Pogo was Correct

So the Liberals cry foul over the First Amendment rights of right-wing talk radio because they say it's inflammatory and hateful and makes weak-willed individuals go out and commit crimes against liberal politicians and abortion doctors.  In response, the Conservatives say the perpetrators are lone wolves and mentally ill and are not influenced by the entertaining discussion.

So the Conservatives cry foul over the First Amendment rights of pornographers because they say it's inflammatory and creates uncontrollable lusts and causes rapes and familial strife.  In response, the Liberals say the perpetrators are mentally ill or violent criminals and are not influenced by seeing bodacious titties.

Violence in our media is BAD say the Liberals.  Sex in our media is BAD say the Conservatives.

Liberals say protests are BAD when done by old fucks with tea bags hanging from their hats.  The bigots are just upset because they have a black president.  Besides, they carry idiotic signage with poor spelling.

Conservatives say protests are BAD when done by lazy drugged young hippies who are upset with being poorer than their corporate overlords.  Besides, they carry snotty sarcastic signage.

Comparable corollaries?  We have met the enemy and he is us? 
In case this was written so poorly you did not catch the sarcasm, remember:  Content matters.

Time for Protest Songs?

A facebook friend asked for names of old-time classic protest songs.  I guess it's that time again, when the "Blowin' in the Wind" and "Joe Hill" and "Fixin' to Die Rag" (wait, I think that's not the right title but you get the idea) type of songs are appropriate for the cultural phenomenon that is occurring in our country.  Phil Ochs, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez.

"Occupy!"  and "We are the 99%" and even "It Gets Better" are hotter than ever these days.  I think facebook has some measure of credit for the broad coverage of these things- for the wide dissemination of massive amounts of emotionally charged messages, for the outrageous not-covered-by-corporate-mainstream-media material.

I know it's getting crazier out there.  The jobs bill is all but dead over ideology (and the Republicans aren't proposing alternatives, just saying NO to everything as usual).  The price of everything is going up and the prospect of future work for some types of self employed people (those of us who earned a good living at our own business in the past but are struggling just to find work these days) is depressing.  Do we really have to get into a full blown depression or a full blown revolution, to get things going again?

The Tea Party came into power because a Black Democrat was elected to the Presidency.  Their cause was never personal, it was always anti-Obama.  It is still going but it is not the majority (just a large faction of the bigoted wing of the Republican Party).

The 99%, however...now THERE is a populist movement.  And it's time to OCCUPY.  

Occupy Idaho!

So it's a movement, it appears.  Occupy Wall Street has spread in solidarity to cities around the nation.  But some friends on facebook asked some good questions:

1.  If the 'occupation' doesn't spread to actual businesses (banks, foreclosed buildings, etc) and only stays in safe areas, is it really an occupation?  What's the point if there is no risk?  Who will get the message and what will that message be, if the citizenry do not actually create any unrest on the part of the powers-that-be?

2.  If the occupation in general across the nation DOES move on to businesses and arrests start occurring, who will be willing to participate?  Arrests even in the civic duty of protesting one's government aren't exactly nice things to have on your background check when you are applying for work.  What if the arrest leads to your dismissal from your employment?  Idaho is a right-to-work state which means the employees have no rights to be employed and can be fired at will for no reason. 

So while it looks good on facebook, it's still a long way from being an effective tool to generate change in our society.  Unless one has little or nothing to lose, one might not be found in the trenches during the 'occupation'. 

On the other hand, if everyone waits until they have nothing to lose, it may be too late.

Confession Session

I am wasteful of my income.  I blow it on impulsive purchases, piddle it away on eating out at restaurants, and generally deny myself very little.  I have the objects of recent technology, I drive a newer car, and I have cable, Netflix, wifi high speed internet and a smart phone.

I have nothing in savings.  I'm worth more dead than alive, due to life insurance policies I have. 

What kind of irresponsible nutjob am I?  I've been this way whether my income was below or above the poverty level. 

I think it must be greed, pure and simple.  It's embarrassing, actually.  I've known this about myself for long enough to change the behavior but I haven't altered how I do things.    I like lots of things about myself but not this particular character trait.

Monetary Profligacy.  It's not for the faint of heart.

Curses, Foiled Again!

