Destroying America To Save It

A nation divided into a maze of minor and major annoyances - or worse, along purely angry and arbitrary imaginings - has emerged as the current snake-oil and cure-all the hucksters of the Republican party are selling to us all. (It's an old GOP trick, really. Just refer to the "dirty tricks" of the Nixon campaign led by folks like Donald Segretti ... who was, believe it or not, a campaign co-chair for John McCain in Orange County in the 2000 campaign.)

By no means do I suggest that the Democrat Party somehow stands like a lone stalwart paladin on a sun-drenched hill. But I'm consistently seeing examples that there's something akin to a heinous desire that an America tattered and torn by divisions is the preference of the Republican party should they lose to Senator Obama.

The slow-bubbling poisonous brew has long been cooking. Careers are made by these chefs who endlessly season their pot-stirring with the chant "the other side hates you, hates your families, hates America." The bellow their thunders across radio and television via the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Michelle Malkin, Michael Savage, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly, Laura Inghram, G. Gordon Liddy, and on and on. Their anti-two party system philosophy begets simple slogans, such as those of the best-selling books of Ann Coulter - "Slander", "Treason", "Godless" -- all dire warnings (often plagarized and larded with pure fiction) that non-Republicans have distorted the entire history of the nation, eviscerated your belief systems, and secretly plot to educate the nation into some kind of hive of marxist-socialist drones.

She tends these days to temper her hatred with a dismissive comment that she's just "an entertainer, I'm only joking, folks!" Which is yet another lie of course - as she told Human Events in 2007:

"Christianity fuels everything I write. Being a Christian means that I am called upon to do battle against lies, injustice, cruelty, hypocrisy—you know, all the virtues in the church of liberalism.

"Church of Liberalism" is a phrase and a concept which she invented with a dual purpose: to make money and instill the notion of a holy war she wants to take place in America. As with all the other talking heads mentioned above, they are faithful followers in the Church of Consumerism: they're only in it for the money and the power money provides. They are anti-science and pro-superstition.

As this current presidential race has shown, fomenting fear and hatred within America and for elected officials remain the only tools many Republicans can wield.

V.P. candidate Sarah Palin this week told a rally of supporters in North Carolina:

"We believe that the best of America is in these small towns that we get to visit, and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call the real America, being here with all of you hard working very patriotic, um, very, um, pro-America areas of this great nation."


Her words reveal a blatant, elitist snobbery. As writer/comedian Sarah Vowell said on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart this week - the East Coast, with cities like Manhattan and Washington, D.C. were seen as properly American cities by the terrorists of Al Queda on Sept. 11th.

Is it any wonder her supporters make death threats against Senator Obama? Her message is clear - good Americans must defeat bad Americans by any and all means necessary.

Other Republicans are pushing this propaganda too, like McCain campaign adviser Nancy Pfotenhauer, who says that “real Virginia” does not include Northern Virginia:

"I certainly agree that Northern Virginia has gone more Democratic. … But the rest of the state — real Virginia if you will — I think will be very responsive to Senator McCain’s message."

MSNBC host Kevin Corke gave Pfotenhauer a chance to revise her answer, telling her: “Nancy, I’m going to give you a chance to climb back off that ledge — Did you say ‘real Virginia’?”

But Pfotenhauer didn’t budge, and instead dug a deeper hole.

"Real Virginia, I take to be, this part of the state that’s more Southern in nature, if you will."

Sen. McCain's brother recently called sections of Virginia "Communist country".

Echoing the paranoid delusions of Senator Joe McCarthy, a Minnesota Congressman Michele Bachmann announced this week that an investigation needs to be held in congress itself to root out the anti-Americans who hold office there right now. I half-expected her to wave a piece of paper at the camera, a la McCarthy, and proclaim "I have a list right here of Communists in the Congress!"

Rep. Bachmann, often echoing talking points she hears via Limbaugh, claimed recently that wildlife and caribou in Alaska find warmth by huddling near oil pipelines, "The pipeline has now become a meeting ground and “coffee klatch” for the caribou."

Again, no science, no fact, nothing but superstition and catchy phrases meant to garner momentary mention on the news, fuel the ravings of lie-filled emails, and insure that many Americans eye each other with violent distrust. Just wink at 'em, youbetcha, but never doubt them Democrats are dangerous.

If a wounded animal can be capable of wanton destruction, the waning Conservative Republican may seek to wreak the same kind of damage on us all.

Camera Obscura: Dance of The Dead Arrives; Palin Lands Sitcom?; Tarantino's WW2

For many months now I have been crowing with delight about my brother, who landed a part as a zombie extra in the horror/comedy "Dance of The Dead", filmed last summer in north Georgia. In addition to gaining fantastic reviews, the best news this week is that you can rent/buy it right now on DVD at yer favorite video/DVD outlet. So here's a preview ... and just kept telling yourself, it's only a high school zombie movie, it's only a high school zombie movie:


Dance of the Dead 2008
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Move over, Tina Fey and Saturday Night Live. Sarah Palin is aiming for her very own TV series, called "Cadillac Ranch". The set-up for the show is revealed here:

" ... it's about a female character who's a mayor in this town with the crazy family and the kids and the stay-at-home dad, and everyone couldn't help but think of Sarah Palin now that they've read it."

With her hilarious catch-phrase ('You Betcha!"), she might just make it. I suggest the producers add-in a Russian neighbor whose house is right next door.

