…and paging MSNBC – given this, do you really think you can afford to keep blowing off this guy (I mean, nothing against Chris Hayes, but c’mon! And yes, I know the Freedom Tower has risen, to the credit of all of the workers who have worked so diligently to turn this awful page - I bring this back partly because of this)…
…and I haven’t had anything to say about guns for a little while, but fortunately, Lawrence O’Donnell did so here, bringing the outrage big time against Glock’s Paul Jannuzzo, in a quiet, understated way that’s all the more powerful…
On the one hand, I’m tired of all the “Oh my gosh, whatever will the Republican Party do?” stuff out there (let it sink is my answer), but despite that, I think this clip from Rachel Maddow on Bob Dole’s recent remarks is instructive (and Steve Schmidt, a bright guy, isn’t dumb enough to call out Rand Paul, Mike Lee, and “Calgary” Cruz by name – I found myself agreeing with about 85-90 percent of what Schmidt said)…
I’m glad everyone made it home safe and sound after the Memorial Day holiday; Ed Schultz tells us why here (and speaking of the “party of Lincoln,” they may never have money for the necessities, but they also never have a problem trying to pass their stinking tax cuts)…
…and speaking of money, kudos to Martin Bashir for “getting the back” of Professor Krugman (I don’t care if Kent Conrad is a Dem – the man is a walking turd)…
…and John Fugelsang tells us about the latest dustup between His Holiness and The Vatican (how dare Francis actually tell the truth like that! And Current's videos still don't "frame" properly)…
…and I was tempted to note the recent birthday of a certain R. Zimmerman, but I knew the 50th anniversary of “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan” was coming up; here is a memorable tune from the recording for the occasion (trying not to make an obvious choice).
...and yes, even though pictures are allowed now of our fallen heroes returning to Dover, I think this song is still timely as long as we’re at war, which, sadly, we still are.
Update: Oh, and by the way, here is something Mikey the Beloved and his pals should try to remedy with all speed (basically, get rid of the damn sequester once and for all for everyone), instead of puffing up themselves over more symbolic gestures like this.
You know, it really is embarrassing to see “Nooners” fawning over The Sainted Ronnie R like this, but she’s been able to make a profitable living out of it, so why change I guess…
…and oh yes, wasn’t Ronnie so “warm and sunny” here (set the “way back” for “People’s Park,” Sherman)…
…and I thought this was a moment of Fix Noise showing its true sexist colors…
…and by the way, I don’t know how many others besides me noticed this week that only about nine percent of eligible Bucks County voters exercised their franchise in this week’s primary – this goes out to everyone who thought it wasn’t worth it to do their duty as citizens (here - had to substitute this for "The Ostrich" by Steppenwolf due to technical difficulties).
…which makes me wonder if Jones watches Robot Chicken, which is intentionally funny, as opposed to Jones, who is uproarious totally by accident…
…also, I thought this was a great interview Rachel Maddow conducted with Jameel Jaffer of the ACLU in response to the recent speech by President Obama about terrorism (as usual, good words, but we’ll see if they translate into good actions, and we’ll also see if Number 44 gets any help, which he usually doesn’t unfortunately)…
…and I hope this nails the metaphorical coffin shut on whether or not Number 44 is indeed a “socialist,” a charge Republicans have been leveling at Democrats of various stripes for about, oh, I’d say 50 years at least (yes, I can dream, I know)…
...and here’s a bluesy tune to segue into the holiday weekend – hope it’s a good one for all.
John Fugelsang and Dem Rep Joe Crowley make some good points here about the dustup currently underway between the Teahadists and the IRS...
…and I totally get that John is, first and foremost, a comedian, but he makes some starkly serious points here about sexual violence in the military…
…and this is one of the most ridiculous stories that I’ve heard in a long time – seriously, Florida? This is considered a matter in your state that actually deserves prosecution as a felony??...
Leave it to John Fugelsang to call out the wingnuts on Number 44 and a certain Richard Milhous you-know-who...
