Say What You Will Clarence....Karl Sold The Truck.

“ ...there's a ringing in my ear that's heaven sent...”

- Soul Asylum, “Cartoon”

good show last night, and as a bonus, an up and coming Milwaukee band, The Championship, was tapped as opener.

I haven't seen SA since they headlined at the Marcus. They still had original member Karl Mueller on bass then; our seats were way off to the side. It didn't compare to the early days, when I saw them on the Hang Time tour, all rambling and raucous.

Last night did compare, quite well. The band has a new album out, Silver Lining, that I think may be even better than Grave Dancers Union (I've always preferred the two previous albums). Dave Pirner, who moved to New Orleans, had a few things to write about so 'he got the band back together'

Unfortunately, Mueller had been diagnosed with throat cancer. Although he recorded most of the album, he regrettably died before they could finish. They debated putting out the album at that point, but new drummer Michael Bland said “I won't be part of a band that puts out something like this.” So they tapped a friend to fill on bass and finished it.

Good thing, too. It's got some brilliant stuff: Standing Water, Stand Up And Be Strong, Lately. Fearless Leader. Much of the excess has been stripped away, and Murphy's guitar is back in the mix; the vocal harmonies are back. I once read a review that said that Murphy and Pirner's voices harmonize 'like fallen angels after a three day bender.' And their guitar interplay is the best since Television.

The band was loose and playful. New bassist Tommy Stinson (rescuing fellow Minneapolan from Guns n Roses) was his usual, grinning self; at one point he said 'this sounds like a band'.. My understanding is that this is a permanent arrangement; I hope so. playing in a post-punk band is what he was meant to do. he wasn't available for the album due to a GnR tour.

Michael Bland, the new drummer, was phenomenal. Previously, after the original drummer quit, they had filled in with Sterling Campbell, a session guy, which was OK. But Bland has such power, such presence. Playing just a small kit, he filled in every song effortlessly. The rest of the band seemed to be trying to impress him. His drum kit has a picture of his smilin mug on the front; one of the tour shirts featured a Family Fued style display of the faces of the three drummers, with all but Bland's face X-ed out. Kind of a Spinal Tap homage, I guess.

we rocked right up to the front of the stage when they started; the sound may have been a little less crisp, but the immediacy makes up for it. The band even brought the guitar techs out to play on Runaway Train; The young techs emphasized, just for one song, the age lines in the rest of the guys faces.

Soul Asylum. 20 years on, they still kick like punks.


[EDIT] Another packed musical week; Yo La Tengo on Thursday, and then the Musical Box on Friday and Saturday (2 Different Shows!) The Musical Box re-creates Gabriel era Genesis shows, down to the costumes and instruments. Friday they will be doing the Foxtrot tour show, and Saturday the Selling England By The Pound show. A couple of years ago, they did The Lamb, in it's entirety. I went twice.

I added that about the Musical Box just to rub it in, so Zelmo will comment. He can't make it. <Nelson Muntz> HAH-ha! </Nelson Muntz> As a matter of fact, he has had “Other Priorities” each of the FOUR previous times they played here.

When The Generals Talk

visit

Somebody to Shove

Well, it's been a lousy week in so many ways.

But we're going to the Soul Asylum show tonight, and it's Oktoberfest outside my office door, and Sigmund Snopek is doing a Beer show, so maybe tonight won't be so bad... I Imagine there were many great parties in Germany between 1934 and 1948.


Interesting factoid: Cost of Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation into conspiracy and possible treason to date: $1.4 million
Cost of Kenneth Starr's investigation into non-existent real estate fraud and semen staining: $71.5 million.

On to the Music! Same old same old, but it's a habit now, so the only way you'll stop me is if you send money. 71.96 gigs of music, 49 days, 17,939 songs.

This one is dedicated to Keith Olbermann, who has received death threats and white powder in the mail (not anthrax). Because he has stated his opinion, but it is in opposition to Dear Leader, and George's minions do not look favorably upon most of that bothersome Bill Of Rights. As the Clash put it “You have the Right! To Free Speech! As long as you don't actually try to use it!”


1. Punk Rock Song from the album “The Gray Race” by Bad Religion. well. that's....pretty much just exactly the way I feel to start the day.
2. Volume 4 from the album “Weight” by Rollins Band more aggro.
3. Better Everyday from the album “New Deal” by Waco Brothers We need a visit from Jonny and the Boys.
4. On your Feet! Or On Your Knees! Harvester Of Eyes [Live] from the album “On Your Feet Or On Your Knees” by Blue Öyster Cult
5. Crash On The Barrelhead from the album “Fight Songs” by Old 97's
6. Bull In The Heather from the album “Experimental Jet Set, Trash And No Star” by Sonic Youth
7. Broken Down Row from the album “Wacoworld” by Waco Brothers More Wacos. For the clueless amongst you, teh Wacos provide 2/3 of your Recommended Daily Mekons Allowance.
8. Home Town (Live) from the album “Two Rainy Nights - Live in Seattle & Portland” by Joe Jackson You can't go back. pretty song, he played it when I saw him solo with Todd Rundgren.
9. Assignment in Space with Rip Foster from the album “Everything I Long For” by Hayden
10. The Flirting Kind from the album “Punch The Clock” by Elvis Costello Elvis is always good.

