Saturday, December 22, 2012
Smarter Than Expected
It's been awhile, but over the years have met quite a few Dem members of Congress. Without exception they've all been pretty smart. Smart doesn't mean good and they are all tainted by swimming in the river of Washington CW, but they weren't dummies.
Friday, December 21, 2012
Gun Nuttery
One thing that has surprised me over the years is that gun nuttery politics has actually trumped disgusting racial politics. As in, I'm surprised that gun nuts haven't been happy to ban guns in places where the blahs might own them.
Reporting For Duty
The people who are attracted to the idea of volunteering to stand around all day with a gun at your third grader's school probably shouldn't be doing it.
It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
I'll keep this place running, but expect a holiday schedule through the new year. Need a little bit of a mental health break.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Thursday Night Crass Commercialism
Increasingly teevees have various kinds of internet capabilities, but especially if yours doesn't, the Roku is a very useful device to have. Can stream Netflix, Amazon, etc.
Random Interesting To Me Food Thing
It had not occurred to me that pho bò kho is "essentially boeuf bourguignon with a Southeast Asian twist."
Not personally a fan, but still find it interesting.
Not personally a fan, but still find it interesting.
Hack'd
At least for liberals, doing this kind of media criticism is essentially creating a list of "publications and outlets that will never hire Alex Pareene ever."
Apparently Liberal Policies Are Awesome
I went here and clicked on all the most liberal shit, and we get to budget surplus in 2016 and close to 4% growth in 2013, over 4% in 2014, and 5% in 2015.
Things I did: double make work pay, American Jobs Act, income tax rebate, public option, increase payroll tax cap, increased the gas tax, carbon pricing, and extending the payroll tax cut/unemployment benefits.
Things I did: double make work pay, American Jobs Act, income tax rebate, public option, increase payroll tax cap, increased the gas tax, carbon pricing, and extending the payroll tax cut/unemployment benefits.
What's Boehner Thinking
The way these things are supposed to work is that Republicans do "something" and then there's a huge media drumbeat about the need for Democrats to do something which is pretty much what the Republicans did because bipartisan.
I'm not entirely sure why it's not going to work that way (though it still could of course!). It might simply be because the media narrative on this issue is completely self-contradictory nonsense. After telling us for years that what we need is Austerity Now, austerity is somehow a bad thing, except it's also good because unicorns.
I'm not entirely sure why it's not going to work that way (though it still could of course!). It might simply be because the media narrative on this issue is completely self-contradictory nonsense. After telling us for years that what we need is Austerity Now, austerity is somehow a bad thing, except it's also good because unicorns.
Consequences
We have two things going on here. One is the understood rule that Democrats must be civil and nice and never commit the sin of accurately describing the views of Republicans. Second is the entrenched pundit utterly unconcerned with actual policy or judicial outcomes because, you know, they won't actually impact him.
Just Like Hitler
Most Villagers are pretty anti-democracy. Every four years they go out and talk to a few of the great unwashed and discover they aren't actually up on all of the latest DC gossip, decide that voters are ignorant, and dream of technocracy run by GOP Daddies.
But few express contempt for people having a say in how their government works as clearly as George Will does.
But few express contempt for people having a say in how their government works as clearly as George Will does.
Simple Solutions To Simple Violations Of The Law
Restaurant engages in illegal practices in order to pay all of its workers $2.13/hr. and we're supposed to praise them?
I Want To Share
I haven't always been perfect about this kind of thing, but I do think that in our brave new economy we should all find revenue earning ways to promote stuff we like.
You might hate the crappy videos I post, but I like them. I hope I occasionally directly or indirectly help them earn a few dimes.
You might hate the crappy videos I post, but I like them. I hope I occasionally directly or indirectly help them earn a few dimes.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Wednesday Evening Crass Commercialism
How about a new teevee? David Gregory will look purty on it.
For somewhat obvious disclosure, I link to amazon stuff because I get a commission. Their commission program is pretty generous. If you click on that link (I believe) it puts a cookie on your machine so that in some time frame (not sure how long) anything you happen to purchase from amazon (and some of you purchase very interesting things!)* gets credited to me. It's a way for me to support this little blog of mine by taking money from Amazon, which doesn't seem like such a bad thing. And it's Xmas time, so people are buying a reasonable amount of stuff.
*Don't worry, I know what people buy but I have no idea who is buying things. You have privacy.
For somewhat obvious disclosure, I link to amazon stuff because I get a commission. Their commission program is pretty generous. If you click on that link (I believe) it puts a cookie on your machine so that in some time frame (not sure how long) anything you happen to purchase from amazon (and some of you purchase very interesting things!)* gets credited to me. It's a way for me to support this little blog of mine by taking money from Amazon, which doesn't seem like such a bad thing. And it's Xmas time, so people are buying a reasonable amount of stuff.
*Don't worry, I know what people buy but I have no idea who is buying things. You have privacy.
There's Still Something About The Landline
I kept my landline longer than many, mostly because I used to do radio regularly and cell phones generally aren't awesome for that. But I've been without for over a year. With cell phones they're mostly unnecessary and redundant, but cell phones aren't perfect substitutes. There's something - even something slightly strange in retrospect - about the loud phones jangling throughout the house every time someone calls. There's something about calling a house, rather than a person. It feels a bit weird calling friends who are cohabitating and not being quite sure who to call, as if choosing one over the other is expressing a preference.
Not being a get off my lawn guy here, just observing that ending the landline is actually a change to social norms that had existed for quite some time.
Not being a get off my lawn guy here, just observing that ending the landline is actually a change to social norms that had existed for quite some time.
