Jon Stewart rips into Democrats for not passing the public option plan
What's wrong with these Senate Democrats? They couldn't pass their health care plan despite having a super majority? They had the numbers on the committee, too, but some of those mangy blue dogs voted against the amendments despite 65% national approval for the plan. Now wait a minute. While we're busy keeping the world safe for democracy, maybe we should protect the homegrown variety. Let's give the people what they want. Did I mention 65% of the public supports this? Maybe I'm a little fuzzy on civics--yes, I realize this is a Republic and not a Democracy (look it up)--but why doesn't the majority rule?
I'm getting tired of these ignorant dolts. From now on, let's make a rule: if you use the word "socialism," make sure you're referring to "various theories of economic organization advocating public or direct worker ownership and administration of the means of production and allocation of resources, and a society characterized by equal access to resources for all individuals with an egalitarian method of compensation."
If you mean "government-run," then say that when you complain about the "socialist" health care plan, but be consistent--also rail about your "socialist" fire department, your "socialist" post office and your "socialist" public library. You may hate the library already, since libraries are filled with books espousing all sorts of philosophies and economic theories and even evolution (gasp! they allow that?) and other wide-ranging subjects probably out of bounds of your Sunday school class or right wing study group. And fiction! Yes, fiction slays tyrants. There are books, actual books that lead the reader to imagine what it feels like to be a slave, to escape from a mental hospital, to chase a great white whale with a tyrannical captain at the helm! Go ahead, read a book--and not just the Bible. Read works of free, unchained imaginations if you truly despise tyranny!
Dictators always burn the books, don't they? So if your concern for freedom is genuine, and extends beyond your own self-interest and "talking points," make sure you support your local library.
Words are important. They mean certain, specific things, so try to use them correctly. In other words, don't just sling the word "socialism" around like an insult, the way you used to scream "communism" every time someone tried to organize voters or fluoridate the water. Words have actual meanings we can agree upon. Words have connotations, some very heated, connotations that can blind us to the actual issues being discussed. Choose them wisely.
Another word is "racist." Yes, there is racism alive and well in the USA, and just because we have a black president doesn't mean we've transcended our long history of disenfranchising certain groups based on race--as well as religion, and gender, and sexual orientation, and tax brackets. Nope, Obama didn't end racism, especially not in the dumber regions of America.
Conservatives love twisting words. For them, words are just a trick to befuddle the masses, to obfuscate reality, to throw sand in the eyes of the enemy. For them, words are tools to make their point when truth and reality don't suffice. Reminiscent of the days when they would decry "PC" as a way liberals were fettering their freedom of expression, now they claim any criticism of the government will be called "racism" by the liberals. Boy, they LOVE being underdogs, don't they? They claim they can't express themselves, but they sure don't have that problem when they howl and weep and wave their guns at the Town Hall Meetings. In spite of their claims, they never seem at a loss for words--whether or not they use them correctly remains a matter of opinion.
September 9, 2009. Obama gave a powerful speech about health care reform. Just when I was starting to get used to dim-witted, inarticulate, smirking, devious, fundamentalist hillbillies running the country--along comes Obama. What is happening to my country?!? Something good, actually. Step aside, fear-mongers.
President Obama, September 9, 2009
"Still, given all the misinformation that's been spread over the past few months, I realize that many Americans have grown nervous about reform. So tonight I'd like to address some of the key controversies that are still out there.
"Some of people's concerns have grown out of bogus claims spread by those whose only agenda is to kill reform at any cost. The best example is the claim, made not just by radio and cable talk show hosts, but prominent politicians, that we plan to set up panels of bureaucrats with the power to kill off senior citizens. Such a charge would be laughable if it weren't so cynical and irresponsible. It is a lie, plain and simple."
The full text of President Obama's speech can be found here.
LONDON -- Activists clashed with riot police today, and smashed into the Bank of Scotland. The violence at the G20 summit follows Saturday's peaceful march of 35,000 people demanding jobs, economic justice, and environmental accountability, kicking off six days of protests and actions.
ON THE OUTSIDE
As presidents and prime ministers (and a few royals) convene to tackle the global financial crisis, what is happening out in the streets? Will a handful of bad apples -- police and protesters alike -- give the protests a bad name? Will the media focus on the violence and avoid the issues? Who are the protesters and what do they want?
Need a scorecard? The Guardian published a cheeky "guide" to the protest here.
