Friday, July 30, 2010

An Impassioned Plea to President Obama

Mr. President, Sir. I understand that you have to deliver speeches from time to time. I especially understand that you have to give a crap-load of speeches to your base (as you evidently did Thursday morning - the Urban League). But, please, if it's at all possible, could you try and give these speeches after 11 AM? This, Mr. President, in that, reooww, Chris Jansing (my very favorite news chickie EVER) is presently anchoring the 10-11 slot on MSNBC and, well, it really does kind of smash my day when she gets preempted like this. If, I'm saying, it's at all possible..........................................................................................................P.S. I sincerely hope, Mr. President, that you do not take this personally. I absolutely find you to be a good/decent man, a dedicated and faithful husband/father. Hell, Mr. President, I even voted for you - you son of a gun! But, dude, we are talking Chris Jansing here. She, Mr. President, is a goddess.....Well, at least she is for a guy my age. LOL.....Oh, and, yeah, if you don't believe me, just ask Bill Clinton. He'll give it to you big time.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

And People Bitch About Sarah Palin Standing in Front of a Turkey Decapitator

There are typically two types of chickens raised on factory farms; layers and broilers. The layers are bred to lay eggs. The broilers are bred strictly for meat. They have radically different bodies which have been genetically engineered to create this distinction........................................................................................................It all sounds rather simple, doesn't it? Well, not entirely so. For instance, what do we (we, as in the factory farming industry) do with all of the male offspring of the layer chickens? I mean, they're fellows, right? Dudes flat-out don't lay eggs. And, yes, since they haven't been genetically engineered to provide us with meat, what in the bluest blazes are these poor male layers good for? Yeah, that's right, they're absolutely good for nothing. And because they're absolutely good for nothing, 250 million of these male layers every year are "destroyed". They're either electrocuted, suffocated or put through a wood-chipper. Nice, huh?......................................................................................................Look, folks, I have never been what one would call a radical vegetarian. Nor have I ever been a particularly preachy one. But the more that I learn about this factory farming stuff/the meat industry; the environmental damage, the unconscionable cruelty to animals, etc., the more that I really want to be obnoxious about it. And the more that I want to hold Mr. Al Gore's feet to the fire on the issue, end his silence on the issue, etc..

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Mandate This

Of all the arguments that the left has put forth against Arizona's anti-immigration law, by far the most persuasive, I think, is the one that Chris Matthews espouses. Matthews argues that by MANDATING that an officer check a person's immigration status (yes, during the commission of another criminal act), you are DE FACTO putting that officer at majorly grave risk................................................................................................He cites this as an example. You have a police officer pull over a vehicle for what is nothing more than a minor traffic violation. In that vehicle, however, you have 6-8 Hispanic-looking individuals who, because of this law, are pretty damn nervous about being stopped. They clearly don't want to be deported and so, yeah, they end up ganging up on the officer. Not good...........................................................................................................The bottom-line, folks - officers clearly need SOME discretion (IT, yes, frequently being the better part of valor). For a law such as the Arizona one to literally mandate suicidal behavior/foolhardiness ISN'T good public policy. I'm sorry...................................................................................................P.S. Just for the record, Mr. Matthews does in fact posit an alternative of sorts. He suggests that we issue fool-proof ID cards for all Americans. Here, before you can even be hired, you have to show the employer that you are in fact a citizen. It cuts off illegal immigration at its real source - the work-place. Oh and, yeah, it doesn't ruin the scenery, create a Gestapo state, send the National Guard on a big wild-goose chase, etc..

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree With Anyone Else But Me

O'Reilly and I both tend to shade things. The difference is that I do it for nuance/an expansion of the discussion. He does it simply to confuse people and, yes, seemingly, to at least partially put forth an agenda ........................................................................................................Take, for example, his coverage of the Shirley Sherrod saga. One of the "mitigating" factors that O'Reilly (you certainly didn't expect him to give Sherrod a totally clean bill of health, did you?) is presently bringing forth is the fact that Mrs. Sherrod once upon a time sued an employer. Mr. O'Reilly evidently sees something nefarious in this. Yep, that's right, folks, Bill O'Reilly - the very same Bill O'Reilly who's always talking about suing people HIMSELF. The same Mr. O'Reilly who actually sued Al Franken (I guess that Fox in general was part of this piss-ass suit, too) for his SATIRICAL use of the phrase, "fair and balanced" (yeah, that's right, folks, he sued Al Franken over a frigging slogan). Hm. Can you say ironic/ballsy as hell?

