Big Mister C

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2011-05-26T23:11:00.001-04:00

Ask me anything http://formspring.me/MLCoburn

What to read? What to read?

2011-03-23T17:40:00.002-04:00

I have been doing a lot of reading recently, partially because of school and partially because I am just in the mood to read. It comes in cycles for me sometimes... I'll read voraciously for a few months and then only sporadically, kind of a bi-polar literary thing. Currently, I am in heavy reading cycle. So I've just finished reading Thomas Paine's Common Sense and Edmund Burke's Speech on Concilliation with America. But what to read next?

For historical texts, here's what I have lined up to read:

The Federalist Papers (have already dove into this a bit...)
Liberalism and the Social Problem by Churchill
An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding by John Locke
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
1776 by David McCullough

I picked a lot of these because I am currently taking US History in school (and loving it by the way,) but I don't want to get burnt out on history so here are some other things on my list. A lot of them are classics that I have never read and feel I should; some of them are books that I just want to read...

The Call of Cthulhu by H.P. Lovecraft
The Thirty-Nine Step by John Buchan
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Don Quixote by Cervantes (I have it in Spanish as well and might wait till my grasp of the language is good enough to tackle it)
The Madman by Kahlil Gibran (The Prophet is one of my all-time favorite books)
The Last of the Mohicans by Fenimore
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton (...have never read her)
Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky
The Last Ringbearer (this is a retelling of The Lord of the Rings from the viewpoint of Mordor - it sounds really interesting.)
Daisy Miller by Henry James
Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
Anna Karenina and War and Peace by Tolstoy

What do you think I should read next? Have you read any of these? What do you think of them? I would love to get your feedback on this...

If you could attend any concert, what would it be?

2010-12-11T00:06:00.003-05:00

Jimi Hendrix opening for the Doors.

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What would be the best workplace perk?

2010-12-11T00:06:00.001-05:00

Well, the PG-13 answer would be free coffee. At priceline we had Starbucks machines in the break rooms - that was awesome!

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If you had the opportunity to live one year of your life over again, which year would you choose?

2010-12-11T00:04:00.001-05:00

That's a toughie... I'd have to say 1984. I squandered my senior year taking too many easy courses. Plus the decision not to go to college right after school is probably one of the worst I've ever made in my life.

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Who's the most underrated athlete?

2010-12-11T00:03:00.001-05:00

Beattie Feathers! He was the first back to ever run for 1000 yards in a season. That happened in 1934. He held the record for highest average per run in a season (8.44 y/att) until Michael Vick broke it 58 years later!

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2010-11-22T13:09:00.003-05:00

Ask me anything http://formspring.me/MLCoburn

If you could wake up as anyone tomorrow, who would it be?

2010-11-22T13:09:00.001-05:00

Can I be myself, with Bill Gates' money, with Justin Timberlake's talent and Ryan Reynolds' good looks? If not, I'd rather just wake up as myself.

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Would you rather get up early or sleep late?

2010-11-22T13:07:00.001-05:00

I'd much rather stay up late, so the later I have to wake up the better.

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Do you believe in God?

2010-11-22T13:06:00.001-05:00

I do believe in God; I just hope that he believes in me...

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Do you believe in luck?

2010-11-22T13:05:00.001-05:00

I believe in luck, absolutely. The world is a pretty random place, but you can create your own luck by being prepared, in the right place at the right time.

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What was the worst concert you went to?

2010-11-22T13:04:00.001-05:00

David Bowie's Glass Spider Tour, but only because I was sick.

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Fear and Hatred Do Not Equal Patriotism (Updated)

2010-10-24T21:37:00.003-04:00

If you really knew me, you would never send me a message like this:

One Pissed Off Housewife

Thought you might like to read this letter to the editor ~ ever notice how some people just seem to know how to write a letter?.

This one surely does!

This was written by a Canadian woman, but oh how it also applies to the U.S., U.K. and Australia

THIS ONE PACKS A FIRM PUNCH

Written by a housewife in New Brunswick , to her local newspaper.

This is one ticked off lady . . .

'Are we fighting a war on terror or aren't we? Was it or was it not, started by Islamic people who brought it to our shores on September 11, 2001 and have continually threatened to do so since?

Were people from all over the world, not brutally murdered that day, in downtown Manhattan, across the Potomac from the capitol of the USA and in a field in Pennsylvania?

Did nearly three thousand men, women and children die a horrible, burning or crushing death that day, or didn't they?

And I'm supposed to care that a few Taliban were claiming to be tortured by a justice system of a nation they are fighting against in a brutal insurgency.

I'll start caring when Osama bin Laden turns himself in and repents for incinerating all those innocent people on 9/11.

I'll care about the Koran when the fanatics in the Middle East, start caring about the Holy Bible, the mere belief of which, is a crime punishable by beheading in Afghanistan ..

I'll care when these thugs tell the world they are sorry for hacking off Nick Berg's head, while Berg screamed through his gurgling slashed throat.

I'll care when the cowardly so-called 'insurgents' in Afghanistan, come out and fight like men, instead of disrespecting their own religion by hiding in mosques and behind women and children.

I'll care when the mindless zealots who blow themselves up in search of nirvana, care about the innocent children within range of their suicide bombs.

I'll care when the Canadian media stops pretending that their freedom of speech on stories, is more important than the lives of the soldiers on the ground or their families waiting at home, to hear about them when something happens.

In the meantime, when I hear a story about a CANADIAN soldier roughing up an Insurgent terrorist to obtain information, know this:

I don't care.

When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the head when he is told not to move because he might be booby-trapped, you can take it to the bank:

I don't care.

When I hear that a prisoner, who was issued a Koran and a prayer mat, and fed 'special' food, that is paid for by my tax dollars, is complaining that his holy book is being 'mishandled,' you can absolutely believe, in your heart of hearts:

I don't care.

And oh, by the way, I've noticed that sometimes it's spelled 'Koran' and other times 'Quran.' Well, Jimmy Crack Corn you guessed it, I don't care!!

If you agree with this viewpoint, pass this on to all your E-mail friends. Sooner or later, it'll get to the people responsible for this ridiculous behavior!

If you don't agree, then by all means hit the delete button. Should you choose the latter, then please don't complain when more atrocities committed by radical Muslims happen here in our great Country! And may I add:

'Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering, if during their life on earth, they made a difference in the world. But, the Soldiers don't have that problem.'

I have another quote that I would like to share AND.......I hope you forward all this.

One last thought for the day:

Only FIVE defining forces have ever offered to die for you:

1. Jesus Christ

2. The American Soldier

3. The Australian Soldier

4. The Canadian Soldier

5. And the The British Soldier

One died for your soul . . . the other four, for your freedom.

YOU MIGHT WANT TO PASS THIS ON, AS MANY SEEM TO FORGET . . . AMEN !

I responded... you know that I cannot keep my mouth shut.

"I found this disgustingly bigoted and xenophobic. We live in a country founded on religious tolerance and embracing immigrants, not persecution of foreigners and people of other religions, although our history is rife with examples to the contrary. Muslims are simply the latest victims of our fear. Shame on you for perpetuating and promoting this irrational fear. From the Catholics to the Chinese to the Japanese during WWII to communists in the 50's there has always been some group, be it the KKK or Joseph McCarthy who have played on our fears of those who are different or seem foreign to concentrate power for themselves. I refuse to give into those fears"

...to which I got the following response:

"Hey Matt go open a cell phone store in one of those counties!
Doubt they'll accept you like we accept them!
i woulD say ask Nicolas Berg. but he lost his head to those assholes! Just because you have those views don't mean they wouldn't kill your ass in a heartbeat. Just because your not Muslims.
Just galdd [sic] you not drawing my blood again! lol!"

Since they doubled down, I felt inclined to respond in kind:

"And that is exactly what makes this (or if we actually practiced what we preach) such a great nation. I am not allowed to even travel to and step foot in Mecca because I am not a Muslim and Saudi Arabia is a nation that has a state religion. But we, in theory, welcome everyone with open arms. I know Muslims, I've worked with Muslims and I have never, ever thought twice about their ideology or wondered if I should be afraid of them.

"But we don't live up to that ideal. There are many who are trying as hard as they can to make sure that we don't keep the promises we've made to ourselves and have stated to the rest of the world. We have an open society, which invites that which is foreign to come and find a home with us. We have told the world for centuries that we are a nation of immigrants and that immigrants and the diversity they've brought to our national fabric is what makes us strong. But there are those in our country that play on peoples' fears that manifest from things that they don't fully understand or feels different. And sadly our country has a long history of persecuting its own citizens for being different. In 1790 we passed an immigration law that stated that only 'free white persons' can become naturalized citizens. In the 1850's the Know Nothing Movement sprouted out of a hatred for Irish Catholics who had come to this country after the Irish Potato Famine. In the 1880's it was the Chinese Exclusion Act, which disallowed Chinese to enter the country... After that was the California Land Act which precluded people of Japanese descent from owning property. After the Civil War the KKK formed to persecute Blacks, Catholics and Jews. During WWII we forced over 100,000 Japanese-Americans into internment camps out of fear. Senator Joe McCarthy used fear of Communism to grab power for himself and destroy his enemies in the 50's.

"Islamophobia is only the latest manifestation of this darker side of the American psyche. In 30 years or so we will look back at this time in our history and we, as a country will feel ashamed that we allowed our fear to allow our own government to spy on our own citizens... that we allowed ourselves to be duped into invading a country that was in no way a threat to us... that we have allowed our fears to make seven million of our fellow Muslim citizens feel unwelcome in their own country. I, for one, will be able to look back at that time, shake my head in shame at the fear and hatred that a good portion of the country allowed itself to get caught up in and rest easy in the fact that I didn't allow myself to be swallowed up in the ignorance that blinded so many of my fellow citizens.

"And I have to say that I am damn glad that I am not drawing your blood any more either..."

What happened to Nicholas Berg was a real tragedy. But just like every white southerner is not a member of the KKK on the prowl to lynch African-Americans, not every Muslim is a suicide bomber trying to become a martyr. People who try and perpetuate this fear and doing this country a great disservice. This fear can only weaken us, paralyze us and allow us to too easily betray the principles upon which this country was founded. I will have no part of it and I will not sit idly by and let this ignorance go by unchallenged.

- - - - - - - - - - -
(Update)
The idiocy continues...

"Are you a fucking Idiot? Read the fucking thing again!
and thanks for the history lession! [sic] NOT!
The point is if you hate me and want to kill me I will not sit back and say 'Oh they are miss understood [sic]' Man up ya mamby pamby candy ass! Now we know why you didn't serve in the military.
Go protest so they can open the mosque at groung [sic] zero too!
And I bet those radical muslims [sic] would surly [sic] like to draw your blood!

My reply:

"I DID serve in the U.S. Army for four years. My old unit has been in and is still Baghdad since 2002. I served my country. I am not an idiot nor do I claim to be the smartest person I know. But I know that I am not naive enough to think that Muslims are the only ones committing inhumane atrocities in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have no claim to the higher moral ground - at this point we have far more innocent blood on our hands than any terrorist does.

"If you want to ignore history, go right ahead. Wrap yourself up in your fear and ignorance if it makes you happy, safe and secure. I would rather go through life with my eyes open. I am proud of my country is spite of its flaws. If it takes demonizing someone else to make you feel more American then I pity you."

Free Speech vs. Idiotic Speech

2010-10-22T13:45:00.000-04:00

All of these pundits and politicians on the right who are calling for the de-funding of NPR over the firing of Juan Williams simply do not understand what the first amendment is about. As his employer, NPR has the right to set the tone of their broadcast, not Juan Williams, and not any other journalist or commentator in their employ. To go on another "news" outlet, as a representative of NPR and say things that run counter to the tone that the network tries to set is a flagrant showing of disregard for his employers. If an employee of Burger King went to McDonald's after work in his uniform, sat down and ate in the dining room and told everyone within hearing range that he eats there because BK sucks would be employed for very long?

Juan Williams has the constitutional right to say whatever may be rattling around in his empty head. But as a paid commentator for a news outlet trying to set a tone that is free of sensationalism and grounded in fact if he goes on another show and makes statements that run counter to that aim he has to deal with the fact that there are repercussions for that kind of behavior. He works for NPR, not the other way around. If Glenn Beck or Bill O'Reilly did a 360 on Fox and start endorsing the president's domestic agenda, pointing out the racism in the Tea Party and trying to point out that all Muslims are not terrorists they wouldn't be working for Fox much longer. And their firing would not be a suppression of their free speech, it would be an employer exercising their right to make sure that the tone of their programming suits their vision or agenda. Period.

Government is NOT the problem

2010-10-17T00:16:00.001-04:00

"...government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem."
- Ronald Reagan, 1981

I have a real beef with this idea. I have a real beef with the G.O.P., and I am not talking about the loonies on the fringe who say that the Department of Education should be done away with. I have a beef with the ones who have disparaged the stimulus act while attending ribbon-cutting ceremonies for projects, paid for by the stimulus, while taking the credit. ...with the ones who complain that the stimulus didn't work and that they have a different approach whose emphasis would be tax incentives when the makeup of 40% of the stimulus was tax incentives. I'm tired of the lies, the sheer, bald-faced dishonesty and the doublespeak. And I am frustrated that people cannot see the stupidity of this. At the Foley/Malloy debate, Tom Foley pledged not to raise taxes until the current budget deficit of three billion dollars in the state of CT has been remedied. If it takes X number of dollars to run the state and you are three billion dollars short of that number it seems ludicrous to say that you are not going to consider a tax raise. His reasoning? If the Democrat-controlled state legislature gets any additional funds they will spend them. Well I should hope to hell so! It's not like the state has a big piggy bank we're trying to fill up!

I'm tired of people complaining about paying taxes. I hate the idea of "starving the beast." Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes said that "taxes are the price we pay for civilization." We have the GOP constantly talking about how Social Security is a ponzi scheme, how unemployment benefits make the jobless lazy and unwilling to get a job, and on and on. They are more concerned about getting tax breaks for corporations and millionaires than providing a safety net for the people in the worst financial predicament. They are dying to extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans but unwilling to extend unemployment benefits for people hit the hardest in the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. I've been on unemployment for quite some time now and let me tell you something: It sucks! This is not something that anyone in their right mind would want to milk for any period of time. We've had make some serious cuts, swallowed a lot of pride and make some moves that while helpful in the immediate are going to hurt in the long term, like cashing in my 401k. But the unemployed are the greedy ones... not the hedge fund managers and millionaires and billionaires whose tax cuts' lost revenue make up over 50% of our current deficit. While we're on the subject of the deficit, how can anyone in their right mind complain about the deficit while wanting to extend those tax cuts? That's an idea that a ten year old can consider at realize that it's not logical.

To me, if you have a problem with our government, you have a problem with our country. I would call you un-patriotic. I am proud of our government and think it is disgusting how the GOP senators have done everything in their power to block, delay or derail legislation, confirming federal appointees, and so on. Come November I am going to pull the Democratic lever on every single nominee, not because I vote blindly along party lines but because I feel that the GOP and its ideas are dangerous and un-American. The moderates of the GOP have been pushed aside by the clowns and the crazies. I don't like the idea of deficit spending but I'd rather have that than a group of legislators who are willing to screw over the least fortune in our country to help the richest and have the nerve to call it fiscal responsibility.

Tea Party Fast Food

2010-09-02T20:05:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I had the most bizarre fast-food dining experience I've ever experienced.

I live in Norwich and do not get down to Groton very often. When I am there it is very rare that I will stop to eat there; if I do stop anywhere in Groton it's more likely than not that it would be Starbucks. But, I happened to have a coupon in my pocket for a free Whopper, so I stopped in to the Burger King there. When I first went in it didn't hit me at first. All I noticed initially was that it was clean and quiet - not too busy even though it was just a little before one in the afternoon. I place my order, get my food and go sit down. I notice that there was a large flat screen TV at the other end of the dining area with the sound all the way down and the captions on. The station was taking a commercial break and I thought to myself how nice it was that they had a TV for people eating there.

...and then the commercials ended.

After the advertisements Fox News came on, blasting the cover story for the current Newsweek about how President Obama can fight back against the smears and lies and the negative image that right wing "news" outlets such as themselves had forced upon him. Most of their arguments centered around Newsweek being bankrupt and how that therefore makes them irrelevant and incorrect about everything. (I've searched for an image of the cover to include here but could not find it. I guess it's still too new...) After that they went to an advertisement featuring G. Gordon Liddy trying to scare people into buying overpriced gold coins.

And that's when it hit me.

I looked around me. Everyone in the restaurant was white. Everyone behind the counter and working in the back... white. I finished my food, threw away my trash and walked outside. As I headed to my car there was a customer coming in for whom I held the door open... white. I drove around the building and passed three people waiting in the drive through lane... all white. It was Tea Party dining at its finest.

I eat in fast food restaurants probably more often than I should and I have never had a comparable experience. Maybe if I went to eat in a Burger King in Montana or Utah I might have a similar experience, but Groton is one of the larger cities in South Eastern Connecticut and is racially diverse. To me, the odds of an all-white staff serving an all-white clientele in a city like Groton seems statistically impossible. I was honestly shocked and dismayed.

Unemployment Blues

2010-08-07T19:29:00.000-04:00

In all honesty, it's not altogether horrible. My last job has been the only job where I have taken so much on my own shoulders, voluntarily taken on extra duties above and beyond what my job description (and pay grade) called for. I was writing procedures, doing some marketing work and training employees. I made myself and the knowledge I had accumulated from working for almost fifteen years in the medical laboratory field at almost every level and at almost every job from microbiology tech down to phlebotomist and specimen processor - from LIS analyst to client service representative. I was, I now realize, pretty stressed out on a day to day basis. I am not affluent by any stretch of the most vivid and fertile imagination and vacations consisted mainly of just being away from the desk. I haven't gone on any kind of trip any further than a two to three hour car ride in well over a decade. So that's akin to what this feels like - a staycation. Only this is a stretch of time off that also includes trips to the food bank, strict budgeting and cutting back on un-necessities (such as Gamefly,) and is completely not of my own choice.

For now, I do not mind it so much. It's a lot tougher than it normally has been to make ends meet and we have to be much more cautious in nearly every decision we make. It's going to start weighing on me very heavily soon though. Men need to be doing something; we define ourselves, in part, by what we do. One of the first things you want to know about a man after you know his name is, "what do you do?" Until I have a long-term answer for that question I feel unsettled and incomplete.

