Tuesday Stuff

(I also posted here.)

I give you the latest from the campaign of Kevin Strouse, running against Mikey the Beloved for the latter's U.S. House seat...

KEVIN STROUSE CALLS ON CONGRESSMAN FITZPATRICK TO PLEDGE TO NOT SHUT DOWN THE GOVERNMENT WHILE RECEIVING THE ENDORSEMENT OF “SENIOR VOTES COUNT!”

Jon “Bowzer” Bauman, “Senior Votes Count!” co-founder / star from legendary rock band Sha Na Na, endorses Kevin Strouse for Congress

Bristol, PA - Today, Kevin Strouse received the endorsement of “Senior Votes Count!” as he called on Congressman Fitzpatrick to take a government shutdown off the table. As we quickly approach the October 1st start of the 2015 fiscal year, Strouse is urging Congressman Fitzpatrick to give voters certainty that he won’t allow a repeat of his disastrous Republican shutdown.

In the district, Congressman Fitzpatrick claims that he worked tirelessly to stop the government shutdown. He’s even willing to mislead his constituents by claiming that he supported a clean continuing resolution. However, the facts show that Congressman Fitzpatrick voted 17 times against efforts to reopen the government throughout the shutdown.

Strouse commented “8th district voters deserve a pledge from Congressman Fitzpatrick to not repeat the same shutdown disaster that he brought us through last year. Before the shutdown, Fitzpatrick said that “a shutdown of the federal government is the ultimate admission of failure to do your job.” Well, by his own measure, Congressman Fitzpatrick is a failure.”

“Senior Votes Count!” co-founder / legendary rock and roll star Jon “Bowzer” Bauman threw his support behind Kevin as he slammed Congressman Fitzpatrick for his abysmal 16% lifetime rating from the Alliance for Retired Americans and for his vote to shut down the government.

In September of 2013, Congressman Fitzpatrick claimed that shutting down the government is off the table for him. However, In October 2013, the Associated Press reported that Fitzpatrick sided with Republicans in a vote that led to the government shutdown.

Strouse continued, “Congressman Fitzpatrick told us last year that he wouldn’t allow a government shutdown.. But then in a blaze of partisan glory, he ignored his constituents, shut down the federal government, and voted 17 times against efforts to reopen it. While it’s clear that a promise from Congressman Fitzpatrick doesn’t mean much, voters deserve to know his stance on the issues.”

BACKGROUND:

The Associated Press Reported that Mike Fitzpatrick Sided with Republicans in Vote that “Resulted in the Government Shutdown”“After weeks of trying to balance the wishes of his moderate district and House conservatives, he sided with most congressional Republicans in refusing to approve a measure that would have kept the government operating because it also would have continued to pay for the health care law. Democrats, who control the White House and the Senate, refused to delay or destroy the landmark health care law. The impasse resulted in the government shutdown.” [Associated Press, 10/10/13]

Following the government shutdown, Fitzpatrick voted sixteen times against efforts to vote on a clean government funding resolution by allowing consideration of the Senate-passed continuing resolution: [H Res 370, Vote #509, 10/02/13; HJ Res 70, Vote #512, 10/02/13; HR 3230, Vote #515, 10/03/13; HJ Res 72, Vote #517, 10/03/13; H Res 371, Vote #519, 10/04/13; HJ Res 85, Vote #521, 10/04/13; HJ Res 75, Vote #523, 10/04/13; H J Res 77, Vote #527, 10/7/13; HJ Res 84, Vote #529, 10/08/13; H Res 373, Vote #531, 10/08/13; HR 3273, Vote #533, 10/08/13; HJ Res 90, Vote #536, 10/09/13; HJ Res 79, Vote #539, 10/10/13; HJ Res 76, Vote #541, 10/11/13; HJ Res 380, Vote #543, 10/11/13; HJ Res 80, Vote #547, 10/14/13]

Fitzpatrick: “Shutting Down the Government is off the Table for me”“Fitzpatrick said ‘shutting down the government is off the table for me,’ hinting [though not explicitly saying] he won’t take the repeal fight so far that it drags the government over the edge.” [Philadelphia Inquirer, 9/20/13]

Fitzpatrick: “None of us wanted this Shutdown. We Worked Tirelessly to Stop it” In October 2013, in a joint op-ed, Fitzpatrick claimed he has always opposed a shutdown.

“None of us wanted this shutdown. We worked tirelessly to stop it and to keep the government funded. And that continues today. We have also worked to repeal, defund, delay, and dismantle Obamacare. And for good reason. It’s led to lost coverage, fewer jobs, and higher insurance costs for families.” [Philadelphia Inquirer, Congressmen Meehan, Dent, Barletta, Gerlach, Fitzpatrick, Runyan, and Lobiondo op-ed, 10/6/13]

Congressman Fitzpatrick has a 16% Lifetime Rating from the Alliance for Retired Americans [Alliance for Retired Americans, Pennsylvania Delegation Voting Record]

###

Kevin Strouse is a former Army Ranger, CIA counterterrorism analyst, and veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan who lives in Middletown, Pa., with his wife, Amy, and two young children, Walter and Charlotte. He is currently Program Director of Teach2Serve, a non-profit that teaches social entrepreneurship to regional high school students. He earned his BA from Columbia University and a Masters in Security Studies from Georgetown University, graduating with honors.

