All Hallows Eve Edition: It used to be They Only Came Out at Night

posted by The Sailor @ 11:46 PM Permalink

Local GOP Chairman distributes racist e-mail

The long lines of early voters at the Temple Terrace Library have caused concern for the Republican Headquarters a block away. It has also caused a major storm in local politics.

The head of the Hillsborough GOP, David Storck, distributed an email from a Republican Party volunteer saying the voters are a threat.

That's because, as the volunteer says in the email, he sees "car loads of black Obama supporters coming from the inner city to cast their votes for Obama."

It goes on to say, "This is their chance to get a black president and they seem to care little the he is at minimum a socialist and probably Marxist in his core beliefs." The Republican volunteer says that is because, "After all he is black- no experience or accomplishments but he is black."

Wow! Obama's black? Gosh, I never knew that!

Ummm, did anyone think to mention to this racist, (and I don't use that word lightly), that people have to vote in their district so "car loads of black Obama supporters coming from the inner city" is a load of crap.

BTW, I used to live in Tampa, there is no 'inner city.' The black neighborhoods are on the outskirts because the actual 'inner city' is prime waterfront real estate.

Of course maybe all those scary black folks were actually registered in this cracker's neighborhood and were exercising their right to vote.

Costume of the day; A talking Boner:

Boehner stumps for McCain in Oxford

Boehner criticized Illinois senator and Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama for his stance on domestic drilling, taxes and his number of "present" votes in the Illinois legislature-an attack originally leveled by Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) during the democratic primaries.
[...]
"In Congress, we have a red button, a green button and a yellow button, alright. Green means 'yes,' red means 'no,' and yellow means you're a chicken shit. And the last thing we need in the White House, in the oval office, behind that big desk, is some chicken who wants to push this yellow button."

'Where the white women at?' and 'chicken shit' is all these bastards have.

All I can say to this is GO VOTE!



Cross posted at SteveAudio

Labels: presidential election

1 comments

Intriguing headline: McCain Camp: "We're Pretty Jazzed Up"…

posted by Bill Arnett @ 4:04 PM Permalink

…wow! I wish I had some of whatever they're taking or smoking! It HAS to be some good sh*t!

Labels: McCain, snark

0 comments

From the ridiculous to the sublime and sublimely ridiculous…

posted by Bill Arnett @ 3:50 PM Permalink

…when a person such as Senator Stevens is convicted on seven felony counts and then makes repeated television statements that he has not been convicted of a crime!

I guess the internet tubes were too clogged to get word to the Senator that he is indeed a convicted felon. Maybe it will get through to him when Alaska authorities deny him the right to vote or own guns. (This would be the case in most states, but with Alaska, who knows?)

Ah, the sublime realities of senility and denial.

Labels: Courts, Crime, criminal justice system, liars, Stevens

0 comments

Prosecuting war criminals for fun and profit…

posted by Bill Arnett @ 12:54 PM Permalink

…is something I feel very strongly about. I don't believe we can ever reestablish trust and recover the respect of the world unless we show that we are willing to clean up our own house first. And everyone knows we have a lot to do.

We can start by prosecuting bush, cheney, ashcroft, gonzales, addington, feith, libby, yoo, and as many other bastids that have engaged this country in illegal acts we can find. Every torturer should be rounded up and prosecuted as well, for following orders is no defense to having committed war crimes. I not sure I wouldn't even mind if President Obama commuted their sentences (no pardons! if tried here in America) or asking the world court at the Hague to show mercy with short prison sentences, but I think it must be done to show that America is once again a country of laws and not of men.

Then we need to get rid of the USA Patriot Act, and every other section of law that allows eavesdropping, spying upon, and the gathering of information on American citizens to be stored in hugh and monstrously privacy invading databases of dubious benefit.

Our spy satellites should be returned to their original function of spying on potential enemies and not American citizens. All interceptions of private communications should be banned, and any agency or person found to be conducting such surveillance should suffer great penalties.

The FISA court should be reaffirmed as the only entity authorized to issue warrants for spying on Americans and foreign nationals and then only with probable cause demonstrated by the government.

The abomination of "National Security Letters' being issued without judicial review should be stopped as these letters have led to massive abuses by the FBI in gathering information on citizens without a showing of probable cause.

Habeas corpus must be returned as an inalienable right of any person being arrested by any entity of the government. It literally sickens me every time I'm watching a TV show where, when an arrested person requests a lawyer they are told that, "Hey, buddy, we can hold you forever under the terms of the Patriot Act, so you better cooperate." No one will ever convince me this doesn't occur in real life with real people. This is actual blackmail of suspects as well as a violation of several rights stated in our Constitution, such as the right to an attorney, the right to confront your accusers and see hear, and contest the evidence presented against you, to challenge your incarceration in a court of law, the right to reasonable bail, the right to a speedy trial, and the right to not be forced to incriminate yourself.

People in America, having lead rather comfortably and complacently for over two hundred years under the protections of the Constitution just don't seem to, in this atmosphere of constant fear and war-mongering politics fighting a mythical "war on terra", realize how many of the freedoms and rights they formerly enjoyed have been taken away from them. Hell, we are practically living in a dictatorship with a rogue president violating legislation he signs into law routinely.

Which leads me to "signing statements" a creature of fiction that says a president may ignore any provision of law he wishes with impunity. That's just not the way in which things are supposed to work in America.

The Congress, House and Senate, pass legislation that the president is free to sign into law or to veto. His veto may be overridden by a supermajority (two-thirds) of Congress and put into law despite the veto. It's called "checks and balances." If the Executive Branch, the president, disagrees and feels that the new law encroaches upon his authority he or she is free to file a court action and litigate the matter all the way to the Supreme Court, the final arbiter as to whether the legislation passed into law is indeed Constitutional and must be followed even by the president, or that the president is correct and the law in question is unconstitutional and need not be obeyed. There can be no middle ground or "gray area" of violating laws absent this judicial review or the Executive Branch becomes the dictator of the land, able to choose which laws he will obey or not at will, the exact situation in which we find ourselves under the illegal, unconstitutional rule of gw bush.

But nowhere in our Constitution is there granted authority for a president to sign a piece of legislation into law and then issue a "signing statement" saying which sections of a law he will or will not obey! If need be the Constitution must be amended or binding laws passed forbidding the use of signing statements, their consideration for any purpose in any court of law, a designation that they carry no legal authority whatsoever, and a reaffirmation that even the president is not above the law.

Let's take back our country people. We've suffered dictatorial rule for the last eight long years and it has almost ripped our country asunder and has brought about whole new realms of discrimination, and the most insidious discrimination ever witnessed in America. Our society is being slowly suffocated under a deluge of illegalities being committed by persons sworn to uphold the Constitution and defend it against all enemies, foreign or domestic.

The consequences of allowing a further diminishment or abrogation of our rights will lead to a society unrecognizable from the one that existed pre-bush. Do it for your children and grandchildren: keep America the land of the free and the home of the brave who will stand up against these injustices and take back our nation.

But that's just my opinion and I could be wrong.

Labels: bad laws, blackmail, bush hypocrisy, civil rights, Congress, Patriot Act, surveillance, telecom immunity, Terrorism, Torture, totalitarianism, US Constitution, War On Terror

0 comments

First, let's break term limit laws and then raise property taxes…

posted by Bill Arnett @ 11:49 AM Permalink

…sounds like a good idea to a rogue billionaire Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and typical Republican thinker. After all the populace of New York is only there to do his bidding, so if he wants to do an end around the people, who have twice voted for term limits, and go through the clearly illegal procedure of having the City Council okay a third term in office for him, and then wants to immediately raise property taxes to help finance his Empire, isn't he just being a typical Compassionate Conservative?

As I understand property taxes (and I admit to never having owned real estate. I fact the only things I ever owned worth more than $13k was a land rocket called a Yamaha V-Max and a 1600cc full dress Kawasaki, both motorcycles), the amount of taxes a person pays is based upon a percentage of the value of the property, mostly homes.

I would suggest that New Yorkers immediately commence doing what many California homeowners have done: have the home reappraised to reflect its new, much lower value, and then go to whatever entity handles property taxes and demand that their taxes be adjusted based upon this new lower value. Then tell Bloomberg to stuff it where the sun don't shine, contact the ACLU and commence a very expensive lawsuit (for which Bloomberg will have to enlist very expensive lawyers to defend an indefensible act of illegally overriding the vote of the people).

From an article in the NYT:

Tensions between City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn and aides to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg are erupting just a week after Ms. Quinn shepherded the mayor’s divisive legislation to loosen the city’s term limits law through the Council.

Feelings are raw between the two sides largely because Ms. Quinn took heavy political shrapnel for the mayor during the term limits battle as she rounded up support for what became an unusually difficult vote.[…]

In closed-door meetings over the last few days that occasionally escalated into shouting, Ms. Quinn has told the mayor’s aides to back off a plan that would change how hundreds of programs for the elderly are financed, a proposal that has infuriated several council members.

According to people briefed on the conversations, she has warned that the mayor’s plan to push for a property tax increase as early as next week could encounter resistance, especially since council members are still reeling from the term limits vote.

The tensions reveal the degree to which the bruising term limits battle, initiated by the mayor so that he can run for a third term, altered the political landscape, with Ms. Quinn and her colleagues feeling empowered to challenge the Bloomberg administration as never before.[…]

In discussions with senior administration officials, Ms. Quinn pointedly described a new political reality following the difficult term limits fight, which drew unusual attention and almost daily criticism of the Council. Members are reluctant to quickly tackle another contentious issue, council members and administration officials said.

Next week, the mayor is expected to rescind, six months early, a 7 percent property tax cut and lay out a 5 percent annual cut in spending for city agencies, according to city officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the plans are not yet public.

Both measures require the support of council members, and Ms. Quinn has already embraced Mr. Bloomberg’s call for swift action on the budget.

