California Dreamin'

Uh oh. Wignuts are going to have to eat yet another shit sandwich. I hope they enjoyed the 'Obama doesn't have the balls to save the Somali Pirate's Captain captive' shit sub they got to snack upon this week.

Oh Noes! Wingnuts Ain't Gonna Like This...Stimulus Projects UNDER Budget

_______

It's like Sacha Cohen is doing a another movie where he poses as a Republican operative and creates these AstroTurf 'events' and names them the 'Tea Bag Movement' and all of the Republican followers think it the best idea evah.

Embarrassingly hilarious.

Op-Ed Columnist - Tea Parties Forever - NYTimes.com:

"Beyond that, Republicans have become embarrassing to watch. And it doesn’t feel right to make fun of crazy people. Better, perhaps, to focus on the real policy debates, which are all among Democrats."

_______

Your wingnut Supreme Court. 'We don't need no stinkin' Bill of Rights'.

Daily Kos: Clarence Thomas proposes 'alternatives' to Bill of Rights

"The evening was devoted to the Bill of Rights, but Justice Thomas did not embrace the document, and he proposed a couple of alternatives.

‘Today there is much focus on our rights,' Justice Thomas said. 'Indeed, I think there is a proliferation of rights.'

'I am often surprised by the virtual nobility that seems to be accorded those with grievances,' he said. 'Shouldn’t there at least be equal time for our Bill of Obligations and our Bill of Responsibilities?'

How is this man allowed to serve on our Supreme Court when he seems to have no idea what is contained in the Constitution? He does not 'embrace' the Bill of Rights?

Clarence, here's a radical idea that may not have occurred to you yet: Look at the fucking Constitution, you dipshit. It sure as hell contains a Bill of Rights, but does not contain any sort of Bill of Obligations or Bill of Responsibilities.

There should not be 'equal time' for 'our' Bill of Obligations or Bill of Responsibilities because they do not exist in the Constitution. The founders wisely set forth a Bill of Rights to protect the freedoms of society."

_______

heh-heh

Land of the free sours on capitalism: US poll:

"Bad news for those fearful of 'creeping socialism' in the United States -- only 53 percent of Americans now believe capitalism is the better system, according to a new poll Thursday.

Fully 20 percent in the Rasmussen Reports survey said that socialism was their preferred economic system -- a startling number that suggests growing disaffection as the 'land of the free' fights its worst recession in decades.

Republican critics fret that President Barack Obama's big-spending recovery policies amount to an un-American 'creeping socialism,' but Rasmussen said its findings pointed to suspicion of business and government elites alike.

It noted that in another survey last month, two out of three Americans said that big government and big business often collude to undermine the interests of consumers and investors."

_______

You're welcome rest of the country.

In California, Medical Marijuana Laws Are Moving Pot Into the Mainstream - washingtonpost.com:

"But in California, pot is such a booming growth industry that lawmakers are being asked to consider its potential as a salve to the state's financial woes. Betty Yee, chairman of the California State Board of Equalization, endorsed a bill in February to regulate the estimated $14 billion marijuana market, citing the state's budget problems. California currently collects $18 million in sales taxes from marijuana dispensaries, and Yee said a regulated pot trade would bring in $1.3 billion.

'I think the tide is starting to turn in terms of marijuana being part of the mainstream,' she said. 'The pieces seem to be falling into place.'"

_______

Padma posing nude (well, kinda. the artsy fartsy variety)! This almost... almost makes believe in a 'god'.... and 'she' is a good 'god'.

Padman, call me.

NAKED: Padma Lakshmi, Chelsea Handler And Eliza Dushku Strip For Allure's Nude Issue (PHOTOS)

_______
_____
___

Teabagging

So, so, so out of touch.

You want to create a conservative 'movement' and the only brand you could come up with is Teabag?

Hilarious.

_______

Daily Kos: State of the Nation:

"Having realized too late that 'teabagging' - the unfortunate gerund that Conservatives chose to brand their spittle-lipped protest of whatever amorphous terror they're currently ginning up so as not to go the way of the Whigs - has a... well... second, sexualized meaning, Republicans have quickly and deftly announced that April 15th 2009 will be renamed, henceforth to be known as... NATIONAL FISTING DAY!"

_______

And grassroots/netroots it ain't.

Sponsored by FAUX News.

Spontaneous Uprising? Corporate Lobbyists Helping To Orchestrate Radical Anti-Obama Tea Party Protests:

"Despite these attempts to make the “movement” appear organic, the principle organizers of the local events are actually the lobbyist-run think tanks Americans for Prosperity and Freedom Works. The two groups are heavily staffed and well funded, and are providing all the logistical and public relations work necessary for planning coast-to-coast protests:"

_______

And the branding attempts get even better.

2M4M? Ever visited Craigslist?

How gay is the Republican party?

Anti-Gay Rights Group Calls its Marriage Campaign '2M4M' | TPMDC:

"Now that activist legislators are legislating from their legislatures to legalize gay marriage, activists are turning up the volume on anti-gay marriage rhetoric.

