Monday, October 31, 2011

Have you heard of a ship…


Some history from Ed Darrell...
October 31 is also the anniversary of the sinking of the World War I era Clemson-class, four-stack destroyer, U.S.S. Reuben James, by a German U-boat. Woody Guthrie memorialized the sad event in the song, Reuben James, recorded by the Almanac Singers with Pete Seeger (see also here, and here), and later a hit for the Kingston Trio. The Reuben James was sunk on October 31, 1941 — over a month before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
…and a bit on why it matters now…
One of the internet hoax letters complaining about Barack Obama claims that the U.S. entered World War II against Germany although the Germans had not fired a single round against the U.S. The 115 dead from the crew of 160 aboard the James testify to the inaccuracy of that claim, wholly apart from the treaty of mutual defense Germany and Japan were parties to...
More at Millard Fillmore's Bathtub.

(Woody's original answered the refrain "What were their names..." with the complete list of 115. I'm glad he fixed it, otherwise I suspect we wouldn't be singing it any more.)

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Saturday, October 29, 2011

Boo!

A Happy Haunting random ten (yep, got a whole directory of this stuff)...
The Upsetters - The Vampire
David Seville - Witch Doctor
The Five Blobs - The Blob
The Revillos - Monster Man
Louis Farrakhan - Zombie Jamboree
Bobby 'Boris' Pickett - Monster Mash
Bob McFadden & Dor - The Mummy
Screamin' Jay Hawkins - I Put A Spell On You
Jimmy Buffett - Desperation Samba (Halloween In Tijuana)
Tony's Monstrosities - Igor's Party
(...and yep, that Louis Farrakhan.)

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Friday, October 28, 2011

Reading the news...

...and thinking about Woody Guthrie, I found another verse...
There was an occupyin' crowd, that hollered right out loud
'Bout the liars and crooks and banker's books
And the kind of theft the law allowed
They hit the street one day, said folks should have their say
And pretty soon the message spread across the USA

Oh you can't stop us, we're marchin from Wall Street
To occupy this street, we're making it our street
No you can't stop us, we're marchin' from Wall Street
'Til this land is our land again…

A few folks led the way, then labor joined the fray
And pretty soon the world around
More turned out to have their say
The time has come to pass to save the middle class
They need you too, you know it's true, so get up off your ass

Oh you can't stop us, we're marchin from Wall Street
To occupy this street, we're making it our street
No you can't stop us, we're marchin' from Wall Street
'Til this land is our land again…
One more and I'll have to haul the guitar down to Westlake...

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If you're concerned...

...that you've missed the opportunity to respond to my abject plea for financial support, fear not! The 8th Blogiversary Begathon is still underway and the tip jar is still right here.

Every little bit really helps and is hugely appreciated.

Every little tiny bit.

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Thursday, October 27, 2011

Quote of the day.

Governor Christine Gregoire, introducing her all-cuts budget…
"I'm not thinking."
Seems to go without saying.

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And now, the rest of the story…

I've gone this far, so I'd best run through the rest of the races on my ballot. There are two contested school board races. There was a Shoreline School District for decades before there was a City of Shoreline. Retaining our independent school system was, in fact, a major driver behind our incorporation. There are two contested School Board seats on the ballot, and no one has successfully made a case against retaining the incumbents, Mike Jacobs and Richard Potter.

The school district's also put a levy on the ballot to support smaller class sizes in the face of state budget cuts. I'm voting yes.

There's some unusual intrigue at the bottom of the ballot. A number of services in our town, including the fire department and the water and sewer departments, are administered by independently elected commissions. That's a legacy of our not too distant past as an unincorporated suburb. They're usually no hotly contested elections, offering virtually no pay and perhaps less prestige.

There are a pair of contest this year, though, one for the fire commission and one for the Ronald Wastewater District, our local sewer service.

