February 19, 2010 archive

A Failure to Plan is a Plan to Fail: A challenge to the progressive netroots.

Cross-posted @ Firedoglake

A failure to plan is a plan to fail. So said a poster here on a different diary today and it got me to thinking. What is the progressive plan for dealing with the Conservadems in Congress who’ve sold us out time and again since the Reagan years?

(crickets)

Yeah, that’s the problem. The debate always comes down to this: Vote Dem or let the Repugs rule. And that’s what happens. Dems lose their base in disgust and Repugs take over. I’m just as guilty. I’ve voted Nader every election until the chance to elect a black man president outweighed the knowledge that this guy was being foisted on us by the corporatocracy.

Instead of worrying about polls, or what the Dems should be doing or what Obama isn’t doing, we should be wholly focused on getting progressives past their primary challenges and replacing Conservadems on the ballot. But we aren’t.

Case in point: Alexi Giannoulias.

It’s hard to believe this is the candidate whom the Democrats wanted as their nominee. As Ben Smith dryly noted, Giannoulias “is about as un-changey as you get.” The Republicans are obviously delighted to have such a target-rich opponent. I suspect this will be another seat added to the political gurus’ “leans Republican” lists.

Where was coverage of the primary? Where was the grassroots effort to stop this guy from getting the nomination? Where was there even mention that this election was coming up?

Nowhere.

Afternoon Edition

Afternoon Edition is an Open Thread

Now with 41 Top Stories.

From Yahoo News Top Stories

1 UN appeals for nearly $1.5 billion for Haiti

By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press Writer

Thu Feb 18, 9:03 pm ET

UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations launched a new appeal Thursday for nearly $1.5 billion to help the 3 million Haitians affected by last month’s devastating earthquake, its largest appeal ever for a natural disaster.

The appeal, covering needs in 2010, is more than double the U.N.’s initial request on Jan. 15 for $562 million to help quake victims for six months.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his special envoy for Haiti, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, launched the $1.44 billion appeal at a meeting with diplomats from many of the 191 other U.N. member states.

Original v. Cover — #13 of a Series

A brief, somber prelude published 171 years ago, often performed at funeral and memorial services, less familiar than another widely known funeral march by the same composer, is resurrected in 1975, reaching #6 on the Billboard Top 40 charts, and then later in the decade a new arrangement, this time a lively disco version, topped out at #3 on the U. S. Dance chart and #40 on the U.K. singles chart.  The song has since been covered by many different artists.  

So why introduce a remodeled funeral march during this time of year, only a week after Valentine’s Day weekend? February 22nd represents a landmark birthday anniversary for a fairly well known historical figure.

You may immediately be thinking of George Washington, however, next Monday would be the 278th anniversary of his birthday, not exactly a number that is evenly divisible by 10, 25, 50 or 100. For a well known classical composer, however, that day would mark the 200th anniversary of his birth, providing ample reason to recognize his tremendous contributions to the body of classical music and, inadvertently, to our popular culture as well.

Frederic Chopin Pictures, Images and Photos

You’ve heard his music on numerous occasions, most likely not even realizing it at the time. The movie website, Internet Movie Data Base (IMDB), catalogues films that include this composer’s work, and to date, the list stands at 344 and counting.  If you’d like to see for yourself, you can go here.

The original composer of the thirteenth installment of this series is the esteemed Polish composer, Frederic Chopin, who is critically regarded as one of the greatest composers for the piano of all time. Although his music is among the most technically demanding for the instrument, Chopin’s style emphasizes nuance and expressive depth rather than mere technical virtuosity.

Life vs Death

Death and violence is the history of mankind.

It cannot be denied that we are a brutal, savage and often bestial species. From our earliest beginnings to the present day, we settle our differences by killing each other. Whether it be with rocks or with drones or by starving children to death with “sanctions,” it is who we are.

Despite the efforts, also throughout history, of the small minority of Humans who fight for peace and life, rather than fight to kill and destroy. Throughout the ages, that small minority of humans has steadily increased, it’s power has steadily grown. But still at the drop of a hat, Humans will rush off with blood in their eyes for revenge, for territory or for…no matter how well it is veneered, for naked greed.

Human emotion is strong, as is the power of rationalization and denial. MUCH stronger than human reason, that cries out at the destruction, horror and suffering of war. One need only look at the incredibly short time between The War to End All Wars….and the beginning of the next war. The war that brought us nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons that were also supposed to End All War.

It is who we are.

Decry it protest it, do everything you can to stop it. Try your very damn best to help elevate human consciousness to the next level, where the lip service we as a species pay to ending war and violence of all kinds becomes at least more of a reality.

