Blogger Sucks

Well, it seems Blogger ate the long ass post I put up this morning. Trying to figure out what happened.

J.

Water Bored

Must read.

It simply doesn't work.

FBI Whistleblower Testimony: Gonzales Imposed Brutal Interrogation Tactics

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I really can't grasp all of the conservative talking heads argument that 'waterboarding' isn't really that bad or harmful. If that's the case, then why do it? Why not use cotton candy and pixie dust to torture, then?

IG Report: Waterboarding Was Neither "Efficacious Or Medically Safe":

"And the conclusion seems pretty clear: Not only did interrogators, for a period of time, use waterboarding that was deemed by U.S. officials to be more frequent and intense than was medically safe, it did so to apparently limited results."

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Napolitano is about the only shining political star in a state full of political douchebags.

I could go for this.

Obama's Shortlist For Supreme Court: Napolitano Added

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My memory is shit, but I can access info and cross reference like a mofo.

Very interesting read.

The Internet and You | Mother Jones:

"Reading on the web is almost certainly affecting the way we process information, but it’s not making us stupid. Instead, it’s changing the way we’re smart. Rather than storehouses of in-depth information, the web is turning our brains into indexes. These days, it’s not what you know — it’s what you know you can access, and cross reference."

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If you've ever stepped in a fire ant mound, then your new best friend is this fly.

Great way to start a science article.

Parasitic flies turn fire ants into zombies:

"It sounds like something out of science fiction: zombie fire ants. But it's all too real.

Fire ants wander aimlessly away from the mound.

Eventually their heads fall off, and they die."

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Mustard Gas

When I read of the 2 Trillion cost reduction Corporate health care 'pledged' my first reaction was 'horse-shit'.

Then I caught this response to a blog post, which makes a bit of sense.

Still, I'm wary of any corporate 'pledge'. I'd feel much more comfortable with some 'laws' that force these fuckers to do things. Goddamn socialist, I am.

Healthcare Industry Offers to Shave $2 Trillion in Projected Increases | Crooks and Liars:

"Actually, what they are talking about is eliminating administrative costs. Like, you wouldn't need a referral for an MRI. If your doctor says you need it, then you just go get it. We don't need 5 forms and 10 employees to put up barriers there. However, the industry is just trying to cooperate so that they can stop the momentum of the public health insurance plan. The good news is that the WH is saying, 'That's nice, but we still want the public health insurance plan, too because the only way that you are going to keep your promise to do this stuff is if there is a government plan that is doing it, and people can choose it over you if screw up.'

So, it's always scary when industry has access to power. But another way to look at it is that usually these deals are made behind closed doors, and they are being forced to keep it public because frankly, nobody in DC likes them very much right now. Their access is not as good as it used to be."

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Amazing how many on both sides fucked this one up.

Unfettered free market is teh awsum!

Glass-Steagall Act: The Senators And Economists Who Got It Right:

"The legislation was the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act (alternatively known as Gramm Leach Bliley), which allowed banks to merge with insurance companies and investment houses. And Dorgan was, at the time, on a proverbial island with his concerns. Only eight senators would vote against the measure -- lionized by its proponents, including senior staff in the Clinton administration and many now staffing President Obama, as the most important breakthrough in the worlds of finance and politics in decades."

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Funny what some consider 'dreamy'.... especially Republicans.

Tennessee state senator calls guns in bars a ‘dreamy scenario’:

"Ordering a shot in a Tennessee bar may never be the same again.

The Tennessee House has passed a bill that would allow guns to be carried in bars where alcohol is served. Law abiding citizens should be allowed to carry guns in bars, Tennessee State Senator Doug Jackson told Fox’s Brian Kilmeade on Monday, calling armed drunks in bars a “dreamy scenario.”"

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This one has already lived its short news life cycle, but, still, hilarious how predictable the D.C. villagers are.

Grey Poupon is made by Kraft here in the U.S. Damn fake French condiment!

'Would you like some Freedom Fries to go with your froggy-ass mustard"?

Obama Mustard Attack Becomes Full-Blown Right-Wing Talking Point

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Happy Place

Check out one of those Galtish Libertarian Paradises:

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In comparison, how are some of those evil 'socialist' country doing?

Seem pretty damn happy.

World's Happiest Places

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It was stupid for Rove to blather about a 'permanent Republican majority' so it is just as stupid to argue for a 'permanent Democratic majority'.

However, things aren't looking too good for the 'thugs.

