Another disgraced Republican resignation?

Oh, no Bob, say it ain't so. Oh, it be so.

Same shit, different day. At least this one didn't involve toilet stalls, toilet stalls, rubber wet suits, or diapers.

Opening Day

Hey, everybody it's Opening Day today!!

Let's go Tribe! Anything approximating last season's thrill will be just fine thank you.

Oh, and fuck Detroit, the Yankees and the Red Sox.

Fugees

Yeah, that's right, I loves me some Wyclef and Pras but I'm talking today about another issue entirely.

It is worth reflecting on the US policy regarding war refugees in light of this weekend's passing of Dith Pran. After the Vietnam conflict ended, Mr. Pran was part of an emigration from SE Asia that saw an approximately 1.4 million people resettled in the US.

Let's contrast this policy with today's climate.

According to this month's Harpers, Iraq represents the largest mass exodus in the Middle East from a war torn country since the Palestinian crisis of 1948. One fifth of Iraqis have fled their homes. 2.5 million are displaced within the country and another estimated 2.5 million have left for Jordan, Syria, Egypt, Iran and other Gulf States. Syria has taken on the largest volume of that burden with over 1.5 million people now having fled there.

How many Iraqis have moved to the US?...not many.

385 applications for asylum by last year's count.

So, why is there not more help to the poor folks we invaded? The rationale is varied and large. One party line reason for refusal is that there has been such a broad re-categorization of what a terrorist is defined as being.

Let's say that you have paid a ransom for a relative to one of the dozen militias who may have kidnapped your uncle, which, ahem, happens a lot. If that is true then you've given material support to a terrorist group, ergo, you're a terrorist and you're persona non gratis at the corner 'Murkan Wal-Mart. Seems about right for the Cheney Administration, eh?

In any case, Mr. Pran was a brave soul whose fearlessness and artistry was ultimately rewarded with the promise of another life in America. Not so nowadays. How fitting that once again in the land of fear and privatization that our State Department will allow few to none of this diaspora to relocate to true freedom. NIMBY Nation.

NYT

Since we're already glancing at the old Grey Hag this morning, here's a piece on what your $3 Trillion dollars have purchased over in Eye-Rack.

I feel like Oliver Wendell Douglas sittin down to a big plate of clusterfuck.

If I only had a brain

Nick Kristof weighs in on the never ending and rabid streak of anti-intellectualism of the American psyche.

St. John

Cliff Schecter over at AlterNet has some interesting insights of late regarding the "senior" Senator from Arizona. Don't forget, if elected, he'll be older than Reagan by 3 years when he was coronated in 1980.

Matlock!!!

Tom Tomorrow

In case you missed it this week.

Cost of War

Here's an interactive chart from The Nation (click on the rifle) that tells the poignant story of waste, fraud and the abuse of power...all seen through the lens of a comparative look at the maintenance and upkeep of Cleveland, Ohio.

And I wonders whys I drink.

(tip o' the tam to the Redman)

Why this is a very bad thing

The map says it all. And so does Juan Cole.

Al-Zaman says its sources in the Sadr Movement confirmed that the Mahdi Army has gained control of the main road between Amara and Basra, allowing it to cut the government troops off from military supplies.

Listen, I've said it for years. The only way for the US ground troops to get to Kuwait and safety is through Basra. Al Amara is just north of Basra about a third of the way to Baghdad on THE ONLY AVAILABLE ROAD.

The Cheney administration keeps telling us that there are maybe 50-60 thousand guys in the Mahdi army. There are also some excellent sources that will tell you that the number of active Sadr militia dudes is well over a million. A million. At this point who are you going to believe?

They choke off this passage and it'll get real weird in Iraq.

(click on the map and it zooms in real nicely)

Will Smith

Rollin' old school this morning. I really needed to listen to this today. We're so fuckin' sick of Winter. I kinda remember what Summertime feels like...I think.

Steve Bell

Be vewwy vewwy qwiet...he's killing wabbits.

Spring is Sprung

Check this one out from Cute Overload....

Neal Aspinall

Here's a name that any legitimate Beatles fan would know, but who knew the whole Pete Best backstory?

In any case, they've closed the books on Neal Aspinall.

Mmmmmmmmmm...unexpected bacon.

Well, this just about tops it. From the red, white and blue SUV, to the beer bellies, to the cuisine, this is pure Texas. I wonder if they're going to start serving deep fried cigarettes?...

Jerry needs no help playing with his ball.

How could you not like this video? All hail Jerry.

Friday Random Ten

When The World Is Running Down--The Police
Happy Birthday--Sufjan Stevens
War--Mos Def
Modern Way--Kaiser Chiefs
Chinese Rocks--Johnny Thunders
Shopping For Blood--Franz Ferdinand
I Love The Sound Of Breaking Glass--Nick Lowe
2000 Miles--The Pretenders
Crash--Gwen Stefani

Steve Bell

Whoops. Almost missed this one the other day. I should start paying Steve Bell royalties for being such a heavy content provider to LMS.