Jon Kennison has served as a Fire Commissioner for a quarter of a century, and I was a bit surprised to see him draw an challenge at all, and even more surprised when his opponent snagged an IAFF endorsement. The endorsement was a little less surprising when I learned that the challenger is the wife of a firefighter. In any event, this is another case where I see no reason to replace an experienced incumbent. I'm supporting Jon Kennison.

There's a hotter issue behind former City Councilman Bob Ransom's challenge to incumbent Wastewater District Commissioner Arne Lind. As I said, the commissions are a left over from the city's pre-city days, and there are some who think it’s time to consolidate service under the city umbrella. Ransom is a stalwart advocate of that view, at least with regard to sewer service. Lind hasn't argued vigorously against such a move, but insists that it only take place with the approval of a public vote. Voters created the district and have supported it over the years. They should be guaranteed a voice in any change. I'm supporting Arne Lind.

And that's my ballot. If you're a Washington voter, all the races on your ballot, and the endorsements of the legislative district, county and state Democrats, can be found with the Washington State Democrats Personal Democratic Endorsements Finder, a remarkable service from our State Party office.

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Signs of the times.

Via Matt Osborne...

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Wednesday, October 26, 2011

They say you don't get...

...if you don't ask, but they never mention that sometimes you don't even if you do.

The 8th Blogiversary Begathon continues regardless. If you've found something of value in the last 9500 posts, the tip jar is right here.

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Map of the day.



Hat tip to Juan Cole, who adds...
Just to be clear, the 1% are about 3 million, the 9% are about 27 million, and everyone else crowded into that little torrid strip is about 278 million.

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Chart of the day.

CBO data, via MaddowBlog...

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The hard part.

The choices for King County Elections and the Port Commission are almost comically easy. The choices for our local city council are more difficult. That's actually a good thing.

Like our big neighbor to the south, "non-partisan" government in Shoreline tends to produce uni-partisan government. Happily, the party in question is the Democratic Party. As a result, both sides of local races usually feature folks of generally liberal outlook, although most of the municipal issues they contend with in office don't hinge on ideological division. Friends and allies, personal and political, tend to pop up on the endorsement lists of all the candidates, a sign, I suppose, that we're still a pretty small and surprisingly stable city. Most political choices come down to keeping the bad guys out or getting the good guys in. Not so much in Shoreline, where the options are all, or nearly all, qualified, compassionate, public-spirited neighbors.

If they're all good, some are better, and that discernment is the hard part. These are fairly low profile, low budget campaigns, so there's not a flood of paid media. You have to read the voter's pamphlet, check endorsement lists and candidate evaluations, attend candidate forums and, perhaps most importantly, answer the doorbell when it rings. Shoe leather can still win elections here. In fact, like the presidential primary voters in New Hampshire, folks hereabouts like to vote for people they've met.

I haven't met Jesse Salomon, who's running for an open seat on the Council, because I wasn't home when he dropped by, but the Brilliant and Beautiful Bride of Upper Left answered the door and came away favorably impressed. That's about all the recommendation I need. Jesse is a neighborhood activist, a public defender and my choice for Position 6. I can see a political future beyond the city for him if he wants it, but while we have the chance to enjoy his talents locally, we should take it.

Chris Eggen is running for re-election, and I'm supporting him again. I got to know Chris as a workhorse in the local Democratic Party, and he's been a workhorse on the Council. He deserves another term.

I admit to a general bias in favor of incumbents, absent some egregious reason for removal. There's no such reason with the incumbent in Position 4, but I'm supporting the challenger, Janet Way, just the same.

You can learn a lot about a politician from a campaign, and a lot more from the way they conduct themselves in office after they win. Sometimes you learn the most of all, though, after they lose. When Janet lost her re-election bid in the last cycle, she didn't retreat an inch from her energetic activism on behalf of environmental, cultural and historic preservation. She started a blog that's become the go-to source for local information about those issues and the sustainability-based economic growth and development that she champions (and some terrific wildlife photography!). She's continued to listen, to learn, and to teach in turn. She'll be an advocate for ideas and concerns that are too seldom part of Council discussions these days.

