'TBH Politoons'
Thanks, again, Tim!
Baron Dave Romm
Republicans Don't Believe In Democracy
By Baron Dave Romm
Republicans simply do not believe in Democracy. They believe in power. They believe in winning at all costs. They believe the ends justify the means. They believe lies and don't believe the truth.
I wouldn't have said this as recently as four years ago, but Karl Rove, Rush Limbaugh and co. learned the wrong lessons from the Florida 2000 elections and the failed impeachment. What they should have learned was that America is stronger than any one president, stronger than any one candidate, stronger than any one soiled election. Instead, they learned that you CAN fool all of the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time.
Between 2000 and today, we have seen the even more soiled 2002 elections, the death of the Voter New Service, the California recall, and we are seeing the dirtiest and least democratic election in US history. Here are some of the unAmerican acts committed by the GOP in recent days. This list is largely drawn from salon.com's War Room but draws from other sources as well.
GOP-paid
firm faces voter fraud charge. October 14, 2004 (Requires
registration, so I'm going to pring a longer excerpt.)
Throwing out voter registration forms in Oregon. October 13, 2004. "Secretary of State Bill Bradbury and Attorney General Hardy Myers plan to investigate allegations that a paid canvasser might have destroyed voter registration forms." (might be archived or censored, try here )
Also in Oregon: Registration bait and switch. "Students passing through the Park Blocks yesterday afternoon were shocked to discover that a group of petitioners may have misled them into changing their party affiliation to Republican on their voter registration."
In South Dakota, Janklow criticizes GOP Vote Effort. "The former governor and congressman says the national GOP is encouraging campaign workers to cheat. He says his ire is directed at the Republican Party's Victory operation, which helps register people and get them to the polls."
Jeb Bush urged to 'pull the plug' on voter purge. But screws it up then lies about it.
Democratic and Progressive Party lawn signs have been disappearing, or in my own yard both torn to shreds and stolen, all over the Kingdom. Burlington (VT) Free Press (blog, may have to scroll for Oct. 15th entry). "Not a day goes by that a sign that I or other volunteers have offered to a friend or supporter, or placed on our own property, or positioned on private property at the request or permission of owners, has been removed, sometimes within 24 hours of being sited. Surprisingly (or not?), Republican lawn signs tend to remain. This is not an isolated event -- media has previously covered an incident in Hardwick, and yet another occurred recently in Walden. Now, we see it happening in the St. Johnsbury and Lyndonville communities."
Louisville OP Leader faces criticism on poll watchers. Cincinnati Inquirer 8/4/04. "Some Republicans are calling for the resignation of their local party chairman because he plans to use vote challengers in the November election. About a dozen people, about half of whom were black, demonstrated outside the Jefferson County Board of Elections Monday to ask Jack Richardson IV to step down. Last week, Richardson announced he would use poll watchers, if necessary, in predominantly Democratic precincts as a way to keep the election fair. Opponents argue that the presence of poll watchers is a way to intimidate minority voters. The protest group called that plan "rogue and racist behavior."
Election protests already starting. A brief list of potential complaint from USA Today 11/15/04.
When pressed, the sphincter conservatives retreat into Dittohead Response #2: "Everybody does it". Somehow, the goppies think that the the father of an Iraqi War casualty tearing up Bush/Cheney lawn signs is the equivalent of pain GOP operatives ripping up Democratic voter registrations. While emotions run high on both sides, there is no question that the Republicans are unconstitutionally denying people's right to vote while the Democrats are desperately trying to get more people to vote.
This list is long and will get longer in the next two weeks.
Baron Dave Romm is a conceptual artist and a noble of Ladonia with a radio show, a very weird CD collection and an ever growing list of political links. He reviews things at random for obscure web sites. You can read all his music recommendations from Bartcop-E here, you can order Shockwave Radio Theater CDs, and you can hear the last two Shockwave broadcasts in Real Audio here (scroll down to Shockwave). Thanks to everyone who has sent me music to play on the air, and I'm continuing to collect extra-weird stuff.
--////
Reader Suggestion
'Teenage Head'
long time reader, from way back since big dog was in the seat. i'd like to recommend "teenage head", a great canadian punk band (they're just a really really raw rock & roll band actually) from the late 1970's. so they don't exactly compare to zeplin but hey... they rock. and they might be hard to find but theyre definitely worth a look. they had a cult following of both canadian college students and punks. that can't be too wrong. picking up an old vinyl, if enjoyed, is best recommended.
like neil says, keep on rockin in the free world.
josh (commie58@aol.com 'Teenage Head'
Thanks, Josh!
from Mark
Another Bumpersticker
Reader Suggestions
More Bumper Stickers
America: Under This Administration, Reviled By Friend And Foe
George W. Bush: Learning That Losing The Peace Means Losing The War
George W. Bush: Don't Get a Flu Shot -- Pray That You Won't Get Sick
George W. Bush: Reality Is A Figment Of My Opponent's Imagination
George W. Bush: The Cannon-Fodder President
George W. Bush: Pretending To Listen
George W. Bush: No Poor Child Left Undrafted
George W. Bush: No Jobs Left In America
George W. Bush: Making Jobs America's No. 1 Export
George W. Bush: Was That A Gun In His Flight Pants Or Was He Just Glad To See Soldiers?
