Friday Stuff

RIP Omar Sharif – kind of funny that, as he recounted in an interview with somebody at some point, he really didn’t consider himself as a candidate for the lead role in “Dr. Zhivago,” but was thinking more along the lines of the scoundrel Komarovsky, the role that went to Rod Steiger in the movie, but director Sir David Lean wanted Sharif in the lead all along…liked the depiction of what it’s like to be a writer in the movie…Sharif also once recounted what a tough time he had getting his hair straightened for the role – thought he was great as Sherif Ali in “Lawrence of Arabia” too…



…and hey, pick up your damn trash, my fellow Pennsylvanians (here), or else you might get a visit from this guy (heh)…



…and leave it to our corporate media to immediately rush to the aid of the “party of Lincoln” in the wake of the massive federal employee data breach (Jason Chaffetz is a damn idiot) – yeah, maybe the resignation of OPM’s Katherine Archuleta is a good idea, but do you want to hear another good idea? HOW ABOUT GETTING RID OF THE DAMN SEQUESTER ALREADY AND FUNDING OUR GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES THE WAY THEY SHOULD BE FUNDED (and I call this a good first step)…



...and while everyone is now beating up the FBI for supposedly being responsible for allowing the maniac Dylann Roof to purchase the handgun he used to (allegedly, let's not forget) murder nine people in Charlestown, SC (here), how about if we ask why South Carolina has not yet required a "permit to purchase" from law enforcement before anyone buys a weapon of death (here) - doing so might have disallowed Roof from orchestrating his evil (once again, allegedly)...

...and on this subject, get a load of the following quote from some asswipe named Gary Marbut, president of the Montana Shooting Sports Association (from HuffPo here)...

..."People need to assume personal responsibility for their own welfare, including personal safety, rather than expecting society or others to provide that for them."

Cenk at TYT responds...



…and whether you’re ready for it or not, here comes another installment of "This Day In Doomsy History" from about two years ago (kind of a bit of foreshadowing for the arrival of Pope Frank, to be honest...surprised this great clip from John Fugelsang is still available, actually)…



…and this song has a bit of a religious reference; haven’t put it up for a while – the wild T-storms last night cleared everything out for some nice weather including today – hope it’s a good weekend for you also.

Thursday Stuff

Don't look now, but there's more NSA spying going on - I think our corporate media overlords don't want us to know this and focus on the Republican presidential primary clown show instead...



...and I thought this was an interesting interview that Rachel Maddow conducted with Kelly Evans of CNBC in which we learn, among other things, how ultimately inconsequential the NYSE is for most of the time it is trading, except for the pricing that occurs at the end of every session (and I'm sorry, but I don't consider the stock exchange to be vital infrastructure)...



...and so Dubya's brother wants us to supposedly work longer hours (here)? What a POS (NSFW)...



...and I can't believe this great tune had only 1 view when I found it.

Wednesday Stuff

It looks like Subway's Jared Fogle has more problems (and yes, I know the charges he faces here aren't amusing in any way, and all “alleged” of course)...



…and hey, here’s an idea; maybe there should be a “stress test” of sorts for governors who decide that they want to run for president…you know, your state has to meet certain benchmarks, such as not having 8 credit downgrades (here), having economic growth among, say, the top 10 states (uh, no), and maybe that governor has to have an approval rating higher than 50 percent (once again – uh, no) – yeah, I know, that’s just liburuul “crazy talk”…



…and (if this is to be believed), it seems that PA Democrats are in a bit of a quandary about former PA-07 U.S. House Rep Admiral Joe Sestak as the presumptive nominee to run against “No Corporate Tax” Pat Toomey in 2016 – I guess there are a lot of “inside baseball” reasons why Sestak is considered persona non grata in some quarters (not saying the reasons aren’t important, just saying that the voters might not actually care).

Well, I saw a few names mentioned in the Daily Kos post, but I didn’t see this guy anywhere. Anybody out there want to ask him about taking a shot?...



…and the teenaged one is trying to get me to expand my musical horizons a bit outside of time-warped moldy oldies and "message" tunes (what a whippersnapper he is :- ). Given that, I have to say that I think this is kind of catchy (“house” music is what this is, I guess – not bad).

Tuesday Stuff

I give you yet another installment of “This Day In Doomsy History,” brought to us by Dem U.S. House Rep Joe Crowley of New York from about July 6th, 2011 (and I suspect things have not changed much since this clip)...



..and now I can rest easy, knowing that there's an official voice in our media for all of the poor, oppressed billionaires out there (here)...



...and today marks a grim 10-year anniversary in the annals of terrorism for our friends across the pond, as noted here (the video explains more about the “Mike's Place” bombing)...



...and speaking of the U.K., happy 75th birthday to Mr. Starkey.

Monday Stuff

Yeah, how dare those breast-feeding moms nourish their babies the way nature intended (here: yeah, I'm overdoing it with the snark lately - sorry)...



…and if the prior clip was an intentional parody, then what follows is definitely an unintentional one (from here).

And in case anyone who reads this blog doesn't know this by now, then let me point out that I am an honest-to-goodness Roman Catholic. And it’s hard for me to communicate how truly offensive this video is to me.

Oh, please spare me how much Teh Gay Iz Destroying My Marriage (and it actually scares me a bit to realize that, say, about five years ago or so, I wasn’t that far removed from these people – not saying that to pat myself on the back, but only to point out how truly clueless I was on this subject).

This is a typical wingnut maneuver, of course. Basically use cowardly code language (“some of my best friends are gay”), then fake crocodile tears telling the world how oppressed you are because Teh Gay Iz Ruining Your Sexytime.

It’s a human rights issue. Gays and LGBT individuals want the same legal protections through marriage that straights have. They want to love without someone wagging their finger at them telling them that they’re going to hell and they’re going to take the straights with them. And they want to adopt kids. And hold down jobs and homes and basically live what was once euphemistically called The American Dream.

The end…



(P.S. – I can’t wait for the official parody.)

...and I LOVE this guy's response to "The Donald" on how horrible illegal (undocumented - whatever) immigrants supposedly are in about a minute and never stops working (here)...



…and happy belated 65th birthday to Michael Monarch of Steppenwolf (this goes out to the people behind the second video in this post).

Sunday Stuff

The egomania of "Governor Bully" truly knows no bounds, people (here)...

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...but at least our corporate “betters” can rest easy (here)...



...though I'm sure there are a hell of a lot of Dawn Hugheys out there (here)...



...and I intend this to be a gender-neutral selection, for what it's worth.

Saturday Stuff

As I've said, there's no place for the "stars n' bars" in a public display or on a government building, and I certainly don't think people should make money off it (and I don't think its meaning should be sanitized either), but there is a place for it, sadly, and I think the folks from Gettysburg Park (a place we've visited) have the right idea...



...and I politely take issue with some of these "patriotic" movie selections (here) that, basically, celebrate war - here is my choice; it even opens with a July 4th scene - and yes, war is included also, but it certainly isn't celebrated...



...and I hope everyone has a good holiday in the spirit that was intended all those years ago.

Friday Stuff

Oh drat, it looks like that Kenyan Muslim socialist in the White House is trying to put money in our pockets again – is there no end to his perfidy (here - snark...and for the insane point of view on this subject, click here)…



…and it looks like all the points he won over that great Charlton Heston parody went up in smoke, as it were, over this (sorry, but I'm not as forgiving towards Carrey as John and Ana)…



….and I give you another installment of “This Day in Doomsy History” – this video was filmed on or about now seven years ago, and I definitely think it is still timely…



...and I know I started this week with a tribute video to Chris Squire as a solo performer, but I thought it would be good to finish it with a clip of a performance with that band of his too.

Wednesday Stuff

I don’t know if this will be one of the last videos from the series about fixing our economy from Former Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich, but it might be one of the best (here)…



…and I’m sorry, I really could care less about any party’s political candidates running for president except Bernie Sanders; I’d rather focus on stuff like this from Rev. Al (on second thought, I’m not sorry after all)…



…and yes, we know about how the wingnuts managed to tie themselves into knots over the rulings from The Supremes last week, but you would have thought at least that they would have been happy about this judicial mistake noted in the video here – sorry, there I go viewing issues through that pesky prism of reality again, a place where fewer and fewer Republicans actually live…

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…which makes me recall this tune, actually (and yes, I know it was Parker’s inside joke aimed at his old record label).

Tuesday Stuff

I give you another installment of “This Day In Doomsy History” - six years ago, Al Franken officially won his U.S. Senate seat, with the news brought to us by Brian Williams, the guy who took that Iraqi chopper ride that I'm sure he regrets now...

...and it looks like those “family values” Republicans have struck again (low-hanging fruit here, I'll admit – NSFW at the very end, and I very definitely agree with Cenk here)...



...and speaking of that bunch, even for Fix Noise, this is disgusting – check out the hip-hoppish muzak in the background while Bill Orally's insufferable toad producer goes out and “interviews” the homeless in Penn Station...gee, ya' think they edited the video to make it sound like the only option for these homeless folks is that baad federal gumint of that Kenyan Muslim socialist? Of course, as C&L tells us here, what NYC mayor Bill de Blasio is doing is ACTUALLY WORKING TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF HOMELESS...

...and under de Blasio, according to Billo, all the homeless do is hang out at Penn Station and grab people at random – what a cretinous liar he is (and yes, Watters actually used the word “plush” to describe a homeless shelter, a place that I suspect he has never visited – embarrassing to watch these people gin up fear among their overwhelmingly white well-to-do audience)...



...and I suspect absolution is a concept totally alien to just about anyone at Fix Noise.

Monday Stuff

Yeah, after watching this, I can’t wait for the return of Stephen Colbert either (re: gay marriage)…



…and the two following clips are definitely NSFW – first, John Oliver tells us how hard it is to get back at anyone involved in online harassment (here - man, I forgot all about getting "rick-rolled")…



…and Bill Maher suggests to us, among other things, a new slogan for Not Your Father’s Republican Party (here)…



…and RIP Chris Squire…yep, there was some art rock pretense going on here which lent itself to parody in “This Is Spinal Tap,” but there was also first-class musicianship to go with it - probably need to crank the volume a bit.

Friday Stuff

For the second day in a row, the High Court of Hangin’ Judge JR does the right thing, though with a closer vote on marriage equality than health care reform...and for the second day in a row, Antonin Scalia ended up doing his best impression of Andrew Dice Clay – I believe that, somewhere, Harvey Milk is smiling…



...and returning to the issue of the confederate flag, Rachel Maddow interviews John Hawkins, former president of the black student body at Ole Miss; he refused to wave it as a cheerleader for the school - want to know how change happens? By a whole lot of people doing exactly what Hawkins did...



…and RIP actor Patrick Macnee, who played secret agent (remember them?) John Steed in The Avengers, a guy who was debonair of course, but also tough without a gun…



…and returning to the top story, I just felt like playing this tune (I’m sure the Catholic Church is going to be heaping lots of fire and brimstone over this on Sunday – by the way, I read that Macnee’s mother was lesbian…not that that should matter of course, but I only wish to point out that same-sex partners can be great parents too, which I suppose should be obvious).

Thursday Stuff

To me (and many others, I realize), this was the day’s big story; I’ll admit I was pleasantly surprised because I feared the worst. However, to be honest, I think Hangin’ Judge JR, he who would call balls and strikes, saw that Justice Kennedy was going to side for the ACA, and he wanted to be in with the winning team, as it were.

