DBT Week in Review - 7/30/10

DBT!

For 3 Grand! Now online:

Adult Swim Video : Squidbillies : America: Why I Love Her

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Help:

Rick Kurtz Benefit Concert

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Homedrone: American Girl Summer: Part 2 - Flagpole Magazine: Colorbearer of Athens, GA:

"After the 4th of July break (and a one-off for us in Oxford, ME) we reconvened in Noblesville, IN (the amphitheatre formerly known as Deer Creek, outside of Indianapolis. Again, we routed ourselves out, stopping on the way to play a festival in Louisville, KY. The Forcastle Festival is an annual thing there. I think we played it ourselves back in 2002. This time Widespread Panic was headlining our night, and it was good to run into those fine chaps backstage."

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Drive-By Truckers Live at 9:30 Club on 2010-07-23 : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive

We Love Music (and Photos): Drive-By Truckers at 9:30 Club � We Love DC:

"Around 10:00 Friday night, Drive-By Truckers strolled out onto the 9:30 Club stage. Singer Patterson Hood raised his arms, puffed out his chest, and screamed: “Goddammit, I feel GOOD.” By 1 a.m., Hood and his fans were drenched in sweat twice over, the band was wrapping up a raucous cover of punk hero Jim Carroll’s “People Who Died,” and “good” had become an understatement of epic proportions for the way the night felt."

Hickory Wind | Drive-By Truckers@9:30 Club

Muzzle of Bees � Review: Drive-By Truckers – 9:30 Club

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Drive-By Truckers bring Southern sounds to Riverbend | cincinnati.com | Cincinnati.Com

Tom Petty mixes old and new | cincinnati.com | Cincinnati.Com

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DBT shout-out in the Greensboro, NC (Yum-Yum hot dogs, bitches) Amelia's Mechanics song John Cash Jeans. Debut album produced by Papa Avett.

Pretty.

American Songspace | Song Profile | Amelia's Mechanics | John Cash Jeans:

"Drive by truckers on a highway scream Adjust yourself in the driver’s seat Not tired not awake just somewhere in between"

Amelia’s Mechanics on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads

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Lovin' the band that will be opening for DBT in the UK. Great stuff.

Danny and the Champions of the World | New album "Streets Of Our Time" out now!

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A few years back KoL bitched about DBT getting more press than they did. Wish I could dig that one up.

See what happens when you go to the crossroads and sell that soul for a hit song. Devil shits in that mouth.

Pigeons Force Kings of Leon to Stop Show | The Silver Tongue

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Nuci's!

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Not Gonna Doit

Suck or suckier.

The Truth About Obama's Record | Mother Jones:

"Here's the good news: this record of progressive accomplishment officially makes Obama the most successful domestic Democratic president of the last 40 years. And here's the bad news: this shoddy collection of centrist, watered down, corporatist sellout legislation was all it took to make Obama the most successful domestic Democratic president of the last 40 years. Take your pick."

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Keep on punching the hippies and kissing NeoCon ass. We aren't as 'fucking retarded' as asshole Rahm might think.

The last line of the blurb nails it.

Blaming the blogosphere for Democratic Failures | Crooks and Liars

Here's the thing. What matters is whether policy works. It does not matter if what Obama did was more left wing than anything that's been done in a while (though in absolute terms I would argue it mostly wasn't left wing, the health care plan, for example, was essentially a Republican plan from the 90s), what matters is if it was left wing enough (big enough stimulus, smart enough health care plan) to improve people's lives enough that they noticed.

It wasn't, and that's all that matters. Policies such as the stimulus were not done well enough, and everyone from Nobel prize winners with good predictive records like Stiglitz and and Krugman, down to nobodies like me, predicted it at the time. The President hired the wrong people to give him advice, didn't even do as much as many of them wanted, and now we all pay the price.

Sometimes half doesn't work. Half-assed rarely does. All Obama's half assed "left wing" policies have done is discredit the left for another generation. Combined with the ability of the media, Republicans and hysterical Tea Baggers unable to use a dictionary to define him as a "socialist" this means that Obama's policies are seen as left wing, and left wing policies are seen to have failed.

I don't want Obama doing anything I agree with, because he will screw it up and discredit it. In this respect he is like Bush. He is poison because he is incompetent at policy.

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If the Senate Dems don't bust up the filibuster, and if Obama doesn't find a nut sack that allows him to cause serious pain to those Dems who want to prevent change, then game over. NeoCons own the country part and parcel.

So, in short, game over.

House Democrats Rip Senate Colleagues: Their Lethargy Is Going To Cost Us Seats In 2010:

"A trio of progressive House members took direct aim at their colleagues in the Senate on Saturday, declaring that the upper chamber 'sucks,' has a 'toxic effect' on the legislative process, and would cost House Democrats seats in the 2010 election."

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Not gonna do it.

Rep. Nadler: Investigate torture or face road to ‘tyranny’ | Raw Story

"If you don’t prosecute, or if you don’t investigate, then what you’re saying is government can do anything," Nadler argued. "And that’s a formula for tyranny. So I think it’s very important." As for looking forward and not backwards? "By that standard you’d never prosecute any crime."

White House officials and some analysts fear that a drawn-out investigation, which would be virulently fought by Republicans, would drain the capacity of Democrats to advance their domestic agenda.

Nadler argues that to sustain a democracy, it's vitally important to hold lawmakers accountable for their crimes – even more so than with private citizens. "People who break the law, ought to be held accountable," he said, "especially if they’re in government, because they have more power."

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They use to be my alternative to Wal-Mart. No longer. Will not step foot in another Target.

I called and told them so, too. If you feel the same, call. Select 'Store Experience'. Stay on the line until you talk to someone.

Think Progress � Target Donates $150K To Group Supporting Candidate Who Wants To Cut Waiters’ Minimum Wage

Target Store Merchandise : Contact Us : Help : Target: "1-800-440-0680."

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The response to the wing-nut email is priceless

Daily Kos: the email i will probably regret sending--edited with thanks and some responses

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Back Off Cody

All y'all better back off Cody. He was 400 lbs when Saban got him and he played every game last year. Plus, he'll eat you if you keep poking at him like this. He's still the most athletic 360 lbs man on the planet.

Terrence Cody deemed too tubby for Ravens training camp - Shutdown Corner - NFL� - Yahoo! Sports

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A thing faster than Cody.

High-Speed Laser Chips Move Data at 50 Gbps | Gadget Lab | Wired.com:

"A new research breakthrough from Intel combines silicon chips and lasers to transmit data at 50 gigabits per second — and someday, maybe as fast as a terabit per second.

The 50-Gbps speed is enough to download an HD movie from iTunes, or up to 100 hours of digital music, in less than a second."

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Another thing faster than Cody

Zero to 60 mph in less than 3 seconds -- White Zombie electric dragster makes believers out of fossil fuel hot-rodders | OregonLive.com:

"John Wayland runs a political machine on 12 lithium polymer batteries.

