Have a lot on my plate today so there'll be little, if any, blogging.
Back on Monday.
Have a super-duper weekend!
30 March 2007
29 March 2007
"The Channel 2 News at 6"
I always get a kick out of these things (I'm a media geek from way back, and a former Chicagoan). The opening of the 6pm newscast at Chicago's CBS station WBBM-Channel 2, circa the 1970's!
Bush-Bitch Dumb-Ass
Quote of the Day:
Really? Well, Senator, that will go down as one of the better tricks in history...
...seeing that Zarqawi is dead!
The consequences of failure are catastrophic because if we come home, bin Laden and Zarqawi, they are going to follow us.-Sen. John McCain (BushBitch-AZ) yesterday on NBC.
Really? Well, Senator, that will go down as one of the better tricks in history...
...seeing that Zarqawi is dead!
Denial in the Motor City?
Authorities in Detroit are saying that Andrew Anthos, the elderly gay man who died from head injuries due to an hate-related assault on February 13, was not assaulted at all.
"There's no evidence that an assault occurred," said Detroit police spokesman James Tate, stating that the Wayne County Medical Examiner found evidence that Anthos had an arthritic neck.
Something's fishy here.
(Courtesy: Kenneth in the 212)
"There's no evidence that an assault occurred," said Detroit police spokesman James Tate, stating that the Wayne County Medical Examiner found evidence that Anthos had an arthritic neck.
Something's fishy here.
(Courtesy: Kenneth in the 212)
28 March 2007
"Up, up to the sky..."
Your Song of the Day is the disco classic "Fly Robin Fly" by Silver Connection.
This one's for you, Gibba. Feel better.
This one's for you, Gibba. Feel better.
'Idol' Recap: 27 March
She didn't sing but Gwen Stefani rocked on "American Idol" last night. Her flat-out honesty was a breath of fresh air (see Sanjaya). Here's this week's recap:LaKisha: Her fan-tab-ulous boots aside, her performance of "Last Dance" was yet another so-so performance. The vocal was good, but the "wow factor" wasn't there. Rather forgetable.
Chris S: His performance sucked. He took a classic Police song ("Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic") and turned it into a really bad karaoke bar performance. As Gwen said, his tempo was way off.
Gina: Singing the Pretenders' "I'll Stand By You," this was my favorite performance from her so far this season. This was the perfect song for her voice and her personality.
Sanjaya: Are you kidding me with the fucking hair!!?! Ok...that's out of the way. Really...this kid forgot the words to his song in front of Gwen Stefani, who then said "I think it's gonna be real hard for him..it's a hard song...and he chose it...so good luck for him. I feel for him." I just about lost it when she said that. Then this idiot no-talent gets on stage and forgets the words AGAIN. Not acceptable. He's overstayed his welcome. He. Needs. To. Go. The. Hell. Home.
Haley: Her version of "True Colors" was so bland, it was like a really bad elevator muzak re-make. Since there is some sort of nasty conspiracy out there to keep Titi Kaka on the show, I have a hunch Haley will be packing her bags tonight.
Phil: He impressed me last night. His rendition of "Every Breath You Take" was very well done, very controlled, and a huge improvement over last week.
Melinda: She took a song original sung as a duet ("Heaven Knows") and made it her own. It wasn't necessarily the song I would have picked for her but, as always, she turned in the strongest vocal of the night.
Blake: The interesting thing about Blake is that he takes these songs that were considered "modern" when they were originally released and updates them for today's music market. He's hip, he's handsome, and he turned in a strong vocal last night with the Cure's "Love Song."
Jordan: She sang No Doubt's "Hey Baby." Ouch! I really don't know what Simon, Randy, and the rest of America hear in Jordan that I don't, but she sucked last night. It seemed like nothing but an average performance at a seedy karaoke bar.
Chris R: When he rehearsed "Don't Speak" with Gwen Stefani, she mentioned he'd do a good job if he didn't do the whole "vocal olympics things" with his voice. That's the PERFECT phrase for that sort of singing where performers try to squeeze about 12 notes into what should really only be one or two long ones. It's very annoying and I'm glad Gwen put a label on it. As for Chris, he did an admirable job with the song.
The winner of the night for me? Gina, by paper thin margin. Melinda turned in another strong vocal, but the song wasn't right for her. Either way, both ladies will be back next week.
Who should go home? I'm really over TikiTiki Tembo, and I'll keep saying that every week until his face and that hair no longer appear on my TV. That no-talent idiot and his "supporters" are really just making a mockery of the process, proving that America is more dumbed down than I thought.
And so, if Sanjaya doesn't go home, then I think Haley should be the one to go. She's about as talentless as Salamander and I'm surprised she's lasted as long as she has.
(Photo: AP/Fox Television, Frank Micelotta)
The Clinton Conundrum
Quote of the Day:
Hear, hear! It's going to take all of us, in one form or another, big or small, to dig us out of the tremendous mess in which President Bush has buried us. But with each passing day I doubt a little bit more whether Sen. Clinton is the one who can lead the charge.
A new Harris Poll finds that 50% of Americans would not vote for Clinton if she is the Democratic presidential nominee in 2008. FIFTY PERCENT! Only 36% say they would vote for her. More over, 21% of Democrats say they would not vote for her. Those kind of numbers lead to 49-state defeats in the Electoral College, Senator! As such, those kind of numbers should lead one to re-think whether their candidacy is worth the risk.
The way things stand right now, 2008 should find the Democrats steamrolling over the Republicans. And - again, the way things stand right now - Americans don't seem to think Ms. Clinton is that Democrat. Please Senator, for the sake of not only the party but our nation, re-think your candidacy.
(Quote courtesy of Taegan Goddard.)
I'm going to hand everybody in America a shovel and we're going to start digging our way out.-Sen. Hillary Clinton (Democrat-NY), her party's leading candidate for the presidential nomination, during a speech to the Communication Workers of America yesterday, on how she'd tackle the Bush mess.
Hear, hear! It's going to take all of us, in one form or another, big or small, to dig us out of the tremendous mess in which President Bush has buried us. But with each passing day I doubt a little bit more whether Sen. Clinton is the one who can lead the charge.
A new Harris Poll finds that 50% of Americans would not vote for Clinton if she is the Democratic presidential nominee in 2008. FIFTY PERCENT! Only 36% say they would vote for her. More over, 21% of Democrats say they would not vote for her. Those kind of numbers lead to 49-state defeats in the Electoral College, Senator! As such, those kind of numbers should lead one to re-think whether their candidacy is worth the risk.
The way things stand right now, 2008 should find the Democrats steamrolling over the Republicans. And - again, the way things stand right now - Americans don't seem to think Ms. Clinton is that Democrat. Please Senator, for the sake of not only the party but our nation, re-think your candidacy.
(Quote courtesy of Taegan Goddard.)
27 March 2007
Thinking of Snow
Without a doubt, my sincerest best wishes to White House Press Seceretary Tony Snow, who found out yesterday that his colon cancer has returned and has spread to his liver.
The Re-Freshing of America's Stature?
Quote of the Day:
The essay is actually focused on the growing understanding of foreign affairs by Sen. Barack Obama (Democrat-IL) as he runs for his party's presidential nomination. Many - including myself - have often wondered if he's too green for the day and age in which we currently live.
Anthony Lake, the National Security Adviser to President Clinton in his first term, and Samanta Power, a foreign policy scholar now teaching at Harvard, believe Obama has actually done his homework (as opposed to a certain son of a certain ex-president who hadn't when he ran). Money quote:
My doubts haven't disappeared, but the Hirsh essay has calmed them quite a bit and I'm ready to listen to what Obama has to say as the debate continues.
Almost every [international] government understands that if Al Gore had gotten those 537 votes in Florida in 2000, we wouldn’t be in this situation. No one begrudged us the invasion of Afghanistan. Imagine the payoff in prestige if Bush had brought into the international community a pariah country that had defeated two previous imperial powers — Britain and Russia — in the last two centuries. Contrary to what you might hear, this was possible...What an exercise in the judicious use of our great power that would have been, and what a trophy to place on the shelf after Germany and Japan following World War II! Instead we made up a new war.-Michael Hirsch, in a lengthy - but well worth reading - essay in the new issue of Washington Monthly.
The essay is actually focused on the growing understanding of foreign affairs by Sen. Barack Obama (Democrat-IL) as he runs for his party's presidential nomination. Many - including myself - have often wondered if he's too green for the day and age in which we currently live.
Anthony Lake, the National Security Adviser to President Clinton in his first term, and Samanta Power, a foreign policy scholar now teaching at Harvard, believe Obama has actually done his homework (as opposed to a certain son of a certain ex-president who hadn't when he ran). Money quote:
For all his openness to rethinking first principles, there’s reason to believe that this is something Obama understands better than any other leading candidate. "I don’t oppose all wars," he declared in 2002, while Hillary Clinton and John Edwards were triangulating their way toward authorizing the Iraq invasion. "What I am opposed to is a dumb war." Perhaps, ultimately, this is his real value right now...Who could better reassure a jittery and suspicious world that America is ready to resume global leadership than a new young president who is the son of a black African father and a white Kansan mother, with a Muslim middle name who grew up in Asia? Rather, Obama’s value is as someone with the courage, independence, and basic common sense to declare, without equivocation, that America’s loss of global leadership is a result not of the inevitable breakdown of the existing structure, but of the Bush administration’s radical and disastrous policy decisions.After eight years of arrogant dumbness (yes...I just called the President dumb...because he is) someone with Sen. Obama's fresh - or RE-freshing - take on America's place on the globe would be...well...a much needed breath of fresh air.