I'm voting for Janet, Chris and Jesse. If you're hereabouts, I hope you do, too.

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Tuesday, October 25, 2011

It hasn't quite come to this...



...but anything you can do to make the 8th Blogiversary Begathon successful would mean a great deal. Sure, I'll be here regardless, but if you find what I do informative, entertaining or even infuriating I hope you'll chip in. The PayPal link is never far away.

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Possibly the most under-rated decision we make…

…in King County is who will serve on our Port Commission. The Port's most visible symbol is probably the massive container cranes on the south end of Elliot Bay, but it's reach extends to the operation of Sea-Tac International Airport and what's fast becoming one of the busiest cruise ship terminals on the west coast. It's doubtless the largest economic driver in the region, and King County voters are charged with electing Commissioners to protect the public interest in its operations. It's no small thing. Happily, the choices are nearly as easy as the Director of Elections race.

Gael Tarleton was elected four years ago, attracting a broad coalition of support including Democrats and labor with her call for reform at the Port. She's kept the faith and her friends during her first term and deserves another. Her opponent is a perennial candidate with the usual anti-tax axe to grind. I'm voting for Gael.

Dean Willard gives us the chance to strengthen the reform movement Gael has spearheaded. I endorsed Dean in the primary election and I'm standing by him with my general election vote.

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The Elections election…

…between King County Director of Elections Sherril Huff and "Political and Literary Consultant" Mark Greene is among the easier choices I'll ever have to make. Greene is a Republican crank with a chip on his shoulder about a primary loss. Huff is an elections professional who has led the county through the transition to all-mail elections so deftly that even I have come to a grudging appreciation for the system, and her administration of it, though the curmudgeonly longing for my polling place lingers.

Sherril Huff. Without a doubt.

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From the "Me too" file.

John Aravosis...
I do think it's interesting that Mormons are supposed to be given a "get out of politics free card" when they inject themselves into politics to a massive degree in an effort to impose their religious beliefs on the rest of us.
Me too.

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Meanwhile, here at home...

…my 2011 general election ballot has arrived, reminding me that I've been spending too much time obsessed with next year when there's an election right in front of my face. Beyond a trio of initiatives and a pair of amendments to the state constitution, the races on my ballot are municipal, ranging from county-wide offices to local special districts, but the affect of the choices made can affect the lives of the voters more rapidly and directly than the outcome of next year's higher profile campaigns.

It's no secret that I consider the initiative process corrupted beyond correction, so my default bias is 'no' on each and every one. On the other hand, consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds, and I like to think my my mind is one of generous proportions, so this year I'll be voting for one of the three, I-1163, the SEIU backed proposal to provide background checks and training standards for long-term care workers and providers. The fact that we're voting on this is to some degree an indictment of the legislature, which should have provided these basic protections to some of our most vulnerable citizens in the normal course of business. They didn't, though, and the question remains "Should this measure be enacted into law?" The answer is yes.

Initiative 1125 is this year's offering from one of the initiative process' principal corrupters, Tim Eyman, which is all most right, erm, proper-thinking people need to know to join me in voting no. It's a typical effort to undermine the legislature's budget authority and responsibility combined with and effort to restrict infrastructure revenues that annoy Eyman's wealthy clients. No, no, as many votes as you have in your household NO!

Another example of the corruption that's turned our initiative process into a circus mirror reflection of its original progressive intent can be found with I-1183, this year's liquor privatization initiative. While I'm a supporter of privatizing the distribution and sale of liquor and getting rid of our East German style state retail outlets, I-1183 isn't the way to do it. Costco and the major grocery chains have self-financed a proposal that grants them sort of joint monopoly on retail sales of spirits. The campaign's on each side, funded by industry rivals, are both dishonest and distracting. It's not really a question of where liquor should be sold, or who to, or for how much. It's about whether corporations should be able to buy their own laws via the initiative process. They shouldn't. Vote no.

