The Truffle

Via Skippy , I found out that Molly Ivins lost her battle with cancer. Classic Ivins: The trouble with blaming powerless people is that although it's not nearly as scary as blaming the powerful, it does miss the point. Poor people do not shut down factories,... Poor people didn't decide to use "contract employees" because they cost less and don't get any benefits. Amen, Molly. Rest in peace.

Yup, it's this guy. More opportunities to say, "Senator Biden--SHUT UP ALREADY!" Update: Yes, Senator Smarm just had his very first foot-in-mouth moment as a presidential hopeful. One that had him trying to play kiss-and-make-up with another 2008 presidential hopeful. Dig that Observer piece where he attacks the other 2008 candidates for their Iraq war positions: To hear him tell it, Hillary Clinton’s position is calibrated, confusing and “a very bad idea.” John Edwards doesn’t know what he’s talking about and is pushing a recipe for Armageddon in the Middle East. Barack Obama is offering charming but insubstantial fluff. And all of them are playing politics. “Let me put it this way,” Mr. Biden said. “You didn’t hear any one of them get in this debate at all until they announced for President.” How do you explain Feingold and his drive to cut off war funds, Senator? To be fair, Biden admits to being a windbag. This makes his treatment of Kerry and Obama somewhat i...

Le Sweetie has discovered yet more proof that fundies and popular culture mix like hot dogs and marshmallow fluff. Of course, the site itself could be a parody. In the meantime, I am confused as to how Ghostface Killah got on the list. Update: Scott EVill provides very, very strong evidence that the site is indeed satire.

In 1989, I paid a visit to a place familiar to anyone who ever watched "In Search Of." I am, of course, talking about Stonehenge , that circle of really big rocks that a bunch of ancient Brits stuck in the ground for reasons nobody has figured out for certain. There weren't any druids dancing around the rocks on the day that I visited. There were, however, a lot of tourists. For a bunch of rocks stuck in the ground, it is certainly a major tourist attraction. Photos of Stonehenge are often taken at twilight, showing the big rocks silhouetted against a darkening sky. Or they're taken from a distance, so we can see the rocks in their element, surrounded by an expanse of emerald grass. Or sometimes, we'll see a photo of Stonehenge up close, as the photographer crouches behind one of the rocks to photograph some of the other rocks, to emphasize he mysteriousness of this ancient, pre-historic whatchamacallit. But here's what you won't see: You won't ...

Via Skippy , it turns out that the party-pooping meanies at Google have disabled the "Miserable Failure" Google bomb. Sigh. I suppose it was fun while it lasted.

And for once, he tells it like it is. It's not the American people or the U.S. Congress who are emboldening the enemy. It's the failed policy of this president — going to war without a strategy, going to war prematurely. From here. I was wondering when some major political figure would point out this blatantly obvious fact.

I believe in Occam's razor. Put in plain English, Occam's razor is the theory that the simplest solution or explanation is the correct one. Nothing is a better example of Occam's razor in action than the discussion of the Iraq war, and the efforts to discredit or silence its critics. Waaaaaaay back in 2003, there were some disparate, brave souls who dared to question the wisdom behind a pre-emptive war, ranging from Jeremy Glick , whose father died on 9/11 to Brent Scowcroft , Poppy's former national security advisor. There was ample evidence given by Joseph Wilson and Karen Kwiatkowski that the case for the war was full of holes and that the administration was manipulating intelligence. General Eric Shinseki, meanwhile, was pooh-poohed for daring to suggest that a pre-emptive war would require a larger number of troops than Shrub and company were willing to commit. Clearly, the war critics were not a random sampling of moonbats, leftover hippies, and Saddam apolo...

Namely, Senator James Webb's response. You compare Webb to an empty suit like Dubya and you feel some embarassment. Can't our country have a smart president? Please? Finally, someone talks sense tonight. He's saying what needs to be said about the economy. And about Situation FUBAR. Oh yeah, and he brings out a photo of his dad in uniform. And he talks about his own military career and his son, who's now serving in you-know-where. Take that, chickenhawks.