ON THE INSIDE
What was happening inside? A British official (who spoke on condition of anonymity) said the Group of 20 rich and developing countries would likely approve giving more than $500 billion to the IMF so it can increase its loans to governments struggling because of the financial crisis. Two other insiders said France and Germany had "persuaded the Group of 20 leaders to back tougher language in the final statement to avoid a repeat of the current crisis."
According to the Washington Post, leaders "were moving closer Thursday to taking broad steps to combat the global economic crisis, including the regulation of hedge funds, new transparency on offshore tax havens and dramatically boosting the cash available to hard-hit developing countries."
THE OVERVIEW
The best overview of the protest was probably experienced by the French daredevil Alain Robert who scaled Lloyds of London's high-rise headquarters, as office workers below snapped photos. Robert, dubbed the French Spiderman, has scaled dozens of tall structures around the world without ropes or harnesses to draw attention to global warming. He was later led away by police.
media focus: peaceful protester, or black-clad anarchist smashing windows?
London news report, March 28th, 2009
"FINANCIAL FOOL'S DAY"
April 1st, a mass group of anti-capitalist and climate change activists clashed with riot police in downtown London, breaking into the heavily guarded Royal Bank of Scotland and smashing its windows. Earlier, they tried to storm the Bank of England and pelted police with eggs and fruit.
Green activists march past Big Ben
At least 4,000 anarchists, anti-capitalists, environmentalists and others jammed into London's financial district for what they called "Financial Fool's Day." The protests were called ahead of Thursday's summit of world leaders, who hope to take concrete steps to resolve the global financial crisis that has lashed nations and workers worldwide. Protesters marched through London demanding action on poverty, climate change and jobs.
Today's news from the G20 summitin London
THE ANARCHIST PERSPECTIVE
The vast majority of activists were peaceful protesters but an element of self-described anarchists clashed with police and smashed windows. Sometimes civil disobedience is a necessary tactic, and sometimes it only hurts the cause.
So what's the deal with Krugman? He came out swinging at the Obama administration and the bill that passed the House taxing bonuses given to executives of bailed-out companies. "It's not the way you should make policy," Krugman said, "it's clumsy, and it will punish some innocent parties while letting the most guilty off scot-free."
Krugman added, "But -- there wasn't much alternative at this point. And for that I blame the Obama people." He goes on to call the Obama administration's handling of the American International Group scandal "bad analysis, bad policy, and terrible politics" that makes it seem as if the White House is "owned by the wheeler-dealers."
So...what's the deal with Krugman? I guess he's entitled to his opinion. So is this internet songsmith, who believes Paul should be part of the process. To paraphrase LBJ, "I'd rather have him inside the tent pissing outward than the other way around."
Barack Obama slams Dick Cheney on Sunday's 60 Minutes. Recently, Cheney said we are less safe without torture. In the clip, Obama remains the perfect gentlemen and makes his point without resorting to violence. Still, I'd love to see him punch Cheney in the nose. Cheney's face is just so punchable.
A singularly punchable face
In related news: Newsweek (March 21, 09) reports that more "torture memos" from the Bush Administration are soon to be released. "Over objections from the U.S. intelligence community, the White House is moving to declassify—and publicly release—three internal memos that will lay out, for the first time, details of the "enhanced" interrogation techniques..."
locked in coffin-size boxes; swung by towels around their necks into plywood walls; and forced to stand naked for days
Newsweek continues: "The debate about torture ramped up again last week with an account in the New York Review of Books about a secret International Red Cross report that was delivered to the CIA in February 2007. The report, according to journalist Mark Danner, quotes detainees describing, often in gruesome detail, how they were locked in coffin-size boxes; swung by towels around their necks into plywood walls; and forced to stand naked for days while their arms were shackled above their heads."
Cheney would have loved these guys: Nazis practicing "enhanced" techniques for a "safer" Germany
Previously secret memos written by the Bush administration outlined their reasons for why the military had the right to warrantless wiretaps and warrantless search and seizures of people in the U.S. they deemed to be terrorist suspects. The Obama administration released the memos. More secret memos are on their way. Don't be alarmed, but we might have been a doll's hair away from a police state.
Now that most right-minded people have wised up to George W. Bush (with the possible exception of Rush Limbaugh and my cousin Angie who blames liberals for everything including the high cost of cigarettes) it's time for an independent commission to investigate and make public what the Bush administration did in "the global campaign against terrorism." Things like tossing out habeas corpus, burning the Bill of Rights, giving the Geneva Convention the bum's rush, wiretapping citizens without a warrant, and basically setting up the possibility of martial law. Not to mention gutting the economy for personal gain and the enrichment of the already rich.
