Friday Stuff

Awww, the poor ammo-sexuals out there had their widdle fee fees hurt because that mean, nasty Catholic priest bothered to stand up for people getting killed in this country (here).

A federal judge, a 9-year-old girl and others are killed in an Arizona rampage on a street corner, and a sitting U.S. Congresswoman sustains brain damage from an assault weapon attack, and what legislation is passed in response on the federal level? Nothing.

People are murdered in midnight gun carnage at a movie theater, and what legislation is passed in response on the federal level? Nothing.

School children are slaughtered in a Connecticut suburb in much the same way, and what does our federal government do? NOTHING.

I’d say it’s long past time for as much righteous outrage on our side over this as possible…



Update 6/18/15: Lather, rinse, repeat - sigh.

…and returning to more mundane political stuff, it looks like it’s time to pass the popcorn (though I think the question “why have parties,” though it’s timely, is more than a little scary...and just let Rachel fade to black, huh? Nice edit, MSNBC)…

…and yeah, it looks like one of the most awful Bushco architects is taking a shot at revisionist history – fortunately, Jon Stewart is still around (here)…

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…and whaddaya say to a little Friday funk?

Thursday Stuff

RIP Sir Christopher Lee...



...and we can smile for now about the subject of health care reform in this country, though I have a feeling that the High Court of Hangin' Judge JR is going to try and cripple it and then speed out of Washington, D.C. as soon as they can in a matter of days (and as a product of a Catholic School education, I can tell you that I love some nuns)...



...and I promise I'm not putting up this video to shame the father of this poor girl – I think he made an awful mistake, but he'll have the rest of his life to think about it...though Cenk is right; there's not much about parenting that's easy, which is probably how it should be – but only to point out that I thought this was a pretty well-done discussion on the subject of the death of Izabel Laxamana...and I thought these were the best remarks I've ever heard from Jimmy Dore, though he's slightly NSFW a bit at about 11:00, but not much...



...and RIP also Ornette Coleman.

Wednesday Stuff

I suppose you can refer to this as my "Crime and Punishment"-themed post...first, John Oliver tells us about some episodes of the "99 percent" dealing with bail restrictions that can be described as, as best, Dickensian (here - NSFW)...



...and Chris Hayes tells us the tragic story of Kalief Browder - Hayes's justly-deserved and simmering rage is palpable (and Rand Paul is still an idiot)...



(P.S. - You may probably have to endure an ad on behalf of fracking in our beloved commonwealth that is total garbage. Keep that in mind when I also tell you that Hayes's recent interview with "Gasland 2" director Josh Fox is nowhere to be found on the web site for that supposedly "liberal" cable TV network MSNBC.)

...and former Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich shines the spotlight on environmental lawbreakers...



...and on a wholly other note, yesterday marked what would have been the 100th birthday of guitar virtuoso Les Paul (definitely no relation to that numbskull from Kentucky).

Saturday Stuff

At first I thought, oh great, here's Bill Maher bashing religion again here...but as is just about always the case, his criticisms are spot-on (NSFW)...



...and switching the mood big time, as horrible as this is, and it is that, if Hastert were a Democrat, this story would be bigger than Caitlyn Jenner, though I'll admit it is somewhat big at the moment (and as usual, Charles Pierce cuts to the chase – and yes, it's true that silence isn't necessarily an admission of guilt by itself)...



...and oh yeah, let's not forget that our military is still in harm's way, OK? Where are all the “Support Our Troops” bumper stickers NOW??...



...and I had another selection in mind for today, but on second thought, like last night's George Carlin clip, I think this also needs to be repeated every so often, particularly with the prior clip in mind.

Friday Stuff

Yeah, I think I'm going to give the “third eye” network a pass for a little while based on this...



...and with that in mind, Rev. Al brings us the latest on economic inequality, which reflects the voices of both parties, even though only one gives a damn about it, and even half-hearted at that...



...and as usual, Mr. Carlin gives us the appropriate context (very NSFW - there's some stupid video after this with some guy in a wig that I don't endorse, for what it's worth)...



...and I have a request: if you choose to fire your external death penis this weekend, please do so at an inanimate object – hugs.



Update 6/6/15: Wonder if Senator "Show Some Leg" was listening? (heh - here).

Wednesday Stuff

Surely by now, even Governor Bully sees the handwriting on the wall when it comes to his faint presidential hopes (the wall that is sinking in its foundation along with everything else still in neglect in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, that is)...



Update 6/5/15: It's actually fun watching his hopes for higher office going down the drain (here).