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There is one and only one reason to read the magazine Entertainment Weekly - Stephen King's column. But Star Trek fans must have felt like they were "goin' down to Eden, brother" this week with the release of the full cast photos for the new "Star Trek" movie. My only thought when reading/seeing the tale via Cinematical was "Sylar is Spock"???

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Brad Pitt is taking the lead in the long-rumoured-and-now-finally-in-production of Quentin Trantino's World War II action tale "Inglourious Basterds" (that's Q.T.'s spelling of the title). And what's next for the action star -- would ya believe ... an outer-space version of Homer's "The Odyssey"? Rumor's say that "Road Warrior" director George Miller. Pitt is also slated to be a producer for the movie ... see, it starts out when this gang of apes gets lost on their way home from Troy and hitch a ride on a boat helmed by an insane Cap'n HAL ....

Speaking of Mr. Pitt, the most recent release date for the unusual romantic tale of a child born as an old man who ages backwards into youth "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", directed by the multi-talented David Fincher , is now slated for Jan. 2009. A spectacular preview is here.

At Long Last, Have You No Sense of Decency?

The McCain plan for the presidency seems to hold fiction higher and higher above fact.

As Senator Barack Obama continues to gain support on a national level, American are left to endure the constant barrage of childish - perhaps even dangerous - fearful whining via the talking heads on right-wing radio and television, and even on the GOP (aka FOX network) campaign trail which evoke a witless desperation, akin to the whimpering cries of a bully who runs from a confrontation bellowing "this ain't over yet!"

For example, the surreal rantings of Rush Limbaugh (whose talent he claims was loaned to him by God):

"[African-Americans] have been training young black kids to hate, hate, hate this country, and they trained their parents before that to hate, hate, hate this country. It was a movement."
---
" ... it has been part of an entire movement that has been going on for two, maybe three decades, right under our noses."

Then there is more nonsense, designed to evoke panic and fear via Sean Hannity, who cheers the philosophies of Andy Martin:

"But an appearance in a documentary-style program on the Fox News Channel watched by three million people last week thrust the man, Andy Martin, and his past into the foreground. The program allowed Mr. Martin to assert falsely and without challenge that Mr. Obama had once trained to overthrow the government.

An examination of legal documents and election filings, along with interviews with his acquaintances, revealed Mr. Martin, 62, to be a man with a history of scintillating if not always factual claims. He has left a trail of animosity — some of it provoked by anti-Jewish comments — among political leaders, lawyers and judges in three states over more than 30 years.

He is a law school graduate, but his admission to the Illinois bar was blocked in the 1970s after a psychiatric finding of “moderately severe character defect manifested by well-documented ideation with a paranoid flavor and a grandiose character.”

As for his background, he said: “I’m a colorful person. There’s always somebody who has a legitimate cause in their mind to be angry with me.”When questions were raised last week about Mr. Martin’s appearance and claims on “Hannity’s America” on Fox News, the program’s producer said Mr. Martin was clearly expressing his opinion and not necessarily fact."

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And there's this (now removed web site comments) screed from Sacramento Republicans:

"Sacramento County Republican leaders Tuesday took down offensive material on their official party Web site that sought to link Sen. Barack Obama to Osama bin Laden and encouraged people to "Waterboard Barack Obama" – material that offended even state GOP leaders."
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Taking credit for the site (sacramentorepublicans.org) and its content was county party chairman Craig MacGlashan – husband of Sacramento County Supervisor Roberta MacGlashan.

But he defended his Web site. "I'm aware of the content," he said. "Some people find it offensive, others do not. I cannot comment on how people interpret things."

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More on the ludicrous Hannity/Martin madness:

"As noted above, I put excerpts from some of Martin's filings below the fold. I thought it might be a good idea to provide some context that would allow you to assess his credibility. If crazed and ugly anti-Semitic ravings upset you, do not read them.

The Myths of Voter Fraud

It appears very little in the way of actual facts or consistent information is needed to whip up a frantic panic on behalf of talking heads and GOP pundits who wail about voting fraud. (Of course, many of these same fervent faithful are repeating such myths while demanding Sen. Obama is a terrorist and treasonous Destroyer of Worlds.) (NOTE: R. Neal has more on this sad tactic.)

So some facts (sure to be ignored by the anxiety-ridden voter):

Via ProjectVote. org:

• Voter fraud is extremely rare. At the federal level, records show that only 24 people were convicted of or pleaded guilty to illegal voting between 2002 and 2005, an average of eight people a year. The available state-level evidence of voter fraud, culled from interviews, reviews of newspaper coverage and court proceedings, while not definitive, is also negligible.
• The lack of evidence of voter fraud is not because of a failure to codify it. It is not as if the states have failed to detail the ways voters could corrupt elections. There are hundreds of examples drawn from state election codes and constitutions that illustrate the precision with which the states have criminalized voter and election fraud. I f we use the same standards for judging voter fraud crime rates as we do for other crimes, we must conclude that the lack of evidence of arrests, indictments or convictions for any of the practices defined as voter fraud means very little fraud is being committed.
• Most voter fraud allegations turn out to be something other than fraud. A review of news stories over a recent two year period found that reports of voter fraud were most often limited to local races and individual acts and fell into three categories: unsubstantiated or false claims by the loser of a close race, mischief and administrative or voter error.