My style is apparently distinctive.  I tried to keep it from being very easy to determine who I am, but someone made an educated guess.  

I might need to rethink my strategy.

What Protest on Wall Street?

Is there a protest going on, with police involvement and mace and arrests, in our country?  Not that I have seen or read about.  How utterly CONSERVATIVE of our news sources, to downplay or ignore this issue.  Especially since it's essentially a liberal type of protest, involving ordinary citizens, and being waged against corporatocracy and Wall Street.

If the "Lamestream Media" were really Liberal, they'd be all over that protest and making martyrs our of those who were maced and arrested.  Facebook is spreading the word.  Blogs are spreading the word.  But the nightly news doesn't seem interested, much.

Hey, they're owned by corporations, amiright? 

I must be missing the coverage as I skip through the channels.

Where Did This Year Go?

Time seems to fly these days.  My later years go by so quickly.  I suppose it's better than dragging on and on and on and on and on and on but I think I'd like a few weekends where that seemed to be occurring. 

It's almost October.  Almost Halloween and then Thanksgiving and Christmas and then 2012.  But it seems as if Valentine's Day was last week.  My sense of time is jumbled and confused.

I spent an equal part of the year go-go-going, myself, but I had plenty of downtime, too.  So I'm not sure why I feel so rushed, these days.

Maybe I need a mental rose garden, so when I stop to smell the flowers, at least I have the memories of some pleasant downtime? 

Buh Bye, DADT

My brothers and sisters in the military cannot be summarily cashiered out just because they refuse to pretend to be other than what they really are. 

It's a lovely day, when one more kind of legalized prejudice ends.

Now back to the idea of equality in the right to get married...

Time to Rise

I think this says it all.  We have the best opportunity to make our own lives more healthy, wealthy, and wise when we help others do the same.

Thieves Have Stolen My Country

I am so tired of fighting these thieves!  I've been fighting them all my adult life.  I'm no romantic for yesteryear but there was a time in this country when the Moral Majority Tea Party Christian Extremists did NOT rule, when they were perceived as the minority fringe weirdos who made a lot of noise but were harmless, politically (because they made the rest of us gag!)

Yet now they are no longer the fringe.  We liberals, we pansy-assed tree hugger peaceniks, didn't strangle the movement in its sleep when we had the chance.  No, live and let live, we said.

We were wrong.  We will soon pay the ultimate price for our stupidity. 

Hiatus

I'm swamped with my business these days, I hardly have time for anything else.  When you are self employed, your boss is usually a ruthless bitch and keeps you working 24/7.

On the bright side, I'm here in upstate NY and had plans during my two week stay to visit NYC.  But Irene was a bitch, too, so there went THOSE plans.

Have they named Hurricanes "Karma" ??

I am sorry, I'll take this back up when I get a minute or two.

TGIF 14

Roy Zimmerman is here in the Boise area tonight!  He has many wonderful songs on YouTube.  Here is a favorite of mine:

                         "Larry Craig is Completely Heterosexual"

TGIF 13

I'm in Portland for business this week, and I must pay homage to the Decemberists, who hail from here. 
I'm a fan of their latest album "The King is Dead" and this song is great...

                                              Down By the Water

What's Cookin' (9)

This is a hearty, spicy tomato soup that comes together with little trouble, especially if you use canned tomatoes instead of fresh. But don't cut corners with the Parmesan cheese; use the best you can find. If the soup is a little too thick for your tastes, stir in a bit more stock or water.

Don't use sliced bread for this recipe. Most slices will be too thin and disintegrate. Buy a whole loaf and let the kids have fun tearing it into small pieces.

Pappa Pomodoro

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 pounds tomatoes, peeled, cored, seeded and chopped (or 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes)

3/4 pound day-old Italian bread, torn into 1-inch pieces

2 cups chicken or vegetable stock, or water

1 cup loosely packed chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high until hot but not smoking. Add the onion, garlic, bay leaf and red pepper flakes. Saute 2 to 3 minutes, or until the onions are softened.

Add the tomatoes and their juices and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the tomatoes begin to soften and break down.

Put the bread chunks in a bowl and pour the stock or water over it. Transfer the bread and any liquid in the bowl to the saute pan. Return to a simmer and cook 8 to 10 minutes, or until the bread has absorbed as much liquid as possible and is the consistency of soft baby food.