I was raised in 1950's Arkansas, where any politician bold enough to try this nonsense would quickly find themselves tarred-and-feathered and literally run out of town on a rail.

But if you take into account that the average home in America has lost about 25-30% of its former value if Bloomberg rescinds a 7% property tax cut, the average homeowner could easily save money by having the home reappraised and paying taxes on the reduced worth of the home (or any other real estate that has lost value), certain to be a much greater cost reduction than the 7% increase.

To me this would demonstrate two things: one, the citizens of New York City are not sheep to be led around by the nose by, two, a wanna-be permanent dictatorial mayor arrogating powers to himself that have no foundation in law or commonsense. And if the people there get to vote for city council members I would encourage those citizens to vote those bastids out of office and drive them into the wilderness until they see the truth of their pernicious ways.

I guess my real point is that it s way past time for even the average citizen to start fighting against injustices such these and take back our country and our rights as citizens. Especially when the steps needing to be taken can be undertaken at small expense, with larger savings, and leave the message permanently engraved in the minds of arrogant politicians that their perfidy will no longer be tolerated.

We must take back our country. It is our duty as citizens

Labels: bloomberg, blowback, class warfare, Conservatives, conspiracy, corruption, disinformation, human rights, hypocrisy

0 comments

A long national nightmare will soon be over

posted by The Vidiot @ 4:06 PM Permalink

And I'm not just talking about the eight years of Bush, I'm also talking about 21 months of non-stop campaigning.

I'm fatigued by it all. Eight years of badmouthing Bush, eight years of grinding my teeth whenever I'd hear his smirky little voice, eight years of looking a Cheney and wondering if the man has a soul. Not to mention the sniping and griping and general mayhem of 21 months of political infighting.

I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted.

I'm looking forward to next Tuesday for so many reasons. Of course, it's time to change the dialogue around here. That's a given. But I'm also expecting them to try to steal the election. I might even be a little disappointed if they didn't at least try. Just a little bit. Most of all though, a big Obama win, will, if nothing else, put those self-righteous, right-wingers in their place. That would be delicious.

On a semi-related note, I was watching Colbert the other night, and he had this Native American author on, Sherman Alexie, and he said that while John McCain has been good for the Native Americans, as a group, a huge percentage of the Native Americans are voting for Obama. When Colbert asked why, Alexie said it was because Native Americans choose what's best for the society as a whole, not just what's good for them.

I mention Alexie, not because I necessarily endorse Obama or think he's what's best for the world, but rather, it's the general thought process that moves me to mention it. Why shouldn't we think of and do what's best for the community, rather than what's best for us? When did we all become so narcissistic? When did we lose our connection to the past and when did we forget that what we do now connects us to the future?

Sometimes, I like to put it all in perspective and I go to Shorpy.com to look at pictures from 100 years ago. There was one from today, of a bunch of orphan girls from 1924, sitting outside in the sun with their lollipops, giggling away. Look at their happy little faces. Now, realize, that if they're still alive today, they're well into their 90s. They lived their lives, that was then. That was their 'now'. Now, think of the nearly endless stream of people, all 10-year olds at one point in time, and everything that they did throughout their lives, no matter how minuscule, and how it was important to them at that moment, and how what they did connected them to today and beyond. We are all part of this vast river of humanity, we are not islands unto ourselves and we should stop acting like we are.

If you feel that voting is important, by all means, get out there next Tuesday and vote. But don't vote for the guy who gives you what you want. Don't vote for the guy who tells you what you want to hear. Make sure that when you pull that lever, or poke that hole, or touch that screen, that you do it with the full knowledge that what you do connects you to tomorrow and beyond and your choice should reflect that. You should choose the person who will steer this ship in the direction you think is best for society, not just best for you. If you sincerely believe that McCain/Palin are the folks to do it, then by all means, vote for them. If you think Obama/Biden is the ticket, then do it. If you believe voting is immoral, then don't vote.

But please, just try to be conscious.

Labels: 2008 election

2 comments

Imagineering ... or ... You can say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one

posted by The Sailor @ 3:30 PM Permalink

Labels: music

1 comments

A Study in Contrasts

posted by The Sailor @ 2:29 PM Permalink

Via ThinkProgress

DeLay On Obama: ‘I Tagged Him As A Marxist Months Ago’

Invoking William Ayers and Rev. Jeremiah Wright on MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews today, former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay declared that Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) is a “radical” and a “Marxist.” Matthews asked DeLay if he was comfortable with the McCain campaign using phrases like, “socialist, communist, Anti-American.” “Absolutely,” DeLay responded.
[...]
Rep. Steve King (R-IA) claimed over the weekend that Obama’s policy proposals would transform the country into “totalitarian dictatorship.”

Hmmm, what would a “totalitarian dictatorship” look like?

Would it look like this?

Bush Declares Exceptions to Sections of Two Bills He Signed Into Law

President Bush asserted on Tuesday that he had the executive power to bypass several parts of two bills: a military authorization act and a measure giving inspectors general greater independence from White House control.

Mr. Bush signed the two measures into law. But he then issued a so-called signing statement in which he instructed the executive branch to view parts of each as unconstitutional constraints on presidential power.

In the authorization bill, Mr. Bush challenged four sections. One forbid the money from being used “to exercise United States control of the oil resources of Iraq”
[...]
In the other bill, he raised concerns about two sections that strengthen legal One section gives the inspectors general a right to counsels who report directly to them. But Mr. Bush wrote in his signing statement that such lawyers would be bound to follow the legal interpretations of the politically appointed counsels at each agency.
[...]
Mr. Bush has used the signing statements to assert a right to bypass more than 1,100 sections of laws. By comparison, all previous presidents combined challenged about 600 sections of bills.

What do you call a leader of a country ignores the will of the people and their elected representatives? Gosh, it's right on the tip of my tongue ...



Cross posted at SteveAudio

Labels: more Bush lies, presidential candidates

0 comments

Idiotic headline for the day…

posted by Bill Arnett @ 12:24 PM Permalink

…

Consumers Drag Economy Down

I won't link to the article as I think it dumb beyond belief to blame consumers for the current state of the economy and would't wish to embarrass the author more than his headline should or will.

[…] Consumers are clearly in retreat, and the economy is suffering.…

Hey, no kidding? I never would have guessed that from the record numbers of bankruptcies, home foreclosures, and businesses failing, so it's not a matter of consumers retreating, but consumers being beaten down by the failed theory of "trickle down economics" that has been so disastrous to America and Americans.

"Give the money and big tax breaks to the super wealthy and they will build factories, open businesses, and provide good jobs for the lower and middle classes," we were told.

Instead the only thing that "trickled down" on the lower and middle classes was a suspicious yellow substance the rich kept shaking off their legs and shoes on those down below. And the results haven't been pretty.

There is a nondescript, medium-sized, plain white five story building down in the Cayman Islands that is the headquarters, at least on paper, of over 12,000 corporations which escape paying taxes in America by having their "headquarters in a mailbox" there.

It works synergistically with the other mantra of Republicans, "yoyo." or "your own your own." In other words if you should be starving it's your own fault for not finding a job and working hard, so no help from a Rethug here. If you are lying sick, near death, again the Rethugs will do nothing more than tell a destitute sick person that they should have bought health insurance.
If you can't afford to go to college because of obscenely high tuitions, the Rethugs will tell you to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps, even though you may be to broke to afford boots. And I swear, if you were on fire by the roadside a Rethug couldn't be bothered to stop their limousine to p*ss on you and put the fire out.

THAT'S what happens when you give the rich more money, they get "maildrops" off-shore so they pay no American taxes at all, move their factories overseas for cheaper labor, and then re-import their goods to be sold for killer profits here in America. All the while having no intentions whatever to do anything but make money from the American people, no matter how badly those people are suffering.

The Republican theory of trickle down economics is an abject failure and the GOP advocates of this theory deserve naught but banishment to the wilderness until they rethink their evil ways and decide to actually perform good works for the people of America and not just themselves for a change.

But that's just my opinion and I could be wrong.

In the meantime keep your umbrellas handy so you don't get trickled on.

Labels: corruption, disinformation, economics, Economy, GOP, monetary policy, propaganda, rant, snark

4 comments

Boy! "The powers that be," sure as hell are scared…

posted by Bill Arnett @ 10:26 AM Permalink

…spitless from the many ways they keep trying to minimize Mr. Obama's polling figures to try and show that this race is much closer than the polling figures and the actual counts of people who have voted early demonstrate - which show the votes breaking almost 2-1 for Mr. Obama among early voters.

It seems that they are really desperate not to have a Democratic President succeed bush in the White House, knowing that McInsane would not investigate spit, while a Democratic President with a Democratic House and Senate just waiting for their power to subpoena to once again be honored, and the law followed, could turn up the many, many crimes committed by bush and cohorts.

Even Gallup released two sets of figures to CNN this morning, one showing Mr. Obama ahead by a mere three points amongst likely voters, but seven points ahead with people who claim they are likely voters but whom Gallup believes are lying and will not show up to vote! Just who the hell appointed Gallup to be the nation's physic mind readers?

"Faster than a speeding phone call! More powerful than a loaded question! Able to leap to tall conclusions at a single bound! ("Look! Up in the sky!" "It's a bird!" "It's a plane!" "It's the Gallup Poll!")... Yes, it's Gallup ... strange visitor from another planet who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men! Gallup ... who can change the course of mighty elections, bend statistics in his bare hands, and who, disguised as a mild-mannered pollster for a great metropolitan news agency, fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice, the American way, and trying like hell to make this race look closer than it is!"

