Friday, January 30, 2009
Reading Obituaries
The other way I knew I was getting old was my increasing suspicion that it was in fact Paul who was the cooler Beatle.
EW Letter of the Week
NOTHING WORTH READING
My friends and I were hanging out the other night and one of them brought up your newspaper. It seems that no one in my group is a regular reader. You always report on some boring city growth problem, the Eugene Police Department or run some rant from some regular letter writer that uses your newspaper like it’s their personal platform to pontificate. Nothing of interest for us 20-somethings.
Well, last week Obama became president. Everyone I know was excited and everybody was talking about Obama. I saw your Jan. 15 issue and thought, “Right on, something interesting to read.” I picked it up.
I shouldn’t have been surprised when I opened to the story and there it was: Rants from regular letter writers pontificating freely. Nothing about the election from a news perspective. Nothing about our first African-American president. Nothing about the inauguration. Nothing newsworthy.
You figured out the formula. You can wrap dog poop in Obama, and somebody will pick it up. Consider these six Lane students duped.
Jennifer Crowley, Eugene
Jennifer is right. What with the dearth of media in this country, one had look far and wide to find any coverage of Obama at all, whereas I can't take a shower without tripping over yet another boring story about land-use planning in Eugene. In fact, until I read Jennifer's letter, I was not even aware that Obama was African-American or that he was set to be "inaugurated" (I'm still sure what that means!). Along with Jennifer and her friends, I will not be fooled next time!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Un-effing-believable
A lot of thoughts occurred to me about Obama going 0-for-GOP on the stimulus bill. It never occurred to me that the reason there were not any GOP votes was that Obama had not reached out enough and/or the Dems had rammed a "liberal" bill through the House. Maybe this is why I do not work for MSNBC, because everyone there seems to be under the impression that it is Obama's fault no Republicans voted for it.
HFS.
HFS.
My Problem with The Wrestler
*** Spoilers below ***
Two people whose cultural opinions I respect and fear (thus my constant need to label them hipsters), love The Wrestler. Well, one of them has seen it and loves it, one of them loves it in advance. I've seen it and, well, I'm not in love. It was a fine film, but I can't get away from the fact that I found it pretty meaningless. I realize that it is supposed to be a little character study, not a blow-you-away type film, but for me it fails because the character it studies is implausible and completely unreal.
In the opening of the film, we are lead to believe that Randy "The Ram" Robinson was a top wrestling superstar from the early to mid 1980s. He's a Hulk Hogan, Randy "the Macho Man" Savage, Andre the Giant, Arn Anderson, or Rick Flair type. A face. A draw. No problem there.
The film, however, sets him up as a "down and out" type. He's living in a trailer in NJ, unable to pay his rent. He can't pay for his 'roids. He performs in front of twenty people. He's a grinder. He's got nothing else in his life, except wrestling, it's all he knows. What happened to the fame and fortune? Why is he, for instance, driving an old van, instead of, say, a 1985 Cadillac El Dorado? He must have made some bank back in the day. Did he blow it on coke and hookers? He doesn't seem to have a coke problem. He still drinks the odd brew now-and-again. What happened to it all? Why is there absolutely no indication that this guy once had it all, but lost it? Is it really possible for a man who had it all to end up a grinder? Maybe a guy who never quite had it could be a old grinder, but not someone who was the king.
The other thing is, he's a super nice guy. This is necessary to make the audience care about him, but it seems like everyone likes him. All his fellow wrestlers like him. The promoters still seem to like him. The fans like him and he treats them great. Why does this guy not have a real job in wrestling? Lord knows, Hogan and Flair stretched it out why past the point of plausibility. Why was he not given something behind the scenes? Maybe he pissed of Vince McMahon.
But he's totally alone in the world. Why? Both kids and strippers seem to enjoy his company. He can score skanks in a bar whenever he likes. In one glorious day he can get his daughter forgive him for years of neglect (he wasn't setting her up with some bread when he was big time?). Heck, he even shows some personality behind a deli counter. He's a great guy. Like I say, his fellow wrestlers seem to like and respect him. He can't grab a beer with them? Regale them with stories of the old days? Seems like that would happen. Nobody else from the old days is around to talk with? The movie gives absolutely reason this guy should be alone. He seems to crave human company, he's a great guy, but totally, implausibly, alone.
The dilemma that Randy the Ram faced seemed wildly implausible to me, so his solution to his problems seemed bizarre as well. If the message of the film was that society used these people for their bodies and entertainment (I'm counting Cassidy in here) and then casts them aside when it is done with them, what am I to make of the Ram's willful choice to throw aside all other options? Am I supposed to find some kind of beauty in his willful embrace of the notion that he is nothing more than a piece of meat? If so, then why the fuck was I lead through two hours of rooting for this guy to connect with somebody? Was I really supposed to be sitting there rooting for Randy to fail at making a connection with his daughter, fail at winning Cassidy, fail at crafting a life for himself outside of wrestling, all so he could wrestle one last time? That's bullshit because that's not what Randy the Ram, a guy I really like, wanted. The whole movie was about him making a last stab at making a human connection (even though they seemed to be all around him just waiting to be made), he made it, and he threw it all away for reasons I can't fathom.
Two people whose cultural opinions I respect and fear (thus my constant need to label them hipsters), love The Wrestler. Well, one of them has seen it and loves it, one of them loves it in advance. I've seen it and, well, I'm not in love. It was a fine film, but I can't get away from the fact that I found it pretty meaningless. I realize that it is supposed to be a little character study, not a blow-you-away type film, but for me it fails because the character it studies is implausible and completely unreal.
In the opening of the film, we are lead to believe that Randy "The Ram" Robinson was a top wrestling superstar from the early to mid 1980s. He's a Hulk Hogan, Randy "the Macho Man" Savage, Andre the Giant, Arn Anderson, or Rick Flair type. A face. A draw. No problem there.
The film, however, sets him up as a "down and out" type. He's living in a trailer in NJ, unable to pay his rent. He can't pay for his 'roids. He performs in front of twenty people. He's a grinder. He's got nothing else in his life, except wrestling, it's all he knows. What happened to the fame and fortune? Why is he, for instance, driving an old van, instead of, say, a 1985 Cadillac El Dorado? He must have made some bank back in the day. Did he blow it on coke and hookers? He doesn't seem to have a coke problem. He still drinks the odd brew now-and-again. What happened to it all? Why is there absolutely no indication that this guy once had it all, but lost it? Is it really possible for a man who had it all to end up a grinder? Maybe a guy who never quite had it could be a old grinder, but not someone who was the king.
The other thing is, he's a super nice guy. This is necessary to make the audience care about him, but it seems like everyone likes him. All his fellow wrestlers like him. The promoters still seem to like him. The fans like him and he treats them great. Why does this guy not have a real job in wrestling? Lord knows, Hogan and Flair stretched it out why past the point of plausibility. Why was he not given something behind the scenes? Maybe he pissed of Vince McMahon.
But he's totally alone in the world. Why? Both kids and strippers seem to enjoy his company. He can score skanks in a bar whenever he likes. In one glorious day he can get his daughter forgive him for years of neglect (he wasn't setting her up with some bread when he was big time?). Heck, he even shows some personality behind a deli counter. He's a great guy. Like I say, his fellow wrestlers seem to like and respect him. He can't grab a beer with them? Regale them with stories of the old days? Seems like that would happen. Nobody else from the old days is around to talk with? The movie gives absolutely reason this guy should be alone. He seems to crave human company, he's a great guy, but totally, implausibly, alone.
The dilemma that Randy the Ram faced seemed wildly implausible to me, so his solution to his problems seemed bizarre as well. If the message of the film was that society used these people for their bodies and entertainment (I'm counting Cassidy in here) and then casts them aside when it is done with them, what am I to make of the Ram's willful choice to throw aside all other options? Am I supposed to find some kind of beauty in his willful embrace of the notion that he is nothing more than a piece of meat? If so, then why the fuck was I lead through two hours of rooting for this guy to connect with somebody? Was I really supposed to be sitting there rooting for Randy to fail at making a connection with his daughter, fail at winning Cassidy, fail at crafting a life for himself outside of wrestling, all so he could wrestle one last time? That's bullshit because that's not what Randy the Ram, a guy I really like, wanted. The whole movie was about him making a last stab at making a human connection (even though they seemed to be all around him just waiting to be made), he made it, and he threw it all away for reasons I can't fathom.
EFCA Spells Doom For US All
In addition to all the other wastes of bailout funds we've been reading about, it appears that some of those funds are going to fight the Employee Free Choice Act*. Yay, bailouts! Well, for me it is not the bailouts per se, I still agree that the government had to do something to prevent the collapse of the financial markets. Unfortunately, that means propping up the same cocksuckers who got us in the mess in the first place. The same cocksuckers that still decry government interference in the market. The same cocksuckers that argue that government handing them billions of dollars with no strings attached is the nationalization of the banking industry. In other words, cocksuckers.