...and here is Kevin's latest ad (to help pay for it and to help his campaign overall, please click here)...



…and speaking of Congress (#1), I thought this was an odd little bit of minutiae; “Press 1 if you want to hear a complete list of kickbacks accepted by your elected representative or senator, Press 2 if you want to hear a complete list of votes by your elected representative or senator on behalf of the “one percent,” Press 3 if you want to hear about the latest pointless piece of legislation supported by your public official that has zero chance of actually being signed into law,” etc...



...and speaking of Congress (#2), I think Huckleberry Graham should just go pick up his purse and call a cab here (borderline I know, but I'm only referring to him using language he has used himself towards others)...

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…and gosh, whaddaya know – I forgot about National Make a Hat Day yesterday (here…gives me an excuse for this tune :-) - vid is borderline NSFW I guess.

Monday Stuff

I thought this was a pretty well thought-out analysis of the ISIS stuff with Ed Schultz, Joe Cirincione, and that Murphy guy...



...and it looks like, apart from racism in the shooting of Michael Brown, we also have it in deciding which eyewitnesses to take seriously – I've asked it before and I'll ask it again; this is CNN?...



...and I'm including this partly to extend a metaphorical middle-finger-raised-on-high to the You Tube commenters hating on this video...



...and here's a peppy little tune for the youngsters out there at home :-).

Friday Stuff

I give you the latest installment of FAIR TV…



…and Heaven forbid that “the blahs” are allowed to vote in November, huh (GA is a particularly important “battleground” state for the U.S. Senate – more here and here)…



…and why am I not the least bit surprised by this; here once more is a reminder why this matters (more here and here)…



..and I definitely like this tune, but I think this video sets the record for the most photographs of chin stubble (and not too many bands with a harp also).

Thursday Stuff

Good to see "Wall Street Scott" Brown get the treatment he deserves here...

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…and yes, it’s true that this video isn’t 100 percent accurate – it is about a year old, after all – but for anyone needing more information on the Affordable Care Law, this is a good place to start (and something to keep in mind in response to this…attention all Democrats; vote in November as if your life depends on it, because it just might)…



Update 9/12/14: As I said, it just might - see the dirty laundry list of what Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao and friends plan to do if they actually get back the Senate (here).

…and Cenk Uygur tells us the tale of Andrew Sabin, charter member of the “one percent” (even less, actually…and here is more on another foul court ruling besides the accursed Citizens United that enables Sabin and characters like him)…

...and no, I haven't forgotten what this day is truly all about.

Wednesday Stuff

Here's how to get it done, people...



…and even though this clip is a little more than four years old, I think it’s still timely in light of this (oy...h/t Atrios)…



…and it’s time for the latest installment of FAIR TV (it would probably be hilarious if they took a look at the hopelessly wingnutty Op-Ed page of the Bucks County Courier Times)…



…and the clip above concludes with some stuff on “Governor Bully” that he uncharacteristically got right, even though the wingnuts clutched their pearls in response – here is some stuff that he very definitely got wrong…



…and sticking with Rachel Maddow, this tells us about how those bozos in the Senate and the U.S. House (guess which party?) are hindering Number 44 on fighting ISIS (she had a good report last night also, but it concluded with an interview with Robert Costa, and I don’t trust a word Costa says)…



...and here's an upbeat little number that the kids hopefully won't have to hum while packing off to another quagmire in the Middle East (sad).

Tuesday Stuff

With all of the stuff going on with Ray Rice and his family, I thought this was an uplifting football story from last week (see video)...

(...And by the way, am I the only one who thinks it's a little crazy that the person who was wronged is lashing out not at her husband, but at the press? Have we gone a bit too far with all of the hidden camera video and social media stuff? Yes, punish Rice severely – the rest of the season at a minimum. However, if his wife doesn't press charges – and it looks like that won't happen – then let him be reinstated after the year is up.

Are we looking for angels in the sports world? Is that the new standard? Really?

I was reading about baseball great Ty Cobb today. Do you know what he did to a heckler, a guy whose hands were almost completely destroyed, during a game in 1912? He charged into the stands and kicked the guy to a pulp, and he wasn't banned for life from baseball; he ended up with a 10-game suspension. Wrong? Of course. All I'm asking for is a little perspective, that's all)...



..and I think the last 30 seconds of this video is particularly important (a bit of a profile in cowardice on the part of a major retailer IMHO, as opposed to this)...



...and I can't recall the date when Stephen Colbert will take over “Late Night” and probably shed this persona, so we might as well appreciate it even more while we still have it (more here)...

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...and with this in mind a bit, I give you the following.

