The War Isn’t Over

We’re still failing the survivors:  “In more than 20 years, the VA attempted to reach just 610 of the men, with a single letter sent in the mail,” NPR reporters said. “Brad Flohr, a VA senior adviser for benefits, says the agency couldn’t find the rest, because military records of the experiments were incomplete. There was no identifying information, he says. No Social Security numbers, no addresses, no … way of identifying them.” But an NPR research librarian, working just two months using VA’s own list to scour public records, found more than 1,200 of the subjects. The radio journalists … Continue reading The War Isn’t Over

Speaking of Things Just Happening: Ron Fournier Finds the Republican Party Just Too, Too Dumb Now

Guys, which one of you woke up Ron? I thought we’d agreed not to disturb him until the primaries were over: Stupid Party. This is what happens when you open your nomination race with a poll-measured fight for debate status. https://t.co/Wa8gRkiDGu — Ron Fournier (@ron_fournier) June 28, 2015 Yeah, they sure are dumb! Gosh, this is new, them being dumb! I wonder how they managed to amass so much power and visibility and from whence came the idea that they could be this dumb and get away with it? Certainly couldn’t have been from the utter lack of expectations continually … Continue reading Speaking of Things Just Happening: Ron Fournier Finds the Republican Party Just Too, Too Dumb Now

Corporate Welfare Leads to Diminished Returns

Back when I was covering land-use issues in the suburbs, we used to write the same story every week: A Jewel, or a Wal-Mart, or a Target, or somebody representing one of the many big-box stores in the area would propose a giant strip mall, and ask that taxes be reduced because this exciting new development — totally different from the other 40 CVS-dry cleaner-nail salon developments within driving distance — would EVENTUALLY provide incredible vitality and jobs to the town on which it so generously bestowed itself. The town fathers would then fall all over themselves to argue that … Continue reading Corporate Welfare Leads to Diminished Returns

Malakas Of The Week: Whiny Alabama Neo-Confederates

In a world full of real problems-including a financial shitstorm in my ancestral homeland-this week’s honorees are a bunch of whiny titty babies outraged about the removal of a piece of cloth from a Confederate monument near the Alabama state capitol. And that is why whiny Alabama neo-Confederates are malakas of the week.

If you’re like me and avidly read Tommy T,  you know that today’s wingnuts are into high drama and idiotic invective. They are also preternaturally delusional and prone to use Nazi analogies. My firm rule of political discourse is that if you resort to Nazi analogies, you’ve lost the argument. Ain’t nothing in Merica remotely as bad as the Hitler-Himmler-Goering-Goebbels gang:

Confederate flags returned to the cradle of the Confederacy on Saturday as hundreds of flag supporters arrived at Alabama’s Capitol to protest the removal of four rebel flags from a Confederate monument next to the building where the Confederacy was formed.

 Standing at the bottom of the Capitol’s steps, where 50 years ago Martin Luther King Jr. led a march for civil rights, Tim Steadman said it wasn’t right to remove the flags.

“Right now, this past week with everything that is going on, I feel very much like the Jews must have felt in the very beginning of the Nazi Germany takeover,” he said. “I mean I do feel that way, like there is a concerted effort to wipe people like me out, to wipe out my heritage and to erase the truths of history.”

Days earlier, Gov. Robert Bentley had ordered the flags taken down from the 1898 monument amid national controversy about whether Confederate symbols should be displayed on state grounds.

The whiny titty baby neo-Confederate malakas trotted out the Reconstruction era term scalawag to describe the very conservative Alabama Governor. Unfortunately the article spelled it “scallywag.” The reporter must have asked one of the neo-Conferderate malakas how to spell it. In my experience, dumbasses can’t spell. It’s part of their heritage as malakas.

More egregious malakatude after the break.