It's a 1972 Datsun called 'White Zombie,' and it's one of the fastest street legal electric cars in the world. It's been clocked doing zero to 60 mph in 2.95 seconds. It's walloped Corvettes, Camaros and 600-horsepower Vipers in quarter-mile drag races using lead-acid batteries."

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I'm so there:

RUSTIC, Francis's Favorites | Francis Ford Coppola Winery

Francis Ford Coppola chats about his new restaurant, Rustic, due today - Paolo Lucchesi:

"Scoop: What’s the motivation behind Rustic? It’s almost as if the menu tells a story, from film friends to travels to family.

Coppola: Simply a style of food preparation and presentation that I personally love: a more rustic style — French country cooking or Italian country cooking, homemade, where the emphasis is more on the quality of the ingredients and doing as little as possible, rather than a more ‘nouveau’ style, in which the food is in tiny, decoratively arranged portions. I am interested in authentic dishes — the kind you drive an hour out of the city to find little restaurants that make specialties that are only made there."

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Score:

Lawyer: Negatives verified as Ansel Adams' work - Yahoo! News:

"EVERLY HILLS, Calif. – A trove of old glass negatives bought at a garage sale for $45 have been authenticated as the lost work of famed nature photographer Ansel Adams and are worth at least $200 million, an attorney for the owner said Tuesday."

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Climate Leadership FAIL

Stick-to-yer-guns Obama is gonna drive off the same cliff as GW.

Putting A Face To The Cost Of Dem Cowering - TalkLeft: The Politics Of Crime:

"From the inadequate stimulus of 2009, to the deficit 'concerns' (see the catfood commission) of today (among many other issues), the flinching and cowering of the Obama Administration and the Dems has damaged the country and, ironically, the political fortunes of the Dems. The reflexive hippie punching, the constant refrain of not letting the perfect be the enemy of the good, the ever present concern of being labeled a gasp, liberal, has led to great suffering in the nation. Simply put, the Dems have not been up to the job. L'Affaire Sherrod has put a face to the cost of this attitude. I hope that the transcendence of this problem is recognized and addressed."

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Howard Dean in 2012... or 2016.

Howard Dean: No More Apologies -- It's Time to Stand Up for Our Convictions

Obama should be saying this. Obama should also get on his knees and beg Dean's forgiveness and ask him to be Chief of Staff.

Howard Dean tells Fox: Your coverage of Sherrod was racist:

"Appearing alongside Newt Gingrich, Dean was blunt with his accusation. 'I don't think Newt Gingrich is a racist and you're certainly not a racist but Fox News did something that was absolutely racist,' said Dean.

'They had an obligation to find out what was really in the clip. They have been pushing a theme of black racism, phony Black Panther crap and this business and Sotomayor and all this other stuff. The Tea Party called out their racist fringe and I think the Republican Party has got to stop appealing to its racist fringe,' Dean continued."

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Another once in a lifetime opportunity pissed away be O.A. Hell, even Nixon created the EPA when a scant few barrels were spilled.

Sen. Cardin: Dems, Obama Never Connected BP Spill To The Need For Climate Change Legislation

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Where Was Obama When Reid Killed the Climate Bill? | Mother Jones:

"Handled correctly, the BP spill should have been to climate legislation what September 11th was to the Patriot Act, or the financial collapse was to the bank bailout. Disasters drive sweeping legislation, and precedent was on the side of a great leap forward in environmental progress. In 1969, an oil spill in Santa Barbara, California – of only 100,000 barrels, less than the two-day output of the BP gusher – prompted Richard Nixon to create the EPA and sign the Clean Air Act. But the Obama administration let the opportunity slip away.

Early on, Obama failed to challenge blowhards such as Senator Jim Inhofe who distorted the science of global warming. Revkin points out that the president has not invited researchers and climate analysts to the White House (as even Bush did). And after BP's well blew out, Obama's infamously milquetoast address from the Oval Office never connected the disaster with the need for a cap on carbon. All of this wasn't for a lack of pressure from his allies. Nine high-profile environmental groups wrote a letter to the president pleading that 'nothing less than your direct personal involvement' will break the logjam in the Senate. Al Gore ultimately said what Obama wouldn't:"

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Op-Ed Columnist - Who Cooked the Planet? - NYTimes.com:

"So it wasn’t the science, the scientists, or the economics that killed action on climate change. What was it?

The answer is, the usual suspects: greed and cowardice.

If you want to understand opposition to climate action, follow the money. The economy as a whole wouldn’t be significantly hurt if we put a price on carbon, but certain industries — above all, the coal and oil industries — would. And those industries have mounted a huge disinformation campaign to protect their bottom lines."

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We need to speed up the space travel gig.

Deep space probe finds hundreds of new planets | Mail Online:

"Hundreds of new planets have been discovered by Nasa's new space probe, sparking new hope of life outside our solar system.

Up to 140 of the newly-found planets are rocky and Earth-like containing both land and water, conditions which could allow simple lifeforms to develop."

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Chickenshit Hippie Punchers

Goddamn right, Lee Stranaham:

Lee Stranahan: President Obama Listens to the Right Because He Ignores the Left:

"The reason President Obama focuses on the right is because he's ignored the left since the day after the election, and if he wants to save his presidency, that needs to change.

In fact, the only times that President Obama and his gang o' hacks haven't ignored the left is when they've blown off steam by actually attacking progressives. Who called MoveOn.org 'fucking retarded'? Was it Andrew Breitbart? Glenn Beck? Mel Gibson? Of course not -- it was Obama's Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.

Emanuel's outburst was right in line with the path the Obama administration has taken from the beginning -- side with Big Business in the hopes of building the Democratic war chest through corporate donations. Every watered-down, ginned-up company-approved bit of major legislation that has oozed through Congress and on to the president's desk has helped bail out corporate America at the expense of the middle class."

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Wherein Obama once again shows how much he really doesn't get ir, or, rather his reflex to punch the hippies.

It isn't the 'YouTube/blogger' culture, DA, it is the FAUX News/Right Wing media culture.

Stop blaming the hippies, asshole.

Sherrod gets biggest 'I'm sorry' — from Obama - Yahoo! News:

"'He jumped the gun, partly because we now live in this media culture where something goes up on YouTube or a blog and everybody scrambles,' Obama said."

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Why this SOB still has a job....

The Jester, the Coward, and the Employee | VF Daily | Vanity Fair:

"Andrew Breitbart is a blip on the American screen and only a minor player in this story. The central character in this regrettable drama is agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack, who fired Shirley Sherrod before he got his facts straight. Before he got any facts at all, it seems. Did Vilsack, an adult, even take the time to ask Ms. Sherrod, another adult, any questions? Or was he too preoccupied being terrified by the easily disproved distortions of known laughing stock Andrew Breitbart? That Vilsack acted on the assumption that Breitbart was telling the truth was a huge mistake that shows an astonishing lack of judgment and character. To fire anyone on information that is not carefully and fully verified is grossly irresponsible."

