"With All Due Respect ..."

I've been reading critiques of the Democratic Debate last night, where the MSNBC moderators are being criticized as much as the candidates. Tim Russert seems to get the bulk of the criticism, but my favorite moment was actually the result of a Brian Williams question, at the end -

WILLIAMS: Well, we don't have such thing in our format as a closing statement, but I am going to ask a closing and fundamental question of you both. And I'll ask it of you fist, Senator Obama.

What is the fundamental question you believe Senator Clinton must answer along the way to the voters here in Ohio and in Texas, and for that matter across the country, in order to prove her worthiness as the nominee? And then we will ask the same question of Senator Clinton.

OBAMA: I have to say, Brian, I think she is -- she would be worthy as a nominee. Now, I think I'd be better. Otherwise, I wouldn't be running. But there's no doubt that Senator Clinton is qualified and capable and would be a much better president than John McCain, who I respect and I honor his service to this country, but essentially has tethered himself to the failed policies of George Bush over the last seven years.

On economics, he wants to continue tax cuts to the wealthy that we can't afford, and on foreign policy he wants to continue a war that not only can we not afford in terms of money, but we can't afford in terms of lives and is not making us more safe. We can't afford it in terms of strategy.

So I don't think that Senator Clinton has to answer a question as to whether she's capable of being president or our standard bearer.

I will say this, that the reason I think I'm better as the nominee is that I can bring this country together I think in a unique way, across divisions of race, religion, region. And that is what's going to be required in order for us to actually deliver on the issues that both Senator Clinton and I care so much about.

In other words, he said to Brian Williams, basically, "With all due respect, you can take your question and shove it up your ..."

I think Senator Clinton is lucky that he was asked this question first, so she had the chance to be just as gracious, and not fall into the anchors' last trap.

A Wild Ride

Well, this month has been crazy, at least for news junkies. Primaries, caucuses, debates, candidate good-byes and semi-scandals.

Now, unfortunately, it's getting even sillier. You see a lot of good people, ripping at each other over the Obama vs. Clinton fight. I hope folks come to their senses, soon, because if the Democratic nomination is settled in a fight to the death, there's a good chance that the election will be won by the Republican candidate.

And I'm tired of hearing Democrats who say, "I'll vote for McCain if my candidate loses." I feel like saying, "Why are you voting in the Democratic primary, then?"

Time Slips Away (Again) . . .

So, I have to ask myself this question, "And what have you done?"

Been watching the news, and reading a lot about the campaigns. The silly season is in high gear.

Other than that, I haven't got much done at all. I was barely able to get the Christmas decorations off the house, as Lent is about to begin. I wasn't even able to get this post up in a timely manner.

What the heck, let's see what tomorrow brings.

Sunday Night Springsteen

It's Christmas. Has everybody been good out there, or what?

We've been bad. The DSL has been acting up all week, so the internet has been hit or miss. And we've been fighting the Christmas wars in the shopping malls.

This is a "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" from about a week ago. The show is in Paris, and people start throwing Santa hats onto the stage, to get the band to do that song.



Merry Christmas!!!

Sunday Night (Not) Springsteen

New Jersey repealed the death penalty this week.

I join with those who applaud this.

On "BlueJersey.net", Thurman Hart, the Xpatriated Texan, thought that a link to a Steve Earle song would be appropriate for the occasion.



I heartily agree. As Mr. Earle has put it - "I object to the damage it does to my spirit for my government to kill people, because my government is supposed to be me, and I object to ME killing people. It’s very simple."

Yo, Jersey, we rock!!!

Nothing But A Child

Once upon a time
In a far off land
Wise men saw a sign
And set out aross the sand
Songs of praise to sing,
They travelled day and night
Precious gifts to bring,
Guided by the light

They chased a brand new star,
Ever towards the west
Across the mountains far
But when it came to rest
They scarce believed their eyes,
They'd come so many miles
And the miracle they prized
Was nothing but a child

- Steve Earle, Nothing But a Child

It's a little early for Christmas posts, perhaps, but since it's the middle of Advent, maybe not too early. As I've mentioned here before, my favorite Christmas special is, and has for years been, "A Charlie Brown Christmas". One of the reasons is that scene which takes place, after Charlie Brown has been barraged by Christmas commercialization, and has been made fun of for bringing a forlorn little (real) Christmas tree for the Christmas "pageant" the kids are putting on. He can't take it any more, and simply shouts: "Doesn't anybody know what Christmas is all about?" Linus calmly replies, "I know what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown." Then he walks to the center of the stage, and recites a description of (what some consider) an improbable event from the second chapter of Luke:

Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields
and keeping the night watch over their flock.
The angel of the Lord appeared to them
and the glory of the Lord shone around them,
and they were struck with great fear.
The angel said to them,
"Do not be afraid;
for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy
that will be for all the people.
For today in the city of David
a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.
And this will be a sign for you:
you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes
and lying in a manger."
And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel,
praising God and saying:
"Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."

And today, via The Ironic Catholic, from over in my reading list, comes a link to a Garrison Keillor essay about discussing the Nativity story with some teenagers. It takes the same story, and teases out some new way to look at it -

We sat in a sort of triangle, two couches at a right angle, a line of chairs, a window looking out at the snow on Amsterdam Avenue, and talked about the rather improbable notion that God sent Himself to Earth in human form, impregnating a virgin who, along with her confused fiancé, journeyed to Bethlehem where no rooms were available at the inn (it was the holidays, after all), and so God was born in a stable, wrapped in cloths and laid in a feed trough and worshipped by shepherds summoned by angels and by Eastern dignitaries who had followed a star.

This magical story is a cornerstone of the Christian faith and I am sorry if it's a big hurdle for the skeptical young. It is to the Church what his Kryptonian heritage was to Clark Kent -- it enables us to stop speeding locomotives and leap tall buildings at a single bound, and also to love our neighbors as ourselves. Without the Nativity, we become a sort of lecture series and coffee club, with not very good coffee and sort of aimless lectures.

On Christmas Eve, the snow on the ground, the stars in the sky, the spruce tree glittering with beloved ornaments, we stand in the dimness and sing about the silent holy night and tears come to our eyes and the vast invisible forces of Christmas stir in the world. Skeptics, stand back. Hush. Hark. There is much in this world that doubt cannot explain.

However you view the meaning of the event as described, in song, or story, or essay, I hope you enjoy the season.

Nothing but a child
Could wash these tears away
Or guide a weary world
Into the light of day

And nothing but a child
Could help erase these miles
So once again we all
Can be children for awhile

Sunday Night Springsteen

I learned today that Mr. Springsteen and the Band will be performing this summer at Giants Stadium - the scene of many performances I attended, too far from the stage and/or while sitting in the rain.

Then there was the time we took the kids, and used them to wrangle floor seats, but that's a story for another day.

In any event, to mark this auspicious announcement, here's a video from what I believe is the last time I saw those folks at the stadium (and the last time they were there), on my birthday in 2003 -

Poor Man Wanna Be Rich, Rich Man Wanna Be King . . .

Tbogg apparently felt that he was too "small time", with his own quirky blog, and has gone all "big time blogger" now.

So now I have to go fix the links in my reading list. I hate going under the hood and messing with stuff, but looks like I have to.

(Now, if only I could get myself some of that big time attention. I might actually post on a regular basis if that happened.)

Faith

This is a simple post, with a simple comment about Mitt Romney's speech on religion and politics, delivered today. Here are some excerpts, which I think show that his argument had little to do with genuine "religious liberty" -

There are some who may feel that religion is not a matter to be seriously considered in the context of the weighty threats that face us. If so, they are at odds with the nation's founders, for they, when our nation faced its greatest peril, sought the blessings of the Creator. And further, they discovered the essential connection between the survival of a free land and the protection of religious freedom. In John Adams' words: 'We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion... Our constitution was made for a moral and religious people.'
. . .

There is one fundamental question about which I often am asked. What do I believe about Jesus Christ? I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of mankind. My church's beliefs about Christ may not all be the same as those of other faiths. Each religion has its own unique doctrines and history. These are not bases for criticism but rather a test of our tolerance. Religious tolerance would be a shallow principle indeed if it were reserved only for faiths with which we agree.
. . .

As I travel across the country and see our towns and cities, I am always moved by the many houses of worship with their steeples, all pointing to heaven, reminding us of the source of life's blessings.

It is important to recognize that while differences in theology exist between the churches in America, we share a common creed of moral convictions.
. . .