“We all know about the big dust-up between President Bush and the Senate leadership over his wanting to change the Geneva Conventions, right? Well, on Thursday, they reached a compromise. That's not just a victory for Bush, it's a victory for the country because basic human rights is something we all need to compromise on.”

---Stephen Colbert


So here's the Colbert Bonus Five, Truthy Music.

1. I Bought You These from the album “The Mekons Story” by Mekons Bringing it old school.
2. Wail from the album “Now I Got Worry” by The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion Rawk.
3. Valley Girl from the album “Just Can't Get Enough: NEW WAVE Hits of the '80s, Vol. 5” by Zappa, Frank & Moon OK, that one hurt, even if it is Maestro Zappa. Maybe we'll take an extra one here.
4. Undone (The Sweater Song) from the album “Weezer” by Weezer An oldie.
5. Cold Night from the album “On Fire” by Galaxie 500

6. Karate King (Live) from the album “One Day In Chicago” by Kevin Coyne With Langford. This brings todays Mekons-related tuneage to 4; out of 16. 25%. That's a strong day.

You might not have always liked Republicans, but you could count on them to manage the bank. They might be lousy tippers, act snooty, talk through their noses, wear spats and splash mud on you as they race their Pierce-Arrows through the village, but you knew they could do the math. To see them produce a ninny and then follow him loyally into the swamp for five years is disconcerting, like seeing the Rolling Stones take up lite jazz. [...]
It is painful to look at your father and realize the old man should not be allowed to manage his own money anymore. This is the discovery the country has made about the party in power. They are inept. The checkbook needs to be taken away. They will rant, they will screech, they will wave their canes at you and call you all sorts of names, but you have to do what you have to do.

Garrison Keillor

Now or Never Land

You know how Germany suffered from the departure of many of their best scientists, doctors, professionals - the best and brightest (including a fair number of Architects, including Gropius and Mies) - during the Thirties? People who could make a fair guess at the writing on the wall and decided discretion was the better part of valor?


Just sayin'





....I'm very depressed.

Wallflower

In times of anguish and great distress, I often turn to music. So for now, I let Peter Gabriel say a bit:

Wallflower
6x6 - from wall to wall
Shutters on the windows, no light at all
Damp on the floor you got damp on the bed
They're trying to get you crazy - get you out of your head
They feed you scraps and they feed you lies
To lower your defences, no compromise
Nothing you can do, the day can be long
Your mind is working overtime, you body's not too strong

Hold on, hold on
They put you in a box so you can't get heard
Let your spirit stay unbroken, may you not be deterred

Hold on, you have gambled with your own life
And you face the night alone
While the builders of the cages
They sleep with bullets, bars and stone
They do not see your road to freedom
That you build with flesh and bone

They take you out - the light burns your eyes
To the talking room - it's no surprise
Loaded questions from clean white coats
Their eyes are all as hidden as their Hippocratic Oath
They tell you - how to behave, behave as their guest
You want to resist them, you do your best
They take you to your limits, they take you beyond
For all that they are doing there's no way to respond

Hold on, hold on
They put you in a box so you can't get heard
Let your spirit stay unbroken, may you not be deterred

Hold on, you have gambled with your own life
And you face the night alone
While the builders of the cages
They sleep with bullets, bars and stone
They do not see your road to freedom
That you build with flesh and bone

Though you may disappear, you're not forgotten here
And I will say to you, I will do what I can do

You may disappear, you're not forgotten here
And I will say you you, I will do what I can do
And I will do what I can do
And I will do what I can do


Biko
September '77
Port Elizabeth weather fine
It was business as usual
In police room 619
Oh Biko, Biko, because Biko
Oh Biko, Biko, because Biko
Yihla Moja, Yihla Moja
-The man is dead

When I try to sleep at night
I can only dream in red
The outside world is black and white
With only one colour dead
Oh Biko, Biko, because Biko
Oh Biko, Biko, because Biko
Yihla Moja, Yihla Moja
-The man is dead

You can blow out a candle
But you can't blow out a fire
Once the flames begin to catch
The wind will blow it higher
Oh Biko, Biko, because Biko
Yihla Moja, Yihla Moja
-The man is dead

And the eyes of the world are
watching now
watching now

The Lie And How We Told It

Here's a quick summary of the fine work our Senate is doing for us today, courtesy of The General:

Enemy Combatants: A dangerously broad definition of “illegal enemy combatant” in the bill could subject legal residents of the United States, as well as foreign citizens living in their own countries, to summary arrest and indefinite detention with no hope of appeal. The president could give the power to apply this label to anyone he wanted.

The Geneva Conventions: The bill would repudiate a half-century of international precedent by allowing Mr. Bush to decide on his own what abusive interrogation methods he considered permissible. And his decision could stay secret — there’s no requirement that this list be published.

Habeas Corpus: Detainees in U.S. military prisons would lose the basic right to challenge their imprisonment. These cases do not clog the courts, nor coddle terrorists. They simply give wrongly imprisoned people a chance to prove their innocence.

Judicial Review: The courts would have no power to review any aspect of this new system, except verdicts by military tribunals. The bill would limit appeals and bar legal actions based on the Geneva Conventions, directly or indirectly. All Mr. Bush would have to do to lock anyone up forever is to declare him an illegal combatant and not have a trial.

Coerced Evidence: Coerced evidence would be permissible if a judge considered it reliable — already a contradiction in terms — and relevant. Coercion is defined in a way that exempts anything done before the passage of the 2005 Detainee Treatment Act, and anything else Mr. Bush chooses.