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Nation editor: Obama ‘feeding zealots’ by not standing up to right-wing media | Raw Story:

"The Nation editor Katrina vanden Heuvel told NBC's Today Show Friday that the Obama administration needs to 'get a spine.'

'This White House needs to institute procedures, as President Obama said, and get a spine because it is feeding the zealots of our system by not standing tall and confronting the forces of hate and fear in a country that has a lot of economic pain,' vanden Heuvel said."

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Daily Kos: Why Does Fox News Have More Power Than Any Progressive in the Country?:

"The idea is that Fox News is more important than any progressive leader or commentator (or even the majority opinion of progressives throughout the country, as evidenced by polls) because liberals have nowhere to go. So, that's why you can abuse them, ignore them and even treat them with disdain -- and they'll still vote for you. What are they going to do -- vote for Republicans?

That's why Rahm Emanuel can call them 'fucking retarded' and derisively dismiss them on almost every issue. They think there's no price to pay. Whereas, if they cross Fox, all of Washington will be talking about it. And they're obsessed with the Washington chatter. And they are under the grossly mistaken impression that the country gives a shit about what Fox says.

In Washington, Fox News is very important and you get judged by how quickly you handle the media maelstroms they create. That's viewed as a barometer of how well you handle 'bad news cycles.' So, the rest of the Washington press corps judges you by how quickly you drop to your knees to end the 'bad news cycle.' Congratulations Obama administration, you're now professionals!"

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At least somebody is calling it like it really is:

Sherrod: I'm a Victim of Breitbart, Fox 'Racism' | Media Matters for America

Rachel Maddow: Fox News Stoking Racial Fears Among Whites (VIDEO)

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Health care should not be subject to the not-very-free market.

Consumer group: Insurers kept surplus while hiking premiums - USATODAY.com:

"Non-profit Blue Cross and Blue Shield health plans stockpiled billions of dollars during the past decade, yet continued to hit consumers with double-digit premium increases, Consumers Union found in an analysis of 10 of the plans' finances.

Insurers must keep surplus money to ensure they can pay policyholders' medical bills if unexpected market conditions develop. Yet seven of the plans examined held more than three times the amount regulators consider the minimum needed to do that, according to a report being released today by the non-profit consumer group.

'Consumers are struggling to afford health coverage,' said report author Sondra Roberto. 'Those funds could be used in some cases to mitigate these rate increases."

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Wait... who's in charge again?

BP trying to legally ‘contaminate’ Gulf scientists: report:

"BP plans to fight a lawsuit to be filed by the Natural Resources Damage Assessment, according to Press-Register's Ben Raines. Putting Gulf scientists on the payroll could mean there are less experts to testify against them.

MSNBC's Rachel Maddow compares the tactic to an episode of The Sopranos where Tony Soprano consults with top lawyers so his wife isn't able to hire them in a divorce case."

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After Oil Spills, Hidden Damage Can Last for Years - NYTimes.com:

"In 1969, a barge hit the rocks off the coast of West Falmouth, Mass., spilling 189,000 gallons of fuel oil into Buzzards Bay. Today, the fiddler crabs at nearby Wild Harbor still act drunk, moving erratically and reacting slowly to predators.

The odd behavior is consistent with a growing body of research showing how oil spills of many types have remarkably persistent effects, often at levels low enough to escape routine notice."

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I'll take a sixer of squirrel, please.

Strongest ever beer served up in dead squirrels

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DBT Week in Review- 7/23/10

DBT!

I had a damn cool DBT experience in NorCal Wednesday. I was leaving my apartment with laundry in hand and as I was locking the door I heard a truck driving through the complex with music blaring out an opened window. As the truck passed my apartment building, coming out the window I heard "Didn't kill nobody, didn't mean no harm". I ran down the stairs and chased after the truck until it turned into a parking spot. It was the pool guy. He was still inside when I reached his truck. I said, "Excuse me, but where you just listening to Drive-By Truckers". His eyes got real wide and he jumped out of the truck and said 'Hell yeah, I was listening to Great Car Dealer Wars from The Fine Print. I told him I was a fan too. He said he had every record but AAW and Austin City Limits. He made a playlist on his iPod of his favorite DBT songs. 75 songs in all. He saw the RnRMW tour but missed the last Fillmore show. We chatted for another 5 minutes about DBT. I went upstairs and burned him a copy of AAW. He was a pleased man when I handed it to him.... as was I.

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Fall dates added to the tour:

Drive-By Truckers: Shows

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Poster for tonight's sold out 9:30 Club show.

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A Look at the Drive-By Truckers' Epic Beachland Gig Last Night | C-Notes: Scene's Music Blog | Cleveland Scene

SPARKSY'S BLOG: Truckers and a free lunch

Review Photos Setlist: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and Drive-By Truckers Steam Up St. Louis' Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, July 18, 2010 - St. Louis Music - A to Z

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Drive-By Truckers at the Pabst Theater | Music | Just Announced | The A.V. Club Milwaukee:

"One of our favorite rock ’n’ roll bands on the planet right now is Drive-By Truckers, who released a string of brilliant albums in the ’00s thick with Southern noir and whiskey-drunk wisdom. This year’s The Big To-Do is another winner, and the show we caught last week in DeKalb, Ill. was one of the best fist-pumping rock gigs we’ve been to in a long while. We were severely bummed when DBT cancelled a concert at Turner Hall last February, but now the band has planned a return trip Oct. 1 for a show at the Pabst Theater. Tickets are $25 in advance ($28 the day of the show) and go on sale at noon on July 23. The A.V. Club will also be handing out free tickets, so stay tuned here for more information in the weeks ahead."

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Tom Petty Drive-By Truckers at United Center - Concert preview - Time Out Chicago:

"Warming up the crowd and ramping up beer sales are the Drive-By Truckers, long-standing candidates for America’s best live act and masters of three-hour sets that leave fans clamoring for more. Stuck in the opening slot, the Truckers are hemmed in, but there’s great satisfaction in hearing a band that references so much classic rock (on albums like Alabama Ass Whuppin’) echoing around a giant arena. The Southern booze-and-boogie hounds play every set as if they’re the mega-star headliners, anyway."

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I love how this one devolves:

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Music

RIP: Andy Hummel, Big Star bassist | News Article | Tiny Mix Tapes

Jewel Dons Wig, Fake Nose To Dupe Karaoke Crowd (VIDEO)

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A Whopper

Before I start kvetching, check this out. I love when nature fights back.

Kaboom! Whale Crash-Lands on Boat - ABC News

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Ya think, Tom-who-still-has-a-job for some damn reason? You were one of the ones who put her through hell, asshole.

Tom Vilsack: Shirley Sherrod Has 'Been Put Through Hell,' Deserves New Job:

And here's another not being held accountable and who should be on his ass w/o a job in the White House.