Monday Stuff

This happened 40 years ago today – I continue to wrestle with whether or not it was the right thing to do, and I guess I always will (sorry about all the onscreen “reelinintheyears” stuff – yes, it’s your property; I get it)…



…and here’s the latest on the Repugs and their “women’s outreach” efforts (not that our beloved commonwealth has anything to brag about on this either, as noted here, nor does the “Show Me” state)…



...and John Oliver is back with more spot-on commentary on student debt - who wins (the one percent) and who loses (everybody else - borderline NSFW)...



...and I give you the following to commemorate the debut of this, uh, TV show...what was it called again? :-).

Friday Stuff

On the one hand, I was sorry to hear about the passing of Joan Rivers (here) because she mentored an entire generation of younger comedians on their way up in the business. She also made herself a career out of nothing except her own hard work as nearly as I can determine, to say nothing of holding a family together at the same time, particularly in the wake of her husband’s suicide. She also received the metaphorical “back of the hand” from Johnny Carson all because Rivers wanted to have her own show; if Carson had shown any class at that moment, he would have done all he could to encourage her (kind of like the way Linda Ronstadt did that for The Eagles when they were starting out - this should be noted also).

On the other hand, Rivers was also responsible for stuff like this; I don’t know if her moments of bilious hate increased as she aged and her health declined (which still doesn’t excuse those moments), but I think that should be remembered also.

Now back to the political stuff – I have to admit that the true scope of the awfulness of “Governor Ultrasound” wasn’t brought home to me until I saw this report from Rachel Maddow about Bob McDonnell’s conviction on 11 of 13 counts of corruption in office (here). Yes, the typical Republican “family values” hypocrisy is on display, but what does it tell you that he threw his wife under the proverbial bus during the trial too? He was also offered not too bad of a plea deal that he walked away from, and he’s now looking at significantly more jail time as a result…serves him right…



…and good luck to the striking fast-food workers mentioned in this report (more here); yeah, the whole argument about how raising the poverty minimum wage of $7.25 an hour will lead to another economic downtown is pretty much BS, as noted here – and for the typically disgusting corporate media perspective (from other dank quarters anyway), I give you this…



...and somewhat as a follow-up to the prior video, I know we already observed Labor Day a few days ago, but I couldn't let the week come to a close without this item (IMHO, a tragic reminder of how far we have to go in the battle against income inequality)...



...and I guess it's easy to forget how long these folks have been around on the "indie rock" scene cranking out good tunes - here's another one.

Thursday Stuff

(I also posted here.)

Joy Reid and NBC News’ Ayman Mohyeldin discuss what it will take to rebuild Gaza, someday (can’t imagine how many terrorists have been spawned as a result of Bibi’s temper tantrum)…



...and I'd be more amused by this ad parody here if it weren't for the fact that every stinking word of it is true...



...and yeah, for starters, this tells you a bit about Repug U.S. Senator Ron Freaking Johnson, people (in consideration of this, and let's not forget this too - first item)...



...and I don't really have a musical riposte to Johnson, but maybe in a way, this will suffice.

Tuesday Stuff

I think Russell Brand gives us a “way forward,” if you will, on countering Fix Noise here (as an actor, I think he's a bit of an acquired taste, though he was really good in some parts of “Get Him To The Greek,” I thought)...



...and John Breaux always struck me as a “corpora-Dem,” but I'm not the least bit surprised by Trent Lott's involvement here; makes me recall this clip (and Lott apologized for the Strom Thurmond stuff, for the record, probably because he got caught)...



...and I would ask that you remember this the next time you come across something like this (I'll try to say more about the HuffPo piece later – by the way, referencing the Galloway clip towards the end, I should say that I'll never defend Hamas) ...



...and I'm glad to see Shawn Colvin talking about this – we all need to reach out if we have to.

Monday Stuff

Here is the latest installment of FAIR TV...



...and I thought this was a good commentary by Melissa Harris-Perry about trying to make a "teachable moment" out of the events surrounding the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO...



..and here's a real Labor Day story about workers at “Mahket Bahsket” going on strike on behalf of their CEO – yes, I'm serious...



...and I realize that this is a "perennial" for Labor Day, but why mess up a good thing?

Friday Stuff

I guess it really isn't possible to talk about the Ferguson stuff without including Stephen Colbert, which is definitely a good thing...

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..and I have to admit that I'm not thrilled over the latest “strategy” remark from President Hopey Changey on Syria; there's probably one in the works, but there are ways to admit that we're a bit “behind the curve” on the issue without coming out and saying it – we probably would be in that position by default in that area of the world anyway...however, Peter King is a waste of protoplasm for acting like Obama's choice of wardrobe matters one bit (more King idiocy is here)...



Update 8/30/14: The last line of this post says, "Memo to media: Please grow up and do your job."

Nail. Hammer. Head.

..and I thought this was a good NSFW clip about the revelations of sexual harassment (or something close to it anyway) in the book by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand; good to see “Morning Joe” get the treatment it deserves (sorry, Mika, but that's what you get – well, maybe I'm not sorry)...



...and it looks like the Allman Brothers are going to hang it up after 45 (!) years (here) – I'd say they've earned all the obligatory kudos and then some.

