Over the cuckoo's nest

Insane.  Nuts.  Bonkers.  Dotty.  Batty.  Wacko.  Delusional.  Bananas.  Haywire.  Daffy.  Deranged.  Off their gourds.  Out to lunch.  Off their rockers.

You get the picture--adjectives that best describe today's republican party.

To wit #1:  Thirty-four percent of republicans--for non-math majors, that's one out of every three--believe that President Obama is an imminent threat to America.  I'm not even sure there are enough words to describe the sheer lunacy of those who hold such beliefs.  Suffice to say, it doesn't just worry me that I have to share a country with these bozos, but that I have to share an entire planet and still won't be able to get far enough away from them.

To wit #2:  Not content with just the Benghazi bullshit to feed their conspiracy theory lust, conservatives are now floating a story that Nevada Senator Harry Reid's New Year's Day injuries were actually the result of his being beaten up by the Mafia.  While the link absolutely shreds the story, I myself have difficulty believing it because if the Mob had attacked Harry Reid, he'd have kicked the shit out of them.  Hell, he's been kicking the shit out of republicans for years and has had plenty of practice slapping around thugs.

Man, somebody really needs to keep the door to the rubber room closed....

Peace,
emaycee

And the problem is?

Seems the big banks are getting all whiny because Elizabeth Warren rightfully keeps calling for them to be broken into a million little pieces and so they're going to take all their toys and go home under the guise of threatening to not make campaign contributions to Senate Democrats.

Considering that outside of the thirty percent of Americans who conform to the republican party like brainwashed Moonies, the rest of us trust big banks to look out for our best interests just slightly more than we'd trust Charles Manson to do the same, I just don't see how this is a negative.

I'm more than happy to let republicans be the sole champion of big banks--just another nail in their coffin.

Peace,
emaycee

And yet another reason we need labor unions

Check this out:  the Association for Responsible Alternatives to Workers' Compensation.

Or for short, the You're Gonna Get Fucked Once Again Both as a Worker and a Taxpayer for the Benefit of Rich People Society.

It's not bad enough that the bulk of the companies involved with this organization (to wit:  Wal-Mart, Safeway, Lowe's, Macy's, Whole Foods, Sysco Food Services) screw their workers by paying them a wage that can't lift them out of poverty, now they want to ensure that should you lose an arm or a leg or your sight while working that these greedy companies won't have to pay for their own culpability.  No, you will as your family plunges deeper into poverty while the American Taxpayer once again picks up the tab via Corporate Welfare.  In  nutshell, they want us to trust them to decide what's best for us after suffering an injury at work--not a doctor, not a neutral party, but the same people who don't give enough of a shit about their workers to pay a living wage.

Utterly un-fucking-believable.

And what kind of chickenshit legislator do you have to be to listen to these people?

Peace,
emaycee

#BoycotttheRepublicanParty

While Indiana "Governor" Mike Pence was busy yesterday a) trying to find a clever way to "clarify" that his state just enacted a hate law that wasn't really a hate law (and failed six different times) and b) attempting to resurrect his supposed dark horse candidacy for the Presidency (pretty much a dead horse now), it's important to note that thousands of Hoosiers are going to suffer economically not because of anything they did but because of what the republican party did.

While Pence is suffering the deserved shame, the republican party is to blame--this isn't discrimination by Hoosiers, it's discrimination by the republican party and its minions.

Peace,
emaycee

And the difference is?

So, Indiana "Governor" Mike Pence signs a law making it legal to discriminate against the LGBT community under the guise of religious "liberty," and a Hoosier restaurateur goes on the radio and announces that he already has discriminated against gays (showing what passes for courage in Indiana, he told the gay customers he couldn't serve them because his machines weren't working) and thinks because he owns his business he has a right to do whatever he wants.

While being interviewed, he gave neither his name nor the name of his business.

Can anybody tell me the difference between this guy and those gutless hatemongers of old who rode around on horses (and later, in cars) with white hoods on their heads spreading intolerance while proving to be a massive embarrassment to all that is good about America?

Because I sure don't see one.

Peace,
emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. XIII--Off Broadway: Stay in Time

Power pop!

This week we have another song introduced to me by WLS-89 in Chicago, only unlike the others, this one really wasn't much of a hit.  Off Broadway released their single "Stay in Time" in 1979 and it would only reach #51 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart; their album On peaked at #101 on the Billboard 200 album chart.  While they released one more album, "Stay in Time" was as good as it was going to get for the Illinois band.

