President Huckabee

Goodbye Democratic Party...

Goodbye soul of the Progressive...

Goodbye Social Security....

Hello President Huckabee.

Because nobody is gonna campaign for you, Obama:

Daily Kos: Obama staffers speak out:

"Jeana Brown, Obama 2008 Field Organizer in Georgia:
I personally am saddened. It is clear to me that we have not seen the 'change we can believe in.' Extending the Bush tax cuts will kill volunteer recruitment and retainment.

Daniel Roche, Obama 2008 Deputy Field Organizer in Nevada -- a key swing state Obama won:
If he capitulates on this, there really is no point in voting for him in 2012. The difference between voting for a Republican and voting for someone whose default negotiation strategy is rolling over and dying whenever the Republican Party says mean things is marginal. This should be a ridiculously easy fight to win.

Matthew Donoghue, Communications Staffer for 2008 Ohio Campaign for Change
'I want the President to adhere to his campaign promise. I didn't go to Ohio eleven weeks after completing chemoradiotherapy to have him uphold the reckless Bush/GOP 'spare the wealthy' tax scheme.'"

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Maybe someone will squash this bastard of a cave.... I'm not holding my breath, though:



And, regardless of history, Obama should be primaried so we'd at least have some chance at finally capturing the Presidency.

The only way that happens is if the African-American community turns on Obama. Say, one of MLK's main men:

Clarence B. Jones: Time to Think the Unthinkable: A Democratic Primary Challenge To Obama's Reelection:

"It is not easy to consider challenging the first African-American to be elected as President of the United States. But, regrettably, I believe that the time has come to do this.

It is time for Progressives to stop 'whining' and arguing among themselves about whether President Obama will or will not do this or that. Obama is no different than any other President, nominated by his national party. He was elected with the hard work and 24/7 commitment of persons who believed and enlisted in his campaign for 'Hope' and 'Change.'

You don't have to be a rocket scientist nor have a PhD in political science and sociology to see clearly that Obama has abandoned much of the base that elected him. He has done this because he no longer respects, fears or believes those persons who elected him have any alternative, but to accept what he does, whether they like it or not.

It is time for those persons who constituted the 'Movement' that enabled Senator Barack Obama to be elected to 'break their silence'; to indicate that they no longer will sit on their hands, and only let off verbal steam and ineffective sound and fury, and 'hope' for the best.

The answer is blowin' in the wind"

...Or even a commenter on a news site....

Unhappy Dems Mull Obama-GOP Tax Cut Deal | TPMDC:

"Well, as a black man, all have have to say is...let's hope Barack Obama never comes up with an 'initiative' to advance the interests of black people. By the time he's halfway through his pre-compromise phase, the question up for debate would be, 'To exactly what extent should Jim Crow be reinstated?'...LOL!"

Oh well....

President Huckabee.

We should have elected a Democrat. Too bad one wasn't running in 2008.

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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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Different Kind of BJ

Sign it:

Citizens Supporting a Public Option

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Freeeeee Markets!!!!!

Oh, wait....

CFTC: Speculators caused 2008 oil price crisis:

"In a major U-turn from its claims during the Bush administration, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission is now set to admit that speculation in oil markets — and not the forces of supply and demand — are behind last year’s massive oil price spike.

In the summer of 2008, oil prices on the open market reached an unprecedented $147 per barrel. Many economists argue the spike helped push the US into an economic free-fall last autumn."

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You've got to love LA politics.

Stormy Daniels' Political Advisor May Have Been Hit By Car Bomb: Reports:

"Porn star Stormy Daniels' potential senatorial campaign was rocked yesterday by an explosion that blew up her political advisor's car in New Orleans, according to local news reports.

The advisor, Brian Welch, was not injured in the explosion.

In surveillance footage aired on TV affiliate ABC-26, a man is seen opening the drivers'-side door, throwing an object in the car and the vehicle exploding."

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I ate an entire bag last night. My spine is feelin' fine.

Blue M&Ms 'mend spinal injuries' - Telegraph

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Stupid is as Stupid Does

Update:

Rove's petri dish. Be sure to watch it:

"60 Minutes" preparing report on Siegelman case:

"TUSCALOOSA | I'm getting reports from all over that CBS's '60 Minutes' is gathering information in Alabama about the case of incarcerated former Gov. Don Siegelman.