Thursday Stuff

Uh, yep (and in a related story)...



…also, Brian Stelter of “Reliable Sources” interviews Dan Rather about how dangerous it is to be a journalist anymore (I think Rather is sincere in his self-reflection about how the Fourth Estate, among others, utterly failed in the runup to Dubya's Not-So-Excellent Adventure in Mesopotamia)…



...and yeah, "not a good look" indeed for Marco Rubio, supposedly the great GOP hope for immigration reform...



...and I have a feeling that at least some of you are going to make it an extra-long holiday weekend coming up (hope a lot of you anyway, to shore points and other locales), so with that in mind, I give you one of my favorite driving songs.

Wednesday Stuff

Here's a "golden oldie" with Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao (in response to this, and to do something about it, click here)...



Update: 8/28/14: More Mitch-related BS is here.

…and God almighty, the end of Tom “Space Cadet” Corbett’s career in public life can’t come soon enough (here – the stuff that matters in the clip starts at about :50 - and once more, to do something about it, click here)…



…and 58 percent of those polled thought this was a good “Rewrite” segment with Lawrence O’Donnell :-)…



..and I gotta tell ya' that, in a totally hetero way of course, I have to admit that I missed Jon Stewart (here)...

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...and Michael Che makes a great point with humor also, as you might expect...

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...and I was sorry to hear about this – hope it works out for all concerned.

Tuesday Stuff

Well well, it looks like we have another tale of “inversion” by an established corporate “brand” in this country; the first five minutes of this have to do with “BK” and their “BS” and the rest has to do with sexuality in the media, or something (here – NSFW)...



…and boy, does this explain a lot – no word on whether or not this is the only toy monkey in existence that smokes unfiltered Camels (kind of explains this too)…



Update 8/27/14: Oh, and by the way...

..and “discretionary” my ass – it is ABSOLUTELY INSANE for a 9-year-old girl to be handling an Uzi, whether or not we're talking semi-automatic or fully automatic (here – apparently, she lost control of the gun when fired in fully automatic mode...dear God)...



...and on a much more upbeat note (which we need), I give you the following video in response to this.

Monday Stuff

RIP Richard Attenborough...



...and returning to politics...the only reason that this clip doesn't definitely prove that U.S. House Rep Mo Brooks is the stupidest life form in the entire universe is because that title already belongs to Brooks's fellow U.S. House moron Louie Gohmert (more evidence is here)...



…also, on the subject of space (the cosmos, not the area between Brooks’ ears), today marks the 25th anniversary of Voyager 2’s transmission of pictures from the planet Neptune and its moon, Triton (here)…



...and kudos to Melissa Harris-Perry for this (nice to see Joke Line get what he deserves)...



...and kudos to actor Gary Sinise, among many, many others, for this...



…and happy 60th birthday to The Living Elvis (with a track from his recording that marks its own 20th anniversary – yikes! – this year).

Friday Stuff

(I also posted here.)

There’s so much stoo-pid in this latest column from Matt Bai that I can’t get to it all here, but I wanted to highlight one paragraph in particular…

And then there's (Texas Governor Rick "Goodhair") Perry, whose macho mug shot ricocheted around Twitter this week. He'll soon be indicted on charges that he tried to bully a Democratic district attorney from office after she was picked up for drunken driving, first by vetoing her state funds and then by offering to restore them only if she quit. Apparently, obnoxiousness is now a crime in Texas, albeit one of the few that can't get you executed.

I would ask that you keep this in mind when you watch this report from Rachel Maddow…



…and apparently it is necessary to put up this video once more as a response to this (and this...more Texas idiocy)…



…and I know I’m painting with a broad brush again, but as far as I’m concerned, Habersham County, Georgia (at least the people in charge) represents the butt hole of the entire universe for this (NSFW)…



...and this is probably as close as I get when it comes to implied violence against law enforcement (only against some police - most do a commendable job).

Thursday Stuff

The more I learn about what could possibly have happened to Michael Brown, the more I worry that the rage over this will not dissipate any time soon, and over this too (love to be wrong)…



...and good for the latest related idea from Dem U.S. House Rep Alan Grayson - of course, it went down to defeat (and what a sad commentary as to why...fortunately, Cenk gives us a "way forward")...



...and don't look now, but the Feds are actually recouping some dough from the "too big to fail" banks, notably Skank of America...



...and happy 76th birthday to Kenny Rogers (no, not the baseball player).

More Wednesday Stuff

No, Ed – actually, Ed Henry isn’t better than that (part and parcel of this attitude after all, let’s not forget)…



…and this Sam Seder clip is a year old, but based on this, it might as well be a few minutes old (and Rand Paul is such a dope – basically, Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao tells him not to say anything, but he does anyway…and Paul was wrong about the Repugs “winning” on the shut down too, as noted here)…



...and I think it's sad that Pryor can't use the supposedly dreaded "O" word here, but credit where it's due...



..and I know he was mentioned in the first video, but RIP Don Pardo, giving us a valuable lesson here...



..and RIP also Philly cat John Blake, Jr. (here)...



