Judy Garland Lives On

Frances Gumm didn't know what was in store for her at Metro when they signed her up, but not her two older sisters. She would start an entire industry of fans: people wanted to see her (actually to hear her sing) in upbeat roles. She was the pretty (but not beautiful) spunky girl cast opposite Mickey Rooney - the two who always wanted to say "hey, gang, let's put on a show!" As a young lady, she charmed us in movies like "Meet Me in St Louis" and "The Pirate."

Few people ever saw her as a serious actress, however, and her one great role as a witness in Judgment at Nuremberg, has always been set aside - far from the Judy we want to see.

Anyway, thank you, Judy Garland, for making life a little better.

James Madison Bunks in with Carry Nation, Mohammed and Johnny Depp

Lighting candles in mourning for Mohammed

Oh Hell - It's Just Another Day!

Today was one of those days when there were so very many topics to choose from that not one particular thing really dominated the news. I didn't want to write about Obama-McCain. There are more than 145 days left to the campaign and I'm already feeling a pinch of boredom. Besides, there will always be links to them, to Democrats, Republicans, politics. In a way, it's too easy. Then in another way, it's difficult because there is so much stuff to wade through to get to your point when writing about the campaign. Everyone's writing about it in one way or another. I'm going to give it a rest for several days, unless something pressing presents itself.

Looking at the left sidebar, I couldn't help feel the presences of birth and death. Unusual combinations of people in those categories.

Birth: Frank Lloyd Wright, Michael J. Fox, Cole Porter, Johnny Depp, Donald Duck and, in a very real sense, The Bill of Rights.

Death: Nero (suicide), Mohammed, Charles Dickens, Thomas Paine, Carry Nation.

In one day out of 365, we have people and concepts who changed the world (O.K., I won't claim that about Fox or Depp, but I think Donald Duck is still a major figure in world affairs - he's a politician who has never, ever been seen with his pants on!). Today there are people remembering Mohammed and Dickens in reverential ways. Frank Lloyd Wright, too. I lived near his first design - a small angelic-looking water fountain in Oak Park, IL (where he lived). Carry Nation will always be seen as a kind of blip in American sensibilities: she campaigned vehemently against demon liquor with Bible in hand. Unfortunately, she died before she could see the Volstead Act enacted. Which is just as well, because it inadvertently took lawbreaking to a new level: that dour old lady's ways with an hatchet spawned speakeasies and the mob.

Is there anyone reminiscing about Cole Porter? I think so. Some are even fanatics about his music and play it night and day (sorry, I couldn't resist it).

Michael J. Fox has become an accidental icon, a spokesperson for Parkinsons Disease. He has become a symbol of courage in the midst of a chronic illness. Johnny Depp? Well, he's an icon of - what else? - iconoclasm. He's forged his own way in movies - a way that says "take it or leave it." There is also courage in independence.

And the birth of the Bill of Rights? Shouldn't James Madison's idea receive recognition in the form of a public holiday? Thomas Paine might have thought of it as something very fitting. His work, The Age of Reason, will never be on par with the Bible - simply because too many fundamentalists want to ban it.

Depp, Nero, Fox, Bill of Rights, Dickens, hatchets, reason.

Like I said, it's just another day.

A Word About Al Franken

Al Franken 4 Senate: faces
Originally uploaded by timpweb

I got a little upset when I saw the CBS online article about Al Franken's trip to the Senate. Not because he wouldn't be a great senator (if I lived in Minnesota, I'd sure as hell would vote for him), but because the media labeled him as "Ex-comic". As in all the pejorative nuances of that label.

A lot of people will NOT go past that label, either. Every time he makes a speech, people will expect it to be light and laughed at. (Hey, it's different when GWB opens his mouth, he actually wants to be taken seriously, but people laugh anyway - or cry, depending on how seriously they take the subject matter). People will not set aside a person's former career or history and delve into what the person has done/said recently. That makes me sad.

And angry.

Before I delve into Franken's policy statements, let me tell you this: Comedy (intended comedy) is HARD WORK. Ask any actor known for drama why they don't do comedy: it's more difficult. Comedy takes a level of creativity that many people cannot even aspire to.

Give Al Franken a chance to be heard.

Thanks to Tim Prendergast for his post on Flickr. The story about how he got Franken to mug for him and the questions he asked are priceless.

It's Time to Celebrate SEX! Celebrate Griswald v. Connecticut and Peace - of Mind! Celebrate Rubbers and The Pill!