Incommunicado

2010-07-02T20:33:00.000-04:00

I have kind of withdrawn as of late, and I apologize. I haven't really felt like being plugged in, sharing every thought, blah blah blah... I am having a hard time thinking about anything other that what is going on with my health. I just want to feel "normal" again. Thankfully, it seems that all the medical probing and prodding is starting to show something finally. It appears that I have sleep apnea. I went for a sleep study and I had enough instances where I stopped breathing, fell out of REM sleep, etc, and so forth that they woke me up halfway through the night and put a CPAP on me. It will still be a couple of weeks before I go back to see the pulmonologist and get fitted for a CPAP to use at home, but hopefully that makes a difference.

I am tired of being tired...

Ow!

2010-06-17T11:19:00.001-04:00

Today is not a good day. It's not a bad day; I don't feel ill. I went down to the medical records department and got a copy of the report for mt CT scan from Tueday (I didn't want to wait till July 12th for my follow-up) and it's all normal. On the surface everything is normal - copacetic... But the reality is that I feel like crap. I ache all over. I feel run down and tired - almost sleepy. My back is sore and I am stiff in my hips. WTF is wrong with me!? I think I could tolerate being ill; I mean seriously ill... I am generally optimistic enough that a serious illness or condition would not drag me under. Hell, I had open heart surgery when I was in my 20's - I've spent plenty of time in hospital beds in the course of my life. It's feeling like this and the doctors having no clue what is wrong with me is what is killing me. If I knew what was going on I could steel myself and face it. Not knowing what I'm up against is frustrating and makes me feel
even more powerless.

Laugh If You Want To...

2010-06-07T23:08:00.000-04:00

...but I have to admit to a bit of a new man-crush: John Krasinski.

I just finished watching Away We Go with him and Maya Rudolph and loved it. I liked it but I think the odd choice of having the whole movie scored with Alexi Murdoch songs simply did not work.

There is just something so completely endearing about Krasinski. He's comes across (in The Office too) as the kind of guy you'd want to hang out, drink beer with and shoot the shit. He's the perfect best man for a thousand weddings.

I'm Worried for Bobby Jindal...

2010-06-04T16:35:00.001-04:00

The other night on the evening news I saw Louisiana's Governor Bobby Jindal very angrily raging against the environmental disaster that ravaging his state's shores and threatening to destroy a way of life for a great number of people for many years to come. A moment later he was criticizing President Obama and calling on him to lift the moratorium on issuing offshore oil drilling permits. Does the governor have an undiagnosed aneurysm or perhaps an as-of-yet undiagnosed schizophrenic personality disorder? ...my thoughts are with him and his family - I hope that they quickly diagnose whatever the hell is wreaking havoc with his brain.

Update on the health situation

2010-06-02T11:54:00.001-04:00

I meant to do this earlier... sorry. So I met with Dr. Dulala, my new Hematologist/Oncologist last Friday and she basically confirmed everything that I already didn't know. She looked me over, asked a bunch of questions and we talked about what might or might not be going on with me. She's ordered a whole buttload of lab testing, most of which is still pending: BCR/ABL mutation analysis, Flow Cytometry, a couple of electrophoresis tests... I meet with her next Friday to discuss the results. If those results are inconclusive, the next step is extracting bone marrow for analysis... *SHUDDER*

American I-dull

2010-05-26T15:48:00.002-04:00

The honeymoon is over. I officially no longer give a crap who wins Idol.

I've noticed for a while that the show had been becoming more and more formulated and predictable, which is a shame. For the first few seasons I was glued to the TV but over the years it seemed that they started picking contestants more for their ability to fit into a convenient niche or their ability to predictably appeal to marketable demographics and the fact that they could (not always capably) carry a tune was a secondary consideration. It seems like every year there MUST be an ambiguously gay man, a rocker chick, a rocker dude, a cute kid, the perky girl, the black guy and girl, the Latino/Latina, the sob story, etc... I think with Taylor Hicks winning a few years back the producers had a shocking "OMG" moment and realized "This guy is easily not marketable and selling his records are going to be difficult." Since then they've seemed to have stacked the deck so that at the end they would stand a better chance of having a winner who could sell records. The result has been a string of safe, non-controversial winners who are easily forgettable. Honestly, do you find yourself saying, "I simply could not live without my David Cook CD?" Me either.

And now that Simon is leaving as well the only highlight for me during the "critique" part of the show is going to be Ellen's occasional one-liners. The snarkiness at the end of the line of drivel was usually some of my favorite part of the show. Randy's "Dude! Dog! What?!" and Kara's overwrought mental contortions do nothing for me. If they do not find someone who is absolutely ruthless and nasty to replace Simon (for me they will have to out-Simon Simon) I don't know if I will actually watch it next season.

And what the hell is going on with Seacrest? Is the strenuous schedule the man keeps causing him to crack? He does realize he's just an emcee, right? The moments where he transformed into Contestant Advocate Man were awkward and unbecoming. His responsibility should be to make sure that the show flows along at an acceptable pace, not to ensure that the judges are giving adequately constructive feedback.

If Idol wants to keep me as a viewer next year they have to go back to what they were during season one: an open competition where anyone with a great voice can get a shot at a record deal - not a controlled marketing machine pandering to the largest possible demographic mix.

Rand (I'm not a racist - I only pander to racists) Paul

2010-05-25T16:13:00.003-04:00

Joe Conason had an excellent article in Salon.com about the candidate from Kentucky:
"To understand Rand Paul's agonized contortions over America's civil rights consensus, let's review the tainted pedigree of the movement that reared him. Specifically, both the Kentucky Republican Senate nominee and his father, Ron Paul, have been closely associated over the past two decades with a faction that described itself as 'paleolibertarian,' led by former Ron Paul aide Lew Rockwell and the late writer Murray Rothbard. They eagerly forged an alliance with the 'paleoconservatives' behind Patrick Buchanan, the columnist and former presidential candidate whose trademarks are nativism, racism and anti-Semitism."

. . .

"The last time that anyone examined the details of the Paul family's gamy history was back in 2008, when the New Republic dug up copies of newsletters sent out under Ron's name to raise money, and found that they were replete with ugly references to blacks, Martin Luther King, homosexuals and other targets of the racist far right. At the time, Reason magazine, a libertarian magazine that opposed the 'paleo' deviation, gave the most revealing account of its movement's degenerate element.

"Following Ron Paul's dismal performance in the 1988 presidential campaign as the Libertarian Party candidate, Rockwell and Rothbard 'championed an open strategy of exploiting racial and class resentment to build a coalition with populist "paleoconservatives," producing a flurry of articles and manifestos whose racially charged talking points and vocabulary mirrored the controversial Paul newsletters' uncovered by the New Republic. Rothbard died in 1995, but in 2008 Rockwell was still at Paul's side as a top advisor, 'accompanying him to major media appearances; promoting his candidacy on the LewRockwell.com blog; publishing his books; and peddling an array of the avuncular Texas congressman's recent writings and audio recordings.'

"According to Sanchez and Weigel, the tone of Paul's newsletters shifted to reflect his political circumstances. Between his first presidential campaign and his return to Congress in 1996 as a Republican, they were filled with slurs against blacks generally and Martin Luther King Jr. in particular, including the accusation that the civil rights leader 'seduced underage girls and boys.' Rothbard hated King deeply, describing him in November 1994 as 'a socialist, egalitarian, coercive integrationist, and vicious opponent of private-property rights ... who was long under close Communist Party control,' and concluding that 'there is one excellent litmus test which can set up a clear dividing line between genuine conservatives and neoconservatives, and between paleolibertarians and what we can now call "left-libertarians." And that test is where one stands on "Doctor" King.' (Then again, he hated Lincoln too, whom he disparaged in the same essay as 'one of the major despots of American history.')"

. . .

There is a reason why Rand Paul is choosing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as his primary example of the government over-stepping its boundries. There are a lot of other pieces of legislature at which he could have taken aim: anti-trust laws, OSHA, the newly-passed financial reform law... But in speaking out against the Civil Rights Act he's secretly winking at the far, far-right wing racist factions of the GOP. This is just like Reagan giving his first major campaign speech in Philadelphia, Mississippi where civil rights workers were killed in the 1960's. In speaking about the importance of "State Rights" at that speech he was giving a little wink and nod to racist southerners in a code that they clearly understood.

This veiled, secretive embracing of racism is present at every level of GOP campaigning. From the '08 presidential campaign where McCain did nothing to dispel or disavow the rampant racism that infected his campaign. It was only when he couldn't put the genie back in the bottle that he actually took the trouble to address the xenophobia and racism that began to overshadow his message. Just look at the TV ad campaign Linda McMahon is pushing in Connecticut: the whitest, white people in the whole state talking about how Linda is "one of them" and "understands their concerns." It may be a bit more innocuous than Sarah Palin blathering about "Real Americans" in redneck central but it essentially sends the same message.

Rob Simmons, We Hardly Knew Ya...

2010-05-25T12:46:00.003-04:00

...well, not really. Anyone who has lived in Connecticut for a while knows who he is. He is getting another fifteen minutes of fame on the national level now that he is bowing out of the Republican primary race for the U.S. Senate. Which is a real shame. I actually kind of like Rob Simmons (OK, not really. but I do not loathe his very existence which is saying a lot for a Republican politican.)

I would rather he got the nomination over WWE CEO and general slimeball, Linda McMahon. He would have had broader appeal, is more moderate and falls more into the mold of the prototypical New England Republican. He would have fared MUCH better against Blumenthal than McMahon. Neither one of them stands a snowball's chance in hell of beating AG Rich Blumenthal, but if I were to choose who would be more representative of my state's values, I would have chosen the former congressman and decorated Vietnam War veteran over the "lady" who has appeared on national TV kicking wrestling commentators in the groin and sharing a beer with Stone Cold Steve Austin. ...not to mention the scandal swirling around her and her stable of wrestlers' steroid use.

Simmons is dropping out of the race after the GOP state convention chose McMahon over him and endorsed her. She's spent sixteen million dollars on the campaign thus far and with the election still over a year away is on pace to break records with her spending. Supposedly, she has set aside fifty million dollars of her own money to campaign for the seat. Simmons just could not match that pace of spending and is, like I am, that the GOP chose McMahon's over-stuffed war chest over the character and record of someone who has served his country in the Army and the CIA as well as in Congress.

"I'm not a multi-millionaire," Simmons said in an interview with the CT Mirror. "I own my home. I've got some property in Vermont that has some value. My wife and I are what you might call a middle-class family, and we have chosen to enter politics at this stage in our lives and have been successful without being multi-millionaires."

This is just further evidence of the continuing erosion of the Republican middle ground to the out of control, torrential flood that is the teabaggers. Simmons would have gone to the Senate and would have worked with members on both sides of the aisle. He was fairly moderate when he served in the House of Representatives. He's widely respected in the state for the work that he did to keep the sub base in Groton open. But that took bipartisan cooperation and that is an affront that simply will not be endured by the teabaggers. McMahon's message, on the other hand, is that she's going to D.C. to shake things up and implement "real change" whatever that means. To show that she's just a "normal person," a Beltway outsider she's running ads in Connecticut (and they have become rather ubiquitous) with "normal people" saying that Linda is one of them; that she understands them; blah blah blah... The only problem is that she's somehow corraled the whitest looking group of people possible. They all look like they've just walked out of the lounge at the Greenwich Yatch Club.

That's certainly not the Connecticut that I live in.

It's Not Every Day...

2010-05-20T16:25:00.002-04:00

...that I agree with Ann Coulter:

"Republican consultants are doing a wonderful job raising expectations sky-high for the November elections, so that now, even if Republicans do smashingly well, it will look like a defeat (and an across-the-board endorsement of Obama's agenda). Thanks, Republicans!

"That's what happened in the 1998 congressional elections, nearly foiling Clinton's impeachment. It's what happened to the Conservative Party in Britain a week ago.

"And that's what happened this week in the 12th Congressional District of Pennsylvania, formerly represented by Rep. John Murtha.

"Note to Republicans: Whenever possible, victory parties should be held after the election, not before it."

I'll go a step further, though.

The Democratic victory in PA's 12th district and, more importantly, Rand Paul's (I still cannot get over the fact that idiotarian Ron Paul named his son after Ayn Rand) defeat of the establishment GOP candidate in Kentucky's primary on Tuesday does not bode well for the G.O.P. at all. There were at least three other primary races, none of which got the attention that the Kentucky race recieved where a Tea Party-backed candidate defeated the establishment-backed G.O.P. candidate. It only illustrates how far to the extreme right the party is migrating. While it's true that usually only the die-hard, semi-fanatical part of either party votes in the primaries, what happened on Tuesday, I think, is a pretty clear sign of the direction in which the Republican Party is headed. The Tea-Party is highjacking the G.O.P. The inmates are now running the asylum.

This is nothing but good news for the Democrats. Fewer and fewer people outside of the fringe are really taking the nonsense being spewed by the far right very seriously. Most sane, normal people know that President Obama is not a Muslim, Socialist Manchurian Candidate poised to overthrow our way of life. The teabaggers polls lower than both the G.O.P. and the Democratic Party. The more mainstream candidates that fall to their burn and purge, the greater that chance that those seats will wind up being held by Democrats. The name Dede Scozzafava ring a bell for anyone?

Not to mention that Rand Paul has already shot himself in the foot... and we're not talking with some paltry .22 pea shooter. He pulled out a .357 Magnum and blew his damn toes off. One whole day after winning the primary he went on national TV and said that he supported the Civil Rights Act of 1965, but... ...thinks that the ignorant bigots of the time had the God-given first amendment right to tell African-Americans to get the hell away from their damn lunch counters and out of their frickin' store.

WTF!?

Yes, that's right. While he's all for making sure that the government doesn't discriminate against an individual because of the color of their skin but that they have no right to tell a privately-owned business that they cannot discriminate for the same reasons. To his credit, he did say that he, as an individual, would protest such an abhorrent practice. He's not bigoted; he's just an idiot. Just like his whack-a-doodle father he's all for abolishing income tax, the Department of Education, repealing laws like the Fair Labor Standards Act that protect individuals from being exploited by employers. In short, all the usual idiotic Libertarian ideas that would send us back in time to a point where child labor would be tolerated, your meat and produce isn't inspected to make sure it won't kill you and monopolies like Standard Oil run the country instead of the voting populace. Doesn't that sound quaint!?

No manners

2010-05-19T14:27:00.003-04:00

Via Balloon Juice:

"This kind of pointless, macho posturing is no doubt part of the reason Rand Paul is a teabag icon:

"After winning Kentucky's Republican primary Tuesday night, Bowling Green ophthalmologist Rand Paul refused to take the call of congratulations from opponent Trey Grayson, according to Grayson's campaign manager Nate Hodson.

"Hodson did not elaborate, except to say 'it happened.'

"'This is truly a classless act in politics,' said Marc Wilson, a Republican lobbyist and friend of Trey Grayson."

. . .

I'm sorry, but Rand's behavior isn't "macho posturing" or any such thing. It's just rude and asshole-like misbehavior. I guess that what comes with being named after an idiot, misguided author (Ayn Rand) by a father who is just as big an idiot (Ron Paul).

Euclid Would Be So Proud!

2010-05-18T13:06:00.002-04:00

Alabama math teacher uses potential assassination of President Obama as an example to explain geometry problem.

Secret Service pays him a visit.

Over-reaction to the new Miss U.S.A.

2010-05-17T14:28:00.002-04:00

Via Tapped:

"Apparently, the new Miss USA, Rima Fakih, is of Lebanese descent. For the anti-Muslim right, her winning is a sign of the apocalypse.

"Michelle Malkin is savvy enough to mostly cloak her freak-out behind horror over Fakih's politics (although she can't resist a dig at those 'identity politics' people), while other conservative bloggers just go ahead and call her a terrorist. Professional Islamophobe Daniel Pipes combs the internet for other instances in which Muslim women have won beauty contests, and concludes there's some kind of 'an odd form of affirmative action' going on. Because how could anyone choose a Muslim over a 'real American' in a beauty contest?

"I'm not really a fan of beauty contests, but the tone and substance of the fever swamp's reaction to an Arab-American winning a beauty contest is at least useful for pointing out how some people's political opinions aren't based so much in questions of policy as anti-Muslim animosity. The level of anger is just so plainly disproportionate to the matter at hand as to be self-implicating. These people aren't worried about terrorism -- they're offended by the idea of Muslims being integrated into the most mundane and banal aspects of American society."

My Health

2010-05-17T13:11:00.002-04:00

Some of you know that I have been struggling with low energy levels, intermittent low grade fevers and the like. My primary care doc has a theory and a lead he's following up on. The theory is that this is all related to a possible sleep apnea problem. I snore like someone trying to outroar a lion... I don't really ever get a decent night sleep and cannot honestly remember the last time I slept through the night without waking up at least once or twice. So, I have an appointment next month to see a pulmonologist to start working through and testing for my possible sleep apnea.

The possible lead, however scares me a little bit. I've had a slightly elevated white blood cell count for at least a year now with my monocyte count being high as well. Monocytes are macrophages. They way they work, unlike other white cells, is by consuming and enveloping cells that invade the body and sort of doing a suicide bomber kind of move, destroying the antigen and itself all at once. It's usually elevated in viral infections and, hence the name, Mononucleosis. But an elevated monocyte count could also be an indicator of monocytic leukemia...

He's referred me to the local Hematology/Oncology group for a consultation. I'm waiting to hear from one of the two offices as to when my appointment is going to be. In the mean time, I sit and imagine the worst.

Crazy 101

2010-05-17T10:45:00.002-04:00

According to TPM:

"Texas textbook proposal would require teaching high school students about 'alternatives regarding long term entitlements such as Social Security and Medicare' and 'efforts by global organizations to undermine U. S. sovereignty'."

Yeah... and we liberals are the crazy ones? Aside from the Larouchies and truthers, the left is pretty devoid of paranoia or at least paranoia of this magnitude.

File under WTF!?

2010-05-14T11:53:00.002-04:00

"28% of Republicans said the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico made them more likely to support drilling off the coast to an equal 28% who said it made them less likely to be supportive."

Any group of which 28% says that a catastrophic environmental disaster is going to make them more likey to support the methodology that created the disaster needs to be locked up in an asylum, en mass.

GOP Commiting Political Suicide?

