Charges: Is it a civil rights milestone to have a retarded president? Maybe it would be, if he were ever legitimately elected. You can practically hear the whole nation holding its breath, hoping this guy will just fucking leave come January '09 and not declare martial law. Only supporters left are the ones who would worship a fucking turnip if it promised to kill foreigners. Is so clearly not in charge of his own White House that his feeble attempts to define himself as "decider" or "commander guy" are the equivalent of a five-year-old kid sitting on his dad's Harley and saying "vroom vroom!" Has lost so many disgusted staffers that all he's left with are the kids from Jesus Camp. The first president who is so visibly stupid he can say "I didn't know what was in the National Intelligence Estimate until last week" and sound plausible. Inarguably a major criminal and a much greater threat to the future of America than any Muslim terrorist.
Exhibit A: "And there is distrust in Washington. I am surprised, frankly, at the amount of distrust that exists in this town. And I'm sorry it's the case, and I'll work hard to try to elevate it."
Sentence: Dismembered, limbs donated to injured veterans.
.......
9. You
Charges: You believe in freedom of speech, until someone says something that offends you. You suddenly give a damn about border integrity, because the automated voice system at your pharmacy asked you to press 9 for Spanish. You cling to every scrap of bullshit you can find to support your ludicrous belief system, and reject all empirical evidence to the contrary. You know the difference between patriotism and nationalism -- it's nationalism when foreigners do it. You hate anyone who seems smarter than you. You care more about zygotes than actual people. You love to blame people for their misfortunes, even if it means screwing yourself over. You still think Republicans favor limited government. Your knowledge of politics and government are dwarfed by your concern for Britney Spears' children. You think buying Chinese goods stimulates our economy. You think you're going to get universal health care. You tolerate the phrase "enhanced interrogation techniques." You think the government is actually trying to improve education. You think watching CNN makes you smarter. You think two parties is enough. You can't spell. You think $9 trillion in debt is manageable. You believe in an afterlife for the sole reason that you don't want to die. You think lowering taxes raises revenue. You think the economy's doing well. You're an idiot.
Exhibit A: You couldn't get enough Anna Nicole Smith coverage.
Sentence: A gradual decline into abject poverty as you continue to vote against your own self-interest. Death by an easily treated disorder that your health insurance doesn't cover. You deserve it, chump.
Alabama's Republican Governor Bob Riley may have attempted to conceal illegal corporate donations to his 2002 and 2006 campaigns by representing them in campaign finance reports as having come from individuals, according to an an investigation carried out by the Montgomery Independent.
Riley's campaigns have been under close scrutiny during the past several weeks, with questions being raised about his narrow victory over incumbent Don Siegelman in 2002, followed by Siegelman's prosecution on what many consider to be trumped-up charges when he proposed to run again in 2006.
"BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AFP) - Seven people were injured on Thursday when Greek Orthodox and Armenian priests came to blows in a dispute over how to clean the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.
Following the Christmas celebrations, Greek Orthodox priests set up ladders to clean the walls and ceilings of their part of the church, which is built over the site where Jesus Christ is believed to have been born.
But the ladders encroached on space controlled by Armenian priests, according to photographers who said angry words ensued and blows quickly followed."
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Since most of you are probably not at work today, here's a little 's-e-x' for ya.
A-FREAKIN'-MEN! Liberal policies work best and we shouldn't eff them up simply because there is some unwarranted need to be 'bipartisan'. We need to be as partisan as the Rethugs have been over the past 30 years.
"What progressives should be focused on now is taking on the political movement that brought Bush to power. In short, what we need right now isn't Bush bashing—what we need is partisanship." .....
"But any attempt to change America's direction, to implement a real progressive agenda, will necessarily be highly polarizing. Proposals for universal health care, in particular, are sure to face a firestorm of partisan opposition. And fundamental change can't be accomplished by a politician who shuns partisanship.
I like to remind people who long for bipartisanship that FDR's drive to create Social Security was as divisive as Bush's attempt to dismantle it. And we got Social Security because FDR wasn't afraid of division. In his great Madison Square Garden speech, he declared of the forces of 'organized money': 'Never before in all our history have these forces been so united against one candidate as they stand today. They are unanimous in their hate for me—and I welcome their hatred.'"
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Lawyer up. Put that shite dead center back on the table.
"We are lawyers in the United States of America. As such, we have all taken an oath obligating us to defend the Constitution and the rule of law…. We believe the Bush administration has committed numerous offenses against the Constitution and may have violated federal laws…."
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If you're a news geek like me you'll enjoy this challenge.
"ONTARIO, California (Reuters) - Between railroad tracks and beneath the roar of departing planes sits 'tent city,' a terminus for homeless people. It is not, as might be expected, in a blighted city center, but in the once-booming suburbia of Southern California.
The noisy, dusty camp sprang up in July with 20 residents and now numbers 200 people, including several children, growing as this region east of Los Angeles has been hit by the U.S. housing crisis."
I'm wondering where the howls of outrage are from the 'right-to-lifers' in this country? Oh yeah, she was already a fully formed human, not an embryo. Nothing to see here, then.
