And The Colored Girls Go Doo Di Do Di Do Di Do Do

FRIDAY'S RANDOM TEN

Back to Yahoo Radio, tonight.

1. Willie and the Hand Jive - Johnny Otis
2. Perdidos (Version Balada) - Monchy & Alexandra
3. Blessed - Simon & Garfunkel
4. All Messed Up - Breaking Point
5. Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo - Rick Derringer
6. Mississippi Queen - Mountain
7. Once You Get Started - Rufus
8. Walk On The Wild Side - Lou Reed

And The Colored Girls Go Doo Di Do Di Do Di Do Do

9. Levon - Elton John
10. Special Lady - Ray, Goodman & Brown

Bonus Track:

11. Kokomo - The Beach Boys

I actually really love this BB's song, even though I'm a huge traditional BB fan. Maybe it was that damn Tom Cruise movie (laughing).

So, Will Israel Really Kill The PM?

ISRAEL last night threatened to assassinate Palestinian Prime Minister Ismael Haniyeh if Hamas militants did not release a captured Israeli soldier unharmed.

This is just way too bizare. First they go in and "arrest" the Palestinian leaders (at last count, it was up to 32 individuals), and now, they are threatening to kill a representative of an elected government if they don't get their way.

I've always been of the opinion that it would be Israel that would be the first country to actually drop a nuke ... not the U.S., N. Korea, Pakistan, India, China or any other country that may be acquiring or have nukes.

("See, social security should make you feel secure. That's why the word security is in the name, see...")

I haven't been blogging for about a week. I'm not burned out, much, just completely overwhelmed at the stupidity I see every day from this administration. Example, above. I mean, come on, that's the fucking president speaking. How lame is the guy. It's no different than ValSpeak, only replace the "like" with the "see."

Hat tip to Digby.

I've taken to watching mindless television, again.

I've Got Your Flavored Water Right Here

6 New Rule: There's no such thing as flavored water. There's a whole aisle of this crap at the supermarket, water, but without that watery taste. Sorry, but flavored water is called a soft drink. You want flavored water? Pour some scotch over ice and let it melt. That's your flavored water.

Pouring myself a little rum over some ice, and preparing to drink my "flavored water" of choice!

The above was part of George Carlin's "new" rules.

What's The Point?

It's stuff like today's reading in the news media that so sadly disappoints me, and makes me just want to move away from political blogging, and join my friend, DJ Rix, in putting forth a more personal blog, with occasional political rantings.

It's the Santorum WMD meme that has me grumpy. He goes on FOX news and proclaims a certain document proves that there were WMD in Iraq. The problem is that the document refers to stuff found in 1991. However, over the next ten years, Iraq was under scrutiny by the world to get rid of any of his WMD. That's why the inspectors were on the ground in 2000 and 2001, making sure that Hussein was not reconstituting WMD! And, after DOD spokesman debunks Santorum's claims, the new meme emerges that the reason this document was hidden and not declassified until now, was that the United States was protecting Russia, France and China! Because, apparently, those countries had helped Iraq remove and hide the WMDs. Ha ha ha..... sorry, it's funny because it's sooooooo mistakenly wrong. But, regardless, that's what they're going to say.

See, the problem I have with this is because of that approximate 30% of the American people that still believe there was a connection between 9/11 and Iraq. It is these people that are going to buy this bullshit, hook, line and sinker. I mean, come on! When the vice president continues to this day to make that claim, how can you put the onus on the public?

I can only shake my head in wonder, as I watch the right wing pundits lap it up as if it was the fourth of July already.

Sigh.

Hitler Or Coulter - You Decide Who Quoted What

I took this test, and I only got one quote wrong. I properly attributed 13 of the 14 quotes to the right party.

"The Dark Side"

I just finished viewing the PBS Frontline series, with tonight's feature entitled "The Dark Side." This is about Cheney, but also about Rummy and their relationship, and what they did to the CIA, among other things, to justify the lead up to the War (oops, Invasion) of/in Iraq.

There is no doubt in my mind that there is a correlation between congress' slashing of funding for PBS and the airing of this program tonight.

Please, please, for the sake of truth on television, and independent reporting, click on the link at the bottom of this page and donate to PBS.