There are also a pair of constitutional amendments submitted by the legislature, one essentially housekeeping and one to strengthen the state's "rainy day" fund. I'm voting approve both of them.

Candidate races coming up...

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Monday, October 24, 2011

Signs of the times.

Via MaddowBlog...

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Sunday, October 23, 2011

If you're looking for a bright spot...

in the local football firmament, feel free to celebrate my fantasy football team's commanding victory today. Go Hibernians!

Which is an admittedly flimsy pretext for the opportunity to remind you that our 8th Blogiversary Begathon is underway. The wolf isn't actually at the door this time, but he's circling the yard and sniffing the air. If you can chip in for a little wolf repellent it would be appreciated more than I can express.

Here's the PayPal link.

Thanks.

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Saturday, October 22, 2011

Another revolution...

...of my home planet has occurred since I fired up this thing on October 22, 2003. Eight Earth years is damn near incalculable in blog years, I suppose. All the usual accolades to my co-bloggers, readers, commenters, sources and inspirations apply. Doing this has been a source of entertainment, education and solace for me, and I hope it's been at least some of that for some of you.

I'd be remiss if I didn't note that none of this would have been possible without the unrelenting indulgence of the Brilliant and Beautiful Bride of Upper Left.

All the usual accolades also apply, of course, to those who've chipped in to keep me and the blog afloat financially. Things aren't quite as desparate around Upper Left World Headquarters as they were the last time I rattled the change cup, but the income from my day (and night) job drops rather precipitously in the cooler months when the patio closes and half the dining capacity at the perfect tavern disappears. Since that tip jar isn't so productive right now, this one could use some attention.

The easy way is PayPal, but if you need another way, drop me a note.

Whether you can chip in or not, thanks for being here, some of y'all for all eight years!

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Our regular report from the randomizer...

Joni Mitchell - All I Want
Barenaked Ladies - One Week
The Four Tops - Bernadette
Little Richard - Long Tall Sally
Mollie O'Brien & Rich Moore - Don't Bother Me
Delaney, Bonnie & Friends - Never Ending Song Of Love
Judy Collins - Amazing Grace
Jason & The Scorchers - Twang Town Blues
Trout Fishing In America - I Pretend To Understand
Lorretta Lynn - Fist City

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Friday, October 21, 2011

Heh™.

Via Blue Gal...

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From the "Give 'em hell, Harry" file.

The Majority Leader
“The Senate GOP has had a love affair for many years now with Grover Norquist — they will not touch any new revenues.They are not in touch with reality or their own constituents. But they are in touch with Grover Norquist.”

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There oughta be a sign…

Brad Reed...
"We have to stop pretending that it's okay to screw people over in the name of making money."

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Thursday, October 20, 2011

What do Moammar Khaddafy…

Moammar Gadhafi, Muammar Gadhafhi, Muammar Qadhafi, Moammar Qaddafi, Muammar Qaaddafi, Muammar Gaddafi and Muammar el-Qaddafi have in common?

They're all dead.

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Chart of the day.

Via Laura Clawson...

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From the "Me too" file.


Me too.

Hat tip to Zaid Jilani .

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Wednesday, October 19, 2011

From the "There oughta be a law…" file.

Lang's Armistice Axiom
When they close the main PX , the war is over.

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Good question…

…from digby...
Why in God's name are people sending garbage to a war zone?

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Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Everything I need to know about Rob McKenna...

...I learned from Darryl...
Karl Rove is in town tonight to raise money for Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob McKenna.
If you're able, occupy 6th & Bellevue Way, 5:30.

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Good question…

…from Susie Madrak
If #OWS Has No Coherent Message, How Come Eric Cantor Is Suddenly Talking About 'Income Disparity'?

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Signs of the times.

Via Matt Yglesias

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Sunday, October 16, 2011

What Tbogg said…

here...
This not the head of some state. This not us invading some country.

This is tracking down and killing a genocidal maniac who is slaughtering and enslaving some of the poorest and most vulnerable people on earth and has been doing so for years. He is not someone to be captured and rehabilitated.

