Vic Chesnutt, R.I.P.
December 29, 2009 | Leave a Comment
This world of ours lost one of our greatest artists on Christmas Day: Vic Chesnutt. You can read the particulars here.
A family friend of ours and a dear friend of Chesnutt, Jem Cohen, offered up this beautiful quote in honor of Vic:
The most important story to report now is not Vic’s death but a life and work overflowing with insight, humor, and, yes, resilience. The second most important story here has to do with a broken health care system depriving so many of the help they need to stay around and stay sane, and a society that never balks at providing more money for more wars but fights tooth and nail against decent care for its citizens.
Hear, hear.
For those unfamiliar with Vic Chesnutt and his amazing work, below are a few samples. The first is from his latest work – released last Fall. The second is one of my favorite songs of his. And the third is a fun interview he did about his collaborative works. But do yourself a favor and seek out more of his work. You won’t be sorry.
Rest in peace, Vic. We’ll miss you.
I’ll be your driver…
December 23, 2009 | 2 Comments
Yep, it’s that time of year. So, starting tomorrow and going straight through to New Year’s Day, Moike (that’s me) will be your sleigh driver. If, that is, you find yourself in Stowe, Vermont, staying at an overly-priced ski resort and willing to shell out gobs of money for things like…well…sleigh rides.
So the blog updates will be sparse until after the new year. But, like last year, I will be keeping good notes, getting into character, and spinning all kinds of yarns with my well-healed riders.
Hey, it helps pass the time and steer clear of the same-old, same-old questions: How old are the horses? What are the horses’ names? Where do you eat? Well, that’s interesting, kid, but let me tell you about the time we were stuck deep in the woods and had to slice one open and eat it just to stay alive…
Oh wait, wrong story. I’m just trying to rinse my snark out.
It’ll be a jolly time (for my wallet – oops, I guess I didn’t rinse well). And, like always, there will be marriage proposals (between the riders, not for me), bratty kids who refuse to take their eyes off their hand-held video devises, bragging rich guys who seem to think I can understand paying $5,500 a night at The Spruce Peak, and – oh yes – some very nice folks who seem to understand the scenario.
Oh yeah, the name of the operation is Gentle Giants. Look it up and come visit if you can. And demand that “Colby” be your driver. But don’t forget the tip…
The Thinking People’s Union Declares: Strike!
December 21, 2009 | 3 Comments
Okay, put me down as sickened but not surprised by the latest nonsense from the Democratically-controlled Congress. I’m speaking, of course, about the shameful health care reform bill that the U.S. Senate moved toward passage in the wee hours of the night.
Others have done a fine job of dissecting the bill’s specifics, but they all can be summarized with this: It’s not about health. It’s not about care. And it’s not about reform. Instead, it is yet another government giveaway to the corporate class – a most sinister reverse Robin Hood whereby those with the least are providing (once again) to those with the most.
And until those of us with the least decide to do more than we’re doing (politically, that is), it will only continue. Because the same grease that’s being used to skid the rails of this health care charade is being used to grease the electoral process. It’s called money – lots and lots of money.
The antidote to money in politics is activism. And the activism that is necessary in the face of this nation’s accelerating slide into a near-terminal state of social and economic injustice must step outside of the box.
It is time, my friends, for the workingmen and women of this nation to show our teeth and let the powers that be understand that we aren’t going to play nice anymore. We’re not, for example, falling for the two-party hoaxes, the election-season glad-handing, or the slick talk of elected millionaires pretending to speak for “the people” (are you listening, Bernie Sanders?).
Ironically, we should learn from the bankers. They cried wolf and declared to the federal government that without assistance they would be shutting down the economy. And then, with unprecedented haste over a mere weekend, the bankers and the Wall Street crooks received more than a trillion dollars in assistance while they should have been jailed for one count of causing the problem and one count of bribery to pretend they’d solve it.
Well, the working people of this nation should do the same. But, unfortunately, we won’t be crying economic wolf because our pain is real. Specifically, we should threaten to shut down the economy by refusing to pay our debts and mortgages, refuse to show up to work, refuse to pay another dime in insurance bribes, or otherwise participate in a system that is so clearly stacked against us.
We’ll call it a peaceful economic revolution. We’ll show them that it can be done. And we’ll call ourselves the “Thinking People’s Union.”
Otherwise, we’ll just keep getting jerked around by the millionaires who keep pretending to “feel our pain.” Bullshit on that.
