Welcome Back To Dizneylandrieu
Adrastos on Mayor Landrieu’s plan to turn the Crescent City into the Surveillance City. Continue reading Welcome Back To Dizneylandrieu
Category: Guns
Malaka Of The Week: Betsy DeVos
Lions, tigers, bears, and billionaires, oh my. Continue reading Malaka Of The Week: Betsy DeVos
Hayes/Smith: Only Victims
Adrastos on the verdict in the Cardell Hayes case. Continue reading Hayes/Smith: Only Victims
Campaign 2016 Odds & Sods
Twas the day before the election and Adrastos has the Hispanic Wave, fearful Trumpers, and B3 anti-Semitism on his mind. Continue reading Campaign 2016 Odds & Sods
Saturday Odds & Sods: Blues In The Night
Let’s get something out of the way. It’s still hotter than it should be in New Orleans. Fall has fallen with a thud as it may end up as the warmest October in recorded history. End of black market weather report.
In this week’s spirit of deja vu all over again (thanks, Yogi) I promised an update on beleaguered Jefferson Parish President, Mike Yenni. The sexting bastid is still in office after telling the public that it was “in my best interests” to stay. That inspired a scathing teevee commentary by the man with one of the best names in punditry, Clancy DuBos. The video won’t embed but the text rocks:
When Mike Yenni couldn’t avoid facing reporters yesterday, here’s what he said about his decision not to resign:
“It’s in my best interest to do what I was elected to do,” he said Monday.
Think about that statement, folks. He’s saying that his interests are more important than those of Jefferson Parish and its people. His interests.
This is a good time to remember the original Mike Yenni — the real Mike Yenni — and his father, Joe Yenni. They are revered because, as parish presidents, they always put the parish’s and the people’s interests ahead of their own.
This guy, who was born Mike Maunoir but changed his name to Yenni, now makes it clear through his actions and his words that he is not worthy of the Yenni name.
For the sake of the parish, he should resign.
Ouch. I think Yenni is hanging on in order to have something to trade with prosecutors if charges loom. A poll was taken showing that 79% of JP voters want his name changing ass gone. Double ouch. I wonder if there will be a Downfall video any time soon.
The only recourse Jeffersonians have is a recall election. It will be tough but a Metry lawyer, whose father used to be one of the bosses of that parish who was tried but acquitted of corruption charges in 1995, is pledging $100K of his own moolah. You cannot make this shit up, y’all.
That concludes this episode of “As Jefferson Parish Turns.” Cue the Hammond B-3 organ. No, not B3 that’s a different kettle of fish altogether.
My mama done tole me to move on to this week’s theme song. Blues In The Night was written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer as the title song of a mediocre 1941 movie. The tune has become a classic thanks to all the fabulous versions out there. We have three versions for your enjoyment today. Let’s kick it off with a jazzy rendition by Louis Armstrong and Oscar Peterson.
Here’s Frank Sinatra and Nelson Riddle’s torch song interpretation.
Finally, a 21st Century version from the late, great neo-chanteuse Amy Winehouse.
My Mama done tole me to go to the break before we send in the scary clowns.
Saturday Odds & Sods: Let’s Stick Together
The Star Trek theme continues. As you surely know, Thursday was the 50th Anniversary of the first episode of Star Trek. I was one of many Trekkies, Trekkers whatever the hell you want to call them who first saw the show in re-runs. Even as a kid, I knew that there were some hokey things about the original show: the sets were cheesy, Shatner was hammy and an unlikely intergalactic babe magnet. But there was so much right about it: the cast chemistry and the writing. In many ways, Star Trek was a parable of New Frontier/Great Society era America. I’ve always liked the optimistic, inclusive message of the franchise and the way it got better over the years. I admit to skepticism when The Next Generation first aired but I was hooked and wound up liking both it and Deep Space Nine more than the original series. It’s hard to beat Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard even when he wore his shorty pajamas. Make it so or is that make it short? This post sure isn’t…
This week’s theme song was written and recorded by Wilbert Harrison in 1962 as Let’s Stick Together. It’s also been done as Let’s Work Together but I decided to stick with stick instead of working it out. I have three versions for your listening pleasure. First, the original recording. Second, Bryan Ferry’s first whack at a song that he made his own. It’s still a staple in his live sets. Finally, Canned Heat who cut it as Let’s Work Together with vocals by Bob “Bear” Hite. Both the singer and his band had awesome names.