We separate church and state affairs in this country, and for good reason. No religion should dictate to the state nor should the state interfere with the free practice of religion. But in recent years, the notion of the separation of church and state has been taken by some well beyond its original meaning. They seek to remove from the public domain any acknowledgment of God. Religion is seen as merely a private affair with no place in public life. It is as if they are intent on establishing a new religion in America – the religion of secularism. They are wrong.
. . .

We should acknowledge the Creator as did the Founders – in ceremony and word. He should remain on our currency, in our pledge, in the teaching of our history, and during the holiday season, nativity scenes and menorahs should be welcome in our public places.
. . .

And you can be certain of this: Any believer in religious freedom, any person who has knelt in prayer to the Almighty, has a friend and ally in me. And so it is for hundreds of millions of our countrymen: we do not insist on a single strain of religion – rather, we welcome our nation's symphony of faith.

This was supposed to be a "no religious test for office" speech. You could have fooled me.

In fact, Romney’s speech boils down to this -

1. There most certainly is a religious test for public office.

2. I pass that test. Other people don’t, but we won’t get into that now.

3. Don’t ask me any questions about my religious beliefs - trust me, I do pass the test.

"I ain't got much sense, but I still got my feet . . ."

Even though it's been some time between posts, we're still around.

In the last month we traveled to the West Coast, for a big family celebration, and welcomed the Cautious Kids home from college for Thanksgiving. It was the first time, for us, that Thanksgiving dinner was literally the first time we were all together around the table since the summer. That's a new thing, for us.

Somehow, I didn't get around to typing out any rambling random thoughts. Not that there hasn't been a lot of nonsense going on, out there. Anyway, we'll see what happens going forward.

Have You Heard The News

There's been more news about the decline in newspaper circulation. This always seems to be a source of joy for the likes of Ms. Malkin, and other right-wingers. I always wonder why that is. They still rely on the news-gathering functions of these newspapers, but they just prefer to get the stories online, or second-hand through some news filter like "Drudge" or some other editor aggregator. Ms. Malkin actually quotes approvingly from someone who thinks that talk radio should be our substitute for the news. Don't those talk radio folks just sit there reading to us from the newspaper, and then ranting about it?

I was especially curious about this comment, which came at the end of Ms. Malkin's dance of joy -

Parting question: I’m curious about how many of you still subscribe to a dead-tree newspaper. It’s been years since I had one delivered to my home. How about you?

Years? Really? No newspapers at all in the house? Three questions come to mind.

1. Leave aside whatever prejudices you may have about the "mainstream media" (or MSM, as they like to say, probably because it reminds them of KSM). Don't you live in a community, and doesn't it have a local paper? Aren't you the least bit curious about what is going on in your town or city, in local government, or in your schools? Sure, local papers might be lower down on the media food chain, but they still are something to use in order to keep up with what's going on, where you live.

2. Don't you have kids? What are you teaching your kids about being an informed citizen? Are you just training your kids to stare at a video screen? Kids should be provided with good examples, including seeing their parents reading and discussing the news. My kids have grown into well-informed young people, not because we berated them about reading the news, but because it seemed like a natural thing to do. Oh, and get a good newspaper into your home each day, and your kids' vocabularies will grow - heck, if the "raise more informed kids" reason doesn't appeal to the average right-winger, maybe the "score higher on the SATs" motivation will work.

3. The comics. How can you not get the comics?

Sunday Night Springsteen

"Blind Faith" edition.

If you're reading the news and commentary, there's an undercurrent of opinion that the Iraq War could have been a good thing, if only it hadn't been mishandled. Unspoken in those comments, is the idea that the Iran War will be managed better.

It never ends, unfortunately.

Busted Out Of Class

I see this morning that Ms. Malkin, the comfort woman for the far right, has focused her ire on *gasp*, efforts to reduce stress for high-performing high school students. In her diatribe about efforts by Paul Richards, a principal in a Massachusetts district, to promote relaxation techniques, she merrily mixes stories of high-scoring apples and academicallly-challenge oranges to add to her sweeping condemnation of public education.

Oh, criminey. Just what American high school students need: “Less homework, more yoga:”
. . .

Now, Richards is leading an entire cult of educrats more obsessed with reducing “stress” and coddling fragile minds and bodies than with challenging students to push themselves to the limit and demanding nothing less than their best: "Mr. Richards is just one principal in the vanguard of a movement to push back against an ethos of super-achievement at affluent suburban high schools amid the extreme competition over college admissions." . . .

