Air America Host Target of Violent Attack*UPDATE

*****UPDATE*****

Randi’s lawyers and authorities from the NYPD have stated that the claims of the attack are bogus.  She fell while walking her dog and banged herself up pretty badly, but no mugging.  She’ll be back in the studio on Thursday, and I’m sure her opening monologue will be fabulous.

The paranoid lefties that give us all a bad name can all calm down now.

*****END UPDATE***** 

According to fellow Air American Jon Elliot, Randi Rhodes, the Goddess of Radio, was assaulted late Sunday night outside of her Manhattan apartment. She was wearing sweats, wore no visible jewelry, and carried no purse or bag. All she had was Simon, her teeny-tiny dog with a penchant for growling at Republicans on the teevee.

Apparently, she was roughed up pretty badly and the attack left her with more than a couple of teeth missing. Bastards! She’ll be out for the rest of the week and will have Sam Seder sitting in for her on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the Sammy Cam WILL be in effect.

People in Bloglandia and the Randi Rhodes messageboards have been speculating this might be an attempt to silence Ms. Rhodes by some wackjob from the right wing. It’s too easy of a conclusion and way too speculative this early on in what’s more than likely an ongoing investigation. There are crazy people everywhere late at night, even 39th St. and Park Avenue.

Paranoid liberals annoy the shit outta me sometimes.

Get well soon, Randi! I’ll be waiting for your triumphant, fake-toothed return next week.

 

RIP - Lady Jaye

 

From Genesis P-Orridge’s site on October 11, 2008:

Genesis Breyer P-Orridge and her reactivated Psychic TV aka PTV3 are terribly sad to announce the cancellation of their November North American tour dates. This decision is entirely due to the unexpected passing of band member Lady Jaye Breyer P-Orridge.

Lady Jaye died suddenly on Tuesday 9th October 2007 at home in Brooklyn, New York from a previously undiagnosed heart condition which is thought to have been connected with her long-term battle with stomach cancer. Lady Jaye collapsed and died in the arms of her heartbroken “other half” Genesis Breyer P-Orridge.

I had a teenage obsession that has lasted until my current ripe age of 28 with Thee Temple Ov Psychic Youth, COUM Transmissions, the vomit-inducing (yet oddly sexual) noise of Throbbing Gristle, and the sometimes saccharine, always psychedelic pop sounds of Psychic TV. Genesis P-Orridge was my Charlie Manson after reading Helter Skelter one too many times in junior high. I was able to see Psychic TV in 2002 at Chop Suey in Seattle and I must say, my face was rocked off. All of my expectations, everything I had built up in my mind about Genesis/pandrogeny/Psychic TV/Thee-Sacred was there and that show ranks up there in my top 10 shows of all time (so far).*

My condolences go out to Genesis and his family after the death of his wife/other-half.

now i am older
just a bit bolder
ready to explore my life
ready to ignore the strife
…
i was afraid that i would be made
to try and be a person that i didn’t learn from
oh how i cried when i looked inside
and saw someone else that’s not myself
i say, i don’t think so, i don’t think so
…
you know that it’s true, yes it’s you, oh its you

And since I usually blog about politics, here’s Genesis on politics, from the San Francisco Chronicle on October 31, 2004:

We’re facing potentially a really dark time, a dark ages of bigotry, hypocrisy, plague and destruction of the environment on a scale we’ve never managed before. We have to choose another path … To put it bluntly, being nice is probably the most powerful political action you can take right now

 

Slow and steady wins the race.

Everything about LOW, the band has been written, so I wont try to get into how much their music has affected the way I listen to such sparse music (don’t call it slowcore), or just how incredible brush sticks can sound on a floor tom. I dug up my old copy of ‘The Curtain Hits the Cast,’ and it took me back to the first time I saw them perform at an in-store show at 33 Degrees in Austin. Drums and Guns is the lastest release from the Duluth, Minnesota trio and they went back to their lonely, holy roots.

Mitt Romney ain’t got nothin’ on these Mormons.

Alan Sparhawk (vocals+guitar) and Mimi Parker (vocals+drums) provide impeccable harmonies that are sooooo punk rock in that really slow, drone-y kind of way, and Matt Livingston, who replaced Zack Sally, who replaced John Nichols is their bassist. The fact that Alan and Mimi met in the 4th grade and are now married also warms the cockles of my little, black heart.

This is my favorite track off of the new album. Enjoy.