This is really turning into silly season out there folks, with the desperation of the Rethugs becoming ever more apparent. Paraphrasing the Eagles, who once sang:

Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
You been out takin' polls for so long now
Oh, you're a hard one
I know that you got your reasons
These things that are pleasin' you
Can hurt the GOP somehow

Don't you draw back, Barack Obama, boy
you'll beat them if you're able
You know the hearts of the people are on your side

Now it seems to me, some fine things
Have been laid upon your table
But the Rethugs only want the ones they know they can hide

Desperado, oh, you ain't gettin' no younger
Your pain and your hunger, Republicans drivin' you home
And freedom, oh freedom well, that's just some people talkin'
The Rethug prison is walking through this world alone

A requiem for pResident bush and his maladministration? Maybe a little fortune telling from UFO ?

Just a bad situation
Got me low, feelin' down
I'm wonderin' why
Caught me unawares
No one knows and no one cares
Rethugs put you down no matter how you try

Put the words together
Rethugs feelin' strong
They can't last forever
They can't hold on, They can't hold on, no no

Somebody, Republican is tearin' my whole inside
Somebody, Republican is takin' me for a ride
Just a little bit of madness
Do you such harm

Another election, it's a nervous shakedown
Lookin' for a place to hide
This could be your nervous breakdown
It's just a Republican suicide

Just a cold realization, gotta go
I'm gonna turn and run away
Got me in a spin, Rethugs gonna lose and never win
Rethugs put you down no matter what you say

Courtesy of UFO's Just Another Suicide.

Wow! I've got to stop venting through song and verse that way. It's almost like Rush Limbergercheese says, "Rethugs have half their brains tied behind their back, or up their …"

Labels: Barack Obama, McCain, snark

0 comments

After watching Obama's half-hour informercial…

posted by Bill Arnett @ 10:44 PM Permalink

…I have arrived at the conclusion that Mr. Obama is the greatest natural statesman in America, on a par with Bill Clinton, the last total rock star politician America has had in my lifetime.

He is cogent, smart, and knowledgeable of what needs to be done to plug the leaking holes that are fast sinking America and destroying our way of life.

Listening to him made me feel proud to be an American again, a feeling that I had lost under the misguided stewardship of a corrupt, law-breaking, war and fear-mongering, war criminal and wanna be petty dictator, gw bush. I look at bush and all I can see and hear from him are the myriad ways in which he has denigrated this country, robbed us of our pride and standing in the world, and his continuing efforts to hogtie the hands of the next president by making some of the worst deals in American history with other politicians every bit as crooked and corrupt as is he.

I truly believe Barack Obama is the only candidate in this race that can begin the arduous process of restoring American pride, reestablishing world trust and respect for America in the world, and whom will keep the promises he has made about energy independence, keeping jobs in America, and, most importantly, providing educational opportunities for all and not just the wealthy.

Obama all the way for me, because I truly believe he will represent ALL Americans and not just the rich, but If McCain, against all odds, wins this election, then it will be time to take the advice of Aerosmith:

Well I woke up this morning
On the wrong side of the bed
And how I got to thinkin'
About all those things you said
About ordinary people
And how they make you sick
And if callin' names kicks back on you
Then I hope this does the trick

'Cause I'm a sick of your complainin'
About how many bills
And I'm sick of all your bitchin'
Bout your poodles and your pills
And I just can't see no humour
About your way of life
And I think I can do more for you
With this here fork and knife

Eat the Rich: there's only one thing they're good for
Eat the Rich: take one bite now - come back for more
Eat the Rich: I gotta get this off my chest
Eat the Rich: take one bite now, spit out the rest

So I called up my head shrinker
And I told him what I'd done
Said you'd best go on a diet
Yeah I hope you have some fun
And a don't go burst a bubble
On the rich folks who get rude
'Cause you won't get in no trouble
When you eats that kinda food
Now their smokin' up the junk bonds
And then they go get stiff
And they're dancin' in the yacht club
With Muff and Uncle Biff
But there's one good thing that happens
When you toss your pearls to swine
Their attitudes may taste like shit
But go real good with wine

Wake up kid, it's half past your youth
Ain't nothin' really changes but the date
You a grand slammer, but you no Babe Ruth
You gotta learn how to relate
Or you'll be swingin' from the pearly gate
Now you got all the answers, low and behold
You got the right key baby but the wrong key ho, yo

Believe in all the good things
That money just can't buy
Then you won't get no belly ache
From eatin' humble pie
I believe in rags to riches
Your inheritence won't last
So take your Grey Poupon my friend
And shove it up your ass!

Eat the Rich: there's only one thing they're good for
Eat the Rich: take one bite now - come back for more
Eat the Rich: don't stop me now I'm goin' crazy
Eat the Rich: that's my idea of a good time baby

Which does beg one last question:

Is it progress if a cannibal uses knife and fork?

Labels: 'mericans, Barack Obama, elections, fear mongering

5 comments

In The News

posted by The Sailor @ 8:03 PM Permalink

I don't have a lot to say these days, so I'll let others say it for me:

Afghan Detainee's Confession Excluded on Torture Grounds at Guantánamo Trial

In a first, a military judge ruled yesterday that a Guantánamo detainee's confession was extracted through torture, and excluded it from the trial of a young Afghan detainee at the war court.
[...]
Henley found in the ruling that there was reason to believe Jawad was under the influence of drugs at the time of his capture and forced confession.

He also accepted the accused's account of how he was threatened, while armed senior Afghan officials allied with US forces watched his interrogation.

"You will be killed if you do not confess to the grenade attack," the detainee quoted an interrogator as saying. "We will arrest your family and kill them if you do not confess."

Jawad confessed, was turned over to US forces and was transferred to Guantánamo two months later.

The judge said he was accepting Jawad's account of what happened to him because the government had been unable to provide timely disclosure of evidence for the coming war crimes trial, scheduled for January 5. A Jawad case prosecutor recently quit the war court to protest over his inability to provide potentially exculpatory evidence.
[...]
Said major David JR Frakt, Jawad's defense attorney, who is seeking dismissal of the case and his client's return to his family: "He the judge is adopting a traditional legal definition of torture, rather than making one up."

******

The Vote Grab: Voting Machines Are Unreliable and Inaccurate

As early voting in the US presidential elections gets underway, ES&S iVotronics touch-screen electronic voting machines have been observed in four separate states flipping the votes - mostly from Barack Obama to John McCain but sometimes to third party candidates too. This has already occurred during early voting in the states of West Virginia, Tennessee, Missouri and Texas.

A county clerk in West Virginia invited a video crew to watch his demonstration of the reliability of the disputed voting machines but instead he saw the machine flipping the votes, as critics claimed. He put this down to the faulty calibration of the voting machine. However, even after he recalibrated the machine it continued to flip votes. Watch the video here:

*****

Dozens Of Call Center Workers Walk Off Job In Protest Rather Than Read McCain Script Attacking Obama

Some three dozen workers at a telemarketing call center in Indiana walked off the job rather than read an incendiary McCain campaign script attacking Barack Obama, according to two workers at the center and one of their parents.

Nina Williams, a stay-at-home mom in Lake County, Indiana, tells us that her daughter recently called her from her job at the center, upset that she had been asked to read a script attacking Obama for being "dangerously weak on crime," "coddling criminals," and for voting against "protecting children from danger."

******

Sen. Elizabeth Dole's latest advertisement suggests her Democratic opponent, Kay Hagan, is a godless heathen.

"A leader of the Godless Americans PAC recently held a secret fundraiser for Kay Hagan," the 30-second spot says, showing footage of the group's members talking about their atheist beliefs on cable news.

"Godless Americans and Kay Hagan. She hid from cameras. Took godless money," the ad concludes. "What did Kay Hagan promise in return?"

At the very end of the ad, a voice sounding like Hagan's says: "There is no God."

Seriously, Dole used a Hagan impersonator to make voters think she's an atheist.

It's hard to know where to start with an ad this deplorable. First, Hagan is actually a Sunday school teacher and an elder in her church. Second, the fundraiser in question was co-hosted by 40 people, one of whom is on the board of an atheist political action committee. Third, there's nothing scandalous about non-believers.

*****

NASCAR legend Junior Johnson supports Barack Obama

“Every day I talk to someone else who’s never voted for a Democrat, but now....
“When I talk to folks about why I support Barack, I just tell it like I see it. There’s been a lot thrown at him this election, and he’s stayed calm, positive, and focused. I know a little something about how important it is to stay cool under pressure.
“These days, I run a small country ham and pork skins business. Barack Obama will fight for a fair economy where small businesses like mine have the freedom to grow, and he’ll defend the Second Amendment to protect the hunter’s way of life.”

Dustin Long of Landmark Newspapers printed what appears to be a different portion of the same e-mail:

"My family and I have given this election a lot of thought. ...Every day I talk to someone else who's never voted for a Democrat, but now they're voting for Barack Obama. They realize that Barack understands what we're going through here in North Carolina. And they're ready for change. ...So I've made up my mind, and I'm ready to get involved. I know that I could never have won a race without my pit crew, and I know Barack can't win this one without us. ... When I talk to folks about why I support Barack, I just tell it like I see it."

Junior Johnson is a legend in racing, he's an icon in NASCAR, he's had books written about him and movies made about him. I feel bad about the tsunami of hate that's coming his way, but I think he'll handle it just fine. And from what I've read, seen and heard, you don't want to get on JJ's bad side. (And that side included being in front, behind or next to him during a race;-)

FWIW, I'm hearing the same thing from folks in my community that have peculiar thoughts about folks with more melanin than them.



Cross posted at VidiotSpeak

Labels: blackbox voting, presidential election

3 comments

Enough to warm the cockles of my heart…

posted by Bill Arnett @ 12:56 PM Permalink

…even though I have no idea what cockles are and what function they play in the heart, are the reports coming back from states which have early voting, and in which the majority of early voters have broken for the Democratic Party.

From a most excellent post from the Huffington Post titled, "Early Voting Information, Polls":

From the ABC/Washington Post tracking poll:

More than twelve million voters have already cast ballots in the presidential contest, according to one estimate, and new data from the Washington Post-ABC News tracking poll shows these voters breaking Democratic by a wide margin.

