Friday, May 29, 2009

Who Even Gives A Shit What G. Gordon Liddy Has To Say?

I've been on vacation all week, so I haven't really been posting, except for some music tracks. But I just have to comment on the most recent argument against Obama's pick for SCOTUS, this one from G. Gordon Liddy, who as we all know, comes with impeccable credentials (stifling a hard laugh):

LIDDY: Let’s hope that the key conferences aren’t when she’s menstruating or something, or just before she’s going to menstruate. That would really be bad. Lord knows what we would get then.


I see that the right wing nutjobs now are pushing the meme that women cannot perform their jobs because, you know, they get a period!

Today's Republican Party -- the gift that keeps on giving -- stupidity.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

I Can Take Care Of Myself (snark)

As a Beater Buddy, I can honestly say this is such schlock.

Did the "Beaters" have a clue he did this piss poor video??????? Or was it before he "reformed" his Beaters?



At least Angie was "real."

Ha ha.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Teach Your Children It's 2009, Please

What better way to close out the holiday weekend than with CSN.

Top Gun - Mighty Wings

Every time this song plays, someone in my family makes a few bucks! LOL

Memorial Day, 2009



Memorial Day in the United States is the day set aside to honor those that have died while in the military.



I am glad Obama lifted the ban on showing the caskets coming back from Iraq and elsewhere.



On this day, I will refrain from bashing Bush (or Obama for that matter), and just say my prayers and be thankful that men and women of all ages have sacrificed their lives for the United States of America, and for many of the freedoms I enjoy (although they are shrinking, the freedoms, that is).


For many, this is considered the start of the summer, and the barbecue comes out. There are parades in various cities. The Los Angeles Marathon was changed this year from being run the first Sunday in March, to today. Also, Memorial Day used to be May 30, but was changed in 1971 so that it made for a three day weekend. The moment of silence observe is generally at 3:00 p.m. (local time). I will be silent after I put this post up, at around 3:00.

It's also the start of the gas gouging. I noticed the price of gas creep up over 25 cents the week leading up to this weekend.

My 6 Year Old Grandson Running Some Of The 2009 L.A. Marathon!

Every year the Los Angeles Marathon runs right in front of my apartment. Well, except the last two years, which were hell for my grandson and I to get to, so we could keep up the tradition of him running a few blocks in it (since he was 2 years old).

Anyway, this year, it was held on Memorial Day instead of the first Sunday in March, and the route was pretty much as it used to be. Although, I heard that the new owner of the marathon (who also owns the Dodgers) is planning on making the route start at Dodger Stadium and end up at Santa Monica, so that may be the end of being able to walk outside and pull up a chair and watch the runners, not to mention the ease of having my grandson participate. Sigh.


Sunday, May 24, 2009

Wild Orchids!

Another great flower find walking up my block, this time, orchids! I am not an orchid expert, so I can't tell you what kind it is, but to see one growing outside of an apartment is amazing.

Alas, the plumeria tree that used to be on this block, was chopped down for some reason. After I took the pictures, someone took the flowers off the tree, and then a couple of weeks later, it was chopped down. Oh well.





Thursday, May 21, 2009

Heidi and Benji

Opening day of So You Can Think You Can Dance, probably my favorite show (although I watch Survivor like a madwoman -- I still think the dance show is my favorite, as an ex-dancer).

A lot of videos from the years past are hard to put up and keep up online since they keep getting pulled by the YouTube police. I've posted a few of my favorites (like the "bench" dance by Heidi and Travis) but they all get taken down. A quick search of YouTube has someone's hand held camera version online, but it doesn't really show the intensity of the dance and the performance, when viewed from proper camera angles.

This is Benji and Heidi (who are cousins) in a competition they won a zillion years ago, but Benji won So You Think You Can Dance in Season Two, and Heidi was a runner up. Benji now does choreography for the show, as does Travis.




Obviously, it's apparent these two can not only dance, but have been dancing with each other for a long time.

Funny, my cousin Gary and I did some dance contests, and we won, back in the old disco era. All the girls in the family danced with Gary (ha ha ha). Hell, he'd even fight us for our clothes, damn him. And, no, he's not gay (why do people think that male dancers must be gay?)

Military Ok With Firing The Gays, But Can't Quite Let Go Of The Dopeheads

Drug users get to stay in the military, but let's not let GAY people with exemplary records stay.