My doubts haven't disappeared, but the Hirsh essay has calmed them quite a bit and I'm ready to listen to what Obama has to say as the debate continues.
216 Plus 2
Daily Kos, on the passage last week of the Iraq War funding bill in the House of Representatives by a razor slim vote of 218-212:
The President has said he'd veto the bill if it showed up on his desk in its current form; and ultimately any decision for ordering the troops out Iraq will have to come from him or his successor. But whatever the case, 216 Democrats in the House, as well as a couple of brave Republicans, essentially fixed blame for the Iraq debacle on George W. Bush.
Update: Another thought. Let it be known that this bill did not (DID NOT) cut off funding for the war, as many on the far left had wanted. Thus, if Mr. Bush vetos the bill, then he'll be the one who cut it. Not the "Democrat congress."
In doing so, the [Democratic] party - and particularly Speaker Pelosi - put a huge amount of hard-won momentum on the line. You better believe that every newsroom in the country already had their "Democrats in Disarray" headlines laid out...The bill goes up for debate and a vote in the Senate this week, where its passage is less likely but not necessarily out of the realm of possibility. (It'll be interesting to see how Sen. Clinton votes.)
In getting the bill through the House, Nancy Pelosi proved that she could pull together her occasionally fractious freshmen and her cautious congressional veterans...The value of this victory as a sign of Democratic unity is inestimable.
The President has said he'd veto the bill if it showed up on his desk in its current form; and ultimately any decision for ordering the troops out Iraq will have to come from him or his successor. But whatever the case, 216 Democrats in the House, as well as a couple of brave Republicans, essentially fixed blame for the Iraq debacle on George W. Bush.
Update: Another thought. Let it be known that this bill did not (DID NOT) cut off funding for the war, as many on the far left had wanted. Thus, if Mr. Bush vetos the bill, then he'll be the one who cut it. Not the "Democrat congress."
26 March 2007
24: Conservative or Liberal
I've been glued to the Fox Monday night drama 24 this season. It's not as good as last year, but it still provides for a solid, edge-of-your-seat thrill ride each week.
There has been an ongoing debate over whether the show has conservative or liberal leanings. Both, actually. Kevin Drum explains.
There has been an ongoing debate over whether the show has conservative or liberal leanings. Both, actually. Kevin Drum explains.
The Stakes
Quote of the Day:
There's a real chess game going on here. Do you really think George W. Bush has the strategic know-how for a high-stakes game with Iran?
Yeah...neither do I.
After all, Iran is only doing to Western soldiers in captivity what the U.S. has been doing to "enemy combatants" since the war began. Then there's a question of what kind of trial they might face. One in which their defense gets a chance to see all the evidence against them? Oh, wait ... we don't do that either.-Andrew Sullivan, commenting on an Evening Standard news piece that claims the British soldiers arrested by Iran last week are being "interrogated."
There's a real chess game going on here. Do you really think George W. Bush has the strategic know-how for a high-stakes game with Iran?
Yeah...neither do I.
Happy Birthday, Sir Elton
Sir Elton John celebrated his 60th birthday in high style this past weekend, throwing a huge party at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York, and performing his 60th concert at Madison Square Garden.On hand to celebrate: Bette Midler, Whoopi Goldberg, Michael Stipe, Sharon Osbourne, Emma Thompson, Donatella Versace, Robin Williams, his long-time lyricist Bernie Taupin, and an introductory video clip by former President Bill Clinton.
Your Song of the Day is the 1982 single that he performs only when he appears at the Garden...his tribute to John Lennon..."Empty Garden."
Cold as Ice
Taegan Goodard asks:
Why did Katie Couric keep pressing John and Elizabeth Edwards on 60 Minutes last night about their decision to continue his presidential campaign when she didn't give up her job as host of the Today Show when her husband was diagnosed with cancer?Yeah...Katie turned into America's media-bitch somewhere along the line. I'm not sure of exactly when, but it was well before she left the Today Show.
Piss Poor Leadership
So, President Bush met with the heads of General Motors, Ford, and Daimler-Chrysler today to discuss the President's support of "flexible-fuel vehicles" (autos that use a combination of gasoline and ethanol).
Unfortunately, it's only a half-step in the right direction. Only 1,000 gas stations across the country (out of 170,000) are capable of dispensing the gas/ethanol blend, and Detroit automakers are stubbornly resistant to the development of other forms of fuel efficiant cars.
And this is why they have seen their profits disappear as Asian and European automakers race past them with more gas efficient automobiles and Hybrids.
The solution is easy: Pass huge tax incentives to the idiots in Detroit to make a swift switch over to Hybrid technology. It would be the fastest and cleanest way to cure America's addiction to foreign oil. At the same time add a dollar per gallon tax to the price of gas to pay for both the incentives to the automakers and to help pay for alternative energy research.
That it hasn't happened in the years since 9/11 is yet another example of poor leadership on the President's part. (Believe me...had Mr. Bush asked for an increase in fuel taxes in late September of 2001, the American people would have gladly obliged.)
Unfortunately, it's only a half-step in the right direction. Only 1,000 gas stations across the country (out of 170,000) are capable of dispensing the gas/ethanol blend, and Detroit automakers are stubbornly resistant to the development of other forms of fuel efficiant cars.
And this is why they have seen their profits disappear as Asian and European automakers race past them with more gas efficient automobiles and Hybrids.
The solution is easy: Pass huge tax incentives to the idiots in Detroit to make a swift switch over to Hybrid technology. It would be the fastest and cleanest way to cure America's addiction to foreign oil. At the same time add a dollar per gallon tax to the price of gas to pay for both the incentives to the automakers and to help pay for alternative energy research.
That it hasn't happened in the years since 9/11 is yet another example of poor leadership on the President's part. (Believe me...had Mr. Bush asked for an increase in fuel taxes in late September of 2001, the American people would have gladly obliged.)
23 March 2007
"Welcome to the Boomtown"
Your Song of the Day was my choice for the best single of 1986..."Welcome to the Boomtown" by David & David. The track is a superb and intense composition that combines the independent spirit of early Peter Gabriel and the British soul of Roxy Music. Enjoy.
"Welcome to the Boomtown" by David & David
"Welcome to the Boomtown" by David & David
A Bad Day in the Middle East
Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Salam al-Zubai was wounded today in a suicide attack near his home.
Fifteen British soldiers who were conducting routine inspections of merchant shipping in the Persian Gulf were taken prisoner by Iranian forces today.
Fifteen British soldiers who were conducting routine inspections of merchant shipping in the Persian Gulf were taken prisoner by Iranian forces today.
22 March 2007
John and Elizabeth
Quote of the Day:
Elizabeth Edwards, who was diagnosed with breast cancer the day after the 2004 presidential election (in which John was the Democratic V.P. nominee), found out yesterday that the cancer had spread to her ribs - and possibly a lung. As a result it is no longer curable.
The couple, who lost their 16-year-old son in a car accident in 1996, say that the presidential campaign will continue:
Any time, any place I need to be with Elizabeth I will be there - period.-Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, when asked today about how his wife's illness will affect his candidacy.
Elizabeth Edwards, who was diagnosed with breast cancer the day after the 2004 presidential election (in which John was the Democratic V.P. nominee), found out yesterday that the cancer had spread to her ribs - and possibly a lung. As a result it is no longer curable.
The couple, who lost their 16-year-old son in a car accident in 1996, say that the presidential campaign will continue:
We've been confronted with these kind of traumas and struggles already in our life. When this happens you have a choice - you can go and cower in the corner or you can go out there and be tough.A note to the Republicans...the next time you spout off about family values, stop while you're ahead and take a look at the Edwards family. For there you will find the shining example.
I Heart Al
Quote of the MONTH:The planet has a fever. If your baby has a fever, you go to the doctor. If the doctor says, 'You have to intervene here,' you don't say, 'Well, I read a science fiction novel that says this isn't important.' If the crib's on fire, you don't speculate that the baby is flame-retardant.-Former Vice-President Al Gore, on the very real threat facing the globe, to a Congressional Committee yesterday.
Watch Mr. Gore tear into skeptics in this short video here. (Link and then click on the "click to play button" below the video screen.)
Once Again America Voted...
...and they fucked it up!
Granted, Stephanie Edwards had lost her groove on the last couple of episodes of "American Idol," but she was still one of the better singers and did not deserve to go home last night. Yet the two contestants who CAN'T sing - Salamander and Haley - are still on the show.
Once again I'll throw my reasoning out there: For Sanjaya, it's the little future fag hags of America. And for Haley, it's horny teenage boys who use their one free hand to flip open their cell phones and vote for her jiggly boobies.
They should just change the name of the show to "America's Talentless Wonders."
Update: A reader suggests the producers change the format for next season. America still votes, but then the bottom two have to peform one more time, followed by the three judges deciding who should go home.
Granted, Stephanie Edwards had lost her groove on the last couple of episodes of "American Idol," but she was still one of the better singers and did not deserve to go home last night. Yet the two contestants who CAN'T sing - Salamander and Haley - are still on the show.