Breaker - LOW

Our bodies break
And the blood just spills and spills
But here we sit debating math
It’s just a shame
My hand just kills and kills
There’s gotta be an end to that
There’s gotta be an end to that

 

The Nation - July 30 / August 6 - 2007

 

Two Sets of Parents Hear That Ralph Nader May Run Again

–Calvin Trillin

In the 2000 presidential campaign, Mr. Nader contended that the Republican and Democratic parties were so similar it would make little difference whether Mr. Bush or Mr. Gore were elected. –New York Times

 

You thought your kid might be assigned
To decent schools. Now, never mind.
Because Bush judges tipped the court,
All integration plans abort.
Take comfort hearing Ralph proclaim:
The major parties are the same.

You’re worried sick about Iraq–
The war devised by Bush’s claque.
Your son is there, and you believe
That he may die ’cause Bush won’t leave.  Take comfort hearing Ralph proclaim: The major parties are the same.

I’ve been neglecting my blogging duties, but seriously….Ralph is such a tool.

I really have no excuses, save reading books 5 and 6 of the Harry Potter series in preparation for The Deathly Hallows finale, which I must say, did not disappoint.

On an unrelated local front, Omar Guerrero has been redeemed! I’d like to have seen the documentation that convinced the jury to acquit him of two counts each of sexual assault of a child, indecency with a child and enticing a child. He was also found not guilty of retaliation after allegedly threatening the 15 year old victim’s family.

Hm. I will respect the jury’s decision and wait to see if he’ll get off on his other drug-related charges at a later time and date. He’s most definitely a stain on an already corrupt local system of government and it would be nice to see his sleazy, greasy, pseudo-religious self get the punishment he deserves.

Defense attorney Ric Salinas argues that the former district clerk was a victim of special prosecution, and that the prosecutor Judith Cantu was more focused on attacking Guerrero’s questionable character and unrelated misdeeds than the actual sexual assault case at hand.

That may be true, but nothing justifies this question by Ric Salinas, asked while gesturing to the victim during his closing argument:

“Is that the face of someone who has been sexually assaulted? It’s not…”

It would be interesting to find out what the face of a sexually assaulted victim looks like.

From the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress:

Victims of sexual violence exhibit a spectrum of responses to the assault which can include: calm, hysteria, withdrawal, anger, apathy, denial, and shock. Being sexually assaulted is a very traumatic experience. Reactions to the assault and the length of time needed to process through the experience vary with each person. There is no “right way” to react to being sexually assaulted. Assumptions about a way a victim “should act” may be detrimental to the victim because each victim copes with the trauma of the assault in different ways which can also vary over time.

What an asshole.

 

New name, new direction

I’ve purchased a new domain name in hopes of taking this blog in a whole new direction.  Tip O’Neil said “All politics is local,” and I’m taking him at his word.

An issue near and dear to my heart these days is talk radio.  The buzz about Air America Radio in 2004 began: an entire station devoted to liberal/progressive programming!   I’m sooo in.  I was introduced to radio novices like Same Seder, Al Franken, and Janeane Garofolo, as well as the seasoned professionals like Randi Rhodes with her acerbic wit, Rachel Maddow with her nerdy (but always interesting) insight on the days top stories, and Katherine Lanpher, a veteran from Minnesota’s Public Radio.  I had something to listen too ALL day at work in that gloomy Seattle office.

Air America as a business venture had its ups and downs, and now some of my favorite hosts are gone (Marc Maron), but the idea that liberals could survive in a traditionally conservative market was fantastic.  People like Stephanie Miller (daughter of Bill Miller, Barry Goldwater’s 1964 running mate) and Ed Schultz emerged as forces independent of Air America in the radio industry. These days Schultz, Miller, and Randi Rhodes are pulling in  great ratings and new listeners  that have never heard progressive voices on their AM dial. 

Though not my favorite on-air progressive, Ed Schutlz has been killing the “free market” myth of conservative radio domination by beating out Sean Hannity in Denver, Portland, San Diego, and Seattle.  As much as naysayers like to say that it’s all about the ratings, they’re way off base.  Free speech doesn’t exist in a radio market that forces one-sided information over 90% of the time. 

Local stations are no longer operating in the public’s best interests, which is why the Rio Grande Valley doesn’t have a choice when it comes to talk radio.  They can listen to Sean Hannity, Matt Drudge, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and Dr. Laura.  Where’s the competition?  How do we know progressive radio wont work down here?  Is there a choice?  Year after year, we vote overwhelmingly for Democrats, but still have hacks, drug addicts, bigots, and former porn stars to listen to on KURV.

What gives?

When are the programmers at KURV going to realize that maybe there should be some sort of opposing view on their station?  When will they find time for a voice that isn’t parroting the current administraton’s talking points, or spouting off anti-immigrant trash, and put ONE show on the air that promotes universal health care, ending the war, and talks about local issues that matter?  Sure, they have Davis Rankin during the drive home, but their prime spots are reserved exclusively for conservative Republican views.