Hmmmm. Now, who would you rather have with you on a mission in Iraq. The person higher than a kite on god knows what, or a gay person with an impeccable record?

Compare this:

Army commanders are failing to punish or seek treatment for a growing number of soldiers who test positive for substance abuse, possibly because they don't want to lose any more combat troops, the Army's vice chief of staff has warned.

In a May 8 memo to commanders provided to USA TODAY, Gen. Peter Chiarelli said hundreds of soldiers involved in "substance abuse-related misconduct (including multiple positive urinalyses)" were not processed for possible discharge. He also noted that many are not referred to the Army Substance Abuse Program for help.

With this:

After 18 years of active duty in the Air Force, this experienced, decorated, fighter pilot says he ready and willing to deploy again. He is ready to do whatever his country and the United States Air Force ask of him. The military is now firing him. He’s just been informed by the U.S. military that his career is over. After 18 years of service less than two years shy of being able to retire with a full air force pension he’s being discharged from the U.S. air force under the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy.

Despite a record of documented heroism an unblemished career, despite the fact that he estimates the U.S. military spent roughly $25 million training him, Lieutenant Colonel Fehrenbach is being fired. He was informed of his impending discharge in September. He and his lawyer have tried to delay his appeal as long as possible — hoping the new president would fulfill the pledge he made as a candidate to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. So far that hasn’t happened but today there were two important developments on the front. The first is the Obama administration’s decision to accept an appeals court ruling in favor of another discharged air force pilot essentially that ruling said the government has to prove why the continued service of a gay service member in this case a woman, is a threat to military discipline.


[shaking head] It boggles my mind the way some people think. Let's keep the dopeheads (and lest the pot call the kettle black, yes, I do take drugs - but I am not on the front lines serving my country in a war) but kick out the gays.

Yeah, that's the ticket. I am sure Obama will write him a nice letter, too!

Lower My Credit Card Payment, But Let Me Be Exposed To Gun Toting Individuals At Yosemite! Yippee!

When Obama signs a bill with a provision that even Bush wouldn't allow, you really have to ask yourself who's really in charge of the store.

Congress on Wednesday sent President Obama a set of new rules governing credit card companies, completing a trio of consumer-related measures that Democrats had raced to get signed into law by Memorial Day.

But the credit card victory came at a cost that angered some backers of the legislation: approval of an unrelated provision allowing visitors to national parks and wildlife refuges to carry loaded weapons if they are otherwise licensed to possess guns.

[snip]

“The real winners in this amendment are law-abiding Americans who will not be treated as criminals even though they are good people,” Representative Rob Bishop, Republican of Utah, said.


Hmmmm, um, NOT!

This is why how congress operates needs a complete 180 degree overhaul. How and why a bill that is primarily for the purpose of preventing the further gouging of Americans by the credit card industry came complete with an attached piece of legislation allowing people to carry loaded weapons in PARKS is beyond being rational! Scratch going to Yosemite this year off my list, thank you.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

What Book I Read Today

Taking a page out of DJ Rix’s “what I read today/this week/this month,” here is an update on my most recent read.

First off, as I have noted on my blog before, I have this habit of starting a book and then not being able to put it down until it is finished. I can usually polish up a 350 pager in one day.

This book was entitled “Pursuit” by Karen Robards. The book revolved around the death of the wife of the president of the United States, lawyers, FBI, Secret Service agents, Washington elite, and whether the death was an accident or a murder. As I was reading, I could already see the movie, starring Harrison Ford as the Secret Service good guy, and Calista Flockheart as the really tiny lawyer who survived the crash that killed the president’s wife, the driver and another Secret Service agent. The book was fast paced, and you couldn’t really predict the ending. And just a scintilla of romance/sex.

However, since I tend to have the desire to finish off the books when I start them, I’ll have to give myself at least another week to recover from this recent read (especially since I didn’t go to work ... ha ha ha ... and read during the day!)

Friday, May 15, 2009

13 Men

Well, I was surprised to find that "Tina" did a remake of 13 Men.

To me, it will always be an Ann-Margret song, but most people have never heard Ann's version. So, here is the Christina Aguilera version.


Doing The Climb

Doing "The Climb."

Tee Hee.

Enjoy!

"Just Play My Mother Fucking Song"

So, if it's a choice between Beyonce and J-Lo, I'm going J-Lo.

To me, she outsings, and outdances Beyonce, 100 thousand times.

Just Play My Mother Fucking Song!