...and I'm pretty sure Rachel Maddow had a follow-up tonight to this utterly unbelievable story about what's going on in North Carolina on the issue of marriage equality (well, maybe not that unbelievable, unfortunately)...



...and I have to admit that I really didn't know what was going on with all this FIFA stuff, but fortunately John Oliver explains all, to great comedic effect also, here...



Update 6/6/15: We'll see, won't we? (here).

...and here's a nice little tune from this century that's a favorite of all the youngsters out there (heh).

Tuesday Stuff

John and Ana of The Young Turks bring us the latest on the Patriot Act and various related machinations (more here)...



...and Chris Hayes shines a light on the fact that we really don't do a very good job of tracking victims of police shootings in this country...



...and I thought this was a nice interview with Melissa Harris-Perry and jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard (and I like the tune at the end)...



...and for all of their supposedly moralist harrumphing about the “culture wars” as evidenced by their fawning coverage of anything that appeals their elderly conservative base (to say nothing of their “clown car” full of right wing pundit hacks on their Op-Ed page), guess what the pic in the headline was for this morning's Bucks County Courier Times?

Yep, you guessed it – it's all about those dwindling circulation dollars, baby!

What a joke.

Sunday Stuff

I can't think of the words to comment on this almost unspeakable tragedy - my deepest sympathies to Vice President Biden and his and his son's families...



Update 6/2/15: And what an admirable legacy (here).

...and returning to the more mundane political stuff, yeah, I'd say it's high time for the IRS to give ALEC the treatment it deserves (here)...



...and by the way, did you know that this month marks the 100th birthday of Orson Welles? I thought I'd commemorate the occasion with one of the greatest movie introductions of a character of all time, and that would be Welles as Harry Lime in “The Third Man,” still an awesome movie after all these years...



...and I hope this puts you in the mood to hear a song about the movies, because here it comes.

Saturday Stuff

I know we observed Memorial Day earlier this week, but with that in mind, I give you the latest from the "This Day In Doomsy History" files from May 28, 2007 - the tune is "Tell Mama" by Shawn Pander; proceeds go to the VFW (no idea of Pander's politics, but I like the song)...



...and R. Maddow reminds us about our ol' buddy Vlad Putin and how people who oppose him end up dead, including Anna Politkovskaya..



..and part of me wants to apologize for wasting more time with the latest antics from Billo the Clown, but I have to give props to Lawrence O'Donnell for actually doing some critical analysis of the latest drivel from Mr. “WE'LL DO IT LIVE!! BLEEP IT!!”...



...and I had this tune in mind after watching the O'Donnell clip, and I can't believe I found it - isn't the Internet amazing?

Thursday Stuff

Oh yes, let's shed some corporate media tears for poor Denny Hastert, now-disgraced former U.S. House Speaker (here)...



Update 5/29/15: Ugh...

...and Former Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich tells us another way to level the economic playing field...



...and somehow I missed this earlier item from John Oliver – I think it's pretty sad when some of the best investigative journalism on TV is being brought to us by a comedian; no offense to Oliver of course...



...which puts me in a mood to hear this tune.

Wednesday Stuff

Rev. Al tells us the great story of runner Barclay Oudersluys, doing his best to try and defeat global poverty...



...and it looks like greed head Oklahoman Harold Hamm is trying to squash legitimate scientific research on the subject of earthquakes and fracking – can't wait to read the right-wing columns on the Op-Ed page of the Bucks County Courier Times telling us how Hamm is trying to suppress free speech – oh, wait (NSFW)...



...and former Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich tells us about the true cost of corporate welfare...



...and who knew that the late, great SRV would one day be a weather forecaster?

Monday Stuff

Happy Memorial Day (and in a related item, I have to admit that I was intrigued by this - what guts on the part of Rod Serling, and I guess one lesson was to never fly in a plane with Gene Roddenberry)...



...and I always include this also because of the futility of war, but not of sacrifice.

Saturday Stuff

I would say that the family whose daughter was killed having to pay the gun maker responsible for manufacturing the weapon that killed her is higher on the “Outrage-O-Meter” than the DuPont story, but admittedly not by much...



...(and in an unrelated story, Governor Bully thinks the media owes him an apology, Really (here)? What I thought was a pretty good response is here)...

...and former Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich tells us how to fix our broken education system in this country (so much work to do on so many issues and not enough people doing it, and I don't totally absolve myself either – juggling a lot of different priorities like everyone else, I realize)...



...and returning to guns, I am not the least bit surprised by the double standard on display here...



...and in a related story, I don't know about you, but I for one am getting awfully tired of stuff just like this.

