26 April 2007

Off to Chicago...

...to give the bride away. My sister is getting married on Saturday and Brent and I fly to Chicago this morning for the celebration.

There'll be no blogging between now and our return on Tuesday. I'll check in then.

In the mean time, your Song of the Day is dedicated to my sister and future brother-in-law. Click here for "Wedding Day" by the Bee Gees.

Special Shout Out

...to L & T. Thanks for watching Ms. Chloe while we're away. We appreciate it!

Them vs. Us

Quote of the Day:
Neither one of them [Clinton or Obama] took the chance to do what Rudy [Giuliani] did: explain in a few short sentences why the country would be safer with a Democrat in the Oval Office. Is it really that hard? Giuliani's position is clear: more war, more domestic surveillance, more torture, and fewer civil liberties. And while it's true that the liberal position on making America secure is a little more complicated than the schoolyard version of foreign affairs beloved of Bush-era Republicans, it's not that complicated. So instead of complaining about how mean Giuliani is, why can't Obama and Clinton just tell us what they'd do?

Whining just reinforces the message that Democrats are wimps. The real way to be "hard hitting" is to explain why Giuliani is wrong and what Democrats would do instead...Until they do, Rudy and the Republicans are going to win every round of this fight.
-Kevin Drum, on the tepid Democratic response to a speech by Rudy Giuliani in which the former NYC mayor laid out why a Republican should be elected president in 2008.

Many of my fellow progressives tend to get themselves worked up when I agree with people like Kevin Drum. But the thing of it is, he's right. I aruged this point in 2004. John Kerry needed to play "Reagan" to George W. Bush's "Carter." Even at that point in his presidency Mr. Bush's weaknesses and incompetence were bubbling under the surface. A stronger Democratic candidate would have beaten him soundly.

The 2008 Democratic ticket can't make the same mistake. The country can't afford it.

25 April 2007

"Everybody"

Yesterday marked the 25th anniversary of Madonna's very first single, "Everybody." It's your Song of the Day. Enjoy.

Fascist F*ckheads

F*ckhead of the Week...Oregon State Rep. Dennis Richardson (Fascist):
This past week has been like no other. On Monday the world witnessed the tragedy at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. On Tuesday Oregon witnessed the passage of Domestic Benefits for same-sex couples (HB 2007) and Civil Rights based on sexual orientation.
I understand that there are many Americans who are against gay marriage and a smaller number who are against civil unions. But when Republican lawmakers equate the passage of a civil unions bill with the largest mass shooting in recent American history...well...is it any wonder I refer to those lawmakers as Fascists?

Idol Delay

Sorry, folks...but this week's "Idol" recap will be posted before the West Coast feed of the results show. I've been assigned DJ duties for my sister's wedding this weekend and was busy last night putting playlists together. I'll view the show later this afternoon and give a brief critique later.

24 April 2007

Dirty Diapers

That's what I think of when I hear the name of Ford's latest gas guzzler...the Super Duty.

25 Years with Madge

Twenty-five years ago today, on 24 April 1982, Sire Records released the very first single by an artist from suburban Detroit, Michigan. The single was called "Everybody."

And it was by artist named Madonna.

Pop music - not to mention pop culture - has never been the same.

Ebert on the Mend

Quote of the Day:
I have received a lot of advice that I should not attend the festival. I’m told that paparazzi will take unflattering pictures, people will be unkind, etc.

Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.

...We spend too much time hiding illness. There is an assumption that I must always look the same. I hope to look better than I look now. But I’m not going to miss my festival.

P.S. to gossip rags: I have some back pain, and to make it easier for me to sit through screenings, the festival has installed my very own La-Z-Boy chair.

Photos of me in the chair should be captioned “La-Z-Critic.”
-Film critic Roger Ebert, in a letter to his readers in today's Chicago Sun-Times, on why he plans to be in attendance at his 9th Annual Overlooked Film Festival in Urbana, Illinois this week.

Ebert has been out of commission since last summer when he was hospitalized with some unantcipated bleeding episodes following surgery to remove a portion his mandible.

Wishing him all the best from the left coast!

Happy Birthday, Ouisa!

It is Shirley MacLaine's birthday. The Academy Award winning actress turns 73 today.

Her previous life is 156.

And the one before that is 262.

Up 12

Sen. Barack Obama (Democrat-IL) has pulled even with Sen. Hillary Clinton (Democrat-NY) in the quest for their party's presidential nomination. Trailing Clinton in late March by 12 points, Obama is now tied at 32% with the former First Lady.

I figured these two would go back and forth through 2007, but a 12-point gain in less than a month is a bit unexpected. Did Obama really pick up that sort of speed, or is this poll just an outlier?

We'll have to watch what other polls show over the next couple of weeks. And if Al Gore enters the race, Hillary and Barack might just find their early numbers tumble.

More on Gore

From Patrick Healy at the Caucus:
...about 20 former fund-raisers and supporters of former Vice President Al Gore will gather in Washington next month to talk about politics, memories and Mr. Gore’s future at a dinner being organized by Peter Knight, his close friend and political ally.