It makes sense that the titans of industry and finance oppose EFCA. If workers have the right to sit at the table and negotiate (!) their wages and benefits, it is possible that profits will go down. I mean there is plenty of evidence to show a unionized workplace is a more efficient, productive workplace, but let's leave that aside for a moment. So profits will go down and the titans are opposed. Except that there seems to be a bit more in it for them. Like Islamo-Fascisist-Liberal-Terrorism, EFCA, apparently, is a threat to the very fabric of our society.
What would this EFCA do, anyway? EFCA would make it easier for employees to form a union if they want one, it would increase the penalties on employers that break labor law, and it would provide for binding arbitration if the two parties can't agree on contract in 120 days. That really does sound like the end of everything. This law gets passed and you have employees (!) sitting down with their bosses as equals (!) and bargaining -- not thanking, but bargaining -- for wages and benefits. Why, that's one step away from living in caves, cracking oysters on rocks just to stay alive.
Thank God our tax dollars are being used to stop this wicked, wicked law from ever inflicting middle class comfort on our citizens.
*Shouldn't "American Rights at Work," the AFL-CIO's pro-EFCA website, come up higher than eighth in a standard Google search? This is a propaganda war for fuck's sake, let's pull out some stops here.
**For those Francophiles in the audience, Marcus also said that EFCA must be fought to prevent the US from being turned into France, where, one assumes, he believes there is no civilization.
It makes sense that the titans of industry and finance oppose EFCA. If workers have the right to sit at the table and negotiate (!) their wages and benefits, it is possible that profits will go down. I mean there is plenty of evidence to show a unionized workplace is a more efficient, productive workplace, but let's leave that aside for a moment. So profits will go down and the titans are opposed. Except that there seems to be a bit more in it for them. Like Islamo-Fascisist-Liberal-Terrorism, EFCA, apparently, is a threat to the very fabric of our society.
"This is the demise of a civilization," said [founder of Home Depot Bernie] Marcus . "This is how a civilization disappears. I am sitting here as an elder statesman and I'm watching this happen and I don't believe it."The demise of civilization. Jeebus!**
What would this EFCA do, anyway? EFCA would make it easier for employees to form a union if they want one, it would increase the penalties on employers that break labor law, and it would provide for binding arbitration if the two parties can't agree on contract in 120 days. That really does sound like the end of everything. This law gets passed and you have employees (!) sitting down with their bosses as equals (!) and bargaining -- not thanking, but bargaining -- for wages and benefits. Why, that's one step away from living in caves, cracking oysters on rocks just to stay alive.
Thank God our tax dollars are being used to stop this wicked, wicked law from ever inflicting middle class comfort on our citizens.
*Shouldn't "American Rights at Work," the AFL-CIO's pro-EFCA website, come up higher than eighth in a standard Google search? This is a propaganda war for fuck's sake, let's pull out some stops here.
**For those Francophiles in the audience, Marcus also said that EFCA must be fought to prevent the US from being turned into France, where, one assumes, he believes there is no civilization.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Got the (Temporary, I'm Sure) Obama Blues
I don't know about you all, but I am still trying to come to grips with the Obama administration.
On the one hand, we immediately have more transparency, a lifting of the global gag rule, SCHIP expansion, a head of the National Labor Relations Board that understands that the purpose of the law was to provide a mechanism for the formation of unions, and it looks as if the Ledbetter Act will be signed into law.
On the other hand, we have all those very-Clinton era cabinet appointments and Obama's earnest insistence on reaching out to Republicans who gleefully reject any attempt at cooperation. He gave in on aid to states for family planning, loaded the stimulus with tax cuts, and still got nothing from them.
I want to feel positive about him, but I still hold onto those fears we've all been carrying that middle-of-the-road, only the most obvious is all we're going to get, and anything that truly offends Boehner will be left out. In other words, four more years of don't ask, don't tell.
If the Clinton years taught us anything, no matter how middle-of-the-road you are, the right-wingers will fuck you every chance you get. That's all their in it for. As Dick Armey said today (amongst other things), "Don't let politics define anything. Politics is silly, it's inane. Take what amusements you can from them but don't take them seriously." I think this just about sums up a certain brand of politics that currently dominates the GOP. The economy tanking is no big deal, they certainly haven't given it any thought or they might be realizing that it was their policies that caused it. This is the crowd that "seriously" advances the argument that it was not deregulation of the banking industry that lead to the housing crisis, but rather a fourty-year-old law that barred banks from discriminating against black people.
That Obama sits at a table drinking beers with these people, unfortunately, doesn't cause me to hope he will convert them, but rather they are setting him up just like they have every other Dem politician that comes into their sights.
As I say though, always happy to be proved wrong.
On the one hand, we immediately have more transparency, a lifting of the global gag rule, SCHIP expansion, a head of the National Labor Relations Board that understands that the purpose of the law was to provide a mechanism for the formation of unions, and it looks as if the Ledbetter Act will be signed into law.
On the other hand, we have all those very-Clinton era cabinet appointments and Obama's earnest insistence on reaching out to Republicans who gleefully reject any attempt at cooperation. He gave in on aid to states for family planning, loaded the stimulus with tax cuts, and still got nothing from them.
I want to feel positive about him, but I still hold onto those fears we've all been carrying that middle-of-the-road, only the most obvious is all we're going to get, and anything that truly offends Boehner will be left out. In other words, four more years of don't ask, don't tell.
If the Clinton years taught us anything, no matter how middle-of-the-road you are, the right-wingers will fuck you every chance you get. That's all their in it for. As Dick Armey said today (amongst other things), "Don't let politics define anything. Politics is silly, it's inane. Take what amusements you can from them but don't take them seriously." I think this just about sums up a certain brand of politics that currently dominates the GOP. The economy tanking is no big deal, they certainly haven't given it any thought or they might be realizing that it was their policies that caused it. This is the crowd that "seriously" advances the argument that it was not deregulation of the banking industry that lead to the housing crisis, but rather a fourty-year-old law that barred banks from discriminating against black people.
That Obama sits at a table drinking beers with these people, unfortunately, doesn't cause me to hope he will convert them, but rather they are setting him up just like they have every other Dem politician that comes into their sights.
As I say though, always happy to be proved wrong.
Oddly Enough, I'm Wearing a Low Neck Sweater Right Now
I've been listening to a lot of Beatles lately, having spent my weekend downloading all their albums (official cannon plus Magical Mystery Tour) in lossless FLAC format, so everything in my life (boom!) is taking on kind of a Beatles flavor.
How do you explain to your twelve-year-old daughter than, no, she probably wouldn't have enjoyed the Magical Mystery Tour at all? Is this a teaching moment or should I let her enjoy the Beatles without having to try to figure out which lyrics are drug references?
And then there's this, for Lex:
Mixed message, for sure.
How do you explain to your twelve-year-old daughter than, no, she probably wouldn't have enjoyed the Magical Mystery Tour at all? Is this a teaching moment or should I let her enjoy the Beatles without having to try to figure out which lyrics are drug references?
And then there's this, for Lex:
Mixed message, for sure.
Monday, January 26, 2009
The Fight of the First Quater of the Next-to-Last Year of the First Decade of the 21st Century!
Would you pay to watch Matt Damon debate Bill Kristol on the subject "We Won the War in Iraq"?
You may get your chance.
I love comment #3:
You may get your chance.
I love comment #3:
And you all know that the "moderately liberal" Kristol is now unemployed, yes?I’ll only watch if Big Hollywood can GUARANTEE, after the moderately liberal Kristol gives him a beating, Damon’s head explodes like his marionette in Team America.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Finally, An End to the Longing
Stand-up comedian and wingnut Ari David despairs. He mostly despairs because Obama is president. His despair stems mostly from his fervent belief that an Obama presidency spells doom for all the world's peoples that are not as free you and me here in the US. You know, in Cuba, Venezuela, Iran, North Korea, and Kenya. You know, all the places that the last 28 years of conservative rule in this country liberated. Unfortunately, Obama doesn't seem to care about these oppressed peoples because at some point he unilaterally declared that he will not use the military for support US foreign policy (which does seem foolish).
But it's not all doom and gloom in the David household.
But it's not all doom and gloom in the David household.
I was not unhappy at all to see black people in America celebrate Obama’s electoral accomplishment. I have believed for many years now that Dr. King’s dream of overcoming was a reality for all people in this country but if it took a man of color to ascend to our nation’s highest office to prove it to black people, I celebrate their happiness. If Obama’s election means an end to racial strife and an end to people longing for equality in our country, then I celebrate that too.Yes, I think that we can all agree that if Obama's election ends the longing for equality in this country it won't have been all for naught.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Why I Love Her
So, Ging and I went to Amber's dance recital this afternoon. Now, dance recitals are in no way my thing. As I was saying the other day, I thought the three hour middle school version of Beauty and the Beast was bad, but I was dreading one-and-a-half hours of dance recital even more. Plus, I was going unorganized.
