Ted Cruz said yesterday, while campaigning in Iowa, that the Planned Parenthood shooter in Colorado Springs was a "...transgendered [sic] leftist activist." His campaign later clarified his declaration as Cruz just making the point that there was a lot of information that hadn't been confirmed concerning the shooter.
No. Just fucking no.
This has become a strategic m.o. for the republican party--they put out some completely bogus claim to deflect attention from the fact that their party is completely batshit insane knowing full well that there are plenty of gullible buffoons in their base who will wholeheartedly believe it and blame the "liberal media" bias for the reason the "real" story isn't gaining any credence. It's manipulative, demagogic, and dishonest and we need to call them out on it in the loudest voice possible until they crawl back under the rock from which they came.
The promise that is America cannot be fulfilled when republicans are using sleight of hand to stoke hatred and fear in too many people over problems that really aren't the problems Americans need to be addressing.
Enough is enough.
Peace,
emaycee
Monday, November 30, 2015
Sunday, November 29, 2015
The crazy train keeps chugging along
A stay-at-home mother of two, an Iraq war vet, and a police officer who was the father of two were the latest victims of domestic terrorism when they were shot to death last Friday at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs. Near as I can tell, none of the three were there in any official capacity other than providing support of one kind or another.
Nonetheless, to the nut jobs on the right, they're little more than collateral damage according to the vitriol (you better have a strong stomach if you open that link ) that passes for commentary among the republican base. Now that it appears the shooter's actions were politically motivated one can only suppose the cheering will grow considerably louder.
Funny, though, how they claim to be pro-life yet have so little concern for the lives of three innocent people, and their families, whose lives are now irrevocably torn asunder,
Peace,
emaycee
Nonetheless, to the nut jobs on the right, they're little more than collateral damage according to the vitriol (you better have a strong stomach if you open that link ) that passes for commentary among the republican base. Now that it appears the shooter's actions were politically motivated one can only suppose the cheering will grow considerably louder.
Funny, though, how they claim to be pro-life yet have so little concern for the lives of three innocent people, and their families, whose lives are now irrevocably torn asunder,
Peace,
emaycee
Friday, November 27, 2015
Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. XLVIII--Woody Guthrie: This Land Is Your Land
Pete Seeger. The Weavers. Johnny Cash. Bob Dylan. Bernie Sanders (!--truly awful--listen here). Neil Young. Bruce Springsteen. The Kingston Trio. Peter Paul and Mary. The Seekers. Steve Earle. Judy Collins. Arlo Guthrie. Glen Campbell. Billy Bragg. Tom Morello. My Morning Jacket.
Not to mention there is no one in America over the age of five who can't at least sing the first verse.
It's hard to imagine that a song first recorded 71 years ago could inspire such a varied group of artists as those above to record their own versions through the years, but "This Land Is Your Land" by Woody Guthrie has. Guthrie originally penned the song in 1940 as a response to Irving Berlin's "God Bless America" (which he considered unrealistic), forgot about the song until 1944 (when it was recorded for the first time), and the rest, as they say, is history. The original lyrics had a decidedly more political bent to them, but Guthrie eventually pared them down to the celebration of America's beauty that we all know today.
Guthrie himself was quite the political animal, travelling across America throughout the Great Depression fighting poverty and injustice. He flirted with the Communist Party, was a strong labor union supporter, and railed against forces of inequality not so different than those we face today. Sadly, Guthrie's suffered from the effects of Huntington's disease for the last twenty years of his life and spent the final eleven years in hospitals before his death in 1967. He left behind a legacy of political activism via music and a catalog of songs that define the American experience of the twentieth century. A true American hero.
As for the song itself--what can I really say? It's a buoyant trip across this land we call home, celebrating its beauty and its promise. And with nothing more than a voice and an acoustic guitar.
Fun factoid: Guthrie had a sticker affixed to his guitar which read, "This machine kills fascists." Truer words, my friends, truer words.
And despite all our travails, American truly is "...made for you and me."
Enjoy:
Peace,
emaycee
Not to mention there is no one in America over the age of five who can't at least sing the first verse.
It's hard to imagine that a song first recorded 71 years ago could inspire such a varied group of artists as those above to record their own versions through the years, but "This Land Is Your Land" by Woody Guthrie has. Guthrie originally penned the song in 1940 as a response to Irving Berlin's "God Bless America" (which he considered unrealistic), forgot about the song until 1944 (when it was recorded for the first time), and the rest, as they say, is history. The original lyrics had a decidedly more political bent to them, but Guthrie eventually pared them down to the celebration of America's beauty that we all know today.