Now that we’ve worked that sticky wicket out, it’s time to take a brief break from my incessant punning, But first an animated Star Trek GIF that was suggested by one of the Stephanies:
Continue reading “Saturday Odds & Sods: Let’s Stick Together”
And Then Sometimes Nothing Keeps You Down But You
The Boston Globe, which looked at Holy Mother Church and said they’ve got two millennia on us and we still think we can take ’em, has used its institutional voice to call for leveling the status quo and people are losing their damn minds: Why? As media becomes more about activism, myopia takes over. Mrs. Clinton made this about gun control from Sunday on, and as a result, those without microphones and bylines are going to pound the gun narrative into the ground regardless of whether the Orlando terrorist used an AR-15 or not. The perception has already become reality. You … Continue reading And Then Sometimes Nothing Keeps You Down But You
Still Comfortably Numb Revisited
Adrastos on the ritualistic response to the latest mass shooting. Continue reading Still Comfortably Numb Revisited
To Live and Die in (UC)LA
I spent the majority of my undergraduate career in the communication building at my alma mater. It was a giant, ugly concrete monstrosity that looked like it was put together by Willy Wonka’s emo cousin. Entrances and exits were on multiple floors, there were giant open spaces on top of the second and third floors. Rumors swirled that there was a helipad on top of the roof. On the inside, the halls were never linear, in that there was at least four ways of getting anywhere. Concrete columns jutted into the hallways, making easy for anyone not paying attention to … Continue reading To Live and Die in (UC)LA
Saturday Odds & Sods: All The Things You Are
We’re knee-deep in the El Nino season of 2015-16. I have a love-hate relationship with it: I love El Nino during hurricane season and hate it during the winter. The New Orleans metro area had a hellacious storm front last Tuesday. The city wasn’t impacted directly but there were nine confirmed tornadoes in the area that wreaked havoc in the outlying communities of Convent and LaPlace. It was like being an Okie for the day only without Jim Inhofe as your Senator. Of course, I have a whore monger and an empty suit as my Senators. so who am I to judge?
Before being uprooted for six weeks in 2005, the weather wasn’t a frequent topic of conversation in my house. For obvious reasons, I am now obsessed with the weather; so much so that I had twinges of PSTD when the wind was howling outside my door. Unlike Della and Oscar, I can’t hide under the bed when the weather sucks. I wouldn’t fit. Time for a brief meteorological musical interlude from the Brothers Finn:
I don’t really have a dog in the hunt in this year’s Oscar races. I suspect that wearing a beard and looking dirty and smelly will win Leonardo Decaprio his first Oscar. Handsome leading men have to ugly themselves up to be taken seriously viz George Clooney in Syriana. It’s a pity that Leo’s star turns in The Great Gatsby or The Aviator weren’t Oscarworthy but his duel with a bear in Revenant is. Of course, tangling with a bear did wonders for Daniel Boone’s career. Oh well, Jimmy Stewart, Henry Fonda, and Paul Newman won their Oscars for the wrong movies too. It’s a funny old world, y’all.
This week’s theme song, All The Things You Are, was composed in 1939 by Jerome Kern and features lyrics by his Show Boat writing partner, Oscar Hammerstein. It was long a favorite of Jazz musicians because of its melodic and harmonic complexity. Here are four distinctive takes on the song from some Jazz greats:
Now that I’ve provided you with a Kernel of substance, it’s time for the break after which I plan to Hammerstein it up some more.