In meeting, Messina praised Sherrod handling - Ben Smith - POLITICO.com

Wouldn't it be nice if the Obama Administration held itself and bankers and BushCo and BP to the same standard they expect from educators. If that were the case the two above plus Rahm, Geitner, Sumners and a whole host of other Administration failures would be unemployed.

Race to the top is worse than No Child Left Behind. This is a goddamn tragedy of Obama and Arns making.

On Education - A Popular Principal, Wounded by Good Intentions - NYTimes.com:

"“She should not have been removed,” Mr. Sanders said in an interview. “I’ve walked that school with her — she seemed to know the name and life history of every child.”

Ms. Irvine wasn’t removed by anyone who had seen her work (often 80-hour weeks) at a school where 37 of 39 fifth graders were either refugees or special-ed children and where, much to Mr. Mudasigana’s delight, his daughter Evangeline learned to play the violin.

Ms. Irvine was removed because the Burlington School District wanted to qualify for up to $3 million in federal stimulus money for its dozen schools.

And under the Obama administration rules, for a district to qualify, schools with very low test scores, like Wheeler, must do one of the following: close down; be replaced by a charter (Vermont does not have charters); remove the principal and half the staff; or remove the principal and transform the school."

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If it seems I'm hammering the Obama Administration more so that Breitbart's sorry, racist ass as well as Fox and every other traditional media outlet that picked up this ginned up 'controversy', you are spot on.

We know what the right wing puke funnel has done, is doing, and will do. We know.

I'm hammering the Obama Administration b/c a). They should really know better and I'm sick of them being a bunch of pussies anytime Beck says 'boo'. and b). Obama Administration loves to punch them some hippies and shit on the folks who put them in office. Well, I punch and shit back.

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Fine then, Hodes. We know most Dems are a bunch of weak knee pussies. Stop writing about the obvious and start going big to make big changes. Tell use who are the 'too many of us'. Point fingers. Name names. Create change. Otherwise, save the obvious diaries.

Daily Kos: Weak Knees:

By Congressman Hodes (D)

"The firing of Sherrod over what turned out to be a heavily (and deceptively) edited video of her remarks is the latest example. When the far right bulldozes, too many of us buckle.

Democrats need to stop panicking every time we find the right-wing media in our face. The only way to beat back the misinformation they spread is by calling them out and holding them accountable – not caving to pressure from their echo chambers.

We have no excuse for not fully understanding what the far-right is capable of in terms of hateful and deceitful rhetoric. From Glenn Beck to Rush Limbaugh to Andrew Breitbart – they’ve shown us time and again exactly how willing they are to distort the truth.

During the health care debate they brought us “death panels,” a “socialist state” and “pulling the plug on grandma.” We watched as they singlehandedly destroyed the honest conversation we were trying to have with the American public about how to fix a system rigged for the special interests and against the American people."

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Dems worth a damn:

Woolsey to introduce ‘robust public option’ bill | Raw Story:

"Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), co-chair of the progressive caucus, is making good on her promise to continue pushing for a public health insurance option after the enactment of sweeping reform legislation.

On Thursday afternoon, the Northern California congresswoman will announce the introduction of a bill offering consumers a choice between private plans and a 'robust' public plan in the health insurance exchanges set up by the law."

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Culling the herd:

Cell Phone May Have Distracted Teen In Fatal Fall - News Story - KTVU San Francisco:

The Coast Trail is wide and clearly marked near the beach. Authorities said early reports indicate the teen may have been talking or texting on his cell phone and simply walked over the edge."

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Awesome:

Parachuting donkey shocks Russian beachgoers | Raw Story:

"'It was put up so high into the sky that the children on the beach cried and asked their parents: 'Why did they tie a doggy to a parachute?' the newspaper, Taman, said late last week."

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Gutless Cowards - Reinstate Sherrod, Fire Vilsack

The Obama Administration is nothing but a bunch of gutless cowards.

Here's the Whitehouse phone number to tell them so:

202-456-1111

Reinstate Sherrod TODAY, and fire Vilsack on the spot plus anyone else who doesn't have the balls to tell the Teabaggers to go fuck themselves.

Dollars to donuts, Obama makes a speech where he falsely compares right wing racism with non-existent left wing racism. Rahm will be jacking off on the corner b/c Obama is doing his 'hippie punching' for him.

These people manage about was well as Bush. They embarrass me.

White House Uses Misleading Breitbart Video As Basis To Hastily Demand USDA Official’s Resignation

White farmers at the center of Shirley Sherrod controversy: ‘No way in the world’ she is a racist.

Daily Kos: Reinstate Shirley Sherrod:

"Despite the fact that Sherrod did nothing wrong -- in fact, did everything right -- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack fired her after Breitbart's video was released. As you can see in Ben Smith's article, the White House is trying to simultaneously support Vilsack's position and deny responsibility for it. Obviously, Vilsack fired her out of the misguided belief that Breitbart had turned her into a political liability. But not only is that immoral, it's stupid; the backlash against the unjustified dismissal of Shirley Sherrod will dwarf whatever teabagging nonsense Breitbart could have drummed up.

As both Digby and Greg Sargent argue, Vilsack's decision to fire Sherrod is appalling. Shirley Sherrod is a good woman who did nothing wrong and nobody should want to live in the kind of country where good people are fired because politicians are worried that they might become liabilities.

There's still enough time to make the situation right. President Obama should step up to the plate and reinstate Shirley Sherrod. Let this be a teaching moment, that in this country we don't let innocent bystanders become victims of political assassins like Andrew Breitbart. This is a time for leadership, but there isn't much time left to show it. The clock is running."

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Hullabaloo:

"They are telling wingnuts everywhere that all they have to do is gin up a phony controversy (especially about a black person, apparently) and the administration will fire them so as not to shake confidence that they are 'fair service providers.'

This is sheer cowardice."

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UPDATED: White House, You Were Punked By Andrew Breitbart | Crooks and Liars:

"This whole episode screams 'Why can't we have reasonable discussions about racial issues???' at me.

The answer is twofold: First, Andrew Breitbart is a dirty, lying SOB who thrives on waving his malodorous lies around on Fox News and the Internet. Second, the White House or USDA, depending upon which story you read, believed him."

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This is how bad it has gotten. I'm quoting one of the dumbest conservative assholes out there, Johah Goldberg:

Maddow to White House: Giving in to conservative spin ‘makes it worse’ | Raw Story:

"Goldberg went on to express a perception of the Obama administration that was strikingly similar to Maddow's. 'Meanwhile, as a matter of politics,' he wrote, 'I think this episode demonstrates that this White House is a much more tightly wound outfit than it lets on in public. The rapid-response firing suggests a level of fear over Glenn Beck and Fox that speaks volumes.'"

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These are the idiot assholes who rule Obama's world:

Onion story from 2007 currently being accepted by TeePees as ... on Twitpic

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Keeping up with the Jonses.