It’s not an issue of government regulating talk-radio.  No one has said that, but there are serious questions about licensing and ownership that push an ideology of hard right conservatism through choice of programming.  The fact that 90% of what we hear is conservative has everything to do with what the ownership wants to hear and promote has nothing to do with the free market because the talk radio free market is unbalanced.
 

I podcast all of my favorite shows, despite their premium account prices.  You can’t put a price on hilarious, fact-filled shows that represent a majority of the American population.

 If you feel like gettin’ down and nerdy, check out the 40 page report b y the Center for American Progress on The Structural Imbalance of Political Talk Radio.

Randi Rhodes

Ed Schultz

Stephanie Miller

Sam Seder

 

Musings on the debate

 Cross-posted on Myspace…because someone’s gotta do it: 

Whoever made the decision to have that hit-and-run debate format really screwed up. I hope CNN decides to have a longer debate, with more time for candidates to answer every question. Skipping the bullshit thank-yous that audiences have to endure from each candidate was a nice touch.

That being said, I was annoyed that some of the candidates didn’t get to address certain issues. Only Clinton, Obama, and Biden were able to address the latest attacks on Senator Reid, and Brian Williams let Obama get away with really broad, really abstract answers.

I thought Seator Chris Dodd was absolutely forgetable and former Senator Mike Gravel came off as too angry. His anger is justified, but if he’s not serious about running, he shouldn’t have been there. I say he should run for the Senate in Alaska again. Kucinich was a little too touchy-feely, I-want-to-heal-you-with-my-hippy-powers for me, even though he has all the makings of the perfect anti-war candidate. (Did you see his wife?!!?)

Governor Bill Richardson gave an OK performance, but it was the first time I had heard that he waited to call for Alberto Gonzalez’s resignation because “he’s Hispanic, and I know him and like him.” Um…nosotros latinos somos unidos pero el pendejo de Bush siempre es su maestro y eso nunca se va a cambiar.

Joe Biden’s one word response to a question regarding his verbosity was absolutely brilliant and he did a decent job throughout the rushed debate. Everything that has been said about Senators Clinton and Obama has been said over and over, but I’ll concede that Hillary did a way better job than Barack as far as specificities in her answers. Former Senator John Edwards gave a standout performance and I think in the end, he and Hillary came out on top.

Then there’s this from FOX 7 in Austin:

An explosive device left at a South Austin abortion clinic is prompting a nationwide alert. Investigators say a package left at the Austin Women’s Health Clinic that performs abortions contained an explosive device capable of inflicting serious injury or death.

Tonight’s candidates on abortion (paraphrased by yours truly):

Edwards: He said that neither government nor a group of men on the Supreme Court should make that kind of decision for a woman. Different views must be respected, but the right to choose is what’s at stake in this election.

Obama: Abortion is a profoundly difficult issue that women do not make casually. “Partial birth abortion” is a specific procedure that accounts for less than one percent of all abortions. We need to move past debates we disagree on and focus on other things like reducing teen pregnancy.

Biden: I strongly support Roe and understand that there is a right to privacy in the constitution. The procedure is rare and the Supreme Court used intellectually dishonest reasoning to lay the groundwork for dismantling Roe v. Wade with their decision.

Kucinich: We need to unquestionally protect a woman’s right to choose and my Supreme Court appointments would reflect my views and values. (Then he went off on some bullshit about how he was a healer or something.)

Dodd: I’m disappointed in Robert’s latest decision because during the confirmation process he said he would uphold precedence. He walked away from women’s health with this decision. I believe in the right to choose, but abortion should be safe, legal, and rare.

The abortion issue is a deal breaker for me. Good on y’all tonight….but be a little more ballsy next time.

 

Set it off

For the sake of full disclosure, I was at the $2,300 a plate “Hillraiser” this past Saturday at Alonzo Cantu’s gorgeous home.   That being said, Democratic naysayers keep saying they’d rather vote for McCain or Giuliani instead of that woman. 

 Seriously?  Pardon my French, but WHAT THE FUCK?!

 I still don’t completely understand the polarization over Senator Clinton.  Conservobots think she’s some commie liberal that wants to kill babies in the Oval Office while smoking weed with some homos, and Liberals think she’s more of a Republican than…..Republicans. 

 She’s a populist and even though populists secretly hope to legislate behavior, she’s not really the ballbuster everyone makes her out to be.  People WANT her to be the symbol for bitchy women everywhere, but where’s the proof?

