Much That Is Hidden

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The scattershot approach to voicing the progressive concerns highlighted by the Occupy Wall Street protest include many over-the-top populist anthems that, while perhaps ringing a tone that resonates with a majority of Americans, are not the way to proselytize the uninformed. This is important in crafting a strategy to overcome how the right keeps repeating the same stupid lies until they almost sound true to the average inattentive citizen. And to the many who are ignorant of the reality of progressive politics, some of the worst tenets of the right seem to make enough sense to justify railing against all these dirty, jobless malcontents camped out in front of the NYSE (who may also be students, union members, working mothers, single fathers, airline pilots, teachers, retail workers, military service members, and laid-off foreclosure victims, but who definitely ARE Americans exercising their right “peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances”).

Most of the uninformed masses are hard to reach with what they see as pointy-headed, over-educated liberals pushing their commie-Muslim-gay propaganda. It's not complicated — that's what they hate because that’s what they’ve been conditioned to fear. Perhaps the most focused way to scare them back the other way is incessantly repeating the vision of corporate fascism that thrives on constant internal and external Holy War and what will come to pass if these billionaire gangsters aren't stopped and damn soon. Then again, most of those who are at the point of accepting the reports of Fox News as gospel are likely not worth the time to engage.

So if the many great voices out there are for the most part preaching to the choir, what can less verbose progressives do to help? Start by making copies of good articles and offer to discuss them with friends and relatives who are right-wing sympathizers. You won't win a lot of popularity contests, but is that really important? The idea is to make the world slightly less stupid, one Republican at a time. You can only defeat the truly evil, but you can educate the clueless and confused.
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Labels: couldn't we just TRY a hardcore lefty for four years folks?, gummint, justice, madness, money, politix, rants, The FEAR, violence inherent in the system, war

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Labels: anger, Assholery squared, don't mix, humour, madness, NASCAR, neighbors, rants, rednecks, words

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When I decided that I would vote for Barack Obama last November, I was not as pie-eyed about him as millions of his supporters seemed to be. Despite the fact that Obama was my first winning ballot cast for president, my vote didn't seem any better or worse than its predecessors - it still possessed that hold-your-nose, lesser-of-two-evils feel that has dominated our national elections probably since they began.

So there is an article by Drew Westen that, besides providing some perspective for those who may have been a little drunk on the Big O and his suspiciously meteoric rise to power, brings hearty agreement from me. My apologies to those who have accused me of leaning on my pundit appreciation too heavily, but honestly (Blogovia take note) - what's the point of me blathering on about something when the likes of Mr. Westen can provide so eloquent a treatise. Besides, I think he gets paid better for it.

Oh, and as you read Westen's article, bear in mind the possibility that Bill Hicks was spot-fucking-on:

"I have this feeling that whoever is elected president, no matter what you promise on the campaign trail - blah, blah, blah - when you win, you go into this smoke-filled room with the twelve industrialist capitalist scum-fucks who got you in there. And you're in this smoky room, and the lights go dim and this little film screen rolls down silently from the ceiling. And a big guy with a cigar goes, "Roll the film." And it's a shot of the Kennedy assassination from an angle you've never seen before. It looks suspiciously like it's from the famous grassy knoll. And then the screen goes up and the lights come on, and the big guy says to the new president, "Any questions?"

"Um, what's my agenda?"

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Labels: humour, madness, No Ordinary Bill, politix, President Obama

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Thanks to my immersion in Facebook, now even my blog reading has tapered off drastically. Although I see many of my fellow Blogovians milling about the walls of FB, at least one of them was skeptical of the process, citing a need to seek out and destroy all the pods he could find. Of course his resistance was futile and he has been assimilated, but not before he got one good swipe at me with the butcher knife (I'm fine - just a scratch, no blood, nothing a little epoxy can't fix). He now plays the part of Joe-anna in the upcoming intro video "Welcome to Stepford Facebook":

Oh Joe-anna! My new dress! How could you do a thing like that? Just when I was going to give you coffee! How could you do a thing like that? I thought we were friends! Just when I was going to... how could you do a thing like that... just when I was going to give you coffee! Oh Joe-anna... I thought we were friends... I thought we were friends... friends... coffee... how could you do a thing like that? Like that? Like that? Like that? Friends... friends...

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Labels: madness, pop culture, The lunatic is in my head

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I want to say "unreal" but unfortunately...