Thursday Stuff

I realize I'm responding in a humorous way to a truly disgusting story involving Billo The Clown here, and I'm sorry if the tone is a bit inappropriate, but to me, what else can you do in response to a pathetic joke like O'Reilly but to laugh at him...



..and speaking of Fix Noise, Rev. Al busts them for more demented food stamp fairy tales, with Rupert's minions finding the needle in the proverbial haystack somehow yet again...



...and I thought this was a particularly funny John Oliver bit about the dustup between Johnny Depp's dogs and Australian Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce (incredibly NSFW)...



...but hey, let's cut Midnight Oil a break there, huh mate?

Wednesday Stuff

I thought this was an interesting interview by Chris Hayes with Adm. Thad Allen (Ret.), pretty much linking climate change to the overall global craziness going on particularly in the Mideast and sub-Saharan Africa...



...and on that subject, this tells us of the fall of Ramadi; I would ignore most people on this subject, but I take Richard Clarke seriously (and I STILL think that supposedly liberal network MSNBC is giving way too much oxygen to Republican presidential hopefuls)...



...and changing the mood big time – yes, David Letterman has definitely earned his place in TV history and pop culture overall for all kinds of reasons, mostly good but some bad, but to me, his best years were with his formerly hated employer in the 80s, as shown here – all the best (here)...



...and Dave helped a lot of people in music, but maybe none more than this guy, to the benefit of us all.

Tuesday Stuff

I honestly don't know who exactly is negligent here in this story of how rape kits went untested by police departments in the cities highlighted in this story, but to me, this cries out for federal legislation and funding to make sure this doesn't happen again (here)...



...and nothing to see here, just another ecological disaster caused by our dependence on fossil fuels – move along...



...and I don't necessarily think this is a positive development – and I disagree with Cenk; I don't think some of the “ancient texts” are “nonsensical” (NSFW)...



...though the TYT clip does make me want to hear this tune.

Friday Stuff

I haven't been too happy with “conservadem” Ed Rendell lately (“fix the debt” my ass), but he's absolutely spot-on here...



...and I give you, again for no particular reason, “This Day in Doomsy History” from May 17, 2011, with more Republican budgetary fairy tales and one hell of a great question at the end...



...and I also give you the latest chapter of “Tales of Elderly White Entitlement”...



...and this incredibly NSFW clip is a special request from the teenaged one (can you guess that he's an online gamer? And yes, he also supports the president, BUT HE DOESN'T PLAY C.O.D.!!!)...



...and the one and only B.B. King has left us – RIP now and forever...



...and I don't know if you can call this his signature tune or not, but it works for me.



Note: My for-profit activity is about to change, and that may affect posting...I'll let you know.

Thursday Stuff

“This is fixable” - the quite-justifiable outrage at the end is something to remember and use as a basis for action,,,



...and I guess I'm devoting space to the 2016 race here (and I apologize for wasting everyone's time for doing so) if, for no other reason, to show a clip of that absolutely horrible Mark Halperin interview (surprised he didn't ask “Calgary” Cruz to sing “Babalu” while he was at it – never thought I would feel sorry for that senatorial fraud – just goes to show you)...

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...and yeah, we know what ISIS is by now, but it's high time we used humor against them as a weapon for a change...



...and once again, this is about as close as I get to country, but I have to admit that I like this tune.

Wednesday Stuff

Kudos to Bill Maher for this, though I seriously hope that, if he ever visits the Lone Star State, he has his own posse for protection; we need to take care of all of the sane people that we can...


Bill Maher ridicules Texans reaction Jade Helm... by ewillies

...and Lawrence O'Donnell has a related commentary here...



...and it looks like it won't be smooth sledding, as it were, for that damn TPP after all (here) - I thought this was a good video on the subject...



..and this is almost too awful for words, and it happened pretty close to my backyard – much more will follow I'm sure, as well it should...and why am I not the least bit surprised by this ridiculous development?

Tuesday Stuff

As usual, it’s “jobs, jobs, jobs” for Not Your Father’s Republican Party (and yes, this is a recording)…



…and John Oliver is typically spot-on as usual (and NSFW) concerning maternal health in this country (here)…



…and I guess it’s necessary to devote some space to Hillary Clinton and the 2016 election, if nothing else than to refute the eternal torrent of right-wing and corporate media BS being shoveled against her…



…and 30 years ago tomorrow, former mayor Wilson Goode and his administration declared war on West Philadelphia (here), inspiring this tune (well, for me anyway).