And it's a case of "same old shit, different day." So much for "Mission Accomplished." I knew Dubya didn't have a fucking clue. Oh, but he wants to establish a bipartisan advisory committe for the war on "terra". And he's calling for an increase in troops and a civilian reserve corps. Why do I not trust this idea of a civilian reserve corps? Why do I have a feeling the Republicans aren't going to get behind a civilian reserve corps? And it'll go the way of Dubya's Social Security "reform"?

Isn't it interesting that Dubya hasn't brought up the "I" word yet? He talks about going on the offense, but not the "I" word. He talks about the war on "terra," but not the "I" word. He talks about his allies, but not the "I" word. He talks about alleged accomplishments in the war on "terra," but not the "I" word. He talks about September 11, but not the "I" word. He talks about al Qaeda, but not the "I" word. Man, he's making it too easy for Webb.

"For too long our nation has been dependent on foreign oil." Dubya, your Saudi buddies are NOT gonna like that! Da-na! Da-na-na! Dude sounds like a Democrat! No wonder Cheney's squirming and scowling and looking all unenthusiastic.

He's talking about saving Social Security! Omigod! And public education! Double omigod! Of course, he wants Congress to re-authorize No Child Left Behind. Congress is unimpressed. Oh, and Dubya? The other part is the DEMOCRATIC Party. Not the DEMOCRAT Party. Democratic is an adjective. Democrat is a noun. Dig?

...and I'm aware that there are SOTU drinking games floating around the blogosphere. I'm glad I don't have any alcohol lying around, or else I'd be drunk in 5 minutes. Elayne Riggs directs us to this drinking game and this one as well. Boy, does Darth Cheney look glum standing next to Madame Speaker. Actually, the worse "Madame Speaker" got a bigger round of applause than Chimpy did. This many not be a good thing. Of course, considering Madame Speaker's predecessor. Awwwwww. Dubya congratulated the Dem majority and McCain looks unhappy. Cheney looks like either a. he's mulling over his newly uncovered role in Plamegate or b. he's trying to muffle a fart. Gee, it's so nice that Dubya's sounding all bipartisan, isn't it? Man, his speechwriters are pretty good, but looking in his eyes, you can tell he really doesn't mean them. Like the part about deficit reduction and balancing the budget. ("Balanced budgets? We don...

La Hill is being interviewed by Olbermann and she's good! She says all the right things and she's smart as hell. There's the teeny-tiny part of me that hopes that a President La Hill would be the kind of pragmatic problem-solver this country needs. The only down side of La Hill as president would be if the Bush family tries to find another family member to run. Maybe Jeb Bush with his imaginary friend Chang as his running mate?

Le Sweetie says he's going to be sure he's doing something else with his time when Chimpy gives the SOTU. Me, I marked my calendar for it. I'm the only person I know who's waiting with bated breath to listen to this speech. It probably won't be very inspiring, but I'm sure there will be some stray nuggests of comedy gold. And, of course, there's James Webb's Democratic response to look forward to. I'm waiting as MSNBC counts down to the speech. I'm out of my mind to be looking forward to this thing.

In homage to Atrios , this week's prog blog features Yes performing "Yours Is No Disgrace" circa 1971 on "Beat Club."

Am I the only one trying to catch up with Battlestar Galactica instead of watching the Super Bowl? And now I'm going to check out the premiere of The Dresden Files. It's another SciFi channel series and looks interesting. A crimefighting wizard sounds like a neat premise.

Here are some pictures from the Knitting Factory's Winter Jazzfest. The guys here are Gary Lucas (ex-Captain Beefheart) and his band. All were taken with my cellphone. At some point, I'm going to need to splurge on a digital camera, aren't I?

