Archive: January, 2006

state of the onion: bush is a rank git

author randomduck | timestamp 31/01/2006 | categories Comments Off

The smug grin. The hyperbole. The need to repeat the same drivel again and again and again.

Yup – it’s BushCo delivering their annual report…. er, State of the Union.

He is, of course, leaving out a lot of details: the fact that other Presidents who’ve used FISA have obtained the necessary warrants, the fact that we’re loathed in Iraq and the Middle East, the fact that he won’t listen to the majority of Democrats.

Bush is using all the key words – so often that I had to abandon the drinking game in the first ten minutes, and I was drinking a half liter!

The Dems are mostly sitting on their hands where appropriate, save for turncoats like Lieberman. (And yes, I signed up to help Ned Lamont – if you live in Connecticut, you should, too,)

The only good note? The comments about Coretta Scott King. No matter how you feel about Bush, it was classy.

categories dems, government, insecurity, politics, theocons

cd playback 2006: day 7

author randomduck | timestamp 31/01/2006 | categories Comments Off

More musical fun after a warm January day (believe me, this warm winter weather is driving me nuts – where’s the damn snow?).

N: The Best of New Grass Revival – New Grass Revival
O: One More Song: An Album For Club Passim – various artists
P: Hang On Little Tomato – Pink Martini

The first disc features the group that Béla Fleck played in before he founded the Flecktones. The second is fun folk music romp.

categories music

post cloture unwinding

author randomduck | timestamp 31/01/2006 | categories 2 Comments

There has been a lot of talk – angry, horrfied, mournful, scornful, confused, raging, screaming, crying, swearing to the heavens, damning to hell, pouring gasoline on electronic personae and lighting them ablaze, reaching out with a comforting blanket – about the fact that Senate Democrats couldn’t block cloture on the debate about the confirmation of Samuel Alito.

It’s gotten nasty. On Daily Kos, wars of words have been waged since the early afternoon. Barbs have been dealt, olive branches extended and withdrawn, and the politics of the personal have taken center stage.

I, myself, haven’t been immune – all of my posts have been tarred with the dreaded “1″ rating, which is akin to being labeled a “troll.” And why? Because I didn’t agree with them about a filibuster, about the feasibility of blocking cloture, and about the Dems’ opportunities to wage a strong battle in the months ahead. I wasn’t trying to attack people; I was just trying to insert an alternate voice, some levity, perhaps a dose of reality – nothing more, nothing less.

But even in the global community – especially one populated largely by like-minded folk – a civil society is not always found. (Wow – wouldn’t Claire Gaudiani be proud to read that line!)

That’s why I find a post by the user named “thereisnospoon” so refreshing. He plants a wonderful does of reality into the mix. Yes, Alito is far from the ideal replacement for Sandra Day O’Connor, but he’s not the end of the world. We will all live to fight another day, perhaps in another war that the Dems will win, with strength that will show our real power as the party of the people and for the people.

So click on the link and read – it’s a nice antidote to the venom witnessed (and experienced) in today’s blogosphere.

“Alito has no power – we have lost nothing”

categories dems, politics, theocons

the dems shouldn’t filibuster over alito

author randomduck | timestamp 30/01/2006 | categories 2 Comments

Right now, there’s a lot of chat in the liberal blogopshere about how “we all need to filibuster” over the cloture vote on Alito. The issue is portrayed as the “put up or shut up” moment that Dems need to act on.

Yet I don’t think it is – at least, in the form it is taking.

Right now, a lot of the drive for a filibuster is coming from abortion rights groups, such as NARAL and Feminist Majority. These groups are arguing that Judge Alito will strike down Roe v. Wade, and that this is the single most damning aspect of his legal history. They argue that he will bring the country to ruin, that women who seek abortions will have zero options, etc.

The thing is: Alito has defended his views on Roe v. Wade via legal arguments, background cases, and the other things that a good judge or lawyer uses to defend his opinion. Yes, I disagree with his view on this, but this does not mean that he is an unfit judge.

Now I do agree that Alito is not fit to serve on the Supreme Court, but not because of his views on abortion rights. Rather, I have a problem with his views on separation of powers and on personal privacy. I believe that he will cede too much power to the Executive branch (especially to a conservative one), turning a blind eye to the Constitution with regard to matters like warrentless wiretapping, unprovoked military action, and military action against non-governmental entities. I fear that Alito will cause to court to lose its checking power, which would essentially make Bush “king.”

Now that is a good reason to object Alito. And it won’t take additional discussion in the Senate chambers to deduce such a stance.

Yet the Democrats are taking no unified, committed approach to the filibuster, nor is the “netroots.” The NARAL/FM tack, the “Bush nominated him so he has to be bad” tack, and the separation-of-powers tack have all been chewed up, swallowed and regurgitated ad infinitum by these groups, with little effect other than to show that the Dems are:

  • not focused on long-term victory
  • lack leadership
  • aren’t thinking outside the box
  • doing this at the 11th hour, rather than having planned a well-strategized move

This is not the fight that will define the Dems for the 2006 election season. At least I hope it isn’t, because it’s left tons of room for criticism.

Speaking as a Dem, just let the vote happen, and vote no if you have a good, solid reason to do so. Don’t join the political posturing runway walk, don’t play games: just vote.

No excuses: just vote.