But do not deny it.

Because to do so is to deny who Humans are, what we are.

Other than that, this essay has no point.

Just like war and violence.

Open Fire

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Olympic Alternatives IV

You thought I was not serious?

I’m dead serious.  The only way to effect change is through sacrifice (changing your habits) and protest (telling people what you think, publicly).

Plenty of other stuff out on the Hypnotoad.  Just look-

The Hypnotoad.

"Television is a vast wasteland"
hypnotoad

8 pm – 10 pm update.

All Prime Time update.

Midnight to 3 am update.

Why are you update.

Wild Wild Left Radio #53 How a Revolution Sounds

Tonight at 6PM Eastern Time, WWL Radio!!!!!

Gottlieb and Diane G. will be live and in color (or is that off color?) on WWL radio tonight to guide you through Current Events taken from a Wildly Left Prospective.

Hear the Unreported & Under Reported Headlines stories you should be paying attention to, from US Politics, to the farthest reaches of the Earth.

Marking the start of a new year of shows, we have an intense and exciting show planned for tonight!

The Joe Stack story is a controversial and polarizing story. Terrorist? Criminal? Revolutionary? Do his final words reflect the frustration of a nation, or the petulance of a tax evader? Do the ends ever justify the means?

This cannot be framed without speaking to the recent poll that shows 80% of Americans do not believe that the Federal Government has the consent of the Governed. While the same statistics show those in the government believe they are representing us, the flood of vacated seats belies a discontent bubbling upward to their positions as well.

People are aware the mood on the ground is becoming increasingly ugly, and now the numbers substantiate this. Is this how revolutions begin?

Or will the Revolution be thwarted before it starts? They are again attempting to control our means of communication and organization on the web. The latest? Internet “Driver’s Licenses” that will make anonymity a thing of the past.

In International News, we will be examining Mossad’s assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh.

Controversy? We face it. Cutting Edge? We step over it. Revolutions start with information, and The Wild Wild Left Radio brings you the best in information and op/eds from a position that others on the Left fear to tread.

Be there!

Join Gottlieb and Diane every Friday at 6pm EDT on Wild Wild Left Radio, via BlogtalkRadio, for News from the Real Left. No hand-wringing, no PC, just straight talk from reality based politics.

WWL Radio: Free Speech in Practice.

The call in number is 646-929-1264

Listen to The Wild Wild Left on internet talk radio

The live chat link will go live around 5:20.

CHAT LINK:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/F…

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Next Year’s Flu Shot

My wife met a honest doctor yesterday, it’s too be she was a vetrinarian.  Turns out the lyme disease vaccine does kill some dogs and the anti-biotics offer a better cure outlook in dogs.

Anyway news direct from the maistream propaganda delivery system say next years REGULAR flu shot will INCLUDE the EUGENICS ingredients related to H1N1.

Docudharma Times Friday February 19




Friday’s Headlines:

China anger at Dalai Lama-Obama meeting

Final Canadian WWI veteran dies

USA

Fed Rate Move Rattles Stocks and Sends Dollar Higher

HHS secretary decries higher rates for health insurance

Europe

Stalin to be celebrated as a war hero for 65th anniversary of Nazi defeat

Silvio Berlusconi shortlists dental hygienist as political candidate

Middle East

Iran could be building a warhead, says UN inspector

West turns diplomatic screw – but Israel refuses to crack

Asia

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd gives Japan ultimatum over whaling

India, Myanmar: Reluctant brothers in arms

Africa

Renegade troops kidnap Niger’s president Mamadou Tandja

The illegal camps that threaten to destroy Kenya’s Masai Mara

Latin America

During desperate times, Mexican families turn to ‘Aunt Pity’

Muse in the Morning

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Muse in the Morning


Silverish

(Click on image for larger view)

Wherein I stand athwart Docudharma, and all that you believe.

I’m so-o-o-o-o tired of buhdy, ek, nightprowl, edger, momcat…I’m just going to unleash, so here it comes.  I’m going to start breaking things.  Hey: Eventually, all pretense of decorum broke down.  Not my fault.

“What is the state of our moral being when Lloyd Blankfein taking a $9 million bonus is viewed as this great act of contrition, when every penny of it was a direct transfer from the taxpayer?” asks Eliot Spitzer…

A Moral Taxonomy:

There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who, when presented with a glass that is exactly half full, say: this glass is half full. And there are those who say: this glass is half empty.  The world belongs, however to those who can look at the glass and say: ‘What’s up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don’t think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass! ”

-tibor fischer, The Collector Collector

Late Night Karaoke

Open Thread

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