George W. Bush: The Trouble With Bulges
George W. Bush: The Man Who Did Not Grow As President
George W. Bush: The Tony Soprano Of Fiscal Responsibility
Bush/Cheney 2004: Prophets And Purveyors Of Doom
Bush/Cheney 2004: Freedom Is On The March -- Out Of This Country
Rush Limbaugh: Stoned Junkie
Remember Pearl Harbor: While We Are Fighting One War, Another War Can Break Out
Bill O'Reilly: If You Exploit A Girl, It Will Come Back To Get You
Thanks, Bruce!
Reader Link
Eden Project
Reader Comment
Re: Factoring in the O'Reilly Pump
Ed D. seems to have left out the most epiphanal expression best known to
the common man of California:
Choking your Chicken
Dan
Thanks, Dan!
That phrase has particular meaning in San Diego...
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Overcast & rainy. Finally, after 181 dry days, rain!
Sexiest Woman Says Esquire
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie, who manages to mesmerize men -- and fight off robot invaders -- with just one eye in her latest movie, has been named the "sexiest woman alive" in the latest edition of Esquire magazine.
Fellow Oscar winner and "Catwoman" star Halle Berry ran a close second with 6 percent. Newlywed pop princess Britney Spears made the cut this year at No. 3.
Rounding out the field of leading contenders for sexiest woman in the magazine's November issue, which hits newsstands this week, were TV/pop personality Jessica Simpson, sultry R&B singer Beyonce, Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron and former "Friends" star Jennifer Aniston.
Angelina Jolie
Programming Changes
'Bernie Mac' & 'LAX'
"Bernie Mac" is taking a break, while NBC appears ready to say "aloha" to "Hawaii" for the November sweeps and put "LAX" in a new Wednesday terminal.
Regency TV and Fox decided to temporarily halt production on "Bernie Mac" after the star's hectic schedule left him exhausted, the net said.
As part of a pre-sweeps rejiggering, the Peacock has announced plans to move Heather Locklear starrer "LAX" to Wednesdays at 8 p.m. beginning Oct. 27, replacing the low-rated "Hawaii." Latter actioner will remain in production at least until its 13-episode order is complete; no word yet on a back nine, though that seems a long shot given the skein's ratings.
Meanwhile, NBC will replace "LAX" Mondays at 10 p.m. with "The $25 Million Hoax," a new reality skein in which a fake lottery winner has to convince her friends and family that she's won a huge cash prize.
NBC this week rolls out a new reality gun, "The Biggest Loser," which network brass hope can pump up ratings in the 8 p.m. Tuesday slot. There'd been speculation that buzz-worthy drama "Medium" might air in November, but that now seems likely to hold off until December or January at the earliest.
'Bernie Mac' & 'LAX'
Iraq War Protest
London
Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of central London to protest against the Iraq war as Prime Minister Tony Blair struggled to shake-off fierce criticism of the invasion back home.
Organisers said that between 65,000 and 75,000 protesters had taken to the streets for the peaceful march, which began at Russell Square, close to the British museum. Police put the figure at between 15,000 and 20,000.
Sunday's march was the latest in a series of demonstrations organised by the Stop The War Coalition before and after the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 that was backed by Britain.
The march took place also amid speculation that Britain was to agree to a US request to redeploy its troops in Iraq. A defence ministry spokesman said Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon would brief parliament Monday following reports.
London
Background - Men In Thongs
'Smoketown Six'
Plays With College Marching Band
Tommy Lee
Drummer Tommy Lee has played plenty of stadium shows with his band Motley Crue. But none was quite like his performance with the University of Nebraska marching band before 77,881 red-clad football fans.
Lee is in Lincoln filming a prospective NBC-TV reality show in which he takes classes at Nebraska including chemistry and the history of rock 'n' roll. If the show makes the cut, it is scheduled to air on NBC in July.
Lee took part in the band's Latin music halftime show, playing a rack of five tom-toms carried on his shoulders. A cheer went up from the stands as Lee was shown on the stadium's giant TV screens during a rendition of the Cuban song "Malaguena."
Lee also came out of the stands twice to man a hand-held compressed-air cannon that shoots hot dogs into the stands. "It's awesome, dude," Lee exclaimed after his first shot. "You can launch a wiener."
Tommy Lee
DVD Set Compiles Series for Kids
Leonard Bernstein
Another generation of viewers finally has its chance to experience the magic of Leonard Bernstein's famed Young People's Concerts.
Twenty-five of these programs were released as a nine-DVD set Sept. 28 by New Jersey-based Kultur.
The famed series of hourlong programs, which Bernstein helmed at the New York Philharmonic from 1958 to 1973, was first broadcast as a primetime CBS program, and eventually reached millions of viewers globally.
Leonard Bernstein
Bluegrass Icon Gives Memorabilia Tour
Ralph Stanley
Bluegrass icon Ralph Stanley didn't need to say a word. His eyes said it all Friday as he gave a tour of memorabilia on display in the new Ralph Stanley Museum and Traditional Mountain Music Center, which details his 50-year career.