And with that in mind…



…and returning to the Charleston horror (well, what was behind it anyway), Larry Wilmore gives us the following (here – and ZOMG! A Fix Noise rent-a-blonde gives Billo what-for!)…



(And by the way, here is today’s reason to bitch at MSNBC and their crappy web site; an interview Chris Hayes did with one of the Sandy Hook moms and another lady advocating common sense gun laws on Tuesday is no longer available for embedding…heckuva job!)

…and boy, does Cenk make a good point here as to what would have happened to these two losers if they had a different skin color...



...and to me, it's a shame that "Brother Ray" didn't make it to see "Obamacare" codified into what I would consider to be settled law.

Wednesday Stuff

I thought this was a good report by Rachel Maddow on the legacy of the Confederate flag throughout the South and what it really tells us about that area of what passes for Western civilization (oh, and according to some numbskull named Bill Dorris, slavery was supposedly the first form of Social Security here – sure it was, you nematode)...



(Oh, and I have another message for the person(s) behind the web site of that supposedly liberal network MSNBC – where the hell is Chris Hayes' interview with Ari Berman over the Dems' introducing a bill in Congress to restore the Voting Rights Act? More is here, by the way.)

...but speaking of the host of “All In,” gee, I wonder if former DHS head Janet Napolitano and the author of that original report on right-wing terrorism are going to get an apology now? Don't hold your breath (and I'm sure law enforcement is taking the threat seriously too – I don't consider these characters to be down and out under any stretch of the imagination)...



...and speaking of racism (which I guess is the theme so far), Thom Hartmann tells us just what kind of a hold the Council for Conservative Citizens really has on Not Your Father's Republican Party (more here)...



...and the weather was really nice in these parts today, with much less humidity after the recent T-storms – kind of made me want to hear this song.

Monday Stuff

I have some not-particularly-deep thoughts about this whole business with the Repug Party politicos now calling for taking down the “stars n' bars” over the state capitol of South Carolina.

First of all, the damn thing never should have flown over the capitol in the first place, so I don't understand why people like Willard Mitt Romney and Governor Nikki Haley are supposed to somehow get credit now for doing what they should have done long ago. Second, all of this has totally removed the gun issue, which remains a highly legitimate topic for discussion in all of this as far as I'm concerned, from the narrative courtesy of the news organizations with initials for names (as well as the Foxies of course) on this whole thing.

And speaking of race, I think it's hilarious to read the corporate media harrumphing over Obama using a word that is used against him in derision every day, maybe even every hour (here)...

...and say what you want, but as far as I'm concerned, Rev. Al knows how to get to the heart of this stuff, heartless as it is...



...and once again, leave it to a comedian to come up with a really good suggestion on this here (NSFW)...



...and this clip is about a month old, but I think it's timely in light of this...



...and I can't decide whether or not this song is a put-down of a particular mindset and attitude (which, you could argue, has spawned characters like this latest psycho Dylann Roof) or a celebration of the same – I report, you decide, as they say.

Sunday Stuff

Happy 40th anniversary to Jaws (the movie, of course, not Peter Benchley's great book)...



...and while I'm on the subject of milestones, I just wanted to note that this month also marks the 10-year anniversary of this blog – I started out pretty much cutting and pasting Emails and promotional stuff from the Democratic Party, then I tried to do the pundit thing without linking to anything, then I tried to do the pundit thing again with more links to content from people smarter than I am to try and prove my point, then I tried to do the pundit thing with more analysis and research, then I tried to do all of that with more Democratic party promotional stuff for the sake of candidates I once liked (Patrick Murphy, Rush Holt, and yes, John Edwards), then I tried to do all of that with more videos, then some job stuff happened and I couldn't do all of that and had to stick to pretty much videos and not much else...and I guess that's pretty close to where we are now. I'd like to get back to creating more actual content with links to smarter people, but I can't see how at the moment – maybe someday.

So, with all of that boring meta stuff out of the way, allow me to put up one favorite clip (speaking of movies again) – if someone visiting this site takes absolutely nothing else away from it, I hope they take this...