Monday, July 26, 2010

The Liberal Learning Curve

Of all the people that Olbermann and Maddow have been putting on their show lately, far and away the most credible one is Jonathan Alter. Yes, folks, he's a liberal and, yes, he does have a tendency to agree with the hosts but, I'm telling you here, he is far from a rubberized stamp.........................................................................................................Just last week in fact, he essentially schooled Ms. Maddow. She tried to say that President Obama should personally fight back when the "right-wing smear merchants", etc. go after him. Alter (who, let's face it here, has already forgotten more about politics than Maddow herself will ever, EVER, know) responded by saying that it isn't the job of the President (assigning that task more to the DNC chairman, etc.) to get in the gutter with these folks. His job (and, yes, I totally agree with Alter here) is to lead the country and to get things accomplished...................................................................................................He also challenged Maddow on this whole Van Jones is a victim nonsense - citing specifically the fact that Mr. Jones had signed some petition saying that 9/11 was an inside job, had in fact made a huge litany of other idiotic statements, etc.. Why, Alter posited, would President Obama even want to spend a penny of political capital on him? Again, I agree with Mr. Alter.........................................................................................................P.S. This, folks, is the guy who should have his own frigging cable show. Not frigging.....

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Will the Real Adult Political Party Please Stand Up

The Republicans are flat-out full of it. This, folks, in that, yes, when they were in complete power, they never, EVER, paid for ANY of their initiatives; two long wars, two large tax cuts, an expensive Medicare drug program, etc.. And, so, yes, it absolutely does ring hollow here - all of these calls of theirs for "fiscal responsibility" (the latest one being this plea of theirs that we should "pay" for the extension of unemployment compensation).........................................................................................................But the thing is here, now we have the Democrats in complete control. And I really do have to ask these people, "instead of simply going around calling the Republicans hypocrites (which I've already conceded in spades that they are), wouldn't it be a much more mature step to simply DO what they, when they had had the opportunity to, refused to do?...............................................................................................................I mean, think about it here. We still have hundreds of billions in unspent stimulus money. Wouldn't it be a great idea to take the 34 billion out of that? Unemployment compensation (whether in fact it's a disincentive or not ISN'T the point here) is an excellent economic stimulant (far better no doubt than a lot of the pork that's clearly still on deck). COME ON, folks! What do say we all get together and do this right? Call the Republicans' bluff. Call 'em on it!

Both, At the Same Time

What would be my answer to the question, "Lucy Liu or Lisa Ling?"?

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Hold the Fries

Have you folks gotten a load of that new meal-time monstrosity from "Friendly's"? I forgot the name of it but it's basically these two grilled cheese sandwiches with an extra large burger in between (I think that the burger itself has cheese on it). It's apparently got about a bazillion calories in it.............................................................................................................And, yes, folks, that essentially what I want to put on the table (sorry) here. It's like, what are we frigging doing - collectively, as a society, I'm saying? We've got the most expensive health-care system in the world and, while, yes, the government and the insurance companies are no doubt ripping us off, too, is not THIS type of sheer idiocy (high calories, high salt, high fat) making things EVEN worse? I mean, I know that there isn't anybody holding a gun to our noggins, etc. (and, yes, I do in fact understand and even sympathize with this libertarian perspective) but, really, a sandwich that's made out of additional sandwiches - it's almost like we're going dang nuts!! Hey, what do you say we make a reality TV show about it?

Friday, July 23, 2010

I Have a Question for Rachel Maddow

Ms. Maddow, it appears as if Congressman Frank is one of those fellows on Capitol Hill who voted to cut off funding to ACORN. My question to you is simply this; What does that mean? You see, to me, it can only mean one of two things. It could mean that ACORN really in fact IS a rump (at best) organization....that even liberals can no longer stomach. OR, it could mean that Mr. Frank is nothing but a spineless/lying sack of doo-doo - an individual whose integrity isn't any better than any of those other Beltway idiots.....Well, unless, of course, there's a third explanation. Is there, Ms. Maddow? I would really love to hear you posit one.

Roger Daltry's Screams in "Love, Reign O'er Me" and "Won't Get Fooled Again"

What are the two greatest screams in rock and roll history?................................................................................................With an honorable mention to John C. Fogerty ("Travelin' Band").