2010-05-14T10:12:00.002-04:00

From the Washington Post:

"...it would be absurd to deny that the Republican ideological coalition includes elements that are anti-immigrant -- those who believe that Hispanics, particularly Mexicans, are a threat to American culture and identity. When Arizona Republican Senate candidate J.D. Hayworth calls for a moratorium on legal immigration from Mexico, when then-Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) refers to Miami as a 'Third World country,' when state Rep. Russell Pearce (R), one of the authors of the Arizona immigration law, says Mexicans' and Central Americans' 'way of doing business' is different, Latinos can reasonably assume that they are unwelcome in certain Republican circles.

"The intensity of these Republican attitudes is evident not just from what activists say but also from what Republican leaders are being forced to say. Sen. John McCain, a long-term supporter of humane, comprehensive immigration reform, has run a commercial feeding fears of 'drug and human smuggling, home invasions, murder' by illegal immigrants."

"Never mind that the level of illegal immigration is down in Arizona or that skyrocketing crime rates along the border are a myth. McCain's tag line -- 'Complete the danged fence' -- will rank as one of the most humiliating capitulations in modern political history."

...

"Republicans have now sent three clear signals to Hispanic voters: California's Proposition 187, which was passed in 1994 and attempted to deny illegal immigrants health care and public education before being struck down in court; the immigration debate of 2006, dominated by strident Republican opponents of reform; and now the Arizona immigration law. According to a 2008 study by the Pew Hispanic Center, 49 percent of Hispanics said that Democrats had more concern for people of their background; 7 percent believed this was true of Republicans. Since the Arizona controversy, this gap can only have grown. In a matter of months, Hispanic voters in Arizona have gone from being among the most pro-GOP in the nation to being among the most hostile."

"Immigration issues are emotional and complex. But this must be recognized for what it is: political suicide. Consider that Hispanics make up 40 percent of the K-12 students in Arizona, 44 percent in Texas, 47 percent in California, 54 percent in New Mexico. Whatever temporary gains Republicans might make feeding resentment of this demographic shift, the party identified with that resentment will eventually be voted into singularity. In a matter of decades, the Republican Party could cease to be a national party."

AZ Governor's Over-Heated Rhetoric : No More Than Hyperbole for Political Gain

2010-05-10T14:37:00.002-04:00

Via the Wonk Room:

"This weekend, Gov. Jan Brewer (R-AZ) lashed out at President Obama for employing dark humor when joking about new Arizona immigration law SB-1070 at last week's White House Correspondents' Association dinner. In his comedic speech, Obama stated, 'We all know what happens in Arizona when you don't have ID — adios amigos!' Brewer, apparently, did not find Obama's comments very funny.

"Brewer has repeatedly cited drug related border violence to justify signing off on the likely unconstitutional SB-1070. 'The drug trafficking and border violence is out of control in Arizona and demands serious attention,' said Jan Brewer for Governor campaign spokesman Doug Cole in a statement released this weekend. 'Mr. President, this is not a laughing matter.' In a video released by her campaign, Brewer outlines a variety of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants that she characterizes as plaguing Arizona in the past year.

"Brewer has a right to be unamused by Obama poking fun at the absurdity of her state's new immigration law, but her self-righteous attack doesn't add up. FBI Uniform Crime Reports and statistics show that 'while the nation's illegal-immigrant population doubled from 1994 to 2004, according to federal records…the violent-crime rate declined 35 percent.' If anything, 'cartel operatives pass through border communities as quickly as possible, avoiding conflicts and attention.' The Arizona Republic reports that crime rates in Arizona border towns 'have remained essentially flat for the past decade, even as drug-related violence has spiraled out of control on the other side of the international line.' ' While smugglers have become more aggressive in their encounters with authorities, as evidenced by the shooting of a Pinal County deputy on Friday, allegedly by illegal-immigrant drug runners, they do not routinely target residents of border towns,'
the investigative report concludes.

"It's curious that Brewer still chose to release her video even after the Arizona Republic's widely disseminated article was published. However, some Arizonans aren't fooled as to what her motives are. Leo Federico, a retired teacher, told the Arizona Republic, 'That's politics…It's all about votes.' Yet while Brewer courts immigration hardliners, Latinos are overwhelmingly flocking to her opponent, State Attorney General Terry Goddard (D) — who is now leading in the polls.

"Brewer also hits Obama on federal inaction on immigration. Yesterday on Al Punto with Jorge Ramos, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) responded to similar criticisms, stating, 'it's illogical to hear the state of Arizona complaining about the federal government not doing anything and the two Republican senators from Arizona [Sens. John McCain and Jon Kyl] won't join with us to do anything.' On her campaign website, Brewer also doesn't cite a single commitment to working with the federal government to solve the problem comprehensively by enacting immigration reform.

"Opponents of Arizona's law meanwhile claim that SB-1070 will make the state less safe by forcing police to prioritize immigration enforcement over violent crimes, draining strained financial and manpower resources, exacerbating civil rights violations, and fueling costly lawsuits."

. . .

As is usual with all Republicans, the truth or honest representitation of the issues is the first casualty in the quest for political gain. To claim that drug-related, violent crime is "out of control" when it's actually decreased by 35%, simply to inflame the residents of her state into supporting this unconstitutional law is reprehesible at best, utterly vile and disgusting in respect of a civil rights viewpoint.

I Vant To See Your Papers! Schnell! Schnell!! (Updated)

2010-04-30T13:47:00.003-04:00

Via Balloon Juice:

"Race and racism has nothing to do with it:

"Just a week after signing the country's toughest immigration bill into law, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer now must decide whether to endorse another bill passed by her state legislature — one that outlaws ethnic-studies programs in public schools.

***
"Arizona's superintendent for public instruction, Tom Horne, has said he's backing the measure because ethnic-studies programs encourage 'ethnic chauvinism'; he's also suggested that such programs could breed secessionist sentiment among Hispanic students.

"Since when is secessionist sentiment bad? Also, apparently accents will soon be verboten:

"The Arizona Department of Education recently began telling school districts that teachers whose spoken English it deems to be heavily accented or ungrammatical must be removed from classes for students still learning English.

"State education officials say the move is intended to ensure that students with limited English have teachers who speak the language flawlessly. But some school principals and administrators say the department is imposing arbitrary fluency standards that could undermine students by thinning the ranks of experienced educators.

"Arizona wants to make it clear that the only acceptable accent is a proper German one."

-------

Update: Added the link to the original post on Balloon Juice and corrected formatting.

Do you have any scars on your body? If so, how'd you get them?

2010-04-30T00:25:00.002-04:00

Lots of scars. The biggest ones from heart surgery.

Ask me anything

What if...?

2010-04-29T12:51:00.002-04:00

Here is a quote from a blog that has been cited quite a bit in the last few days (I'll put up a link to it later:)

"Imagine that hundreds of black protesters were to descend upon Washington DC and Northern Virginia, just a few miles from the Capitol and White House, armed with AK-47s, assorted handguns, and ammunition. And imagine that some of these protesters —the black protesters — spoke of the need for political revolution, and possibly even armed conflict in the event that laws they didn't like were enforced by the government? Would these protester — these black protesters with guns — be seen as brave defenders of the Second Amendment, or would they be viewed by most whites as a danger to the republic? What if they were Arab-Americans? Because, after all, that's what happened recently when white gun enthusiasts descended upon the nation's capital, arms in hand, and verbally announced their readiness to make war on the country's political leaders if the need arose.

"Imagine that white members of Congress, while walking to work, were surrounded by thousands of angry black people, one of whom proceeded to spit on one of those congressmen for not voting the way the black demonstrators desired. Would the protesters be seen as merely patriotic Americans voicing their opinions, or as an angry, potentially violent, and even insurrectionary mob? After all, this is what white Tea Party protesters did recently in Washington."

Tea Party Hypocrisy

2010-04-27T12:19:00.002-04:00

Eugene Robinson from the Washington Post nails it on the head:

"Activists for Latino and immigrant rights -- and supporters of sane governance -- held weekend rallies denouncing the new law and vowing to do everything they can to overturn it. But where was the Tea Party crowd? Isn't the whole premise of the Tea Party movement that overreaching government poses a grave threat to individual freedom? It seems to me that a law allowing individuals to be detained and interrogated on a whim -- and requiring legal residents to carry identification documents, as in a police state -- would send the Tea Partyers into apoplexy. Or is there some kind of exception if the people whose freedoms are being taken away happen to have brown skin and might speak Spanish? "

Palin distorts the President's words ... will the media notice?

2010-04-17T08:29:00.001-04:00

Via Daily Kos

Palin distorts the President's words ... will the media notice?:

As long as the traditional media is going to report on every utterance from the former half-term governor of Alaska, will they bother to fact-check her?

Via The Plum Line, the latest distortion from the hand of Sarah Palin:

Mr. President, is a strong America a problem?

Asked this week about his faltering efforts to advance the Middle East peace process, President Obama did something remarkable. In front of some 47 foreign leaders and hundreds of reporters from all over the world, President Obama said that “whether we like it or not, we remain a dominant military superpower.”

Whether we like it or not? Most Americans do like it.

Here’s what the President actually said:

But what we can make sure of is, is that we are constantly present, constantly engaged, and setting out very clearly to both sides our belief that not only is it in the interests of each party to resolve these conflicts but it’s also in the interest of the United States. It is a vital national security interest of the United States to reduce these conflicts because whether we like it or not, we remain a dominant military superpower, and when conflicts break out, one way or another we get pulled into them. And that ends up costing us significantly in terms of both blood and treasure.

Well, that's quite a bit different, isn't it? The President wants to resolve conflicts because of the cost to the United States both in money and American lives, and Sarah Palin distorts his words for personal political gain.

There's only one person with a problem here.

Wow...

2010-03-29T16:49:00.002-04:00

From a campaign rally where Sarah Palin was appearing in support of John McCain:

"Kaylie Chriss, a registered Republican, said she remained undecided about who to vote for in the primary election but felt Palin's appearance would boost McCain.

"'It definitely helps him,' she said. 'It gets him a lot more support from people who may not have heard of him.'"

Really? He's running for what? ...his forthieth six-year term as a U.S. Senator? He was um... let me think... the Republican nominee for president or something like that, right? The name is familiar but I cannot quite put my finger on how I know him...

Decision Time

2010-03-25T21:13:00.004-04:00

Via Ezra Klein

"Looks like David Frum has been fired from the American Enterprise Institute. The sin appears to be his recent criticism that lockstep Republican opposition to the health-care bill sacrificed conservative policy goals at the altar of short-term electoral incentives. This, apparently, is out of bounds. But he should know that: This dismissal comes after he left the National Review on the heels of bitter arguments over whether Sarah Palin was qualified to be president.
What you're seeing here is the tension between being a conservative and being a Republican. It's not that you can't be both at the same time, but that you have to know which wins when ideological push comes to electoral shove.

...
"Moreover, there was no doubt the bill looked like the reforms Mitt Romney signed into law in Massachusetts and that the conservative Heritage Foundation advocated in the early Aughts. There's no doubt that it was more ideologically conservative than any major reform bill that had come before it. But none of that played any role in the party's rhetoric. Any time you heard someone calling this bill a 'takeover of one-sixth of the economy,' it was pretty good evidence that you could write that commentator off entirely.
"As Frum saw clearly, if you were interested in a conservative health-care system, there was room for compromise in this bill. If Republicans had cut a deal on revenue, we could've capped the tax break for employer-sponsored insurance and there would've been no increase in Medicare payroll taxes. Health savings accounts and tort reform could've been much larger parts of the bill. A system of reinsurance for catastrophic costs, as Sen. Chuck Grassley once proposed, was certainly on the table. If Republicans had offered 40 real votes for Wyden-Bennett, I would've been on their side in this debate."

I cannot agree more. There are a lot of conservative ideas present in this law and not a single conservative Republican would get behind it. Their political aspirations trumped their policy philosophy and they lost on both counts. Concessions were made numerous time to try and build bipartisan support for the bill - mostly by moderate Democrats. This bill is not just centrist, it's centrist leaning to the right. Is it perfect? No. Would Republican input have made this law better? That is debatable, but it certainly would have made it more comprehensive.

They rolled an awfully big pair of dice playing the obscure and obstruct game and came up bust. The gamble only would have payed off if they could have stopped the legislation from becoming law. If they had succeeded, the defeated bill and its details would have become a memory recalled as only a closely-contested, nail-biting defeat of government intrusion into peoples' health care; the sanctity of the physician-patient relationship kept pure from an over-reaching federal authority with shades of socialism.

What's going to happen though is that as aspects of the law are enacted one after another and people see how horrible the GOP distorted the facts and tried to derail the debate public opinion is going to turn against them. It's already happening. Public opinion polls already have the new law, the Democrats and President Obama tracking higher than before passage. The big question is do they reconsider their strategy and stop the obstruction that they are already ratcheting up? ...do they give up the heated rhetoric designed to whip their base into a even greater furor? Or do they start reaching across the aisle as Lynsey Graham has on immigration reform? Or do they stay ideologically pure and further relegate themselves to the sidelines?

Enough already...

2010-03-25T16:16:00.001-04:00

This blog is an outlet for me to blow off steam, vent my frustrations and hone my writing. Nothing that appears here is directed at any one individual, with the exception of this one post. This blog is tied into my notes on Facebook and I do not plan on severing that connection.

If you're offended, stop reading my little rants. I don't do this for your edification and I certainly do not get paid to write this blog. I am willing to talk policy if you're willing to discuss actual facts and nothing that comes from Glenn Beck's chalkboard. I am willing to engage in intelligent, fact-based conversation but don't talk to me about stupid tripe like President Obama is unpatriotic because he "refuses to wear a lapel pin."

I will not suffer conservative rhetoric or talking points in conversations I have with anyone. Terms like "apology tour," "Obamacare," socialism in relation to our government's policies will immediately throw a wall up between us. It only tells me that you are willing to let someone else put their words in your mouth and their thoughts in your noggin. It leads me to believe that you are unwilling to think for yourself. There has been a gross amount of misinformation and outright lies spread by conservative politicians - I expect it from them. I expect better from my friends and family. Maybe that's not a realistic expectation... who knows.

You are entitled to your opinion, just as I am. Do not feel obligated to point out the fallacy of my point of view. If you do feel compelled, in your disagreement, to point out what I say to be misguided, misrepresented or ill-conceived, consider yourself warned that I will argue my point vigorously. Be aware also that I will not argue my point with anything other than substantiated, broadly-accepted facts and expect the same from you.

This is my playground and those are my rules.

Crazy Never Goes Out of Style in Some Circles

2010-03-24T16:58:00.003-04:00

In 1961 when Ronald Reagan was campaigning against Medicare he said, "[I]f you don't [stop Medicare] and I don't do it, one of these days you and I are going to spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it once was like in America when men were free." That's pretty much the jist of the message the GOP has been hammering non-stop since Health Care reform passed in the house. According to them, we are now one black-booted goosestep away from becoming a totalitarian, socialist country. On April 19th (the anniversery of Wako and the Oklahoma City bombing) there is a march being planned in Washington D.C. - and the organizers are encouraging its participants to come armed. Meanwhile, Sarah Palin is tweeting "Commonsense Conservatives & lovers of America: 'Don't Retreat, Instead - RELOAD!' Pls see my Facebook page." Bricks have been tosesed through the windows of local Democratic Headquarters and the office of Representatives Louise Slaughter and Gabrielle Giffords in reaction the HCR becoming law. Some Tea Party leaders gave out (what they thought was) the address of a Virgina congressman who had voted for reform so that they could "drop by and say hi and express their thanks regarding his vote for health care." They slashed the propane line leading to the home. And just a few weeks ago a batshit insane, anti-tax reactionary flew his fully-fueled plane into a federal building.

...and they accused President Obama of palling around with terrorists?

For me, the G.O.P. lost all relevance and any claim to the moral higher ground when they courted disaffected southern Democrats who felt betrayed when the party turned their backs on them and enacted civil rights legislation for black Americans. From that point on they have been on the wrong side of history with very few exceptions. H. W. Bush's showing restraint during the first Gulf War and leaving Saddam Hussein in power is good example. An infinitely unpopular decision at the time but one that the last eight years on the ground in Iraq have show to be a prudent one. Many, many conservative consider dear, old Ronnie not just one of the best presidents in recent history, but in the entire history of the United States - more than Lincoln and Washington combined. To them, he is the very epitome of what the president should be. According to them, He should be added to Mount Rushmore and replace Grant on the $50 bill. Reagan was an amazing politician and an horrific president. Decried "tax and spend" Democrats while burying us in a huge deficit with runaway military spending. He liked to talk tough about America protecting and defending democracy while selling weapons to the sandinistas and secretly empowering Iran and the mujahideen in Afghanistan (who eventually morphed into the Taliban.)

And not much has changed since the days of the Gipper. ...at least not for the GOP. And they want to keep it that way. The bad news for them is that the world has changed around them, the country's values are and have been shifting without them even noticing. Why else would they call natural progress toward a more pratical (and universal) healthcare system treasonous and socialist? Is it any surprise that they're still the using the bogeyman of the shadow of the red menace of Communism (thank you Sen. McCarthy) to try and scare people into opposing issues?

Fat...

2010-03-18T16:23:00.002-04:00

I am way too fat. Too fat for my own good and my own health. When I step on my digital scale at home the slightly annoying voice intones the damage: Two-hundred and sixty-eight pounds. As my drill seargent in my Army basic training used to say, "That's too much Coburn..." This isn't the heaviest I've ever weighed, but it's damn close. In the mid to late 80's I was hovering around the 300 pound mark. Now, I can carry quite a bit of weight easily; I have broad shoulders and wide hips - a frame built for abuse and heavy loads. If I were an automobile, I'd be a small, practical pick-up truck.

My cardiologist wants me to lose 100 pounds, which is bit much in my opinion. I think I weighed more than that after basic training. Personally, if I could lose the sixty-eight and make it an even 200 I'd be a happy camper. I know I would feel a lot happier and be a lot healthier.

But here's the rub...

I seriously lack the motivation. Yes, I want to be around for my children and granchildren; I want to feel better physically; I want to reduce the strain on my back; I want to fit into the majority of my wardrobe again; yadda yadda yadda, blah blah blah... I am more than fully aware of the benefits to be reaped by dropping the weight not only through the generally-accepted common sense thinking on the subject but through practical experience as well. Here is the problem: My work life sucks. My career has morphed into a job. The wonderful institution for which I used to work has been reduced to simply the place I go to punch a clock everyday. My preoccupation with the misery of my workplace that it overwhelms and pushes aside the care I need to give myself.

Give me some encouragement, please...