The House's Pick For Friday's Random Ten

I sort of got tired of Yahoo Radio, so this is my Friday Random Ten, culled from my 10,000+ song titles:

7295 Only You -- The Platters
2048 San Diego Stomp - Bob James & Earl Klugh
9628 Spanish Harlem - Original Broadway Cast of Smokie Joe's Cafe
5462 Moondance - Van Morrison
6890 White Man In A Black Body - Sinbad
8708 Alla En el Rancho Grande - Los Panchos
2223 Ma Estan Hablando del Ceilo - Celia Cruz & Kenito Mendez
175 Hey, Paula - Paul & Paula
7431 Mas Tequila - Sammy Hagar
6928 Men Are Pigs - Tim Allen

Bonus Track:

4676 A Song For You - Ray Charles

Turdblossom Takes Pot Shot At Blogs!

"The Internet for the Left of the Democratic Party has served as a way to mobilize hate and anger -- hate and anger, first and foremost, at this President and Conservatives, but then also at people within their own party whom they consider to be less than completely loyal to this very narrow, very out-of-the-mainstream, very far Left-wing ideology that they tend to represent."

Well, I can only note that the blogosphere has finally got to the Republican party, for such a noteworthy hit from turdblossom!

Lieberman Feels "Terrorized" By Democrats In Party That Support Lamont

In fact, an important Lieberman backer, former Connecticut Democratic chairman John F. Droney Jr., is quoted by the Hartford Courant as a supporter of the plan: "I think to be terrorized through the summer by an extremely small group of the Democratic Party, much less the voting population, is total insanity for a person who is a three-term senator."

This is just insane. And the Democrats still don't get it. The only person doing the terrorizing is Lieberman. What else do you call what he's done to his constituency since this group of Republicans came into power?

UPDATE:

“What’s really going on here is that you have a national coalition of extreme left-wing bloggers attempting to punish a sitting U.S. senator who doesn’t agree with them. And they are putting this on a national stage so they can move on and take control of the Democratic Party nationally and statewide. I think it’s incumbent on the leaders of the party to tell these people to go home, that they’ve got no business using Connecticut as a nuclear blog testing ground.”

Wow!

US Bigger Threat In Middle East? Doooahh!

The presence of U.S. troops in Iraq is a greater threat to Mideast stability than the government in Iran, according to a poll of European and Muslim countries.

People in Britain, France, Germany, Spain and Russia rated America's continuing involvement in Iraq a worse problem than Iran and its nuclear ambitions, according to polling by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. Views of U.S. troops in Iraq were even more negative in countries like Indonesia, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey and Pakistan.

As if that is startling news. Come on, guys.

What Is The "Merit Of Electing Republicans When We End Up With This Type Of Stupidity"

In 2002, a Texas oilman and longtime Republican activist, Ernest Angelo, wrote a letter to Rove complaining that an early version of the rule was causing many in the oil industry to "openly express doubt as to the merit of electing Republicans when we wind up with this type of stupidity."

Rove responded by forwarding the letter to top White House environmental advisors and scrawling a handwritten note directing an aide to talk to those advisors and "get a response ASAP."

Right out in the open. There it is. Big Oil asks what what are the merits of electing Republicans when they don't do our bidding.

Then there is this little tidbit, tucked away in the press.

More than $500 million in wind farm developments in Minnesota face potential delays because of a federal directive to study the effects of wind turbines on military radar installations.

At least four wind projects in the state -- and more than a dozen elsewhere in the Upper Midwest -- have been temporarily denied safety permits from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Instead, the FAA has sent notices of "presumed hazard" that effectively prohibit construction until the wind farm proposals are reviewed further, or until the Department of Defense completes a study ordered by Congress earlier this year.

Oh, that's a good one. How many things, projects and otherwise, are still "pending" waiting for some government review and/or study that will never be forthcoming? This is the administration's favorite story ... we're waiting for review.

And how about this one.

During the cleanup after Hurricane Katrina, local officials and the Environmental Protection Agency depended on one source to find hotspots of toxic chemicals: a database known as the Toxic Release Inventory.

"This was the only information they had to identify toxic chemicals of any kind in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina," says Clayton Northouse, an information policy analyst at OMB Watch, a nonprofit government accountability group.

Until a few weeks ago, the inventory was to be slashed to comply with the Federal Paperwork Reduction Act. The EPA said they were gutting the 20-year-old database to save paper. What they didn't say was that the decision would dramatically reduce pressure on polluters.