"A 17-year old died just hours after her health insurance company reversed its decision not to pay for a liver transplant that doctors said the girl needed.
Nataline Sarkisyan died Thursday night at about 6 p.m. at University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center. She had been in a vegetative state for weeks, said her mother, Hilda.
'She passed away, and the insurance (company) is responsible for this,' she said"
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The more things change, the more they stay the same. Nice dress, Hoover
"ASHINGTON - Former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover had a plan to suspend the rules against illegal detention and arrest up to 12,000 Americans he suspected of being disloyal, according to a newly declassified document."
"As Josh wrote earlier this week, I've been gobbling up the new tell-all by Allen Raymond, the former GOP consultant of New Hampshire phone jamming fame."
"Here's the beauty of pickup basketball: You may be a U.S. senator, a living symbol of racial healing and perhaps even the next President of the United States, but if you're gliding in for an easy layup and each point is precious, I've got no choice then, do I? You're getting hacked. So, yes, I'm hammering that arm and crashing headlong into your whippet-thin frame; and, yes, it's a foul so flagrant, so absurdly desperate, that all you can do, body buckling, is laugh. Hey, it's pickup. Everyone, even you, uses whatever he's got to win.
'Believe me,' Barack Obama says, walking to the top of the key, 'you can get shot for doing that.'"
"This year’s death penalty bombshells — a de facto national moratorium, a state abolition and the smallest number of executions in more than a decade — have masked what may be the most significant and lasting development. For the first time in the modern history of the death penalty, more than 60 percent of all American executions took place in Texas.
"Texas, where strip clubs have given rise to Anna Nicole Smith and many other less-generously endowed performers, is about to make it more expensive to watch a little bump and grind.
In what some have dubbed the 'pole tax,' the Lone Star State will require its 150 or so strip clubs to collect a $5-per-customer levy, with most of the proceeds going to help rape victims. The tax goes into effect on New Year's Day."
"(12-25) 21:12 PST SAN FRANCISCO -- One zoo visitor was mauled to death and two others severely injured when a Siberian tiger escaped from its grotto at the San Francisco Zoo early Christmas evening and went on a bloody rampage in front of terrified zoo patrons.
The tiger - the same animal that chewed a keeper's arm during an attack last December - was shot to death outside a zoo cafe by four officers who managed to distract the animal as it mauled one of its victims."
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When 'protecting our freedoms' goes horribly wrong. Who could of predicted.... who could of predicted.
"Washington, DC (Rotters) - Children worldwide breathed a collective sigh of relief as Santa reportedly dodged an errant anti-missile strike this evening. The Department of Defense insisted that the strike was an accident due in part to NORAD's participation with Google Earth in providing a Santa Claus tracking service this year. Santa and all of his reindeer suffered a close call but were unhurt according to North Pole sources."
"MAUSTON, Wis. - Capt. Scott Southworth knew he'd face violence, political strife and blistering heat when he was deployed to one of Baghdad's most dangerous areas. But he didn't expect Ala'a Eddeen"
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Tommy is my best buddy Shipper's boss. You can check the trip I took to Palau a couple of years ago here:
Tommy Remengesau Jr. is interested, too. "We'd like to look at it," said the president of the tiny western Pacific nation of Palau.
The Defense Department this October quietly issued a 75-page study conducted for its National Security Space Office concluding that space power — collection of energy by vast arrays of solar panels aboard mammoth satellites — offers a potential energy source for global U.S. military operations.
It could be done with today's technology, experts say. But the prohibitive cost of lifting thousands of tons of equipment into space makes it uneconomical.
That's where Palau, a scattering of islands and 20,000 islanders, comes in.
"While shopping at a local grocery store earlier this week, I was taken aback by something I found in the meat counter - bacon in a camouflage package."
Pre-order the new album Brighter Than Creations Dark from the official Drive-By Truckers store for your chance to be entered in a drawing for one of 2 grand prizes to include a signed poster, a gift certificate for $100 of merchandise from the official Drive-By Truckers store and 2 tickets to an upcoming headlining Drive-By Truckers show of your choice. In addition, the first 100 people to purchase the Brighter Than Creations Dark CD & T-shirt bundle will ALSO receive a signed tour poster from the Drive-By Truckers.
Contest begins December 20, 2007 and ends January 22, 2008. To guarantee deliver on the release date, domestic customers must select the express shipping option and place their orders by 3 PM on January 18. All pre-orders taken by this time will ship that Friday. The release date delivery option is not available for international customers. Orders that ship by the standard shipping method will take between 3-5 business days to arrive.
Remember, only the first 100 people who order the Brighter Than Creations Dark CD & T-shirt bundle will receive a signed poster, so hurry up and order yours today!
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A few odds and ends today as we gear up for the Holidays:
"'Athens music is losing some good ones: Adam & Wendy Musick of Southern Bitch are moving away any day now, taking over their family's farm in Virginia. Kimberly and Brad Morgan (of The Everloving Band and Drive-By Truckers respectively) had a few musician friends over to play songs as a farewell, and record it for a keepsake. We thought some fans might enjoy it too.