Continue reading “Malakas Of The Week: Whiny Alabama Neo-Confederates”

Fuck Yeah, Jefferson Parish

The floodgates are finally opening in Louisiana: Jefferson Parish will begin issuing same-sex marriage licenses to anyone who applies for them on Monday, Clerk of Court Jon Gegenheimer said.  Gegenheimer’s office made the decision about 10 a.m. after speaking with his agency’s legal counsel, attorney John Litchfield. Litchfield spent the weekend reviewing the U.S. Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision on Friday to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide and said Jefferson Parish should begin issuing marriage licenses to gay couples immediately. By about 10:30 a.m., Gegenheimer said, Jefferson Parish issued what appeared to be Louisiana’s first same-sex marriage license to a pair of … Continue reading Fuck Yeah, Jefferson Parish

Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – Golden Oldies edition

Good morning, all! Once again, the backlog of unopened drums of stinking Freepitude is spilling out of the storage room, so it’s time for some cleanup.

In reverse chronological order…

First up – up – up – uppity!

Texas woman suspended from job after allegedly starting controversial McKinney pool fight
My SA ^ | 6/11/15 | Joshua Fechter

Posted on 6‎/‎11‎/‎2015‎ ‎2‎:‎29‎:‎02‎ ‎PM by Oliviaforever

A California-based company has placed a Texas woman on administrative leave for her part in a controversial pool incident in McKinney that went viral after footage surfaced of a police officer pinning down a 15-year-old black girl.

1 posted on 6‎/‎11‎/‎2015‎ ‎2‎:‎29‎:‎02‎ ‎PM by Oliviaforever

To: Oliviaforever

Ridiculous! And take note that it was one of those commie black activist groups that launched this attack on this woman’s career and financial well-being by now making her dispute with that mob a company issue.

3 posted on 6‎/‎11‎/‎2015‎ ‎2‎:‎43‎:‎00‎ ‎PM by Timber Rattler (Just say NO! to RINOS and the GOP-E)

To: TexasFreeper2009

They are going to have to prove that Tracey made comments that can be seen as racist. However, Texas is an Employment at Will state and a person can be fired without cause.

6 posted on 6‎/‎11‎/‎2015‎ ‎2‎:‎51‎:‎35‎ ‎PM by Oliviaforever

And who exactly pushed for that legislation, exactly?

“Hoist on their own petard” comes to mind here…

Where’s the insightful analysis we’ve come to expect from Freeperville?

To: absalom01

“And the people who caused the whole problem……..”The real problem causers were those that owned the rent houses, who rented to the African Americans, allowing them to move into a neighborhood of white-flighters.

So when the young teenagers of color started getting uppity, this woman had to put them back in their place

29 posted on 6‎/‎11‎/‎2015‎ ‎3‎:‎38‎:‎14‎ ‎PM by Ben Ficklin

Ah – there we go.

More crazy after the uppity “Continue Uppity Reading” link below…

Continue reading “Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – Golden Oldies edition”

Chris Squire, R.I.P.

Members of the musical group Yes: Trevor Rabin, left to right, Alan White, Chris Squire, Jon Anderson and Tony Kaye in an 1984 file photo. (Gannett News Service)
Yes in 1984. From left to right: Trevor Rabin, Alan White, Chris Squire, Jon Anderson and Tony Kaye. (Gannett News Service)

Yes co-founder and bassist Chris Squire has died at the age of 67. Squire was an amazing musician whose signature rumbling bass was the lead instrument on many songs. Chris Squire’s unique style was often copied but never surpassed. When it comes to his beloved band, Yes, he was the only one who was a member of each and every incarnation, which makes him, in a word,  irreplaceable. He will be greatly missed by his band mates and many fans.

The best way to honor his memory is for Yes to be voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at long last.  There will be a few musical selections in his honor after the break.

Continue reading “Chris Squire, R.I.P.”