First I got an email from a friend who forwarded another email saying that a women who works for the program had contacted the Alabama Department of Archives and History 'in an effort to locate the negative television ads that [former lieutenant governor] Steve Windom ran against Siegelman in 2002.'"

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Willie for President.

Willie Nelson: Impeach Bush, "Throw The Bastards Out":

"'If you break the law, you have to pay for it,' American icon tells Alex Jones Show"

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He's Nineteen! duh-nah-nah-nah.

I'm still amazed that 19% that still dig this moron.

Bush at 19% approval:

"Among all Americans, 19% approve of the way Bush is handling his job as president and 77% disapprove. When it comes to Bush's handling of the economy, 14% approve and 79% disapprove."

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Speaking of dumb... Read a freakin' book without pictures already.

The Dumbing Of America :

"'The mind of this country, taught to aim at low objects, eats upon itself.' Ralph Waldo Emerson offered that observation in 1837, but his words echo with painful prescience in today's very different United States. Americans are in serious intellectual trouble -- in danger of losing our hard-won cultural capital to a virulent mixture of anti-intellectualism, anti-rationalism and low expectations."

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The dumbest of the dumb. The 19 percenters.

Though applying 'intellectuals" to 'Right Wing' is a huge oxymoron.

Author: Right wing intellectuals make wishful thinking sound rational:

"'It's been forgotten now in the mythology of World War II that even when the Nazis invaded Poland and attacked England, overwhelming majority of Americans were opposed to American involvement in the war,' she said. 'The reason they came around is not just Pearl Harbor. Franklin D. Roosevelt spent several years trying to educate a resistant public about the stake that America had in the future of Europe. The renewal of the draft in 1941, six months before Pearl Harbor, in the summer of 1941, passed by one vote. Imagine what would have happened if the Army had been disbanded, if FDR had not made all those educational efforts, where we would have been six months later when Pearl Harbor was attacked.'"

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What a cruel, cruel world we live in.

Fontana man robbed of tacos at gunpoint:

"A hunger for carnitas nearly led to some carnage after a Fontana man was robbed of a bag of tacos at gunpoint.

Police Sergeant Jeff Decker says the 35-year-old victim had just bought about $20 in tacos from a street-corner stand Sunday night and was bicycling home when the suspect confronted him and said 'Give me your tacos.'

Decker says the suspect grabbed the bag of food, punched the victim in the face and began to flee.

When the victim demanded his tacos back, the suspect pointed what appeared to be a handgun at the man and threatened to kill him before running away."

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Retraining Dr. Rockso

The look that kills.

Looking at America - New York Times

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It's that time of the year again. No more large mochas with whipped cream and caramel for me. Back to he

JUST THE FLAX, PLEASE:

"Yesterday scores of Americans made this pledge for 2008, even as they nursed their hangovers. And with so many products on the market promoting wonder ingredients that will fight heart disease, beat cholesterol, bust fat and make you regular, wellness should be just a supplement away.

Wrong."

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Smells like how chicken would taste.

Snakey smells help squirrels stay safe:

"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - It's scary being a little, tasty squirrel, but some species of the rodents have come up with an intimidating camouflage -- snake smells."

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Putting Dr. Rockso out of bidness.

Researchers work on cocaine vaccine:

"HOUSTON - Two Baylor College of Medicine researchers in Houston are working on a cocaine vaccine they hope will become the first-ever medication to treat people hooked on the drug. 'For people who have a desire to stop using, the vaccine should be very useful,' said Dr. Tom Kosten, a psychiatry professor who is being assisted in the research by his wife,"

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Now do your f**king jobs!

Its been foggy and blahhy in San Francisco the past few days... can bring a brother down, fo' sho'. Feeling kinda icky this morning until I checked my email and you'll never guess what I found in my in box. Some dude named Lopez emailed me and said he was a pro at getting people laid and could have me all sexed up in a matter of days.

'Nother fella wrote me and said he could increase the size of my penis by 4 inches. 4 INCHES!