Secret Evidence: American standards of justice prohibit evidence and testimony that is kept secret from the defendant, whether the accused is a corporate executive or a mass murderer. But the bill as redrafted by Mr. Cheney seems to weaken protections against such evidence.

Offenses: The definition of torture is unacceptably narrow, a virtual reprise of the deeply cynical memos the administration produced after 9/11. Rape and sexual assault are defined in a retrograde way that covers only forced or coerced activity, and not other forms of nonconsensual sex. The bill would effectively eliminate the idea of rape as torture.

Nick once chided me for linking to a couple of bloggers who he felt propagated hatred.


But sweet living fuck, I hate these people.

Nazi Punks Fuck Off

Welcome to Germany, circa 1934.

George doesn't even need an Enabling Act, he already has his Signing Statements allowing him to contort any legislation to his satisfaction.

So let's see. George is willing to act against the law,with full foresight, and against American citizens. Congress can either go along with these travesties, or expose its own ineffectiveness by trying to curtail them; either way it doesn't affect the Decider and his actions.

we are well on the way to legislating torture. Suspending Habeus Corpus. Prison camps have been established, and are planned for America. Wars of aggression are enacted upon little or no provocation. Other countries are manipulated by fear and coercion.

How is this not a full dictatorial usurpation? What checks and balances can stop Dear Leader (I don't think President is the right word anymore)?

Vote your asses off. There's an outside chance that a change of guard can slow down the headlong rush to Gilead. Vegas odds are running at 22%, one in five, but it's the only game in town.

Gone Daddy Gone

Nick W-

America is most certainly not done. Put the forks away. Our Founding Fathers were much smarter and far-sighted than the pack of doofuses (doofie?) currently in the White House. Checks and Balances still exist, and yes, they still work.

They just don't work instantaneously, and unfortunately during the time it takes the system to self-correct loopholes exist that can be exploited. Sadly, bad things often happen before the system adjusts, but it does adjust.

This morning, the senate Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing on a proposal to suspend or eliminate habeus corpus for American Prisoners. Habeus Corpus - that has been an integral part of democratic government since, oh, the FRIGGIN MAGNA CARTA! That Jefferson and his buds thought was important enough to be written directly into the Declaration of Independence.

Last week, Republican Senators created a fake compromise with President Bush for a bill that will allow the President (an admitted animal torturer, and demonstrated bully) to decide just what constitutes torture, when, where and how the Geneva Conventions will apply, and gives him the ability to keep this all secret from Congress and the American Public, since oversight will be constrained and voluntary. Not to mention indemnifying him and his administration from the War Crimes Act.

At this point, the only thing differentiating the Bush Administration from Stalin's is the furry hats.

And true to form, the Only Opposition Party We've Got was nowhere to be found. The polling consultants that have helped them to lose all the recent major elections are far too timid to encourage actually standing up for some form of integrity.


Nick, checks and balances don't work if they don't respond in time. If these bills are enacted, forget about it. The America of Jefferson, Madison, and Washington is Gone.

Gone Daddy Gone.

All The Pain Money Can Buy

This one is going out to old Torturin' George and the New Inquisition Three: McCain, Warner, and Graham.
Not to mention X-Treme Interrogration Mark Green!

New Rule: In order to vote for 'alternative interrogation techniques' you must first endure the exact same techniques yourself.

Hey, Nice job fellas. Thanks for bringing us down to the moral level of the terrorists, as well as doing a more-than-passable re-creation of the Soviet Union, KGB stylin'.

Nuff said. Any more and I'll never stop spewing. Here's the Random Friday Musical Toot, with no mulligans, no self scoring, just straight Digital awesome. 17,795 songs, 71 gigs.

1. It Gets Crazy from the album “Nexterday (iTunes Bonus Track)” by Ric Ocasek Sounds like the Cars. Hmmm.
2. (Don't Fear) The Reaper (Bonus Track) from the album “Agents Of Fortune (Remaster)” by Blue Öyster Cult Buck Dharma on a four track doing the demo. Interesting archeological tidbit, sounding appropriately home-grown for 1973.
3. Play from the album “Join The Dots: B-Sides & Rarities 1978-2001(Disc 3)” by The Cure Wouldn't it have been funny if this had come up with the track 'Torture'?
4. Purple Haze from the album “Join The Dots: B-Sides & Rarities 1978-2001(Disc 3)” by The Cure Two in a row? That's- inconceivable!
5. Think It Over (Live) from the album “Exclusive” by The Thorns Matthew Sweet, Shawn Mullins, and Pete Droge join for some mellow folk-rock and sweet harmonies. Any resemblance to the Eagles is inconceivable.
6. One Prayer Answered from the album “The Seven Autumn Flowers” by Trembling Blue Stars Formed after the Field Mice broke up. Twee british pop in the vein of the Smiths.
7. Harvester Of Eyes [Live] from the album “On Your Feet Or On Your Knees” by Blue Öyster Cult Lots of coubles today.
8. Don't Do Me Like That from the album “Damn the Torpedoes (Reissue Remastered)” by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
9. Old Mother Reagan from the album “Viva Wisconsin” by Violent Femmes An Oldie.
10. Caroline Says from the album “The Soft Boys 1976-1981” by The Soft Boys



And the Bonus go out to the Poll-Smokin Dems, who have not the cojones amongst them to oppose a bill giving a bullying sociopath the “option” of torture (uh huh- give a guy who liked to blow op frogs with firecrackers, and shoot his siblings with air rifles, an “option” for “Alternative interrogation methods” . Bushy can resist those like he can resist a nice tall glass of single malt.). Nice job guys. Hey, here's an idea: give us a reason to vote FOR you this fall, don't just count on your opponents to be revolting enough, howzabout?