Still, it was good enough that the band is still touring throughout the midwest and still attracting an audience of old farts like me who remember a time when catchy singles ruled the airwaves (slight exaggeration--there were plenty of shit songs in those days, too).  Featuring a driving drum beat from beginning to end, power chords galore, and a chorus repeated again and again, "Stay in Time" is two minutes and fifty-seven seconds of pure pop joy.

It also features a couple of well placed "sha-doobie-doo"'s and probably holds the record for use of the word "boy" in a Top 100 single (sixteen by my count).

Repeat after me:  "Stay in time, don't get out of line...."

Enjoy:

Peace,
emaycee

Exceptionally bad

In light of a report from the University of Michigan (go Blue!) which shows that in 2014 one American was exonerated from a wrongful conviction every three days, shouldn't it be incumbent on our legislatures to pass laws requiring the termination (at the very least) of public servants involved in such cases?

I mean, for fuck's sake, the rest of us can get fired for much milder screw-ups than sending some poor bastard to prison for forty years for a crime he didn't commit.

Peace,
emaycee

Pure Michigan

Ahhh Michigan--when we're not devising laws that require women to have rape insurance, or passing a right to work for less law that leave more of our citizens in poverty, or overriding the will of our voters and hammering another nail in the coffin that holds what was Democracy in our not no great anymore state by passing laws to still allow an Emergency Manager in Detroit, we're beating the shit out of our citizens for, uh, rolling a stop sign (even worse, it's only alleged):

Hey it isn't by accident that we were the only state in the 2010 census to lose population--we're working damn hard to make it happen.

Peace,
emaycee

All you need to know

While I fully realize that no other candidate has yet declared for the Presidency, and as the first, it makes Ted Cruz's announcement today that he will be seeking the republican nomination for 2016 very newsworthy, all you need to know about his candidacy is this:  there is not one Democrat in the United States of America who isn't praying Ted Cruz gets the republican nomination.

Pretty sure the powers that be in the republican party know this, too, and therefore my son's turtle, Leonardo, probably has a greater statistical probability of being our next President.

In other words, much ado about nothing.

Peace,
emaycee

Why Israel?

While republicans were lamenting President Obama basically telling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to go fuck himself after Netanyahu's electoral victory last week (led by their biggest crybaby, the always wrong John McCain), the debate we should be having over Israel is not being discussed.

Namely, why do we have blind devotion to Israel and is it in our best national interest to continue this fealty?

Considering Israel's uncanny ability at least over the course of my lifetime to make a bad political situation worse, and especially in light of last week's election shenanigans in Israel (racism, democracy--what democracy?),  it's becoming increasingly clear that Israel isn't worth the trouble or the expense.

Just because we always have, doesn't mean we always should.

Peace,
emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. XII--Bob Marley: Redemption Song

This week it's back into the political fray....

This is one of those songs that I'm not sure I have the words to do it justice--there's a beauty in its simplicity that's hard to describe.  Released as a single in October of 1980 (but only in France and the U.K.), "Redemption Song" is the last song on Bob Marley and the Wailer's Uprising album, and would ultimately be the last song released before his death in May of 1981.  While not a hit single in the traditional sense, "Redemption Song" would end up at #66 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and is considered by many to be Marley's masterpiece.

Though Marley and the Wailers music can arguably be called the personification of reggae, "Redemption Song" is a sparse (just Marley and an acoustic guitar, one of the few songs he did without the Wailers) number that is a call for strength and perserverance in the face of adversity.  The lyrics borrow from a speech  by Marcus Garvey in 1937 extolling the power of the mind to free African-Americans from mental slavery.

For me, the song is all about Marley's vocals.  They literally embody the notion of redemption--Marley's voice is weary but not weakened.  There is a power in the peace with which he carries the lyrics, and considering the song was written at a time when Marley knew he was dying, a hopefulness that both embraces and envelops the human spirit.

Not so embarrassing factoids:  the guitar intro was one of the first things I learned to play on guitar (I played it until my fingers ached) and the song itself was the third tune I ever learned to strum and sing.  Rock on, emaycee!

Here's hoping you'll "...help to sing these songs of freedom...."