Welcome to 21st century public education in the US, where one in 10 schools are “dropout factories”

The "dropout factory" reference concerns another article, about schools where a severely high percentage of students never graduate -

WASHINGTON - It's a nickname no principal could be proud of: "Dropout Factory," a high school where no more than 60 percent of the students who start as freshmen make it to their senior year. That dubious distinction applies to more than one in 10 high schools across America.
. . .

There are about 1,700 regular or vocational high schools nationwide that fit that description, according to an analysis of Education Department data conducted by Johns Hopkins for The Associated Press. That's 12 percent of all such schools, no more than a decade ago but no less, either.

While some of the missing students transferred, most dropped out, Balfanz says. The data tracked senior classes for three years in a row — 2004, 2005 and 2006 — to make sure local events like plant closures weren't to blame for the low retention rates.

The highest concentration of dropout factories is in large cities or high-poverty rural areas in the South and Southwest. Most have high proportions of minority students. These schools are tougher to turn around, because their students face challenges well beyond the academic ones — the need to work as well as go to school, for example, or a need for social services.

Utah, which has low poverty rates and fewer minorities than most states, is the only state without a dropout factory. Florida and South Carolina have the highest percentages. About half of high schools in those states classify as dropout factories.

It's ridiculous to link these two stories, as Ms. Malkin does, since the problems identified are very different. Look, it really isn’t all that hard to actually understand the situations. Some kids are not succeeding in school, and their family and economic situations are major contributors to that. On the other hand, some kids are having extraordinary success in school, and once again their family and economic situations are major contributors. The kids who are not succeeding, need help from their schools, and they don’t need right-wing screechers telling them to just work harder. And, the kids who are succeeding, will do just fine, if we back off a little, and let them be themselves. If it takes a little in-school relaxation techniques, why the heck not? It certainly isn’t something to get in a tizzy over.

As for the "stress reduction" program, if Ms. Malkin thinks that this is some sort of public school abomination, she's mistaken. A colleague at work just attended a workshop at the private college preparatory school where her child is in the first year class. The point of the program was for upperclassmen to speak with both students and their parents about academic pressures, and how to handle the college race. Ms. Malkin seems to think that these kids need to have some sort of whip hand over them, "challenging students to push themselves to the limit and demanding nothing less than their best". These kids are doing their best, and they'll be fine, if they aren't made psychotic by the kind of attitude displayed by Ms. Malkin.

As the parent of two college students, I’ve seen how the anxiety over college admissions can create enormous pressure on students. Our kids were anxious, but not because we were pressuring them, but I did see it in their friends. The fact is, there are a lot of great colleges and universities out there (even “state schools”, contrary to the views of the snobs), and these kids will do fine – it’s more important to find a place that is the right fit for them. But, the pressure to get into one of the “top” schools can be harmful, especially since the kids may be looking for the school that everyone else thinks is the “right” school, instead of looking for the school that’s right for them.

So, chill, everybody.

Sunday Night Springsteen

In light of the protests this weekend, this is appropriate - "Gypsy Biker" -

The speculators made their money
On the blood you shed

* * *

The favored march up over the hill
In some fools parade
Shoutin' victory for the righteous
But there ain't much here but graves

* * *

To the dead it don't matter much
'Bout who's wrong or right
You asked me that question
I didn't get it right

Now The Revenue Man Wanted Grandaddy Bad . . .

With my penchant for using lyrics as post titles, I couldn't pass this one up.

From Mr. Atrios, regarding that Republican phenom, former Senator Thompson -

But a review of the 88 criminal cases Thompson handled at the U.S. attorney's office in Nashville, from 1969 to 1972, reveals a different and more human portrait -- that of a young lawyer learning the ropes on routine cases involving gambling, mail theft and, in one instance, talking dirty on CB radio.

There were a few bank robbers and counterfeiters. But more than anything, Thompson took on the state's moonshiners and a local culture, rooted in Tennessee's hills and hollows, that celebrated the independent whiskey maker's battle against the government's revenue agents.

Twenty-seven of his cases involved moonshining -- more than any other crime.