11. Hurt Hurts from the album “Mondo Bongo” by The Boomtown Rats
12. Torture from the album “Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me” by The Cure
13. Pain (Flush The Fashion Version) from the album “The Life And Crimes Of Alice Cooper (Disc 3)” by Alice Cooper
14. Killing An Arab from the album “Staring At The Sea: The Singles 1979-1985” by The Cure
15. Do You Really Want To Hurt Me from the album “Why Do Birds Sing?” by Violent Femmes
16. King Of Pain from the album “Live! (Disc 2)” by The Police


And one more, for the Filibuster:

No One Gets Hurt from the album “The Its” by The Its
Those weren't random. Sometimes I feel like Fletcher Christian.

Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash

The Card Cheat

If we can't count on fair elections in this country, American Democracy is over.

It's that simple.


Diebold voting machines are easily hacked and subject to manipulation. It can't be put any simpler than that. It's been demonstrated and proven. Of course, the Right-controlled Media have no interest in covering a story of immense importance to the country.

Diebold also makes banking equipment, in particular ATMs, so they know how to make secure, verifiable equipment. When it is for the Banks.

But when it comes to voting machines, they claim none of it is possible. Given that the head of diebold is an ardent Republibican and has been quoted as promising to deliver elections to Bush, this is... questionable, to say the least. A fucking fraud, in normal language.

Until Diebold machines are replaced, or are demonstrably secure, our elections would not meet the international standards that are applied when Vote watchers are dispatched to developing countries that are voting for the first time.

Diebold, you suck.

Good golly Miss Molly

Tom Servo: “I think a promising young singer is hopped up on goofballs” But no, that's just Little Richard.



In another universe, Craig Kilborn hosted the Daily Show. Funny guy; the Five Questions was always pretty good. When he left, I was dubious about Jon Stewart pulling off the changeover, I admit.

But damn, they've gotten good. Forget he Emmys; give them a Pulitzer

A recent study indicated that in general, TDS viewers had a greater and more accurate understanding of current events than people who watched FoxNews. And never mind O'Reilly's legions. In fact, you have to know what's going on to understand the jokes.

But Little Richard vamping to GWB's speeches? F-in brilliant.

This Friday is for Little Richard. Mashed Potatoes and Gravy!


1. Anymore Time Between from the album “Bob Mould” by Bob Mould
2. Green Suede Shoes from the album “Green Suede Shoes” by Black 47 Ah. My favorite punky hip hoppish New York alternative band fronted by a short red-haired Irish expatriate. I've seen them filed under folk music, no lie.
3. I Believe In Something from the album “Live At Least” by Too Much Joy Another band from New York, sadly defunct. They flirted with popularity for a short time, even having a near-hit on MTV (back when they showed music. I know, it's hard to believe) Great live show though, and they once toured with the Mekons, immortalizing the experience in the song “If I Was A Mekon”. So There's this week's Mekons connection!
4. Underwater Moonlight from the album “Underwater Moonlight” by The Soft Boys Classic Album. Classic Song. One of the best albums you've never heard. Pinko Punko loves it, and really, what more do you need?
5. Gill & Vicky from the album “I Have Been to Heaven and Back” by Mekons Hey wait! More Mekons!
6. Vacation from the album “Just Can't Get Enough: NEW WAVE Hits of the '80s, Vol. 5” by The Go-Go's Summerfest.
7. When He Reached Down from the album “Unearthed IV: My Mother's Hymn Book” by Johnny Cash
7.5. chicken_puppet
8. Reoccurring Dreams from the album “Zen Arcade” by Hüsker Dü Bob Mould and the Huskers. Seems to be a theme. This is a noisy bit that points more toward the Sonic Youth spectrum than the punk/pop that they finished up with. But no worries, it's all good. Loud.
9. It's Alright / It's OK from the album “Under Attack” by The Alarm
10. I Hope from the album “Taking the Long Way” by Dixie Chicks Yes, I own a Dixie Chicks album.



Finally, Scientific study shows that rock music makes you study more good. Take That, Manilow!

In honor of that, here's some bonus random. I don't know how many Nick; higher math has blown out my ability to count.


11. My Girl from the album “The Business (Disc 1)” by Madness
12. The Biggest Ball Of Twine In Minnesota from the album “Permanent Record - Al In The Box [Disc 3]” by Weird Al Yankovic
13. It Ain't Nothin' to Me from the album “Pack Up the Plantation (Live)” by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers More Summerfest.
14. Up And Out from the album “Kicks & Deals” by Blue In The Face Local horn-fueled power pop from the eighties/nineties. My buddy Scary Joe mixed for them. He was the best mixer I ever heard. Still works Summerfest every year.
15. Tell It Like It Is from the album “Rat In The Kitchen” by UB40

Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers

I could've called this one “Hot Blue, and Righteous”, “Jesus Just Left Chicago” or maybe even “La Grange”

Former Texas Governor, Bush family saddle-burr and all round good gal Ann Richards died yesterday from esophageal cancer.