There's just one, ahem, kink.

In an unintentional but hilarious nod to gay sex chatters everywhere, the National Organization for Marriage has dubbed their campaign '2 Million for Marriage'. Or 2M4M. Whoops."

_______

Another dumb ass from Alabama wanting to be McCarthy Jr.

Name 'em, bitch.

Republican Rep. Bachus Makes List Of 'Socialists' In House Of Representatives

_______

'Doo-doo' head and 'fart face' are just around the corner.

Media Matters - Conservatives warn of social-fasc- commun-Nazi-McCarthy-Marxism:

"Since January, Media Matters for America has documented numerous examples of conservatives in the media warning of socialism, fascism, communism, Nazism, McCarthyism, and Marxism, or using such language to describe President Obama or other Democrats."

_______

And yes, it is:

Daily Kos: It's Panic. �Sheer Panic.

If a space alien unfamiliar with our politics and customs were to visit the United States and acquaint itself with our recent history, it would be astonished, no doubt, upon witnessing the seeming insanity that has gripped the opinion leaders of the more conservative wing of our political divide. It would surely pity and find ill-used a long-suffering American public forced to waste their time with increasingly insane drivel unbecoming the attention of a great nation.

That a popular new president just three months into his term, desperately trying (whether one agrees with his particular choice of solutions or not) to undo the damage unquestionably caused by his predecessors and a clearly failed ideology of deregulatory bellicose fervor--that such a president should be given a reasonable space of time in which to attempt to solve the problems set before him would seem to be common sense. Certainly, our hypothetical space alien would point to the years of forbearance given to the previous President after 9/11/01, and wonder that a similar unanimous embrace of bipartisan good feeling should not have emerged during an economic crisis of centennial proportions.

Instead, the conservative wing of our nation embarrasses humanity itself before our space alien by subjecting us to hysteria the likes of which have rarely been seen since 1950s McCarthyism.

_______

Contradiction? We don't need no stinking contradiction.

Think Progress � Home Page:

"KRUGMAN: What’s so wonderful is watching Republican congressmen saying, “But this will cost jobs!” The very same Republican congressmen who were denouncing the stimulus, saying government spending never creates jobs, but cutting defense spending costs jobs. It’s wonderful."

_______

"I see your true colors shining through"

Alabama has some stupid politicians, but Texas.... ah Texas.

Texas lawmaker suggests Asians adopt easier names | Front page | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle:

"“Rather than everyone here having to learn Chinese — I understand it’s a rather difficult language — do you think that it would behoove you and your citizens to adopt a name that we could deal with more readily here?” Brown said.

Brown later told Ko: “Can’t you see that this is something that would make it a lot easier for you and the people who are poll workers if you could adopt a name just for identification purposes that’s easier for Americans to deal with?”"

_______
_____
___

DBT Week in Review - 4/10/09

Dexateens

I usually begin the Friday post with DBT news, but today I want to put the Dexateens front and center.

Very cool. Get yer pics in!

Dear Celebrities of Tomorrow,

It's the Dexateens again, needing something.

We're doing a video for a song called "Caption," which asks the musical question

"If there was a caption on the picture of your life
would it tell the story that you tell yourself inside?"

That's the gist of it right there, with some elaboration about hopes, fears, present, past. Deep songwriterly things, understand?

So the video idea is to feature pictures of people with--wait for it--CAPTIONS. This is where you come in.

We'd like to feature our friends' pictures along with whatever text you'd choose as the caption (On the picture. Of your life.).

*****BEFORE THIS GOES ANY FARTHER: IF YOU'RE INTERESTED, PLEASE DON'T SEND PICTURES BACK TO THIS ADDRESS. IT WILL KILL OUR EMAIL. READ ON FOR DETAILS. THANKS!**********

It can be serious, zany, sad, a caption for today, or a summary of your life to this point--whatever you want barring a few exceptions outlined below in 4.

If you're interested here's what to do:

1. Send a picture of yourself to


mycaption@gmail.com


Preliminary questions and tech support requests can be sent to that address as well.

The picture will need to be between 72 and 120 dpi and at least 720 x 480. For the layman: high enough resolution for the web and not tiny.

2. Include your caption text in the body of the email. Keep em under 150 characters. It's like haiku or twitter!

3. If we want to use your picture (which we probably will) we'll need to get Official Permission from you to do so. We can send a separate email covering that once we've picked the photos, or you can paste the following into the body of the email:

"I certify that you have the right to use and distribute this photo in the Dexateens' 'Caption' video."

4. So we can use the picture, keep it clean: no logos; no dodgy behavior; no nakedness. For example, a picture of you doing bong rips while having Mickey Mouse and the Nike logo tattooed on your butt cheeks will be summarily dismissed.

All right. Awesome. Let's make a Rock Video!

DBT!

_______



_______

Via JayneC.

