Get used to it ... the next thirty days will either be fun or hell for my readers!
Growing up in the 50's-60's television era, these were the types of shows we had to watch, because there was generally only one television set in the house, and the adults got to choose ... although, I will have to admit their choice of Laugh In puzzled me, considering they were not getting the laughs or the jokes.
Still, I had to endure enough of Lawrence Welk to actually enjoy music, for the sake of music.
Variety shows were the staple of the early TV era. And Christmas specials were the norm. The only rival to Perry Como was Andy Williams.
Enjoy this!
Some of the things they could get past the censors ... LOL
Monday, November 30, 2009
It's Begining To Look A Lot Like Christmas!
At this time of the year, I generally log onto AOL as SantasBroad and play music, except, I finally broke the cycle and canceled AOL (seriously canceled it) after 13 years. The rest of the year, I was always DooWopBroad. Basically, I enjoyed playing music using the Wavman program, as well as fucking with the idiots that generally populate AOL (no offense to Bob, one of the few NON idiots on there).
I ended up sick the Thanksgiving weekend, spending three of the four days off, in bed, with a head cold. Thank goodness it wasn't the flu.
I actually went through the steps and showed up for work today. I tend not to work at the office on Mondays, mostly because I can work from my home, and because technology allows me to actually WORK, i.e., I can access my office computer and the entire office accessories (printers, hard drives, files, etc.) from my home, so as long as someone else is at the office to finish up what I do here at home, I am good to go. Execpt, the receptionist (who I usually communicate with through Yahoo Messenger when I work at home) is vacationing this week in Hawai'i (and will bring me flowers, damn it!) so I had to show up just to make sure my boss REALLY saw how sick I was.
Man, and it had to be a busy two hours, too, fuck that. An ex parte notice, rearranging court schedules, calling attorneys to appear, I was wiped out when I left. Thank goodness for the great football game that cheered me up later.
The best part, though, is now I get to play Christmas music (laughs). I get made fun of a lot, but hey, I have over 700 songs in the Christmas genre that I can really only play for about 30 days, so ...
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
I ended up sick the Thanksgiving weekend, spending three of the four days off, in bed, with a head cold. Thank goodness it wasn't the flu.
I actually went through the steps and showed up for work today. I tend not to work at the office on Mondays, mostly because I can work from my home, and because technology allows me to actually WORK, i.e., I can access my office computer and the entire office accessories (printers, hard drives, files, etc.) from my home, so as long as someone else is at the office to finish up what I do here at home, I am good to go. Execpt, the receptionist (who I usually communicate with through Yahoo Messenger when I work at home) is vacationing this week in Hawai'i (and will bring me flowers, damn it!) so I had to show up just to make sure my boss REALLY saw how sick I was.
Man, and it had to be a busy two hours, too, fuck that. An ex parte notice, rearranging court schedules, calling attorneys to appear, I was wiped out when I left. Thank goodness for the great football game that cheered me up later.
The best part, though, is now I get to play Christmas music (laughs). I get made fun of a lot, but hey, I have over 700 songs in the Christmas genre that I can really only play for about 30 days, so ...
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
I'm a happy camper!
Saints Smack Pats
Great football game tonight! I've adopted New Orleans as a fave team since Katrina. At least they rebuilt the dome ... the spirit of NOLA lives on.
Plus, I've hated Brady ever since I had to endure that Chargers defeat a few years ago ... Brady this, Brady that ...
Plus, I've hated Brady ever since I had to endure that Chargers defeat a few years ago ... Brady this, Brady that ...
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Can't Pay Your Student Loan? NY Now Bars Admittance Based On Unpaid Student Loans
Hmmmm. A sign of things to come, as the cost of getting a college education increases significantly.
According to an article in the New York Times, Robert Bowman will not be admitted to practice law in New York because he owes almost $500,000 in student debt. According to the decision by a panel of five New York judges:“His application demonstrates a course of action amounting to neglect of financial responsibilities with respect to the student loans he has accumulated since 1983,” the judges wrote in a decision issued late last week. They went on to criticize his “dealing with the lenders.”
Friday, November 27, 2009
Obama Administration Disobeys Court Order To Give Insurance To Lesbian Couple
Uh oh.
How's that commitment for equal rights for the GLBT community working for you, Mr. President?
H/T to AMERICAblog for the heads up on this. And do go and register your pledge on Don't Ask, Don't Give.
"The Office of Personnel Management shall cease at once its interference with the jurisdiction of this tribunal," wrote Chief Judge Alex Kozinski of the Ninth Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals. He gave the Administration 30 days to permit Karen Golinski, a lawyer employed by the Ninth Circuit, to include the woman she married under California law last year on her family health-insurance plan. "Some branch must have the final say on a law's meaning. At least as to laws governing judicial employees, that is entirely our duty and our province. We would not be a co-equal branch of government otherwise."And the Obama Administration's response?
The head of the Office of Personnel Management is an openly gay man. Hence, this openly gay appointee of President Barack Obama has ordered the Blue Cross not to follow the order of the court to provide insurance to the lesbian couple.The order was not published, and garnered little or no notice at the time. The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts moved to comply with the judge's ruling, submitting Golinski's insurance form to Blue Cross Blue Shield, and the case would have probably gone away — had the Obama Administration not stepped in. "After the AO submitted Ms. Golinski's form, I thought this matter had concluded," Kozinski wrote. "The Executive Branch, acting through the Office of Personnel Management, thought otherwise. It directed the insurance carrier not to process Ms. Golinski's form 2809, thwarting the relief I had ordered. I must now decide what further steps are necessary to protect Ms. Golinski and the integrity of the Judiciary's EDR [employee dispute resolution] plans."
How's that commitment for equal rights for the GLBT community working for you, Mr. President?
H/T to AMERICAblog for the heads up on this. And do go and register your pledge on Don't Ask, Don't Give.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Gobble, Gobble, Gobble! Thanksgiving Day Is Here!
First off, Happy Thanksgiving to all that are with their families and cooking and eating -- and watch football!
Here's an interesting link to Thanksgiving and football. Give it a read.
Also, for those looking for the standard history of how and when this country started to celebrate this holiday, here's the Wikipedia link.
This year, the kid and grandkid are at my ex's for the holiday, so it's a bucket of KFC for me! My daughter just downsized from a one bedroom to a single, so she's put all of her extra stuff in my dining room until she can have her garage sale next week, and as such, I don't even have the dining table up. So, just football (why is the Detroit game on so damn early?)
Anyway, here's a funny video I caught from AMERICAblog.
And I will close out this post with another video, (yeah, got it from AMERICAblog, but it's a YouTube) of Johnny Carson, which will keep you laughing for a bit!
Here's an interesting link to Thanksgiving and football. Give it a read.
Also, for those looking for the standard history of how and when this country started to celebrate this holiday, here's the Wikipedia link.
This year, the kid and grandkid are at my ex's for the holiday, so it's a bucket of KFC for me! My daughter just downsized from a one bedroom to a single, so she's put all of her extra stuff in my dining room until she can have her garage sale next week, and as such, I don't even have the dining table up. So, just football (why is the Detroit game on so damn early?)
Anyway, here's a funny video I caught from AMERICAblog.
And I will close out this post with another video, (yeah, got it from AMERICAblog, but it's a YouTube) of Johnny Carson, which will keep you laughing for a bit!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
James K. Galbraith"s Opinion
Quite frankly, I could not agree more with this assessment.
I'm tempted to say that the United States is plainly unable to cope with the economic crisis in a serious way. The barriers are philosophical, procedural, and constitutional. So long as economic thinking is mired in a world that disappeared with the collapse of the Bretton Woods system in 1971, so long as any action requires 60 Senate votes, and so long as political capital erodes from the start of a fixed four-year presidential term, we're stuck.