Enjoy:

Peace,
emaycee

WTF exemplified

A voice at the table:

Forget about Santorum's response to the woman's rant--by now we should all be more than accustomed to republicans cozying up to their tea party supporters.  Listen to the woman herself--Obama the communist, Obama the tyrant, republicans should have him removed from office (all of which is familiar) and then the part about Obama trying to set off a nuclear device in Charleston.  But most of all, it's the sheer and utter hatred for Obama--who is, by the way, a very decent man who has carried a nation through a very difficult time with nothing but class and courage and done it very well.

This woman has a vote, and I'm sorry, but she is completely and totally fucking certifiable.

And this episode personifies every single fucking reason why we need to defeat republicans in 2016.

Peace,
emaycee

The Democratic wing

"Politics is not about money and power games.  It is about improving people's lives, about making our country better."  The late Sen. Paul Wellstone

Before the Democrats had Elizabeth Warren, we had Paul Wellstone.  I recently came across a copy of Wellstone's The Conscience of  Liberal at work, and though a bit dated (the book came out in 2001 and Wellstone died in a plane crash a year later) I have been struck thus far by how much we owe the man, especially when it comes to grassroots organizing and reaching out to young people.

The quote from Wellstone at the top, though, was a reminder (not that I need one, but in these crazy political times, sometimes it helps) of why I am a Democrat and what we are when we are at out best.  I will guarantee you that you would never hear a republican say that politics was about improving people's lives (other than the wealthy) and making our country better (they're a lot better at claiming how great we are than they are at doing anything that actually makes us great).

Democrats may not be perfect, but unlike republicans, we are not the problem.   We can, however, be the solution (from my blog to God's ears...).

Peace,
emaycee
 

Reason #999 that we need Labor Unions

Take a peek at this:

Does anybody seriously believe that if fast food workers had a Union that four out of five of them would have suffered serious burns in the past year?  Or that one/third of all fast food restaurants wouldn't have something as simple as a first aid kit?  Don't kid yourself--this is a complete and utter lack of concern for a company's workers (not that unusual these days, but still).

And just where the hell do these companies come up with leaders who somehow think that a condiment you would slather on cold cuts is a suitable medical remedy for a burn?  Christ, what's next--bleeding with leeches?

Peace,
emaycee

Or you will surely get it

Once again republicans in my home state (or what little is left of it) here in Michigan are attempting to pass legislation which would in effect rig the electoral college so that the republican candidate (who, by the way, has zero chance of taking the state) could at least get a few electoral votes all the while red states are making absolutely no effort to do the same for Democratic candidates.

In a post today at Digby's Hullabaloo, Tom Sullivan outlines efforts being made in North Carolina to subvert democracy and the will of the voters to rig elections for republicans.

In effect, republicans are cheating.

It's getting increasingly hard to distinguish republicans from your average run-of-the-mill psychopath--other than a psychopath at least has the excuse of mental illness while republicans are hateful pricks who have no respect whatsover for average Americans.

On the bright side, history has shown again and again that whenever you take away a people's voice--in this case, our vote--it never has a pretty ending.  Like say, your last vision being your head falling into a wooden bucket....

Peace,
emaycee

The rotten bastards

The next time you're watching one of those semi-clever State Farm or Farmer's commercials on TV think of this:  worker's compensation is being devastated (at least thirty-three states over the past decade have  slashed benefits) at the behest of insurance companies who are doing quite well financially, with the cost being taken on by guess who, the American taxpayer, despite the fact that worker's compensation claims are at a twenty-five year low. [Note the above link is an oustanding expose by Pro Publica and NPR]

And just where do you suppose that extra money is going?

The trade-off of worker's compensation is that you give up your right to sue in return for--should you get hurt at work--your medical bills being taken care of and a reasonable amount of money paid in lieu of your wages to help you survive financially until you are able to work again.  Now the trade-off is you lose your arm and your family goes into poverty with the social safety net being the only thing keeping your family from starvation.

So the next time you see Jake from State Farm, tell him to go fuck himself.

Peace,
emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. XI--Fleetwood Mac: Tusk

So...your last album was one of the best-selling albums of the seventies (currently the sixth biggest of all time), lauded by critics and the public alike, just what do you do for an encore?  How about release an experimental (somewhat) album with a first single that sounds nothing like anything you've ever done before and that, of all things, is drum centric?

