Smokescreens, part II

Going back to what bluenote was saying a ways back -
This fight over Social Security is kind of wigging me out. Obviously the gutting of the program that keeps seniors from eating dog food is wiggy, but that's not what I mean. What I'm freaked about (and this is picking up on something Chiniqua mère was saying the other day) is what are they really planning?
Follow me here: doesn't this all seem a little too easy? Knick on wood, but they seem to be losing this battle, and we seem to be winning. They have not convinced anyone that SS is in crisis, and they've had to change their rationale for privatization a whole bunch of times. So that's great, right? They can't sell us this steamer.
But.
Do you really think that's all there is? Or do they have some other, infinitely more evil plan that they're gonna bust with while we're all distracted? Wasn't this all a little too easy?
Think about it.

Get your Daily Show analysis here

Today will go down as an important day in pop culture/politics/entertainment (btw, can we coin a word for that? The politics/pop culture amalgam? Popitics? Pol Culture? Yes, i like that. Pol Culture. Spread it.) history.
Why?
Today The Daily Show moved into a new realm.
Maybe you didn't notice. (Maybe you haven't seen every episode in the last year. Never fear - that's what you have us for.) Let me explain why I think we will look back and know that this was either the moment the shark was jumped or that Jon Stewart fulfilled his mandate.
Usually TDS gives some real information in with its jokes. Their book (v. funny - buy it!) has glimpses of genuine civics lessons between the jokes too. But tonight they did something different. In their segment on Social Security, Jon actually tried to teach us something. He stood there (so little!) and explained, in a very funny way, what was up with Social Security, what the issue is about, what Bush wants to do, and why it SUCKS as an idea. There were jokes, sure (in fact it was hilarious) but it was unmistakably educational.
Is this a first step or a fluke? Will we soon all just suck all of our nourishment from the teat of Comedy Central? 'Cuz you can sign me right up.

We hardly knew ye, part XI (or so)

I suppose in the end it's not like anyone expected Hunter S. Thompson to go gentle into the good night. And yet, really sad. Moms puts it best when he says that this must mean that he was miserable, and that's just terrible to think about. But on the other hand, maybe he was just really high and really low, and this was a low. Either way, awful. Goes without saying that what we here at BBD believe that what the world needs is a lot more gonzo and a lot less..less...well, less of what we have now. Fearlessness is in very short supply these days.
Here's to you, HST, and may there be guns, Samoan lawyers, dirty politicians, cigarette holders, and mountains of drugs to reward you in the next life.
Also today the anniversary of Malcolm X's assasination. Feb. 21st: not good.

Rove, of course

Weird, what most of us only dared whisper, CBS is out there just sayin'.Check it out.

I heart Jamaica

I am home.
Jamaica, in case you didn't know, rules. It's like a weird technicolor stage set of the Caribbean. Or no, that's not right. Let's get this straight - there is dire, crushing poverty in Jamaica, and I bet it is no fun. No one wants to live in a shack without water, no matter how picturesque. I understand that Jamaicans do not live their lives to be a cute set piece for my island fantasies.
But that aside, jeez, it is so, well, perfect.
I can't quite explain it, but even though there are shacks and all kinds of derelict type things all over, everything is beautiful. It's so clean! The little huts that are restaurants or bars are painted in rasta colors, music is everywhere, and it works.
Also, Negril has a mighty fine beach. We stayed at Rondel Village which was really nice. The rooms were big, the whole place was so clean, and the piece of beach was super-perfect. If I had any idea how to post pictures I would.
For food we would eat at a small rasta (real rastafarians! Crazy! Listening to reggae! Unironically!) shack off the beach called Niah's Kitchen (or, on another sign, Nyah) where they had great cheese, bean & chicken patties. They make each one from scratch and fry them on a wood fire, and then you sit at a picnic table and use the amazing sauce Niah makes, and watch the waves in the distance. So good.
So if you're thinking of going on vacation sometime, may I recommend Jamaica. Getting through the airport is a bitch but everything else was fantastic.

Oh and

Have you ever seen a little movie called The Matrix? or The Terminator? Or A.I.? (OK, I haven't seen that last one, but I can't imagine that it ends well.)

Bush's Sex Scandal

Commentary later, but just wanted to get this up.

un-be-fucking-lievable

I just like to insert expletives into words, but seriously. I can't believe this actually happened!

rastaman say...

Mine's Sheba Dread!! Bomba!

And in honor of Chiniqua's trip to Jamaica...

Find your reggae name! Mine is Ganja Shoshanna. Couldn't have thought of a better one myself.

Let the Talon Soar

People who watch fox so I don't have to? Where have you been all my life?