Remember: If you're not careful, you could give birth to any one of these:



Then there's the problem of overpopulation:

Seriously, since today, in 1965 the Supreme Court ruled that contraception was legal, I think we should kick some Christofascist ass by celebrating! Tony Perkins of Family Research Council will probably be in mourning along with his superior, James Dobson, Benedict XVI and all of the anti-Planned Parenthood people, but the rest of us should celebrate. Because on this day in history women and men obtained freedom from the tyranny of the self-righteous.

"Sanctity of Life" should mean sanctity of the ENTIRE life and not just pre-birth. As my mother used to say, "If ya can't afford 'em, don't have 'em." I've always taken objection to the term "pro life," especially from people who vote for the death penalty. These people are pro birth. What happens to a child after it's born is no concern of theirs. Who, exactly, is going to pay the bill?

I have a very odd idea, but please hear me out on this one: I think pro-lifers, if they really believe that abortion should be illegal, if contraceptives should not be administered, and if they believe that abstinence-only programs should be in schools, they should check a small box on their tax returns:

I am pro-life advocate - please defer my tax returns to the department of Health, Education and Welfare.

Let's face it: some people are willing to kill for their beliefs. Wouldn't paying for them be less messy and much simpler?

And today, the "Abstinance Only" folks will be out in force with platitudes like this one:

You are like a beautiful rose.
Each time you engage in pre-marital sex,
A precious petal is stripped away.

Don't leave your future husband holding a bare stem.
Abstain.

How lovely! Women are plants. But men better have bare stems, 'cause if they're furry, sex would be messier than it already is! Or how about this billboard. How many normal American teenagers is this one going to persuade to abstain?

ZERO.

Now this platitude may be a bit extreme, but it holds more truth in the way religion in America is viewed:

Of course, the advertising for contraceptives can be almost as stupid:

But NOT using contraceptives these days means many more unwanted things other than pregnancy: STDs are very, very dangerous. Ask Africa. Ask any African missionary how successful their abstinence-only program is. Then ask the pharmaceutical companies just how much money they make on STD and AIDS drugs. The third world countries have it coming from all sides: no sex, pay up or die.

Do you think abstinence education works?

When are you going to stop laughing?

I personally think this is one of the best advertisements I've seen in a long time:

The Iraq Board Game: When Bush's Brain Was On Autopilot

There was only one direction for George W. Bush to go after his inauguration in 2000:

Go Directly to WAR, Do Not Pass Go
--- But Do Collect $480 Billion

Well the shit has finally hit the fan, but will anyone react? Will anybody listen? Doesn't the word impeachment mean anything anymore? The next day or so we'll see what kind of spin the administration can put on this.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush and his top policymakers misstated Saddam Hussein's links to terrorism and ignored doubts among intelligence agencies about Iraq's arms programs as they made a case for war, the Senate intelligence committee reported on Thursday.

The report shows an administration that "led the nation to war on false premises," said the committee's Democratic Chairman, Sen. John Rockefeller of West Virginia. Several Republicans on the committee protested its findings as a "partisan exercise."

The committee studied major speeches by Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and other officials in advance of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003, and compared key assertions with intelligence available at the time.

Statements that Iraq had a partnership with al Qaeda were wrong and unsupported by intelligence, the report said.

It said that Bush's and Cheney's assertions that Saddam was prepared to arm terrorist groups with weapons of mass destruction for attacks on the United States contradicted available intelligence.

Back in 2004, when Richard Clark, former counterterrorism chief for both Clinton & Bush, wrote a book entitled Against All Odds - Inside America's War On Terror - few people paid attention to it. But it stated quite plainly George Bush's in tense desire to go to war with Iraq:

Later, on the evening of the 12th, I left the Video Conferencing Center and there, wandering along around the Situation Room, was the President. He looked around like he wanted something to do. He grabbed a few of us and closed the door to the conference room. "Look," he told us, "I know have a lot of work to do and all...but I want you, as soon as you can, to go back over everything. See if Saddam did this. See if he's linked in any way..." I was once again take aback, incredulous, and it showed. "But, Mr. President, al Qaeda did this." "I know, I know, but...see if Saddam was involved. Just look. I want to know any shred..." "Absolutely, we will look ...again." I was trying to be more respectful, more responsive. "But, you know, we have looked several times for state sponsorship of al Qaeda and not found any real linkages to Iraq. Iran plays a little, as does Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia, Yemen." "Look into Iraq, Saddam," the President said testily and left us. (Richard A. Clarke, Against All Enemies, p. 32)

Them United Nations knew that Bush was aching for a war. Why, after his inaugural, would they have put us on their list of "Rogue Nations?"