"Hell, I made whiskey and was violating the law, but I didn't do nothing wrong," said one of Thompson's many moonshining defendants, Kenneth Whitehead. "I would do it again if I had a still. I can't afford a still now."

Now, the fact that Mr. Thompson was the prosecutor who kept the promise that the revenue men made, when they caught the moonshiners, is not something that I think is bad. On the other hand, it's not a "good ole boy" kind of activity, as near as I can tell.

But enough of politics - this is as good an excuse as any for some "Copperhead Road" from Steve Earle.

A "music video" version, which apparently can't be "embedded", is at this link.

A "Sims" version, which can be embedded -



And, an interesting clip from what seems to be a "Country Music Television" show hosted by Jerry Jeff "Up against the wall redneck mother" Walker. The audience doesn't seem to know what to make of this guy, Steve Earle, and his solo performance of "Copperhead Road", but they sure do applaud at the end.



I don't know what the crowd would have thought of Mr. Thompson, so we'll just have to let our imaginations run wild.

Out In The Street

So, we sent the Cautious Daughter off to college this fall. And even though you don't think your kids are listening to you - apparently, some of them do. In our case, she's become involved in social justice activities at school, including the Eyes Wide Open project on her campus.

She caught a ride home from school today, because she was on her way to participate in today's march against the war in Iraq. She caught the train from town into New York, with our local "Be About Peace" activists.

I stayed home, did the grocery shopping and picked up the dry cleaning.

I don't know whether I should be happy that I have children who want to do something to oppose our government's war policies, or sad because we're in a situation where our children have to actually deal with a war like this - while their parents run errands.

Anyway, here are some of her pictures from today. This shows some of the people from town, and the "Be About Peace" sign that is seen all around our community.



This sign had a message that says it all -



A shot of the crowd -



And, somebody whom the Cautious Daughter found amusing -

Sunday Night Springsteen

As reported at Backstreets.com, Mr. Springsteen and the band teamed up with some "local heroes" in Ottawa last week.

Yep, in the six-song encore, Bruce and the E Streeters were joined by members of Arcade Fire, husband-and-wife band co-founders Win Butler and Régine Chassagne. First up was "State Trooper," a song Arcade Fire has been known to cover, and which the E Street Band hasn't played live since the Born in the U.S.A. tour. After that, they all went into "Keep the Car Running," a hard-hitting track from Arcade Fire's magnificent Neon Bible.
. . .

[Q]uite a curveball in the indie band's homeland, and a cross-generational mingling of talent on par with the R.E.M. team-up of 2004. Update: Actually, upon reflection, AF's appearance has more in common with Eddie Vedder's, especially in terms of bestowing the ultimate honor in a guest spot: The E Street Band learns your song, and you peform it with them.

Pretty cool, imho.

Some videos of the performance in Ottawa. First up, "State Trooper" On this one you can hear the audience (especially one person) freak out that the folks from Arcade Fire have come onstage.


And another version of that, starting in the middle of the performance -



And then, the E Street Band turned themselves into the "house band" for the folks from Arcade Fire, and backed them up on their own song, "Keep the Car Running". And the crowd goes wild . . .

You Can't Judge A Book By Its Cover

You can't judge the sugar
By looking at the cane
You can't judge a woman
By looking at her man
You can't judge the sister
By looking at her brother
You can't judge a book
By looking at the cover
- Bo Diddley

So with all the fussing about Ann Coulter and her messianic zeal about Jewish people, I picked up her book yesterday at the bookstore.

No, I didn't buy it, I just picked it up and flipped through it. It appears to be a compilation of comments (sort of a "Sayings of Chairwoman Ann"), lots of which are apparently from previously published rantings. Just a sampling from the table of contents gives you the flavor of the work. Some examples -

"Airport security: make imams take buses"
"Blacks: the only thing standing between the Democrat Party and oblivion"
"Colleges: the English translation of 'madrassa'"
"Environmentalism : Adolf Hilter was the first environmentalist"
"Evolution, alchemy, and other 'settled' scientific theories"
"Foreigners, or the 'non-soap oriented'"
"Muslims: Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and a moderate Muslim walk into a bar"

Well, you get the idea. I know that her whole point is to say things that get people annoyed or angry, but why? In her introduction, she says that she is saying "the Truth" - but someone who views those things as "the Truth" has a serious perception problem, or is perhaps just a little, you know, a few threads short of a full cocktail dress.