Technically it would have been fairly easy, 10 months ago, to get this bus back on the road. There could have been open-ended fiscal assistance to stop the budget hemorrhage of the states and cities. There could have been a jobs program and effective foreclosure relief. There could have been a payroll tax holiday. There could have been a strategy for sustained massive effort on infrastructure, energy and climate. There could have been prompt corrective action to resolve, instead of coddle, the worst of the banks.
I mostly don't blame President Obama; he and his team went as far as they felt they could. I blame the head-in-the-sand politicians in Congress, the over-optimistic forecasters, the half-educated press, and the power of the financial lobby. I blame the avatars of fiscal virtue, the public debt scare-mongerers, the astrologers for whom thirteen significant digits (a trillion) for the stimulus package was just too much. I blame the Senate, which hands the balance of power to small states at the expense of disaster areas like California, Florida and New York. I do blame the Bush-Obama financial policy team, who either believed that "credit would flow again" if you stuffed the banks with money, or knew that it wouldn't.
Monday, November 23, 2009
What Is Wrong With Obama? Still Using Blackwater Ops In The Middle East?????
You know, every day, every week, every month, something new comes out about Obama that makes me wonder if he really is a Democrat. Perhaps, like Bush, he thinks God ordained him to be president. I don't know exactly what to make of it, except that what the man said while running for president, and what he's actually done as president, has damaged the Democratic party in ways that will have serious consequences in the 2010 elections. And I, for one, would hate to see all the work we did as netroots in securing the majorities in the House, Senate, and of course, the White House, evaporate becase Obama has turned out to be spineless.
This piece is just disgusting.
War, war, war, war, war, war, war ....
Money down the drain, and lives (Americans and others) lost for absolutely no fucking good reason. I know historically, there have been the "good" wars and the "bad" wars, but honestly, since World War II, what fucking war has come up with any "good" attached to it? And I am speaking globally, not just for Americans.
The world economy is crumbling, despite what "media" tries to tell you. The small amount of the very rich in the world dominate, along with the corporations that control the vast majority of the world.
But, just here in America, it does not bode well that politicians are panning true health care reform (mostly because they are taking money from the insurance and big pharma groups -- not because they really and truly feel that Americans would fall into socialism based on reform). As for the financial industry, Obama has let the foxes run the hen house, and as a result, taxpayers have propped up the richest of the rich in that industry, and have shown absolutely no backbone in curbing the disgusting salaries and bonuses of a handful of people and corporations.
And then there are the wars. For one thing, doesn't anyone in the ruling government today have any knowledge of the ass kicking the middle east did to the British the last century when they tried to control and rule there? Ideologically, western modernism is not going to be implemented in the middle east, and the sooner our government gets this, the better off we will be. But knowing that the Obama Administration is still employing the rogue Blackwater group in Afghanistan and Pakistan is especially galling. Americans are not going to make any progress or difference in Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, India or whatever. I guess the guys (and gals) on the Hill just like masturbating (well, who doesn't, except, of course, the religious right wing ... well, they do, they just won't admit it). WE started two wars without any idea why, and without any real plans for how to run it or finance it. Hell, we might as well just have our government play a game of Risk and let that run our foreign policy ... I'm serious!
At least this story proves the point that money and the fucking health insurance industry aren't the be all and end all in medicine.
The future of health care in the United States will be leaving the United States for affordable treatment. The meme that millions come here for expert medical treatment has lost its luster and its truth, as the reality is clear that Americans are leaving the U.S. and seeking affordable medical treatment elsewhere.
The last bastion ... the line drawn in the sand, as it were, has been and is the health care reform bill. As it stands, neither version (House or Senate) offers true reform, and since it appears that whatever actually gets passed will only benefit the insurance industry and big pharma at the expense of Americans, I simply don't see the Democrats keeping the majority they got. Their base will simply not donate any more money to a dying party with no principles, and will stay away from the voting booth. The unfortunate outcome of that will be an open door for the nutjobs to take over government.
God help us when that happens.
This piece is just disgusting.
The Obama administration is using mercenaries with the firm formerly known as Blackwater to kidnap and assassinate high value targets in Pakistan, according to a published report.
The program, operated out of the US Joint Special Operations Command, "is so 'compartmentalized' that senior figures within the Obama administration and the US military chain of command may not be aware of its existence," an unnamed source with direct knowledge of the program told The Nation reporter Jeremy Scahill.
War, war, war, war, war, war, war ....
Money down the drain, and lives (Americans and others) lost for absolutely no fucking good reason. I know historically, there have been the "good" wars and the "bad" wars, but honestly, since World War II, what fucking war has come up with any "good" attached to it? And I am speaking globally, not just for Americans.
The world economy is crumbling, despite what "media" tries to tell you. The small amount of the very rich in the world dominate, along with the corporations that control the vast majority of the world.
But, just here in America, it does not bode well that politicians are panning true health care reform (mostly because they are taking money from the insurance and big pharma groups -- not because they really and truly feel that Americans would fall into socialism based on reform). As for the financial industry, Obama has let the foxes run the hen house, and as a result, taxpayers have propped up the richest of the rich in that industry, and have shown absolutely no backbone in curbing the disgusting salaries and bonuses of a handful of people and corporations.
And then there are the wars. For one thing, doesn't anyone in the ruling government today have any knowledge of the ass kicking the middle east did to the British the last century when they tried to control and rule there? Ideologically, western modernism is not going to be implemented in the middle east, and the sooner our government gets this, the better off we will be. But knowing that the Obama Administration is still employing the rogue Blackwater group in Afghanistan and Pakistan is especially galling. Americans are not going to make any progress or difference in Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, India or whatever. I guess the guys (and gals) on the Hill just like masturbating (well, who doesn't, except, of course, the religious right wing ... well, they do, they just won't admit it). WE started two wars without any idea why, and without any real plans for how to run it or finance it. Hell, we might as well just have our government play a game of Risk and let that run our foreign policy ... I'm serious!
At least this story proves the point that money and the fucking health insurance industry aren't the be all and end all in medicine.
Dr. Shetty, who entered the limelight in the early 1990s as Mother Teresa's cardiac surgeon, offers cutting-edge medical care in India at a fraction of what it costs elsewhere in the world. His flagship heart hospital charges $2,000, on average, for open-heart surgery, compared with hospitals in the U.S. that are paid between $20,000 and $100,000, depending on the complexity of the surgery.
The approach has transformed health care in India through a simple premise that works in other industries: economies of scale. By driving huge volumes, even of procedures as sophisticated, delicate and dangerous as heart surgery, Dr. Shetty has managed to drive down the cost of health care in his nation of one billion.
His model offers insights for countries worldwide that are struggling with soaring medical costs, including the U.S. as it debates major health-care overhaul.
"Japanese companies reinvented the process of making cars. That's what we're doing in health care," Dr. Shetty says. "What health care needs is process innovation, not product innovation."
At his flagship, 1,000-bed Narayana Hrudayalaya Hospital, surgeons operate at a capacity virtually unheard of in the U.S., where the average hospital has 160 beds, according to the American Hospital Association.
The future of health care in the United States will be leaving the United States for affordable treatment. The meme that millions come here for expert medical treatment has lost its luster and its truth, as the reality is clear that Americans are leaving the U.S. and seeking affordable medical treatment elsewhere.