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Now THIS Is an Outrage

Hey, folks, remember those two idiots (the Salahis I think it was) who tried to crash that White House party last year? Yeah, well, guess what. The female part of that substandard dyad has apparently struck it rich (or has at least found a way to extend a little more her 15 minutes). This, in that she's been signed to participate in Bravo's (class-act network that is, huh?) new series, "The Real Housewives of D. C.". I frigging shit you frigging not. I mean, is this not absolutely disgusting - these 2 two lunatics being rewarded for such an over the top ballsiness/idocy?............................................................................................................And the thing is, folks, where in the hell does it all frigging end? This, me-buckos, in that, yes, every time that I think that we cannot go lower (as a frigging society, I'm saying), WE GO FRIGGING LOWER. It's like, what in the hell could possibly be next; "Celebrity Lesbian Big Brother" (oh, wait a minute, that one I might actually watch LOL)?

One of the Nastiest Pile-Ons Ever

Fox News owes Shirley Sherrod (the Agriculture Department official who was fired because of an edited tape) an apology. Andrew Breitbart (especially Andrew Breitbart) owes Shirley Sherrod an apology. (Agriculture) Secretary Vilsack owes Shirley Sherrod an apology. And, yes, folks, the NAACP owes her a big apology, too. They all, all of 'em, jumped to the wrong conclusion (Breitbart in fact may have willingly engaged in a dishonest act here - we'll have to, I guess, simply wait and see) here. And, yes, YES, it's absolutely sickening - real, real, sickening.........................................................................................................Oh, and just for the record, for those of you who don't think that Fox employs anybody of integrity, I ask of you here, go to that network's web-site and access Sheperd Smith's impassioned defense of Mrs. Sherrod. It might in fact cause you to reassess a bit (he was also exceedingly critical of Mr. Breitbart's web-site, biggov.com).........................................................................................................P.S. I'd also like to commend the elderly white couple who were ultimately helped by Mrs. Sherrod (24 years ago). Their testimony, in addition to its being inspiring, has certainly helped in clarifying things..............................................................................................................P.S. #2 I also want to say that I'm very disappointed in Mr. O'Reilly. He clearly had a chance to correct the record last night (this, in that the full tape was by then available) but didn't. He instead used the time to once again blast his competition....for THEIR malfeasance. No damn good.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

A Little Straight Talk on the New Black Panther Party/Alleged Justice Department Cover-Up

1) The mainstream media was wrong in NOT covering it. 2) The Fox News channel was right IN covering it. 3) The Fox News channel was wrong in OVER covering it. There, you see how easy it is when we put our partisanship aside....................................................................................................Seriously, though, here are some of what I consider to be the critical facts; 1) The New Black Panther party is an extremely small (and, yes, dare I say it, buffoonish) organization. 2) The incident in question took place in a precinct that is nearly entirely African-American. 3) It is unclear at this point whether or not any voters were turned away because of the incident. 4) Former Justice Department lawyer, J. Christian Adams, has alleged that, under Mr. Obama/current Attorney General Eric Holder, the department was instructed to NOT bring charges against black defendants if the victims of these people were white. 5) Mr. Adams is a Bush appointee. 6) The original decision not to prosecute (criminally, not civilly) was made during President Bush's time in office. 7) Fox and MSNBC are both making total fools of themselves over this episode......Oh, wait a minute, that's an opinion. Never mind!!

Monday, July 19, 2010

78-0

That's all, folks. I just like saying it from time to time......Oh, and, yeah, if we start the season off 11-0 this year, we (yeah, like I'm one of Geno's assistants, right? LOL) break the UCLA/John Wooden men's record (88 in a row), too. Just for the God damned record, I'm saying.

Miscellaneous 20

1) There are two jobs in which you absolutely/zero questions about it/positively HAVE to stay on message; chairman of a political party and press secretary to the President. And, yes, folks, this is precisely why I want to send a major-league shout out to Mr.s Steele and Gibbs for NOT having the discipline....to to have that kind of discipline. I mean, seriously here. Isn't it at least a little bit refreshing - politicians giving reporters their actual opinions when asked? Me, myself, and I - we're kind of enjoying it up here......2) One of my favorite political writers is John Heilemann. The guy, in addition to his being fairly nonpartisan, has an uncanny ability to cut to the chase. Take, for example, one of his recent comments on "The Chris Matthews Show". In describing the current climate in which the Democrats are admittedly floundering, Mr. Heilemann says that, "yeah, but the Republicans continue to give President Obama sticks in which he can hit them with." YEAH, kind of like I've been saying, huh? So then why does it sound so much better when he says it? LOL......3) The long wait is over, folks. (South Carolina) Democratic Senate candidate/mystery man, Alvin Greene, finally gave his first political speech the other day. And guess what? The dude wasn't all that bad. I mean, no, he isn't a genius or anything (clearly more of a Gilligan/Jethro/Barney Fife/Gomer Pyle than an Einstein) but, still, I ask you here - can this frigging guy be any worse than the idiots we have already.....Me, I think I'd probably vote for the guy. LOL