Growing China oil spill threatens sea life, water - Yahoo! News

AMERICAblog News: BP photoshops fake photo of crisis command center, posts on main BP site

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Amen. Nationalize them.

Oliver Stone: US should nationalize oil resources | Raw Story:

"The Gulf of Mexico oil spill shows that the United States should follow the example of South American socialists in nationalizing its energy industry, filmmaker Oliver Stone said Tuesday.

The Academy Award-winning director of 'Born on the Fourth of July' and 'JFK' said that America's country's natural wealth was too important to be left in private hands, telling journalists in central London that oil and other natural resources 'belong to the people.'

'This BP oil spill is typical' of what happens when private industry is allowed to draw revenue on what should be a public good, Stone said."

"We shouldn't make this kind of profit on oil or on health or on war or on prisons. All these industries should be public industries."

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Shock Doctrine

More blood on the hands of Fox/Rush/Beck/et al.

Think Progress � Angry About Congress Passing ‘Left-Wing Agenda Items,’ 45-Year-Old Parolee Opens Fire On Cops

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What Digby says always:

Hullabaloo

Therefore, his political advisers should know that when the country is still reeling from unemployment and foreclosures after nearly two years, the passage of an inadequate stimulus bill, which unrealistic benchmarks and a giddy victory party ensured would be the only chance they got, the only people who will consider that a "success" would be beltway insiders. They should have realized that a health care bill that nobody in their right minds would have designed from scratch, the worst aspects of which liberals will be asked to defend for years to come, would be met with dampened enthusiasm by those who watched the process devolve from a sense of progressive purpose to an exhausting farce. They are expected to be able to predict that financial reform without accountability for what's gone before, combined with the administration's unwillingness to confront the civil liberties abuse of the last administration -- indeed expanding on them in some cases -- would show a lack of fundamental concern for justice among those who care about such things.

.........

"Since the Village is essentially a Republican town perhaps they assumed that liberals were all going to be the same dead-enders the Bush cultists were, defending their man until the day he was out of office (and then insisting they never liked him in the first place.) That's what 'little people' (and paid political hacks) are supposed to do. But liberals are not known for cultlike devotion to their leaders --- ask Lyndon Johnson and Jimmy Carter."

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Shock Doctrine. Rinse and Repeat.

Chris Hayes: Deficits are the new Weapons of Mass Destruction:

"Conservatives and their neoliberal allies don't really care about deficits; they care about austerity—about gutting the welfare state and redistributing wealth upward. That's the objective. Deficits are just what they can all agree on, the WMDs of this manufactured crisis."
...........

"The LIES (WMD's, Deficits are the problem, Death Panels, Maverick), once accepted as gospel by the villagers and their uber-wealthy patrons shall no longer require second thought. Anyone with proof of the fallacy of the gospel of the villagers will be ignored. The burden of providing proof is never on the side of the people who push corporatist policies that harm everyone so the richest may profit. And once the corporatist policies utterly fail everyone who wasn't super rich already ( just like they are supposed to ) the same people who were dead wrong the first time will be right back telling you why they never saw it coming and their NEW idea is just what the doctor ordered."

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Daily Kos: The Facade Is Crumbling: The Fraud and Looting Continue:

"How does one decrease the cost of labor in America? Well first, you have to bust the unions. Check. Then you have to create a pressing need for people to work – perhaps give them easy access to credit and then get them to go so deeply into debt that they will have to work until they die to pay them off. Check. It also helps if you push up the cost of living by manipulating commodity prices. Check. Then, take away people’s retirement savings. Check. Lower interest rates to make savings futile and interest income inadequate. Check. And finally, threaten to take away the 12% a year that people have been saving for retirement by labeling Social Security an 'entitlement' program – as if it wasn’t money Americans worked their whole lives to save and gave to the government in good faith. Check."

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Change you can be appalled by:

Obey: White House Suggested Cutting Food Stamps to Pay for Education Program � The Washington Independent

Health Care Reform Produces Win For Abortion Foes

Halliburton 2Q profit jumps 83 percent | Raw Story

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Very good:

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I'm on Fire

The redistribution of wealth in this country has been going on for some time now. The problem is that the wealth is being sucked to the top, thus eliminating the middle class. And let's face it, there's nothing more pain-in-the-ass for rich fuckers than the middle class.

Stupid basis for our Democracy (NeoFeudalism: Coming Soon!)

Income Gap Between Rich and Poor Is Highest in Decades, Data Show:

"The gap between the wealthiest Americans and middle- and working-class Americans has more than tripled in the past three decades, according to a June 25 report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

New data show that the gaps in after-tax income between the richest 1 percent of Americans and the middle and poorest parts of the population in 2007 was the highest it's been in 80 years, while the share of income going to the middle one-fifth of Americans shrank to its lowest level ever."

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Obama and Arn's 'Race to the Top' is as big a piece of crap as 'No Child Left Behind'.

Just like its predecessor, RTTT's goal is to eliminate public education thus privatizing all education as charter schools.

It takes a Fake Democrat to enact the NeoCons agenda.

Daily Kos: Somebody Explain This to Me:

"But reading the popular press, and listening to the chatter from Washington, I have just found out that we are not part of the movement to ‘reform’ schools.

You see we did not do all the stuff that the new ‘reformers’ think is vital to improve our schools. We did not fire the staff, eliminate tenure, or go to pay based on test scores. We did not become a charter school. We did not take away control from a locally elected school board and give it to a mayor. We did not bring in a bunch of two-year short-term teachers.

Nope, we did not do any of these things. Because we knew they would not work."

Keep pissing off the base, Obama/Rahm but don't cry like little bitches when we stay the fuck home.

Administration Officials Not Invited To Teachers Convention; Probable Heckling The Reason | Crooks and Liars:

“If the teachers sit on their hands this fall, it would be a disaster for Obama and the Democrats,” said Richard D. Kahlenberg, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation who has studied the teachers’ unions."

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Jesus.

Obama To Open Up 1.8 Million Alaskan Acres To Oil Drilling:

"ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- The Interior Department is offering oil and gas leases on 1.8 million acres of Alaska's National Petroleum Reserve while promising to protect critical migratory bird and caribou habitat.

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Hello? Feds? Anybody home?

BP buys up Gulf scientists for legal defense, roiling academic community | al.com:

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Good man. Doesn't welch on his bets.

NM man set on fire after losing drinking bet:

"A 47-year-old man's friends set his prosthetic leg on fire after he lost a drinking bet, causing him to suffer severe burns to his buttocks and lower back. Dona Ana County sheriff's deputies found the man naked on the side of U.S. Route 70 with his prosthetic leg in flames. Deputies learned that the man and his friends were drinking Monday and bet that whoever drank the least would be set on fire."

The man told investigators that at six beers, he drank the least, and agreed to let his friends set him on fire.

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6 mln views in less than a month. damn.

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DBT Week in Review - 7/16/10

DBT!

