Baron Dave Romm
A Shift In Language
By Baron Dave Romm
Shockwave Radio Theater podcasts
"Post-Partisan" becomes "bi-partisan"
A conservative is someone who hasn't
figured out that they've lost.
A liberal is someone who hasn't
figure out that they've won.
Barack Obama has been president less than a month, and many of his appointees have been in place for less than that. He was elected as Change We Can Believe In, a post-partisan figure who could rise above the petty bickering and political manipulation of the Bush administration.
But lo! Fox "News", Rush Limbaugh and the GOP Slime Machine can't speak English very well. This group thinks when the rules of "capitalism" apply to everyone, then it's "socialism". They can't get the name of the "Democratic Party" right. If you ever hear somone rant about the "democrat party" (non-caps deliberate), just tune them out. They will never have credibility.
And suddenly "post-partisan" becomes "Bi-Partisan". It's not enough to set aside party politics to solve problems. For Republicans, the exact opposite of reality is the case: No problem can be dealt with until party politics are pre-eminent.
Shameful. The right just doesn't get it.
I'm not the only one to notice how the conservative news media is complicit in presenting wingnut talking points without any sort of "fair and balanced" coverage. Fox, CNN, network news just rolls over, has more Republicans on then Democrats or non-partisans, and fails to challenge liars. Journalism isn't dead, but it's coughing up blood.
Probably more on this later.
The Cowardice of Judd Gregg
Republicans don't believe in
Democracy
Conservatives don't believe in America
New Mexico governor Bill Richardson bowed out of becoming Commerce Secretary because he of come corruption scandal that may touch him. He doesn't want to be a distraction. That was too bad, I really like Richardson. He is currently not under investigation, but wanted to stay above suspicion. Maybe the issue will resolve without tainting him, and he'll be on tap the next time around. Still, he said "no" fairly quickly into the process, which looked to be a partisan mud-slinging fest by the GOP... again.
Obama next selected New Hampshire senator Judd Gregg. I don't know Gregg's qualifications to be Commerce Secretary, but I'll trust Obama that he'd be a good one. Plus, the governor of NH is a Democrat, so his replacement would give the Dems a veto-proof majority (once Norm Coleman decides to show some cojones and admit he lost to Al Franken).
Ah, but Gregg is a wily, experienced politician, and Gov. John Lynch is a centrist problem-solver. Gregg insisted that his replacement would be a Republican, and Luynch picked a political and academic veteran, Bonnie Newman, who drew praise from Demorcats and Republicans.
Okay so far.
The Stimulus Bill passed despite vehement GOP objection and very few GP votes. Gregg, still senator, didn't vote. A wily political move. As a staunch knee-jerk conservative, he'd have voted against it, angering Democrats who would have to approve him. If he voted for it, he would anger Republicans. And the Commerce Secretary will be one of the people who the bill will affect the most, so he has a good out.
So far, still doing fine.
Then, days after the stimuls bill passed and with a GOP replacement in the wings, Gregg abruptly withdraws his nomination. "However, it has become apparent during this process that this will not work for me as I have found that on issues such as the stimulus package and the Census there are irresolvable conflicts for me." Apparently, Gregg hadn't actually been following the campaign and never listened to anything Obama said that didn't have the name "Judd Gregg" in it.
Senator Gregg Shamed himself and the GOP by his partisanship and his cowardice. He knew what he was getting into, and he wanted the power, and changed his mind when some of that power was removed.
The odd phrase in his withdrawal is "...and the Census". The Census, mandated by the Constitution, is a province of the Commerce Department. The Census determines, among many othe things, how the House of Representives is apportioned to the states, and helps determine economic standing for many Federal programs. The far right has been fighting reality for decades. Naturally, the GOP doesn't want to count poor people who don't have phones and are hard to reach. They desperately wants to undercount minorities and undocumented workers. Republicans don't want a true count because they don't believe in Democracy, they care about Repubicans. Conservatives don't want t true count because they don't care about America, they care about conservatives.
This is not a new development, and Gregg has been on the wong side of the issue. Political Fight Brewing Over Gregg, Census, WMUR New Hampshire, Feb. 12 2009CE:
The trouble started with Obama's nomination of Gregg to head the department that oversees the Census Bureau. Gregg once voted for a plan that would have abolished the agency, and he opposed increased funding for the 2000 census. His record raised concerns about his commitment to an accurate census count, a priority for minority groups that have historically been undercounted.
