Howdy Doody Strikes Again

Sept 3rd, 2010


Another oil rig explosion:

"Government officials said that the rig has been out of commission for a while and had been undergoing maintenance work, therefore not impacted by the Obama administration’s ban on deepwater oil drilling."                                                                                                 

"The timing of its explosion, however, was certainly impactful. The news came only hours after Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal made a speech in Lafayette, LA pushing to lift the Obama administration’s ban on deepwater drilling."

Interviews from Glenn Beck's "Restoring Honor" Rally

August 31st, 2010

There is no message. Watch for yourselves.

That's a Lotta Bombs

August 9, 2010

Having just passed the anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing (the motivations for which I will not discuss as that is a matter for historians), I felt it right to share this video by Isao Hashimoto. Just watch it and think about it. Horrifying yet elegant in it's simplicity.

The Power of Tweets...

July 21st, 2010

...lies in their required succinctness.

"The Tea Party Movement: Outraged over deficits since Jan 21, 2009" -- observed by a friend.

The News of Yesterday

June 27th, 2010

Note the headline. The grim yellow poetry of journalism's past is both florid and feral.

We Had Been Thinking That Ourselves

June 26th, 2010

In an early scene from the original 1939 film version of "My Man Godfrey," the late, great William Powell stands before an assemblage of the idle and grossly rich declaring that part of the reason for his attending their soirée was "to see how a collection of empty headed nitwits conducted themselves." Moments later, a voice is heard off-screen responding, "Why, the man's perfect! I have been wanting to say that for years but I didn't have the nerve."

Viewing this clip of the AFL-CIO's Ron Blackwell calling Fox News' Neil Cavuto an "asshole" on live television provoked, in me, a similar reaction.

IDF Siege of the Mavi Marmara

June 12th, 2010

The video embed below is a little over an hour of uninterrupted footage from the deck of the Gaza flotila ship Mavi Marmara before the siege by the IDF.

McCain Gets In One Good Punch

May 25th, 2010

In spite of McCain's obvious faults, it's abundantly clear that challenger J.D. Hayworth is far dimmer a bulb than previously suspected.

Crank Runs For Office

May 24th, 2010

This may well be the most hyperbolic campaign ad of the spring 2010 cycle. Note the ever so subtle use of the phrase "domestic" enemy. Or this candidates brave declaration that he's not going to let Obama "destroy this nation."

The ad is moderately slick but leads me to a singular conclusion: in the words of my late grandfather, "this guy is nuts."

RIP Frank Frazetta

He brought to life in ink and paint the visions and nightmares of many dreamers.


Frank Frazetta  February 9, 1928 – May 10, 2010

image copyright 2010 the Estate of Frank Frazetta

The Drug War - Police Killing Children's Pets

May 15th, 2010

This video has been making the rounds. It is horrifying. The fact that the police actions captured here still have so many defenders speaks very poorly of "We, the People."

Anderson Cooper Kicks Some Birther Ass

May 8th, 2010

It's a pleasure to watch.

FOX Wont Run This Ad

May 6th, 2010

FOXNews has refused to run this commercial on the grounds that it is "too confusing."

Hmm. It says a clean energy plan would cut our dependence on foreign oil. Then it says less dependence of foreign oil would cut profits to terror-sponsor states like Iran.

Yup. Completely "confusing."

For FOX.

The Heritage Foundation Has Fallen A Loooong Way

Mat 5th, 2010

The Right's Distaste for Rights

May 5th, 2010


by F. Grey Parker


Yesterday, America's news viewers were greeted by a stunning debate framed innocuously in between either Vote Vets ads or promos for Goldline, depending on their predispositions. As everyone by then knew, a failed attempt had been made by a man named Faisal Shahzad to blow up Times Square. What's more, it was already clear that this was no super villain. Rather, he was another inept loser who was going through  foreclosure and had seemingly romanticized martyrdom. We also had learned that he was, in fact, an American citizen.

Faisal Shahzad    photo copyright NYTimes 2010

Still Trying To Make Sense Of Kent State

May 4th, 2010

This is worth watching. The most chilling moment comes when we are shown footage of the Governor of Ohio at the time, James Rhodes, discussing the unruly student protesters by declaring "We are going to eradicate the problem." Emphasis mine.

KSU Rare Audio Recording from May 4th 1970 - 12:24pm

May 4th, 2010

Kent State Massacre May 4, 1970

May 4th, 2010

40 Years Ago Today

May 4th, 2010

It Has Been 40 Years...

May 4th, 2010

We've come a very long way. Part of our nation's journey was paid with the blood of our children. It was forty years ago today that National Guard Troops opened fire on anti-war protesters on the campus of Kent State University in Ohio killing four and wounding ten.

The original text of the NYTimes article.

photo copyright NYT 2010