Pretty good article, though it does contain some lazy 'journalism'.

Republicans in the Wilderness: Is the Party Over? - TIME

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That didn't take long.

Sessions: Gay Supreme Court Nominee "Would Be A Big Concern"

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It's good to have a Democratic Prez.

Obama budget rescinds oil, gas industry tax breaks:

"President Barack Obama wants to end $26 billion in oil and gas industry tax breaks, calling them 'unjustifiable loopholes' in the tax system that other companies do not get."

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Golf has been a big part of my life. As a youth I got pretty serious about the game. My granddad was a big golfer and was friends with Chi-Chi Rodriguez. I grew up playing with Stewart Cink.

I thoroughly enjoy the game, playing and watching on TV.

Feherty needs a little self-reflection time away from work.

I love the game but I hate how it is dominated by conservative fucks.

CBS golf analyst David Feherty says US soldiers would assassinate Pelosi and Reid if given the chance

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Big Ed schools on single-payer:

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I believe Wendy and Adam Musick from Southern Bitch operate a community farm in VA.

Going back to the old way when it comes to food is the best way.

Getting Rid Of Your Grocer - CBS News:

"(CBS) Consumers seeking a healthy lifestyle these days are increasingly cutting out the supermarket and going straight to the farmer for fresh fruits and vegetables. CBS News correspondent Kelly Cobiella reports that community-supported agriculture is a growing trend.

On a small farm in Palm Beach County, Fla., it's harvesting season. They're picking and packing. Only this bounty isn't headed for a big warehouse or grocery store.

It's going from Nancy Roe's fields straight to Florida kitchens. From field to table. No stops in between.

It's called community supported agriculture or CSA - part of the 'buy local' movement. Customers pay Roe directly, and she sends them a box of fresh produce every week of the growing season."

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DBT Week in Review - 5/8/09

Patterson Hood

MySpace.com Blogs - Patterson Hood MySpace Blog:

"Cracker, the group that veritably introduced brash irreverence and irony into alt-rock, are back and in top form on their 429 Records debut, Sunrise In The Land Of Milk And Honey.
..........

Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers duets with Lowery on the swampy, folk-Americana of “Friends,” a drunken tale of dysfunctional but loving friendship.

You can listen to 'Friends' at the Cracker link below!

http://www.pavementpr.com/artistpage/cracker.html"

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Q&A With David Lowery:

"I know that you’ve worked with Adam Duritz before, but how did you end up pulling in Patterson Hood and John Doe to help out on the new record?

We recorded the record in Athens, Ga., with David Barbe. David works with Drive-By Truckers. We were thinking of guests and thought Patterson would be perfect for the song “Friends.” We sent Patterson the song, and he loved it. A few weeks later when he got home from tour, he came in and sang it. We have, of course, known Patterson for years. Our good friend from Richmond, Wes Freed, has been doing the Drive-By Truckers’ artwork and promoting their Richmond shows since the very beginning of the band. John Doe has played at our Campout, and CVB and Cracker have shared the bill with X many times. After writing “We All Shine A Light,” I thought John would be perfect to sing the song with me. I mean, all those X songs with John and Exene; the long held notes with the static harmony against it. Similar approach. Plus John is the kind of guy that gets it when I say, “I want to do a song celebrating tolerance and multiculturalism, and I want to do it by singing about the Peshawar Panthers Cricket Team.”"

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Jazz News: Seeger Birthday Bash Review: Review:

"There were newer songs, too, including a biting Cajun vamp, “Dear Mr. President,' performed by a band including Michael Franti and Patterson Hood. The song mocked former President George W. Bush and ended with a plea to Obama: “Now Mr. President you inherited a mess. But fixing things is what you do best."

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Professor Patterson Hood? on Blurt Online

According to the Bible, the seven signs of the Apocalypse include war, famine, disease, hatred, crime and earthquakes, but BLURT's crack team of Biblical historians have uncovered the long lost eighth sign that Judgement Day may be near:

Patterson Hood is lecturing today at Princeton University.

The always-affable frontman of the Drive-By Truckers is meeting with American Studies students to kick off "Radio Free Dixie (Or, De Dirty South Broke-down): A Symposium on New South Sounds & Culture," a free two-day event that formally begins this Friday, May 8, which will attempt to examine the influence of rock musicians, artists, scholars, politicians, spiritual figures and critics that emerged from the Southeast region of the United States during the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

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Dexateens

"this is the last call for DEXATEENS PRE ORDERS for our forthcoming record, SINGLEWIDE. All pre orders recieve a free silkscreened poster, designed by the band. i posted a photo of the poster on our pictures. if you are interested, go to the skybucket website

http://www.skybucket.com/

we are going on tour and we are real excited. see you then."