The museum opened to the public Saturday, but Stanley, some of his friends and Gov. Mark R. Warner were among those who previewed its contents a day early.
Stanley performed with his brother, Carter, who died in 1966. Among the family treasures on display in the century-old Victorian mansion are his late brother's stage tuxedo and the claw-hammer banjo used by Stanley's mother.
Ralph Stanley
L.A. Critics Honor
Jerry Lewis
The Los Angeles Film Critics Assn. voted Saturday to bestow its lifetime achievement award on Jerry Lewis, 78, the comic actor and filmmaker whose "idiot" character made him something of a cultural hero in France to the general incomprehension of American critics.
Lewis' frantic misfit, who offends the world with his infantile behavior -- Lewis often describes him as a 9-year-old -- achieved popularity with a string of successful comedies in the 1950s and 1960s. Yet Lewis himself took filmmaking very seriously.
The critics group will hand out the award Jan. 13 at the annual LAFCA awards dinner at the St. Regis Hotel in Century City. In a related development, the group voted to move its annual awards voting up a week to Dec. 11 from the previously announced date of Dec. 18.
Jerry Lewis
Hosting 'The Scholar'
Steve Martin
Steve Martin is teaming with ABC to give bright, ambitious high school students a chance for a free education at a top university of their choice.
Tentatively titled "The Scholar," the series will take place on the campus of a major university. Fifteen qualified high school seniors who might not otherwise have an opportunity to pursue a college education will compete against each other in such challenges as academics, leadership, school spirit and community service.
The search for high school students to participate in "The Scholar" is under way. Production is slated to begin this year for a premiere next year.
Steve Martin
Scholars Grapple With Legacy
Godzilla
He's attacked other monsters and terrorized Japan for decades. Now Godzilla is confronting academics who want to wrestle with his legacy.
The University of Kansas plans to pay homage to the giant lizard later this month, organizing a three-day scholarly conference for the 50th anniversary of his first film.
It's not just about celebrating campy creature features. Planners want to provoke discussion of globalization, Japanese pop culture and Japanese-American relations after World War II.
The conference that begins Oct. 28 will offer speeches, panel discussions and free screenings of Godzilla films, including "Gojira," the Japanese movie that started Godzilla's career in November 1954.
Godzilla
Only In Alaska?
Wired Moose
In one of those only-in-Alaska stories that will shock even the sourest of sourdoughs, a trophy-sized bull moose was accidentally strung up in a power line under construction to the Teck Pogo gold mine southeast of Fairbanks. The moose apparently got its antlers tangled in electrical wire before workers farther down the line pulled the line tight about two weeks ago.
The moose was suspended 50 feet in the air when workers, recognizing something was wrong, backtracked and found it.
The moose was alive when it was lowered to the ground but was later killed when officials from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game decided against tranquilizing it to remove the wires because they were worried the moose, already stressed, would die and the meat would not be salvageable as a result of the drugs.
The incident happened Oct. 5 at about 40 Mile Pogo Mine Road, which leads to the gold mine about 80 miles southeast of Fairbanks.
For a lot more, and a picture - Wired Moose
Fall Shows Slump
Syndicated TV
As many as half of the eight syndicated five-a-weekers that kicked off last month may survive into a second season, despite the fact that none of the rookies is averaging more than a 1.0 rating with 18- to 49-year-olds.
It may not be a breakout, but Paramount TV's "The Insider" has pulled away from the seven other fledgling strips in household Nielsens and among women 25-54, the demographic that syndicators tend to pitch most of their programs at.
Another much-ballyhooed novice, NBC Universal Domestic's "The Jane Pauley Show," has dampened expectations by stumbling out of the starting gate.
The third most-visible neophyte, Buena Vista TV's "The Tony Danza Show," is averaging only a 1.2 household rating season to date (compared to a 2.4 for "Insider" and the Pauley show's 1.5). But Carroll says Danza's talkshow is hampered by some latenight time periods in key markets like Los Angeles and Chicago.
Renewals may be harder to come by for the three bottom-rated newcomers: Warner Bros. Domestic's "The Larry Elder Show," averaging only a 0.8 household rating (a 0.4 among women 25-54) and two from Sony Pictures TV: "Movin' In With Pat Croce" (0.6 rating; 0.5 women 25-54) and "Life & Style" (0.5 rating; 0.4 women 25-54).
Syndicated TV
Monument to Mark Crash Site
Paul Wellstone
A new memorial will honor the late Sen. Paul Wellstone, his wife and daughter, and five others who died in a plane crash in 2002.
The design of the Wellstone Memorial and Historic Site is scheduled to be unveiled Tuesday near the crash site, which is in a swamp two miles south of the Eveleth airport.
The memorial to the progressive Democrat, who served 12 years in the Senate, includes a walking trail featuring plaques about the victims and a monument near the crash site, said Bill Lofy, spokesman for Wellstone Action, a nonpartisan, nonprofit political training organization founded by Wellstone's sons.
Paul Wellstone