Then it hit me. I was reading these all wrong. I went through the table of contents again, but this time imagining the voice of Stephen Colbert saying these things. And, it was hilarious! While they're outrageous coming from some clueless conservative pundit who thinks she's making a valid point, they are fantastic one-liners for someone who is trying to act like a clueless conservative pundit.

Mr. Colbert should mine this book for the nuggets of comedy gold contained therein. I give him that advice free of charge.

Sunday Night Springsteen

So we went to the Meadowlands on Tuesday, to see Mr. Springsteen and the E Street Band perform with songs from the new album. They had a glitch (an "Incident", if you will), and as a result did not perform the following song, which had been included in the setlist for the show.

They did it for the crowd the next night (lucky bastards), from which the recording below came.

As It Changes To Green

Ms. Malkin has taken time out from stalking the families of injured 12-year-olds, to return to her full-time job as Islamophobic Rage Girl.

She has found another example of “Dhimmitude” (a nonsense word coined by some hard-core haters, of which Ms. M is a prime specimen). And what does she consider to be the latest craven capitulation to the crescent and star? The lights of Empire State Building will shine green, in commemoration of Eid-al-fitr, the festival at the end of Ramadan.

New York's iconic Empire State Building is to be lit up green from Friday in honor of the Muslim holiday of Eid, the biggest festival in the Muslim calendar marking the end of Ramadan, officials said.

"This is the first time that the Empire State Building will be illuminated for Eid, and the lighting will become an annual event in the same tradition of the yearly lightings for Christmas and Hannukah," according to a statement.

That’s right, she’s rallying her rage boys and rage girls to get upset over the commemoration of a religious holiday celebrated by millions of Americans, and over a billion people around the world.

And what is her reason for this? She coyly leaves it unspoken, letting her post title speak for her, and then linking to other, more obscure but no less hate-filled bloggers. Among the “reasonings” offered for getting the hate on over this –

Today, they announced that the Empire State Building will light itself HAMAS-green in honor of the end of Ramadan.

. . .

"Interreligious understanding" now means we must "understand" those who want to obliterate us through tall buildings. When you demand multi-culturalism, the "cult" is the part of the word that ends up dominating.

In 2001, it was through forced, violent, fiery colors. In 2007, it is through voluntarily whimpering and butt-kissing to Ramadan colors.

Either way, it's a defeat. The first time, the tall buildings' owners didn't expect it. This time, the owners not only see it coming, they cower to it.

Planes into the building, yesterday. Jihadist-Green atop the building, today. Same difference.

If only Jim Jones were around today . . . Kool-Aid Purple Lighting atop the Empire State. "Interreligious Understanding."

Just asking us to look at the HAMAS-Green is like forcing us to drink the Purple.

Yes, I know that Ms. Malkin didn’t write those words, she “only” linked to the post. Doesn’t matter, given her hearty recommendation. Oh, and read the comments at her post, too, if you want to see more examples of ignorant hatred.

Of course, this is another example of the rule that "Hate Makes You Stupid". Even if they didn't already know it, five seconds on the computer would have shown these clowns that "Green is considered the traditional color of Islam". Or, perhaps, they do know that, but their intense hatred has got the better of them. This is a perfect example of the "Islam=Terrorism" Islamophobia they embody, even as they lie and claim that's not what they are saying.

These people are hatemongers, pure and simple. It’s an outrage that someone like Ms. Malkin is given the hosting chair on O’Reilly, or constantly brought onto television programs as some sort of cultural or political critic.

Sunday Night Springsteen

Tonight, it really was "Sunday Night Springsteen", with the gentleman himself featured on "60 Minutes".

The story's online, so if you didn't see it, just go here.

My favorite part of the interview (and, IMHO, it's something that a longtime fan would find most interesting) is the dialogue regarding his father. His father did seem to be part of a lot of those characters in his songs, who were looking for a better life. That came out in this interview -

His recurring obsession is the life that he knew as a boy, the harsh relationship with his working class dad who didn't think much of a rock and roll son.

"It was a tough, struggling household. People struggled emotionally. People struggled financially to get through the day," Springsteen remembers. "Small town. Small town world which I continue to return to. It's like when I went to write, though, I put my father's clothes on. You know the immersement in that world through my parents and my own experience as a child and the need to tell a story that maybe was partially his. Or maybe a lot his. I just felt drawn to do it."