Chuck Bradburn (Southern Bitch), Brad Morgan, Wendy Musick and John C. Stubblefield (Lucero) perform along with the lead singers listed above.'
"It’s funny-made-up-word Tuesday! I love words that are FUN to say. You know, words with ZAZ. (By the way we went to see Dethklok the other night and that shit ROCKED! Moreonthatlater) As I was saying, ZAZZY words"
"More than 20 years later, there's very little that I don't remember about my first rock concert - Van Halen on the '5150' tour at the Cow Palace in Daly City. I was 15 years old, and drank cans of Budweiser in the parking lot while listening to 'Led Zeppelin II' on the stereo in my friend's two-toned beige and brown Dodge conversion van. Some older dude with a black beard walked up and said, 'I'm going to have to give you a citation ... for not partying hard enough!' I was so relieved that he wasn't going to send us to jail, I paid him $10 for a bumper sticker."
"The first sign of a true rock star? When a man named Saul Hudson changes his name to Slash... and it sticks. The second? When said rock star puts two stolen items together and instantly creates a fashion sensation. The former lead guitarist for Guns N' Roses (now with Velvet Revolver) recently chronicled his rise to rock stardom in his eponymous book Slash. I spoke with the guitar legend about how and why he developed his signature style:"
A man being held in a Dutch police cell on suspicion of growing cannabis got an unintended treat in his lunch — a piece of hashish-laced cake, a spokesman said Thursday
"The GOP's clamor to identify itself as a party of Christian piety has failed to include some key elements of the faith -- namely Christian principles, according to a Washington Post columnist who says modern Republicans recall the hypocrisy of the Ku Klux Klan."
The current crop of Democrats don't know how to fight. They're afraid to fight, they're incompetent at fighting, and they're incapable of fighting because they don't know how to fight. They think that issuing a press release with the right talking points is fighting back. They think that holding a simple press conference on the Hill will generate a news story. And they think that a single, or even a week's worth, of news stories is a victory. They simply do not understand what the Republicans all know too well - how to take a story, a theme, and jam it down your opponents' throats for weeks, if not months, if not years, on end. To a Democrat, if you get a blurb in the Washington Post, one day, that's a public relations victory. To a Republican, once that blurb is repeated every day for 30 years then they declare victory.
The current crop of Democrats and their consultants and the non-profit advocacy groups in town have no idea how to fight like a Republican, how to fight to win. It's not just a lack of will, a lack of backbone, they quite literally don't know how to fight, so when they do rarely fight back, and lose because it was done so poorly, the lesson they take away isn't that they need to learn how to fight better, but rather, they think they lost because they fought back. And it will get them nowhere until they realize that they don't know what they're doing, and others do.
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If human fat can be used as fuel, then the U.S. should be energy independent by... yesterday.
"The fastest eco boat on the planet will attempt to break the round the world speed record using fuel made from human fat."
Demonstrating further commitment to the cause, Bethune underwent liposuction and donated enough to produce 100ml of biofuel, while two other, larger volunteers also had the procedure, making a total of 10 litres of human fat.
"WASHINGTON - It sounds like a stretch, but a new study suggests that the missing evolutionary link between whales and land animals is an odd raccoon-sized animal that looks like a long-tailed deer without antlers. Or an overgrown long-legged rat."
Really!?! This is what it has come to? A 'health-care gift card'? The richest nation in the world and our national health care plan is a rip off of Starbucks?
For perhaps as many as 27 million American adults, keeping warm this winter will mean borrowing money and 20 million will use credit cards to be able to afford their heating bills, according to a CreditCards.com poll."
Best. Country. Evah.
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Is that a candy cane in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?
"NEW YORK - Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema have reached agreement to make J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Hobbit,' a planned prequel to the blockbuster trilogy 'The Lord of the Rings.'"
"So far, the mainstream press coverage of Don Siegelman's ordeal has pointedly ignored the theft of the 2002 election. Clearly, Siegelman himself does not regard that theft as a side issue, but as a major crime, and one that is quite relevant to his whole story.
Today, the Alabama governor is not allowed to speak up on his own behalf. He's locked away inside a federal prison cell, and, for good measure, has been silenced by the Alabama courts. As Scott Horton has so aptly put it, Don Siegelman is the Man in the Iron Mask."
"WASHINGTON - White House visitor logs are public documents, a federal judge ruled Monday, rejecting a legal strategy that the Bush administration had hoped would get around public records laws."
"Harry Reid just pulled the telecom bill. The Senate will take it up again after the first of the year, but for now there will be no retroactive telecom immunity."
"A Princeton University junior who claimed to have been beaten by two men in black ski caps for his conservative views admitted on Monday that he made up the attack, according to Princeton Township police officials."
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Finally, FINALLY an organization that's will clean up all of this filth.
"Here’s the barebones story of how 18-year-old Mike Huckabee’s son, David, and 17-year-old Clayton Frady killed a dog when they were Boy Scouts, and got fired for it. From the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in 1998 (as quoted in DogBlog):"
"Prohibition, during which the sale of alcohol was illegal, ran from 1920 to 1933, yet in San Francisco, where the thirsty, working-class populace refused to hop on the temperance wagon, spirits flowed in hotels, dance halls, coffee shops, clandestine rooms and underground tunnels."
