Reports today that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy's brother-in-law may have received over $7 million in federal contracts by allegedly lying and claiming to be a Native American has me wondering what racist nickname Donald Trump will begin using for McCarthy (as he did with "Pocahontas" for Elizabeth Warren) and how many media outlets will act as if it's perfectly normal political theater to impugn an entire race of people.
Considering that McCarthy has his nose inserted pretty deep into Trump's ass and our cowardly media is all consumed with bothsiderism, my guess is Trump won't and all of our media will continue to show us just how wrong they can be about Afghanistan.
People Who Refuse the COVID-19 Vaccine Are Why Our Lives Can't Return to Normal
News that people taking an unproven horse medicine, Ivermectin, to combat COVID-19 are willingly shitting their pants--rather than take a vaccine that has produced a bare minimum of side effects--is so far beneath what a sane society should consider normal that those shitting into their shorts have given all of us window into what abject pathos looks like.
Keep in mind that some of these people are cooking your food, bagging your groceries, and filling your beer glass. No one should care what these people think, no one should listen to what they have to say, and the republican party should be the scorn of not only America, but the world.
Shitting your pants (and disavowing actual science) because it aligns with your misguided worldview is the epitome of idiocy.
And it should be screamed from every mountain top by every sane person in this country.
People Who Refuse the COVID-19 Vaccine Are Why Our Lives Can't Return to Normal
your reminder that when four American soldiers were killed in Niger in 2017, Trump's response was to say nothing for 12 days and then call one of the widows a liar
Current top 5 cases/capita in the world for country/state population > 1M 1. Florida 138/100,000 2. Georgia (country) 121/100,000 3. Louisiana 116/100,000 4. Mississippi 115/100,000 5. Botswana 89/100,000https://t.co/dskhwTJ3sdhttps://t.co/hEwzulIPwJ
“Today, it's easy to point fingers when it comes Afghanistan, and we are seeing a lot of that now,” @mehdirhasan says. “But let's not forgot that it all started with the guy who launched the so-called ‘War on Terror:’ George W. Bush.”https://t.co/UnYEm91Hfm
The irony is that the medicine Desantis is touting and Abbott is taking was made possible through the study and use of legal abortion.
Both of them are clearly ok to kill women by making abortion illegal for most women, but fully accept the economic benefits of legal abortion. https://t.co/FICeATzuLx
"Americans are entitled to make their own decisions, but their employers, health insurers, and fellow citizens are not required to accommodate them."
The above sentence, from an article in The Atlantic by former assistant secretary of Homeland Security under President Obama Juliette Kayyem, may well be the most profound sentence published in America over the past month (I'd highly recommend the whole piece as it spells out concisely why the days of us giving voice to covidiots should end immediately). For all their talk about freedom, our freedom to not get sick and return to the lives we once knew vastly outweighs their freedom to be the modern day version of Typhoid Mary.
The good news is that after last week's FDA approval of the Pfizer vaccine, more businesses, schools, and government services are beginning to flex their muscles and take steps such as vaccine mandates to begin to put an end to the pandemic.
And for those still clinging to their misbegotten notions about COVID-19, I'd suggest you step out of the way or the Fuck Your Feelings Train is going to run your asses right on over.
People Who Refuse the COVID-19 Vaccine Are Why Our Lives Can't Return to Normal
The foolish should not be rewarded for their foolishness
Caleb Wallace, a Texas man who organized protests against masking requirements and believed that COVID-19 was nothing more than a hoax, died this week after a battle with COVID-19. Normally I would just shrug my shoulders--fools rush in where angels fear to tread--but I happened to notice in the piece written about him that his family has a Go Fund Me page, and frankly, the fact that people would send them money after he and his wife made a colossally bad decision about their future is just a bridge too far for me. Never mind the fact that they couldn't look out for the health and well-being of their friends and neighbors, they couldn't even be bothered to look our for the best interests of their own family.
There are numerous people who have Go Fund Me pages for the families of those who lost a parent to a drunk driver or to cancer. There are millions of people around the world who go hungry every night. We have organizations looking for cures and comfort to cancer, heart disease, and illnesses such as Muscular Dystrophy and ALS. We have the Make A Wish Foundation, helping dying children realize a dream. Mother Against Drunk Driving works to keep our highways safer. There are many programs at your local schools that desperately need funding. In these difficult times, it's not unusual to pass a homeless person on our drive to work holding up a sign seeking a helping hand.
