The Deciderer's last 1000 days

298: O beautiful for spacious skies

2008-03-27T11:29:00.000-07:00

America
Paul Simon, 1968

"Let us be lovers, we'll marry our fortunes together
I've got some real estate here in my bag"
So we bought a pack of cigarettes and Mrs. Wagner pies
And walked off to look for America

"Kathy," I said as we boarded a Greyhound in Pittsburgh
"Michigan seems like a dream to me now"
It took me four days to hitchhike from Saginaw
I've come to look for America

Laughing on the bus
Playing games with the faces
She said the man in the gabardine suit was a spy
I said "Be careful, his bowtie is really a camera"

"Toss me a cigarette, I think there's one in my raincoat"
"We smoked the last one an hour ago"
So I looked at the scenery, she read her magazine
And the moon rose over an open field

"Kathy, I'm lost," I said, though I knew she was sleeping
"I'm empty and aching and I don't know why"
Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike
They've all come to look for America
All come to look for America
All come to look for America

Listen to America here,
performed by Simon & Garfunkel,
(Bookends album, 1968)

M'08

2008-03-24T14:43:00.000-07:00

I love it! From Fubar at Needlenose:

333: Separated at Birth?

2008-02-21T10:12:00.000-08:00

356: My response to the DCCC

2008-01-28T22:10:00.000-08:00

Neither the national Democratic Party nor any re-election committee will see another dime from me until party leaders and their groupies stop acting like such cowards.

Any political donations I make will go directly to candidates who show conviction and courage, who will stand up for traditional Democratic ideals (and practical new ones), who have respect for the Constitution and the rule of law, and who understand that the Republican establishment has been getting exactly what it wants for years and is still getting exactly what it wants (and what it wants is harming our nation and the world more each day.)

With a guaranteed national audience, Governor Sebelius’ SOTU response was truly pathetic.

I AM A DEMOCRAT, but at best, I am ashamed of my party and afraid for our nation.

Randy Gold
Sherman Oaks, CA

411: Ron Paul, George & Gringo

2007-12-05T10:56:00.001-08:00

Tancredo: "....pushing drugs, raping kids, destroying lives"

Yeah, yeah, yeah!

412: Republican math

2007-12-04T10:46:00.000-08:00

509: What's Jeb Bush been up to lately?

2007-08-29T18:04:00.000-07:00

The pay's not great, but there's always all-you-can-eat cookies in the break out room! (Hmmmmmm.... is he wondering whether the name "Bush" will still be toxic come 2012.)

515: Viet Raq

2007-08-23T15:53:00.000-07:00

546: How the modern day Republican Party spells relief

2007-07-23T20:54:00.000-07:00

Their favorite sport: pissing on Americans.

Thanks to Wiley Miller for the original drawing that he drew for me at a political cartoonists meeting in 1998.

552: Iraqi Raccoon

2007-07-17T12:49:00.000-07:00

558. Casablanca (i.e. White House)

2007-07-11T15:10:00.000-07:00

566: Living in the Twilight Zone

2007-07-03T10:50:00.000-07:00

T.Z.

579. The Law & Order ticket

2007-06-19T21:56:00.000-07:00

Oh, darn! It appears that Sam Waterston is a Democrat.... But that's OK, since Thompson clearly doesn't care much about law and order anyway.

UPDATE: Oops! I just noticed that I misspelled Waterston on the button. Oh well... back to the PhotoShop board.

581. It was 40 years ago today...

2007-06-17T05:31:00.000-07:00

No, not Sgt. Pepper or anything Beatles. On June 17, 1967, Janis Ian's "Society's Child" debuted on the Billboard Top 40 chart, eventually reaching #14. This song told of an ill-fated interracial romance that family, peers and American society as a whole could not and would not tolerate. Radio stations around the country banned it from their playlists.

While we've undoubtedly come a long way in race relations since the mid-1960's, it's all too obvious that the fight for social justice continues. Let's never lose sight of the important and difficult battles that so many brave others have already won on this front as we prepare for the battles ahead of us.

Originally written by 14-year-old Janis Ian in 1965, she performs the song here on "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" in November, 1967. Not surprisingly, this performance was censored in several U.S. television markets. (Note that she's singing live over the musical track used on the record.) I still get a lump in my throat whenever I hear this song, especially so watching this performance.

Society's Child
Janis Ian

Come to my door, baby
Face is clean and shining black as night
My mother went to answer
You know that you looked so fine
Now I could understand your tears & your shame
She called you "boy" instead of your name
When she wouldn't let you inside
When she turned and said
"But honey, he's not our kind"

She says I can't see you any more, baby
Can't see you any more

Walk me down to school, baby
Everybody's acting deaf and blind
Until they turn and say
"Why don't you stick to your own kind"
My teachers all laugh, their smirking stares
Cutting deep down in our affairs
Preachers of equality
Think they believe it
Then why won't they just let us be?

They say I can't see you any more baby
Can't see you any more

One of these days I'm gonna stop my listening
Gonna raise my head up high
One of these days I'm gonna raise up
My glistening wings and fly
But that day will have to wait for a while
Baby, I'm only society's child
When we're older, things may change
But for now this is the way they must remain

I say I can't see you any more, baby
Can't see you any more
No, I don't want to see you any more, baby

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Society's Child" was originally recorded for Atlantic Records, who paid for the session; after they heard it, they quietly returned the master, saying they could not release it. Years later Jerry Wexler (president of Atlantic at the time) apologized publicly to Janis for this, saying "If any company should have released Society's Child, it was us".