And all of the harrumphing and chin-stroking and arguments about the unitary executive and war powers and slippery slopes and motives and claims that America lacks the moral authority to go after this monster is all well and good on blogs and at think tanks and during painfully earnest late night discussions over coffee and brandy, however, in harsh light of day, the sooner this guy is dead the better off the world will be.
Yep.

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Saturday, October 15, 2011

I've never been sure…

…exactly what "progressive" means, but if it means this...
Progressives believe in openness, equal opportunity, and tolerance. Progressives assume we’re all in it together — we all benefit from public investments in schools and health care and infrastructure; and we all do better with strong safety nets, reasonable constraints on Wall Street and big business, and a truly progressive tax system. And progressives worry when the rich and privileged become so powerful they undermine democracy.
…then I suppose I am one, though "liberal," a tag some "progressives" eschew, seems to cover the same ground just fine.

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Signs of the times.

Occupying Seattle, via Eli Sanders at Slog...

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Seems like a good time...

...to dip into the big directory of topical tunes. Ten for the folks in the streets...
Old Crow Medicine Show - Union Maid
Billy Bragg & Wilco - Agin'st The Law
Otis Gibbs - The People's Day
Pete Seeger - We Shall Overcome
Michele Fay Band - These Working Hands
Malvina Reynolds - It Isn't Nice
Utah Phillips - Mr. Block
Fred Holstein - Banks Of Marble
Whiteville Choir (UNITE Local 1077) - Marching In The Street
Tom Paxton - Ain't That News
The Almanac Singers - Which Side Are You On?

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Friday, October 14, 2011

From the "Just the facts…" file.

Steve Benen...
Consider this tidbit: cloture was invoked 63 times in 2009 and 2010, which isn't just the most ever, it's more than the sum total of instances from 1919 through 1982. That's not a typo.
It is, however, a disgrace.

A distinctly Republican disgrace.

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Thursday, October 13, 2011

A modest contribution…

…with apologies to Woody...
There was an occupyin' crowd, that hollered right out loud
'Bout the liars and crooks and banker's books
And the kind of theft the law allowed
They hit the street one day, said folks should have their say
And pretty soon the message spread across the USA
Oh you can't stop us, we're spreading from Wall Street
To occupy this street, we're making it our street
No you can't stop us, we're spreading from Wall Street
'Til this land is our land again…
Need another verse or two, but the story's not over yet...

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If the intertubes seem sluggish today...

...they're probably clogged up with copies of this enroute to PZ Myers...


Hat tip to Cookie Jill.

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Signs of the times.

OWS, via AFL-CIO Now...


Clear enough?

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Just in case...

...you're still wondering where the money went, via Connect The Dots USA...

(It clicks a bunch bigger.)


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Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Quote of the day.

Former Republican Senator, now independent Governor, Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island...
"The appeal you have to make to the Republican primary audience -- that's just alien to what's in our best interests as a country."

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Story time.

From Suzanna Andrews' Vanity Fair profile of the next Senator from Massachusetts…
At a time of record corporate profits, a time when 14 million Americans are out of work, when millions have lost their homes and, according to the Census Bureau, the ranks of those living in poverty has grown to one in six—that Elizabeth Warren could be publicly kneecapped and an agency devoted to protecting American consumers could come under such intense attack is, ultimately, the story about who holds power in America today.
That, sadly, is not a story about 99% of us.

Yet.

But it's not too late to have a happy ending.

Occupy everywhere.

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Good advice…

…from Matt Osborne...
Occupy Voting Booths
Always good advice.

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Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Chart of the day.

Steve Benen graphs the new WaPo/Bloomberg poll...

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Monday, October 10, 2011

He's not Joe, he's not a plumber…

…and he's not going to beat Marcy Kaptur.

Heck, he's not even entertaining anymore.

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California DREAMin'...

Gov. Jerry Brown on Saturday granted illegal immigrants access to state financial aid at public universities and community colleges, putting California once again in the center of the nation's immigration debate.
Why not Washington?

