Monday Stuff

Chris Hayes helps us to keep our eye on the ball, as it were, on health care reform, and our crappy economy overall (good for him for calling BS on David Frum)…

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…and yes, I know, baby steps here, but important ones (though this remains a valid point)…



…and you may be shocked to hear this, but believe me when I tell you that I really want to be done with this guy.

However, I give you the following from “Tiger Beat On The Potomac” here…

Former President George W. Bush, who famously quit golf while in the White House”…

WRONG!!! (and I watch this and remain ever grateful for these courageous words from Keith Olbermann)...



…and turning to the perpetually wretched legacy left behind by the minions of Dubya’s political party, I give you this…

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…and the last minute of this commentary by Bill Maher isn’t one bit funny (though the rest is), but kudos to him for speaking it (definitely NSFW)…



…and jazz legend (and former Philly resident) John Coltrane would have been 87 today.

Friday Stuff

(I also posted here.)

Nice speech, Mr. President – better damn well keep backing it up (here)…



…and I think what we’re seeing on the Repug end of things, particularly in the U.S. House, is the ultimate realization of the “ownership society”; them that’s got shall get, them that’s not shall lose…

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…all of which leads to the comedy described here by Rachel Maddow, though I don’t suppose it’s all that funny given what could happen to the country as a result…

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…which, somehow, makes this tune a bit apropos I guess.

Thursday Stuff

I guess the U.S. House Repugs think that “Les Miserables” is a documentary (and kudos to Rev. Al for bringing the well-deserved outrage here)…

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…and I don’t know about you, but I continue to be grateful that Alan Grayson is serving in Congress once more (here)…



…also, allow me to sneak in a plug for this site, along with the following video…



…meanwhile, did you know that the crisis in Syria is in reality a dark portent to the “end times” that the full mooners have been warning us about? Fortunately, Stephen Colbert explains (and yes, this is a gag, as is just about anything involving Neil Cavuto of Fix Noise)…

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Video Archive

…and Holy Geriatric Misadventure, Batman! – this guy is celebrating his 85th birthday…



…and here is a hot new little number.

Wednesday Stuff

I’m hearing that Steve Kornacki hasn’t done such a hot job of blowing up wingnut talking points since he took over for Chris Hayes on “Up,” and with that in mind, I don’t exactly understand why he gives a fig about what Mikey the Beloved will do concerning the latest debt ceiling nonsense from “Orange Man.”

You know what Mikey will do? Whatever Boehner tells him, that’s what (and remember when Rachel Maddow’s very reasoned observation that the House Speaker stinks at his job was blown off as more liberal crazy talk? Who’s “crazy” now, I wonder?)…

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…and speaking of TRMS, this sounds like a pretty reasonable discussion on guns with Mark Kelly, husband of Gabby Giffords (once more trying to prove that our fight for common-sense gun laws is pretty much with the idiotic “leadership” of the NRA and not rank-and-file members)…

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…and speaking of guns, what could possibly go wrong here, I wonder…



Update 9/23/13: Must...resist...snarky...reference...to...Iraq (here)...

…and RIP Jackie Lomax.

Tuesday Stuff

Hardly “senseless” commentary from Chris Hayes on the latest gun carnage in this country…

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…and I’m glad Rev. Al isn’t letting “Calgary” Cruz off the hook (unlike the rest of our somnambulant corporate media) for the latter’s recent invocation of Jesse Helms…

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…and so Obama goes for a deal which could lead to the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons without anyone dying, hopefully – so of course our political-media-industrial complex of stupidity haz a sad…



…and happy birthday to Fee Waybill of The Tubes (just a little ‘80s here, I know :-).

Monday Stuff

So “tinsel town” finally decided to give “The Button-Down Mind” his long-overdue recognition, huh? Two terrific situation comedies weren't enough – he couldn’t get it unless he appeared on that dippy show (yes, I said that – kind of funny, but I get the joke after about five minutes).

Well, at least he got it – congratulations (here’s a bit from back in the day)…



…and do you want to know why I detest our Beltway courtier media? I give you Fluffyhead’s response to Barney Frank’s perfectly valid question here about why the “banksters” need so much damn money for themselves versus everybody else (a segment timed for the fifth anniversary of the collapse of Lehman Brothers, which ushered in the financial ruin that still traps many of us)…



…and it looks like PA guv Tom “Space Cadet” Corbett is going to accept Medicare expansion after all, based on this, but only under the condition that those covered can prove they’re looking for work (nice).