Now let’s hear some music against fascism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascism:
Bernie the Quitter
December 17, 2009 | 6 Comments
Vermont’s Senator Bernie Sanders spoke for months about his “historic” efforts to get a vote on a single-payer health care bill in the Senate. While we all knew the outcome was going to be a rather miserable failure, it was a tiny crumb being flicked to those of us who still believe in both real solutions to the health care crisis AND the possibilities of democracy.
Sanders was correct to intuit that this kind of vote is essential to keep a movement alive, offer some hope, and simply record the moment in history. The entire effort is about seeing where we stand, knowing how far we have to go, and putting both the general public and the electoral elite on notice that we know where we’re going.
Historically, similar “failed” measures were introduced to end slavery, to give women the right to vote, to provide equal rights to minorities and – yes – to end wrong-headed wars. An effective movement must know which side everyone is on, and such votes – albeit failures – provide that organizational and motivational insight.
Bernie had all of this in mind while he talked the talk in the months preceding the historic single-payer health care vote. Because Bernie knows his history, and he also knows – like the rest of us who utilize common sense know – that a single-payer health care system provides the only path to justice.
“The upcoming vote on my single-payer health care bill will be an historic moment in the halls of Congress,” Bernie declared recently on a national radio talk show. “While I know it will fail, it is essential to bring it forward, have the debate, and record the vote so that we can continue to build the movement and move toward single-payer as our ultimate goal.”
Well, Bernie had his moment yesterday. And, as we all know now, he quit on us.
Specifically, Bernie pulled his single-payer initiative from consideration after the Republicans went grade school on us by demanding that the 700-page amendment be read in its entirety. It was estimated that the reading would take about 12 hours of the Senate’s time. After about three hours, Bernie came to the floor of the Senate and announced that he was withdrawing his single-payer initiative and, thus, killing the “historic” vote.
Why? Because, as Bernie explained, he didn’t want to hold up the business of the Senate. And what, exactly, was the next item on the Senate’s agenda? Yet another Defense Department appropriations bill. Hmm, sounds like a good reason to stall to me…
But the real reason, of coarse, is that Bernie was getting his arm twisted by the spineless Democratic leadership, a group of sheep who seem only interested in perfecting the not-so-fine art of losing.
When Bernie took the floor to announce his decision to pull his amendment he was “outraged,” and then spilled forth with some fine rhetoric about all the ills of our political system, the obstructive nature of the Republicans, and then some more outrage piled upon the outrage.
But it was Bernie’s – and only Bernie’s – decision to kill his initiative and, as a result, the “historic” moment that he had been promoting. So, sorry, if there was outrage to be had, it should have been spread evenly amongst the childish Republicans and Bernie-the-quitter.
Sadly, the whole affair could be chalked up to yet another example of the Democratic Party’s (yes, Bernie caucuses with the Dems) willingness to lead its followers to political slaughter. Obama’s done it with the Wall Street bailouts, his refusal to close Gitmo, his foot-dragging on Iraq, his surge in Afghanistan and his near-complete failure of leadership on the health care issue (to name a few). And the Democratically-controlled Congress has followed suit with its own bait and switch nonsense like the one perpetrated by Bernie: “Come, my followers, let’s make history. Oh, nevermind.”
They don’t want a movement. They want a nice, pliable butch of donors willing to get giddy during campaign season long enough to “hope” and vote for change. And if you dare to call their bluff, they’ll scream “Nader!” and/or “Palin!” until their own failures get lost in the rhetorical haze.
Shame on Bernie for so perfectly joining the quitters (once again). Because a real “independent” wouldn’t have so blatantly betrayed the moment of history he dangled in front of the single-payer movement. All for – what!? – saving a few hours of the Senate’s time? So they could rush to throw more money at the Pentagon? Good grief.
With apologies to “The Who,” we were, indeed, fooled again.
Damn.
Kill (the) Bill: Olbermann On Health Care
December 17, 2009 | 2 Comments
The above video is just the first half of Olbermann’s comments. Here’s a link to the full version, via Crooks & Liars.
Rethink Afghanistan
December 15, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Breaking Wind: Joe Lieberman is an Asshole
December 14, 2009 | 5 Comments
I’d like to laugh about Sen. Joe Lieberman and his announcement yesterday to filibuster the already close to meaningless health care legislation in Congress. But, sorry, he’s just not funny anymore. And neither are the Democratic Party nitwits who keep bending over for Lieberman every time he so much as grunts in their direction.