La Hill has announced she's running for president. C'mon, who didn't see that one coming? She might as well have worn a "Hillary in 2008 2006" campaign T-shirt. Christopher Dodd has announced, too. I know what you're thinking: Who? WHO?!?!? He's the senator from Connecticut who isn't Joe Lieberman. Barack, of course, has announced, and the wingnutocracy is already making a big deal out of the fact that his surname reminds people of that evil guy who's behind 9/11. Oh yeah, and Barack's middle name is Hussein. The wingnutocracy is all over that like flies on manure. Note to wingnutocracy: is this the best you ass-clowns can do? Joe Biden hasn't formally announced yet (I don't think). And hopefully he won't. Joe, don't do it. And while you're at it...SHUT UP! John McCain is no doubt arranging a hugfest with Dobson and Falwell even as I type this. The Straight Talk Express has been permanently derailed, folks. Sam ...

I guess today's bone-chilling cold and wince-inducing wind are prime examples of "be careful what you wish for." December felt weirdly like March or April. Two weeks ago, temps hit 70 degrees. Yup, you read that correctly. 70 degrees. In January. Now, it is appropriately freezing cold. Le Sweetie and I are going to the Knitting Factory and invited some buds to go along. The buds decided that the freezing weather was too much to bear and decided to make it a "Turner Classic Movies" afternoon. Winter has arrived. A few weeks late, but it's arrived.

Come, let us relive the 1990s--a period when the music on the radio was oftimes of decent quality, nobody knew who Paris Hilton was, and we had a president with some governing ability and a first lady with a personality. Rudy Giuliani and Newt Gingrish are bringing back the nostalgia, mainly by reminding us all that they still exist outside the bubble of 2008 presidential predictions. Their recent editorial on Situation FUBAR is all about how we can secure Iraq once and for all and turn it into a stable country. They have all kinds of constructive suggestions that would be okay in their imaginary world but aren't too feasible in a country of religious groups that can't stand each other and ethnic groups that want their own country. We must try to achieve constructive and compassionate goals through conservative means--jump starting civic improvement and the individual work ethic in Iraq, without creating permanent subsidies. The goal is to get more Iraqis working, especiall...

All this 2008 speculation in January 2007 can only mean one thing: People are absolutely sick to death of Bush and Cheney. Kind of sad that people are already looking foward to 2008 and 2007 has barely started--isn't it?

Yes, kids, O'Reilly has jumped the shark.

I always had mixed feelings about Rudy Giuliani during his eight years as mayor. To be sure there were lots of things I respected about him. On the other hand, the man did things that made me cringe. I admired him for supporting New York's Democratic governor--Mario Cuomo--instead of George Pataki. I liked the fact that crime dropped. I liked seeing no more squeegee guys and no more pot dealers in Washington Square Park. I was glad that he supported reproductive choice and gay rights. I liked his performance during 9/11. There he truly rose to the occasion. I disliked the way he allowed store chains to start crawling like kudzu all over the city. Broadway in Soho has been given over to Old Navy and electronics stores. It's sad. I also did not like his hostility to the First Amendment or his mishandling of police brutality cases in New York. I think he tended to side with the police instead of simply letting investigations proceed as they should. I think he treated h...

...Bill O'Reilly goes ahead and attacks a teenage kidnap victim. Here's Loofahman talking about Shawn Hornbeck, who was kidnapped four years ago from his Missouri hometown and rescued last Friday. It is worth noting that Hornbeck's parents believe that their son was sexually abused by his kidnapper. And the question is, why didn't he escape when he could have? There are all kinds of theories about that.... All right, you know, the Stockholm syndrome thing, I don't buy it. I've never bought it. I didn't think it happened in the Patty Hearst case. I don't think it happened here. If you're 11 years old or 12 years old, 13, and you have a strong bond with your family, OK, even if the guy threatens you, this and that, you're riding your bike around, you got friends. The kid didn't go to school. There's all kinds of stuff. If you can get away, you get away. All right? If you're 11.... The parents of Polly Klaas might beg to differ with th...