...and here's a little summer blues/funk for no particular reason.

Wednesday Stuff

Cenk Uygur tells us the latest on U.S. House Repug hypocrite Lee Terry on the issue of the minimum wage (last year’s government shut down is mentioned also)…



…and speaking of the shut down, I think this is something we should remember heading into the mid-term elections (more here)…



…and by the way, this guy not only voted for the shut down, but voted 16 times against a continuing resolution to fund the government until the shut down ended on October 17, 2013 (to do something about that, click here)…

…and Rev. Al is right that Chris Hayes has done a great job of reporting in Ferguson, MO – I’m not holding my breath on replacing Bob McCulloch with a special prosecutor, though that should happen; glad that last night apparently wasn’t too bad…



…and yeah, given the stuff in Ferguson, I think this tune and video are definitely appropriate (and for this too - what an air head).

Monday Stuff

RIP Former Senator Jim Jeffords (here, and harking back a bit to this)…



…and gosh, where’s Lee Greenwood at a time like this? Kind of reminds me of a song – “proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free…”…



…and as far as I’m concerned, John Oliver nails it here on Ferguson, particularly at the very end (probably still NSFW despite the attempts to bleep out the bad words)…



...and I hope nobody ever sings this song about Jeffords.

Sunday Stuff

And Bill "Loofah" O'Reilly actually has the gall to lecture Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson on race (here)...



...and as far as I'm concerned, at a minimum, the best way to protest all this garbage is to vote for Democrats (and then make sure they do what they're supposed to)...



...and by the way, this is a lesson for Tom "Space Cadet" Corbett too (here)...



...who, of course, is totally clueless on many issues himself, most infamously on funding for Philadelphia's public schools...



...and from the ridiculous to the sublime, I give you this...



...and it isn't really summer to me unless I hear this song at least once.

Friday Stuff

I now give you the latest installment of FAIR TV…



…and so let me get this straight – it’s somehow OK that Michael Brown, who was unarmed by some accounts, was killed because he allegedly shoplifted some cigars? Really??!!...



Update: Kudos, though, to Commander Johnson here.

…and yeah, I think this about says it (kicks off a loop of videos which look pretty good, actually)…



…and on a wholly other note, today marks the 45th anniversary of Woodstock – with that in mind, I give you this (amazing performance by drummer Michael Shrieve, among others).

Thursday Stuff

I’m definitely behind the curve on the madness in Ferguson, MO I’ll admit, but I feel like I have to add my own admittedly small contribution here (spurred on a bit by this too – h/t Atrios; this all screams for a federal grand jury investigation, and that body should have subpoena power - and uh, after reading this I have a question: what country am I living in again?)…



...and Joy Reid provides some much-needed historical context here, and she also asks some good questions...



...and let's not forget about the possibility of more "big gumint" overreach by that Kenyan Muslim socialist in the White House (snark of course)...



…and yeah, what the hell – here’s another music video (kind of thinking about the passages this week, if you will).

Wednesday Stuff

RIP Lauren Bacall, an ingenue from another era and a damn fine actress too (and wife of a truly great Democrat)...



…and speaking of Democrats, once in a while, I think we need to be reminded of what the fight is all about…



...and the last 20 seconds or so here are the ones that matter as far as I'm concerned with Cenk Uygur opining on "Fluffyhead" - oh, but Comcast/Universal/Comcast/MSNBC/Comcast/Whatever are SO RUDE for letting Greggers twist in the wind, as it were - welcome to corporate America...



...and here's a tune to rage with against the slowly fading summer :-(.

Tuesday Stuff

About all I feel like doing at this moment is putting up videos as a tribute to Robin Williams.

I don’t have anything particularly interesting or profound to say about his death – I definitely wish to extend condolences to family and friends, and respect the family’s wishes to highlight only what he gave to the whole world. I think we’re starting to come to grips with the huge contribution he made to comedy and the arts and the size of the void we now face with his passing (also his acting talent, period - never saw "One Hour Photo," but I heard it was pretty creepy).

I saw a doctor on CNN last night say something about his years of alcohol and substance abuse and how that, combined with his recent heart surgery, could have contributed to his depression. I’m not saying that to heap dirt all over Williams’ memory, definitely not – only to point out that we need to be ever vigilant if we’ve had similar circumstances to guard against the trap Williams fell into (which, again, could befall any one of us).

Oh, and apparently, the person in our media who you would most likely suspect of saying something cruel and stupid about this did indeed say something cruel and stupid. If you’re so inclined, you can find the link at Crooks and Liars (for some reason, August is a really cruel month for stuff like this as far as I’m concerned).

Not to sound trite or preachy, but every day is a gift – that’s what I hang onto at times like this anyway (and the musical selection at the end is the one that’s been running around in my head all day long, for what it’s worth)…

Monday Stuff

(I also posted here.)

Oh yes, let President Obama journey to that allegedly ultra-rich, hedonistic paradise up north (yes, there are definitely places where the “one percent” go to have fun, but there are plenty of places on the island for the “47 percent” too, and we all pretty much get along –and yes, this is a recording).