Patterson's Tour Diary for Flagpole:

Homedrone: American Girl Summer - Flagpole Magazine: Colorbearer of Athens, GA

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TomPetty.com - Tours - 2010- Mojo Tour 2010 - 2010-07-10

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Sniper Photo - Louisville Photographers - Ryan Armbrust: Drive By Truckers play Forecastle

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Music

The Root Investigates Who Really Gets Paid in the Music Industry

The Challenge for Jazz Musicians Is Staying Afloat in a Bad Economy

Palin speech draws fewer than Nickelback concert in Wichita | McClatchy

h/t Mark Lynn:

Inside the Nitrous Mafia, an East Coast Hippie-Crack Ring - Page 1 - Music - New York - Village Voice

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And I Feel Fine....

....And I feel fine....

If it is going to happen it'll be within 6 months. Nice to have a deadline.

h/t to BB:

Doomsday: How BP Gulf disaster may have triggered a world-killing event - by Terrence Aym - Helium:

"Now, worried scientists are increasingly concerned the same series of catastrophic events that led to worldwide death back then may be happening again-and no known technology can stop it.

The bottom line: BP’s Deepwater Horizon drilling operation may have triggered an irreversible, cascading geological Apocalypse that will culminate with the first mass extinction of life on Earth in many millions of years.

The oil giant drilled down miles into a geologically unstable region and may have set the stage for the eventual premature release of a methane mega-bubble."

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Awsum. Liz helped Obama kill the Public Option.

Daily Kos: Obama Hires Fmr. Wellpoint Exec to Implement Health Care Law:

"Liz Fowler, a key staffer for U.S. Sen. Max Baucus who helped draft the federal health reform bill enacted in March, is joining the Obama administration to help implement the new law...

Fowler headed up a team of 20-some Senate Finance Committee staffers who helped draft the bill in the Senate. She was Baucus' top health care aide from 2001-2005 and left that job in 2006 to become an executive at WellPoint, the nation's largest private insurer. She was vice president of public policy at WellPoint, helping develop public-policy positions for the company. In 2008, she rejoined Baucus to work on health reform legislation."

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Says a lot.

Effort underway to remove tons of fat from London’s sewers | Raw Story:

"A team of workers sporting breathing apparatus and carrying shovels has started clearing around 1,000 tonnes of fat from sewers around London's Leicester Square, a water company said Tuesday.

Cooking fat being poured down drains under one of the city's main tourist attractions is thought to be causing blockages."

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Was a fan back in the day. Wonder how it will translate.

'Beavis and Butt-head' to return with new episodes to MTV - NYPOST.com:

"The move to resurrect the hugely popular 1990s animated anti-heroes has been rumored for several days. But yesterday, sources at MTV confirmed that a new batch of 'Beavis and Butt-head' episodes are in the works."

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Whatever

So apathetic. So, so apathetic.

Here's... stuff:

Price Is Right Perfect Bid - How Terry Kniess Beat The Price Is Right - Esquire

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Report: Poor People Pretty Much Fucked | The Onion - America's Finest News Source:

"'Although poor people have never had it particularly sweet, America has long been considered the land of opportunity, where upward class mobility is hard work's reward,' Park said. 'However, our study shows that limited access to quality education and a shortage of employment opportunities in depressed areas all but ensure that, once fucked, an individual tends to stay fucked.'"

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Why not legalize marijuana and tax it, like liquor? | Cynthia Tucker:

"Researchers associated with the Rand Corp.’s Drug Policy Research Center said Wednesday that not much is certain about the potential impact of Proposition 19 except that the price of California’s choicest weed could plunge more than 80%, down from $300 to $450 per ounce to about $38."

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Nutritional value of fruits, veggies is dwindling - Health - Diet and nutrition - msnbc.com:

"It's happening to crops in the United States, too. In 2004, Donald Davis, PhD, a former researcher with the Biochemical Institute at the University of Texas, Austin, led a team that analyzed 43 fruits and vegetables from 1950 to 1999 and reported reductions in vitamins, minerals, and protein. Using USDA data, he found that broccoli, for example, had 130 mg of calcium in 1950. Today, that number is only 48 mg. What's going on? Davis believes it's due to the farming industry's desire to grow bigger vegetables faster. The very things that speed growth — selective breeding and synthetic fertilizers — decrease produce's ability to synthesize nutrients or absorb them from the soil."

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Big Lie

Because the game is to lie, big time, about anything, then move along. It's the 'no accountability' that has been codified into our fabric by the current administration that allows the Big Lie.

'Climategate' Debunking Gets Less Coverage Than Original Trumped-Up Scandal (VIDEO)

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While I fully agree, this coming from the weakest of teas is, well, pretty effing weak. It is like Glenn Beck chastising someone for being a racist.

Harry Reid Complains Obama Avoids 'Confrontation' And Should Be 'More Forceful' With GOP (VIDEO)

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An example of how 'no accountability' will translate to the extremely weak health insurance 'adjustment' bill that was passed. It isn't a 'law', really. Only some suggestions that the health insurance companies might consider to, you know, stop screwing the consumers to the wall. Only if they want too, though.

Holders Justice Department is fucking weak.

Health Care Firm Crawls Out From Under Rock: Congressman Boehner takes its money—By Ken Silverstein (Harper's Magazine):

"Remember WellCare, the Tampa-based insurer that was accused of “bilking taxpayers of hundreds of millions of dollars by using fraudulent practices that were integral to the company’s profit-making,” says a St. Petersburg Times editorial? “But rather than recover every misappropriated dime and then triple the damages, as the law allows, the Justice Department has announced a preliminary settlement of a paltry $137.5 million to satisfy its whistle-blower claims. If WellCare keeps any of its ill-gotten gains and avoids a significant fine, the message to other health insurers will be loud and clear: fraud pays.”

WellCare’s PAC stopped making political contributions in the fall of 2007, after the Justice Department raided its headquarters. But now WellCare’s PAC is back in business, sending $2,500 to the Freedom Project, House Minority Leader John Boehner’s personal “Leadership PAC.”"

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Just sayin'

Chris Kelly: Mel Gibson Is Biblically Correct

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Weird.

Belly-buttons key to success in sport: study

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No one is asking Obama to be perfect...

Check out the website I created for my good friend who is an attorney in Micronesia. Image by ShannonD and header creation by JennB.

Planning on investing in the Pacific? David is your man.

Shipper Law Firm - Pacific Islands Attorney

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My sentiments exactly. Read it several times:

AMERICAblog News: No on is asking Obama to be perfect. We're asking him to simply try to keep his promises.

No one thinks Obama is God, perfect, or able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. We do, however, expect him to at least try to accomplish the goals he set out for himself during the campaign. People are not upset with President Obama because he didn't accomplish everything. They are upset that he often doesn't seem to try to get the most out of a deal. He settles for less at the outset, when the political dynamic would have permitted him to get far more than what he settled for.