When we got to the lovely Madison Middle School cafeteria, my expectations were exceeded in that we'd be sitting at cafeteria tables that were laid out with teas sets, cucumber sandwiches sans crusts, and cookies. Joy. The experience was kicked up a notch through our position in the back of the room right behind the main walkway through the cafeteria. I'm not sure why everyone had to periodically decide they needed to be on the other side of the room, but they did, so I spent a good portion of the afternoon turning my knees sideways so that overfeed women could get more hot water for the tea.
I had to assume the Ginger was having a fairly decent time. I've learned over the years that just because I can't conceive of knowing anyone on this Earth who would enjoy watching largely under-developed girls shake what they don't have as if they were trying out for the Laker Girls, doesn't mean that the very woman I've been living with for the last sixteen years doesn't love it. So I was staying quiet, smiling, trying not to over-analyze the whole thing, when a troupe of dancers (it's a troupe, right? A troupe of dancers. I think that's right) comes on to the stage and the opening notes of Nirvana's Come As You Are come over the cafeteria loudspeakers. The dancers start doing their thing and let me tell you, I once had the pleasure of dancing to a live version of Come As You Are and these dancers were not dancing anything like I did back in the proverbial day.
I'm sitting there trying to figure out what the hell I am supposed to think about all of this and Ginger leans over to me and whispers, "This is why Curt Kobain killed himself."
And that's why I am going to spend every day of the rest of my life making sure that this woman never leaves me, because I love her and I never want to spend a day without her.
When we got to the lovely Madison Middle School cafeteria, my expectations were exceeded in that we'd be sitting at cafeteria tables that were laid out with teas sets, cucumber sandwiches sans crusts, and cookies. Joy. The experience was kicked up a notch through our position in the back of the room right behind the main walkway through the cafeteria. I'm not sure why everyone had to periodically decide they needed to be on the other side of the room, but they did, so I spent a good portion of the afternoon turning my knees sideways so that overfeed women could get more hot water for the tea.
I had to assume the Ginger was having a fairly decent time. I've learned over the years that just because I can't conceive of knowing anyone on this Earth who would enjoy watching largely under-developed girls shake what they don't have as if they were trying out for the Laker Girls, doesn't mean that the very woman I've been living with for the last sixteen years doesn't love it. So I was staying quiet, smiling, trying not to over-analyze the whole thing, when a troupe of dancers (it's a troupe, right? A troupe of dancers. I think that's right) comes on to the stage and the opening notes of Nirvana's Come As You Are come over the cafeteria loudspeakers. The dancers start doing their thing and let me tell you, I once had the pleasure of dancing to a live version of Come As You Are and these dancers were not dancing anything like I did back in the proverbial day.
I'm sitting there trying to figure out what the hell I am supposed to think about all of this and Ginger leans over to me and whispers, "This is why Curt Kobain killed himself."
And that's why I am going to spend every day of the rest of my life making sure that this woman never leaves me, because I love her and I never want to spend a day without her.
Friday, January 23, 2009
I Know I'm Feeling It
As you prolly know, Forbes has released a "25 Most Influential Liberals in the Media" list. Here it is:
- Paul Krugman
- Arianna Huffington
- Fred Hiatt
- Thomas Friedman
- Jon Stewart
- Oprah Winfrey
- Rachel Maddow
- Josh Marshall
- David Shipley
- Markos Moulitsas Zuniga (Kos)
- Fareed Zakaria
- Chris Matthews
- Bill Moyers
- Christopher Hitchens
- Maureen Dowd
- Matthew Yglesias
- Hendrick Hertzberg
- Glenn Greenwald
- Andrew Sullivan
- Gerald Seib
- James Fallows
- Ezra Klein
- Kevin Drum
- Kurt Andersen
- Michael Pollan
Only I Didn't Say Fudge
Anyone know what Kirsten Gillbrand's position on EFCA is? Because it looks like she'd be the type to oppose.
Murder is Wrong, But Cannot be Weighed -- Think About It
Big Hollywood is fast becoming my favorite wingnut website (sorry NW Republican). It has a delightful blend of poorly written political comedy analysis coupled with the ravings of washed-up actors who believe their careers would be flourishing had they not stood up for their good friend Ronald Reagan at a 1982 cocktail party.
And the commenters are perfect. What turns me off about a lot of wingnut sites is that the commenters tend to be ten times more batshit than the columnists, who, in turn, look reasonable (I'm looking at you Townhall). Big Hollywood doesn't have this problem yet, as most commenters are in the "finally someone has the courage to say this" school.
Right now, I am in love with this paragraph from Doug TenNapel, who is a graphic novelist and budding conservative philosopher:
And the commenters are perfect. What turns me off about a lot of wingnut sites is that the commenters tend to be ten times more batshit than the columnists, who, in turn, look reasonable (I'm looking at you Townhall). Big Hollywood doesn't have this problem yet, as most commenters are in the "finally someone has the courage to say this" school.
Right now, I am in love with this paragraph from Doug TenNapel, who is a graphic novelist and budding conservative philosopher:
An essence is immaterial, which is already going to piss off most modern leftists because they don’t believe in an objective immaterial truth. An example of an objective immaterial truth would be that “Murder is wrong.” Just about everyone believes that murder is wrong but it cannot be weighed. You can’t see it, taste it, touch it with your wide stance in a bathroom stall, yet we all know it’s there. It’s an essential doctrine of Conservatism.Boom! The only thing I love more than this paragraph is comment #3:
Love.Wow. This is the most articulate “why we believe” I’ve ever read. I wish I had written it.
Thank you.
And Now a Message from 1984
Dirk Benedict, who played the original Starbuck (you'll remember him better as Faceman from A-Team), has written a blog post wherein he hilariously asserts that the old Battlestar Galactica was better than the new BSG. As others have noted, this is ridiculous on its face, and the fact that the old version ran for one season while the new version is in its fifth should demonstrate that Dirk is talking out his ass.
Benedict's screed is a hilarious admission of exactly how much he fears female sexuality. He claims that "the Suits" hated his Starbuck because he was too masculine, too flirty, and too heterosexual. He then complains that the women on the new BSG are way too sexual, sexy, and sexful.
BSG or old school sexism, check out the post. (I haven't read the 503 comments yet. I hope they are good!).
Benedict's screed is a hilarious admission of exactly how much he fears female sexuality. He claims that "the Suits" hated his Starbuck because he was too masculine, too flirty, and too heterosexual. He then complains that the women on the new BSG are way too sexual, sexy, and sexful.
For the re-imagined terrorists (Cylons) are not mechanical robots void of soul, of sexuality, but rather humanoid six foot tall former lingerie models who f**k you to death. (Poor old Starbuck, you were imagined too early. Think of the fun you could have had ‘fighting’ with these thong-clad aliens!) In the spirit of such soft-core, sci-fi porn I think a more re-imaginative title would have been “F**cked by A Cylon.”Benedict is also, of course, horrified that the world of BSG is more complex than a Cold War sci-fi kid's show, but really in the end, it comes down fear of the liberated woman.
...
tune in to Stardoe and Cylon #6 (or was it #69?) and Enjoy the Show.
Women are from Venus. Men are from Mars. Hamlet does not scan a Hamletta. Nor does Hans Solo as Hans Sally. Faceman is not the same as Facewoman. Nor does a Stardoe a Starbuck make. Men hand out cigars. Women “hand out” babies. And thus the world for thousands of years has gone’ round.If you're a fan of either
Oh Lord, Do I Still Hate Intensely Dislike These Slimy Bastards People
Because there are Bush loyalists in the news whining about the "cheap shots" Obama took in his Inaugural Address, I'm going to use the occasion to say that of all the late-day "he really did a great job" bullshit the apparatchiks are pushing, my favorite is [aside from the worst terrorist attack in the history of the United States] he kept us safe!
That pretty much sums up the Bush administration in a nutshell. In order to find anything to praise about the man, you have to overlook the blatantly obvious.
He cut taxes! [And destroyed the economy on an epic scale.]
He expanded Medicare! [Through a program that is not working for seniors, but is enriching private health insurance companies. He also managed to stop price controls on pharmaceuticals, meaning that only those who live in the United States pay wildly inflated prices.]
He improved schools with No Child Left Behind! [The calls for reform of this law are loud and universal, with states refusing still implement it. And there has been no magic increase in test scores.]
He got money for AIDS in Africa! [Darfur.]
He liberated Iraq! [And only 750,000 Iraqis had to die for him to do it! You know the old saying, better dead than Iraqi.]
I'll also note that while everyone from the Bush administration is quick to predict that Obama will weaken our security and if there is a terrorist attack in the next eight years (well, any time in the next 16 years, let's say), then it is Obama's fault, 9-11 was, of course, Clinton's fault.
That pretty much sums up the Bush administration in a nutshell. In order to find anything to praise about the man, you have to overlook the blatantly obvious.