It’ll Soon Shake Your Windows and Rattle Your Walls

It’s turning into “where were you when you heard?” Already. It’s turning into “what was life like, before the war?” Already. It’s turning into the biggest change, the biggest alteration, and it only took a decade. Except it didn’t. It took a hundred lifetimes. I think we have this idea, in America. We have this idea, because our stories are still largely written by a past generation, that before 1960 everybody was okay with black people being subjected to Jim Crow and gay people being arrested for dancing in a club and women being felt up in the elevator. And … Continue reading It’ll Soon Shake Your Windows and Rattle Your Walls

Sunday Morning Video: Aretha Franklin Live At Fillmore West

The Queen of Soul played a legendary 3 night stand at the Fillmore West in San Francisco in March of 1971. The band leader was the great saxophonist King Curtis and Ray Charles joined Aretha on stage for Spirit In The Dark. The set is full of Aretha’s fine interpretations of popular rock songs. The shows were recorded and released as the classic live album Aretha Live At Fillmore West. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? The video quality isn’t fabulous but the sound and performance are first rate. Enjoy. Continue reading Sunday Morning Video: Aretha Franklin Live At Fillmore West

Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – special “Boy – when things go wrong” edition

My goodness – I certainly am getting out of my Monday morning box often these days, but this hasn’t been the best few days to be a Freeper.

First there was this:

Bristol Palin: Second Out-of-Wedlock Pregnancy (Sorry Mom)
TMZ ^ | 25 June 2015 | TMZ Staff

Posted on ‎6‎/‎25‎/‎2015‎ ‎4‎:‎19‎:‎07‎ ‎PM by Steely Tom

Bristol Palin just threw cold water on what’s supposed to be a joyous occasion … being pregnant.

Palin’s in the early stages of her second out of wedlock pregnancy, and this time she’s full on grumpy, saying she knows it will be “a huge disappointment to my family, to my close friends, and to many of you.”

Bristol says she’s “trying to keep [my] chin up on this one.”

Sarah Palin’s daughter was engaged to U.S. Marine veteran Dakota Meyer, but they broke things off last month. Bristol didn’t say if Dakota’s the dad.

Bristol was full of piss and vinegar, saying, “I do not want any lectures and I do not want any sympathy.”

She famously had her son, Tripp, with Levi Johnston in December 2008. They broke up a few months later.

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

SMH.
1 posted on 6‎/‎25‎/‎2015‎ ‎4‎:‎19‎:‎07‎ ‎PM by Steely Tom
Uh oh. Here comes the shitstorm.
To: Steely Tom

I’m assuming the father is her ex-fiancee.What a mess. She needs to get off of social media and find a career she can lose herself in.

4 posted on 6‎/‎25‎/‎2015‎ ‎4‎:‎23‎:‎32‎ ‎PM by CaptainK (…please make it stop. Shake a can of pennies at it.)
You’re kidding, right?
This IS her career.
To: Blue Jays
The girl is stupid.
Of course, if she would just have an abortion, the left would love her.

12 posted on 6‎/‎25‎/‎2015‎ ‎4‎:‎25‎:‎26‎ ‎PM by ilovesarah2012

No, I don’t think I could love her any more than I do right now.
To: CaptainK
“I’m assuming the father is her ex-fiancee.”
Or if he’s not the father, that’s probably the reason he IS the ex-fiancee.

16 posted on 6‎/‎25‎/‎2015‎ ‎4‎:‎26‎:‎41‎ ‎PM by Boogieman

Ouchie.
To: Steely Tom

I like Bristol, and you people should give this poor girl a break.

It’s not like anybody else has figured out what causes this.

25 posted on 6‎/‎25‎/‎2015‎ ‎4‎:‎29‎:‎00‎ ‎PM by meadsjn
Meadsjn, you and your folks need to have a talk.
To: Steely Tom

Has this girl never heard of abstinence or birth control?

Wait… wasn’t she going around giving lectures on abstinence?