 Is she more of a bitch than that time Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, or that God-awful excuse for a human, Ann Coulter?  Hardly.  She put up with a philandering husband and eventually things calmed down, which would never happen in a Republican marriage.  They just marry over and over and over again.  Between Giuliani, McCain, and Gingrich, there are over  wives.  Now, THAT’S family values, y’all.

 Rudy Giuliani has nothing to run on.  America’s Mayor?  Bullshit.  He walked around aimlessly and looked good on camera next to our pet President.  Firefighters can’t stand him, his firm lobbies or Hugo Chavez, he used to live with a gay couple,and he’s pro-choice!

  These two guys are the top candidates?  2009 is going to be a  very good year… 

 John McCain, the aging Pander Bear that’s still riding around in that crappy “Straight Talk Express” bus expects us to believe everything that comes out of his mouth because…you know, he was tortured a long time ago or something.  Please.  He had integrity when he ran for the Republican nomination back in 2000, after being slimed by Karl Rove and his dirty tricks machine.  Now, he’s so far up Bush’s ass he can smell the lies.  What the hell’s up with that nasty hug? 

…but back to the party…  It was a decadent affair with fancy food, great drinks, and lots of stuffy people that probably couldn’t name the House and Senate Majority Leaders.  I’d like to thank the president of the Hidalgo County chapter of the Texas Democratic Women for giving me the opportunity to attend the event.  Hillary was about 45 minutes late, but came up on stage to raucous applause, hoots, and hollers.  She joked around a bit about her horrible singing captured on YouTube then focused on universal health care, something I wholeheartedly support.  She emphasized personal responsibility regarding health care and global warming. 

 Loved it.  Absolutely loved it.  I think I might have been blinded by celebrity, but it’s too soon to tell.

 

Molly Ivins Dies

Molly and Governor Ann Richards?!  This sucks.  Again, here’s the last paragraph from her last column:

We are the people who run this country. We are the deciders. And every single day, every single one of us needs to step outside and take some action to help stop this war. Raise hell. Think of something to make the ridiculous look ridiculous. Make our troops know we’re for them and trying to get them out of there.

 

Another Texas LADY

In Molly Ivin’s last column, “Stand Up Against the Surge“ she reminded us that WE are the deciders when it comes to this illegal war:

We are the people who run this country. We are the deciders. And every single day, every single one of us needs to step outside and take some action to help stop this war. Raise hell. Think of something to make the ridiculous look ridiculous. Make our troops know we’re for them and trying to get them out of there. Hit the streets to protest Bush’s proposed surge. If you can, go to the peace march in Washington on Jan. 27. We need people in the streets, banging pots and pans and demanding, “Stop it, now!”

She’s our Mark Twain, and she’s dying. She’s losing her fight with breast cancer. and is back home in Austin on life-support Her organs are failing and she’s surrounded by her close friends and family.

Hang in there, Ms. Ivins. We’re not ready for you to leave just yet.

The support from Texas liberals and progressives all over the country has been overwhelming. She asked that people please donate to the Texas Observer or the ACLU.

 

Nu…as in nu to wordpress.com

I’ll leave out all of the welcome-to-my-new-blog crap, because there isn’t much ballyhoo to be had.

[n. bal-ee-hoo; v. bal-ee-hoo, bal-ee-hoo] 
–noun

1.	a clamorous and vigorous attempt to win customers or advance any cause; blatant advertising or publicity.

While there’s a whole host of things to discuss this evening, I’ve opted instead to just bullet the fun stuff:

• President Bush signed a new law that makes it legal for “the government to seize individuals on American soil and detain them indefinitely with no opportunity to challenge their detention in court.” (AP-Russ Feingold-Oct 17)
• The NRSC, RNC & GOP have all but given up on the senate race in Ohio.  Poor, poor Mike DeWine. You can check out some of Democratic challenger Sherrod Brown’s ads HERE.
• Some douche named Ben Smith opines on the cross he spotted around Hillary’s neck.  (Drudge totally shits his gay pants.)
• Dick Cheney and Rush Limbaugh got together to stroke eachother’s cocks (wrong Republican) egos today and this is what the Vice President had to say about Iraq: If you look at the general overall situation, they’re doing remarkably well.
• Oh yeah…October 28, 2006 - Book People - Austin TX - 8pm—————-AMY SEDARIS, y’all.  AMY SEDARIS.

Today’s props go out to my girls Condi and Laura for not gagging, melting, or flinching whilst swearing in the United State’s new Global AIDS coordinator, Mark Dybul.  Get this…his partner held the freakin’ Bible during the ceremony AND Condi referred to his partner’s mother as Mr. Dybul’s mother-in-law.

Blah blah blah, the wackjob “Christians” are in a snit…and no one fucking cares.