Someone in Montana thinks it's the 1950s. Journalists don’t know the meaning of a “holiday.” No matter whether it’s Christmas or Easter, there’s some lonely reporter pumping out copy for tomorrow’s newspaper. But roaming the halls of the Capitol, I’ve heard more than one disgruntled comment about Montana’s Legislature working on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a federal holiday “No one in the Negro caucus objected,” Senate Minority Leader Corey Stapleton joked. (Uh, for those that don’t know, there are no black lawmakers in Montana.) Negro caucus. SIGH. (Via Daily Kos. )

John McCain continues to prove that he'd sell his children to be president. Making nicey-nice with Dobson? Gee, it figures. It wasn't enough to kiss up to Bush; now he is trying to become the religious right's ideal presidential candidate. He's got plenty of competition for the wingnut vote: Tom Tancredo has thrown his hat in the ring, following the equally insane Sam Brownback. The GOP presidential field is going to be a free-for-all next year. And I don't think McCain is really the shoo-in he thinks he is.

First, there'll be the sight of Dick Cheney and Nancy Pelosi standing side by side behind the preznit. Can't wait to see the look on Cheney's face. Or the Democratic responpse, to be delivered by Senator James Webb. It's going to be fun.

Norbizness suggests that everyone's favorite bogus political party outsiders form their own party. The outsiders in question being John "I'm a team player, I really am! Vote for me!" McCain and Joe "The Dem it's okay for wingnuts to like" Lieberman. It's about high time that we had a viable third party to supplement the tired-ass binary system we've got going now. Thank God several prominent Senators are applying for this splinter from the Republican Party, if only they could settle on a name: Extremely Silly, Raving Loony, Church of the Most Exalted and Infallible President Bush. Alas, Raving Loony Party name was taken years ago by the late, great Screaming Lord Sutch. Actually, it is known as the Official Monster Raving Loony Party. Maybe Extremely Silly or Bush Sycophant Party would be good names. Mary Matalin could be a party secretary, as shilling for Bush seems to be the one thing she's exceptionally good at--that and trading on ...

AMERICAblog explains. (Via Shaun at Upper Left )

USA Today reports that a Pentagon official is mad at lawyers who are donating their time to represent Guatanamo detainees. In a radio interview last week, Charles "Cully" Stimson, deputy assistant secretary of defense for detainee affairs, brought up the issue, cited many of the law firms by name and suggested that corporate CEOs "make those law firms choose between representing terrorists or representing reputable firms." Wait. I thought that this was America, where everyone--even a prisoner detained at Guatanamo--had the right to a lawyer and a fair trial. USA Today notes that Stimson himself is a lawyer, which begs the question: which law school awarded him his J.D.? This fair trial stuff is common knowledge, right? Perhaps a few facts need to be called to Stimson's attention. While holding hundreds of prisoners in Kafkaesque legal limbo at the camp, the U.S. government has transferred or released about 380. After labeling prisoners the "worst of th...

Yup, it's the band that would eat all the other proggers for lunch. I'm talking, of course, about Van Der Graaf Generator. This is VDGG performing "Arrow" circa 1975:

Debsweb has discovered a company called Ahiida that makes bathing suits and sportswear for fitness-loving Muslim females. There's even a hood that goes along with the outfits. The bathing suits are called "burquini" swimwear. Think Sports Illustrated would be interested in a two-page spread?

After years as rubber stampers, America's minority party has made a break with Bush. Newsweek reports the splintering of the GOP. Last Tuesday afternoon, a day before President George W. Bush went on TV to explain his decision to send more troops to Iraq, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called his Republican colleagues together for a private talk. Several GOP senators had already come out against the plan. McConnell, Bush's closest Senate supporter on Iraq, hoped to keep others from defecting. He urged his colleagues to stand together at least until Bush had the chance to speak to the country. After the meeting, the senators went outside the room to display their unity to waiting reporters. McConnell said he thought more troops were just the thing to "give us a chance to succeed." He then stepped aside so the other senators could second his sentiments. No one came forward. McConnell's eye fell on Trent Lott. "Trent?" McConnell said, motioning hi...

Bay Area Houston shows how. (Via Kiss My Big Blue Butt .) Man, DeLay should just pack it in and retire from public life.