This may be news to some of these morons, but: IF/WHEN THE GOVERNMENT WANTS TO COME TAKE YOUR GUNS, THEY HAVE LOTS OF SOLDIERS, TANKS AND OTHER COOL STUFF WITH WHICH TO DO SO. YOU DON'T HAVE A PRAYER, CHIEF ! ! !

Labels: guns, madness, President Obama, The FEAR

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This just in:

Wells bids $15 MMM for Wachovia; scuffles with Citi

Reuters, Friday October 3, 2008

NEW YORK - Wells Fargo & Co agreed to buy Wachovia Corp for about $15 billion, upstaging a government-backed Citigroup Inc bid for Wachovia's banking assets with a deal that would catapult it into the top ranks of national consumer banking.

Citigroup demanded Wells Fargo drop its surprise bid, which comes four days after Wachovia preliminarily agreed to sell its banking assets to Citi...

I am a Wachovia customer. As I have deposits that amount to half a gnat's turd in the grand scheme of things, I have not been worrying much in the face of news about the bank's travails. But now I'm inclined to go get mine, slide (not stuff) it into the mattress and let these assholes duke it out without me.

But the BIG economic news, of course, is that the Bush Bailout+ finally, after five grueling days of uncertainty for Wall Street and its minions, slithered its 451-pages of graft through the House, which had wisely slapped down a much trimmer bill earlier this week.

Many economists are regarding October 3, 2008 as a date that will live in infamy. I use that turn of phrase to point out the irony of how the world's richest man, as told to Charlie Rose on Wednesday , regards the entire U.S. economic situation.

So, what are we being bombarded with? How about the "Exemption From Excise Tax For Certain Wooden Arrows Designed For Use By Children" which, appearing on page 301, is among hundreds of tax relief sausages cooked up on the big Congressional barbe-queue [sic]. The EFETFCWADFUBC, as I will fondly dub it probably just this once, applies (I think) to manufacturers of "certain wooden arrow shafts...consisting of all natural wood with no laminations or artificial means of enhancing the spine of such shaft (whether sold separately or incorporated as part of a finished or unfinished product) of a type which after its assembly (1) measures 5/16 of an inch or less in diameter and (2) is not suitable for use with a bow as described in bullah, bullah, bullah..."

What is this saying about Congresspeeps who, finding Monday's 108-page version of a free (and credit) market/home/business-saving $700 MMM financial rescue objectionable, switched their nay to yay for the fattiness that includes a children’s wooden arrow excise tax exemption in it? Only that as usual, they are all too willing to give their constituents the shaft.



With a h/t to DCup - "Because what goes around comes around"

Labels: gummint, madness, No Ordinary Bill, Nothing about Yoko, politix, rants, taxes, terms of enragement

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Labels: madness, nuff said

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Welcome to Denver, now go home liberal free-thinking scum:

Labels: heat, law enforcement, madness, The FEAR, violence inherent in the system

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I was a young, fairly directionless punk in high school when I first watched The Killing Fields. It was the first film I saw that shocked me into realizing that we live in a fucked-up world and that it takes people of courage beyond my comprehension to overcome the worst aspects of it, which are also incomprehensible. Dith Pran's true story, along with the fictional Apocalypse Now, Coming Home and The Deer Hunter, helped light a fire of conscience and pacifism within me. I recall being at a house party once where a group of us was watching the latter movie, now considered the more right-wing view on Vietnam, in the wee hours. Most of the others cheered when Robert DeNiro's and Christopher Walken's characters end up blowing away their captors in the first Russian Roulette scene, but I was repulsed. The cement hardened a bit more when I had to walk out on a discussion of Coming Home in which a loud and inebriated older cousin of a friend, 4-F in the draft, couldn't be persuaded to stop harping about Hanoi Jane. Along with the burgeoning conscience came forth a previously unknown acerbic wit, as I recall my parting shot to the drunk as "Cry me a river, flatfoot. You weren't over there."

The unassuming Pran is now immortalized in history and on the personal hero lists of millions, including myself.

From dithpran.org :

On April 17th, 1975 the Khmer Rouge, a communist guerrilla group led by Pol Pot, took power in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. They forced all city dwellers into the countryside and to labor camps. During their rule, it is estimated that 2 million Cambodians died by starvation, torture or execution. 2 million Cambodians represented approximately 30% of the Cambodian population during that time.

