Keith Emerson (featured at the very end, of course) – definitely not the way I wanted to end the week...
…though I think this is a better example of Emerson’s virtuosity, so here it is.
Update: Offered without further comment (ugh)...
Thursday, March 10, 2016
Thursday Stuff
Once more, Sen. Elizabeth Warren stands tall on the Senate Repugs not doing their jobs on holding a hearing for an Obama Supreme Court nominee, among many other matters, here (of all of her great moments, this may be her finest, and bonus points for harking back to November 2000)...
...and Bernie Sanders tells Fix Noise that health care is a basic human right - pathetic that that needs to be said, but it does (NSFW)...
...and yes, this video makes some great points about some of our ridiculous foreign policy expenditures versus the relative pittance to feed those most in need in our country, and that's the real takeaway, but I think that bit about what we supposedly spend in Ukraine on democracy building was a bit of a cheap shot from "the Vlad Putin Network"...
...and I actually missed out on National Get Over It Day yesterday (no, really) - allow me to make amends with this tune (tough year for that band, by the way, also considering this).
...and Bernie Sanders tells Fix Noise that health care is a basic human right - pathetic that that needs to be said, but it does (NSFW)...
...and yes, this video makes some great points about some of our ridiculous foreign policy expenditures versus the relative pittance to feed those most in need in our country, and that's the real takeaway, but I think that bit about what we supposedly spend in Ukraine on democracy building was a bit of a cheap shot from "the Vlad Putin Network"...
...and I actually missed out on National Get Over It Day yesterday (no, really) - allow me to make amends with this tune (tough year for that band, by the way, also considering this).
Wednesday, March 09, 2016
Wednesday Stuff
I know I’m a little late with this great report from Chris Hayes on David Duke from last Friday, but it definitely bears repeating…
…and speaking of Duke’s candidate (whether “The Donald” admits it or not)…I’m sure he knows the “best words” all right; well, we know some too, such as WE’RE GOING TO DO EVERYTHING WE LEGALLY CAN TO MAKE SURE YOU NEVER BECOME PRESIDENT, YOU ASSCLOWN…
…and I never had the first clue about the problem we have in this country with “special districts” and their unbelievable lack of oversight, but kudos to John Oliver for telling us all about it (kids are cute at the end too)…
…and RIP Sir George Martin; I probably could have selected any one from a whole gamut of tunes from the Fab Four, but I always thought that this one was a particular technical marvel that was a testament to his utter genius as a producer.
…and speaking of Duke’s candidate (whether “The Donald” admits it or not)…I’m sure he knows the “best words” all right; well, we know some too, such as WE’RE GOING TO DO EVERYTHING WE LEGALLY CAN TO MAKE SURE YOU NEVER BECOME PRESIDENT, YOU ASSCLOWN…
…and I never had the first clue about the problem we have in this country with “special districts” and their unbelievable lack of oversight, but kudos to John Oliver for telling us all about it (kids are cute at the end too)…
…and RIP Sir George Martin; I probably could have selected any one from a whole gamut of tunes from the Fab Four, but I always thought that this one was a particular technical marvel that was a testament to his utter genius as a producer.
Tuesday, March 08, 2016
Tuesday Stuff
Kudos to Rachel Maddow for some honest-to-goodness investigative journalism, this time on the utterly failed state of Michigan under the abysmally awful Rick Snyder...the next time you hear about how supposedly terrible those state workers are, remember the story about the veterans home – after watching this, I wonder how many other similar issues are going on with other states under the “governance” model of the “party of Lincoln” (trying to keep up a theme here for International Women's Day, by the way)…
…and if you want to argue that there could be an “enthusiasm gap” among Democrats, I guess you could unfortunately, but let’s not forget that this is the first presidential election since the High Court of Hangin’ Judge JR gutted the Voting Rights Act, and I think that is having an impact as well – of course, the data on all of this will come out by the merciful end of the election, which God willing will have the right result (we have to work to make that happen)…
...and nothing against Trevor Noah, but it's looking more and more like Samantha Bee should have gotten that job instead (here - NSFW)...
…and yesterday marked the birthday of the telephone, created by Alexander Graham Bell of course (he received a patent for it 140 years ago on March 7th, as noted here); here is a tune to commemorate this event.