Drive-By Truckers | timeoff.com.au:

"KEEP ON TRUCKIN’

FUELLED BY MASTERFUL SONGWRITING AND A TRIPLE GUITAR ATTACK, DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS HAVE LONG BEEN ONE OF AMERICA’S FINEST EXPONENTS OF COUNTRY SOAKED ROCK. STEVE BELL CATCHES UP WITH THE BAND’S PATTERSON HOOD AS HE PREPARES FOR AN AUSTRALIAN SOJOURN."

_______

Rock Blog: Drive-By Truckers

_______

Athens Rock Show - Booker T and the DBTs - April 2009

_______

Will Johnson - Centro-matic

Will Johnson Art

_______

Muscle Shoals Sound

Inductee Oldham ready to make more music | TimesDaily.com | Florence, AL:

"At Saturday's induction banquet, Oldham and his wife shared a table with his friend, singer/songwriter Bobby Womack, Rolling Stone's rhythm guitarist Ron Wood, and record mogul Russell Simmons, founder of the pioneering hip-hop label Def Jam.

'I'd never met any of The Rolling Stones before except Chuck Levell, the keyboard player from Alabama,' Oldham said. 'I got to chat with Bobby Womack in the green room and with Little Anthony and the Imperials.'

Oldham was introduced by Paul Shaffer, keyboard player and band leader for the CBS Orchestra on 'The Late Show with David Letterman.' Shaffer talked about Oldham while an audio and video montage of the artist's achievements played in the background."

...........

"Now that he's back home, Oldham is ready to get back to what he does best - making music. He is working on a solo album, his first in 40 years."

_______

FAME Music Group's Rock N Roll Hall of Fame induction 2009 Photo Album - MySpace Photos

_______

Bettye rolling with the big dogs!

Bettye LaVette's change begins within Photo Album - MySpace Photos

_______

Music

Kanye says 'South Park' put him in check:

"NEW YORK – 'South Park' may have accomplished the impossible — getting Kanye West to check his ego. The Comedy Central show skewered the famously self-important rapper on its show Wednesday night, painting him as a narcissistic figure so out of touch with reality he couldn't even take a (very politically incorrect) joke."

And perhaps to show that he's really serious about making that change, he provided a link to one of the most biting moments from the "South Park" show, and thanked the writers as well.

_______

Eminem Raps About Sex With Sarah Palin In New Single "We Made You" (AUDIO NSFW)

_______

Beatles catalog to be digitally remastered

_______

Audio: Bob Dylan on Barack Obama, Ulysses Grant and American Civil War ghosts

_______
_____
___

Living in Fear is just another way to vote Republican

Should have known better than to mess with a ship named 'Alabama'.

Crew regain control of hijacked ship off Somalia | International | Reuters

The 17,000 tonne Maersk Alabama, a U.S.-flagged, Danish-owned container ship is seen in this undated handout image, taken when the ship was named differently, released to Reuters on April 8, 2009. Somali pirates hijacked the Maersk Alabama,on Wednesday with 20 American crew on board in a major escalation in attacks at sea off the Horn of Africa nation, officials said.

_______

GOP are a bunch of assholes who have no clue how or the desire to govern. Big fucking surprise.

The freshman Dems.... no, 95% of all elected Dems better learn how to hit back and hit back hard.

GOP acting like 'schoolyard bullies,' Dem congresswoman complains

Baracknophobia: Hannity, Bachmann, And Beck Terrified Of Obama (VIDEO)

Extremist rhetoric won't rebuild GOP - Michael A. Cohen - POLITICO.com

_______

Rick Sanchez finds a nut and deserves a pat on the head.

(Unfortunately, Lauderdale County finds its way into this piece:

_______

HAHAHAHAHAH! Oh Noes! The gays are going to take our freedom and give it a really nice haircut and a new outfit. Oh Noes!

Hilarious:

Daily Kos: The Scary Gay People are Taking Over




What? Wait. Those are actors? Not real, gay-fearing 'Mericans?

Audition tapes found of phony "testimonial" ad created by anti-gay groups:

"They're running ads telling the stories of 'real' people who have been 'hurt' by gay marriage. Too bad someone found the audition tapes for the ads - you'll get to see lots of real actors telling the same 'personal' story over and over and over. These people are pathetic. If there are so many 'real' people hurt by our civil rights, then why do they have to hire actors at all? Because it's all a big lie, brought to your during Holy Week, of all things. Amazing."

_______

Somtimes I love Hitchen's drunk ass. Totally owns a christian fundie.

Christian nation my ass.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

_______

Here's another history lesson for whack-jobs.

When you're old and have neck cancer you don't really have to take shit off of anybody at anytime.

Roger Ebert destroys O'Liely:

Thoughts on Bill O'Reilly and Squeaky the Chicago Mouse :: rogerebert.com :: News &
comment:

"Dear Bill: Thanks for including the Chicago Sun-Times on your exclusive list of newspapers on your 'Hall of Shame.' To be in an O'Reilly Hall of Fame would be a cruel blow to any newspaper. It would place us in the favor of a man who turns red and starts screaming when anyone disagrees with him. My grade-school teacher, wise Sister Nathan, would have called in your parents and recommended counseling with Father Hogben.