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Centro-matic

"FREE DOWNLOAD!

You can download Centro-matic's live set from the Austin City Limits Festival in 2006. This link will be good for 7 days.

http://www.yousendit.com/download/dVlwWWV1ZDU1R1BIRGc9PQ"

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Sons of Roswell

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Bloodkin

Band of the Week: Bloodkin :: Features Music :: Articles :: Paste:

"“Like most artists,” writes friend, admirer and Drive-By Truckers frontman Patterson Hood in the liner notes of Bloodkin’s new album, Baby, They Told Us We Would Rise Again, “they can and have been their own worst enemy"

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Music

Ean Evans, Lynyrd Skynyrd Bassist, Dead At 48:

"COLUMBUS, Miss. — Bassist Donald 'Ean' Evans of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd has died after a battle with cancer.

Lowndes County Coroner Greg Merchant said Evans died Wednesday at his home in eastern Mississippi. He was 48.

In a statement posted on lynyrdskynyrd.com the band said, 'It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of longtime Lynyrd Skynyrd bassist Ean Evans. Ean put up a valiant battle with an aggressive form of cancer and he will be sorely missed by family, friends and fans.'"

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Cat Stevens accuses Coldplay of stealing one of his tunes, Foreigner Suite, for Viva La Vida | The Sun |Showbiz|Bizarre

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Woodstock veterans to headline anniversary show:

"Some performers from the 1969 Woodstock concert will get back to the garden for a 40th anniversary show this summer.

On the bill for Aug. 15 are The Levon (LEE'-vahn) Helm Band, Jefferson Starship, Big Brother and the Holding Co., Ten Years After, Canned Heat, Mountain, and Country Joe McDonald."

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Blame America Firsters

In which Hell freezes over.... or....

'....Lyin' sacks of shit'

Sessions: I Could Support Pro-Choice Or Gay Supreme Court Nominee (VIDEO):

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The 'Blame America First' crowd in action:

Less than two-thirds of southerners and Republicans pledge allegiance to the USA

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Northern Alabama.... blazing into the 20th century.

House supports draft beer proposal | TimesDaily.com | Florence, AL

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It is nice that there are those Democrats who are telling Reid to 'suck it'.

Update: Reporter says Specter wasn’t joking about endorsing Coleman:

"UPDATE 2: The Democratic leader in the Senate promised Sen. Arlen Specter he would retain his seniority when he jumped from the Republican to the Democratic party, Specter told CNN Wednesday, but faced “pushback” from other Democratic senators.

“Sen. (Harry) Reid said that I would maintain my committee assignments and that my seniority would be established as if I’d been elected in 1980 as a Democrat,” the long-serving Pennsylvania senator told CNN’s Dana Bash.

The full Senate voted Tuesday to strip Specter of his seniority, dropping him to the bottom of the pile on every committee he sits on."

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I guess a 'myth' wouldn't mind my foot in his ass, then, would he.

Fuck that guy.

Margaret Carlson: Rove ‘really rattled’ by Obama:

"Former White House adviser Karl Rove admitted during a debate about “the partisan divide” in Washington on Monday that the atmosphere is “poisonous,” but he refused to take any personal responsibility for the situation.

“The atmosphere in Washington D.C. is too poisonous and has been for the last 16 years,” Rove stated. However, when asked about his own role in creating this divisiveness, he responded, “I’m a myth.”"

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More shitty Democrats.

I mean, really. Your kid shouldn't be watching TV anyway.

Congressman: No Viagra before 10 p.m. � - Blogs from CNN.com:

"WASHINGTON (CNN) - Former presidential candidate Robert Dole made headlines as a pitchman for Viagra, and now a decade later a Virginia congressman wants to limit the time when ads for this and similar products can air.

Last month, Democratic Rep. Jim Moran introduced the 'Families for ED Advertising Decency Act,' which prevents erectile dysfunction and male enhancement ads from appearing on radio and television between the hours of 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.

'This [the advertisements] is an intrusion into our daily lives that I believe has become inappropriate.' Moran said in an interview with CNN. 'There is a saturation of the television airwaves with these E.D. ads, and they have gotten more pervasive, more blunt, and less subtle.'"

