Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Eugene Robinson On The Ultimate Bush Crime

I thought this column from The Washington Post's Eugene Robinson was so good it bears reprinting here in its entirety. Like the estimable Mr. Robinson, I find it unfathomable to believe that, under the Bush administration, this country has become a nation that condones torture. It makes me crazy every time I think about it, and it frustrates me no end that there is so little public outcry, so few calls for accountability (read: impeachment and war crime prosecution), no riots in the streets over this. History will not judge us kindly in this matter, of that I'm sure.


A Torture Paper Trail

Tuesday, July 29, 2008; Page A17

I still find it hard to believe that George W. Bush, to his eternal shame and our nation's great discredit, made torture a matter of hair-splitting, legalistic debate at the highest levels of the U.S. government. But that's precisely what he did.

Three previously classified administration memos obtained last week by the American Civil Liberties Union add to our understanding of this disgraceful episode. The documents are attempts to justify the unjustifiable -- the use of brutal interrogation methods that international agreements define as torture -- and to keep those who ordered and carried out this dirty business from being prosecuted and jailed.

The memos don't call it torture, of course. Heavily redacted before being surrendered to the ACLU under a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, the documents refer euphemistically to "enhanced techniques" of interrogation. Changing the name doesn't change the act, however. One memo, written in 2004, specifically makes clear the administration's view that "the waterboard" is an acceptable way to extract information.

Waterboarding, a technique of simulated drowning, is considered torture virtually everywhere on Earth except in the Bush administration's archive of self-exculpatory memos, directives and opinions.

The most stunning of the memos -- written in August 2002 by Jay Bybee, who was head of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel -- makes the incredible claim that unless a torturer has the "specific intent" to inflict severe pain or suffering, no violation of U.S. laws against torture has occurred. Bybee, since appointed to the federal bench, wrote that the torturer needed only the "honest belief" that he was not actually committing torture to avoid legal jeopardy. Oh, and Bybee added that it wasn't even necessary for that belief to be "reasonable."

ad_icon

The memo notes that U.S. torture statutes outlaw the infliction of severe mental pain as well as physical pain. It acknowledges that "the threat of imminent death" is one of the specific acts that can constitute torture. Somehow, though, the administration pretends not to understand that strapping a prisoner down and pouring water into his nose until he can't breathe constitutes a death threat -- regardless of whether the interrogator intended to stop before the prisoner actually drowned.

Perhaps that question was dealt with in the nine-tenths of the memo that was redacted before the administration handed it over to the ACLU. The memo never would have been released at all if the government hadn't been ordered to do so by a federal judge.

The whole thing would be laughable if it were not such a rank abomination. No government obeying the law needs a paper trail to absolve its interrogators of committing torture. Conversely, a government that produces such a paper trail has something monstrous to hide.

It is not difficult to avoid violating federal laws and international agreements that prohibit torture. Just don't torture people, period. The idea that there exists some acceptable middle ground -- a kind of "torture lite" -- is a hideous affront to this nation's honor and values. This, perhaps above all, is how George Bush should be remembered: as the president who embraced torture.

I wouldn't be surprised if, as he left office, Bush issued some sort of pardon clearing those who authorized or carried out "enhanced techniques" of interrogations from any jeopardy under U.S. law. International law is something else entirely, however, and I imagine that some of those involved in this sordid interlude might want to be careful in choosing their vacation spots. I'd avoid The Hague, for example.

Barack Obama has stood consistently against torture. John McCain, who was tortured himself as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam, has denounced torture as well -- and, although he voted against restraining the CIA with the same no-exceptions policy that now applies to military interrogators, he has been forthright in saying that waterboarding is torture, and thus illegal. On Inauguration Day, whoever wins the presidency, this awful interlude will end.

A clear and urgent duty of the next president will be to investigate the Bush administration's torture policy and give Americans a full accounting of what was done in our name. It's astounding that we need some kind of truth commission in the United States of America, but we do. Only when we learn the full story of what happened will we be able to confidently promise, to ourselves and to a world that looks to this country for moral leadership: Never again.

Ted Stevens Indicted

In this era of rampant corruption and It's OK If You're A Republican, how completely corrupt do you have to be to get indicted by the feds while maintaining a position as a sitting Senator?

