Where’s the Outrage?

I was listening a few days ago to Cole Porter’s Anything Goes.

Here are the first few lines from that famous song written in 1934—

Times have changed,
And we’ve often rewound the clock,
Since the Puritans got a shock,
When they landed on Plymouth Rock.
If today,
Any shock they should try to stem,
‘Stead of landing on Plymouth Rock,
Plymouth Rock would land on them.

Now here is Malcolm’s famous line about Plymouth Rock–

“We’re not Americans, we’re Africans who happen to be in America. We were kidnapped and brought here against our will from Africa. We didn’t land on Plymouth Rock–that rock landed on us”

Hmmmm. Do you think Malcolm sat around listening to Cole Porter? You never know.

I’ve seen Plymouth Rock a few times. Though if you’ve seen it once, you’ve covered it for a lifetime. You’re seeing it in the photo above.

Here is a link to a Malcolm X reading list.

Here is a link to a Cole Porter reading list.

Tags: General, Music, Race by Texas Liberal
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Valerie Plame’s new book is out today.

Plame said - “There is no doubt that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons.”  This is true.  We have known that for over 10 years.

Q&A with Keith Olbermann

Did George Tenet know about the leak before he referred the case to Justice?  She didn’t know.

Did the media, who published so much information surrounding the leak, did they get any of it right?  Many stories were right.  The Libby trial revealed the relationship between the media and the administration.  There was no confirmation of stories that the White House feed the media.

A lot of her book was redacted.  Ms. Plame believes that the CIA will not acknowledge that she worked at the CIA before 2003.  She believes that it is an ongoing effort to diminish her importance.

This is a very good interview.  It is 1000% better than the Katie Couric thing.

 

 Countdown - Valerie Plame [8:19m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Bush Administration, National Intelligence by ecthompson
1 Comment »

Damn it. I hate wimpy Democrats. Say what you mean and mean what you say. You are on the floor of the House of Representatives. Say what you mean. No emotional outbursts. Please. This is important. I was talking to one “thoughtful” Republican friend who thought that Stark’s words were treason. Yes, treason. I think that he has been sipping too much Republican joy juice but the point is that it is possible to make a point without going over the top. It is possible to make a point without insulting anyone or calling their manhood under question or calling their Patriotism under question. If you can’t do that, then sit down. Don’t speak.

Update: It seems that Rep. Pete Stark has a history of letting his tongue wag. Here a brief rundown -

2003: As Stark belittled House Ways and Means Chairman Bill Thomas (R-Calif.), then-Rep. Scott McInnis (R-Colo.) told him to “shut up.”

“You think you are big enough to make me, you little wimp?” Stark taunted. “Come on. Come over here and make me, I dare you. You little fruitcake.”

2001: At a Ways and Means subcommittee hearing on abstinence promotion, Stark referred to then-Rep. J.C. Watts (R-Okla.) as the “current Republican Conference chairman, whose children were all born out of wedlock.”

1995: In a private meeting, Stark called then-Rep. Nancy L. Johnson (R-Conn.) a “whore for the insurance industries.“

Is it time to get someone in his seat who is a progressive with a little more self control?

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From WaPo:

Republicans failed in an effort Tuesday to have the House censure Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif., who said in a congressional speech last week that U.S. troops are being sent to Iraq “to get their heads blown off for the president’s amusement.”

Without debate, the House voted 196-173 to kill the proposal to censure Stark for “his despicable conduct.” The vote was mostly along party lines, with all 168 Republicans on hand supporting the measure offered by Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio. Five Democrats joined them. (more…)

 

 Stark apologizes [2:54m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Congress, Iraq by ecthompson
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In the category of really dumb, Arnold Schwarzenegger said yesterday, “The people are happy. They have everything here.” He said this as he toured Qualcomm stadium.

Doesn’t that sound just like someone else? Someone who is rich and unaware of poverty. Uhmm - Mrs. Bush, after touring the Astrodome complex in Houston on Monday, said: ”What I’m hearing, which is sort of scary, is they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this is working very well for them.”

Tags: California Wildfires, Katrina by ecthompson
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I never tire of seeing the shuttle take off and land. I’m still amazed at the roll that the shuttle does just after take off. If I were going to invest over $400 billion I would build another shuttle using today’s technology. We have to be able to make space travel safer. (I would also use some of the money to develop alternative fuels and have them ready to go in 3 years. With serious money, we can do that.)

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From CNN.com:

Space shuttle Discovery and a crew of seven rocketed into orbit Tuesday in pursuit of the international space station, where a formidable construction job awaits them.

Discovery blasted off at 11:38 a.m., ducking through clouds. It carried a giant Tinkertoy-type link that must be installed at the space station before European and Japanese laboratories can arrive.

Despite a forecast calling for rain right at launch time, the weather ended up cooperating. (more…)

 

 Discovery lifts off [2:26m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: NASA by ecthompson
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I don’t live in Southern California. I live in North Carolina. I know that fires have seasons in southern California. They don’t get much rain during “normal” times. I also know that Global Warming, from whatever the cause, has made this area drier than normal.

My wife and I honeymooned in La Jolla just north of San Diego. I love the area. The people are very nice and friendly.

There are a lot of Katrina references being thrown around. I know that 79% of Americans own at least one car. I don’t know if there are more car owners in San Diego than there are in New Orleans. I think that there are but I’m still looking that up. I know that the median income in New Orleans is just over $30,700. Median Income in San Diego is over $55,600.

I’m not saying that one tragedy is worse than the other. If you lose your home, your home is lost, period. I just think that it should be understood that the folks in San Diego have more means as a whole than New Orleans. I just came back from New Orleans a couple of weeks ago. Large areas of the city was flooded, not just the 9th ward. Large portions of the city have empty decaying houses. Something needs to be done. Even if that something is to bulldoze those houses. There needs to be some leadership and a plan. Let’s see if the new Governor will be able to something. (I bet he will do nothing of any substance to help New Orleans or the other cities of the Gulf Coast. )

Update:  Excellent information can be found on some local California blogs - here, here and here.

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From CNN.com:

Relentless wildfires roared through Southern California for a third day Tuesday, sending more than half a million residents fleeing with family members, pets and whatever prize possessions they could fit in their vehicles.

The blazes have charred 400,000 acres and reduced 1,300 homes — 1,000 in San Diego County — to ash.

The fires have killed one person and injured more than 50. Earlier Tuesday, officials erroneously reported that a second person had died.

Earlier Tuesday, Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, said the number of evacuees “could very well approach 500,000 by the end of the day.” (more…)

 

 Fires continue in Cali [2:51m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: California Wildfires, Environment by ecthompson
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