Any one of these people or organizations--and there are literally thousands more--would be a much better use of your resources than the family of Caleb Wallace. If you live by the sword and ultimately die by the sword, you shouldn't be rewarded for your stupidity.
There's too many people in this world suffering through no fault of their own to waste our money on people who brought it on themselves.
People Who Refuse the COVID-19 Vaccine Are Why Our Lives Can't Return to Normal
My introduction to this week's tune was my father, though I have to admit he was far ahead of me in his appreciation as I did not enjoy the song much when he played it when I was a teenager, and did not fully appreciate it until I'd gotten into my forties. And the artist as well--Glen Campbell may be one of the most underrated musical performers ever. Not only does he have three songs in the Grammy Hall of Fame (no easy feat), he's also one of the best guitarists that no one ever noticed was a great guitarist (if that makes any sense...).
Glen Campbell was born in Arkansas in 1936 where his family farmed and Campbell and his siblings picked cotton from a young age to help their family financially. Campbell hit the road at age 14 and after a few years of working odd jobs, joined his uncle's band before forming a bar band of his own. In the early sixties, Campbell joined The Champs (of "Tequila" fame) for a spell, before joining the Beach Boys (of "Too Many Songs to List" fame) as a touring member for a little more than a year (he played guitar on their classic album Pet Soundsas well). Shortly thereafter he began his career as a solo artist, and through the mid-seventies was one of the most popular music entertainers in America. He would go on to win four Grammy Awards, be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, sang the theme from True Grit(as well as co-starring in the movie) which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song, and had his own television show from 1969-1972. For his career, Campbell released 60 studio albums (nine #1's on the country album chart and one #1 on the Billboard 200), and 82 singles (with five #1's on the country singles chart and two #1's on the Billboard Hot 100). Campbell was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2010, toured through 2012, and recorded his last album in 2014 before the disease took his life in 2017.
"By the Time I Get to Phoenix" was released as a single in 1967 and was on his album entitled, surprisingly enough, By the Time I Get to Phoenix. The single hit #2 on the Hot Country Singles Chart, and #26 on the Hot 100, while the album was #1 on the country album chart and #15 on the pop albums chart. It is one of Campbell's three songs which have been entered into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Fun Fact: From the Some People Have Too Much Time on Their Hands Files: A fan approached songwriter Jimmy Webb and told him that the driving timeline for Webb's "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" was physically impossible. Webb later told an interviewer he did not intend for the song to be taken quite so literally.
Every now and again while doing my half-assed weekly research I learn something new, and this week I did once again. Frank Sinatra called "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" one of the all-time great torch songs, and me, thinking a torch song was more along the lines of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On," wondered what the hell Sinatra was talking about. Turns out a torch song is a sad song, often about unrequited love, which in that case describes this week's tune quite well. Campbell deftly weaves with a wrenching vocal the tale of a man who has left his lover, and as he drives across the country he imagines what she's doing as he motors into each different place. There are two things for me which really stand out about this one. First, the protagonist is actually leaving his woman--there's no happy ending here. And second, he's actually sorrowful for the pain he is causing her. "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" isn't for everyone--it's a very slow and very sad song. But if you're looking to find an out of the ordinary gem, this is one for you.
Lyric Sheet: "Though time and time I've tried to tell her so/She just didn't know/I would really go..."
Enjoy:
People Who Refuse to Get the COVID-19 Vaccine Are Why Our Lives Can't Return to Normal
Looks like the invisible people who showed up for Donald's #ReinstatementDay are the same ones who made his 2017 inauguration the biggest crowd ever. pic.twitter.com/4a24kk0LLV
Charlatan televangelist Jim Bakker said recently that God doesn't hear prayers through a mask.
There's two ways of looking at this. First, if God really can't hear prayers through a mask, he's a pretty fucking lame God. For fuck's sake, I can hear people talking through a mask and I'm a mere mortal.
The second would be a relief to all those who pray either quietly or in their heads as it could easily explain why God hears so few of his faithful's prayers.
There may be a third, though--maybe Jim Bakker is just a fucking idiot? Occam's razor--the solution with the fewest assumptions (i.e., pretty obvious that Jim Bakker is a fucking idiot) is usually right.
People Who Refuse the COVID-19 Vaccine Are Why Our Lives Can't Return to Normal
All three are smarter than your average republican
If you want to know the state of today's republican party, all you need to know is this: currently they are refusing to take the coronavirus vaccine because it hasn't been FDA approved even though it's working just fine in those of us smart enough to have received it, but they are willing to take a horse dewormer (Ivermectin) to battle COVID-19 based on the say so of a handful of twits on Fox News even though the number one reason for calling Poison Control Centers in America these days is people who are having an adverse reaction to...Ivermectin.
