January 20, 2009 Earworm

I don't know about the rest of you but I am beat. I've Obamarama'd myself into a tizzy and, for the moment, I fear only the hysteria hangover tomorrow. But there's plenty of time for that later and I'll be humming Jackie DeShannon's "Put A Little Love In Your Heart" as I drift off to sleep.

I'll probably be right back to my skeptical self tomorrow but until then...

November 05, 2008 Earworm

Forty-four years after it inadvertently became a call to action, the dream has become a reality, and that alone is reason for "Dancing In The Streets". But let's not get carried away, fixating on the accomplishment of one goal while forgetting all that needs to be done. The truth is, it's not that we needed a change, it's that change has to happen. Now, change must be clearly defined and that, my swinging friends, is the challenge before us.

Now, back to dancing... even you, Arkansas and Florida. Maybe you'll find the beat, heed the call, and drag yourselves into this century.

October 03, 2008 Earworm

I told you she isn't stupid. Snarky and, at times, infantile, but not stupid. But her comment about Biden's cautions prior to voting "for the war" - "you either voted for the war or you didn't" - made it quite clear that those already trademark glasses are not very helpful in seeing shades of gray. In other words, not much change on the right.

What I do find stupid is the now a trademark response from people saying that they can relate to her. Really? Having once spent a majority of my youth in a drunken stupor gives me an ability to relate to Lindsay Lohan but I don't want her to be vice president. I don't understand why folks need to relate to elected officials. Is this another hangover from the "I'm okay, you're okay" seventies? Haven't we suffered enough from the lunacy of voting for the one with whom you'd like to have a beer? While I don't relate to any of the four candidates, I do respect three of them and my vote will go to the two that I respect the most. Now, if any of them want to come by and listen to records, well that would be okay, too.

It seems that most folks I know can relate to my love of "Lunatic Fringe" by Red Rider which is pretty for a Canadian band who never had a hot one hundred hit. It may be little more than a bunch o' riffs and hooks strung together but what a crunchy catchy garland it made.

Grab your air guitars and Natty Bohs, kids, it's finally the weekend.

from the sofa: Joe Lieberman just lied

Not so fast there, Joe. You just said that Barack Obama has never worked in a bi-partisan manner to accomplish anything within his three years in the Senate.

But, uh...

What about...

"The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (S. 2590)[1] is an Act of Congress that requires the full disclosure to the public of all entities or organizations receiving federal funds beginning in fiscal year (FY) 2007. The website USAspending.gov opened in December 2007 as a result of the act, and is maintained by the Office of Management and Budget. The Congressional Budget Office estimates S. 2590 will cost $15 million over its authorized time period of 2007–2011.[2]

The bill was introduced by Senator Tom Coburn, for himself and Senators Barack Obama, Tom Carper and John McCain on April 6, 2006.[3] After a "secret hold" was revealed and removed, it was passed unanimously in the Senate on September 7, 2006 and by the House on September 13, 2006. The bill was signed into law by President George W. Bush on September 26, 2006.[4]

On June 3, 2008, Senator Obama, along with Senators Carper, Coburn and McCain, introduced follow-up legislation: Strengthening Transparency and Accountability in Federal Spending Act of 2008.[5]"

(footnotes/references can be found at wikipedia)

And, uh... didn't he co-sponsor this one:
Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act ("McCain-Kennedy Bill", S. 1033) was an immigration reform bill introduced in the United States Senate on May 12, 2005 by Senators John McCain and Ted Kennedy. It was the first of its kind since the early 2000s in incorporating legalization, guest worker programs, and border enforcement components. As United States immigration debate unfolded in Congress and in the field during 2005 and 2006, the bill became a landmark legislation that was often referenced by most parties of the debate to indicate support or opposition to a certain kind of immigration reform that incorporated the three components. The bill was never voted on in the Senate. The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 and the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 are two additional compromises based on the original McCain-Kennedy bill.

(footnotes/references can be found at wikipedia )

So, uh...

Why'd you do it, Joe? Why'd you do it?

And what's up with the shout outs for Palin? She's practically the antithesis of what you say you support.

from the sofa: Sarah Palin

Wait, wait...
Did they think that the only reason Hillary supporters worship the holy pantsuit is because she's a woman?
Oh, this ought to be good.

And she's anti-abortion and evangelical Christian...