"Your dad wasn't all that proud of you as a young man?" Pelley asks.

"Oh, he was later. When I came home with the Oscar and I put it on the kitchen table, and he just looked at it and said, 'Bruce, I'll never tell anybody what to do ever again,'" Springsteen remembers, laughing. "It was like, that was his comment. So I said, 'Oh. That's okay.'"

If you've ever heard one of Mr. Springsteen's stories about his dad, in concert, that last one is the topper.

The Roll Of The Dice

In the middle of a masterful exposition of just what is so wrong about Mr. Bill O'Reilly and the Fox News enterprise, Hunter at Daily Kos let forth with this perfect summation.

The entire "conservative" media movement, from Limbaugh to O'Reilly to Coulter, is based on old Andrew Dice Clay skits. Someday, America will get tired of people whose only schtick is comic hatred, just like they got tired of their antecedents. Ratings will begin to slide, and it will be all over: on to the new schtick.

That actually explains everything, for me.

One can only hope that America tires of it before something really bad happens.

I mean, other than the really bad stuff that's already happened . . .

Watch The Traffic Pass Me By

So, over at Crooks and Liars, somebody gave the keys to Steven Hart of The Opinion Mill, who's on my reading list on the side. Mr. Hart was kind enough to link to my musings on Mr. Giuliani, below.

Well, as you can imagine, the traffic here soared today. I came home and checked the "Sitemeter" stats, and felt like a big-time blogger.

Thanks, dude.

Sunday Night Springsteen

Tonight, a little something from Friday Morning Springsteen, on the Today show the other day. This clip has Mr. Springsteen's pointed introduction to the song.
After enumerating "the things we love about America, cheeseburgers, French fries, the Yankees battlin' Boston, the Bill of Rights, v-twin motorcycle, . . . trans-fats and the Jersey Shore", he noted: "Over the last 6 years we've had to add to the American picture, rendition, illegal wiretapping, voter suppression, no habeus corpus, neglect of our great city of New Orleans and the people, an attack on the Constitution and the loss of our best young men and women in a tragic war." Yes, he did go there, right there on national television.

What's amazing to me, is that it is actually controversial nowadays to be for the Bill of Rights. What a wonderful legacy for the Bush Administration.

Anyway, "Living in the Future" -

A letter come blowin' in
On an ill wind
Somethin' 'bout me and you
Never seein' one another again
And what I knew had come
Stars struck deaf and dumb
Like when we kissed
That taste of blood on your tongue

Don't worry, darlin'
No baby, don't you fret
We're livin' in the future
And none of this has happened yet
Don't worry, darlin'
No baby, don't you fret
We're livin' in the future
And none of this has happened yet

Woke up election day
Sky's gunpowder and shades of grey
Beneath the dirty sun
I whistle my time away
Then just about sun down
You come walkin' through town
Your boot heels clickin' like
The barrel of a pistol spinnin' round

Don't worry, darlin'
No baby, don't you fret
We're livin' in the future
And none of this has happened yet
Don't worry, darlin'
No baby, don't you fret
We're livin' in the future
And none of this has happened yet

The earth it gave away
The sea rose towards the sun
I opened up my heart to you
It got all damaged and undone
My ship Liberty sailed away
On a bloody red horizon
The groundskeeper opened the gates
And let the wild dogs run

Alone I limp through town
A lost cowboy at sundown
Got my monkey on a leash
Got my ear tuned to the ground
My faith's been torn asunder
Tell me is that rollin' thunder
Or just the sinkin' sound
Of somethin' righteous goin' under

Don't worry, darlin'
No baby, don't you fret
We're livin' in the future
And none of this has happened yet
Don't worry, darlin'
No baby, don't you fret
We're livin' in the future
And none of this has happened yet
None of this has happened yet
None of this has happened yet
None of this has happened yet
None of this has happened yet

Na na na na, na na na na-na
Na na na na, na na na na-na
Na na na na, na na na na-na
Na na na na, na na na na-na
Na na na na, na na na na-na
Na na na na, na na na na-na
Na na na na, na na na na-na

The Cold Black Water

The Blackwater security firm has been in the news lately, mostly because of reports about the "rules of engagement" (or lack thereof) of their personnel in Iraq, and the civilian deaths that have resulted. Then, just the other day, came a report about how Blackwater endandered its own personnel in Iraq, in connection with an investigation of the company's practices.