Apparently they don't realize that being a horse's ass isn't the same as having a horse's ass.
People Who Refuse the COVID-19 Vaccine Are Why Our Lives Can't Return to Normal
AG Garland needs to take this obvious federal crime by Individual #1 seriously before the limitations period expires. It’s not just a minor financial offense but goes to the heart of whether Trump might have stolen the 2016 election — just as he plans to steal the 2024 election. https://t.co/d4tpydUSu3
“Donald embodies their fear and gives expression to their grievance. He doesn’t just give them permission to indulge in their white supremacy; he champions it. He makes them feel good about their prejudices.” — Mary L. Trump https://t.co/ToC7MYa3fK
Nope--Trump's a greasy, depraved, and abhorrent fuckface
For their latest foray into cloud-cuckoo-land, republicans are convinced that Donald Trump would have handled the withdrawal from Afghanistan with unprecedented precision and acumen.
The only thing unprecedented here is the level of delusion with which Trump supporters are afflicted.
Trump so badly botched the pandemic that over 600,000 Americans died and our economy cratered. The only accomplishment he had was a tax cut that was so overwhelmingly geared toward the wealthy that even his own supporters hated it. He sent the U.S. deficit into the stratosphere, sent America's stature in the world to unheard of depths of negative, got duped by not one, but two, dictators (Putin and Kim Jong Il), and his Presidency is currently ranked at best as 40th out of 45.
The idea that Trump would have done better than Biden in withdrawing from Afghanistan is more fantastical than the idea that the moon is made out of cheese.
Frankly, Trump is so fucking stupid that you could ask him to count his testicles ten times and he'd never figure out that the correct answer is two.
People Who Refuse the COVID-19 Vaccine Are Why Our Lives Can't Return to Normal
Some people worry that following the evidence & the law where it leads & indicting Sore Loser Trump might look too “political.” But how does it “look” to let Trump get away with obvious crimes for which absolutely anyone else would face federal prosecution? Get real, people!!!!!!
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has been criticized for opposing mask mandates, is now touting a COVID-19 antibody treatment in which a top donor's company has invested millions of dollars. DeSantis has been promoting the treatment as virus cases spike. https://t.co/0TwgYlONVh
So many of these poor, delusional fools need psychiatric help. This is no different than ranting on a corner about the end of the world. https://t.co/8335vMjhZk
A video to remind you that the Afghan Taliban and Conservative Christians have the same plan when it comes to "Religious Freedom." pic.twitter.com/XWRX9qR2JB
The Former Guy LITERALLY SIGNED THE DEAL that released 5k Taliban fighters, including Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who led the Taliban forces to victory in Afghanistan & are now in Kabul yelling "Death to America!"
My introduction to Gil Scott-Heron came in 1975 from his appearance on the eighth episode of this newfangled show called Saturday Night Live(I had to look the date up--my memory isn't that good). Scott-Heron performed a song I love to this day called "Johannesburg" ("Say what's the word? Johannesburg!"). I can't recall how I learned of this week's tune, but it was probably from some list of the greatest protest songs ever that I shuffled through....
Gil Scott-Heron is considered by many to be the father of both rap and hip-hop, though Scott-Heron himself was a bit uncomfortable with the moniker. By the time he was twenty-one, Scott-Heron had already published two novels when he saw a band called The Last Poets perform and the idea of becoming a musician began to germinate. Scott-Heron released his first album in 1970, though in something of a twist for a musician, while making music he also earned an M.A. in Creative Writing from Johns Hopkins, and was a full-time lecturer at the University of District of Columbia for several years to supplement his income. His legacy would eventually be as one of the most influential artists of his era, and his contributions to music are incalculable. Sadly, Scott-Heron had some difficulties with drugs and did a couple of prison terms in his later years, though he had cleaned up by the end of his life and continued to make music until his death. For his career, he released eighteen studio albums, nine live albums, and had six books published. Scott-Heron died in 2011 from complications from HIV; he was elected posthumously into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021 as an early influencer.
Fun Fact: Scott-Heron did not consider himself a musician--he considered himself a disciple of "bluesology," which he described as "the science of how things feel." The philosophy was deeply rooted in blues and jazz; Scott-Heron called himself a "bluesologist."