Judd Gregg is the exact opposite of a "post-partisan" cabinet pick. He is hopelessly partisan and puts his own political arrogance over the needs of the country.
Gregg is trying to shift the debate away from his own agenda. Some in the conservative news media are twigging to this manipulation, but it isn't a GOP talking point so it tends to get buried. The GOP is slinging "troubles for Obama" over the vacancies in HHS and Commerce. Serious problems if left unresolved, but cabinet choices have taken a while in the past, and it hasn't been that long. In the meantime, Obama got good PR in choosing another Republican for a cabinet post, and now won't make that mistake again.
Dollhouse
One episode does not a series make, and Fox has a history of screwing up Joss Whedon's projects that are later deemed worthy by fans. Nonetheless, here is my take on the first show of Dollhouse.
Dumb.
Alias as written by Philip K. Dick. The production stylish, with the Dollhouse itself looking like Torchwood with a budget for Maintenance, or perhaps Knight Rider's garage without the wheels. While I'm sure Whedon is happy to have enough money for a well dressed stage, it didn't really add to the show. The back story implies a lot of money changes hands in an illegal operation. Either there's more money involved than just one Doll at a time, or the authorities are dumber than usual for tv, or they sold short during the economic crisis. I'm waiting to see more about the financing.
The acting is only okay, but I'm willing to give the characters time to grow on me.
Apparently, this was the second pilot, a reworking of the original, demanded by Fox, bereft of Whedon's usual humor and sharp character interplays.
Not a strong beginning, but I'll catch the next episode or two in case it grows on me.
Hell AND High Water
Liberals are right and conservatives are wrong.
From my brother's blog: AAAS: Climate change is coming much harder, much faster than predicted
In a nutshell: A large and growing segment of climatologists, studying the most recent data, have come to the conclusion that global warming is happening faster and will be worse than the consensus arrived at recently.
Cliamate change deniaers are fewer and fewer, and louder and louder. We're badk to another exact opposite scenario: Whatever the right wing says, loudly and obnoxiously in almost all media outlets, is completely wrong. Just like the rosy economic forecasts from the Bush administration, the rosy weather forecasts of the Republicans are proving to be wrong.
Sphincter conservatives are digging in. "You have to look at all the data." "What about global cooling?" All thing which have been shot down long ago, but you wouldn't be able to tell from listening to hate radio. They've maniuplated the press so much that any scientific report from a legitimate source is automatically suspicious. Only if it's said by a "trusted" source will it be heard by the party faithful. It's a matter of values, and the far right doesn't have any. They don't live in the world that G_d created.
I predict that some conservatives will deny global warming to their drowning breath.
Let's hope adults are in charge, and real Republicans take their party back from the Taliban wing of the GOP to join the post-partisan effort to save the planet. The stakes are high, too high for politics as usual.
Baron Dave Romm is a conceptual artist and a noble of Ladonia who produces Shockwave Radio Theater, writes in a Live Journal demi-blog maintains a Facebook Page, plays with a very weird CD collection and an ever growing list of political links. Dave Romm reviews things at random for obscure web sites. You can read all his music recommendations from Bartcop-E. Podcasts of Shockwave Radio Theater. Permanent archive. More radio programs, interviews and science fiction humor plays can be accessed on the Shockwave Radio audio page.
Thanks to everyone who has sent me music to play on the air.
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
FROMA HARROP: "GOP on Stimulus: First, Do Harm" (creators.com)
Barack Obama never guaranteed he would end partisan rancor in Washington. He said he'd try.
Susan Estrich: Doctor Obama (creators.com)
The patient is in trouble. That much we know. About that everyone is certain. There are mounting job losses, record deficits, banks failing, mortgages underwater, layoffs looming. Last month, we lost as many jobs as there are in the state of Maine.
FROMA HARROP: The Old Folks Are Doing OK (creators.com)
"Round up everybody that can ride a horse or pull a trigger," John Wayne says in "Chisum." "Let's break out some Winchesters." That's how I feel every time someone calls for "saving" Social Security.
Susan Estrich: Live to Risk (creators.com)
Why would someone risk his life by, as the LA Times described, "extending his body away from a motorcycle and grabbing the seat as the motorcycle is upside down, then pulling back aboard as the motorcycle is righted before landing"? Or not.
JOHN TIERNEY: "Darwin the Comedian. Now That's Entertainment!" (nytimes.com)
Mr. Milner's show provides sound bites from Huxley's famous 1860 debate in Oxford against Bishop Samuel Wilberforce, who scornfully asked Huxley whether he was descended from an ape through his grandfather or his grandmother. Huxley had the last word years later, when the bishop died after being thrown headfirst from a horse.