@!*#! Daylight Savings Time

2010-03-15T12:52:00.001-04:00

Do we really need this still? Isn't it time to do away with this antiquated, asinine custom? I know it's supposed to (in theory) help save energy, help promote retail business, lessen automobile accidents in the afternoons, yadda, yadda, yadda... I don't care. I want a good night sleep.

Finally!

2010-03-12T16:51:00.002-05:00

Harry Reid has discovered his spine. In a letter he sent to Mitch McConnell he told him in no uncertain terms that the Democrats in the Senate are going to pass the healthcare bill via reconciliation. ...or Ezra Klein from the Washington Post put it, "Reconcile this!" Here is part of the letter Reid sent to the Senate minority leader:

"Though we have tried to engage in a serious discussion, our efforts have been met by repeatedly debunked myths and outright lies. At the same time, Republicans have resorted to extraordinary legislative maneuvers in an effort not to improve the bill, but to delay and kill it. After watching these tactics for nearly a year, there is only one conclusion an objective observer could make: these Republican maneuvers are rooted less in substantive policy concerns and more in a partisan desire to discredit Democrats, bolster Republicans, and protect the status quo on behalf of the insurance industry.[...]
"60 Senators voted to pass historic reform that will make health insurance more affordable, make health insurance companies more accountable and reduce our deficit by roughly a trillion dollars. The House passed a similar bill. However, many Republicans now are demanding that we simply ignore the progress we've made, the extensive debate and negotiations we've held, the amendments we've added (including more than 100 from Republicans) and the votes of a supermajority in favor of a bill whose contents the American people unambiguously support. We will not. We will finish the job. We will do so by revising individual elements of the bills both Houses of Congress passed last year, and we plan to use the regular budget reconciliation process that the Republican caucus has used many times.
"I know that many Republicans have expressed concerns with our use of the existing Senate rules, but their argument is unjustified. There is nothing unusual or extraordinary about the use of reconciliation. As one of the most senior Senators in your caucus, Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, said in explaining the use of this very same option, 'Is there something wrong with majority rules? I don't think so.' Similarly, as non-partisan congressional scholars Thomas Mann and Norm Ornstein said in this Sunday's New York Times, our proposal is 'compatible with the law, Senate rules and the framers' intent.'
"Reconciliation is designed to deal with budget-related matters, and some have expressed doubt that it could be used for comprehensive health care reform that includes many policies with no budget implications. But the reconciliation bill now under consideration would not be the vehicle for comprehensive reform – that bill already passed outside of reconciliation with 60 votes. Instead, reconciliation would be used to make a modest number of changes to the original legislation, all of which would be budget-related. There is nothing inappropriate about this. Reconciliation has been used many times for a variety of health-related matters, including the establishment of the Children's Health Insurance Program and COBRA benefits, and many changes to Medicare and Medicaid.
"As you know, the vast majority of bills developed through reconciliation were passed by Republican Congresses and signed into law by Republican Presidents – including President Bush's massive, budget-busting tax breaks for multi-millionaires. Given this history, one might conclude that Republicans believe a majority vote is sufficient to increase the deficit and benefit the super-rich, but not to reduce the deficit and benefit the middle class. Alternatively, perhaps Republicans believe a majority vote is appropriate only when Republicans are in the majority. Either way, we disagree. Keep in mind that reconciliation will not exclude Republicans from the legislative process. You will continue to have an opportunity to offer amendments and change the shape of the legislation. In addition, at the end of the process, the bill can pass only if it wins a democratic, up-or-down majority vote. If Republicans want to vote against a bill that reduces health
care costs, fills the prescription drug 'donut hole' for seniors and reduces the deficit, you will have every right to do so."

Nice!!!

...work

2010-02-26T20:05:00.002-05:00

So, my workplace has been invaded by consultants. Of course there are myriad rumors and stories circulating throughout the hospital as to what kind of recommendations are being doled out. None of them are very popular. This is no shock. No big surprises. What really hurts about the whole process is that the rank and file employees look around and we realize that we are the only ones suffering the cuts. The lab has been told we have to "lose" three-four FTE's (Full Time Employees), that our couriers are going to be outsourced and that the registrars are going to be pulled from our outpatient drawing stations... In the middle of all this the hospital installs a 50'+ flatscreen HD TV as a "message board" that plays the hospitals advertising in a loop.

Our president and CEO of our president when he took the job a few months ago said that he wanted an open dialog with the employees. In this vein he started a blog and invited the staff of the hospital to comment. Today, on the blog, he announced that hospital will no longer be awarding the employees longevity bonuses. Well, I took him up on his invitation and commented on his blog post.

Here is what I told him:

"Look, I understand that we are in tight financial times. I understand that we want to become a leaner organization in anticipation of loss of revenue that might occur because of healthcare reform.

"What I do not understand is the places we’re (and when I say we, I am certainly not included, nor are most of the employees of the hospital) choosing to make cuts. We’re losing our longevity bonuses… fine. We’ve lost our pensions in favor of a more volatile, market-driven 403b… fine. We’ve lost our annual employee picnic… fine. We cannot even get coffee served during our annual in-service… I could go on and on about all the things the employees have and are forgoing for the financial health of the hospital. I get it; it’s not unreasonable. We’ve enjoyed a lot of benefits and perks you just don’t get at other jobs. But on the flipside, you’ve basically done away with any incentive to excel or enticements to retain your employees.

"This wouldn’t be so unpalatable if we didn’t have these efficiency "experts" here (whom we are paying assumptively a hefty sum for their sage advice) telling us we cannot keep blankets on the floors for the patients; cannot give them Italian Ice for their parched throats after surgery; that we have to shed FTE’s; that we might have to close laboratory drawing stations; that we’re going to outsource our couriers just as we have our employee health services; that we’re going to send out our Lyme testing to a third-party lab; that we’re going to centralize registration, increasing patients’ waiting time; and probably plenty more we’re probably not privy to just yet.

"So we’re cutting back on employee benefits and cutting corners in addressing the needs and comfort of our patients. This would be understandable if we were falling on hard financial times. But we’re not really, are we? Not yet… The hospital operated in the black this past year, in the face of the worst financial downturn in generations. I’m sure there are lessons we can learn from this economic slow-down; cuts to waste and improvements in efficiency we can implement that this recession opened our eyes to.

"All that would still be a bitter pill for most of us to swallow but I would like to think that if the need presented itself the staff of this hospital would make painful sacrifices. Well, that bitter pill becomes a slap in the face when the employees walk throughout the hospital and see the waste that’s evident everywhere we turn. The big-screen HD TV (and the man hours need to install it and pay the designers who create the content), the plexiglass signs everywhere; the fact that we’ve added two new members to the board of directors; the two new departments (”Organizational Excellence” and “Philanthropy and Development”); the fact that we have not only a Communications Dept but also a Corporate Communications dept, each with their own department head; the fact that the hospital employees a photographer and two graphic designers; that the physicians can still have their meetings catered while the employees cannot get coffee during our in-service; and on and on…

"I love this organization. It’s been one of the most fulfilling jobs I’ve ever labored at. But, sadly, those days and those feelings are behind me now."

This was his response:

Dear Matt:

Thank you for openly raising these issues. That’s the culture of openness we need.

You raise some issues, but there are facts that need to be addressed.

">> 'you’ve basically done away with any incentive to excel or enticements to retain your employees.'
Really, we’re trying to create greater incentives to excel. When everyone gets the same raise regardless of performance, that’s hardly an enticement or a reward. So we’re moving to a pay-for-performance model. When no one knows how or why the hospital makes (or loses) money, that’s no impetus to help us succeed. I want to make sure everyone understands what is important and what is expected. Retention is rewarded through solid performance and reflected in our ability to provide a very competitive retirement plan. The best retention plan we can provide is to continue to position ourselves in uncertain times for job preservation.

">> 'if we didn’t have these efficiency “experts” here…'
I have been here 10 years, and have seen any number of good ideas for efficiency and effectiveness get discussed, but too few get implemented. So, yes, we’re using experts (of course, they get paid), so we can grow more efficient and stay solvent. These “experts” are here to help all of us understand the data that drives decision to improve effectiveness through increased efficiencies. Direction 2010 is our program, not theirs. We have rejected certain ideas that may have worked elsewhere and might not be best here. Among those are some proposals to outsource services.

">> cannot give [patients] Italian Ice for their parched throats after surgery…
Maybe not Italian ice, but Popsicles, yes.

">> if we were falling on hard financial times. But we’re not really, are we? Not yet… The hospital operated in the black this past year.
We had a solid year last year, and many hospitals did not. We’re not off to a solid year this year (we’re $2,614,000 behind budget). The recession may be winding down, but uncertainly, and not for healthcare — and we are getting hit harder than ever with pressures to reimbursement. We saw, for the first time, surgical volume significantly drop-off in December. The burning platform is here, and the time to take action is now, when we can use an X-Acto knife, not when it’s too late and we need a chainsaw.

">> The big-screen HD TV (and the man hours need to install it and pay the designers who create the content)…
The Message Board has generated some question. Allow me to explain: It cost $1,500, which will be sponsored by a local business. The folks who design the content were designing posters, banners and flyers beforehand. They work for us, and they’ve retooled their jobs to make this messaging possible. The people who installed the Message Board are the people we pay to install items all over the hospital. This is a modern, very inexpensive, way to get our message out. This is a strategic communication investment and it is also a waste reduction initiative and “green” initiative. Through the use of sponsored message boards the goal is to reduce the high number of 8.5×11 flyers that get distributed, and unfortunately, taped to walls throughout the hospital and our off-site locations. The printed flyers cost money and use a large quantity of paper.

">> the plexiglass signs everywhere
As to signs, these are a direct result of employees’ comments following the Town Hall meetings where they felt it was important to display the pride we all share in being Backus team members and wanting the general public who visit us and our patients to understand “what we stand for.” This is a strategic investment in our team strength goal. These take the place of unsightly easels everywhere. They cost about $70 apiece. I think they send an important message to our staff, our patients and our visitors.

">> we’ve added two new members to the board of directors
Board members are volunteers. They don’t get paid. We are fortunate to have their expertise and commitment of their time.

">> the two new departments ('Organizational Excellence' and 'Philanthropy and Development')
These are new names for existing departments that have been re-focused: Quality Improvement and Backus Foundation, Inc.

">> we have not only a Communications Dept but also a Corporate Communications dept, each with their own department head
Corporate Communications is (and has been) a Division that includes Marketing, Public Relations, Volunteer Services and Development. It is, and has been, overseen by a Vice President. Communications is a department with one department head, when it formerly had two: one each for Marketing and Public Relations.

">> the hospital employees a photographer and two graphic designers
Starting last year, we hired a photographer and one designer and began to produce all our communications materials (newsletters, ads, videos, signs, magazines) in-house. We no longer use an external advertising and marketing agency. We are saving a great deal of money and producing high-quality work.

"We will continue to look for ways to improve our effectiveness with increased efficiencies and make the necessary strategic investments to be the leading source of healthcare services for the communities we serve, for decades to come.

"I hope this helps. I appreciate this chance to respond, and say thanks for putting these issues out there.

"—Dave"

Frankly, no it doesn't help and no, I am not reassured...

Really???

2010-02-25T21:53:00.004-05:00

I had an active day... aside from work and cooking dinner, I found the time to write two Senators about job creation legislation. One of them was Senator Dodd, which is understandable - he is my senator, after all... The other one was John Kyl of Arizona, whom I loathe. The letter to Senator Dodd is below; my letter to senator Kyl is included in the body of my letter to Senator Dodd:

"I sent a message to Senator Kyl through his website, but since I am not from Arizona I am not going to hold my breath for a reply, action or even acknowledgement. I'm not even sure that his staff will actually show it to him, since I am not a constituent. But the obstructive action he is pursuing has far-reaching ramifications - it impacts unemployed workers in every state of the union, so I feel I have a right to make my displeasure with him known. Would be so kind as to read my letter to him on the floor of the Senate to let the Senator from Arizona know that the obstruction he is putting in the way of extending unemployment insurance and COBRA has enraged voters two thousand miles away. Here is the test of the message I sent to Senator Kyl:

"'Are you really blocking extensions of unemployment insurance and COBRA, which is going to expire in three days, because you want to talk about estate taxes? What is wrong with you? What is wrong with your priorities? You're willing to delay helping those most in need during these tough economic times to help the most privileged and affluent in this country? Are you that out of touch and removed from the stark reality that everyday people are facing in this country? You're more worried about multi-millionaires getting a tax cut than unemployed workers losing their benefits?

"'You should be ashamed of yourself. Your job is to represent the people of your state, not just the people of your state who are in a position to contribute the most to your campaign fund.'

"Thank you."

As of this moment, I haven't heard back from either one of them.

The essence of Republican Politics

2010-02-24T16:17:00.001-05:00

Charlie Crist, a moderate Republican and governor of Florida is running for the Senate to represent the state in the upcoming elections. His opponent in the primary, Mark Rubio, is considerably more conservative and is getting support from prominent Republicans and the party in general. One of the more prominent Republicans coming out to attack Crist on Rubio's behalf is former governor, Jeb Bush. In particular, he's been bashing Crist for his support of the 2009 stimulus bill, which has been more popular among (non-hypocritical) GOP governors than with conservative pundits and GOP congressmen, because when the rubber hits the road every state is, to a certain extent, dependent on federal funding - even more so in tough economic times. They are not as insular in their relationship to their constituents as members of congress are.

But Jeb Bush isn't bashing Charlie because the stimulus bill didn't make sound economic sense (it did) or failed to create jobs in Florida (it did) - Jeb Bush, despite all his rhetoric, would've taken the stimulus money as quickly as Crist did because Florida needed the money. Even for all their preening and preaching about the evils of the stimulus even Sarah Palin and Mark Sanford took the money offered to their states. No, Jeb Bush on the attack because Governor Crist's support of the stimulus is tantamount to "giv[ing] the president a huge victory."

Hero?

2010-02-22T16:20:00.001-05:00

So the whacko who flew his plane into the IRS building in Austin... you know the one who set his house on fire and filled his plane's tanks with gasoline so there would be a nice, big explosion? ...the one who killed an IRS office worker in the act of crashing his plane into a federal building? Well, his daughter, who lives in Norway, says that while his last actions may be inappropriate that he is a hero for his opposition to the government.

"...if nobody comes out and speaks up on behalf of injustice, then nothing will ever be accomplished," she said in an interview with ABC's Good Morning America. "But I do not agree with his last action with what he did. But I do agree about the government."

I'm sorry, but I don't care how righteous your cause may be or how angry you might be at the government. When you fill a plane's gas tank with highly-combustible fuel and fly it into a federal building, with the intent of harming the people who work in that building, you are not a hero. You're a terrorist. There is no level of populist rage, righteous indignation, etc., that would justify such an action. It doesn't matter if your cause is as justified as the civil rights movement, equal voting rights for women. The moment you cross the line and decide that violence against your fellow Americans is your chosen course of action you stop being a protestoe or activist and you become a vigilante, a terrorist. Joe Stack is no more a hero than Timothy McVeigh or Mohammed Atta and there should be no equivocating about that fact.

What really infuriate me however is that fact that Ms. Bell, Joe Stacks daughter, live in Norway and is saying that her father is a "hero" for standing up to the government. Norway? And you're spouting anti-government rhetoric? From Socialist Norway? Where the government pays for your healthcare and your education and you pay taxes as high as 49% of your wages? This person has room to talk about government controlling their life?

CPAC Swag

2010-02-21T13:07:00.002-05:00

I really get a kick out of Rachel Maddow.

Photoshopping

2010-02-15T22:20:00.001-05:00

jangle
Originally uploaded by BigMisterC

Just playing around - seeing if I remember how to actually do anything. I would love to update my program (I am still using version 6.0 which more than 10 years old) but since I don't work as a designer any more it's a purchase that would be difficult to justify.

"My Stupid Mouth"

2010-02-14T13:17:00.003-05:00

You would think John Mayer would have to write that song only once... perhaps it's time for a sequel, "My Stupid Mouth Has Gotten Me Into Some Really Deep Doo-doo This Time" might be an appropriate title.

Even though I really cannot come to his defense over the absolutely, bat-shit, insane comments he made in that Playboy interview, as a fellow white boy who is some times to clever for his own good I know how he feels. Thankfully, my mouth hasn't ever gotten me in quite as deep as this but I've pulled off my fair share verbal faux-pas's.

"Oh, another social casualty
Score one more for me
How could I forget?
Mama said "think before speaking"
No filter in my head
Oh, what's a boy to do
I guess he better find one soon"

Will you please just shut the hell up?

2010-02-10T12:05:00.001-05:00

RNC chirman Michael Steele, über-tool and one-man running joke has been consistently and very vocally been complaining about the assertations that a great deal of the criticism directed toward President Obama have been motivated by racism. While I do not think that most criticism leveled at the president is racially motivated there is no question that the birthers and people claiming that he is a muslim/socialist/communist/marxist/etc. are motivated primarily by bigotry.

"I'm kinda sick and tired of the left and Democrats in this country when they get in trouble and don't get their way and their backs are up against the wall on legislation or whatever it is their trying to do, they go to that card, they play that race card, that slavery card, that civil rights card.

"Proud Americans, black and white, fought for too long and too hard to have the claim of racism be used in such a cavalier fashion. Blind charges of racism, where none exist, not only are an affront to those who have suffered the effects of racism, but it weakens our efforts to address true acts of racism and makes them more difficult to overcome.

I don't play the race card, I don't play the race game, the way some tend to want to do."

So, Michael Steele is against playing the race card. Got it. Check!

Interstingly though when addressing why he seems to garner so much more criticism and media attention than his Democratic counterpart the reasoning he uses is both familiar and ironic: "I don't see stories about the internal operations of the DNC that I see about this operation. Why? Is it because Michael Steele is the chairman, or is it because a black man is the chairman?" Personally, I think it's because Michael Steele is the chairman and Michael Steele is an obnoxious buffoon.

Graphic

2010-02-10T00:36:00.005-05:00

I've been wanting to show this graph from the Washington Post for a while but have kept forgetting to do so. It shows that the average country spends about $3,000 per person annually on healthcare. We spend over $7,000 per person with about $4,500 being spent by the government and $3,000 coming from private insurers. The return on our investment is sad... South Korea spends a quarter of what we do per citizen, has a higher life expectancy, while allowing their citizens to, on average, see a doctor more often and has universal coverage.

