The Tax-Cut Con

More Krugman

I could talk about it, but the most important thing I can say is, "READ IT!"

M

R.I.P. Johnny Cash

Well, you wonder why I always dress in black,
Why you never see bright colors on my back,
And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone.
Well, there's a reason for the things that I have on.

I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down,
Livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town,
I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime,
But is there because he's a victim of the times.

I wear the black for those who never read,
Or listened to the words that Jesus said,
About the road to happiness through love and charity,
Why, you'd think He's talking straight to you and me.

Well, we're doin' mighty fine, I do suppose,
In our streak of lightnin' cars and fancy clothes,
But just so we're reminded of the ones who are held back,
Up front there ought 'a be a Man In Black.

I wear it for the sick and lonely old,
For the reckless ones whose bad trip left them cold,
I wear the black in mournin' for the lives that could have been,
Each week we lose a hundred fine young men.

And, I wear it for the thousands who have died,
Believen' that the Lord was on their side,
I wear it for another hundred thousand who have died,
Believen' that we all were on their side.

Well, there's things that never will be right I know,
And things need changin' everywhere you go,
But 'til we start to make a move to make a few things right,
You'll never see me wear a suit of white.

Ah, I'd love to wear a rainbow every day,
And tell the world that everything's OK,
But I'll try to carry off a little darkness on my back,
'Till things are brighter, I'm the Man In Black.

OK...just wanted to post this while I was thinking about it...
listening to NPR on the way home...
they are talking about the patriot act and they bring up how some dem's support it and some repubs don't...
then they say Charles Schumer supports it, probably because the attacks happened in NYC...
No. Charles Schumer supports it because he is an ass.
Am I the only one who remembers his shameful performance during the Waco hearings?
THE MAN IS AN ASS, an ass with totalitarian tendencies who believes the the federal government can do no wrong.
I will see if I can find some transcripts online...

M

Graphitti Designs Presents... NEWSARAMA - Stuart Moore's A Thousand Flowers: Flagg, United Fruit, History, and Deja Vu

comics...history...current events...

"Make no mistake: this is big corporations using the government to fight their wars. It's an administration filling its friends' pockets and strutting arrogantly around the globe, while ruining our nation's economy. It's legalized graft; it’s blood spilled to make the richest few even richer. It's war profiteering."

Paul Krugman, New York Times Columnist and Author of "The Great Unraveling: Losing Our Way in the New Century" - A BuzzFlash Interview:
"If you work for any Murdoch publication or network, or if you work for the Rev. Moon's empire, you're really not a journalist in the way that we used to think. You're basically just part of a propaganda machine. And that's a pretty large segment of the media. "

KRUGMAN!! need to buy the man's book soon...

Comments

Richard Parker does a little math and concludes that, yes, for what we spend on the war in Iraq we could pave the American highways with gold...

The Daily Dystopian: The Daily Dystopian:
"1984: Prominent Texas minister WA Criswell opined that separation of church and state was 'a figment of some infidel's imagination.'"

sometimes you read something that just really sets you off...
the link for Criswell above is one of those things...

I just don't understand, well, any of this...it's absolutely maddening.

How did our country end up in the hands of these people?

here's the link...
and one of my favorite bits from it...

In 1996, Second Baptist Church of Lake Jackson, Texas, stunned the state by sending out letters to Texas churches saying a person who voted for the Democratic Presidential candidate committed a sin before God.

reading that sentence just fills me with righteous anger.
every time.

M

"I have never hated a puppet as much as I hate Tatianna..."

I'm in rehearsals right now for Bobbindoctin Puppet Theatre's "Ivan the Fool."
I have to say that it's a damn funny show.
Not because it's in my contract that I have to say that or anything,
but because it is...

and the music is a lot of fun.

anyway, you should check it out if you like

1. puppets
2. russian literature
3. comedy
4. me

here's what the folks at BPT themselves have to say about it...

IVAN THE FOOL opens with a
Special Opening Night Pre-Performance Reception
Thursday, September 11, 6:30 -8:00 pm at Barnevelder Movement/Arts
Complex. Tickets for the special reception are $30 (cash or check) for
reservations call: 713-526-7434

Opening night pre-performance reception buffet generously provided by
Boulevard Bistro, Cafe Noche, Epicure Bakery, Mockingbird Bistro Wine
Bar, Let It Fly, Zana Mediterranean Café, and more

NINE NIGHTS ONLY! September 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27 at 8:00
PM.
TICKETS $15.
For reservations call: 713-526-7434

Bobbindoctrin Puppet Theatre kicks off its new season with Tolstoy’s
cautionary tale, IVAN THE FOOL. Unlike many of Bobbindoctrin’s past
productions, IVAN THE FOOL is designed to be suitable for all audiences,
including most children.

The production, originally produced in 1999 as part of DiverseWorks’
Houston Residency Program, tells the tale of IVAN THE FOOL. Ivan works
the fields and takes care of his deaf-mute sister and aging father.
Even as his militant and greedy brothers Semyon and Taras come and take
most of his land, Ivan abides peacefully. This aberrant peace angers
the Old Devil, who decides to use them as a living example of man’s
capacity for evil. He dispatches his hell spawn imps to set the
brothers at each other’s throats. But while the imps and the Old Devil
dismantle Semyon and Taras again and again with ease, they can’t seem to
get a handle on IVAN THE FOOL. Easy to bend, impossible to break, Ivan
survives war and poverty to become Tsar of the land. Will the brothers
tear Ivan apart in jealousy? Can Ivan manage a kingdom? Is it possible
to have a story with a happy ending but no moral center?