Thursday, May 14, 2009

TheBudman'sGirl

To the Budman, from TheBudmansGirl:




"Please don't see me ugly, babe..."

Ah, those personal moments. Glad it is MY blog.

I Can't Believe It''s Not Torture!


This graphic is funny. Great work. H/T to Crooks and Liars who linked to Phawker.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Obama Flip Flops Again

He talks the talk, but does not walk the walk. That is Obama, our president.

Gives out taxpayer money to big banks with no oversight, and takes advice from the banking industry that messed things up.

Gives out taxpayer money to Wall Street with no oversight, and heads up his "oversight" committee with the very people that worked with Wall Street to create the financial boondoggle.

He says he will repeal the Don't Ask, Don't Tell law, and yet, he continually refrains from doing so, making excuses one after the other. What, writing a letter to someone that's been fired for admitting being gay is supposed to assuage the problem? I think not.

I could go on, and on, and on, about the campaign promises that Obama just seems unable to actually come through on. And now we have the photo issue.

The ACLU lawsuit is at a point that the government was ordered to release certain photographs concerning the torturing of prisoners of war by our American troops. The Second Circuit Court ruled in December of 2008 that the photos had to be released. In April 2009, the Department of Justice agreed to release these photographs -- which, by the way, caused the vapors for all those on the right spectrum of politics in government and on television (I can't say that Americans, as a whole, had a problem with the release of the pictures). Obama supported the release of the photos. But now, today, Obama reverses himself and is reneging on his agreement to release the photos.

And they called Kerry the flip flopper!

Bush Lite, Our New American President. Same old story, same old game, same people doing the same fuck you to Americans -- except, sadly, it's got a Democratic stamp on it. Kind of makes me sick to my stomach.

"This Is Not About Hayes"

Another good one from the party of NO:

The Senate Democratic leadership is preparing to lose a vote Wednesday morning on the confirmation of David Hayes as Deputy Secretary of Interior. If that happens, it would be the first time Congress votes to reject one of President Obama’s nominees.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s spokesman Jim Manley tells CNN that Democrats believe Republicans will vote in lockstep to block Hayes’ nomination, and therefore, it will fail.

Republican objections to Hayes appear to have little to do with him or his qualifications, and more to do with an Obama administration policy.

Specifically, Utah Republican Robert Bennett has been leading his party’s opposition to Hayes because of an Obama decision to cancel oil and gas leases in Utah.

“This is not about Hayes,” Bennett spokeswoman Tara Hendershott tells CNN.


(shaking my head, then scratching it)

This is our congress at work, ladies and gentlemen. Nothing the Republican party does bears any resemblance to what they are supposed to do as elected officials. It's all payback now because the American people elected a Democrat for president, and stocked both the Senate and the House with Democrats. And the Republicans aren't even looking for cover -- they are out in front with their bullshit. As Robert Bennett has said in his opposition to Hayes, "[T]his is not about Hayes." Yup, voting against the man for the post he is up for, is not about the man at all. Bennett just has a bug up his ass, and as a congresscritter, he'd rather scratch his butt then make an informed decision on his vote.

Go figure.

And, while were on the subject of stupid Republicans, how about their new resolution to rename the Democratic party the Democrat Socialist Party? They can't get their own ducks lined up in a row to rebrand the Republican party's image, so the next plan is to rename the Democrats. That's a hoot. As the Republicans are oft to say when explaining their ridiculousness, "who cares?"

A member of the Republican National Committee told me Tuesday that when the RNC meets in an extraordinary special session next week, it will approve a resolution rebranding Democrats as the “Democrat Socialist Party.”

When I asked if such a resolution would force RNC Chairman Michael Steele to use that label when talking about Democrats in all his speeches and press releases, the RNC member replied: “Who cares?”

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

The Pictures Made Me Do It

In fact, Huckabee defended the utility of waterboarding within 30 seconds of agreeing with Hannity that Obama’s release of interrogation photos was “hurting our nation’s defenses.” Fox reporter Catherine Herridge said that “these pictures of humiliation” can be “a primary factor of suicide bombers.”

It’s not the pictures that recruits suicide bombers; it’s what the
pictures depict. Torture — ordered by Bush and Cheney — damaged America and increased the risk of another terrorist attack, and revealing the truth of what happened doesn’t change that fact.