"His end has been all too tragic for his life," Huxley wrote in a letter. "For once, reality and his brains came into contact and the result was fatal."
Roger Ebert: Darwin survives as the fittest
On February 12, we celebrate the bicentennials of two of the greatest figures of the 19th century: Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin. In hailing Lincoln, bells will peal from sea to shining sea. The same date is also designated around the world as Darwin Day, and in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, his birthplace, a cake with 200 candles will be presented in the Square, and everyone will be offered a slice.
Joe Weider: Strong Arms Hold the Answer (creators.com)
ip of the Week: You must train yourself to turn thought into action. This is the only way you will ever see results in your life.
RICHARD ROEPER: For just $10, you too can pretend to be a cop (suntimes.com/)
How about a tougher fine and some community service?
The green room: Mark Thomas, comedian (guardian.co.uk)
'I have committed the entire Mad Max series to memory: I'm sure that will come in handy in some way.'
20 Questions: Bettye LaVette (popmatters.com)
Q: Essential to life: coffee, vodka, cigarettes, chocolate, or...?
A: Champagne. And a joint. And lobster.
Video: Did Coldplay copy Joe Satriani? Let's Do the Music Theory: PART 1 (youtube.com)
Analysis by Andrew Wasson, who really knows his stuff.
Video: Did Coldplay copy Joe Satriani? Let's Do the Music Theory: PART 2 (youtube.com)
More analysis by Andrew Wasson, who really knows his stuff.
Hubert's Poetry Corner
Bluebonnet Friends of Grapevine Springs Park
Seeing is believing?
The Weekly Poll
New Question
The 81st Annual Academy Awards Prediction Edition
Hey Poll-fans! It's Heart vs Mind i.e.
Who d'ya want to win as opposed to who d'ya think is gonna win
.
Best Picture
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Director
Feel free to include any other category that interests you (nod to Adam here for sound). Results will be posted prior to the ceremony... I wish I could make this a contest with prizes and all. But, hey, there's a recession going on, or haven't ya heard? So, just have some fun, eh?
Send your response, and a (short) reason why, to
Reults Friday, 20 February.
wrote:
Reader Comment
Palin = Lincoln
So Sarah is Alaska's Lincoln now?.....I'm OUTA Here!!!!
Vic in AK
Thanks, Vic!
Sure, she's a lot like Lincoln, except for that beard - and the book-learning thing, too.
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Dreary and gray, but no rain - yet.
Large Backlog
TV Converters
Though hundreds of TV stations are turning off their analog signals next week, households in line for their $40 coupons for digital converter boxes are likely to have to wait at least several weeks longer.
The fund that subsidizes the coupons has reached its authorized limit. It's still sending out around 100,000 coupons a day as older coupons expire unused, but there's a wait list of 4 million coupons. At that rate, it would take the National Telecommunications and Information Administration about two months to process coupon requests made today.
The stimulus bill in Congress contains added funding for the program. When it takes effect, the NTIA will be able to clear the backlog in two weeks, said spokesman Bart Forbes.
Markets where many or all major-network stations plan to turn off analog transmissions next week are San Diego and Santa Barbara, Calif.; Providence, R.I.; La Crosse and Madison, Wis.; Rockford, Ill.; Sioux City, Iowa; Waco, Texas; Macon, Ga.; Scranton, Pa.; and Burlington, Vt.
TV Converters
Inducted Into Friars Club
Barry Manilow
For Barry Manilow, the hottest spot north of Havana was the Friars Club.
The singer of "Copacabana" and "Mandy" was inducted into the club Saturday, joining celebrities including Frank Sinatra and Billy Crystal as part of the famous group.
As is standard for the club, Manilow came in for some teasing from speakers before he accepted the honour.
Barry Manilow
Some Department Of Education
Kansas
A high school student's keen eye has caught a state test error that managed to slip past teachers, test coordinators and other students for almost a year.
Geoffrey Stanford, 17, discovered during a Kansas writing test last week that an essay question concerning greenhouse gases incorrectly used the word "omission" for the word "emission," prompting the Wichita East High School junior to point out the error.
"I thought, `Surely they're not talking about leaving out carbon dioxide altogether.' It just didn't make sense," Stanford said. "It had to be a mistake."
The state Department of Education has e-mailed a corrected version of the essay question to test coordinators around the state, but the incident already has caused a lot of red faces at the department, which used a committee of more than 30 state teachers to develop the test almost two years ago.