In 2001 "Society's Child" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I had the pleasure of seeing Janis perform live a few years ago at McCabe's in Santa Monica, California, a guitar shop by day magically transformed into a wonderfully intimate performance "hall" (100 seats) by night.... the kind of place where the performers never fail to come out into the front shop area right after the show to schmooze with the fans. Janis is currently writing her autobiography, so isn't touring much these days. But when she gets back on the road, treat yourself if she comes to your town.

587. I'd like to buy a vowel, Mitt.

2007-06-12T14:23:00.000-07:00

Mitt for Brains Peter Tomarken

All these Republican talking heads blathering on about Mitt Romney's "presidential good looks." To me, I think he looks and acts more like a game show host.

Actually, he does look like a game show host: Remember Peter Tomarken, probably best known for hosting "Press Your Luck"??

663. Stay out of the kitchen

2007-03-28T08:01:00.000-07:00

National Post (Canada): Hell 'exists and is eternal,' Pope warns

As the penitential season of Lent draws to a close, Pope Benedict XVI has been reminding the faithful of some key beliefs of their faith, including the fact hell is a place where sinners burn in an everlasting fire.
God's mercy and love are great, but those who reject him should know that hell "exists and is eternal, even if nobody talks about it much any more," the pontiff said, according to reports by the Catholic News Service and the London Times.
Benedict made the comments while celebrating Mass on Passion Sunday at St. Felicity & Martyred Sons in northern Rome.

OK, but please note....

The temperature of Heaven can be rather accurately computed. Our authority is Isaiah 30:26,

"Moreover, the light of the Moon shall be as the light of the Sun and the light of the Sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days."

Thus Heaven receives from the Moon as much radiation as we do from the Sun, and in addition 7 x 7 (=49) times as much as the Earth does from the Sun, or 50 times in all.
The light we receive from the Moon is one 1/10,000 of the light we receive from the Sun, so we can ignore that.
The radiation falling on Heaven will heat it to the point where the heat lost by radiation is just equal to the heat received by radiation, i.e., Heaven loses 50 times as much heat as the Earth by radiation.

Using the Stefan-Boltzmann law for radiation, (H/E)^4 = 50, where E is the absolute temperature of the earth (-300°K), gives H as 798°K (=525°C).
The exact temperature of Hell cannot be computed. However, Revelation 21:8 says

"But the fearful, and unbelieving ... shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone."

A lake of molten brimstone [sulphur] means that its temperature must be at or below its boiling point, 445°C.

We have, then, that Heaven, at 525°C is hotter than Hell at 445°C.

Just thought you'd like to know.

700: Silent

2007-02-19T17:23:00.000-08:00

7 O'clock News/Silent Night
(P. Simon)

This is the early evening edition of the news.
The recent fight in the House of Representatives was over the open housing section of the Civil Rights Bill.
Brought traditional enemies together but it left the defenders of the measure without the votes of their strongest supporters.
President Johnson originally proposed an outright ban covering discrimination by everyone for every type of housing but it had no chance from the start and everyone in Congress knew it.
A compromise was painfully worked out in the House Judiciary Committee.
In Los Angeles today comedian Lenny Bruce died of what was believed to be an overdoes of narcotics.
Bruce was 42 years old.
Dr. Martin Luther King says he does not intend to cancel plans for an open housing march Sunday into the Chicago suburb of Cicero.
Cook County Sheriff Richard Ogleby asked King to call off the march and the police in Cicero said they would ask the National Guard to be called out if it is held.
King, now in Atlanta, Georgia, plans to return to Chicago Tuesday.
In Chicago Richard Speck, accused murderer of nine student nurses, was brought before a grand jury today for indictment.
The nurses were found stabbed and strangled in their Chicago apartment.
In Washington the atmosphere was tense today as a special subcommittee of the House Committee on Un-American activities continued its probe into anti-Vietnam war protests.
Demonstrators were forcibly evicted from the hearings when they began chanting anti-war slogans.
Former Vice-President Richard Nixon says that unless there is a substantial increase in the present war effort in Vietnam, the U.S. should look forward to five more years of war.
In a speech before the Convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in New York,
Nixon also said opposition to the war in this country is the greatest single weapon working against the U.S.
That's the 7 o'clock edition of the news,
Goodnight.

Silent night
Holy night
All is calm
All is bright
Round yon virgin mother and child
Holy infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace.

Simon & Garfunkel "7 O'clock News/Silent Night"

709. A crook by any other name....

2007-02-10T08:19:00.000-08:00

Jack Nicholson's character Frank Costello, in The Departed:

"When I was your age they used to say you could become cops or criminals. What I'm saying to you is this... When you're facing a loaded gun, what's the difference?"

David Oliver, the former Director of Management and Budget for the Coalition Provisional Authority (Iraq), explaining to a House oversight committee a remark he had made previously about $9 billion dollars in Iraqi funds that went missing on the CPA's watch.

"I have no idea, I can't tell you whether or not the money went to the right things or didn't - nor do I actually think it is important," Oliver said. "Billions of dollars of their money disappeared, yes I understand, I'm saying what difference does it make?"

Video of testimony at Alternet

711. Vinyl

2007-02-08T12:54:00.000-08:00

From The Bushles Discography

"Libby Rove", 2005

718. The winter of our discontent

2007-02-01T10:39:00.000-08:00

Now is the winter of our discontent
Made ne'er glorious by this son of privilege;
And all the clouds that lour'd upon our house
In the deep wounds of a nation buried.