The debate shouldn't be about if we need healthcare reform. At the rate we're going it's going to bankrupt the country...

Any new ideas?

2010-02-09T22:05:00.002-05:00

Why is it that the worst ideas just never seem to die? Michael Lind writes in salon.com about the two new ideas to come from the bright, new stars of the G.O.P.: attacking Iran and privatizing Social Security.

Sarah Palin suggests that if President Obama were to show stronger support for Israel and attack Iran that voters might perceive him as being "stronger." She says that he's not doing enough to make Americans feel safe and that he should pull out the "war card." I guess escalating the war in Afghanistan against the Taliban isn't enough. I guess that it's not enough that we're already occupying two Muslim nations in the Middle East. Let's make it a nice, round threesome! I'm sure that will resonate great with voters who are already tired of thousands of Americans dead in Iraq (for no good reason) and years of trying to tame Afghanistan (when no other nation in all of recorded history couldn't) and going into a trillion dollar deficit in the process. Is this what she would do if she were elected president in 2012!? "Gosh darnit, our efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan have done so much to make 'real Americans™' and our neighbors and friends in Israel and around the world, we need to continue the good work of the Bush Doctrine and declare war on every Muslim nation in the Middle East."

The other bright idea, privatizing Medicare has been around for so long that I actually laugh when I hear it. I was simply and utterly shocked when the GOP's ranking member on the House Budget Committee actually announced the contents of the party's "shadow bill." It privatizes Social Security, has vouchers for Medicare and completely does away with Medicaid.

"That's what Americans are demanding, Rep. Ryan. Millions of Americans are not content to have lost much or all of their 401K and other private retirement savings in the stock market in the last decade, with nothing but Social Security remaining to rescue them in their retirement years. No, Americans are angry because they weren't allowed to lose all of their Social Security money, as well, in the stock market." You'd think with all the populist backlash against Wall Street giving themselves big bonuses after driving the economy into a ditch the last thing you want to do is give them all the government's money for Americans' retirements. That's like arriving at the scene of an accident caused by a drunk driver and instead of arresting them you give them a bigger, more expensive car and a case of liquor and send them on their merry way.

Rules

2010-02-05T13:49:00.002-05:00

So a lot of terms are flying around in the news recently with the election of Scott Brown and the Democrats loss of their super-majority. Terms like "hold," "filibuster," "cloture." None of them have anything to do with the actual work of creating legislation, or the actual work we elect our senators to do. Instead, they pertain to procedural rules that dictate how the senate goes about its business.

The first term, a hold, has to do with simply bringing an item to the senate floor. As a rule, the senate puts in place a set of guidelines as to how business will be conducted about a bill, nominee approval, etc. This is done by what their rules call a unanimous consent agreement. When a senator places a "hold" on an item being considered by the senate he's basically saying, "Look, I am saying up front that I am going to do everything I can to obstruct the deliberation of this
item." It's an indication that they intend to filibuster.

Now... a filibuster is often thought of as a means to defeat a bill, which is what it was intended to be. It's a way for the minority to keep the majority in check. So, if someone decides to filibuster a
bill, it's not really going to matter one whit if they don't have to 40 votes in place to back them up, right? Well, yes and no... To break a filibuster the majority leader, Harry Reid has to invoke cloture. The first step is to file the motion for cloture; once that is done no action can be taken on that bill for two days. Then the vote is made to inoke cloture, which breaks the "hold" and business can proceed on that bill. ...but only after a 30 hour post-vote debate period. Then the motion to proceed on the bill can itself be filibustered, along with each amendment attached to the bill. Each of these require their own 2 days of inactivity and 30 hour post-debate period.

In the end, while a filibuster may not actually defeat a bill it can seriously delay and slow down the action in congress. A bill, even an uncontroversial bill such as extending unemployment benefits or continuing funding for our troops in Iraq, or a nomination as uncontroversial as our embassador to Ethiopa (we still do not have one) could take a week and a half to pass instead of a simple vote on the day the bill was introduced.

Surprise, surprise...

2010-02-04T16:10:00.001-05:00

Senate republicans are filibustering the new job creation bill...

Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way!

2010-02-04T04:03:00.003-05:00

I know I've pointed out numerous time in various places the extreme measures that the G.O.P. has been employing since last year to completely and utterly delay, if not derail, the legislative process. Holds have been placed on every single nomination on not just cabinet level nominations, but on all levels, many of whom are not in the least way controversial. The filibuster has been invoked on over 90% of all legislation, including bills that are eventually passed unanimously, such as a bill to extend unemployment benefits with passed the Senate 90-0. And it is the Senate where this is a unique problem. Here is just one example: Craig Becker has been nominated to serve on the National Labor Relations Board; Senator McCain has placed a hold on his nomination back in July and that hold is still in effect. During this time Mr. Becker has answered over 280 submitted written questions from various senators and is still awaiting confirmation. A hold on a nomination, from a purely theoretical viewpoint makes lots of sense. A senator places a hold, so that a nominee can be more thoroughly vetted. Whatever committee that senator sits upon can then ask the nominee questions, hold further hearings and get more testimony from references, for or against, said nominee. But it is being used for sheer political reasons at this point. That was why we did not have a Surgeon General during the H1N1 scare. That was why there was no one in charge at the National Travel Safety Board (and still isn't) when Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab tried to destroy an airliner bound for Detroit on Christmas Day. (Mr Southers, the nominee for the position withdrew his nomination on Jan 20th, in frustration perhaps? - Thank Jim DeMint for that.) At President George W. Bush's one year mark there were 70 nominees still awaiting confirmation, which shows that both sides play this game. But at President Obama's 365th day in office there were 177 nominees still awaiting confirmation. What's worse is that dozens and dozens of those nominees are slated to work in areas affecting the U.S.'s safety and foreign policy - in the midst of two wars! There is no one at the head of the Office of Legal Counsel (that would have been the guy in W's administration who wrote the torture memos.) There was no undersecretary for the Western Hemisphere, whose duties include coordinating our response to events in South America, during the constitutional crisis in Honduras.

What puzzles, as well as alarms me, is that people in this country do not a) care about this or b) are simply not aware of this. The rest of the world has certainly taken notice as U. S. embassies around the world sat empty due to the lack of an ambassador, China hasn't been fully engaged on currency exchange policy due to staffing shortages in the Treasury Department... And why? Because the senate G.O.P. has the legislative process hog-tied and locked up in a closet in an attempt to paint the Democrats as unable to get things done.

By the way, do know how many of the 280 written questions submitted to Mr. Becker were submitted by Senator McCain?

Z E R O !

Waffles, Anyone?

2010-02-03T11:45:00.001-05:00

Senator John McCain has reversed himself on the issue of Don't Ask,
Don't Tell... Three years ago, addressing a group of students at Iowa
State University he said, "The day that the leadership of the military
comes to me and says, 'Senator, we ought to change the policy,' then I
think we ought to consider seriously changing it." That sounds
reasonable enough, right? Well, "that day" came yesterday. Secretary
of Defense Gates and Adm Mike Mullen, the Joint Chiefs Chairman both
testified in congress saying that it is time to do away with the
discriminatory policy. Admiral Mullen said during the testimony that
it is, "the right thing to do" and that he was personally troubled by
the armed services forcing service members to "lie about who they are
in order to defend their fellow citizens."

So how did the Maverick react? He was "disappointed" at the testimony
of both Admiral gates and Secretary Gates and went on to say, "At this
moment of immense hardship for our armed services, we should not be
seeking to overturn the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy," and went on
to say that the policy is "imperfect but effective."

So, my questions are piling up:
Is this a reversal of his prior position? If so, it is simply because
it's being presented by a Democratic administration and he's going to
facing a more conservative primary opponent back home? Was he secretly
hoping that our military leaders would never call for an end to the
policy?

All of that is secondary though. I am waiting (in vain, I know) for
someone in the media to call him out on this position switch. If this
were John Kerry or Al Gore or any other former Democratic presidential
front-runner capitulating on a position like this, Rush Limbaugh,
Michael Steele and any number of vocal GOP legislators would be in
front of the cameras talking about how (to paraphrase) "It's a good
thing that we didn't elect this wishy-washy, waffling, flip-flopper as
president; this is just further illustrates that he is unfit to lead
this great nation of ours."

...I'm just sayin'.

I {heart} Yogurt

2010-02-02T14:38:00.001-05:00

I do! I love yogurt. I grew up eating the stuff. When I was a kid I
used to take one of the good, old-fashioned Dannon,
fruit-on-the-bottom yogurts, take off the top, throw that bad boy in a
bowl and poke a hole in the bottom. Then I'd lift off the container
and watch the fruit cascade over the whole thing. It was awesome; I'd
rather have that than a bowl of ice cream. Sadly, as an adult, yogurt
has let me down. What gives with these tiny portions? The fruit
blended into the yogurt so that it looks like some badly made custard?
Blech!

But recently I had Chobani yogurt for the first time... what an
improvement over the other anemic brands. It's thick, it's creamy...
and the fruit is at the bottom! Yesterday I had their pomegranate
yogurt and it had the actual pomegranate seeds in it! Today I had the
pineapple and it transported me back to my youth. Eating it, I felt
like I was at my parents kitchen table on Cliff Street staring out the
window into the back yard. I actually licked the container clean.

A Bolshevic Plot

2010-02-01T14:45:00.001-05:00

If you haven't seen the President's Q&A session with the house
republicans on C-Span, you really should. Even (maybe especially) if
you do not like the president, you should really check it out. Not
only was there a huge range of topics covered from the deficit, to
lobbyists working within the administration, to healthcare reform to
just a whole slew of things. It was candid and cordial, but the
president showed that his grasp of issues as well as GOP stances on
any given subject is substantial. He's read their proposed legislation
and understands their views. And he doesn't hesitate to call them out
on the fact that even though the proposed healthcare reform bill
contains a LOT of initiatives that they themselves have proposed in
the past and that the bill is a very centrist piece of legislation
that they oppose it for nothing other than political reasons.

"The component parts of this thing are pretty similar to what Howard
Baker, Bob Dole and Tom Daschle proposed at the beginning of this
debate last year. Now, you may not agree with Bob Dole and Howard
Baker and Tom -- and certainly you don't agree with Tom Daschle on
much ...

(Laughter)

"... but that's not a radical bunch. But if you were to listen to the
debate, and, frankly, how some of you went after this bill, you'd
think that this thing was some Bolshevik plot.

(Laughter)

"No, I mean, that's how you guys -- that's how you guys presented it.

"And so I'm thinking to myself, 'Well, how is it that a plan that is
pretty centrist ...'

"No, look, I mean, I'm just saying -- I know you guys disagree, but if
you look at the facts of this bill, most independent observers would
say this is actually what many Republicans -- it -- it's similar to
what many Republicans proposed to Bill Clinton when he was doing his
debate on health care.

"So all I'm saying is we've got to close the gap a little bit between
the rhetoric and the reality.

"I'm not suggesting that we're going to agree on everything, whether
it's on health care or energy or what have you, but if the way these
issues are being presented by the Republicans is that this is some
wild-eyed plot to impose huge government in every aspect of our lives,
what happens is you guys then don't have a lot of room to negotiate
with me.

"I mean, the fact of the matter is is that many of you, if you voted
with the administration on something, are politically vulnerable in
your own base, in your own party. You've given yourselves very little
room to work in a bipartisan fashion because what you've been telling
your constituents is, 'This guy's doing all kinds of crazy stuff
that's going to destroy America.'

"And I -- I would just say that we have to think about tone.

"It's not just on your side, by the way. It's -- it's on our side as
well. This is part of what's happened in our politics, where we
demonize the other side so much that when it comes to actually getting
things done, it becomes tough to do."

It is indeed tough to get anything accomplished. Sadly, it even harder
for the GOP to find any common ground or wiggle room to make a
compromise. For a whole year they've been painting themselves into a
corner by playing on the fears of their base and their constituents
and spreading misinformation about death panels, government takeovers
of the healthcare system, socialism, etc. For them to reverse
themselves and come to the table and negotiate at this point they are
going to have to lose face with their voters and the conservative
elements within their party. (Not to mention that Glenn Beck and his
ilk are going to call them a bunch of un-patriotic traitors.) The
president has "called them out" on their over-politicization of the
issues, but he's doing it with an open hand. He's giving them a chance
to come to the table and talk, without undue recrimination or laying
of blame. To be honest, I'm sure that the door has always been open to
them but with his back-and-forth with the GOP on C-Span (not that too
many people aside from true political junkies watch it - I rarely
watch it, myself.) the president has turned on the Klieg lights and
shown that he's not only willing to work with them, but understands
their stance on the various issues.

They can continue to hold up the process, filibuster the hell out of
every bill to go through the senate, and obstruct the Democratic
agenda or they can stop the nonsense and the lying and take part in
the process. Last I checked, that's the way Democracy is supposed to
work. If the majority of the people elect you (and your agenda) into
office that should be a clear-enough signal of what they want
accomplished.

I Heart Google

2010-01-28T12:54:00.001-05:00

I, for one, will welcome our Google overlords once their plans of
world domination come to fruition.

We have a computer system here at work that is, to put it mildly,
draconian in its limitations on what we can and cannot do... which
sites are blocked, etc...

Yet, here I am updating my blog on blogger (also owned by Google) via
Gmail. I can still keep up to speed on Balloon Juice, the Daily Kos,
TPM, and Ezra Klein's blogs (as well as my friend Liz and god-daughter
Jess's blogs) through Google Reader. At home I use the Google Chrome
browser and I have to say it's best browser I have ever used. I would
seriously be willing to try out the Chrome OS when it comes out and
throw off the yoke of Windows. What's not to love about them?

Really?

2010-01-27T17:05:00.001-05:00

People on the right side of the political spectrum are outraged that
James O'Keefe, their crusader, their "investigational journalist" has
been arrested. After all, this is the daring young man who exposed
ACORN for what they were and confirmed what Glenn Beck has been saying
the group for so long; and we all know how reliable and trustworthy
Glenn is.

For those of you who weren't familiar with ACORN before the name
passed through Beck's foam-tinged lips, let me clue you in to their
nefarious deeds and evil agenda:

1. They investigate allegations of predatory lending. As if that
wasn't bad enough they also petition local governments to enact strict
laws against such lending. In 2002 they leveraged a class action
lawsuit that set up a $72 million foreclosure program for people who
were at risk of losing their homes. (For those of you who do not
remember, in 2002 we were just climbing out of a recession in which a
number of people, including me, had lost their jobs.)

2. Fundraising for Katrina was a big thing for ACORN seeing as how
they originated from Louisiana before becoming a national organization
with a presence in Argentina, Canada, Mexico and Peru. To date they
have gutted and rebuilt nearly 2000 home in New Orleans with the help
of volunteers. They even helped bus displaced NO resident into the
city so that they could vote in the city's primary and general
elections.

3. They are involved in education reform and are involved in the
creation of charter schools. They work with nefarious socialist
organizations like teachers' unions in the unseemly task of securing
funding for schools and teachers. According to one source the ACORN
model for education "emphasizes small classes, parent involvement,
qualified teachers and 'community-oriented curricula'." If that's not,
at its core un-American, I don't know what is.

4. They are gun control advocates. In Jersey City, NJ they intervened
on the city's behalf when a lawsuit challenged an ordinance that
limited an individual's handgun purchases to one gun a month.

5. Voter registration is, of course, thanks to Fox News and the rabid
right-wing punditry what they are most well known for. For thirty
years ACORN has conducted large-scale voter registration drives,
focusing mostly on poor and minority citizens. In 2008, they
registered over one million voters in a number of different states. To
hear the likes of Hannity, Beck, etc., 3 million of those
registrations were fraudulent. ACORN made the mistake of instilling a
quota system for their employees working in voter registration drives.
People cut corners. People are human. You cannot tell me that you've
never worked with someone who took sloppy shortcuts and did
second-rate work. There are bad apples in every bunch. In spite of
these bad apples ACORN had an error rate of 7% when it came to voter
registration, some of which is legitimate human error. The fradulent
registrars were fired, fined and senteced for their misdeeds. This
doesn't change the fact that they helped hundreds of thousands of
Americans take place in the democratic process, which I was always
taught was not just a right, but a responsibility. In addition to
helping people register to vote they try to ensure that roadblocks are
not placed in the way of voters and have taken legal action on behalf
of Americans in Ohio and ensure that provisions put in place by the
National Voter Registration Act of 1993 were acted upon. The problem I
kept pointing out about voter REGISTRATION fraud and the difference
between that and voter fraud is that when you register Daffy Duck to
vote, no one names Daffy Duck is going to be showing up at the polls
and demanding to vote. That does not derail the democratic process.
Voter fraud, where you try to vote multiple times, under different
names is another matter all together.

So, I have a real problem with the idea of ACORN as some kind of
bogeyman, hellbent of destroying the very fabric of our democracy. It
doesn't add up. And if people actually took the time to find out what
they did instead of letting someone else do their thinking for them
they'd know better and stop disparaging these honorable people and the
altruistic work that they do that enhances the democrat process.

Karma in Action

2010-01-26T16:47:00.001-05:00

Remember the conservative activist who posed as a pimp and made the
doctored videos of ACORN? He's just been arrested for taking part in a
plot to plant wiretap devices in the office of Senator Mary Landrieu
(D-LA). Her offices are federal property so that makes this a
felony... Federal prison and be someone's bitch or get shanked-type
felony...

Talking Points Memo pointed out the irony that this make this
"jouranlist" more like G. Gordon Liddy rather than his self-professed
idols, Woodward and Bernstein.

I used to be...

2010-01-26T14:30:00.001-05:00

...a conscientious employee. I used to give a crap. I used to work 10 hours a day with little complaint and actually a great of satisfaction. I used to feel like that what I did made a difference.

Now I feel like a cog in a machine. ...a rusty, worn-out, barely-functioning machine. I do not feel appreciated; I do not feel like an individual. This fills me with a considerable amount of sadness because there was a time that I loved this job and this organization. When I started working here I felt like I belonged to something that was bigger than myself. I don't think that is an uncommon feeling for people who work in the healthcare industry. Your business is all about making people overcome illness, lead as healthy a life as possible. It's a line of work that it's hard not to (or at least once was hard not to) feel good about.

Sadly there are some things that are common to ALL jobs, no matter what field you work in, that attribute or detract from a person's overall job satisfaction: a modicum of respect, a sense that the employees concerns are being heard and at least considered, and finally a sense of security. I can honeslty say that I have seen a steady decline in all three areas in the nine years that I have worked for this organization.