WRP

William Rivers Pitt is always good but he's never better than he is here.

Why indeed?

Pressure Drop

Wheeeeee!

Hugs on the Upper West Side

Mr. Wolcott is one loopy dude. I usually agree with most everything he says.

This time was no exception.

Brother?...

...can you spare a golden parachute?

E.J. Dionne has it pitch perfect from his column yesterday in the WaPo.

These corporate fucks have taken their deregulation meme and turned their industry and our economy into the laughing stock of the world. And yet they continue to listen to Grover Norquist and his Reagan Youth movement minions that Big Govmint is bad, bad,bad.

Milburn Drysdale would be so proud.

FRONTLINE: Bush's War PBS

A reminder for everyone to tune in next week to the best show on television. Call or email everyone you know and make sure that they watch this program.

Inherent Worth

To commemorate the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, you can either get your sense of value from King Medre, or watch this video to define what is what.

I report-you decide, fair and unbalanced.

Banana Republic

No, not the retail store.

I'm talking about our United States. Check out what is happening to the tourist dollar overseas. My goodness, isn't it great to have a front row seat for the fall of the modern Roman empire?

The economy

The markets just opened 2 minutes ago. Should be an interesting day.

Of course, Dear Leader told us on Friday not to worry...all is well.

On the other hand...for a change, MoDo thinks about something besides the Evil Hillary and makes sense for a minute or two.

Ohhh, Cannaba

Fuck it, I'm moving north of the border...

World Wide Suicide

Hereafter, I'll forever relate the 17th of March to this event and not some dumb day of parades and green beer. Eddie and the boys pretty much got it covered in this song from a great friggin' webcast of a couple years ago.

Elvis Costello

They've just released the 30th anniversary special issue of This Year's Model. Check it out in the video, Bruce Thomas is playing bass with what looks like a broken hand. I kind of remembering hearing something about the reason for that but I've long forgotten.

It was a huge record for me, for Elvis and for music in general.

Cheers.

We're Number 1!!

...in terms of wasteful spending and lying to our own people. Check it out.

Woo-hoo.

Early Dave

I don't know about you guys, but I was in the mood for a little taste of Brother Theodore this afternoon.

Bon apetit!

Random Friday Ten

Fannin Street--Tom Waits
New Life--X
Piggies--The Beatles
Corruption--Iggy Pop
The Start Of Forever--Paul Weller
The Down Low--Nellie McKay
Black Tongue--Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Uptown--Robert Gordon
Handshake Drugs--Wilco
Hat And Feet--Fountains Of Wayne

Bonus track:

Holidays In The Sun--Sex Pistols

Pimp my Nation

One last word on the media's love of the le Spitzer Grand Guignol from the intellectual superior of us all, Robert Scheer.

Howard Metzenbaum

I shook Metzenbaum's hand one time at a fund raiser for John Gilligan, (who by the way is the dad of the current Governor of Kansas, Kathleen Sebelius) at the Aurora Memorial Library circa 1971. I was in 7th grade and as I recall Dave and I were rocking out at the time to GFR. Deep Purple and the Allman's. In short, it was a long, long time ago.

RIP Senator.

An unapologetic liberal, Metzenbaum helped pass measures to strengthen workers and consumers' rights, including a bill to provide employees with 60 days' notice of plant closings. He also promoted the Brady bill, which mandated a waiting period when buying a handgun.

Spitz & Swallows

Go read some real news at Juan Cole's spot that doesn't invole Eliot Spitzer.

His link is broken to this story about the dim-wittedness of Amurkans. Try getting to it here...

Battle Ax

Well, the old bag is still alive I guess. I was ready to cue up one of my favourite Elvis ditties that he wrote a while back for the Mags...

The Blasters

Here's a clip of Phil and Dave hittin' it hard from an ABC Friday's broadcast c. 1982

A Three Hour Tour

I just knew that there was a reason why I liked Mary Ann better than Ginger.

Just knew it...

(tip o' the skipper's lid to Mr. B)

Drop and Gimme 20!

Beyond a 25 minute yoga routine, I try to average 100 push-ups a day in intervals of 20.

They kick your ass when you quit doing them regularly but when it's a daily regimen, they're not so bad.

In any case, it's nice to get validation even if it's from the once great New York Times

Nice job, Eliot

There are several things to be aghast at in the Eliot Spitzer story.

First, he's a dem and that's a bad thing for our team.

Secondly, why, if your wife is this attractive, do you have to stray to expensive call girls? What exactly won't she do "down there" that needs gettin' done in Spizterville?