In addition to the fact that this requirement likely would not survive a court challenge, it is also pointlessly cruel (and to do something about it, click here – this all makes me recall this video)…



…and kudos to Martin Bashir for this (yes, despite it all, I believe in “American exceptionalism” a bit too, though with qualifications, of course)…

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…and with this in mind a bit too also (NSFW)…



…and I don’t know about you, but I’m getting really tired of putting up this video in response to stories like this.

Saturday Stuff

It’s all about energizing the base, fanning the flames of perpetual outrage, Ed and Gene (particularly for the mid-term elections), and that about sums it up…

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…and the numbers don’t lie on climate change (and here is more food for thought on the subject - figures)…



…and here is just a reminder that health care reform is the law of the land, and it will be a winner for the vast majority of this country if Republicans in legislatures across this country stop trying to f*ck it up…



…and I think this is an appropriate song for a Saturday night.

Friday Stuff

(I also posted here.)

I wish K.O. were still in politics, but it’s great that he’s back, and I think he shows some admirable restraint here dealing with this nut job CBS columnist basically making fun of NFL players whose post-retirement lives were ruined due to the head trauma inflicted during their careers (Keith mentioned Andre Waters, the former Eagle who killed himself, and though I know he could have mentioned many others, he could have added this guy too – and given all of the wingnuts who cheered on the mess in Iraq without actually suffering for it themselves, why wouldn’t they feel the same disconnect towards professional athletes?)…



…and here’s another milestone coming up, a quite unhappy but vitally important one, of which we’re reminded by Rev. Al Sharpton…

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…and if a businessman knows that Keystone XL is a sucker bet, then why shouldn’t the rest of us feel the same way?...



…and happy belated 60th birthday to Tommy Shaw of Styx – here’s a song from them which is a bit topical at the moment (and yes, I know it was written by Dennis DeYoung…sue me).

Thursday Stuff

In addition to the anniversary we observed a few hours ago, yesterday was also the 40th anniversary of the coup in Chile which installed dictator Augusto Pinochet (and as is so often the case, we were on the wrong side)…



…and we lost Ambassador Chris Stevens in Libya a year ago also, as noted here (BENGHAZI! calls for a serious bipartisan investigation; good luck trying to get that from the numbskulls in charge of the U.S. House)…

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…and speaking of foreign stuff, here is Jon Stewart’s one-and-only take on what’s going on in Syria (and welcome back, by the way - Update 9/14/13: And the "takeaway" is here)…



...and Johnny Cash died 10 years ago today.

Wednesday Stuff

I’ve got a few things to get to, but they can wait for a day at least – I’ve seen fewer and fewer flags on this day flying at people’s homes as years have gone by, driving around for the usual reasons; today I didn’t see any at all…



…and I wish I could track down the original video for this, which was as great as the actual tune.

Tuesday Stuff

Fifty years ago today, 20 African American schoolchildren attended their first day of public school in Alabama, marking the end of segregation in that state (the climax to the incident noted here – President Kennedy spoke to the nation about it in the clip below)…



…and I don’t know why Martin Bashir ended this with a quote from Pope Douthat, but I still think this is a good commentary…

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…and I thought this was funny stuff once more from Stephen Colbert, but I have to admit that it makes my liberal heart sad to see John Kerry as the butt of jokes, even though he admittedly misspoke (Update 9/11/13 - Although, on the other hand...)…



…and “Take Back The City” is a neat tune from these guys, and I think this is also.

Monday Stuff

Yep, I think this pretty much says it…



…and some at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver are protesting a “humanitarian” award to be given to Dubya here (Giving him an award? Seriously?).

With that in mind, I think this is a totally appropriate response…



…and here is more comedy gold from Stephen Colbert on Fix Noise, Eric Bolling in particular…



…and here is a bit of a numerological tune.

Saturday Stuff

(I also posted here.)

I didn’t quite get to this on Labor Day, but I don’t want to forget it, so here it is…



...and in case you wonder why MoveOn.org matters, take a look at this…



…and our own PA Guv Tom “Space Cadet” Corbett put his foot in it again, as noted here – what a clueless meat sack (kind of explains this a bit too)…



…and no message music today – again, not a fan of a lot of new stuff, but this is OK (I recognize some of these movies :-).

Thursday Stuff

I’m not a bit surprised that Rummy, who was completely and utterly wrong on Iraq along with the rest of the foul, fetid Bushco bunch, has returned to lend us his “expertise” on Syria, as noted here; lather, rinse, repeat (dear God)…



…and here’s a reminder of how our supposedly august captains of industry in this country who damn near wrecked our economy don’t deserve any slack either…



…and we recently put to rest a beloved family member who smoked the vast majority of her adult life – please, people, do…not…smoke…



…and I wouldn’t know Robin Thicke if I tripped over him, but I do know that there will never be another Marvin Gaye, singing here with Philly’s own Tammi Terrell from back in the day (a response to this article).

