Monday Morning Tunage

The Journey --Tommy Emmanuel

Ouch

If ya saw my post from yesterday, you may have tho't I'm not the football freak that I actually am.   Football's my game, but it really bothers me when it gets all mashed up with the US military and god-bothering and compulsory patriotism and hyper consumerism and a need to see ourselves in soft-focus that strikes me as more than just a little creepy; I guess it just seems like we're putting all those things together and synthesizing a kind of national religion, and it bugs me.

Speaking of bugs - I don't recall seeing this, but they tell me it ran last nite:



BTW - I grew up hating to love the Broncos because it seemed like they were always just good enough to break your heart (SB #'s 32 and 33 notwithstanding of course), and last night was a good example.  Denver has now lost more Super Bowls than any other team, and they're the proud owners of 3 out of the top 4 blowout losses in Super Bowl history.  That's my guys.

What We'll Prob'ly Not See Today

Today is the climax of the Festival In Superbowl-y Triumph, when the entire world can enjoy watching America FIST-ing itself on hi-def TV, thanks almost solely to a squad of Corporate Slags who'll give 3 or 4 million dollars to some other Corporate Slags to air a 30-second spot, placed by even more Corporate Slags at the ad agencies who've been whipping the armies of minimum-wage interns mornin' noon and night in order to come up with the little gems that we'll be raving about for a good two weeks, while we're slaving away to make the money we'll need to give to the beer companies and the insurance companies and the car companies and the sports franchises (and to the governments so they can give even more to those companies and franchises in direct and indirect ways) - just so we come right back here next year and do it all over again.  America - 'cuz FUCK YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's one piece that I'm betting didn't make the cut.

Saturday Nite Tune

Wilco (NPR Tiny Desk Concert)

Dawned On Me
Whole Love

Born Alone

War On War

Saturday Nite Tune

Goin' Down --The Monkees  (yes, those Monkees)




Floatin' down the river
With a saturated liver
And I wish I could forgive her
But I do believe she meant it
When she told me to forget it
And I bet she will regret it
When they find me in the morning wet and drowned
And the word gets 'round
Goin' down
Goin' down

Coming' up for air
It's pretty stuffy under there
I'd like to say I didn't care
But I forgot to leave a note
And it's so hard to stay afloat
I'm soakin' wet without a boat
And I knew I should have taken off my shoes
It's front page news
Goin' down
Goin' down

I wish I had another drink
It wouldn't be so hard to sink
I should have taken time to think
Besides I got the picture straight
She must have had another date
I didn't need this extra weight
I wish that I could see the way to shore
Don't want no more
Goin' down
I'm goin' down

And now I see the life I led
I slept it all away in bed
I should have learned to swim instead
And now it's really got me stumped
I can't believe why I jumped
I'd like to get my tummy pumped
I can't believe they drink this stuff in town
This dirty brown
Goin' down
Goin' down

I wish I looked before I leaped
I didn't know it was so deep
Been down so far I don't get wet
Haven't touched the bottom yet
This river scene is gettin' old
I'm hungry, sleepy, wet and cold
She told me to forget it nice
I should have taken her advice
I only want to go on home
I'd gladly leave that girl alone
What a way to spend the night
If I don't drown, I'll die of fright
My pappy taught me how to float
But I can't swim a single note
He threw me in to teach me how
I stayed there floatin' like a mama cow
And now I've floated way down stream
I know this has to be a dream
If I could find my way to shore
I'd never, never do this anymore
I'll give you three, I've been down nine
I'm goin' down just one more time.
Goin' down.
Goin' down.

Now the sky is gettin' light
An everything will be alright
Think I finally got the knack
Just floatin' here lazy on my back
I never really liked that town
I think I'll ride the river down
Just movin' slow and floatin' free
There's a river swingin' under me.
Waving back to the folks on shore
I should have thought of this before
I'm floatin' on down to New Orleans
Goin' to pick up on some swingin' scenes
I know I'll know a better day
I'll go down groovin' all the way
Goin' down
Goin' down

A Woman's Work

We're 5 years post-Ledbetter, and it's kinda like it never happened.  I just really don't get what people have against what I was always taught were basic American concepts like equality and fairness and treating regular human beings like regular human beings.  When did the idea of lookin' out for each other become all "girly" and weak, or a political liability, or nice and warm and fuzzy, but something we simply can't afford anymore?  That's pretty fucked up right there.

From The Institute for Women's Policy Research:

Nearly 60 percent (59.3 percent) of women would earn more if working women were paid the same as men of the same age with similar education and hours of work.

The poverty rate for women would be cut in half, falling to 3.9 percent from 8.1 percent among working women. The very high poverty rate for working single mothers would fall by nearly half, from 28.7 percent to 15.0 percent.
The total increase in women’s earnings with pay equity represents more than 14 times what the Federal and state governments spent in fiscal year 2012 on Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF).

Excerpts from The Shriver Report, A Woman’s Nation Pushes Back from the Brink, and additional information are available at ShriverReport.org and AmericanProgress.org.