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These kids are alright.

Young Americans Losing Their Religion - ABC News:

"New research shows young Americans are dramatically less likely to go to church -- or to participate in any form of organized religion -- than their parents and grandparents."

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Vindication!

Minneapolis Life in the Cubicle Examiner: The seven habits of highly effective slackers

There is a common misperception in the workplace that effective and productive people fit into the go-getter, proactive, or highly organized mold. While it may be true that these people are often rewarded for their seemingly productive ways, their productivity levels are actually well below those of the effective slacker.

Go-getters are always busy but they only focus on tasks that get noticed by executives. These tasks are usually highly visible but rarely important to the success of the company.

Proactive types are also always busy but their proactiveness leads to an eventual interference of completing higher priority work.

Highly organized employees waste their lives away inside Microsoft Project and their FranklinCovey weekly planner.

On the other hand, the effective slacker quietly performs all the duties required of him perfectly and quickly. An effective slacker always delivers on time, usually because they had it done months ago and made sure no one else was aware. Regardless, the effective slacker is the invisible engine of Fortune 500 corporations. Without them, large organizations are just a large stack of cards waiting to crumble.

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And speaking of slacking....

Though it is a Zogby poll which mean these numbers could be totally pulled out of John Zogby's ass.

Majority Of Americans Want Pot Legalized: Zogby Poll:

"A majority of Americans, in a poll released Wednesday, say it 'makes sense to tax and regulate' marijuana. The Zogby poll, commissioned by the conservative-leaning O'Leary Report, surveyed 3,937 voters and found 52 percent in favor of legalization. Only 37 percent opposed."

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Guitar Man Upstairs

Couldn't wait until Friday:

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Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III

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Are those little baby sprouts of Democratic balls I see?

Senate Democrats Deny Specter Committee Seniority - Capitol Briefing:

"Without any assurance of seniority, Specter loses a major weapon in his campaign to win reelection in 2010: the ability to claim that his nearly 30 years of Senate service places him in key positions to benefit his constituents.

Tonight's committee resolution, quickly read on the Senate floor by Reid himself, contradicts Specter's assertion last Tuesday when he publicly announced his move from the Republican side of the aisle. He told reporters that he retained his seniority both in the overall chamber and in the committees on which he serves. Specter said that becoming chairman of the Appropriations Committee was a personal goal of his, one that would be within reach if he were granted his seniority on the panel and placed as the third-most senior Democrat there"

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Jesus loves him some hypocrites.

"Gay marriage is morally wrong... hey, look at my tits and ass"!

Nailed by racy photos, anti-gay beauty queen says she’s being mocked for ‘faith’:

"Miss Morals isn’t so moral after all.

The California beauty queen who blamed her national loss in the Miss USA pageant on comments she made about gays apparently has a stash of racy, topless photos of herself. TheDirty.com released the first of six topless photos of Carrie Prejean.

And there are more, apparently.

“I can assure you, they were quite inappropriate and certainly not photos befitting a beauty queen,” said KVBC’s Alicia Jacobs reports. “After first claiming that the pics were taken when she was 17, overnight Prejean put out a statement saying, ‘I am a Christian and I am a model. Models pose for pictures, including lingerie and swimwear photos. Recently photos taken of me as a teenager have been released surreptitiously to a… website that openly mocks me for my Christian faith. I am not perfect, nor do I claim to be.”"

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Heh. Guitar Man Upstairs:

Elderly man mistakes card for noisy neighbors:

"BERLIN – German police said an elderly man was so annoyed at hearing the same serenade over and over that he called authorities to report his neighbors — only to discover the culprit was a musical greeting card on his own windowsill. Police said Tuesday the 82-year-old from Goslar in central Germany told officers he was sick of the music, which would come at irregular intervals and at all hours.

Upon further investigation, police found the musical greeting card on his windowsill, where occasional breezes opened the card just enough to play an irritating tune.

Police said the retiree was happy to find out his neighbors weren't trying to annoy him."

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Ketchup Code

Heartening for Dean to comment on Spector.

Carville is just trying to sell a book.


Dean, Carville Warn Specter: Shape Up Or Face Primary:

"Less than a week into his tenure as a Democrat and Sen. Arlen Specter is already stepping sharply on the toes of party elders. Key Democratic figures warned on Monday that their newly minted colleague, despite having the backing of the White House, could face a tough primary challenge should he continue to oppose key tenets of the party's agenda.