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Unjustifiable

Honestly, folks, I could give a rat's ass about "Joe the plumber". And, really, why should I? The frigging guy is nothing but a nimrod/opportunist (and, yes, those are good points) . But (and, yes, me-buckos, this is an extremely humongous but), not even a nimrod/opportunist deserves to be thoroughly lied about......................................................................................................Yeah, you bet, I'm talking about Keith Olbermann. 1) He accused Mr. Wurzelbacher of being a McCain "plant" (Obama was actually touring his, Joe's, neighborhood). 2) He constantly points to the fact that Mr. Wurzelbacher is an "unlicensed plumber" (failing to point out that in Toledo you CAN work as a plumber if in fact you're employed by someone with a master's license OR you're working in an outlying area that does not require a license). 3) He constantly tries to paint Wurzelbacher as some sort of tax cheat (yes, he owed $1,200 in back taxes to the state, BUT according to deputy clerk, Barb Losie, "The state files hundreds of liens per day.....There is a 99% chance that he didn't even know about the lien."). 4) He's always inferring that Senator McCain "thinks" that Mr. Wurzelbacher makes $250,000 a year (nowhere, folks, does Mr. McCain EVER say that). And, yes, of course, there's also the incredibly dismissive tone that Olbermann uses................................................................................................................And it's like I said at the top, folks. It's not like there's a paucity of legitimate criticisms here. Olbermann - he really and truly should be ashamed of himself.

Miscellaneous 19

1) I hate to judge a man on just one bad decision but, I'm sorry. When George Steinbrenner hired a private investigator to dig up "dirt" on his best player, Dave Winfield (currently a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame), that, folks, is about as low as a person can get. I mean, I know that Mr. Winfield ultimately forgave him and all but, still, STILL...........2) Wow, huh? It's not bad enough that BP has totally ruined the Gulf/the Gulf's economy. The sons 'a bitches are also apparently being implicated in the release of that Lockerbie Bomber (189 of those victims were American, btw). I mean, talk about an insult to injury, huh?......3) Sean Hannity is one very dishonest individual. Take, for example, what he did the other night. In an effort to paint ABC Nightly News as a biased news program, he showed some footage in which the tea party movement was being criticized for its "racist elements". He then went on to say that the segment in question did not provide its viewers the "other side". It was a lie. Mr. Hannity cut out the part in which a black tea party member did exactly that. And, no, folks, this isn't an isolated instance. Mr. Hannity/his producers do this CONSTANTLY. And it's disgraceful.

Friday, July 16, 2010

To the Victors Go a Lot of Things

What happened to the Native Americans was unconscionable (or at least HOW it happened was). Unfortunately, so, too, was it inevitable. Think about it, folks. To have expected the white Europeans who eventually "settled" both Americas to turn around and NOT try to annex the land was simply not plausible. This, me-buckos, in that it totally goes against both human nature AND human history.................................................................................................I mean, think about it here. All throughout human history - up to that point, everything basically centered around empire/conquest; the Egyptian empire, the Babylonian empire, the Athenian empire, the Persian empire, the Macedonian empire, the Roman empire, the Islamic empire, the Mongolian empire, the Ottoman empire, etc.. To think that the Spanish, English, French, Dutch, and Portuguese explorers of the 16th-18th centuries were suddenly going to act magnanimously and not try and exploit (literally, one could say) a resource-filled/sparsely populated land isn't at all realistic. It simply wasn't (as much as our romanticism would have preferred) going to happen................................................................................................Of course, the way that it happened certainly left much to be desired. Far more emphasis should have been placed on trying to accommodate and/or "bring in" the indigenous populations. We certainly shouldn't have had broken one treaty after another treaty, instituted a system of substandard Indian reservations, etc.. BUT, the end result, I'm saying, a European takeover of the Americas was inevitable.................................................................................................P.S. Just for the record, folks, this spirit of conquest was hardly restricted to the white Europeans (the greatest Satans of all, if in fact you listen to some bloggers) of the world. Genghis Khan, for instance, wasn't a white European. Neither, either, were the Muslim conquerers of Spain and Palestine. Hell, folks, even the Native Americans themselves attempted to conquer....EACH OTHER. Yes, folks, even before Columbus came here, the Sioux, The Crow, The Blackfoot - they frequently fought over territory and even men. Sometimes, SOMETIMES, they even tortured.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Miscellaneous 18