Once again I'll throw my reasoning out there: For Sanjaya, it's the little future fag hags of America. And for Haley, it's horny teenage boys who use their one free hand to flip open their cell phones and vote for her jiggly boobies.
They should just change the name of the show to "America's Talentless Wonders."
Update: A reader suggests the producers change the format for next season. America still votes, but then the bottom two have to peform one more time, followed by the three judges deciding who should go home.
Edwards & Wife Will Hold Press Conf Today
Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards will hold a press conference with his wife Elizabeth today at noon, ET to discuss her health. Mrs. Edwards, who is recovering from breast cancer, visited her doctor yesterday with the former Senator.
Obviously no one knows anything yet, but on the surface this doesn't sound like good news.
Obviously no one knows anything yet, but on the surface this doesn't sound like good news.
The State of American Education
Mark Kleiman has an excellent post up on his Reality-Based Community website discussing the sorry state of education in the United States.
Money quote:
How do we fix it? Again, Mark Kleiman:
Either way, I agree teachers should be paid their worth. But with that higher paycheck needs to come competence. (Along with a longer school day and a year-round school calendar.
One thing is for certain: If we don't fix the problem quickly, the next generations are going to find themselves falling behind China, India, and the rest of the world at a fast clip.
And then what? I don't see America as the world's sole superpower with an under-educated work force. Just look at the decline our prestige has taken under the leadership of a "C" student.
Money quote:
...on average, our undergraduates don't come in knowing how to write a grammatically correct sentence, let alone a well-reasoned essay...and lots of them write sentences in which the verbs don't agree with the subjects in number.I am nowhere near decently educated so I am no expert on the matter of the state of education, but it is plainly obvious that education in 2007 is piss-poor when compared to, say, 1987. (It doesn't help when the dictionary folks add things like "bootylicous" to the American language, but that's a post for another day.)
I once reviewed a draft essay with an extremely bright UCLA biology major. To point out an agreement error, one of many in that stack of papers, I underlined a sentence and said, "What's the subject of this sentence?" She responded by telling me what the sentence was about. When I said that what I wanted was the grammatical subject, it took her three guesses to find it. It took her three more guesses to find the verb. No, I'm not making this up.
How do we fix it? Again, Mark Kleiman:
When grade-school teachers have incomes high enough to be able to afford elite colleges for their children, and the professional prestige we now accord to doctors, we'll be on our way.Of course, with the income and prestige will have to come accountability. Perhaps teachers should be required to have masters degrees. OR...make it worthwhile for professionals in other fields to come in and teach.
Either way, I agree teachers should be paid their worth. But with that higher paycheck needs to come competence. (Along with a longer school day and a year-round school calendar.
One thing is for certain: If we don't fix the problem quickly, the next generations are going to find themselves falling behind China, India, and the rest of the world at a fast clip.
And then what? I don't see America as the world's sole superpower with an under-educated work force. Just look at the decline our prestige has taken under the leadership of a "C" student.
21 March 2007
Rot In Hell
If ever there were a reason to take a criminal (or in this case, three), lock them up in a cinderblock jail cell in the middle of the desert, and leave them to rot...this is it.
Knut
Kudos to the Berlin Zoo for standing by their three-month old polar bear cub named Knut, ignorning demands by "animal rights" campaigner Frank Albrecht that the animal be allowed to die after being rejected by its mother.Albrecht:
Hand-rearing a polar bear is not appropriate and is a serious violation of animal rights. In fact, the cub should have been killed.Uhhh...fuck him!
Knut's mother Tosca - formerly a performing animal in an East German zoo - rejected Knut and his twin brother shortly after their birth. The twin died but Knut was "adopted" by zookeeper Thomas Doerflein.
The polar bear is bottle-fed, washed and cuddled by his adoptive father, who moved in to the zoo to sleep in a bed by the bear's crate. Newspapers report that Doerflein also plays him Elvis songs on the guitar and gave him Christmas presents.
Knut was never going to be let into the wild, so what's the harm? Maybe I'm guilty of being a softy - aww, hell, I'm guilty of having a heart, but it seems to me the zookeeper's intervention was the humane thing to do.
Respect Rudy's Authori-TAH!
Quote of the Day:
No wonder this guy is leading in the Republican primary polling. I didn't think it possible, but Giuliani's form of Fascism could make Bush's seem like we've enjoyed the personal freedoms of Amsterdam.
...freedom is not a concept in which people can...be anything they can be. Freedom is about authority. Freedom is about the willingness of every single human being to cede to lawful authority a great deal of discretion about what you do.-Former New York Mayor and leading Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani, in March 1994. (Source: The Daily Dish)
No wonder this guy is leading in the Republican primary polling. I didn't think it possible, but Giuliani's form of Fascism could make Bush's seem like we've enjoyed the personal freedoms of Amsterdam.
Game On
The Democrats see the President's "compromise" offer, and raise him a few subpoenas...
...to Karl Rove and Harriet Miers, among others.
...to Karl Rove and Harriet Miers, among others.
'Idol' 20 March: I Heart Lulu
First off, the judges were way too nice last night. It seemed as if they had all sneaked some pills from Paula's stash! I mean, they thought Sanjaya was good?! Obviously they didn't hear what I heard.
Here is this week's recap:
Haley: She's the female Sanjaya at this point; meaning she is the worst female singer, yet for some reason keeps coming back week after week.
Chris R: The song and arrangement were good for him this week and resulted in, as Randy said, his best performance so far.
Stephanie: She looked hot in those black boots, but she's done better performance-wise. Steph has coasted the last few weeks and needs to get back to her powerhouse center.
Blake: This boy never ceases to amaze me. He's got the personality and pipes of a real up-and-coming pop star. Of the guys he is far and away the one to beat. His performance of the Zombies' "Time of the Season" was very sexy ("who's your daddy") and again proved that he has the voice to go along with his beat-boxing.
LaKisha: Ok, "Kiki" proved that she possesses the "diva factor" by totally ignoring Lulu's strong recommendation that she sing "You Are My World," and instead singing "Diamonds Are Forever." The result was a performance that was just ok. Nothing special, nothing awful.
Phil: I admire him for getting this far in the competition, but I can't help but think he's done all he can do and is approaching his end on the show.
Jordin: I totally disagreed with the judges on this one...this was not a strong performance. She didn't really put her heart into a song as big as "I, Who Have Nothing."
Sanjaya: Ugh. Are you kidding me!? I've been battling yet another chest/cold/sinus thing this week and Tiki Tiki Tembo trots out and hacks a classic Kinks tune to death, the result being my head wanting to explode. The judges gave this no-talent kudos (again, I think they all did a hit of ecstasy or something before the show...for that's the only explanation for heaping praise on this kid). And was there really some sorry-ass tubby crying in the audience?! I see stalker charges in that poor girl's criminal-filled future. (But hey...at least we now know who is voting for "Sangina"...ugly fat girls with braces who have are obviously going to grow up with crush after crush on gay boy after gay boy.
Gina: She tried to rock out but, as Simon said, her vocals sucked big time. "D" for singing but a "B" for effort.
Chris S: Like Phil, I think this guy has gone about as far as he can. His performance proved that he has limited vocal range and last night's version of "She's Not There" was the perfect example of sports-bar karaoke singing.
Melinda: She told Lulu that this week's "British Invasion" theme put her out of her comfort zone. Then she went out on that stage and once again blew the other contestants away. By far the best vocal of the night. Let there be no doubt, this woman is the ultimate professional. When this season of "Idol" is over watch Melinda Doolittle's career explode!
Here is this week's recap:
Haley: She's the female Sanjaya at this point; meaning she is the worst female singer, yet for some reason keeps coming back week after week.
Chris R: The song and arrangement were good for him this week and resulted in, as Randy said, his best performance so far.
Stephanie: She looked hot in those black boots, but she's done better performance-wise. Steph has coasted the last few weeks and needs to get back to her powerhouse center.
Blake: This boy never ceases to amaze me. He's got the personality and pipes of a real up-and-coming pop star. Of the guys he is far and away the one to beat. His performance of the Zombies' "Time of the Season" was very sexy ("who's your daddy") and again proved that he has the voice to go along with his beat-boxing.
LaKisha: Ok, "Kiki" proved that she possesses the "diva factor" by totally ignoring Lulu's strong recommendation that she sing "You Are My World," and instead singing "Diamonds Are Forever." The result was a performance that was just ok. Nothing special, nothing awful.
Phil: I admire him for getting this far in the competition, but I can't help but think he's done all he can do and is approaching his end on the show.
Jordin: I totally disagreed with the judges on this one...this was not a strong performance. She didn't really put her heart into a song as big as "I, Who Have Nothing."
Sanjaya: Ugh. Are you kidding me!? I've been battling yet another chest/cold/sinus thing this week and Tiki Tiki Tembo trots out and hacks a classic Kinks tune to death, the result being my head wanting to explode. The judges gave this no-talent kudos (again, I think they all did a hit of ecstasy or something before the show...for that's the only explanation for heaping praise on this kid). And was there really some sorry-ass tubby crying in the audience?! I see stalker charges in that poor girl's criminal-filled future. (But hey...at least we now know who is voting for "Sangina"...ugly fat girls with braces who have are obviously going to grow up with crush after crush on gay boy after gay boy.
Gina: She tried to rock out but, as Simon said, her vocals sucked big time. "D" for singing but a "B" for effort.