The last bastion ... the line drawn in the sand, as it were, has been and is the health care reform bill. As it stands, neither version (House or Senate) offers true reform, and since it appears that whatever actually gets passed will only benefit the insurance industry and big pharma at the expense of Americans, I simply don't see the Democrats keeping the majority they got. Their base will simply not donate any more money to a dying party with no principles, and will stay away from the voting booth. The unfortunate outcome of that will be an open door for the nutjobs to take over government.
God help us when that happens.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Voices That Care -- Warren Wiebe
Since I am on a Warren Wiebe moment, and his relationship with David Foster ... enjoy. (pssst, he's at the end)
Warren Wiebe, Amazing Grace ...
As those that have been reading my blog know by now, I've been on an Amazing Grace marathon search.
I found this Warren Wiebe piece. No embedding allowed, but I will link to it because I am a huge Wiebe fan. He committed suicide which still astounds me, because he had so much going for him.
As a hockey fan, Warren was a Kings regular and he sang America The Beautiful at most of our home games. I have missed his voice for years, now.
I found this Warren Wiebe piece. No embedding allowed, but I will link to it because I am a huge Wiebe fan. He committed suicide which still astounds me, because he had so much going for him.
As a hockey fan, Warren was a Kings regular and he sang America The Beautiful at most of our home games. I have missed his voice for years, now.
Another Fox Faux Pas
An interesting post over at Daily Kos. Seems that Fox News, after they spent an inordinate amount of time condemning President Obama for bowing to the Emperor of Japan, decided to conduct a poll to prove their point that Americans want their leader to spit in the eye of other leaders. Problem with the poll, though, was that 67% of Americans said they had no problem with "the bow" or with an American President bowing to the leader of another country, if that is the country's custom. So, although commissioning the poll, Fox News has not aired the results -- obviously because the results did not support their ridiculous contention in the first place. The poll appears on their website, but it seems to have gone by the wayside in promotion on their programs.
As the poster states:
As the poster states:
Perhaps Fox should change their slogan: we report and you decide, but only if it's something that we think will make you hate President Obama.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
More Amazing Grace
Next to singing the Star Spangled Banner, this song is the purest and hardest to hit note wise, musically.
Done for the night. Hope you at least got my spiritual moment this evening.
I am not on a Baez moment, I promise you. But trying to find a classic Amazing Grace version from Joan just pulled up all these great videos.
Done for the night. Hope you at least got my spiritual moment this evening.
I am not on a Baez moment, I promise you. But trying to find a classic Amazing Grace version from Joan just pulled up all these great videos.
It Ain't Me, Babe
I am not on a Baez moment, I promise you. But trying to find a classic Amazing Grace version from Joan just pulled up all these great videos.
I am a product of the 1960's music generation.
Love her or not, she was influential in the music field, and this song which was a Dylan hit ... and her commentary before singing the song, what can I say.
I am a product of the 1960's music generation.
Love her or not, she was influential in the music field, and this song which was a Dylan hit ... and her commentary before singing the song, what can I say.
Joan Baez
I was really trying to find Amazing Grace by Joan ...YouTube is really, really, restrictive ... damn it.
Another Pathetic Insurance Denial Story
The United States is the only developed country without a universal, cradle-to-the-grave health care system. In no other developed country would a girl be on “the verge of never hearing again” because a for-profit insurance company decided that its bottom line was more important than keeping a child from going deaf.
Disgusting. Truly, disgusting.
And, for the record, let me say that if any of the thus far floated "reforms" for health care actually see the light of day, I am not holding my breath, but my nose, because, as those that have been following this debacle already know, nothing being presented by the House or the Senate put so much as a dent into "reforming" health care as it currently exists in this country.
One of the truly sad, sad, things about this apparently free country we live in.
H/T to Think Progress.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Word Association, Saturday Night Live Style!
I have no idea how long this will stay up, but after watching Tavis Smiley interview Paul Mooney (his new book is entitled "Black Is The New White") he ran this old clip from Saturday Night Live, which I remember, but really had no clue who wrote it.
This is Chevy Chase and Richard Pryor, some of the best comedy ever, and most assuredly, never likely to be seen or repeated on national television again!
This is Chevy Chase and Richard Pryor, some of the best comedy ever, and most assuredly, never likely to be seen or repeated on national television again!
Word Association - watch more funny videos
SnapIt 3.5 Review - IT SUCKS!!!!!
UPDATED AND BUMPED: November 18, 2009-The product won't work anymore, and all my emails to Digeus have gone unanswered. SOOOOOOO, ALL OF YOU OUT THERE -- Do Not, I Repeat, Do Not BUY THIS PRODUCT.
I have been asked to review a new screen capture program called SnapIt. First, I had to compare it with other screen capture programs. Being a blogger, one would think it would be imperative to have a screen capture program, but I have never used one.
I first installed SnapIt, and it took about 30 seconds to figure out how to use it, and by the second capture, I had it pretty much figued out, enough so I used it for a blog post, capturing the screen image of an interactive crossword puzzle widget I had recently put on the blog.
I then used the same puzzle to try other programs, which I had to download trial versions, by the way.
The first one I tried was 5 Clicks. That sucked. Considering I could use SnapIt within 30 seconds of installing it and adjusting the settings, I have yet to be able to get the 5 Clicks program to work properly after five minutes, One down.
Next I installed EasyWeb2Pic Pro. Forget that. Supposedly, the program directions are to show up on my toolbar, but not only did it not show up on the toolbar, there was nothing showing that would allow me to put the damn program parameters on the toolbar! Try as I could, after reading the "Help" offerings, I could not even use the program! Two down.
ScreenHunter 5.1 Pro was the next one I tried. It was by far the most complex, and although after aboout ten minutes I was able to figure out where the pictures were going (on my desktop), I was able to reset it to send the pictures to a new folder I created for capture purposes. This had the most extensive screen directions, options, formats, etc. It was not easy, although it did offer the ability to alter the screen image captured. Personally, I am not interested in that. I want a click and it's done program, which this is not. Three down.
After searching the web for more screen capture programs, I have to say that SnapIt was by far the quickest to use, easiest to figure out, and fastest to capture and store. No added toolbars necessary. No extensive cutting and pasting options. Although it is not free, most of the ones I tried were also not free. The one that was free had the most tools and options and degree of difficulty.
I like SnapIt, and would definitely purchase it. According to the new FTC rules, I am obligated to inform my readers that I have been offered the program in exchange for a review. However, having a screen capture program is a must for most bloggers and website owners. From the mundane (games) to the extreme (politics), it is a handy tool for both fun and news. SnapIt allowed me to capture an interactive screen that I normally could not just click and save, and put the "screen image" on my blog, in under 5 seconds.
After trying at least six other programs for the purpose of capturing screen images, I would have to recommend SnapIt unequivocally as the easiest to use, and the quickest product on the market.
I have been asked to review a new screen capture program called SnapIt. First, I had to compare it with other screen capture programs. Being a blogger, one would think it would be imperative to have a screen capture program, but I have never used one.
I first installed SnapIt, and it took about 30 seconds to figure out how to use it, and by the second capture, I had it pretty much figued out, enough so I used it for a blog post, capturing the screen image of an interactive crossword puzzle widget I had recently put on the blog.
I then used the same puzzle to try other programs, which I had to download trial versions, by the way.
The first one I tried was 5 Clicks. That sucked. Considering I could use SnapIt within 30 seconds of installing it and adjusting the settings, I have yet to be able to get the 5 Clicks program to work properly after five minutes, One down.
Next I installed EasyWeb2Pic Pro. Forget that. Supposedly, the program directions are to show up on my toolbar, but not only did it not show up on the toolbar, there was nothing showing that would allow me to put the damn program parameters on the toolbar! Try as I could, after reading the "Help" offerings, I could not even use the program! Two down.