The Khmer Rouge turned Cambodia to year zero. They banned all institutions including stores, banks, hospitals, schools, religion, and the family. Everyone was forced to work 12-14 hours a day, every day. Children were separated from their parents to work in mobile groups or as soldiers. People were fed one watery bowl of soup with a few grains of rice thrown in. Babies, children, adults and the elderly were killed everywhere. The Khmer Rouge killed people if they didn’t like them, if didn’t work hard enough, if they were educated, if they came from different ethnic groups, or if they showed sympathy when their family members were taken away to be killed. All were killed without reason. Everyone had to pledge total allegiance to Angka, the Khmer Rouge government. It was a campaign based on instilling constant fear and keeping their victims off balance.

After the Vietnamese invaded and liberated the Cambodian people from the Khmer Rouge, 600,000 Cambodians fled to Thai border camps. Ten million land mines were left in the ground, one for every person in Cambodia. The United Nations installed the largest peacekeeping mission in the world in Cambodia in 1991 to ensure free and fair elections after the withdrawal of the Vietnamese troops. Cambodia was turned upside down during the Khmer Rouge years and the country has the daunting task of healing physically, mentally and economically.

Here are two good remembrances from Pran's colleagues.

Labels: genocide, heroes, madness, war

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March Movie Madness Maxie Milestone Edition:












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Labels: madness, Max, milestones, photography, video

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The event of the season has arrived! March Movie Madness 2008 is upon us! This year it's a fethtival of 64 comedy classics, with yours truly again providing the hard-hitting commentary that freaks need to know the score. Get your Big Lebowski (not an endorsement, though it could be) over to Film Freaks Film Club and see what all the hoopla is aboot.

To set the mood, a clip from my dark horse candidate:


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Labels: comedy, film, friends, fun, madness, movies

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Allen Ginsburg's controversial (aka watershed) poem turns 50 today.

Hat tip to Aiko Annie

Labels: madness, poems everyone poems, words, writing

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Archer, interim lordgodking of LawyerWorldLand, has come out of the wonk closet, at least for this and that post on the cost of the Iraq war. Go read them - he has promised not to jeer and throw things.
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Labels: Archer, Iraq, madness, shit sandwich, terms of enragement, war

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Lots of good remembrances on the blogs today. The theme I am relating to best is not so much remembering what we've lost but rather what we've given away. Former U.S. Senator Gary Hart wrote one of the best essays, copied here from HuffPo:

Six years ago three thousand Americans lost their lives. They need not have. Their deaths could have been prevented. Their lives could have been saved.

The Bush administration was warned months before 9/11 that terrorists were going to attack America. They did nothing. They have yet to be held accountable for the preventable loss of American lives. Yet the administration blames its critics for not understanding the terrorist threat.

The perpetrator of those American deaths is still at large and the war to eliminate those who harbored him threatens to drag on inconclusively for many years. Instead, administration operatives, with the approval of their masters, find it convenient to use him to create fear, and therefore justify their positions of power.

The United States has suffered more than 30,000 casualties in another war that had nothing to do with those attacks. This folly is producing more haters of America than it can ever possibly eliminate.

The backbone of domestic security, the National Guard, is deployed in that war and is thus not at home being trained, equipped, and deployed to protect America.

The consolidation of federal border protection and attack response in a single agency did not begin until at least 18 months after it was proposed and, six years later, it has proved to be woefully inadequate, in large part because those responsible for its administration possess a political philosophy that does not believe government can or should be effective. And they use every occasion to prove it.

The U.S. is currently pursuing a foreign policy in the Middle East and throughout the Arab world that is dementedly designed to promote a clash of civilizations. When this policy produces further attacks, our current policy makers will respond that this is what to expect from those who hate America and only tough-minded conservatives know how to deal with them.

Those who claim to understand terrorism and the use of force, meanwhile, have so exhausted our combat forces that our true national security is greatly at risk and our nation is weakened.

This administration stands indicted for incompetence and mendacity. That it still commands the loyalty of even a quarter of our fellow citizens is testament to the persistence of willful ignorance. Against all the facts assembled in this indictment, that the administration's operatives can still make claims on strength, security, and determination is chutzpah on stilts.

That the media still treat these operatives and spokespersons, and indeed the president himself, seriously is witness to their desire for "access" and "sources" rather than their commitment to the truth.

America is today under the steady gaze of billions of the world's citizens and even more under the examining lens of history. Nothing is more difficult than to admit that we made a tragic mistake in selecting our leaders. But that is the first step toward redemption. Absolute rejection of those who lay claim to ownership of security is the next.

We are too old to behave as adolescents any longer. That includes particularly our president. America must grow up. We must redeem ourselves in the name of those who lost their lives unnecessarily six years ago. We must reclaim our dignity and our honor from those who have neither.