Third, why is it that it's always you super moralizing pricks who pull this stunt? By way of disclosure I was never a big Spitzer fan during his NY State AG tenure, but that's another story.

Fourth, thanks for forcing me to answer the "what is wrong with you guys" question over coffee this morning. It sure is swell that we're yet again lumped together in the same trogolodyte wading pool due to someone else's shenanigans.

And lastly, $4,300 a visit for these girls.? Holy moley, if that doesn't reflect the hard truth of the "haves" versus the "have-nots" in this country, I don't know what does. There are millions of hard working Americans who could never afford that kind of price for any given leisure activity. My entire golf season doesn't approach the entire cost of one time with these fancy pants broads, and I'm a solid 11 handicap! Shee-it, I wouldn't pay that much money for anything that didn't have a 10 gallon tank, a parking brake and power steering.

There's got to be a morning after

Yes, yes, we remembered to set everything ahead last night before we went to bed. However, the irony of "Springing" forward was not lost on those of us here in the Cleve who were whopper jawed by the large volume of snow we received during what I clocked to be about 32 hours of straight snowfall.

Here are some snaps from the festivities...

Jackie and Bailey Sue hangin' with moi

Yes, it's pretty afterwards, but what will we tell the children?

JD in the forefround with some cool drifts on the roof.

Too bad Barney didn't stop by...

darkblack

This guy is effin' brilliant. Brother Dave found him some time ago. Kudos to you mon frere.

Friday Random Ten

Mountain Of Sound--Spoon
Blind Love--Tom Waits
I Would Die 4 U--Prince
I Would For You--Jane's Addiction
Stupid And Shallow--The Futureheads
The Horrible Fanfare--Beck
Little Ways--Dwight Yoakum
You-X
Willamette--John Doe
A Time To Be So Small--Interpol

Cue Patsy Cline

I Fall To Pieces by Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov Lenin.

Man...those pinkos sure take the fall of their ideologies the hard way.

Like a wet fart...

...in a crowded elevator.

Fredo gives St. John the kiss of death.

Protest time

With the 5th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq fast approaching and everyone furiously completely their tax returns, I though that this might be a reasonably safe way to stick it to the man.

Hey, if it's good enough for Harold Crick's girlfriend, it's good enough for me.

Moses, moses, moses...

The fundies aren't going to like this one...

Dennis!

And why am I in such high spirits you might ask?

Because, my bitches, our boy Dennis survived the attack laid on him by the pinheads from the right.

Stray Cats

What kind of mood am I in this morning you ask? Try this one on for size...

Man, I still dig that Brian Setzer.

Fun with math

The news item that folks keep avoiding...the elephant in the room if you will, is how many more votes are being cast by Democrats versus Republicans.

Check it out...

Ohio

Hillary Clinton	1,203,924
Barack Obama	976,368

John McCain	632,575
Mike Huckabee	323,074

Texas

Hillary Clinton	1,452,776
Barack Obama	1,354,553

John McCain	707,622
Mike Huckabee	521,951

I mean c'mon...Obama got more votes than McCain did in Ohio and HE LOST to HRC!! Additionally, if you add up both McCain and Huckleberry's tallies in Texas, either Democratic candidate beats their combined totals. The GOP is sooooo dead.

So the totals are

Democrats= 4,987,621 votes

Republicans= 2,185,222 votes

In a general election this is a righteous ass whoopin.

just sayin'...

Election Night

Bernie is too clever by half in his comment from earlier today...the optical scan methodology was a moderate clusterfuck and a headlong dive back to the past from a technological perspective.

The training for the poll workers blew, the understanding of a complete overhaul of the rules and procedures was very weak and disorganization ruled the day from an operational perspective.

Other than that, things went swimmingly.

Oh, and the weather was surreal by the time the evening was over. I was on my feet from 5:30 a.m. until I got home at 9:30 tonight. I served effectively as the alpha authority and ersatz Wal-Mart greeter for my assigned polling location in Lakewood. What would normally have been a 10 minute commute home took me 45 minutes. I literally broke off the head of my scraper getting the 1/4 inch of ice off of my vehicle from the driving and freezing rain.

The picture of the flag was what left of old glory from in front of the polling place. I don't know what it represents and I'm too beat to arrive at a smart ass metaphor. I'll have more to say later in the week. For now, drink in hand, I wish you all a pleasant and ice covered Buona Sera.

One quick one...

...before I head out to man the polls this morning.

If ol' fat fuck is this desperate to retain his base this time around, then Ralph Nader is right; the Democrats deserve to lose the whole deal if they can't crush the GOP.

Happy motoring y'all. I'll see you in 16 hours.

Scary....huh, kids?

Amazing Stuff

From Dave's show last week...