Guthrie himself was quite the political animal, travelling across America throughout the Great Depression fighting poverty and injustice. He flirted with the Communist Party, was a strong labor union supporter, and railed against forces of inequality not so different than those we face today. Sadly, Guthrie's suffered from the effects of Huntington's disease for the last twenty years of his life and spent the final eleven years in hospitals before his death in 1967. He left behind a legacy of political activism via music and a catalog of songs that define the American experience of the twentieth century. A true American hero.
As for the song itself--what can I really say? It's a buoyant trip across this land we call home, celebrating its beauty and its promise. And with nothing more than a voice and an acoustic guitar.
Fun factoid: Guthrie had a sticker affixed to his guitar which read, "This machine kills fascists." Truer words, my friends, truer words.
And despite all our travails, American truly is "...made for you and me."
Enjoy:
Peace,
emaycee
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Why we'll win the White House again in 2016
It's not that nearly a third of republican voters are supporting a man who--just in the past week--claimed he had super powers to predict terrorist attacks, said that a African-
American man who was protesting at a Trump event deserved to have the shit knocked out of him by a bunch of old white farts for exercising his First Amendment rights, insulted a disabled journalist, and saw Muslim celebrations over the carnage caused by the 9/11 attacks that no one in the world could verify, it's the utter insanity of this: when asked if they approved of President Obama pardoning two turkeys, only 11% of republicans approved.
I know that the annual turkey pardoning is little more than your run of the mill inane political theater, but it's a tradition that Presidents--both Democrats and republicans--have carried out for as long as I can remember, and Americans give it little more than a roll of the eyes, or a groan, or a cheer if you're a vegetarian. But republicans right now can't see beyond their hatred for one of the most decent men to hold the office of President in the last hundred years to shrug off the inconsequential.
When you're running blind you eventually run into a tree or a lamppost or a building and knock yourself out--and that mighty blow is going to come with full force for republicans in November of 2016.
Peace,
emaycee
American man who was protesting at a Trump event deserved to have the shit knocked out of him by a bunch of old white farts for exercising his First Amendment rights, insulted a disabled journalist, and saw Muslim celebrations over the carnage caused by the 9/11 attacks that no one in the world could verify, it's the utter insanity of this: when asked if they approved of President Obama pardoning two turkeys, only 11% of republicans approved.
I know that the annual turkey pardoning is little more than your run of the mill inane political theater, but it's a tradition that Presidents--both Democrats and republicans--have carried out for as long as I can remember, and Americans give it little more than a roll of the eyes, or a groan, or a cheer if you're a vegetarian. But republicans right now can't see beyond their hatred for one of the most decent men to hold the office of President in the last hundred years to shrug off the inconsequential.
When you're running blind you eventually run into a tree or a lamppost or a building and knock yourself out--and that mighty blow is going to come with full force for republicans in November of 2016.
Peace,
emaycee
Friday, November 20, 2015
Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. XLVII--Dire Straits: Sultans of Swing
I was driving a 1973 Gran Torino to class in 1979 when a song I'd never heard before came on the radio and after listening for a bit I thought, "Holy shit--Dylan's got his mojo back!" After listening a bit more, though, I realized I was wrong--the guitars were a bit too jazzy and the vocals not quite harsh enough--but I was happy when at its end the DJ announced that the song was "Sultans of Swing" by Dire Straits. After my classes had ended for the day I drove straight to the mall and picked up their first album, appropriately titled Dire Straits, at Target for $4.99.
"Sultans of Swing" would go to to reach #4 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100 and would mark the start of one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and 1990s. Dire Straits would go on to sell millions of albums worldwide, have #1 hits ("Money for Nothing"), win Grammy Awards, perform on sold out tours, and songwriter/lead guitarist Mark Knopfler would eventually compose numerous movie soundtracks and become renowned for his guitar virtuosity. And for me, they also mark the end of discovering bands on the radio--it wasn't long after I'd discovered "Sultans of Swing" that I went to work managing a record store, and not much after that MTV came along and changed radio forever. Alas...