Chris S: Like Phil, I think this guy has gone about as far as he can. His performance proved that he has limited vocal range and last night's version of "She's Not There" was the perfect example of sports-bar karaoke singing.
Melinda: She told Lulu that this week's "British Invasion" theme put her out of her comfort zone. Then she went out on that stage and once again blew the other contestants away. By far the best vocal of the night. Let there be no doubt, this woman is the ultimate professional. When this season of "Idol" is over watch Melinda Doolittle's career explode!
20 March 2007
"When I see your Fascist Faces..."
Your Song of the Day is dedicated to George W. Bush and his administration - that group of radical right wingers who have trashed the Constitution beyond recognition.
"Fascist Faces" by Elton John
"Fascist Faces" by Elton John
When Democrats Lead...
...the Republican administration is held to account:
Earlier today the U.S. Senate reversed the portion of the Patriot Act that allowed the President to appoint U.S. Attorneys without confirmation.
The vote was 94 to 2.
Earlier today the U.S. Senate reversed the portion of the Patriot Act that allowed the President to appoint U.S. Attorneys without confirmation.
The vote was 94 to 2.
George's Thug
News item: The White House offered Tuesday to make political strategist Karl Rove available for interviews with congressional committees investigating the firing of eight federal prosecutors for purely political reasons. The Administration does not want him to testify before those committees under oath.
Of course they don't. We're talking about Karl Rove. If he had to raise his right hand before talking with these committees...well...that would turn into...like...the biggest case of perjury in the history of the United States.
Of course they don't. We're talking about Karl Rove. If he had to raise his right hand before talking with these committees...well...that would turn into...like...the biggest case of perjury in the history of the United States.
Taliban Resurgance
News item: Afghans who help American forces are having their ears and noses chopped off by Taliban militants.
Well done, Mr. President. So glad you took your eye off the ball.
Well done, Mr. President. So glad you took your eye off the ball.
The Doc Dump
News item, 2002: U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald receives the Attorney General's Award for Distinguished Service in recognition of his pursuit of criminal cases against Osama bin Laden and other global terrorist networks.
News item, 2005: The Attorney General's Chief of Staff, Kyle Sampson, rates Fitzgerald's performance as "poor," stating he had not distinguished himself in his role as U.S. Attorney.
For the record, the Valerie Plame case (which Fitzgerald was investigating) was in full swing in 2005.
But there were no politics involved in the review of U.S. Attorney job performances. Right?
Right?
The dump of 3,000 documents regarding the firing of several U.S. Attorneys continues. TPMmuckraker is going through them with a fine tooth comb. You can see what they find here.
News item, 2005: The Attorney General's Chief of Staff, Kyle Sampson, rates Fitzgerald's performance as "poor," stating he had not distinguished himself in his role as U.S. Attorney.
For the record, the Valerie Plame case (which Fitzgerald was investigating) was in full swing in 2005.
But there were no politics involved in the review of U.S. Attorney job performances. Right?
Right?
The dump of 3,000 documents regarding the firing of several U.S. Attorneys continues. TPMmuckraker is going through them with a fine tooth comb. You can see what they find here.
The Lessons of Iraq...
...and of an incompetent President.
I am pressed for time this morning but Gary Hart's excellent essay on the Huffington Post is well worth the read. He lists four lessons to be learned from the Iraq debacle. You can read it here.
I am pressed for time this morning but Gary Hart's excellent essay on the Huffington Post is well worth the read. He lists four lessons to be learned from the Iraq debacle. You can read it here.
19 March 2007
Four Years On
Four years ago today the bombs started dropping in the Iraq War. President Bush and his White House minions said the war was being fought in retaliation for 9/11.
Yesterday the San Francisco Chronicle dedicated its entire Insight section to those Bay area residents who lost their lives because of George W. Bush's unlawful, ill-conceived, mis-managed occupation of a foreign country that had nothing to do with 9/11.
Take some time to read them here.
Yesterday the San Francisco Chronicle dedicated its entire Insight section to those Bay area residents who lost their lives because of George W. Bush's unlawful, ill-conceived, mis-managed occupation of a foreign country that had nothing to do with 9/11.
Take some time to read them here.
A Democrat with Cajones
Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico plans to sign a bill legalizing medical marijuana. When asked about the possible backlash this may have to his presidential candidacy, the Governor responded:
So what if it's risky? It's the right thing to do.The Global Governor just moved to the top of my list.
Dead-Beat Newt
Quote of the Day #2:
[Former Republican House Speaker] Newt Gingrich married his first wife Jackie when he was 19. She was loyal, faithful and helped put him through graduate school. He still dumped her later on and had the class to file for divorce while she was in hospital recovering from cancer surgery. LH Carter, his former campaign treasurer, recalls Gingrich saying of Jackie: "She's not young enough or pretty enough to be the wife of the president. And besides, she has cancer." He refused to pay alimony or child support.Family values, indeed.
His second marriage lasted almost two decades, but it broke up while he was having an affair with a staffer 23 years younger than him, to whom he is now married. He was having the affair while coordinating impeachment proceedings against President Clinton [regarding his extramarital affair].
Bush vs Clinton
Quote of the Day:
Bush has allowed federal spending to climb by nearly $800 billion in six years, and he hasn’t once used his veto power to control the size of government. Hillary will still have to tack right to capture conservative centrists on the economy, but if she can convince voters she’ll govern like her husband, she’s got a good case.-Daniel J. Mitchell of the San Francisco Examiner, making the case for Hillary in an essay that essentially presents the former President Clinton as the better ecomonic steward when compared to the current President Bush.
16 March 2007
In Over His Head
Quote of the Day:
We can take Cohen's argument back to the very beginning. George W. Bush was nowhere near qualified to be president, yet America saw fit to give him the job (twice!). The unqualified chief executive then placed unqualified people in key adminstration posts and we are now in one hell of a mess.
Cohen's series is definately worth your time...
Part 1 is here.
Part 2 is here.
Part 3 is here.
Say it with me: The. Worst. Administration. Ever.
Update: So who should replace Gonzales should he resign or be fired? Andrew Cohen has an excellent idea in part 4 of his Post series.
...a man who was proven to be unqualified for the job of Attorney General got it anyway and made a complete mess of things. Judged by performance in office, it is only slightly hyperbolic to say that Gonzales is to the Justice Department and to the Constitution what former FEMA chief Michael Brown was to New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. President Bush Wednesday stood by his old friend "Al." At least this time, he didn't say "heckuva job."-Andrew Cohen, concluding his superb three-part series in the Washington Post on the case against Alberto Gonzales.
We can take Cohen's argument back to the very beginning. George W. Bush was nowhere near qualified to be president, yet America saw fit to give him the job (twice!). The unqualified chief executive then placed unqualified people in key adminstration posts and we are now in one hell of a mess.
Cohen's series is definately worth your time...
Part 1 is here.
Part 2 is here.
Part 3 is here.
Say it with me: The. Worst. Administration. Ever.
Update: So who should replace Gonzales should he resign or be fired? Andrew Cohen has an excellent idea in part 4 of his Post series.
Super-duper Tuesday
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill yesterday that moves California's 2008 presidential primary from June to February 5th. The idea is to make the nation's largest state more relevant to each party's nominating process, since by June the nominees are more are less chosen.
That's fine. There's nothing wrong with that. We should have more of a say in the nominating process. But here's the thing...
Rather than put the entire primary - not just for president, but for everything else as well - in February, California voters will have to return to their polling places in June to vote in primaries for every other political office (congress, state legislature, state senate, etc.).
Not only is it a waste of time, but a waste of money as well. The California Secretary of State estimates that this extra election will cost the state and the counties up to $90 million.
That's fine. There's nothing wrong with that. We should have more of a say in the nominating process. But here's the thing...
Rather than put the entire primary - not just for president, but for everything else as well - in February, California voters will have to return to their polling places in June to vote in primaries for every other political office (congress, state legislature, state senate, etc.).
Not only is it a waste of time, but a waste of money as well. The California Secretary of State estimates that this extra election will cost the state and the counties up to $90 million.
Alberto and Karl
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, to the Senate Judiciary Committee last month:
Rove was the epicenter of this U.S. Attorney purge from the word go. The guy is obviously pathological. Every one of the attorneys fired was a Republican. The reason they were let go was because there was no evidence of wrong-doing against Democratic candidates in their jurisdiction and they wouldn't trump up charges at Rove's request. Of course, that wouldn't matter to Karl. The issues are rarely on their side so better to find a way to steal elections.
And then for Rove and the White House to insist this whole thing was Harriet Miers' idea (Bush's outgoing White House counsel). The poor woman had little, if anything, to do with this.
Gonzales is obviously on his way out. With both Democrats and Republicans calling for his head, I don't think he can hang on too much longer. But Rove has to go, too. The man has become a danger not only to the President politically, but our system of government as a whole.
I would never, ever make a change in the United States attorney position for political reasons.Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty, to a Congressional Committee in February:
When I hear you talk about the politicizing of the Department of Justice, it's like a knife in my heart.An e-mail from Kyle Sampson, Mr. Gonzales' Chief of Staff, from January 2005, as Mr. Gonzales was preparing to become Attorney General:
If Karl [Rove] thinks there is the political will to do it, then so do I.Why the press didn't immediately see this as vintage Rove is absolutely mind-boggling. This is a guy who was know for pushing prosecution of Democrats on trumped up charges right before election time in Texas, only to see those charges fall by the way-side right after they lost to Rove's Republican candidate.