732. Excuse me, Mr. Gonzales

2007-01-18T20:31:00.000-08:00

Article 1, Section 9, United States Constitution:

The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.

At the U.S. Senate, today:

Specter: Now wait a minute, wait a minute. The Constitution says you can't take it away except in the case of invasion or rebellion. Doesn't that mean you have the right of habeas corpus?

Gonzales: I meant by that comment that the Constitution doesn't say that every individual in the United States or every citizen has or is assured the right of habeas corpus. It doesn't say that. It simply says that the right of habeas corpus shall not be suspended.

733. Season premiere

2007-01-16T12:04:00.000-08:00

734. The deciderer decides to decide (once again)

2007-01-16T08:30:00.000-08:00

In his "60 Minutes" interview, Dubya used the word "decision" 24 times in less than 9 minutes. (Nick Douglas @ The Huffington Post)

738. Four, four, four wars in one

2007-01-12T12:06:00.000-08:00

TPM:

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, like his infamously inconstant predecessor, still won't admit that Iraq is in a state of civil war, but that non-civil war is apparently, one of four ongoing wars in Iraq.

From today's testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee:

There are four wars going on in Iraq right now, simultaneously: Shia on Shia conflict in the south; sectarian violence, particularly in Baghdad, but also in Diyala and a couple of other provinces; an insurgency; and Al Qaeda.

739. Duet

2007-01-11T09:58:00.000-08:00

I had a dream, a dream about you, baby.
It's gonna come true, baby.
They think that we're through, but baby,

You'll be swell! You'll be great!
Gonna have the whole world on the plate!
Starting here, starting now,
Honey, everything's coming up roses!

Clear the decks! Clear the tracks!
You've got nothing to do but relax.
Blow a kiss. Take a bow.
Honey, everything's coming up roses!

Now's your inning. Stand the world on it's ear!
Set it spinning! That'll be just the beginning!
Curtain up! Light the lights!
You got nothing to hit but the heights!
You'll be swell. You'll be great.
I can tell. Just you wait.
That lucky star I talk about is due!
Honey, everything's coming up roses for me and for you!

You can do it, all you need is a hand.
We can do it, Dubya is gonna see to it!
Curtain up! Light the lights!
We got nothing to hit but the heights!
I can tell, wait and see.
There's the bell! Follow me!
And nothing's gonna stop us 'til we're through!
Honey, everything's coming up roses and daffodils!
Everything's coming up sunshine and Santa Claus!
Everything's gonna be bright lights and lollipops!
Everything's coming up roses for me and for you!

740. N'est-ce pas?

2007-01-09T10:11:00.000-08:00

Magritte: The Treachery of Images (1929)
Exhibition at Los Angeles County Museum of Art, thru 3/7/2007.

741. Jack and George went up the gorge to fetch...

2007-01-09T00:02:00.000-08:00

Inquiring minds want to know: Does Abramoff have a small head or does Dubya have a big head?

AP authenticated photo proving that they met in December, 2003 is from CREW blog. (Oh yeah, Bush claimed for some time that they never met.)

742. Change of heart

2007-01-08T00:11:00.000-08:00

Bush speaks to nation: "I was wrong, oh, so wrong"
President sings his heart out

So Wrong
(Danny Dill, Carl Perkins and Mel Tillis)

I've been so wrong, for so long
Thought I could live without the love that you give
I was wrong, oh, so wrong

I've been so wrong, for so long
I didn't know that I loved you so
I was wrong

CHORUS:
Well, I never knew I could want you darlin
Oh, so much
Now that you're gone, I dream of you
And your sweet touch

I was so wrong, for so long
But I've seen the light, darlin, I'll make it right
I was wrong

745. Klaatu barada nikto Iraqto

2007-01-05T17:35:00.000-08:00

KLAATU

I can judge only by what I see.

HARLEY

Your impatience is quite understandable.

KLAATU

I'm impatient with stupidity. My people have learned to live without it.

HARLEY

I'm afraid my people haven't.

... or should that be HADLEY?

(Never thought about it before in all the times that I've seen the film, but what's with Gort the robot wearing briefs?)

748. I love a parade

2007-01-01T16:10:00.000-08:00

Aha! I didn't imagine seeing this: a good close-up of the IMPEACH sign at the Rose Parade that was visible intermittently in the background for at least 30 minutes. (Source LA Indymedia)

773. "Colonies Study Group": The other George responds

2006-12-07T21:31:00.000-08:00

Ramsay, "Inability to Recognize a Situation
Going From Bad to Worse to Much Worse"
1824, Oil on canvas, The Royal Collection

780. Equine Paradox Friday honors Dennis Prager

2006-12-01T16:20:00.000-08:00

Equine Paradox
There are more horse's asses in the world than horses.

From The Carpetbagger Report:

Far too many conservatives have made it abundantly clear that they’re unhappy about a Muslim getting elected to Congress. Right-wing activists opposed Rep.-elect Keith Ellison’s (D-Minn.) campaign while he was running, and after having won, most of these same activists are openly questioning whether his faith makes him unfit for office.

These concerns reached new heights (or, I should say, depths) yesterday, when right-wing talk-show host Dennis Prager penned a column on Ellison’s outrageous request to take the oath of office on the Koran, an act Prager insists “undermines American civilization.”

Insofar as a member of Congress taking an oath to serve America and uphold its values is concerned, America is interested in only one book, the Bible. If you are incapable of taking an oath on that book, don’t serve in Congress. In your personal life, we will fight for your right to prefer any other book. We will even fight for your right to publish cartoons mocking our Bible. But, Mr. Ellison, America, not you, decides on what book its public servants take their oath.