Yes, the Sun-Times is liberal, having recently endorsed our first Democrat for President since LBJ. We were founded by Marshall Field one week before Pearl Harbor to provide a liberal voice in Chicago to counter the Tribune, which opposed an American war against Hitler. I'm sure you would have sided with the Trib at the time.

I understand you believe one of the Sun-Times misdemeanors was dropping your syndicated column. My editor informs me that 'very few' readers complained about the disappearance of your column, adding, 'many more complained about Nancy.' I know I did. That was the famous Ernie Bushmiller comic strip in which Sluggo explained that 'wow' was 'mom' spelled upside-down."

_______

And the wheels keep turning.

Exponential times.

Modern life's pressures may be hastening human evolution:

"WASHINGTON — We're not finished yet. Even today, scientists say that human beings are continuing to evolve as our genes respond to rapid changes in the world around us.

In fact, the pressures of modern life may be speeding up the pace of human evolution, some anthropologists think."

_______
_____
___

Gasoline Brainwash

The drug addict, sex tourist got pwned on his radio thingy.

Media Matters - Caller criticizes Limbaugh, Hannity, etal, on torture: "It's like you're all brainwashed"

LIMBAUGH: We're going to go to Chicago. This is Charles. Charles, thank you for waiting and for calling. Great to have you here. Hello.

CALLER: Thanks, Rush. Rush, listen, I voted Republican, and I didn't -- really didn't want to see Obama get in office. But, you know, Rush, you're one reason to blame for this election, for the Republicans losing.

First of all, you kept harping about voting for Hillary. The second big issue is the -- was the torture issue. I'm a veteran. We're not supposed to be torturing these people. This is not Nazi Germany, Red China, or North Korea. There's other ways of interrogating people, and you kept harping about it -- "It's OK," or "It's not really torture." And it was just more than waterboarding. Some of these prisoners were killed under torture.

And it just -- it was crazy for you to keep going on and on like Levin and Hannity and Hewitt. It's like you're all brainwashed.

And my last comment is, no matter what Obama does, you will still criticize him because I believe you're brainwashed. You're just -- and I hate to say it -- but I think you're a brainwashed Nazi. Anyone who could believe in torture just has got to be - there's got to be something wrong with them.

_______

I wish I had me a TV show so I could just make shit it up and fart it out to the world.

Scarborough Lies About Obama: ‘We Have A President Who Has Never Received A Paycheck’:

"In fact, much like Scarborough himself, Obama has spent most of his career in legal and political work. Still, a significant portion of Obama’s career was indeed in the private sector, where he presumably earned many paychecks:

– Business International Corp.: In 1984, Obama wrote for the publisher’s weekly newsletter, Business International Money Report, covering currency issues and monetary policy.

– Sidley Austin: Obama was a summer associate at the private law firm in 1989, where he was supervised by his future wife, Michelle.

– Hopkins & Sutter: Obama was a summer associate for the Chicago law firm in 1990.

– Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Gallard: Obama was hired by the private law firm in 1993, working on voting rights and civil rights but also real estate transactions and incorporation.

Obama had all this private-sector experience before earning millions writing two best-selling books — books that were published by a for-profit, private-sector publishing company that paid him royalties directly related to his products’ performance."

_______

Agreed.

Arianna Huffington: The Obama Economic Team's Flawed Cosmology: Still Believing the Universe Revolves Around the Banks:

"President Obama needs to open his inner economic circle to those untethered to this flawed way of thinking and acknowledge that navigating our economic crisis using maps based on a cosmology that places banks at the center of the universe can only lead to our being lost at sea for years to come."

_______

Folks who just missed out on a Darwin award.

Helicopter pilot in sex act wants license back:

"(04-07) 12:36 PDT Gardena, Calif. (AP) --

A commercial helicopter pilot who let an adult film actress perform a sex act on him while he flew over San Diego says he's learned his lesson and won't do that again."

_______

Man decides to clean with gasoline while smoking:

"(04-07) 12:16 PDT Chilton, Wis. (AP) --

A man faces an arson charge after telling authorities he wasn't thinking when he decided to use gasoline for cleaning up his apartment, and then tossed a lit cigarette into a pile of gas-soaked cushions and clothes. A criminal complaint filed Monday quoted a 47-year-old man as saying he knew gasoline is flammable and never should have used it."

_______

And my favorite:

Woman calls 911: I'm locked inside my car -- OrlandoSentinel.com

A 911 dispatcher had to tell a woman how to unlock her car on Sunday.

A woman called Kissimmee police to say she was locked inside her car at the Walgreen's on John Young Parkway near Poinciana.

"My car will not start. I'm locked inside my car," the unidentified woman said.

"Nothing electrical works. And it's getting very hot in here, and I'm not feeling well."

The dispatcher asked the woman if she was able to manually pull the lock up on the door.

The woman said she would try, and then, she said, "Yes, I got the door open.

_______
_____
___

Bachmann Youth Overdrive

Your bat-shit crazy modern Republican Party.