Via Salon:

"On Sept. 10, the 240,000 Wisconsin voters who had registered by mail since 2006 found their voting status up in the air as the state's attorney general, J.B. Van Hollen -- a McCain campaign co-chair -- sued the state’s Government Accountability Board. In Michigan that same week, Macomb County GOP party chairman James Carabelli told a reporter that he would use publicly available lists of foreclosed home addresses to “make sure people aren’t voting from those addresses.” In early October, the Montana Republican Party challenged the eligibility of 6,000 voters in university towns and heavily Native American counties."

"But Minnite says that the latest Republican uproar over ACORN is part of "a far broader effort to corrode public confidence in the electoral process." Minnite is a co-author of the forthcoming book “Keeping Down the Black Vote: Race and the Demobilization of American Voters" and a research fellow at Demos, a public policy think tank based in New York. She predicts that as Nov. 4 approaches, Republican allegations about voter fraud are certain to continue. Minnite spoke with Salon by phone recently from her office in Manhattan.

Do you believe that voter fraud poses a threat to the validity of American elections?

No. No threat.

The statistics bear me out. From 2002 to 2005 only one person was found guilty of registration fraud. Twenty people were found guilty of voting while ineligible and five people were found guilty of voting more than once. That’s 26 criminal voters -- voters who vote twice, impersonate other people, vote without being a resident -- the voters that Republicans warn about. Meanwhile thousands of people are getting turned away at the polls.

Political parties and corrupt election officials, on the other hand, do seem to present a potential problem. We should be a great deal more worried about who has access to the ballots. In terms of illegal aliens voting and people voting twice -- the popular images of voter fraud -- no I don’t think that there is any risk at all.

How did you come to this conclusion?

It is very difficult to find information on voter fraud. I’m quite fluent with political science data sets, but the more I would look, the less I would find. There was simply no information.

People were also uncooperative. Starting in late 2000 -- under state open-election laws -- I sent letters to all the attorneys general and secretaries of state in the U.S. asking them for statistics on voter fraud and those sorts of election crimes. Pennsylvania said they wouldn’t respond to me because I wasn’t a citizen [of the state]. I got the same from Virginia and Oklahoma. The attorney general of Michigan wanted me to pay $1,400 for the information because "it was going to take this many hours and this outrageous copying fee." I started to realize why there were no studies on the incidence of voter fraud, no criminal justice statistics. I also sent Freedom of Information requests to the Department of Justice. That became a two-year deal of delay and obstruction as well.

Under the “Voting Rights Act of 1965,” the Department of Justice’s Voting Section is legally bound to stop “voting practices and procedures ... that discriminate on the basis of race, color or membership in a language minority group.” Do you think the Bush administration's Justice Department has fulfilled this mission?

Threatening localities for not taking enough names off voter rolls in reaction to nothing and based on no evidence of fraud -- while increasing the possibility of disenfranchisement -- suggests a department more interested in furthering a political agenda than following that legal outline.

Let’s talk about the Ballot Access and Voting Integrity initiative that was started under Ashcroft in 2002. It was advertised as a program that would combat voter fraud and voter suppression equally. But if you look at the program, it actually was geared almost entirely toward voter fraud. They wanted to see if they could bring cases against individual voters. The [federal] government has spent a lot of money pursuing this over the years and convicted almost no one. Then we hear all this propaganda about how much voter fraud there is.

At the very least the Department of Justice has had its priorities backward. There are thousands of people having trouble casting ballots and the federal government has decided to go after poor people in Milwaukee and Florida to create the impression that there is voter fraud. The U.S. attorney firing scandal made it hard for anyone to claim that the Bush Justice Department wasn’t politicizing voter fraud."

Tennessee Pig Jailed - Again

You never know what type of criminal will earn time in the ol' cross-bar hotel

"Deputies found it in a creek with its mouth duct taped. They’ve even had some jail birds.

“We had some Japanese chickens we found in the wilderness area,” said Harris.

Their latest arrest, a pig.

“The pig actually got out of its pen and was rooting up people’s yards,” said Harris.

This wasn’t the porker’s first offense.

“In fact a few weeks ago, one of my deputies picked it up and drove it around in the back of her cruiser until she could find the owners,” said Harris.

The pig clearly doesn’t like to be penned up or jailed. As soon as deputies put him in this yard the pig was trying to dig out.

“It actually dug down to the footer,” said Sheriff Harris.

Just like any criminal, the sheriff needed to figure out what’s next for the pig, but he couldn’t treat it the same way.

“Of course, there’s no pig court, so we had to deal with it in different ways,” said Sheriff Harris."

I just hope they don't try and serve him bacon for breakfast.

The Youngest Blogger In The USA Celebrates Birthday

Young and vibrant, this blogger is a big fan of playing peek-a-boo and singing songs and watching birds fly. And she has a near-daily chronicle of her many experiences, which are well worth reading for their insight and in inherent adorableness.

She is Tessaroo and her blog is A Day In Her Life.

And please send her a happy birthday wish, as today is her birthday.

I am delighted to be a near-relative and to send her hopes for the very happiest birthday wishes.

BONUS: Here is recent image of Tessaroo in a pumpkin patch as part of the celebration of the season.

Right-Wingers Blame Poor For Financial Chaos

The imaginary and the fearful have glommed onto this notion that the one group of Americans to blame the most for the 'financial meltdown" in the housing market is the poor and other 'minority' sections of America.