Devotees of multiculturalism and political correctness who do not see how damaging to the fabric of American civilization it is to allow Ellison to choose his own book need only imagine a racist elected to Congress. Would they allow him to choose Hitler’s “Mein Kampf,” the Nazis’ bible, for his oath? And if not, why not? On what grounds will those defending Ellison’s right to choose his favorite book deny that same right to a racist who is elected to public office?

continued....

Note: If you think that Prager is just whistling into the wind, check out a sampling of the hundreds of comments that he got to his column that are in gleefully perfect agreement with his racist, dishonest, un-American and unquestionably un-Constitutional rant.

Tags: Prager Equine paradox

781. The latest discovery in stem cell research

2006-11-30T09:25:00.000-08:00

788. Wishing you a happy and healthy Thanksgiving

2006-11-23T09:46:00.000-08:00

797. Inverted Bush

2006-11-14T20:00:00.000-08:00

811. Dicotine warning

2006-10-31T20:11:00.000-08:00

823: National Character Counts Week

2006-10-19T09:34:00.000-07:00

How does this character count? Let me count the ways....

National Character Counts Week: October 15-21, 2006

825. Go to the mirror boy

2006-10-18T08:16:00.000-07:00

Bush signs torture bill.... ''one of the worst civil liberties measures ever enacted in American history.''

826. You betcha!

2006-10-16T10:31:00.000-07:00

Last trade: 31.1

Today's chart on the GOP retaining control of the House, from Tradesports.com, an Irish betting exchange. This contact reached a high of 89.0 in October, 2005, and was nearly 60 less than a month ago.

828. Proxy

2006-10-14T10:57:00.000-07:00

From Wikipedia:

Fabricated and Induced Illness (Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy)

In FII a caregiver feigns or induces an illness in another person, usually her or his child, to gain attention and sympathy as the "worried" parent. Although Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSbP) cases with feigned or induced physical illness receive the most attention, it is also possible in parents who emotionally abuse their child, then claim psychiatric and/or genetic problems.

FII is a form of child abuse.....

Doesn't this sound like the way the psychopath in the White House treats the country?

831. Fission accomplished (part 3)

2006-10-11T11:22:00.000-07:00

838. QWERTY

2006-10-04T03:42:00.000-07:00

Associated Press (WEST PALM BEACH, FL) -- As the unfolding story gets stranger by the day, disgraced former Rep. Mark Foley's high school typing teacher was arrested as an "accessory before the fact" in the burgeoning Internet sex and cover-up scandal. Ava Janowski of Lake Worth, Florida was quietly taken into FBI custody early Wednesday morning.

843. Jack Who?

2006-09-29T09:43:00.000-07:00

NY Times: The House Government Reform Committee report, based on e-mail messages and other records subpoenaed from Mr. Abramoff’s lobbying firm, found 485 contacts between Mr. Abramoff’s lobbying team and White House officials from 2001 to 2004, including 82 with Mr. Rove’s office.

844. Caution!

2006-09-27T22:08:00.001-07:00

848. Six of one, half a dozen of the other

2006-09-24T09:41:00.000-07:00

864. S-A-B?

2006-09-08T08:58:00.000-07:00

Karl Rove . . . . . & . . . . . Sam-I-Am

870. The U.S. vs John Lennon

2006-09-02T10:56:00.000-07:00

An increasingly unpopular war and a restive public...

A presidential administration engaged in secret surveillance and wiretapping...

A world-famous musician who speaks out in protest...and comes under fire

Before Iraq, before the Bush Administration, before the Dixie Chicks, Bruce Springsteen, and Pearl Jam … there was John Lennon, the celebrated musical artist who used his fame and his fortune to protest the Vietnam War and advocate for world peace. In the new Lionsgate documentary, The U.S. vs. John Lennon, filmmakers David Leaf and John Scheinfeld trace Lennon’s metamorphosis from lovable “Moptop” to anti-war activist to inspirational icon as they reveal the true story of how and why the U.S. government tried to silence him.

The U.S. vs. John Lennon, which opens in limited release in LA and NYC on Friday, Sept. 15, and goes into wider release on Friday, Sept. 29, features Walter Cronkite, Gore Vidal, Mario Cuomo, George McGovern, Angela Davis, Bobby Seale, G. Gordon Liddy, and Yoko Ono--and archival footage of Richard Nixon, J. Edgar Hoover, and John Lennon.

More....

Trailer:

873. A woman of few words....

2006-08-30T10:29:00.000-07:00

.... but not few enough.

The screen print above, taken today, shows the Katherine Harris for Senate web site blog/campaign diary. It's dated Monday, May 29, 2006 with the greeting:

Welcome to the Campaign Diary!

This section will be updated soon, please check back in a few days.

880. Iraq: The set-it-and-forget-it! war

2006-08-23T07:35:00.000-07:00

Bush takes his marching orders from Ron Popeil.

881. Mixed messages

2006-08-21T21:55:00.000-07:00

Bush press conference: "We're not leaving Iraq so long as JonBenet Ramsey is President."

882. Outcome of the Rethuglican election strategy?

2006-08-21T10:16:00.000-07:00

Lots of references today to Frank Rich's latest column "Five Years After 9/11, Fear Finally Strikes Out." However, the origin of the expression "fear strikes out" goes back a long way.....

Fear Strikes Out: The Jim Piersall Story.... book / film

883. Who Dunnit?

2006-08-20T08:26:00.000-07:00

I haven't gotten over to see the documentary "Who Killed the Electric Car?", though I've heard from a number of friends that it's quite compelling.