I can still remember when WLS-89 in Chicago debuted the first single by Fleetwood Mac from their follow-up to their mega-selling hit Rumours (thirty-one straight weeks at number one on the Billboard album chart) and the uncertainty of the D.J. after it had finished playing.  No such uncertainty for me--I couldn't wait to hear "Tusk" again, and the feeling hasn't changed in the last thirty-five years.  From their 1979 album Tusk, the single reached #8 (with a bullet!) on the Hot 100--a fact which surprised me because I don't recall the song being all that popular (with the usual complaint that it didn't sound like Fleetwood Mac).

Written by Lindsay Buckingham, "Tusk" starts with a pounding drum beat from Mick Fleetwood, introduces chantlike singing from Christine McVie, Stevie Nicks, and Buckingham, is joined by a pulsating bass from John McVie (and a scratching like guitar from Buckingham), and to round it all out the U.S.C. marching band turns the whole thing into a mini symphony lamenting the imminent downfall of a relationship (rumored to bear somewhat of a resemblance to Buckingham and Nicks own troubled relationship) while the word "Tusk!" is shouted throughout the closing riffs.  For me, the song solidifies Fleetwood Mac's greatness--it's easy to sing the same tunes and continue to make easy money but it takes artistic courage to chance pissing off the folks (fans) who pay your bills.  It wasn't Dylan at Newport, but it's a great moment in rock history nonetheless.

And exactly "...who's on the phone" anyway?

Enjoy:

Peace,
emaycee

How low can they go?

Embarrass yourselves with the funding of Homeland Security.  Further embarrass yourselves with an unprecedented speech from a foreign leader that actually turns public opinion against him and his nation for the first time in decades.  What to do for an encore?  How about have 47 of your Senators sign and send a letter to the leader of Iran that undermines a sitting President as he tries to negotiate a nuclear deal with one of your enemies?

Well done republicans!

I'm not a legal scholar but according to this definition--"...any act that manifests a betrayal of allegiance to the  United States...."--the actions of these 47 Senators come awfully close to treason (especially since we can technically be considered at war with Iran as they are considered a state sponsor of terrorism and we've been fighting a war on terror for what seems like eons now).  You know it's bad when The New York Daily News, a hardcore supporter of republicans and their policies, calls the Senators "traitors," on their front page no less.  It probably isn't treason, but it's just another case of republicans who claim to love America and all of what it stands for showing that they actually care about neither.

Funny thing is, they had Hillary Clinton on the ropes (somewhat) with another faux manufactured "scandal" and they've managed to remove the spotlight from her and place it squarely on their own chronic ineptitude.

These fuckers can't even run their own party, let alone this country.

Peace,
emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. X--Bruce Cockburn: Wondering Where the Lions Are

It's on to the Great White North for this week's tune....

Released in 1979 (goddamn, just where did the time go) Canadian singer/songwriter Bruce Cockburn's "Wondering Where the Lions Are" (from his album Dancing in the Dragon's Jaws) is notable not just because it was Cockburn's only Top 40 hit (number 21 with a bullet!) here in the states (though he did also chart with the overtly political--and another killer song--"If I Had a Rocket Launcher," which is also well worth a listen or two), but because the single was also rated the 29th best Canadian song of all time (by the CBC). 

And you can never have too many parenthetical statements in one sentence.

The song is a quirky paean to having one of those days when all is right with the world and you're just enjoying the moment(s) and keeping the demons at bay (ergo, lions).  It features a whimsical vocal by Cockburn, some dandy guitar picking, and one of my favorites, repeated repetition (I'm sure that's a grammatical error--last Wednesday was National Grammar Day!--but I liked the alliterative sound of the two words and it's my fucking blog) of the catchy chorus (even more alliteration!), which is, surprisingly, "...Wondering where the lions are...."

And every time I hear it, "...some kind of ecstasy got a hold on me...," too.

Enjoy:

Peace,
emaycee

Are his fifteen minutes up?

What really bothers me about Scott Walker's claim that his handling of Labor Union protesters in Wisconsin prepares him for dealing with ISIS isn't the comparison of Union protesters to terrorists (let's face it, that's pretty par for the course for republicans these days) but rather the abject naivete inherent in that claim.

I mean, the last time I checked, terrorists couldn't be rounded up by sending out the local sheriff.  And terrorists don't care that you have a majority of the votes in the legislature.  They also don't accept laws they think are wrong and go on with their lives.  Most of all, democracy means nothing to them--when they fight back it's with violence.

Frankly, his ball-less bullying would go over about as well as Bush the Lesser's faux bravado.  They'd have a little chuckle and go back to killing.

Tick-tock, Governor, tick-tock.

Peace,
emaycee