If they be accusing, they be a doing.

Bachmann fears ‘politically correct re-education camps for young people’:

"U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann says she fears the Obama administration will create “re-education camps for young people, where young people have to go and get trained in a philosophy that the government puts forward and then they have to go to work in some of these politically correct forums.” Audio after the jump.

Here’s what Bachmann said on Minnesota radio station KTLK-AM (podcast) this weekend (in reference to The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, a proposed expansion of the AmeriCorps program that Obama may sign into law this week):"

________

You'll be doing 'god's work' if you prevent people from voting for your fundie candidate of choice. Get it?

Why, oh, why doth Huckabee and Co. hate democracy so?

Huckabee Jokes About Keeping Voters Away from the Polls in VA Gubernatorial Election:

"While out on the stump for VA's Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell, former Gov. Mike Huckabee made an hysterical joke to the laughing assembled crowd of Republicans, instructing them to 'Do the lord's work' by not letting voters to the polls if they don't plan to vote for McDonnell.

HUCKABEE: You have two jobs. One - get all those people who are gonna vote for Bob out to the polls and vote. If they're not gonna vote for Bob, you have another job. Let the air out of their tires and do not let them out of their driveway on Election Day. Keep 'em home. Do the lord's work, my friend. I'm giving you an opportuninty...yes, do the right thing."

_______

I've been wondering the past few days what that exploding sound was..... Twas fundie heads going pop. Sounds like victory.

Obama to Turkey: We are not a Christian or Jewish or Muslim nation:

"President Obama told reporters in Turkey that America is not defined by any one religion. 'I've said before that one of the great strengths of the United States is, although as I mentioned we have a very large Christian population, we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values,' said the president."

_______

Yes, Reid, suck it. And we're coming after your sorry ass too.

MoveOn To Reid And Van Hollen: Sorry, We’re Not Backing Off | The Plum Line:

"MoveOn has a message for Harry Reid, DCCC chair Chris Van Hollen, and anyone else who may want the group to stop pressuring moderate Dems to support the President’s agenda: Forget about it.

MoveOn officials privately told people close to Van Hollen that they will keep targeting moderate Dems with ads, calls, and emails when circumstances warrant, according to a source familiar with their discussions."

_______

Damn socialist hippie Europeans with their crazy-ass laws that make sense and improve quality of life.

Portugal's drug decriminalization 'bizarrely underappreciated': Greenwald:

But with the decriminalization of drugs in Portugal, drug reformers can now point to empirical evidence that demonstrates that decriminalization has positive affects.

As Greenwald writes in the report, “By freeing its citizens from the fear of prosecution and imprisonment for drug usage, Portugal has dramatically improved its ability to encourage drug addicts to avail themselves of treatment. The resources that were previously devoted to prosecuting and imprisoning drug addicts are now available to provide treatment programs to addicts.”"

_______

Meanwhile, back in the states, we eek along....

Hemp Bill Introduced In Congress:

"A bipartisan group of agitating members of Congress introduced legislation Thursday to allow farmers to grow industrial hemp.

Currently eight states -- Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Montana, North Dakota, Vermont, and West Virginia -- allow industrial hemp production or research, but federal law, which requires nearly-impossible-to-obtain-permits to grow hemp, trumps those state laws. The new bill would allow states to craft their own policy.

Hemp, a cousin of marijuana that can't get you stoned, is considered by the Drug Enforcement Administration to be a controlled substance because it kind of looks like pot. Synthetic fabric makers have long opposed hemp, which they see as competition.

The United Sates is the only nation that blocks its farmers from growing hemp, though hemp products are legal to import and to sell. Somebody would have to smoke several acres worth of hemp, which has negligible psychoactive properties, for that policy to make any sense."

_______

Some states are further along that others....

Panel Votes To Decriminalize Less Than Half-Ounce Of Marijuana -- Courant.com:

"On a groundbreaking vote, the legislature's judiciary committee decided Tuesday night to decriminalize marijuana possession for adults 18 and older who have less than half an ounce of the drug.

Under a compromise, the marijuana laws would not change for anyone under 18, and the amount that would be decriminalized was reduced from less than 1 ounce to less than half an ounce. The possession of small amounts would no longer be a crime and would instead be an infraction with a maximum fine of $250 that could be paid like a speeding ticket.

Some Democratic legislators, including Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney of New Haven, have been pushing hard this year for decriminalization, saying that doing so could save the state more than $11 million in law enforcement costs annually because far fewer people would be sent to state Superior Court to be overseen by prosecutors and probation officials. If marijuana users were issued a ticket that could be paid by mail, they would no longer need to go to court.

The bill passed 24-14 in the Democratic-dominated committee, and the highest-ranking Republican who voted for the measure was deputy House Republican leader William Hamzy of Plymouth."

_______

But, but, but.....

Marijuana helps in battle against cancer: study:

"Marijuana helps in battle against cancer: study

The main chemical in marijuana appears to aid in the destruction of brain cancer cells, offering hope for future anti-cancer therapies, researchers in Spain wrote in a study released Thursday."