Hence, the spinners and blame-anyone-but-the-culprits, have labeled programs such as the CRA - the Community Reinvestment Act - as part of an Evil Liberal Plot to destabilize the economic health of the nation. I guess it makes for a good catch-phrase to bolster the idea that Po' Folks Are Liberal Demons.

But the fact is - those claims are just not a part of the reality.

Some samples from various sources:

"Conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer wrote recently that while the goal of the CRA was admirable, "it led to tremendous pressure on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — who in turn pressured banks and other lenders — to extend mortgages to people who were borrowing over their heads. That's called subprime lending. It lies at the root of our current calamity."

Fannie and Freddie, however, didn't pressure lenders to sell them more loans; they struggled to keep pace with their private sector competitors. In fact, their regulator, the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, imposed new restrictions in 2006 that led to Fannie and Freddie losing even more market share in the booming subprime market.

What's more, only commercial banks and thrifts must follow CRA rules. The investment banks don't, nor did the now-bankrupt non-bank lenders such as New Century Financial Corp. and Ameriquest that underwrote most of the subprime loans.

These private non-bank lenders enjoyed a regulatory gap, allowing them to be regulated by 50 different state banking supervisors instead of the federal government. And mortgage brokers, who also weren't subject to federal regulation or the CRA, originated most of the subprime loans.

In a speech last March, Janet Yellen, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, debunked the notion that the push for affordable housing created today's problems.

"Most of the loans made by depository institutions examined under the CRA have not been higher-priced loans," she said. "The CRA has increased the volume of responsible lending to low- and moderate-income households."

In a book on the sub-prime lending collapse published in June 2007, the late Federal Reserve Governor Ed Gramlich wrote that only one-third of all CRA loans had interest rates high enough to be considered sub-prime and that to the pleasant surprise of commercial banks there were low default rates. Banks that participated in CRA lending had found, he wrote, "that this new lending is good business." (Via)

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[C0lumnist Ann Coulter says] traditional yardsticks of a mortgage applicant's ability to make payments were replaced with "nontraditional measures of credit-worthiness, such as having a good jump shot or having a missing child named 'Caylee';" the result, Coulter continues, is that "middle-class taxpayers are going to be forced to bail out the Democrats' two most important constituent groups: rich Wall Street bankers and welfare recipients."

To make sure her meaning is clear, Coulter echoes a line from the famous anti-affirmative action "White Hands" commercial Jesse Helms used in his 1990 campaign against black challenger Harvey Gantt. The ad shows a pair of white hands crumpling a job rejection slip as the voiceover intones, "You needed that job, you were the best qualified. But they have to give it to a minority because of a racial quota."

Coulter is in the forefront of a concerted drive to shift the partisan consequences of the collapse on Wall Street from helping Democrats to favoring the GOP. To this end, conservatives have initiated a racially explosive argument, shifting the blame for the current economic crisis to legislation designed up improve access to mortgage financing for African Americans, other minorities and residents of low-income neighborhoods generally." (via)

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Commentators say that's what triggered the stock market meltdown and the freeze on credit. They've specifically targeted the mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which the federal government seized on Sept. 6, contending that lending to poor and minority Americans caused Fannie's and Freddie's financial problems.

Federal housing data reveal that the charges aren't true, and that the private sector, not the government or government-backed companies, was behind the soaring subprime lending at the core of the crisis.

Subprime lending offered high-cost loans to the weakest borrowers during the housing boom that lasted from 2001 to 2007. Subprime lending was at its height from 2004 to 2006.

Federal Reserve Board data show that:

• More than 84 percent of the subprime mortgages in 2006 were issued by private lending institutions.
• Private firms made nearly 83 percent of the subprime loans to low- and moderate-income borrowers that year

Fannie, the Federal National Mortgage Association, and Freddie, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., don't lend money, to minorities or anyone else, however. They purchase loans from the private lenders who actually underwrite the loans.

It's a process called securitization, and by passing on the loans, banks have more capital on hand so they can lend even more.

This much is true. In an effort to promote affordable home ownership for minorities and rural whites, the Department of Housing and Urban Development set targets for Fannie and Freddie in 1992 to purchase low-income loans for sale into the secondary market that eventually reached this number: 52 percent of loans given to low-to moderate-income families.

To be sure, encouraging lower-income Americans to become homeowners gave unsophisticated borrowers and unscrupulous lenders and mortgage brokers more chances to turn dreams of homeownership in nightmares.

But these loans, and those to low- and moderate-income families represent a small portion of overall lending. And at the height of the housing boom in 2005 and 2006, Republicans and their party's standard bearer, President Bush, didn't criticize any sort of lending, frequently boasting that they were presiding over the highest-ever rates of U.S. homeownership.

Between 2004 and 2006, when subprime lending was exploding, Fannie and Freddie went from holding a high of 48 percent of the subprime loans that were sold into the secondary market to holding about 24 percent, according to data from Inside Mortgage Finance, a specialty publication. One reason is that Fannie and Freddie were subject to tougher standards than many of the unregulated players in the private sector who weakened lending standards, most of whom have gone bankrupt or are now in deep trouble." (via)

Or as it most succinctly stated in Slate:

"Lending money to poor people doesn't make you poor. Lending money poorly to rich people does."

The Real Maverick Family Shuns McCain

The current descendants of the Maverick family of Texas say Sen. John McCain may be many things, but he is no Maverick.