I'll Say What I Always Say
While I'm slightly sympathetic to first time offenders who are flirting with the legal limit, extremely rich dudes should hire a goddamn driver.
Veteran news anchor Sam Donaldson was arrested for DUI earlier this month, according to police.
What's It All About
While most Villagers have pretended to not notice, Fix The Debt is the most transparent of the deficit fraudsters to ever appear. They make it completely clear that their concerns have nothing to do with the deficit or the debt, and everything to do with stealing money from the olds and the poors to give it to rich people, defense, and finance.
About Those Dead Kids
Obama's giving a gun control presser and the first question is by an AP reporter who asks about... the "fiscal cliff."
Zombies Need Brains
It is worth remembering that the only thing the online "right" cares about is getting people fired, or else getting people killed.
Erik Loomis is quite right to speak of the NRA with harsh contempt. As Rob says, the current Two Minute Hate against him is all about trying to distract from the lunatic gun fetishism that is getting kids killed.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Saint Petraeus
Holy crap.
Frederick and Kimberly Kagan, a husband-and-wife team of hawkish military analysts, put their jobs at influential Washington think tanks on hold for almost a year to work for Gen. David H. Petraeus when he was the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan. Provided desks, e-mail accounts and top-level security clearances in Kabul, they pored through classified intelligence reports, participated in senior-level strategy sessions and probed the assessments of field officers in order to advise Petraeus about how to fight the war differently.
Their compensation from the U.S. government for their efforts, which often involved 18-hour workdays, seven days a week and dangerous battlefield visits?
Zero dollars.
Violating The Pledge
If we switch over to the chained-CPI, it isn't just about Social Security cuts. It'll impact other federally set things, including tax brackets, meaning it will be a tax increase on those earning less than $250,000 per year.
Like Matt I don't really care about that, but it has been one of the few guiding principles of the administration, so...
Like Matt I don't really care about that, but it has been one of the few guiding principles of the administration, so...
Monday, December 17, 2012
PSA
I'm not one who is super paranoid (and I don't mean that as a pejorative) about internet privacy stuff, but Instagram saying that can steal and sell your private photos is a bit much.
So do this.
So do this.
Bringing It Old School
Time for this little blog to do a bit of activism like the old days. Get your dialing fingers ready for tomorrow. White House, Reid's office, your senators, and your member of Congress. No cuts to Social Security.
There will be a list, we will be checking it twice, and it will be called The Social Security Shit List.
There will be a list, we will be checking it twice, and it will be called The Social Security Shit List.
And Just What Are We Supposed To Do About The "Entertainment Moguls"?
I get a bit twitchy when people who make their living using the first amendment to advocate for more wars and no gun laws (as Scarborough did for a long time) suddenly decide that we need to crack down (how, exactly?) on OTHER PEOPLE who might create films with fake violence in them.
Joe supported a lot of real violence over the years. I imagine that probably had a bigger impact than the fake violence. And besides, I'm sure he's quite fine with movie violence as long as it's of the jingoistic kind. You know, the kind that glorifies the real violence he's supported.
Joe supported a lot of real violence over the years. I imagine that probably had a bigger impact than the fake violence. And besides, I'm sure he's quite fine with movie violence as long as it's of the jingoistic kind. You know, the kind that glorifies the real violence he's supported.
Hero Fantasies
What pisses me off most about all of the vigilante-hero fantasizing gun nuts is that their limited view of heroism involves... killing a bad guy. If you want to be a hero, there are plenty of ways to step up and be one every day. Unless your fantasy isn't about heroism at all, just killing.
And The Last Half Million Gun Deaths?
Yes I'm all for people changing their minds, and I do get how it takes the slap upside the head of a major event to encourage that sometimes, but the blindness of people to the absolutely immense amount of gun deaths that happen every day in this country is incredible.
Their Agenda
If their agenda was cutting the deficit, they'd love the fiscal cliff. Obviously their agenda is something else.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Guns Kill People
About 80% of the murder victims in Philadelphia in 2011 were shooting victims. I would guess that absent guns, very few of those people would have been murdered.
Guns Kill People
A couple of years after I left college, there was a deadly incident in my fraternity house (yes I was in a fraternity, yes it was a mostly good experience for me personally, yes Greek systems are probably generally bad). I didn't really know either of the people involved. Basically drunk guy comes home. Expects to find leftover sandwich in fridge. Sandwich not there. Pissed off, he pulls out a gun (guns and drunk frat boys are an excellent combination) and fires it at a target on the wall. Bullet goes through wall into bathroom, through next wall into next bedroom, into abdomen of guy in next room. Upon realizing he'd hit someone, the shooter promptly aimed gun at himself and committed suicide. Guy he shot ended up being ok (after major medical attention, of course).
Nobody would have been hurt or dead if not for the presence of a gun.
Nobody would have been hurt or dead if not for the presence of a gun.
Meta At The Speed Of Light
There's a degree of awareness about how all of these conversations play out, how everybody plays their appointed role. We all know how the "national conversation" on guns will happen, with liberals saying there are too many guns, and conservatives yelling that we're politicizing it and also, too, arm the kindergarten teachers and the problems will be solved.
And then nothing will happen, and sadly we'll do it all again.
And then nothing will happen, and sadly we'll do it all again.
Sunday Bobbleheads
Face The Nation has Kay The Bailey Hutchison and Chuck The Schumer.
Meet the Press has The Bloomberg and The Weingarten.
This Week has some stuff, not sure what.
Document the atrocities!
Meet the Press has The Bloomberg and The Weingarten.
This Week has some stuff, not sure what.
Document the atrocities!
Morning Thread
Here's a link to the White House Petition to introduce gun control legislation. While signing the petition may not do any good, we have to start somewhere.
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