Please Read The Letter

I found this Tuesday night. The song was playing on some TV show(don't ask me which one). Much to my surprise, Robert Plant is a part of it(I am a big Led Zeppelin fan). It is Robert Plant and Alison Krauss singing, "Please Read The Letter". It was written by Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, Charlie Jones and Michael Lee. Enjoy:

Madden 09

This is kind of funny. I know all about the "Madden curse". Regardless, I am sure all the active NFL'ers are breathing a big sigh of relief right now.

Generation Squeeb

I recommend this column by Matt Taibbi. It talks about how stupid our public discourse is(thanks to the TradMed*).






* TradMed = Traditional media for those that don't know.

Character

Yves Smith wrote a great article that sums up what's wrong with the US financial system today. It's what happens when greed rules.

Why Americans Hate the Media

In light of Tim Russert's(aka Timmeh!! or Teh Big Punkinhead) performance last night during the Democratic debate I felt the urge to post about a column I read earlier today. It is twelve years old. James Fallows wrote it and you can find it here. It is as true today as it was when Fallows originally wrote it.

Happy Anniversary!!

.... to "Dean" Broder.

Obama-mania

What ever one thinks of Andrew Sullivan, a reader of his makes an interesting point. It is one explanation of why people are falling in love with Obama.

"William the Bloody"

It seems that Bill Kristol can't even attribute quotes correctly to his fellow wingnuts in his debut at the New York Times op-ed page.

"Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden?"

According to Jane Hamsher, there is a rumor floating around that Morgan Spurlock, of "Super Size Me" fame might have found him. If there is more to this than movie marketing, it will be the shocker of the year, or more.

Charles Krauthammer (aka Kraphammer)

Josh Marshall runs down why Krauthammer is indeed crap. How such idiots continue to be able to write for supposedly well respected, nationally read, newspapers and magazines is beyond me.

more Krugman ...

Paul Krugman knocks it out of the park again. I have to wonder where were all the risk managers at the big financial firms. Didn't any of them have a clue that if this blew up, it would blow up big?

Albany, NY

I just got home from the Springsteen concert in Albany, NY. It's a 4 hour drive for me. It was awesome. He played 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy), The E Street Shuffle, Candy's Room and Darkness on the Edge of Town(those were the special ones among the golden oldies). Among the newer songs, we got to hear I'll Work For Your Love. That's one the least played new songs. All in all a great night.

Pig Pile

I just noticed that Bob Hebert has now piled on David "Bobo" Brooks. We'll have to wait till Friday to see if "Bobo" responds. While I don't know whether Ray-gun was racist or not, it is obvious to anyone with a clue that he catered to that element.

Krugman takes "Bobo" Brooks to school

A few months ago, Krugman published a column in the NYT taking David Brooks to task for some drivel he wrote. Now Krugman has done it again. As some may be aware, Krugman now has a blog on the NYT website. While it helps promote his new book, it also gives all of us a chance to hear more from him besides his two weekly columns.

On Friday, Brooks wrote about Ray-gun and his pandering to Republicans, letting them know he was on their side. He tries to white wash Ray-guns record. We all know that Ray-gun pandered to the racist elements in the Republican party.

Krugman, on his blog, lays out a lot of facts to prove Brooks wrong. He points out Ray-gun's "Cadillac driving welfare queens" comment among others. Heck, Matt Yglesias makes some further points that Krugman probably forgot about. In short, Brooks should learn how to use Google, or at least get his facts straight before he writes more garbage.

I am glad Krugman is calling Brooks out(even though he isn't calling him out by name). Anyone with half a brain can see that Krugman is calling Brooks a tool and a liar.

Off to the see the Wizard ..

I was flipping channels just a bit ago. Wouldn't you know what was on TNT? "The Wizard of Oz". It reminded me that some people need to grow a spine, or have some courage. Harry Reid is one example.

Harry Reid is a huge disappointment

Read this. If it is any indication, he probably won't honor Dodd's hold on the FISA bill. I didn't think the Majority Leader of the Senate was supposed to stab caucus members in the back. I know better now. How far he's fallen in ten months. Harry, are you going to make this a habit? If so, we need a new Majority Leader.

Bruce and Clear Channel

Howie has a great post about Clear Channel and how media consolidation is a dangerous thing. Going after the Dixie Chicks wasn't enough. They are going after Bruce now. It figures, Clear Channel is owned by right wing hacks. They are afraid of people speaking out against Bush.

In Dodd We Trust

I just want to give a shout out to Senator Dodd from Connecticut. It's about time someone took a stand for the Constitution. Isn't that what all Senators and Representatives(not to mention the President) promised to defend when they took office? There is no reason for companies to be granted immunity for willfully violating the law, whether the President asks you to or not. I am glad he's willing to filibuster the FISA bill. I am heartened as well to see Senator Bernie Sanders and Senator Biden promise to join him. I am greatly disappointed in the top three presidential candidates. Obama put out a tepid statement saying it was a bad bill. That's not good enough!! I am greatly disappointed in John Edwards. He should have said something long before now. There has been no word from Hillary Clinton. Frankly, it doesn't suprise me at all. It's too bad she won't take the opportunity to be a leader. If the Constitution is not important enough for her, what is?

The Conscience of a Liberal

Paul Krugman had a post yesterday on his new-ish NYT sponsored blog about his upcoming book tour. He said when he did his last tour, four years ago, that it was like an old time revival. People were just happy someone was speaking out against the Bushies. He says he has no idea what it will be like this time. It will make that tour seem like a Sunday pancake breakfast fundraiser at the local firehouse.

Is there anybody out there??

The events of the past few days make me wonder. Has the Republican party become so corrupted that it has outlived its usefulness? What brings this to mind is the saga of the Frost family of Baltimore. They have been attacked by elements of the Republican party for using S-Chip to pay the health insurance bills of their children. Why do I call them elements of the Republican party? Because the White House supports them. They host conferences for these fear and hate mongers. They've had people like Rush Limbaugh to the White House to make sure Limbaugh is up to the minute on the latest talking points. So what do you call it when Michelle Malkin sits in for Bill O'Reilly? And has Malkin ever stepped in it lately! She's been going around like a stalker trying to dig up dirt on the Frost family. Needless to say, it is obvious that she doesn't believe in Jesus, because he'd be disgusted by her actions too.