Among those who said they have already voted at an early voting location or sent in an absentee ballot, Barack Obama picked up 60 percent of the vote in the new poll to John McCain's 39 percent.

These voters make up 9 percent of "likely" voters in the track.

The senator from Illinois has a similar lead, 58 to 39 percent, among those who plan to vote early but have not yet. (Those who plan to vote on Election Day also go for Obama, but by a narrower, 51 to 45 percent.)

From Gallup:

The voter preferences of the group of 1,430 individuals who have already voted and who were interviewed by Gallup between Oct. 17 and Oct. 27 show a 53% to 43% Obama over McCain tilt.

Among the group of those who say they have not yet voted, but will before Election Day, the skew towards Obama is more pronounced, at 54% to 40%. By comparison, those who are going to wait to vote on Nov. 4 manifest a narrower 50% to 44% Obama over McCain candidate preference. (Across all registered voters over this time period, Obama leads McCain by a 51% to 43% margin).

From CNN:

As of Tuesday, at least 9,813,052 ballots had been cast in 31 states that allow early, in-person or absentee voting without having to provide an excuse. The figures are based on reports from state election officials.

Of those votes, at least 1.2 million ballots have been cast by registered Democrats and at least 731,200 by registered Republicans.

As with early voting statistics in every state -- these are not election results. Voters who are registered with a political party don't always vote for that party's candidates.

But the numbers suggest that this election is shattering traditional early voting patterns reflected by years of data. Historically, more Republicans than Democrats have taken part in early voting.

Some analysis of early trends from Nate Silver:

According to Michael McDonald's terrific website, there are three states in which early voting has already exceeded its totals from 2004. These are Georgia, where early voting is already at 180 percent of its 2004 total, Louisiana (169 percent), and North Carolina (129 percent).

Hmm ... can anybody think of something that those three states have in common?

The African-American population share is the key determinant of early voting behavior. In states where there are a lot of black voters, early voting is way, way up. In states with fewer African-Americans, the rates of early voting are relatively normal.

This works at the county level too. In Cuyahoga County, Ohio (Cleveland), which about 30 percent black, twice as many people have already voted early as in all of 2004. In Franklin County (Columbus), which is about 18 percent black and also has tons of students, early voting is already about 3x its 2004 total.

These are just the highlights. The rest of the posting gives further, though not as comprehensive, breakdowns in several states. Invariably the majority of early votes are breaking for the Democratic Party nominee, Barrack Obama.

This conforms to a theory I have had for a while, that with early voting allowing people to vote on their own schedules, there cannot be all the usual Republican dirty tricks of placing a much lower number of voting machines and staff in districts leaning Democratic and placing Republican staff at the Democratic leaning precincts to challenge or outright intimidate Democratic voters.

It also reflects the fact that this time Barack Obama showed the party how to win elections: don't get down in the slime and mud when your opposition does, build grassroots support using the internet to collect a massive war chest, and organizing workers in all fifty states to get out the vote. In other words he has beaten the Republicans at their own game and done so with style, grace, a sense of humor, and by espousing commonsense policies that the majority of American have longed for way to long.

And it doesn't hurt that his opponent is a flip-flopping, unprincipled, dirty rotten prick either, does it?

Labels: Barack Obama, elections, McCain

1 comments

The paragon of morality, John McCain of the Keating Five, calls upon…

posted by Bill Arnett @ 12:47 PM Permalink

…Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska to resign from the Senate after being convicted on seven felony counts of lying to investigators looking into crony contractors giving Stevens very expansive, and expensive, gifts.

How virtuous of him. And pious, too. He's certain to get at least one more vote from his Evangelical religious base.

Labels: corruption, cronyism, McCain, Senate, Stevens

4 comments

bush's newest BFF, North Korea, is threatening nuclear war…

posted by Bill Arnett @ 12:18 PM Permalink

…against South Korea for spreading propaganda into North Korea.

From the USA Today:

North Korea's military warned Tuesday it would attack South Korea and reduce it to "debris" if Seoul continues what it says are confrontational activities against the communist country.
The threat comes a day after North Korea demanded during brief talks at the border that South Korea stop the flow of propaganda into the communist North — even as activists sent tens of thousands of anti-Pyongyang leaflets fluttering north Monday.

In its threat Tuesday, the North threatened to cut off all ties if the "confrontational racket" continues. Pyongyang cited a South Korean general's recent threats to launch a pre-emptive strike against its nuclear sites and the propaganda leaflets.

"The puppet authorities had better remember that the advanced pre-emptive strike of our own style will reduce everything opposed to the nation and reunification to debris, not just setting them on fire," the North's military said in a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

It's beginning to look more and more like other petty dictators are willing to use even worse tactics under the cover of the rhetoric and stated policies of our very own petty dictator, bush.

Just warms the heart, don't it?

Labels: bush war doctrine, genocide, http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif, incompetent leaders, indiscriminate bombing, North Korea, propaganda, South Korea, totalitarian state

2 comments

Iran appears to be preparing defenses to close the…

posted by Bill Arnett @ 11:46 AM Permalink

…Straits of Hormuz in the event of an unprovoked attack by America or Israel.

According to reports from the BBC News the Iranians have established a new naval base on the Straits:

Iran has opened new naval facilities east of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow entrance to the Gulf which is key to oil supplies, state media say.

Naval chief Admiral Habibollah Sayyari was quoted as saying the base in the town of Jask would enable Iran to block the entry of an "enemy" into the Gulf.

Iran has threatened to close the strait in response to a potential military strike over its nuclear activities.

It denies claims by Western powers that it is seeking a nuclear bomb.

"We are creating a new defence front in the region, thinking of a non-regional enemy," Adm Sayyari told state run Iranian radio.

"In this region we are capable of preventing the entry of any kind of enemy into the strategic Persian Gulf if need be," he said.
The Strait of Hormuz is "by far the world's most important chokepoint," according to the US government's Energy Information Administration.[…]

There has been speculation that the US or Israel might stage a military strike on Iranian nuclear facilities, in response to Iran's refusal to halt the enrichment of uranium, a process which can be used to make fuel for nuclear bombs.

What better way exists to blackmail our allies to back us up in a war with Iran than by threatening "by far the world's most important chokepoint," for shipping oil?

Labels: bush war doctrine, economics, Iran, iran war prep, Oil

0 comments

Todd Rokita, Republican Secretary of State…

posted by Bill Arnett @ 11:06 AM Permalink

…has requested that the FBI investigate ACORN for committing various crimes, among them "voter fraud."

When will the public finally realize this sham for what it is: unless you have cast an illegal vote there is no "voter fraud," and the acts Rokita speaks of are simply bad voter registration forms which should be identified and tossed away. This is the duty of the state and does not reflect poorly against ACORN, a voter registration outfit that marks suspicious applications to make the state's job easier.

There is no doubt in my ex-military mind that it was Republican operatives paying the destitute to falsely fill out the registration forms in return for cash, cigarettes, or food, so that the Republicans could make these bogus allegations.

Labels: vote fraud

2 comments

John McCain's latest lie…

posted by Bill Arnett @ 10:45 AM Permalink

…is that he has "been fighting since he was seventeen to protect this country."

John McCain was born in April 1936. John McCain didn't enter the Naval Academy (hardly a fighting organization) until June of 1954. John McCain was 18 at that time. John McCain didn't graduate from the Academy until 1958 (I have been unable to determine the month in which he graduated in 1958, but I will presume June).John McCain, therefore, did not start serving this country until he was 22 years-old and did not fly in combat until 1967 in Vietnam.

I tell you, unless he is just a blatant liar, the man is senile and can't remember when he did what.

And this would be the man some people would trust to not launch nukes at the first opportunity?

Note: This is the claim McLame is making:

I've been fighting for this country since I was seventeen years old, and I have the scars to prove it. If I'm elected President, I will fight to shake up Washington and take America in a new direction from my first day in office until my last. I'm not afraid of the fight, I'm ready for it.

An outright lie.

Labels: hypocrisy, iowa, liars, McCain

0 comments

A direct consequence of McInsane and Palin's speeches meant to stoke racial animosities?…

posted by Bill Arnett @ 10:03 AM Permalink

…From the LAT:

Federal authorities in Tennessee announced Monday that they had arrested two alleged white supremacists who were reportedly planning a killing spree that would end with the assassination of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Daniel Cowart, 20, of Bells, Tenn., and Paul Schlesselman, 18, of West Helena, Ark., were charged in U.S. District Court in Jackson, Tenn., with the illegal possession of a sawed-off shotgun, conspiracy to rob a gun store and making threats against a major presidential candidate -- the Democratic senator from Illinois.

"They said that would be their last, final act -- that they would attempt to kill Sen. Obama," said James Cavanaugh, special agent in charge at the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Tennessee. "They didn't believe they would be able to do it, but that they would get killed trying."

"Both individuals stated that they would dress in all-white tuxedos and wear top hats during the assassination attempt," Weaks said. "Both individuals further stated they knew they would and were willing to die during this attempt."[…]

Campaign officials for Obama, the first African American presidential nominee of a major party, declined to comment about the allegations or arrests. Secret Service agents began protecting Obama on May 3, 2007, less than three months after he announced he was running for the Democratic nomination -- the earliest that such protection has been authorized for a candidate.

Although it was unclear how much, if anything, the Obama camp knew about the allegations, his security personnel were certainly aware of them. "The United States Secret Service takes all threats against presidential candidates seriously and is actively investigating the allegations," said Richard Harlow, special agent in charge of the agency's Memphis field office.[…]

According to Weaks, the two men met a month ago on the Internet through a mutual friend. They claimed to have "very strong beliefs regarding white power and skinhead" leanings, Weaks said.