This corrupt, apparently.

Good luck, Senator Stevens, hope they throw the damn book at you.

Whose Opening Line Is It, Anyway: Name That Tune

Here we go again, same as it ever was, some easy, some difficult, some you've never heard of, and as an extra added bonus for you younger readers, there are a couple of songs here that were recorded after the '60s and '70s. Okay, go, and good luck!

1. Crossroads seem to come and go, yeah. The gypsy flies from coast to coast…
2. She tries not to shatter, kaleidoscope style, personality changes behind her red smile…
3. She plays wipeout on the drums, the squirrels and the birds come gather round and sing the guitar.
4. I got on a city bus and found a vacant seat, I thought I saw my future bride walking up the street…
5. (Oh yeah, come on) I met you at J.C. Penny, I think your nametag said Jenny.
6. Half of what I say is meaningless, but I say it just to reach you…
7. Your prettiness is seeping through, out from the dress I took from you, so pretty.
8. From distant star to this here bar, the me, the you, where are we now?
9. Is it all in that pretty little head of yours? What goes on in that place in the dark?
10. Long ago life was clean, sex was bad and obscene and the rich were so mean.

**Bonus** All set luncheonette, kitchenette to let. I bet I get hamburgerette again.

Answers Friday.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

'Twas The Night Before Monday, And All The Random Flickr Blogging Was About To Go On Hiatus

If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, the Bush administration says it's a terrorist, and recommends killing it preemptively.
"My friends, what kind of change can you really believe in...? Well... Depends!"
Vote early and often in the upcoming Iraqi election.
For the life of me, I can't imagine why you'd want a close-up view of Karl Rove's sphincter, but hey, everyone has their own weird interests, I guess.

(Original images, #2206, posted here, here, here and here. RFB explained by Good Saint Tom Hilton here. Apparently the organized group Random Flickr Blogging [as opposed to the individual, anarchic, DIY version as practiced by, for instance, nashtbrutusandshort -- who, completely coincidentally, is also on hiatus at the moment] is taking a short break for a while.)

Friday, July 25, 2008

Can't Be Real

I followed a link from If I Ran The Zoo to this bizarre comment thread on a so-called PUMA site where the former (and in many cases, current) Hillary Clinton supporters who have now thrown in with Grampy McSame are discussing the merits of the McCain campaign posters featured in this contest. While I was there, I read this particular comment by a poster using the name hillbilly4me:

Hillary 08
or
McCain


As a Hillary supporers.I also like John McCain.I watch,saw,heard of all the media and Obama did to Hillary and her supporters.I will never throw my vote to Obama.I will vote McCain in November.I will not let Obama ~The democratic Party(Who stole the will of the people,Not just in Florida and Michigan but all other states with thier planned election to trash-kick-bit-slap-push- MSMBC does not control my vote.The democratic Party does not control my vote.I own my vote! And the two choices I have is Hillary and John McCain,

NEVER OBAMA!


That post seemed to be representative of many of the other comments I read there. And I just kept thinking, this can't be real, can it? The whole thing just has to be a joke.

Isn't it?

Pin Up These Answers

So George got the connection, as did Eric B (I knew he would, despite my comment about him possibly being flummoxed by this week’s theme – that was really just to goad him on). The rest of you, while you were able to identify a few of the more obvious songs, did not make the admittedly rather obscure connection of why these songs go together the way they do. A partial answer is that these are all songs from bands that played the London club scene in the years 1964-1967, but the real unifying theme is David Bowie’s 1973 album Pinups. Bowie paid tribute to those bands by covering all these songs – in the order in which they’re listed here – at the height of his glam-rock popularity on a release that was sandwiched between the albums Aladdin Sane and Diamond Dogs. So if any of you had identified a song here and listed Bowie as the artist, you would have received credit from me.

Alas, none of you did. And so here’s a tip: Go out and buy (or stay at home and download) this album and listen to it and tell me it doesn’t rock hard.

Trivia note: That’s proto-skinny supermodel Twiggy, a ‘60s icon, posing with Bowie on the cover.