34 posted on 6‎/‎25‎/‎2015‎ ‎4‎:‎31‎:‎45‎ ‎PM by CAluvdubya (
Bingo
.
To: Steely Tom
She needs to keep her legs closed. No sympathy from me. She is no better than a dog in heat. Calls herself a Christian! What a joke, but that is new way they do things nowdays have your children from multiple fathers, and be married after 40 years of age to someone whom is not the father of any of the offspring. The new morals of America! What values did the parents teach!

42 posted on ‎6‎/‎25‎/‎2015‎ ‎4‎:‎35‎:‎20‎ ‎PM by hondact200 (Cruz: Stop trying to unload the trainload of manure on the American Conservative)

DangerClose
.
Aw, go ahead, guys.  Quit prevaricating, and saying that Our Sarah is not to blame for how her daughter turned out, and it doesn’t matter because she’s technically an adult, and all that crap.
.
Go ahead and say it – you know you want to.
To: Steely Tom
You can fill the trailer with cash, but the occupants are still trash.147 posted on 6‎/‎25‎/‎2015‎ ‎6‎:‎19‎:‎21‎ ‎PM by montag813 (Pray for Israel)

There – now, isn’t that better?
To: Steely Tom

That explains why Sarah is lying low when she could have been running for president or at least more active in furthering the conservative cause than she has been. I hope this Bristol realizes that through her poor decisions, she has utterly and completely destroyed the once promising political career of her mother. Not to mention denying the nation a conservative voice they could have really benefited from at this time.

Yes, she’s an adult. Which makes this even more inexcusable.

43 posted on ‎6‎/‎25‎/‎2015‎ ‎4‎:‎36‎:‎22‎ ‎PM by SamAdams76
And now – the post of the thread!
To: Steely Tom

I do not know what “SMH” means, but Bristol evidently has no morals. One doesn’t keep making the same mistakes over and over again.

For the record, I’ve been celibate for the past 32 years. I know what is involved in saying “NO!”.

3 posted on 6‎/‎25‎/‎2015‎ ‎4‎:‎22‎:‎55‎ ‎PM by SatinDoll (A NATURAL BORN CITIZEN IS BORN IN THE US OF US CITIZEN PARENTS.)

To: SatinDoll

“For the record, I’ve been celibate for the past 32 years. I know what is involved in saying “NO!”.

What a surprise to find my wife here on FreeRepublic!

59 posted on 6‎/‎25‎/‎2015‎ ‎4‎:‎43‎:‎29‎ ‎PM by MNDude (God is not a Republican, but Satan is certainly a Democrat.)

.
OK folks – special Saturday fun is just beginning. Follow me below the abstinence line for Freeper reactions to teh gays taking over the Supreme Court, and the ACA ruling meltdown!

Continue reading “Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – special “Boy – when things go wrong” edition”

Saturday Odds & Sods: Reelin’ In The Years

Sideshow banner by Fred G. Johnson.
Sideshow banner by Fred G. Johnson.

Summer has arrived with a vengeance here in the Gentrified Kingdom and it’s a cruel mistress indeed. You never quite get used to a New Orleans summer but the first month is the hardest; eventually you adapt or become completely languid. That’s Oscar and Della’s response: they are liquid kitties right now and spend as much time on the relatively cool wood floors as possible. Hmm, Liquid Kitties sounds like a band name.

It’s been a pretty good week for us Lefties and a bad one for homophobic, anti-Obamacare, Confederate flag wavers. They tend to be one and the same in my experience. I had an amusing exchange with my blogger comrade in arms and fellow Deadhead Monkeyfister on Twitter yesterday:

On to this week’s theme song. I recall the first time I heard Reelin’ In The Years and being blown away by Skunk Baxter’s lead guitar. Trivia time: Jeff Skunk Baxter is now a defense consultant and a zealous right winger. It’s a far cry from his time as a long haired guitarslinger for Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers.  Speaking of creeps, the first of two live versions is introduced by Bill Cosby. This clip makes it crystal clear that Steely Dan’s success had nothing to do with their looks. The second rendition is a radically re-worked arrangement from their return to the stage in the 1990’s.

