July 23, 2008
July 22, 2008
YOS Productions Presents: Truth in Advertising and the REAL Jesus Show
Yes, gentle Reader, there really IS a program called, “The Jesus Show.” Mike Malloy mentioned it about a week ago. Some take it seriously, but Mike’s wife, Kathy, says it’s satire. The site seems to support that. Scribe hopes to hear it some day, but this set the ever working mind owned by YOS going with conceptualizing what Jesus would REALLY sound like if, after almost 2,000 years, he hosted a call in show…
“Yes, Texas, your turn.”
Mukasey Has Bush’s Back!
JUST WHAT IS SO HARD FOR REPUGLICANS TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT TAKING THIS OATH?
The right-wing (mis)understanding of Government
Brad Blakeman is a former Deputy Assistant to President Bush and is currently the CEO of Freedom’s Watch, the group formed last year at the American Enterprise Institute by some of the nation’s largest GOP donors (and Ari Fleisher), devoted to advocating the neoconservative agenda. On Wednesday night, Blakeman was on the Dan Abrams Show discussing the White House’s refusal to turn over to Congress FBI interviews with Bush and Cheney in the Plame investigation, based on a brand new form of executive privilege invented by Attorney General Michael Mukasey. Here’s how Blakeman justified Mukasey’s obstructionist actions:
Look, what you have is a very smart attorney general who’s trying to protect his client and that’s the president of the United States, an executive privilege.
That is about as warped a view of how our Government is supposed to work as one can imagine. The core attribute of the Justice Department is independence, not allegiance to the President as “client.” The President has his own lawyers in the White House Counsel’s Office. The Attorney General is not and never was one of those lawyers.
AHHHNOLD FLIPPER #2
Schwarzenegger: I’d be Obama’s Energy Czar
Mike Allen
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said in an interview aired Sunday that he would be open to the idea of serving as energy czar in a Barack Obama administration.
Regardless of whether he takes that particular job, Schwarzenegger, a Republican, added on ABC’s “This Week” that he’s now committed to continuing public service even after he leaves Sacramento.
Schwarzenegger endorsed John McCain at the end of January, and McCain has appeared with “the Governator” to praise his efforts to deal with climate change.
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McCain Collects Social Security
McCain gets Social Security but criticizes system
By DAVID A. LIEB, Associated Press Writer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Although Republican presidential candidate John McCain has called Social Security “a disgrace,” he still cashes his own retirement check every month.
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July 21, 2008
The Hold Steady Stay Positive
When the Hold Steady captured and captivated the indie rock world with its last album Girls and Boys in America it was a major shout out to literate rock that somehow didn’t take itself too seriously. Lead by writer/singer/guitarist Craig Finn, the Hold Steady has perfected the combination of classic rock, serious literature, punk rock and party time fun. The band has returned with even more swagger on its new platter, Stay Positive and the record proves that yes, you can go home again.
Finn and company infuse the record with much of the beliefs of positive hardcore of which Finn was involved in with his previous band Lifter Puller. Positive hardcore basically put forth the idea that you can make your life and also the world around you a better place. Given that, Finn has never been one to hide his influences and on Stay Positive he’s providing more shout outs to his heroes. In the song “Constructive Summer” he shouts out to Iggy Pop, Youth of Today, 7 Seconds and of course the father of all things punk Joe Strummer(“our only decent teacher”). So what’s not to love!?
The band even opens up the Hold Steady sound a bit to add some new wave –like keyboards and some killer guitar solos. While the lyrics still follow that its dark but its going to get better formula, the band still makes you feel like it could be you up there playing and that’s the way they like it and so do I. Check out Stay Positive and feel the positive blast from a band really hitting its stride.
July 20, 2008
Hillary Clinton Rips Bush
Hillary Clinton Rips Bush Abortion Proposal
Democrats Argue Proposal Would Threaten Women’s Access to Contraception
By MATTHEW JAFFE
July 18, 2008
Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., blasted a Bush administration proposal Friday that would change the definition of abortion and, she argues, limit women’s access to contraception.The draft proposal written by the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), which began circulating around Capitol Hill this week, would require hospitals receiving federal funds to hire medical personnel who oppose forms of contraception including birth control pills.
But Democratic critics including Clinton warn that the Bush administration changes would have “damaging” consequences on women’s ability to access birth control.
“The more I learn about these rules by the Bush administration, the more appalled I am and the more determined I am to stop them,” Clinton said.
“This is a gratuitous, unnecessary insult to the women of the United States of America. These rules pose a dire threat to women’s health, to health-care providers, and to uninsured and low-income Americans seeking care. It is a disgrace, but unfortunately it is not a surprise.”
The Tattlesnake — GOP Claims You Can’t Believe In Edition
Tales From the Economic Frontlines Show the GOP is in Trouble Deep
Let’s call her Becky. She’s white, middle-class, ’50-ish’ and owns her own small physical therapy business employing a couple of full-time and several part-time workers. In the past she voted for George W. Bush and other Republicans, mainly because she believed the Republicans are good for business, she thought she’d enjoy lower taxes, and, as a woman who has worked hard for what she has, it irked her to provide welfare for those she didn’t feel deserved it.
That was then, this is now: First off, the GOP has done nothing for Becky’s small business in the last eight years – in fact, her costs and taxes have steadily gone up. Every time she hears some Republican gassing about helping small business she grits her teeth and laughs bitterly. It’s become a sour joke to her these days.
Then there’s our privatized health care system – although she’s had problems with Medicare/Medicaid paying its bills slowly, she eventually gets her money. Not so with private HMO’s – not only are they slow payers, but she’s currently going to court suing an insurance company for promising to pay a $900.00 claim and then arbitrarily reducing the amount to $180.00, not even providing her with a reason beyond that this is their ‘new policy.’ Universal health care, something that was anathema to Becky just a few years ago, now seems like a pretty good idea in contrast to the arrogant corporate types she must deal with in the for-profit insurance companies.
What does she think of John McCain? “That old man is just going to get us in wars forever and waste our tax money. No way!” While she hasn’t come out and said she’ll be voting for Obama, she’s lost to the Republican Party. She is also one of the half-dozen small business owners I have talked to who feel approximately the same way. The GOP has made much of babbling about helping small business owners and entrepreneurs but, as another SBO put it, “They only give the tax breaks to the big guys. We don’t even get the trickle down.”
If these are the kinds of voters McCain is counting on to put him into the presidency, I have two words for him: ‘President Obama.’