Well, she does have five whole years more than Obama in holding an elected office. This must be the background to match John's claim that the VP should have the qualifications to immediately step into the Presidential role if needed.

Wait, wait...
Are we sure this is not Nora Dunn?

Is this a skit?

Needless to say, MoveOn.org has moved out the message:

Dear MoveOn member,

Yesterday was John McCain's 72nd birthday. If elected, he'd be the oldest president ever inaugurated. And after months of slamming Barack Obama for "inexperience," here's who John McCain has chosen to be one heartbeat away from the presidency: a right-wing religious conservative with no foreign policy experience, who until recently was mayor of a town of 9,000 people.

Huh?

Who is Sarah Palin? Here's some basic background:

* She was elected Alaska's governor a little over a year and a half ago. Her previous office was mayor of Wasilla, a small town outside Anchorage. She has no foreign policy experience.1
* Palin is strongly anti-choice, opposing abortion even in the case of rape or incest.2
* She supported right-wing extremist Pat Buchanan for president in 2000. 3
* Palin thinks creationism should be taught in public schools.4
* She's doesn't think humans are the cause of climate change.5
* She's solidly in line with John McCain's "Big Oil first" energy policy. She's pushed hard for more oil drilling and says renewables won't be ready for years. She also sued the Bush administration for listing polar bears as an endangered species—she was worried it would interfere with more oil drilling in Alaska.6
* How closely did John McCain vet this choice? He met Sarah Palin once at a meeting. They spoke a second time, last Sunday, when he called her about being vice-president. Then he offered her the position.7

This is information the American people need to see. Please take a moment to forward this email to your friends and family.

So Governor Palin is a staunch anti-choice religious conservative. She's a global warming denier who shares John McCain's commitment to Big Oil. And she's dramatically inexperienced.

In picking Sarah Palin, John McCain has made the religious right very happy. And he's made a very dangerous decision for our country.

In the next few days, many Americans will be wondering what McCain's vice-presidential choice means. Please pass this information along to your friends and family.

Thanks for all you do.

–Ilyse, Noah, Justin, Karin and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "Sarah Palin," Wikipedia, Accessed August 29, 2008
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Palin

2. "McCain Selects Anti-Choice Sarah Palin as Running Mate," NARAL Pro-Choice America, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17515&id=13661-5646997-pkkzJ5x&t=1

3. "Sarah Palin, Buchananite," The Nation, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17736&id=13661-5646997-pkkzJ5x&t=2

4. "'Creation science' enters the race," Anchorage Daily News, October 27, 2006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17737&id=13661-5646997-pkkzJ5x&t=3

5. "Palin buys climate denial PR spin—ignores science," Huffington Post, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17517&id=13661-5646997-pkkzJ5x&t=4

6. "McCain VP Pick Completes Shift to Bush Energy Policy," Sierra Club, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17518&id=13661-5646997-pkkzJ5x&t=5

"Choice of Palin Promises Failed Energy Policies of the Past," League of Conservation Voters, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17519&id=13661-5646997-pkkzJ5x&t=6

"Protecting polar bears gets in way of drilling for oil, says governor," The Times of London, May 23, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17520&id=13661-5646997-pkkzJ5x&t=7

7 "McCain met Palin once before yesterday," MSNBC, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=21119&id=13661-5646997-pkkzJ5x&t=8

July 10, 2008 Earworm

With every new Coldplay release come the moments when I think about what exactly is missing from Coldplay. I buy the albums, marvel at the sound of it, and then get a craving for music. There are hooks aplenty and there have been plenty of songs that are saved by their hooks and more than making up for other weaknesses. So what, exactly, is it about Coldplay that makes me want more?

As "Viva La Vida", both album and single, descend from their respective number 1 peaks and the parade of magazine covers begins to wane, I realize that Chris Martin and company may be humble about their abilities but they still want to be the biggest band in the world. To that end, they write songs for everyone about everything and, in most cases, end up creating musical Twinkies where the bigger they get, the less filling - in every sense of the word.

By accident(?), the song "Viva La Vida" and its telling of revolutions and rulers past and the downfalls of both seems quite timely as the world waits for January 20, 2009, searches the airwaves for the successor, and finds little more than re-packaged ideas that appear increasingly lacking of ideals. And, with so much hot air blowing little more than smoke up our asses, it just may be Coldplay who end up ruling the world.