Now cover me, I’m going in for the key…

1. Hey Rosalyn, tell me where you’ve been… Rosalyn; Pretty Things

2. Whoa, here it comes… Here Comes The Night; Them (w/ Van Morrison)

3. Early in the morning by the break of day, that’s when my baby went away. I Wish You Would; The Yardbirds

4. Emily tries but misunderstands, ah ooh, she’s often inclined to borrow somebody’s dreams till tomorrow. See Emily Play; Pink Floyd

5. Oh, little baby, you know I’ve been away, oh, little baby, you know I’ll come today, don’t you know that… Everything’s Alright; The Mojos

6. Got a feelin’ inside, it’s a hot certain kind, I feel hot and cold, yeah, down my soul, yeah. I Can’t Explain; The Who

7. Monday morning feels so bad, everybody seems to nag me. Friday On My Mind; The Easybeats

8. With your long blonde hair and your eyes of blue, the only thing I ever got from you… Sorrow; Merseys

9. I’m on my own, nowhere to roam, I tell you, baby, I don’t want no home. Don’t Bring Me Down; Pretty Things

10. Shapes of things before my eyes, just teach me to despise… Shapes Of Things; The Yardbirds

**Bonus** I can go anyway (way I choose)… Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere; The Who

**Second Bonus** In my life I’ve never stopped to worry about a thing. Where Have All The Good Times Gone; The Kinks

Back at it next week, kids.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Whose Opening Line Is It, Anyway: *Wolf Whistle*

Something rather different this week, with a theme that may be so obscure even Eric B might be flummoxed by it. Maybe. Also, because a couple of these opening lines give away the title in the lyrics, I'm just putting up blanks to let you fill in. If you can suss out the theme, you'll understand why I chose these particular songs in this particular order. I'm sure some of you will get a few of them, as they're pretty easy and well-known songs, but this week it's all about figuring out why these dozen songs (an extra Bonus this week!) go together.

Okay, kids, give it your best shot:

1. Hey _______, tell me where you’ve been…
2. Whoa, here it comes…
3. Early in the morning by the break of day, that’s when my baby went away.
4. Emily tries but misunderstands, ah ooh, she’s often inclined to borrow somebody’s dreams till tomorrow.
5. Oh, little baby, you know I’ve been away, oh, little baby, you know I’ll come today, don’t you know that…
6. Got a feelin' inside, it’s a hot certain kind, I feel hot and cold, yeah, down my soul, yeah.
7. Monday morning feels so bad, everybody seems to nag me.
8. With your long blonde hair and your eyes of blue, the only thing I ever got from you…
9. I’m on my own, nowhere to roam, I tell you, baby, I don’t want no home.
10. ______ __ ______ before my eyes, just teach me to despise…

**Bonus** I can go anyway (way I choose)…

**Second Bonus** In my life I’ve never stopped to worry about a thing.

Answers Friday, if I make it that long.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Close Enough To Monday For Random Flickr Blogging

Surely you jest.
"I wanted to perform the Saber Dance for you this evening, but I've got a splitting headache."
Word on the street is that every record was broken that night.
After the dingo ate my baby, he took a nice vacation by the sea.

(Original images, #3008, posted here, here, here and here. Random Flickr Blogging explained by the decidedly unpunny Tom Hilton here.)

Friday, July 18, 2008

Lies, Damn Lies And Republican Talking Points

You know what Republicans do really, really well? They lie. They. Lie. They're good at it. It's what they do! The truth is meaningless to them, they don't give a good goddamn about whether or not what they say can be easily disproved, they just keep saying it anyway. Someone issues a memo, they all read it, and that's it. Facts are meaningless, they just keep repeating the lies, "catapulting the propaganda," so to speak.

Here's just the latest example of a Big Republican Lie that's making the rounds:


Replay video | Share video | Watch more videos

This Week's Answers? Sweeeeet!

You folks did pretty well with the syrup and the saccharine this week, though I'm a bit surprised that no one who left a comment here recognized the Talking Heads song. Those usually get guessed pretty quickly (George, robo, Rey, I'm looking at you). The mighty Eric B got that one -- also the Bonus line, and big props to him for that -- but even he missed #1 and #3. What, no Taj Mahal fans out there? No English Beat fans?