I'm not sure that a song about a talented but little heard jazz band would could get airplay in this day and age, but in the late '70s it sure could. Knopfler's deadpan vocals are Dylanesque as he weaves his way through a night at an empty nightclub where the Sultans of Swing (an actual band that Knopfler watched one night) are playing. Lyrically the song is nuanced but not arty, and allows Knopfler to make good use of inflections and pregnant pauses that help to paint a picture of a rainy night in London. And from beginning to end there is a wondrous guitar--two guitar solos!--that reminds us that even though no one's listening to the Sultans of Swing the players don't care as long as they're making their instruments sing together. It's all about the music....
Fun factoid: Not only do Mark Knopfler and I share a first name, but we both also pick our guitar strings with our thumb--he with great grace and elan, and me with utter mediocrity.
And as the man at the microphone says. "Thank you, goodnight, now it's time to go home...."
Enjoy:
Peace,
emaycee
"Sultans of Swing" would go to to reach #4 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100 and would mark the start of one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and 1990s. Dire Straits would go on to sell millions of albums worldwide, have #1 hits ("Money for Nothing"), win Grammy Awards, perform on sold out tours, and songwriter/lead guitarist Mark Knopfler would eventually compose numerous movie soundtracks and become renowned for his guitar virtuosity. And for me, they also mark the end of discovering bands on the radio--it wasn't long after I'd discovered "Sultans of Swing" that I went to work managing a record store, and not much after that MTV came along and changed radio forever. Alas...
I'm not sure that a song about a talented but little heard jazz band would could get airplay in this day and age, but in the late '70s it sure could. Knopfler's deadpan vocals are Dylanesque as he weaves his way through a night at an empty nightclub where the Sultans of Swing (an actual band that Knopfler watched one night) are playing. Lyrically the song is nuanced but not arty, and allows Knopfler to make good use of inflections and pregnant pauses that help to paint a picture of a rainy night in London. And from beginning to end there is a wondrous guitar--two guitar solos!--that reminds us that even though no one's listening to the Sultans of Swing the players don't care as long as they're making their instruments sing together. It's all about the music....
Fun factoid: Not only do Mark Knopfler and I share a first name, but we both also pick our guitar strings with our thumb--he with great grace and elan, and me with utter mediocrity.
And as the man at the microphone says. "Thank you, goodnight, now it's time to go home...."
Enjoy:
Peace,
emaycee
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Holy Shit!
Seriously.
In honor of today being World Toilet Day (it's done to call out to the world that over two billion of us do not have sanitary bathrooms) Think Progress ran a piece today highlighting three ways that human poop is being reused. First, we now have a machine that boils poop and then extracts and cleans the water for human use (Bill Gates drank a glass full and said it was yummy, though I have to admit I have my doubts). Second, microbial bugs are being used to extract methane from poop which is in turn being used to generate electrical power (Washington, D.C. and Birmingham, England are already using "poop power"). Third (and probably most sensibly), almost half the poop in the U.S. is now being turned into fertilizer for our crops and soil.
You know, for all the doom and gloom we hear about the future of the planet and of mankind, you have to feel a bit better about us when you hear about such human ingenuity. And I mean this in all sincerity: if we can find uses for our own poop, there is hope for us yet.
Peace,
emaycee
In honor of today being World Toilet Day (it's done to call out to the world that over two billion of us do not have sanitary bathrooms) Think Progress ran a piece today highlighting three ways that human poop is being reused. First, we now have a machine that boils poop and then extracts and cleans the water for human use (Bill Gates drank a glass full and said it was yummy, though I have to admit I have my doubts). Second, microbial bugs are being used to extract methane from poop which is in turn being used to generate electrical power (Washington, D.C. and Birmingham, England are already using "poop power"). Third (and probably most sensibly), almost half the poop in the U.S. is now being turned into fertilizer for our crops and soil.
You know, for all the doom and gloom we hear about the future of the planet and of mankind, you have to feel a bit better about us when you hear about such human ingenuity. And I mean this in all sincerity: if we can find uses for our own poop, there is hope for us yet.
Peace,
emaycee
The good, the bad, and the ugly
A week after the Paris attacks:
The Good--President Obama. While he's had a few missteps over the last nearly seven years, he hasn't had any this week. First, for not knuckling under pressure to send ground troops into Syria, and reminding America that republicans are the only ones who think sending our soldiers into that quagmire is a good idea, and second, for bitch slapping republicans over their decidedly un-American calls to allow only Syrian Christians into America. What wouldn't Jesus do, right?