"Americans are taught from an early age that there are four basic tastes -- sweet, salty, sour and bitter. But what describes the taste of chicken soup? To an increasing number of chefs and food-industry insiders, the answer is 'umami,' dubbed 'the fifth taste.' First identified by a Japanese scientist a century ago, umami has long been an obscure culinary concept. Hard to describe, it is usually defined as a meaty, savory, satisfying taste."
"THE HOME FRONT WORLD TOUR 2008. We are pleased to announce dates for the first two legs of THE HOME FRONT WORLD TOUR 2008.
The tour, which will be previewed in Athens GA on Jan. 10-13 begins in Anaheim CA on Feb. 11th.
The Feb. dates will be supported by The Felice Brothers. I haven't seen them live, but their songs on myspace are fantastic and my friends who have seen them have raved about how great they are."
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Check out DBT's MySpace for The Righteous Path and I'm Sorry Huston from Brighter Than Creations Dark.
You can also check out A Ghost To Most posted last Friday.
"Lists be damned! LaVette, Hood and the rest of the Truckers have put something on wax that can’t be undone. They’ve proven that music is for ingesting and digesting, not for ranking and grading."
"HEY DBT.... WELCOME TO PRIME TIME TV!!! I JUST HAPPENED TO BE DOZING IN FRONT OF A TV TONIGHT, AND CAUGHT A SHOW CALLED CRIMINAL MINDS, ON CBS. WELL, THE SHOW STARTED WITH 'WHERE THE DEVIL DON'T STAY' AND ENDED WITH 'DECORATION DAY.' AS FAR AS THE PLOT OF THE SHOW, WELL, I DIDN'T REALLY PAY ATTENTION TO IT. JUST DAMN COOL TO HEAR SOME DBT ON PRIMETIME TV!! CONGRATS! MUCH LOVE!! ~~MARK THOMAS~~"
"pretty funny thread on phishhook about staurday's gig... think there's a download of the show available as well...courtesy of the master himself sloan simpson!!!
Here's another Drive-By Truckers song from Monday night's show. 'Zip City' from Southern Rock Opera was written by Mike Cooley from the perspective of a teenage guy.....
Your Daddy was mad as hell He was mad at me and you As he tied that chain to the front of my car And pulled me out of that ditch that we slid into Don't know what his problem is Why he keeps dragging you away Don't know why I put up with this shit When you don't put out and Zip City's so far away
Zip City really exists. The Alabama Ass Whuppin' blog, which is written by an Alabaman transplanted to San Francisco, includes this photo tribute to 'Zip City.
"Lyrics of the Day The Drive-By Truckers concert Monday night at the Park West was so awesome, I can't even write about it without gushing like a lovestruck schoolgirl. Let's just say they would have blown the doors off a certain band from New Jersey that was playing across town that night (and DBT played acoustic (mostly))."
"Big Congratulations! Cheers to my buddies in the DBT and my old friend Chris Tompkins on their Grammy nominations. The Truckers were nominated for their work on the great Bettye Lavette album 'Scene of the Crime,' and Chris for the Carrie Underwood song, 'Before He Cheats,' written with Josh Kear. Good job and good luck."
"Chris Tompkins was in the Charlotte, N.C., airport when he heard the news Thursday that he has been nominated for a coveted Grammy Award. Tompkins, a songwriter and Greenhill native, was nominated for the award for his work with the Carrie Underwood hit, 'Before He Cheats.' The song, which Tompkins co-wrote with Josh Kear, has been nominated for two Grammys."
"With his Sirens of the Ditch (New West) solo debut landing Top Ten honors in HARP’s annual “50 Best CDs of the Year” feature, Jason Isbell is riding high. Throughout 2007 he toured steadily with his band the 400 Unit, selling out shows in NYC, Raleigh, Atlanta, Toronto, San Francisco, Denver and Austin. Isbell & Co. played the Voodoo Festival in New Orleans, Hardly Strictly in San Francisco and toured the country with both Son Volt and Cracker. Isbell continues his success on the road with a winter tour, presented by HARP -- this time teaming up with Will Hoge in a co-headlining cross-country trek. In addition, Isbell is playing two nights of the Warren Haynes Christmas Jam in Asheville, NC (one with The 400 Unit and one solo). He has also secured a coveted spot during the opening night of the New York Guitar Festival “Royal Albert Hall Project” honoring Bob Dylan. Meanwhile, in late January, Isbell will release a live EP recorded on November 16 at Twist & Shout Records in Denver, CO. This will be the first proper release from Isbell with The 400 Unit. The EP will be available exclusively at all Coalition of Independent Music Retailers."
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Jimbo has got some live cuts of JI400's last tour. Sounds mighty good.
Mixed and Mastered at the Nutthouse in Sheffield, AL by Jimmy Nutt
If Kings of Leon started listening to more AC/DC, you would have something that sounds a lot like Sons of Roswell. In fact, Sons of Roswells’s self-titled album makes Kings of Leon’s Because of the Times seem pretty feeble in comparison.
Vocalist Kevin Keenum and company present an even mix of bluesy hard rock and punk rock attitude served with a distinctly southern flavor. As a result, the boys of Roswell have created an album packed with strutting, cocksure, optimistic tracks that provide a refreshing alternative to the whiny, jaded music that predominately populates the pop music charts.
The real magic of this album lies in the song craft. Sons of Roswell demonstrate a real knack for writing catchy hooks, energetic bridges and simple yet blazing guitar solos that continually revitalize the songs before they can wear out their welcome. It’s difficult not to become too derivative when plumbing the depths of a classical southern/hard rock musical heritage like Sons of Roswell’s, but they’ve managed to produce an album that not only holds up to repeat listenings, it demands them. (Self-released)
"We've added several new shows in the past few days and hopefully will be adding several more in the next week or so. Check back often and if we're playing in your town we'd love to see you there!
Also, we added another song from the album a little while back. Stateline, It's different from the demo version we had up earlier this year and we like it alot! If you haven't heard it, go check it out.
Last but not least, for any Torrent users out there, our good friend Russ Corey posted our November show from the Old Town Tavern for free download. This show featured Jay Burgess from Sons of Roswell and has plenty of tunes that aren't on our record. There's even a couple of covers in there. The site is TheTradersDen.org. It's a bit-torrent site that's free to join and full of good live show downloads. Here's the link below:
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Music
Word has it that Foxboro Hot Tubs is actually Green Day. FHT has a free EP to download on their site. Give it a listen and decide for yourself. I dig.
"New York's 'Vulture' section comes to the correct conclusion about the music biz -- but for the wrong reason. In commenting on the Wired profile of 'Universal Music Group CEO/supervillain Doug Morris,' the folks at 'Vulture' have a yuck-fest over Morris' inability to come to grips with modern technology. I only had one real talk with Morris in my life. The Warners Music Group was in complete turmoil, beginning a really ugly death spiral that he insisted I buy into by going to work for a lackey of his. I refused and Morris was coincidentally fired soon after -- the lackey not long after that. Instead I wound up as president of Reprise Records."
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"If Ike hadn't of beat Tina there wouldn't of been no River Deep, Mountain High"
"SAN DIEGO — Ike Turner, whose role as one of rock's critical architects was overshadowed by his ogrelike image as the man who brutally abused former wife Tina Turner, died Wednesday at his home in suburban San Diego. He was 76."
"For users who purchase the add-on technology, the guitar recognizes pitch. Then, its processor directs motors on its six tuning pegs to tighten or loosen the strings accordingly. Tronical has offered its 'Powertune System' online and through retailers in Germany since March, according to the company's Web site. The Gibson Les Paul guitar model with Blue Silverburst finish goes on sale globally Dec. 7."
"LOS ANGELES - He wrote more than a thousand songs, ranging from his 'Dust Bowl' ballads to patriotic incantations like 'Pastures of Plenty' to the American classic 'This Land is Your Land.' He performed them everywhere he went, from community centers to Broadway theaters to California fields filled with migrant workers. He also recorded dozens on records. But one thing Woody Guthrie never got around to doing was recording any of his songs in front of a live audience — or so Guthrie's family thought."
"The second new Joel-penned single since his last pop album, 1993's 'River of Dreams,' is called 'Christmas in Fallujah' and hits iTunes December 4. There are two major differences between it and the classics that have made him one of the best-selling artists of all time. First, there's no piano on it, and second, there's barely any Billy Joel on it, either."
"NEW YORK - An auction at Christie's of rock 'n' roll memorabilia from some of the hottest bands of the 1960s and '70s hauled in big bucks Friday, including $20,000 for a Jimi Hendrix album and more than $4,000 for a Rolling Stones' T-shirt."
When the diviners of rock 'n' roll classics 'Stairway to Heaven,' 'Whole Lotta Love' and 'Your Time is Gonna Come' reunite for their first full concert in almost three decades, the question on everyone's mind is sure to be: How many more times?"
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Finally, you too can post a awful yet oddly intriguing YouTube video such a Tay Zonday did with Chocolate Rain....
...and become famous enough to have your YouTube turned into a full on booty shaking rap video called Cherry Chocolate Rain. Last line of the video "This internet thing is wild". Indeed it is, Tay. Indeed it is.
SKorean Scientists Clone Cats That Glow - World on The Huffington Post: "SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean scientists have cloned cats that glow red when exposed to ultraviolet rays, an achievement that could help develop cures for human genetic diseases, the Science and Technology Ministry said."
"39. SAN FRANCISCO When the California Academy of Sciences (www.calacademy.org) opens next fall in Golden Gate Park, it won't just be a stunning architectural addition to San Francisco. The $500 million building, designed by the Pritzker Prize winner Renzo Piano, will feature a 2.5-acre living roof covered with native plants and aims to be the greenest museum in the world."
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This is not good.... unless you're a Republican with your head stuck in the sand.
"WASHINGTON - An already relentless melting of the Arctic greatly accelerated this summer, a warning sign that some scientists worry could mean global warming has passed an ominous tipping point. One even speculated that summer sea ice would be gone in five years."
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That's going to be some damn good cheese. Problem is will one be able to stop eating it?
"A home built above a large cave that once housed a sophisticated underground marijuana operation may have a delicious — and legal — future. Authorities seized the home in 2005 after finding more than 850 marijuana plants growing under lights in two secured, 100-yard-long underground rooms connected to the home"
"A man nearly died from alcohol poisoning after quaffing two pints of vodka at an airport security check instead of handing it over to comply with new rules about carrying liquids aboard a plane, police said Wednesday."
"(12-10) 20:38 PST PRINCETON BY THE SEA -- Through a blanket of fog, it was a vision of death. Darryl Virostko, the big-wave surfer known as Flea, was taking what witnesses described as the worst-looking wipeout they ever saw. It was a gloomy day at Maverick's last week, and a handful of riders were meeting the challenge of their lives."
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Hmmmm, I'm starting to rethink my supportive position on government healthcare after reading the lead on this story.
"Campaigning for politicians to address universal healthcare, a nurses' group purchased provocative newspaper ads that warn Vice President Dick Cheney would 'probably be dead by now' if he was not part of a single-payer government run healthcare system that keeps his oft-adled heart ticking. The California Nurses Association purchased the eye-catching ads in 10 Iowa newspapers Tuesday, pointing out what the group says is another irony of the heatlhcare crisis -- that politicians receive health coverage from a government-run program, not insurance companies."
"Dick Cheney, with his heart trouble, would probably be dead now if he were an ordinary American forced to search for cardiac care in a thicket of mercenary insurers and heartless HMOs," Shum Preston wrote on the Nurses' association blog. "Cheney gets guaranteed healthcare; we get squat."
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Yeah, if we'd just kept that shite in latin we would have any problems.....
The translation of the Bible into English marked the birth of religious fundamentalism in medieval times, as well as the persecution that often comes with radical adherence in any era, according to a new book.
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.... like, say, oh, I don't know..... The Huckster sayin' bitches need to submit or get the jeebus back hand...
"Huckabee's opinion on gay marriage is out there, but we should also be publicizing Huckabee's opinions on heterosexual marriage. Specifically, what he believes about a women's role in a marriage. In August of 1998, Huckabee was one of 131 signatories to a full page USA Today Ad which declared: 'I affirm the statement on the family issued by the 1998 Southern Baptist Convention.' What was in the family statement from the SBC? 'A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ.'"
"Siegelman, then the Democratic incumbent, was running against Republican Bob Riley in the 2002 election, and had by all appearances won the election against Riley, by a margin of roughly 3,000 votes. However, overnight, more ballots for Riley were 'found' and counted by an all-Republican panel and subsequently sealed by then-Alabama Attorney General Bill Pryor. A 'cabal' of Republicans recounted the votes, determined Riley the winner, and the Attorney General then sealed the ballots. In order for Democrats to even challenge the ballots, they would have to get a court order. 'To this day,' says Alexandrovna, 'those ballots remain sealed.' 'Pryor...' says Papantonio, 'everybody understands--that have followed his career at all--he was the guy that gets the midnight appointment during the recess. He's a recess appointment by Bush, because everybody realized what a thug--and he is a thug. I'm down here in the south and I'm very familiar with Alabama--the legal system up there. He is absolutely a thug. And he then gets appointed to the appellate court as a recess appointment.'"
"There is a new Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg pollout today that shows that a majority of those with military connections -- active duty, vets and families -- disapprove of Bush and his war and only 36 percent believe the war was worth it."
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I see Paris, I see France, I see your underpants through my security cam.
"A spokesman for the Mitt Romney campaign is thus far refusing to say whether Romney sees any positive role in America for atheists and other non-believers, after Election Central inquired about the topic yesterday It's a sign that Romney may be seeking to submerge evangelical distaste for Mormonism by uniting the two groups together in a wider culture war. Romney's speech has come under some criticism, even from conservatives like David Brooks and Ramesh Ponnuru, for positively mentioning many prominent religions but failing to include anything positive about atheists and agnostics. Indeed, the only mentions of non-believers were very much negative. 'It is as if they're intent on establishing a new religion in America – the religion of secularism. They're wrong,' Romney said, being met by applause from the audience."
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A progressives' take on God. We're always funnier.
"Richard Roberts told students at Oral Roberts University that he did not want to resign as president of the scandal-plagued evangelical school, but he did so because God insisted. —Associated Press There I was, calmly enjoying some Thanksgiving leftovers and offering some divine gratitude for this truly fine '04 Pinot when suddenly boom, there was God, right across the table, helping Himself to some stuffing and the choicest hunks of dark meat, which He totally knows is my favorite. Clearly, He wanted my attention. 'Oh hey, it's you,' I said, feigning nonchalance, as if this sort of thing happens to me every day (I always like to throw God off a bit, given how He's so accustomed to those melodramatic, fall-to-your-knees-in-terror reactions He always gets from the nutball evangelicals whenever He swings through their nightmares in his classic fire/brimstone persona. That always cracks Him up). 'What's up?'"
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You can't ever stop the nasty. You can't even hope to contain it.