Continue reading “Saturday Odds & Sods: All The Things You Are”
The Oregon Siege
Adrastos on the Hole in the Head Gang. Continue reading The Oregon Siege
Shorter Obama: I’m Coming for Your Guns
HAHAHA I WISH: One key action will require more gun sellers to be federally licensed and perform a background check for every attempted purchase. Tens of thousands of dealers already follow these rules, but many others are able to evade them by relying on vague language in the law. While they are a small fraction of all unlicensed sellers, these dealers account for an outsized percentage of guns sold, according to a study by the advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety. For obvious reasons, they are also more likely to appeal to criminals and others trying to hide from the … Continue reading Shorter Obama: I’m Coming for Your Guns
Tamir Rice, the Power of the State, and What We Think is Reasonable
Shorter John Kasich: At least we’re no longer using fire hoses on you people. Statement from Ohio Gov John Kasich on the grand jury decision in Tamir Rice shooting https://t.co/KS4uXC6soF pic.twitter.com/xHBOEixdVj — Wesley Lowery (@WesleyLowery) December 28, 2015 //platform.twitter.com/widgets.js So there he is, John Kasich, the moderate Republican, the sane one in the race, the one I’ve heard many not openly insane acquaintances lament is too “reasonable” to win next year’s primaries. There he is, saying basically look, we are only tacitly approving of giving the state the power to execute people on the street, and only some people anyway, … Continue reading Tamir Rice, the Power of the State, and What We Think is Reasonable
‘multiple family members said they think police shot through the door’
Police respond to a 911 call, shoot the subject of that call, and wind up killing an innocent grandmother: Bettie Jones, a mother of five and grandmother of six, had worked full-time at the Alpha Baking bread factory before being diagnosed with ovarian cancer earlier this year, according to her brother, Robin Andrews. After a successful surgery, Andrews said, Jones was looking for an all-clear from her doctor so she could get back to work. “She was the kind of person who would come home after a 16-hour shift and then ask you if you needed anything,” Andrews said. “She … Continue reading ‘multiple family members said they think police shot through the door’
Saturday Odds & Sods: A Day In The Life
I decided to post this famous 1926 image by the surrealist artist/photographer Man Ray because this week has been rather surreal. The dust from the New Orleans monuments flap hasn’t quite settled, but I expect it will take some time for General Lee to be toppled from his pedestal. Nothing in this town happens quickly or on time. There’s a phrase for that: NOLA time. It’s got something to do with the summer heat, people mosey around like they’ve got all the time in the world:
Adding to the surreal aura has been the weather. This El Nino weather is some weird shit, y’all. It’s muggy and warm one day, cold and windy the next. I wish the weather gods would make up their fucking minds. I can hear you saying: he’s on about the weather again. I plead guilty. When your life is torn upside down by a weather event, you get a bit obsessed. After all, you don’t have to be a weatherman to know which way the wind blows; not even Jim Fucking Cantore. Actually, Cantore usually gets Jimmy Buffetted about by the wind when he’s on the job…
Equally surreal has been the fearmongering on the national scene after the Paris and San Bernardino attacks. I never thought I’d write a sentence with those two city names in it. Until recently San Berdoo was, in Frank Zappa’s words, “where they take all the cars that get hurt.”
The Republican candidates have been dick waving, claiming that if they were the Oval One the terrorists would just surrender. Yeah, right. They ought to try that out on their pals at the NRA. Of course, they’re as afraid of the gun lobby as they want the rest of us to be of Daesh/ISIL.
Let’s move on to this week’s theme song. It’s one of the Beatles best known album tracks, A Day In The Life. It’s 90% Lennon but Macca contributed the “woke up, fell out of bed” bridge, which makes the song something of a marvel. I wish I had a Benjamin for every time I’ve picked up the morning paper, scanned the front page and sang, “I read the news today, oh boy.” It’s a lifelong earworm; there aren’t many of those.
We begin, of course, with Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Billy Shears will be along directly:
Here’s a swell live version by Cheap Trick. Congrats on their election to the Jann Wenner Hall of Fame in Cleveland, which, apparently rocks. I’m still waiting for Yes and Jethro Tull to be inducted. But while we’re waiting, here are the swell fashion and vocal stylings of Robin Zander:
Finally, an instrumental interpretation of Lennon’s haunting melody by Sixties guitar god, Jeff Beck:
It’s a pity that Beck has no imagination when it comes to band names: the Jeff Beck Group may have been rough and ready but it’s a boring moniker. Here’s my suggestion: Jeff Beck and the Bowl Haircuts. It’s an even better Moniker than Lewinsky…
On that discordant note, it’s time for the break. That reminds me of an old joke I liked when I was a young bloke. If someone said, “Gimme a break.” I’d say, “Arm or leg?” I thought that was droll when I was 15…
Editor Criticizes NRA, Gets Immediately Shitcanned
It’s rarely this clear-cut. This time? What the publisher of the @sentineltribune did yesterday was despicable. @ONAnews pic.twitter.com/74spheztsS — Sam Melendez (@ForwardFalcon) December 15, 2015 Here’s the column that got her dismissed. It’s a barn-burner completely reasonable, in-no-way-untrue critique of the way the NRA has become a political hit squad: It is time for reasonable gun owners to take back control of the association that supposedly represents them. We as a nation are still mourning one mass shooting when the next occurs. Yet the NRA refuses to discuss any type of gun control, any form of background checks, any type … Continue reading Editor Criticizes NRA, Gets Immediately Shitcanned
Taking a shot at an unclear incident
A recent shootout in my hometown area has me confused over the way I’m supposed to view things. Given the large number of shootings that have happened over time, it’s clear that we need some important information before we’re allowed to react to it. The guts of the story is that on Wednesday, a shootout took place in Milwaukee among about four cars along Interstate 43. Only one person was injured, according to news reports, as the people involved engaged in gunplay. At least a dozen shots were fired in the incident and the interstate was closed for several hours, … Continue reading Taking a shot at an unclear incident
Shorter Obama: Can We All Get Together on Not Selling Terrorists Guns?