That said, I'm always amazed that no matter how many times I see a particular Simpsons episode, when I see it again I seem to pick up some new gem. So, this time I paid more attention to the words of the song "We Do" from the Homer the Great episode, in which Homer joins the ultra-secretive Stonecutters. (This episode is from 1995!)

Who controls the British crown?
Who keeps the metric system down?
We do! We do.

Who leaves the Atlantis off the maps? [shot of Carl]
Who keeps the Martians under wraps? [shot of Lenny]
We do! We do. [shot of Martian]

Who holds back the electric car?
Who makes Steve Guttenberg a star? [shot of Steve]
We do! We do.

Who robs cave fish of their sight? [shot of Skinner]
Who rigs every Oscar night? [shot of Homer]
We do! We do.

All about Homer the Great...

883. The calm before the storm?

2006-08-20T06:14:00.000-07:00

What do the following have in common? (Click any name for a big hint.)

Alberto

Beryl

885. In theaters now!

2006-08-18T10:30:00.000-07:00

886. Cabinet fun facts!

2006-08-16T18:40:00.000-07:00

Alberto Gonzales is the second U.S. Attorney General to have the same initials, A.G., as his cabinet post.

The first was Augustus Hill Garland, who served under President Grover Cleveland from 1885 to 1889.

Bonus fun fact: There has never been a U.S. Secretary of State with the initials S.S. In fact, there has never been a Secretary of State with even just a first initial S....while there have been 17 with first initial J.

887. Spam, spam, spam, spam.... Fear, fear, fear, fear

2006-08-16T14:30:00.000-07:00

Cut to a café. All the customers look like Dick Cheney. Mr. and Mrs. Merica enter - downwards (on wires).

MR. MERICA

Morning.

DUBYA

Morning.

MR. MERICA

What have you got, then?

DUBYA

Well there's egg and bacon; egg, sausage and bacon; egg and fear; egg, bacon and fear; egg, bacon, sausage and fear; fear, bacon, sausage and fear; fear, egg, fear, fear, bacon and fear; fear, fear, fear, egg and fear; fear, fear, fear, fear, fear, fear, baked beans, fear, fear, fear and fear; or lobster thermidor aux crevettes with a mornay sauce garnished with truffle pâté, brandy and a fried egg on top and fear.

MRS. MERICA

Have you got anything without fear in it?

DUBYA

Well there's fear, egg, sausage and fear. That's not got much fear in it.

MRS. MERICA

I don't want any fear.

MR. MERICA

Why can't she have egg, bacon, fear and sausage?

MRS. MERICA

That's got fear in it!

MR. MERICA

Not as much as fear, egg, sausage and fear.

MRS. MERICA

Look, could I have egg, bacon, fear and sausage without the fear.

DUBYA

Uuuuuuggggh!

MRS. MERICA

What d'you mean uuugggh! I don't like fear.

CHENEYS
(singing)

Fear, fear, fear, fear, fear ... fear, fear, fear, fear ... lovely fear, wonderful fear ...

DUBYA

Shut up. Shut up! Shut up! You can't have egg, bacon, fear and sausage without the fear.

MRS. MERICA

Why not!

DUBYA

No, it wouldn't be egg, bacon, fear and sausage, would it.

MRS. MERICA

I dont like fear!

MR. MERICA

Don't make a fuss, dear. I'll have your fear. I love it. I'm having fear, fear, fear, fear, fear ...

CHENEYS

(singing)

Fear, fear, fear, fear ...

MR. MERICA

... baked beans, fear, fear and fear.

DUBYA

Baked beans are off.

MR. MERICA

Well can I have fear instead?

DUBYA

You mean fear, fear, fear, fear, fear, fear, fear, fear, fear, fear?

CHENEYS

(still singing)

Fear, fear, fear, fear ... (etc.)

MR. MERICA

Yes.

DUBYA

Arrggh!

CHENEYS

... lovely fear, wonderful, fear.

DUBYA

Shut up! Shut up!

The Cheneys shut up momentarily. Enter the Hungarian.

HUNGARIAN

Great boobies honeybun, my lower intestine is full of fear, egg, fear, bacon, fear, tomato, fear ...

CHENEYS

(starting up again)

Fear, fear, fear, fear ...

DUBYA

Shut up.

A policeman rushes in and bundles the Hungarian out

HUNGARIAN

My nipples explode ...

Cut to a Historian

Superimposed caption: A HISTORIAN

HISTORIAN

Another great Cheney victory was at the Green Midget café at Bromley. Once again the Cheney strategy was the same. They sailed form these fiords here, (indicating a map with arrows on it) assembled at Trondheim and waited for the strong north-easterly winds to blow their oaken galleys to England whence they sailed on May 23rd. Once in Bromley they assembled in the Green Midget café and fear selecting a fear particular fear item from the fear menu would fear, fear, fear, fear, fear ...

The backdrop behind him rises to reveal the café again. The Cheneys start singing again and the

HISTORIAN conducts them.

CHENEYS

(singing)

Fear, fear, fear, fear, fear, lovely fear, wonderful fear. Lovely fear wonderful fear ...

Credits: Liberally modified from....
http://www.noteboom.demon.nl/spam.html
Monty Python's Flying Circus - Just the Words (Volume Two)
Edited from the original scripts and video tapes by Roger Wilmut
Methuen, Londen, 1989
ISBN 0-413-62550-8
Copyright © Python Productions Ltd 1989

887. WW Season 20?

2006-08-15T22:54:00.000-07:00

If The West Wing had presented stories like Lamont-Lieberman instead of the mush that was served up the last couple of seasons, it would still be on the air.