The Bad--Virtually all republican Governors (unconstitutionally) rejecting the Syrian refugees. Led by Indiana Governor Mike Pence, who this week told two relief agencies to send back two families that had already been approved to relocate in Indianapolis (and then got shown the real meaning of Christian charity by Democratic Gov. Malloy of Connecticut who welcomed one of the families to his state), republicans embarrassed themselves with their bigotry, intolerance, and ignorance. Some surprise there...
The Ugly--The complete and utter lack of courage demonstrated by the republican party in the face of the terrorist attack in Paris. Republicans are absolutely wetting their pants over allowing a few thousand refugees into America, and yet France, who lost 150 of its people in a terrorist attack just a week ago, is agreeing to take in more than 30,000 Syrian refugees. What we Democrats have known for quite some time is coming to fore: the party that's "tough on defense" really isn't so tough after all. Fucking wimps, the lot of them.
Peace,
emaycee
The Good--President Obama. While he's had a few missteps over the last nearly seven years, he hasn't had any this week. First, for not knuckling under pressure to send ground troops into Syria, and reminding America that republicans are the only ones who think sending our soldiers into that quagmire is a good idea, and second, for bitch slapping republicans over their decidedly un-American calls to allow only Syrian Christians into America. What wouldn't Jesus do, right?
The Bad--Virtually all republican Governors (unconstitutionally) rejecting the Syrian refugees. Led by Indiana Governor Mike Pence, who this week told two relief agencies to send back two families that had already been approved to relocate in Indianapolis (and then got shown the real meaning of Christian charity by Democratic Gov. Malloy of Connecticut who welcomed one of the families to his state), republicans embarrassed themselves with their bigotry, intolerance, and ignorance. Some surprise there...
The Ugly--The complete and utter lack of courage demonstrated by the republican party in the face of the terrorist attack in Paris. Republicans are absolutely wetting their pants over allowing a few thousand refugees into America, and yet France, who lost 150 of its people in a terrorist attack just a week ago, is agreeing to take in more than 30,000 Syrian refugees. What we Democrats have known for quite some time is coming to fore: the party that's "tough on defense" really isn't so tough after all. Fucking wimps, the lot of them.
Peace,
emaycee
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Schumer is the schits
One of the more depressing thoughts for Democrats these days has to be that if we do manage to win back the Senate next year, as it stands now, Chuck Schumer would become the majority leader, replacing the ever feisty Harry Reid.
As if being a Wall Street apologist and being one of only four Democrats to oppose the Iran Treaty wasn't bad enough, today Schumer said a pause may be needed in allowing Syrian refugees to enter America. At a moment when he could have chosen to show the moral courage of Democratic Reps. Tammy Duckworth and Keith Ellison, or Democratic Governors Jay Inslee or Dannel Malloy, Schumer chose instead to stand against widows and children and stand with cry baby republicans.
Over the course of the next year, we as Democrats are going to be asked to donate money again and again, donate time again and again, but I'd like to ask if in return Chuck Schumer is the best we can do as our leader in the Senate.
Because I find it really hard to believe that he is.
Peace,
emaycee
As if being a Wall Street apologist and being one of only four Democrats to oppose the Iran Treaty wasn't bad enough, today Schumer said a pause may be needed in allowing Syrian refugees to enter America. At a moment when he could have chosen to show the moral courage of Democratic Reps. Tammy Duckworth and Keith Ellison, or Democratic Governors Jay Inslee or Dannel Malloy, Schumer chose instead to stand against widows and children and stand with cry baby republicans.
Over the course of the next year, we as Democrats are going to be asked to donate money again and again, donate time again and again, but I'd like to ask if in return Chuck Schumer is the best we can do as our leader in the Senate.
Because I find it really hard to believe that he is.
Peace,
emaycee
Koch fiends
Politico reports today that the Koch brothers have their own mini CIA, which they're using to spy on and short-circuit Democratic and Liberal groups and their programs. The article notes that there are Liberal organizations that keep track of the Koch brothers--though it fails to point out that such groups do this to look out for the best interests of the American people and the Koch brothers are looking out for the best interests of Charles and David Koch and precious few others.
What I found interesting, though, was, at the end of the article, a Koch operative speaking at a Koch sponsored event saying of Liberals/Democrats, "You know, they're afraid of us. They really are."
Fucking seriously? Disgusted by the Kochs? You bet. Repulsed by the Kochs? Most certainly. Determined to defeat them and their minions? Beyond a shadow of a doubt. But afraid of them?