Now I'm thinkin' today's not looking so bad after all. The future's lookin' bright!

Check out my buddy Shipper who lives in Palau:

He was tuna fishing off his boat the other day and caught something that was a non tuna.... a shark. Dave looks all manly in this picture like he's king of the jungle.... ocean.... ocean jungle.... whatever... but, per Dave: "When it started thrashing around in the boat, I screamed like a little girl".

The shark was safely returned to the water after a few pictures. Getting the hook out must of been a bitch, though.

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Senator Russ Feingold posted a diary on DailyKos yesterday regarding his view on impeachment. I dig Russ' progressive stances on most issues. He's one of the good guys.

But he's dead wrong on the impeachment issue and several other DailyKos diarist let him know it.

His view is the same as Pelosi's and I let her know weekly via email or phone message how wrong she is.

If we do not hold these people accountable then the precedent set has the great possibility of eventually destroying this country. I, never again, want a Republican or a Democrat to have the power or ability to do what this administration has done.

This is a great example of the type of constructive dialog that occurs on DK.

Daily Kos: The Question of Impeachment - UPDATED

Sen Russ Fiengold

It is clear that there are many people in this country, including myself, who demand accountability from this Administration for the terrible mess it made in Iraq and its egregious and even illegal power grabs throughout its six-plus years in power. I believe that the President and Vice President may well have committed impeachable offenses. But with so many important issues facing this country and so much work to be done, I am concerned about the great deal of time multiple impeachment trials would take away from the Congress working on the problems of the country. The time it would take for the House to consider articles of impeachment, and for the Senate to conduct multiple trials, would make it very difficult, if not impossible, for Congress to do what it was elected to do – end the war and address some of the other terrible mistakes this Administration has made over the past six and a half years.

.......

While some have pointed to Republicans’ decision to impeach President Clinton, I am also concerned about the over-use of impeachment. And I am conscious of the fact that I would have a specific role to play as a sworn, impartial juror should an impeachment be tried in the Senate. If charges come to the Senate, I will approach them and the trial with the same seriousness that I had when I participated in the Clinton impeachment trial. I would not prejudge the case one way or the other should it come to this.

.......

I fully respect the anger and frustration many Americans feel with this Administration. I share much of it. But on balance, I think Congress’s time is much better spent ending the war in Iraq, conducting the oversight that was absent for the last six years, and advancing progressive legislation.

Responses:

Daily Kos: The Answer Of Impeachment:

"This is an important point of agreement. The question is why anyone would allow any Administration to get away with such crimes. It's disrespectful of the Constitution and the rule of law, and it also sets an extremely dangerous precedent."

Daily Kos: A Waste of Time Senator?:

"I would argue that there is no more egregious and illegal act than deliberately going before the American people and knowingly providing false information with the intent to take us to war."

Here's the more angry response to Russ.

Daily Kos: A Word to Senators and Congressfolk:

"We’re sick to death of all your lame excuses! We want action – and we’re not saying pretty please anymore. We’re not even asking. We’re telling you! We are demanding that you do the only conscionable thing in the present circumstances – bring those criminals to justice! And don’t you dare insult my intelligence by saying they ‘may have’ committed impeachable offenses. What planet have you been living on?

The only question is do you have the spine to deliver. Let me remind you, we are the rightful owners of this country, and the owners have spoken! Now do your fucking jobs!"

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I'm not so naive as to believe that the South will quickly swing to the good guys side, but this is encouraging none the less.

Political Woes Dog Republicans Across the South - WSJ.com

The indictment is just one of the political headaches across the South that are making Republicans look more vulnerable than they have in years to losing ground in the region's legislatures and statehouses. Though there isn't any sign of them losing their dominance in the region, the once-formidable "Solid South" coalitions they forged in the 1980s and 1990s to end a century of Democratic dominion have given way to messy schisms and infighting. Today, they look a lot like the bitterly divided Democrats of three decades ago.

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This is way weird.

I was coming back to SF across the GG bridge the other day and I spotted a sign in the Presidio that was for a Coyote crossing.

I thought, WTF? This is in the middle of the city. We've got coyotes?!

Apparently so... in our freaking parks.