Monday Stuff

To me, this clip from Rachel Maddow matters from about 3:00 on, comparing the US vs. UK election cycle, and I personally think the Scottish National Party development is pretty interesting; as far as this country is concerned, I don’t give a shit about whatever Republican Presidential Candidate of the Week is getting profiled by that supposedly liberal MSNBC network or anyone else – they’re all stone crazy and/or totally corrupted as far as I’m concerned (or both)…



…and I think “the tip of the spear” is an entirely apt phrase from The Rev. Dr. William Barber, as noted here; as far as I’m concerned, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory is a felon for this…



...and by the way, did you know that today was National “Twilight Zone” Day, as noted here? To commemorate the occasion, I give you the end of probably my favorite episode...



...and this tune.

Sunday Stuff

I haven't heard much about gun violence lately, which is a good thing; I wish that meant that the problem was going away, but unfortunately I know better (more here)...



...and Happy Mother's Day, of course.

Friday Stuff

VE Day took place 70 years ago today, marking the end of World War II in Europe – this “60 Minutes” feature with the late Andy Rooney tells us more about it…



…and kudos to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals for ruling against the Patriot Act – John, Ana and Jimmy (NSFW) Dore explain (the “9/11” clip is perversely funny)…



…and speaking of perverse, Jon Stewart puts the supposed “Clinton Cash” kerfuffle in the proper perspective as far as I’m concerned (and here is more on FEC chairwoman Ann Ravel - not sure I totally agree with her on the whole "compromise with the Repugs" thing)…

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…and here is another great tune from Slash/Myles Kennedy.

Thursday Stuff

I thought this was an informative report on what led to the most recent violence in Baltimore – I’ve gotten pretty PO’ed at Alex Wagner in the past because I believed she was parroting Republican Party talking points, but I thought this was nicely done…



…and don’t look now, but “Senator Honor and Virtue” has a bit of a problem (here...I think this calls for a history lesson)…



…and here is more on the “jobs, jobs, jobs” agenda from Not Your Father’s Republican Party…



...and I have a feeling posting activity is going to be letting up a bit - you can blame that on me too.

Tuesday Stuff

Rep. Alan Grayson speaks – we listen (more here)…



…and despite the gratuitous dig at Philly sports fans, I think Jon Stewart is typically spot-on in his comments about that recent insanity in Texas here, from the Department of Redundancy Department (color me shocked, I know)…

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…and I liked hearing this from Rev. Al about Baltimore – I hope he’s right…



…and this puts me in the mood to hear the following tune.

Monday Stuff

Bill Maher gives us a cautionary lesson on wingnut foreign police intervention here (NSFW as usual - and I love the fact that he said all of this sitting right in front of Dan Senor, Mr. Campbell Brown)...



…and aside from being funny, I think this is an important segment from John Oliver because a) it provides the coverage on standardized testing sorely lacking in our corporate media, b) it shows students voicing their frustration with standardized testing no matter how hard some of them prepare for them, c) it should stimulate an informed discussion on this topic, or d) all of the above…



…and it looks like the anti-science party is up to their old tricks again – this tells us something about the cost of their folly…



...and I give you the following to commemorate the 45th anniversary (here).

Friday Stuff

GO, BERNIE, GO (long odds to be sure, but there are no odds at all in doing nothing – John and Mark of The Young Turks explain)…



...and oh, by the way, Eric Holder is all done as Attorney General and Loretta Lynch is now in charge – guess it’s a different story when Holder isn’t around to serve as a wingnut piñata...might be easier for Holder to get a fairer appraisal now that he’s gone, though it shouldn’t be necessary for Holder to leave for that…



…and once more, I give you (again, for no apparent reason) This Day In Doomsy History, where K.O. brings us more economic fiction from Former President Highest Disapproval Rating In Gallup Poll History on 4/30/08, before the proverbial bottom completely fell out of our economy that fall (and here is more on Hope Now, alluded to in the clip)…

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...and RIP Ben E. King (most identified with Stand By Me I know, but this might be my personal favorite).



Update 5/2/15: My page views are going absolutely insane today, and I'm not exactly sure why, but thank you!

Thursday Stuff

I think this guy’s name is Dmitri Reeves, dancing like Michael Jackson and trying to accomplish something positive in the city of “the Wire” (here) – good for him (also paying attention to how run-down some of the homes were - not blaming anything or anyone, but just sayin')…



…and Jon Stewart reminds us once more, among other things, how clueless Wolf Blitzer truly is (here)…

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..and I don’t know who the lady anchor in the red dress is here, but I liked the fact that she basically snuck some digs into the absurdity of this situation (re, the clip below), and of course leave it to Charlie Rose to serve as the apologist – playing a baseball game under those conditions is absurd and insulting; I think the guy wearing the Orioles T-shirt who said that this makes Baltimore look bad is absolutely right – I’d still like to get to Camden Yards one day, but I also don’t feel like rewarding ownership of a baseball team stupid enough to do something like this…



…and after watching recent events, I have a feeling this song is more on target than most people realized.

Wednesday Stuff

Hey, Kathleen Parker of the WaPo, among others, it looks like that "race hustler" Rev. Al Sharpton has blood on his hands again - yes, definitely tongue in cheek...



...and kudos to Shep Smith for speaking truth to stoo-pid, otherwise known as Eric Bolling, once more here – I don't know who the generic female Fix Noise airhead was at the very end, but she's sure there'll be a criminal prosecution in the death of Freddie Gray? Really? I hope she's right...



…and kudos to Baltimore resident Danielle (not sure of last name) for this (sounds like Freddie Gray took what is referred to around Philly as a “nickel ride” before he suffered his devastating injuries…another practice by cops that deserves scrutiny – here…definitely feel affection for Baltimore…a few jaunts to the Inner Harbor and the Aquarium and the nearby dining district – haven’t gotten to Camden Yards, which may be tougher now since the Orioles are pretty good again and I’m sure game tickets are tough to get)…



…and every once in awhile, dontcha just feel like saying the hell with it all? Me too.

Monday Stuff

I genuinely am sorry to remind everyone of this utter waste of space once again, but he really doesn’t give me a choice when he utters drivel like this, particularly on Iran (if anyone out there is somehow imagining a vote for a Republican for president next year, we will only have to look forward to more garbage like this)…



...and here is Part Two of K.O.'s interview with Richard Wolffe...



...and gee, here's a thought - maybe the Comcast/Time Warner merger might have actually gone through if Comcast's service didn't totally suck (more here - following video is very NSFW)...



…and it looks like those conservative Catholics in this country are going to get their shorts in a real knot over that danged li-bu-ruul Pope again (scary graphic there, Cenk)…



…and I honestly don’t know why this vintage clip from CBS News, timed for the 50th anniversary of the death of Edward R. Murrow, necessarily needed a Viagra ad with about a minute to go, but I’m including it for the last-minute payoff with Mike Wallace remembering that great Murrow quote (if you haven’t seen “Good Night and Good Luck” by now, you should)…



…and I’ve only got a couple of days left to include this, so here goes.

Friday Stuff

Happy 25th birthday to the Hubble Space Telescope (very, very cool stuff)…



...and returning to this planet, Rev. Al gives us a history lesson on Earth Day (can never say too much about it as far as I'm concerned)...



...and here is the latest from John Oliver (NSFW – so Marshall, Texas is now the center of the “patent troll” universe, huh? Yep, that’s pretty nuts – usually, I have no problem with trial lawyers, but I do here)…



…and a happy belated 65th birthday to one-time John Kerry for President supporter Peter Frampton – hope it was a good one (he decided to become a U.S. citizen after 9/11, apparently…good on him; torn between this selection and "Fig Tree Bay," to be honest).

Thursday Stuff

I missed this for Earth Day, but I still think it needs to be pointed out (I think Tom Colicchio is a smart guy, and I know a lot of food gets wasted, but I’m sorry; I would tend to question that “40 percent” statistic – also, there’s a big difference between a banana going bad and, say, a bad apple…one can be salvaged and the other can’t)…



...and for no other real reason other than boredom perhaps, I give you "This Day in Doomsy History"...five years ago around now, "Deadeye Dick" Cheney said his "F" blast to Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy was pretty much the best thing he ever did, earning him some well-deserved wrath from K.O. here...

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…and Work For Less. Try To Unionize. Get Screwed. Wal-Mart…



…and I like this tune, but who knew “Big Time” could deal such mean licks on the ax (just kidding…and seriously, was that xylophone made by Fisher Price??).

Wednesday Stuff

I believe that I’m allowed to have disagreements with Number 44 – still not even close of a comparison to Obama’s wretched predecessor – but on this issue, he’s right on the money as it were (for Earth Day, of course)…



…and speaking of the environment, maybe somebody ought to do something about this (I think this is a pretty current report – didn’t even know “BriWi” was back on the air…is he?)…



…and Bill Maher is spot-on in this NSFW commentary; wonder if he knows about this guy…



…and I’m glad to see so much attention paid to the day, I guess because of the 45th anniversary – hopefully all that new found attention will translate to even more action in defense of this planet (and on a related note, why is this not surprising in any way?).