Rove was the epicenter of this U.S. Attorney purge from the word go. The guy is obviously pathological. Every one of the attorneys fired was a Republican. The reason they were let go was because there was no evidence of wrong-doing against Democratic candidates in their jurisdiction and they wouldn't trump up charges at Rove's request. Of course, that wouldn't matter to Karl. The issues are rarely on their side so better to find a way to steal elections.
And then for Rove and the White House to insist this whole thing was Harriet Miers' idea (Bush's outgoing White House counsel). The poor woman had little, if anything, to do with this.
Gonzales is obviously on his way out. With both Democrats and Republicans calling for his head, I don't think he can hang on too much longer. But Rove has to go, too. The man has become a danger not only to the President politically, but our system of government as a whole.
15 March 2007
White Boy Soul
The finger-pointing and jacket-flipping in his choreography were a bit Michael Jackson-esque, but Blake Lewis' take on the old Supremes classic "You Keep Me Hanging On" on American Idol this week was superb.
It's your Song of the Day. Enjoy.
It's your Song of the Day. Enjoy.
Oh. My. GAWD.
I don't know...I guess there must be some sort of teenage contigent out there...a combination of future fag hags and future gay boys...who are voting for that talentless, dull, nervous-as-a-bird nelly Sanjaya Malakar.
The guy voted off - Brandon Rogers - definately deserved to be in the bottom two. He forgot the words, was off key, and has been consistantly lacking in the talent department. But Malakar is so much worse. The thought of having to endure him for yet another week makes my skin crawl.
The guy voted off - Brandon Rogers - definately deserved to be in the bottom two. He forgot the words, was off key, and has been consistantly lacking in the talent department. But Malakar is so much worse. The thought of having to endure him for yet another week makes my skin crawl.
Playing God
News Item: The evangelical pastor R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has suggested that, if homosexuality is genetic, pre-natal treatment to reverse gay orientation would be "biblically justified."
So, I guess it would be justified for the stupid, bigot, and hate genes as well. Right?
So, I guess it would be justified for the stupid, bigot, and hate genes as well. Right?
Coincidence?
The Justice Department chickens are coming home to roost in the U.S. Attorney firing scandal right smack dab in the middle of National Ethics Awareness Month.
14 March 2007
Fox News Hates Black Americans
Oh. My. Gawd. You have to see it to believe it...
You gotta love John Gibson's call to white Americans to "make more babies," because, you know, they'll vote Republican when they grow up.
You gotta love John Gibson's call to white Americans to "make more babies," because, you know, they'll vote Republican when they grow up.
Hillary's Dodge
Quote of the Day:
This is the perfect situation of when Sen. Clinton irks people most. Those on the left because she made the calculated decision to dodge the question, and those on the right...well...for the same reason.
Senator, you weren't asked what "others conclude." You were asked for your thoughts. Good gawd! If this is how she's going answer the hard questions then she ought to bow out now. Sorry, Hillary. Non-answers just aren't good enough.
Al Gore...come to our rescue!
Well I'm going to leave that to others to conclude.-Sen. Hillary Clinton (Democrat-NY), her party's leading candidate for their presidentinal nomination, on ABC News this morning when asked whether she agreed with Joint Chiefs Chairman Peter Pace that homosexuality is immoral.
This is the perfect situation of when Sen. Clinton irks people most. Those on the left because she made the calculated decision to dodge the question, and those on the right...well...for the same reason.
Senator, you weren't asked what "others conclude." You were asked for your thoughts. Good gawd! If this is how she's going answer the hard questions then she ought to bow out now. Sorry, Hillary. Non-answers just aren't good enough.
Al Gore...come to our rescue!
The Big Five-Oh
News Headline: "Osama Turns 50"
For those keeping track, he was 44 when President Bush vowed to "bring him to justice."
For those keeping track, he was 44 when President Bush vowed to "bring him to justice."
Time For Them to Go
Washington Post Headline: "Time to Go, Mr. Gonzales"
I couldn't agree more. And he should be followed by Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney.
I couldn't agree more. And he should be followed by Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney.
Send. Sanjaya. Home.
A review of last night's "American Idol"...
The Best Vocals of the Night:
Melinda Doolittle: Once again she set the bar. Melinda has been consistantly strong and professional throughout the competition. And her reaction to the audience's applause at the end of her song proved she's genuine as well.
Blake Lewis: I don't care what the judges thought...Blake's interpretation of "You Keep Me Hanging On" was stellar. He brought a classic Supremes song into the 21st Century. The boy proved he has the ear for hip, upbeat arrangements.
The Worst:
Send. Sanjaya. Home. Good God! As I listented to him hack through "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" I thought to myself he wouldn't have made it through the first audition had he sung that badly. Then Randy proved my point by saying he didn't know what to make of the performance and telling Sanjaya how bad it was.
Bottom line: Sanjaya is not Idol material. He can't sing, and if he isn't voted off tonight then the producers need to think long and hard about whether the voting is rigged by outside forces or whether they need to put the decision making in the judges hands.
Chris Richardson: I've never understood all the hoopla around Chris. Yeah, he's not a bad singer...well...until last night. "The Boss" was the wrong song for him and he could be in real danger of going home.
Chris Sligh and Brandon Rogers also sucked but should stay on another week because, in the end, Sanjaya needs to go the hell home.
The rest of the gang performed ok. As Randy kept saying, these weren't the best performances but they weren't the worst either.
Except for Sanjaya.
Have I mentioned that I think he should go home?
The Best Vocals of the Night:
Melinda Doolittle: Once again she set the bar. Melinda has been consistantly strong and professional throughout the competition. And her reaction to the audience's applause at the end of her song proved she's genuine as well.
Blake Lewis: I don't care what the judges thought...Blake's interpretation of "You Keep Me Hanging On" was stellar. He brought a classic Supremes song into the 21st Century. The boy proved he has the ear for hip, upbeat arrangements.
The Worst:
Send. Sanjaya. Home. Good God! As I listented to him hack through "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" I thought to myself he wouldn't have made it through the first audition had he sung that badly. Then Randy proved my point by saying he didn't know what to make of the performance and telling Sanjaya how bad it was.
Bottom line: Sanjaya is not Idol material. He can't sing, and if he isn't voted off tonight then the producers need to think long and hard about whether the voting is rigged by outside forces or whether they need to put the decision making in the judges hands.
Chris Richardson: I've never understood all the hoopla around Chris. Yeah, he's not a bad singer...well...until last night. "The Boss" was the wrong song for him and he could be in real danger of going home.
Chris Sligh and Brandon Rogers also sucked but should stay on another week because, in the end, Sanjaya needs to go the hell home.
The rest of the gang performed ok. As Randy kept saying, these weren't the best performances but they weren't the worst either.
Except for Sanjaya.
Have I mentioned that I think he should go home?
13 March 2007
The U.S. Attorney Affair
Things are coming to light at a fast clip and, being at work, I just don't have the time to review everything as it happens. Needless to say, the firing of U.S. Attorneys for political purposes - and the fact that documents and testimony show that the orders for the firings came from as high up as the Attorney General and the President - is just further proof that this administration thinks it is above the law.
And, in my opinion, another charge that the Congress should consider impeachable.
Josh Marshall and his wonderful staff are following this story as every little bit of news breaks. You can keep up on things as they happen by way of Josh's Talking Points Memo website by clicking here.
And, in my opinion, another charge that the Congress should consider impeachable.
Josh Marshall and his wonderful staff are following this story as every little bit of news breaks. You can keep up on things as they happen by way of Josh's Talking Points Memo website by clicking here.
F*ckwad of the Week
Joint Chiefs Chairman Peter Pace:
And one more thing, sir. Do you really (I mean REALLY) want to debate morals with the stories coming out of Walter Reed about the horrendous treatment of Iraq War veterans hanging over your head?
I believe homosexual acts between two individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts. I do not believe the United States is well served by a policy that says it is OK to be immoral in any way.Chairman Pace. Meet Staff Sgt. Eric Alva.
And one more thing, sir. Do you really (I mean REALLY) want to debate morals with the stories coming out of Walter Reed about the horrendous treatment of Iraq War veterans hanging over your head?
The Corpse's Bride
From Reuters:
An Indian woman, despairing over her lover's accidental death when he fell down a well soon after their engagement, insisted on ceremonially marrying his corpse just minutes before the cremation.Nothing...not even the death of her fiance...is gonna keep a bride from her wedding gifts!
Wedding attendees sat the corpse up by a fire, the traditional center of Hindu wedding ceremonies, and chanted some marriage prayers before cremating the body, police said.
The bride's parents opposed the marriage but later attended the wedding ceremony and gave their 22-year-old daughter Tulsi Devipujak clothes and utensils as gifts, according to the Hindu tradition.
Thompson Could Shift the '08 Playing Field
Fred Dalton Thompson (Republican-TN), the actor who plays District Attorney Arthur Branch on NBC's "Law and Order" - and the former U.S. Senator from Tennessee - is mulling over a run for his party's presidential nomination. Friends and colleagues say he'll announce his decision in May.While that may be a bit late in this cycle's game to catch up to frontrunners John McCain and Rudy Guiliani, Thompson's star status and solid conservative credentials will, I think, fill the void created by doubts Republican voters have about the Arizona Senator and former New York Mayor.