I saw Dreamgirls on Friday with Le Sweetie and a friend. Great movie, great music, great performances, great stuff from everyone involved. If God exists, He will see to it that Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Hudson, and Eddie Murphy get Oscar nominations. (I still want to see the Best Actor Oscar go to Forrest Whitaker for The Last King of Scotland . He is simply mesmerizing.) Watching Eddie Murphy as the flamboyant, conflicted R&B singer James Early, I just wondered, "Wow! Why doesn't he pick more scripts like this?" Eddie, enough with Pluto Nash , Daddy Day Care , and the rest of that crap. Seriously. And Jennifer Hudson? She's phenomenal. Ladies and gentlemen, forget the sleek Diana Ross wannabes. This is (or should be) the next black female crossover star. Only one quibble--the guy who brought his/her baby into the theater. The baby, needless to say, didn't have a lot of appreciation for the music, period-perfect costumes, or great performances--this ...

Li'l Ricky Santorum's got a new job at a think tank. He'll be working with a program called "America's Enemies." I guess this means he'll be following the activities of his former colleagues in the GOP-controlled Congress. Or maybe even tracking Rove and Cheney, yes?

No, he hasn't started wearing a bright orange jumpsuit yet. But never fear. Tom DeLay is still out there demonstrating to the world what a loser he is. And what better way to do so than trying to reposition himself as a principled right-winger a la Limbaugh? You may remember Limbaugh basically admitted that he never enjoyed carrying water for the GOP assclowns who recently got dumped. Now, he's pretending to be an underdog. Meanwhile, Tommy Boy is trying to make everyone forget what a scuzzball he is over at his ghostwritten blog , which is taking votes for the Most Ridiculous Liberal of 2006. Sadly, DeLay's Democratic replacement, Nick Lampson, is not a nominee. But wait! It gets better! To offset his legal expenses offer a beacon of light for the conservative movement, Tom DeLay has written a book titled No Retreat, No Surrender . Raw Story reports on fighting at DeLay's publisher over the book cover and the fact that the book even exists. DeLay's edi...

The only remarkable thing about his "we're-escalating-troops-so-too-bad-if-you-don't-like-it" speech was how remarkably dull it was and how dull-eyed and inept the Commander-in-Chimp appeared. In fact, this whole administration and the whole right-wing echo chamber are starting to induce yawns and eye rolls now. They keep saying the same shit over and over. Have they listened to themselves talk? Olbermann offers his analysis: "And after all of that, today it is his credibility versus that of generals, diplomats, allies, Republicans, Democrats, the Iraq Study Group, past presidents, voters last November, and the majority of the American people." At this point, the Preznit should give up hope of pinning his preznential legacy on Situation FUBAR. He should instead cut his losses and begin plans for a gradual withdrawal, spending the next two years in a state of lame-duckery as an impotent figure. It's really the best possible outcome for him and the re...

Ella Fitzgerald has been honored with a commemorative stamp. Anyone who hasn't heard this great lady sing is well-advised to do so. The Best of the Song Books, featuring her stunning interpretation of "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered," is a perfect starting point.

Anyone remember a kid's show called The Magic Garden ? It aired in the tri-state area and I remember watching it after school. It starred two women named Carole and Paula who sang songs and told jokes. Very gentle children's programming, if I remember correctly. The Magic Garden is long gone, but, as it turns out, Carole and Paula are still performing together. Wow. I haven't thought of them or their show in years, but now I'm getting a nostalgia rush. It really was a sweet-natured show, and the airwaves could use more shows like that.

The most recent inductees are: Patti Smith (finally! after HOW long?), Van Halen (finally! after HOW long?), Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, R.E.M., and the Ronettes. Nice list. Where the hell are the Spinners? When do they get inducted?

Anyone remember a multi-culti PBS series called "Vegetable Soup"? Taking a peek at Youtube, I find that that lots of people do! Which begs the question: is there anyone interested in reissuing the show on DVD? Because "Electric Company" has gotten the DVD treatment. And yes, there is a famous name or two attached to "Vegetable Soup": Bette Midler did the voice of Woody the Spoon. Not as iconic as Morgan Freeman's "Easy Reader," but still notable. Also notable are the opening credits. Why didn't these cartoon characters get their own animated series to themselves? They're tons trippier (and more fun to watch) than that dull stoner Shaggy. Update: Okay, it seems I'm not the only one who remembers this show. Nick Sagan shares his memories of being creeped out by the opening credits, the aforementioned Woody the Spoon, and the marionette segments. Sagan on the cartoon rock band: This is not warm and fuzzy kids' animati...