'I'm pleased that he saw the light and decided he would be a better fit for the Democratic Party and I think you have to allow for his political views to evolve,' said former DNC chairman Howard Dean in an interview with the Huffington Post. 'But he won't win the Democratic primary by taking the position that you should not have [the Employee Free Choice Act] or a public option for health insurance... If he takes these kinds of views, of course there is going to be a Democratic primary.'"

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OK, so Neil Young was right about assholes like Sessions. Fucking embarrassment.

Sorry. Racist Fucking Embarrassment.

Jeff Sessions, Top GOPer On Judiciary, Demanded Up-Or-Down Vote On Alito:

"Sessions' dismal record on race -- including a black former assistant U.S. attorney's testimony that Sessions once said he 'used to think they [the Klan] were OK' until he found out some of them were 'pot smokers' -- was chronicled in a 2002 article in The New Republic."

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Aren't the leaders of the modern Republican party, like, super-cute?

I'm sure he hates 'steers' too.

Palin and Joe in 2012!

Joe the Plumber: I won’t let ‘queers’ near my children, ‘and they know it’:

"Known legally as Samuel Wurzelbacher, “Joe” spoke of queers and remarked that he “wouldn’t have them anywhere near my children"

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This is a way cool read.

Mission Impossible: The Code Even the CIA Can't Crack:

"Almost 20 years after its dedication, the text has yet to be fully deciphered. A bleary-eyed global community of self-styled cryptanalysts—along with some of the agency's own staffers—has seen three of its four sections solved, revealing evocative prose that only makes the puzzle more confusing. Still uncracked are the 97 characters of the fourth part (known as K4 in Kryptos-speak). And the longer the deadlock continues, the crazier people get."
.......

"Whether or not our top spooks intended it, the persistent opaqueness of Kryptos subversively embodies the nature of the CIA itself—and serves as a reminder of why secrecy and subterfuge so fascinate us. 'The whole thing is about the power of secrecy,' Sanborn tells me when I visit his studio, a barnlike structure on Jimmy Island in Chesapeake Bay (population: 2). He is 6'7', bearded, and looks a bit younger than his 63 years. Looming behind him is his latest work in progress, a 28-foot-high re-creation of the world's first particle accelerator, surrounded by some of the original hardware from the Manhattan Project. The atomic gear fits nicely with the thrust of Sanborn's oeuvre, which centers on what he calls invisible forces."

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Not just for fries anymore.

Five surprising uses for ketchup

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Tortured Logic

Yup. This is about right.

BREAKING: Obama to nominate Jesus Christ to Supreme Court -- Republicans Announce Filibuster:

"In a breaking story still emerging, President Barack Obama has announced the nomination of Jesus Christ of Nazareth to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court to replace the retiring justice David Souter.

Republicans hastily called a press conference to announce outrage at the selection, and an immediate filibuster."

............

By the early afternoon, republican opposition to the nomination had begun to take shape, as Fox News unveiled a two hour special, Jesus Christ: What you Didn't Know.:

"What do we really know about this 'Jesus of Nazareth,' if that is his real name. Some say he spends time with prostitutes!" said Sean Hannity in the opening intro, which featured ominous music over still-frames of the young Jesus. "He's from the middle east. Could he have associations with terrorism that we don't yet know about?"

Later, on The O'Reilly Factor, Bill O'Reilly continued the argument. "I don't see how any patriotic American can support this nomination. The guy was a carpenter, gimmie a break! Who are we gonna nominate next? Harrison Ford? I call on all patriotic Americans to join me in this war on Christ!"

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No one could have predicted....

Think Progress � Specter: ‘I Did Not Say I Am A Loyal Democrat’

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Yay, as you walk through the shadow of the valley of torture...

What would Jesus do? Apparently waterboard the fuck out of you, 'cause Jesus knows a thing or two about torture... according to Mel Gibson.

Right to a tortured life.

Churchgoers more likely to back torture of suspected terrorists: poll:

"More than half of people who attend services at least once a week — 54 percent — said the use of torture against suspected terrorists is “often” or “sometimes” justified. Only 42 percent of people who “seldom or never” go to services agreed, according the analysis released Wednesday by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

White evangelical Protestants were the religious group most likely to say torture is often or sometimes justified — more than 6 in 10 supported it. People unaffiliated with any religious organization were least likely to back it. Only 4 in 10 of them did."

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We figured out how to do this a long time ago. Republichristians so love to regress, though.