The word was coined in honor of Samuel Augustus Maverick, who was a heroic figure in Texas history and who allegedly did not brand the cattle he owned, allowing them to roam at will (whether from disinterest in ranching or as a method of claiming all cattle without brands were his is a matter of some debate).

And the Maverick family have been Democrats throughout U.S. history, and today's descendants are quoted in the press shaming the McCain for President campaign and his self-declaration of being a "maverick":

"I’m outraged McCain could claim to be not running with the herd,” Robin Lloyd says. “He has voted with President Bush 90 percent of the time.”

Chris Lloyd, a retired publisher, agrees. “I’ve watched with increasing dismay as they appropriate ‘maverick.’ It’s offensive to me. That word only applies to people who break the mold or stand out from the crowd.”

"The Lloyd siblings’ perspective might seem tame compared with that of Bebe Fenstermaker, a second cousin who lives with her two sisters on the original Maverick ranch 25 miles northwest of San Antonio. She tends “old-time Texas longhorns,” some of them with bloodlines that reach back to the pioneering bovines.

“They’re not mavericks,” Fenstermaker says of the McCain-Palin ticket. “They’re Republicans. They’re already branded. They’re all robbers and rustlers.”

Another family member echoes the sentiment:

"What has McCain done to call himself maverick? I want to know why he calls himself a maverick," Mrs. Maverick asked. "Because he talks to Democrats? In that case, everyone's a maverick."

And it doesn't stop at McCain. His partner on the "Maverick Squared" ticket gets the same treatment from the family. In fact, Mrs. Maverick was ready with a knock-knock joke:
Knock, knock?
Who's there?
Sarah Palin.
Sarah Palin who?
Exactly. "

The NYTimes story about the unhappy Maverick family is here. Their reports notes:

"Sam Maverick’s grandson, Fontaine Maury Maverick, was a two-term congressman and a mayor of San Antonio who lost his mayoral re-election bid when conservatives labeled him a Communist. He served in the Roosevelt administration on the Smaller War Plants Corporation and is best known for another coinage. He came up with the term “gobbledygook” in frustration at the convoluted language of bureaucrats.

This Maverick’s son, Maury Jr., was a firebrand civil libertarian and lawyer who defended draft resisters, atheists and others scorned by society. He served in the Texas Legislature during the McCarthy era and wrote fiery columns for The San Antonio Express-News. His final column, published on Feb. 2, 2003, just after he died at 82, was an attack on the coming war in Iraq.

Terrellita Maverick, sister of Maury Jr., is a member emeritus of the board of the San Antonio chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas."

The story of the Maverick family - from the arrival in the U.S. to their role in politics for generations is truly fascinating. And it seems not only the Maverick family, but much of Texas is mighty upset with how their legend has become misused:

"As a Texan, I have to admit that it makes my blood boil to see the term “Original Maverick” so misused and abused in the current political season."

More Texas reaction here, and here.

The Hell of Nightclubs

Back in the ancient days of my twenties, I would often be a trooper and join some horde headed to a nightclub. It would not take long after being rubber-stamped or enduring other various entry rituals that I would begin mentally writing a story about how god-awful the place and the people were.

I do (did) enjoy dancing or drinking with friends, but these days if I dance, it's mostly a scene of comedic horror, though there is some joy to be taken in watching others audition for their own starring roles in similar movies. I have seen and taken part in karaoke clubbing too ... clubbing is indeed the active word for such things. The last time I was in such a gathering, I had been hoodwinked into "judging" a karaoke contest and for the most part, I imagine the event would be comparable to going to a dangerous intersection late at night and waiting for a brutal car crash.

Over the years, I have tried numerous times to actually finish a fictional take on the Hell that is a nightclub, with no success. However, I did happen to read a short and visceral take on clubbing from British pop culture critic Charlie Brooker which is a bona fide beauty of language and writing.

Some samples:

"Clubs are despicable. Cramped, overpriced furnaces with sticky walls and the latest idiot theme tunes thumping through the humid air so loud you can't hold a conversation, just bellow inanities at megaphone-level. And since the smoking ban, the masking aroma of cigarette smoke has been replaced by the overbearing stench of crotch sweat and hair wax.

Clubs are such insufferable dungeons of misery, the inmates have to take mood-altering substances to make their ordeal seem halfway tolerable. This leads them to believe they "enjoy" clubbing. They don't. No one does. They just enjoy drugs."

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"The second thing that struck me was frightening. They were all photographing themselves. In fact, that's all they seemed to be doing. Standing around in expensive clothes, snapping away with phones and cameras. One pose after another, as though they needed to prove their own existence, right there, in the moment. Crucially, this seemed to be the reason they were there in the first place. There was very little dancing. Just pouting and flashbulbs.

Surely this is a new development. Clubs have always been vapid and awful and boring and blah - but I can't remember clubbers documenting their every moment before. Not to this demented extent. It's not enough to pretend you're having fun in the club any more - you've got to pretend you're having fun in your Flickr gallery, and your friends' Flickr galleries. An unending exhibition in which a million terrified, try-too-hard imbeciles attempt to out-cool each other.

Read the whole thing here. (Also check out Brooker's properly disdainful sneering headshot image.)

Abuse of Power: The Bush-Palin Connection

There is a notable link between the Governor of Alaska and the Bush Administration - a core belief that if you hold the power, anything you do is justified and legal. Here are two elected officials who will strip someone of their job based on a personal vendetta.