Never.
Peace,
emaycee
What I found interesting, though, was, at the end of the article, a Koch operative speaking at a Koch sponsored event saying of Liberals/Democrats, "You know, they're afraid of us. They really are."
Fucking seriously? Disgusted by the Kochs? You bet. Repulsed by the Kochs? Most certainly. Determined to defeat them and their minions? Beyond a shadow of a doubt. But afraid of them?
Never.
Peace,
emaycee
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Bobby goes bust
Bobby Jindal suspended his Presidential campaign today, saying "...this is not my time."
Judging from his disastrous track record as Governor of Louisiana, "his time" probably won't be in 2020, 2024, 2028, 2032, 2036, or 2040, either.
Peace,
emaycee
Judging from his disastrous track record as Governor of Louisiana, "his time" probably won't be in 2020, 2024, 2028, 2032, 2036, or 2040, either.
Peace,
emaycee
Monday, November 16, 2015
Donald dunce
Speaking in Texas on Saturday, Donald Trump took a shot at gun control and declared that if the victims in the Paris attacks had been armed it would have been "...a much, much different situation."
Yes it would have been--not only would there have been innocent people shot to death by cretinous terrorists, there also would have been innocent people shot to death by inexperienced and panicked goobers firing their guns in utter chaos.
Peace,
emaycee
Yes it would have been--not only would there have been innocent people shot to death by cretinous terrorists, there also would have been innocent people shot to death by inexperienced and panicked goobers firing their guns in utter chaos.
Peace,
emaycee
Sunday, November 15, 2015
Calling bullshit
On CNN today, Lindsay Graham, in light of the attacks in Paris, predicted there will be another 9/11 in America but promised that if he were elected President, he would not let it happen.
Horseshit.
While I don't discount the possibility of another terrorism attack on American soil, and ignoring the fact that Graham has as much chance as I do of being our next President and I'm not wasting Americans' time on a one trick pony campaign, unless Graham has Heroes type powers heretofore undisclosed to the rest of us, the Paris attacks clearly show that no one, neither Democrat nor republican, can guarantee there will not be another attack on Americans.
You can take all the precautions you want, flex America's muscle all you want, but as Pope Francis said today this is a "piecemeal third world war" and no amount of planning or might can stop the nonsensical.
Peace,
emaycee
Horseshit.
While I don't discount the possibility of another terrorism attack on American soil, and ignoring the fact that Graham has as much chance as I do of being our next President and I'm not wasting Americans' time on a one trick pony campaign, unless Graham has Heroes type powers heretofore undisclosed to the rest of us, the Paris attacks clearly show that no one, neither Democrat nor republican, can guarantee there will not be another attack on Americans.
You can take all the precautions you want, flex America's muscle all you want, but as Pope Francis said today this is a "piecemeal third world war" and no amount of planning or might can stop the nonsensical.
Peace,
emaycee
I can't hear you!
For all their bluster (and that's what it is--republicans are little more than fucking fraidy cats who want anybody but themselves to do the dirty and dangerous work) about Friday's attacks in Paris, here are four things they won't tell the American people:
Peace,
emaycee
- Republicans will demonize the Syrian refugees and call for walls! border security! but the murderous cretins who carried out these attacks are exactly what the refugees are trying to escape.
- You can forget those crockofshit tears republicans are shedding for the French--the right absolutely despises France and its people.
- There will be more Americans killed in the next five days by guns than were killed in the Paris attacks--and unlike Paris, the American deaths will continue ad infinitum.
- Most importantly, this whole mess is republicans fault. From the Bush administration's having its head up its ass on 9/11, to their piss poor operation of the war in Afghanistan, to the ill-advised and ill-conceived Iraq War, to their disastrous torture program, republicans have done more to create utter chaos and stoke hatred than President Obama could in ten lifetimes.
Peace,
emaycee
Friday, November 13, 2015
Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. XLVI--Todd Rundgren: Hello It's Me
All right--raise your hands if you've ever heard of Todd Rundgren...anyone? Anyone?
Believe it or not, Rundgren has had quite the career--noted as an engineer and producer for acts as diverse as The Band, XTC, Patti Smith, Hall and Oates, Meatloaf, Badfinger, and the New York Dolls (among others); he began making music in 1966 and is still going today, releasing over twenty-five albums, including Something/Anything? (whence came "Hello It's Me") which appears at #173 on Rolling Stone's list of the five hundred greatest albums of all time; more than forty years after their respective releases "Hello It's Me" and "I Saw the Light" are still staples on AOR stations: and his influence on power pop and progressive rock is immeasurable (some consider Rundgren's "Couldn't I Just Tell You" to be the first and/or greatest power pop song ever).