These bums had no shame!
Republicans, are you embarrassed yet for supporting these fools? You think Bobby Jindal can save you now? Admit you were wrong, and for a limited time only there will be a general amnesty for idiots.
"The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Representative John Conyers Jr., Democrat of Michigan, said the revelations, together with the release of new information about the CIA’s destruction of 92 interrogation videotapes, had underscored the need for a commission that would have the power to subpoena documents and testimony." -Huffington Post
Barack and Michelle Obama have the first dance at the Inaugural Neighborhood Ball. They enjoy a much-deserved moment of celebration as Beyonce sings the classic "At Last." I love this clip. Call me a sap, I don't care.
President Obama may have danced all night, but he was up early the next morning at his new job. Here he signs executive orders directing the CIA to shut down its network of secret prisons and ordering the closing of the Guantánamo detention camp. At last!
Okay, so he got the job. Hopes are running high. Most people (with the exception of tiresome gasbag Rush Limbaugh) wish him well. After all, his success is tied to the success of the nation. How long do we give him? A presidency is often judged by it's first one hundred days.
Bush entered the White House in a time of peace and prosperity, and soon wrapped himself in 9-11 like a magic cloak to ward off criticism. People gave him every opportunity to succeed. Remember? Before he squandered our trust, his popularity was sky high, and many felt it was unpatriotic to criticize the president. He encouraged the view.
Times have changed. Obama walks in alone, in the middle of a great national crisis. Let's give the new guy a chance. Good luck, Mr. President.
"One Hundred Days" by Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings
Let the new day begin. The inauguration gives me hope, especially after the dark years of the Bush administration. Maybe I'm naive but it seems like a paradigm shift is in the works. Here are images (albeit tampered with slightly) from another pivotal year, 1967. Nicknamed "The Summer of Love," at least by the square press, society experienced a sea change that season.
One brilliant record concentrated the energies in living color, and that was the Beatles' "Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band." The album was released in June, just in time to kick-start the famous summer. Throughout the summer it played everywhere, drifting out of open windows like the burnt odor of grass. It was strange and trippy, but made perfect sense. There were other great psychedelic records that year--Surrealistic Pillow, and The Doors' first album spring to mind, but Pepper took the cake. Bach trumpets and harpsichords and sitars exploded in a riot of flowers. It was pop, it was rock, it was baroque, it was avant garde. Everyone loved it. The Beatles had elevated their game to the level of art, and everyone followed their iridescent snail trail.
It's not my favorite Beatle album--that would be "Revolver" or "Rubber Soul," or even "The White Album," but Pepper is a fantastic time capsule. Some of it may seem dated, but you can't deny it's power. Pepper was highly influential, and not just on pop music; it influenced the entire culture. The following documentary examines the album closely--perhaps as closely as you did after smoking that Nepalese temple hash. It's worth a look.
President Obama and first lady Michele Obama, Inauguration Day, 1/20/2009
Over two million people crowded the National Mall this morning to watch Obama get sworn in as our 44th president. A new era begins...finally. He gave a rousing inaugural address, and called for unity and responsibility.
"We reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals," he said at one point, a jab at the last man to hold the job. "We've chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over discord." There were tough times ahead, but "we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work."
(Watch the complete speech above, or read the full text which is linked below.)
President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama leave the presidential limousine to walk in the inaugural parade.
Raw video: Obama parades to the White House.
"The sun's rising glow illuminated a mass of humanity gathering on the Mall this morning, a singing, celebrating and at times solemn sea of people wrapped in layers head to toe and determined to claim a piece of history by witnessing the inauguration of Barack Obama as the nation's 44th president." -Washington Post, 1/20/09 Read the full text of Obama's speech here.
The best way to celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King is to enjoy the spirit of jubilation over the Obama victory. King gave his life for equality, peace, and justice--and was assassinated by a white racist. We still have white racists and probably always will--just as we will always have cruelty and stupidity--but we can't wait for them to catch up because there is work to do. They must be livid. After all, they barely got over the abolition of slavery. In the name of King and all the civil rights workers we celebrate Obama's victory--an American victory.
Pete Seeger and Bruce Springsteen sing out at the Lincoln Memorial during a concert for Obama's inauguration. Pete, folksinger, political activist, and rabble-rouser, was hounded by the U.S. government for years for his politics and blacklisted during the Red Scare. Here, he makes a triumphant return with the Jersey Devil. They sing a song written by Pete's old running buddy, Woody Guthrie. I'm sure you know it, but maybe not this version. Here they sing it the way Woody wrote it, with all the "radical" lyrics they kept out of your school songbook.