Under the plan, companies would report biannually instead of annually and would only have to report toxic releases of more than 5,000 pounds. Currently, the EPA requires reporting of any releases greater than 500 pounds.

Welcome to America, what's left of it.

"The UN is not a private corporation. "This is not a Fortune 500 company."

The U.S. move to link the payment of dues with management reforms, which aims to bypass the 191-member General Assembly, apparently stems from the rationale that those who pay more should have extra influence over the governance of the institution.

But time and again UN officials and diplomats from the world's developing countries have rejected this line of reasoning.

"The universality of the UN is its single greatest comparative advantage," said Malloch Brown recently in response to a question about whether it is justified for some to exert more influence because they pay more.

"It means that everybody has a say in decision making," he added.

That is exactly how diplomats from the 132-member G77 and China, the largest single political block in the General Assembly, believe the reform process should take place.

"It is not like they own Class 'A' and we own common stock," said South Africa's ambassador recently, commenting on the United States and other rich countries' intentions to undermine the role of the developing nations that constitute a visible majority in the General Assembly.

"The UN is not a private corporation," he added. "This is not a Fortune 500 company."

Great statements. I hate Bolton with a passion. This is a man that is one banana shy of a bunch, and couldn't get approved as the ambassador, so Bush "recess" appointed him. If the American people don't fathom just how dangerous that appointment was, and soon, they are going to be in for a rude awakening when this country actually takes it's ball away from the game, and goes home! To not fully understand the importance of the United Nations spells, in my mind, the death knell for world peace, and more unilateralism in military thinking. I am appalled at the number of people that have bought into the right wing/FOX News/talk shows/MSM perception that there is something inherently wrong with the United Nations, and I take issue with the notion that because we are the bigger and richer country, we should own the agenda of the UN.

Bullshit.

I'm so afraid for the future of this country.

Judge Orders Dispute Resolved By Round Of Rock, Paper, Scissors

Faced with the inability of two bickering attorneys to resolve even the most innocuous scheduling questions without his intervention, a Florida federal judge yesterday ordered the two to meet on the steps of the federal courthouse and resolve their latest quarrel by playing "one (1) game of 'rock, paper, scissors.' " (Read the ruling.)

Ok, that made me laugh, especially given the fact that I am employed in the legal field, in litigation. Occasionally, there are these funny rulings!

Judge Gregory A. Presnell of Orlando ordered the unusual measure, which he characterized as "a new form of alternative dispute resolution," after the two Tampa attorneys had proven unable to agree upon where to hold a deposition, even though both of their offices are just four floors away in the very same building in Tampa.

Defense attorney D. Lee Craig, of Butler Pappas Weihmuller Katz Craig, proposed holding the deposition in his office, but plaintiffs' attorney David J. Pettinato of Merlin Law Group wanted it to take place at the court reporter's office down the street.

[snip]

"The winner of this engagement shall be entitled to select the location of the . . . deposition," he ruled, so long as it was within Hillsborough County.

RIP Billy Preston

What can I say about Billy (often referred to as the "fifth Beatle") ... that music lovers don't already know. Aside from his playing on the Beatles' "Get Back," (among others for the Beatles), his own hit singles (yeah, I'm from that generation that begat the single) "Will It Go Round It Circles" and "Nothin From Nothin" rocked.

Keep on pounding those ivories, Billy. I'll hook up with ya, later ...

Typical Cherry-Picking Of Quotes

For some strange reason, a relatively full text of important speeches given by world leaders is almost never provided to the public by any US media in English. I doubt there are even a handful of speeches easily accessible in English by Spanish President Zapatero, e.g. I cannot entirely explain this strange phenomenon, of the coccooned and almost deliberately ignorant approach to the world of the US corporate media and their audience.

Good point by Juan Cole, but, then again, an all too familiar refrain from those of us on the freedom side of the agenda.

Jesus On First, Mary On Second, And The Pope Is Pitching!

In Colorado, there stands a holy shrine called Coors Field. On this site, named for the holiest of beers, a team plays that has been chosen by Jesus Christ himself to play .500 baseball in the National League West. And if you don't believe me, just ask the manager, the general manager and the team's owner.