Wednesday Stuff

Martin Bashir has some cautionary words for Number 44 here on Syria…

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…and I think Rachel Maddow does us all a real service here by reminding us what a President McCain would have done at this point in his presidency (and what commanding leadership on display here – pitiful that he never gets called out the way he should by the Beltway courtier media)…



…and this is just sad; Emily Yates, a veteran protesting the Syria stuff at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, was accosted here and carted off even though she appeared to be doing absolutely nothing wrong – I’ve been to a few historical sites and we have a lot of respect for the park police, but as far as I’m concerned, this was nothing but an utter embarrassment (NSFW)…



…and I think “Gramps” McCain would do well to listen to this song, and maybe even President Hopey Changey too.

Tuesday Stuff

This qualifies as actual “news” from Governor Bully (happy birthday to his wife) – however, if I were a New Jersey taxpayer and I ended up footing the bill for this nonsense, I’d be plenty steamed (more here – though, as I’ve noted before, we don’t have bragging rights in PA, the land of Governor “Space Cadet”…and to help Christie’s opponent Barbara Buono – and yes, it still matters very much – click here...and from the "thin-skinned egomaniac" files, I give you this; so criticizing Christie for being out of shape is the same thing as criticizing his weight? Really??)…



…and have you heard about “meatless Mondays” yet? Well, here is more info…



…and count me in with Amy Goodman on the whole Syria thing here (even though it disgusts me to be anywhere near the same side as that moron Rand Paul) – yes, what’s happening in Syria is terrible, and yes, it cries out for a solution, but there are several problems at least: 1) You go up against Syria, you might as well go up against Russia and Iran too, and maybe even China; 2) I don’t know any way to help the anti-Assad insurgents without indirectly helping al Qaeda too…

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…and this song also covers how I feel about the whole Syria mess (h/t Atrios – and another bad thing about this is that it gives Gramps McCain and Huckleberry Graham a chance to flaunt some imaginary foreign policy bona fides on the Sunday morning gab fests and make them look like they’re playing President too…and of course, Boehner and that sleazy weasel Eric Cantor now see a way for the words “Obama” and “quagmire” to end up in the same sentence – and I’m not referring to “Family Guy”– which is just ducky as far as they’re concerned).

Monday Stuff

RIP David Frost…



…and here is an example of Frost’s sense of humor, presenting the funniest math professor of all time…



…and yes, we know that Pat Robertson is pretty much comic relief at this point while he runs out the clock, but I have to admit that this was a good take down by Anderson Cooper (the “AIDS ring,” huh? Sick old bastard…)…



…and here is a song for the holiday.



Update 9/15/13: And here is a late but timely entry.

Friday Stuff

(I also posted here.)

Did Kathleen Hicks actually say that Colin Powell’s assessment of Iraq in 2003 was “intelligence based”? Really???

Other than that, I thought this discussion moderated by Chris Hayes on the Syria thing was well done…

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…and I don’t know what it’s going to take for Philly Mayor Michael Nutter to call out PA Gov Tom “Space Cadet” Corbett for being the wingnut that Corbett truly is, but hopefully this video will help that along (here)…



…and Joy Reid is sadly correct, I believe, on the gun issue here…

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…and I’d better put up this video now since I have only a few days left.

Thursday Stuff

I thought this was an important postscript in light of yesterday (typical – nice line about Lincoln from “corporate media” Milbank, I have to admit)…

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…and with Labor Day coming up, here is another timely message from Former Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich…



…and here is something sickening on a couple of levels at least (a “measles” outbreak, people – what country am I living in again? And why am I not a bit surprised that this happened in Texas? And yeah, NYC too I guess)…

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…and I can take or leave a lot of current music, but this tune is growing on me a little.

Wednesday Stuff

I’ll try to return to something like normal posting (whatever “normal” is, I’ll admit) as soon as I can.

As I watch this, I remembered what Bill Maher said recently about this country and its wars – we’re looking at a potential “intervention” somewhere else in the world, but maybe we need to “intervene” on behalf of…ourselves…???...

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…and Aaron DiDonato brings us the latest on the fracking drillers in PA trying to scam our beloved commonwealth (he still needs to lose that music and find something better, even though I still mostly dig ELP...more here)…



...and here is the speech that we commemorate today (more here)...



...and here is a tune for the occasion.