In the squares of the city - In the shadow of the steeple Near the relief office - I see my people And some are grumblin' and some are wonderin' If this land's still made for you and me.
Seeger and Springsteen at the Lincoln Monument:
What it took to get here. Bull Connor's police dogs attack protesters in Selma. Their crime? Asking for the right to vote. All the people jabbering about "exporting Democracy" sure as hell should have supported these brave souls--but of course conservatives blocked the civil rights movement every step of the way. It's history; look it up. U2 perform "In The Name of Love" at the Lincoln Memorial. They wrote the song about Dr. King.
On this hard-won holiday, remember what it took to get here. Martin Luther King, Jr. is arrested by Alabama police for civil disobedience. The civil rights movement wasn't a tea party. People risked their necks. Give it up for MLK and the Movement for having the guts and determination and vision to rock the boat.
WASHINGTON — President George W. Bush gave his farewell address to the nation Thursday night, defending his record and showing few regrets. Bush gave a rosy view of his "successes" in Iraq and Afghanistan, and explained how he made tough choices that were good for the economy.
Bush leaves office with the worst presidential approval rate since unindicted co-conspirator Richard M. Nixon. His supporters have dwindled to the ranks of the extremely dumb. Most have jumped ship. Can you blame them?
David Letterman has been collecting "Great Moments in Presidential Speeches." Watch this recent clip regarding Jews and Italians. I say this with all due respect: what an asshole.
Here is a compilation of past "Great Moments." Watch and laugh!
If you're like me, you're checking your mailbox every day for an invitation to the inauguration. This inauguration will be historic. I've been shopping for the right clothes. Believe it or not, I don't own a suit, but I have some nice jackets and ties, and I can probably pull something together. I'd hate to find myself doing jello shooters with Barack and Michelle and suddenly realize I'm dressed like an extra from "Rent." Actually, they probably wouldn't mind. They seem cool. Not like the last bunch. I just hope my invitation arrives in in time.
The President and First Lady: Those ballroom dance lessons came in handy.
Looking sharp: JFK and Jackie arrive at the Kennedy inauguration, 1960
Here's the Spin Magazine guide to inauguration concerts--from Springsteen to Jay-Z--HERE
We're still celebrating Obama's win, and, in the spirit of Barack's magnanimous victory speech, we're trying to avoid taking cheap potshots at Sarah Palin. We're trying hard. Really. After all the attention and ballyhoo of the presidential race, Palin will be returning empty-handed to the frozen tundra, and no, we won't miss her shrill, ill informed musings, but on a human level it's kind of sad. On the other hand, we're not getting carried away with grief since we know this won't be the last we'll see of this neo-con Barbie. This ambitious politician will probably get retooled and freshly-painted for another big run (64% of Republicans polled want Palin to run again in 2012) but until then...we'll say buh-bye, Sarah. This song is for you. I think you'd better go now...
Sorry, we can't stop! There are a number of reports surfacing about tension between Palin and the McCain camp. Aides are coming forward with all the gory details. They describe her as a difficult diva behind the scenes, and many say they were concerned she simply didn't know enough to be Vice President. We agree, of course, but this is coming from inside the McCain camp!
We knew she wasn't exactly brilliant, and certainly no cartographer, but it turns out she thought Africa was a single country and not a continent. Even worse, and closer to home, she couldn't name the countries in North America. (Palin-supporters, take note: the countries are Canada, Mexico, and the USA.) Oh, and the $150,000 worth of expensive clothes? It's turned out to be much more--with $40,000 for husband Todd alone--it's expensive to have the common touch and look like a real hockey mom. According to this story, a GOP lawyer was dispatched to Alaska to retrieve some of the clothing (story here).
This news report details the backstage rift at McCain headquarters. Watch Bill O'Reilly trying to put a good spin on it, but this is hopeless.
Barack Obama wins the presidential election with 349 electoral votes to John McCain's 147. Obama becomes the 44th president of the United States of America in the largest voter turnout in 90 years--since women got the vote.
Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert announce the historic news.
Juan Williams describes the road leading to the first black president in America's history, and gets a little choked up.
Looks like Andy Griffith, Opie, and even The Fonz are backing Barack Obama. This does not bode well for McCain and Palin, who have aggressively waged a smear campaign of robo-calls and nasty character attacks in Mayberry.
Confronted with this small town rejection, an extremely well-dressed Palin had no comment, but reiterated that Obama was indeed a Muslim Socialist out to raise Aunt Bea's taxes and marry Floyd the barber. McCain only growled.