There will be other battles where you can fight and win in a way that will show strength and conviction: Abramoff, FISA, Fizgerald – there will be more chances to show true political muscle without looking like a bunch of rudderless idiots.

Update: only 25 Dems voted against cloture. The vote on Alito will take place tomorrow, and I hope that the Dems show up and vote – just vote.

categories dems, insecurity, politics, theocons

workout log: 29 january 2006

author randomduck | timestamp 29/01/2006 | categories Comments Off

Activity: crunches
Location: home
Quantity: 100
Type: anaerobic

Couldn’t drag my butt out onto the bike before the rain set in. It was a day where I couldn’t win: the weather would clear, then cloud up again, then clear. Whatever. I’ll get a ride in on Wednesday evening.

categories workout

cd playback 2006: day 6

author randomduck | timestamp 29/01/2006 | categories Comments Off

More fun, and more stretching of the term “alphabetical order.” As sprite says, “iTunes alphabetizes by first name” – can’t argue with that (much).

I: Acoustic Soul – India.Arie
J: Honky Chateau – Elton John
K: Evolver – The Kennedys
L: Imagine… All The Outtakes: The Alternate Album – John Lennon
M: Ladies Of The Canyon – Joni Mitchell

categories music

cd playback 2006: day 5

author randomduck | timestamp 29/01/2006 | categories Comments Off

Some late night listening – though the first disc today was started in the early evening, paused, then finished later on.

G: David Gilmour – David Gilmour
H: Beware of ABKCO! – George Harrison

Again, a ROIO is chosen, as a lot of ‘em have happened to join the collection over the years. It’s what fandom will do to a person….

categories music

where i’ve been in great britain

author randomduck | timestamp 28/01/2006 | categories Comments Off

Some very random travel trivia:

County map
I’ve visited the counties in yellow.
Which counties have you visited?

made by marnanel
map reproduced from Ordnance Survey map data
by permission of the Ordnance Survey.
© Crown copyright 2001.

categories random, travel

cd playback 2006: day 4

author randomduck | timestamp 27/01/2006 | categories 1 Comment

Yeah, there was a hiatus for a few days while sprite was out of town. We resumed the project last night.

E: Compass & Companion – Mark Erelli
F: Folksong America – Volume Two – various artists

The latter was chosen for its title. It is part of an early-1990s Smithsonian Folkways project that I received for Christmas (thanks, Bob and Ann!).

categories music

the programs i like

author randomduck | timestamp 25/01/2006 | categories 3 Comments

I freely admit to being a closet TV junkie. It’s a habit that I’d like to break, and the major networks have been doing their part by continuing to churn out some awful shows: too formulaic, dumb writing, casts with no chemistry, etc. And as I don’t have cable or dish coverage, I need to be content with the basic airwaves.

But there are a few that I go out of my way to watch:

  • The West Wing (NBC, Sunday). Yes, it’s in its last season, and John Spencer died in December. The show’s writing has been spotty since the beginning of the fourth season, and Aaron Sorkin’s departure at the end of said season sent the show into a bit of a tailspin. But the ensemble cast is still top-notch, and the recent writing has been much better. Hopefully they’ll go out swinging, resolving some nagging plot points along the way.
  • How I Met Your Mother (CBS, Monday). One of the best sitcoms in years. Neil Patrick Harris is so wonderful as a lecherous sleaze, and the cast (including the beautiful Alyson Hannigan) works well together. Even Bob Saget’s narration works well. A triumph for CBS.
  • Commander In Chief (ABC, Tuesday). This could be seen as the heir-apparent to The West Wing, as it documents the life and times of a sitting president and her immediate staff. The difference: the president is a woman (Geena Davis), and her family plays a more immediate role. The first four episodes were markedly better than those since, as ABC fired Rod Lurie for “being too slow in filming the episodes.” While Lurie is still an executive producer, the new writing style is still finding its sea legs (and alienating viewers in the process, as viewership has taken a steep fall since the show’s first month). But the cast is quite good, especially Donald Sutherland as the scheming Republican speaker of the House. I hope that it gets a chance to develop into a solid series.
  • Love Monkey (CBS, Tuesday). It’s great to have Tom Cavanagh back on TV, and this show is the perfect vehicle for his quirky qualities. He plays an A&R rep for an indie record label, having been fired from a large record label (“Goliath Records”) in the first episode. There’s irony here, as the show is underwritten by Sony Music Entertainment and features tons of cameos and performances from Sony-BMG artists (self mockery as entertainment?). However, the mood of the show is light and entertaining, and it’s filmed entirely in New York City – a look-and-feel that can’t be reproduced in LA. Probably my favorite mid-season newbie.
  • My Name Is Earl (NBC, Thursday). Jason Lee was born to play this role, and the show is quite fun. It’s a bit dark at times, but its heart is in the right place. For a network that’s fired lots of comedic duds of late (witness Joey), this is a pleasant surprise.
  • The Office (NBC, Thursday). I don’t watch this too often (and don’t go out of my way to watch it, oddly enough), but I can wholly relate to the show – working at my previous job was eerily similar to the warped scenario of this show. I’ve yet to see the UK original (which stars the wonderful Ricky Gervais), but Steve Carrell holds his own quite well.

There are other shows I’ve also discovered this season that are fun – Gilmour Girls and Boston Legal pop immediately to mind – but the aforementioned ones are my faves.

categories mass media, random

Page 1 of 41234