Random Thoughts on
Love and Fear
(and anything in between)

March 25, 2007

Sunday Night Springsteen

Struggling valiantly against the tide of "take downs" that the "Man" insists on, in the Viacom vs. YouTube battle, we present a video that has (so far) escaped deletion.

For those of a certain age, the first time you heard "Born to Run" was a revelation. And then, all over again, you heard it again as if for the first time, in a version like this ...



And that's why we are fans.

Everyone Wants To Be The Man At The Top ...

... except if you already have the best job in New Jersey. Steve Van Zandt has the distinct honor of being the well-known sidekick of two of the most famous "Jersey guys" in the world - Bruce Springsteen and Tony Soprano. That's why he seems like the most "Jersey guy-ish" of them all.

We here in New Jersey live in an under-rated state, and often seem to be playing a supporting role, whether it's in politics or culture. But, as we who live here know, you can't really succeed without one of us.

Seriously, think about it ...

March 22, 2007

57 Channels and Nothing On

Okay, now I am getting peeved.

I keep losing the Springsteen videos that are in my posts below. As I write, the last one is there, and the cartoon one before that, but the Oscar-winner is now gone. On YouTube, the message that comes up when you try to view it is:

"This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Viacom International, Inc."

This has got to stop.

I want my Bruce-TV!!!!

March 21, 2007

Now Who's The Man Who Thinks He Can Decide

Now who's the man who thinks he can decide
Whose dreams will live and whose shall be pushed aside
Has he ever walked down these streets at night and looked into the eyes of
None but the brave


So I learned something by reading today’s press briefing from the White House.

Basically, it appears that “the Decider” was apparently not involved in “deciding” whether to fire those US Attorneys.

I’m not sure how that fits into that whole “serve at the pleasure of the President” concept, if the President isn’t involved in the “deciding” to fire them.

From today’s briefing -

Q There is one email from November 15th from Mr. Sampson to Harriet Miers, I believe, "Who will determine whether this requires the President's attention?"

MR. SNOW: Right.

Q And then there's a gap in emails. Was there any -- perhaps any emails about the President in there? And did the President have to sign off on this? Because the question was raised --

MR. SNOW: The President has no recollection of this ever being raised with him.

~snip~

Q Just to follow, did you say, again for the record, that the President has no recollection of ever being asked about any of this?

MR. SNOW: Yes, the removal -- yes, that is correct.

~snip~

Q You said earlier that the President has no recollection of anyone bringing this issue up to him.

MR. SNOW: Yes.

Q Does anyone who now or previously worked at the White House have any recollection of bringing it up to him?

MR. SNOW: Not that I'm aware of, but I don't -- I don't think so.
But this is one, John, where I think this is one of those things that members of Congress are going to want to explore, and if they accept our offer, they'll be able to get an absolutely exhaustive investigation of it.

~snip~

Q But earlier you were saying that, when I asked about, well, was the President informed of this decision, did the President sign off on U.S. attorneys being fired, you said the President has no recollection of being informed of all this.

MR. SNOW: Correct.

Q So were his advisors really advising him on this? Is this really privileged communication involving the President and his advisors, if the President wasn't looped in, you're saying, on this decision? So it was other people --

MR. SNOW: Well, that also falls into the intriguing question category.

Q But, I mean --

MR. SNOW: No, you're asking -- you're asking me to -- look, Ed, there are a number of complex legal considerations in here, and I'm not going to try to play junior lawyer. These are the sort of things that people are going to have an opportunity to talk about.

Q But aren't you having it both ways? If you're saying the President wasn't in the loop, but we need to cite executive privilege for the President's communications --

MR. SNOW: No, what you're -- what you are saying is, are conversations that didn't take place privileged? Well, no -- they didn't take place.

Q So what are you protecting, if they didn't take place?


MR. SNOW: Well, no, we're not -- what we're trying to do is to protect the ability of the American people to see folks in Washington get at the truth without, in fact, engaging in the kind of unseemly partisanship that has too often been a factor in recent political life.

Of course, that last question is also a good one. How the heck can you claim a privilege for a conversation that didn’t take place?

March 18, 2007

Sunday Night Springsteen

The "too-ri-ay, fol diddle-de-day, too-ri-you-ri too-ri-ay" edition.

First, I had other things that I thought of to post this week, but I did not do it. Not that you care, but I just had to get that out. I will try harder (but, that's what I always say ...).

Okay, so to continue. St. Patrick’s Day yesterday, the fourth anniversary of the Iraq invasion tomorrow – and a fitting song for both of them is “Mrs. McGrath”. As the album notes from the Seeger Sessions point out, this is an Irish song that dates to the Napoleonic Wars, with printed versions found from 1815. The sentiment about war is the same as today’s however.



We’ll give the last word to Ms. McGrath herself:

"All foreign wars I do proclaim
live on blood and a mothers pain.
I'd rather have my son as he used to be
Than the King of America
And his whole Navy!"

March 11, 2007

Sunday Night Springsteen

As you may be able to figure out, the posts have not been frequent here.

We are going to try to do better. We have also written the same thing here, before.

I don't know if this time will be different, but we're going to give it a try.

In the meantime ...

This is from someone who has combined two of my favorite things -

The Boss, and Looney Toons.



It's a joke, son ... ;-)