1) According to a member of the New Black Panther party, "You want freedom you gonna have to kill some crackers. You gonna have to kill some of their babies." Pretty disgusting, huh? AND YET, you know how Mr. Olbermann referred to this obvious exhortation to mayhem? He referred to it as "inanities". Yeah, folks, the same guy who referred to Sarah Palin's (admittedly moronic) "politicians in the cross-hairs" idea as incendiary sees THIS little scenario as really nothing. So much for perspective/consistency, huh?.....2) It amazes me how people who claim to be pro gay rights can, at the same time, also be apologists for an Iranian regime that still makes things such as adultery and homosexuality crimes punishable by death. It flabbergasts me, actually......I mean, think about it for a few seconds. That idiot President of theirs, Ahmadinejad, actually said in an American interview that the country of Iran "doesn't have homosexuals" (which, yes, is possibly true in the sense that they're no doubt afraid to be seen in public). They (much akin to the Holocaust, I gather) simply don't exist. It's like, come on here, how much more evidence does a person need to recognize piss-poor evil?.....3) What's this, the Reverend Jesse Jackson has decided to chime in on the whole LeBron James saga. No way! That is SO unlike him. Hm.

Taking the Fun Out of Funnel

I have to tell you, folks. That last date of Retch's - she was even more dourly substandard than Bubkas. I shit upon you not. Of course, the fact that it was flat-out Retch himself, the dummy, who'd been disected, experimented upon, shat upon, etc. - the coverage of it - damned if that wasn't well, WELL, below the fold as well. I'm just sayin'!

Monday, July 12, 2010

A Sprinkle of Common Sense

To those of you who say that the tea party has largely been divisive, I agree with you - but only to a point. Yes, a lot of the rhetoric has been inflammatory. Yes, a lot of the rhetoric has also been illogical (keep your government hands off of my Medicare", for example). But, unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your point of view), so, too, has a fair amount of common sense been asserted at times....................................................................................................Case in point, we're currently running a 107 trillion dollar unfunded liability for Social Security and Medicare. Compare that to the total wealth of the entire United States -62 trillion. I mean, come on, it doesn't take a third-grader (or even a certain graduate/stooge from Cornell) to see that we're clearly going down a dangerous road here.........................................................................................................Now, are the tea partiers putting forth some strong/coherent policies to address these fiscal matters? If they have, I myself haven't heard them. But, folks, at least they're drawing attention to the issues. And, yes, that should count for something.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

The Case For Reasonableness

Most of my political heroes have tended to be moderates; Kennedy, Eisenhower, Proxmire, Percy, Brooke, Javits, McKinney (the McKinney Act - google it), Boren, Cohen, Rudman, Tsongas, Nunn (his stumping for don't ask, don't tell - obviously excepted), Breaux, Chaffee (father and son), and yes, for my money, Bill Clinton (who, yes, I would probably keep away from my niece) and Gerry Ford, too. Not, mind you, that I myself am ALWAYS a moderate. On issues such as gay-rights and warrantless wiretapping, I am farther to the left than Obama is ever likely to be (granted, he has the safety of the nation to consider and all). And, no, moderation isn't always necessarily the prudent/best thing. Civil rights in the 60s - that was something that had to be taken on vociferously (for example)..........................................................................................................But, yes, folks, many times it IS the prudent thing. Take Afghanistan, for example. Yes, we were absolutely justified to go in and annihilate Al Qaeda, maybe even to smack around the Taliban a little. But to stay....and to stay, and to nation-build, that, me-buckos, has proven to be utterly purposeless. And it has HURT our national security (don't even get me going on Iraq). And then, of course, there's the stimulus. Yes, we more than likely needed one. But what we didn't need to do was blow a huge hole in the deficit and bloat it all up with pork-barrel spending. You see what I'm saying here, folks - moderation?