And here is my annual perspective check from that watershed time (cut me some slack on my over-the-top newscaster tone).
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Labels: death, facts, histoire, justice, life, madness, martyrdom, milestones, politix, religion, remembrance, terms of enragement, tragedy, turrists, war, weaponry, words

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Oh gawd has it been sweltering in the sultry southern states. We've had triple digits the past several days, and no rain in sight. It's neither a good time to be a farmer nor a farm animal. While my tolerance for my native northern cold has become totally wussified, my fortitude against the southern dog days has improved little if at all. I feel like Pvt. Jerome in Biloxi Blues - "Man it's hot. It's like Africa hot. Tarzan couldn't take this kind of hot."

Well here's fun little story for you. About a month ago our central a/c went kaput. We sent for a man to come peruse the situation and he determined that we had a "porous coil," and since the unit was 11 years old, both the inside and outside units needed to be replaced because all new equipment is on a higher efficiency rating. I was inclined to feel like I did when I took my first car in (1973 Chevy Nova Hatchback) for an oil leak and the mechanic said, "Weeell, you might need a whole new car..." without a trace of sarcasm in his drawl. Anyway, we called for a second opinion and upon inspection of the outside unit No. 2 says, "That's a big old hole in the side there." Porous indeed - it looked like it had been attacked with a hatchet. No. 2 confirmed the "whole new car" theory and backed it up with a quote of only $4,850, tax included. I asked him if the hole looked like mechanical failure. "None that I've ever seen," was his reply. So near as I can figure some neighbor punk came around whilst we were away or Mr. No. 1 was trying to upgrade his service call.

Long story shortened: homeowner's insurance say "okey-dokey," and after three weeks of no central air (we borrowed a couple of window units that barely staved off insanity) we're in the cucumber business once more.
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Labels: global warming, heat, Holy Crap, homeowner, madness, The South

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The Bergman and Fellini regions are off to a start that Der Kommissar Kos surely knew would dust up some debate from the principle players. Each region garnered similar 11th over 6th seed upsets, but the howling didn’t stop there, no siree.

First, in the action from the Bergman contests at the Kodak, the Marx Brothers ran circles around Alec Guiness and the rest of the stiff upper lips from Bridge On The River Kwai in a stunning 13th over 5th seed upset. Duck Soup head coach Rufus T. Firefly said his team was determined to win for the glory of Freedonia and for the substantial Mrs. Teasdale. “Remember, you're fighting for this woman's honour, which is probably more than she ever did,” Firefly reminded his crew.

William Holden held strong at the line for Kwai, and Sessue Hayakawa was an impressive taskmaster to the crew on defense, but it was not enough. Soup’s Chicolinni had the one-two with foil Pinky in three-pointers and rebounds respectively, and it simply wore down the already beleaguered POWs. The proud Chicolinni gave a shout out to his uncle who lives in Dollars, Taxes. Pinky had no comment.

Kwai’s defeat, combined with the loss of Dr. Zhivago to A Clockwork Orange in a close 9 v. 8 matchup, prompted local philm phan Looney to nearly bust a vein ranting to Kos. “A couple more like that and I'm gonna have a hard time taking you seriously. You must have it in for David Lean,” said The Loon, referring to the director of both losing films. His angst was surely heightened by the fact that after the first round he trails the tournament leaders by five points.

The other upset in the Bergman came in the contest between Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid versus All About Eve, with the former, ranked 11 in the region winning a squeaker over the latter. No. 6 Eve, with her sights set firm on acquiring the championship, was startled by the most handsome fugitive duo in (movie) history. “I will regard this great honor not so much as an award for what I have achieved, but a standard to hold against what I have yet to accomplish,” said Eve before being reminded that she did not win.

On to the Fellini, where the big news was undoubtedly No. 12 American Graffiti’s toppling of fifth-ranked Some Like It Hot. Looney again weighed incredulous. “OMFG!!! Grafitti over Some Like it Hot? I don't care what O'Tim says, that's whacked. OMG,” said The Loon, referring to the commentary on AG in the previous post. Waaah. I mean, um, serves him right for misspelling Graffiti, in this reporter’s opinion. In the end Hot, which garnered an Oscar for Costume Design and nominations for Wilder and Lemmon as director and actor respectively, was not able to overcome the angst-humour-nostalgia three play of Graffiti.

No. 11 Rebel Without A Cause defeated No. 6 The Grapes Of Wrath. The Kommissar der Film summed up his decision thusly. It seems Ma Joad's estimation that "We'll go on forever, Pa, 'cause we're the people. We're the people who live" was just so much trash talk.