Movie Weekend

2010-01-25T16:55:00.001-05:00

So...

I watched a few movies this weekend. I found out that we can watch
more than one streaming movie with Netflix at a time. It's so cool.
The number of discs you receive at a time determines how many devices
can stream movies at any given time. We're on a two disc at a time
plan so I can watch a movie on my computer (or, soon, on the Wii)
while Brenda watches one on her laptop.

Saturday I watched the latest installment of the Harry Potter series,
The Half Blood Prince. I simply cannot give an impartial review or
assessment of the film because I love the stories so much. The scale
and breadth of the world that J.K. Rowling has created has no
contemporary equal. It's easy to brush these off as kids' books; I did
for a long time. Then I read one and I have been hooked ever since.
This is the first of the movies that I have seen without reading the
book prior and I kind of regret it. I have to get back on track with
finishing the series.

Sunday I watched two movies on my computer (which is great! I can
finally see some of the movies on the queue that for some inexplicable
reason never seem to make it to the top). The first was "The Salton
Sea" with Val Kilmer, one of my favorite actors. It was OK... the plot
had enough twists and turns to keep me guessing and the cast was
amazing: Anthony LaPaglia, Vincent D'Onofrio, Peter Sarsgaard, Adam
Goldberg... although B.D. Wong as a character named Bubba with a
southern accent was a bit disconcerting. The only thing about the
movie that was unbelievable was that Kilmer's character was a trumpet
player, which was surprising. For an actor who is so well known for
immersing himself into his roles it would appear that Kilmer made
absolutely no attempt to understand the mechanics of playing a brass
instrument. Being a band geek in high school, this was incredibly
disappointing.

The other movie was "Rashomon" by Akira Kurosawa which was, like all
of Kurosawa's work, amazing. It is the story of a woodcutter and a
monk recounting their experience in the trial of a bandit who had
raped a woman and then killed her husband, a samurai. The story is
told through the eyes of four different characters, all of whom give
contradictory accounts of the events: the wife, the bandit, the dead
samurai (via a medium) and the woodcutter. It was philosophical,
sparse and minimal... really made you think. If you can get past the
subtitles and the foreignness of it (I realize that foreign films are
not for everyone and there is something about Japanese cinema that is
especially foreign for some reason), I highly recommend this and any
other of Kurasawa's films.

Surprised

2010-01-22T07:18:00.004-05:00

It shouldn't come as a shock that I am not a fan of Cindy McCain, but I have to give her kudos for her support for the repeal of proposition 8 in California. Meghan McCain is also appearing in an image for the NO H8 Campaign, but she's a half-way decent person already. Cindy McCain doing this is a real shock. Her husband, Sen. John McCain, evidently ins't too happy about the whole thing and his office released a statement:

"Senator McCain respects the views of members of his family. The Senator chaired the effort to successfully pass Arizona Proposition 102, the Marriage Protection Amendment, and his opposition to gay marriage remains the same. Senator McCain believes the sanctity of marriage is only defined as between one man and one woman."

I wonder if the first Mrs. McCain agrees with her ex-husband who ran off with the beautiful heiress on the whole the whole "one man and one woman thing."

60th for or 41st Against?

2010-01-18T11:17:00.001-05:00

It's seems that the special election to fill Ted Kennedy's vacant seat in the senate has come down to this: Martha Coakley(D) is the needed 60th vote to pass the legislation. Scott Brown (R) is running as the 41st vote needed to filibuster the legislation. How anti-healthcare is Scott Brown? His entire campaign staff has been hired as independent contractors so, presumably, all of them are paying for their own healthcare insurance and payroll taxes.

Feeling blue

2010-01-14T16:48:00.001-05:00

There is enough bad news in the world today. Do we really need people standing at the ready waiting to throw gasoline on the flames the moment they flare up. The news from Haiti is heart-breaking. Unequivocally, gut-wrenchingly horrible devastation. Isn't that enough to move people to have a little common decency and keep their sniping and idiotic, bigoted, hateful rhetoric to themselves?

Rush is up in arms because President Obama took three days to make a statement about the "underwear bomber" and 12 hours to make a statement about Haiti. He's convinced that the president is moving swiftly to provide help to Haiti solely to "to burnish ahhh their, ahhh shall we say, ahhh credibility with the black community, both the light skinned and, ahhh, hmmm ... dark skinned black community ..." He's so filled to overflowing with vitriol and hatred that he can barely speak. And yet, he contends, that President Obama is the racist and not him.

And then there's Pat Robertson... Crazy, old Pat implying that the Haitians have brought this disaster down upon themselves because their ancestors "swore a pact with the devil" to liberate themselves from the French in the 1800's. This is the most racist of lies, spread by the defeated colonials. Why? Because certainly, black slaves and hal-breeds certainly could never defeat the noble French on their own. (Incidently this is the same kind of racist mindset that fuels the fires of the birther movement - "a black man? President? There has to be some kind of foul play involved!") This is what Pat Robertson says instead of feeling empathy for the plight of the Haitian people? I think someone needs to buy the "Reverend" Pat Robertson a WWJD bracelet... apparently, he has no idea.

My Own Personal Healthcare B.S.

2010-01-12T16:40:00.001-05:00

So, my insurance company has told me that I can no longer take Lipitor™ for my hyperlipidemia. There is no generic (especially since Pfizer recently went to court to extend their patent a few more years) and it is very expensive. Even with insurance I was paying a dollar a pill for the stuff. BUT it works and it works really well. All my different cholesterol numbers look great, my liver enzymes are normal and I am not experiencing any aches and pains that can come from taking statin drugs. For me to continue to take Lipitor™, my doctor would have to petition my insurance company and give a reason why I need to be treated with Lipitor™ and not some generic equilovlent of some other statin drug.

Hopefully, whatever he puts me on works. If not, it will probably be a long, tortuous, trial and error experiment to find the right drug at the right dosage that keeps my cholesterol in check without making me feel like I've been hit by a truck or give me hepatitis.

Least Surprising Announcement Ever...

2010-01-11T15:26:00.001-05:00

Sarah Palin has inked a multi-year deal with Fox News to be a regular contributor to the Fox News network. In other words, the crazy just keeps getting crazier. What I find amusing is that so many people thought Lou Dobbs was going to go to Fox when he quit CNN and that Palin was going to run for president when she quit Alaska - just the opposite turns out to be true. Well, it's not a known fact that Dobbs is actually running for any elected office but he certainly is throwing out enough clues that he might be running for some kind of elected office, like back-pedaling on his harsh anti-immigration stance in letters to several news outlets and notable bloggers.

According to the NY Times, Palin won't be on a regularly scheduled program but will host a series that runs on the network on an intermittent basis much like Oliver North (another ethically-challenged, dubious character who is also for some inexplicable reason held in high regard by the right.)

Avatar

2010-01-08T23:16:00.002-05:00

The only experience to which I can liken watching Avatar is the very first time I saw Star Wars in the theater. It was amazing. It made me change what I perceive to be possible in movies.

Assassin by John Mayer

2010-01-06T20:57:00.002-05:00

"I work in the dead of night
When the roads are quiet
No one is around
To track my moves

"Race in the end of lights
To find the gate is open
She's waiting in the room
I just slip on through

"You get in
You get done
And then you get gone
You never leave a trace or show your face
You get gone

"Should have turned around
And left before the sun came up again
But the sun came up again

"Enter the morning light
To find the day is burning the curtains and the wine
In a little white room
No, I'm not alone
Her head is heavy on me
She's sleeping like a child
What could I do?

"You get in
You get done
And then you get gone
You never leave a trace or show your face
You get gone

"Should have turned around
And left before the sun came up again
But the sun came up again

"I was a killer, was the best they'd ever seen
I'd steal your heart before you ever heard a thing
I'm an assassin and I had a job to do
Little did I know that girl was an assassin too

"Suddenly I'm in over my head and I could hardly breathe
Suddenly I'm floating over her bed and I feel everything
Suddenly I know exactly what I did, but I cannot move a thing
Suddenly I know exactly what I'd done and what it's gonna mean to me, mean to me
I'm gone

"I was a killer, was the best they'd ever seen
I'd steal your heart before you ever heard a thing
I'm an assassin and I had a job to do
Little did I know that girl was an assassin too

"She's an assassin
She's an assassin
She's an assassin
She's an assassin and she had a job to do"

It sounds like he's talking from experience...

#!*&~@!!!

2010-01-05T09:06:00.001-05:00

It's amazing how pissed off I can be after being at work for only an half hour...

I wish I could...

2010-01-04T22:08:00.002-05:00

...just remove myself from the problems of the world. Rush Limbaugh is thankfully recovering from his heart attack (or heart flutter or whatever landed him in the hospital). I may consider him to be a horrible, rotten person and one of the greatest contributors to the partisan deadlock that is hindering us from fixing the problems we are as a nation facing, but I do not wish him ill; I don't pray for his death. Having been discharged from the (I am assuming) private, VIP, suite at the hospital in Hawai'i where he was being cared for he had this pearl of wisdom to share: "Based on what happened to me here, I don't think there is one thing wrong with the American healthcare system. It is working just fine, just dandy." I should hope so with the amount of money Limbaugh has to toss around. For the average, working schlub it would mean possible lost wages, medications to buy after meeting a hefty yearly deductible and running the risk of having his health insurance coverage rescinded. For millions of other Americans out of work or unable to afford health insurance it would most likely mean financial ruin and possible bankruptcy due to insurmountable bills from the ER, the hospital, the surgeons, etc., lost time from work, missed mortgage payments, etc, etc...

For Rush to come out of the hospital and say this is akin to a hedge fund manager stating "The recession is an amazing opportunity to grab up some under-valued stocks and properties and thanks to all the TARP money we received we don't have to worry about liquidity and are allowed to take greater risks than normal." Meanwhile unemployment is 10%, average people are losing their homes and watching their lives and their children's futures evaporate. But AIG executives are complaining that a $500,000/year compensation without a bonus is simply too low a figure for them to accept...

It must be nice to live in their world.

Open foot, insert holier-than-thou foot...

2010-01-04T16:08:00.002-05:00

Brit Hume should keep his mouth shut. If you're being paid by a "news" organization (and yes, the quotation marks are intentional) such as Fox News as a senior political commentator then talk about politics. I wouldn't accidently tune into Access Hollywood and expect vapid Billy Bush talking about say, Jim DeMint blocking the appointment of the head of the TSA during a failed terrorist attempt. So, Brit Hume should not take it upon himself to comment on the Tiger Woods infidelity debacle:

"Tiger Woods will recover as a golfer. Whether he can recover as a person, I think, is a very open question. And it's a tragic situation .... But the Tiger Woods that emerges once the news value dies out of this scandal, the extent to which he can recover, seems to me to depend on his faith.

"He's said to be a Buddhist. I don't think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith. So my message to Tiger would be, 'Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world.'"

So...? Is the implication that because he is a Buddhist he is somehow automatically morally inferior? (How did that work out for Jerry Falwell and Jim Bakker?) ...or is the implication that, in Mr. Hume's "expert" opinion that Buddhism is inferior or flawed? Even if that is his (or your) opinion, a person's faith is between him and God and should not be the topic of conversation on a network "news" station by a political analyst. Or any television show for that matter, unless you choose to live your life in the public eye.

My New Favorite Blog...

2009-12-31T09:21:00.001-05:00

From Balloon Juice:

9:45 12/28/09
@Johngcole:
"Now that Obama blamed systemic failure, watch GOP pivot and accuse Obama of demoralizing our intelligence agencies."

10:55 12/28/09
@newtgingrich:
"We do not need a wtch hunt in intelligence, we need a fundamental change in administration policies on terrorism"

"Not to break my arm patting myself on the back with my predictive prowess, because this just wasn't very hard to see coming. When you are dealing with the current GOP, you simply have to think of the most shamelessly cynical thing they could do or say, and realize that they will in fact do just that. They are completely unhindered by reality and show no allegiance to facts or recent history. They will say or do anything, they know they will not be held accountable by the media or their own party, and that the Democrats don't have the balls to hit them head on. And when folks like Grayson do, our beltway betters get the vapors.

"This is just the reality we have to deal with- one party is filled with shameless hypocritical liars who will do or say anything, they are aided by a lazy and corrupt media, and the other party must spend all their time reacting to yesterday's bullshit charges while new ones are launched their way today. It is what it is."

Bruise

2009-12-19T12:42:00.001-05:00

Bruise
Originally uploaded by BigMisterC

I donate blood as often as I can. It really is important. One unit of donated blood can save several lives. If you are able to donate blood, I urge you to do so. Don't assume that someone else will do it. I have been donating for years and usually have no problems, no ill effects. Hell, I've never even gotten nauseous or light-headed even. I have a one gallon pin that I have affixed to my ID badge at work but have probably donated much more than that - I never remember my donor card so I really don't know how much I've given.

This time however, the phlebotomist who took my blood did not do such a good job. She went into the vein at a bad angle and went through the vein. Of the three veins in the anti-cubital fossa (the fancy name for the inside of your elbow), the brachial vein (the one closest to your body running at an angle) is the worst of the three veins for any kind of phlebotomy. It isn't anchored in muscle like the other and has a tendency to "roll" under the skin. The cephalic vein vein (on the opposite side) runs parallel to the arm and is a bit hard to find isn't much better because of the angle of the needle as it rests against the arm - it would be hard to anchor the collection needle because of the curve of your arm in that area. The vein dead center is the best of the three and the one that is almost ALWAYS used for donating blood.

Well, my phleb chose the brachial vein... she went through the vein and had to pull back into it to get the blood to flow. But that caused bleeding below the surface, hence the bruise. The blood stopped flowing and they had to stop the donation. Now my arm is swollen and discolored. It feels like an over-inflated tire and will soon have a nice rainbow of colors...

Lucky me!

Wierd Science

2009-12-14T14:56:00.000-05:00

The "nature fakers" and "liberal media" rely on sound science, not science funded by the oil and coal industries. ...not statistics that lift a micro-trend of warming over a few years out of decades and decades of data that prove beyond a doubt there is indeed an indisutable warming trend.

The right forces the science into a mold that will support their political rhetoric and the rest of the science is suspect!? Only in a Bizzaro universe would that make any sense...

That'd be the same Bizzaro universe where de-regulation brings stability to the financial markets, tax cuts to the wealthiest benefit the poor and tort reform somehow provides health benefits for the uninsured...

Does Yahoo Condone Racism & Hatred?

2009-12-07T20:29:00.003-05:00

IThere is a service on Yahoo called the buzz. It is kind of a poor man's delicious or digg. But unlike those two wonderful link sharing services, they also allow you to leave comments about the stories/links, etc., whatever. Which sounds fine, yes?

But here is the problem: it is not moderated in any way, shape or form. I mean, sure that have scripts that change swears to "f***" and "s***" but they are easy to get around and sadly, that is the only control they exert over the content that the users contribute to the site. There is a mechanism to flag an inappropriate comment but from my experience it seems like it's a stop-gap measure so that they can claim that the site is being policed.

For instance, take this story about a black, female politician from Ohio, state senator Nina Turner being portrayed as Aunt Jemima. Here are some choice comments:

Blacks need to perpetuate the myth of Racism as an excuse for their short comings and failures. No other race has been so dependent on misfortune in order to maintain the "you owe me attitude!" Historically, even to this day, they continue to fail because of themselves and themselves alone.
- C. W.

Well what stereotype should they use? A gansta? A crackhead? A muslim? A welfare mom who dont know who her babies daddy's are?
- Joe

BOO f***** HOO MONKEYS
Log Cabin tastes better anyway
- Will

This is about as silly as condemning Minstrels. What's next a remake of " Gone with the Wind, and making Scarlett the servent ? Or how about we fight the Civil War all over again and make the Negro free the White Man. After all, that's who the minority is in America today. The Middle Class, taxpaying American who signs the Welfare Check and keep[s Osama's Aunt in Public Housing until he figures a scheme to keep her here. By the way, Aunt Jemima was a Half-Breed. Her father was a Quaker Oat.
- Desederatta (Not only is this person the antipathy of the uplifting poem "Desiderata," he cannot even spell it correctly)

If it's not favorable to blacks, it's racist. Get off your PLANTATION mentality.
- Mark

This not about Aunt Jemima. Its about the fear Black Leaders have of losing Affirmative Action, quota's in hiring, preference in promotions and obtaining scholarships and precious college seats in Ivy League Colleges, Law and Medical Schools. Not to mention the lists of grants available to minorities. For every Affirmative Action a White Employee loses their job, A white Student loses their College money and seat. Millions of Whites have lost promotions, money, and retirement to promote Affirmative Action. Now, after Trillions of dollars and sacrifice of so many what is the result??
- JimmyFox

Funny stuff. These clowns are no different than monkeys in the trees throwing sh-t at each other. Let's all have a chimp out ! The black race is doomed by it's own stupidity,but it will limp around on the crutch of slavery for many more years untill they finally all shoot each other. There is nothing more brutal than black on black anger. I guess it's the law of the jungle,but these fools never figured out they're not still in the jungle. Maybe they want to bring the jungle here? Im so..... sick of these people.
- JOHNM

Black people continue to keep themselves segregated, not individually, but as a race. They still promote racism by refusing to speak proper English, by playing the race card every chance they get, by following racist bastards like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, by refusing to take advantage of free education, by not marrying and raising their children as a family, by committing the majority of the crimes and blaming white people for all their troubles. As a race, they need to hold themselves to a higher standard like everyone else does, and stop whining. That will lead to the end of all racism.
- Tim S

Aunt Jemima is NOT racist. Sounds like the blacks are ashamed of their herratige. They straighten their hair and lighten their skin by interracially breeding with whites...looks like they have serious issues. The blacks need to be proud of who they are and stop the whinning. Also, they don't like when they are called ni##er but yet they call each other ni##er.....now that is ignorant. They dress like clowns and complain when people make in fun of them. Like I said..they have serious issues.
- TakingBack

It amazes me. Blacks want to raise hell about Aunt Jemima. Her image makes just about everyone have good thoughts about great tasting pancakes. Blacks don't, however, seem to have a problem with: an 80% bastard birthrate, opportunistic theft, having children without being able to support themselves, rampant drug trafficking and use, a disdain for education, destroying community or rental property, violent behavior, perpetrating racism, driving with no license or insurance, grand theft auto, carjacking, home invasion, and 90% of all violent crime committed in this country. What they choose to get upset about is very telling. Maybe her image should sport a different colored bandanna and a Newport hanging from her lips.
- Donald

And I could literally go on and on... And this is just from one story on one day. If you didn't see the Yahoo logos all over the site you might be liable to think that you'd stumbled across a white supremacy website. I've complained to Yahoo numerous times and I have received absolutely no response. There is a Terms of Service that warns the user that they might be exposed to content that they may find offensive. BUT in the agreement it also states that user agrees not to "upload, post, email, transmit or otherwise make available any Content that is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, tortious, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, libelous, invasive of another's privacy, hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable." Well, that certainly isn't being enforced looking at the comments above.