The Angle Widens

To say that Sharon Angle isn't ready for prime-time is a monstrous understatement. The list of her boneheaded gaffes is already extensive. But, I'm telling you, last week, when she came out with that tried and true/tea partyesque slush-fund comment (this, in regards to the 20 billion dollar escrow account that Obama was able to secure from BP) and then, two hours later, recanted on it - that, me-buckos, truly takes the cake....................................................................................................Look, folks, I have said many times before that I am open. Yes, my general penchant has been to vote for the Democrat (and/or independent) but I am ALWAYS looking for Republicans that I can support (Jody Rell, for instance). But, the thing is, you gotta give me something. A conservative? Fine, a conservative! Can you at least give me an intelligent one?....................................................................................................No, folks, I can't vote in Nevada. But I can in Connecticut. Linda McMahon - I don't think so!.....................................................................................................P.S. And, yes, that line about Senator Reid utilizing the Saul Alinsky "play-book" - that was frigging fed to her. I'd bet a week's pay on it in fact.

Friday, July 9, 2010

The N Word - As in Nimrod

If it's wrong (and it is) for tea party members to bring guns to their rallies, is it not then also wrong for Black Panther party types to stand in front of polling stations armed with billy-clubs, shouting at white people, inciting the black folks to start killing these "crackers", their children, etc.?....................................................................................................Look, me-buckos, I know that I haven't gotten a whole lot of traction on saying that the left can be just as vile/virulent as the right and all and, clearly/who knows, maybe I am wrong. Maybe the right in fact IS WORSE. But, I don't know, as a centrist, it seems to me like there is indeed a big bunch of nuts with varying degrees of stripes out there; Olbermann, Hannity, Beck, just to name a few. And they're all frigging spewing spite, for Christ!!

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Reflections - What Was, And What Might Have Been

I have some very mixed feelings about the Clintons. On the one hand, I don't particularly like or trust the two of them. On the other hand, I have in fact come to respect them as politicians. Bill Clinton, for instance, after a very rough start on the job, actually became a pretty darn good president. The dude (with, it must be stated, some able assistance from a Republican congress) presided over long periods of peace, prosperity, and, yes, balanced budgets, too (not to mention, premium fodder for late-night comedians)....................................................................................................And, yes, folks, then there's good old Hillary. Against what were exceedingly lengthy odds, Mrs. Clinton, too, has shown a surprisingly adept capacity at governance; as a senator, diplomat, etc.. In fact, folks, I am often left to wonder aloud here, WHAT IF......

Treading Something

I heard a rumor today, folks - Sarah Palin as the next chairman (or should I say person) of the RNC. I shit you not. I guess the rationale is that, being that Mrs. Palin has become such an excellent fundraiser (fundraising being the most important function of the chair), she'd no doubt/flat-out be perfect for the job. But, I ask you, what about chairman Steele? Hasn't he also done very well in terms of fundraising? And the fact that Mrs. Palin is even more gaffe prone than Steele - what, pray tell, do you really gain with her? I just don't see it as a good idea myself.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Miscellaneous 17

1) Remember when Obama said that Bill Clinton wasn't a "transformational" President? Well, guess what. I don't think that Clinton has forgotten about it, either; the fact that he's been endorsing different candidates than Mr. Obama, etc.. Hm, can you say....mischief making/the next couple of years should be extremely interesting?......2) The Netherlands. Take it to the bank.......3) Vodka and pear nectar tonight. Don't knock it til you've tried it.......4) I said in a previous post that Michael Steele was right about Afghanistan. Let me correct that. He was partially right. He was right about the foolhardiness of an extended land war in Afghanistan. THAT he was definitely right about (and, no, he SHOULDN'T be backing down from this statement to placate Republican hawks). What he wasn't right about, however, was in calling this Obama's war (though, yes, a lot of people ultimately called Vietnam, Johnson's war and, later, Nixon's war) or that the United States in fact started it (9/11, HELLO!). That part, me-buckos, was just plain stupid. Partisan stupid!