Probably not, to be honest: We also need to make it harder for people to buy powerful assault weapons, like the ones that were used in San Bernardino. I know there are some who reject any gun-safety measures, but the fact is that our intelligence and law-enforcement agencies, no matter how effective they are, cannot identify every would-be mass shooter, whether that individual was motivated by ISIL or some other hateful ideology. What we can do, and must do, is make it harder for them to kill. But but but … OMG STABBINGCRIMES do you want to outlaw all knives! … Continue reading Shorter Obama: Can We All Get Together on Not Selling Terrorists Guns?
Still Comfortably Numb
Adrastos on the ritualistic response to the latest mass shooting. Continue reading Still Comfortably Numb
It’s Never About the Bad Apples
A Chicago police officer shot a guy, has been charged with murder, and people are going full ALL LIVES MATTER on it, natch: Last December, Kalven and Futterman issued a statement revealing the existence of a dash-cam video and calling for its release. Kalven tracked down a witness to the shooting, who said he and other witnesses had been “shooed away” from the scene with no statements or contact information taken. In February, Kalven obtained a copy of McDonald’s autopsy, which contradicted the official story that McDonald had died of a single gunshot to the chest. In fact, he’d been shot … Continue reading It’s Never About the Bad Apples
Oh Good, Dead 9-Year-Olds Don’t Matter If Their Parents Suck
Well, thank God we can stop giving a shit now. The parents of Tyshawn Lee, a 9-year-old shot at close range in a South Side alley last week, have been criticized for the way they may have handled and solicited funds for their son’s funeral. Police say Tyshawn was shot in retaliation for his father’s gang ties, and his father has refused to cooperate with police in the shooting. There is a $54,000 reward out now for information that leads to an arrest in the shooting. Tyshawn’s mother Karla Lee bought a car. Shortly after her purchase, the dealership posted … Continue reading Oh Good, Dead 9-Year-Olds Don’t Matter If Their Parents Suck
On Evil in the City
Mark Konkol, putting responsibility where it belongs: Emanuel made it clear he was talking about the unidentified shooter who fatally gunned down 9-year-old Tyshawn Lee the night before in an Auburn Gresham alley. “Whoever did this, there is a special place for them,” the mayor said. Hell or someplace like it, I suppose the mayor means — where good people wish we could lock up evil and throw away the key. [snip] What if generations of Chicagoans — the majority of voters, the mayors they crowned, the ward bosses who followed orders, the city planners, the policymakers, the red-lining bankers … Continue reading On Evil in the City
More Guns More Guns More Guns
I have never understood concealed carry. I grew up around hunters, guys who used guns like the instruments they are, instruments by which food can be gotten and eaten and a poor winter thus survived. Some of those guys went shooting for fun, respected their weapons, and modeled that respect for others. I do not have a gun phobia. But I don’t get concealed carry. The argument from the gun nuts goes something like this: If everybody can carry, then bad guys will be too scared of good guys to bring their guns to schools and movie theaters and stuff. … Continue reading More Guns More Guns More Guns
Brain Surgeon, Heal Thyself
In which Adrastos wonders if Ben Carson performed a self-lobotomy. Continue reading Brain Surgeon, Heal Thyself
Our Common Life Together: What Politics IS
Obama, tonight: And of course, what’s also routine is that somebody, somewhere, will comment and say — Obama politicized this issue. Well, this is something we should politicize. It is relevant to our common life together. … When Americans are killed in mine disasters, we work to make mines safer. When Americans are killed in floods and hurricanes, we make communities safer. When roads are unsafe, we fix them. To reduce auto fatalities. We have seat belt laws, because we know it saves lives. For so long our political press has defined “politics” as some kind of game, for so long … Continue reading Our Common Life Together: What Politics IS
Congratulations Racists and Assholes It’s Fucking Christmas For You