Against Hillary Clinton, Thompson would win a massive landside victory. Against the other Democrats, he wins comfortably - no matter what Iraq looks like, no matter how unpopular George W. Bush is, no matter how strong the case is for a change in party management at the White House.
Remember, the Democrats once dismissed the chances of another actor who wanted to be president. That was in 1980. This contest will take place in 2008, when Americans are more star-struck and dumb-downed that ever before. An actor such as Fred Thompson could take President Bush's same disasterous polices, wrap them in shiney new paper, and present them with a charm and personality the current Democratic field could only wish to have (well, save Sen. Obama) and the American public would be dumb enough to fall for it.
Big Love
A new CNN poll shows Rudy Guiliani leading among Republican voters for his party's presidential nomination in 2008. 34% prefer the former New York mayor over Sen. John McCain (18%), former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney (9%), and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (9%).
Among them, the four candidates have nine wives.
And at least one tawdry affair.
Among them, the four candidates have nine wives.
And at least one tawdry affair.
"Movin' On"
Your Song of the Day is the new single from Elliott Yamin. He placed third in last year's "American Idol" contest with his sweet, smooth, soulful voice. In fact, it can be argued that he gave the best performance of the entire 2006 season when he belted out Donny Hathaway's "A Song For You."
His first album is in the can and will be released later this month. If the first single is any indication, it will put Yamin in the same league as Hathaway and many other top tier R&B legends.
Click here and enjoy "Movin' On" by Elliott Yamin.
His first album is in the can and will be released later this month. If the first single is any indication, it will put Yamin in the same league as Hathaway and many other top tier R&B legends.
Click here and enjoy "Movin' On" by Elliott Yamin.
He Loves Lucy
Just a reminder that not all dogs know how to swim:
Lucy, a 10-month-old English bulldog, chased ducks into a partly frozen lake near Randy Gurchin's home in Papillion, Nebraska, but quickly became paralyzed in the icy water and briefly went under.
The 50-pound (23-kg) dog was unresponsive and had a blue face and bloody foam around its muzzle when Gurchin, who flew combat missions over Iraq and Afghanistan, edged onto the ice.
"The ice started to crack under me. I just picked her up," he said. "I thought she was dead."
But Gurchin, 51, put his military first-aid training to use. He closed Lucy's mouth, put his mouth over her nose and started forcing air into her lungs and pushing on her chest.
Within minutes, the dog began breathing shallowly and was rushed to a nearby veterinarian.
Doctors soaked Lucy in warm water, injected steroids and muscle relaxants and put her in an oxygen chamber. She has since made a full recovery.
12 March 2007
George W. Bush Hates Our Troops
Quote of the Day 2:
Now, Sgt. Jenkins is not some whiney wimp who dosen't want to return to a mismanaged war. No...Jenkins suffered a spinal injury during his last tour and doctors tell him that the injury could worsen simply by wearing the heavy protective gear supplied by the Army.
According to Salon.com, at least 74 other soldiers who are deemed medically unfit to fight are being sent back to fight in Iraq.
This president boggles the mind. He doesn't care one iota about the troops he sends into a war zone. Even less so when they return home.
Say it with me: The. Worst. President. Ever.
This is not right.-Master Sgt. Ronald Jenkins, on being ordered back to Iraq.
Now, Sgt. Jenkins is not some whiney wimp who dosen't want to return to a mismanaged war. No...Jenkins suffered a spinal injury during his last tour and doctors tell him that the injury could worsen simply by wearing the heavy protective gear supplied by the Army.
According to Salon.com, at least 74 other soldiers who are deemed medically unfit to fight are being sent back to fight in Iraq.
This president boggles the mind. He doesn't care one iota about the troops he sends into a war zone. Even less so when they return home.
Say it with me: The. Worst. President. Ever.
He Has Not a Clue
Quote of the Day:
Say it with me: The. Worst. Administration. Ever.
We opposed Mr. Gonzales’s nomination as attorney general. His résumé was weak, centered around producing legal briefs for Mr. Bush that assured him that the law said what he wanted it to say. More than anyone in the administration, except perhaps Vice President Dick Cheney, Mr. Gonzales symbolizes Mr. Bush’s disdain for the separation of powers, civil liberties and the rule of law.-The New York Times editorial page, yesterday.
On Thursday, Senator Arlen Specter, the senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, hinted very obliquely that perhaps Mr. Gonzales’s time was up. We’re not going to be oblique. Mr. Bush should dismiss Mr. Gonzales and finally appoint an attorney general who will use the job to enforce the law and defend the Constitution.
Say it with me: The. Worst. Administration. Ever.
10 March 2007
"Wish That I Could Talk To You"
I will be away from the computer for a couple of days and will return on Monday morning. I leave you with one more classic R&B tune from the Sylvers.
While the group's bubblegum hits were well-done guilty pleasures, their earlier and later singles (as well as countless other album tracks) showcased the wonderful harmonies of these brothers and sisters. They could out-sing the Jacksons any day, could all play an instrument or two, and their choreography was legendary.
This Sunday marks the third anniversary of the death of Edmund Sylvers, the lead singer on many of the group's better known hits in the '70s. On this one he shared lead with his brother Leon. The single, from the family's self-titled debut album, went to #10 in late 1972. Enjoy.
"Wish That I Could Talk To You" by the Sylvers.
While the group's bubblegum hits were well-done guilty pleasures, their earlier and later singles (as well as countless other album tracks) showcased the wonderful harmonies of these brothers and sisters. They could out-sing the Jacksons any day, could all play an instrument or two, and their choreography was legendary.
This Sunday marks the third anniversary of the death of Edmund Sylvers, the lead singer on many of the group's better known hits in the '70s. On this one he shared lead with his brother Leon. The single, from the family's self-titled debut album, went to #10 in late 1972. Enjoy.
"Wish That I Could Talk To You" by the Sylvers.
09 March 2007
An Imperial Presidency?
Andrew Sullivan, on how much the Constitution has been battered under the Bush administration:
Even if Bush, Cheney, and Gonzales aren't convicted in the Senate, if the House chooses not to impeach then what on earth will prevent future presidents from over-stepping?
Food for thought.
Alberto Gonzales's role in allowing the justice system to be polluted by political interests is central. The U.S. attorneys scandal is very troubling, but it is just a small part of a much larger pattern...Andrew's post was in response to an earlier post by Scott Horton in which Horton states:
How confident can we be that the organs of government really are neutral with respect to party and person any more? And how comfortable do you feel living in a country where the president has the right to detain any one indefinitely without trial, and subject them to torture if he deems to appropriate?
What worries me even more is where this administration or a future one might take the country after another terror attack on the scale of 9/11.
In the Bush presidency, we have witnessed a severe systems test of foundational principles, indeed, an effort to transform the system. At this point, the outcome remains uncertain. A few scattered newspapers and Congressional hearings will not be enough to check the sea change that Bush's legal team has launched.Then, as I said on Wednesday...impeach the sons-of-bitches. The Attorney General included.
Even if Bush, Cheney, and Gonzales aren't convicted in the Senate, if the House chooses not to impeach then what on earth will prevent future presidents from over-stepping?
Food for thought.
It's Not Just A Job, It's An Adventure
It seems the Republican Party has another James Gannon on their hands. Marine reservest - and Conservative Political Action Conference darling - Matt Sanchez is blaming that evil liberal media for bringing to light his work as a porn-star and a gay hooker.
Sanchez believes we should pay more attention to his appearances on Fox News and less to his starring roles in such films as "Touched By an Anal" and "Donkey Dick" (by the name of "Rod Majors," no less!). He's trying to put the whole gay porn/gay prostitute thing behind him.
HOWEVER, Joe.My.God has the scoop. It seems ol' Matt/Rod was looking for some male ass just two weeks ago.
Update: A hilarious take on the whole Matt/Rod matter from Tom Bacchus can be read here (NOT safe for work).
Sanchez believes we should pay more attention to his appearances on Fox News and less to his starring roles in such films as "Touched By an Anal" and "Donkey Dick" (by the name of "Rod Majors," no less!). He's trying to put the whole gay porn/gay prostitute thing behind him.
HOWEVER, Joe.My.God has the scoop. It seems ol' Matt/Rod was looking for some male ass just two weeks ago.
Update: A hilarious take on the whole Matt/Rod matter from Tom Bacchus can be read here (NOT safe for work).
The Final 12
I wanted to throw something at the TV last night when Ryan Seacrest announed that we will have to put up with Sanjaya Malakar for yet another week. Hello!? The guy isn't up to the task, he's way too timid for that stage (wait until next week when he gets to the bigger stage), and he can't sing.
Granted, outside of Blake Lewis and Chris Richardson none of the guys has a chance at being named the "next American Idol." That said, Jared Cotter would have at least kept the show in tune for another week or so.
On the girls side I still can't believe that Haley Scarnato is in the top 12. She's the worst singer of the bunch (girls AND boys). The only reason she keeps moving forward - that I can think of - is because teenage boys are using their spare hand to open their cell phones and vote for her.
Sabrina Sloan wasn't the best singer, but she sure as hell didn't stink. That she was sent home over Haley is an insult!
Time to shake things up a bit, I think. Next year the judges should make the weekly decisions as to who stays and who goes. Leaving it in the hands of viewers is obviously not working.