As for the gimmes, to my way of thinking, they don't get much gimme-er than the Beatles and the Stones, but what the hell do I know? And didn't everyone learn Incense And Peppermints in kindergarten? *sigh* What's wrong with kids in America today? Sha-la-la.

Anyway, you'll probably recognize the few lines you missed once I post the key... which I'm about to do... wait for it, it's coming... soon... right... about... now!

1. I had the blues so bad one time it put my face in a permanent frown, you know I’m feelin’ so much better... Cakewalk Into Town; Taj Mahal

2. Oh, oh, she’s my neighbor. Fill my cup, I’ll bet you baby she could fill it up. Sugar On My Tongue; Talking Heads

3. This world is upside-down, the rights and wrongs don’t get much wronger. Sugar And Stress; English Beat

4. Creme tangerine and Montélimar; a ginger sling with a pineapple heart... Savoy Truffle; The Beatles

5. Gold Coast slave ship bound for cotton fields, sold in the market down in New Orleans... Brown Sugar; Rolling Stones

6. Hello, my love, I heard a kiss from you, red magic satin playing near, too. Strawberry Letter 23; Brothers Johnson (Also acceptable: Shuggie Otis) (…And why isn’t it 22, or some other number? Where’s Strawberry Letter 17 or 12 or 4?)

7. Good sense, innocence, cripplin’ and kind, dead kings, many things I can’t define. Incense And Peppermints; Strawberry Alarm Clock

8. Don’t tell your right hand, baby, what your left hand do, you know those road check girls will make your brown breath blue. Peaches And Cream; Beck

9. I sat there looking ugly, looking ugly and mean. I knew what you were saying, you were saying to me... Me In Honey; R.E.M.

10. It’s a rainy afternoon in 1990. The big city... geez, it’s been twenty years... Candy; Iggy Pop & Kate Pierson

**Bonus** You want to know why I lost you, you want to know what’s wrong with you... Let’s Talk About Girls; The Chocolate Watchband

More meat and potatoes next week.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Recent Shots

Pictures, I take pictures. Lots and lots of pictures...














Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Whose Opening Line Is It, Anyway: Diabetics Take Caution

Couple of true gimmes today, along with a few that could puzzle a lot of you all week and a theme I'm handing to you on a silver platter. In other words, same-old, same-old, blah blah blah and also yadda yadda. You know what to do, so go 'head on. Take a big bite.

1. I had the blues so bad one time it put my face in a permanent frown, you know I’m feelin’ so much better...
2. Oh, oh, she’s my neighbor. Fill my cup, I’ll bet you baby she could fill it up.
3. This world is upside-down, the rights and wrongs don’t get much wronger.
4. Creme tangerine and Montélimar; a ginger sling with a pineapple heart...
5. Gold Coast slave ship bound for cotton fields, sold in the market down in New Orleans...
6. Hello, my love, I heard a kiss from you, red magic satin playing near, too.
7. Good sense, innocence, cripplin’ and kind, dead kings, many things I can’t define.
8. Don’t tell your right hand, baby, what your left hand do, you know those road check girls will make your brown breath blue.
9. I sat there looking ugly, looking ugly and mean. I knew what you were saying, you were saying to me...
10. It’s a rainy afternoon in 1990. The big city... geez, it’s been twenty years...

**Bonus** You want to know why I lost you, you want to know what’s wrong with you...

Answers Friday for those of you who are hungry for more.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Monday Flickr Blogging, Random

No homoerotic subtext here, folks, nope, none at all. Just keep on moving, nothing to see...
Somehow I thought the Vice-President's undisclosed location would be a little less obvious from the outside.
Tickle Me Elmo's edgier and not as well-known cousin, Smack Me Around Arlen.
Come to think of it, it probably is about time we scheduled another BARBARian get-together soon.

(Original images, #1150, posted here, here, here and here. Blogging of the Random Flickr persuasion explained in full by Tom Hilton here.)

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Snow Falls

I learned late last night that Fox News personality and former White House press secretary Tony Snow died yesterday. Pardon me while I mourn... okay, there. I'm over it.

As my friend JediClone put it, "Ironic that someone who spent his entire career pulling words out of his ass should die of colon cancer."

In other news, I'm relieved to report that Jesse Helms is still dead.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

What City Is This? Do You Have A Football Team?