Adapted and directed by Joel Orr. Puppets by Larry Olivarez, stages and
effects by Dennis Clay, costumes and shadow puppets by Yelena Zhelezov,
music composed by Anthony Barilla, music arranged by John DuBoise.
Starring Ahmad Hernandez, Joe Fallodori, Charlesanne Rabensburg, Jodi
McLaughlin and Matt Hume. And the Ivan Orchestra: Mike Swietzer, Cathy
Power, Chris Bakos and John DuBoise.

IVAN THE FOOL
Barnevelder Movement /Arts Complex (2201 Preston, Houston TX)
September 11-27 2003 / Thursday through Saturday, 8 PM
TICKETS: $15 for reservations call: 713-526-7434

Bobbindoctrin Puppet Theatre is a participant in the Cultural Arts
Council of Houston/Harris County’s Arts Incubator Program.

The Month of Zorn:
"IT'S THE JOHN ZORN 50th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION at TONIC"

grrr...gotta get to NYC again soon...
this is going to be incredible...

This Modern World by Tom Tomorrow: August 31, 2003 - September 06, 2003 Archives
wherein Michael Moore is maybe not so crazy...
Snopes.com revisionist history
Bin Laden family Spirited Away
hmmm...

hey!
if you want to read some of my poetry
(and maybe give me a dollar)
go here.

I hope to finish the interview with myself this weekend...
whoohooo!

Something I wrote on the way home from work...
don't think it's finished yet...
but here it is anyway...


it is gray as I walk to my car
preparing to face another night of practice,
another practice, another part, another performance.
but when I close my eyes I see
(for an instant)
a smile
and
I think,
(for an instant)
"change is coming."
They say you can't
step in the same river once.
I say, "constants are constant,
and they constantly thwart us"
no.
not all of us.
some of us are allowed to grow
to change
to feel the power in our hands,
in our words,
but most of us,
no, most of us
are in our paths
our ruts
that get deeper
as we repeat
and repeat
and repeat

Finished the Franken book...
it's pretty great...not as funny as "Rush Limbaugh is a big fat idiot" but those were funnier times...
The things that stick with me the most...
1. The chapter on the Wellstone memorial...
I can't think of anything that has made me that angry in a long long long long long long long time. The way the right portrayed that event in the media is simply unforgivable...
2. The chapter on meeting Barbara Bush.
short version, "She's a bitch. Everybody says so."
I hope to have a Bar story from a friend of mine up here in the next couple of days...
3. (and this really is genius!)

SUPPLY SIDE JESUS!

I will try to give you a page or two of this in .pdf format tomorrow...
It does the best, clearest, job of defining the hypocracy of even the idea of a Christian Right...
GO READ ACTS! no, really go ahead...go get your new testament and read ACTS and then tell me what Jesus would think of voodoo economics...

too many other little great bits in there to mention...
so go buy it yourself...
or you can get in line to borrow my copy.

M

Amazon.com: Books: The Great Unraveling: Losing Our Way in the New Century

This might be next after I finish the Franken...
which isn't as funny as I remember "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot" being but makes me madder...

Ain't It Cool News - View Article:
"A list of 'young' Batman actors surfaces..."

I'd go with Gyllenhaal or Bale...


off topic...bought the Franken book last night...
probably have it finished by tomorrow...
You'll get my thoughts on it then.

Democratic Underground Forums - Viewing topic #263949 - Wow--a Brand New Poster Just Said a Mouthful--a lot of truth:

"With the election looming, I think it is more important than ever to stare some cold, hard truths in the face. There is a darkness, a certain cruelness out there in this country. I want to believe that the American people are just being fooled by Bush, but more and more it seems that they know exactly what he is and are making their choice for him and his brand of politics with their eyes wide open."


via The Daily Dystopian

Sometimes I feel this way...and it is feeling this way that keeps my mouth shut at work, and convinced that these people that surround me do not only not have my best interests at heart, but that they do not even understand what my, or their own best interests are...The time is coming to leave Texas...
and maybe the U.S.

The Lone Nut:
"politics, culture, conspiracy, and the occasional rant..."

I've accidentally been blogging to two spots recently...
so here's some things you might have missed...
hehe...

Loner who shot Reagan 'ready to be released':
"In court documents, Hinckley's lawyer, Barry Levine, stated: 'It is undisputed that Mr Hinckley's psychosis and depression have been in full remission and that he has shown no symptoms thereof for over a decade.
'Mr Hinckley does not pose a risk of danger to himself or others now or in the reasonable future.'"

O.k. I really don't know if that means we now let him run free or not...
I mean doesn't everyone really pose a risk of danger to themselves and others?
isn't it just a matter of degrees? and if he was mentally ill do we punish him?
Can we at least make sure we set him free in Tom Delays neighborhood?

AP Wire | 08/26/2003 | Study: Zoloft Helps Depression in Kids: "In a study of 376 youngsters ages 6 through 17 with major depression, Zoloft worked better than dummy pills at reducing symptoms. Sixty-nine percent of children who took Zoloft for 10 weeks showed a substantial reduction in symptoms, compared with 59 percent who took dummy pills."

doesn't this mean we should try dummy pills on everybody first?
then the 10% that don't respond...they get zoloft...

calendarlive.com: The less angry American: "Keith took a long pause to consider his words, and then added: 'I was for Afghanistan, 100%. We got struck and the Taliban needed to be exterminated, but this war here, in Iraq, I didn't necessarily have it all worked out. It didn't work out for me. I know a tyrant is gone and all of that, but whether it was our duty to go do that, well, I haven't figured that out.'"

via atrios, via hoffman

makes me feel a lot better about having seen mr. keith with wille on the 4th...