"Hello It's Me," which reached #5 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100 was originally recorded in a much sparser version with Rundgren's first band, Nazz in 1968. Rundgren re-recorded the song for Something/Anything? and our world is a better place for it. The song opens with a jaunty piano (somewhat reminiscent of Carole King) and Rundgren's heartfelt vocals and as it progresses it incorporates a lively organ, a plethora of horns (sax, trumpet, and one you don't hear too often in pop songs, a trombone), and some gospel tinged backing vocals. Toss in some wise beyond their years lyrics about the nuances of a relationship and you have a pop song for the ages. Listening to it as a whole, it's not hard to see why Rundgren's reputation as a producer is well deserved.
Aside: If you're going to listen to one old fart album this year, make it Something/Anything? Hell, it would be worth the time and effort just in reading the libretto (penned by Rundgren himself).
Just sos you knows, it's a great song to listen to if you "...ever need a reason to smile."
Enjoy:
Peace,
emaycee
Believe it or not, Rundgren has had quite the career--noted as an engineer and producer for acts as diverse as The Band, XTC, Patti Smith, Hall and Oates, Meatloaf, Badfinger, and the New York Dolls (among others); he began making music in 1966 and is still going today, releasing over twenty-five albums, including Something/Anything? (whence came "Hello It's Me") which appears at #173 on Rolling Stone's list of the five hundred greatest albums of all time; more than forty years after their respective releases "Hello It's Me" and "I Saw the Light" are still staples on AOR stations: and his influence on power pop and progressive rock is immeasurable (some consider Rundgren's "Couldn't I Just Tell You" to be the first and/or greatest power pop song ever).
"Hello It's Me," which reached #5 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100 was originally recorded in a much sparser version with Rundgren's first band, Nazz in 1968. Rundgren re-recorded the song for Something/Anything? and our world is a better place for it. The song opens with a jaunty piano (somewhat reminiscent of Carole King) and Rundgren's heartfelt vocals and as it progresses it incorporates a lively organ, a plethora of horns (sax, trumpet, and one you don't hear too often in pop songs, a trombone), and some gospel tinged backing vocals. Toss in some wise beyond their years lyrics about the nuances of a relationship and you have a pop song for the ages. Listening to it as a whole, it's not hard to see why Rundgren's reputation as a producer is well deserved.
Aside: If you're going to listen to one old fart album this year, make it Something/Anything? Hell, it would be worth the time and effort just in reading the libretto (penned by Rundgren himself).
Just sos you knows, it's a great song to listen to if you "...ever need a reason to smile."
Enjoy:
Peace,
emaycee
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Smile on your brother (or not)
It's hard to figure out what the republicans endgame is in their reactions to the student protests at the University of Missouri--Donald Trump called the students' actions disgusting, Ben Carson said it was political correctness run amok, and Chris Christie claimed it was all President Obama's fault (though one supposes republicans could find a link to blame Obama for the Black Death regardless of the fact that it happened 700 years before his birth). Um...don't republicans pretty much have the racist vote already sewn up?
Good to see, though, here in 2015, that republicans are still fighting the battles of the 1960s (those goshdarned hippies!)--furthering their soon to be relegation to the dustbins of our history.
Peace,
emaycee
Good to see, though, here in 2015, that republicans are still fighting the battles of the 1960s (those goshdarned hippies!)--furthering their soon to be relegation to the dustbins of our history.
Peace,
emaycee
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Truer words...
In a recent interview with The Atlantic, Bill Gates (aka, the richest man in the world) said, "...the private sector is in general inept."
In other words, there is nothing that the government can do that Corporate America can't do a lot worse--and make our lives hellish while they're doing it.
Peace,
emaycee
In other words, there is nothing that the government can do that Corporate America can't do a lot worse--and make our lives hellish while they're doing it.
Peace,
emaycee
Fight for $Survival
A lot of brave folks walked off their jobs again today in their fight for a $15 minimum wage. While there's still a ways to go, the workers at least have Democrats talking about it and republicans falling all over themselves to explain why it's okay for McDonald's CEO to live high on the hog while his workers can't buy basic necessities (rent, food) even when working 40 hours a week (and good luck to republicans with that one).