Laura Rozen finds hints in WaPo that Condi may be the next neocon stooge to leave. We can only hope. C'mon, Condi, admit it. You miss academia. The ivy-covered walls of Stanford are beckoning to you even now. Please, do your country a favor. Get out of politics and stay out.

Yes, the man who has supplanted Joe Lieberman as my least favorite Democratic senator has confirmed what some reality-based folks have suspected all along. Namely, that even the highest-up higher-ups in the Bush administration--including Cheney--have concluded that Situation FUBAR is, well, FUBAR. "I have reached the tentative conclusion that a significant portion of this administration, maybe even including the vice president, believes Iraq is lost," Biden said. "They have no answer to deal with how badly they have screwed it up. I am not being facetious now. Therefore, the best thing to do is keep it from totally collapsing on your watch and hand it off to the next guy -- literally, not figuratively." Biden gave the comments in an interview as he outlined an ambitious agenda for the committee, including holding four weeks of hearings focused on every aspect of U.S. policy in Iraq. The hearings will call top political, economic and intelligence experts; foreign d...

Here is yet another reason why Katha Pollitt is one of my favorite columnists. She's got a list of New Year's resolutions that all liberals would be wise to follow. And yes, if we follow these resolutions, we will find ourselves winning more and more elections. I firmly believe that. Take resolution number 5 as a good example: 5. Avoid weasel words. Like "spirituality." It's "religion." And "faith"--that's "religion" too. And while you're at it, define your terms. What is a "working family"? What is "the middle class"? Do these phrases mean anything more than "virtuous people entitled to make a moral claim on society"--as opposed to those criminals, drug addicts and welfare moms liberals used to care about? And speaking of liberals, whatever happened to them? And to leftists? How come we're all "progressives" now? Good question. Let's just call ourselves liberals, okay? Li...

Once upon a time, Phil Collins was just a drummer in a 1970s prog-rock band and Peter Gabriel was a posh boarding-school lad with an overactive imagination and a fondness for wearing weird costumes onstage. Come relive those days with Genesis circa 1973!

...it couldn't happen to a more deserving dude. Take that, Rep. No-Goode!

Mr. President, believe me, searching through my mail is a waste of time. What'll you find in my mail? Uh...well...mail from Planned Parenthood, NRDC, the Democratic National Committee (and related groups), NOW, Heifer International, and the ACLU. Trust me, none of that mail is or will ever be of any interest to you. Expecially not the DNC mailings. You don't really want to read that stuff. it's all mass mailings addressed to "Dear Friend/Defender of Wildlife/Fellow American." Note to the New York Daily News : NOW do you get it? The Preznit fancies himself as Big Brother. He appointed himself Official Busybody during winter recess, when he signed this neat new postal reform bill into law. Will you please stop cheerleading the Iraq war long enough to figure out that he wants to feed the Constitution to a paper shredder? Pretty please? Drifting the Grift offers his opinion.

Okay, this I can get behind! Farscape's Moya is first, followed by my beloved Deep Space Nine . Actually, if there were Muppets on DS9, I'd be psyched. You scored as Moya (Farscape) . You are surrounded by muppets. But that is okay because they are your friends and have shown many times that they can be trusted. Now if only you could stop being bothered about wormholes. Moya (Farscape) 94% Deep Space Nine (Star Trek) 88% Babylon 5 (Babylon 5) 81% Millennium Falcon (Star Wars) 81% Serenity (Firefly) 69% SG-1 (Stargate) 69% Galactica (Battlestar: Galactica) 63% Bebop (Cowboy Bebop) 56% Enterprise D (Star Trek) 56% Nebuchadnezzar (The Matrix) 56% Andromeda Ascendant (Andromeda) 50% FBI's X-Files Division (The X-Files) 50% Your Ultimate Sci-Fi Profile II: which sci-fi crew would you best fit in? (pics) created with QuizFarm.com