Coyotes attack dogs in Golden Gate Park:

"San Francisco officials posted warnings in Golden Gate Park on Sunday after the first known coyote attack in the city in decades, when a pair of the wild canines charged two leashed dogs on a small path in the park.

'We're taking this very seriously,' said Deb Campbell, spokeswoman for the San Francisco Animal Care and Control Department. 'We have officers looking for the coyotes, and we are letting the public know about these coyotes.'"

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Creationism Porno

Given that the below Wall Street Journal link uses math and statistics and some science... and we all know that math and statistics and science are evil and that they hate America and that they make the fundies poop their pants because Dog... I mean god doesn't clearly state that this is factual in the Bible along with all of those other hard and fast truths that make the Bible such delicious fun.....

Given all those things, check out which President since Truman is the only President to finish their time in office with a higher approval rating than when they started. (h/t Kos)

WSJ.com

Blow jobs are cool!

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Speaking of blow jobs and fundies.... Do these people ever vet anyone properly?

The Raw Story | Creationist actor's porno past:

In a video shown at a new museum purporting to demonstrate how God created the universe, actor Eric Linden portrays Adam breathing life's first breath.

A jaunt around the Internet shows Linden posing alongside a drag queen on an explicit Web site he owned called Bedroom Acrobat, the Associated Press reports. The Web site allows its network of members to post explicit stories and photos, AP reports.

"A native of Columbus, Ohio, Linden now lives in Los Angeles and told AP that he handed off control of the Bedroom Acrobat site. He told AP he has great respect for the founders of the Creation Museum.

Yeah, he has great respect for the big ass check they cut him.

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The final frontier......

Trickle of Planet Discoveries Becomes a Flood:

"Alien worlds, once hidden from knowledge, are now being discovered in droves, stunning astronomers with their unique features and sheer numbers. The discoveries are so common that more and more don't even get reported outside scientific circles."

...And we better figure out toot-sweet how the hell to quickly get to one of these new planets because we are letting this one go to shit.

Hey, but at least corporate profits and CEO pay are at all time highs. I mean, hell, we could have taxed some of that money and had the vision to repair or replace this satellite but, pfffft, the market will save us from the hurricanes, right? Right?!?

Hurricane satellite could fail anytime:

"MIAMI - An aging weather satellite crucial to accurate predictions on the intensity and path of hurricanes could fail at any moment and plans to launch a replacement have been pushed back seven years to 2016.

In a letter obtained by The Associated Press, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's chief said the failure of the QuikScat satellite could bring more uncertainty to forecasts and widen the areas that are placed under hurricane watches and warnings.

If the satellite faltered, experts estimate that the accuracy of two-day forecasts would suffer by 10 percent and three-day forecasts by 16 percent, which could translate into miles of coastline and the difference between a city being evacuated or not.

'We would go blind. It would be significantly hazardous,' said Wayne Sallade, emergency manager in Charlotte County, which was hit hard by Hurricane Charley in 2004."

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At least we can take solace that China seems to be embracing our same commitment to excellence.

Two jailed after bridge built by blind man collapses:

"BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese court has jailed two officials after they let a blind contractor build a bridge which collapsed during construction and injured 12 people, the official Xinhua news agency said Monday."

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After re-reading the post I noticed that I didn't use the word "fuck" anywhere and that makes me uncomfortable, so....

Fuck, fuckity fuck-fuck.

There, much better.

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Intel, Recyclables, Dick, Weed

Get your 2007 stock picks right here. May not be safe for work unless you have headphones... some dirty words.

(Thanks for the much needed laugh, JennB!)

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Why southern states are not pursuing this is beyond me. Talk about being able to save the family farm.

N. Dakota man aims to be 1st hemp farmer

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Buttholeville makes national news today.

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The jig is up, gentlemen! The ladies have finally figured us out.

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Why is this just now becoming law?

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What's up with Texas wanting to claim everything from Connecticut?

Burger battle brewing between Texas, Connecticut

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It's our ball now, bitches....

....and we are takin' it back to our yard. If you wanna play you're gonna hafta act right.