More stowin’ away the time after the break. I’ll try not to drop any more gs than necessary.

Continue reading “Saturday Odds & Sods: Reelin’ In The Years”

Happy

Never kept a dollar past sunset It always burned a hole in my pants Never went to school, but I’m happy Never blew a second chance -“Happy” Rolling Stones On a nearly perfect June evening, Mom and I braved the most ridiculous traffic jam this side of New York City to squeeze into the Summerfest grounds and witness four men with a collective age of more than 280 years ply their trade. The Rolling Stones had included Milwaukee as one of their stops along the 15-city “Zip Code” Tour the band crafted in honor of the re-release of the 1971 … Continue reading Happy

Fuck Yeah, America

As expected the Supremes have legalized same-sex marriage in the entire country in a 5-4 vote. The majority opinion was written by Anthony Kennedy thereby cementing his place in history as the Gay Rights Justice. To those pundits who insisted that Kennedy was the “swing vote” in this case: You were wrong and I was right. I cannot wait to hear the reaction here in the Gret Stet of Louisiana. PBJ just shit his pants. Continue reading Fuck Yeah, America

Friday Ferretblogging: Rescued Cali Ferrets Edition

Whew:  Sixteen ferrets confiscated from a man in Santa Ana will be moved to a rescue sanctuary operated by a group licensed to care for them. On Wednesday, 23-year-old Sebastian Swisher was cited after Santa Ana animal control officers found the illegal animals in his home. Animal Services officials were working Thursday to transfer them to a rescue sanctuary. Swisher was arrested and released on suspicion of importation, transportation and possession of live restricted animals, said Cpl. Anthony Bertagna of the Santa Ana Police Department. Orange County Animal Care officials said Thursday that the animals were headed to a sanctuary … Continue reading Friday Ferretblogging: Rescued Cali Ferrets Edition

Yawn: The Jindal Announcement

PBJ’s campaign launch was as dull as the candidate himself. He gave a boilerplate right wing speech and his attempts at humor were typically cringeworthy: “I’m tanned, rested, and ready to go.” Yes, he said that. I had to explain to the young ‘uns on Twitter than PBJ stole that from Tricky Dick. That kept me briefly awake during Jindal’s sopoforic speech. One would think that word salad would have a crunchy sound but it doesn’t. In fact, PBJ’s speech was word salad without any dressing. Yawn. Here’s how I described the crowd reaction on the Tweeter Tube: The much … Continue reading Yawn: The Jindal Announcement

Quote Of The Day: Unlikely Heroes Edition

I never thought I’d be quoting South Carolina Gamecocks football coach Steve Spurrier with approval. I don’t care one way or the other about the Gamecocks, but Spurrier was the coach of the hated Florida Gators for 11 years. He is, however, right about the Confederate battle flag and has been for many years. I’m not sure if current LSU Coach Les Miles even knows what it is. The quote comes from Dave Zirin’s blog, Edge Of Sports: But maybe we wouldn’t have to re-litigate this question and that toxic symbol of racist terror would not be flying with government … Continue reading Quote Of The Day: Unlikely Heroes Edition

True Judicial Conservatism

I assume everyone has heard that the Supremes upheld the ACA insurance subsidies in a 6-3 vote. Chief Justice Roberts wrote for the majority and Justice Kennedy joined as well. Justice Scalia, continuing in his role as the court’s Crow T. Robot, claimed that this transforms Obamacare into SCOTUS care. I must apologize to Croow: Scalia is more like his evil twin. He does, however, give good sarcasm even if he rarely makes logical sense. Jiggery-pokery, my ass. King v. Burwell was a picayune challenge to important legislation based on a goofily literal interpretation of the statutory language. The court’s … Continue reading True Judicial Conservatism