ScreenHunter 5.1 Pro was the next one I tried. It was by far the most complex, and although after aboout ten minutes I was able to figure out where the pictures were going (on my desktop), I was able to reset it to send the pictures to a new folder I created for capture purposes. This had the most extensive screen directions, options, formats, etc. It was not easy, although it did offer the ability to alter the screen image captured. Personally, I am not interested in that. I want a click and it's done program, which this is not. Three down.
After searching the web for more screen capture programs, I have to say that SnapIt was by far the quickest to use, easiest to figure out, and fastest to capture and store. No added toolbars necessary. No extensive cutting and pasting options. Although it is not free, most of the ones I tried were also not free. The one that was free had the most tools and options and degree of difficulty.
I like SnapIt, and would definitely purchase it. According to the new FTC rules, I am obligated to inform my readers that I have been offered the program in exchange for a review. However, having a screen capture program is a must for most bloggers and website owners. From the mundane (games) to the extreme (politics), it is a handy tool for both fun and news. SnapIt allowed me to capture an interactive screen that I normally could not just click and save, and put the "screen image" on my blog, in under 5 seconds.
After trying at least six other programs for the purpose of capturing screen images, I would have to recommend SnapIt unequivocally as the easiest to use, and the quickest product on the market.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Where Is Our Humanity?
And speaking of equities:
H/T to C&L for this piece about Countdown and its experience when visiting a free clinic.
Humanity has lost its way somewhere along the line, and I am hard pressed to figure out how we, as humans, are going to survive. It's a kill or be killed mentality out there, and I am not so sure the kill aspect of humans is not going to wipe out the rest of us.
After watching for hours as the patients moved through the clinic, it was hard to believe that I was in America.
Eighty-three percent of the patients they see are employed, they are not accepting other government help on a large scale, not "welfare queens" as some would like to have us believe. They are tax-paying, good, upstanding citizens who are trying to make it and give their kids a better life just like you and me.
Ninety percent of the patients who came through Saturday's clinic had two or more diagnoses.Eighty-two percent had a life-threatening condition such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or hypertension. They are victims of a system built with corporate profits at its center, which long ago forgot the moral imperative that should drive us to show compassion to our fellow men and women.
Health reform is not about Democrats or Republicans or who can score political points for the next election, it's about people. It's about fairness and justice in a system that knows none. I'd defy even the most hardened capitalist-loving-conservative to do what I did on Saturday and continue to pretend that the system in place right now is working.
H/T to C&L for this piece about Countdown and its experience when visiting a free clinic.
Humanity has lost its way somewhere along the line, and I am hard pressed to figure out how we, as humans, are going to survive. It's a kill or be killed mentality out there, and I am not so sure the kill aspect of humans is not going to wipe out the rest of us.
Wesley Pruden's Bigoted Op Ed Slanders Obama
This has got to be the most ridiculous thing I have read from a right wing nut job, and that includes shit from Michelle Malkin and Ann Coulter.
It is like what someone posted a while back when Obama went to bat for the Olympic games to be in Chicago -- he was criticised for pushing the for the games to be in this country. On the other hand, the same poster indicated that if he didn't go and push for the games to be held here, he would have been criticised. The point, of course, is that is does not matter what he does or doesn't do -- he will simply be criticised by the nut jobs because they really, really, cannot handle the fact that a black man is in the White House.
And that's what it comes down to. I haven't heard such vile speech directed at one man since the Martin Luther King days, when white people felt it was their right to put down black peopleand white men felt it was their duty to lynch black men who even dared walk the same side of the street as a white woman.
And all this recent uproar because Obama "bowed" to the emperor of Japan! Hell, I work in the Korean community and it is common courtesy to bow to the elders when they come into the office. I bow, for goodness sake! Where was all the outrage when Bush was holding hands with the Saudi Prince for goodness sake? HOLDING HANDS, TWO MEN! Where was all the homophobic outrage from the white men then? (Well, of course, we already know most of them are secretly attracted to men, as one by one, those pesky congresscritters of the "R" variety keep getting caught, with da boys, and we must not forget those Christian white men who are busted with drugs and boys!)
And to try to ratchet it up to Obama being something of a wimp and not standing up (pardon the pun) for his country, is just mind boggling how stupid people can be, and how even stupider people who believe this shit, can be.
Wake up you hoodlums out there. Yeah, I mean you, the southern white boys that still think you own the fucking world (well, and of course, the United States). As Bob Dylan once sang -- the times, they are a changing. Get with the program. Oh, and grow up. I'm tired of this country (not to mention a lot of the world) being run by disgruntled little rich children, who want to put everyone else who doesn't have that silver spoon in their mouth (or up their nose) in some kind of concentration camp and pretend that inequities do not exist in this world, and doesn't believe that it is every man and woman's duty to help out every other man and woman, to rise up and be the best human being they can be.
But Mr. Obama, unlike his predecessors, likely knows no better, and many of those around him, true children of the grungy ’60s, are contemptuous of custom. Cutting America down to size is what attracts them to “hope” for “change.” It’s no fault of the president that he has no natural instinct or blood impulse for what the America of “the 57 states” is about. He was sired by a Kenyan father, born to a mother attracted to men of the Third World and reared by grandparents in Hawaii, a paradise far from the American mainstream.
It is like what someone posted a while back when Obama went to bat for the Olympic games to be in Chicago -- he was criticised for pushing the for the games to be in this country. On the other hand, the same poster indicated that if he didn't go and push for the games to be held here, he would have been criticised. The point, of course, is that is does not matter what he does or doesn't do -- he will simply be criticised by the nut jobs because they really, really, cannot handle the fact that a black man is in the White House.
And that's what it comes down to. I haven't heard such vile speech directed at one man since the Martin Luther King days, when white people felt it was their right to put down black peopleand white men felt it was their duty to lynch black men who even dared walk the same side of the street as a white woman.
And all this recent uproar because Obama "bowed" to the emperor of Japan! Hell, I work in the Korean community and it is common courtesy to bow to the elders when they come into the office. I bow, for goodness sake! Where was all the outrage when Bush was holding hands with the Saudi Prince for goodness sake? HOLDING HANDS, TWO MEN! Where was all the homophobic outrage from the white men then? (Well, of course, we already know most of them are secretly attracted to men, as one by one, those pesky congresscritters of the "R" variety keep getting caught, with da boys, and we must not forget those Christian white men who are busted with drugs and boys!)
And to try to ratchet it up to Obama being something of a wimp and not standing up (pardon the pun) for his country, is just mind boggling how stupid people can be, and how even stupider people who believe this shit, can be.
Wake up you hoodlums out there. Yeah, I mean you, the southern white boys that still think you own the fucking world (well, and of course, the United States). As Bob Dylan once sang -- the times, they are a changing. Get with the program. Oh, and grow up. I'm tired of this country (not to mention a lot of the world) being run by disgruntled little rich children, who want to put everyone else who doesn't have that silver spoon in their mouth (or up their nose) in some kind of concentration camp and pretend that inequities do not exist in this world, and doesn't believe that it is every man and woman's duty to help out every other man and woman, to rise up and be the best human being they can be.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Who Is John Scott?
For those of us who use mass transit in Los Angeles, especially the buses, for at least a year or more, there have been these stickers posted, which are orange in color, and they have the words "Who Is John Scott" on them. I just thought it was some bus riders' movement (I am sure many do not realize that there is a bus riders' union here in Los Angeles), and pretty much ignored the stickers. They weren't grafitti to me, just stickers.