He cut taxes! [And destroyed the economy on an epic scale.]
He expanded Medicare! [Through a program that is not working for seniors, but is enriching private health insurance companies. He also managed to stop price controls on pharmaceuticals, meaning that only those who live in the United States pay wildly inflated prices.]
He improved schools with No Child Left Behind! [The calls for reform of this law are loud and universal, with states refusing still implement it. And there has been no magic increase in test scores.]
He got money for AIDS in Africa! [Darfur.]
He liberated Iraq! [And only 750,000 Iraqis had to die for him to do it! You know the old saying, better dead than Iraqi.]
I'll also note that while everyone from the Bush administration is quick to predict that Obama will weaken our security and if there is a terrorist attack in the next eight years (well, any time in the next 16 years, let's say), then it is Obama's fault, 9-11 was, of course, Clinton's fault.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Kudos
This article in the Rocky Mountain Collegian is a great example of student journalism and a great story about a wildly corrupt cop.
Pat Two Ways
You'd think it would be fairly easy to get a painting of Obama on velvet. No such luck. Can you find one?
I did find this though. I know Lex will love.
I did find this though. I know Lex will love.
I Wasn't Going to Say Anything, But...
We all struggled with the Obama birth certificate story. There was just so much to trouble us there. But I didn't say anything, mostly, I think, because I was blinded by his celebrity and my hatred of George W. Bush. Now we have the flub of the constitutionally-mandated oath of office. He didn't say the right words. He didn't say them! He's not president. At the very least, he violated the Constitution, which I believe is an impeachable offense. I find I have to say it, IMPEACH OBAMA!
I'm kidding, of course. Fox News anchor Chris Wallace is not.
As long as we're here, despite assertions otherwise, nobody on the left has said that Obama's election signals the end of racism in America. Saying such a thing is silly and is an automatic disqualifier for "lefty" status. This is a fantasy invented by the wingnuts so they can cry about it every time Obama does or says anything that has anything to do with race. C&L nails Beck and Malkin on it, I will add Goldberg. Obama's election did not end racism or demonstrate that ameliorative action is no longer needed or any such thing. It is an amazing symbol of the progress that has been made since darker days, but that it is still "amazing" just means we have a long way to go.
I'm kidding, of course. Fox News anchor Chris Wallace is not.
As long as we're here, despite assertions otherwise, nobody on the left has said that Obama's election signals the end of racism in America. Saying such a thing is silly and is an automatic disqualifier for "lefty" status. This is a fantasy invented by the wingnuts so they can cry about it every time Obama does or says anything that has anything to do with race. C&L nails Beck and Malkin on it, I will add Goldberg. Obama's election did not end racism or demonstrate that ameliorative action is no longer needed or any such thing. It is an amazing symbol of the progress that has been made since darker days, but that it is still "amazing" just means we have a long way to go.
Sam Adams Needs to Go
Portland mayor Sam Adams should resign. Quickly. In disgrace.
For those out of the Oregon loop, he admitted to having a dalliance with an 18 year-old intern after denying it repeatedly while running for office. Willamette Week has the details.
Once again, it's not the sex, it's the lying. Adams knew that an admission he had sex with an 18 year-old intern would affect voters' judgment of him and lessen his chances of being elected, so he lied about it. He asked others to lie for him. This should be pretty simple. We cannot have politicians lying to us on the grounds that if we knew something about them, they would have a lesser chance of being elected.
For those out of the Oregon loop, he admitted to having a dalliance with an 18 year-old intern after denying it repeatedly while running for office. Willamette Week has the details.
Once again, it's not the sex, it's the lying. Adams knew that an admission he had sex with an 18 year-old intern would affect voters' judgment of him and lessen his chances of being elected, so he lied about it. He asked others to lie for him. This should be pretty simple. We cannot have politicians lying to us on the grounds that if we knew something about them, they would have a lesser chance of being elected.
Pony Up for a Good Cause
I saw this in the comments at LGM:
Speaking of singing and politics, I thought you guys might want to know about thisNow that we've solved hunger, poverty, and disease, I guess we can start to focus on the little things.
http://kevinswoodshed.blogspot.com/2009/01/speaking-of-protest-music.html
It's a benefit album to raise money for Netroots Nation in Second Life featuring lots of great performers.
Let's Pray for No Injuries
Those who love me know two things about me, I love letters to the editor that babble on about how the modern college sports fan isn't nice enough to the other team and letters that find ways to blame the Bush administration everything, no matter how tenuous.
The first type of letter usually falls into the "back in my day" category, something like "back in my day, everyone was just there to have a good time. Why, if an opposing player lost the onion off his belt, the game would stop and the whole crowd would help find it before the game could resume." These stories were at least plausible when I was young and the author could theoretically be talking about sporting events in the 1920s. But then the 1936 Olympics changed everything. From then on out, sports have largely been about competition.
The second type of letter I love is usually from a lefty liberal sees connections between mundane life events and the larger world around them. Every freakin' minute is a teachable moment. These letters usually describe some every day situation, "I was riding my bicycle down the street and I ran into a pile of leaves in the bike lane. Forced to swerve, I almost fell," and then they make a sudden leap to larger forces at work. "I couldn't help but think that if the Bush administration didn't support Israel and the slaughtering of all those very innocent Gaza Strippers, then people wouldn't be so callous about where they put their leaves." That these people actually do make these connections is why Ihate love and fear them.
Well, one of you all must have gone and told William A. McConochie about my twin letter-related loves, because this is what I found in today's Register Guard:
The first type of letter usually falls into the "back in my day" category, something like "back in my day, everyone was just there to have a good time. Why, if an opposing player lost the onion off his belt, the game would stop and the whole crowd would help find it before the game could resume." These stories were at least plausible when I was young and the author could theoretically be talking about sporting events in the 1920s. But then the 1936 Olympics changed everything. From then on out, sports have largely been about competition.
The second type of letter I love is usually from a lefty liberal sees connections between mundane life events and the larger world around them. Every freakin' minute is a teachable moment. These letters usually describe some every day situation, "I was riding my bicycle down the street and I ran into a pile of leaves in the bike lane. Forced to swerve, I almost fell," and then they make a sudden leap to larger forces at work. "I couldn't help but think that if the Bush administration didn't support Israel and the slaughtering of all those very innocent Gaza Strippers, then people wouldn't be so callous about where they put their leaves." That these people actually do make these connections is why I
Well, one of you all must have gone and told William A. McConochie about my twin letter-related loves, because this is what I found in today's Register Guard:
Poor sportsmanship brings lossAs Tom Cruise said to Timothy Hutton, "It's beautiful, man. Beautiful."
Are the Oregon Ducks suffering from bad karma? What goes around comes around.
For years Duck fans have blatantly booed and insulted visiting teams at Mac Court and Autzen Stadium. On Jan. 17, coach Ernie Kent was ejected from the basketball game against Washington State University for misbehavior. Our players fouled the Cougars repeatedly, giving them 28 free throw opportunities. The Cougars set records, making all 28 of them, for 28 free points. We lost the game by 12 points, 74 to 62.
If we hadn’t fouled and given away 28 points, the score would have been 46 to 62 and we’d have won. Do our university and community teach winning at any cost, even breaking the rules?
We’ve seen the effects of this policy in the George W. Bush administration. Human rights and human dignity are swatches from the same cloth. Let’s treat our athletic opponents with respect and dignity and see what happens. At 0 and 6 in Pac 10 men’s basketball, we have nothing to lose by trying a new approach.
William A. McConochie
Eugene
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
What a Difference a Day Makes
In a classic example of IOKIYAR, Mark Levin failed to be impressed by Obama's speech.
I felt the speech had conflicting themes, including Obama's attempts to link our history to his agenda, which doesn't work well. It also started out with a list of liberal economic items which I thought very odd. And the theme that America is facing challenges as grave as WWII, the Great Depression, and the Civil War does not resonate because it's absurd [emphasis mine]— which is then followed by his urging confidence. I think Obama has a hype problem, not just relating to his speech but his presidency. It's hard to actually be the messiah.I seem to remember (I've been trying to forget) that the Global War on Terror™ was and is the battle for civilization itself. I seem to recall that the president needed to be granted near dictatorial powers to prevent the entire world from falling in darkness and chaos. Apparently, not so much.
At Long Last
Bush v. Gore
Tax cuts for the wealthiest 1%
Faith-based initiatives
Global gag rule
Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US
My Pet Goat
Dick Cheney
WMD
Valerie Plame
Smoking gun in the form of a mushroom cloud
Colin Powell at the UN
Mission Accomplished
Dead-enders
Abu Ghraib
Gitmo
Torture
Going to war with the army you have, not the army you want
Donald Rumsfeld
Warrentless wiretapping
Swift boating
Illegal detentions
Cutting Veteran's Affairs budget
Executive privilege
Signing statements
Scooter Libby
Heck of a job, Brownie
"Privatizing" Social Security
The destruction of the EPA
WOPR
The fundamentals of the economy are sound
Worst. President. Ever.