_______

Why didn't I.... damn, headline already in use.

Why Didn't I Think Of That?: Bacon Lube - Geekologie

_______
_____
___

Exponential Times

Wonder which 'news' channel this guy watched on a regular basis? Wonder which talk radio shows he listened to?

Beck/O'Liely/Hannity/Dobbs/Bachmann/Coulter et al.... I'm sure they didn't even bother to wash the blood off of their hands this weekend.

Richard Poplawski, Gunman 'Lying In Wait,' Kills 3 Pittsburgh Police Officers:

"Police Chief Nate Harper said the motive for the shooting isn't clear, but friends said the gunman recently had been upset about losing his job and feared the Obama administration was poised to ban guns."

_______

Balloon Juice � Blog Archive � Glenn Beck’s America:

"And, of course, when you point out that certain individuals with all their talk about “revolution” and “armed insurrection” are inciting this kind of behavior in unstable people, you will get howls of protest about the 1st Amendment and what not. Sure, crazy people do crazy things. But that doesn’t make it responsible to encourage them, which is what a lot of really foolish people are doing right now for purely political reasons."

_______

Will they stand with a cop killer?:

"We have had killings where the stated motive was to kill liberals. We now have a man killing cops because 'Obama wants to take away our guns', which is a flat out lie being perpetuated by bottom feeders like Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, 'Human Events' and others within the right wing hate machine. Leading republicans, including the most recent Vice Presidential candidate (and one of the republican Presidential contenders) joke about Obama being shot or try to link him to terrorists.

There is an increase in right wing militia activity. Fears and anger are deliberately being stoked in a violent and dangerous way. People have been killed. Multiple times (not people being killed multiple times, but multiple instances of people being killed in mass murders). And in the past, it was dismissed or explained away or excused for whatever reason by those who purposely incited violence with loaded terms or threats or just flat out lies. Hell, this isn't even about gun control laws. It is about LYING about gun control laws.

However, now their words and lies have resulted in three officers being killed. The rightists are faced with two facts: (1) They lied purposely about Obama’s 'hidden agenda to take away guns' and (2) because of this, a man shot and killed three police officers."

_______

KKK revival and the Fox Noise Talking Heads.

_______

Obama kicking ass.

Inside Obama's bank CEOs meeting:

"But President Barack Obama wasn’t in a mood to hear them out. He stopped the conversation and offered a blunt reminder of the public’s reaction to such explanations. “Be careful how you make those statements, gentlemen. The public isn’t buying that.”

“My administration,” the president added, “is the only thing between you and the pitchforks.”"

_______

Thank god.

My people grow stronger.

Meacham: The End of Christian America | Newsweek Religion | Newsweek.com

According to the American Religious Identification Survey that got Mohler's attention, the percentage of self-identified Christians has fallen 10 percentage points since 1990, from 86 to 76 percent. The Jewish population is 1.2 percent; the Muslim, 0.6 percent. A separate Pew Forum poll echoed the ARIS finding, reporting that the percentage of people who say they are unaffiliated with any particular faith has doubled in recent years, to 16 percent; in terms of voting, this group grew from 5 percent in 1988 to 12 percent in 2008—roughly the same percentage of the electorate as African-Americans. (Seventy-five percent of unaffiliated voters chose Barack Obama, a Christian.) Meanwhile, the number of people willing to describe themselves as atheist or agnostic has increased about fourfold from 1990 to 2009, from 1 million to about 3.6 million. (That is about double the number of, say, Episcopalians in the United States.)

_______

Did you know?

_______
_____
___

DBT Week in Review - 4/3/09

DBT!

Check out Booker T and DBT in the studio:

Then, listen to Native New Yorker:

Booker T. Jones: HuffPost Premiere: "Native New Yorker"

You're welcome.

_______

Why can't paid 'journalist' do just a little bit of research. Few people would associate DBT with soul music? Really? Soul is the teat from whence they suckled as babes.

WHEN I'M 64: BOOKER T. JONES:

"Two years ago, Booker T. Jones went to South by Southwest and ended up performing with his old band and connecting with a new one. After playing a showcase with the MG's—the Stax Records house band that backed Otis Redding, Sam & Dave and others and became famous for instrumentals like 'Green Onions'—Booker met a member of the group that would back him on his first solo album in almost two decades.

The band he found is one that few would associate with soul music: the Drive-By Truckers.

'I knew I wanted that attitude before I found the band,' Booker, 64, says over a glass of red wine at a bar in Manhattan's East Village. 'This album has a lot to do with attitude. The MG's were never an in-your-face band—the MG's is a groove band. But this is in your face, this raw, gritty sound that's too loud.'"