Kansas
Painting Touchup
George Washington
The iconic painting that depicts George Washington crossing the Delaware River is getting even more dazzling. The plain frame that held the room-size painting is being replaced with an ornate recreation of its original.
A recently discovered photograph showing Emanuel Leutze's "Washington Crossing the Delaware" with an elaborate border during an 1864 exhibition inspired the Metropolitan Museum of Art to replace the plain frame.
The masterwork's current frame "minimized it," said Carrie Rebora Barratt, the Met's curator of American paintings and sculpture, although it's difficult to imagine how the painting, more than 21 feet by 12 feet, could be missed.
Leutze painted the masterpiece in 1851, depicting Washington and his companions crossing an ice-strewn Delaware River from Pennsylvania to New Jersey. Washington crossed the river on Dec. 25, 1776, in a surprise attack during the Revolutionary War.
George Washington
Mystery Fireball
Texas
What looked like a fireball streaked across the Texas sky on Sunday morning, leading many people to call authorities to report seeing falling debris.
"We don't know what it was," said Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Roland Herwig.
The U.S. Strategic Command said there was no connection to the sightings over Texas and Tuesday's collision of satellites from the U.S. and Russia.
The FAA notified pilots on Saturday to be aware of possible space debris after a collision Tuesday between U.S. and Russian communication satellites. The chief of Russia's Mission Control says clouds of debris from the collision will circle Earth for thousands of years and threaten numerous satellites.
Texas
Marine Census
Polar Seas
A marine census released Monday documented 7,500 species living in the Antarctic and 5,500 in the Arctic, including several hundred that researchers believe could be new to science.
And, in one of the biggest surprises, researchers said they discovered dozens of species common to both polar seas - separated by nearly 7,000 miles (11,000 kilometers).
Most of the new discoveries were simpler life forms known as invertebrates, or animals without backbones.
The survey - which included over 500 polar researchers from 25 countries - took place during International Polar Year which ran in 2007-2008.
Polar Seas
Open To Temporary Immigrants
U.S Military
The U.S. military will begin recruiting immigrants with special skills who are in the United States on temporary visas, offering a chance to become citizens in as little as six months, The New York Times reported.
A report on the newspaper's website on Saturday said it would be the first time since the Vietnam War that the armed forces would be open to temporary immigrants, provided they have lived in the United States for at least two years.
Immigrants with permanent resident status, or "green cards," are eligible to enlist in the U.S. military.
The Times said the program could help the military fill shortages in medical care, language interpretation and field intelligence analysis. It will be limited to 1,000 enlistees in its first year, most for the Army and some for other services.
U.S Military
Exhibit Captures Pre-War Photo Revolution
Paris
The Renaissance exhibition hall, Hotel de Sully, is a fine, if not ironic, choice for a major Paris exhibit of daring young photographers who defied social and stylistic boundaries to propel their craft into a veritable art during the two decades before World War II.
Pre-war Paris attracted artists from across Europe and the United States, and the exhibit, "Paris: Photography Capital, 1920-40," celebrates a wave of photographers from Germany, Russia, Hungary, Belgium, the United States as well as France.
For Christian Bouqueret, collector, curator and historian of photography, this era in Parisian history was marked by a photographic revolution.
Spanning three halls in the Renaissance-era building that is now an exhibition hall, Bouqueret's "didactic" collection of 120 original photos features photomontages, photograms and photocollages.
Paris
Weekend Box Office
`Friday the 13th'
"Friday the 13th" had all the luck as the remake of the 1980 slasher flick opened with $42.2 million, putting blood and guts ahead of hearts over Valentine's Day weekend.
That was a record for the horror genre, topping the $39.1 million debut for 2004's "The Grudge." Accounting for today's higher admission prices, "The Grudge" sold slightly more tickets, however.
The combination of solid debuts and strong holdovers lifted Hollywood to its best President's Day weekend ever. The three-day overall total of $190 million blew away the previous best of $157.1 million over President's Day weekend in 2007, according to box-office tracker Media By Numbers.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Friday the 13th," $42.2 million.
2. "He's Just Not That Into You," $19.6 million.
3. "Taken," $19.3 million.
4. "Confessions of a Shopaholic," $15.4 million.
5. "Coraline," $15.3 million.
6. "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," $11.7 million.
7. "The International," $10 million.
8. "The Pink Panther 2," $9 million.
9. "Slumdog Millionaire," $7.2 million.
&10. "Push," $6.9 million.
`Friday the 13th'
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