Tax cuts for the wealthiest 1%
Faith-based initiatives
Global gag rule
Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US
My Pet Goat
Dick Cheney
WMD
Valerie Plame
Smoking gun in the form of a mushroom cloud
Colin Powell at the UN
Mission Accomplished
Dead-enders
Abu Ghraib
Gitmo
Torture
Going to war with the army you have, not the army you want
Donald Rumsfeld
Warrentless wiretapping
Swift boating
Illegal detentions
Cutting Veteran's Affairs budget
Executive privilege
Signing statements
Scooter Libby
Heck of a job, Brownie
"Privatizing" Social Security
The destruction of the EPA
WOPR
The fundamentals of the economy are sound
Worst. President. Ever.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Tears of Our Fathers
In many parts of the US, there exist places where science is scorned and creation myths about apples, serpents, and benevolent Beings who think everything is "good" hold sway. In many of these townships, parents teach their children that the rain is really George Washington's tears and thunder is Thomas Jefferson farting. You and I know better. Rain is, of course, the result of global warming, and thunder is Father Nature burping after gorging himself on elderberries.
Letter-to-the-editor writer Richard Welch still believes in the tears of the Fathers. He is also an idiot. After ranting about a proposed gas tax increase, he winds up with sheer poetry.
Letter-to-the-editor writer Richard Welch still believes in the tears of the Fathers. He is also an idiot. After ranting about a proposed gas tax increase, he winds up with sheer poetry.
King George would love what has happened to this country. To think of all the men, women and children who have died to come to America, where taxes were never to be like it is today.
Our forefathers must be crying in heaven.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Breaking Contracts
Today's Register Guard informs us that due to the recession and budget cuts at the state level, our local school district (4J in the house, mother-effers!) might have to "revisit" union contracts. Of course, the OEA should (and apparently does) have a two-word response to this idea involving the works "fuck" and "you."
What gets my goat is that there is apparently this belief out there that employers, especially state governments, have the right to "revisit," "renegotiate," or "break" a contract with their employees if it becomes convenient for the state to do so. This is, of course, never a two-way street. When the state has "extra" money, employers don't publicly announce that they want to revisit the contract for the purposes of raising wages.
More to the point, a union contract contains risks for both sides. When management agrees to provide raises over a period of some years, then management is making a commitment and taking a risk that in a couple of years the economic situation might be such that it is difficult to met those commitments. The union takes a risk, too. They are taking a guaranteed wage increase (usually) of a certain percentage, with the risk that the economy might render that wage increase meaningless or worse through inflation. This has been happening with some frequency lately, as 4%+ inflation has turned "cost-of-living" raises of 2% or 3% into a wage cut.
I know I live in a fantasy world where people are eager to treat each other with respect, but I really fail to understand where the visceral hate for public employee comes from. It is such that government officials seem to feel free to float the idea of breaking binding contracts because they know that they can demonize the employees that resist. This is how we, the people, treat our employees?
What gets my goat is that there is apparently this belief out there that employers, especially state governments, have the right to "revisit," "renegotiate," or "break" a contract with their employees if it becomes convenient for the state to do so. This is, of course, never a two-way street. When the state has "extra" money, employers don't publicly announce that they want to revisit the contract for the purposes of raising wages.
More to the point, a union contract contains risks for both sides. When management agrees to provide raises over a period of some years, then management is making a commitment and taking a risk that in a couple of years the economic situation might be such that it is difficult to met those commitments. The union takes a risk, too. They are taking a guaranteed wage increase (usually) of a certain percentage, with the risk that the economy might render that wage increase meaningless or worse through inflation. This has been happening with some frequency lately, as 4%+ inflation has turned "cost-of-living" raises of 2% or 3% into a wage cut.
I know I live in a fantasy world where people are eager to treat each other with respect, but I really fail to understand where the visceral hate for public employee comes from. It is such that government officials seem to feel free to float the idea of breaking binding contracts because they know that they can demonize the employees that resist. This is how we, the people, treat our employees?
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Godwin in 5, 4, 3, ...
There's the beginnings of a decent discussion of the Gaza situation that has yet to descend into wild, most uniformed accusations about who started what over at the Bellman. Thought you might be interested.
Let's Find Out What They Think About Committee Assignments
With all respect to the work of one of my dearest friends, I'm not sure that it is helpful for articles chronicling the unpopularity of one George W. "W." Bush to cite his low standing with "academics" and "professional historians" as proof that he is/was a God-awful president. Professors are amazing people in their ability to sublimate their personal opinions when teaching classes, but when it comes to deciding how the current president ranks in a completely meaningless survey, one has to imagine that their personal opinions will hold sway. I mean, this is like asking professors if graduate school was harder when they went through it. I think we can predict the results of that poll.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Cheney - "No one saw the recession coming"
In an interview with the Associated Press in his waning days in office, US Vice President Dick Cheney is quoted as saying "I don't think anybody saw it coming". His statement was in reference to the current global economic crisis.In all fairness, who could have seen the recession coming?
Further to this statement, he defended President George W. Bush's economic record, stating that he saw no reason for the President to apologize for not foreseeing the economic turmoil.
I mean, who could have foreseen that decades of unlimited tax cuts for the rich, coupled with a decline in real wages for everyone else, could have negative consequences?
Who could have foreseen that the intentional destruction of the American manufacturing base through "free trade" agreements could be anything but beneficial?
Who could have foreseen that the deregulation of the financial sector could lead to corruption and fraud?
Who could have foreseen that an economy based on consumption and debt could do anything but keep growing?
Who could have foreseen that a service-based economy would be unproductive in the long run?
Who could have foreseen that the removal of protections for workers, the Wal-Martization of jobs, and the destruction of the social safety net would reduce confidence in the economy?
Cheney is right. Absolutely no one serious could have foreseen any of this.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Thanks, Doc. Now Cram It
Now I have a reason to think the Gupta appointment to Surgeon General is stupid. He's against weed because "isn't really very good for you." As Paul at LGM points out, there are lots of things that are bad for us, this doesn't necessarily make them illegal. I hate to be that guy, but alcohol and cigarettes come to mind pretty quickly. Another reason to oppose him is that fact that the good doctor apparently doesn't give his writing much thought, as his first sentence presents a couple of head scratchers:
Then there's the fact that he's amazed that despite(!) the war on drugs and the PSAs(!) that people still smoke pot. Has he ever seen an anti-pot PSA? They are pretty awesomely (and notoriously) not going to keep many people from smoking pot. Why? Well, mostly because 15 million Americans apparently do it at least once a month and we're not shooting ourselves in the head, doing H within a couple of weeks, sitting on our mom's couch for a living, or frying eggs for no apparent reason.
In fact, Sanjay Gupta, Surgeon General-to-be, in an article for national publication that one assumes he put some thought into, can only come up with these reasons to not to smoke pot:
Rant over. I'm actually not as worked up about this as I am his (apparent) opposition to nationalized, single-payer health care, but jeebus, on the eve of his appointment this is what we get, a poorly thought-out anti-pot message.
Maybe it's because I was born a couple of months after Woodstock and wasn't around when marijuana was as common as iPods are today, but I'm constantly amazed that after all these years--and all the wars on drugs and all the public-service announcements--nearly 15 million Americans still use marijuana at least once a month.Okay, he's assuming that there was a hell of a lot more pot smoking in the '60s than there is today. I'd like to see some evidence of this. All those boomers that still toke up, plus the Gen Xers, plus the kids are significantly fewer than the people who blazed in the'60s? I'd like to see some proof. I mean I think I know he's joking about the iPod thing, but still.
Then there's the fact that he's amazed that despite(!) the war on drugs and the PSAs(!) that people still smoke pot. Has he ever seen an anti-pot PSA? They are pretty awesomely (and notoriously) not going to keep many people from smoking pot. Why? Well, mostly because 15 million Americans apparently do it at least once a month and we're not shooting ourselves in the head, doing H within a couple of weeks, sitting on our mom's couch for a living, or frying eggs for no apparent reason.
In fact, Sanjay Gupta, Surgeon General-to-be, in an article for national publication that one assumes he put some thought into, can only come up with these reasons to not to smoke pot:
Frequent marijuana use can seriously affect your short-term memory. It can impair your cognitive ability (why do you think people call it dope?) and lead to long-lasting depression or anxiety. While many people smoke marijuana to relax, it can have the opposite effect on frequent users. And smoking anything, whether it's tobacco or marijuana, can seriously damage your lung tissue.So, again, it's almost as bad as alcohol or cigarettes.
Rant over. I'm actually not as worked up about this as I am his (apparent) opposition to nationalized, single-payer health care, but jeebus, on the eve of his appointment this is what we get, a poorly thought-out anti-pot message.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Right-Wing Slopes
I was surprised to see this in the comments at the NW Republican:
Berg's Ski and Snowboard Shop said...Does the owner of Berg's Ski Shop know that his or her employees are posting on far-right wingnut websites in the company's name? Or is this the owner? Is this common knowledge? Am I out of a loop here? Either way, you lose my business just for the horrible and obvious-for-months-now pun.