Democrats in Congress released a scathing report Thursday on the 2004 massacre of four Blackwater contractors in Fallujah, charging that the company rushed unprepared into a sloppy mission, skimped on security to save money and stonewalled when Congress tried to investigate.

The report ratchets up the pressure on Blackwater, already under intense scrutiny for a Sept. 16 shooting incident in Baghdad that left 11 Iraqis dead.

. . .

Thursday's report, based on government reports and internal Blackwater documents, said:

- Blackwater, a for-profit company, opted to use unarmored vehicles to save money and cut essential personnel from the mission. An internal Blackwater report said Blackwater's contract paid for armored vehicles but "management in North Carolina ... made the decision to go with soft skin due to the cost."

- Blackwater ignored the warnings of a British security firm, which had twice turned down the exact same mission "due to the obvious risk of transporting slow-moving loads through such a volatile area."

. . .

The mission through Fallujah had a hurried and slapdash quality, the congressional report said.

Blackwater was taking over operations from Control Risk Group, a British security company. Control Risk Groups twice rejected the mission to escort three flatbed trucks from Camp Taji through Fallujah to Camp Ridgeway because it was too dangerous to take a slow-moving convoy through such hostile territory.

Blackwater ignored the warnings, the report said. Blackwater also sent its men out short-staffed, with two men in each unarmored vehicle, rather than three. The absence of a third man left them open to attack from the rear. Contractors from another company, Kellogg Brown and Root, told Navy investigators that they met the Blackwater convoy the night before the ambush. The Blackwater team seemed unprepared and hurried, and it ignored warnings from the other contractors to avoid Fallujah because of ambushes.

"It almost felt like they were being pressured to get there and get there as quickly as possible," said one contractor, whom the report didn't name.

I was reminded of an "infamous" statement written by the proprietor/ringmaster of Daily Kos, Mr. Markos Moulitsas. At the time of the deaths of the Blackwater personnel in Faluja, he responded with a comment (not a post, you have to scroll down this linked comment page) that has been referenced by right-wingers ever since -

Let the people see what war is like. This isn't an Xbox game. There are real repercussions to Bush's folly.
That said, I feel nothing over the death of merceneries. They aren't in Iraq because of orders, or because they are there trying to help the people make Iraq a better place. They are there to wage war for profit. Screw them.

Mr. Moulitsas himself described that as follows:"So I said something pretty stupid last week. I served up the wingnuts a big, juicy softball. They went into a tizzy, led by Instapundit." And, it lingered as a right-wing talking point, as this dialogue (gleefully reprinted by somebody at "Expose The Left") demonstrates -

KURTZ: Now as you know, “National Review’s” Byron York resurrected a quote from you, this was after four American contractors were killed in Iraq in 2004. The quote was, I feel nothing over the death of mercenaries. They are there to wage war for profits, screw them. You dealt with this at the time and you expressed regret. My question is, are you prepared for the extra scrutiny that comes with this higher profile you have, whether you particularly want to be out there as the symbol of the blogging movement or not?

MOULITSAS: Absolutely. To me in a way it’s funny that they have not updated their talking points in two years. And so they want to keep resurrecting an old quote, there’s nothing I can do about it. What I can do is I can say the fact is the reason, the context for that quote was solidarity with my brothers and sisters in arms, Marines and soldiers. I wore combat boots. I served during the first Gulf war and people are making a choice between private armies and mercenaries. I make my choice. I stand behind our men and women in uniform and I’m not going to apologize for that. But they’re going to keep resurrecting that and that’s fine. That’s what they do. They smear, they attack, they don’t like the fact that people are getting engaged in politics, that people are getting involved. There are too many turf to protect so they’ll keep doing that and that’s fine. I can fight back.

Now, why mention this? Well, the latest reports, noted at the start of this post, show that Mr. Moulitsas was not the first person to say "Screw them" about the Blackwater personnel. The reason those men died, was because the executives of Blackwater, in their zeal to make the Iraq War a lucrative, for-profit enterprise, skimped on training and safety, and essentially said about their own employees: "Screw them."

Another reason to question our government and its amorality in pursuing the war in Iraq.