Look for Republican presidential candidate St. John McMaverick to keep repeating this story while changing the names of the players depending on the audience he's trying to hoodwink.

"While being tortured in Vietnam, I gave my captors the names of the Dallas Cowboys' Detroit Lions' Miami Dolphins' Oakland Raiders' Cleveland Browns' Minnesota Vikings' New York Jets' San Francisco 49ers' Buffalo Bills' Atlanta Falcons' Kansas City Chiefs' offensive defensive front line as my supposed squadron mates."

Hey, why not? Who's keeping track, anyway? I mean, it's not like he once wrote a fucking book (that was turned into a fucking TV movie) saying he named the Green Bay Packers' offensive linemen to his captors and then more recently told some reporter in Pennsylvania that he gave them the names of the Pittsburgh Steelers' defensive linemen. Is it? And really, what's the damn difference? Steelers, Packers, who the hell watches football in America anyway?

Friday, July 11, 2008

The Royal Answers

Kings and Queens and Princes, that’s what this week’s theme is made of. And although I’m sure such exist somewhere, try as I might, I could not locate a Princess song. I expect Eric B (who was back in form this week, missing only #1, #7 and #8) will soon write with a list of songs with Princess in the title or are by Princess-related artists.

Once again, a good collective showing by the usual suspects. Props to George for correctly identifying the Bonnie “Prince” Billy song, which I’m sure ahab would have done as well had he showed up in time. And thanks to all of you for playing.

Here’s the key to the kingdom, for those of you keeping track of the royal lineage at home:

1. When the numbers get so high of the dead flying in the sky, oh, I don’t know why… Love Comes To Me; Bonnie “Prince” Billy

2. Cat’s foot iron claw, neuro-surgeons scream for more at paranoia’s poison door… 21st Century Schizoid Man; King Crimson

3. She keeps Moet et Chandon in a pretty cabinet, “Let them eat cake,” she says, just like Marie Antoinette. Killer Queen; Queen

4. Oh! Take me back to dear old Blighty, put me on the train to London Town… The Queen Is Dead; The Smiths

5. There’s a little black spot on the sun today. It’s the same old thing as yesterday. King Of Pain; The Police

6. Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life… Let’s Go Crazy; Prince

7. Put on your lipstick, apply your makeup, sometimes you’re living in a dream… Stepping Out Queen; Van Morrison

8. I dreamed I did a good job and got well paid, blew it all at the penny arcade. Riding With The King; John Hiatt (also very ably covered, and perhaps the better-known version, by Eric Clapton & B. B. King)

9. Hello, one and all, was it you I used to know? Can’t you hear me call on this old ham radio? King Of The World; Steely Dan

10. I got lumps in my throat when I saw her comin’ down the aisle. I got the wiggles in my knees when she looked at me and sweetly smiled. Little Queenie; Chuck Berry (also perfectly acceptable: The Rolling Stones)

**Bonus** Uhh! Awww, sookie sookie now! Hey! Oww, uhh! Come on baby! Hey there, sugar darlin’, let me tell you something, girl, I’ve been trying to say now. Groove Me ; King Floyd

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Fucked And Disgusting

So, just as many of us suspected (but hoped against hope that it wouldn't happen), the Senate has caved to the corrupt and criminal Bush administration once again and passed the FISA bill granting immunity to telecoms that spied on Americans under White House orders. This is nothing more than blatant bribery, as over the past few months while this bill was being debated, those same telecoms sent giant wads of cash to Congress in return for their legislating away the Fourth Amendment and printing up Get Out of Jail Free cards for all those involved. Among those voting for this abomination were The Democratic Senator Who Would Be President (thanks, Barack, way to give up our rights and hand the damn Republicans another campaign tool with which to cudgel you) and our own California Senator Feinstein Useless. It's one thing for Republicans to march in lockstep and support this crap -- they're all corrupt and beyond redemption anyway -- but when the Democrats capitulate to the Littlest Tyrant of Them All, they just give more ammunition to those who would accuse them of being spineless and wishy-washy and all the other epithets that get thrown their way by Fox News pundits and their ilk. The people were on the side of Senators Feingold and Dodd and the rest of the Congressmen and -women who still have a modicum of ethics and opposed this bill. Senator Obama, and the other Democratic Senators who voted for this bill (not to mention Speaker Pelosi and her complicit compatriots in the House), would have had the full support of the people if they had done the right thing and stood firm in opposition. But I guess money speaks louder than constituent phone calls and emails and petitions. Thanks. Thanks for once again giving your unconditional support to the Court of the Imperial Presidency.