You would think there would be at least some decent Republicans of authority whose words would carry weight that should have advised the McCain/Palin's campaign to stop the incitement of hatred and violence, and use of "code words" towards that effort, which have no place in todays America anymore than they did in the days of history passed. America should have long ago stopped engendering hatred against persons of other races, religions, or sexual preferences, but the GOP is, and remains, the party of old white men and such discrimination will ever stop until a new generation takes over.

Disgusting people these Republicans.

Labels: Barack Obama, racism, republican party

0 comments

Will wild bush forays into other countries start yet another war before the elections?…

posted by Bill Arnett @ 9:26 AM Permalink

…Witness the unprovoked attack on the sovereign territory of Syria :

A raid into Syria on Sunday was carried out by American Special Operations forces who killed an Iraqi militant responsible for running weapons, money and foreign fighters across the border into Iraq, American officials said Monday.

The helicopter-borne attack into Syria was by far the boldest by American commandos in the five years since the United States invaded Iraq and began to condemn Syria’s role in stoking the Iraqi insurgency.

The timing was startling, not least because American officials praised Syria in recent months for its efforts to halt traffic across the border.

Together with a similar American commando raid into Pakistan more than seven weeks ago, the operation on Sunday appeared to reflect an intensifying effort by the Bush administration to find a way during its waning months to attack militants even beyond the borders of Iraq and Afghanistan, where the United States is at war.

Administration officials declined to say whether the emerging application of self-defense could lead to strikes against camps inside Iran that have been used to train Shiite “special groups” that have fought with the American military and Iraqi security forces.

Any rational person would have tried to remedy this situation through diplomatic means or through the U.N. Security Council. But we all know that bush promulgates attacking sovereign nations even when it is plainly a violation of international law and is an act that by itself defines the war crime of unprovoked, aggressive attacks upon another sovereign nation.

bush has proven time and time again that he is the most prolific and active war criminal of this century, and while I find some comfort in the fact that he will be forever unable to travel outside the continental United States, lest he be captured by foreign authorities and put on trial for his crimes, I believe it is America's responsibility to turn virtually the entire White House staff over to the Hague for prosecution.

The unprovoked attacks against sovereign countries posing no threat is an abomination and, like torture, must be stopped.

ADDED NOTE: These statements come from the BBC News:

Iraq has denounced a raid into Syria at the weekend, saying it does not want its territory to be used as a launch-point for US attacks on its neighbours.[…]

"The Iraqi government rejects the US helicopter strike on Syrian territory, considering that Iraq's constitution does not allow its land to be a base for launching attacks on neighbouring countries," he said.

"We call upon American forces not to repeat such activities and Baghdad has launched an investigation into the strike."
But he urged Damascus to prevent groups using Syrian territory for "training and sending terrorists for attacks on Iraq and its people".

Oh, yeah, this will really inspire confidence in America and the democracies we install at gunpoint.

Labels: bush war doctrine, foreign policy, war crimes

0 comments

You papers, citizen!

posted by The Vidiot @ 7:48 AM Permalink

Oh yes. It can happen here. And it is.

The ACLU recently reported that there is a 100 mile wide 'constitution-free zone' in the US in which nearly 2/3 of the population lives. (See the map above.) In that zone, stop and search is random, frequent and without cause.

Don't believe it? Well, here is an account from a friend of my acupuncturist. My acupuncturist is British, owns her own business, is married to an American and has lived here forever. She has other 'green-card' friends of course and one of them sent her an email:

IMMIGRATION AGENTS BOARD A TRAIN IN SYRACUSE NY

It was around 10 pm of October 23rd and a train that was going from NYC to Chicago made its stop in Syracuse, NY. It wasn’t just a normal stop as immigration agents boarded the train and started looking for illegal immigrants which made the train delay for almost half and hour. They started asking every passenger if they were US Citizens, if the answer was negative, the passenger was required to show them proof of their legal status.

I’m a legal resident, not a citizen so I become a main character of this terrible story. I showed my Learners Driver License ID, which allows me to go through security in the airports for domestic flights. But the agent told me that it wasn’t valid as proof of my legal status and demanded my Green Card. I told him that I wasn’t carrying it with me as I remember that when I got it there was a note saying to keep it in a safe place unless traveling abroad. Who knew that in the middle of NY State I would need it! The agent made a call to prove my ‘legality’ in the US and when he could finally confirm that I was saying the truth he told me that this had been my ‘’lucky day’’ and that if I had been a citizen this wouldn’t have happened.

Besides the public humiliation, the violation of my privacy and his unfortunate last comment, I felt discriminated for not being an American citizen, and I felt sad to see that the passengers were in their own world, indifferent at what was going on.

The train was able to depart after a young woman with a baby weren’t able to proof identity to the satisfaction of the U.S.Border Patrol and they were taken off the train. I felt infuriated and asked a train employee about it. He told me that immigration officers boarded the trains in that station regularly in search of illegal immigrants. He told me that it made him feel safe. I thought of the woman and the baby.

This is what a police state looks like.

Get used to it.

Or not.

It's your decision.

Labels: police state

2 comments

Sometimes, it's just about the music

posted by The Sailor @ 1:40 AM Permalink

and sometimes it's not.

0 comments

EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it! The internet tubes now facing ligation!

posted by Bill Arnett @ 11:12 PM Permalink

Excerpt from the NYT:

Senator Ted Stevens, Alaska’s dominant political figure for more than four decades, was found guilty on Monday by a jury of violating federal ethics laws for failing to report tens of thousands of dollars in gifts and services he had received from friends.

The jury of District of Columbia residents convicted Mr. Stevens, 84, on all seven felony counts he faced in connection with charges that he knowingly failed to list on Senate disclosure forms the receipt of some $250,000 in gifts and services used to renovate his home in Girdwood, Alaska.

Mr. Stevens, a consistently grim-faced figure, frowned more deeply as the verdict was delivered by the jury foreman, a worker at a drug counseling center. Mr. Stevens’s wife and one of his daughters sat glumly behind him in the courtroom.

In a statement issued after he had left the courthouse, Mr. Stevens was defiant, urging Alaskans to re-elect him to a seventh full term next week.

He blamed what he called repeated misconduct by federal prosecutors for the verdict. “I will fight this unjust verdict with every ounce of energy I have,” he said.

“I am innocent. This verdict is the result of the unconscionable manner in which the Justice Department lawyers conducted this trial,” he said. “I ask that Alaskans and my Senate colleagues stand with me as I pursue my rights. I remain a candidate for the United States Senate.”

Nonetheless, the verdict is widely expected to write an end to Mr. Stevens’ long political career, which has moved in tandem with his state’s rough-and-tumble journey from a remote territory to an economic powerhouse.

Off the record Senator Stevens blamed the clogging of the tubes making up the internet for his downfall, saying, "How the hell was I to know the internet tubes would testify against me in court like that! I'm going to see about ligation immediately, right after I file my appeal!"

Senator Stevens had no further comment.

Labels: corruption, Courts, Crime, hypocrisy, incompetent leaders, snark

0 comments

Testing, Testing, One, Two, Three ... and you're out!

posted by The Sailor @ 1:22 PM Permalink

McCain reminds Biden he's been tested in crisis

Republican John McCain told voters in this key electoral state Tuesday he was personally tested by the same kind of crisis that Democratic vice presidential nominee Joseph Biden warned Barack Obama will almost certainly face if elected president.

McCain recalled being ready to launch a bombing run during the October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, which Biden said over the weekend tested a new President John F. Kennedy and was the template for the kind of "generated crisis" the 47-year-old Obama would face within six months of taking office.

"I was on board the USS Enterprise," McCain, a former naval aviator, said in the capital city of Harrisburg. "I sat in the cockpit, on the flight deck of the USS Enterprise, off of Cuba.

Why didn't I see this sooner, (hand smack to forehead), a fighter pilot who'd graduated at the bottom of his class and had already crashed 3 multi-million dollar planes was ordered to sit in his cockpit and not do anything is exactly the same as President John F. Kennedy making the decision, his Commander In Chief, who could have ordered him to launch, but solved the crisis thru diplomacy.

Yep, JFK and McSame showed the exact same leadership skillz in the Cuban Missile Crisis. I'm sure sitting on your ass ready to launch is incredibly stressful, especially during potential nuclear war, but I can't understand why he would think it's the same stress as sitting in the Whitehouse, knowing you're also targeted, and having to make the decision to potentially start global thermonuclear war that would wipe out all of mankind.

It's a good thing we had someone calm and presidential instead of a hothead who jokes about bombing other countries.



Cross posted at SteveAudio

Labels: John McCain, presidential election

3 comments

When ya can' beat 'em, blackmail them…

posted by Bill Arnett @ 10:50 AM Permalink

…which seems to b the position of American generals in Iraq.

From an article in the McClatchy Washington Bureau:

The U.S. military has warned Iraq that it will shut down military operations and other vital services throughout the country on Jan. 1 if the Iraqi government doesn't agree to a new agreement on the status of U.S. forces or a renewed United Nations mandate for the American mission in Iraq.

Many Iraqi politicians view the move as akin to political blackmail, a top Iraqi official told McClatchy Sunday.

In addition to halting all military actions, U.S. forces would cease activities that support Iraq’s economy, educational sector and other areas _ "everything" _ said Tariq al Hashimi, the country’s Sunni Muslim vice president. "I didn’t know the Americans are rendering such wide-scale services."

Hashimi said that Army Gen. Ray Odierno, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, listed “tens” of areas of potential cutoffs in a three-page letter, and he said the implied threat caught Iraqi leaders by surprise.

"It was really shocking for us," he said. "Many people are looking to this attitude as a matter of blackmailing."

So for a quick review of bush diplomacy: first you seize every penny of Iraq's oil money (now about $80 billion), refuse to allow any Americans that have suffered injury from the Iraqi government, whom have sued in American courts and obtained lawful court judgments to recover on those judgments, and then, with Iraq's money solidly under the control of bush and cronies, attempt to blackmail the Iraqi's with their own monies if they fail to sign the Status of Forces Agreement by threatening to keep every penny of Iraq's money.