So, the bottom line is if Yahoo makes it a violation of the terms of service to post hateful, obscene, racist remarks and then does nothing to enforce those rules, isn't that a tacit approval of such behavior? Hypothetically speaking if I put up a sign that tells people to stay off my lawn yet sit on my porch and politely nod to people who cut through my property and give them a knowing wink isn't that actually condoning that trespassing of my property? If so, then Yahoo is condoning the hateful, racist behavior of its users? At what point does not enforcing the rules become a tacit approval of ignoring the rules and has Yahoo crossed that line? I think so...

Sarah Palin doesn't care about you

2009-12-05T02:24:00.002-05:00

Do you use twitter? I do. Twitter is about communication, about dialogue. It's about the exchange of ideas.

Well, maybe I am being a bit too lofty. It can be about keeping up with your favorite celebrity. It can be about keeping in touch with distant friends and relatives. It can be used in any way you want.

But there are some people who use it only for self-serving purposes. Their twitterfeed is a non-stop litany of self-promotion. It's like listening to a needy, unsure of themself four year old clamoring for attention. "Mommy! Look what I can do!" There are others, worse still, who think that they can use it as a blunt tool solely for making money. How the hell they would accomplish that is beyond me. I get a few of these as followers from time to time. Very often, I block them. To me, Twitter is a social tool; being associated with their ilk makes it a bit creepy and dirty. Yuck.

Sarah Palin falls into the first category. How do I know? Look at the image from her Twitter profile. She doesn't follow a single person. Not even Glenn Beck, Michelle Malkin... Hell, not even P. Diddy and it seems like the whole twitterverse follows him (2.3 million followers)! Basically, where Sarah Palin is concerned, all communication is one-way: I speak, you listen. She doesn't want to hear from you and doesn't care what you have to say as long as you buy her book and you think that she's a "real American." Please don't ask her about her views on foreign policy (it's in the book) and when you address her make sure that you address her as Governor Palin and please... no photos (unless you want to purchase an "autographed" one at one of her book signings - only $30.)

Disappointed

2009-12-02T22:47:00.002-05:00

I know that there were not a lot of good options that were present to President Obama concerning Afghanistan and the course we should pursue there. One of the options that I pretty sure were never put on the table for discussion was complete and immediate withdrawal of all of our troops. What is most disappointing is the way that the president is embracing the Bush doctrine; it may not be a full-on, twenty second, bromance kind of hug. It's more like an awkward, uncomfortable embrace with your aging great-aunt who smells funny, but it's an embrace, none the less. Tuesday's night's speech was probably the most un-inspiring, flat, lifeless speech that I've ever heard President Obama deliver. I would like to think that his heart wasn't really in it and that deep down inside that he didn't really agree with the orders our military are about to carry out. I don't know if this decision is the product of pressure being exerted by the pentagon and our military leaders. If so, this decision flies in the face of George Washington's ideal of a civilian commanding our military; the armed forces are supposed to answer to the president, not the other way around.

What really would be immensely disappointing is the idea that this decision was made to give political cover to the Democratic party in the upcoming elections in 2010 and 2012. If the president were to order a complete withdrawal of our forces from Afghanistan to begin immediately, the Democratic party would be vulnerable politically. The GOP would portray us as soft on terror, unwilling to make the hard decisions to keep America safe, unwilling to listen to the advice of our military's generals, etc. I am not ready or willing to embrace this idea. I do not think that President Obama, while a shrewd and polished politician is willing to sacrifice the lives of young American men and women and add billions upon billions of dollars to the deficit for sheer political gain. My cynicism hasn't plunged to that depth yet.

One thing I must say though is that while I am disappointed with this decision, I am not at all surprised. I am very much a liberal and Obama was not my choice for president during the primaries. The two candidates who I was most willing to vote for were Joe Biden and Chris Dodd. They had both dropped out of the race when we were voting the primaries in Connecticut. I voted for Hillary Clinton. Obama, I thought was always too much of a centrist; he's not really a liberal. He always said he would, as president, defeat al Qaeda and give the war in Afghanistan the attention it deserved, that this was the region that should be our focus in the war on terror and not Iraq. So while I do not feel that this is the decision that the president should have come to in his deliberation on the situation in Afghanistan, and by proxy Pakistan, I cannot say that I didn't see it coming. And I still voted for him, in spite of this fact. He was a much better choice than Senator McCain - I cannot and don't want to imagine the mess the country would be in if Barack Obama had not been elected. I hope that we stick with the withdrawal schedule the president has come up with for 2011. It's not as soon as I'd like to see the troops come home, but if we stick with that timetable, hopefully the cost of this war, in both monetary and human cost, will not be too high.

Going Rogue

2009-11-29T22:16:00.003-05:00

I just read this. Someone tweeted a link to it and I thought that I would go take a look. I have to admit that my reading and sources of information are rather insulated. I think everyone's natural tendency is to gravitate to views that reinforce your own views. While this may make us feel better and gives us a sense of validation the tunnel vision that comes as a byproduct, in reality, does neither us nor the country any real favors. In fact it has the potential to be extremely harmful. Is it any wonder that, according to some statistics, over 40% of Republicans do not believe that President Obama is a natural-born citizen and therefor illegible to hold office. This is in spite of the fact that the contrary has been proven by the cable news networks, the White House, factcheck.org and plenty of other sources. The more you read information that only supports your preconceived ideas and opinions the more polarized your views are bound to become.

Which is what makes this blog post so refreshing. Following a link to a conservative site to read a review of Sarah Palin's book, I didn't expect such an honest and frank assessment, especially after conservative pundits have been falling over each other to praise it. Rush Limbaugh actually said that it was the best book on policy that he has ever read. But this was review was written by someone who evidently has been a supporter (and defender) of Governor Palin but was honest enough to allow themselves to be subjective in reading the book. Unlike a lot of conservatives who say that the discrepancies in the book that were found by the AP were nothing more than liberal media smear campaign, this reviewer saw the errors in the book and took them for what they are: errors.

"Her publisher did not fact check this book well (if at all). She was badly served by her publisher and editor. People who criticize me for nit-picking her use of quotations miss the point. I am a fan . . . though now a weary one . . . and I found the errors. The publisher had to know that her critics would check every fact.

"How can I in a single day with no help find error after error when I am no writer, no editor (as this blog post indicates), and no specialist?"

It's refreshing to see someone, anyone, take off the rose-colored glasses and take an honest look at the people that they look up to. It's rare. I think that may be part of the reason I admire Glenn Greenwald so much.

Christmas

2009-11-29T01:55:00.002-05:00

029
Originally uploaded by BigMisterC

I put our tree up today. Rather than procrastinate like I usually do and stretch it over two weekends, I figured I'd just get it done. All the Christmas decorations are out, the boxes are actually put away. I feel a nice sense of accomplishment if I do say so myself.

We have a new camera as well (the old is on its last legs - the zoom works only when it wants to along with quite a few other functions.) One of the most fun features of the new camera, for me at least, is its macro function. I took a whole bunch of super close-ups of some of the ornaments and posted them here.

GO(W)P

2009-11-26T20:19:00.005-05:00

Sorry for the blogging diarrhea but I've had a lot ricocheting around in my noggin and not a lot of time to sit down express it....

....anyway...

I saw this editorial on CNN.com, which I find myself reading less and less, but that's another blog entry. It's very true what the writer points out: that Sarah Palin is almost going out of her way to avoid minorities, people of color and urban areas on her book tour. I realize that she is not running for office nor in public office at the moment, but the feel of the book tour, the timing of it all, her involvement in the election in upstate NY all reek of a thinly veiled campaign of some kind. If she were truly on a book tour, where the objective would be to expose as many people as possible to the book, meet as many people as possible to get your it marketed and eventually sold to the greatest number of people possible?

As the author, points out, "Palin's curious tour schedule takes me right back to some of the more disturbing displays during last year's campaign, when people at some campaign rallies at times made racist remarks." He then goes on to say that he does not believe that Palin herself is a racist. That's okay; I'll do it for him.

I don't think that she's an overt racist. She may not even be aware that her actions are racist. But during the presidential campaign, every time someone would shout out a racial epithet or a death threat, etc. about then Senator Obama she said or did nothing to address those actions. Rather than speaking out and trying to keep the campaign focused on issues and differences in policy, she instead allowed it sink into the mire. It got to be so bad that the mood of the campaign became bigger news than the actual campaign itself. We all remember when that seemingly addled woman stood up at a McCain rally and said to him that she said, "I don't trust Obama. I have read about him and he's an Arab." John McCain was finally forced to stand up and address the madness that his campaign had been inciting. I think John McCain is, at heart, a decent man. I don't know if anyone else got the sense that I did from that moment, that he was sorry for opening the Pandora's Box of populism and attempting to appeal to the far right, super conservative base of his party by nominating Sarah Palin.

Sarah Palin has yet to address the fact that when given the opportunity to repudiate the hateful and/or racist comments shouted out by people in the crowds at her campaign events. She has yet to comments on her divisive, offensive comments that did nothing but encourage the xenophobia and racism of the people who attended her rallies: "He's not one of us." He "pals around with terrorists." Maybe she is a racist, maybe not. She is, without a doubt, a self-serving and self-centered individual who does not care what kind of destruction or damage to the American political landscape she leaves in her wake.

Salon.com Redesign

2009-11-26T20:01:00.004-05:00

To quote Mr. Horse from Ren & Stimpy, "No sir, I didn't like it."

I tried to give them feedback on their website about the redesign, which is still in beta but the form didn't work. So, Ms. Walsh, here is what I would have told you had the site functioned properly:

If I were grading the design team or designer a letter grade for the new layout it would be a D. Looking at the code, it's a mess. If, in the future, you decide to redesign again it would be a nightmare for the person doing the redesign. It would be easier to scrap it all and start from scratch. The HTML & CSS is much more complicated than it needs to be. The beauty of doing a layout with CSS is that it is simpler, lighter, etc. I could understand if this were a site that utilized dynamic pages (JSP, ASP and the like, but they aren't.)

Moving beyond the mechanics of the pages, the layout is awful. Nothing flows, everything is disjointed, and the scale of elements and their relationship to one another is completely out of whack. The War Room for instance, the logo is cut off on the left hand side (which a new reader would not notice but is a bit of a shock to people who been visiting the site for a while) and is smaller than the headlines of the stories. Having all the navigation and links to the right side of the page is a good choice, but they are all over-sized and awkward. The advertising comes between the content and navigation, placing, perhaps, too much emphasis on the ad over the content. On some pages there are huge gaps of empty space between the content and the navigation at the bottom of the page. On most pages the ad comes between the top navigation and the content of the page - awful... why interrupt the flow of the page to place an ad there? It makes the top navigation, which I like seem separate from the rest of the page.

Our two biggest problems

2009-11-23T23:39:00.003-05:00

So, our country is at something of a crossroads; we've been standing here for quite a while, being pulled one way and another trying to find direction. We're facing a number of crises but it's not all grim news. Just like JFK said, "When written in Chinese, the word 'crisis' is composed of two characters-one represents danger, and the other represents opportunity." We are faced with a financial crisis, the magnitude of which we haven't seen since the Great Depression in the 1930's. We are mired in two wars that have bankrupted our nation, financially and morally. We have, for the first time in our history, and much to the surprise of the rest of the world, elected a man of color to the highest office in the land, giving us hope to move into a post-racial America.

But what are the two things holding us back?

Partisanship and Populism.

The election of Barack Obama was supposed to signal an era of post-partisanship. In his first hundred days he regularly invited GOP members of congress to the White House on a regular basis. In a Gallup poll taken during his first 100 days in congress, 66% of Americans felt that he was making a sincere effort to reach bipartisan solutions for the problems that we face. In stark contrast, only 38% percent felt that Republican congress were making the effort to reach across the aisle in the same poll. Many liberals, myself included, were banging our head against any available hard surface wondering why the hell he was even bothering. All the while the Republican party, in spite of the fact of naming members of the GOP to cabinet level positions, ambassador posts, etc., still cry foul - that the administration is incredibly partisan.

Like I said previously, we are facing daunting challenges. But we're not all doing the most we can to fix the problems. There is no denying that healthcare in our country is nowhere as good as it should be. It is safe to say that the inefficiencies, inequalities and the unethical practices that the insurance companies use are pushing this country closer and closer to the edge of an economic as well as moral crisis. ...unless of course you are so rabidly partisan that you think the white house is using the term "crisis" only so they can grab more power for themselves. We're never going to solve our problems if half the people working in government spend most of their time obscuring and distorting the facts, opposing any action taken by the majority, slow walking and delaying action, nominations, etc all in the name of political gain.

But our elected officials aren't the only ones to blame for all this. As long as the electorate is willing to be spoon fed utterly insane conspiracy theories, thinly-veiled racist hatred, off-base political commentary and accept it as "news" or "facts" we're going to be stuck in this mess. News companies, journalists, newspapers that lean to one side or the other keep on putting out sensationalist tripe in an effort to outsell their competition at the expense of neutral, factual, substantiated journalism. And as long as we are willing to allow them to do this the national conversation about the most pressing issues of the day will never rise above the most common denominator; no real progress will be easily made. If members of congress are able to gain political capital by telling lies about healthcare rationing, death panels, forced abortions any progress made will be hard fought and hard won. Much harder than it need be. If populism is allowed to have the upper hand over intelligent discourse, we become the biggest impasse to real progress in this country. We need to find a way to rise above the bitterness and bickering that has dragged our political process down into the mud.

Obstructionism is NOT the side of history you want to be on...

2009-11-21T01:38:00.004-05:00

So, let me lay my thoughts out; spread them out on the table and get them organized.

For the majority of the last thirty years, the Republican party has held the reins of government. Most of our presidents have been Republicans and they have had more often than not a majority in Congress. Since the beginning of the 21st century, they have led the country down a rather ruinous path. Our economic health as a nation has not been this poor since the Great Depression; we are embroiled in two different, un-winnable wars against enemies that we cannot easily find or identify; we have lost our moral high ground by torturing and unlawfully detaining our enemies, spying on our own citizens and rolling back or trampling upon rights guaranteed in our constitution. Our standing in the world has been diminished and tarnished by a foreign policy of unilateralism and belligerence; we have gone from being the nation that helped found the U.N. and the failed League of Nations to a country whose leadership felt that tact and diplomacy has made us weak.

Understandably, the people of this nation decided that enough was enough and voted a Democratic majority into congress in 2006 and two years later added to that majority as well as electing a Democratic president: only the third Democratic president to be elected since 1968. It's not only a indictment of the mismanagement of the country by the previous administration, it was indicative of the changing demographics within the nation. Whether anyone likes it or not, we are a much different nation than we were at the end of the 20th century. The United States that walked tall and alone in the world no longer exists. While we are certainly the sole, remaining military superpower but after years of intertwining our economy with the world economy we are on our way to being on a more even playing field where trade and commerce are concerned. The face of the nation is changing; we are a little less white, a little less Christian, basically a little less like anyone who has held the power in our country since its founding.

In my opinion, it is plainly evident that there is a lot of work that needs to be done. We have to define our goals in Afghanistan and Iraq; the banks need to be reeled in, placed under greater scrutiny and regulation; unemployment needs to be addressed; something has to be done about the inequality and inequity of the ever-widening gap between the richest and the poorest in our country; our education system is outdated and failing; for a wealthy, industrialized country we have an abysmal healthcare system in comparison to our peers; on and on and on goes the list.

Don't get me wrong; I love this country. I know that it is a blessing to be born in the United States and be a citizen of this nation. I don't want to live anywhere else. But my eyes are open. I know that racism is still prevalent in our day and time. I know that there are people born into poverty in our inner-cities whose lives are so bleak and barren of any promise that they turn to gangs, violence and drugs.

So, in the face of some of the greatest challenges in our country's history and as we move towards a future that is quickly evolving before our very eyes, what is the GOP doing?

Nothing.

Actually, worse than nothing. They are opposing each and every initiative being taken up by their Democratic counterparts. Slow-walking nominations of sorely needed government positions: several months into our swine flu pandemic they had to be shamed into confirming the president's nominee for Surgeon General. Doing everything possible to cloud and confuse the issues with misinformation and divisive, populist rhetoric: death panels, socialism, czars. And this is coming from the mainstream members of the party. I won't even go into the fringe elements like the birthers and 3%ers.

They complain that they "want their country back." I think that they have had it for long enough and I don't think that they deserve to get it back. They are like a poorly behaved child who was given a precious family heirloom. Their parents (the voters) came into the room one day and found them beating the family dog with this precious family treasure and took it away from them. They chastised them and in turn gave it to their quieter, more cerebral and considerably more compassionate sibling and entrusted it to their care. The horror of a child is now pointing out the flaws of their sibling and making up a few for good measure (socialist, weak on national defense, not "real Americans") in an attempt to persuade their parents to give them back their plaything.

If the parents are smart, they'll tell the brat to shut up, go to his room and to leave their sibling alone...

Best of the Decade: Music

2009-11-18T20:20:00.013-05:00

The first decade of the 21st century is winding down and just like every other decade cultural commentators and people who make a living following the entertainment industry are going to start compiling lists of the best off and the worst of and the most influential and blah blah blah... Well, to hell with them. I am going to compile my own damn lists and don't give a rat's ass how comprehensive or diverse my list is. These are, in no particular order, my favorite 10 albums of the 00's:

1. Is This It by The StrokesThe Strokes were hopelessly over-hyped before they ever released a single track or CD. For me, that usually doesn't bode well - I usually do not wind up liking those bands no matter how much music critics in hip magazines tell me how much I should like them or how important they are. The Shins and The Flight Of The Concords are two good examples of that. But the under-produced sound of the CD, Julian Casablancas's lazy easy vocals, the very, very New York club feel of the disc, the way it feels fresh and new and a throw back all at the same time made me fall in love with this album. I'm not one for straight up rock either, so this disc really took me by surprise.