"The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" was originally released in 1970 on Scott-Heron's debut album, Small Talk at 125th and Lenox. It was a sparse version, accompanied only by congas and bongo drums. Scott-Heron re-recorded it for his second album, the seminal Pieces of a Man in 1971, with a full jazz ensemble. The first was not released as a single, but the second version was released as the b-side of "Home Is Where the Hatred Is," and did not chart. Pieces of a Man reached #25 on the Jazz Albums chart.
"The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" was originally written as a poem, and Scott-Heron later put it to music. The song is more or a less a spoken word (thus its consideration by many as the first rap song) diatribe outlining numerous American cultural references (TV commercials, Hollywood, Athletes, Politicians), none of which will be a part of the revolution. The music provides a quiet and understated background, while Scott-Heron delivers his vocals in a forceful, yet matter of fact, monologue. After spending three minutes and some change telling us what the revolution will not do, Scott-Heron closes with the oft quoted line, "The revolution will be live." It's a stunning soliloquy on the state of America in the late sixties, from one of the most masterful political artists of all-time. And even more amazing is that while the cultural references are dated, the ideas and influences behind them are not: "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" is a testament to the power of music to enhance a political statement, and even more so to the genius of Gil Scott-Heron.
Lyric Sheet: "The revolution will not be right back/After a message about a white tornado, white lightning or white people/You will not have to worry about a dove in your/Bedroom, a tiger in your tank, or the giant in your toilet bowl/The revolution will not go better with Coke..."
Enjoy:
People Who Refuse the COVID-19 Vaccine Are Why Our Lives Can't Return to Normal
That moron Ben Sasse says that Afghanistan was worse than Vietnam. Are you insane. 58,000 of our men and women died in that war. Millions of the enemy and our allies perished. Ben, you need to pick up a history book and stop being an uneducated fool.
Somehow the people who warned for 20 years that Afghanistan would ultimately end like this aren't as in demand as experts as those who started and sustained it.
God knows between the craven depravity of Donald Trump and the abject stupidity of anything and anyone the republican party touches there's plenty of bad news to report. But every now and again something good happens, and every now and again it's good to call it out.
Earlier this week the Biden Administration increased food assistance to those in need by the greatest amount in the history of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program--more than 25%. They did this at a time when the amount of people claiming the benefits has more than doubled, and even better, the increase is permanent.
Frankly, with the stroke of a pen President Biden did more just this week to make our nation a better place than Donald Trump has done in all seventy-four of his worthless years.
People Who Refuse the COVID-19 Vaccine Are Why Our Lives Can't Return to Normal
SD Gov Kristi Noem doesn't believe a massive gathering of out-of-state bikers is a COVID health concern, migrants are. She also says she doesn't have the authority to shutdown business, but she did threaten military action against tribes who did. https://t.co/YNCuGHG8n9
The Taliban murdered over 2,448 US military members and you just spit on their graves you sick, twisted, malignant, rotten woman. You think this is clever? A gotcha of the “libs”? Our enemies aren’t a punchline for your tweets. We will never forget your traitorous bullshit.
Reading about the history of right wing extremists in the US from Coughlin to Gerald LK Smith to Robert Welch to Pat Buchanan & David Duke to the Steves Miller & Bannon I've noticed they're all inveterate & ever-bigger liars. I hereby dub this genealogy "the Fibbernazi sequence."
Never let them erase this photo from the history books. Trump sold Afghanistan out to the Taliban. Retweet and reply with #TalibanTrump. pic.twitter.com/Ih4CKiTArr
Donald Trump last week sent out another of those Loserville messages wherein he lies about problems in America that don't exist, and then asked at the end of it if we missed him yet.
I'm pretty sure that, since 70% of Americans don't want Trump to remain in politics, the answer would be a forceful and resounding "Fuck No!"
People Who Refuse the COVID-19 Vaccine Are Why Our Lives Can't Return to Normal
My list of the songs I'm going to feature each week is filled out a couple years in advance, and for some odd-ass reason I must have been in a Country Music state of mind when I filled it out a few years back because this is the fifth straight song that has a Country flavor to it. For my loyal readers (both of you) who are ready to leave Shitkickersville behind, next week will leave that fine city in the rearview...for at least a week.