Yes, now the President isn't doing very well in the polls, and the Democrats in Congress are running scared. But it wasn't always this way. A good year-plus ago, when we were first talking about a stimulus and health care reform, the President was at 70% in the polls, the Dems in Congerss were riding high, and the Republicans were on the verge of committing mass suicide. There was no excuse, then, for settling for a weaker stimulus than was needed (the results of which, nearly 10% unemployment, are dogging us all today). And there was no need to shove the public option overboard from the outset (the President made clear that he wasn't going to demand its inclusion). So while it's convenient to argue that "now" the President has no choice but to compromise, he had a choice a year ago, and he compromised at the git-go anyway. It's who he is as a person, and it's the reason so many are so frustrated. (And one could argue that a good part of the reason the Democrats are in such trouble today is because of the President's penchant for capitulation.)

This isn't about people's unacceptably high expectations. We simply expected him to try to do what he promised.

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To be as tall as he is... gotta give some props:

'Barefoot Bandit's 2-year run from law is over - Yahoo! News

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DBT Week in Review - 7/9/10

DBT!

Free download of Girls Who Smoke!

Drive-By Truckers- Girls Who Smoke Download

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Our show at Louisville's Forecastle Festival is Friday at 6:15pm and being broadcasted live on WFPK

91.9 WFPK Radio Louisville

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American Routes ~ From Backroads to Backatown: Drive-By Truckers and Trombone Shorty

Drive-By Truckers: Daytrotter Session recorded Jul 6, 2010

Drive-By Truckers Playing In Store @ Shake It Records | Each Note Secure

Audio-didact: An All American Band: The Drive-By Truckers

Only 5 dollars:

Amazon.com: Killers and Stars: Patterson Hood: MP3 Downloads

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Jason Isbell

Southern exposure: Jason Isbell to play Taste of Downtown - Springfield, IL - The State Journal-Register

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The Drams



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The Hold Steady

The Hold Steady: Rock's Pious Barflies - Video - TIME.com

Pitchfork: TV

Knockoff Craig Finn (FakeCraigFinn) on Twitter

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Drivin N Cryin

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Music

Pitchfork: New Mavis Staples (Written by Wilco's Jeff Tweedy): "You Are Not Alone"

WATCH: Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr Together Again | Spin Magazine Online

Prince - world exclusive interview: Peter Willis goes inside the star's secret world - mirror.co.uk

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Hell No, We Ain't Happy

Not happy at all, no no.

Team Obama is seriously fucked come November and it is all of their own making.

I'm sick of trying to 'make-them-do-it' when, obviously, they don't give a shit what we want. The appeasement of Blue Dogs and Republicans trumps what the dirty fucking hippies, who have been RIGHT about everything want.

'Compromise' doesn't mean starting in the middle and stating that all ideas are valid. You start with a clear, strong position and you stick the-fuck-to-it. Make the other motherfucker bend.

Would a Republican take over of one of both houses be horrible for America? Fuck yes, it would (great for what passes as a news media in the country, though. They loves them a circus b/c it means they won't have to do any actual journalism). Am I scare of that take over and will vote for Dems based on that fear alone? Hell no I'm not scared, and hell no I won't.

I'm voting for people who work for progressive causes tirelessly. If no one on the ballot fits that bill, then I won't be voting for them.

Some may say I'm cutting off my nose to spite my face. I disagree. I just fail to see that large of a difference between the choices. We survived Bush's 8 years and in many respects (rendition, torture, no accountability at the highest levels, corporate dominance of policy, and on and on and on....) we are stilling living the Bush years.

Not. Happy. At. All.

America: The Squeaky Wheel Gets Greased. Be. More. Squeaky, Good Guys!

Peter Daou: On the Left, a False Choice Fuels the Growing Civil War Over Obama

From the comments of the above article:

"'...the White House has consistently telegraphed that it doesn't care about progressive disquietude.'

And that's the whole problem: it's going to cost them in November, as it should. Progressives aren't afraid of a GOP takeover as David Plouffe imagines we are. We're already seeing the implementation of GOP-friendly policies (massive war spending, insubstantial health care reform, a program to assassinate American citizens without due process) under a Democratic president and Congress

-------

"I've been around the block politically so I'm no starry-eyed naif. I campaigned enthusiastically for Obama because I thought maybe he could cure my cynicism about politics. Instead, he has exacerbated it. For the first time in my life, I'm beginning to feel numbness when it comes to politics - I'm beginning not to care. I wonder how many others like me are out there and what effect it will have on Democrats in the coming elections?"

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If he's lost Digby, one of the most rational bloggers out there, things are not looking good.

Hullabaloo:

"If going for hard core Republican votes isn't their strategy, then someone might tell the president that for the next four months he might want to knock off his patented 'one from column A one from column B' routine and stop making false equivalence between the Democratic base and teabaggers and lavishing praise on Blue Dogs who repeatedly punch hippies and stab him in back. Of course, as I said, it's always possible that the highly professional strategists have decided to purposefully depress the Democratic base and just fight mano-a-mano for the Republicans. Judging by the rhetoric and behavior it's the most logical assumption at this point.

I do hope the Dems enjoy the scandal and impeachment circus once the batshit insane Republicans get the gavels. I know the media will."

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Daily Kos: What the hell is the Obama White House doing?:

"Yes, what the hell are they doing?

This stance on cutting deficits will wipe us out, totally in November.

Why?

This country wants the government to SPEND MONEY FOR JOB CREATION, but the Obama White House is on the side of Republicans for cuts.

This is totally, fucking, STUPID amidst 9.5% unemployment and close to 20% underemployment. I mean fucking stupid."

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Mayberry Machiavellis: Obama Political Team Handcuffing Recovery

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THE Paul Krugman. You know, the dirty fucking hippie who said last year that the stimulus was too small and too focused on Republican tax cuts (thanks, Obama) to drive down unemployment. Unemployment remains 9.+ percent. Just as it was last year.

Confidence Fairies Have Infiltrated The White House - Paul Krugman Blog - NYTimes.com:

"We’ll never know what might have happened if Obama and co. had actually had the courage of their convictions; what we do know is that they have undermined their own message at every turn."

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Robert Kuttner: My Private Obama:

"But I reluctantly conclude that whatever progressives might desire in our private visions of who Obama could yet be, he is who he is. It is like watching a needless accident in slow motion. Without a drastic and abrupt course correction, the missed opportunities will continue to accumulate this summer and fall. The whole country, not just the progressive movement, will pay dearly"

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Daily Kos: Extinction, Incrementalism and the Fate of Humanity

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Oppossing views:

Weak tea:

Daily Kos: On Ponies, Obama, and Two Groups at Daily Kos

And pitiful fear mongering by Dems. This shit boils my blood.

Daily Kos: How Democrats can impeach Obama in one easy step

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Then again, it may be all for naught anyway.

Humans could go extinct within 100 years, says renowned scientist | MNN - Mother Nature Network:

"In fact, Fenner declines to speak about climate change because he believes there's no use — our fate is sealed.