…and this doesn’t have anything to do with politics, but I thought it was kind of fun – Happy Father’s Day (a naked mole rat?)…



…and I don’t really need to say a word about this, do I?

Saturday Stuff

Nothing to apologize for, Jon (here)...

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...and I thought this was a GREAT related commentary from Larry Wilmore...

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...and once more, for no particular reason, it's time for more of This Day In Doomsy History – on a related note, Chris Hayes told us a year ago this month of how “the Brownback/Koch state” passed a law disallowing any municipality in Kansas from passing its own gun laws, something in effect in PA also unfortunately (and an utter pox in Jim Howell, though I hope nothing happens to him, his family or his friends)...




...and I offer the following without any further comment.

Thursday Stuff

Alex Wagner tells us about the place of the latest gun atrocity in this country...



...and on a completely unrelated subject, I thought this was an interesting clip on “holacracy” in the business world...



...and I swear, can the Foxies actually tell the truth about anything? (here)...



...and since we're getting ready to bury more dead as a result of gun violence in this country...

Wednesday Stuff

I think I've gotten these videos from Former Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich out of order a bit, but I thought this was another great one, so...



...and yeah, I guess “Frankie Goes To The Vatican” is supposed to toe the Republican Party line on ABORTION ABORTION ABORTION OMIGOD THE HOMOSEXUAL AGENDA WHATEVER THE HELL THAT IS, and he'd damn well better stay clear of any issue of actual consequence in our daily lives, with the climate being the biggest one of all – kind of a problem for the Repugs that they can't just “plug n' play” the Vatican line automatically with their stupid talking points anymore, huh...



...and boy, would I like Dana Milbank to actually NAME these supposedly grown-up Republicans who actually support health care reform (sorry the clip is a couple of days old)...



...and I give you this tune for this memorable occasion (don't blink or you'll miss the ending).

Tuesday Stuff

This is another well-done IMHO report from John Oliver on a very important issue (here), and having the recitations from Helen Mirren is a nice touch, though torture is a war crime that warrants prosecution; it's not exactly something you announce with a sideways eye-roll (you listening, President Hopey Changey? Pretty sure this is NSFW also)...



...and I find this story so revolting that it shows a total breakdown of BOTH political parties, though the Dems are more on the right side than their crazy opposition (and the “party of Lincoln” will hoot all day long about the UN supposedly taking over this country, though I think this issue shows that that, to some degree, has already happened – another “triumph” of idiocy on the part of voters who gave the Repugs full control of Congress)...



...and I was really glad to find a clip about this since it disappeared so quickly from the “All In” section of the web site of that supposedly liberal MSNBC network (NSFW)...



...and I can't believe this song was released 50 years ago today – guess Dylan is so much older then, but I don't know how he could be younger than that now (sorry, couldn't resist).

Saturday Stuff

I’m sure that, if I had a family member or friend serving in law enforcement, I might think “Ok, enough already with these undercover videos – isn’t their job hard enough”? But I don’t have a friend or family member in that circumstance, so I can say that I think it’s more than a little ridiculous for Little Rock, AK police to take a legally blind man to the ground like this (and as Shaun King of Daily Kos puckishly, and appropriately, asks here, guess his race)…



…and after hearing this, I’m wondering if Governor Bully is going to serve as his own hot air balloon ride – heh (though this report ends up with more navel gazing at the Republican clown car of primary candidates…another sloppy video edit at end)…



…and here is a tune apropos for the day, for a couple of more hours anyway…



…and I give you another installment of This Day in Doomsy History from about five years ago this week (featuring a musical selection this time, appropriate for tomorrow I guess), when the Chicago Blackhawks were closing in on their first Stanley Cup in almost 50 years, and it looks like they’re getting ready to win one again after tonight (like to see Tampa Bay try to pull it off somehow, but we’ll see).

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)…

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

...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.