Sad to see that the Obamanation might just end up being an Abomination to traditional values.
Some Vindication At Long Last
I remember being yelled at when I suggested that the boys at LGM should do something about the half-naked woman that is advertising "edgy" Democratic whatever. I'm happy to say that the ladies at Feministing seem to agree with me that bloggers have some responsibility for what is advertised on their site.
Triple Plays All Over the Place
As County Fair points out, there is almost no imaginable reason Hugh Hewitt should be included in as any kind of "expert" in a discussion of Bush's legacy, a fact which Hewitt quickly confirms when Politico inexplicably does just that.
Hewitt's first sentence contains three errors.
I also seem to remember that the Korean War was deemed a "tie," in that it was the stated ambition of both sides that the country be unified, but the war resulted in a on-going stalemate, with the country divided along the 38th parallel, much the same as it was before the war. Unless Hewitt is somehow saying that the initial attack by North Korea against South Korea was a terrible defeat for the United States. Either way.
I'm not sure how close the attacks on 9-11 came to "crippling the national government in Washington." I remember that a certain President spent an awful long time flying around in his plane while assuring the nation that Dick Cheney was in control of everything. I remember hearing an anecdote about one GOP staffer getting in his car and not stopping until he reached Harrisburg, PA. I know there was a tremendous amount of fear that day, but I don't recall the crippling of the government or anything like it. Maybe Hewitt is referring to everyone losing their heads and hastily voting to launch an unnecessary war in Iraq, but I doubt it.
And that's just the first sentence. The rest of the article is hackity-hackity. I did like this, though:
Hewitt's first sentence contains three errors.
George W. Bush, like Harry Truman, was president when an unexpected attack inflicted a terrible defeat on the United States. Unlike the far-away launch of the Korean War, the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, savaged the heart of Manhattan and came close to crippling the national government in Washington.I'm not an expert in the history of the Korean War, but if memory serves, the Korean War came after months of hostilities, a disputed election, and the unification of Korea was the stated aim of the both the North and South Koreans. In other words, the invasion of the South by the North was widely expected. (Wikipedia confirms!)
I also seem to remember that the Korean War was deemed a "tie," in that it was the stated ambition of both sides that the country be unified, but the war resulted in a on-going stalemate, with the country divided along the 38th parallel, much the same as it was before the war. Unless Hewitt is somehow saying that the initial attack by North Korea against South Korea was a terrible defeat for the United States. Either way.
I'm not sure how close the attacks on 9-11 came to "crippling the national government in Washington." I remember that a certain President spent an awful long time flying around in his plane while assuring the nation that Dick Cheney was in control of everything. I remember hearing an anecdote about one GOP staffer getting in his car and not stopping until he reached Harrisburg, PA. I know there was a tremendous amount of fear that day, but I don't recall the crippling of the government or anything like it. Maybe Hewitt is referring to everyone losing their heads and hastily voting to launch an unnecessary war in Iraq, but I doubt it.
And that's just the first sentence. The rest of the article is hackity-hackity. I did like this, though:
Bush’s grand achievement on the domestic side was the most recent turn of a triple play of tax cuts — John F. Kennedy’s, Ronald Reagan’s and his own — all of which prove the incredible economic wisdom of allowing people to keep more of the money they make. It is unfortunately a lesson that is as quickly unlearned as it is productive when relearned. We are watching its unlearning now. Someone down the road will make it four for four.
The long run of economic growth that ended with the subprime crisis was the product of low marginal tax rates. The bubbles that burst did not destroy that truth any more than their explosions undermined the wisdom of free trade, for which Bush was a tireless campaigner.If the economy is Bush's greatest domestic...Jesus, how do you finish that sentence?
He's No Franken
Today's paper had yet another item about the possibility of a Chris Matthews Senate run. In the tv section, no less. I still can't help but thinking this is a bad idea. Unstable is the word that comes to mind when I think of Matthews. Need we remind of this?
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Spaghetti a la Dave3544
The following recipe is written for a novice cook for a quick weeknight meal. It's pretty low fat, but it does involve cow. I am not proud.
A glass of wine would go nice.
1 16-oz package of cheap dry spaghetti.
1 medium organic yellow onion.
1 head organic garlic
4 oz organic mini sweet peppers
1 small bunch organic basil
1 pound 7% ground beef
2 14 oz cans of organic diced tomatoes
Salt
Pepper
Red Pepper Flakes
Olive oil
Set your oven to 375F.
Cut the top 1/3 off the head of garlic, place in tin foil pouch and drizzle with olive oil, roast in oven for 1/2 an hour.
Destem peppers, cut in half, place in oven-safe container, drizzle with a good amount of olive oil, roast with garlic.
Let the garlic and peppers roast for about 20 minutes.
Get salted water going for spaghetti.
Heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil in frying pan on medium-low heat.
Cut onion into medium dice, put into oil, saute until translucent.
Garlic should be ready. Take it out and set it aside. Turn the oven up to 425 to finish roasting the peppers about another 10 minutes.
When the onions are ready, add beef to pan, turn up heat to medium high. Salt and pepper.
Squeeze the cloves of garlic out into a food processor. Add the roasted peppers and one can of diced tomatoes, blend until smooth.
When the beef is done, drain, and add tomatoes/roasted veggies blend. Give the second can of diced tomatoes a couple of zings in the food processor and add to the pan. Turn the heat down to medium. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Throw in a small amount of red pepper flakes. Stir frequently.
Start your spaghetti.
(If you bought bake-at-home bread, now would be a good time to add it to the oven. If using already baked bread, kill the heat and warm the store-made.)
While the spaghetti cooks, rough chop the basil. Stir it into the sauce. Keep stirring, you got nothing better to do. Check your seasoning.
When the spaghetti is done, drain, and put into a bowl. Add sauce to the top. Don't forget the bread. Eat.
A glass of wine would go nice.
1 16-oz package of cheap dry spaghetti.
1 medium organic yellow onion.
1 head organic garlic
4 oz organic mini sweet peppers
1 small bunch organic basil
1 pound 7% ground beef
2 14 oz cans of organic diced tomatoes
Salt
Pepper
Red Pepper Flakes
Olive oil
Set your oven to 375F.
Cut the top 1/3 off the head of garlic, place in tin foil pouch and drizzle with olive oil, roast in oven for 1/2 an hour.
Destem peppers, cut in half, place in oven-safe container, drizzle with a good amount of olive oil, roast with garlic.
Let the garlic and peppers roast for about 20 minutes.
Get salted water going for spaghetti.
Heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil in frying pan on medium-low heat.
Cut onion into medium dice, put into oil, saute until translucent.
Garlic should be ready. Take it out and set it aside. Turn the oven up to 425 to finish roasting the peppers about another 10 minutes.
When the onions are ready, add beef to pan, turn up heat to medium high. Salt and pepper.
Squeeze the cloves of garlic out into a food processor. Add the roasted peppers and one can of diced tomatoes, blend until smooth.
When the beef is done, drain, and add tomatoes/roasted veggies blend. Give the second can of diced tomatoes a couple of zings in the food processor and add to the pan. Turn the heat down to medium. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Throw in a small amount of red pepper flakes. Stir frequently.
Start your spaghetti.
(If you bought bake-at-home bread, now would be a good time to add it to the oven. If using already baked bread, kill the heat and warm the store-made.)
While the spaghetti cooks, rough chop the basil. Stir it into the sauce. Keep stirring, you got nothing better to do. Check your seasoning.
When the spaghetti is done, drain, and put into a bowl. Add sauce to the top. Don't forget the bread. Eat.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Seems Like I Say This Every Year
So far the big four from the Big 12 South are 0-2 in bowl games, with Oklahoma State losing to Oregon (from the allegedly weak-sister Pac 10) and Texas Tech losing to four-loss Ole Miss.
If When Texas loses to big underdog Ohio State and Oklahoma is crushed by Florida, is anyone in the sports prognosticating world going to recognize that they had been over-ranking the Big 12 all along and Texas beating Oklahoma, who beat Texas Tech, who beat Texas did not mean they were all top eight teams? Better yet, will this somehow prevent all three or four teams being ranked in the top 10 next year so that they are guaranteed at least one slot in the national championship game? I'm not holding my breath.
And yes, the SEC will probably have a national champion Florida, but since Florida is only there because they beat undefeated, undisputed Alabama to get there and Alabama proceeded to lay an egg against Utah, is it possible that we might be able to, next year, suggest that the SEC is not a unstoppable footballing conference? I didn't think so either.
All of this is to say that, while a team from the SEC or Big 12 (or both!) can feel free to drop a game and still have a shot at the national title, a team like, just picking at random, Oregon had better win all its games or it has no shot. This despite the fact that we have one-loss Boise State, undefeated Utah, one-loss USC, and Cal, Arizona, and Oregon State - who all won bowl games - on the schedule next year.