This whole affair is absolute, complete and total bullshit, and by that I mean piles and piles of fetid, steaming fecal matter excreted from the anus of a large adult male bovine. The one chance we have now -- and it's not one that I personally am holding out much hope of having any effect -- is that the ACLU plans to immediately challenge the constitutionality of this bill as soon as Preznit Wiretap signs it. Good fucking luck.

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Ouch

The Freewayblogger pulls no punches. Print some up and hit your local gas stations. (Warning: Graphic graphics.)

Killer Of A President

Former prosecutor and best-selling author Vincent Bugliosi, who obtained convictions for the Manson Family and wrote Helter Skelter, has a new book out that you might not have heard about, especially if you rely on the corporate media for your news and information. It seems that Mr. Bugliosi's book, "The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder," well, accuses George W. Bush of being directly responsible for the deaths of thousands of American soldiers and countless Iraqi citizens thanks to his criminal invasion of Iraq in 2003. That sort of blunt talk just doesn't sit well with the powers that be. Bugliosi's publishers have approached numerous radio and television shows about having the author appear to discuss his new work, and so far not one has been interested.

Mr. Bugliosi said bookers for cable television, where he has made regular appearances to promote books, have ignored his latest offering. MSNBC and Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” were two outlets Mr. Bugliosi had thought would show interest, but neither did.

“They are not responding at all,” he said. “I think it all goes back to fear. If the liberal media would put me on national television, I think they’d fear that they would be savaged by the right wing. The left wing fears the right, but the right does not fear the left.”

A spokeswoman for Comedy Central said the staff of “The Daily Show” was on vacation and unavailable for comment. A representative for MSNBC said: “We get many pitches to interview authors and very few end up on our programs.”

The editor of Newsweek, Jon Meacham, said he had not read the manuscript, but he offered a reason why the media might be silent: “I think there’s a kind of Bush-bashing fatigue out there.”


Still, all is not lost. Bugliosi and his publishers must be doing something right, as the book is currently at No. 14 on the New York Times best-seller list. Who knows where it would be with just a little mainstream publicity?

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Whose Opening Line Is It, Anyway: Heavy Is The Head...

When Eric B tells me, as he did last week, that maybe I'm getting more obscure in my choices for this little quiz, I do two things: First, I take it as a big fat compliment; and second, I look for more obscure choices with which to bother, bewitch and bewilder all y'all. That said, a few of these ought to still be pretty easy for the discerning music lovers out there, you know who you are. And the theme? Hell, I think I've already given it away.

Okay, time to match wits. How many of these do you recognize?

1. When the numbers get so high of the dead flying in the sky, oh, I don’t know why…
2. Cat’s foot iron claw, neuro-surgeons scream for more at paranoia’s poison door…
3. She keeps Moet et Chandon in a pretty cabinet, “Let them eat cake,” she says, just like Marie Antoinette.
4. Oh! Take me back to dear old Blighty, put me on the train to London Town…
5. There’s a little black spot on the sun today. It’s the same old thing as yesterday.
6. Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life…
7. Put on your lipstick, apply your makeup, sometimes you’re living in a dream…
8. I dreamed I did a good job and got well paid, blew it all at the penny arcade.
9. Hello, one and all, was it you I used to know? Can’t you hear me call on this old ham radio?
10. I got lumps in my throat when I saw her comin’ down the aisle. I got the wiggles in my knees when she looked at me and sweetly smiled.

**Bonus** Uhh! Awww, sookie sookie now! Hey! Oww, uhh! Come on baby! Hey there, sugar darlin’, let me tell you something, girl, I’ve been trying to say now.

Answers and commentary on Friday.