_______

Turn off the shuffle: 25 great albums that work best when listened to from start to finish | Music | A.V. Club:

"24. Drive-By Truckers, Southern Rock Opera (2001)
Neo-Southern-rock act Drive-By Truckers had only two obscure indie records and one incendiary live album under their belts when they decided to swing for the fences. Raising money from a group of colleagues and fans, the band recorded the double-disc Southern Rock Opera, a sprawling meditation on redneck identity politics and how the looming specter of mortality makes life—and rock ’n’ roll—more meaningful. Though less song-oriented than the DBT albums before and after it, Southern Rock Opera is no less fiery, and it contains some of Patterson Hood’s most personal reflections on how he’s come to embrace his Southern heritage while rejecting some of its more negative connotations. In the spoken-word piece “The Three Great Alabama Icons,” Hood weaves together his personal histories with Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bear Bryant, and George Wallace into a complex statement on prejudice that’s like a rock ’n’ roll version of Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel Persepolis. Like the album as a whole, it’s storytelling on a much higher plane than most shit-kicker rock bands ever aspire to."

_______

A rarity: Purgatory Line live:

_______

Check out Wyontt Meanler doing a couple of inspired DBT covers from the comfort of his dining room:

YouTube - Willieneis1's Channel

_______

Dexateens

email : Webview

THE DEXATEENS ANNOUNCE TOUR SUPPORTING NEW ALBUM

"The Dexateens nod to Crazy Horse, The Flying Burttio Bros and Exile On Main Street-era Stones while weaving their own distinctive spell." 4 stars Mojo

Tuscaloosa, AL - The Dexateens announce their first tour in support of their new album, Singlewide, due May 12th on Skybucket / Cornelius Chapel Records. The seventeen-date tour starts in their hometown of Tuscaloosa, AL and wraps up in Nashville, TN. The tour will be a co-bill with The Features. Those Darlins will open on select dates.

Singlewide will contain a download card of alternative versions of several of the songs on the album as well as video content. "Down Low" and "Trail" are available for preview on the band's Myspace page: www.myspace.com/dexateens.

Promotional video for Singlewide: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHun18Uj8fM

Tour dates:
May 2 Tuscaloosa, AL Mellow Mushroom
May 8 Birmingham, AL Zydeco
May 9 Atlanta, GA The Earl
May 11 Charlotte, NC The Milestone
May 12 Washington, DC Rock and Roll Hotel
May 13 Charlottesville, VA iS Venue
May 14 New York, NY Pianos
May 15 Cambridge, MA TT the Bears
May 16 Philadelphia, PA Khyber
May 17 Brooklyn, NY Union Hall
May 19 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop
May 20 Chicago, IL Schuba's Tavern
May 21 Newport, KY Southgate House-The Parlour
May 22 Lexington, KY The Dame
May 23 Knoxville, TN Barley's
May 24 Nashville, TN The Basement
Jun 6 Chattanooga, TN Riverbend Festival Bud

May 8th The Features open
May 11th - May 23rd co-bill with The Features
May 11th - 13th & May 19th-23rd Those Darlins open

_______

MySpace.com Blogs - DEXATEENS tuscaloosa CRUSH CANCER april 10th - Dexateens MySpace Blog:

"Brian is raising a family with three girls and he is one of the kindest people I know. He is still working his job and carrying on with life, despite the sickness that is coming from his chemo. I just found out that the Penetrators have had a show on the books, at Egans, for many months prior to his diagnosis. They have decided to play the date and will be performing the week after our benefit, on April the 18th. Punk rock.

If you cant be one of the 100 to fit into egans on april the 10th, and you feel led to do so, please donate via paypal at crushcancer@hotmail.com."

_______

Tuscaloosa Trifecta: Dexateens, Cecil Hurt, and Deontay Wilder - TideSports.com

I'm not sure if you guys are really paying attention, but Tuscaloosa is on a roll.

Immediately you think I'm talking about UA athletics. Sure, it's easy to point to the football program and use it as a shining example with a recent undefeated regular season and back-to-back No. 1 recruiting classes. You don't have to look much further to bring up an SEC Championship in gymnastics, a top 5 showing in softball, a baseball team that simply mashes the pea, a golf prodigy committing to Alabama, and an obvious attempt at scoring a hot commodity as a men's head basketball coach. Anthony Grant or not, Mal Moore and Co. have made their statement.

But something else has risen from the soil of Tuscaloosa featuring three local staples that speaks volumes to where T-Town is in the whole order of things.

I'm talking about the Dexateens, our own Cecil Hurt, and bronze medal-winning boxer Deontay Wilder coming together for a few minutes of video utopia.

On May 12, the Dexateens release their latest album "Singlewide," and put together a little promotional video at Skyy Boxing featuring the members of the band, Cecil, and Deontay. You can find it on YouTube, TideSports, Tuscaloosanews.com, and right here in this little blog here.

Talk about a combined representation of sheer awesome. Really look closely at it. You've got a local band quite possibly on the cusp of taking the leap to national recognition (good luck, fellas), a local Olympic hero on the path to professional boxing success, and a well-known, well-respected, local sports authority that has been a cornerstone of The Tuscaloosa News sports department since 1982. It's the true Tuscaloosa trifecta.