As the national news is over-loaded on financial chaos, the illegal acts and scandals of Bush/Palin are likely to be lost. A scathing indictment of the unethical if not illegal acts of the Department of Justice over firing staffers for political cause arrived but was trumped by the Bailout Scandal.

"Investigators from both the department's Office of Inspector General and Office of Professional Responsibility found that political pressure did indeed drive the dismissal action against at least three of the nine federal prosecutors abruptly fired. At the time, then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales insisted the individuals were all dismissed for inadequate performance, or failure to implement the President's law enforcement agenda.

But it appears the longtime pal and adviser to President Bush was lying through his teeth. Turns out the real reason some of the top federal lawyers were removed from the job, according to the Justice Department report, was that either the U.S. attorneys had the audacity to prosecute Republicans or because they failed to aggressively prosecute Democrats.

The impartial administration of justice in this nation, its very credibility, was nearly destroyed by the tyrannical ambitions of a few. (more here)

Now let's take a look at the just-issued report on Gov. Palin's similar 'abuse of power':

"This is, at bottom, a story about the rule of law, and the rules governing the exercise of political power. If you accept those rules, then you think that people should be hired or fired based on their job performance, not on whether or not you personally have it in for them. If they do something that actually merits firing, then they should be fired; if not, not.

If you don't accept the rule of law, you might think that taking political power allows you to take any kind of vengeance you want on anyone who crosses you. This includes not just your ex-brother-in-law, but perfectly good Public Safety Commissioners who do not do your bidding.

Not accepting those rules is wrong in its own right. The state has enormous power, and one of the things that keeps it in check is that public officials are expected not to use it to advance personal vendettas. Sarah and Todd Palin obviously disagree. This fact alone should disqualify them from high office.

Twins of this mindset share a contempt for the law and a dangerous lust for using power to pursue petty desires. Truth for these twins is whatever they decide at the moment and woe to any who challenge their delusions.

Camera Obscura: Annual Halloween Contest

Tell me a story or two about what scares you and I'll do the same for you.

It's that time of year when scary and creepy movies crowd the television schedule, and I want to know which ones you'd recommend to send shivers up the spine.

Old or new doesn't matter, or you can pick a theme if you wish -- for example, if you want to get your zombie on, you can take a variety of approaches, like All Romero Zombies or Zombies By Decades, or Italian Zombies or even Spanish Zombies.

Of course, since the original "Evil Dead" was filmed close to my humble home, I had to include a picture of it and it's also just a nice, creepy Halloween-ish image too.

To help you get in the mood, writer/director David Goyer is about to present (in January) his latest take on creepiness -- The Unborn:


I know there are also some recent movies which could shatter your nerves this Halloween, like "The Descent", which quickly moves from claustrophobic caving to chaotic nightmare. I also think "30 Days Of Night" was a good one too.

For more inspiration, here's one writer's list of the 5 Scariest Films Ever -- is it a good list or a mediocre list or just a bad list? I do like some of the choices and the list sure makes me want to re-watch "Mullholland Drive." Of course, director David Lynch is the master of the weird-out.

We Don't Need No Stinkin' Facts

An interesting paradox regarding beliefs - facts don't apply.

"Cognitive dissonance won't help people make rational decisions, but it also suggests that there's little point in arguing with someone who holds an opposing belief. Could this response be why, despite being repeatedly refuted in the media, the percentage of Americans who believe Sen. Obama to be a Muslim continues to grow?

More on how Ideology trumps facts in this report.

Proof of the above thesis can be found among the wound-up fandom at a typical rally for Palin-McCain: (hat tip to Kleinheider)

I Know How To Do It

In an interview for a new job, you want to project confidence and exhibit your skills, and just land the job and figure out the details later. I suppose it is an endearing kind of ambitious flaw.

There were a few comments by Sen. McCain in the debate in Nashville that made me think of those interview moments, and perhaps that he was claiming far more than he could ever deliver.

Like this comment about Osama bin Laden:

"I'll get Osama bin Laden, my friends. I'll get him. I know how to get him. I'll get him no matter what and I know how to do it."

Uh, sir, we have been seeking that man for six-plus years, don't you think you'd better clue the rest of us in here? And here's another suggestion for you if you'd like to win: launch you plan NOW and capture or kill the terrorist and I "betcha" you'd be elected in a landslide.

1st District Debate In Review

Five candidates for congressional representative in the 1st District fielded questions in a Q and A forum last night in Greeneville, a forum which you can listen to here at The Detour online radio station. The candidates are: Joel Goodman, independent, T.K. Owens, independent, James W. Reeves, independent, Dr. Phil Roe, Republican and Rob Russell, Democrat.

The main questions focused on the current economic crisis, job creation and economic development and the nation's energy policies. On that issue alone, they all spoke of the need to seek alternatives, with several candidates promoting the development of a 'green economy' based on alternative fuel sources which are available in East Tennessee, such as switchgrass, soybeans and bio-diesel.

The crowd was rather small, according to reports, and it's doubtful that any sizable portion of the 1st District will ever hear any of the comments and views of the candidates, which is a sad state of affairs. Still, after listening and making notes on what was said, I've tried to offer a sample of their comments. The forum lasted about 117 minutes, and I hope you'll give it a listen.