888. Handy dandy

2006-08-15T15:37:00.000-07:00

891.Silence would be golden

2006-08-12T07:41:00.000-07:00

Joe Loserman and....
Rembrandt's "Man With a Golden Helmet" (c. 1650)

Click pic to see the full-scale original painting

892. Thugs, no matter how you spell it

2006-08-11T21:53:00.000-07:00

893. Only the operation is fuzzy, not the math

2006-08-10T17:35:00.000-07:00

December 7, 1941
-thru-
May 8, 1945 (VE-Day) = 1,248 days

March 19, 2003 (U.S. invasion of Iraq)
-thru-
August 18, 2006 (next Friday) = 1,248 days

Welcome
Daou Report/Carpetbagger/Talk Left/Oliver Willis
readers!

Continue on to the top....

894. The landmine cartel

2006-08-09T09:41:00.000-07:00

OLEC/Organization of Landmine Exporting Countries: United States, Iran, North Korea, Burma

895. No comment

2006-08-08T00:25:00.000-07:00

BERLIN (Reuters) - A German scientist has been testing an "anti-stupidity" pill with encouraging results on mice and fruit flies, Bild newspaper reported on Saturday.

It said Hans-Hilger Ropers, director at Max-Planck-Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin, has tested a pill thwarting hyperactivity in certain brain nerve cells, helping stabilise short-term memory and improve attentiveness.

"With mice and fruit flies we were able to eliminate the loss of short-term memory," Ropers, 62, is quoted saying in the German newspaper, which has dubbed it the "world's first anti-stupidity pill."

896. Oh, goody!

2006-08-07T00:25:00.000-07:00

Time for another Bush Quiz. (The Twentieth Hundred Days, Paul Slansky, The New Yorker, 8/7/06)

1. Complete George W. Bush’s quote: “I believe that my job is _____.”

(a) to protect life. And sometimes people have to die in order to protect life, see? And that saddens me.

(b) hard. It’s a heckuva hard job. It’s difficult. But I’m doin’ it, see, and I’m gonna keep on doin’ it, because that’s the job of a President.

(c) to go out and explain to people what’s on my mind. That’s why I’m having this press conference, see? I’m telling you what’s on my mind. And what’s on my mind is winning the war on terror.

(d) to construe the laws I sign in a Presidential way. Because that’s part of being a leader, see, is construing with your gut.

Answer to this question and the rest of the quiz here....

897. Now you're talking!

2006-08-06T09:14:00.000-07:00

Jack Ziegler, The New Yorker, August 7, 2006

898. Rhyme time

2006-08-04T22:03:00.000-07:00

899. Do I bet? You bet!

2006-08-04T18:06:00.000-07:00

Self-interrogation

900. Bush gone fishin'

2006-08-03T10:35:00.000-07:00

V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N!!

Don't let the door hit you on the way out...

906. Bush denies using performance enhancing drugs

2006-07-28T08:38:00.000-07:00

Nation responds, "We know, we know...."

907. Take 2

2006-07-27T19:18:00.000-07:00

Bolton again before the Senate....

908. Now is the summer of our discontent

2006-07-25T20:21:00.000-07:00

Now is the summer of our discontent
Made ne'er glorious by this son of privilege;
And all the clouds that lour'd upon our house
In the deep wounds of a nation buried.

909. Metamorphosizzle

2006-07-24T22:29:00.000-07:00

As Gregor W. Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a caring and responsible person, an honest and faithful leader, a trustworthy and beloved president accountable to all Americans and mutually respected throughout the world.

What has happened to me? he thought. It was no dream.

No, wait... yes it was.

910. "American Idol" world court

2006-07-24T14:58:00.000-07:00

From The New Yorker:

RYAN SEACREST: Welcome, everyone. I’m your host, Ryan Seacrest. Thanks to the overwhelming success of “American Idol,” our panel of judges has been asked, by the international community, to rule on issues affecting us all. So let’s get started: What’s the deal with Iraq?
PAULA ABDUL: You know, I love the Shiites and the Sunnis and all of the other sects. I just think they are all so special and I just wish they could all get together and realize how special they are.

RANDY JACKSON: But, man, that Saddam Hussein dude—I was not down with that. He would not be my choice for Iraqi Idol. For a bloodthirsty tyrant, he was just average, just so-so.
and the rest...

912. The party of George and the party of Lincoln

2006-07-22T13:43:00.000-07:00

George Lincoln Rockwell (1918-1967). Founder of the American Nazi Party.

915. Maybe there's hope for us..... maybe not

2006-07-19T11:12:00.000-07:00

Ralph Reed loses in the Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia.

Bush vetoes the embryonic stem cell bill.

916. Freedom on the march

2006-07-18T17:26:00.000-07:00

AP: The Afghan government announced plans Tuesday to re-establish a Vice and Virtues Ministry, but it assured the public the office would not resemble the Taliban version that became a symbol of the brutal regime toppled by U.S. forces in 2001.

Afghanistan's powerful religious and tribal leaders have been pressing U.S.-backed President Hamid Karzai to reinstate the ministry, which many considered the most powerful in the ousted Taliban government. It employed 32,000 people to enforce the Islamic zealots' bans on girls' schools, on television, on card-playing and other gambling, even on kite-flying and women's public baths.

New York-based Human Rights Watch said the move "raises serious concerns about potential abuse of the rights of women and vulnerable groups."

and the rest....