As they prepare to take control of Congress this week and face up to campaign pledges to restore bipartisanship and openness, Democrats are planning to largely sideline Republicans from the first burst of lawmaking.
......

But instead of allowing Republicans to fully participate in deliberations, as promised after the Democratic victory in the Nov. 7 midterm elections, Democrats now say they will use House rules to prevent the opposition from offering alternative measures, assuring speedy passage of the bills and allowing their party to trumpet early victories.

But you won't act right will you. You'll piss and you'll moan. You might even take a bill introduced by Democrats in 04 that you summarily rejected and make it your own.

Republicans aren't yet an official minority in the House, but they're already beginning a campaign to portray themselves as victims of a heartless Democratic majority.

In a "Dear Colleague" letter circulated to fellow Republicans, three House GOPers are trying to push a "Minority Bill of Rights" -- based on a two-year-old proposal by then-Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). You can read the letter here.

Wuh, wuh waaahhhh. Nobody likes you..... But a lot of people like us AND our ideas:

WASHINGTON - People overwhelmingly support two of the Democrats' top goals — increasing the minimum wage and making it easier to buy prescription drugs from other countries — as the party takes control of Congress for the first time in a dozen years. By a smaller margin, the public also favors relaxing restrictions on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, a third issue Democrats have promised to tackle during their first 100 hours in charge.

All this Demo love doesn't make for a pretty 2008 for you guys, does it? Especially when we take a look at who you'll be serving up as a hot steaming pile for president.

Despite WALNUTS!’ recent conversion to a pious, pompous, big-government totalitarian psychotic Jesus Freak, he’s not exactly on the Straight Morality Express. A notorious drunk with a pill-addicted second wife, probably the only time McCain wasn’t sinning against God was when the Viet Cong had him locked in a little cage.

Yes, he was tortured and you gotta love him because of it, but we’ve learned from many movies about the Vietnam War that all those guys come back absolutely crazy. Remember Rambo? Totally true. He’s a maverick all right … just like Caligula!

Let’s do a little Republican 2008 Morality Watch:

• Rudy Giuliani: Twice-divorced opera-loving gay-roommate-having cross-dressing show-tune-dancing Manhattan dandy.
• John McCain: Dangerous would-be totalitarian psychopath Jesus Freak S&L crook who can’t stay married or sober or control the terrible voices in his head.
• Mitt Romney: Mormon, which either means terrific personal morals or scary cult magic-underwear polygamist.
• Duncan Hunter: Toupee-wearing tax cheat who may or may not be wiped out by his buddy Duke Cunningham’s Hookergate.
• Michael Bloomberg: Actually a New York Jewish Democrat who runs the Main Stream Media.
• Newt Gingrich: Sociopathic pornographer and serial adulterer who divorces his many wives the moment they get the cancer.
• Sam “Brokeback” Brownback: Enjoys sexytime sleepovers at men’s prisons.
• Mike Huckabee: Committed to living out the movie “Old School.”

• 
  

The next two years are going to be a lot of fun!

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Neatest toy ever. Check ou the link for some really cool photos of the toy.

It looks like something from a James Bond film. Shaped exactly like a dolphin, this boat is the latest toy for millionaire adrenaline junkies. The Seabreacher can jump 10 feet in the air and even perform acrobatic tricks.

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DBT WIR 12/30

Check out the cool xmas present I got. This is the poster that will be on sale at the NYE shows. Buy one! They look tres cool hanging on the wall:

Check out the some other Wes Freed artwork my buddy Rich purchased. If you like southern gothic then you definitely should have some Wes Freed art on your wall.

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Alablwag uses DBT lyrics in a political post. My two favorite things in the word. Check it out here.

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Mr. Phillips:

Like most sons whose fathers have died, Jerry Phillips wants to keep the memory of his dad alive. And when your father is the man who single-handedly changed the face of music in America -- even the world -- a weeklong musical party seems like the best idea.

The second annual Sam Phillips Music Celebration honors the Florence native who owned Sun Records in Memphis, Tenn., and launched the careers of Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and others.

The week's events coincide with Sam Phillips' birthday -- Jan. 5, 1923. He died in July 2003.

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To those lucky ones that will be in attendance for the DBT shows tonight and tomorrow night, have much fun!!! I wish I was going to be there.