The Greatest Interrogator of All Time :

"Stephens did not eschew torture out of mercy. This was no squishy liberal: the eye was made of tin, and the rest of him out of tungsten. (Indeed, he was disappointed that only 16 spies were executed during the war.) His motives were strictly practical. 'Never strike a man. It is unintelligent, for the spy will give an answer to please, an answer to escape punishment. And having given a false answer, all else depends upon the false premise.'"

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The kids are all right.

Gays have right to attend high school proms | detnews.com | The Detroit News:

"A flyer announcing this year's prom at Jim Hill High School in Jackson, Miss., stated upfront what at many schools is usually a far more subtle message to gay students: 'All dates must be of the opposite sex.'

The flyer, posted around the school, fortunately caught the eye of Brittany Crowell, a heterosexual senior who, thanks to her volunteer work at the American Civil Liberties Union, knows the rights of her gay friends.

The 17-year-old took one of the flyers to the ACLU, which wrote to the principal and district superintendent to explain that banning same-sex dates from the prom would violate the court-recognized constitutional rights of gay students.

Two days later, Brittany spotted a 'revised announcement' on bulletin boards: Gone were all four references to allowing only dates of the opposite sex. (School officials declined my repeated requests for comment.)"

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Giddy-up.

Shoals was the Kentucky of horse racing in 1800s | TimesDaily.com| Florence, AL:

"Horse racing is a Kentucky passion. Some of the top horse farms and biggest races in the world take place there.

Go back in time about 175 years, though, and the Shoals had a similar reputation.

The Forks of Cypress plantation in Florence was once home to not only a horse track, but also some of the greatest race horses in American history. Descendants of horses that once roamed the pastures at Forks of Cypress went on to win the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and even the Triple Crown.

'The Forks of Cypress played a significant role in the development of the thoroughbred horse in America,' said Curtis Flowers, of Florence, who has researched the history of horse racing in north Alabama."

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DBT Week in Review - 5/1/09

DBT!

Drive-By Truckers:

"Support Drive-By Truckers and Nuci’s Space - Recycle Your Cell Phones and Get Free Merch Coupons from the DBT Official Store!

Drive By Truckers has partnered with Musictoday and CollectiveGood to accept mobile devices for recycling. Send in your old mobile phones and for every phone you send in, receive a $5 credit good for band merchandise at the Drive By Truckers Official Store!"

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Drive-By Trucker Patterson Hood's 'Love Songs' Due This Summer

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McClain Johnson's Music Site - Artist Interviews, Concert Photos, and Articles:

"How do the songwriting styles of everyone in the band differ?
Cooley has to be locked in a steam room and have them drawn out with sweat. Shonna prefers dry heat. I fly kites on stormy nights."

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Scott Baxendale's DBTs @ Jazz Fest With Booker T. Photo Album - MySpace Photos

Picasa Web Albums - DBTs - New Album 4/25/09 11:04 AM

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Wherein EZB shows up on a birthday list at the end of a Susan Boyle makeover article.

People: Brit singing star Susan Boyle gets a makeover - ContraCostaTimes.com:

"BIRTHDAYS
Movie director-producer Richard Donner (79), actress Shirley MacLaine (75), author Sue Grafton (69), actor-singer Michael Parks (69), actress-singer-director Barbra Streisand (67), Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley (67), country singer Richard Sterban of the Oak Ridge Boys (66), rock musician Doug Clifford of Creedence Clearwater Revival (64), actor-playwright Eric Bogosian (56), actor Michael O'Keefe (54), rock musician David J of Bauhaus (52), actor Glenn Morshower (50), rock musician Billy Gould (46), actor-comedian Cedric the Entertainer (45), actor Djimon Hounsou (45), rock musician Patty Schemel (42), actress Melinda Clarke (40), Latin pop singer Alejandro Fernandez (38), rock musician Brad Morgan of Drive-By Truckers (38), actor Derek Luke (35), actor Eric Balfour (32), country singer Rebecca Lynn Howard (30), singer Kelly Clarkson (27), rock singer-musician Tyson Ritter of the All-American Rejects (25)."

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Great interview. If you haven't read Dixie Lullaby, you should.

Swampland: Mark Kemp: The Gritz Interview

That has to be a great memory for you. If someone asked you to answer the question "what is Southern Rock?" What would you say?