And Two More On Board The Clown Car

From Album 5 Grumby won’t make it official until next week, but Gilligan announced yesterday…and at least in Baton Rouge, Mother Nature reacted with some of the worst weather of the season: heavy rain, high winds, severe lightning/thunder that knocked out power and was loud enough to send my cat under the sofa for the duration. Probably just a coincidence. Probably. Anyway…guess it’s fitting they jump in more or less together. If they were a tag team, their approval ratings would put them squarely in heel territory. And when you’re getting beaten — badly — by the human equivalent of a troll … Continue reading And Two More On Board The Clown Car

Pulp Fiction Thursday: White Trash

We’ve all had white trash on our minds this week. At least these folks don’t have the Confederate battle flag flying outside their humble abode: Time for some lagniappe: White Trash was also the name of Edgar Winter’s band before he achieved fleeting pop stardom with Frankenstein and Free Ride. Here’s the cover of the first of the band’s two albums: What? No tag line? Finally, more lagniappe from a band with one of the best names in musical history: Southern Culture On The Skids. Hard to believe they’d have a song titled White Trash but they do: Continue reading Pulp Fiction Thursday: White Trash

The Fog Of History: The GOP Wants A Cookie

Athenae and I don’t always agree on the issues of the day, but we *do* agree on the current debate about the Confederate battle flag. We both think it should be removed from public buildings, but do NOT think that it should be the focus of the national discussion after the domestic terrorist attack in Charleston: I get frustrated when politicians are pressed to take a stand on things like this, because we have a finite number of hours in the day and if a presidential candidate spends all of them equivocating about a flag instead of being made to explain how his … Continue reading The Fog Of History: The GOP Wants A Cookie

Album Cover Art Wednesday: News Of The World

Queen’s 1977 album News Of The World was a monster hit with a monster robot on the cover. In this instance, the cover art is as interesting as the music.  The Wikipedia entry for the LP is one of the best I’ve run into and it does a fine  job of discussing the artwork and its genesis:

The album’s cover was a painting by American sci-fi artist Frank Kelly Freas. Taylor had an issue of Astounding Science Fiction (October 1953) whose cover-art depicted a giant intelligent robot holding the dead body of a man. The caption read: “Please… fix it, Daddy?” to illustrate the story “The Gulf Between” by Tom Godwin.[12] The painting inspired the band to contact Freas, who agreed to alter the painting for their album cover, by replacing the single dead man with the four “dead” band members (Taylor and Deacon falling to the ground). The inner cover (gatefold) has the robot extending its hand to snatch up the petrified fleeing audience in the shattered auditorium where the corpses were removed.[13] Freas said he was a classical music fan and did not know Queen, and only listened to the band after doing the cover “because I thought I might just hate them, and it would ruin my ideas”, but eventually liked their music.[12]

Since the magazine cover art preceded the LP by 24 years, we’ll start with it:

astounding

How’s that for a little taste of Pulp Fiction Thursday on a Wednesday? Here’s the evil robot bothandling the guys in Queen. Brian May is a goner, y’all:

queen_-_news_of_the_world

More News Of The World natterings after the break. Guaranteed to rock you.

Continue reading “Album Cover Art Wednesday: News Of The World”

More Poor Kid Shaming

The Irish get in on the action:  Child poverty almost doubled in the austerity years. In 2008, just before the crash, 6.8 per cent of Irish children were living in consistent poverty – a shameful figure in itself. By 2013, that proportion had almost doubled to 11.7 per cent. That’s 138,000 children – pretty much an entire Galway city plus an entire Limerick city of consistently poor kids. Obviously, much of this increase was driven by the wider economic collapse, and especially by unemployment. But direct Government decisions have knowingly made things worse. To take just one of the most … Continue reading More Poor Kid Shaming

It’s a Brand New Grand Old Party Flag!