Anyway, apparently the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department arrested John Scott, who turns out to be a 73 year old man!!!! And he had nothing really to say -- just sold T-shirts that have the same "Who Is John Scott" on it. The weblink on the stickers take you to some pretty awful (design that is) website, and I guess this guy has been making a living off of "Who Is John Scott" for quite some time now.
Live and learn.
Anyway, apparently the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department arrested John Scott, who turns out to be a 73 year old man!!!! And he had nothing really to say -- just sold T-shirts that have the same "Who Is John Scott" on it. The weblink on the stickers take you to some pretty awful (design that is) website, and I guess this guy has been making a living off of "Who Is John Scott" for quite some time now.
Live and learn.
Whatever Hapened To Thanksgiving?
Picture courtesy of Wikipedia.Obviously, the consumers are staying home this year, what with money being so tight and all. So, it's no surprise to me to see that retailers have decided to skip Thanksgiving altogether, and jump right from Halloween (a spending type of holiday) to Christmas (a spending for sure holiday).
Thanksgiving is a little under two weeks away, and I have seen NADA on television in advertising that even mentions the holiday. The only vague reference is to spending, and the mentioning of "black Friday," which is typically the name given to the day after Thanksgiving for shopping, as now being touted a regular shopping sales day from now until Christmas!
No turkey specials advertised; no pumpkin pie ads, not even traditional children's programming or Thanksgiving specials coming up (that I can tell thus far).
I realize that retailers make up more than 25% of their annual revenue (some as much as 50%) on Christmas sales, but putting up Christmas merchandise around Halloween, in October, is sheer madness, and consumerism at its worst. And, trust me, the sales are not really sales ... at least I haven't noticed anything that looks like any greater deal these next few weeks than I have noticed on sale all year. I bought my 32 inch flat screen HD TV at Best Buy for only $299 in July. It's still the same price. Same with computers ... no reduction in the prices that were advertised in July. I know this because I am constantly checking the prices of televisions, computers, telephones, video equipment and the like. Sort of a habit, I guess, that hearkens back to when I used to build these things as a hobby.
For me, sales or no sales, I have already finished my Christmas shopping, and I will be spending my next two weeks planning for Thanksgiving, not Christmas. Gobble, gobble!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Craig's List
I have never used the site, never needed to. But I have been aware of its existence, and how it is used from everything to getting a job, moving or selling things.
My daughter is downsizing due to the economy, and she's moved from a one bedroom to a single. My grandson had the one bedroom, and he had the full size bed that I had bought for my daughter a few years ago (she got a queen from one of her girlfriends and will NOT part with it).
So, I offered to buy a new twin for the grandkid -- but dang, I just didn't want to spend another $300 or $400 for a new bed (I already bought him one for my apartment at a cost of $425). Someone mentioned I should check out Craigslist.
Found a twin bed, three months old (tag verifies that), the owner would deliver because he had a van and was moving TODAY, and it was 90 bucks. I called, and two hours later, I had the grandkid's new twin bed, delivered. Damn!
I have decided to let my old, old, old stereo go, which I love, but it won't fit the new layout I have designed for my apartment. I recently purchased an HD television, flatscreen. Although my old stereo (I bought it in 1987) is in perfect condition, has those 24 inch tall old fashioned woofer/tweeter speakers, etc., it still plugs into my new television, and the sound coming from those speakers, when I want to watch say, Star Wars (or listen to music) is awesome, I am putting the television on a rotational stand, so it can be viewed from one of three different viewing areas in my apartment. And the old fashioned stereo with the big ass speakers just won't work anymore (sigh).
I was going to put some things out for a garage sale (like my really incredible old fashioned dinnerware -- Mexican influenced, with dishes that can go into the oven to cook enchiladas and stuff, very much like most Mexican restaurants, and I have a ten piece set, including large serving platters, eight of them) when I decided I should take pictures of some of my things, and post them on Craigslist.
Hopefully, I'll get some calls from people really interested in what I have, as opposed to those just "driving" by my place and seeing a "garage sale."
BTW, my stereo has AM/FM, video outlet (which is how I hook up my TV) a CD platform (where I hook up the MP3 player) and a double cassette player! I hate to part with it, but honestly, it has no function anymore in my apartment ... well it still does now, but I have to move the TV soon, especially since it is where the Christmas tree usually is placed!
My daughter is downsizing due to the economy, and she's moved from a one bedroom to a single. My grandson had the one bedroom, and he had the full size bed that I had bought for my daughter a few years ago (she got a queen from one of her girlfriends and will NOT part with it).
So, I offered to buy a new twin for the grandkid -- but dang, I just didn't want to spend another $300 or $400 for a new bed (I already bought him one for my apartment at a cost of $425). Someone mentioned I should check out Craigslist.
Found a twin bed, three months old (tag verifies that), the owner would deliver because he had a van and was moving TODAY, and it was 90 bucks. I called, and two hours later, I had the grandkid's new twin bed, delivered. Damn!
I have decided to let my old, old, old stereo go, which I love, but it won't fit the new layout I have designed for my apartment. I recently purchased an HD television, flatscreen. Although my old stereo (I bought it in 1987) is in perfect condition, has those 24 inch tall old fashioned woofer/tweeter speakers, etc., it still plugs into my new television, and the sound coming from those speakers, when I want to watch say, Star Wars (or listen to music) is awesome, I am putting the television on a rotational stand, so it can be viewed from one of three different viewing areas in my apartment. And the old fashioned stereo with the big ass speakers just won't work anymore (sigh).
I was going to put some things out for a garage sale (like my really incredible old fashioned dinnerware -- Mexican influenced, with dishes that can go into the oven to cook enchiladas and stuff, very much like most Mexican restaurants, and I have a ten piece set, including large serving platters, eight of them) when I decided I should take pictures of some of my things, and post them on Craigslist.
Hopefully, I'll get some calls from people really interested in what I have, as opposed to those just "driving" by my place and seeing a "garage sale."
BTW, my stereo has AM/FM, video outlet (which is how I hook up my TV) a CD platform (where I hook up the MP3 player) and a double cassette player! I hate to part with it, but honestly, it has no function anymore in my apartment ... well it still does now, but I have to move the TV soon, especially since it is where the Christmas tree usually is placed!
Who Reads My Blog, And Why?
I started my blog five years ago. Over that time, about 15,000 views have been recorded. That's not a whole lot when compared to, say, DailyKos, or AMERICAblog, but for someone with no street creds in the blogosphere, the numbers are not too shabby.
Because I use a program called Sitemeter (I also have StatCounter), I am able to identify certain information about those that view my blog.
I have discovered that there are about 50 regular readers of my blog, and probably 10 of them are people I actually know. The other 40 are mysteries to me. I don't know who they are, why they choose to read my blog, how they found me, etc.
It was nice that in response to my Glee episode post, and comments that followed, one of my readers gave me input as to why he/she reads my blog, how they found it, what they like about it, and whatnot.
For the record, I really would appreciate comments from the other 39 of you (LOL) that are regular readers as to why you like the blog, how you found me, and all that good stuff!
Because I use a program called Sitemeter (I also have StatCounter), I am able to identify certain information about those that view my blog.
I have discovered that there are about 50 regular readers of my blog, and probably 10 of them are people I actually know. The other 40 are mysteries to me. I don't know who they are, why they choose to read my blog, how they found me, etc.
It was nice that in response to my Glee episode post, and comments that followed, one of my readers gave me input as to why he/she reads my blog, how they found it, what they like about it, and whatnot.
For the record, I really would appreciate comments from the other 39 of you (LOL) that are regular readers as to why you like the blog, how you found me, and all that good stuff!
Friday, November 13, 2009
GOP Scratching Head Over Backlash Re Nay Votes On Franken's Bill?