There is no justice in this world!
[Update]: Obviously Texas squeaked out a win, but I don't believe for a second they could hang with USC and I believe that even Oregon would have a decent shot. I stand by my "overrated" chant with regards to the Big 12.
And yes, the SEC will probably have a national champion Florida, but since Florida is only there because they beat undefeated, undisputed Alabama to get there and Alabama proceeded to lay an egg against Utah, is it possible that we might be able to, next year, suggest that the SEC is not a unstoppable footballing conference? I didn't think so either.
All of this is to say that, while a team from the SEC or Big 12 (or both!) can feel free to drop a game and still have a shot at the national title, a team like, just picking at random, Oregon had better win all its games or it has no shot. This despite the fact that we have one-loss Boise State, undefeated Utah, one-loss USC, and Cal, Arizona, and Oregon State - who all won bowl games - on the schedule next year.
There is no justice in this world!
[Update]: Obviously Texas squeaked out a win, but I don't believe for a second they could hang with USC and I believe that even Oregon would have a decent shot. I stand by my "overrated" chant with regards to the Big 12.
So This Is How Freedom Dies
John Bolton and John Yoo had an editorial in the NYT yesterday calling for the restoration of the Senate's Treaty power. The stones on these boys, you know?
As you may guess, they in no way acknowledge the era of the imperial presidency or that the Bush administration recently signed a pretty secret agreement locking the US into protecting Iraq from now until Armageddon or Iran becomes an American ally, which ever comes first.
I was going to advocate that we (by which I mean the Dems) learn to be more like this, creating our own reality as we go, but then I remember Yoda told us that once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will, as it did Obi-Wan's apprentice. I don't want that. We need to be the party of truth and light, right? But then, I remebered that Yoda was wrong about Vader. he did come back from the dark path because there was good in him all along. Wouldn't we trade twenty or so years (don't get me started) of being evil, if it meant we could vanquish a larger evil for all time and restore "balance" to the force? But then, what if the GOP, and Dick Cheney specifically, are really the temporary-dark ones and we are the Empire? Jesus, this can get confusing.
All I know is that after this season, I am totally sending my application to the secret rebel academy that the Empire can't find.
As you may guess, they in no way acknowledge the era of the imperial presidency or that the Bush administration recently signed a pretty secret agreement locking the US into protecting Iraq from now until Armageddon or Iran becomes an American ally, which ever comes first.
I was going to advocate that we (by which I mean the Dems) learn to be more like this, creating our own reality as we go, but then I remember Yoda told us that once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will, as it did Obi-Wan's apprentice. I don't want that. We need to be the party of truth and light, right? But then, I remebered that Yoda was wrong about Vader. he did come back from the dark path because there was good in him all along. Wouldn't we trade twenty or so years (don't get me started) of being evil, if it meant we could vanquish a larger evil for all time and restore "balance" to the force? But then, what if the GOP, and Dick Cheney specifically, are really the temporary-dark ones and we are the Empire? Jesus, this can get confusing.
All I know is that after this season, I am totally sending my application to the secret rebel academy that the Empire can't find.
Oregon GOP Bait and Switch
The GOP in Oregon is something of a joke, so it's no surprise that their shining light, Rep. Bruce Hanna (who I believe Coyote has already tapped for DeFazio's seat) cannot get through an entire editorial without revealing how completely bankrupt the Republican party is these days.
You may be surprised to find that the Oregon GOP opposes increases in government spending as a solution to the recession. Nope, they've got a better plan.
But how will the Oregon GOP revive this once glorious state? Not with higher taxes, they can tell you that right now. In fact, taxes must come down. For you. The low-income worker.
How much of a tax cut will I be getting Bruce? Unstated. But wait! There's more! Heaven forbid the GOP stop at unexplained tax cuts for the working poor, there's more taxes that need a-cutting. But first, let's stop to think about the children.
But let's get to the nitty-gritty, shall we? What does any state need to succeed? Capital, of course. And retaining the capital it has should be a number one priority. Capital retention is achieved through lowering the estate and capital gains taxes.
Now, you may be saying to yourself, "Dave3544, I have taken basic economic theory. I have taken advanced economic theory. I have read my Marx and I have read my Friedman. That shit don't make no sense. How the hell can lowering taxes on wealthy individuals keep money in the state of Oregon? Where was this taxed money going, if not into the coffers of the state of Oregon? Didn't those tax dollars get distributed to Oregonians in the form of salaries, safety net support, construction jobs, etc.? Didn't that money make it's way into the hands of hard-working Oregonians who eventually, surely spent it at Bi-Mart?" Don't ask me, ask Bruce Hanna.
Does Rep. Hanna really think that Country Coach is laying off people left and right because the taxes on its owners and investors are too high? How much would we need to cut those taxes so that they don't shut their doors? Hynix layed off 1400 people. We slashed the hell out of their taxes. Freightliner shutting down in Portland was a killer; maybe if the estate tax was lower that wouldn't have happened. On the smaller business front, a restaurant in Eugene is closing and more are on the way. Too bad you didn't speak up sooner, or you could have cut the capital gains taxes enough to keep the customers flowing. Maybe we can get some sort of "eating out" tax credit in the works.
So Rep. Hanna starts out promising help for Oregon's working families and ends by giving us tax breaks for the wealthy. No surprise there I guess. I'm just glad to know that, with this kind of thinking, we can look forward to keeping the Oregon GOP in the minority for a very long time.
You may be surprised to find that the Oregon GOP opposes increases in government spending as a solution to the recession. Nope, they've got a better plan.
We must create an environment where businesses can succeed, create new family wage [sic] jobs and lead Oregon to economic recovery.How is the GOP going to accomplish this goal? Well first, Bruce tells you how they are not going to do it.
Prosperity can’t be manufactured in Salem. Prosperity is possible only when Oregonians can support their local small businesses and participate in their community’s economic success.
Our plan doesn’t raise your taxes and fees, and doesn’t increase pork barrel spending on more “bridges to nowhere.” It won’t saddle your children and grandchildren with billions of dollars in new government debt, and it doesn’t depend on yet another taxpayer-funded government bailout.In other words, the Oregon GOP's plan is emphatically not a plan that contravenes Oregon's constitutional balanced budget mandate, provide for the building of bridges in Alaska (let's hope that the bridge over I-5 in Eugene is deemed to be going somewhere because it would really be awesome if that was finished sometime), or bailout anything. In other words, the Oregon GOP will not pretend that it is the House of Representatives in DC. Thank God.
But how will the Oregon GOP revive this once glorious state? Not with higher taxes, they can tell you that right now. In fact, taxes must come down. For you. The low-income worker.
Our plan starts by reforming an income tax system that unfairly penalizes low-income Oregonians who work hard every day for their paychecks. Under the state’s marginal tax structure, a worker making $10 an hour pays the same tax rate as someone making $80 an hour. As a result, lower-paid workers must first give a larger share of their income to the state before meeting their own basic needs. By reforming income tax brackets, we can allow many struggling Oregonians to keep more of what they earn and give them more purchasing power in the economy.Boom! We're done right there. Lower taxes for the working poor. You and I keep our hard earned money, spend it at the Bi-Mart, and we all go away winners. Lower taxes will necessarily mean less money for the state government, but I'm sure there is some fat we can trim somewhere. (Actually Hanna leaves the issue of decreased revenue completely undiscussed. The "fat" argument is mine. If you'd like, feel free to substitute in a rant about teacher's salaries, welfare cheats, and/or SEIU. Hell, you can even contravene all evidence fomr the past eight years and argue that lower taxes leads to increased tax revenue. I am sure Bruce would approve.)
How much of a tax cut will I be getting Bruce? Unstated. But wait! There's more! Heaven forbid the GOP stop at unexplained tax cuts for the working poor, there's more taxes that need a-cutting. But first, let's stop to think about the children.
House Republicans understand that Oregon families are struggling to make ends meet. Rather than asking families to send more of their dollars to government, we propose giving them greater relief by increasing the state’s child tax credit. This measure will help many Oregonians cope with the rising costs of maintaining a home and securing a better future for their children.That's right, under the GOP plan, the state will pay you to have children, but it won't pay to educate them. I love the vacuousness of that last phrase. "Securing a better future for their children." How the fuck does an extra $100 (guessing!) per child help me secure their future? Am I supposed to sock that away in a college fund or something? Actually, I think I'm supposed to spend it. Possibly at the Bi-Mart. I'd also like to note that despite the GOP's deep, deep concern for working families, everyone would get this credit, regardless of income.
But let's get to the nitty-gritty, shall we? What does any state need to succeed? Capital, of course. And retaining the capital it has should be a number one priority. Capital retention is achieved through lowering the estate and capital gains taxes.