The flag comes down, and we’ve all had our national moment of healing and we can all go on, right?  Republican presidential candidates are supporting South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s call for the removal of the Confederate flag on the state capitol grounds following last week’s church shooting in Charleston. “Kudos to @nikkihaley and all the SC leaders standing with her for doing the right thing,” former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush posted on Twitter. “I fully support Governor Haley’s leadership today in calling for the flag to come down,” Ohio Gov. John Kasich said. “This is a decision for South Carolina to … Continue reading It’s a Brand New Grand Old Party Flag!

The GOP’s Alternate Reality: Jindal Campaign Edition

I’m feeling unoriginal today. I’m not exactly sure why but it *is* Monday so perhaps that’s it. The evidence is overwhelming that the Republican base doesn’t view the world in the same way that rational people do. Their reluctance to admit that Dylann Roof was racially motivated and not an “anti-Christian lunatic” is merely the latest example of this. Jeb Bush claims to be a centrist who will speak the truth to the base when it’s wrong. It took him almost 16 hours to admit that Roof was a racist who thought the massacre would cause a race war. Mustn’t offend the … Continue reading The GOP’s Alternate Reality: Jindal Campaign Edition

It’s Not Enough To Take Down a Flag

Steve Chapman reminding us of when St. John McCain’s early campaign went off the rails:  It arose in the 2000 GOP presidential primary, when George W. Bush and John McCain refused to utter a bad word about the capitol flag, insisting it was something for South Carolinians to decide. [snip] After losing the 2000 primary, McCain admitted he was dishonest in defending the flag. But he didn’t just abandon the position he had taken to win votes in South Carolina. The Arizona senator said his Confederate ancestors “fought on the wrong side of American history. I don’t believe their service, … Continue reading It’s Not Enough To Take Down a Flag

What Can Be Said About Charleston

We act like this is some special case, right? Like wow, Jon Stewart is righteous! He’s brave! He’s the only one who can tell us the truth! Tell it like it is, man! We act like he’s some outlier. Like he’s got some unique ability to cut through the crap and put the rest down on the floor. Like every journalist everywhere, like every talking head on TV, like every columnist trying to justify his existence, could not open up his fucking cakehole and say something exactly this cutting, exactly this accurate, exactly this true, every single goddamn day of … Continue reading What Can Be Said About Charleston

Saturday Odds & Sods: Tell The Truth

5855205413_771c76c2e4_o

The Charleston church massacre cast a pall over the end of the week. I remain astonished at how many people shied away from the term hate crime. A white guy who’s a Rhodesian fan boy opened fire in a historically black church in South Carolina. What else does one call it? Charlie Pierce wrote the best thing about it that I’ve seen. No surprise there:

We should speak of it as an attack on history, which it was. This was the church founded by Denmark Vesey, who planned a slave revolt in 1822. Vesey was convicted in a secret trial in which many of the witnesses testified after being tortured. After they hung him, a mob burned down the church he built. His sons rebuilt it. On Wednesday night, someone turned it into a slaughter pen.

This week’s theme song has been in my head since I wrote the Rachel Dolezal post the other day.  It’s one of my favorite Clapton tunes; guaranteed to make you walk around singing: “Tell me who’s been foolin’ you, you, you” or “who, who, who” for that matter. We’ll start with the studio version from Layla with Duane Allman on slide guitar:

Since I’m a  huge Steve Winwood fan, here’s a live version with him on Hammond B-3 and singing the second lead:

More truth telling, truthiness, and other tangents after the break

Continue reading “Saturday Odds & Sods: Tell The Truth”

Raging at Emptiness.

Floyd Matson and Ashley Montagu wrote the book “The Dehumanization of Man” back in the early 1980s, attempting to explain the way in which narcissism and lack of social awareness were deadly in ways that we could never see coming. Anyone who has spent a minute in a debate tournament over the past three decades has been subjected to the “Dehum Card” that calls dehumanization the “Fifth Horseman of the apocalypse.” However, a deeper read of the book reveals many other subtle explanations that have long gone ignored, including the analysis of the “common man” they refer to as “Edmund.” … Continue reading Raging at Emptiness.