(From Brendan Nyan's Blog, Nov. 22, 2006)

Q What did Iraq have to do with that?

THE PRESIDENT: What did Iraq have to do with what?

Q The attack on the World Trade Center?

THE PRESIDENT: Nothing, except for it's part of -- and nobody has ever suggested in this administration that Saddam Hussein ordered the attack. Iraq was a -- the lesson of September the 11th is, take threats before they fully materialize, Ken. Nobody has ever suggested that the attacks of September the 11th were ordered by Iraq. I have suggested, however, that resentment and the lack of hope create the breeding grounds for terrorists who are willing to use suiciders to kill to achieve an objective

Why doesn't someone put together a pamphlet stating - point by point - all of Bush's lies about Iraq? A few pages should be able to hold a strong two dozen. Hundreds of thousands could then be dropped on Washington (no plane could ever get close enough for the White House). Paper the Mall with them. Drop millions of them in New York, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, Denver (don't bother about San Francisco since it's known all of this stuff for years!). If you can't get people to read it in the paper media, maybe they will read it while it's lying in their backyards!

We can't let such obvious deceit go unpunished! Bill Clinton lied about a "Lewinsky" in the Oval Office and got more than his hand slapped. Bush, on the other hand, lies about the reasons to go to war and all he gets is a lousy approval rating! Wake up, people! Justice is not being served here. People are dying because of his "misstatements".

All right, I'll calm down.

But remember this: if just 5% of the media, congress and the congress concentrated on Bush's mistakes during the next 6 months, he would be behind bars before the next man takes his oath of office.

Just part of Bush's Dreams

How fitting that the discovery of Bush's deceit should fall on the anniversary of D-Day. The death of over 4000 troops is not nearly grandiose enough to fulfill his dreams. He once said that "No president wants war." Well, George, for the first time in your life, you'll be the one and only.

I wouldn't be proud of that if I were you, Mr. Bush.

D-Day

.

FALLUJAH, IRAQ - November 11: With hands bloodied from casualties on a convoy, US Marine First Lt. Paul Webber calls coordinates for an air strike against insurgents in Fallujah on November 11, 2004. In launching the most extensive American urban combat battle in a generation, since Hue City in Vietnam, US commanders hope that seizing control of the insurgent nerve center of Fallujah before January elections in Iraq will decapitate the anti-US rebellion across the country. (Photo by Scott Peterson/Getty Images)

O.K.: Update - 8:15 PM PST
According to press secretary Dana Perino, Bush is standing by his old song of "we acted oon the illegence we had. It was wrong. We're sorry." and that "We now have a 'New and Improved' chain of intelligence.

Whoopee! 'New and improved' Does Bush think we've time-warped back to the fifties? Read Perino's full statements here. Not once does she face the fact that the report states that INSTEAD of faulty information, the White House IGNORED the correct information! Just as Bush ignored his Presidential Daily Briefing titled "Bin Laden Set to Strike in the U.S."

What People REALLY See!

Yes, people DO see it, but so many of them are in a "river in Egypt." Let's face it folks, the American public is SLOW - some people still think that there are WMDs hidden somewhere. And they're very bad in the subject of history - grade: F. They won't hold people up to their own histories unless it suits them: George's papers as Governor of Texas are not available to the public. They are locked up in his father's Presidential Library. He would never let any of his staff testify to anything. His obtuse and extensive cronyism has resulted in exaggerating the credentials of his appointees. He has thumbed his nose at the American public too many times and has refused to be accountable for any of his actions!

O.K., I just read the above statements and recant their banality but not their truth. He will not leave a vacancy leaving office - he was a vacancy while in office.

The Village People Were Never Like This!

ymca.jpg
Originally uploaded by Couch media

The world's most blasphemous rendition of YMCA ever! What Hath the Village People Wrought? The comment below this Flickr acquisition was "So wrong :)" If their third grade nun, Sister Mary St. Salmonella, could see them now! "F" for deportment, but a grudging "B" for creativity. What an eclectic group: Christ, a twink, a bear , and a jock. Not bad (the jock, I mean)