I've got some details below on the questions and answers, but first, this morning I received an email from Democrat candidate Rob Russell about one of the questions from the forum, asking whether or not the candidates would support overturning Roe v. Wade. Rob writes:

"His stated position and supporting examples are, at best, contradictory; at worst, they indicate a stance based more on political expediency than his experiences as a physician.

Dr. Roe was asked whether, if elected, he would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade. He answered yes, saying that he was "pro-life."

He then went on to say how he'd "been with mothers when they've been ill, and [made] the decision … I've made those life and death decisions, and very few people have had to deal with that as I have."

First, I would like to ask Dr. Roe how he defines abortion?

By virtue of his profession Dr. Roe has surely been in many situations where forms of abortion such as D&E (dilation and evacuation) or D&C (dilation and curettage) were performed. Why they were performed is immaterial: these procedures are by definition forms of abortion – they end the life of the fetus – and thus are procedures that could be prohibited by law if Roe v. Wade were overturned.

Second, I would like to ask Dr. Roe if he's comfortable with the state making his "life and death decisions" for him?

There would be no decision to make if Roe v. Wade were overturned and the right to criminalize abortion was given back to the states. The state would set the guidelines for "life and death decisions," not Dr. Roe and his patients. Dr. Roe must certainly be aware of this fact.

I do not doubt for a second that Dr. Roe is as "dedicated to preserving life" as he says he is. His experience in situations where making "life and death" decisions is a necessity has most certainly brought him insight into aspects of morality and ethics that most of us would find difficult to comprehend. And I'm sure that he is heartbroken whenever a malady or circumstance requiring the termination of a pregnancy strikes a mother.

I'm merely asking whether his position on Roe v. Wade is what he really believes – because, as I see it, over-turning it could severely limit his ability to make decisions regarding the health and welfare of his patients – or if it is merely a case of saying what he thinks voters in this district want to hear?

-----------

FROM THE FORUM -- Some Comments I Noted:

Why Are You Seeking Office:
Russell - I decided to run because after looking at the field of candidates, I saw no one looked like me - works full time, has to pay close attention to paying the bills, raising a family, I'm one of you.

Roe - I'm a Korean vet, mayor of Johnson City, Johnson City has a revenue surplus now, and I look forward to serving you.

On Oil Exploration in ANWAR
Goodman - we don't need it at this point, and current leadership in Washington has a lack of attention to our needs.

Roe - energy is a national security issue, more supply at home means less foreign dependence.

Russell - it's a symbolic issue which can be a distraction, we have 3% of the worlds' oil but use 25%, a policy that looks to alternatives which brings jobs to ET, drilling in ANWAR won't help East Tennessee.

Candidates Respond to Individual Questions

on Voter IDs
Owens - -we need a fed standard, and a state standard;
Goodman -- better methods;
Reeves -- it's a state issue;
Roe -- a state issue;
Russell -- some ID laws provide too many hurdles for voters, need a fed standard

on Privatizing Social Security
Reeves -- Social Security privatization - won't work now, no new programs, cut more spending; Goodman -- we need less reliance on SS;
Roe -- SS is a solemn promise, i intend to keep it and Congress must stop raiding fund but it does need some privatization;
Russell -- preserve the program and make it work

views on the Current Economic Conditions
Roe - bad home loans were made, to fix it (cut out of recording);
Goodman - it's the federal reserve's fault;
Owens - i don't see a crisis, bailout is a sham;
Reeves - foxes are in charge of the henhouse, need a 'moral capitalism';
Russell - the walls of separation in finance were broken, stronger oversight needed, along with modern rules and regulations.

on Warrantless Wiretapping
Russell-- leadership in Washington has turned into Big Brother, we need to protect rights to privacy;
Goodman -- the majority must want it as they've re-elected those who support these policies; Owens - that's been the president's call, we've been profiling, and we can't do much to change it; Reeves - government not been helpful, those who forfeit liberty for safety deserve neither;
Roe -- absolutely oppose warrantless wiretaps

on Jobs and Economic Development in East TN
Goodman -- I've been promoting bio-fuel projects in E.T. using soy and other products for sustainable energy;
Reeves -- review trade agreements like NAFTA
Roe --balance the budget, keep taxes low and businesses and growth will help
Russell -- the job of a representative is to advocate for the best interest of this area; I will promote a green economy in this area, like switchgrass, bio-diesel; also we need a stronger education system.

on Affordable Healthcare
Goodman -- reduce cost of medical procedures, drug availabilities, reform litigation;
Owens -- set a cap on medical costs; remove stigma of homeopathic medicine;
Reeves -- costs are far too high;
Roe -- future problems of costs and medical professionals will be a challenge;
Russell -- we have an unfair system of access, and we should fully fund SCHIP.

on Support For Nuclear Power
Goodman -- depends on what process we use to provide it and handle waste;
Owens - we need to maintain current projects, renewable fuels make more sense,
Reeves -- yes but not in my backyard, most common response;
Roe - no real way to say yes or no to it, I say yes, can be safe, as other countries do;
Russell -- yes

On Plans for Phasing Out Finite Energy Resources
Russell - we need a new, publicly reviewed energy policy, address options of alternative and renewable resources, tax breaks for green development;
Roe - conservation of fossil fuels, use hybrids, seek alternative sources;
Reeves - technology can offer the best help, stop now shipping money overseas;
Goodman - stop seeking oil overseas.