916. No, thank you

2006-07-18T09:32:00.000-07:00

Money Magazine announces its "10 Best Places to Live 2006". And the winners are...

1. Fort Collins, CO	6. Overland Park, KS
2. Naperville, IL	7. Scottsdale, AZ
3. Sugar Land, TX	8. Boise, ID
4. Columbia/Ellicott City, MD	9. Fairfield, CT
5. Cary, NC	10. Eden Prairie, MN

I think I'll pass on any place that can produce and proudly promote Tom DeLay.

917. Rapture anyone?

2006-07-17T14:15:00.000-07:00

The Rapture Index only rose 2 points this week, to a still relatively moderate 157. Millions must be disappointed.

919. Soul brothers?

2006-07-15T10:31:00.000-07:00

During a joint news conference Saturday in St. Petersburg, Bush said he raised concerns about democracy in Russia during a frank discussion with the Russian leader.

"I talked about my desire to promote institutional change in parts of the world, like Iraq where there's a free press and free religion, and I told him that a lot of people in our country would hope that Russia would do the same," Bush said.

To that, Putin replied, "We certainly would not want to have the same kind of democracy that they have in Iraq, quite honestly."

CNN....

920. War-Shmwar. Where do I get one of those Air Force One jackets?

2006-07-14T13:51:00.000-07:00

AP: "Bush Rejects Lebanon's Call For Cease-Fire"

921. I Miss Monica

2006-07-13T12:21:00.000-07:00

Check out Dean Friedman's new video.

923. Sour grapes

2006-07-11T08:24:00.000-07:00

But there's lots of cheap acreage in Greenland now. Stop whining and get out your checkbook.

L.A. Times:

Global Warming May Shrink Vineyards: A climate projection shows 'enormous losses' in the state's prime wine regions this century.

Global warming could wither many premium vineyards in California and across the nation by the end of the century, according to a new computerized climate projection released Monday.

A predicted rise in the number of days hotter than 95 degrees during the growing season could sharply reduce the amount of areas suitable for vintage wine-grape production, an international team of scientists concluded in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Marginal vineyards nationwide might be eliminated and those capable of producing the most expensive premium wines may be reduced by half, the researchers reported. Although wine is produced in 48 states, California's $16.5-billion industry, with more than 500,000 acres of vineyards, accounts for almost 90% of the nation's wine grapes.

"We found that at elevated greenhouse gas concentrations, the frequency of extremely hot days increases to the point where it is impossible to grow premium wine grapes in many areas of the country," said Noah Diffenbaugh, one of the study's researchers at Purdue University who studies the impact of climate change.

"Certainly, the Napa Valley, the Sonoma Valley and the Santa Barbara area all exhibit enormous losses of production in the future climate," Diffenbaugh said.

and the rest....

925. Sic semper ironnis

2006-07-09T08:19:00.000-07:00

Sic semper tyrannis is a Latin phrase meaning "Thus always to tyrants". It is the state motto of Virginia in the U.S. The Seal of the Commonwealth of Virginia shows Virtue, sword in hand, with her foot on the prostrate form of Tyranny.

Recommended by George Mason to the Virginia Convention in 1776, the phrase is attributed to Brutus at the assassination of Julius Caesar. According to some witnesses, John Wilkes Booth shouted it after shooting Abraham Lincoln in 1865. In his mug shot following the Oklahoma City bombing, Timothy McVeigh wore a shirt with a picture of Lincoln on it and "Sic Semper Tyrannis" written below.

927. We're sending them over there so we don't have to fight them over here

2006-07-07T12:07:00.000-07:00

NY Times: Hate Groups Are Infiltrating the Military, Group Asserts

A decade after the Pentagon declared a zero-tolerance policy for racist hate groups, recruiting shortfalls caused by the war in Iraq have allowed "large numbers of neo-Nazis and skinhead extremists" to infiltrate the military, according to a watchdog organization.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks racist and right-wing militia groups, estimated that the numbers could run into the thousands, citing interviews with Defense Department investigators and reports and postings on racist Web sites and magazines.

"We've got Aryan Nations graffiti in Baghdad," the group quoted a Defense Department investigator as saying in a report to be posted today on its Web site, www.splcenter.org. "That's a problem."

and the rest....

927. Dubya's "listening" tour

2006-07-07T07:28:00.000-07:00

Beware of new-found friends wearing figurative headphones....

Bose™ Quiet Comfort 2 Headset features active noise reduction plus amazing audio quality

This headset has improved airline travel for thousands of frequent-flyers, making flights quieter and helping passengers arrive less fatigued. Its proprietary TriPort™ headphone technology electronically reduces ambient noise but still allows you to listen to your favorite music or movies. You hear only the sound you want to hear.

more....

928. Hugs and kisses on your birthday, Mr. President

2006-07-06T09:48:00.000-07:00

929. Lay in peace

2006-07-05T14:45:00.000-07:00

Kenneth Lay compared to....

Perov's "Portrait of the Merchant Ivan Kamynin" (1872)
(The Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow)

Images from
Double Lives: Celebrities Who Look Like Works of Art

930. Independent days

2006-07-04T12:28:00.000-07:00

Eldon Dedini, The New Yorker, 7/9/2001

My wonderful boys.....

Louie & Lenny

931. And for my next trick...

2006-07-03T15:20:00.000-07:00

Edward Sorel depicts Shooter's monstrous glee as his chief of staff and principal legal adviser David Addington calmly and facilely shreds the Constitution. (No apparent complaints from W either.)