Charlie Rich was born in Colt, Arkansas in 1932, and began his career in earnest while he was in the Air Force. After his discharge in 1956 Rich began playing gigs around Memphis and not too long after had a recording contract. He had his first hit in 1960, and struggled thereafter to produce more until he hit a strong patch in the 1970's. It was also at this time that his graying hair earned him the nickname "The Silver Fox." Rich--who was also quite a jazz and blues singer--would go on to have eight #1 singles on the Hot Country Singles Chart, and one on the Billboard Hot 100. For his career, Rich released twelve studio albums (with five #1's on the Country album chart and two top 30 albums on the Billboard 200) and 41 singles. He also won two Grammy Awards, and was the Country Music Association Entertainer of the year in 1974. Sadly, Rich passed away in 1995 at the all too young age of 62 from a pulmonary embolism.
(Not So) Fun Fact: While doing my half-assed research, I wondered why a performer with a career as illustrious as Rich's had not been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Turns out that Rich was the presenter of the Entertainer of the Year Award at the 1975 CMA Awards, and during the presentation he stumbled drunkenly over the nominees, then proceeded to set the envelope with the winner's name on fire before announcing John Denver as the winner. The industry was not amused, and Rich's career promptly took a nosedive. In fact, from 1982-1992 he didn't release any albums and performed sparingly.
"Rollin' with the Flow" was released in 1977 on Rich's album entitled, surprisingly enough, Rollin' with the Flow.It would be the last #1 Country hit of his career, and hit #101 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard pop chart; the album peaked at #19 on the Country album chart.
Every now and again a song comes along that bears very little relation to you or your life (the Velvet Underground's "Heroin" comes to mind, though I am in no way comparing it to this week's tune), but nonetheless it strikes a chord (so to speak) and becomes a loved favorite. "Rollin' with the Flow" is that kind of song for me, as it tells the story of a man who's still raising hell and refusing to grow old...and that was never my life (nor Rich's--he was married to the same woman for forty-three years and had four kids). Still, every time I hear it, it brings me great joy. Rich's vocals capture perfectly the self-satisfied son of a bitch at the heart of the song, and the strings and steel guitar...uh, roll with the flow of the song. It's a hell of a number celebrating the acceptance of the hand we're dealt in life, and that there can still be a lot of joy even if it isn't a straight flush.
Lyric Sheet: "Some might be callin' me a bum/But I'm still out there havin' fun/And Jesus loves me, yes, I know/So I keep on rollin' with the flow..."
Enjoy:
People Who Refuse the COVID-19 Vaccine Are Why Our Lives Can't Return to Normal
Imagine living in London during World War II, and in the middle of the blitz, your neighbor refuses to turn his lights out at night because the government isn't gonna tell him what to do. He is doing his own research on the Nazi war machine and whether the bombs are real, or not. pic.twitter.com/e6qVgsTifk
Here is the president responding to my question about @GovRonDeSantis using Biden's words against him to say DeSantis is "getting in the way" over COVID rules. President Biden: "Governor who?" Watch. pic.twitter.com/mmjznTsLcf
Why is @FoxNews hiding this video from the American people?
I’ll tell you why. Because the truth is that GOP supporters of the former President brutalized police officers and the Fox base audience can’t deal with that. They’d rather ignore the evidence of their eyes and ears. https://t.co/z04Xhkb6Mf
In perhaps the biggest case of projection yet, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) says Democrats want to "take money from hard-working, middle-income American families and give it to the rich.” pic.twitter.com/0M2czJHYfo
Sadly, one of my all-time favorite musicians, Nanci Griffith, passed away today at the age of 68. Griffith began her career in the late seventies, and continued touring and recording through her retirement in 2013. She wrote several hits for other artists, and her seminal album, Other Voices, Other Rooms won a Grammy for best folk album.
I wrote about Griffith's song "On Grafton Street" on a Friday Night Jukebox post in 2019. I also had the pleasure of seeing her live on a double bill with John Prine in the early nineties, and it remains one of my favorite concerts.
While there's always sadness at the passing of a beloved artist, I also feel very grateful for her artistry and the countless hours of joy her musical talents brought me. She gave me an awful lot of good memories, and here's wishing her godspeed.
I had a hell of a time coming up with just one of her songs to post, but finally settled on this one (though it could have been numerous others) because it's a fine cover of a fine John Prine song:
People Who Refuse to Get the COVID-19 Vaccine Are Why Our Lives Can't Return to Normal
The average American gets paid just enough so he doesn't quit his job, and works just hard enough so he doesn't get fired.
"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross." Source unknown
Uncle emaycee Wants You For the Coming Class War! Enlist today....
Capitalism: Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you can exploit his labor, become filthy rich, and keep the poor bastard living paycheck to paycheck for the rest of his life.