The dinner comes as speculation has intensified about whether Mr. Gore will be a late entry into the Democratic presidential race. Two people who plan to attend said that a possible presidential run by Mr. Gore in 2008 would inevitably be a topic, given the recent Oscar victory for "An Inconvenient Truth," the buzz about his recent congressional testimony on global warming, his new book that will be out two weeks after the May 8 dinner, and his global "Live Earth" concerts in July.
Whether he runs or he doesn't, something tells me Mr. Gore will make the announcement at one of the "Live Earth" events this summer.

Then again, what do I know?

Dave on George

This has been all over cable news and the "internets" since the weekend, but on the off chance that you haven't seen it, take a look at David Lettermen's contribution to this past weekend's White House Correspondents Dinner (#6 is just plain sad and #2 had me rolling!):

23 April 2007

Makes Me Wonder

Your Song of the Day is the new single from Maroon 5. It's blasted off since being released (at least hear on San Francisco radio). Enjoy "Makes Me Wonder."

Run, Al, Run

From the Sunday Telegraph:
Friends of Al Gore have secretly started assembling a campaign team in preparation for the former American vice-president to make a fresh bid for the White House.

...aware that he may step into the wide open race for the White House, strategists are sounding out a shadow team that could run his campaign at short notice. In approaching...political strategists and communications officials, they are making clear they are not acting on formal instructions from Mr Gore, but have not been asked to stop.
He really is, I believe, our strongest hope for winning back the White House and restoring America's standing as the shining beacon to the rest of the globe. Believe me...there are a ton of voters out there who were undecided in 2000 - and who eventually came down on the side of Mr. Bush that year - who would gladly cast a ballot for Mr. Gore in 2008.

An articulate, intelligent, elder-statesman as chief executive? Imagine!

Ambassador Bill

Quote of the Day:
I can't think of a better cheerleader for America than Bill Clinton, can you? He has said he would do anything I asked him to do. I would put him to work.
-Sen. Hillary Clinton (Democrat-NY), telling a crowd in Marshalltown, Iowa that if she were president she would make her husband a roaming ambassador to the world, using his skills to repair the nation's tattered image abroad.

That proposition alone is worth giving Hillary another look.

20 April 2007

Blog Break

Over the next two weeks I will be taking one brief and one rather long blog break. The first one begins today and will last until Monday morning. The in-laws are driving in from suburban Sacramento for a weekend in San Francisco.

The second, to begin next Thursday and last until the following Tuesday, is due to the fact that my sister is getting married in Chicago on April 28th.

So, the first break starts now. Enjoy your weekend. I'll return to the blogosphere Monday morning.

19 April 2007

America's Decline

Yesterday's Supreme Court decision upholding the Federal law that outlaws so called "partial birth abortions," highlights three things. First and foremost, the conservative court indicated they hold the lives of American women in low esteem. The procedure that is outlawed is generally done to save the life of a mother suffering from critical problems related to her pregnancy. It is rarely, if ever, used to terminate a pregnancy just for the sake of terminating a pregnancy.

And so, in their decision yesterday, five men - none of whom have a clue as to the subject matter on which they were applying Constitutional law - told the 2,000 or so women forced to have this procedure each year that their lives are less important than the wishes of social and religious conservatives who know nothing of what they talk about here.

If just one woman dies because her doctor was unable by law to perform the necessary procedure to save her life, then Justices Roberts, Alito, Scalia, Thomas, and Kennedy will have her blood on their hands.

The second thing the ruling highlights is the effect of judicial appointments on the long term fabric of America. Americans tend to forget that the jurists placed on the federal bench by a president are there for life. These judges will rule on matters of law for potentially decades after a president leaves office. Americans need to remember that on Election Day, 2008. Conservative courts will throw away the Constitution they've taken an oath to protect in order to keep the government in our bedroom, in our doctor's office, in our womb. So much for "limited government."

Whatever your thoughts on the "partial birth abortion" issue, this Court - in which not one medical professional sits - just issued a direct order to physicians nationwide. It was as if these five bafoons were acting as the American Medical Association. In reaction, doctors around the country have denounced this barbaric and short-sighted ruling.

And finally, for those who argue that, should the Court re-visit and overturn Roe v. Wade, the issue will simply go back to the states...well...take a look at this ruling. The law is Federal, therefore the ruling is Federal. States have no say so. Granted, there is no Federal law on the books attempting to overturn Roe; and with the Democrats in control of Congress, one is not likely to be passed for the President's signature. But, should control of Congress turn back to the Republicans, and should a Republican be sitting in the White House at the time, a bill could eventually pass, and the current Supreme Court will obviously rule in the bill's favor.

America's decline following six uninterrupted years of Fascist rule becomes more prominent with each passing day.

18 April 2007

Sometimes, Blogger Sucks

For some reason most of the pictures on here aren't showing. Seems to be a problem with Blogger. We'll see if they have it rectified by morning.

Sorry.

It's About Freekin' Damn Time!!


BUH-bye, TikiTiki Tembo.