And by the way, when it comes to presidents and vactions (here)...



…and I think this is why we elect politicians that we hopefully trust, or should anyway – when it comes to ISIS and Iraq, I think Number 44 deserves the benefit of the doubt for now (and if this were 10 years ago, would we even be asking this? How loudly were people hooted down who dared to criticize Former Commander Codpiece? And yes, Adam Kinzinger is a cowardly scumbag - Ryan Grim makes a great point at the end out ISIS's weaponry...hmmm, wonder how much of that came from us?)…



…and changing the mood more than a little bit, Stephen Colbert gives us the new diet supplement from Rand “Fake Ophthalmologist” Paul)…

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...and notwithstanding the video, I honestly like this tune - really.

Friday Stuff

Looks like somebody spiked Tweety's Geritol – good (of course, instead of the “sue me, sue you” stuff, we could always just, y'know, ELECT DEMOCRATS to end all this BS for good)...



...and here is the latest from FAIR TV, including Fluffyhead “working the refs” against the Palestinians (once again, definitely not a fan of Hamas) and our corporate media's “experts” on Africa...



...and I give you the following here to mark the 40th anniversary of the resignation of President Richard Nixon (typical for the Republican Party's television apparatus)...



...as well as this tune.

Thursday Stuff

Kudos to California business owner Mark Lane for this, showing the courage that we all should possess here (and an utter pox on the life forms vilifying him for it, and his family too – nothing but Internet cowards, the bloody lot of them)…



…and for what it’s worth, I think it’s “unacceptable” too (here)…



…and happy 88th birthday to Stan Freberg, who had to deal with his own particular brand of censorship way back when :-)...



...and here is a tune from this century.

Wednesday Stuff

Rev. Al, and Standard and Poor’s, bring us the message about how income inequality is dragging down the economy…



…and Ezra Klein brings us some sanity on the scaremongering over the Ebola virus (and he was referring to this at the very end)…



..and this is why we should all hope that Elizabeth Warren serves in the U.S. Senate for the rest of her life – we need MANY more like her (the legacy of that horrible bankruptcy bill of 2005 continues to live on, which many Democrats voted for – but not this guy)...



…and I think this is an appropriate song for August.

Tuesday Stuff

Yes, Wiccan! (yeah, I know I didn't originate that...and I like the ladies answering the gun “boobs,” if you will, with far more practical ones)...



...and I think this ad shows Tom Cotton up for being the callow neophyte that he truly is (here)...



...and as I watch this, I'd like to punch that fat bastard Netanyahu right in the mouth...



...and I also don't think there's such a thing as a bad Joan Osborne video.

Monday Stuff

RIP James Brady, one hell of a courageous guy for my money…



…and Jon Stewart gives the U.S. House Repugs the treatment they deserve here…

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...and one of their departing members, Eric Cantor, remains an insufferably sleazy weasel (here)...



…and yeah, here comes another music video – try to contain your enthusiasm.

Friday Stuff

Yeah, I know listening to Harry Reid is about as much fun as gazing at your navel for about two hours, but guess what? He happens to be right (here)…



…and I kept waiting for the point where I found myself disagreeing with Cenk Uygur’s commentary, but that point never came…



Update 8/2/14: Uh, yep.

...and yeah, I think it's time for some good old-fashioned outrage on the subject of the U.S. House Repugs and immigration, and Dem Rep Luis Gutierrez obliges here...



...and I had this tune in my head all day today as I watched the weather report, which portends a soggy weekend for these parts; hard to complain since we've had a stretch of good weather.

Thursday Stuff

Kudos to Dem Senator Sheldon Whitehouse for this (here)…



…and here are some sadly appropriate words from a man who knows all about struggle (here)…



…and gee, whaddaya know – it looks like, while the Teahadists were railing about that alleged Kenyan Muslim Socialist at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, they were getting fleeced by the people who claimed to support their favored candidates…too funny…



…and apparently Wingnut Emeritus John Podhoretz didn’t get the memo – this is 2014, not 2004 (here).

More Wednesday Stuff

By the way, I think it's perfectly typical for the U.S. House Repugs to make sure that this utter joke was introduced by the same assclown responsible for this (Sessions never denied saying it, did he?)...



...and by the way, Mikey the Beloved voted Yes to sue President Obama (can hardly wait for the hagiography on this from the Bucks County Courier Times)...

...and here is more on this idiocy...



...also, I was glad to be able to track down this commentary by Jeremy Scahill on the stuff with Israel and Hamas in Gaza (and by the way, when it comes to that horrific issue, let's not forget this also)...



...and this great tune from "the quiet Beatle" is sadly appropriate once again.

Wednesday Stuff

Yep, it’s “jobs, jobs, jobs” for the Repugs, particularly in Mississippi and Louisiana (making this even more of a bad joke)…



…which of course is symptomatic of a larger problem with these troglodytes, as we know (and why am I not the least bit surprised that “Gohmert” Pyle is right in the middle of it – maybe we used to say this garbage about Irish Catholics, Jews and other minorities when they first emigrated to this country long ago, but dear God I hope not)…



…and yeah, when it comes to Repugs wagging their fingers, as it were, at those “takers,” I don’t think anyone takes a back seat to U.S. House Rep Mr.-Puppy-Dog-Eyes-With-The-Shiv…



…and if I find out at some point that this is nothing but one big subliminal ad to subscribe to 3A’s, then I’m going to be really pissed.