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

The View From Neither Aisle

While I'm sure that the good old days weren't nearly as good as the prism of my current memory makes them out to be, I can in fact say one thing with certitude: Everett Dirksen (Republican leader of the Senate from 1959-1969) and LBJ had an extremely good working relationship - on civil rights, in particular.................................................................................................I site this, folks, simply to underscore that the current toxic framework in Washington is far, far from an intrinsic reality. The two parties can work and have worked well together. In more recent times you had Reagan and the Tipster. And even in the 90s (1994-2000), you had Clinton and Gingrich - a couple of guys who, while they seemingly had a fair amount of disdain for each other, put forth balanced budgets year after year.....................................................................................................As to who in the hell's to blame for the current high-charged/partisan environment, it's really kind of hard to say. On the one hand, you have the Democrats adding trillions and trillions to the national debt. On the other hand, you have the Republicans (who, when they were in power, spent like absolute madmen themselves) opposing initiatives (Obama's health-care plan, for example) that are exceedingly similar to some of their own. How 'bout we simply say that they're all a big bunch of stark raving mad lunatics and be done with it? Work for you?

This Is a Job For Kitty Carlisle

I'm still not exactly sure who the hell Mr. Romney is. Is he the social liberal - the guy who actually ran to the left of Teddy Kennedy on gay rights? Is he the rabid/hard working pragmatist/problem solver - the guy who was able to work exceedingly well with a Democratic legislature? OR, is he the far more newly minted/across the board conservative - a guy who's seemingly now even more conservative than McCain (yeah, I'm talking about the new McCain here - the non-maverick)? It's extremely difficult to tell. Hell, I wonder if even HE knows.............................................................................................Wait a minute, there is in fact a fourth category, right - the opportunist, the guy who will flat-out be whatever he needs to be in order to get elected? That's who he more than likely is, Mr. Romney, don't you think?

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Top 50 Desert Island Songs (In No Particular Order and, Yes, Subject to Change)

1) Nowhere Train - Carlene Carter......2) My Girlhood Among the Outlaws - Maria McKee......3) Easy From Now On - Emmylou Harris......4) Aryan Mist - Van Morrison......5) The Way We Make a Broken Heart - Rosanne Cash......6) Guilty - Bonnie Raitt......7) The Sun, The Moon, and Stars - Nanci Griffith......8) Baba O'Reilly - The Who......9) Letter to Mom - Iris DeMent......10) Two More Bottles of Wine - Delbert McClinton......11) The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down - The Band......12) You Don't Seem to Miss Me - Patty Loveless......13) Caravan - Van Morrison......14) Monday Afternoon - Lori McKenna......15) Sauget Wind - Uncle Tupelo......16) Maybe Sparrow - Neko Case......17) All My Tears - Julie Miller......18) At My Window Sad and Lonely - Billy Bragg and Wilco......19) Rain - Patty Griffin......20) Hey Jezebel - Allison Moorer......21) Chained to These Loving Arms - Patty Larkin......22) Someday Soon - Judy Collins......23) The Weight - The Band......24) One More Night - Kelly Willis......25) What Kind of Love Is This - Carrie Newcomer......26) Showdown at Big Sky - Robbie Robertson......27) Ways to Be Wicked - Lone Justice......28) This Ole Honky Tonk - Rosie Flores......29) Guitar Town - Steve Earle......30) Love Me, Love Me Not - Hal Ketchum......31) Love's Glory - Patti Scialfa......32) A Thousand Times a Day - Patty Loveless......33) Good Thing - Patty Larkin......34) Easy From Now On - Carlene Carter......35) Love Is the Ride - Lucy Kaplansky......36) When I Cross Over - Tift Merritt......37) Set Out Running - Neko Case......38) Rough God Goes Riding - Van Morrison......39) Oh Heartache - Rosie Flores......40) The Last Waltz - Rodney Crowell......41) Have You Ever Seen the Rain? - Creedence Clearwater Revival......42) Playing With Matches - Carrie Newcomer......43) Wheels - The Flying Burrito Brothers......44) Brass in Pocket - The Pretenders......45) Through the Glass - Susan Werner......46) Heavenly Day - Patty Griffin......47) Free Man in Paris - Joni Mitchell......48) So Long Baby Goodbye - Katy Moffatt......49) Sorrowful Angels - Patty Loveless......50) Tore Down a la Rimbaud - Van Morrison......First alternate) Every River -Kim Richey......Second alternate) Ain't No Cure for Love - Jennifer Warnes......Yeah, I know, I'm cheating.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Lindsey Graham, Unplugged