Probable most famous for her 'Born with a silver spoon in his mouth' comment about Bush 41, she eventually lost to the younger Bush by underestimating the viciousness with which he and Karl Rove were willing to operate (they pioneered the smear techniques being used so effectively today, calling Richards a lesbian, making implications that she was still a practicing alcoholic) But until then she governed the notoriously misogynistic Texas Lege with humor and effectiveness in a institutionally weak governorship.

Fighting especially effectively against the most egregious forms of environmental destruction and for the aid of the public schools (as well as being buds with one of my favorite ladies, Molly Ivins), she also helped Texas economy expand at a rate greater than the rest of the country, reformed a terribly regressive prison system, and economizing State government to the tune of billions.

Rest easy, lady. You done good.


[Update]
Someone reminded me of a Molly Ivins-related story involving Governor Richards:

Several years ago there was a big political do at Scholz Beer Garten in Austin and everybody who was anybody in political Texas was there, meetin' and greetin' at a furious pace. About halfway through the evening, a little group of us got the tired feet and went to lean our butts against a table by the back wall of the Garten. Like birds in a row were perched Bob Bullock, the state comptroller; me; Charlie Miles, a black man who was then head of Bullock's personnel department (and the reason Bullock had such a good record on minority hiring); and Ms. Ann Richards.
Bullock, having been in Texas politics for thirty some-odd years, consequently knew every living sorry, no-account sumbitch who ever held office. A dreadful old racist judge from East Texas came up to him, "Bob, my boy, how are yew?" The two of them commenced to clap one another on the back and have a big greetin'.

"Judge," said Bullock. "I want you to meet my friends. This is Molly Ivins with the Texas Observer."

The judge peered up at me and said, "How yew, little lady?"

"This is Charles Miles, who heads my personnel department." Charlie stuck out his hand and the judge got an expression on his face as though he had just stepped into a fresh cowpie. It took him a long minute before he reached out, barely touched Charlie's hand and said, "How you, boy?" Then he turned with great relief to pretty, blue-eyed Ann Richards and said, "And who is this lovely lady?"

Ann beamed and said, "I am Mrs. Miles."

[UPDATE AGAIN]
Molly Ivins remembers The Governor.

closer

From good old driftglass.

wonderful mash up of old and new. Turn it up Loud, unless your at Werk. Then put your damn headphones on, Chuckles.

John, I'm Only Dancing

Not too long ago, faithful Lib Lib commenter and True Believer johnh tripped over here to do the Happy Dance over Richard Armitage's admission that he divulged Valerie Plame's identity in a press conference.

However, wingnut triumphalism notwithstanding, the admission (disclosed in Isikoff and Corn's book Hubris ) isn't necessarily the blanket exoneration that is being trumpeted through all the standard outlets. The fine folks at Firedoglake and in particular, emptywheel at The Last Hurrah (who will be publishing a book on the debacle early next year, just in time to keep the miscreants straight for the beginning of the Libby trial) have been keeping much closer, more exacting tabs on the sitch, better than this poor beleagured overworked building-drawer could. emptywheel, in particular, is expressive and succinct:

The cocktail weenie class is still claiming that Armitage's recent confession means that Patrick Fitzgerald's whole investigation is now meaningless. So McCaffrey the MilleniaLab, who likes to clear brush as much as our President, will help me explain it really simple-like, so even the cocktail-weenie intoxicated can understand. There are three reasons why Armitage's confession doesn't affect the value of Fitzgerald's investigation.

• There is ample evidence that Scooter Libby conspired to expose Plame's identity
• There is ample evidence that Libby's lies serve one primary purpose--to hide the fact that Dick Cheney was personally involved in--and may have authorized--the leak of Plame's identity
• Armitage was not the source of the most important information Novak published when he outed Plame

You see, John, in leaking of confidential information, prior leaks by a second party do not absolve subsequent leaks by others - it's not like virginity, where the first fucker removes it forever, but it remains confidential information until it is specifically de-classified.

Besides that, as pointed out above, The Scoots has been indicted not for the leak, but for perjury regarding the leak- which you Repubs felt strongly enough eight short years ago to insist that 'even the President is not above the law' (not that I'm arguing he should be, I'm just pointing out that if you felt that perjury by the Pres about a consensual sexual relationship is prosecutable, you certainly should feel that perjury about National Security issues should be pursued).

Novak, in particular, has latched onto the Armitage admission like the vampire he is (changing his story for the fourth or fifth time, depending on how you count), hoping to muddle the fact that he published information about Plame that Armitage didn't- couldn't - have given him.

But ultimately, Armitage being involved doesn't really change the essence of the crime. Conspiracy, you see, is defined by the involvement of more than one person. Armitage was part of the dispersal of information, it seems. But he wasn't the only one. Libby disclosed Plame's identity and status to Judith Miller before Armitage disclosed some of it to Novak. And there's Novak's unidentified second source.