Tuesday Stuff

Hey, if this is what it takes (and of course, all of the “ammo-sexuals” out there now apparently think that the ad depicts why the woman should have a gun – beyond belief)...



...and I thought this was an important video about surveillance and press freedom (here)...



...and Ed Schultz talks with Mitch Ceasar, head of Florida's Democratic Party, and E.J. Dionne about this work permit “trial balloon” being floated, supposedly, by Number 44 (I agree with Ed, it sounds too dumb of an idea to be real – hope so anyway)...



...and changing the mood, I suppose this move by Caribou Barbie was inevitable...



…and it sounds like we’re paying our Joni Ernst of Iowa the way the other side usually pays out to us, as noted here (I can just envision the reaction of our pearl-clutching Beltway corporate media – “how dare those Democrats be so uncivil”)…



...and I haven't heard this summer song lately, so here it is.

Monday Stuff

About the VA, this developed after the following interview, fortunately.

About the economy, here’s what happens whenever we try to have a serious discussion on tax rates and loopholes…the “one percent” tells their politicians and sympathetic corporate media (and yes, Charles Lane of the WaPo, I’m talking to you) to include the home mortgage interest deduction and the ability to deduct state and local taxes which 1) is a comparative pittance, and 2) are the ONLY ITEMS your humble narrator benefits from (along with millions of others) when it comes to the tax code. So, the discussion grinds to a halt…



…and I have a feeling that, with this commentary, Bill Maher sees the “end game,” as it were, starting to unfold (once again, if you want a serious policy discussion, turn to a comedian)…



…see previous comment (NSFW)…



…and I find myself saying this about fifty times a day anymore, just about always to myself (in an altogether different context, I’ll admit).

Saturday Stuff

Uh, yeah, President Hopey Changey – this about says it as far as I'm concerned...



...as does this concerning that misogynist moron Stephen A. Smith (here); K.O. has a much smaller shout box than he used to have, and he's a lot more regulated – that, sadly, is what happens when you speak truth to stoo-pid – but that doesn't mean that he doesn't still have something important to say once in awhile (here)...



Update 7/28/14: In fairness to Smith, he apologized (here).

Update 7/30/14: Not for a minute will I defend what Smith said, but I think this sets a worrisome precedent - if Fix Noise, for example, applied this standard, Flush Limbore would be suspended every day (oh, wait...).

...and remember when Gramps McCain was praising Bernie Sanders on the VA issue? Yep, “Senator Honor and Virtue” and his pals were just looking for an excuse for more cheap political BS (love to be proved wrong)...



…and I like the harmonies on this tune, something a little lite and airy for these still-summer days.

Friday Stuff

(I also posted here.)

I cannot possible imagine how else to respond to this atrocity, except to put up this video once more (though, actually, 91u1iani is right, but not in the way he imagines)…



...and switching the mood a bit with a purpose, I give you this (NSFW at the end; Mary Poppins was the very first movie I ever saw in a theater - awwwwww)...

Mary Poppins Quits with Kristen Bell from Funny Or Die

...and I give you the latest in the pathetic annals of U.S. House Repug non-governance (yeah, sure, go ahead with your idiotic lawsuit)...



...and by the way, Mikey the Beloved, what say you on this? Come come now, don't be shy...

...and I can pretty much take or leave this guy anymore, but I like this tune.

Wednesday Stuff

I think this is a good question too, and somehow I'm sure Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao doesn't have an answer...



…and I think Cenk is particularly spot-on in the last 5-7 seconds of this commentary about how Number 44 is supposedly using world turmoil as part of some imaginary political scheme at home (ZOMG OBAMA BILL AYRES SOLYNDRA LOIS LERNER IRS BIRTH CERTIFICATE BENGHAZI!!!!)…



…and the wingnuts continue to fight the Affordable Care Law, including two numbskull judges on the D.C. Circuit Court, one appointed by Bush I and one appointed by Bush II…



...and here's a seasonal tune for all of those aging "boomers" out there :-).

Tuesday Stuff

Rachel Maddow tells us about how Gov. “Goodhair” Perry of Texas is supposedly handling the immigrant crisis, as opposed to Gov. Deval Patrick of Massachusetts (another blue-state triumph IMHO)…



...and Joy Reid tells us about another poor person in this country supposedly living the high life in Jan Brewer-land (snark mode off)...



...and on this day 10 years ago, the 9/11 Commission issued a report saying America's leaders failed to grasp the gravity of terrorist threats before the 9/11 attacks (yeah, I know – duuuh!)...



...and one part of me wants to follow that clip with a "message" song, but another part of me wants to "shut up and rock" - guess who won.

