Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Like Fish In A Barrel

Why, oh why ...

I mean, this is just like sitting on a fastball, or, an uncontested lay-up.

I mean, why bring the attention on yourself?

He could have just stayed on his side of the street, cater to his own idiocy, jumped behind the Teabaggers and he'd live for, maybe two, or three, of the primary races, since his insolent ego is telling him that he should be the new President in 2012.



Santorum Talks About Longtime Google Problem

Rick Santorum has a Google problem.

The former Pennsylvania Senator might be well-known on Capitol Hill, but his name more regularly produces blank stares in places like Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, if recent polling is any guide. The likely Republican presidential candidate knows he needs to expand his name identification.

Santorum can only hope voters don’t turn to Google, the world’s most popular Internet search engine, to learn more about him.

Try it for yourself: Enter “Rick Santorum” into Google. In a fraction of a second you’ll have hundreds of thousands of results. But two of the top four cite a graphic definition for a sexual neologism. In this case, the neologism is a reference to anal sex.


It goes with the territory that Santorum accepts no responsibility to this, despite his homophobic rantings a few years ago, about equating acceptance of the Gay Marriage Act was just opening the door to "man-on-dog" sex.

He even whines in the article that, gosh darn it, people aren't following President Obama's call for more civility in the politic body.

Jack Stuef, over on Wonkette, spanks him on this;

But Rick Santorum also heard President Obama say something about “civility” when that woman who actually has a job in politics got shot, so he thinks President Obama should deliver a speech talking about how he’s not a byproduct of anal sex and sternly tell the Google to stop being so mean to him. This is how things are supposed to go in the age of civility, according to Santorum. Never mind that this happened because he was being uncivil to gays and nobody is standing up for civility for him right now because everyone forgot about him and being mean to him on the Internet years ago.


So, once we move past the ass, both the Google Search results, and the being that Rick Santorum is, TBogg, over on Firedoglake slaps him down (and again, we reference our early opening lines above, he just makes this too easy);

When Rick Santorum lost to Bob Casey in 2006 (by a 59-41 margin), Rick saw it as God closing a door but opening a window for him to run for President. The rest of us saw it as God closing a door, barring the windows and setting the house on fire so he didn’t have to listen to that sanctimonious freak invoking His name all of the time in public.

[snip]

Seriously. Santorum wasn’t crushed by eighteen points because of Google searches; he lost because he’s a douche. Dan Savage’s Google bomb was just the frothing on the cake.


Sigh ...

Like fish in a barrel ...


Bonus Riifs


Joe.My.God: Frothy Mix Dogs GOP 2012 Contender

Andrew Sullivan: The Genius Of Dan Savage

Developing Story – Santorum Channeling Dead Pols ... Santorum: “I See Dead Politicians!”

Top Ten Cloves: Reasons Rick Santorum Is Joining Fox News

Santorum, Speaking in United Statesism, Explains Islam


Tuesday, February 15, 2011

About Those "Seeds of Democracy"

Well, this isn't, exactly, a Captain Renault moment;

Defector admits to WMD lies that triggered Iraq war


The defector who convinced the White House that Iraq had a secret biological weapons programme has admitted for the first time that he lied about his story, then watched in shock as it was used to justify the war.

Rafid Ahmed Alwan al-Janabi, codenamed Curveball by German and American intelligence officials who dealt with his claims, has told the Guardian that he fabricated tales of mobile bioweapons trucks and clandestine factories in an attempt to bring down the Saddam Hussein regime, from which he had fled in 1995.

"Maybe I was right, maybe I was not right," he said. "They gave me this chance. I had the chance to fabricate something to topple the regime. I and my sons are proud of that and we are proud that we were the reason to give Iraq the margin of democracy."




Since Obama has chosen not to look in the rearview mirror, we can only hope that history will not be so kind, and place the Bush Grindhouse and their Legacy in the appropriate light - The President of Shitdom.

And the Flying Monkeys over at the Right Wing Freakshow still wants to headline it was those "planting seeds of Democracry" bullshit.



Bonus Riffs


John Cole: You Told Me you Loved Me, But I Don’t Understand

Adam Serwer: Conservatives keep hogging credit for Mideast protests

For The Want Of A Lie

It Will Never Be A Happy "Mission Accomplished" Day

"Son of A Dog!"

Jazz Legend George Shearing Dies

I heard this on the radio this morning, and it shadowed the beginning of the day in sadness;

George Shearing dies aged 91

Announcing the death due to heart failure at Shearing's home in Manhattan, his agent, Dale Sheets, said: "He was a totally one of a kind performer. It was something wonderful to see, to watch him work."




I had the good fortune to catch Shearing a few times, both, in club, and festival, settings, and it was always a delicious treat, the crowd hushing to the point you could hear a pin drop, settling in for the unique Shearing sound.

Peter Keepnews explains;

The Shearing sound — which had the harmonic complexity of bebop but eschewed bebop’s ferocious energy — was built on the unusual instrumentation of vibraphone, guitar, piano, bass and drums. To get the “full block sound” he wanted, he had the vibraphone double what his right hand played and the guitar double the left. That sound came to represent the essence of sophisticated hip for countless listeners worldwide who preferred their jazz on the gentle side.

[snip]

By his own estimate Mr. Shearing wrote about 300 tunes, of which he liked to joke that roughly 295 were completely unknown.

He nevertheless contributed at least one bona fide standard to the jazz repertory: “Lullaby of Birdland,” written in 1952 and adopted as the theme song of the world-famous New York nightclub where he frequently performed. Both as an instrumental and with words by George David Weiss, it has been recorded by everyone from Ella Fitzgerald to Bill Haley and His Comets, who improbably cut a version called “Lullaby of Birdland Twist” in 1962




And who else remembers the television commercial, featuring Ray Charles (for a Pioneer LaserDisc), delivering the punchline "I liked it so much, I got one for my friend, George Shearing", the joke being Shearing is also blind.

RIP George Shearing, it was great having you around.


George Shearing - Lullaby of Birdland



And here's a personal favorite;

GEORGE SHEARING playing IT NEVER ENTERED MY MIND


Monday, February 14, 2011

Happy Valentine's Day!

Well. today be the Big V day, and, no, we're not referring to some WWII riff, but rather St. Valentine's Day.



While the day has been hijacked by extreme commercialism (greeting cards, candy, lingerie, and just about any other gift that can be wrapped up in red and/or placed in a heart-shaped box.

And the indoctrination starts early, usually in grammar school, where young children are supposed to make Valentine's for each other, and perhaps, heart-shaped cookies and cake are served.

Wikipedia doesn't offer much in explaining just what the day is all about;

Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day,[2][3][4] is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions.[2][4] The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs, Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD. It was deleted from the Roman calendar of saints in 1969 by Pope Paul VI, but its religious observance is still permitted.[citation needed] It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). The day first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.

Modern Valentine's Day symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards.[5]


And, the History.com admits it's not entirely clear how all this started, they do offer one good myth;

According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first "valentine" greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl — who may have been his jailor's daughter — who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed "From your Valentine," an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.


Hmmm ...A prison letter as the most romantic symbol ...

Got that.

Get yourself thrown in the slammer and then pen a most heartfelt declaration of love to your lover.

Anything less, then you're a piker.


Meanwhile, here's a couple of tunes you can plug into your romance-filled evening.

Esther Satterfield - Chase The Clouds Away (1976)




DINDI WILLIE BOBO VIDEO