"A new study has concluded that abstinence-only education programs do nothing to reduce or delay sexual activity among teenagers, confirming a Congressional report released last spring. Yet these programs are receiving nearly $200 million in federal funding and Congress is prepared to increase this by another $28 million. MSNBC host Dan Abrams commented on the proposed increase, saying, 'It seems to me absurd that Democrats in Congress can't say 'We're going to cut it off.' Instead they're using this as bait and constantly saying, 'Oh, you know, we'll trade you.''"
"12-05) 09:47 PST PILLAR POINT - -- The waves rolling across the fishing grounds off the San Mateo County coast were well over 20 feet Tuesday, big enough to keep most veteran fishermen in port. Two San Leandro men who had laid their crab pots a few days before decided to chance it. The men, Benjamin Hannaberg, 58, and James Davis, 57, apparently paid for that decision with their lives."
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Oh my god... or zenu... or Joseph Smith... or effin' whatever....
This tale will be of the disjointed variety. It'll have more joints than a Chinese plate spinner. Most everything I write has yellow bus jointed issues anyway. I made sure to jot down this and that from my recent trip to Athens, GA during the week of my stay. Problem is that I'm just getting around to doing the editing today so my memory ain't as fresh as it use to be coupled with the fact that I've been on the debauchery and witchcraft and everything wild express the past few weeks as I've traipsed across the country and part of the way back..
Ah, but Athens, GA. What a wonderful little city. Full of history and music, pixies and gnomes, characters and caricatures. A mighty fine town full of mighty fine folks.
The mightiest of the mighty fine, JennB put me up at her beautiful casa in the woods. Here's what my temporary office looked like from Jenn's new deck. Pretty damn sporty, eh?:
Fall had begun to fall in Athens supplying the town with beautiful colors that, hopefully, took the Athenian mind off of the serious lack of water affecting GA.
Jenn's got some great art work in her home:
I arrived on a Monday and was promptly dispatched downtown to start my alcohol training. But first a base of very fine pizza was applied to the stomach lining at Little Italy Pizzeria.
Then next door to have a drink at.... shit.... I think it was The Roadhouse. DBT and Slobberbone playing on the juke box. Roadhouse is where the nights usually ended.
I like the night life. I like to boogie. And boogie you can in downtown Athens. Much time was spent at Cutters, a fine establishment that played DBT and Slobberbone songs on their jukebox.
As I've cataloged my adventures and done the research on some of the folks I met, I am bit awed and quite a bit bothered by this insistent thought, "What in the world did my drunk as say to some of these notable folks". Whiskey don't make you do a thing, it just let's you. Eff' that, Jameson had me by the balls on a couple of occasions and I'm certain that I could prove in a court of law that my reasoning ability had been kidnapped by a sweet golden slightly viscous liquid captured in a green glass glory holder.... and PBR.
I was forced to do a chipmunk (we men call it a oil slick)... and Jager shooters (half Jager half Redbull. Talk about oxymoron) but my true love remains Jamesons.
Here's the crew from night #2. That's Jenn, Jayne, Shayne and the tall mofo is Bo Bedingfield.
Bo has committed to name his next album after the title popped out of my mouth during a conversation about necrobeastialty: "Dead Dog Fuckers of Yore" (TM, C, R, LMNOP, etc by ME). Since Bedingfield writes all pretty and serious (I effing love all of his music and Talk Show may be my favorite song of the past couple of years) and if he won't run with that piece of freakin genius then I'm going to Cooley with it. It seems more his style anyway. Best make a decision, Bo!
Jayne and I entered into several conversations of the greatness of The Drams. Jubilee remains a favorite for both Jayne and I.
They there's Shame... I mean, Shayne. Here's a picture of Jenn and Shayne on Halloween. Shayne is the one dressed like a bag of cocaine and the sign that says "Will Work for Lohan". Really, not much else needs to be said about Shayne, but I'm going to any way.
Shayne knows how to verbally eff a person up and that's something I appreciate and am not too inept at myself. Within 5 minutes of our meeting Shayne looks at me and states "You know who to play this game don't you?". My answer "Yes.... Yes I do". Then it was on.
Her verbal ass raping of a 'ginger haired hippy' who happened to request a cigarette was a thing of hilarity. She almost made the guy cry. Never mind that Shayne's frock of locks is far closer to ginger than Mary Ann.
Shaynes pretty cool for a WASP with a Jewish streak. You know, as far as chicks like that go.
Friday night had Jenn, Shayne in I in not too rare form. We barn stormed bars up and downtown Athens, GA.
Final stop was the hallowed 40 Watt. I declined to take my camera out that night because, usually the most fun occurs sans photo gadget.
Once inside Shayne insists I view the greenroom where Curt Cobain signed the wall. This is the same greenroom featured in DBT's DVD Live at the 40 Watt.
I told Shayne before entering that Curt's autograph was supposedly cut out of the wall per the Live at the 40 Watt DVD.
Ignoring me completely as Shayne is want to do, we march through the back stage maze acting like we owned 40% of the 40 Watt.
We arrive at the greenroom door and Shayne slings it open and enters. There sits Brooke Waggoner and her band.