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Shitty Corps.

Today we take a look at shitty organizations with shitty products:

First up, perennially topping shit lists: Wal-Mart. These fuckers won't even evacuate customers from a store under a bomb threat. Welcome to Wal-Mart, indeed!

It was the police looking for a bomb. Up front, police officers, the SWAT team and others were busy searching the store next to customers who were browsing for gifts. The police looked in jewelry counters, wrapping paper rolls, freezers, the back room where trucks unload and closets at Tire Lube Express.

During the nearly two-hour search, Wal-Mart officials opted not to evacuate the busy discount store even though police recommended they do so. Wal-Mart officials said the call was a hoax and not a threat.

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Next up, Microsoft. Need I say more:

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 24 — Microsoft is facing an early crisis of confidence in the quality of its Windows Vista operating system as computer security researchers and hackers have begun to find potentially serious flaws in the system that was released to corporate customers late last month.

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And the shittiest of the shitty.... The Bush Administration.

Thank god Bush is tackling this Iraq problem trying to find a solution. Hell, the guy who started this war didn't do shit for 3+ years.... Wait.....

It is always 'unclear' with this jackass:

It's unclear whether Bush will signal his desires or just seek further consultation when he meets at his Texas ranch on Thursday with Vice President Dick Cheney and other members of the National Security Council.

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Want a little sex?

Top 10 Sex Stories of 2006

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Estrogen Mafia

Hello, MSM, where the fuck have you been. They're just now figuring out that this a story? This story is 3 years old. Welcome, dipshits.

Bush keeps revising war justification

President Bush keeps revising his explanation for why the U.S. is in Iraq, moving from narrow military objectives at first to history-of-civilization stakes now."

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Again.... Welcome.

Poll - South strongly turning against Iraq war

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Please, oh, please, oh, please let the women get a hold of things in this country. I am all for it. Men have been fucking up things for far too long. We need the women folk to run this show for a while.

A Gender Insurgency In Politics:

"Men have been making policy in Washington for as long as most of us can remember. But much of the political future rests in the hands of women."

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Murtha speaketh....

Confessions of a 'Defeatocrat':

"Democrats are fighting a war on two fronts: One is combating the spin and intimidation that defines this administration. The other is fighting to change course, to do things better, to substitute smart, disciplined strategy for dogma and denial in Iraq.

That's not defeatism. That's our duty."

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Why, oh, why do they hate science so? Oh yeah, because of that nasty little thing called knowledge. Not good for the sheeple. When the sheeple get smart they tell the sheppard to get fucked. November 7 is the time to tell the sheppard to get fucked.

Experts claim EPA under fire from Bush Administration:

"Experts interviewed by RAW STORY indicated a wide swath of damage done by the Bush Administration to EPA. Political appointees, low scientist morale, and misuse of science extend across all aspects of government research and policy. It’s an impact that is bound to outlive the administration and might not be corrected by future presidents, the experts said.

“People need to understand how driven this administration is,” Cornehls stated. “Decisions are made on a belief system rather than on good science.”"

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Sign o' the times:

Jobless man asks judge for jail time:

"COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- A man who couldn't find steady work came up with a plan to make it through the next few years until he could collect Social Security: He robbed a bank, then handed the money to a guard and waited for police.

On Wednesday, Timothy J. Bowers told a judge a three-year prison sentence would suit him, and the judge obliged.

'At my age, the jobs available to me are minimum-wage jobs. There is age discrimination out there,' Bowers, who turns 63 in a few weeks, told Judge Angela White."

DBT Week in Review 4/8 - 4/14

DBT has finished puttin' on The Rock Show for our friends in Europe. From the excellent reports coming from across the pond it sounds as if a good time was had by all. We sure are glad to have them back in the states, though.