Would You Have Voted For The Bailout?
Goodman - nothing but crooks in DC, who even understands it? no approval;
Owens - no; failed to help americans, gave money to those who manipulate market;
Reeves - no;
Roe - it's a serious crisis, I have no idea how I would have voted, I don't know what was in the 400-plus pages;
Russell - it is a gamble that may not pay off, it's a worldwide crisis, and we have critical issues to take care of such as the infrastructure improvements needed, America should be priority not Wall Street.

Do You Support 'Basic' Rights for Same Sex Couples
Russell - yes. do unto others;
Roe - marriage is between one man and one woman, but I oppose discrimination based on sexual behavior;
Reeves - federal government's job is not to force beliefs on others;
Owens - ??;
Goodman - it is not American to be a theocracy.

Should Roe v Wade Be Overturned

Russell - no, it should stand;
Roe - i think it should be overturned, i am pro-life, i've made those life and death decisions, so i'd vote yes;
Reeves - yes, it should be a state issue;
Owens - its a state issue;
Goodman - i have ex-girlfriends and a sis who had abortions, it is a woman's choice not the governments.

UPDATE: Local newspapers report on the Forum:

Hank Hayes' Coverage in the Times-News

http://www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9008473

Corey Shoun in the JC Press

http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Detail.php?Cat=LOCALNEWS&ID=65206

Tom Yancey in the Greeneville Sun

http://greenevillesun.com/story/298450

Listen To 1st District Debate

The online radio station in east Tennessee, The Detour, has announced they will have the debate between candidates for the 1st District Congressional seat being held right now available later this evening. Their website reports:

"We will be recording and making available for public download the Russell vs. Roe debate of the 1st TN District U.S. House sometime this evening. We would like to broadcast it live, but will probably be unable to do that due to internet restrictions.

As soon as they have a link, I'll post it in this notice.

UPDATE: The Detour has the live recording here.

Monkey Waiters

How can the US claim to be a superpower if we don't have monkey waiters??

"Twelve-year-old Yat-chan is the crowd-pleaser as he moves quickly between tables taking customer drink orders.

"The younger of the two, Fuku-chan is quick to give the diners a hot towel to help them clean their hands before they order their drinks, as is the custom in Japan.

Yat-chan and Fuku-chan, who are both certified by the local authorities to work in the tavern are well appreciated by customers, who tip them with soya beans."

Belmont Says Alcohol OK For Debate

Belmont University has had a ban on alcoholic drinks on campus since the 1950s, but the arrival of the press and the pressures of campaigning have apparently altered their previous stance on no-drinking-allowed.

I think there's an older rule in play too - drink with your eyes closed and that way you will not see anyone tossing back some libations and no one will see you doing the same.

Kung Fu Fatty and DJ Saddam

As surreal as the last 18 months of presidential campaigning in the U.S. have been, the trophy for Weirdest Election goes to Brazil. Candidates are allowed to invent names which they can place on the ballot. There were numerous "Barack Obama" candidates (who lost) along with other losers, like "Father Christmas". Other names on ballots included:

"Other candidates called themselves Cattle Ana, Jeep Johnny, Big Charlie Knives, Jorge Bushi, Chico Bin Laden, DJ Saddam, King of the Cuckolds, and Kung Fu Fatty."


I confess, I might just vote for someone who could become "Governor Kung Fu Fatty".

The Delusional Economic View

There's a joke about a fellow falling off the roof of enormous skyscraper and on his way down, a person jams his head out of a 21st story window and yells out a question to the falling man "Are you all right?"

The man replies "So far, so good!!"

Such intense disregard for reality is likely termed cheerful optimism by the Tennessee Republican Party. For proof, check out the happy take on the plunging U.S. economy promoted by the TNGOP:

"Bill Hobbs, Feb. 2008: "The "mortgage crisis" is really just a shakeout of some bad deals in one very small corner of the overall mortgage market. A tax credit would make those homes more attractive to buyers. But, then, so will their falling prices. That's the way it always works."

Bill Hobbs, March 2008: "But the overall economy is still growing, a fact not reflected in the news coverage of the economy."

Bill Hobbs, May 2008: "The economic expansion launched by the Bush tax cuts continues uninterrupted so far. Has the pace of economic growth slowed? Yes. But the economy is still growing. Remember that the next time you here [sic] some Democrat candidate whining about the "recession," and talking about how bad the economy is."

Bill Hobbs, June 2008: "When it comes to the economy, the good news is the news isn't all bad. The bad news is the news media tends to cover the bad news more than the good."

Via R. Neal at TennViews, who adds "Voters in Tennessee and across the nation, please ask yourself: Do we need four more years of delusional government like this?

1st District Debate on Tuesday

Before the presidential debate on Tuesday at Belmont, the Niswonger Performing Arts Center in Greeneville will host an equally historic debate for the 1st Congressional District in Tennessee between Democrat candidate Rob Russell, Republican Candidate Phil Roe and several Independent candidates. The debate is set to begin at 7 p.m.

(NOTE: The most recent info I have indicates that so far only Russell and Roe have confirmed their attendance at the debate.)

WETS-FM's Wayne Winkler is moderator for the debate, which is sponsored by the League of Women Voters.

This year's campaign also marks the first time in more than 4 decades an incumbent is not on the ballot seeking re-election.

Also noteworthy, the complete absence of local media reporting on the plans for this event and for few stories on the candidates seeking election and the congressional race in general, which earns them a big fat F on their grade cards when it comes to covering local politics.