In a remarkable article from Wednesday's USA Today, the Colorado Rockies went public with the news that the organization has been explicitly looking for players with "character." And according to the Tribe of Coors, "character" means accepting Jesus Christ as your personal lord and savior. "We're nervous, to be honest with you," Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd said. "It's the first time we ever talked about these issues publicly. The last thing we want to do is offend anyone because of our beliefs." When people are nervous that they will offend you with their beliefs, it's usually because their beliefs are offensive.

I found this article kind of funny, about the Colorado Rockies and their experiment the past couple of years with putting forth a Christian baseball team.

If they were in first place, perhaps I would take it seriously. But the Rockies are the perennial middle of the pack finishers, so I guess it might be safe to say that Jesus isn't quite a baseball fan. Perhaps he's more a soccer player, given the part of the world he hailed from.

If Monfort, O'Dowd and Hurdle want to pray on their own time, more power to them. But the ballpark isn't a church. Smoltz isn't a preacher. And fans aren't a flock. Instead of using their position of commercial power to field a God Squad, the Rockies might want to think about getting some decent players. There was once this guy named Babe Ruth. Not too much for the religion, and his character was less than sterling. But I hear he could play some decent ball.

Van Halen FRT

I reached 5150 hits today, so in honor of Van Halen, I loaded up all 38 of my VH songs, hit shuffle, and here are my Friday Random Ten:

1. Higher & Higher (Dreams)
2. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
3. Little Dreamer
4. 5150
5. Hang ‘Em High
6. Why Can’t This Be Love


7. Top Jimmy
8. Running With The Devil
9. Unchained
10. Jump (probably my all time favorite Van Halen song...definitely the first song on the "road trip" playlist!)


Bonus track:

11. Black And Blue (I have a seriously intense story about a sexual encounter to this song, but I shall leave that for my "porn" blog.

New York Has No National Monuments Or Icons

New York has no national monuments or icons, according to the Department of Homeland Security form obtained by ABC News. That was a key factor used to determine that New York City should have its anti-terror funds slashed by 40 percent--from $207.5 million in 2005 to $124.4 million in 2006.

"All I can tell you is if you look at their worksheets, and it says that New York City doesn't have any high visibility national icons ... I mean, I don't have to list the Brooklyn Bridge, the United Nations, Rockefeller Center, the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building and the Stock Exchange," New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in response to ABC News' questions.

The formula did not consider as landmarks or icons: The Empire State Building, The United Nations, The Statue of Liberty and others found on several terror target hit lists. It also left off notable landmarks, such as the New York Public Library, Times Square, City Hall and at least three of the nation's most renowned museums: The Guggenheim, The Metropolitan and The Museum of Natural History.

"I think the facts are clear," Bloomberg said. "What they've really done is taken what was supposed to be threat-based and just started to distribute it as normal pork."

Well, give that guy a cigar, gosh darnit, for the right answer.

The absurdity of this is too blatant for me to make a comment.

I'm Still Waiting For Gov. Taft To Get His

More than two years after investigators began probing Tom Noe’s vaunted political fund-raising ability, he admitted yesterday that he used friends and colleagues to illegally pour thousands of dollars into the effort to re-elect President Bush.

Noe, whose fund-raising acumen earned him star status as a Bush “Pioneer” and helped him secure coveted federal and state political appointments, pleaded guilty to all three felony counts he faced.

[snip]

For more than a year, Republicans in Ohio and Washington have been subjected to continued revelations about a man who had constant access to Gov. Bob Taft’s office and who was a guest at the White House. The President won a second term on the strength of a narrow victory in Ohio.

Yeah, narrow victory my ass. Diebold and friends delivered the victory to Bush, the most illegal president we have ever had. Everything done to put this man in the White House reeks of shit. I just hope that the stench wafts over those red states and their inhabitants, and they don't confuse it with "them farm animals."

...morally and professionally compromised by the Bush administration ...

"Our top public scientists are morally and professionally compromised by the Bush administration partnership with the chemical industry,” stated PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch in a press release. "The fact that this letter had to be sent at all is an utter disgrace but, even more disgraceful, is the likelihood that this warning will be disregarded by an agency that is supposed to be protecting public health and the environment."

Ya think? All of this has been going on during the entire Bush administration, which those of us on the ball have been acutely aware of. It is good to see the open questioning of the "morally and professionaly compromised."