…and if you want to argue that there could be an “enthusiasm gap” among Democrats, I guess you could unfortunately, but let’s not forget that this is the first presidential election since the High Court of Hangin’ Judge JR gutted the Voting Rights Act, and I think that is having an impact as well – of course, the data on all of this will come out by the merciful end of the election, which God willing will have the right result (we have to work to make that happen)…
...and nothing against Trevor Noah, but it's looking more and more like Samantha Bee should have gotten that job instead (here - NSFW)...
…and yesterday marked the birthday of the telephone, created by Alexander Graham Bell of course (he received a patent for it 140 years ago on March 7th, as noted here); here is a tune to commemorate this event.
Monday, March 07, 2016
Monday Stuff
For the occasion, I’ll overlook all the “Queen Nancy”/consult with the astrologer/Madame Defarge sans the knitting needles stuff and remember her instead as a tireless advocate for stem cell research, as noted in the video…
…and it looks like humor is intersecting with political reality again (here)…
…and Bill Maher reminds us, basically, that there’s no expiration date on that great poem on the Statue of Liberty from Emma Lazarus (here)…
…and happy 70th birthday to Matthew Fisher of Procal Harum.
…and it looks like humor is intersecting with political reality again (here)…
…and Bill Maher reminds us, basically, that there’s no expiration date on that great poem on the Statue of Liberty from Emma Lazarus (here)…
…and happy 70th birthday to Matthew Fisher of Procal Harum.
Saturday, March 05, 2016
Saturday Stuff
For the record, as noted here, Teahadist assh*le Mike Lee doesn’t think the kids in this video need any help from the federal government (fortunately, as shown in the clip, Rachel Maddow hosted that great town hall on the Flint water disaster – and oh yeah, little Luke Russert appears to be an utter Beltway courtier media tool and little else)…
…and I wanted to highlight this video from last year to feature Lee’s fellow traveler Scott Wagner and note updates to this post…
...and have you heard of The Empowerment Plan? Well, this tells you all about it...
…and this happened 50 years ago yesterday; he made the comment to a writer for a British magazine, and it was printed there and no one thought much of it at the time - the whole thing blew up when this country heard about it, of course…makes me recall this NSFW tune.
…and I wanted to highlight this video from last year to feature Lee’s fellow traveler Scott Wagner and note updates to this post…
...and have you heard of The Empowerment Plan? Well, this tells you all about it...
Friday, March 04, 2016
Friday Stuff
I thought this was a great report from Rachel Maddow on what happens when a political party chooses its nominee during a convention and basically ignores the primary voting (yeah, this isn’t 1968 and hopefully won’t become that, but…)…
…and I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge this week the occasion of Formerly Silent Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas asking a question from the bench for the first time in 10 years; as noted here, though, it had to do with whether or not those guilty of domestic abuse should be allowed to own guns which, for most people who are otherwise sane, should be a resounding NO…of course, leave it to Thomas to rely on that horrible Heller ruling to frame his question to an attorney…made me recall this moment from October 2011 (remember this little dustup, Your Honor? And K.O. said Scalia by mistake, but he meant Thomas)…
…and kudos to Brent Brown, someone who is honest enough to admit that he was wrong about what will end up as the signature achievement of the Obama Administration – best wishes for continued good health…
…and Thom Hartmann brings us economic and labor news for the week (please take away the first item if you take away nothing else)…
…and I know I touched on the stuff with Melissa Harris-Perry a bit earlier, but I thought this was some great analysis by Cenk and Ana about that situation and the state of MSNBC overall; like much of our media in general, the Comcast Network is hastening its own extinction…
…and happy belated 72nd birthday to Roger Daltrey of The Who.
…and I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge this week the occasion of Formerly Silent Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas asking a question from the bench for the first time in 10 years; as noted here, though, it had to do with whether or not those guilty of domestic abuse should be allowed to own guns which, for most people who are otherwise sane, should be a resounding NO…of course, leave it to Thomas to rely on that horrible Heller ruling to frame his question to an attorney…made me recall this moment from October 2011 (remember this little dustup, Your Honor? And K.O. said Scalia by mistake, but he meant Thomas)…
…and kudos to Brent Brown, someone who is honest enough to admit that he was wrong about what will end up as the signature achievement of the Obama Administration – best wishes for continued good health…
…and Thom Hartmann brings us economic and labor news for the week (please take away the first item if you take away nothing else)…
…and I know I touched on the stuff with Melissa Harris-Perry a bit earlier, but I thought this was some great analysis by Cenk and Ana about that situation and the state of MSNBC overall; like much of our media in general, the Comcast Network is hastening its own extinction…
…and happy belated 72nd birthday to Roger Daltrey of The Who.