Now, you may be saying to yourself, "Dave3544, I have taken basic economic theory. I have taken advanced economic theory. I have read my Marx and I have read my Friedman. That shit don't make no sense. How the hell can lowering taxes on wealthy individuals keep money in the state of Oregon? Where was this taxed money going, if not into the coffers of the state of Oregon? Didn't those tax dollars get distributed to Oregonians in the form of salaries, safety net support, construction jobs, etc.? Didn't that money make it's way into the hands of hard-working Oregonians who eventually, surely spent it at Bi-Mart?" Don't ask me, ask Bruce Hanna.
You might also want to note that out of the 50 or so states in the US, "dozens" out perform Oregon, according to Hanna. Others disagree. But, of course, the main point is that this more of the same tired bullshit form the Oregon GOP. Apparently, the working-class people need to get on board with tax cuts for the rich so that they can get about the important work of creating jobs for the slobs. I feel like I have a very bad case of deja vu. Well not deja vu because that can be interesting and is (possibly) indicative of a glitch in the Matrix, this shit is just tired.With the current financial crisis, Oregon needs to keep as much capital within the state as it can. Oregon must help private sector industries succeed by reforming the state’s estate tax and capital gains tax rate, among the highest in the nation. Under the current system, Oregon can’t compete with the dozens of states that have strategically kept these taxes low to attract and retain businesses and encourage reinvestment.
The state’s high estate tax and capital gains tax rate affects everyone, from working families to middle class investors to large corporations. As securities and real estate markets begin a long and slow recovery process, Oregon should make every effort attract and retain capital. This will promote private investments to enable business to expand and create more family wage jobs.
Does Rep. Hanna really think that Country Coach is laying off people left and right because the taxes on its owners and investors are too high? How much would we need to cut those taxes so that they don't shut their doors? Hynix layed off 1400 people. We slashed the hell out of their taxes. Freightliner shutting down in Portland was a killer; maybe if the estate tax was lower that wouldn't have happened. On the smaller business front, a restaurant in Eugene is closing and more are on the way. Too bad you didn't speak up sooner, or you could have cut the capital gains taxes enough to keep the customers flowing. Maybe we can get some sort of "eating out" tax credit in the works.
So Rep. Hanna starts out promising help for Oregon's working families and ends by giving us tax breaks for the wealthy. No surprise there I guess. I'm just glad to know that, with this kind of thinking, we can look forward to keeping the Oregon GOP in the minority for a very long time.
Friday, January 2, 2009
EW Letter of the Week
I'm sure that many of us of the Generation X have burned an evening or two discussing just why the fuck it is that we decided to would a good idea to get ourselves all pierced and tattooed up. We may have even commented on the hilariousness of our own hypocrisy as we watched the younger kids take an innocent little rebellion to such extremes that we find ourselves saying "Now why the hell would anyone want to go and do that to themselves for?"
I've always been partial to the "societal rejection" theory that argues that we were attempting to not just reject societal norms, but we were basically attempting to reject society before it could reject us and, therefore, provide a ready made excuse for what would surely be our failure to achieve anything in this fucked up world. Lord knows, it is better to think that no one loves you because you have 18 metal studs in your head than it is to think no one loves because you are unloveable as a person.
If class was destiny, then I was born to be a timber worker. I can probably count on one hand the number of older male relatives of mine that didn't earn their living working with lumber. Those that know me probably find the picture of me working in a lumber mill ridiculously incongruous, but then I imagine that all kinds of blue collar jobs are held by men that would/could/should have been something else. Hell, I doubt that my dad at sixteen was looking forward to a life of manual labor. Which, of course, was exactly where I was at that age. Fortunately for me, the northwest timber industry was collapsing about that time and timber wasn't really much of an option, but that only meant that I had no future, rather than an unlimited one. (On a side note, if the spotted owl had to be wiped out as a species so that I didn't spend my life in a mill, so be it).
So how does the son of a mill worker rebel? (Ed: By doing really well in school and getting into Harvard and having the old man tell you he loves you when you graduate at the top of your class? No.) Perhaps by rejecting macho working-class culture by getting his ears and nose pierced. Nothing like a little feminization to tweak the old man. (On another side note, I fully recognize that these tweaks and body modifications are also a desperate attempt to gain the attention of the distant father figure. I also recognize that this ground has been covered better elsewhere. I'm going to get to my actual point soon). We also took the badass tattoo and repurposed it by decorating ourselves with fish, nonsensical symbols, and, in some cases, Warner Bros. cartoon characters.
Anyway, my point being that multiple piercings and tattoos were about rejection. Defying cultural norms. Saying "Fuck you!" to The Man in many, varied ways, especially before the man could say "Fuck you" to us. And being piercings and tattoos, they were very public expressions of alienation. Which is to say, in no way was getting oneself pierced or tattooed a call for understanding and acceptance.
Which leads me (finally) to my point and this week's Eugene Weekly Letter of the Week. Now, I recognize that is has been some years since I drunkenly got myself tattooed and that I am coming dangerously close to yelling at someone to get off of my lawn, but either the kids today are very different than we were or Taylor Snow has missed the point entirely.
All I am saying is that you cannot get yourself all tatted and pierced up and then complain that people don't take you seriously.
I've always been partial to the "societal rejection" theory that argues that we were attempting to not just reject societal norms, but we were basically attempting to reject society before it could reject us and, therefore, provide a ready made excuse for what would surely be our failure to achieve anything in this fucked up world. Lord knows, it is better to think that no one loves you because you have 18 metal studs in your head than it is to think no one loves because you are unloveable as a person.
If class was destiny, then I was born to be a timber worker. I can probably count on one hand the number of older male relatives of mine that didn't earn their living working with lumber. Those that know me probably find the picture of me working in a lumber mill ridiculously incongruous, but then I imagine that all kinds of blue collar jobs are held by men that would/could/should have been something else. Hell, I doubt that my dad at sixteen was looking forward to a life of manual labor. Which, of course, was exactly where I was at that age. Fortunately for me, the northwest timber industry was collapsing about that time and timber wasn't really much of an option, but that only meant that I had no future, rather than an unlimited one. (On a side note, if the spotted owl had to be wiped out as a species so that I didn't spend my life in a mill, so be it).
So how does the son of a mill worker rebel? (Ed: By doing really well in school and getting into Harvard and having the old man tell you he loves you when you graduate at the top of your class? No.) Perhaps by rejecting macho working-class culture by getting his ears and nose pierced. Nothing like a little feminization to tweak the old man. (On another side note, I fully recognize that these tweaks and body modifications are also a desperate attempt to gain the attention of the distant father figure. I also recognize that this ground has been covered better elsewhere. I'm going to get to my actual point soon). We also took the badass tattoo and repurposed it by decorating ourselves with fish, nonsensical symbols, and, in some cases, Warner Bros. cartoon characters.
Anyway, my point being that multiple piercings and tattoos were about rejection. Defying cultural norms. Saying "Fuck you!" to The Man in many, varied ways, especially before the man could say "Fuck you" to us. And being piercings and tattoos, they were very public expressions of alienation. Which is to say, in no way was getting oneself pierced or tattooed a call for understanding and acceptance.
Which leads me (finally) to my point and this week's Eugene Weekly Letter of the Week. Now, I recognize that is has been some years since I drunkenly got myself tattooed and that I am coming dangerously close to yelling at someone to get off of my lawn, but either the kids today are very different than we were or Taylor Snow has missed the point entirely.
ANTI-TEEN BIASOne of the problems in this town is discrimination against teens. Not just any teens, teens with piercings and tattoos. At the LTD bus stop one morning a man talking to me said, “Kids with facial piercings and tattoos are bigger troublemakers than kids who do not have them.” I think that it’s stupid that people say things like that.
Please look beyond the piercings and tattoos. I’m just a kid. I don’t have a criminal record, and I’m not looking to rob you. I know plenty of kids my age who have piercings, kids who don’t get into any trouble whatsoever. People should get to know someone before they judge them. Labeling kids just isn’t fair. Eugene would be much better off if people didn’t judge other people by their appearance. It’s unkind and disrespectful to judge someone by what they have or don’t have on their face.
Taylor Snow, Eugene
All I am saying is that you cannot get yourself all tatted and pierced up and then complain that people don't take you seriously.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Happy New Year!
This is the kind of new news you want to start your year off with:
Next This year may just be the year for the Ducks. We've got a tough schedule, with Boise State on the road (in China?) and Utah at home, but we also have USC, Cal, ASU and OSU at home. We lose a lot off the offensive and defensive lines, but I think we have the guys to fill those slots. Many skill players back and Masoli just look fantastic at the end of the year. Blount coming back is a huge piece of the puzzle. Early next year in Pasadena?
[Blout] had one carry through three quarters, and seemed in danger of not matching Johnson’s 1,000-yard season.I've been saying it for nine months now.“I wasn’t frustrated at all,” Blount said. “Because I’m going to be back next year and be the premier back, just like he was this year.”
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