I have so many things to say about politics over the past four months, but, quite frankly, the things that are of interest to me are already beaten to death between AMERICAblog, DailyKos, FireDogLake and Huffington Post, so why the fuck bother, eh?

In fact, most of those blogs now pay their posters, which I am not in any fashion in disagreement with, it's just that I cannot quit my day job, hence there is no possible way for me to post some political commentary that hasn't already been espoused by the left side of the room.

But, still, the above quote from Think Progress made me feel like at least reminding my readers of the legitimacy of the opinion piece: pictures of our country torturing people is not what has fanned the hate for Americans and their supporters among the Middle East -- it's been the fact that for the past eight years our entire governmental administration supported this option. It was the ideology of the government that was the recruiting tool, and not simply "the pictures."

UPDATE: I found this additional piece funny, from Think Progress:

VENTURA: It’s drowning. It gives you the complete sensation that you are drowning. It is no good, because you — I’ll put it to you this way, you give me a water board, Dick Cheney and one hour, and I’ll have him confess to the Sharon Tate murders.

Monday, May 11, 2009

What Part Of Change Don't You Understand?

The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming

I know that was a Norman Jewison movie, (which my uncle played drums with the band that did most of the sound score - don't confuse that with the soundtrack, which would be the songs used in the movie as opposed to the musical sounds of the movie), but it's what came to mind after all this reading about how "immigrants" are changing the face of politics.

Many of those that are in power in ex-Bushland, and in the Beltway, and in control of conservative talking points are usually just a generation away from their grandparents having come to America from some other country. It was their politics, their children's politics and their grandchildren's politics that have shaped this country.

So, when those older, died in the wool, this is my country, white Christian males. try to tell me there is no room left in America to tolerate the new immigrant politics, I just have to roll my eyes.

The whole point of America is that it is supposed to continually evolve as a nation, not be stagnant at some point in the timeline run by a small contingent of people who have their hands over their eyes.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

I was discussing this day with my daughter, and I reminded her that I was her mother, and not the other way around -- hence she should honor me with gifts and stuff, and not be expecting anything from me.

She proceeded to make the argument for all mothers to be entitled to some form of recognition through gift giving, which made me search out the origins of Mother's Day. This is what I found, as far as America's celebration of the holiday:

In 1912, Anna Jarvis trademarked the phrases "second Sunday in May" and "Mother's Day", and created the Mother's Day International Association.

"She was specific about the location of the apostrophe; it was to be a singular possessive, for each family to honour their mother, not a plural possessive commemorating all mothers in the world."

This is also the spelling used by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson in the law making official the holiday in the U.S., by the U.S. Congress on bills, and by other U.S. presidents on their declarations.

So, the originator of this holiday wanted to make sure that it was the mother in the family that was toasted by the children, and not all mothers.

Score one for me!

Buddah With Thousand Hands

This has to be one of the most beautiful dance pieces I have ever seen. And to know that these dancers are deaf is amazing (you can see the sign language interpreters on each side).



Gives me chills and is such a testament to the fact that you can do anything, really, that you want, in this life!

H/T to AMERICAblog.

These are the Chinese Disabled People’s Performing Art Troupe.

Let's Take Ben Nelson's Insurance Away -- See How He Likes It

FYI: I tried to post this about a week ago, but as I have noted, my posting problems made the sidebar drop to the bottom of the page. I hope now this issue is resolved.

According to CQ, (no link) Senator Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) is opposed to a national health care plan -- because it would be popular among the American public! (H/T to Steve Benen)

But Nelson sides with opponents, who say a government-run plan would undermine the nation’s existing system of employer-sponsored health insurance.

Republicans, insurers and business groups say private insurers could not compete with a government-run plan, which presumably wouldn’t have to spend money on activities such as marketing or developing networks of participating physicians and hospitals. Eventually, opponents say, most consumers would join the public plan, either because its prices are lower or because their employers stop offering insurance.

"At the end of the day, the public plan wins the game," Nelson said. He called the inclusion of a public plan in legislation a "deal-breaker" for him.
So, let me get this straight. As Nelson says, "the public plan wins the game." What is best for Americans with regard to health care is not as important to Sentator Nelson, as he cares more about what is best for private insurers in America who, by the way, provide the worst health care system in the world. The number one concern of Americans today is not having health care, that and, of course, keeping their jobs -- most of which do not offer health care.