Heck, why not everywhere?

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Sunday, October 09, 2011

Flag of the day.


h/t brooklynbadboy

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Saturday, October 08, 2011

More meaningful miscellany...

John Cole...
Claiming the tea party is taking over the Republican party is like claiming Xe took over Blackwater or that KFC took over Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Brad DeLong...
America has no chance of being great again until this current Republican Party is gone, and its memory has vanished from the earth. Just saying.
Kaili Joy Gray...
Maybe Romney's problem isn't that he's a perpetual flip-flopper. Maybe his real problem is that he's completely amoral.
Darryl...
The Republican agenda includes elimination of Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, welfare, the insurance and security components of social security, public education, student loan and financial aid programs, abortion, environmental protections, food protections, safety standards, and, of course, unions.

Oh yeah…and the middle class.

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From the "Not exactly news" file.

Herman Cain is kind of nuts...

…and not all that, at all.

Republican plan? Too little, too late, thus falling short of their goal of none, never.

Petroleum turns out to be an ineffective medium for shrimp production.

Apparently Value Voters don't value Mitt.

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Does this list…

...make me look old?
George Harrison - Isn't It A Pity
John Sebastian - I Had A Dream
Leyla Fences - This Close
The Andrews Sisters - Gimme Some Skin, My Friend
Dionne Warwick - Walk On By
Rosco Gordon - Let's Get High
The Turtles - Happy Together
The Trade Winds - New York's A Lonely Town
Bob Dylan - Queen Jane Approximately
The Left Banke - Walk Away Renee
OK, so I am old. Still some good tunes there...even the kinda new one.

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Friday, October 07, 2011

From the "Me too" file.

Oliver Willis...
The team that brought you the Iraq War, the Financial Crisis and the Lost Decade is not to be trusted.

If they’re against Occupy Wall Street, I’m for it.
Me too.

And kudos to Oliver for coming around.

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Percentage of the day.

From the fine folks at Occupy DC, via Joan McCarter...

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Thursday, October 06, 2011

On the other hand…

…Harry Reid offers some hope with a welcome blow for liberty. Via Joan McCarter
Sen. Harry Reid is blocking the National Defense Authorization Act over provisions it contains that seek to direct how the government deals with Al Qaeda prisoners captured by the military. He explained his objections to the provisions in a letter to Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin and ranking member John McCain.

Reid's letter specifically objects to three sections of the 2011 Senate bill: one making explicit the president's authority to hold terrorism suspects indefinitely; another directing that terror suspects affiliated with Al Qaeda or supporting forces be placed in military custody unless a national security waiver is invoked, and a third making permanent certain limits on transferring prisoners out of Guantanamo Bay.
The ACLU applauds…
“There is no reason why, particularly ten years after 9/11 and with bin Laden dead, anyone in the Senate should want to give the president the martial law authority to have the military capture and imprison civilians around the world — including American citizens on American soil — based on suspicion alone," the ACLU's Chris Anders said. "Sen. Reid is saying that kind of proposal does not fit in the Senate’s defense authorization bill.”
Me too.

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I support President Obama…

…because of some things and in spite of some others. Among the latter is the continued exploitation of American insecurity for a distressing assault on civil liberties and basic standards of Constitutional justice. While there are no death panels in the health care act, there apparently are death panels within the folds of the National Security Council.

We're a long way down a path that's been traveled before. Jason Kuznicki finds uncomfortable analogies to the present in the history of tyranny, but offers a glimmer of hope...
We already have our Bastille and our Inquisition. This is our Star Chamber. So they’re all quite small, you say? Almost inconsequential? Great. All the easier to get rid of them. Perhaps in our case it won’t take a revolution.
Perhaps.

It won't be easy though. The fact, I'm afraid, is that most people will trade most of their liberty, and all of yours, for a mere pittance of (mostly false) security, which means that a genuine commitment to liberty and justice for all is an almost certain electoral loser at this moment in American history. Neither party gives a damn about liberty. Hell, the Libertarians don't really give a damn about liberty.

