Monday Stuff

Before I say another word, I should point out that I know all about this. And yes – like most of the rest of us, I’m genuinely sorry and I also am sympathetic of course. But that’s cold comfort, I know, and kind of a useless way to feel in light of everything I realize. Particularly because these horror shows will continue as long as Republicans control any level of government whatsoever. And Republicans will continue to wield power as long as primarily white conservative boomer Independents and Republicans continue to believe that protecting their privilege is more important than preventing the mind-numbing carnage of men and women and boys and girls with their faces and body parts utterly blown to bits due to indiscriminate attacks from murderous lunatics wielding weapons of death that belong on a military battlefield (and even that is debatable as far as I’m concerned) and absolutely nowhere else. I’ve posted I don’t know how many goddamn times about this, and I have to admit that there are times when I don’t know what else there is that’s left to say, like right now.

Update: After further consideration you might say, I'll plan to have something on both this and the Jordan Neely subway killing tomorrow.

Turning to the videos, Max Burns of Rebel HQ tells us about that nematode Jesse Watters of Fix Noise who is apparently one of the bipeds at The Roger Ailes BS Factory angling for the prime-time slot previously held by The Swanson TV Dinner Heir; the clip presents the typical misogyny from the cackling idiots on that channel, including the new "king of late night" Gutfeld! according to Bill Maher (spare me)...the clip also alleges a conspiracy with Biden and DOJ docs (with Watters pulling the DOJ “secret documents” trick knowing the DOJ can’t confirm that, as Burns tells us...and when it comes to Watters, let's not forget this)...



...and Beau tells us that Dem PACS are coordinating in response to the awful U.S. House Repug votes on this debt ceiling nonsense (if this budges the needle just a bit with the independent voters I just mentioned, then it’s worth it...Dems need to peel off enough of these characters to win enough seats to regain their majority, and that’s just the reality...do I like that? Hell no! And also, apparently Biden and co. are contemplating some maneuver involving the 14th Amendment...anything to avert a recession for real in this country, as well as across the world...of course, he could also just mint the damn coin!, but I guess that isn’t going to happen)...



...and turning to our completely and utterly corrupt SCOTUS, Francis Maxwell of Meidas Touch tells us about Dem U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse putting the High Court on blast when it comes to ethics reform (and here is another particularly disgusting anecdote involving Almost Silent Clarnece Thomas; not legally actionable I realize, but boy, does it give you a gut-churning insight IMO)...



...and David Pakman tells us that Repugs in Flori-DUUUH!! are trying to pass a bill to ban diversity programs and gender pronouns different from biological sex...yeah, good luck enforcing THAT! – what country am I living in again?...

...and once in a while, we get the news of someone passing from our midst who I thought did terrific work behind the scenes, as it were, to improve our lives, and one such person was former JFK FCC head Newton Minow (pictured at the microphone above). As the New York Times reminds us, he once warned us about television, saying the following:

“You will see a procession of game shows, violence, audience participation shows, formula comedies about totally unbelievable families, blood and thunder, mayhem, violence, sadism, murder, Western bad men, Western good men, private eyes, gangsters, more violence and cartoons. And endlessly, commercials — many screaming, cajoling and offending. And most of all, boredom.”

He added, “If you think I exaggerate, try it.”

Of course, in today’s environment, I would also include the internet, our video games, PCs, smart phones, and other gadgets. Yes, I’m as dependent on some of this stuff as the rest of us, but I’m just saying that we need to remember that all of these things are tools that we control to (hopefully) better our own lives and those around us. I think that sentiment was implicit in Minow’s warning.

And with that in mind, I give you this slightly NSFW/H clip from “Network” about TV (a movie that contained enough smarts for about five other movies also)...



...and from roughly that era, I also give you this tune.



And speaking of the FCC, I thought this was noteworthy; I believe that Gigi Sohn was eminently qualified, but she offended conservatives, which the political/media/industrial complex simply will not allow.