In this week's The New Yorker, Jane Mayer tells us all about Addington in "THE HIDDEN POWER: The legal mind behind the White House's war on terror." (Alberto Gonzales? Nah!)

934. Ceci n'est pas un roi

2006-06-30T09:27:00.000-07:00

René Magritte
Ceci N'est Pas Un Roi (This is Not a King), 1928
Musée du Jobards (Lyons, France)

935. Love it or leave it

2006-06-29T13:15:00.000-07:00

942. Bringing families together: Take your son to war day

2006-06-22T17:51:00.000-07:00

Maximum army enlistment age raised to 42.

955. Carolina

2006-06-09T12:45:00.000-07:00

Carolina In My Mind
James Taylor

In my mind I'm goin' to Carolina
Can't you see the sunshine
Can't you just feel the moonshine
Ain't it just like a friend of mine
To hit me from behind
Yes I'm goin' to Carolina in my mind

the rest of the lyrics...

Actually, I'm heading off to Carolina in the flesh. The Outer Banks of North Carolina. Duck, NC precisely, a few miles north of Kitty Hawk.

At this point it's unlikely that I'll have Internet or email access, so I probably won't be posting for the next week or so.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I experienced James Taylor live in concert a few years ago, where he opened with "Carolina In My Mind". What a pure, clean, warm voice he has. Seemed effortless. And not just a voice, but a wonderful performer and musician too. What I didn't like about the concert is that it was at a large indoor arena, too loud and with one of those huge video screens behind the stage.

I understand the economics involved, but seeing James Taylor in that way just didn't seem right.

955. B' bye

2006-06-08T22:43:00.000-07:00

DeLay resigns as of June 9, 2006.

956. Tuesday's election: The picture says it all

2006-06-07T21:42:00.000-07:00

957. Republicans treat Americans like 8-year olds

2006-06-07T09:30:00.000-07:00

Think Progress:

Today on Fox News Sunday, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) tried to argue that banning flag-burning and same-sex marriage are two of the nation’s most pressing priorities, which is why he put them on the Senate agenda for June:

HOST: …Are gay marriage and flag burning the most important issues the Senate can be addressing in June of 2006?

FRIST:…When you look at that flag and you tell me that right now people in this country are saying it’s okay to desecrate that flag and to burn it and to not pay respect to it, is that important to our values as a people when we’ve got 130,000 people fighting for our freedom and liberty today? That is important. It may not be important here in Washington where people say, well, it’s political posturing and all, but it’s important to the heart and soul of the American people. … Why marriage today? Marriage is for our society that union between a man and a woman, is the cornerstone of our society. It is under attack today.

and the rest...

Americans respond by acting like 3-year olds. Wake up folks!!

958. Elections in 8 states today

2006-06-06T17:04:00.000-07:00

"It is not the function of the government to keep the citizen from falling into error; it is the function of the citizen to keep the government from falling into error."

Robert H. Jackson
(1892-1954)

United States Attorney General (1940 - 1941)
Associate Justice of the U. S. Supreme Court
(1941 - 1954)
Chief United States prosecutor at the
Nuremberg Trials

958. Where the f*** is the hot fudge sauce?

2006-06-06T10:01:00.000-07:00

From CBS News:

It could be the world's unhealthiest snack. The ultimate in fast-food indulgence is cooked up, not by a restaurant chain, but by a minor-league baseball club...

Despite having a charming ballpark just outside St. Louis, the Gateway Grizzlies will likely never be renowned for their brand of baseball — one step below Single-A ball.

But they're already famous at the concession stand. Or should that be infamous?

It's sweet like a doughnut, and then you've got the hamburger. You’ve read that right. It's a burger with cheese and bacon, sandwiched between a Krispy Kreme doughnut — a heart attack waiting to happen. A burger so perfect, they say, tampering is discouraged.

[snip]

For a mere $4.50 it's breakfast, dinner, and a little dessert all in one. That it packs up to 1,000 calories — the donut alone has 10 grams of sugar — doesn't seem to faze diabetic diner Floyd Schuetz.

“Oh, I’ll have another one of these,” he says.

and the rest.... (video too)

959. Incurious Jeb

2006-06-06T09:31:00.000-07:00

First George W spoketh, now Jeb....

From Capitol Comments: Jeb Bush Says He'll Pass on Al Gore's Movie

Gov. Jeb Bush met with scientists last week to discuss the role of global warming on worsening hurricane activity. He remained moot on the controversial topic, but said he was intrigued and suggested Florida should host a "forum where there's airing out of these ideas."

That led a reporter to ask Bush if he planned on seeing former Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore's movie on global warming, "An Inconvenient Truth." "No, I'm not going to be doing that," he said, before offering a thumbnail review of "X-Men: The Last Stand," which he called "excellent."

and the rest...

960. Chickenhawks (forever!)

2006-06-04T22:10:00.000-07:00

Tom Harper, at Bring it on:

The article (in American Legion Magazine) is a review of this book — AWOL: The Unexcused Absence of America’s Upper Classes from Military Service — and How It Hurts Our Country . One of the book’s two authors is the wife of a career military officer, and the other is the father of a former Marine.

My favorite quote from the article is: “For those who wave the flag and support the troops but also consider their own family exempt from service because of the wealth of better options available to them — we suggest they take the magnetic yellow ribbon off their SUV and rethink their position.”

[snip]

The article concludes with “Why don’t the elites serve? Most probably they never even consider it…the reasons may change but one thing remains constant: the expectation that military service is for the “other” and never for the most privileged.”

Image: Walden3.org/Chickenhawk t-shirts