They won't, either, until we recognize that the price of fear is too high.

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Wednesday, October 05, 2011

Quote of the day.

Russ Feingold, on what's quick becoming Occupy Everywhere…
“By the time this is over, it will make the Tea Party look like ... a tea party.”

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Good question...

…or should I say good question? From Roy Edroso...
If a celebrity can't act like a buffoon in this country, then why the hell did Beaver Cleaver fight and die in Vietnam?
Actually, what Hank Jr. said ain't so bad if you set your secret decoder ring to stun. I mean, he's not the only one who thought the Obama-Boehner golf date was a pointless excercise in symbolism while real people were hurting in ways that they weren't going to get together and do anything about, even with Biden along for the ride.

Using the particular terminology he used? Pretty dumb.

Asking Hank Williams, Jr. about national politics in the first place? Probably dumber.

Oh well, as Roy said elsewhere, our circuses really suck...

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Damn...

Via Apple.com...


The only Apple product I've ever owned was an Ipod Shuffle, but the company's impact on our culture is incalcuable and, near as I can tell, to a remarkable degree the result of Jobs' singular vision.

R.I.P.

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Tuesday, October 04, 2011

Not just a good ol' boy….

…a damn good ol' boy. Toby Keith
One way or another, before it’s over they’re gonna have to come and take big money from the earners and big corporations to save the country. I’m sure that everybody that has a patriotic cell in their system will say, ‘If it’s gotta be done, it’s gotta be done.’ I’d rather live here and not have as much money than live anywhere else and have twice as much.
Maybe Toby oughta get with Hank Jr. down for a little sit down...

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"Think about it…"

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka...
"...Bank of America, which makes about $1 billion a month, announces it’s going to charge customers $5 a month to use their own money to shop with their debit cards. Mind you this is the financial giant that paid its global banking and markets president nearly $30 million dollars last year—and this year turned around and announced it’s going to fire 30,000 workers!"
Almost makes me wish I had some money in Bank of (their) America so I could close the account and send 'em a cut up card.

If you've got some money in Bank of (their) America, why don't y'all do that for me? I bet you're eligible for membership in some credit union or another.

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We write letters…

Dear Chris Christie,

I notice that you've decided that now is not your time. Good call.

A friendly tip - then isn't your time either.

Love,

Upper Left

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What digby said…

here.
"Playing the race card" has a very specific meaning. It means mentioning Republican racism.

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Monday, October 03, 2011

Dear Herman Cain…

OK, you're crazy.

Love, Upper Left

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Sunday, October 02, 2011

You may have heard…

…that Jews, black folk, liberals, Wall Street and small donors have abandoned the President, and yet...
"Campaign manager Jim Messina told a meeting of Democratic donors in Chicago earlier this month that Obama was aiming for the $55 million benchmark. But even Obama's critics think it will be more. After all, campaign officials were predicting $60 million in the days before Obama's team announced a combined $85 million second-quarter take in July."
I should have such trouble.

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Sunday funny.

John Darkow, Columbia Daily Tribune, via Truthdig...




'Bout equal parts 'ha' and 'hmm' there...

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Saturday, October 01, 2011

Pass it on.

Via Robert's Daily Dose...

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Something old...

...well, mostly everything oldish. Couple things newish, though. Everything random, of course...
Bobby Charles - Jealous Kind
Lee Hazlewood & Nancy Sinatra - Summer Wine
The Avett Brothers - Famous Flower Of Manhattan
The Shangri-Las - Remember (Walkin' In The Sand)
Jan & Dean - Surf City
Lucinda Williams - Still I Long For Your Kiss
Dick Dale - Ghostriders In The Sky
Matthew Sweet & Suzanna Hoffs - Everything I Own
The Johnny Otis Show - Harlem Nocturne
Martha Reeves & The Vandellas - Jimmy Mack

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