That’s a hard one, because it was always really just a marketing term made up by the record companies and perpetuated by rock critics. That’s why it isn’t in the title of my book. The narrow definition is: “the mix of blues, rock, country and boogie typified by Lynyrd Skynyrd.’ But these days, any rock from the South is called Southern Rock. Hell, I saw it used recently in a Spin magazine review of Jason Isbell’s new album, complete with all the stereotypes. The very first line was: “Southern rock is a minefield of rebel flags, drinking songs, and dudes yelling ‘Free Bird!’” In fifteen words, the writer reduced rock music from the South to the most inane generalization possible – and we’re talking about music that ranges from Booker T and the MG’s and Big Star to the Allmans and Skynyrd to the Black Crowes, the North Mississippi All Stars and the Drive By Truckers. Of course, that dude’s glib remark is more a comment on the sad state of music criticism and how these days we have to telescope big ideas into sound bites. But to me, if you’re going to define “Southern Rock,” it should be anything from Elvis, Fats Domino, Little Richard, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash to Otis Redding and Ray Charles to the Allmans and Skynyrd to R.E.M. and Ryan Adams and the Drive By Truckers straight up to Goodie Mobb and OutKast. It’s rock & roll (and my definition of “rock & roll” is pretty broad) that’s made in the South and embodies some of the rhythm and nuance of the region.

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Father and son brought to you by DBT:

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Booker T and DBT

Truckers bring guitar blare and emotion to Acura Stage - NOLA.com:

"Turns out that with the Truckers, you can take away the words and still find a narrative"

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@ Coachella.

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Potato Hole : Booker T. : Review : Rolling Stone:

"It's fitting that Patterson Hood, son of Muscle Shoals bassist David Hood, should record with his dad's Southern-soul peer, 64-year-old Stax-session kingpin Booker T. Jones. Add Neil Young and Hood's bandmates in Drive-By Truckers, and what might've been a generic awards-show jam turns out to be a badass set of MG's-style instrumentals. Jones' sweet, thick Hammond B-3 riffs are spiked with Truckers' roughneck (and surprisingly funky) Southern rock and some exceptionally lyrical, focused Young guitar leads. The originals feel like old standards. But the cover of OutKast's 'Hey Ya' is the zinger: It's Southern race-mixing party music come full circle."

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Booker T Jones with the Drive-By Truckers perform 'Get Behind the Mule' live at the East Coast Blues and Roots Music Festival also known as Bluesfest.
The festival is held over 5 days every Easter in Byron Bay, Australia.
This performance was on the festival's Crossroads stage on Monday night April 13, 2009.

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Booker T. Jones shifts his soul sound to solid rock - CNN.com:

"So Jones, who now lives north of San Francisco, took a series of courses at local universities -- not unusual for a man who was taking college classes during the MGs' peak years. He also decided it was time to record for the first time in 20 years, turning to a new page in the Booker T. book. The result is his new album, 'Potato Hole' (Anti), which came out Tuesday. Read EW's favorable review of 'Potato Hole'

'Potato Hole,' which includes support from the Southern roots band the Drive-By Truckers and old hand Neil Young -- who used a regrouped Booker T. and the MGs as his backup band several years ago -- finds Jones in a hard-rocking mood. Guitars and powerful drums dominate as much as Jones' faithful Hammond B-3 organ, and the songs include a clever take on OutKast's 'Hey Ya' as well as the rousing 'Space City' and the seven-minute title cut jam. (A potato hole, incidentally, was the place underneath the floorboards of a shack where slaves kept extra food.)"

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New York Music - Booker T. Jones, Man at Work - page 1:

"Booker T. Jones's alarmingly raucous new record, Potato Hole, is a more vital component of your next barbecue than the meat, the booze, and the other people. As our globally warmed nation wantonly disavows spring as a concept altogether and leaps directly from winter to summer, the sexagenarian Hammond B3 virtuoso returns to cool us off with what he proudly, defiantly calls 'a straight-up rock record,' backed in alternately surly and exuberant fashion by both Southern-rock titans the Drive-By Truckers and, just for the hell of it, honorary Southern-rock titan Neil Young. They swing, they slither, they bash around, they take a shot at 'Hey Ya.' In just a few years, the absurdly infectious pop-soul smash 'Green Onions,' brought to you by beloved Stax Records house band Booker T. and the MGs, will be a half-century old. Dollars to doughnuts that, at this exact moment, he still feels (and sounds) younger than you do."