Monday Stuff

RIP James Garner, a tried-and-true Democrat (here - pic from M. Beschloss via Daily Kos)...



...and I'm not sure how much of this is serious commentary vs. comedy, but kudos to John Oliver for taking on a taboo subject...



...and for a report on what often happens with law enforcement before sentencing, Bill Maher (fresh from this idiocy - never an excuse for misogyny) weighs in here...



...and I think we're going to be reminded again in these parts of what time of year it is shortly (somewhat NSFW).

Friday Stuff

With the fallout over the Malaysian plane tragedy in Ukraine and the decision of “Bibi” to invade Gaza (definitely don’t defend Hamas, who are thugs as far as I’m concerned, but what will the IDF do in Gaza? Obliterate territory that has already been obliterated?), I think it’s important to not forget the “mess” that still remains in Mesopotamia, and how our supposedly august corporate media continues to enable those responsible for it…



...and didn't Mel Gibson star in the "Mad Max" movies about stuff like this? Oh, sorry - it was gasoline (close)...U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!...



...and while we were on vacation last week, there were some milestones I missed out on that I want to make up for now – happy 55th birthday to Suzanne Vega (with one of my theme songs, I guess)...



...and happy 55th birthday also to Marc Cohn (hope he's recovered from that auto accident)...



...and “That's All Right,” the debut hit from Elvis himself (“down in the jungle room”), charted 60 years ago last week...



...and last week also marked the 50th anniversary of the film “A Hard Day's Night.”

Thursday Stuff

(I also posted here.)

God bless Sen. Elizabeth Warren – however, the result of the Senate vote was predictable…



…and Joy Reid brings us a lesson in Kochonomics 101, which is about as repulsive as you might expect…



...and I thought this was a good interview that Chris Hayes conducted with Col. Jack Jacobs concerning today's missile disaster over Ukraine (I try to stay away from non-political breaking news stories, but I suppose this one is political in a way).

My first reaction is to wonder who the hell is in charge of airlines in Malaysia – why on earth did every other country (or so it seems) know to stay out of that air space except them (and as we know, Flight 370 is somehow still missing). Also, what does it tell you that Putin had no problem with the rebels somehow getting ahold of these Buk surface-to-air missile batteries – what did Putin think they would do with them, play tiddly winks?

And once again, Obama will not get the credit he deserves for exercising prudence on something like this, much unlike his ruinous predecessor...



...and RIP Johnny Winter.

Wednesday Stuff

Yeah, I can relate to dealing with “word salad” and other literary incoherence – kudos to Weird Al for this…



…and yeah, Repug U.S. House Rep Renee Ellmers of North Carolina really is this stupid, people; kind of funny to hear her talk about how “Obamacare” is so hated, particularly among Republicans (oops) and then, a few seconds later, say that the Repugs have to be about something besides “no, no, no”…



...and Stephen Colbert kind of lost me a little here, but it's still fun to see him twist corporate media narratives inside out like this (particularly on Boehner's ridiculous lawsuit)...

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

...and while this tune definitely rocks, I think it's a little spooky that it's so resonant; not a reflection on kidz these days, I want to emphasize.

Tuesday Stuff

President Obama has been beating the drum, as it were, about the fact that the federal Highway Trust Fund is about to run out of money, and I guess he’s had some success with that in that it made the U.S. House Repugs come up with a proposal of their own for funding; of course, it’s about as dumb as you would expect, as Josh Barro (mostly) explains…



…and boy, was I glad to see that idiot Rick Santelli get what he deserved here; of course, all he can do is yell and carry on like the baby that he is…



...and color me nonplussed over the news that, apparently, our beloved commonwealth won't let you run for elective office unless you believe in that true religion, hallelujah (with the usual inside-out wingnut propaganda claiming that Catholics are oppressed in this country)...



...and I heard this great new tune all over the place when I was on vacation last week, and it was awesome (both the song and the break).

Monday Stuff

This is the best dissection of “trickle-down” economics that I’ve ever heard (here)…



…and here is the latest from FAIR TV; definitely have to work them into the rotation…



...and gosh, what a concept; actually talking to an individual who has tried to get into our country illegally as opposed to corporate media stenography in the service of political blowhards (and as usual, the wingnuts show that they don't know how to spell - also as usual, Louie Gohmert proves that he's the stupidest life form in the universe)...



...and RIP Tommy Ramone (don't blink or you'll miss this one).

Sunday Stuff

Test, test, test – is this thing still on?

OK then, I'll try to rev all this back up again...for starters, here is more sage commentary from Bill Maher (here)...



...and kudos to Rep. Luis Gutierrez for parroting shooting down Bob Schieffer's inane, corporate media/GOP flavored talking points on immigration here (following up a bit on Maher's earlier segment)...



...and if Governor Bully had even a spec of dignity or integrity, he would just stop this idiotic charade of his in which he thinks he's actually a presidential candidate; of course, he has neither (the outrage in Rachel Maddow's voice is palpable and completely deserved)...



...and I had this tune in mind as I was negotiating the Garden State Parkway on our return from our blue state paradise – more on that later.