The more I watch it, the more I absolutely love it. So I will share this with you. I will also add a couple more video items for your perusal ... one a T-News product following Deontay's Olympic journey and the other a terrific Dexateens music video shot at the Capitol School.

_______

Muscle Shoals Sound

Warm sendoff for hall inductee Oldham | TimesDaily.com - Florence, AL:

"TUSCUMBIA - It's been more than two months since Spooner Oldham learned he would be inducted in the prestigious Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.

On Saturday, prior to an event held in his honor at the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, Oldham admitted that the news still hasn't sunk in.

'This helps me get in the right frame of mind,' Oldham said. 'There are so many good choices, but they chose me.'"

_______

Studio success due to the people, songs | TimesDaily.com - Florence, AL:

"One of Johnson's partners in the studio, bassist David Hood, said it was the people who worked inside the concrete block building who made the studio so successful."

_______

A little bit rock 'n' roll | TimesDaily.com - Florence, AL:

"Pop/rock artist Stephen Craig never went to senior prom and didn't play organized team sports like most boys.

But he said his life, which is deeply rooted in a musical legacy, was completely normal.

Craig, the 25-year-old son of Marie Osmond and nephew of Donny Osmond, released his debut album 'That's What You Get' in 2003 in Japan. The album was recorded in the Shoals at Noise Block Studios in Florence."

_______

Music

Of course I'll go see this.

Green Day's 'Idiot' heads to the stage - Entertainment News, Legit News, Media - Variety:

"A legit tuner version of the 2004 Green Day album 'American Idiot' will open the 2009-10 season at Berkeley Repertory Theater.

Michael Mayer, who picked up a 2007 Tony for his direction of 'Spring Awakening,' will helm 'American Idiot.' Mayer co-writes the book with Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, who conceived the punk-opera album and wrote most of the lyrics. The band -- comprising Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool -- is credited with music for the show."

_______

Country star Merle Haggard stands tall

_______

Best. Excuse. Ever.

Method Man was too high to pay back taxes:

"Method Man was going to pay his bills ... but then he got high.

Despite recent reports that the rapper is so broke that his 2008 Lincoln Navigator was repossessed to pay back taxes, Method Man — whose real name is Clifford Smith — insists his cash flow is just fine. In fact, he says, his penchant for marijuana is to blame for the mishap."

_______
_____
___

April Tools

Yeah, seriously, why not?

Siegelman: Stevens Case Is Dropped, So Why Not Mine?

_______

Tool.

Jake Tapper Is an April Fool

_______

Douchebag Tool.

Joe The Plumber Admits He Knows “Little” About EFCA, Gets Jeered By Workers

_______

Scary shit. Thanks, BushCo.

Police 'fusion' centers criticized for tracking Ron Paul, Barr, McKinney supporters:

"Fusion centers are intelligence databases spread out across the country that collect data on ordinary citizens and synchronize national intelligence collection with local police. There are currently more than 40 fusion centers in the country."

_______

I'd like to own a baby sun.

Scientists take another stab at nuclear fusion:

"After more than a decade of work and an investment of $3.5 billion, scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory say they have created a super laser that will enable them to build a miniature sun within the lab in the next two years."

_______
_____
___

What a fool does in the end, the wise do in the beginning.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. April Fools.

April, May, June, July.... you see where I'm going here.... Fools:

Filibusters skyrocket under Republican minority in 110th Congress.

_______

Good Dem, Webb.

Webb Crime Bill Gets Unlikely Support:

"Webb couches the effort in fairly straightforward terms. 'Let's start with a premise that I don't think a lot of Americans are aware of. We have five percent of the world's population; we have 25 percent of the world's known prison population,' Webb said on the Senate floor when introducing the bill.

'There are only two possibilities here: either we have the most evil people on earth living in the United States; or we are doing something dramatically wrong in terms of how we approach the issue of criminal justice.'"

_______

This is very weirdly cool. I want to see what this kid can do when he grows up.

CTV.ca | Rare condition gives toddler super strength:

"'I would hold him up by his hands and he would lift himself into an iron cross. That's when we were like, 'Whoa, this is weird,'' Hoekstra said.

Liam has a rare genetic condition called myostatin-related muscle hypertrophy, or muscle enlargement. The condition promotes above-normal growth of the skeletal muscles; it doesn't affect the heart and has no known negative side effects, according to experts.

Liam has the kind of physical attributes that bodybuilders and other athletes dream about: 40 percent more muscle mass than normal, jaw-dropping strength, breathtaking quickness, a speedy metabolism and almost no body fat.

In fitness buffs' terms, the kid is ripped."

_______

I never knew that Lloyd Wright's son created Lincoln Logs.

mental_floss Blog � The Quick 10: How 10 Classic Toys Were Invented:

"1. Lincoln Logs were invented by John Lloyd Wright, Frank Lloyd Wright’s son. The original instructions included a how to construct a replica of Abraham Lincoln’s cabin, but also how to construct Uncle Tom’s cabin.

_______

Inspiration snuffed out by the man.

Ohio man charged with drunken driving on bar stool

_______
_____
___