Five Before Chaos

Badass funk from the guy that invented the pop ‘n slap technique on the electric bass. Have a great weekend!

Release Yourself

Pow!

Remember Abu Ghraib? You know, that pivotal moment that showed those that were actually paying attention that this idea of American moral exceptionalism was really a crock of steaming shit? Well, some new photos have made their way to the surface, over at Wired Magazine. Perhaps someone could explain to me the psychology of posing with a rotting corpse while giving a thumbs up and a big smile. That one’s lost on me. Would malke a good campaign photo for McCain, though.

I’m really torn about what should be the caption for this photo. I’m thinking either “Bush headbutts small Ghanian boy after he asks question about Obama” or “Bush asks boy to stand still while he signs the top of his head”. Others?

I don’t really get out to shows too often anymore, partly because there’s not too many bands I’m interested in seeing, and partly because I don’t seem to enjoy live music as much as I used to . But I’m most definitely going to be at Higher Ground in South Burlington on April 20th when one of the funkiest bands to hit the planet arrives… The Greyboy Allstars. High-energy jazz funk that is both retro and modern, played by musicians at the top of their game. Tickets go on sale Friday at 11 am. More here.

Since the cons must instinctively know by now that their days in power are numbered, expect a bunch of stuff like this for the reaminder of the year. They truly are going to try to get away with as much damage as possible. From the WaPo: Farms May Be Exempted From Emission Rules. Big, polluting factory farms, that is:

Under pressure from agriculture industry lobbyists and lawmakers from agricultural states, the Environmental Protection Agency wants to drop requirements that factory farms report their emissions of toxic gases, despite findings by the agency’s scientists that the gases pose a health threat.

The EPA acknowledges that the emissions can pose a threat to people living and working nearby, but it says local emergency responders don’t use the reports, making them unnecessary. But local air-quality agencies, environmental groups and lawmakers who oppose the rule change say the reports are one of the few tools rural communities have for holding large livestock operations accountable for the pollution they produce.

Opponents of the rule change say agriculture lobbyists orchestrated a campaign to convince the EPA that the reports are not useful and misrepresented the effort as reflecting the views of local officials. They say the plan to drop the reporting requirement is emblematic of a broader effort by the Bush-era EPA to roll back federal pollution rules.

I know, nothing surprising. Zero accountability for polluters and other harmful industries is part and parcel of the conservative movement, yet another thing that will need some serious undoing in the years ahead. Of course, we should just let the private sector police themselves, because that’s worked out so well in the past, hasn’t it?

Anyone ask what John Sydney McCain thinks about this? They did try to take over the world once, you know.

 I can’t help but see something symbolic in his death in the way it relates to the conservative movement today.

Norman Mailer:

“No other act can project simultaneous hints that he is in the act of playing Commodore of the Yacht Club, Joseph Goebbels, Robert Mitchum, Maverick, Savonarola, the nice prep school kid next door, and the snows of yesteryear,” Mr. Mailer said in an interview with Harpers in 1967.

Good riddance to a both eloquent and deplorable man.

Steve Benen’s Carpetbagger Report, one of the few VT blogs to really get some national mojo, turned five this weekend. Go show Steve some love, will you?

I’m already so weary of the way politics are continuously devolving in this country. Nixon would be proud, as would Lee Atwater. There seems to be a certain conventional wisdom, shared by Hillary Clinton and Bill Kristol, that the only way to win in this country is to appeal to the worst, anti-intellectual elements of our society. Now, Obama doesn’t need me to defend him, because he does seem to handle these attacks unusually well, but jeezus, this is getting ridiculous. On Drudge today (I’m not linking), word is a Clinton operative got some photo out there from one of Obama’s visits to Kenya, and horror of horrors, he’s wearing traditional garb, complete with headdress. Get it? He really is a Muslim, and a brown one, too! Hide the kids. And then now we also have the ‘Obama doesn’t wear a flag pin’ thing going on (a plus in my book). That one works well with the idiots who confuse nationalism with patriotism and think that the way you love your country is support its government unquestionably, put lots of flags, ribbons, and bald eagles everywhere, and deride those who dissent. Sounds like the Soviet Union.

I think what it comes down to, both for the GOP and Hillary is that they have no other choice but to attack. In the case of Hil, I think she’s just getting pretty desperate (witness the unhinged meltdowns this last weekend). To have prepared yourself for this for the last two decades, only to see it fading fast cannot be easy. In the case of the GOP, they have no choice, simply because if they really talked about what they’ve really done and what they really want to do, they’d be even less popular than they are now. They know quite well that their base is easily manipulated over jingoistic and racist ideas, so they play it to the hilt. I’m just hoping that people are waking up to it and getting tired of it.