Granted, outside of Blake Lewis and Chris Richardson none of the guys has a chance at being named the "next American Idol." That said, Jared Cotter would have at least kept the show in tune for another week or so.
On the girls side I still can't believe that Haley Scarnato is in the top 12. She's the worst singer of the bunch (girls AND boys). The only reason she keeps moving forward - that I can think of - is because teenage boys are using their spare hand to open their cell phones and vote for her.
Sabrina Sloan wasn't the best singer, but she sure as hell didn't stink. That she was sent home over Haley is an insult!
Time to shake things up a bit, I think. Next year the judges should make the weekly decisions as to who stays and who goes. Leaving it in the hands of viewers is obviously not working.
"A Little Bit o' This, A Little Bit o' That..."
Your Song of the Day is a funk classic: "Free Style" by the Sylvers. Charmaine and Angie belt this #1 smash out of the park while their brothers jam on guitar, bass, piano, and drums. The track is from the family's 1975 album "Showcase."
It begins at the 1:12 mark - just past the brief set-up interview with little Foster. Enjoy...
"Free Style" by the Sylvers.
(Special thanks: MusicXman)
Note: The YouTube link provided also includes the family performing their platinum single, "Boogie Fever."
It begins at the 1:12 mark - just past the brief set-up interview with little Foster. Enjoy...
"Free Style" by the Sylvers.
(Special thanks: MusicXman)
Note: The YouTube link provided also includes the family performing their platinum single, "Boogie Fever."
08 March 2007
John Inman, 1935 - 2007
British actor John Inman, who brought the loveable character Mr. Humphries to life on the classic BBC series "Are You Being Served?" died in London early this morning from complications of a Hepatitis A infection. He was 71.
Inman's partner of 35 years, David Lynch (whom he married in Westminster on Christmas Eve, 2005), is said to be "devastated" by the death of his life partner.
For those of you not in the know, "Are You Being Served?" is one Britain's best known sitcoms (it ran from 1972 to 1985). Following is a classic scene, featuring the always hilarious Inman...
Inman's partner of 35 years, David Lynch (whom he married in Westminster on Christmas Eve, 2005), is said to be "devastated" by the death of his life partner.
For those of you not in the know, "Are You Being Served?" is one Britain's best known sitcoms (it ran from 1972 to 1985). Following is a classic scene, featuring the always hilarious Inman...
Bravo, Melinda!
Two weeks ago, when Simon Cowell said that the "American Idol" contest was essentially over because he figured LaKisha Jones was going to win, I balked. Granted, it was because I was over "Dreamgirls" (she sang "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going")...but still, I balked.
Enter Melinda Doolittle. That woman has some pipes! On the girls' side she's the only one who has been consistantly good...hell, superior...week after week. Her rendition of "I'm a Woman" last night proved you could throw her up on a stage next to powerhouses like Whitney Houston (in her '80s hey-day) and Chaka Khan and she would more than hold her own.
Stephanie Edwards, Sabrina Sloan, and Jordin Sparks should join Melinda (and LaKisha) in the final 12.
And America should keep sending the white girls home. Specifically this week, Antonella Barba and Haley Scarnato. Open your ears folks...They. Can't. Sing.
Enter Melinda Doolittle. That woman has some pipes! On the girls' side she's the only one who has been consistantly good...hell, superior...week after week. Her rendition of "I'm a Woman" last night proved you could throw her up on a stage next to powerhouses like Whitney Houston (in her '80s hey-day) and Chaka Khan and she would more than hold her own.
Stephanie Edwards, Sabrina Sloan, and Jordin Sparks should join Melinda (and LaKisha) in the final 12.
And America should keep sending the white girls home. Specifically this week, Antonella Barba and Haley Scarnato. Open your ears folks...They. Can't. Sing.
What, What, What?
Quote of the Day:
Scandal free? I've always admired Gergen, but what planet has he been on the last six years?
This is an administration that has been mostly free of scandal over the last six years and now they have the taint that they cannot erase. It has damaged this White House, and I think it's damaged the Republican prospects for 2008 in taking the White House and keeping it.-David Gergen, adviser to Presidents Nixon, Reagan, and Clinton, discussing the fallout of the Scooter Libby trial yesterday on CNN.
Scandal free? I've always admired Gergen, but what planet has he been on the last six years?
07 March 2007
The Next Step: Impeachment
Quote of the Day:
I'll go a step further. Despite my post of 9 November urging the new Congress to stay away from impeachment, I now believe that in addition to Vice-President Cheney, the President should be impeached as well. For if ever there was a case to impeach and remove from office a President and Vice-President, this is it. Misleading the American public and the world at large about the need for war with Iraq - and then mismanaging that war from the earliest stages of planning...well...I think if our founding fathers were here today they would tell you in no uncertain terms that this is exactly the scenario that played out in their minds when they drafted the impeachment clause of the Constitution.
For good measure, let's not forget the Bush administration's lack of competence on other major issues like Katrina, Walter Reed, and America's financial solvency. Or the dangerous precedent they've set by endorsing the use of torture, and the stripping away of habeas corpus.
It really is time for them to go. America can't afford to wait until November, 2008. The House of Representatives should approve articles of impeachment against both George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, the Senate should convict both and remove them from office, the International War Tribunal should then arrest both men and charge them with war crimes, and Speaker Pelosi should take the reigns for what remains of this presidential term.
That would irk conservatives to no end, I know, but if Pelosi agreed not to run for a full term in 2008, they'd survive.
As it stands right now, America is at a crossroads. And Congressional leadership of both parties need to understand that there is really only one appropriate way out.
Impeachment.
If a President can be impeached for lying about a blow job then by God a Vice President should be impeached for setting in motion the forces that destroyed an intelligence network during a time of war.-Larry Johnson, a CIA operative and counter-terrorism official in the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations, on how Congress needs to take the ball handed to them by Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald and run with it.
I'll go a step further. Despite my post of 9 November urging the new Congress to stay away from impeachment, I now believe that in addition to Vice-President Cheney, the President should be impeached as well. For if ever there was a case to impeach and remove from office a President and Vice-President, this is it. Misleading the American public and the world at large about the need for war with Iraq - and then mismanaging that war from the earliest stages of planning...well...I think if our founding fathers were here today they would tell you in no uncertain terms that this is exactly the scenario that played out in their minds when they drafted the impeachment clause of the Constitution.
For good measure, let's not forget the Bush administration's lack of competence on other major issues like Katrina, Walter Reed, and America's financial solvency. Or the dangerous precedent they've set by endorsing the use of torture, and the stripping away of habeas corpus.
It really is time for them to go. America can't afford to wait until November, 2008. The House of Representatives should approve articles of impeachment against both George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, the Senate should convict both and remove them from office, the International War Tribunal should then arrest both men and charge them with war crimes, and Speaker Pelosi should take the reigns for what remains of this presidential term.
That would irk conservatives to no end, I know, but if Pelosi agreed not to run for a full term in 2008, they'd survive.
As it stands right now, America is at a crossroads. And Congressional leadership of both parties need to understand that there is really only one appropriate way out.
Impeachment.
The Lingering Libby Problem
The Christian Science Monitor provides an excellent wrap-up and analysis of the Scooter Libby verdict - and the residual ramifications it poses for the Bush administration. You can read it here.
The 6th of March
Remember this date - March 6, 2007. It will be remembered as the day the house of cards known as the Bush White House came crumbling down.
Scotter Libby is convicted of perjury charges that could very well lead to the impeachment of the Vice-President of the United States. (Democrats, are you listening?)
The second day of hearings took place into the horrid, shameful conditions our injured Iraq War veterans have to face at Walter Reed.
Several U.S. Attorneys testified in separate hearings that they were fired for not perverting justice to serve the political agenda of the Republican Party.
Say it with me: The. Worst. Administration. In. History.
Scotter Libby is convicted of perjury charges that could very well lead to the impeachment of the Vice-President of the United States. (Democrats, are you listening?)
The second day of hearings took place into the horrid, shameful conditions our injured Iraq War veterans have to face at Walter Reed.
Several U.S. Attorneys testified in separate hearings that they were fired for not perverting justice to serve the political agenda of the Republican Party.
Say it with me: The. Worst. Administration. In. History.
Idol: March 6
Umm...I hate to sound like a broken record...but Sanjaya needs to go the hell home. He wowed the judges at his initial audition but since then has turned in nothing but timid, weak performances. It's obvious he can't handle the pressure. If he doesn't go home Thursday night then "Idol" is so rigged by outside forces that it will need to reassess how "America votes."
Overall, the guys sucked big time. In my opinion the judges have only themselves to blame. They picked this below average group at the early Hollywood stage of the game and left some potentially great singers behind. (Of course, last week's voters can be blamed as well. Sending A.J. home over Sanjaya was a huge mistake. Then again, we're talking about a country that sent George W. Bush back to the White House, so I shouldn't be surprised.)
The winner of the night? Once again, Blake Lewis. That white boy has rhythm! It wouldn't surprise me if he's the one guy left when the show gets to the final four.
Overall, the guys sucked big time. In my opinion the judges have only themselves to blame. They picked this below average group at the early Hollywood stage of the game and left some potentially great singers behind. (Of course, last week's voters can be blamed as well. Sending A.J. home over Sanjaya was a huge mistake. Then again, we're talking about a country that sent George W. Bush back to the White House, so I shouldn't be surprised.)