Right now, I'm betting that Fitzgerald has a fair idea of the identities of most of these people, and when they talked with various other people involved. And that he and his team is probably the only ones, other than the planners of the smear, that does. The fact that he hasn't brought indictments against any other than Libby at this point is meaningless. He used a similar tactic to 'flip' a target in the Gambino case, in order to bring charges against the higher ups. And unlike Kenneth Starr, he's not looking for political grandstanding but actual convictions, so he won't bring charges unless he is fairly confident that they stand a good chance of success.

in any case, Libby's trial is scheduled to start jury selection early next year. Fitzgerald's investigation is proceeding, quietly and methodically, based on the observations of Jane and Christy at FDL. Will it result in more charge, indictments, or a breach of security rap? Crap, man, I don't know. How much cover and loyalty can Rove and Cheney command?

But like I told you, John, there's plenty of balloons, and the Holiday Season is on its way.

Shiny Happy People

No time for blogging right now, the Work! And the Busy!

But may it just be noted that Apple has made another milestone in its implacable mission to rule the world:

New iPods. Which is good, because the 60 gig is starting to get cramped.

Pretty Nanos Pretty. Shiny.

Itty Bitty iPod bits. I love this! I'm gonna buy 'em by the six-pack! Next step: direct implants.

Movies (it should be noted that Jobs has even made the Mouse dance to his oh-so-beguiling tune) and games and photos and podcasts and music.... (music on a phone? What a crappy idea, Moto)

And a connection to that big ol HDTV you're gonna get.

Face it, could any other company pull this off? Microsoft? Laughable. Amazon? Mere commodity traders. I'm starting to kind of miss the days when every week brought another PC drone telling us that Apple was doomed. Doomed!


Apple is now officially licensed to not only mint money, but to siphon it directly from your pockets.

The Guns Of Brixton

Last week I fell in love with Keith Olbermann (but stopped short at having his baby.)

This week he hits another one out of the park.

expect the Mighty Right Wing Wurlitzer to crank up to 'Shrieking' level on this one. They can't allow Dear Leader to be assailed quite so openly and directly without the charade of infallible personality falling down. I'm sure MSNBC is looking for ways to cancel his show as we speak.

But anyway, Keith, Sing it while you got it. He's saying things that have been needing to be said for quite some time, and if he keeps it up, he just might join his hero Edward R. Murrow in history.

The Hurting

The other night, I dropped my iPod.

Reflexively, I stuck my leg out to break its fall then it bounced so it landed on the rug rather tank the kitchen tile. It still worked.

"You know what would have happened if it would have been broken?" I asked Teh Kid. "aftre crying, we would have been making a drive to the Apple Store tonight." The few times I've left it at the office, the whole night has been out of whack and nervous.

That's why this photo made me cringe:




RocknRor has been on a motorcycle trip out east and his BikePod hit the Road.

Ouch, I feel for you Ror, I sure do. Hope the new one gets to you fast.

Feeding The Fire

Much as I want to answer Nick's lengthy, detailed and thoughtful comments below (Lurkers: feel free to fill in your own responses while I dither) as well as answer johnh's broadsides, events move so fast and Klark Kent Life keeps me from focusing on it more directly.

So in the meantime, Fire the First: Of course almost everyone has heard about the Apple laptop battery problem, with the potential for fire. While very few have heard of the exact same problem from Dell, immediately preceding it. Not too surprising, really, since both companies outsource their battery production.

The difference being that Apple initiated a very public, very well advertised recall, while Dell tries to keep the problem under the radar.

In any case, Conan O'Brien hit a nice pop fly base hit on this: “Apple has issued a recall on several models of Mac laptops because the battery can overheat and catch fire. Experts say a Mac fire is just like a PC fire, except it's more hip and condescending.”

Nice one, Red. Don't call us when your PC is crashing due to spyware.


Fire The Second: Disney/ABC, in a move that is nothing if not blatantly partisan, has authored a dramatic rendering of the events prior to 9/11, dramatizing several occurrences in ways that the actual participants point out are completely falsified to suggest Clinton's culpability, and had the chutzpah to advertise it as an historical rendering of the facts in the 9/11 Report. Not being satisfied with that, ABC was going to run the special commercial free (in an election cycle) and had teamed up with Scholastic to provide “study Guides” to high school students to reinforce the partisan slant. In a further display of one sidedness, ABC provided preview copies to rightwing media sources such as Rush Limbaugh and Hugh Hewitt, while denying them to Air America, leftwing bloggos, or even President Clinton!

And the New York Times repeated the lies, with a direct implication that Clinton was responsible.

Okay, can we stop caterwauling about the 'Liberal Media' NOW?

But in a display of pushback that apparently surprised Disney and ABC, liberal bloggers like Atrios, Kos, and Firedoglake picked up the ball and pointed out the obvious falsities, resulting in MSNBC and others running the story; eventually, the heavyweights have started to chime in, with strongly worded responses coming from Congressional Dems (where the hell did they find a spine?!), widows of the 9/11 victims, and President Clinton (through his attorneys!)

Scholastic has backed out of the deal, and ABC is starting to mutter about revisions. At a minmum, they should NOT be portraying this a historical drama, or even a docudrama. It's more in line with 'Snakes On A PLane'. Except it's apparently B-O-R-I-N-G.

It's interesting to point out here that Disney was unwilling to even RELEASE Fahrenheit 911 because of its political content, which was based on those whattayacallems, FACTS.