This almost could be a piece on the Onion!
I hate banging my head on the keyboard.
Politico reports that Republicans are now scratching their heads at why the public is so incensed about their “no” votes:Privately, GOP sources acknowledge that they failed to anticipate the political consequences of a “no” vote on the amendment. And several aides said that Republicans are engaged in an internal blame game about why they agreed to a roll-call vote on the measure, rather than a simple voice vote that would have allowed the opposing senators to duck criticism.
As BarbinMD writes, “Seriously? They voted against an amendment that was prompted by the brutal gang-rape of a young woman by her co-workers while she was working for a company under contract for the United States government, after which she was locked in a shipping container without food or water, threatened if she left to seek medical treatment, and was then prevented from bringing criminal charges against her assailants. And they failed to anticipate the political consequences?”
I hate banging my head on the keyboard.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Rosanna .. and NOT an Arquette!
OK, a rip off of West Side Story "book" (that is broadway speak for story and music outline) ... Sorry to see some of the band not alive today.
"Penny" is sill alive and well.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
"Dancing With Myself" (Glee Style)
I am a new watcher to the show "Glee." Tonight was interesting in that it dealt with a wheelchair bound participant in glee club that had to figure out how to get to "nationals" because the school could not pay for the bus that was handicap equipped to transport him.
(Am forgiving the person whose dog was barking, damn it!)
First off, the scene in which he does an acoustic version of Billy Idol's "Dancing With Myself" was awesome.
Secondly, I had a two year relationship with a quadraplegic, and so I am quite aware of what people who are confined to wheelchairs go through.
I remember when I first met him, which was at a hockey game, that his friends told him "you'll get laid with that chick" which I thought was funny.
I love that the glee club instructor put everyone in wheelchairs so they can have a real time expeirence of what that is like.
I have this vivid memory of taking my boyfriend to Vegas for the (then) annual Kings' hockey game at Ceaser's Palace, (Not to mention his first time away from Mom and with a real time girlfriend) and running with the wheelchair trying to get from our hotel to the game .. .and having to use the back entrance to get in (laughs). We made it, thanks to all the help and assitance that many people do offer to those that are bound by a wheelchair.
I miss him, but alas, since his mother was his caregiver, and she had a lot more at stake than I did in the relationship, vis-a-vis the financial assistance she received, the relationship ended. Not because either one of us failed to be in love, but because he could not move and I could not earn a living moving to where he lived, nor could I live with his mother.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Fundraising Boycotts
It's nice to see AMERICAblog and FDL urging the boycott of donating to the DNC and OFA. I already unsubscribed before there was any organized movement afoot.
It's obvious that not giving any more money to Democratic status quo organizations is on the minds of many liberals and progressives, including me. So, an organized boycott was just the natural progression of the anger we all feel toward a party that was elected to the majority through the netroots funding apparatus.
It appears as well, that the DNC and MSM has picked up on this boycott already.
Good.
It's obvious that not giving any more money to Democratic status quo organizations is on the minds of many liberals and progressives, including me. So, an organized boycott was just the natural progression of the anger we all feel toward a party that was elected to the majority through the netroots funding apparatus.
It appears as well, that the DNC and MSM has picked up on this boycott already.
Good.
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Oy, What A Game I Saw Today!
As many of my readers already know, I am a San Diego Charger fan, and have been since the late 1970's. What is unusual is that I am also (currently) a New York Giants fan. What makes that weird is that in 2004, Eli Manning was drafted by the Chargers, and made it clear in no uncertain terms that he was never going to play for the Chargers. The Giants had drafted Phil Rivers that year, but Rivers never knew he was drafted by the Giants because in less than an hour (more like half an hour) Manning was traded to New York for Rivers (along with Sean Merriman), and voila, you have the two teams as they are today.
Now, granted, Eli went to the Super Bowl, and won (I took the Giants over the supposed shoe-in Patriots, and boy did I win big that year), but when one compares the stats, it is Rivers that comes out ahead.
Today’s game was the first time either of them had faced each other since the draft. Also, this is the last year any games will be played at Giant Stadium (where I have actually been and seen a real time professional football game back in the 1990's). Although through the first half, the score was tied 7-7, it belies the true nature of the game, where the Giants went backwards more than they went forward. If it wasn’t for those "third and really, really longs" that were caught for first downs, San Diego should have been up by at least three touchdowns by the first half.
Anyway, the fourth quarter was where it got intense. After being ahead 14-10, the Chargers lost the lead with NY scoring 13 points, including an intercepted pass that netted them 3 points with a field goal. So, at that point, with only a few minutes left in the game, I went to do dishes. I figured the game was way out of touch (14-20) for the Chargers. Silly me. I should know that when it comes to them (whether it was Fouts or Rivers), this team had a two minute drill (or less, in some cases) that was to die for. And, with that two minutes, I watched the Chargers start first and ten on their own 20, and take it all the way down the field (without even using their final time out, mind you) and score the winning touchdown (and point after kick), leaving the Giants with the ball at their first and 10, with 21 seconds left.
Sigh ... what a great game (oh, yeah, the Chargers won, 21 to 20!
Now, granted, Eli went to the Super Bowl, and won (I took the Giants over the supposed shoe-in Patriots, and boy did I win big that year), but when one compares the stats, it is Rivers that comes out ahead.
Today’s game was the first time either of them had faced each other since the draft. Also, this is the last year any games will be played at Giant Stadium (where I have actually been and seen a real time professional football game back in the 1990's). Although through the first half, the score was tied 7-7, it belies the true nature of the game, where the Giants went backwards more than they went forward. If it wasn’t for those "third and really, really longs" that were caught for first downs, San Diego should have been up by at least three touchdowns by the first half.
Anyway, the fourth quarter was where it got intense. After being ahead 14-10, the Chargers lost the lead with NY scoring 13 points, including an intercepted pass that netted them 3 points with a field goal. So, at that point, with only a few minutes left in the game, I went to do dishes. I figured the game was way out of touch (14-20) for the Chargers. Silly me. I should know that when it comes to them (whether it was Fouts or Rivers), this team had a two minute drill (or less, in some cases) that was to die for. And, with that two minutes, I watched the Chargers start first and ten on their own 20, and take it all the way down the field (without even using their final time out, mind you) and score the winning touchdown (and point after kick), leaving the Giants with the ball at their first and 10, with 21 seconds left.
Sigh ... what a great game (oh, yeah, the Chargers won, 21 to 20!
Saturday, November 07, 2009
"64 crayons in a box and it is time for a new box"
Comment posted by Suzanne over at Firedoglake regarding tonight's vote on the Stupak amendment and the health care reform bill.
Best line of the night:
Retiring to Vancouver, Canada, sounding a whole lot more appealing these days.
Best line of the night:
39 Dems voted no. Republican House member Cao of Louisiana voted "yes." In Rahm-land, that makes the bill overwhelmingly bipartisan.
Retiring to Vancouver, Canada, sounding a whole lot more appealing these days.
"One for the History Books"
The newest DCCC email with a request for a donation. I sent them an "unsubscribe me" note, like I sent to the request from Obama to donate, asking them to unsubscribe me, telling them that I will no longer contribute to the DINO's in Washington, and that I am joining the netroots and progressives to support candidates to challenge those that vote against health care reform (not to mention the stalling on GLBT issues, immigration reform, and the total lack of respect for the American public by giving away taxpayer money to already greedy and rich Wall Street beggars).
Friday, November 06, 2009
Dream Warriors - My Definition
Interesting sound -- combination of jazz and hip hop.
Now, I do remember the melding of jazz and rock, and it was called "fusion."