Two people (three if you count the shooter but I don’t just now) are dead but hey, don’t let that get in the way of the carols you’re singing: Breitbart News reacted to reports that two Virginia journalists were shot to death on-air by a disgruntled former co-worker by publishing an article with the headline, “RACE MURDER IN VIRGINIA: BLACK REPORTER SUSPECTED OF EXECUTING WHITE COLLEAGUES – ON LIVE TELEVISION!” On August 26, two employees of Roanoke, Virginia CBS affiliate WDBJ were shot to death while reporting from Smith Mountain Lake, a public recreation area popular for boating and fishing. The gunman, who … Continue reading Congratulations Racists and Assholes It’s Fucking Christmas For You
Malaka Of The Week: Ted Nugent
It’s almost surreal that I haven’t placed the malakatude crown of thorns on a certain mouthy, has been rock star. He’s said much worse things, but his latest bit of verbal diarrhea verges on literal malakatude. And that is why Ted Nugent is malaka of the week. I guess the Nuge was feeling lonely because he decided to weigh in on the Trump-Megyn Kelly feud: Nugent said on the radio program Wednesday that he is a Trump fan because he believes in “bold, aggressive, unapologetic truth.” “And I’m not a fan of Megyn Kelly, although I often turn on Fox just … Continue reading Malaka Of The Week: Ted Nugent
What the TITS, America
What kind of sense does this make? On Monday, protesters once again took to the streets. Late at night, the right-wing armed group arrived. St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar called their presence “both unnecessary and inflammatory,” according to NBC News. Journalists and activists at the scene posted photos of the group standing on West Florissant Avenue, the center of the recent protests in Ferguson. It is legal to open carry these types of rifles in the state of Missouri. According to state law, people who have a valid gun permit can “openly display the firearm… unless the firearm is intentionally displayed in … Continue reading What the TITS, America
Quotes Of The Day: Jaded Helm Edition
A post wherein Adrastos quotes Charlie Pierce, Talking Heads, and the King James Bible. Continue reading Quotes Of The Day: Jaded Helm Edition
Odds & Sods: I Don’t Like Mondays
You’re probably wondering why I posted the Pedro-Juan picture from yesterday’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony. I decided to throw y’all a curveball and take this feature back to its roots and post one on a non-Saturday. In short, I’m messing with my readers. That’s why I thought I’d post a picture of the best pitcher in San Francisco Giants history with his fellow Dominican Hall of Famer. Of course, both Pedro and Juan had eleventy million pitches that they threw from a variety of angles. The first time I saw Pedro pitch for the dread Dodgers, I called him Juanito. Enough besibol nostagia…
The *other* reason I’m writing an omnibus post of a Monday is that I have a couple of subjects I want to write about in one fell swoop. I really ought to get on with it.
I chose I Don’t Like Mondays as the post title/theme song because Bob Geldof wrote it about a 1979 shooting spree that killed 2 and wounded 9:
Fear and Loathing in Lafayette: Governor PBJ has called this a senseless shooting and urged us all to pray. As you saw earlier, some of the Freepers consider this leadership. It is, of course, the abdication of leadership. It makes me wanna strip PBJ of his bigass belt buckle and cowboy boots:
The Lafayette Police persist in calling this a senseless crime when, as my friend Dakinikat pointed out at Sky Dancing, it is a particularly brutal outbreak of misogyny:
So, I’m not letting this mass shooting in Lafayette go for awhile. Several things stand out to me. First, the killer was a rabid misogynist who went on Talk Radio shows screaming about the Biblical roles of women. It shouldn’t be lost on any one that he chose an Amy Schumer movie which was going to have a larger than normal number of women in attendance and that a solid majority of his victims–including the dead ones—were women.
Since Houser had an anti-semitic streak as wide as David Duke, plus the fact that Ms. Schumer is half-Jewish and related to Senate Democratic Whip Chuck Schumer, that’s apt to be another part of this toxic brew of madness and hatred. Hence the Hunter Thompson inspired sub-header.
It’s easier for a small city police force to slot Houser into the deranged loner category and move on. I hope they don’t and do their best to get to the bottom of this appalling crime. Another reason I’m hoping for some answers is that I have several mutual friends with Jillian Johnson who was one of the two women murdered by Houser. Here’s a clip of her band the Figs performing a spirited version of Psycho Killer:
Ironic doesn’t even begin to cover it. R.I.P.
More Monday musings after the break.