"Only in America can you (a reference to Glenn Beck) make that much money crying.".........."What I'm saying is that he (Glenn Beck) doesn't represent the Republican party. You can listen to him if you like. I choose not to because, quite frankly, I don't want to go down the road thinking that our best days are behind us. We need to act decisively.".........."He's (President Obama) a good man.".........."What do you (in reference to the tea party) want to do? You want to take back your country - and do what with it?".........."Glenn Beck is not aligned with any party. He is aligned with cynicism and there has alays been a market for cynics. But we became a great nation not because we are a nation of cynics. We became a great nation because we are a nation of believers.".........."They're (the birthers) crazy.".........."The problem with the tea party - I think it's just unsustainable because they can never come up with a coherent vision for governing the country. It will die out.".........."We're not going to be a party of angry white guys.".........."We don't have a lot of Reagan-type leaders in our party. Remember Ronald Reagan Democrats? I want a Republican that can attract Democrats. Ronald Reagan would have had a hard time getting elected as a Republican today."...........................................................................................................Look, folks, I don't necessarily agree with Senator Graham on everything. I don't agree with him on abortion. And I certainly don't agree with him on foreign policy (certain aspects of it anyway). But I absolutely think that we need voices like this down in Washington. Here's to hoping that those rednecks down in South Carolina don't succeed in bringing him down (they're trying to "out" him down there, I hear).

Miscellaneous 16

1) What, pray tell, has gotten into James Carville? The fellow quite literally is making sense these days. It started with his spot-on and impassioned criticism of President Obama's handling of the Gulf oil disaster. And just last week he came out with one of the very best ideas that I've heard recently. He suggested that we put General McChrystal in charge of the clean-up operation down there. a) McChrystal NEEDS a job and b) who in the bluest blazes would be better with such an assignment. I mean, you want some serious shit done down there, right? A very good call by the Ragin' Cajun, I say......2) Note to Fox News - Michael Steele....WAS RIGHT!! The war in Afghanistan IS unwinnable. Hell, even your own military analysts (Ralph Peters first comes to mind) have come to the same conclusion. Please, stop beating up on the guy because he doesn't always tow the party line......3) Oh, wait a minute, cancel that last one. Mr. Steele is back-tracking (kind of like when he criticized Rush Limbaugh - remember?). He IS towing the party-line, after all. ORDER HAS BEEN RESTORED!! LOL......4) Remember back when Cheney made that idiotic comment that "deficits don't matter" (2002 was when he said it)? Well, guess what? He now has company in the proclaiming of such pure idiocy. Chris Hayes and Katrina Vanden Heuvel (both of the "Nation" magazine) have said (on the Ed Schultz television show) virtually the same thing (this time, though, the deficit has nearly tripled). The only thing that I can think of, folks, is "oh, how the ties that bind."

Thursday, July 1, 2010

The Lost Art of Ruling Out

John Birch Society founder, Robert Welch, once had the audacity to accuse President Dwight Eisenhower of having Communist ties.....How, pray tell, did his fellow conservatives (William F. Buckley, in particular)/the Republican party respond to this ridiculous/outrageous accusation? Yeah, that's right. They largely cut their ties to the fellow.............................................................................................Sprint forward to the present day. We have similar elements in the present-day right-wing saying virtually the same things about President Obama. Only this time the Republican party is largely staying silent (Lindsey Graham, to his credit, excepted) on it. Yes, Obama is a Democrat and all but, still, in my opinion, there needs to be a much more consistent voice on the right condemning this stuff. I mean, at least I (emphasis on I) think so.

The Shittiest Candidate This Side of South Carolina

I'm going to be honest with you here. What the Republican voters of Nevada have done, I find inexplicable (and, yes, folks, I say this as a person who doesn't necessarily have a dog in this or any other fight). I mean (and, please, forgive me if I'm repeating myself), it's almost as if the Republicans are TRYING to blow it. At the very frigging least, they're totally over-playing their hand. This, folks, in that these same Nevadans had several other candidates who, while they, too, may have been flawed, were at least somewhat within the realm of acceptability. The only conclusion that I can draw is that the voters of Nevada are looking first and foremost to some sort of ideological purity/tea party stamp of approval/pedigree.....................................................................................................How bad is this particular candidate, Sharon Angle? Pretty darn frigging bad, from what I can gather. And apparently even she herself (not to mention her handlers) is starting to recognize this. You want to know many interviews she's given so far - none (this, despite the the fact that the Nevada media has literally been begging for access)! And the fact that she's been so literally sprinting away from her previous positions..................................................................................................Oh well, at least Senator Reid is happy. That should count for something.