H/T to C&L.
Now, I do remember the melding of jazz and rock, and it was called "fusion."
H/T to C&L.
Forget The Dwindling Supply Of Swine Flu Vaccine, If You Are On Wall Street Or Play Professional Sports, You Step To The Front Of The Line
WTF? There is already an uproar over the shortage of H1N1 vaccine, but now those most in need have to take a back seat to Wall Street and professional athletes??????????????
What is wrong with the world?
We are truly in the time of the rich for the rich, and fuck the rest of the people. This is just too unbelievable. First off, I don't give a rat's ass if anyone on Wall Street comes down with the swine flu. And that goes for any professional athlete. Who the fuck do these people think they are, GOD?
Get in line, you mother fuckers.
Now I don't feel so bad about NOT renewing Center Ice. Screw hockey and the players. Not a dime going to them again, ever. And as for basketball, hey, I never really gave a shit about that sport either.
As for Wall Street, do I look like I am dumb? I never invested, never will, and I did not lose MY shirt when things came crashing down.
Yeah, you all laughed at my mattress for a bank theory ... who's laughing at me now?
H/T to AMERICAblog for this revelation.
5 Nov 2009 // Washington, D.C. – Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) asked Health and Human Service (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to investigate why the Center for Disease Control (CDC) approved the distribution of the H1NI vaccine to Wall Street firms at a time when the vaccine is unavailable to most Americans. Recent news reports indicate 13 companies, including Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase and Time Warner, have been cleared to receive the vaccine.
TORONTO - Ontario health minister Deb Matthews vowed Thursday to investigate whether Toronto’s NBA and NHL players jumped the line for the swine flu shot while other groups are being forced to wait as the province’s supply dwindles.
What is wrong with the world?
We are truly in the time of the rich for the rich, and fuck the rest of the people. This is just too unbelievable. First off, I don't give a rat's ass if anyone on Wall Street comes down with the swine flu. And that goes for any professional athlete. Who the fuck do these people think they are, GOD?
Get in line, you mother fuckers.
Now I don't feel so bad about NOT renewing Center Ice. Screw hockey and the players. Not a dime going to them again, ever. And as for basketball, hey, I never really gave a shit about that sport either.
As for Wall Street, do I look like I am dumb? I never invested, never will, and I did not lose MY shirt when things came crashing down.
Yeah, you all laughed at my mattress for a bank theory ... who's laughing at me now?
H/T to AMERICAblog for this revelation.
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
My "Unsubscribe Me" Note To OFA
I received an email from OFA (Organizing For America) which being an Obama voter, I ended up being on their email list. It was an "anniversary" email asking me to donate. I sent an unsubscribe me request with the following reason:
Hit one, score for Carrie!
Obama has not lived up to his promises, and as such, I cannot subscribe to this organization any longer. In fact, I am putting my money and my support on politicians that will support America, live up to the promises they run on, and are progressives. I did not help get Obama elected for him to be milquetoast.
Hit one, score for Carrie!
When Your Base Stays Home, It's Hard To Win An Election
Aptly put, by Glenn Greenwald, on the real reality of yesterday's election results as it relates to the Democratic party (and progressive/liberals).
To interpret the results from yesterday's election as proof the country is moving toward Republicanism is not borne out by the statistical data concerning those elections. The Democratic candidates did not fare well because the Democratic voters stayed home. Plain and simple.
It is true that the Democrats in power right now have done squat for their base, and last night was just a precursor as to what the majority party can expect to see in 2010. Already, many netroot contributors, who were responsible for putting the money in the many, many, many races across the country in 2008 that gave them the Democratic majority and put Obama into the White House on the claim he would change things, are now going to withhold their contributions to help re-elect those DINO members of congress. There is already momentum afoot to find progressives and liberals to challenge those DINO's.
First we don't show up to vote, next we give our money to someone else. Either the Democrats will figure it out, or they will be standing in the unemployment line in 2010.
UPDATE: This great rant from KOS:
New Jersey Democratic voters, for instance, did not respond enthusiastically to President Obama’s campaigning for Corzine. A Democratic Party that seems more interested in attracting the support of Republicans will not be a very galvanizing or inspiring political force.
The danger for Democrats from Tuesday’s results can be overstated. Polls from the contested states show that Obama’s approval ratings remain basically the same as compared to the 2008 election; the defeated Democrats were bad candidates or under-performers; and the Democrats managed to pick up a Congressional seat which they haven’t held for more than a century.
But there is clearly a rising dissatisfaction with the political class among voters, and the majority party typically bears the brunt of that backlash. Tuesday night may be the first sign of that process if Democrats do not remember who elected them and why.
To interpret the results from yesterday's election as proof the country is moving toward Republicanism is not borne out by the statistical data concerning those elections. The Democratic candidates did not fare well because the Democratic voters stayed home. Plain and simple.
It is true that the Democrats in power right now have done squat for their base, and last night was just a precursor as to what the majority party can expect to see in 2010. Already, many netroot contributors, who were responsible for putting the money in the many, many, many races across the country in 2008 that gave them the Democratic majority and put Obama into the White House on the claim he would change things, are now going to withhold their contributions to help re-elect those DINO members of congress. There is already momentum afoot to find progressives and liberals to challenge those DINO's.
First we don't show up to vote, next we give our money to someone else. Either the Democrats will figure it out, or they will be standing in the unemployment line in 2010.
UPDATE: This great rant from KOS:
There will be much number-crunching tomorrow, but preliminary numbers (at least in Virginia) show that GOP turnout remained the same as last year, but Democratic turnout collapsed. This is a base problem, and this is what Democrats better take from tonight:1. If you abandon Democratic principles in a bid for unnecessary "bipartisanship", you will lose votes.
2. If you water down reform in favor of Blue Dogs and their corporate benefactors, you will lose votes.
3. If you forget why you were elected -- health care, financial services, energy policy and immigration reform -- you will lose votes.
Tonight proved conclusively that we're not going to turn out just because you have a (D) next to your name, or because Obama tells us to. We'll turn out if we feel it's worth our time and effort to vote, and we'll work hard to make sure others turn out if you inspire us with bold and decisive action.
The choice is yours. Give us a reason to vote for you, or we sit home. And you aren't going to make up the margins with conservative voters. They already know exactly who they're voting for, and it ain't you.
Exactly!
UPDATE II: Seems a lot on the left view the "victories" by Republicans yesterday similarly, and not a whole lot are defining them as game changing events. Steve Benen writes:
REGIONAL TROUBLE.... As everyone now knows, Bill Owens will be the first Democrat to represent New York's 23rd since the mid-19th century, after defeating Doug Hoffman yesterday. This got me thinking about the representation of the region.
New York has 29 congressional districts. As of today, the state is represented by 27 Democrats. As recently as a few years ago, Dems had "only" 21 seats from New York.
What's more, New England, made up of six states, has 22 congressional districts. Currently, the region is represented by 22 Democrats.
So, north of the Pennsylvania border, there 51 congressional districts representing 34 million people. Republicans have a whopping two seats.
Just a random observation.
Monday, November 02, 2009
The Fall Classic 2009 - Phillies Make It 3-2, Heading Back To The Bronx
Picture courtesy of Rob Friedman
Phillies took tonight's game. They were ahead 8 to 2 going into the 8th, and I figured it was a no brainer. Then, all of a sudden it was 8 to 5. Bottom of the 8th did not help Phillies.
9th inning, and Yanks get another .... but finally, after what seemed like hours (not to mention my need to almost cry thinking about last night's loss), that elusive third out came, giving the Yanks a one game advantage in the series going back to the Bronx.
Chase Utley was DA BOMB tonight!