…and if you want a feel-good story out of the Oklahoma tornado disaster – well, try this…
…and I realize that the tragedy in Oklahoma really isn’t an occasion to play politics, but first, it should be noted that many schools in that state lacked sufficient procedures and facilities in the matter of what to do about a tornado (here), and second, it’s typically disgusting for Inhofe to try some kind of one-upsmanship over the Hurricane Sandy disaster, as noted here - more here ("hard to explain" my ass)…
(By the way, click here if you are able to provide assistance to the victims of the Oklahoma tornado disaster - truly awful stuff, and our prayers and best wishes go out to the victims.)
Does anyone else besides me think that it utterly stinks to high heaven that, not only can the Kochs potentially buy up a newspaper chain (here), but they can also call the shots about what gets aired on “public” TV, as noted here?...
…and all of this gets what I think is the appropriate treatment from Stephen Colbert here (I once said that Louie Gohmert was the stupidest person in the galaxy, but that may not have been accurate…possibly the stupidest person in the universe might be closer to the truth)…
Update 5/24/13: Yes, I know this is a starkly serious topic, but would it be too cheeky on my part to say that Gohmert is a subject matter expert in this area (re., brain-dead life forms)?
…and I’m tempted to use this great commentary as a spring board into my personal tale of misery with Chase Bank, but don’t worry – I won’t burden anyone with that; only a little worse and a lot better than the stuff Dave Ramsey describes here…
…and I’ll let Bill Maher get the last word (here)…
…and this isn’t how I really feel – just a good tune (video’s OK too).
Consider this graphic as something informational for the benefit of our lap dog Beltway corporate media, since, by their actions this week, they apparently don’t know the meaning of the word…
…and I’m not going to tell you that I buy every single word of this report (particularly the debt stuff considering the bar graph in the third clip here), but I thought this from RT provided some context on the damned sequester that I don’t see anyone else reporting…
…and even though this commentary is a bit wonky, and I think he’s a little too hard on Nancy Pelosi (oh, right - "balance"), Lawrence O’Donnell provides the best reporting that I’ve yet heard on the stuff about the IRS and those zany Teahadists (and that struck me as a polite rebuke of Rachel Maddow for saying that “Man Tan” Boehner isn’t very good at his job, even though I think she’s right)…
…and speaking of TRMS, OMIGOD, IT’S ANOTHER OBAMA SCANDAL!!! HE ACTUALLY DID A BETTER JOB THAN WE THOUGHT ON SOMETHING!!! QUICK, CALL JONATHAN KARL AT ABC NEWS!!!...
...and happy belated 60th birthday to Mike Oldfield – better pack a lunch for this one (still have that image after all these years of Max von Sydow in silhouette holding that black medicine bag).
All right, I’ll admit that the Obama/AP thing needs to be investigated. And a shield law needs to not be obstructed by Republican jokers in Congress and signed into law by Number 44.
But before we get all “OBAMA IS AS BAD AS NIXON!,” let’s remember what his predecessor did when it came to a free press, as noted here, OK? And let's not forget this too…
…and let’s also not forget how PA’s own Tom “Space Cadet” Corbett brings his own brand of gubernatorial patronage, a la Dubya in Texas, to our beloved commonwealth…
…and with all the harrumphing and umbrage festivals going on against the Obama Administration from all quarters, it looks like Christmas has come way early for those zany Teahadists…
Oh, so we have to put up with all of this faux, pearl-clutching outrage over the IRS Tea Party “scandal”?
As Jeffrey Toobin pointed out in The New Yorker here (and as I noted last night), the Citizens United ruling unleashed a flood of primarily conservative “social welfare” groups applying to the IRS for 501(c)(4) status. What the IRS did was admittedly ham-handed, but the agency was trying to screen these groups to find out what they were really up to.
In the meantime, let’s recall that I heard not a word of Republican complaint when the Bushco IRS targeted the NAACP and Julian Bond for their opposition to Dubya’s Not-So-Excellent Adventure in Iraq, as Martin Bashir and his guests remind us in the clip.
Welcome to our world, wingnuts (Update 5/16/13: And all I can say in response to this is, well, duuuh!)…
Update 5/16/13: Oh, and here are more folks targeted by the IRS who the Repugs, Fix Noise and the "axis of stoo-pid" don't care about.
Update 5/21/13: Oh, and did you know that Dems were also targeted in the IRS sweep that caught up the Teahadists? Didn't think so (here).