WHAT TO WATCH:

The second round in the Bergman is not likely to have many surprises upset-wise, but trusting Kos is not something bookies are wan to do. “We don’t like that shifty bastard,” said one gambler who declined to be identified outside the Lars von Trier Center following the Duck/Kwai viewing.

Bonnie & Clyde take on Sunset Boulevard in the closest ranked match, while it’s the battle of the birds when steep underdog Duck Soup goes up against the insanely strong offense of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Coach Firefly proclaimed he was going to be looking closely at the films of Chief Bromden’s slam dunk routine.

The Fellini also has no matches with less than a five-place gap in rankings, so again no surprises expected, but then how in the fuck could it be a surprise, asshole? Rebel will have its hurdle with third-ranked The African Queen, while the kids from American Graffiti get in the ring with Raging Bull. Watch his left, kids, and don’t fall for that “But it’s SCORSESE, man!” crap from the peanut gallery – you bring the fight to HIM! You got that?! You got that?!
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Labels: madness, movies

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Pro gamblers likely fared well last night while those with a penchant for the underdog probably have the ice pack on their fannies as the 2007 Boiled Dinner Movie Madness Blogger’s Extravaganza Tournament of Champions got underway. Only one ranked upset appeared among the first sixteen matches between the Godard and Kurosawa regions, but it was a humdinger that left the fans stunned. The Godard’s fifth-ranked Mr. Smith Goes To Washington came out strong in the first half, showing up it’s Capratic strength as an American underdog tale for the ages. Ironically it was 12^th-ranked The Deer Hunter that took Smith down, displaying a palpable increase in hustle in the second half.

“You're kind of contradicting yourself on Fargo vs. Wonderful and Deer Hunter vs. Smith,” was the Rant of the Loon against tournament director and chief projectionist Jeff Kosloski. In the former match Looney is referring to the other Capra classic in the tournament, the Godard’s No. 4 It’s A Wonderful Life and its expected smackdown of No. 13 Fargo in the Belmondo Pavilion across the way. Loon’s contention was that Kos was using “opposite criteria” to come to his conclusion of one for, one against Capra.

But Kos was unwavering. “I don't think I'm contradicting myself,” said Kos, “because I think Wonderful Life is a better movie than Mr. Smith -- if they'd gone head-to-head, I wouldn't have thought twice about the match-up.”

Kos summed up the dispute by saying he did not think Fargo had the impact on audiences or for that matter on society that Deer Hunter did. So there. You have it. Many exiting fans were heard saying a Capra v. Capra, and of course a Stewart v. Stewart, matchup would have been the ultimate game. Alas, twas not to be. The latter is still a remote possibility what with Philadelphia Story and Rear Window still in the running over in the Fellini, but both are underdogs in their contests tomorrow. Deer Hunter faces It’s A Wonderful Life in round two tomorrow at 2 p.m. at the Bijou.

Over in the Kurosawa, the match of the night was without a doubt No. 7 To Kill A Mockingbird trying to keep down Scorcese’s lovable little Taxi Driver and its scrappy but batshit insane point guard Travis Bickle. It seems half the house was really pulling for Bickle, who gave Mockingbird’s Atticus Finch a helluva time in the paint, causing the genteel southern counselor to foul out near the end of the second half. In the end it was the irascible Scout, paired up with Boo Radley (equally as scary as Bickle at the line). Little Scout consistently got up in Bickle’s face and innocently asked, “Why, Mr. Travis? Why?” it was more than Bickle could take, and the film adaptation of Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel emerged from the Kagemusha Arena victorious. Finch and crew have their work cut out for them in the second round, going up against west coast powerhouse The Graduate tomorrow.

WHAT TO WATCH: For the Godard’s second round action, easy money is on top ranked Citizen Kane to take down the essentially defenseless Dr. Strangelove, though don’t count the good doctor’s explosive offense as completely incapable of providing a fun match to watch. In the Kurosawa, the tight game is undoubtedly going to be the 5 v. 4 matchup of The Godfather II against Schindler’s List. Rich, powerful Dagos take on the oppressed but favored (as well as chosen) Hebes from the ghetto. Should be exciting.

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Labels: madness

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The title of today's post is in honor of Kos telling me I'm gonna get my ass whooped in his 2007 Movie Madness Tournament (see previous post). So be it. I stand by my picks, rife with underdog pride as they may be. May the best cinemaphile win that brand new car that Jeff's got waiting at the end of this thing! Good luck, movie geeks!



Click on the bracket to see the larger view

Labels: madness, movies