Is it perfectly clear now why no other country or government in the world counts on America to do the right thing?

Labels: blackmail, bush hypocrisy, conspiracy, corruption, diplomacy, disinformation, economics, Iraq, Oil

0 comments

When counting on someone to do what they must there first must be trust…

posted by Bill Arnett @ 9:34 AM Permalink

…and, as the stock market continues to vanish right before our very eyes, it occurred to me that one of the reasons is identified in my title for this post and that no one trusts the government, especially the U.S. Government, to do the right thing or anything in which they can place their trust.

After all, the bush maladminstration has careened from one botched misadventure after another for the entire eight years of his presidency. Add to that the secret, but vast, sums of money going to the bush cronies on Wall St. with no oversight and with the few documents being released heavily redacted. Wall St. barons continue to receive their golden parachutes, the banks hang onto every dollar, struggling to remain solvent, and still the bush band of thieves continues to play monopoly with a trillion dollars of taxpayer monies.

I wonder how much of that has found its way to the Carlyle Group? You know, the conglomerate jointly owned by the bush and bin Laden families?

At any rate, I don't believe that bush has ever done anything that redounds to the benefit of the American people, oh, no, every penny he can beg, borrow, or steal has been spent enriching Big Oil, Big Pharma, and billionaires that can't manage their resources and therefore depend on bush handouts to continue their wayward ways.

Ergo, the world community has no reasonable expectation that anything bush does will work and, in fact, they may depend on him to continue the abject failures that have been the hallmark of his administration. Absent that trust, the rest of the world will safeguard their own piggy banks and eliminate their investments and faith in America, which is no longer the juggernaut and lead superpower in the world.

We're just another run-of-the-mill third world banana republic without bananas.

Labels: bush hypocrisy, corptocracy, corruption, economics, fear mongering, hypocrisy, propaganda

0 comments

What are the odds

posted by The Vidiot @ 8:34 AM Permalink

that a carousel that [I'm pretty sure] I rode when I was a little kid in Youngstown, Ohio ends up refurbished here in Brooklyn, less than a mile away?

Pretty damn slim odds I tell you.

1 comments

Click your heels together three times while repeating…

posted by Bill Arnett @ 2:35 PM Permalink

…McPalin will win, Mcpalin will win, McPalin will win!

It is absolutely comical to see McInsane, older than dirt and not as healthy as a diseased pig, and Sawah Palin, Alaskan wanna be diva and former beauty pageant runner-up (she couldn't even win a beauty pageant!) twist, squirm, making constant attempts to variously slander and libel Barack Obama, and failing miserably as they find that only the bottom 25% of society that thinks bush is terrific are the only ones buying into the sick, racist, false-accusations-of-Barack-being-a-terrorist-sympathizer, and a dangerous black man that threatens the safety of America.

And that's despite the fact that the MSM has been frantically pushing the GOP propaganda as dictated by their corporate masters. Virtually every story is critical of Obama and favorable to the same GOP lies and tactics that have actually threatened the fabric of our society.

Al-Qeada has won the "war on terra" by any objective measure. Our freedoms have been curtailed in ways most insidious, our citizenry is being subjected to internal spying such as would have made the Nazi's green with envy, bush and cheney have seized powers that they were never meant to wield under our Constitution, indeed subverting the Constitution they swore to uphold and protect in a manner most foul and illegal, they have placed, or attempted to place the president above the law, all our communications are monitored and logged, the most powerful spy satellites ever devised are watching us instead of the terrorists, and Osama bin Laden has achieved his stated goal of so disrupting our financial system through unnecessary and horribly expensive expenditures of so many hundreds of billions of dollars that the country now finds itself in the worst financial straits since the Great Depression of last century.

And yet the GOP neither sees nor understands what they have wrought: the worst, most incompetent government in history that cannot and will not serve the very citizenry for whom they were elected to serve.

They have destroyed the ability to make infrastructure repairs, they are the first American administration to squander billions of dollars in a failed attempt to restore the first American city ever lost by any administration, they have loaded-up every branch of governments with cronies totally incompetent and unqualified to serve in jobs to which they were appointed, people who will continue to subvert and fight against reform of the government so corruptly built by the GOP and their corporate masters.

I would highly recommend to Mr. Obama that the first action he takes as our new president be to insist that every employee hired by bush have their resignations on his desk within a week, that he accept them, and to immediately fire any who fail to comply. We must purge our government of the cancer with which our country has been infected.

I also say that the only way we will restore America's standing in the world will be to ferret out and turn over to the International Court at the Hague every single war criminal now serving or who ever served bush, and to start with bush, cheney, addington, feith, libby, rice, yoo, ashcroft, gonzales, every single member of the White House Iraq Group, and all those who condoned, encouraged, and carried out the torture and indefinite detention of alleged terrorists in violation of treaties that also happen to be the law of this land. The simple act of ridding the country of these reprobates and rogue "public" servants will do much to restore our credibility in the world.

This purge should encompass the Pentagon, CIA, NSA, and any other groups formed to deliberately subvert the rule of law to permit the commission of these perversities that go against every tenant for which America has stood for over two centuries.

The time has arrived for us true Americans, led by an apt and able president, to seize back control of our country by restoring the checks and balances of the Constitution and, further, to pass into law stern warnings that "signing statements" which serve only to show America that they are powerless to have any control over the Executive branch will not only be outlawed, but that no signing statements will be considered as having any legal weight or provide any protection to any president that would deliberately violate the laws passed by Congress, which he may either veto or sign into law with no middle ground permitted at all for him to violate the law with impunity.

These are the things that must be done to return America to the country it once was, the one in which we grew up but that, sadly, has been twisted into a sick, pale imitation of the great country it once was, and that is now the laughingstock of the world and that engenders naught but disrespect and derision from the rest of the world.

Electing Mr. Obama is just the start of these things we must do to restore glory and pride to Americans and to once again make its citizens proud to proclaim, "I am an American."

Labels: Barack Obama, corruption, Crime, elections, Fiscal irresponsibility, hypocrisy, incompetent leaders, rant, Terrorism, US Constitution

0 comments

How does the GOP find otherwise attractive women with hearts so black…

posted by Bill Arnett @ 1:39 PM Permalink

…and full of hatred for so many things uniquely American that they seem like automatons from outer space and ugly as sin for the views they espouse. Maybe it's just me, but the manner in which people think, and the vitriol they spew, makes the most physically attractive men or women seem like dried up, blackhearted, shrunken little gnomes without a shred of decency or beauty.

Example from the Huffington Post wherein Katrina vanden Heuvel interacted with the Congresswoman from Minnesota, Michele Bachmann.

Last Friday, one of the guests preceding my segment on MSNBC's Hardball was a then-little known Congresswoman from Minnesota named Michele Bachmann.

She's not little known now.

Bachmann said of Barack Obama, "I'm very concerned that he may have anti-American views." She then called on the media to "take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out, are they pro-America or anti-America?"[…]

When Matthews turned to me for my response I told him exactly what I was feeling, "Chris, I fear for my country.... This is a politics, at a moment of extreme economic pain in this country, that is incendiary, that is so debased that I'm kind of almost having a hard time breathing, because I think it's very scary, because this is a country I love."[…]

The netroots wasted no time in exposing Bachmann's ugly extremism. Within a day, a video posted on YouTube of Bachmann's comments (and my response) had over 87,000 hits. Over 55,000 people have signed a petition calling on Congress to censure Bachmann. Americans United for Change launched IamProAmerica.com in response to both Bachmann's vitriol and Sarah Palin's stumping about "pro-America areas" of our nation.

People on both sides of the aisle have spoken out against Bachmann. On Sunday, following an appearance on Meet the Press, Colin Powell told reporters, "This business, for example, we've got a congressman from Minnesota who's going around saying, 'Let's examine all congressmen to see who is pro-America and whose not pro-America.' We have got to stop this kind of nonsense, pull ourselves together, and remember that our great strength is in our unity and our diversity."

I, too, have feared for my country for some time now, as it is unrecognizable as the America in which I grew up and proudly served in its military. I'd have given my life for this country and very nearly did.

It is time to drive all these bigoted and hate-filled Republicans out into the wilderness until they learn to survive by loving and supporting all people or perish from their own perfidy.

And by the way, I'm not sexist or misogynist in the least, as I find all people with sunshine in their hearts, goodwill towards their fellow man, and who go out of their way to bring a little joy into another's life to be attractive in the extreme. These people are the true Americans with whom I grew up and in whom I place so much trust that I am sure we can rebuild and restore America to its former glory.

When Bachmann someday passes on, if she believes in heaven and hell, I am positive she will rot in hell forever.

Labels: Bachmann, class warfare, fear mongering, hypocrisy, incompetent leaders, prejudice, racism

2 comments

Headline: Lieberman On Palin:

posted by Bill Arnett @ 12:52 PM Permalink

"Thank God She's Not Gonna Have To Be President From Day One"

I say thank god McInsane is going to lose this election badly and that Shotgun Sarah will never have to worry about assuming the office of the presidency.

I do have an excellent idea as to how she can serve our country: If she can shoot foxes and wolves from low flying airplanes let's send her to the Afghanistan-Pakistani border region and assign her to shoot terrorists from the sky.

It's the least we can do to protect the foxes and wolves of Alaska.

Headline from the Huffington Post.

Labels: John McCain, snark

0 comments

"Oh, dear what can we do, now that our hoax has fallen through? Tell me, oh what can we do?

posted by Bill Arnett @ 6:35 PM Permalink

She said to me I was brutally attacked
Now she can't take it back
Her truthfulness lacks
She said she was attacked.

Oh, dear what can we do?
Is it too late now it's been in the news?
Tell me oh, what can we do?