Thursday, March 03, 2016
Thursday Stuff
Kudos to Chris Hayes for cutting to the proverbial chase here on the all-but-named Repug presidential nominee and the bottom-feeders that associate themselves with him...
...and with that in mind, when it comes to "The Donald," you sure reap what you sow, don't you (here and here)...
...and what was it somebody once said - elections have consequences, or campaigns anyway? (here)...
...and I know I'm late with this info on the Progressive Summit from 2/23, but it definitely isn't too late to make a difference...
...and Thom Hartmann brings us science and green news...
…and I don’t know if this guy is going to be visiting in these parts any time soon (I think he was in NYC in January), or maybe he was here already; anyway, here is another cool new tune (trying to keep things current here musically).
...and with that in mind, when it comes to "The Donald," you sure reap what you sow, don't you (here and here)...
...and what was it somebody once said - elections have consequences, or campaigns anyway? (here)...
...and I know I'm late with this info on the Progressive Summit from 2/23, but it definitely isn't too late to make a difference...
...and Thom Hartmann brings us science and green news...
…and I don’t know if this guy is going to be visiting in these parts any time soon (I think he was in NYC in January), or maybe he was here already; anyway, here is another cool new tune (trying to keep things current here musically).
Wednesday, March 02, 2016
Wednesday Stuff
Lord Almighty, is Samantha Bee ever spot-on with her remarks about the 2010 elections (here)...
...and I thought this was a good commentary by Seth Meyers on Trump, David Duke and the First Amendment (as usual, when you want some truly objective reporting on an important news story, turn to a comedian – and Governor Bully looks more pathetic by the minute, and on that subject, I think this is absolutely hilarious)…
…and I must confess that I’m a little unsure of what exactly to make of this from yesterday’s Super Tuesday coverage on MSNBC, with Steve Kornacki breathlessly reporting on the percentage of Democratic primary voters across the country who consider themselves to be liberal – probably news to the Comcast Network and our corporate media overall, but not to too many other folks I would imagine (and God forbid there would be any actual analysis behind the numbers)…
…and every once in a while, I just need to hear something a bit life-affirming; with that in mind, I give you the following.
...and I thought this was a good commentary by Seth Meyers on Trump, David Duke and the First Amendment (as usual, when you want some truly objective reporting on an important news story, turn to a comedian – and Governor Bully looks more pathetic by the minute, and on that subject, I think this is absolutely hilarious)…
…and I must confess that I’m a little unsure of what exactly to make of this from yesterday’s Super Tuesday coverage on MSNBC, with Steve Kornacki breathlessly reporting on the percentage of Democratic primary voters across the country who consider themselves to be liberal – probably news to the Comcast Network and our corporate media overall, but not to too many other folks I would imagine (and God forbid there would be any actual analysis behind the numbers)…
…and every once in a while, I just need to hear something a bit life-affirming; with that in mind, I give you the following.
Tuesday, March 01, 2016
Tuesday Stuff
Just because we’re involved in the presidential primary season that will never end, that doesn’t mean that stories like this aren’t still going on, unfortunately; once more, Kathleen Kane has her issues, but good for her for still trying to do her job vigorously, which she should do anyway of course…
...and returning once more to the carnival (oh yeah, they're having elections today aren't they?), I give you this editorial takedown, which of course can come from a comedian and no one else anymore apparently (here - NSFW)...
...and speaking of the presumptive Repug presidential nominee, kudos to Ann Kirkpatrick for making John McCain pay a price for his Trump support here (they gave us "Fergus Laing" as a weapon - might as well use it)...
...and this is one of those songs I've been meaning to get to for a little while for no particular reason, so here it is.
...and returning once more to the carnival (oh yeah, they're having elections today aren't they?), I give you this editorial takedown, which of course can come from a comedian and no one else anymore apparently (here - NSFW)...
...and speaking of the presumptive Repug presidential nominee, kudos to Ann Kirkpatrick for making John McCain pay a price for his Trump support here (they gave us "Fergus Laing" as a weapon - might as well use it)...
...and this is one of those songs I've been meaning to get to for a little while for no particular reason, so here it is.