Tuesday Stuff

See what the Philadelphia Eagles have to look forward to because of this? What buffoons…



…and I wonder if somebody is going to bother telling Gramps McCain how ridiculous it is for him and his pals to delay the nomination of Loretta Lynch as Attorney General (here, noted in the clip also)…



..and Dem Senator Elizabeth Warren gives us more liberal crazy talk here, making me recall this clip (why in God's name would Thom Hartmann give Dinesh D'Souza the time of day, I wonder?)...



...and happy 89th birthday to QE II – here is a tune for the occasion.

Monday Stuff

I give you the latest “bankster” shenanigans in Maine via Louisiana here – as bad as Governor Bully is, and he is that, I don’t think he’s in the same category of awful as Paul LePage, another GOP chief executive of a state apparently on the road to ruin (love to be wrong)…



…and I have to admit that I thought this was a particularly good takedown of “Deadeye Dick” by Jon Stewart (here)…

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…and I didn’t even know that “4/20 Day” was a thing (here - NSFW)…



…so I guess that makes this an appropriate tune for the day.

Friday Stuff

“Democrat” Party references notwithstanding, we appreciate all the help we can get (here)…



…and Governor Bully remains an utter fraud, as Cenk explains (and in a related story)…



…and showing disaster videos like this might goose my page views, though I have to admit that it concerns me to know that these “tanker time bombs” are out there (yeah, nothing to see here…)…



…and this is not your typical “relationship” song by any means, unless you’re talking about something straight out of a “reality” TV show.

Thursday Stuff

Yeah, any Seattle-area folk or beyond might want to check out Gravity Payments based on this story – kudos big time to CEO Dan Price (story aired yesterday)…



...and it's true that this sure is a “thing,” unfortunately (here)…



Update 4/17/15: And how predictable a response is this?

...and nothing to see here, just incredibly lax non-oversight into a problem with the energy bidness that may end up getting even more people killed...move along...



...and I wonder if this is an outtake from "Reservoir Dogs 2"?

Wednesday Stuff

Just in time for the big day, John Oliver makes some great points about April 15th here (and I take back every bad thing I ever said about Michael Bolton - what a good sport he is here)...



…and sticking with money matters, Amy Goodman of Democracy Now tells us about the ongoing “Fight for $15” marches today (here)…



...and I think I should offer this NSFW clip from The Eternal George Carlin in response to this item (humor used yet again in the service of a serious topic)...



...and returning to today's theme, I hope you got a refund - we ended up doing OK.

Tuesday Stuff

“Well, besides that, Mrs. Lincoln, what did you think of the play?”

Yeah, yeah, I know – call me a filthy unkempt liberal blogger.

Seriously, Mrs. Doomsy, the teenaged one and I once visited Ford’s Theater, and we found it to be a truly surreal experience (illuminated by an thoroughly expert presentation from a great guide of the National Park Service)…



...and yeah, I know I keep taking shots at Kansas, and that’s because they’re completely deserved (here); as usual, when a Repug threatens to “unleash the private sector” and rein in a “culture of dependency,” what that REALLY means is that a blue state will have to pay more for the stupidity of a red state (and is it too much of a stretch to say that that kind of animosity is a legacy, though not a proud one, of the Civil War?)…

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…and what supposedly admirable conduct from our main Middle East “ally,” as John and Cenk explain…



...and RIP Percy Sledge.

Monday Stuff

Looks Like Mr.-Puppy-Dog-Eyes-With-The-Shiv is at it again (here)...



…and I’ll be honest; Aliyah Field has more guts than your humble narrator for taking a shot like this (more here)…



…and I have to admit that I’m getting a little tired of Bill Maher and his Bible-bashing, though he does make a good point here on the tolerance showed by most of this country towards LGBT folk – which I think is completely called for – while many of those same people ascribe to religious beliefs that stand in opposition (NSFW)…



…and Lowell George of Little Feat would have been 70 today.

Friday Stuff

This just in – “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” is 40 years old this week (released on April 7, 1975 I believe)…time to hurl the Holy Hand Grenade!...



…and shifting gears big time, the Walter Scott tragedy has quite rightly made news this week, but let’s not forget the Phillip White tragedy also - John and Cenk explain…



…and I thought this was a touching tribute to Pastor Gardner C. Taylor from Rev. Al…



…and I guess there’s kind of a “Thelma and Louise” thing going on here, which is OK, but I also like the song.

Thursday Stuff

Somewhere in the world, I think Marcus Bachmann haz a sad (and kudos to Number 44)…



…and I find absolutely no humor in the following clip…



…and I guess this report only illustrates what a hopeless mess we have to deal with throughout the Middle East – choose your poison; “strongmen” who oppress their own people in the extreme or lunatic fringe groups who oppress their own people in the extreme – makes me wonder why on earth anyone would ever want to be President of the United States…



…and yes, I know I need to get with it and put up newer videos, so here is one.