C'mon all you hardcore pragmatic capitalists - pay a little out, take a shitload back in.  Isn't that what you guys are always saying it's all about?  Or are you just too meat-headed to do the right thing until it jumps up and kicks you in the nuts?

(hat tip = FB friend MM)

Friday Nite Tune

Run Away --Sarah Jarosz

Friday Nite Tune

If The Phone Don't Ring --Paul Berrere

Friday Nite Tune

Busy Bein' Blue --KD Lang

Friday Nite Tune

99 Miles From LA --Art Garfunkle

Friday Nite Tune

Traction In The Rain --David Crosby

The Industrial Food Image Bureau

This one ran on the front end of a music video I was trying to watch:



And I just had to go to the website (farmedanddangerous.com), where I found this:



I've been "on the web" in one way or another since the late 80s, and I think this is the first time I've ever come across a pop-up kinda ad that I've actually clicked on.  I guess Google's gonna get all of us eventually.

Today's Regional Dialect Study

Take the quiz and find out:

a) you're from X, or at least that's how you sound
b) you're adaptable
c) you're a fuckin' poseur

NYT Sunday Review

(hat tip = FB friends SS and SFB)

The Jig Is Up, Repubs

When Jon Stewart goes this far away from his usual centrist perch, something might be changing in a way that feels kinda significant.

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,The Daily Show on Facebook

(hat tip = FB friend VWE)

Yo - Gun Freaks

Meet one of your fellow travelers:

Another "responsible gun owner" who doesn't even know enough to keep his finger outside the trigger guard.  Unless you guys get a handle on this kinda shit - rapidly - these idiots are gonna ruin the party for all y'all.

A Few Toons

Today's Pix

Today's Douchebaggery

Via HuffPo:

Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) got in a reporter's face and threatened him after President Barack Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday night.

During an interview with NY1 after Obama's speech, Grimm refused to answer questions about allegations concerning his campaign finances. Grimm can be seen in the video walking away from the reporter, but returning and getting in the reporter's face after he went off air.

From CNN:



Quick Aside to the CNN Anchor Blonde:  "...don't let it happen on camera, if you're gonna let it happen at all".  Really?  That's your take-away?  You guys say shit like that and then you wonder why your numbers are spreading into the leach field?

Quick Aside for the NY1 reporter guy, Michael Scotto:  Yo, Mike - ya gotta stay on camera even when you're afraid you're about to take a whuppin'.  I know it goes against your survival instincts, but if we get to see you cowering a little - or even better, gettin' yer ass kicked by some Congress Goon - it makes for great television.  Cuz never forget: if it bleeds, it leads.  Could make ya a star.  But really, ya done awrite, bubba.

Anyway, this is Grimm's "statement" to HuffPo afterwards:

I was extremely annoyed because I was doing NY1 a favor by rushing to do their interview first in lieu of several other requests. The reporter knew that I was in a hurry and was only there to comment on the State of the Union, but insisted on taking a disrespectful and cheap shot at the end of the interview, because I did not have time to speak off-topic. I verbally took the reporter to task and told him off, because I expect a certain level of professionalism and respect, especially when I go out of my way to do that reporter a favor. I doubt that I am the first Member of Congress to tell off a reporter, and I am sure I won’t be the last.

So ya see, he was doing NY1 a favor by graciously deigning to cast a few pearls before the swine.  But then that bad ol' reporter just had to go and ruin a beautiful moment by trying to ask a buncha uppity questions about how maybe the guy's a fuckin' crook.

For future reference, Mr Grimm - you just lost all your Bitchin' Privileges when it comes to the GOP's standard Blabber Point of "America's sense of entitlement".

One last thing - Grimm didn't "tell off a reporter" - he threatened that reporter with grievous bodily harm because the reporter tried to do what we desperately need reporters to do.  Scotto was pretty gracious about it - saying he didn't take it seriously - but let's not be silly enough to think a tin-plated martinet like Michael Grimm wouldn't love to do exactly what he threatened to do.

Watch your 6, guys.

Why We Fight

The Lt Governor in Texas is the guy who runs things - at least that's how the Repubs do it.

C'mon now, you don't really think guys like Lil Shrub Bush and Rick (Trigger Dick) Perry are actually capable of managing anything other than a high school car wash do ya?

Anyway, meet the braintrust of the Texas GOP.  These guys are the cream of the Repub crop:



It's all such standard patter now.  And I have to give 'em a point or two just for being able to recite it all, especially since each one says almost exactly the same thing while saying it with enough variation to make the rubes think they're listening to differing views on the subject.  So even tho' it all sounded the same to me, I'll bet shekels to shitballs there's a large pile of Texas Conservatives whoopin' it up over what a nice diverse buncha guys they've got to pick from.

I don't know much about the Dems, but you can take a look at 'em here.

On Second Thought

And here's a picture of all the fucks I give about anything Sean Hannity has to say: