Dead Wrong

Wrong.

DavidMixner.com - Live From Hell's Kitchen:

"The extreme right record of utter and total failure to stop the march to progress is the reason we should not have to bear their craziness anymore. The record is numbingly clear: They were wrong about Social Security. They were wrong on integrating the military forces under President Truman. They were wrong about McCarthyism in the early 1950's. They were wrong about passing civil rights legislation in the 1960's. They were wrong on Medicare. They were wrong about women rights. They were wrong about 'trickle down economics.' They were wrong about tax breaks for the rich. They were wrong about the war in Iraq. They were wrong about climate change. They were wrong about LGBT rights and they are wrong about healthcare reform.

Can you imagine our world if they had been successful in stopping any of the forces for change above? We would have a world with our seniors poor and unable to have healthcare. We would have African-Americans unable to vote. We would see women relegated to being housewives and not leading our nation. All homosexuals would still be in the closet with many having lobotomies, committing suicide and being arrested. The world has become and is still becoming a better place because of progressive legislation and ignoring the calls, shouts and anger to protect the narrow-minded status quo."

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New Rule for Assholes.

Bill Maher: New Rule: You Can't Use "There Will Be No Cooperation for the Rest of the Year" as a Threat If There Was No Cooperation in the First Half of the Year:

"And this, I believe, perfectly represents the attitude Democrats should now have in their dealings with the Republican Party: 'Shut the fuck up while I slap your face for making noise -- now pass a cap-and-trade law, you stupid bitch, and repeat after me: 'global warming is real!''

The Democrats need to push the rest of their agenda while their boot is on the neck of the greedy, poisonous old reptile. Who cares if a cap-and-trade bill isn't popular, neither was health care. Your poll numbers may have descended a bit, but so did your testicles.

So don't stop: we need to regulate the banks, we need to overhaul immigration, we need to end corporate welfare including at the Pentagon, we need to bring troops home from... everywhere, we need to end the drug war, and we need to put terrorists and other human rights violators on trial in civilian courts, starting with Dick Cheney."

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Wait, what happened to the 'Give up freedoms for safety' crowd of the Bush years. I thought these folks hated terrorists. Now, they fully support terrorists? Now, they bash the FBI? Weren't they all We Love Police and Authority?

Assholes.

In the Wake of Arrests in Three States, Right-Wingers Rush to Defend Terror Suspects, Criticize FBI | Firedoglake

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The word 'rage' is used an awful lot these days to describe a particular bat-shit insane segment of our public.

Rich nails it in this op-ed:

Op-Ed Columnist - The Rage Is Not About Health Care - NYTimes.com

Obama's Recess Appointments: GOPers Raging Now, Welcomed Process Under Bush:

"Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) pronounced himself 'very disappointed' with the move, charging that it showed 'once again' that the Obama administration has 'little respect for the time honored constitutional roles and procedures of Congress.' The president's team had 'forced their will on the American people,' McCain fumed in a written statement.

Were these the words of a principled opponent of presidential recess appointments, or of a politician in a tough primary jumping at an opportunity to bash President Obama?

Well, here's how McCain reacted in 2005 when President Bush was considering a recess appointment for John Bolton, the controversial nominee to be United Nations ambassador: 'I would support it. It's the president's prerogative.'

Indeed, just a few years earlier, McCain had succeeded in a one-man crusade to persuade President Bush to install a favored nominee using a recess appointment. Here's how UPI described it in 2002:"

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Please, do. Op the fuck out. No need to be counted at all.

Dumbasses.

2010 Census: Officials Worry Low Response Rate Is Form Of Anti-Government Protest:

"The stakes are high: census data is used to allocate billions in federal funds, divvy up new congressional districts, and assign Electoral College votes that determine a state's influence in presidential elections. Citing the Chronicle story on Monday, NBC's First Read asked, 'Could Republicans' anti-government sentiments end up costing them congressional seats after the Census?'"

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Police: Drunk Pa. man tried to revive dead opossum

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Most Incredible Mountain Bike Run EVER (VIDEO)

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Hilarious. Dude should have led with Elvis THEN go to Jesus.

Just another day in North Alabama.

Suspect claimed to be Christ | TimesDaily.com | The Times Daily | Florence, AL:

Reports indicate Timms did not have a weapon, but when approached by the homeowner he said he was Jesus Christ and was there to have sex with the man's wife and daughter.

After standing there for a few minutes, Timms then claimed to be Elvis Presley and pulled his pants down to this knees, according to reports.

Deputies said he did not pull his underwear down.

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Keep Your Socialism Off my Medicare!

An excellently sourced rant. Spot-on.

An open letter to conservatives | AmericanDad's Blog:

"If you're going to use words like socialism, communism and fascism, you must have at least a basic understanding of what those words mean (hint: they're NOT synonymous!)

You can't cut a leading Founding Father out the history books because you've decided you don't like his ideas.

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Get it?

Poll: ‘Anti-socialist’ Tea Party activists want government to create jobs | Raw Story:

"Tea Party sympathizers are against government 'socialism' except when it comes to their own jobs, a new poll has found.

Seventy percent of those who identify as Tea Partiers -- a platform that strongly decries government intervention in public life -- want an interventionist government to create jobs, and only about one in three believe Medicaid and Medicare are 'socialist' programs, according to a new Bloomberg poll."

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President. Black.

Libertarian Militiaman Who Urged 'Patriots' To Break Windows? He's On Government Disability | Crooks and Liars:

"So the Washington Post interviews this Tea Party leader and former militiaman, the one who urged people to break Democratic party office windows, as if he were just someone with another reasonable point of view that's not worth examining. It's the old 'he said, she said' that's just what we've come to expect from the corporate media.

They don't even mention that he's calling for an armed march on Washington for April 19 - a favorite of extremists because in addition to being the date of the first shots fired at Lexington in the Revolutionary War, it's also the anniversary of the last day of the government siege in Waco and the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. No implied threat there, though! If you listen to the above radio interview, his stated position boils down to: Don't make me shoot you."

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Somebody found a little liberal Jesus in their heart.

Health-reform rally heckler says he's sorry and scared | The Columbus Dispatch:

"The man who berated and tossed dollar bills at a man with Parkinson's disease during a health care protest last week says he is remorseful and scared.

'I snapped. I absolutely snapped and I can't explain it any other way,' said Chris Reichert of Victorian Village, in a Dispatch interview.

In his first comments on an incident that went viral across the Internet and was repeatedly played on cable television news shows, Reichert said he is sorry about his confrontation with Robert A. Letcher, 60, of the North Side. Letcher, a former nuclear engineer who suffers from Parkinson's, was verbally attacked as he sat before anti-health care demonstrators in front of Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy's district office last week.

'He's got every right to do what he did and some may say I did too, but what I did was shameful,' Reichert said. 'I haven't slept since that day.'

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Black. President.

Think Progress � Obama bumper sticker fuels violent political road rage in Tennessee.

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Hates Noir.

C-Span Caller Rails Against Black Callers (VIDEO) | TPM LiveWire:

"A caller to C-Span this morning, who identified himself as a Republican from North Carolina, accused the network of taking too many phone calls from black people.

'You have black folks calling in on the Republican line, independents. And you have so many of 'em I can't believe this is just an accident. If you keep on with the way you've been programming, you should change your name from C-Span to black-span,' he said. 'I know they have an opinion but I wish that they would be honest and call in on the right line.'"

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Pants on Fire O'Lielly.

Think Progress � Forgetting His Attacks On The Netroots, O’Reilly Says Media Are Using ‘Nuts’ To ‘Brand’ Tea Party As ‘Racists:

"O’Reilly’s effort to make a nuanced distinction is surprising, however, considering his past efforts to use cherry-picked user comments to label the netroots as “hatemongerers” like “the Ku Klux Klan” and “the Nazi Party.” In 2007, when JetBlue sponsored the YearlyKos convention, O’Reilly attacked the company, saying that “if the company was sponsoring a David Duke convention, we’d do the same story. Hate is hate, no matter where it comes from.” The two or three comments out from a forum in which hundreds of thousands of people participate were not representative of the site as a whole."

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I can't wait till I get the call to train with the elite, undercover Liberal plant brigade. Those darn Baggers/Conservatives just won't show their true colors.... we've got to make them, bygod!

OK.... just a straight up racist.

Bonus Quote of the Day -- Political Wire:

"'These people could be anybody. I wouldn't put it past the Democrats to plant somebody there. They're trying to label the tea party, but I've never seen any racial slurs.'

-- Dale Robertson, self-proclaimed founder of the Tea Party, quoted by the Washington Times.

The only problem? The Washington Independent caught Robertson at a Tea Party rally last month holding a sign with a racial slur."

Sign:

‘N-Word’ Sign Dogs Would-Be Tea Party Leader � The Washington Independent

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Shocking.

Military is just one big socialist program anyway.

CREW, VoteVets File IRS, FTC Complaints Against Sean Hannity Charity Freedom Concerts

Hannity’s Freedom charity is ‘huge scam’: conservative blogger:

"Columnist and blogger Debbie Schlussel claimed on Friday that Hannity is profiting from a charity that raises money for severely injured US soldiers and the children of troops killed in action, and she described the Freedom Alliance as 'a huge scam.'

'Less than 20% -- and in two recent years, less than 7% and 4%, respectively -- of the money raised by Freedom Alliance went to these causes, while millions of dollars went to expenses, including consultants and apparently to ferret [sic] the Hannity posse of family and friends in high style,' Schlussel writes.

'And, despite Hannity’s statements to the contrary on his nationally syndicated radio show,' she continues, 'few of the children of fallen soldiers got more than $1,000-$2,000, with apparently none getting more than $6,000, while Freedom Alliance appears to have spent tens of thousands of dollars for private planes.'"

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Republican Celebs. Always good for some crazy.

Fox's Doocy learns the hazards of not vetting guests | Media Matters for America

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In news of no-fucking-shit.

Fmr. NYT editor: Fox running ‘propaganda campaign’ against Obama:

"A former executive editor of the New York Times has charged the president of Fox News, Roger Ailes, with 'using the network to conduct a propaganda campaign against the Obama administration -- a campaign without precedent in our modern political history.'

'Through clever use of the Fox News Channel and its cadre of raucous commentators, Ailes has overturned standards of fairness and objectivity that have guided American print and broadcast journalists since World War II,' Howell Raines wrote in an op-ed in the Washington Post.

'Yet, many members of my profession seem to stand by in silence as Ailes tears up the rulebook that served this country well as we covered the major stories of the past three generations, from the civil rights revolution to Watergate to the Wall Street scandals,' Raines continued."

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Liberal/Commie/Treehugger.

Gashaw Tahir Fights Deforestation, Plants One Million Trees In Ethiopia:

"He gathered young people from his hometown -- only a few dozen at first -- but those young people recruited their friends and family until there were hundreds. On only two acres of land they planted thousands of seedlings. Now, Tahir owns 11,000 acres of Ethiopian land on which his group has planted one million trees.

'You see, one person can enroll other people,' Tahir says. 'Outreach to them for a vision. And he can lead, and other people follow and they can make a difference. You can do a lot. I planted over a million trees, hired over 450 young people, and made a difference in the ecology. That's what I have done. If one man can do this with collaboration, we can make a huge difference.'"

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If I come back, I'm going to be pissed if their are Teabaggers in that Universe too.

Robert Lanza, M.D.: Do You Only Live Once? Experiments Suggest Life Not One-Time Deal:

"Biocentrism extends this idea, suggesting that life is a flowering and adventure that transcends our ordinary linear way of thinking. Although our individual bodies are destined to self-destruct, the 'me'' feeling is just energy operating in the brain. But this energy doesn't go away at death. One of the surest principles of science is that energy never dies; it can neither be created nor destroyed. When we die, we do so not in the random billiard ball matrix but in the inescapable life matrix. Life has a non-linear dimensionality −- it's like a perennial flower that returns to bloom in the multiverse."

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Uncivil War

Can't wait to see what kind of mental gymnastics the fine assholes as FAUX News come up with to explain away the 'not being swarthy and Muslim' part of this group of Conservative Christian Domestic Terrorists.

Militia members charged with police-killing plot - Yahoo! News:

"WASHINGTON – Nine suspects tied to a Christian militia in the Midwest are charged with conspiring to kill police officers, then attack a funeral in the hopes of killing more law enforcement personnel, federal prosecutors said Monday."

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A Marine has a message for these Christian Conservative Domestic Terrorists.

Newsvine - An article I wish I would never have to write - To those calling for a civil war, this Marine wants you to stop, and think...:

"Secondly, Regardless of your political ideology, you've earned the right as US Citizens to say your piece - no matter how wrong it may be. That is your right, and I will give my life to protect it.

But this government of ours is a democracy. We vote for our representatives, and they vote in our interests. Sometimes, the votes don't go our way. That's life, better luck next time. Exhaust your legislative options, and then focus on gaining the required votes and/or seats to achieve your desired legislative vote next election time. That's the way things work.

But the SECOND you start committing acts of violence and vandalism, then you've usurped that Constitution. You in a way have assaulted it. And then you and I (I being every servicemember who has sworn to defend said Constitution) will have a MAJOR PROBLEM."

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Whatever they (Republicans) are blaming others of doing, they (Republicans) are the ones actually 'doing'.

It really is quite simple.

Janine R. Wedel: Shadow Elite: March to War -- The Neocon Playbook, Straight from the Soviet Bloc

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Prepared to be more shocked.

Daily Kos: Is Future Shock And Grief At The Heart Of The Tea Party?:

"Let’s take a look at who the Tea Party members are. It is true they are overwhelmingly white, but they are also overwhelmingly male, and have attended college. They also tend to be from more rural parts of the nation and skew older. Basically, you can describe them as the conservative wing of the Baby Boomers.

All this leads me to wonder, is the Tea Party Movement a Future Shock reaction? For those who don’t know, Future Shock is the idea of Alvin Toffler. He came up with this idea in 1970, and it states that as the pace of change accelerates folks become unable to absorb more change and become 'future shocked'. Toffler predicts that people who become future shocked will act out in bizarre ways; they will be unable to assimilate new information and will, in general, try to retreat from the massive pace of change.

This sounds surprisingly like the actions of the Tea Party members, doesn’t it? For the conservative Baby Boomers this pace of change, a black president, a seeming repudiation of the Republican Party’s war and economic policies, coupled with the economic melt-down and the continuing deterioration of the assumption that white men will run this nation is too much for folks who grew up in a time when change ran slower."

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The Twilight of the Elites - 10 Ideas for the Next 10 Years - TIME:

"In the past decade, nearly every pillar institution in American society — whether it's General Motors, Congress, Wall Street, Major League Baseball, the Catholic Church or the mainstream media — has revealed itself to be corrupt, incompetent or both. And at the root of these failures are the people who run these institutions, the bright and industrious minds who occupy the commanding heights of our meritocratic order. In exchange for their power, status and remuneration, they are supposed to make sure everything operates smoothly. But after a cascade of scandals and catastrophes, that implicit social contract lies in ruins, replaced by mass skepticism, contempt and disillusionment."

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Amen. I've always thought this was one of our more awful local practices.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg: End Local Judicial Elections:

"WASHINGTON — Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is endorsing an end to the election of judges at the state and local levels."

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Daniel Firger: Why We Need a New Bull Moose Movement

A century ago, Roosevelt explained the need for his third-party candidacy:

The old parties are husks, with no real soul within either, divided on artificial lines, boss-ridden and privilege-controlled, each a jumble of incongruous elements, and neither daring to speak out wisely and fearlessly what should be said on the vital issues of the day.

These words ring truer today than they have in quite some time. Trillions of taxpayer dollars are propping up a financial sector bloated with profits; but Congress, looking ahead to the midterm elections, is too paralyzed to act decisively and help relieve ordinary Americans suffering through the recession. To make matters worse, the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United overturned a century's worth of campaign finance law, giving corporations more influence in elections than they've had since Teddy Roosevelt delivered his Bull Moose speech in Milwaukee.

During Roosevelt's presidency, a conservative Supreme Court comprised of railroad lawyers consistently blocked dozens of progressive federal and state legislative proposals. The pro-corporate Supreme Court appointments of Roosevelt's successor, President Taft, who filled six vacancies, did nothing to temper progressive outrage. True to form, Roosevelt jumped into the fray, decrying the Supreme Court's out-sized role as a barrier to social justice. In his Progressive Party convention speech, Roosevelt declared:

The American people, and not the courts, are to determine their own fundamental
policies. . . . The stick-in-the-bark legalism, the legalism that subordinates equity to technicalities, should be recognized as a potent enemy of justice.

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I lived in this neighborhood for a short period of time, pre-transformation. Place doesn't even look the same.

How we roll:

Hayes Valley: A Former Freeway Turns into a Farm - Look - GOOD:

"The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake left many of San Francisco's urban freeways structurally unsound. (Back then, there were many, carving up the core of the city.) But the flipside was a boon: The teardown of broad segments of elevated road has led to the revitalization—the reinvention, really—of neighborhoods like Hayes Valley. It has also given the city chunks of unused space, including the stretch between Laguna, Octavia, Oak, and Fell Streets, where ramps to the old Central Freeway haven't led anywhere in years."

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FAUX is trying to sign a deal for this to replace 24.... but, for real this time.

Fake TV Game Show 'Tortures' Man, Shocks France : NPR:

"The hostess and a chanting audience urged the players — who had levers in front of them — to send jolts of electricity into the man in the box when he gave an incorrect answer.

Even when the player screamed out in pain for them to stop, 80 percent of the contestants kept zapping him. In reality, the man in the electric chair was an actor who wasn't really being shocked — but the players and the audience did not know that.

The documentary makers say reality television relies increasingly on violent, humiliating and cruel acts to boost ratings. They say they simply wanted to see if we would go so far as to kill someone for entertainment."

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Book Claims CIA LSD Experiment Made French Town Crazy - ABC News

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Again, The Onion writes a piece of satire which quickly turns into the reality of the situation.

Pope Forgives Molested Children | The Onion - America's Finest News Source:

"VATICAN CITY—Calling forgiveness 'one of the highest virtues taught to us by Jesus,' Pope John Paul II issued a papal decree Monday absolving priest-molested children of all sin."

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This is an excellent video on how fucking stupid bottled water is.

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DBT Week in Review - 3/26/10

DBT!

Independent Albums | Billboard.com

Big To-Do chart debut:
#1 - Indie Chart
#6 - Rock Chart
#9 - Digital Chart
#22 - Top 200 Album Chart

Spain @ #18 in the FNAC chart
Norway @ #23 (and no 12 in the Platekompaniet bestsellers chart)
Sweden @#42

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Hype Track Charts – Last.fm

#8 - Drag the Lake Charlie
#18 - Birthday Boy

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Drive-By Truckers : Working This Job Video Contest:

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Late Night with Jimmy Fallon - About the Show - Tickets | NBC Official Site:

"Wednesday, March 31: Drive By Truckers - Code: DBT"

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Aquarium Drunkard � Drive-By Truckers :: The Big To-Do

Drive-By Truckers: That Southern Accent on JamBase

Best New Songs 2010 - Top New Songs of 2010 - Esquire:

"Because this is southern rock that takes the cultural pulse of the entire country."

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When were they not?!

The Big To-Do by Drive-By Truckers on Blurt Online:

"The Drive-By Truckers are back to kicking ass."

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Drive-by Truckers: Reinvented again || OnlineAthens.com

The Big To-Do : Drive-By Truckers : Review : Rolling Stone

Album Review | The Drive-By Truckers,‘The Big To-Do' | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal

California Chronicle | Drive-By Truckers roll along while Clem Snide gets to the 'Meat of Life'

New Music / Pop and Rock - Winnipeg Free Press

Knoxville.com | Bledsoe: Drive-By Truckers' 'Big To-Do' does the job : Music : Knoxville.com

Album Review: Drive-By Truckers – The Big To-Do � Consequence of Sound

Real Detroit Weekly - Ear Candy (March 17, 2010)

Drive-By Truckers - 'The Big To-Do' Review

Las Vegas Weekly : - Drive-By Truckers

CD Reviews: Ted Leo and Drive-By Truckers - Page 1 - Music - Seattle - Seattle Weekly

Drive-By Truckers | Tacoma Weekly

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Alright, so... yeah, after a few watches, it does look like her.

"beach757 — March 21, 2010 — Mischa Barton bummed a cigarette from our friend during the Drive-By Truckers show at Stubb's on March 19, 2010. I was able to quickly snap this short clip. Hope it's not too dark."

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Just a few days left to grab a $5 MP3 download of Murdering Oscar:

Amazon.com: Murdering Oscar (And Other Love Songs): Patterson Hood: MP3 Downloads

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Neff.

Jon Neff from @DrivebyTruckers is painting the sunshine on these songs one by one. #overdubbliss by @mcdalton - TwitVid

Welcome back to Athens, Bax!

Features: Setting Up Shop - Flagpole Magazine: Colorbearer of Athens, GA

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Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

Aquarium Drunkard � Jason Isbell :: When My Baby’s Beside Me (Big Star Cover)

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Music/whatnot

The coolest gall-dang nekkid motherscratcher...

Steve McQueen Never-Before-Seen & Nearly Nude PHOTOS

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Noted S.F. rock photographer Jim Marshall dies

YOU REALLY OUGHT TO KNOW: THE DIRTY GUV'NAHS - Americana and roots music - No Depression

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Only 4 mil.

Design resonates (but noise won't):

"What you'll love about it: The media room that previously served as Gleeson's recording studio, where he recorded artists such as Depeche Mode, Phil Collins and Earth, Wind & Fire.

The room still has some of the original acoustic insulation, and there's an adjacent office with built-in furniture that served as the recording booth."

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Elliot from Dexateens posted this on FB. First Rock Song?

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Daily Kos: New Harris Poll Of RADICAL Democratic Views.

Daily Kos: New Harris Poll Of RADICAL Democratic Views.: "72% of Democrats cannot tell the difference between John Shadegg, Peter King, John Cornyn, and James M. Inhofe, mistakenly believing them all to be the same old, white, fag-hating person."

When Men Were Free

We are ending the age of Reagan, finally.

Economic Scene - In Health Bill, Obama Attacks Wealth Inequality - NYTimes.com:

"Beyond the health reform’s effect on the medical system, it is the centerpiece of his deliberate effort to end what historians have called the age of Reagan.

Speaking to an ebullient audience of Democratic legislators and White House aides at the bill-signing ceremony on Tuesday, Mr. Obama claimed that health reform would “mark a new season in America.” He added, “We have now just enshrined, as soon as I sign this bill, the core principle that everybody should have some basic security when it comes to their health care.”"

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Here's a dose of the beginnings of the Reagan Age. Sound familiar?:

The Washington Monthly:

"Reading Blankley's panic-stricken screed, I was immediately reminded of Ronald Reagan's 1961 attacks on JFK's Medicare proposal. At the time, Reagan said the plan would lead federal officials to dictate where physicians could practice medicine, and open the door to government control over where Americans were allowed to live. In fact, Reagan warned that if Medicare became law, there was a real possibility that the federal government would control where Americans go and what they do for a living.

Reagan added, '[I]f you don't [stop Medicare] and I don't do it, one of these days you and I are going to spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it once was like in America when men were free.'"

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Our modern day Reagan/Bush/Air-fucking-head-violence inciter.

Sarah Palin's PAC Puts Gun Sights On Democrats She's Targeting In 2010

Which leads to...

FBI investigates Virginia incident - Andy Barr - POLITICO.com:

"Law enforcement authorities are investigating the discovery of a cut propane gas line at the Virginia home of Rep. Tom Perriello’s (D-Va.) brother, whose address was targeted by tea party activists angry at the congressman’s vote for the health care bill."

...And....

Bart Stupak Received Threatening Messages for Health Care Vote (Listen) - Political Hotsheet - CBS News:

"The calls placed to Stupak's office reveal the extreme anger members of Congress are facing.

'Congressman Stupak, you baby-killing mother f***er... I hope you bleed out your a**, got cancer and die, you mother f***er,' one man says in a message to Stupak.

'There are millions of people across the country who wish you ill,' a woman says in a voicemail, 'and all of those thoughts that are projected on you will materialize into something that's not very good for you.'"

Daily Kos: GOP has blood on its hands

The backlash: Reform turns personal - Jake Sherman and Marin Cogan - POLITICO.com

These baggers are insane and dangerous. The first Dem that's maimed or killed, consider it war.

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People like the health insurance reform. Who knew?

DNC Rakes In Over $2 Million Since Bill’s Passage | The Plum Line:

"A DNC source emails that the committee has pulled in over $2 million in online contributions since the bill passed on Sunday."

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Once an asshole, always an asshole.

Think Progress � Bush wipes his hand on Clinton’s shirt after shaking hands with Haitian residents.:

"After the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti in January, President Obama asked former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush to lead the U.S. relief effort in that country. The two men viewed one of Haiti’s “massive tent cities” yesterday, in a trip — their first one to the country together — to “remind donors of the immense needs facing the recovery effort.” BBC aired video of Bush and Clinton’s visit, and Mediate noticed that at one point, Bush appeared to wipe his hand off on Clinton’s shirt after shaking hands with a crowd of Haitians. Watch it:"

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Once a Nazi Youth...

Warned About Abuse, Vatican Failed to Defrock Priest - NYTimes.com:

"Top Vatican officials — including the future Pope Benedict XVI — did not defrock a priest who molested as many as 200 deaf boys, even though several American bishops repeatedly warned them that failure to act on the matter could embarrass the church, according to church files newly unearthed as part of a lawsuit."

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In a few years stories like this will be quaint....

NFL Draft Class's Marijuana Use 'Epidemic,' Scouts Say:

"The 2010 NFL Draft class is a highly regarded group of pro football prospects, but some NFL scouts worry that a problem lies beneath the surface. Sports Illustrated reports that 'numerous NFL personnel evaluators' are worried by the number of players with marijuana use in their past. According to one source, nearly a dozen potential first-round draft choices could be red-flagged for using the drug in college."

.... because of this:

Pot legalization headed for Nov. ballot:

"The California Secretary of State is expected today to certify a measure that would ask voters this November whether marijuana should be legalized and regulated for adult recreational use."

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A Big F*cking Deal

Happy Birthday, Patterson Hood. Thank you!

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It is, Joe. It really is:

Biden: Passing health reform ‘a big f*cking deal’ | Raw Story

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My, my winning sure does changes the narrative, don't it. Gotta keep this ball rolling, but November is looking a LOT brighter.

Can't pull up, though.

Obama, Democrats Begin Reaping Political Benefits Of Reform - Yahoo! News:

"According to a Gallup/USA Today poll conducted the day after health care legislation passed the House of Representatives, 49 percent of the respondents think the passage of reform is a 'good thing,' compared to the 40 percent who think it is bad. The numbers are a welcome relief for a party and a presidency that had been bleeding popular support over the course of the past six months.

Democrats didn't just get a health-care-related boost in the realm of public opinion. The Democratic National Committee reported raising more than $1 million in donations on Tuesday even without making a direct ask. The money is expected to pour in for other campaign committees as well."

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Last throes? Doubt it. Crazy motherfuckers (and I mean that in the worst possible way).

Vandals hit at least five Dem offices nationwide, threaten to ‘assassinate’ children of pro-reform lawmakers.

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GOP fans flames of health care reform hatred:

"For the record, House Republican leader John Boehner, GOP Chairman Michael Steele and the organizers of the Tea Party rally condemned the slurs. Steele suggested the movement and the party should not be linked with 'idiots out there saying stupid things.'

Stupid things? Try Rep. Randy Neugebauer, R-Texas, shouting 'baby killer' when Rep. Bart Stupak, an anti-abortion Democrat from Michigan, was outlining his conviction that the bill would not result in federal funding of the procedure - and right after unruly House members had been admonished to stop yelling during the debate. Neugebauer claimed Monday that his exact words were 'it's a baby killer,' and were directed at the measure, not at Stupak - which would make his outburst less stupid only by slight degree.

Stupid things? How about the House Republicans who cheered two hecklers who were ushered out of the public gallery by Capitol Police on Sunday. Or the GOP lawmakers who kept going to the House balcony during the debate to wave clenched fists and handwritten signs at the crowd and helped ensure it remained whipped into a frenzy.

Stupid things? How about the steady stream of rhetorical excesses during the debate. They warned of the death of freedom, of a coming era of totalitarianism, of a 'fiscal Frankenstein.'"

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These people are certifiably fucking insane. Trying to work with them is unpatriotic. They live in a different, crazy world.

Just oozing with racism.

‘Scary’ Harris poll: 24% of Republicans think Obama ‘may be the Antichrist’ :

"Birthers, deathers, now, apparently, there are Antichristers on the Obama warpath.

The Daily Beast's John Avlon writes, 'On the heels of health care, a new Harris poll reveals Republican attitudes about Obama: Two-thirds think he's a socialist, 57 percent a Muslim—and 24 percent say 'he may be the Antichrist.''"

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Palin's "Real America".

Op-Ed Columnist - An Absence of Class in the G.O.P. - NYTimes.com:

"For decades the G.O.P. has been the party of fear, ignorance and divisiveness. All you have to do is look around to see what it has done to the country. The greatest economic inequality since the Gilded Age was followed by a near-total collapse of the overall economy. As a country, we have a monumental mess on our hands and still the Republicans have nothing to offer in the way of a remedy except more tax cuts for the rich.

This is the party of trickle down and weapons of mass destruction, the party of birthers and death-panel lunatics. This is the party that genuflects at the altar of right-wing talk radio, with its insane, nauseating, nonstop commitment to hatred and bigotry."

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This is awful. Congress really needs to do something about this. Fucking activist neocon Supreme Court assholes.

First Corporate Campaign Ads Appear After Supreme Court's Citizens United Decision:

"A Texas company recently took out a political ad in several local newspapers, making it one of the first corporations to do so in the wake of a landmark Supreme Court ruling that lifted restrictions on corporate political spending."

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Gee, wonder how that happened. Enjoy all of your eggs in that unsustainable basket.

Bush speechwriter: Republicans ‘work for Fox’ :

"Republicans originally thought that Fox worked for us and now we're discovering we work for Fox," Frum told ABC's Terry Moran. "And this balance here has been completely reversed. The thing that sustains a strong Fox network is the thing that undermines a strong Republican party."

"Frum's view of the GOP's electoral prospects seemed dim. 'Nobody ever won an election by spitting on his political opponents,' he said, evidently referring to the incident this past weekend when anti-health reform protesters spat on Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver."

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HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Shut the fuck up.

Tebow's pre-Wonderlic prayer request falls flat | ProFootballTalk.com:

"At the Scouting Combine, the Wonderlic exam is administered to players in groups. The 12-minute test is preceded by some brief instructions and comments from the person administering the test.

Per a league source, after the person administering the test to Tebow's group had finished, Tebow made a request that the players bow their heads in prayer before taking the 50-question exam.

Said one of the other players in response: 'Shut the f--k up.' Others players in the room then laughed."

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I was far more disgusted by the hiring of Fleischer than I was by any whore Tiger fucked.

Think Progress � Ari Fleischer quits PR job for Tiger Woods because his legacy was so bad it harmed Tiger’s rehabilitation.:

"The AP gives no reason for Fleischer’s departure, but FoxSports reports that Fleischer “fell on his sword because he felt he was becoming the story“: “Fleischer’s legacy, whether fairly or not, remains propagating Bush/Cheney myths — like Saddam Hussein attacked America on Sept. 11, 2001 — which Americans don’t want to hear. Having him in behind the curtain gave the impression Woods had something to hide, and that words were being fed to him.”"

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Terror Mimes

Oh, that simpler, more bipartisan time of early Aught-8. Such a cooperative period of peace and prosperity....

Somebody Needs To Take A Trip In Mr. Peabody's Wayback Machine | Talking Points Memo:

"Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), lamenting the passage of health care reform: 'I wish that we had continued that bipartisan effort that took place prior to the President coming into office.' Watch."

Why, look at how the Republicans tried and tried and tried with all of their squinted eye might to be bipartisan.

Mean ol' Democrats.


Flashback: Conservatives Guaranteed ‘ObamaCare Is Dead,’ ‘Pelosi Doesn’t Have The Votes’

– Dick Morris, Fox News commentator, November 4: “A deathblow to ObamaCare.”

– Fred Barnes, Fox News commentator, January 20: “The health care bill, ObamaCare, is dead with not the slightest prospect of resurrection.”

– Robert A. Levy, chairman of the Cato Institute, January 26: “That’s why Obamacare is dead.”

– Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), Minority Whip, February 24: “Speaker Pelosi doesn’t have the votes in the House. . . . It is futile for for them to continue to try and push something on the American people that frankly won’t result in better health care.”

– Rep. Dan Boren (D-OK), March 3: “I think the votes are not there and I don’t see where we get them.”

– Cantor, March 5: “Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi doesn’t have the votes needed to pass a health-care bill in the House of Representatives.”

– Rep. John Boehner (R-OH), Minority Leader, March 14: “If she had 216 votes, this bill would be long gone. They tried to pass it in September, October, November, December, January, February. Guess what? They don’t have the votes.”

– Boehner, March 17: Health care reform will pass “over my dead body.”

– Cantor, March 19: “[T]here’s no way they can pass this bill.”

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Bone up so you can respond to the inevitable Republican asshole while they predictably convulse 'SOCIALSM/HITLER/COMMIE spittle all over you.

Health Reform Bill Summary: The Top 18 Immediate Effects

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Funny how the tone changed Just. Like. That.

Daily Kos: The Narrative Changes:

"So now all of a sudden, he's an effective and able President that fights for his convictions? Who knew? Not from reading the papers prior to today.

LA Times:

What's clear now, however, is that Obama is a president with a combative stubbornness that's not often visible in his cool, above-the-fray public style. And he has demonstrated that a president who picks a goal, adopts a battle plan, and sticks with it is not easy to knock out."

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I wouldn't say it has 'struck out' yet. It is still fouling off balls with a 2-2 count.

Op-Ed Columnist - Fear Strikes Out - NYTimes.com:

"Instead, I want you to consider the contrast: on one side, the closing argument was an appeal to our better angels, urging politicians to do what is right, even if it hurts their careers; on the other side, callous cynicism. Think about what it means to condemn health reform by comparing it to the Civil Rights Act. Who in modern America would say that L.B.J. did the wrong thing by pushing for racial equality? (Actually, we know who: the people at the Tea Party protest who hurled racial epithets at Democratic members of Congress on the eve of the vote.)

And that cynicism has been the hallmark of the whole campaign against reform."

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She did OK. We still have this little matter of the Public Option to deal with. Her tale will be written latter. Now, the Senate.... those fuckers are in for a world of hurt.

On health care, Pelosi kept Democrats thinking big:

"'It's safe to say that she's going to change some of the ways that we look at effective speakers, and maybe create a new definition of how to get things done under incredibly difficult circumstances,' said Ray Smock, who was House historian for a dozen years under former speakers Tip O'Neill, Jim Wright and Tom Foley."

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God, I hope Democratic balls grew and vaginas puffed up. We'll see moving forward.

Arianna Huffington: Health Care Post-Mortem: Dems Feel the Wind at Their Back, GOP Hoisted With Its Own Cynical Petard:

"On the other side of the aisle, Democrats are empowered and energized. In the best tradition of great presidents who have learned on the job, President Obama has shown a willingness to course correct and an ability to do so. In the wake of Scott Brown's victory in Massachusetts (a victory that led Fred Barnes to declare health care reform 'dead with not the slightest prospect of resurrection'), Obama finally moved off the sidelines and took charge of moving health care forward. He finally gave up his obsession with bipartisanship, finally took on the health insurance industry, and finally adopted the populist rhetoric the times call for.

As a result, he created the kind of momentum that builds upon itself -- the kind that delivers the votes you never have until, well, you have them. The kind of momentum that says, this train is leaving the station, you better get on board or get left behind. The kind of momentum he and his fellow Democrats can use as they tackle the huge problems ahead."

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All of this HAS to be good for John McCain, though, right?

If you played a drinking game where you had to drink every time McSame lied, you'd be drunk in 5 minutes flat.

"No cooperation for the rest of the year". Well, then, mister, you just take your ball home and shove it up your ass as far as I'm concerned.

Axelrod Says McCain’s “Disappointing Attitude” Belongs “On the Sandlot” - Political Punch:

"'There will be no cooperation for the rest of the year,' McCain said. 'They have poisoned the well in what they've done and how they've done it.'"

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Reid kinda remembers that he was a boxer back in the day. I'd rather have an MMA fighter, though.

Democrats.senate.gov - Senator Harry Reid, Majority Leader:

"“For someone who campaigned on ‘Country First’ and claims to take great pride in bipartisanship, it’s absolutely bizarre for Senator McCain to tell the American people he is going to take his ball and go home until the next election. He must be living in some parallel universe because the fact is, with very few exceptions, we’ve gotten very little cooperation from Senate Republicans in recent years.

“At a time when our economy is suffering and we’re fighting two wars, the American people need Senator McCain and his fellow Republicans to start working with us to confront the challenges facing our country—not reiterating their constant opposition to helping working families when they need it most.”"

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How pitiful are these chicken-hawk, Republican bullies who beat up Mimes holding balloons.

Fucking MIMES!.... with balloons.

Very quite terrorism.

Think Progress � Anti-Immigrant Leader’s Bodyguard Reportedly Assaulted Mimes Who Were Blowing ‘Hateful Whistles’ At DC Rally

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Historic Day for the Good Guys

Health insurance reform is now law of the land.

I've been thinking a lot about getting a 'foot in the door'. Those of us who want true health care reform, now have a foot in the door. Lots of work to be done. Probably more work the next go around than this go around. The Public Option or Medicaid buy in for all MUST be in place before the mandate kicks in. Must.

That's where I'll be focusing my energy. I'll also be focusing on ridding the Democratic Party of the dead weight, Republican wannabes.

I hope the Dems have learned a lot. Like, how to negotiate, for one.

No. More. Compromising.

This bill could have been so much more.

However, this was a BIG win for Dems and a HUGE loss for the crazy-ass Republicants.

Roll that around your head and mouth. A MASSIVE win for the Dems, and a crippling loss for the Thugs.

Rep. John B. Larson: The Top Ten Immediate Benefits You'll Get When Health Care Reform Passes

Mitchell Bard: A Guide for Those Traumatized by Right-Wing, Fear-Mongering Lies on Health Care Reform

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Former Bush speech writer David Frum:

Health Care REACTION: Bill Passes, Analysts Weigh In:

"Conservatives and Republicans today suffered their most crushing legislative defeat since the 1960s."

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Ezra Klein - Who does health-care reform help?:

"Health-care reform is focused on another group: the working class. People with jobs, but not jobs that are good enough to offer them health-care benefits. People with paychecks, but who aren't making quite enough money to bear the cost of insurance. People who're buying insurance on their own, which means they don't get the good deals that big employers get, and they don't get a giant tax break to help them out. But these aren't lazy people, or layabouts. These are people who've been left behind in the system. We spend a lot more money to give a lot more help to a lot of folks who need it less than this group does."

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Kudo's to Pelosi.

Joshua A. Tucker's response to 'Pelosi's triumph?' - The Arena | POLITICO.COM:

"And so begins the shift in the narrative of the Obama presidency: from the lost year to the man who succeeded where Democrats have failed for decades, against all odds, whose methods looked doom to fail but now look brilliant in retrospect, etc. etc. I doubt very strongly that any seats will be lost over this vote, or at the very least any more than would have been lost from 'incompetent Democrats can't accomplish anything' narrative that would have dominated the campaign had the bill failed. My guess: if the economy gets worse (or even fails to get better) between now and November, Democratic seat losses will probably be exacerbated in the fall. If the economy gets unexpectedly better, Democratic seat losses will be minimized. But a legislative accomplishment of this magnitude should inspire the base, which, if anything, should help in the fall."

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Greg Dworkin's response to 'Pelosi's triumph?' - The Arena | POLITICO.COM:

"A Pelosi triumph? I noted last week that this strong speaker was underestimated and under-credited. I predicted that when the bill passed, that would change. By the way, you really need to compare Republican rhetoric today with that which they said after Social Security passed (anyone besides Dana Milbank remember Alf Landon?) And you need to highlight the racial epithets hurled at the Congressional Black Caucus Saturday at health bill protests (confirmed by Eric Cantor on This Week – yes, it happened, and it’s disgraceful. It doesn’t matter that George C. Wallace voters don’t like the 21st century, progress and change happen regardless) I am looking forward to passage Sunday in a historic vote. Millions of the uninsured, under insured and poorly served need this bill. And while you watch, remember John F Kennedy’s comment: victory has a thousand fathers...."

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The Crazy Within the Republican Party

Teabaggers will kill people over this. There will be blood shed by these insane motherfuckers.

Tea Party sign threatens gun violence if health care passes.

The Political Carnival: Tweet: "We'll surely get over a bullet to Obama's head"

CBC member: Health bill protesters called lawmakers the N-word - The Hill's Blog Briefing Room

Daily Kos: Parkinson's Victim Mocked by Teabaggers Speaks Out

Tea Party protesters reportedly spit on one lawmaker, call others ‘faggot’ and the n-word.

Black Representative Says He Was Spat On By Anti-HCR Protester | TPM LiveWire

Menacing | Talking Points Memo

GOP accused of circulating ‘hoax’ health care memo | Raw Story

State of the health care debate: Talk radio attacks an 11-year old | McClatchy

Stupak repeatedly called ‘baby killer’ on House floor | Raw Story:

"WASHINGTON -- Capping a tense Sunday in which the House of Representatives cleared historic health care legislation, one of the staunchest anti-abortion Democrats was dubbed a 'baby killer' by a representative on the Republican side of the chamber."

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We need a lot more Plouffe. Less Rahm, More Plouffe.

Rove loses his cool in debate with Obama aide | Raw Story:

"Holding a whiteboard and yelling about the cost of health care reform, former Senior Bush adviser Karl Rove melted down on ABC's This Week Sunday. Rove faced off against David Plouffe, one of President Barack Obama's senior advisers."

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Daily Kos: Why Teabaggers lie about HCR (and everything else)...they have to.:

"Leading up to the 2008 Presidential election, I had a lengthy political discussion with my younger sister. We had been discussing the increasingly volatile nature of the political attacks coming from the right. The cries of “terrorist”, the continuing claims of a “kenyan/muslim Manchurian candidate”, and the warnings of coming socialism bothered my sister and I both, to say nothing of the actual death threats clearly audible at rallies for the opposition. As the children of African American parents who grew in the Deep South in the midst of the Civil Rights movement, the dogs whistles, the latent racism was clear to us both. My sister asked me how these people, could say such things about another American citizen, how they hate one of their own neighbors that much.

My answer was simple. I told her that unfortunately, some of our neighbors, some of our American brothers and sisters had long embraced a world view that said that an African-American was not worthy to hold the presidency, to lead “their” great nation. If Barack Obama won the election, that world view would be proven false. It would be, figuratively speaking, the end of the world for the people who held it.

I’ve heard it said that it’s much better to be happy than right. How true."

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Here are the fools we try to reason with. Idiots.

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The Big To-Do Week in Review - 3/19/2010

The Big To-Do!

Ten Songs to Improve a Pissed Off Rainy Day playlist by Drive-By Truckers on MySpace Music - listen to songs & purchase MP3s:

"Please play loud and in order while downing 2 beers and whatever else ya got. Umbrella, optional. - Patterson Hood"

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THE DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS, VICKI AND ME Drive-By Truckers on Blurt Online:

"Is this the first step towards doing some co-songwriting? I remember in the first interview I ever did with you guys that you said there'd be blood on the floor if y'all ever wrote a song together. Might we see more songs like 'Girls Who Smoke?'

PH: It was fun. I like the song. When you play together this long, you try all kinds of stuff, but generally, writing is a solitary thing for me.

MC: Yeah, it's something I do by myself. That's one of the things I like about it. I get to bounce ideas off my multiple personalities. (Laughs) I get to work with the person I love the most. (Laughs)

PH: You don't love that asshole. (Laugh"

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The Drive-By Truckers Are Not Making This Up - Page 1 - Music - New York - Village Voice:

"Savoring your shock and stealing a fry off your plate, Hood asks, Can you believe it?"

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The Drive-By Truckers play the pimp AND prostitute: how to sell your new album and stay off your knees - The 6149:

"Why do I think that The Trucker's have moved on to the 'critical mass' phase? The push behind this new album, that's why. They are going all in on this one. Yes, I am a fan so I have been on the lookout for this album. I am also signed up to their newsletter, facebook fan page and twitter account. So, yes, I am where they are broadcasting their message, but it is how they are using those channels that has my antennae buzzing."

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Saints Don't Bother: In Cahoots: Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers

Interview: Patterson Hood of Drive-By Truckers

Listen Up: Drive-by Truckers - USATODAY.com

Pitchfork: Album Reviews: Drive-By Truckers: The Big To-Do

The Big To-Do - The Short List of Things to Do - TIME

Album review of 'The Big To-Do' by the Drive-By Truckers - washingtonpost.com

Album review: Drive-By Truckers' 'The Big To-Do' | Pop & Hiss | Los Angeles Times

Drive-By Truckers – The Big To Do [Album Review] — HearYa - Indie Music Blog

Drive-By Truckers: The Big To-Do | Music | Review | The A.V. Club

Drive-by Truckers go where others won't | Entertainment | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Drive-By Truckers, 'The Big To-Do' | Metromix Atlanta

The Fire Note: Drive-By Truckers: The Big To-Do

allmusic ((( The Big To-Do > Overview )))

The week’s top CD releases | Music | Entertainment | Winnipeg Sun

Drive-By Truckers: The Big To-Do < Reviews | PopMatters

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RIP Alex Chilton

Memphis music legend Alex Chilton dies � The Commercial Appeal

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Fuck You Blogger and Google

Again... what, like the 5th post in the past 2 months, Blogger/Google erased a post from my blog.

I guess I need to intesify my efforts to move this thing over to WordPress. Almost 5 years worth of blogs. Not going to be easy.

I really fucking hate you, Blogger. From the bottom of my heart. I. Hate. You. (Yeah, Avetts, run with that one on your follow up).

Chillbilly

This is the very definition of 'Oh Snap'.

Grayson ABUSES V-PILF.

"Smartest Republican leader since W".

Must read the entire smack down. Do not fuck with Grayson. God, I wish we had a Senate and House full of Graysons.

Grayson goes for the jugular: ‘Alaskan chillbilly’ smartest GOP leader since W. | Raw Story:

"Grayson said that the Alaskan chillbilly was welcome to return to Central Florida anytime, as long as she brings lots of money with her, and spends it. 'I look forward to an honest debate with Governor Palin on the issues, in the unlikely event that she ever learns anything about them,'"

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But, but, but Rendell! Rendell's wife doesn't engage in overt, partisan politics supported financially by a decision her husbanded handed down, ignoring 100 years of law, on the Supreme Court.

Michael Kieschnick: How to Bribe a Supreme Court Justice:

"Ponder that for just a moment. The wife of a Supreme Court justice has organized a political non-profit linked to Tea Party activists whose activities can be supported to an unlimited extent by corporations whose donations need not be disclosed to the public. Similarly, Mrs. Thomas is under no obligation to disclose her compensation to anybody.

None of this appears to be illegal in part due to the recent Citizens United court ruling by the Supreme Court that freed corporation contributions from certain key restrictions. That radical and controversial decision passed by a 5-4 vote, and surprise, Justice Thomas voted yes.

When the Times asked Mrs. Thomas about this interesting situation, she responded with the traditional right wing charge of the media imposing a double standard on conservatives, pointing out that the elected governor of Pennsylvania, Ed Rendell, is married to a federal judge. She conveniently left out that any political contributions to Mr. Rendell are both limited and fully disclosed under Federal law, and that Judge Rendell scrupulously avoids any political activities."

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Horrible people only concerned with putting money in their pocket. Freedom of speech my ass.

Turley criticizes Justice’s wife for ‘injudicious’ Tea Party activism:

"Constitutional law expert Jonathan Turley on Monday assailed the wife of Justice Clarence Thomas for her growing role in Tea Party political activism.

'It's, in a word, injudicious,' Turley, a professor of law at George Washington University, said on MSNBC's Countdown With Keith Olbermann. 'The fact that this is news is an example of the self-restraint used by most spouses [of Supreme Court Justices] previously.'"

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Boogity-Boogity!

Then watch his Texas shuffle after he already knows the damage has been done.

Worthless, manipulative fucks.

Texas Republican Gohmert: Demons Have Invaded The Capital:

"Speaking shortly after he riled up a crowd at Tuesday's Tea Party protest, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Tex.) declared that 'demons' - yes, demons - have invaded the capital (and likely the souls of Democrats), forcing lawmakers to mislead the public about the content of the health care bill.

'Well it would take a demon to be this dishonest about a bill,' the Texas Republican told the Huffington Post. 'If they would just read the bill, they would see what they are saying is dishonest.'

Asked to expand a bit more on what he meant, Gohmert stepped back a bit from a literal interpretation, though still floating the possibility that Democrats were possessed. 'Well, somebody is making people be dishonest and it is a play on words, too,' he said."

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Oh, yeah. Highway's mean.

List ranks best, deadliest U.S. roads - CNN.com:

"Meanwhile, Alabama was ranked as the deadliest state for speeding, followed by Mississippi and South Carolina."

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Yawn.

Is California Becoming a Third World Nation? - Japhy Grant - California Stars - True/Slant:

"The rest of the nation has a tendency to overstate the troubles of California when it’s doing badly and understate its successes when it does well. 13% of the U.S. GDP comes from California. Alone, it would be the world’s 5th largest economy. However, the real sin committed by the other 49 states is a failure to acknowledge the primacy of California in the national economy.

A quick tour through recent history proves my point. The first tech boom of the 90s, the second tech boom, and the real estate bubble all not only started in California, they ended there, too. The nation’s fortunes rise and fall with California’s in a way know other state (ok, maybe Texas on a bad day) can match."

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A small, children's tea party.

DNC mocks tea party numbers - Ben Smith - POLITICO.com: "

Tea Partiers planned to 'flood the halls of Congress' to protest health care legislation, a plan that prompted Democratic leaders to instruct their members to respond with politeness and Twinkies.

The 10 a.m. Washignton, D.C. rally, though, wasn't quite on the scale of some earlier events. The communications director for the Democratic National Committee, Brad Woodhouse, emails that his count is 300 attendees.

'I've been to birthday parties that drew more people,' he emails. 'More people attended my wedding than went to the tea party kill the bill rally on the hill."

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Promising

Daily Kos: Breakthrough: artificial photosynthesis:

"Plants take CO2 and water to create sugars, using sunlight as the energy source, in a process called photosynthesis. Scientists have been trying to replicate photosynthesis in the lab for a long time.

It looks like they've finally succeeded – and the artificial process is a lot more efficient than the natural one. This may have major implications for energy and food production, as well as carbon capture and storage, a way to mitigate climate change."

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The very definition of 'Shit out of luck'.

Tra-la-la.... beautiful day at the beach, cool tunes on, endorphins kicking in from the run. Nothing could be more perf-WHACK.

The Associated Press: Plane kills jogger in SC beach emergency landing:

"HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — A 38-year-old father of two was jogging and listening to his iPod when he was hit from behind and killed by a small plane making an emergency landing on the beach, officials said Tuesday.

Robert Gary Jones of Woodstock, Ga., died instantly Monday evening when he was hit by the single-engine plane, which had lost its propeller, said Beaufort County Coroner Ed Allen. The pilot's vision was blocked by oil on the windshield.

Jones apparently did not see or hear the plane, which was 'basically gliding,' the coroner said."

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The Big To-Do and 40 Watt Pictures

The Big To-Do is Here!

Today is the official release of Drive-By Truckers' The Big To-Do.

If you haven't already, go grab a copy of this awesome rock record.

All I can say is.... Whew.

Also, check out the new DBT Main Website. Nice work Jenn et. al!

In celebration of this fine day, I've posted pics and vids from the 40 Watt shows that I was too lazy to fuck with several weeks ago.

No blogurockumentary as those may be a thing of this blog's past.

Thanks to all in Athens who made it a kickass time (Jenn.. always Jenn! Shayne and TMcB... much love, y'all. Mattador and Kelly. Damon.... for working all night then jaw jacking with me about the night's doings @ 4 a.m. Sunday morning. Justin.... for being a genius and creating the 'Friends and Family' cooler back stage. All at the 40 Watt. Athens in general. Nuci's for a kick ass benefit. Hoods and Cooleys and Tuckers and Neffs and Gonzalezezezez. Weaver D's for that Automatic Sweet Tea that damn near saved my life (I stumbled into Weaver's Saturday afternoon bleary as could be... ordered my food, then asked for some sweet tea. Weaver pointed to the cup already in front of me and said "Automatic, baby. Automatic for the people". I thought, my that's odd. Then I turned around to see the wall plastered with REM memorabilia. Then I received my music lesson for the day).

To all the folks I'm sure I forgot in my little thank you jag.

But, the biggest thanks goes out to Ava Hood, the only person willing to play dinosaur tag with me. I'd been asking people all day before Ava stepped up. You Rock, Ava!

OK, here are the pics and one thought that has endured from Athens:

Redneck sexy: Somebody else's baby dangling from one arm while holding a PBR in the other hand.

Riding in the back of Damon's van listening to the new Bettye LaVette (yes, it is very bad ass)

Yeah, She will.



40 Watt - Blessing of the Venue









Camp Amped All Stars



































Guess why this picture made the cut:



Yes.



Hoods









I call this one 'Mattador'



















3:00 a.m. Sunday Morning backstage.... gettin' arty



40 Watt presents an award to DBT







Here's Bloodkin, though the sound is squeaky



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Here's to 2010 being the Biggest Damn To-Do we've all experienced.

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