She said to me he was six feet four and black,
And at the ATM machine he attacked
A vicious unnecessary act
He beat her, carved a "B" on her face turned back

Oh how long will take
Before everyone knows she's a fake?
Tell me oh what can we do?
When she looks in the mirror it's a fact
That she knows to vote for none but Barack.

Oh how long will take
Before everyone knows she's a fake?
Tell me oh what can we do?
When she looks in the mirror it's a fact
That she knows to vote for none but Barack.

She thinks of him
She made him up on a whim
She fancies that she was attacked
By a man who wants her vote for Barack.

Oh, dear what can we do?
Is it too late now it's been in the news?
Tell me oh, what can we do?

Great liberties have been taken with The Beatles Baby's in Black based on the article, "College Republicans Quickly Distance From Hoax Attack" from the Huffington Post.

Excerpt:

The national committee of the College Republicans went into damage control mode Friday afternoon after a college-aged McCain volunteer confessed to fabricating her claim that a black assailant had carved a "B" into her face after mugging her.

"When Ms. Todd initially contacted us claiming to have been attacked, our first reaction was obviously to be concerned for her safety," said College Republicans communications director Ashley Barbera. "We are as upset as anyone to learn of her deceit. Ashley must take full responsibility for her actions."

Ya just can't back off that easy when you can be commemorated in song and verse.

Labels: Barack Obama, disinformation, lies, satire, snark

0 comments

Headline:" MCCAIN'S HIGHEST PAID STAFFER FOR FIRST HALF OF OCTOBER...

posted by Bill Arnett @ 1:54 PM Permalink

…PALIN'S MAKEUP ARTIST" and they didn't even get their moneys worth - maybe 'cause I just think anyone who shoots foxes and wolves from airplanes and leaves them to die an ugly, cruel death is truly too blackhearted to ever be attractive.

But hey, that's just me.

Headline from the Huffington Post.

Labels: palin

0 comments

The difference between then and now.

posted by The Vidiot @ 1:25 PM Permalink

Then being 2004 and now being, well, 2008 of course.

You might be hearing all sorts of stories, like the possible HOAX involving a McCain supporter in Pittsburgh, or the feeling of general panic amongst our more right-leaning citizens. Back in 2004, I don't recall any violence being done by Kerry supporters or any panic that led Kerry supporters to act out. Depression maybe, but not panic.

I guess the difference is that the GOP has always used fear and emotion to generate support to a much greater degree than the DEMs. When you generate that much fear and support with no reward/release? You get panic and acting-out. That's what we're beginning to see. I mean, stick a fork in McCain, he's done. When a RECENT former adviser comes out in support of your opponent, you can pretty call it game over. Now what we're left with is a whole lot of scared people with no where to go with their fear.

Yikes.

Labels: 2008 election

0 comments

An absolutely terrific quote and ringing endorsement…

posted by Bill Arnett @ 11:57 AM Permalink

…for Barack Obama comes from the NYT Editorial today:

In his convention speech in Denver, Mr. Obama said, “Government cannot solve all our problems, but what it should do is that which we cannot do for ourselves: protect us from harm and provide every child a decent education; keep our water clean and our toys safe; invest in new schools and new roads and new science and technology.”

Couldn't have said it better myself. Really.

Labels: Barack Obama, elections

0 comments

Ugh. New Yorkers.

posted by The Vidiot @ 4:44 PM Permalink

Or rather, I should say "New York Politicians"

We've had a little tizzy of late here in the Big Apple. Our illustrious Mayer Bloomberg wanted to run for a third term, something the citizens of this great city have voted no to twice when they voted for term limits. So, instead of taking it to the voters again, and using rhetoric like "these are extraordinary times in the financial world and we need Bloomberg at the helm" (Echoing Giuliani's post-9/11 rhetoric to be sure) They rushed it through the City Council because, and I kid you not, they actually said this, they could feel public opinion swinging the wrong way on it and wanted it voted on and decided before the public opinion was too strong. It just passed, 29-22.

Why do I hate Bloomberg? Well, he's wrecked the public school system. He's handed NYC to his big developer buddies and people have died and the city's appearance has been irrevocably altered, and not all of it for the better. Giuliani sucked the fun out of this town and Bloomberg made it look like an old lady's boudoir.

It's Tamany Hall all over again, only with flowers, chintz and gold flecked chocolates.

Update: My mother thinks I'm too nasty when it comes to Bloomberg. I obviously don't think I'm nasty enough.

When I moved here in the 80s, you could still be poor here. You could still make a living as a waitress, go out on auditions, and live IN THE CITY, and not some forlorn section of outer Brooklyn. Hell, back then, ARTISTS still lived IN THE CITY. Can you imagine that? On the island of Manhattan! Not Williamsburg, or Bushwick or soon, Brownsville. IN THE CITY! Sure, the rich were starting to take over the place. But they feared the Lower East Side (now known as LES) and the East Village (EV). We had that and they had, well, whatever it is they had, I'm not really sure what they had. But I'm sure they had something. Hell, Little Italy was where you went for pizza, not where you lived. Now, it's NOLITA. Times Square was fascinating and exciting, and by fascinating and exiting, I mean seedy and a bit dangerous. Now, it's Disney New York. BOOOORing.

Giuliani 'cleaned' up the criminal element, or rather, he further marginalized the already marginalized. He built the foundation to make the environment comfortable for the wealthy. Bloomberg justd opened the doors and ushered them in. Who cares that the only people who can afford to live in the city anymore are boring, boring, boring. Now, it's all organized fun. Nothing spontaneous happens here anymore.

{sigh}

Maybe it sounds like sour grapes. I don't care. But I really don't like what Giuliani or Bloomberg have done to this town. Still, THAT's nothing compared to the reality of what just happened:

The city council of the City of New York, voted down an amendment that would have given the chance to vote on a referendum on the term limits issue AND they negated not one, but TWO referendums, in 93 and 96, that supported term limits. That's an overt subversion of democracy. The people spoke in 93 and 96. Period. End of story. What Bloomberg did, with the help of the City Council, is to do a run-around the voting public. They used the rhetoric of fear and pressure to push their agenda through. They used procedural tactics and subverted the will of the people. And additionally, the folks who voted on it stand to BENEFIT from the vote because some of them will now be eligible to run again.

Wait a minute! Voting yes on something that benefits you personally, hmmmmm... Using fear tactics to strong arm your preferred policies through the system, hmmm.....

Methinks Bloomie wants to be el presidente!

Labels: bloomberg, New York

3 comments

Most polls show Obama way ahead of McCain

posted by The Vidiot @ 4:37 PM Permalink

But there is that one, annoying, MSM poll from the Associated Press, that shows it practically neck and neck. But really, how interesting is it:

The Associated Press has released a poll that shows a much closer race than any other poll out there. Now, Liz "I know what kind of donuts John McCain really likes" Sidoti must have been gleeful that she was chosen to write John McCain's "comeback" piece. (The infamous AP/McCain donut video is below.)

But, the poll doesn't make sense on many levels. Here's one example: 45% of this poll's respondents are evangelicals or born-again Christians (this is on page 20 of the poll's crosstabs)

Interesting indeed.

Labels: 2008 election, corporate owned media, MSM, polls

1 comments

Will early voting mark the end of Republican "fixing" of elections?…

posted by Bill Arnett @ 12:38 PM Permalink

…I was greatly heartened yesterday to hear on the cable news networks that, in states where early voting is allowed, not only were record numbers of votes being cast, but the votes cast almost invariably were running almost 2-1 for Obama.

It is no secret that new voter registrations numbers have been democratic by a hugh margin. This hopefully means that between the tremendous numbers of new democratic registrations and , as stated above, the early ballots running 2-1 in favor of democrats and against Republicans, that it will be extremely difficult for the Republican Party to cheat democratic voters with their usual nasty dirty tricks.

You know, where the Republicans in districts leaning their way get 40-50 voting machines so there is no waiting, while in democratic leaning precincts only a half-dozen or fewer machines are provided to guarantee that democratic voters will face loooong lines and wait times of several hours to cast their votes. The early voting will also make it more difficult for Republican sycophants to be at each precinct to mount innumerable phony challenges of votes cast, more often then not without any basis in fact, again dragging out the voting process so long that many people would give up and go home after standing in lines for six or seven hours waiting to cast their vote.

The seemingly upcoming certain defeat is already weighing heavily on John McInsane, although Mountain Woman Sarah remains so politically inept and unaware that she doesn't seem to realize she will soon be back in Alaska shooting wolves and foxes from low-flying airplanes so she can enjoy the sight of the animals writhing in the snow dying in a manner most cruel.

The true winners of this election, when Obama wins, will be the American people in whose behalf our new president will be able to find out where all the bodies are buried, dig 'em up, and turn them over to appropriate agencies for full prosecution for the war crimes, torturing of captives who may or may not be guilty of any crime at all, and bringing the Gitmo prisoners to America where the torture and mistreatment of them can be exposed at last, where it can be shown that these persons cannot now be tried for any charges due to their endless torture and deprivation of even the most basic civil rights, and malfeasance in office of the bush maladministration that has bankrupted our country, embarrassed us all in the eyes of the world, and that has brought naught but shame and dishonor to all American citizens.

I voted yesterday I'm proud to say, and even though a person's vote is a private matter I can confirm that the initials of the candidates for whom I voted are Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

It's time to take our country back from the jerks that have done nothing but denigrate this country in words and deeds.

Labels: Barack Obama, democratic party, elections, Joe Biden

2 comments

What else is a girl to do?…

posted by Bill Arnett @ 12:13 PM Permalink

…headline from the Huffington Post:

REPUBLICANS DISGUSTED:
PALIN'S $150,000 SHOPPING SPREE

This is going beyond the pale. Sure Sarah was forced to wear a bearskin bikini when she won first runner-up for Ms. Alaska while the winner appeared in fresh baby seal-hide, but it's just not fair to criticize a woman who single-handedly drove the city of 7,800 citizens, of which she was mayor, into over $20 million in debt without expecting her to go wild purchasing clothes that don't have actual animal hair on them.