Wednesday Stuff

In one of the truly stupidest examples of corporate media punditry I’ve seen in a loooong time, Carol Costello of CNN said here that there could be a marriage “apocalypse”…drat those millennials, with their trips to Europe instead of getting married first (with Costello giving barely any acknowledgement to the fact that, with the debt they’re forced to carry in ever-larger numbers to graduate from college, THEY’LL NEVER BE ABLE TO AFFORD BOTH!).

I wonder if Costello had this in mind when she concocted this drivel (NSFW for language and graphic violence)…

…and sticking with the “heart of darkness” thing, I think this makes the following "Special Comment" from K.O. timely once more...



…continuing, I don’t know how I missed what would have been the 100th birthday of “Lady Day” yesterday, but somehow I did (John Blackstone of CBS interviews Kenny Burrell, who once played in her band)…



…and I know it may seem a bit weird to put up a Christmas-related tune now, but I can think of no greater tribute to legendary satirist and ad man Stan Freberg than the following number; some of his humor may seem a bit dated now – though I’ll always think he’s funny – but to me “Green Christmas” is universal, which I suppose is something to think about in itself.

Tuesday Stuff

If I can do anything whatsoever to try and rid the U.S. Senate of that pestilence known as Ron Johnson, I am only too happy to oblige (here)…



...and TYT gives us the following tribute of sorts to departing Dem U.S. Senator (and minority leader) Harry Reid - Rachel Maddow touched on some of this previously: I thought this was food for thought also given what they discuss here (Jimmy Dore automatically makes this NSFW)...



...and that danged li-bu-ruul pope is at it again (in particular, on the Iran nuke deal)…



...and I missed the 66th birthday of RT last Friday - hope it was a good one.

Monday Stuff

I give you the following straight (as it were) from today's headlines...

Indiana Home Shopping with James Van Der Beek and Anna Camp from Funny Or Die

...and this is how you push back, people - kudos to Tweety and David Axelrod; we all know what a soulless shill Ron Christie is, and I'm sure he's handsomely compensated for his utter lack of a conscience...among the many things Christie gets wrong is his claim that Russia and China would basically allow Iran's nuclear program to go on unfettered by any accords involving the U.S. - actually, Russia and China were two of the countries involved in constructing the just-announced deal with Iran...



...and I feel like I need a bit of a palate cleanser, if you will, after that last clip with Ron Christie's garbage - I thought this was a great story...



…and RIP Robert Lewis Burns, Jr. (made me recall this great tune in light of this recent “ammo-sexual” misadventure...can do without the red letters against the white background, though).

Happy Easter 2015

May you all have a happy and blessed Easter. If you don't observe anything, may you have a happy and blessed long weekend.

Friday Stuff

Pope John Paul II died 10 years ago yesterday – yes, he definitely took a hard right turn near the end under Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who would later become Pope Benny, but there is no denying the fact that the former Karol Wojtyła was a towering figure in his day…definitely did his part to ensure the fall of communism – it was absolutely electric in these parts when he came to Philly in 1979…



…and this clip starts out kind of funny, but gets very dark in a hurry – some things happen that are so awful that it’s really not appropriate to try and make political hay out of them, and this qualifies; so stunning to yours truly that I think it’s appropriate just to present it and leave it at that (Larry Stutts, to me, is an almost unspeakably terrible life form)…



...and I know I’m the proverbial broken record on this issue, but that’s because I need to be – paging Mikey the Beloved and his pals in the U.S. House…



…and I’m not going to advocate for this issue one way or the other, but I still think this was an interesting report from Vice News (doing the type of journalism that you should find every night on the news programs brought to us by the companies with initials for names)…



...and I thought this was a pretty good analysis from Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks on the Iran nuke deal...



…and I was going to go with a much more contemporary selection than this one, but I’m sorry – I’ve got to put this up instead in light of both this and this (they had a chance to do something about Brownback last year, as well as Pat Roberts, but whiffed on both counts).



Update 4/4/15: Somehow I don't seriously think anyone on assistance is planning to visit the Caribbean anytime soon - what stupidity (here).

Thursday Stuff

Ari Melber (sitting in for Chris Hayes) tells us a really important story about potential vulnerability on our end (having to do with the “I” word once more)…



...and Rev. Al gives us the latest on the GOP budget passed in the House last week (later, rinse, repeat - cut off a bit at the end)…



…and RIP Gary Dahl (“invented” the inspiration for #4 on this list)…



…and I’m sorry Joni Mitchell has been dealing with this – not sure she’s still “as humble as Mussolini” as David Crosby once said; hope she gets well soon (of all her great recordings, “Court and Spark” remains my personal favorite).