A great clip starring Ron Howard, Andy Griffith, and Henry Winkler.
What's eating The Nuge? It sounds like The Motor City Madman got up on the wrong side of the futon this morning. Well-known as a cranky right-wing gun nut, this hairy rocker still manages to surprise us with his vitriolic shock 'n' y'all nonsense, and this morning the cranky caveman philosopher had me screaming at the computer. Instead of having an aneurysm, I decided to have some fun and "sublimate" the experience by conducting a make-believe interview with Ted--using his actual quotes from the Village Voice (Oct. 20, 08).
Call itBob and Ted's Excellent Misadventure, and be warned there is a language advisory:
9lbhammer: How you feeling, Ted? You look a little deranged, to be honest. You eating right? Getting plenty of rest?
Ted Nugent: (all Ted's words are actual quotations)Well, I woke up one morning, as I do every morning, for the last 60 years. My middle finger was on fire. I roasted adequate amounts of marshmallows upon said flames and I thought I would share it with my fellow civilians.
9lbhammer:Other than roasting marshmallows on your middle finger, what have you been up to? Your last hit record was "Cat Scratch Fever" back in the seventies, and before that was "Tobacco Road" with the Amboy Dukes during the Nixon Administration. What are you doing these days?Still making records?
Ted:I have no current projects...If it wasn't for Sarah Palin, I'd move to fuckin' Sweden. It's pretty pathetic. I don't think you can be "pretty pathetic." It's mighty pathetic. Barack Obama, I guess if you want to be Mao Tse Tung I suppose you can be. I just don't think you should be the president of America. Call me weird. If you really study the Communist Party of America, if you go to their website and check out their bullet points, it is the Democrat Party bullet points. It is Barack Obama.
9lbhammer:If not for Palin, you'd move to Sweden? I hate to tell you, Ted, but Sweden is a socialist country. Has been for years. According to Forbes, "Cradle-to-grave security is the rule in Sweden, and has been since the early 1950s (the country went socialist in 1932). Go on the dole in Sweden, for example, and you can get 80% of your last job's pay for at least five years." And taxes? Sweden has the highest tax quota (as percentage of GDP) in the industrialized world. On top of that, around eighty percent of the Swedish labor force is unionized, and I know you hate unions.
Ted: Am I out of line here? Did I miss the reintroduction of communism and how it benefited society? Maybe that chapter evaded me. Remember a minute ago, when I said "fuck you?" You might want to play that over the loudspeaker system wherever you go.
9lbhammer: You're flogging a new book, Ted, White and Blue: The Nugent Manifesto, in which you espouse a crypto-fascist populism that makes the Michigan Militia sound like the Ballet Rousse. Frankly, I find your philosophy is a little disturbing. Why so cranky?
Ted:If you really study what Obama and Biden claim are the poverty level, how about this… fuck you. How about double fuck you. I do federal raids with federal marshals and the Texas rangers, and we kick down the doors of these fuckin' mongrels. And they're under the poverty level. But they've all got meth, they've all got crack, they all got whiskey, they all got a Monte Carlo with new fuckin' wheels on it.
9lbhammer: So much for the poor. What about immigrants? Your view of immigration is just short of Aryan Nations. Care to comment?
Ted:The Nugent family has no invaders. We don't have any welfare, we don't have any crime, we don't need anymore money thrown at our education....and we certainly don't have any invaders, because the message is loud and clear: invade the Nugent property and die. I'm not gonna say "hey you," I'm gonna shoot you in the fuckin' head. Just like all my fellow Texans. Be nice, I'll buy you a fuckin' brisket. Steal from my neighbor, I'll kill ya. Come on. Illegal invaders, especially during the war on terror, should die. Illegal invaders, war on terror, don't invade or we'll kill ya.
9lbhammer: It just came out that the Republicans spent Sarah Palin $150,000 for her hair and clothes in the last month, but she's got nothing on your sense of style. Do you think you could field-dress a moose faster than Palin?
Ted:I'm a disciplined man. I'm 60 years old, and I've gained about 20 pounds since I graduated from high school, mostly muscle, by the way.
9lbhammer: What would you say to the candidates?
Ted: Barack, fuck you. Joe, fuck you. John McCain...We are voting Republican this year, not because of John McCain as much as for Sarah Palin.
9lbhammer: Thanks, Ted.
Ted: Fuck you.
Ted and the last of the species.
Check the source: the interview in its entirety here.