I really think she deserves a pass on this one. I mean she couldn't campaign in her camo- fatigues, packing high-powered rifles, and continuing to shoot helpless animals from the safety of an airplane could she?

And when would she have found the time to skin, salt the hide, tan the leather, and then stitch together the hides into a nice svelte outfit suitable for the campaign trail?

Labels: palin, snark

0 comments

Oh, no! It's time to vote again! What do I do, Mr. Voter?…

posted by Bill Arnett @ 10:58 AM Permalink

…I recommend that you follow the sage advice my daddy gave me, even though most people were suspicious about why he always carried a cain toad in his pocket:

First establish your goal, which for me is to vote against every single GOP member on the ballot.

Second, never use the "straight Democratic" or "straight Republican" options (that's my last reference to GOP votes, as I'm a solid democratic voter) if they appear on your ballot. If you do so your vote will not register in any contest where there is not a democratic candidate running for that particular office.

Third, since I do not believe in electing Republicans, even as dogcatchers, take your time to go through the ballot, marking all the democratic candidates first. Then go through any other school board, judge, dog catcher positions and any others that appear on your ballot and vote against ALL Republican candidates, i.e., vote for the Libertarian, Independent, Voo doo candidates or any other opposition to the Republican candidate.

By doing this we can help ensure that Republicans of all stripes in any job may be voted out of office. Bush has planted thousands upon thousands of GOP crony "sleeper agents" to try and confound every action to be taken by our next President, Barack Obama, so let's vote out as many as we can.

And fourth and lastly, if the Republican's do manage the cheat, lie, steal or otherwise connive their way into another win against the tremendous odds against them, put your head between your knees and kiss your ass good-bye, 'cause John McInsane will soon have us embroiled in nuclear war with Russia or China, or maybe both, either of which countries can easily beat our depleted forces and totally overwhelm us with nuclear weapons.

So ends my Mr. Voter advice for today.

Thank you.

Labels: 2008 election, Barack Obama, corruption, cronyism, elections, GOP

0 comments

CNN: Faux News in Disguise with Diamonds…

posted by Bill Arnett @ 12:15 PM Permalink

…a little while ago CNN's morning newsreader (Tony something) claimed, "Things are really heating up and John McCain seems to be closing in fast on Barack Obama."

Then he directed the viewers attention to John What's -his-name at the electoral map of the U.S and sure enough, right there at the top of the map, in plain view, where a blind fool couldn't miss them, and certainly not an alert viewer or any literate person were, " the bottom line figures" which showed:

Obama-277 electoral votes
McCain- 174 electoral votes

Then John What's-his-name stated the obvious fact that, "If the election was being held today McCain would lose." (but I'm paraphrasing so he could have said, "So if the election was being held today Barack Obama would be the winner.")

THESE ARE THE IDENTICAL FIGURES CNN HAS BEEN SHOWING FOR AT LEAST THE LAST WEEK OR TEN DAYS, MEANING THAT THERE HAS BEEN, NO MATTER HOW MUCH CNN WISHES, NO CHANGES AT ALL EXCEPT THE FICTITIOUS ONES THEY ARE INVENTING TO TRY AND CLAIM McCAIN IS GAINING ON OBAMA.

It's a lie, it's dishonest, it is beyond misleading, and makes it clear that CNN newsreaders are graduates of, "The Armstrong Williams Academy of Propaganda and Pre-Paid Disinformation," doesn't it?

Bastids, bastids I say!

Labels: CNN, conspiracy, disinformation, elections, fox news, hypocrisy, left vs. right, propaganda

0 comments

"Sufferin’ succotash! You're desthpicable" ... or ... What the hell is wrong with these people!?

posted by The Sailor @ 11:05 PM Permalink

Obama Cancels Campaign Events To Visit Ailing Grandmother

[...]
Campaign aides insisted the schedule changes were not driven by political concerns. However, they coincide with recent reports that Republicans are contemplating moving resources out of the two states, Wisconsin and Iowa, where recent polling shows Sen. Obama's lead widening. Indiana, a traditionally Republican state, is far more competitive.

I'm sure variations on this theme will be screeched on faux news outlets tomorrow but I gotta say, wtf do repubs moving resources & Indiana have to do with Senator Obama visiting his sick Grandmother?

These people are so wrong in so many ways.



Cross posted at SteveAudio

Labels: presidential election

0 comments

The roots of love grow all around

posted by The Sailor @ 4:18 PM Permalink

The Four Tops' Levi Stubbs dies at 72

Levi was one of the most talented, nicest, professional people I ever worked with, and the same goes for all the original members of the Four Tops.

My main claim to R&R fame is the Gold Record I got with the Four Tops. Well, I didn't actually get the Gold Record, somebody has to pay for the thing and neither the label, the record company nor the studio was going to shell out the bucks for someone (that's me!) whose album credit was 'additional engineering.' And I never thought it was worth the money for the ego boo. And it was by accident.

Here's how it happened: I was a studio manager & chief engineer in Las Vegas and the Tops were performing in town. They needed to record final vocals on an album so The Producer of these tracks came to town with his engineer to record in my studio.

The first day we set up for vocals and playback. The Producer's engineer was really great, understood he wasn't in a world-class studio, but that we had good equipment, (3M 24 track, custom API EQ & fader console, LA2A compressors and vintage Neumann 87 & 47 tube mics ... for you audio geeks.)

I was happy to be 2nd engineer. The Producer and his engineer had worked together a lot. The Producer was world renowned as a musician, songwriter & producer and I counted myself lucky just to do a 2nd engineer's work and learn from the masters.

We all knew going in that the Tops would be recording late after their show. What we didn't know was that The Producer's engineer would get food poisoning that first night. (hint: never eat shrimp in the desert!)

The next night it's just The Producer, the Four Tops and me. The studio in LA had sent a 24 track, 2" reel with a rough mix of the music on the first 2 tracks, SMPTE time code on the 24th track, and all the tracks in the middle for vocals. Laid down twice.

For 4 nights we recorded, and re-recorded the lead and BG vocals. The background vocals took awhile because The Producer wanted them all gathered around the same mic for that tight street corner harmony sound. And he was right. All Four Tops sang in harmony for the BG vocals, but Obie (bass vocal) was so strong we did several takes asking him to step back further and further from the mic so the vocal harmonys seemed balanced. (Even then he just came soaring thru, it was lovely.)

We nailed one chorus, which would be flown in for all the choruses, except for the chorus out. Then we recorded group and solo chorus out tracks to give the mixing engineers as many choices as possible.

The next two nights we did the lead vocal. Levi was so patient. He'd finish their performance at the showroom and then came in to the studio around 10-11 PM to cut his lead vocals.

Here's another one for the audio geeks: The Producer had me live mixing Levi's previous vocal tracks for Levi's inspiration on foldback while I was live mixing from different tracks for The Producer and punching in on new tracks for the lines The Producer wanted to keep. Considering we didn't have automation, that's a lot of fader & pot movement, not to mention the bright red 'launch' button I had to be ready to hit at any time.

What Levi heard in the studio, what we heard in the control room and what was recorded were very disparate, but as a technique for getting the best performance out of a singer it was inspiring. What wasn't inspiring was The Producer's barely disguised contempt for me and my studio.

It was a tough 4 days but working with gracious talent like Levi, Obie, Lawrence Payton and Duke Fakir made it worthwhile. The sessions ran long but the soul ran deep. Thanks for all the music and all the love guys.

Update: My friend Bill did a great job with his post on Levi & The Four Tops.



Cross posted at SteveAudio

Labels: requiem

1 comments

One of the best headlines indicative of major understatement…

posted by Bill Arnett @ 1:14 PM Permalink

…comes to us today from the Huffington Post

Poll finds high anxiety on economy this month

I don't think I need to add anything or indulge in further commentary.

Labels: Economy, Fiscal irresponsibility

2 comments

We've lost another great artist…

posted by Bill Arnett @ 12:01 PM Permalink

…Levi Stubbs, the fabulous lead singer of the Four Tops and the voice of the killer plant in the updated version of "Little House of Horror" starring Rick Moranis (not the 1960 or 61 version with Jack Nicholson), and who blew away all the competition for the king of Motown voices with songs such as "Bernadette" and 'Reach out, I'll be There" passed away last Friday.

He was 72, and although no cause of death has been given, Levi suffered from various illnesses that have prevented him from performing since 2000. Presented in his honor:

Bernadette, people are searchin' for
the kind of love that we possess.
Some go on searchin' their whole life through
and never find the love I've found in you.

And when I speak of you I see envy in other men's eyes,
and I'm well aware of what's on their minds.
They pretend to be my friend, when all the time
they long to persuade you from my side.
They'd give the world and all they own
for just one moment we have known.

Bernadette, they want you because of the pride that gives,
But Bernadette, I want you because I need you to live.
But while I live only to hold you,
Some other men, they long to control you.

But how can they control you Bernadette,
when they can not control themselves, Bernadette,
from wanting you, needing you,
But darling you belong to me.

I'll tell the world you belong to me,
I'll tell the world, you're the soul of me,
I'll tell the world you're a part of me.

In your arms I find the kind of peace of mind
the world is searching for,
But you, you give me the joy this heart of mine
has always been longing for.

In you I have what other men long for.
All men need someone to worship and adore,
that's why I treasure you and place you high above,
for the only joy in life is to be loved.
So whatever you do, Bernadette, keep on loving me,
Bernadette, keep on needing me,
Bernadette.

IMHO one of the greatest songs of my lifetime.

R.I.P. Levi, we mere mortals will miss you, the dulcet tone of your voice, and the charm you radiated without having to think about it.

Added: this link to a site where you can listen to "Bernadette"

Labels: Tribute

0 comments