Fire The Third.... Another movie. Recent release be Robert Greenwald, Iraq For Sale, again using those liberal-leaning facts (as well as testimony from people actually involved), showing that the term war profiteers needs to be pulled from the mothballs. Digby has seen the film:

How obscene, exactly, is the compensation of these CEOs? We're talking around $40 million each for the most part. Paid for with your tax dollars, of course. And what do the troops get? They get lousy food and stand in line for hours for the privilege. They get an incompetent laundry service that charges you and me a C note per each soldier's wash. They get translators that barely speak the languages or understand how to translate. They get torturers and psychopaths - drooling sadists accountable to no one who have been doing their level best to destroy any small vestiges of goodwill towards the US and its soldiers that might still exist beyond our borders. And the troops get rubbed in the face every day with the simple fact that they've been played for real suckers. That's because the “private contractors” - the euphemism of choice for mercenaries these days - make about 6 times what the average soldier makes, often for doing the same job.

If the movie is even half true, there are several evil, greedy motherfuckers out there who need to do some hard, hard time. KBR, Blackwater, Halliburton. Future names of infamy. Support the troops my hairy white ass. Where is Harry Truman when you need him?

Fire The Fourth: 40 years ago today, the first episode of Star Trek was broadcast. Back when there were three channels, and most people still watched black and white TV, and dinosaurs roamed the earth. From StarTrek,com:

Yes, it had a crew that said discrimination was a thing of past; it had a future that said we were not all annihilated by nuclear holocaust; it had an economy that was driven by progress and achievement, not simple wealth accumulation; it had science as a guiding force, not mysticism or superstition; it had technology as a means to explore, not just make life easier; and, perhaps most importantly, it had a peaceful mission at its core, not one of conquest. The show screamed peace in a time of war. All of these reasons helped contribute to the show's success, but so did the iconic characters, the top-notch writing, the new technology and the great — for then — special effects.

40 years later, we are second only to Turkey in the entire developed world for the number of citizens who DON'T believe in evolution, and America's college enrollment and completion has fallen behind. We're so sorry, Mr. Roddenberry. Apparently America won't be part of The Final Frontier after all. Anyways, Roddenberry's fire is still burning, decades after his death; well done sir. Happy Birthday Star Trek.


So anyways, on to the FRT, Fires Of Freedom Edition:

1. A Wrong Turn And Raindrops from the album “Where'd You Learn To Kiss That Way? (Disc 2)” by Field mice The late. lamented Field Mice. Search 'em out, cowpokes.

2. Xerox Line from the album “World Tour 1” by Free Hot Lunch Not my favorite Wa-Ha song, but whatthehey, IT'S FRIGGIN' FREE HOT MUTHERFUCKIN LUNCH!! WA-HA!!

3. Battery from the album “S & M (Disc 2)” by Metallica It's hard. It's dark. And it's got an orchestra. Bite me, I like it.

4. Screw from the album “The Head On The Door” by The Cure

5. Cruel Lips from the album “Your Country” by Graham Parker Still cranking 'em out, and he tours with the Figgs to keep the fires stoked.

6. Trinity Invitation from the album “Trinity Seas Seize Sees” by Sigmund Snopek III One for Silent Mike. Took Sigmund 30 years to make this album, but it was worth it.

7. Gimme The Car from the album “Viva Wisconsin” by Violent Femmes. Followed by the other Milwaukee superstars. OF COURSE Sigmund and the Femmes have worked together; the East Side music scene was nothing if not incestuous.

8. Melt The Guns from the album “English Settlement” by XTC Regardless of Nick's serious pants, I don't see the drawback to aiming for an ideal result.

9. As I Am from the album “Train of Thought” by Dream Theater

10. Cage & Aquarium from the album “Lincoln” by They Might Be Giants


Bonus Fires:

11. Sodium Laureth Sulfate from the album “Interbabe Concern” by The Loud Family
12. Sanctuary from the album “Soft Bomb” by The Chills
13. Let Me Out from the album “Get The Knack” by The Knack Yes, THAT Knack. I was 17 when it came out, I won't apologize for the hormones. Plus, I always like good power pop.
14. Supernaturally from the album “Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus” by Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds Nick Cave is a scary good goth rocker, who apparently is also quite handy with a screenplay. If you don't think an album can be scary, listen to the brilliant Murder Ballads. Rock away Nick.
15. Waiting Room Only from the album “Genesis Files (Disc 2)” by Steve Hackett


Keep your fires burning.

Clowns In The Sky

[interior, Lugosi's lab.

Stanley, the door opening hunchback, is leering and pawing at the still form of the young woman on the table. Lugosi, seeing this, beats Stanley. Stanley is a hunchback.]

Tom Servo: Well, that'll straighten him out.

Sweet And Tender Hooligan

Nick from Lib Lib has had some extra time on his hands, or at least extra bile, and has taken me to task on several recent posts.

Not that I mind; appreciate the comments, I do, and while Nick plays for the other team (not that way you pervs) he has a sharp mind and makes good points. (As I understand, his debating skills are constantly honed by family discussions) I feel I probably have to retract my remarks about Green's genetics.

While it's a busy weekend -it's our anniversary, we throw a party, the neighbor is berating his roofers, and there was just a car accident out my front door- I thought it was important to bring forward his most recent comment:

Oh, and on Green. Turns out that what he did was and is perfectly legal. Something that many other politicians on both sides of the aisle have done in the past. Interestingly enough it only became "illegal" when a visibly partisan election board suddenly made up a new rule making it so.

