Tim Wise

On the creation of "Whiteness":



I think I put this up at least once before - it bears repeating.

Mr Delbert McClinton

Rumored (not-completely-falsely) to have been the guy who taught John Lennon to play harmonica, Delbert's just one of those guys who gets around so much and plays so much that you could believe he invented Blue-Eyed Soul (which ain't all that far from a natural fact neither).

Practically a throw-away:

It's Tough Out There For A T-Rex

Dot, Meet Dot

Not to get too magical-mystical here, but when we're talking about the FISA Court and USA PATRIOT Act and the shenanigans at NSA and the FBI, etc - I think I have to go along with Mark Udall; mostly anyway - and Obama too btw.  There has to be a balance, which (imo) we've let get away from us in a pretty big way.

Balance is kinda the key to the whole self-governance thingie.  We have to continue to develop better ways to catch the bad guys after the fact - and better yet, prevent the bad guys from doin' the dirt in the first place - without making it more probable that some tin-plated martinet will abuse the power, and turn it to his own ends.  (Thank you, Capt Obvious)

Here's 5 minutes of Udall on NPR, talking about what he and Ron Wyden are proposing:



Almost at the very end, Udall makes a point that kinda blew up in my brain.  He said (paraphrasing), "...privacy is the ultimate form of freedom".

If I make a not-entirely-silly leap, I can say Privacy = Anonymity; and in a still not-so-silly way, Anonymity = Invisibility; and Invisibility is very much the be-all and end-all of the super powers.

On the one hand, if nobody can see you, then nobody can fuck with you.  This is mostly a very good thing for individuals.

But on the other hand, if you can't be seen, then you can't be held to account for anything you do.  This is always a very bad thing for societies.

So, balance.  Aye, there's the rub.

hat tip = Little Green Footballs

Sen Warren Of Massachusetts

Cain't hep muh-sef.  My mad crush on Elizabeth Warren continues apace.

By way of Charlie Pierce at Esquire:

"I have heard the argument that transparency would undermine the Trade Representative's policy to complete the trade agreement because public opposition would be significant," Warren explained. "In other words, if people knew what was going on, they would stop it. This argument is exactly backwards. If transparency would lead to widespread public opposition to a trade agreement, then that trade agreement should not be the policy of the United States."

advice and consent - a legal expression in the United States Constitution that allows the Senate to constrain the President's powers of appointment and treaty-making

The Enormity Of It All

e·nor·mous  adj. 1. Very great in size, extent, number, or degree. 2. Archaic Very wicked; heinous.

This guy on Chris Hayes last nite used that word a buncha times, and I'm wondering if his usage was just supposed to indicate 'big', or if he meant to include the 'heinous' implication as well.

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Ed Note:
I realize I've been a little heavy on the MSNBC material lately, but y'know - when I test this stuff for fact-worthiness and reasonableness, and I filter out the partisanship, I notice that even while a lot of the 'lefties' are twisting sideways trying to defend Obama's administration, Rachel and Chris et al are reporting the shitty things that happen right beside the stuff that's OK and/or Pretty Decent and/or Wow-Ain't-That-Fuckin'-Awesome (there's really not a lot that falls into that last category - but still).

Anyway, I haven't gotten to many solid conclusions yet on what's been going on with National Security the last 20 years or so.  I can say there's something about anything called "The Department of Homeland Security" that feels creepy and sinister - it just goes against every impulse I think every American is practically born with - or at least should learn and understand as we grow up.

I don't know how much of The National Security Machinery needs to be dismantled and  discarded, but I think we have to understand that putting that kind of power in too few hands always gets us trouble, so we'd better figure it out.  Too Big To Fail is a major problem when it comes to business; when we're talking about Government, you're always in danger of creating something that becomes Too Big To Fuck With.

Today's GOP Wackitude

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Quick recap:

Woke Up This Mornin'

James Gandolfini died today, and that really sucks because he was one of those guys who could play a lot of different types - but he had no fear (and never complained) about being stuck in the role of the bent-nose thug.  And if there's any good news here, it's just that I can post the theme from the opening credits of The Sopranos.

Today's Eternal Sadness

One of the favorite arguments put forward by The Clan of the Tiny Manhood, when railing against any kind of gun control laws, is that "you only keep law-abiding citizens from getting guns".

Here's a story of the wife of a law-abiding citizen; the mother of that law-abiding citizen's 2 sons; who was gunned down in her home by that self-same law-abiding citizen during a quarrel over who's turn it was to cook the evening meal.

COMSTOCK, MI -- It was an argument over cooking a meal that led to Monday's fatal shooting of Nancy Kovach, 40, by her husband, John, in the couple's Comstock Township home, said Kalamazoo County Undersheriff Paul Matyas.

"There was an argument at the residence that simply escalated. It was a dumb argument," Matyas said. "They were arguing over who was going to cook something. That simply escalated to the point where he shot her."

The Kovachs' 10-year-old and 8-year-old sons were inside the home at the time of the shooting, Matyas said. The boys were put in the custody of Child Protective Services.

Matyas said alcohol was likely a factor in the homicide, but investigators are following up to see how much of a factor it played.

John Kovach, 42, has been charged with open murder and was denied bond at his arraignment Tuesday afternoon.

Sheriff's deputies were called to the residence at 8:50 p.m. Monday to respond to a domestic dispute and found Nancy Kovach already dead. Matyas did not know who made the 911 call. The family lives at 6907 E. Main St. in Comstock Township.

And Jesus wept.  Y'know - Jesus cries a lot here in America.

Garbage - Updated