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Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

VIMBY - Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit

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Live at Paste - Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit :: Live at Paste :: A/V :: Paste

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Dexateens

MySpace.com Blogs - Dexateens MySpace Blog:

"Brothers and sisters,
Let's ignore the fact that we posted two songs from our forthcoming record a few weeks ago. Today is the official leak of our song 'Down Low,' along with matching video made by Alabama's own Andy Grace. (Check out his other really cool projects at thelivingsouth.org).

All this hoopla is in preparation for the release of Singlewide on May the 12th.

You can pre-order the record here. All of y'all who pre-order will get a special silk-screened poster featuring the artwork of the Druid City Dream, John Smith.

We're also still taking submissions for the 'Caption' video. If you get a wild hair, shoot a high-res image of yourself -- along with a caption in the body of the e-mail -- to: mycaption@gmail.com

Speaking of videos, this is a link to our promo video starring Tuscaloosan favorite son and Olympic medalist Deontay Wilder, and all of us (excepting Matt, anyway).

Here at our MySpace you will see a jived-up version of the artwork and one additional brand new song from Singlewide that is called 'Trail'

Tour dates for our May tour are here also. come see us play.

And lastly, we have a new website, with fresh new T-shirt designs that are for sale.

This is the news from Buhl, Alabama.

New South, New Values,

Elliott"

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Singlewide | The Tripwire

Deaxteens have always displayed diy ethics. The band managed to capitalize on their growing notoriety by parleying it into a distribution deal for their label Cornelius Chapel. Released through Thirty Tigers and Sony’s Red Distribution, the new record Singlewide is released in conjunction with fellow Alabama indie Skybucket Records. Singlewide dispenses almost entirely with the blazing guitars that played so much of a part in their early music. The band approached the record with a Creedence state of mind, building every song around an acoustic guitar and really pushing the harmonies. They found a sympathetic production ear in Nashville maverick Mark Evers, solidifying his role as the go-to guy for recording oddball Nash Vegas stuff like Bobby Bare Jr. and The Silver Jews.

The Dexateens are no stranger to rocking, but with the help of Evers, Singlewide finds the band exploring more of their quiet side. “New Boy” is a beautiful song reminiscent of the slower Two Cow Garage material that seems ripe for drunken singalongs. “Hang On” is just as lovely, a chiming Big Star homage that screams to be played way too loudly on a car radio. The record builds to the closing “Can You Whoop It”. Former Silver Jew Dave Berman makes a guest appearance, responding in a robotic affirmative to the seemly rhetorical question. It’s that song that seems to embody the Dexateens aesthetic: the narrator avers that he likes Ronnie Dio, Vaseline and living “in the space that compromise provides”. That simple statement crystallizes succinctly the two worlds that Dexateens straddle. Equal parts soulful croon and raging bombast, Singlewide makes every song seem like one you’ve sung along to a million times. If they have any say in the matter, Dexateens will have you sing along a million times more.

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Muscle Shoals Sound

Exploring the history of Muscle Shoals music | TimesDaily.com | The Times Daily | Florence, AL

Funky. That sums up the bass-thumping, proud Muscle Shoals Sound, said music historian Terry Pace.

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Music News

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Global music sales tumble by 8%:

"Global music sales fell by more than 8% to $18.42bn (�12.67bn) in 2008, according to the body that represents the record industry worldwide.

Physical formats like CDs and vinyl performed particularly badly - dropping by 15% globally and 31% in the US.

Sales of digital formats like MP3s and ringtones grew by 24% worldwide but failed to make up the shortfall.

This is partly due to the lower price of downloads, but also because people tend not to buy entire albums online."

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Okla. governor intervenes in Flaming Lips flap:

"OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma lawmakers who voted against making a Flaming Lips tune the official state rock song represent a minority of 'small-minded religious wackos,' the band's lead singer says.

Most state House members voted for a resolution recognizing 2002's 'Do You Realize??,' but conservatives who said they were offended by the band's clothing and language mustered enough votes to keep it from being adopted."

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AFP: Queen fan pays thousands for lesson from May:

"LONDON (AFP) — Queen guitarist Brian May is to give his first ever private lesson after a punter bid over 7,500 pounds to jam with the star in an auction to raise money for Brazilian street children.

The rock legend, best known for creating the riffs on 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and 'We Will Rock You,' will deliver a two-hour tutorial at his home following the auction in London late Wednesday, which raised over 30,000 pounds."

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This is pretty funny. Future rock start in the making. He just needs some DBT to rock out to:

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