2. Illinoise by Sufjan Stevens

I think that I, like most people I talk to who know his music, first heard about Sufjan Stevens on NPR. This is something that truly defies categorization. It's folky, it's sometimes like a high school band, it's poppy at times, it is at times evocative of Vince Guaraldi's music for the Peanuts TV specials, it's whimsical, it's sentimental, inspiring and heartbreaking, all in one bold stroke of genius. The song titles border on the insane, "To The Workers of The Rock River Valley Region, I have an idea concerning your predicament, and it involves an inner tube, bath mats, and 21 able-bodied men." This is the second album in what is a very lofty goal: to write and record one album for each of the 50 states in the U.S. All the songs revolve around the state of Illinois and cover a wide spectrum of subjects: from UFO sightings to a dream visit from Carl Sandberg to the serial Killer, John Wayne Gacy, Jr. To give you an idea as to the power of his songwriting and lyrical originality, halfway through the John Wayne Gacy song you start to feel for him, he becomes something of a sympathetic character; he's able to make you see yourself in the man and feel some of the pain that drove him to those unspeakable acts. The song is beautiful and heart-breaking.

3. Timeless by Sergio Mendes

Sergio Mendes is something I heard all the time when I was growing. My parents had Sergio Mendes and the Brasil 66 LP's so this sound was immediately familiar. Hearing the opening track of "Mas Que Nada" was like stepping out of a time machine, but it became quickly evident that this wasn't my Dad's Sergio Mendes. The album was produced in close collaboration with Will.I.Am and is almost as much a Black Eyed Peas album as it is a Sergio CD. It's still very, very much a Bossa/Samba album but so much more at the same time. The artists that pitch in on the album are amazing: The Black Eyed Peas (of course) but also Erykah Badu, Stevie Wonder, Q-Tip, Jill Scott, John Legend, Justin Timberlake (channeling Marvin Gaye), india.arie, Black Thought of The Roots and a whole host of Latino artists who I got to hear for the first time on this album.

4. Suzuki by Tosca

This is a group that most people have never heard of. Tosca is two DJ's/musicians from Vienna name Richard Dorfmeister and Rupert Huber. I stumbled upon them because I am a big fan of Kruder and Dorfmeister (another of my strangely eclectic favorite artists). Suzuki is like the soundtrack to a trippy, relaxed stupor-induced dream. The tracks float along and meld into one another as the album progresses. It's a strange concoction of electronic music, hip-hop, jazz and ambient music with a healthy dash of bossa-nova thrown in. It is an album that you can leave in your CD player for a month and not get sick of. It's laid-back hypnotic and relaxing and most of all highly addictive. It's an aural sedative...

5. The Way I See It by Raphael Saddiq

This is like a blast from the past. It's not just Neo-Soul; this is straight-up soul music. It sounds like it straight out of Motown in the early 60's. Not to say that it feels dated; it's not. Great music never feels dated. You can reach into your bin of oldies, pull out Marvin Gaye's What's Going On, fire it up and it still feels fresh, new and relevant. The lyrics and emotion that pours out of these songs are universal even if it feels like you're taking a step back in time in listening to it. Raphael and Joss Stone are instantly evocative of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's "Keep On Loving Me, Honey;" and his duet with Stevie Wonder will make you want to pick up the CD to make sure that it came out in 2008 and not 1968.

6. The Renaissance by Q-Tip

Where would Hip-Hop be without the influence of A Tribe Called Quest? Twenty years after tribe first emerged their influence is still felt in any Hip-Hop/Rap act that isn't mindlessly obsessed with rims, gun, money, etc. (i.e. a good deal of the crap that's forced on listeners by the recording industry.) With his first solo album in over nine years he truly is trying to spark a renaissance of hip-hop. He sounds as good, the rhymes are as inventive, the originality is as stark and astounding as the height of ATCQ. It's a jolt meant to re-awaken the best of hip-hop and a love song to it as well. His unique collaboration with Norah Jones on "Life Is Better" is truly a genuine love song to hip-hop itself.

7. The Power Of Suggestion by Karminsky Experience

Again, this is an album that has a unmistakably retro feel to it it yet feels so new and unique at the same time. I don't know very much about this pair of DJ's at all other than that they are from London and are on Thievery Corporation's Eighteenth Street Lounge label. Their music sounds like it was torn directly out of a ne'er-released Austin Powers soundtrack, or a movie from the hip sixties scored by Henry Mancini on ecstasy. The songs themselves are diverse in feel and have a distinct Middle-Eastern influence to it. Not a single song is disappointing on the whole disc. It might be a bit of a shock to the system at first listen but definitely grows on you.

8. The Mirror Conspiracy by Thievery Corporation

This is an album that would appear on each and every "best of" list that I might ever write. It changed the way I listened to music, honestly. It's sexy and savvy and international. It's diverse and worldly. The music pulses and throbs, insistently and seductively drawing you closer and closer. The mood it evokes is spacious and expansive, laid back and relaxed; it takes you to a place where the sun is warm, the air is heavily perfumed with spice and smoke the sounds of distant shore lazily caressing the sands. It's beyond a "chill-out" album; it's international without all the pretense and preachiness that comes with "world music." It's alien and foreign and simultaneously warm and inviting. If you do not know about Thievery Corporation, buy this album. I can easily guarantee that you will not be disappointed.

9. Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots by The Flaming Lips

Maybe I just miss concept albums, maybe The Flaming Lips are the most under-appreciated band in America, or maybe, just maybe this is simply the pinnacle of pop music and exists in a place so elevated that the air is too thin and rarefied for the average music listener to tolerate. It is, indeed, pop music; every song has an unmistakable pop sensibility and approachability. But under the happy, upbeat veneer of the songs lie an expansiveness that embraces the tenor and feel of acts as diverse as Bjork, Radiohead, Yes, and Neil Young... And of course, there's the amazing song "Do You Realize??" that I cannot listen to and not tear up just a little bit... The album is worth buying for that song alone but is so much more than that one song.

10. The Shepherd's Dog by Iron and Wine

I always kind of liked the lo-fi, alt-country sound, bluegrass, etc., so when I read the reviews of the album (I had never listened to any Iron and Wine) I thought to myself that it's probably not half bad. Then a few years back, Pepsi was running a promotion where you could accumulate Pepsi points and use them on Amazon.com. I quickly began hoarding bottle tops with the intention of expanding my musical horizons with MP3's from the site, gratis. I downloaded "Wolves (Song of the Shepherd's Dog)" and was blown away. The music is distinctly American to its core, raw low-fi slide guitar, organs and at the same time so atmospheric and dreamy. Couple that with Sam Beam's rich, whispered storytelling and the result is simply amazing and inspiring.

I never thought I would say this...

2009-11-18T02:16:00.002-05:00

...but Sarah Palin is right. The photograph of her on this week's Newsweek is inappropriate. It's sexist; forget about it being partisan, sarcastic or snarky. This is an article that is supposed to talk about her influence on the GOP, her divisiveness, political ambitions, etc. Would Newsweek use an image of Hillary Clinton or Condeleeza Rice with either of them appearing in short shorts for a story about the difference in their impact at the State Department? No.

Love Defeats Voldemort

2009-11-15T01:44:00.001-05:00

Love Defeats Voldemort
Originally uploaded by Jeffrey

Jeffrey Zeldman's daughter's drawing is, as one poster on flickr said, a mountain of awesomeness

The Right's textbook

2009-11-15T01:06:00.002-05:00

Glenn Greenwald's article The Right's textbook "surrender to terrorists" is, as usual, excellent and insightful. The GOP, Limbaugh and Beck are the greatest enabler of terrorism in this country, NOT the president, NOT the Democratic majority in Congress, NOT the speaker of the house, NOT the Senate majority leader. It is the ones who spread fear and foster this mentality that there is something something going on behind the scenes that give the terrorist the toehold they need in our society to strike fear into the hearts of those who are weak-willed and weak-minded enough to follow or listen to the crap that they peddle.

I am a horrible blogger...

2009-10-06T21:54:00.003-04:00

I haven't updated in quite a while...

Duh!

When I logged in I had to agree to all kinds of new user agreements, got a notification that my login is now tied into my Google ID or some such nonsense. Interesting thing happened though. I can now access my old blog, which was somehow lost for quite some time. That one is pretty old, the last entry is from 2002! I think that it was tied into my old domain, bigmisterc.com.

If you're curious what was on my mind seven years ago, go check it out. I know I'm going to go look it over, myself...

Hope vs. Fear

2009-08-30T00:14:00.003-04:00

It's been hard for me to write. I've been so frustrated and a bit afraid. This is a time in my adult life, like never before, where I have had hope for the country and the direction in which it is headed. A liberal (often a bit too centrist for his own good)president, a congress controlled by the Democrats... An ambitious agenda, a busy 100 days... a president who is, let's just admit it, cooler than shit, a beautiful first lady, history has been made with the U.S. electing its first African-American president...

But I have had, for quite some time, had an awful sense of dread. And it's not about the resistance from the G.O.P. It's not about the misinformation and lies that are being spread by right-wing pundits. I expected that. It's not about the outrage from the right.

It's the crazies...

It's the nut who showed up at the president's town hall in NH with a gun on his hip and a sign referring to Jefferson's quote, "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." It's the people who are disrupting the town halls. And while I know that there is quite a bit of is planned, people are bussed in. But some of the fear and the desperation that these people feel, that they express is genuine. It's Glenn Beck on his show joking about poisoning Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. Beck is a schmuck and may actually believe some of the idiocy that makes it out of his mouth. But there are some people who live and breathe by his every word and those people truly believe, in their heart, that the President is a danger to this country, that he will lead this country down a path that will lead to the absolute, utter destruction of our way of life.

Fear and desperation lead people to do horrible, desperate things. And seeing the coverage of Senator Kennedy's life and the life of his family I cannot help but think of his two brothers, their lives cut short. I am really, really afraid that with the hysteria that is in the air that history might repeat itself. Too many liberal icons, people trying to bring about change for the country that they love, every bit as much as any conservative does. We've lost Martin Luther King, John and Robert Kennedy to assassination in the. I don't want to lose another.

Crrrrazy!

2009-08-09T01:21:00.003-04:00

For a while now I have been spending quite a bit of time on Yahoo's Buzz feature. The way it's supposed to work is that people who use the site, "buzz up" news articles and other users can comment on them, buzz them up more, buzz them down, reply to other people's comments, yadda, yadda, yadda... It's basically a news-driven social networking site. Not a bad idea in theory. But, with the political discourse being what it is today, the Buzz has turned into a very nasty place. So, I am taking an indefinite break from going to, contributing to or commenting on anything on that site.

It's an ugly time in American politics at the moment, nastier than I've ever seen in my lifetime. The site is a reflection of that. Here are some direct quotes from things that people are actually posting on that site. Believe me when I say that I wish I was making this stuff up:

About Justice Sotomayor:
"God, what an ugly whore. She and Ruth Ginsburg are the ugliest whores in America. Congress obviously hates America to approve this bltch. I would like to see a list of names of those that voted her in, so I can help vote them out."

About Rush Limbaugh:
"He should be arrested immediately and sentenced to prison for inciting violence on a public official. Period. Republicans are very violent hate-filled people."

I don't see myself going back any time in the foreseeable future...

Vacation

2009-07-08T22:06:00.004-04:00

I am currently on vacation. When I go on vacation it's usually a very low-key affair and this one has been no exception. Aside from a few appointments, (got my rear differential services, wifey had an OB/Gyn appointment that we cancelled) the highlight of the week was a July 4th cookout at a friend's house, where I served as grill-master and chief pyromaniac. We cooked five pounds of hamburgers, two kielbasas, half a dozen chicken breasts, two or three pounds of chicken tenderloins, a gang of hot dogs and about a dozen chicken thighs on the bone. There was corn on the cob, potato salad, rice, chips, and a big, old, mean apple pie with ice cream. There were only about eight of us there so there were leftovers aplenty. We've been living off of them for the past few days.

We bought about 40 dollars of fireworks which were ignited with much enthusiasm except our friend Ita's son. Poor little Elisha was scared to death of them. He would sit in his mother's lap as she covered his ears for him. In Connecticut, the laws prohibit fireworks that do anything than make a little noise and emit sparks, so I think that his fear was considerably countered by his fascination with them. When they were all gone he kept asking me if I was going to light anymore.

He's about three years old. I love kids that age. The world is still so full of wonder for them; I would love to see the world through their eyes for a day.

Now, there is a reason why my vacations are so low-key. It's not because I have a fairly stressful job (I do) and don't want to add any stress on vacation, worrying about itineraries, airline tickets, long car trips, etc. It's not because wifey and I cannot get time off from our employer's at the same time (she's a stay-at-home mom). It's not because the boy is involved in a summer sports program or anything like that that forces us to stay close to home. The reason we don't do anything extravagant while I am on vacation is simple: we can't afford it.

I would love to drive down to Florida and see Liz and my mom and finally meet both of their husbands. I would love to fly to Texas or Arizona to visit my sister or my friend Donna.

We, just like so many people these days, live week to week, paycheck to paycheck. It's not like we want for very much or are scrounging for food, but there simply isn't a lot of wiggle room financially. If something dire were to happen to any of us, costly medical bills could potentially bankrupt us. Thankfully I work in a hospital and anything routine is, for the most part, gratis. If something were to happen to me that would put me out of work for any extended period of time would spell financial ruin.

Vacations are not a luxury for me, they are simply a way to escape the stress of work for a very brief period.

...damn. I gave myself heartburn thinking about all this.

An ode to bacon

2009-07-03T10:39:00.003-04:00

I just fried up a pound of bacon.

The house is now in the swoon of a heady bacon orgasm. It is altogether comforting, decadent, and wholly satisfying unlike anything else that comes out of the kitchen in the mornings. Just the act of standing over a hot frying pan watching those strips of smoke-cured pork belly brown, sizzle, and curl up into little strips of brown heaven is absolutely awesome. Since you really can't and shouldn't eat bacon every day cooking it is a rare, almost exotic while at the same time completely domesticated act. I love every part of it: the sizzle and pop as the meat renders the fat and browns; the smell that pervades the air, filling the whole house; the occasional pop of the grease that smarts my hand; even the film of spattered grease over the lenses of my glasses.

But cooking it is only a small part of the fun. With a mug of hot coffee in one hand a fork in the other who can resist taking one of the first pieces out of the pan after you've added the next set into the pan. The combination of slightly sweet, salty and greasy that wraps itself up in the intoxicating umami that just sits there on the back of your tongue.

I've started saving bacon grease like my mother used to, saving it for some yet unknown southern, cracker delicacy. I have a cookbook that I got for my birthday called The Cracker Kitchen that is filled with all kinds of recipes that call for bacon drippings, so many of them reminiscent of my childhood and the dishes my mom used to make us. And I guess there is also where part of the appeal of bacon lies: it is something that has survived the transition from my childhood into my adult life. It brings me as much pleasure now as it did then; it hasn't been diminished with the passing years.

I love bacon.

Vandalism

2009-06-26T20:52:00.004-04:00

I know that I probably brought this on myself...

Wednesday I had a shitty day. Work was shitty, I was working alone; the weather was crappy; my back hurt. I could go on and on with a litany of reasons to curse Wednesday until I was blue in the face. Wednesday was so horrible that it refused to die. It laid in waiting, hiding until I had forgotten about it and came back to bite me in the ass this morning on Friday.

With the weather being crappy Wednesday, the pool here in our apartment complex was closed. If it's rainy, the management here just leave it locked. If the day starts out nice in the morning, rains at midday they lock it up and close it the rest of the day, even if the late afternoon's weather is flawless. But Wednesday, being a bad day, naturally had crappy weather to go with it. The pool was closed. Locked up.

As I am about to pull into my driveway, which is directly across from said pool, I see a teenage girl inside, in her bathing suit and a teenage boy climbing over the fence in his bathing suit. Having just finished an especially bad day at work and just being a miserable son of a bitch at that particular moment, I was overtaken in a wave of misanthropy. Normally, I would not care if some idiots were climbing a tall, wrought iron fence with sharp appendages atop, to get into 50 degree water. But I had just finished a day where it seemed that everyone around me did whatever they felt like with disregard to attendance policies, compliance issues or even just simple logic. Everyone around me at work was a mental case and I often feel like the only sane, responsible adult in the whole hospital. I was going to be damned if I was going to come home and be witness to the same idiocy at home as well.

Instead of turning into my driveway, I continued down the road and around the corner to the rental office. That's right; I ratted them out. I'm not proud of it, but I did it.

The property manager took off for the pool and surely lambasted those kids and drug them out of the pool and possibly even dragged them by their ear to their apartment and embarrassed them in front of their parents. ...she doesn't play around, believe me.

I had forgotten about the whole thing until this morning. I head out to the car, sit in the driver's seat and as I am looking at the building I see that someone had poorly drawn that stupid Bam Margera logo on the building in spray paint. Shaking my head, I turn over the car's engine, turn to my right to look over my shoulder and see that my back window had been spray painted. I get out to look and see that my tailgate has also received a touch of paint as well.

I look up and down the length of the parking lot. Mine was the only car vandalized.

Payback, evidently, for Wednesday. Next time I'll let the little shits freeze their asses off in the pool...

hmmm

2009-06-25T00:14:00.002-04:00

So, I have an idea for a book, or at the very least a short story. I have the whole arc of the tale mapped out in my head. I could sit down and bang out the outline of it in probably about 10-15 minutes. Writing it would be, I think, fairly easy.

But I am afraid to start it.

What if it sucks? And I mean really, really sucks. Would I know enough to know that it was complete and utter garbage and therefore save myself the embarrassment of actually sharing it with someone. I generally take criticism fairly well, but I don't know if I could take someone that I really care about that the story I've spent hours pouring myself into was a big, steaming pile of shit.

What if it was slightly mediocre? An amusing little ditty with serious structural flaws and a meandering narrative... a highly descriptive narrative with a charming voice whose story kind of falls on its face? Would I maybe feel good enough about it or fool myself into believing that it's not half bad and subsequently submit it to a number of publishers and be utterly crushed by rejection?

Maybe I might write it and never show it to a living soul (but you and I both know my ego is way too big for that!) I don't know... I've never been this chicken about anything creative before. As an actor, I've gone on stage in my underwear, broken down the fourth wall and gone out into the audience and interacted with them. I produced and directed a play in college. I've put my drawings into various shows. Why is this so different? Why is this so paralyzingly terrifying?

YIKES.