…and I know I’m a little late with this (and welcome, Steve Kornacki, taking over for Chris Hayes on “Up”), but this tells us, among other things, how the Repugs (in addition to totally alienating “undocumented” workers) have also thoroughly put off an entire demographic of young women voters; they have no one but themselves to blame (sorry it's a little late and I don’t know what that story is that Kornacki refers to at the end – “child care costs more than college in most states” is pretty mind-blowing)…
Oh my, the scandals real and/or alleged are just piling up like crazy these days, aren’t they?
Well then, here’s what you need to know:
Yes, it was probably wrong to subject the Tea Party to greater scrutiny as a 501(c)(4) outfit, but really now, are we supposed to think they’re “social welfare” groups and not political operations? If you believe that, then I’ve got a bridge to one of the five NY boroughs to sell you, as noted here (and besides, where was all the umbrage when the IRS under Dubya pulled this little stunt?).
Update 5/15/13: Good points here by Mark Sumner...
Also, it’s not a good thing for the Justice Department to pull this maneuver with the AP, even though, in our “security state” government, “Big Brother” thought he had a reason, but as noted here, the Obama Administration supported legislation that probably would have circumvented this whole mess (which, of course, was defeated by congressional Republicans).
And as always, BENGHAZI BENGHAZI BENGHAZI BENGHAZI BENGHAZI BENGHAZI!!!!! (here).
Update 5/17/13: God, this is pathetic, even for them.
You want to hear about a scandal for real? Chris Hayes tells us about it…
…and here is some good news – does this mean now that, FINALLY, we can do away with this austerity crap? And yes, I know the answer, but I’m keen to ask anyway – sigh (and if Bloomberg is so damn worried about the retiring baby boomers, just start screeching about getting rid of the ceiling on earnings subject to Social Security withholding)…
…turning to music, happy 70th birthday to Jack Bruce of Cream…
In lieu of flowers, any memorial non-cash offerings should be sent to The Daily Caller, National Review, Fox “News” of course, or a wingnut site of your choosing (I wish Current would fix their videos so I can embed them without having to resize and remove the volume knob)…
…and speaking of humor, I only wishthis was a joke…
…and yeah, I’m sure that GOP “outreach” program to minorities will start paying dividends any day now, any day now (and some of the nonsense in Missouri is pretty damn hilarious too – an update is here)…
…and gee, I guess because the words “Muslim” or “Islam” aren’t in this story, then this knucklehead isn’t a terrorist – uh huh…
…and I wish “Governor Bully” the best with his weight loss surgery, but let’s not take our eye off the ball when it comes to the stuff about him that matters, OK…
…and I’m not real big on the whole “protecting the Second Amendment” thing because I don’t think there’s anything, or anyone, to protect it from, but the substantive point here is correct otherwise…
…and Chris Hayes tells us about New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman trying to hold Wells Fargo and “Skank” of America accountable for mortgage fraud – important stuff that tends to get lost amidst the other news stuff out there…
…and gee, I guess all it takes is a little “Jesus” and a whole heaping helping of “ELIZABETH COLBERT BUSCH IS A GOLDANGED LI-BU-RUUL” for a Repug to win in South Carolina, despite the evidence about “Appalachian Trail” Sanford presented here; the election certainly wasn’t decided on the merits, because if it had been, Sanford would have been too ashamed to poke his head out of his hidey hole to run in the first place.
So with that in mind, this goes out to everyone in the First South Carolina Congressional District who failed to support Elizabeth Colbert Busch; you deserve Mark Sanford, and if that isn’t an insult, I don’t know what is (and I know there's a tongue-in-cheek quality to this song, but I'm going with it anyway).
I realize that there are places in this country where you could prop up a mannequin and stick an “R” on its chest, nominate it for public office and people will vote for it because of blind party loyalty, and South Carolina is most definitely one of those places, but it takes a particular kind of STOO-PID to reward an utterly shameless fraud like Mark Sanford with a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives and use that as an excuse, and by this time tomorrow, that may very well have happened, but hopefully not (more here)…
…and speaking of the U.S. House (to say nothing of shameless frauds), I haven’t had much to say about our wet noodle PA-08 rep lately, so here’s a bit of a “golden oldie” from last year…
…and here's more comedy with a higher purpose from John Fugelsang…
…and happy birthday to Bob Seger – once put on a great show in these parts attended by yours truly (among many others I’m sure).