I am not a fan of the World Series still going on in November, though. To me, the "fall classic" is always held in October. They don't call Reggie Jackson "Mr. October" for nothing! And I should know, damn it! I am a Dodger fan!
Can someone just make these Republicans just shut the fuck up and stop lying to Americans?
I am having a hard time trying to find the Republican adults in congress. When I read things like Orrin Hatch saying that health care reform threatens the two party system (which, by the way, to me, is not a bad idea - not in having a one party system, but in not having any party at all, fuck the platforms and partisan ruling), and Jim Inhofe's decision to have his "gang" just not show up for the hearings on the clean energy bill so nothing can be passed, or Virgina Foxx's statement that health care reform is a greater threat to Americans than terrorism, I just don't get it. What is wrong with these people?
John Boehner puts out a document that quotes FactCheck.org as stating that the health care plan will include massive cuts to medicare benefits to seniors, and when representatives at FactCheck.org call and tell him they never said that and to take it out of his document, he refuses?
And these people actually believe that if they fuck up Americans, that Americans will vote for them in droves in the next election!?!?
I am completely at a loss to understand this new culture of "no," especially when you consider that Republicans of the 80's and 90's actually supported certain things that they now claim are going to push America into either a communist country, a socialist state, a Nazi run government, etc. Of course, the battle among the Republicans as to who can be the nuttiest is taking a toll on true conservative Republicans that actually could spark a decent debate over the future of this country, because the right wing fringe nut jobs are forcing issues that have absolutely no bearing on the needs of this country. They are, in essence, eating their own (think NY's Dede Scozzafava, the Republican who dropped out of the race because of the likes of Limbaugh, Palin, Beck, et al [hmmm, none of these people are really politicians] who want to "purge" the Republican party of its moderates, and stock it with bat shit crazy nut jobs), and they think this will actually get them more votes? Have these people not done the math? They lost by huge numbers in 2006 and 2008, and they believe that by being even nuttier and more obstructionist, that more (not less) people will identify with them?
As a point of irony, I read today that Doug Holtz-Eakin, who was a top McCain presidential adviser during his campaign, will soon lose his insurance! And because he had an operation on one of his kidneys, he falls into that category of "pre-existing conditions" that today's insurance companies are denying coverage for! But, of course, McCain opposes the current health care overhaul because he believes the current private coverage available to Americans is just dandy!
Then, of course, there's Michelle Bachmann with her rallying cry of "don't take away my healthcare," as if overhauling our current system will somehow result in taking health care away from Americans. She's such a twit, it's hardly worth the time it takes to type these words. It's an "overhaul" of the system, you know, that private one that gouges Americans, charges them up the wazoo, denies basic needs and coverages, but it is in no way taking away any one's healthcare, bitch.
Then there is the blatant irony of Republicans saying they oppose health care reform because it will add to the budget deficit, while with a straight face, they add to the budget deficit with war financing! And to add insult to injury, Americans are supposed to finance reform in the Middle East, but Republicans are opposed to Americans financing reform in America.
I don't see how you can be an American citizen and root for people in government whose sole contribution on behalf of their constituents is to refuse to play ball. At some point you have to stop, scratch your head, and say, "what the fuck?"
And the most bizarro part of all of this is the fact that the Republicans have no plans to offer the American people except to keep on saying that the past eight years were fabulous, and nothing went wrong until Obama was elected president! (Of course, there is still that buzz that everything went to hell during the Clinton years [ummm, can you say budget surplus?] while Bush put this country on the right path).
While I am in bitch mode, how about the new trend recently with the insurance companies raising their premiums before 2010, some as high as 32%?
Wages are stagnant (my salary hasn't changed in nearly 20 years), millions are unemployed, many more millions have no insurance, people are homeless and starving in this country, but our Republican lawmakers are putting on a full court press that the Bush years were the best we've had, and changing anything is just simply going to ruin America.
Can someone just make these Republicans just shut the fuck up and stop lying to Americans?
Anyone???????
UPDATE: From the mouth of Gov. Tim Pawlenty, regarding the line drawn in the sand as to who can be a Republican:
H/T to Think Progress.
John Boehner puts out a document that quotes FactCheck.org as stating that the health care plan will include massive cuts to medicare benefits to seniors, and when representatives at FactCheck.org call and tell him they never said that and to take it out of his document, he refuses?
And these people actually believe that if they fuck up Americans, that Americans will vote for them in droves in the next election!?!?
I am completely at a loss to understand this new culture of "no," especially when you consider that Republicans of the 80's and 90's actually supported certain things that they now claim are going to push America into either a communist country, a socialist state, a Nazi run government, etc. Of course, the battle among the Republicans as to who can be the nuttiest is taking a toll on true conservative Republicans that actually could spark a decent debate over the future of this country, because the right wing fringe nut jobs are forcing issues that have absolutely no bearing on the needs of this country. They are, in essence, eating their own (think NY's Dede Scozzafava, the Republican who dropped out of the race because of the likes of Limbaugh, Palin, Beck, et al [hmmm, none of these people are really politicians] who want to "purge" the Republican party of its moderates, and stock it with bat shit crazy nut jobs), and they think this will actually get them more votes? Have these people not done the math? They lost by huge numbers in 2006 and 2008, and they believe that by being even nuttier and more obstructionist, that more (not less) people will identify with them?
As a point of irony, I read today that Doug Holtz-Eakin, who was a top McCain presidential adviser during his campaign, will soon lose his insurance! And because he had an operation on one of his kidneys, he falls into that category of "pre-existing conditions" that today's insurance companies are denying coverage for! But, of course, McCain opposes the current health care overhaul because he believes the current private coverage available to Americans is just dandy!
Then, of course, there's Michelle Bachmann with her rallying cry of "don't take away my healthcare," as if overhauling our current system will somehow result in taking health care away from Americans. She's such a twit, it's hardly worth the time it takes to type these words. It's an "overhaul" of the system, you know, that private one that gouges Americans, charges them up the wazoo, denies basic needs and coverages, but it is in no way taking away any one's healthcare, bitch.
Then there is the blatant irony of Republicans saying they oppose health care reform because it will add to the budget deficit, while with a straight face, they add to the budget deficit with war financing! And to add insult to injury, Americans are supposed to finance reform in the Middle East, but Republicans are opposed to Americans financing reform in America.
I don't see how you can be an American citizen and root for people in government whose sole contribution on behalf of their constituents is to refuse to play ball. At some point you have to stop, scratch your head, and say, "what the fuck?"
And the most bizarro part of all of this is the fact that the Republicans have no plans to offer the American people except to keep on saying that the past eight years were fabulous, and nothing went wrong until Obama was elected president! (Of course, there is still that buzz that everything went to hell during the Clinton years [ummm, can you say budget surplus?] while Bush put this country on the right path).
While I am in bitch mode, how about the new trend recently with the insurance companies raising their premiums before 2010, some as high as 32%?
Wages are stagnant (my salary hasn't changed in nearly 20 years), millions are unemployed, many more millions have no insurance, people are homeless and starving in this country, but our Republican lawmakers are putting on a full court press that the Bush years were the best we've had, and changing anything is just simply going to ruin America.
Can someone just make these Republicans just shut the fuck up and stop lying to Americans?
Anyone???????
UPDATE: From the mouth of Gov. Tim Pawlenty, regarding the line drawn in the sand as to who can be a Republican:
Well, you can’t be for card check, you can’t get endorsed by ACORN, you can’t support the stimulus bill, you can’t be for bank bailouts, that would be a starting point, Chuck. But if you’re for all those things, you’re probably not a Republican.
H/T to Think Progress.
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