I personally have never had insurance, ever. I can't afford it on my own, and I have never worked for a company that provided it. Well, maybe back when I worked for the railroad in the 1970's, I might have had some insurance, but I have always been into homeopathy, and so I rarely would see a traditional or alopathic doctor. Plus, I never get ill enough to see a doctor, and aside from when a car ran over me (did not hit me, it ran over me while I was in the cross-walk) and my leg was broken, I have never needed anything medically that I couldn't afford to pay for myself. (BTW, the driver of the car was well insured, and I received a hefty payout, which I didn't have to share with an attorney since I took care of the matter myself -- but I did have to have surgery and I have a permanent titanium rod in my left leg, from my knee to my ankle).

But, not everyone is as lucky as me, like my daughter and her son. They have insurance provided by the State of California, which is free. In California they have a free prenatal program, and after my grandson was born, we were going to opt into the State funded health insurance for children, which would have cost about $9 a month, but somehow the State enrolled her in MediCal, which gave both her and her son free health insurance. When my daughter was pregnant, she was diagnosed with having the beginning signs of cervical cancer (the HPPV virus was found) but she was unable to do anything about it because she was pregnant. When she gave birth, she had to find a doctor and have surgery to remove part of her cervix. I told her how lucky she was that she was given health insurance by the State, because there was no way either she or I could have afforded the cost of that type of surgery and the follow-up doctor visits required to track the cancer cells and make sure they did not come back.

Even as I type this, I haven't seen a doctor in over 20 years (except for the one I see that prescribes my blood pressure medicine, well, he actually gives me that for free, but I do get a regular script for Valium which keeps me mellow when I have to prepare for trials and other stressful aspects of my job). I know I need to get my eyeglass prescription updated, not to mention new glasses and perhaps contacts again (which I haven't worn in years because I now need to wear either reading glasses or have bifocals). I haven't seen a gyno either (ick, I know you didn't want to know that) in 20 years, mostly because of the cost. Hell, when I broke my front tooth, it took me five years before I finally went to a dentist to have a new crown put in. The first dentist I went to quoted me around $1,200 to replace one fucking tooth. Eventually, my boss found me a friend of his who was a dentist and he put in the new tooth for $700, and my boss paid for half of it -- since he could not afford to give me health care. My boss, by the way, also found my blood pressure doctor, an internist -- both dentist and doctor are Korean, as I work in Koreatown.

I am 57 and really should get check ups and stuff, but it is too expensive, plain and simple. A national health care plan that I could afford would work for me, and I am not alone in this situation.

But Senator Nelson thinks it is more important to keep the private insurance companies happy, those same companies that make it impossible for me to actually afford insurance, and force me to have to seek out individual doctors, dentists and opthamologists on my own and negotiate some type of deal for services.

I tell you, those "centrist" democrats are going to be facing the wrath of their constituents the next round of elections. America has spoken the last few elections, and they have explicitly said "no more" to the corporate hold on this country. Government of the people, for the people, by the people -- not corporations

Make Me A Mormon After I Die? I Hope Not!

I'm still having problems with posting, mostly with pictures and videos.

This little tidbit about the Mormon Church's habit of baptizing dead people, and their lame excuse that these dead people are free to reject said baptism (which is ludicrous to begin with - as if we know whether or not the dead person has actually accepted or rejected said baptism) made me laugh. Courtesy of AMERICAblog:

Maybe it's time we started baptizing Mormons against their will. Or even better, let's hold a ceremony and convert them gay - we can start with Joseph Smith, send him a toaster and all. After all, he can always object from the dead if he doesn't want to be queer.

Sunday, May 03, 2009

Problems With Posting

I was having a problem with putting up new posts after I posted the Buddah With Thousand Hands video. Everything I posted moved my sidebar to the bottom of the page!

I went to Blogger/Google help, and found someone else with the same problem. One guy who used to work for Blogger but eventually quit (out of boredom, I believe he said!) had a whole post on what could cause your sidebar to move to the bottom of the page. Since I had checked all the html codes in my settings and messed around with it a bit, having zero affect on my sidebar problems, one of the things he suggested was removing the last post (or reviewing it for some html missing tag). I decided to remove it (and save it for later reviewing) just because it was easier, and then put up a test post and, voila! Everything is back to normal.

Of course, I had quite a few posts, especially one that was very timely, regarding Ben Nelson -- I will probably put it back up today sometime, although it will now appear a tad old. Then I will try to figure out what was wrong with the Buddah post, and put that back up.

For now, I am just happy things are back to normal (grinning).