Robert Reich talks about income inequality (and here is more proof that austerity has failed, as if we need it)…
…and here’s a primer on the cretins trying to keep the “99 percent” under heel…
,,,and I would say that it’s time for some indignation, and Lee Camp provides it - NSFW…
…and I have to admit that I don’t think much of a lot of the music currently being released (Pickwick, Iron and Wine, Mumford and Sons), but I like this tune.
Melissa Harris-Perry brings us the story of Teahadist Repug Jeff Duncan in the U.S. House, who wants the Census Bureau to not do its job (not surprising that the political party that doesn’t like science apparently doesn’t like math also – and the jobs numbers actually weren’t too terrible, by the way, as noted here, though there’s plenty of room for improvement)…
…and I’m not sure how many more pitiable human beings there are on this earth aside from Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who seems to be working towards his Ph.D. in Sour Grapes (here)...
…and before we draw a close to this week marking the 10th anniversary of Dubya’s “Mission Accomplished” fiasco, it might be a good idea to take a look at the awful reality of what his regime of pirates wrought in Iraq (Gramps McCain should just ingest a hot toddy and go lay down somewhere)…
…and I’ve been pretty lazy about putting up a George Jones video at long last, so here it is.
(I also posted here – kind of ranting a bit I’ll admit.)
I know the whole bit about Assad using chemical weapons in Syria is messed up, but something comparable in that vein are the Beltway warmongers who quite rightly get “the treatment” from Jon Stewart here…
…and as I said, I’m not going to stop beating the proverbial drum on this subject (and here is another profile in gun cowardice)…
…and John Fugelsang invokes a higher power to try and rid us of Orange Man as House Speaker (and no, I don’t mean George Soros – that’s a joke, by the way)…
…and I guess this is a borderline religious tune in the spirit of this day…maybe.
Keith Olbermann reminded us in May 2007 of how Former President Nutball vetoed legislation to start winding down his ruinous war of choice in Iraq – tried to find something appropriate for “Mission Accomplished” Day (nothing like a stroll down memory sewer, as it were…the Party of Dubya should certainly never be trusted with executive branch power again, or really anything else related to the federal government – I mentioned Dumbya over here earlier)…
…and I’m pretty bowled over that our own Pat Toomey, of all people, “went there”; I don’t know what’s gotten into Toomey’s precious bodily fluids, as it were, but I hope he ingests more of it (and MoDo should just ask to pass the sweet and sour shrimp and STFU…Bob Shrum actually makes a great point about the midterm elections at about 7:00)…
…and the “Politics Nation” clip ends with more tales of GOP madness, which I think is a good segue to this guy (you’re damn right the fight is not over, “Senator Squish” - more here)…
…and returning to Number 43, Mem Shannon came out with this little number in January 2009 – I’m kind of in a mood to hear it again.
Looks like our illustrious governor put his proverbial foot in it again (here)…
…and Ron Paul said here that the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing was worse than the actual bombing – looks like the door hasn’t been slammed shut hard enough to keep the “crazy uncle in the attic” from spouting more utter nonsense (and I take it with a grain of salt from Bill Maher, who, unlike Paul, has never held, and likely never will hold, elective office)…
…and good for John Fugelsang for going after Chris Broussard of ESPN; I haven’t really said much about Jason Collins coming out because I really didn’t have anything particularly noteworthy to add, other than I wish him all the best (and unlike Tim Tebow, Jason Collins actually has talent)…
…and happy 80th birthday to Willie Nelson – Corbett, Broussard and Paul all act like they’re high here, but Willie knows the real deal :-).
…and with all the Dubya nostalgia going on (please), I would say that the these remarks by former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor reek more than just a little bit; if you have second thoughts, Madame Former Justice, do us all a favor and keep them to yourself, and pray that God is merciful…
…and underrated guitar legend Mick Ronson (here with Bowie during the “Ziggy Stardust” period) left us 20 years ago today.
I think John Fugelsang gives us the definitive Dubya “tribute” here…
...and I went back and forth between this and a George Jones video – nothing against Jones, but I think I’ve given enough space to entertainers who have passed on over the last week.