Monday, February 29, 2016
Monday Stuff
I guess if I'm going to say anything about Black History Month, I'd better hurry up since it ends tomorrow; I give you the following from the network that also brought us this...
...though actually, if you want to witness something that I believe truly represents racial tolerance and understanding, I would ask that you revisit this 2/26/15 video from Dallas, TX sportscaster Dale Hansen - yes, it's time once more for "This Day In Doomsy History" (a comparatively short trip around the block this time)...
...and I'll be honest - even though I overwhelmingly shared her politics in many ways, there were times when a little of Melissa Harris-Perry went a long way, but that definitely doesn't merit the treatment she received from the Comcast Network - kudos to Brian Stelter for this commentary (sync is off a bit starting at about 1:10)...
...and on a wholly other note, I really like this new tune by Ray LaMontagne, so here it is.
...though actually, if you want to witness something that I believe truly represents racial tolerance and understanding, I would ask that you revisit this 2/26/15 video from Dallas, TX sportscaster Dale Hansen - yes, it's time once more for "This Day In Doomsy History" (a comparatively short trip around the block this time)...
...and I'll be honest - even though I overwhelmingly shared her politics in many ways, there were times when a little of Melissa Harris-Perry went a long way, but that definitely doesn't merit the treatment she received from the Comcast Network - kudos to Brian Stelter for this commentary (sync is off a bit starting at about 1:10)...
...and on a wholly other note, I really like this new tune by Ray LaMontagne, so here it is.
Friday, February 26, 2016
Friday Stuff
Yeah, this is about all of this hot mess that I can tolerate…
…and part of this video makes me laugh, and part of it makes me cringe (after reading about this, I think Trump and Rubio ought to take a good, long, hard look in the mirror before they say anything about who is "poorley educated")...
…and it looks like the “banksters” are ramping up a bit when it comes to mortgages, though, if B of A can be trusted (a big “if”), it sounds like they may do it right this time; another insightful report from Al Jazeera America, which is going to shut down soon – truly a loss for us all because of their fine work...
...and within the context of the Democratic presidential primary, I thought this was an informative look back at the Clinton years with Chris Hayes, Joy Reid, and Former Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich...
…and Thom Hartmann brings us economic and labor news for the week (oh, great – the “one percent” is going to outlive us, on top of everything else, and dropping language classes is pretty damn stupid in this day and age)…
…and I thought this was a great story from earlier in the week honoring women computing pioneers (6 in particular) timed for the 70th anniversary of the building of the ENIAC Computer, which took place at the U of P – backgrounder appears in the video…
...and with Tinseltown ready to host its annual soiree this Sunday, Lawrence O'Donnell's brought us what I thought was a great "Rewrite" segment on Wednesday (I'm sure Chris Rock will address the whole "diversity" thing somehow...after watching this, I included "Beasts Of No Nation" on our Netflix queue)...
…and with that in mind, here is a song about movies from this list; I started the week with Steely Dan, so I might as well end with them too.
…and part of this video makes me laugh, and part of it makes me cringe (after reading about this, I think Trump and Rubio ought to take a good, long, hard look in the mirror before they say anything about who is "poorley educated")...
…and it looks like the “banksters” are ramping up a bit when it comes to mortgages, though, if B of A can be trusted (a big “if”), it sounds like they may do it right this time; another insightful report from Al Jazeera America, which is going to shut down soon – truly a loss for us all because of their fine work...
...and within the context of the Democratic presidential primary, I thought this was an informative look back at the Clinton years with Chris Hayes, Joy Reid, and Former Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich...
…and Thom Hartmann brings us economic and labor news for the week (oh, great – the “one percent” is going to outlive us, on top of everything else, and dropping language classes is pretty damn stupid in this day and age)…
…and I thought this was a great story from earlier in the week honoring women computing pioneers (6 in particular) timed for the 70th anniversary of the building of the ENIAC Computer, which took place at the U of P – backgrounder appears in the video…
...and with Tinseltown ready to host its annual soiree this Sunday, Lawrence O'Donnell's brought us what I thought was a great "Rewrite" segment on Wednesday (I'm sure Chris Rock will address the whole "diversity" thing somehow...after watching this, I included "Beasts Of No Nation" on our Netflix queue)...
…and with that in mind, here is a song about movies from this list; I started the week with Steely Dan, so I might as well end with them too.
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Thursday Stuff
(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.
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.
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.
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