Wednesday Stuff

Terri Schiavo died 10 years ago yesterday - I don't think this fine report needs any further amplification or editorializing from yours truly…



...and yeah, looks like some of our states scored with their dealers to shoot up – their prisoners on death row, that is, with the help of “compounding” pharmacies...



...and c’mon now – you can tell me that you took the pledge too (NSFW)…



…and here is a tune to mark this day.

Tuesday Stuff

Nice to see that K.O. can still bring it when he has to (here – and kudos to Dan Malloy for this and Jay Inslee for this in response)…



...and I know it may seem hard to believe, but Repug Indiana Governor Mike Pence actually did something right last week...well, a bit (though only allowing the needle exchange for 30 days really isn't much - pretty much political ass-covering and not much more)...



…and as I read this item about Sen. Elizabeth Warren, I cannot help but recall the following clip about what another Democrat from another time said in response to a similar circumstance (video lagged a bit)...



...and I really like this new tune; don't know anything about these guys - hope to find out more.

Monday Stuff

I know one year I named Harry Reid as Dregs of the Year on this site mainly because of the fact that the public option on health care reform (remember that one?) died in the Senate while he was Majority Leader, but that, comparatively, was a bump in the road representing a fine career of public service – I thought this was a good report from Rachel Maddow; I hope his health improves from that accident…



…and why does all of this sound like it comes straight from “Life of Brian”? Cenk and Ana explain…



…and I give you the latest world news report from Vice News…



...and happy 70th birthday to Eric Clapton.

Friday Stuff

Yeah, this is about all I want to see of this guy...



...and let’s see what’s going on in Wisconsin…eliminating collective bargaining? Check. Coming to try and take their weekends? Check. Allowing the utterly odious voter ID without a legal challenge? Check.

They want everything, people. It’s long past time to wake up and realize that…



…and I give you a tale of Oregon totally doing the right thing when it comes to voting; not totally sure how this would work in non-open primary locales like our beloved commonwealth of PA, but the Oregon move is definitely a step in the right direction (the show came up with and promoted the logo about being attacked by owls – that explains the T-shirt thing at the end)…



...and since the weekend is here, that means it's TIME TO ROCK!

Thursday Stuff

Here is a taste of debt slavery – file it under Life In These United States (h/t Atrios)…



..and to commemorate the retirement of Repug Indiana Sen. Dan Coats (here - remember how he was supposed to make sure that Harriet Miers became a Supreme Court justice under Bushco, as noted here), I thought I'd bring back this item in which he decries health care reform soon after the exchanges opened online; oh yes, BAD WEB SITE BAD WEB SITE BAD WEB SITE BECAUSE ONLY THE GUMINT HAS A BAD WEB SITE ROLLOUT WHICH NEVER HAPPENS IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR, and get a load of his comparison of health care reform to the Titanic at about 3:12 – one response is here, and an update is here...



...and here was another genius "Coats-ian" moment...



…and Mona El-Naggar of the New York Times tells us about Houthi rebels in Yemen (when basic services aren’t being provided, that’s when the crazy stuff starts, no matter which country you’re talking about)…



...and sticking with world stuff, I give you the very definition of "lather, rinse, repeat," unfortunately (from the land where empires go home to die)...



...and I've been looking for a song to associate with this, so I came up with the following (lather, rinse, repeat - The Sequel...sigh).

Wednesday Stuff

Just so you know, today is the 104th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, which turned out to be a watershed moment in the history of American labor (video is from the 100th anniversary in 2011)…



...and yeah, looks like those crows can fend for themselves now (love the driving graphic) – kudos to Jon Stewart (more here)…

The Daily Show
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…and kudos also to Costa Rica for going “carbon neutral,” as Chris Hayes explains in his interview with U.S. Costa Rican ambassador Roman Macaya…



...and I hope Richard Tandy of ELO has a happy 67th birthday tomorrow (reminds me of that scene in "American Hustle" where the "sheik" gets off the jet).

Tuesday Stuff

Yep, it's all about R-E-S-P-E-C-T (here)...



...and this is a thoroughly NSFW commentary by John Oliver on the predatory “debt” industry in this country (more here)…



…and as Cenk says, don’t hold your breath waiting for Fix Noise or any of their brethren to use the phrase “domestic (or right wing) terrorist” (NSFW also)…



…and yeah, when that stuffed panda goes on the rampage, you’d better watch your ass :-) (and I think this kicks off another play list, by the way).