If this transcript does not make you see red, I'd like to know where you're getting your prescriptions. Brit Hume is a despicable specimen of a "journalist." Thinking about the indecency of presenting this crap as news compared to the fiasco over Dan Rather's memo story makes the rage come back. Over and out before my head explodes.

Oh shit

This is bad fucking news.

Al out of the running

Lots of blogs today have said that Al Franken is going to run for Senate in 2006 , but I just heard him say he is not going to run so that he can honor his commitment to Air America (promised them another 2 years). Conflicting emotions. Sad because Al would be a great senator, but yet so happy because what else would I do from 12 - 3 every day? (Although I have had it up to HERE with the Wendi Friesen hypnosis commercials.)

And also happy because Al will continue to be our UWS neighbor. He seems to be emotional about it as well, but is a trouper (and that is how you spell that). I think he is doing the right thing, although in the interest of full disclosure he can do no wrong in my eyes. Well, him and Morris Chestnut.

"Rush gets his statistics from his butt, we get them from the Bureau of Labor Statistics." Heh-heh.

Housecleaning

OK, some basic housecleaning items:
First, I am going to Jamaica for a week (woo hoo) and will therefore be absent. But Azulita and Bluenote will keep on keep on. There's really no reason for me to mention this other than the desire to rub it in as much as possible. I'm going to Jamaica!

Second, a big head's up (compliments of Azulita) that Keith Olbermann is rapidly becoming the ruler of the known universe. At the very least, his show rocks. It's on MSNBC (eek, I know) at 8:00 PM weeknights, and then repeats throughout the night. Check him out. He covers a lot of the stuff you wish was being covered. And last night he was on Gannongate like a fly on shit, and it was lovely. In fact, send him fan mail: countdown@msnbc.com

Third, we need to figure out what to do when the rage comes. You know the rage - the one where you can't believe what lying sacks of shit the administration are. The one where you suddenly see red (oh - ha ha, get it?) and need to lash out. Our solution thus far has been immediate substance abuse. However, this is proving to be too expensive,and we need a new outlet. Open to any and all suggestions.

Lastly, and totally unrelated, we love Jerry. From the Bachelorette. Oh man, do we love Jerry.

Gannongate? Talongate? Hotmilitarystudsgate?

Oh Gannongate gannongate gannongate the joys of gannongate.

How do we love gannongate? Let me count the ways:
He's a bad actor
He may have leaked Valerie Plame
He runs prostitution websites on the side
He has bad grammar
He gives me something to think about when the rage comes
He looks kind of like a penis
and on and on and on

mmm, good.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, do yourself a favor and find out. Now for a prayer: please, please let him have been a plant. Pleeeeeeez let the White House be paying him.

I told you so

Ok, I might not have told you so, but I sure as hell told a lot of people. I was all over Wiregate from the night of the first debate (mmmm, take a nice moment to think back and remember the warm flushed feeling of joy, sweetness and tiny, tiny, gossamer-winged hope that you felt during the first debate - 'Kerry is killing him!' you realized with a rush of wild happiness) when I saw that little bit of extra Chimpy was packing under his jacket.
And so here it is from our friends at FAIR. It wasn't just nutty tinfoil hat types - it was really fucking true. And maybe. Just maybe, we could have won the election if the country had known that he cheated. And then lied about it.
But no, not really. it wouldn't have made a difference because it doesn't matter. There have been so freaking many smoking guns anbd none of them stick. The fucker is bulletproof.

True.

Smoke Screens

A brief thought--

I have heard more than one person say that Social Security would never be privatized. Is this true, or is it really in danger of being served on a platter to Wall Street this time around? And if it is true, why is the administration making it such a huge issue now? If it really is never going to happen, why the hell are they trying to keep us busy worrying about Social Security? What are they hiding? What's coming next?

Where is my Xanax?
That is all.

Fetus-Worship [or, Reasons why religion is fucked up, Part Deux]

...is the title of this poem by Lincoln Brigade vet Al Amery. He wrote it in the early 90s but somehow or other (gee...) it's still relevant:

So life in the womb is sacred;
but not when it leaves the womb, it seems--
because out of the womb
we starve it, cheat it, beat it,
torture it, murder it, enslave it,
drive it to fight in wars,
to kill or be killed in turn,
and nobody who is anybody cares.
In fact, without fame or fortune,
life out of the womb is cheap--
often insignificant.
So why is life in the womb so sacred?
Why is a fetus more precious
than a child, an adult, a senior?
It would be interesting to know;
but I think, the often fanatic
defence of the fetus
is some kind of paranoia.
Perhaps these people are jealous
of those who get reckless with sex--
determined to make them pay and suffer
for their irresponsible fun of sex--
not trusting any god to take vengeance.