Jerry Gunner gives a look at one of the final European shows with this review on the Yahoo board:

dbts : Message: Wolverhampton last night: "gain, a third of the show at least was different from the night before, 'Uncle Frank' and an amazing working of Paul McCartney's, or Beatle Paul as Jason says you call him in America, 'Roll it' for example. Another highlight for me was a new song from Jason. Don't shout at me if it isn't new, it was new to me. After the interval Jason came out on his own, much as Patterson had the night before and announced that 'We have problems with our government, you know, at home, we have problems with our government.' Note to Jenn - HE got political, not me:). He then told us about how the war is affecting people and in particular about a Marine from his home town who was killed by a remotely detonated IED and how the whole town turned out for his funeral. Apparently, according to Jason, such soldiers are buried in their dress uniform and now my memory is failing me but I think they are called Dress Blues and that was the name of the song. The Marine in question would be Matthew Conley who was killed just a few days short of his 22nd birthday. He was scheduled to leave Iraq on the 6th of March. Semper fi. Anyway, it is a beautiful song and it makes me yearn even more for an Isbell solo album."

DBT is a band of thinkers, that's for sure. They concern themselves with their community and their government. They, like a lot of other folks here in the U.S. know that "There's Somethin' happenin' here" and they ain't afraid to say something about it but they're also not preachy. I haven't heard Jason's new song "Dress Blues" but I'm sure it was written from a place of angst over losing a community member to an unjust war.

Over the past couple of weeks I've highlighted protest songs from The Dixie Chicks and Pink. Neil Young surprised some folks a SXSW by announcing that he has another album in the can and ready for release. Word on the street is that it is quite political and even contains a track called "Impeach the President" Below is a write up on the album:

NEW NEIL YOUNG ALBUM-- LIFE IN WAR-- WON'T PROVIDE ANY CAMPAIGN DITTIES FOR BUSH AND THE RUBBER-STAMP REPUBLICANS
Neil made it pretty clear with GREENDALE, a truly incredible but underrated album, that he isn't happy with the direction George Bush has taken the country. He told David Fricke of ROLLING STONE 'This is a time, I believe, of great inner turmoil for the majority of the American people. There is a new morality coming out of this administration -- fundamentalist religious views; a holier-than-thou attitude towards the rest of the world -- that is not classically American. I don't think Americans felt holier-than-thou in the twentieth century. We were happy and successful, with a great lifestyle. But something else is going on now. That's what Greendale is about. That's what Grandpa's problem is. He can't understand what's going on. He sees all of these things that the Patriot Act has taken away from what he feels is America.'"

Patterson isn't afraid to speak his politics as well. He's opposed to redistricting in Athens. The same type of gerrymandering that Tom Delay and several other Republicans have illegally perpetrated in their states to ensure Republican dominance in elections.

Recently Patterson posted new song lyrics to his website. Ever the historian, Patterson connects the repetition of history by comparing President Harding's Interior Secretary, Albert Fall to President Bush's outgoing Interior Secretary Gail Norton. (I bet Patterson runs the board whenever there is a historical category on Jeopardy).

HOGS AND HEIFERS AND LITTLE BLACK BAGS

President Harding put the man in charge
This country’s so beautiful, abundant and large
Rally our resources around the flag
Hogs and heifers and little black bags

While Harding called for a “return to normalcy”
Albert Fall was his Interior secretary
Looting the land for a ton of cash
Hogs and heifers and little black bags

If you learn your history, my fine young son
Not much has changed since the Teapot Dome
President Harding was revealed at last
Hogs and heifers and little black bags

Herbert Hoover’s been forever discredited
For not knowing how to deal with the mess he inherited
But it began several years before the crash
Hogs and heifers and little black bags

Its 80 years later and things ain’t changed
The same cast of characters with different names
Oil stocks and defense contractors rally the flag
Hogs and heifers and little black bags

Gail Norton resigned today
Her “wise use” doctrine a national disgrace
The private elite will welcome her back
Hogs and heifers and little black bags

Patterson Hood – March 19, 2006

If you want to know more about the lying sack of puss that is Gail Norton and what a tragedy she's been for America's land then give this small article a read
Gail Norton: Switchin’ on Gwich’in

And let us not forget the tongue in cheek of The President's Penis is Missing, which takes on the insanity of focusing on a president's infidelity when there are other, more pressing issues at hand.