Sunday, July 06, 2008

If It Wasn't For Monday Random Flickr Blogging, I'd Hardly Monday Random Blog At All

"Dulcinea! Sancho! My enemy yet lives! Fetch me my lance, for I must give battle and- aw, hell with it. Bring me a bottle of wine and some goat cheese. I'm old, I'm tired and I'm hungry. Quick now!"
*Loves windows.

*Loves asterisks.

*Found a way to combine her two main interests.
This is why your mother always told you to wear clean underwear: You never know when one of those weird, embarrassing dreams you have every so often will end up coming true.
Demonstrating that there are actually more than just the well-known four stages of tequila, Paul here illustrates the often-missed stage between"I'm bullet-proof" and "I'm invisible."

(Original images, #4271, posted here, here, here and here. Random Flickr Blogging explained without benefit of excess agave by Tom Hilton here.)

Friday, July 04, 2008

All In The Family Answers

That's the way, uh huh, uh huh, I like it, uh huh, uh huh. Most all the lines got identified, but it was a group effort, and no one ran the table. Even Eric B checked in with only four correct (#1, #2, #6 and the Bonus line), which I believe is a new low for him. He did get the theme, though, as did most of you once a few lines were ID'ed. Here's the key for those who missed the comments:

1. She should have stayed away from friends, she should have had more time to spend. Been A Son; Nirvana

2. It was the third of September, that day I’ll always remember, yes, I will. Papa Was A Rolling Stone; The Temptations

3. Back in the day, in our sleepy little town, out of nowhere a hippie band came around. Papa Dukie And The Mud People; The Subdudes

4. Young bones groan and the rocks below say, “Throw your skinny body down, son!” Shakespeare’s Sister; The Smiths

5. On Thursday night she looked a fright, her pricky hair all curled, oh Lord, what a sight… Dance Little Sister; Rolling Stones

6. When you grow up, livin’ like a good boy oughta, and your mama takes a shine to her best son… Take Your Mama; Scissor Sisters

7. All my friends had to ask me something they didn’t understand, how I get all the women in the palms of my hand, now. Treat Her Like A Lady; Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose

8. She sits on a dock a-fishin’ in the water, uh huh, I don’t know her name she’s the fisherman’s daughter, uh huh. Come On Down To My Boat; Every Mother’s Son

9. John and Mitchy were getting’ kind of itchy just to leave the folk music behind… Creeque Alley; The Mamas & The Papas

10. Well, the sun comes up and you stare your cup of coffee, yup, right through the kitchen floor. Your Dad Did; John Hiatt

**Bonus** You may tire of me as our December sun is setting because I’m not who I used to be… Brothers On A Hotel Bed; Death Cab For Cutie

Happy 4th, and we'll be back at it next week!

Thursday, July 03, 2008

Happy 4th!

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Your Marriage Needs Protection

Jesus' General says: "I'm hoping I can get Concerned Women for America to run these ads for the Senate sponsors of the Marriage Protection Amendment:"



Big tip of The Generik Brand hat to aimai over at If I Ran The Zoo for the link.

Whose Opening Line Is It, Anyway: Boy, The Way Glenn Miller Played...

Okay, nothing new here, you know the drill: A few easy ones mixed in with a few more obscure tunes, and a theme that shouldn't be too terribly difficult to figure out. Go to it!

1. She should have stayed away from friends, she should have had more time to spend.
2. It was the third of September, that day I’ll always remember, yes, I will.
3. Back in the day, in our sleepy little town, out of nowhere a hippie band came around.
4. Young bones groan and the rocks below say, “Throw your skinny body down, son!”
5. On Thursday night she looked a fright, her pricky hair all curled, oh Lord, what a sight…
6. When you grow up, livin’ like a good boy oughta, and your mama takes a shine to her best son…
7. All my friends had to ask me something they didn’t understand, how I get all the women in the palms of my hand, now.
8. She sits on a dock a-fishin’ in the water, uh huh, I don’t know her name she’s the fisherman’s daughter, uh huh.
9. John and Mitchy were gettin’ kind of itchy just to leave the folk music behind…
10. Well, the sun comes up and you stare your cup of coffee, yup, right through the kitchen floor.

**Bonus** You may tire of me as our December sun is setting because I’m not who I used to be…

I'll tell you how right or wrong you are on Friday.
Free Counter
Online Universities