The winner of the night? Once again, Blake Lewis. That white boy has rhythm! It wouldn't surprise me if he's the one guy left when the show gets to the final four.
NY Times Going Soft?
Is the New York Times going tabloid? After yesterday's Hillary Clinton puff piece, Carol Marin thinks so.
Money quote:
Money quote:
The writer observes, "She is the diligent student who gets an A in penmanship, the woman in a hurry who still takes care to dot her i's."
Talk about being damned with faint praise.
If that's a meaningful warning sign of what kind of president she would be, what the heck do you say about the poor student currently in the White House?
06 March 2007
The Walter Reed Scandal
Quote of the Day:
...in the Clinton years...the Veterans Health Administration was, by many measures, providing the highest-quality health care in America. But as with FEMA, the Bush administration has done all it can to undermine that achievement. And the Walter Reed scandal is another Hurricane Katrina: the moment when the administration's misgovernment became obvious to everyone.-New York Times columnist Paul Krugman.
More on C-Word
C-Word Coulter went on Fox Jazeera yesterday to try and dignify the "faggot" comment she made at the recent Fascist Round-Up:
I didn't use an insulting word. I used a schoolyard word...it's a schoolyard taunt meaning wuss, meaning nerd, meaning weenie, meaning lame.Uhh, sorry Ann. Thousands of school kids are subjected to the "faggot" taunt on a daily basis, and in many cases it may be followed with a punch to the face or a kick to the gut (literally). "Weenie" and "lame" don't wield such underlying hate.
05 March 2007
If Not Hillary, Who?
One of my faves is Gov. Bill Richardson (Democrat-NM). The former Congressman, U.N. Ambassador, Energy Secretary, and global deal maker easly "out-resumes" every other announced candidate.
Even former Rep. J.C. Watts (Republican-OK) and conservative columnst David Brooks think the guy would be a formidable president.
This is not an endorsement, but at this point Bill Richardson is probably the Democrats' best candidate.
Even former Rep. J.C. Watts (Republican-OK) and conservative columnst David Brooks think the guy would be a formidable president.
This is not an endorsement, but at this point Bill Richardson is probably the Democrats' best candidate.
Humorless Hillary
Quote of the Day:
The reader is a self-proclaimed "Scoop Jackson Democrat" who "held her nose very hard" voting for Al Gore and John Kerry. And she will never vote for Hillary.
As I've said before, Sen. Clinton would make an excellent president. But with these kind of negatives, is she really the candidate the Democrats want on their presidential ticket?
With each passing day I come closer to a solid "no."
She is like a humorless, adult, Little Miss Sunshine...-A reader of Andrew Sullivan's, on her dislike of Hillary Clinton.
The reader is a self-proclaimed "Scoop Jackson Democrat" who "held her nose very hard" voting for Al Gore and John Kerry. And she will never vote for Hillary.
As I've said before, Sen. Clinton would make an excellent president. But with these kind of negatives, is she really the candidate the Democrats want on their presidential ticket?
With each passing day I come closer to a solid "no."
Starts With a "C"
It's a horrible word. One I hate to use. Ever. But really, if there is only one bitch to attach this word to, it's the venomous Ann Coulter.
Plain and simply, she's that word.
It starts with a "c," ends with a "t," and has the letters "u" and "n" in the middle.
Plain and simply, she's that word.
It starts with a "c," ends with a "t," and has the letters "u" and "n" in the middle.
02 March 2007
White Boy Funk
Your Song of the Day is the tune that Blake Lewis performed on "Idol" this week.
"Virtual Insanity" by Jamiroquai
"Virtual Insanity" by Jamiroquai
You Go Girl
Her name is Olive.
She lives near Sydney, Australia.
She's 107 years old.
And she has a blog.
(Or, as she calls it, a "blob.")
She lives near Sydney, Australia.
She's 107 years old.
And she has a blog.
(Or, as she calls it, a "blob.")
Not the Way It's Supposed to Happen
It's been an absolutely horrific two days for America's kids. Eight students died yesterday at Enterprise High School in Alabama after a tornado struck the school, blowing out walls and collapsing the roof.
And early this morning six people died when a charter bus carrying the Bluffton University baseball team from Ohio to Florida crashed through a guardrail and plunged over the side of a 20-foot overpass in Atlanta.
And early this morning six people died when a charter bus carrying the Bluffton University baseball team from Ohio to Florida crashed through a guardrail and plunged over the side of a 20-foot overpass in Atlanta.
When "America Votes"...
...really stupid things happen.
OK...I understand that Nick Pedro and A.J. Tabaldo would never have been named the "next American Idol," but at least they would kept the damn show in tune for a few more weeks.
Now we're forced to listen to Titi-Kaka whine his way through yet another week.
Can't say that I was shocked on the girls side, though. Four white girls down, three to go.
OK...I understand that Nick Pedro and A.J. Tabaldo would never have been named the "next American Idol," but at least they would kept the damn show in tune for a few more weeks.
Now we're forced to listen to Titi-Kaka whine his way through yet another week.
Can't say that I was shocked on the girls side, though. Four white girls down, three to go.
01 March 2007
'Idol' Recap
The guys: It was three-way tie in my book. Nick Pedro, Chris Richardson, and Blake Lewis gave the best peformances. Nick's voice was sultry and smokey and sexy; and Chris & Blake proved that there are actually some white boys out there who have rhythm.Tiki Tiki Tembo, dressed in Michael Jackson's old outfit from "Smooth Criminal," just needs to go away. (Brandon Rogers should be the other guy to go home.)
The gals: Melinda Doolittle rocked my world last night. Her performance was stellar. Stephanie Edwards impressed me as well, I just hated the song she chose. LaKisha Jones proved she ain't all Simon hyped her up to be last week. Her performance this time around was a bit weak.
Who should go home? Alaina Alexander! She hacked the hell out the Dixie Chicks' "Not Ready to Make Nice." Good for her for choosing a song that everyone in the South hates, but the least she could have done was sing it in tune. And Haley Scarnato just plain ol' stunk. Time to say "bu-bye" to these two.
All the white girls should be sent home, actually. None of them can sing.
Some post-results thoughts tomorrow.
The Biden Plan
The number one question to any of the presdential nominees of either party should be this: "Knowing that things could very well be different in Iraq by January of 2009, in order to give us an idea of how you would pick up the pieces over there, tell us how you would handle Iraq today if you were president?"
Right now, the only candidate who would have a solid, grown-up answer with any chance of working is Sen. Joe Biden (Democrat-DE):
Anyone?
Right now, the only candidate who would have a solid, grown-up answer with any chance of working is Sen. Joe Biden (Democrat-DE):
Nine months ago, Leslie Gelb of the Council on Foreign Relations and I proposed a plan, which offers a roadmap to a political settlement in Iraq that gives its warring factions a way to share power peacefully and us a chance to leave with our interests intact.And so...Hillary, Barack, or John; or the other John, Mitt, or Rudy...what sort of plan would you put forth today - here and now - that would best clean up the mess George W. Bush has made in Iraq, with the least amount of casualties?
The plan would decentralize Iraq and give Kurds, Shi'ites, and Sunnis control over their daily lives; bring the Sunnis in by guaranteeing them a fair share of the oil; enlist the support of Iraq's neighbors and the world's major powers to promote the plan with the Iraqis; and withdraw US combat forces by 2008.
The Bush administration has bet everything on a future that will not happen...Our plan offers a way to make federalism work for all Iraqis. And it offers the possibility -- not the guarantee -- of producing a soft landing in Iraq. That would be the best possible outcome for Iraq and for America.
Anyone?
Half Baked
Rep. Sam Johnson (Republican-TX), arguing against withholding funds for an escalation of the Iraq War:
To our troops we must remain always faithful.It seems Rep. Johnson was for it before he was against it. Here he is in 1995 arguing FOR withholding funds for President Clinton's troop commitments in Bosnia:
Somebody had to stand up and say no to Bill Clinton's ill-advised, half-baked plan to send American sons and daughters to Bosnia to enforce peace.
Announcing That He'll Announce
Following his previous announcement of the formation of an Exploratory Committee, Sen. John McCain (Bush Bitch-AZ) announced yesterday that he'll officially announce his presidential candidacy at a later date.
You got all that?
You got all that?
An Adult Conversation: The Movie
As promised, here is on-line video of last night's debate between former Gov. Mario Cuomo (Democrat-NY) and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (Republican-GA). Click here to watch.
Walter Reed Commander Knew of Neglect For Years
Excerpts from a Dana Priest article in this morning's Washington Post:
Top officials at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, including the Army's surgeon general, have heard complaints about outpatient neglect from family members, veterans groups and members of Congress for more than three years.Absolutely shameful, the way this administration treats the men and women who come back from Iraq maimed and broken.
...as far back as 2003, the commander of Walter Reed, Lt. Gen. Kevin C. Kiley, who is now the Army's top medical officer, was told that soldiers who were wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan were languishing and lost on the grounds, according to interviews.
Rep. C.W. Bill Young (Republican-FL) and his wife...once visited a soldier who was lying in urine on his mattress pad in the hospital.
Schlesinger Dies
Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., Pulitzer Prize-winning author, and assistant to Presidents Franklin Roosevelt and John Kennedy, died in New York City on Wednesday night. He was 89.
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