So, perhaps that inability to believe the laws apply to them isn't genetic but rather a healthy reaction to a blatantly unfair and partisan effort to handicap the opposition? That'd be my take. But read up on it for yourself: http://time.blogs.com/daily_dish/2006/09/off_the_green.html

And note that Andrew Sullivan and his guest bloggers are not exactly rightwing fanatics. Pretty centrist while leaning left or right depending on the particular topic under discussion.

I want to note that Nick's take is, essentially correct. The article I linked to yesterday did not have background information on the rule but as I read it, here's what happened:

• The Elections board decided that money from previous federal campaigns could not be used in a Gubernatorial campaign if the donors are not registerd in Wisconsin, or the amounts exceed State limits (This seems reasonable to me. States' rights, right? A governor is mostly Wisconsin's business. At least the donors can be registered. Shouldn't be a big deal)
• Mark Green deposited the money in question into his account, the day before the rule was to be effective. Sounds to me like some partisan on the board may have been passing the Green campaign some info. Admittedly, I have no idea whether the meetings are closed or not)
• The Republican dominated Lege immediately voted to suspend the rule.
• However, they did not take the appropriate action to permanently kill the rule before they took hiatus on July 12th.

So it does seem to be a bit of a clusterfuck. Nick wants us to believe it was a partisan witch hunt, and the votes do parse along party lines. However, the Elections Board is the party tasked with administering elections, and dominance by one party does not invalidate their decisions, or else nothing that has happened in Washington in the last six years would matter
.
As I see it, the rules are the rules. Green had the knowledge that the rule was pending, so deposited the money when he could; The Republican legislature gave him cover, but did not follow through, so the Elections Board acted within their authority. The timing of the order for Green to divest the money is due to the Legislatures suspension, not some 'gotcha!' from the EB just before the election.

There however, wiggle room in this situation which will likely tie it up until after the campaign. Green's party says they have spent the money, so the point may be moot.

Nick, partisans acting in partisan ways shouldn't be shocking. That's the way the system is set up, good or ill. The Republican Legislature makes partisan decisions all the time. Green's campaign is making partisan claims. I don't see where a claim of impropriety may be based. I also don't see anywhere in the article where it says other politicians have done it (not that I doubt it, though) or where what is allowed for politicians in other states may not be proscribed in Wisconsin, in our fine tradition of clean elections.

Partisan opinion? Maybe. I never claimed I was impartial. But I have been on the interpreting end of enough governmental codes and regulations to be able to see how this happened, and to be able to make a case that the Elections Board was acting within their authority.

But Nick, claiming that Sullivan is centrist really kind of weakens your claim. At least he posted a fair bit of the article without overly editing it; Of course, he left out the bits that tend to support the decisions by the Election Board. Otherwise, He has been a cheerleader for the Bush administration from the start until recently, when even he had to admit the war in Iraq was a clusterfuck. He claims to be a Libertarian, but like most Libertarians, he's a Republican who thinks reading Ayn Rand makes him cooler. Maybe he's conservative that hasn't followed the Bushies as far out into the right field weeds as they have gone, but that doesn't make him centrist, it makes him less radical. Besides, since he's gay, he really isn't allowed in the Republican party.

Thanks for the comments, though, and I hope I have the time to make some responses; you've given me some food for thought, or at least fodder for posts. And isn't that really, all we want as bloggers?

Besides, I mean, some of those frickin lurkers to SAY something once in a while.

Talk About The Passion

Today's Friday Random goes out to Keith Olbermann, of course, for the Big KO he delivered the other day.

Rather predictably, the Freepers are incoherently jabbering and screeching for his head as a traitor. They are always eager to go after other Americans for utilizing the rights that they claim to want to protect by..insisting that other Americans stop using those rights. Something like that. It's hard to read. It's like arguing with a meth-addled Gollum.


1. The Mute Speaks Out from the album “The Obliterati” by Mission of Burma New album. Excellent. Return to form by legendary east coast post-punks.

2. Club Mekon from the album “Rock n' Roll” by Mekons Another classic punk/post-punk/prealternative/alt-country-alt-folk/electronica deathmetal band!

3. I've Been Tired from the album “Surfer Rosa & Come On Pilgrim” by Pixies Boy, that's true. Klark Kent life nearly fockin killed me this week.

4. Pretty Girls from the album “Look Sharp!” by Joe Jackson Classic Power pop.

5. Only A Lad from the album “Farewell- Live (Disc 2)” by Oingo Boingo Danny Elfman abandoned this skapunk skatecore band to siphon the easy dollars from Hollywood Movies. What a putz.

6. Aerodeliria from the album “From Ritual To Romance” by The Loud Family Scott Miller is a Genius. It is a travesty that he's never made a living at music. If the music industry actually rewarded talent, rather than marketability, he would have been wealthy after the second Game Theory album.

7. Seagulls Screaming Kiss Her, Kiss Her from the album “The Big Express” by XTC

8. Sunday Sports from the album “The Brooklyn Side” by The Bottle Rockets

9. That Big 5-0 from the album “Snakebite: Blacktop Ballads & Fugutive Songs” by Stan Ridgway

10. Maps And Legends from the album “Fables Of The Reconstruction” by R.E.M.

11. London You're A Lady from the album “Peace And Love” by The Pogues





And in a final note: Mark Green refuses to abide by the law. What a Republican. Laws are for other folks. It's like a genetic inability to believe that rules apply to them. Sheesh.