Lieberman, the so-called Independent from the insurance capital of the nation, Connecticut, has been crapping on the Democratic Party for decades. And the Democrats have responded by tippy-toeing around him and offering him committee chairmanships and seats at crucial negotiating tables whenever he launches into his now all-too-frequent political tantrums. Yeah, that’ll show him.
Now Lieberman’s at it again, and this time the political stink of it is as transparent as transparency can be.
Lieberman’s balking at the latest health care compromise because – surprise, surprise – the tiny little step of offering 55-to-65 year olds access to Medicare is offending his insurance industry pals in Connecticut. So, if you’re keeping score at home, when it comes to the health care debate, it’s Lieberman 3 and the rest of us zero. Way to go, asshole.
Lieberman and his cold-hearted neo-con brethren have denied a single-payer option to even be considered. They’ve killed the public-option compromise. And now they’ve said “boo” to the Democrats again with regard to the increased Medicare access.
Worse, before the news of Lieberman’s latest tantrum could even hit the newspapers, President Obama sent a directive to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to cut a deal with Lieberman to make him happy. As of now, it looks like that deal will be to kill the Medicare buy-in.
Like I said, it’s not funny anymore.
Sorry, but it’s way beyond time for the political left (is there such a thing anymore?) to start having some serious tantrums of our own. I mean, they certainly seem to work.
Specifically, it’s time for senators like Sanders (I-VT) and Feingold (D-WI) to push back with some threats of their own to walk away from this already compromised-to-death legislation. Because meaningless legislation passed today will only hinder meaningful efforts tomorrow, mostly because the Lieberman’s of the world will declare health care as “solved.”
My late, great mentor, Wally Burnstein, loved to say that “sometimes nothing is better than better than nothing.” And so it is with the health care legislation at this point.
Enough already.
Of course, it would certainly help if the left had an activist presence, willingness and/or commitment to its causes. Because, if it did, now would be the time to take it to the streets and make the Lieberman’s of this nation see, feel and hear the pain of families like mine – and probably yours – who remain scared shitless about health care.
This may be a cute little power game for Lieberman and his pals, but for the rest of us it’s nothing short of a high-stakes game of economic survival. I think it’s high time that that message got some front and center attention during this so-called debate.
I await your call, Mr. President.
Friday Image Blogging
December 11, 2009 | Leave a Comment
It’s Orwell Day in America!
December 10, 2009 | 6 Comments
Who knew today was a holiday? Only the Gods of Irony, I suppose.
Because it’s Orwell Day, you fool! And — what the fuck — we might as well make it an international holiday, too. We ARE the world, after all. Sing it!
With a wink and a nod and yet another soaring speech, President Obama launched this new Orwellian holiday from foreign soil this morning. Norway, to be precise. And with everything but the laugh track working, he paid his mightiest tribute to Orwell while accepting his Nobel Peace (sic) Prize.
Orwell, of coarse, said, “War is peace.”
Obama, doing his best channeling of Orwell, said, “War is just.” Or was it: It’s just war? I guess I’ll have to check.
This guy is getting trickier and trickier with his rhetoric. I mean, how proud would Orwell be with Obama’s rhetorical dance with the so-called public option. He flew the “public option” like a red cape in front of his sleepy liberal fan club, only to stab them with yet another “never mind” arrow just when they started to lunge for it.
“Ha!” he declared, before spilling forth with yet another Orwellian tribute that went something like this: Not having the public option IS the public option!
Brilliant. Orwell lives!
Which reminds me, let’s get back to Obama’s Peace Prize speech. With his firm commitment to sending another 30,000 troops to escalate the Afghanistan War still just days old, Obama counseled the Norwegian peaceniks with these words:
“We must develop alternatives to violence that are tough enough to actually change behavior.”
I’m guessing that at this point he had the guy who hangs around him 24/7 with the suitcase carrying the nuclear war codes hide behind the curtain. Just saying.
I’m beginning to love this new Orwell Day. It makes me think of other Orwell quotes. You know, quotes like: “Ignorance is strength.”
Indeed. And it all kind of reminds me of the oh-so-special relationship Obama has developed with his starry-eyed followers: They pulled his lever and he jerks their chains.
So, on this very special Orwell Day, let me remind you of how Orwell defined a liberal: “A power worshipper without power.”
Happy Orwell Day, you idiots.
Yeah, What They Said
December 7, 2009 | 3 Comments
I think I’m going to have to make me one of these signs. I’ll have it handy every time I read about Obama’s latest gift to the right wing. War? Fly it. Health care? Fly it. Government openness? Fly it.
You can see this and other fun protest signs here.
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