But it's not just a fight for minimum wage workers--it's eventually going to be a fight for all of us:
Peace,
emaycee
But it's not just a fight for minimum wage workers--it's eventually going to be a fight for all of us:
- Since 1973 our productivity is up but the median wage, in terms of buying power, has fallen $3000 a year. We're getting a lot more done but we're getting paid less for it...and somebody's getting that money.
- Between 2000 and 2015, the percentage of corporate income devoted to workers' wages has declined by almost 7%--which means we all have lost $535 billion in wages over the past fifteen years. Again, somebody's getting that money.
- Corporate profits since the Great Recession are up 22%, but there are still 5% less jobs than when it started. Can I get a witness? Somebody is getting that money.
Peace,
emaycee
Sunday, November 8, 2015
Three's a (good) crowd
The most striking takeaway from last Friday's Democratic Presidential Forum with Rachel Maddow was that of the three remaining candidates--Hillary Clinton, Martin O'Malley, and Bernie Sanders--she interviewed, all three came across as legitimately able to be our next President.
And after watching the circus that has been the republican campaign thus far, that's three more than they have out of their fifteen remaining candidates.
Peace,
emaycee
And after watching the circus that has been the republican campaign thus far, that's three more than they have out of their fifteen remaining candidates.
Peace,
emaycee
Saturday, November 7, 2015
Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. XLV--Bright Eyes: Lua
While I realize that great music can come from any old place, I have to admit that when I think of such places, Omaha, Nebraska isn't exactly high on the list. It's possible, sure, but....
Fortunately, geography isn't a litmus test for great music--and as such, this week's featured song comes straight from America's breadbasket, right there in the great state of Nebraska, specifically, the city of Omaha, and one Conor Oberst, the (very) young man behind Bright Eyes.
I don't really remember what I was doing when I was thirteen (though it probably had something to do with baseball and the sinking feeling that I wasn't ever going to be any good at that whole girls thing), but I most certainly wasn't releasing my debut album. Conor Oberst was. And he has been at it ever since, in may different incarnations (Desaparecidos, Monsters of Folk, Mystic Valley Band), and at the age of thirty-five has had as full of a career as many acts pack into several decades. He also has the distinction of being one of the few acts to have singles holding the #1 ("Lua") and #2 ("Take It Easy (Love Nothing)" on the Billboard Hot Singles Sales Chart.
Released on the most excellent I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning album, "Lua" ("Lua" is the Portuguese word for moon--most sensible definition I found) is basically Conor Oberst and his acoustic guitar (the guitar remains perfect lightly strummed background noise throughout). The song belies the youthful age (24) of its songwriter--there's a maturity, especially in its resignation, that one doesn't usually see in someone so young. There is no happy ending in "Lua"--both characters have fucked up lives and their lives are still going to be fucked up tomorrow. There's also an honesty in both its portrayal and its truths (the line "you can count on me to split" is a perfect example) that makes it work despite its rather depressing subjects.
The other strength of the song comes in Oberst's vocals, which are figuratively reminiscent of Kris Kristofferson's in "Help Me Make It Through the Night" (with a much similar subject). His voice is full of sorrow but not defeat (yet), and he expresses it with some really amazing pregnant pauses and quirky inflections. Vocally, Oberst is like an actor putting it all out there in a climactic scene--he's baring it all, and whether he succeeds or fails, he's going to do it magnificently.
Needless to say, Oberst succeeds magnificently.
Truer words and all that: "'Cause what is simple in the moonlight by the morning never is...."
Enjoy:
Peace,
emaycee
Fortunately, geography isn't a litmus test for great music--and as such, this week's featured song comes straight from America's breadbasket, right there in the great state of Nebraska, specifically, the city of Omaha, and one Conor Oberst, the (very) young man behind Bright Eyes.
I don't really remember what I was doing when I was thirteen (though it probably had something to do with baseball and the sinking feeling that I wasn't ever going to be any good at that whole girls thing), but I most certainly wasn't releasing my debut album. Conor Oberst was. And he has been at it ever since, in may different incarnations (Desaparecidos, Monsters of Folk, Mystic Valley Band), and at the age of thirty-five has had as full of a career as many acts pack into several decades. He also has the distinction of being one of the few acts to have singles holding the #1 ("Lua") and #2 ("Take It Easy (Love Nothing)" on the Billboard Hot Singles Sales Chart.
