Where’s the Outrage?

I pretended to be a DJ back in college and High School. That’s when you brought a turntable and some speakers. You were golden. Then scratching started. I was out. Now, you can electronically alter a song so that the tempo and beat match perfectly to the song that you are mixing. Bingo. Some clever cross-fades and you have something completely different but yet familiar. How about you take Madonna’s Like a Virgin and Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance with Somebody.  Finally add Cher’s Do You Believe. This is an incredible mix by DJ Earworm. (I wish I could take credit for finding it. Skippy the Kangaroo found it.)

 

 DJ Earworm - Believe Somebody [4:56m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Fun, Music by ecthompson
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CNN’s Jeanie Moos notes that Hilliary Clinton called Vice President Cheney Darth Vader.  This is kinda funny.

 

 CNN - Darth Cheney [2:32m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Bush Administration, Fun by ecthompson
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Updated - see below

If you look at all of the subjects that I’ve commented on over the last two years, none of them have received the attention of the Jena 6 debacle in Louisiana. None of them have been more misconstrued. I’ve never had so many comments that were so way off base. I’ve commented on foreign and domestic policy. I’ve talked almost endlessly about ending the Iraq war. I’ve talked about most of the major presidential candidates — Republican and Democratic. Yet, it’s Jena 6 that has received the most attention. Don’t, for a minute, try to convince me that race isn’t still a touchy issue in this country.

For those who’ve looked at the TV and saw the demonstration yesterday and are confused about what happened in Jena, Louisiana — here’s the update. This is a long and complex case (watch this video). Events unfolded over a three to four month period of time in 2006. The events culminated in the arrest of six black teenagers for the beating of a white teenager.

So, to put Louisiana’s best foot forward a couple of teens in Alexandria, La (closest large town to Jena) tied nooses to the back of their truck. The teens have been arrested and charged with being too stupid to be in the general population (just joking).

Mychal Bell, the only one of the Jena 6 to be convicted in the beating incident, had a hearing today on his bail. Mychal has been in jail since December. Bail has been reportedly denied.

Update: From CNN - Also on Friday, the FBI said it was looking into an online posting by a neo-Nazi white supremacist group that published the home addresses of all six of the African-American teenagers, as well as the phone numbers of some. The group said on its Web site it is calling on followers to “let them know justice is coming.”

 

 Louisiana more nooses [3:18m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Civil Rights, Race by ecthompson
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In 1912 Socialist Presidential candidate Eugene V. Debs won 6.0% of the popular vote for President. In my state of Texas, Debs won 8.3% of the vote.

Good for Texas!

According to Congressional Quarterly’s Guide to U.S Elections, Vol.2 , Socialists ran for Congress in 161 of the 435 districts. None won, (Though in later years a few would win), but many gathered at or above 20% of the vote.

Socialists in 1912 had a strong platform upon which to base a campaign.

Here are some of the highlights from the Socialist Party Convention that took place in Indianapolis—

Tax Reform—The adoption of a graduated income tax, the increase of the rates of the present corporation tax and the extension of inheritance taxes…… 

Minimum Wage—By establishing minimum wage scales. 

Direct Election of President—The Election of the President and Vice-President by direct vote of the people.

Social Insurance— ….a general system of insurance by the State of all its members against unemployment and invalidism and a system of compulsory insurance of their workers, without cost to the latter, against industrial diseases, accidents and death.

Also in the platform was woman’s suffrage, public ownership of utilities and a shortened work day.

Much of this came to pass. Other aspects of this platform may still someday be enacted.

In any case, much of it was good stuff nearly 100 years ago and it is still good stuff today.

Tags: Books, Congress, Elections, Other Political Thoughts, Party Politics by Texas Liberal
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