Prison Break

I'm Dressin' Up Like Santa --Bob Rivers

Sometimes Small Is Big

Sarah Jarosz via NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts
w/ fiddler Alex Hargreaves and cellist Nathaniel Smith

Today's Rant

Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American consumer.

Happy Solstice

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas --Bob Evans

Today's Pix

What Comfort Can Be Found

Of all the aspects of religiousness that make my skin crawl, that's kinda the big'un - the fact that a "Christian" like Erick Erickson is comforted by the thought of other people suffering because they don't believe in his imaginary friends.

That's pretty fucked up right there.

hat tip = Little Green Footballs

God Love The Onion

Meanwhile, Back At The Executive Mansion

From WaPo, via Richmond Times Dispatch:

Federal prosecutors told Gov. Bob McDonnell last week that he and his wife would be charged in connection with a gift scandal, but senior Justice Department officials delayed the decision after the McDonnells’ attorneys made a face-to-face appeal in Washington, according to people familiar with the case.

Dana Boente, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, told the McDonnells’ legal teams that he planned to ask a grand jury to return an indictment no later than this past Monday, people familiar with the conversations said.

The governor and his wife, Maureen McDonnell, would have been charged with working together to illegally promote a struggling dietary supplement company in exchange for gifts and loans from its CEO, the people said.

The legal teams for Vaginal Bob and Lady McDonnell met with a Deputy USAG and got something of a reprieve.  Nobody's talking about it, but it could be just the usual delaying tactic of pleading for the indictments to be postponed until after McAuliffe's inauguration.  That way (per conventional wisdom), we can pretend that the stench of corruption is totally (and only) attached to these two people, and doesn't point directly at a political system that's growing into a full-blown institutionalized scheme of coin-operated politicians.

I'm not convinced yet that McAuliffe has what it takes, but it sure would be nice for him to start things off by declaring simply and straight out that taking the big bucks from the big donors doesn't mean he'll be manufacturing policies that are custom made to fit an agenda that has practically nothing to do with - and may well do some real harm to - the people who can't afford to make those high-dollar contributions.

And There Ya Have It

Richmond Times Dispatch:

On the final day of the statewide recount in the race for Virginia’s attorney general, Republican Mark D. Obenshain conceded to Democrat Mark R. Herring, the certified winner of the Nov. 5 election, ending what Obenshain called “a vigorous and hard-fought campaign.”

Herring’s victory gives Democrats all five statewide offices — governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and the two U.S. Senate seats — for the first time since 1969.

“The recount is almost over, and in this contest it’s become apparent that our campaign is going to come up a few votes short,” Obenshain said Wednesday afternoon at a news conference at the state Capitol, his wife, Suzanne, and daughter Tucker by his side.

Herring ended Election Day with a margin of less than 120 votes, and the recount as of yesterday had him up by a little over 900.

Repubs have been very busy trying to "win" elections by making it harder for certain demographic segments to vote.  They can say whatever they want about how the new restrictions apply to everybody and so they're not discriminatory at all, but anybody with a lick of sense (and the tiniest inclination to look into it) knows that's a complete crockful o' shit.

Here's the takeaway that I suspect will be totally lost on "conservatives": Democracy works pretty well even when you try to fuck with it.  So, could ya please stop fucking with it now?

Government As Usual

Another step towards "making government run more like a business":

A BILL 

To amend the Trademark Act of 1946 to provide for the registration of marks consisting of a flag, coat of arms, or other official insignia of the United States or of any State or local government, and for other purposes. 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

SECTION 1. REGISTRATION OF CERTAIN MARKS OF THE UNITED STATES AND STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS. 

Section 2(b) of the Act entitled ``An Act to provide for the registration and protection of trademarks used in commerce, to carry out the provisions of certain international conventions, and for other purposes'', approved July 6, 1946 (commonly referred to as the ``Trademark Act of 1946''; 15 U.S.C. 1052(b)) is amended by inserting after ``simulation thereof'' the following: ``, except that this subsection shall not prevent the United States, or any State, municipality, county, political subdivision, or other governmental authority in the United States, from obtaining registration under this Act of any mark that consists of or comprises its own flag, coat of arms, or other official insignia''.

Designated HR3713, introduced by Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY08), and cosponsored by Ted Poe (R-TX02).

Cuz that's exactly what we need to spend tax dollars on - Gubmint Watchdogs to protect the viability of The Government Brand; to decide who does and who doesn't get to use Ol' Glory and in what way.  There's a fortune to be made by USAmerica Inc, simply by extracting licensing fees and royalties from anybody who wants to use anything "government-related" for any commercial purpose.  

This avid corporatizing is a sickness.  And it's especially offensive when we're ready to apply the empty and meaningless bullshit of Brand Value Marketing to government.

Here's a quick tho't - maybe we could concentrate on the substance of government, and stop obsessing over the fucking style.

hat tip = Irregular Times