Released on the most excellent I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning album, "Lua" ("Lua" is the Portuguese word for moon--most sensible definition I found) is basically Conor Oberst and his acoustic guitar (the guitar remains perfect lightly strummed background noise throughout). The song belies the youthful age (24) of its songwriter--there's a maturity, especially in its resignation, that one doesn't usually see in someone so young. There is no happy ending in "Lua"--both characters have fucked up lives and their lives are still going to be fucked up tomorrow. There's also an honesty in both its portrayal and its truths (the line "you can count on me to split" is a perfect example) that makes it work despite its rather depressing subjects.
The other strength of the song comes in Oberst's vocals, which are figuratively reminiscent of Kris Kristofferson's in "Help Me Make It Through the Night" (with a much similar subject). His voice is full of sorrow but not defeat (yet), and he expresses it with some really amazing pregnant pauses and quirky inflections. Vocally, Oberst is like an actor putting it all out there in a climactic scene--he's baring it all, and whether he succeeds or fails, he's going to do it magnificently.
Needless to say, Oberst succeeds magnificently.
Truer words and all that: "'Cause what is simple in the moonlight by the morning never is...."
Enjoy:
Peace,
emaycee
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Signifying nothing
There has been much talk today about what Matt Bevin's surprise win in the Kentucky Governor's race yesterday means for Democrats in 2016. And I'm here to tell you what it means: absolutely nothing.
Like most Democrats, I find our inability to turn out voters in odd years and our lack of success in down ballot elections to be deeply disconcerting (though unlike many in the traditional media, I admit that we are hamstrung by some brutal gerrymandering). But yesterday's results in Kentucky do not mean that Democratic turnout in 2016 will be depressed (after our turnouts in 2008 and 2012 as well as having a very formidable candidate in either Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders 2016 is going to be another good year for the good guys). Basically, Jack Conway ran the same race against Bevins that Alison Lundergan Grimes ran against Mitch McConnell in 2014: he disowned Obama and ran as a DINO. And predictably, he got his ass kicked, just like Lundergan Grimes did.
And just what kind of bozo do you have to be to believe that the results in a republican stronghold in the south are going to give pause to voters in blue and purple states? Because I'm pretty certain that voters in California and Ohio are not going to think, "You know, racism and homophobia work for me!" and vote republican in 2016.
If anything, I think it helps Democrats. For one, it is a bit of a wake up call to take nothing for granted. More importantly, though, I think it gives republicans a false sense of confidence heading into 2016 (witness Bevins telling Kentuckians after his victory that Kentucky had a chance to drive the national narrative in 2016--with all due respect to Kentuckians, an insignificant state like Kentucky will never have the chance to drive the national narrative). Democrats are still the overwhelming favorites to retain the White House, have a better than 50/50 chance to take back the Senate, and though it won't be enough, will also help us to improve down ballot.
In the end, it's all much ado about nothing.
Peace,
emaycee
Like most Democrats, I find our inability to turn out voters in odd years and our lack of success in down ballot elections to be deeply disconcerting (though unlike many in the traditional media, I admit that we are hamstrung by some brutal gerrymandering). But yesterday's results in Kentucky do not mean that Democratic turnout in 2016 will be depressed (after our turnouts in 2008 and 2012 as well as having a very formidable candidate in either Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders 2016 is going to be another good year for the good guys). Basically, Jack Conway ran the same race against Bevins that Alison Lundergan Grimes ran against Mitch McConnell in 2014: he disowned Obama and ran as a DINO. And predictably, he got his ass kicked, just like Lundergan Grimes did.
And just what kind of bozo do you have to be to believe that the results in a republican stronghold in the south are going to give pause to voters in blue and purple states? Because I'm pretty certain that voters in California and Ohio are not going to think, "You know, racism and homophobia work for me!" and vote republican in 2016.
If anything, I think it helps Democrats. For one, it is a bit of a wake up call to take nothing for granted. More importantly, though, I think it gives republicans a false sense of confidence heading into 2016 (witness Bevins telling Kentuckians after his victory that Kentucky had a chance to drive the national narrative in 2016--with all due respect to Kentuckians, an insignificant state like Kentucky will never have the chance to drive the national narrative). Democrats are still the overwhelming favorites to retain the White House, have a better than 50/50 chance to take back the Senate, and though it won't be enough, will also help us to improve down ballot.
In the end, it's all much ado about nothing.
Peace,
emaycee
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