The band is huddled together on the couch with a camera man sitting in a chair. An obvious rock-u-mentary being conducted. I'm sure that the post show coitus was creating the money shot scene as the band members relived the experience of playing in front of a crowd... well, people... at the hallowed of hallowed, The 40 Watt. Just as that golden moment was going to be captured by 1 and 0s, we enter and Shayne waves an arm at me and states, "This is Jason... He has a blog".
The camera man swings the camera in my direction and I slur, "Howdy, I'm Jason. I have a blog".
Seemed to be all the explanation those frightened souls needed.
We have a little meet and great, check out the wall (Cobain's name had been cut out... I think.... It was kinda dark and all of the writing on the wall looked mighty blurry) say our good byes and we are out the door.
So, in short, Shayne and I could be featured in Brooke Waggnor's documentary.
Here's Shayne telling me that I'm a winner. God she thought I was so cool because I live in San Francisco. It was almost embarrassing with all of the fawning and questions. (I have a blog, Shayne. I can delete any contradiction you make in the comments).
Shayne's husband is Todd McBride. Back in the day Todd was in a band called Dashboard Saviors.
"The Dashboard Saviors are an Athens, GA-based roots-rock band consisting of songwriter/vocalist/guitarist Todd McBride, Michael Gibson (guitar), Rob Veal (bass) and John Crist (drums). R.E.M.'s Peter Buck, a longtime champion of the band, produced the Dashboard Saviors' debut album, Kitty. The group's songs often delve into sketches of small-town Southern life, as titles such as 'Coach's Wife' and ''A Trailer's a Trailer' would suggest. "
McBride's uncle was in a country and western band, and early on McBride decided that kind of life was for him. Before the Dashboard Saviors, he was in a group called the La Di Da's, which also consisted of fellow Athens notable Vic Chesnutt. It was through that group that McBride first became acquainted with Peter Buck.
Brent Best has been quoted as saying that Dashboard Saviors were a huge influence on him early on. That right there makes Todd a God.
But Todd is as down to earth as they come. A great guy with whom I had some hilarious conversations.
Todd has a couple of great stories about Andy Griffin. Andy can get a little randy.
Middle week I took a few days off from the bar scene to let my liver recover. Jenn had some beautiful Athenian women over for wining and dining. I had the pleasure of hanging out with this crew.
Here's Wendy (from Southern Bitch), Sweet KellyD (The Matadors better half) beautiful Jenn and Kimberly Morgan (EZB's better half).
Lots of fun hanging with these ladies. All y'all are the best.
Highlight of the week was a lunch date with Mr. Patterson Hood.
I drove over to Patterson's house around noon to have morning coffee. First time I've had the pleasure of meeting Rebecca. Patterson has a mighty find mate in Rebecca. She's done an incredible job decorating the Hood casa. It is a really, really, cool house.
First time meeting Ava, too. She shuffles around the corner as we're sipping coffee with her britches around her ankles. I told her that I've been in that position several times myself though usually in the early a.m. I also thought to myself, My that girl looks just like her daddy. What an adorable child. She could be trouble.
Patterson and I had lunch at a nice Indian Buffet on College St
We talked about everything under the sun. Politics taking up good portion of the time.
Patterson and the band are ready to get on the road and rock. He likened the past year to a prize fighter training with one arm tied behind their back then switching to the other arm. I can guarantee that the Home Front tour will be one of the loudest and punkiest tours yet from DBT. Be prepared to have the doors blown off every venue in the States and Eurpoe. DBT is ready to ROCK!
Patterson gave me a copy of the new record. I tried to act all cool but inside I was giggling like a little kid. I'm working on a song by song write up that hopefully will see the light of day in the next week or two.
It's really good, y'all.
Some random recollections:
My sincerest apologies to pretty much all of The Drams and their phones and voice messages. They had to endure a shock and awe campaign by 3 very intoxicated drunk dialers. I just feel so damn nostalgic every time I think about The Drams... and so do others. Sorry dudes.
At one bar I played Wiii for the first time. Bowling I think it was.
If you are ever around Jenn's man Matt you have to have him tell you the story of the gnome. This was the funniest story I heard all week (and I heard a shit load of hilarity) and Matt has this story down stone cold.
My final day in Athens Jenn, Matt and I had brunch at The Globe. Great place that you should definitely visit if you ever find yourself in Athens.
"A decade-long territory war has been waged over rights to this downtown bar. In the late nineties, it was every grad student's go-to spot. Pipes were smoked, Foucault was quoted, professorial teets suckled upon."
"In the heart of downtown Athens, is Schoolkids Records, just steps from the infamous Georgia Theatre and 40 Watt club. If these venues could speak, they would sit on your porch, and tell you stories till the cow jumped over the moon as you sip on a cold glass of sweet tea. There have been many towns that have influenced music, but none like Athens, GA."
Probably a lot that I missed in this post. Sometimes it is hard to blog and travel.
Much thanks and love to JennB for putting me up and putting up with me. Jayne, Shayne, Bo, Todd and the rest... You guys are a fine collection of individuals. I'm very glad to know you all.