“Them outer space people would laugh if they’d seen us
all this talk about cum-stains and oral coitus
meanwhile the whole world suffers from hunger and meanness
but we’re more concerned with the President’s penis”

We also have Patterson's prescient line in Demonic Possessions:

The devil says the only thing that’s buggin him
is Hell’s filling up with Republicans

But DBT ultimate political statement comes in Puttin' People on the Moon. I'm a frequent visitor to the progressive political site Dailykos. It is the home of grassroot politics. The founder of the site recently published a book called Crashing the Gates. It tackles the problems within the Democratic Party and outlines how the party can begin to win elections again by moving away from the entrenched beltway Democrats who are no better than the Republicans and moving towards placing the power back into the hands of the people. The book is next on my list to read.

I bring up Dailykos because I was tickled to find someone referencing Puttin' People on the Moon in the comments to one of the diaries. Click here, then ctrl+F and search for Puttin' People to see the comment.

To shorten this diatribe I could continue on for days, my belief is that it is important for the smart artist of a time period to comment on the fallacies of a government and to be involved in that process. Who better than the poets to explain to us via music and lyrics that "There's Something Happening Here". "And that's all I've got to say about that"... for now.

randywadkins from the Yahoo Group posts that Ole Miss had an academic seminar on DBT. I really wish I could have attended this as I've been working on something like this myself to teach at a university:

dbts : Message: lecture on DBT at Ole Miss tomorrow (Wed.): "Yeah, late notice I know, but if you're in the Oxford, MS area and want to see how recognized the Truckers are becoming, check this out:

Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2006
This message is being sent using E-mail to Groups ( UM Employees ). The Drive-By Truckers, a rock and roll band from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and Athens, Georgia, have, over the course of six albums released since 1998, focused on depicting their own version of the South, often inspired by their hometowns in North Alabama. Patterson Hood, the son of David Hood of the Muscle Shoals Sound, formed the band after he moved to Athens in the mid-nineties and became part of a small alternative country movement located in Athens and Atlanta dubbed the 'Redneck Underground.' The Drive-By Truckers' punk and country and western inspired songs gained a small following, while their third studio album, 2001's 'Southern Rock Opera,' landed them on the top of 'critics' best' lists of 2001. 'Southern Rock Opera' examined the story of the Southern Rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd as a way of telling the Truckers' own stories of growing up in the South. Subsequent albums have also focused on other pieces of popular culture about the South and historical events native to the band's hometown. In this week's Southern Studies Brown Bag Lunch & Lecture presentation, ''Daddy, Tell Me Another Story': The Drive-By Truckers and the Search for Southern Identity,' Ellie Campbell, a native of Anniston, Alabama and graduate of Vanderbilt University, and a Southern Studies graduate student will address the ways in which the Drive-By Truckers use popular culture images to create their own vision of the South and Southern identity, one that rejects both outside criticism of the South, and also takes issue with Southerners' own, sometimes equally limited, opinions about the South. The Southern Studies Brown Bag Lunch & Lecture Series takes place at 12 noon in Barnard Observatory's lecture hall 0n Wednesdays during the fall and spring semesters. ----- For more information or assistance related to a disability, please contact: cssc@... or 5993 Visit 'Inside Ole Miss Online' for UM faculty & staff news at http://www.olemiss.edu/iom."

Jonathan from the Yahoo Group post some great, historical article on Skynyrd. Great reads:

dbts : Message: OT: Ronnie Van Zant Interviews (Lengthy): "But major figures from Buddy Holly(1959) to Otis Redding(1967) and Jim Croce(1973) were lost in plane crashes. The latest was buried near his native Jacksonville last week. He was Ronnie Van Zant, 28, co-founder, writer and lead singer of LYNYRD SKYNYRD. It had supplanted the Allman Brothers as the reigning Southern boogie band and as a leading U.S. challenger to the British hegemony of the concert coliseums."

Here are a couple of YouTube videos of the band in live settings:

YouTube - Jason Isbell - Decoration Day
"We're not white trash. We're Celtic"
YouTube - NEW Patterson Hood featuring David Schools

And speaking of cool videos, New West Released this short one of "The Making of A Blessing and a Curse". This makes me very excited because it hints at a bigger DVD that might be coming out later this year. Fingers crossed.

See y'all at The Rock Show!