'Homo sapiens will become extinct, perhaps within 100 years,' he said in an interview with The Australian. 'A lot of other animals will, too. It's an irreversible situation. I think it's too late. I try not to express that because people are trying to do something, but they keep putting it off."

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Takes a toll on Nation

There's a good metaphor for America\ in this story, I'm just too weary to dig it out. (Though, NC has no business being in the 'wine' business. That shit is horrible. Not even worthy of purple drank).

Weedkiller takes a toll on nation's oldest grape vine | McClatchy

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Indeed.

Daily Kos: What the **** is wrong with Republicans?:

"Are republican voters stupid? They are constantly voting against their own self interest time and time again. They buy into the republican bullshit of ONLY REPUBLICANS CARE ABOUT AMERICA.

NO THEY DON'T. Newsflash to the Republican voters: THEY DON'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT YOU. THEY ONLY CARE ABOUT THEMSELVES AND THEIR PRECIOUS CORPORATIONS.

Jesus. Blocking a bill to help homeless veterans and their children?

I am a wife of a veteran. This is particuarly offensive to me. The fact that there exists ANY homeless veterans is a disgrace to this country. But since there is they should be helped but the Republicans block any effort to try and at least do something.

Fuck them."

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Perpetual Motion Machine | Talking Points Memo:

"Republicans block any measures to buoy or resuscitate economy, call sputtering economy evidence of superiority of Republican policies, reap political benefit. Rinse. Restart.

(Of course, help from right-leaning Dems a critical part of the equation.)"

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Eschaton:

"Depressed

Our elites are populated with significant numbers of people who truly believe that the biggest problem this country faces is that poor people have it a bit too good.

It's all very depressing."

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Still waiting on health care. This bastard bill that was passed does absolutely nothing to make health care more affordable, therefore more accessible. Every calculator I've used still prices me out even with the bullshit subsidies (or should I say Insurance bailout/buyoff money). And, the more money I make, the less I can afford it. What a deal.

So, super, you can't be denied insurance if you have a pre-existing condition. Can you afford that insurance, though?

The 2nd paragraph below is one of the stupidest things I've read in a while. Shorter "Can't afford it, but you'll have access to it".

Got a pre-existing condition? Now you can pay through the nose:

"Premiums will vary from state to state. In California, for example, the cost for a 50-year-old is estimated at $575 a month, with a $1,500 annual deductible and 15 percent co-insurance. Premiums in states with lower medical costs could be around $400 a month.

'That's still quite a lot of money, so there will be some folks who struggle to afford that,' said Marian Mulkey, health reform director for the California HealthCare Foundation. 'But it's going to mean a big jump in access.'"

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At least one good thing our gov is attempting. This has for too long been an elitist practice. Only young'uns with rich daddies get to play internship. When I was in college I had to get JOBS.

Students Chafe Under Internship Guidelines - NYTimes.com:

"But the willingness of many young people to sacrifice pay for experience has led a number of states as well as the federal government to take a close look at the legality of hiring young people to work free. In April, the Obama administration issued a fact sheet listing six criteria aimed at preventing employers from violating the Fair Labor Standards Act with their unpaid internship programs. Among the stipulations: that the training the intern receives must be similar to training that can be obtained in an educational setting, that unpaid interns don’t displace a paid employee, and that the employer does not derive any “benefit” from the intern’s work."

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Reason 1, 893,078 why we should let this hapless animal slip into history.

Panda in Chinese zoo accidentally crushes its cub

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Absolutely Nothing

War. What the fuck is it good for. Killing people and draining treasure. That's about it.

Hey, look, a great idea.

Conyers throws in with Grayson, co-sponsors ‘War is Making You Poor Act’ | Raw Story

Rest assured this will never happen. We don't do 'great ideas' in the U.S.

Just a fund raising ploy.

And it is called an 'escalation' not a goddamned 'surge'.

"It seems that Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) would agree, perpetual war is making you poor.

To begin rectifying the situation, he's joined with Congressman Alan Grayson (D-FL) in co-sponsoring the 'War is Making You Poor Act,' which would limit defense spending to $548.9 billion: the exact figure alloted in the fiscal year 2011 budget.

The act also seeks to utilize an additional $159.3 billion set aside for 'discretionary' operations abroad to relieve the full federal income tax burden on every American's first $35,000 earned per year, or up to $70,000 per year for married couples."

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Pffft. 100 billion over 5 years. We aren't stupid, Gates. That's couch money at the Pentagon.

Try half a trillion this year.

Daily Kos: BIG: �Gates calls for 100 billion in cuts to Defense Budget

Why is this Republican hack holdover from BushCo still in charge?

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Fucking hippie... who happens to be right per norm.

Kucinich: ‘We are losing our nation to lies about the necessity of war’:

"'We are losing our nation to lies about the necessity of war. Bring our troops home. End the war. Secure our economy.'"

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She use to do good work... until they smeared the shit out of her. Now, she's just another asshole, access driven 'reporter' avoiding journalism at all cost. Thank good for Taibii.

Lara Logan, You Suck -- RollingStone.com:

"Anyone who wants to know why network television news hasn't mattered since the seventies just needs to check out this appearance by Logan. Here's CBS's chief foreign correspondent saying out loud on TV that when the man running a war that's killing thousands of young men and women every year steps on his own dick in front of a journalist, that journalist is supposed to eat the story so as not to embarrass the flag."

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Sign me up.

Chinese Companies 'Renting' White People

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Come on, luck of the gene draw. Daddy's needs to live to 100.

Scientists Discover Keys to Long Life - WSJ.com

Big Boy Blog

Welcome, Crooks and Liars folk. Glad to have you here. A bit shocked to wake this morning and find that I'd been linked to by one of the big boys. Usually it is quite malcontented and bitchy around these parts, but the brat/hamburger coma persist, so we's keeping it light and breezy around here today.

Thanks, Bluegal, for the linkage!

Mike's Blog Round Up | Crooks and Liars

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Prehistoric man went to the movies, say researchers | Raw Story:

"'In this sense, the rock engravings are not just static images but pictures that created a story in the mind of the viewer -- just like at the cinema,' said Baker."

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Godspeed, little doodle. Good work.

The Scavenger : Family Chihuahua dies in the line of duty:

"Police say two pit bulls named Jade and Beast chewed a hole through the wooden fence of their owner's home and escaped, making their way to a Richmond apartment. There, they slipped through an open door. Resident Mayda Estrella, who was holding her newborn, confronted them in the bedroom and hit one dog with a remote control. But when her son caught the attention of one of the pit bulls, a pint-sized protector stepped in. According to KGO:"

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This article should win a Pulitzer. Genius from beginning to end.

Woman in sumo wrestler suit assaulted her ex-girlfriend in gay pub - City News, National News - Herald.ie

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Fingers crossed ants never decide to get uppity. We'd be screwed.

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