Stir in the basil and 3 tablespoons of the extra-virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for another 10 minutes to develop the flavors. Remove the bay leaf.

Stir in the butter, then ladle the soup into serving bowls. Garnish with the cheese, then drizzle with remaining olive oil.

End-Around Justice

Let's assume you have a clearly guilty-by-all-accounts, tried and found guilty in the court of public opinion defendent, and the jury returns a verdict of innocent.  The prosecutors failed to prove beyond a reasonable suspicion or doubt in the minds of the jury, that the person did it. 

But hey, the rest of us all know they did it, amiright?  I mean, who else could have done it or would have done it and besides, I repeat, WE ALL KNOW THEY DID IT.  Nancy Grace said so!

OJ Simpson.  Casey Anthony.  I mean, seriously, right?  They clearly did it.  And they got off scot-free.  They got away with murder.  Outrage upon outrage, the whole country goes up in arms over these terrible miscarriages of justice.

So what can a country that doesn't like its own justice system when it fails to convict someone who is found guilty by the majority of the tabloid news junkies who-pass-for-patriotic-citizens, do? 

We've found a way!  We apply justice after the fact. 

We make sure to entrap these losers in every legal loophole we can dig up.  They won't know a moment of peace if we can help it.  We sue them in civil courts to make money off our loved ones' deaths and entrap them by stealing their possessions so they stupidly try to steal them back (OJ).

Or we say, OOPS, we goofed when we told you that your probation could be served while you were in jail (because we seriously never thought ever in a million years that you would ever be found innocent and be released) and presto!  Casey Anthony is returned to Florida to RE-serve probation that she already served...

One way or the other, we will get you if we want you bad enough.

TGIF 12

This song was recorded years ago during the Bush Administration, but it seems especially true today.

               James McMurtry "We Can't Make it Here Anymore"

Media Sexism via Pictures

There's a lot of internet space being taken up about Michelle Bachmann's picture on the cover of Newsweek.  Her rightwing supporters are pissed, saying the picture was a deliberate attempt to make her look batshit crazy.  The leftwing blogosphere is making hay on that picture as if it's proof she's a nutburger of the first magnitude. 

I've noticed over the years that women in power tend to have very unflattering pictures used in the media.  Eyes blazing.  Slackjawed.  Angular cheeks and twisted lips.  Hillary Clinton's and Nancy Pelosi's pictures have been awful, in particular.  Sarah Palin's pics are similarly goofy.  And Ann Coulter always looks hideously evil. Elena Kagan?  Please.  And what about poor Janet Reno? 

Ugly pictures have been a tool for each side for many years, so it's not new tactics.  And George W Bush almost never had good pictures published.  So it's not always women.  But c'mon, folks.  Even though I think Bachmann is a hypocritical political hack, she's not unpleasant to look at.  

When I start seeing more neutral or flattering pictures published of women in power, I'll know we as a society are judging them for their works and not their looks.  That will be very satisfying to me, as a woman.

Political Polarization

So there’s some debate these days over the intense political polarization we are caught up in, in this country.  Is it new, is it uniquely American, is it caused (or exacerbated) by social media, is it economically driven?

None of the above.  It’s existed since the beginnings of civilization, it’s happening in every country (witness European strife these days), social media is just how we hear about it 24/7 and it has nothing to do with the economy, but the hard times do tend to make everyone more easily upset.

I have a theory.  I think it’s growing worse now in the US because of the increasing loss of white male privilege.  Think about it.  Things were polarized before, but after the Civil War the blacks gained freedom.  Then the women got uppity and got the right to vote.  Then the blacks got the freedom to not be segregated.  Then blacks and whites got the freedom to marry.  Then women got even more uppity.  Then our immigrants started being more brown in color.  And now the friggin’ gays are acting like they deserve to have civil rights, too.  What’s a white man to do?  

Archie Bunker would be a Teahadist, today. 

What's Cookin' (8)

Chicken Artichoke Rice Salad

1 pkg. (6.2 oz) rice-a-roni fried rice                           

1 can (2.25 oz) sliced black olives

2 T butter                                                                    
¼ c mayo
2 c water                                                                      
4 green onions, chopped
1 jar (6oz) marinated artichoke hearts                         
1 can (10 oz) white chunk chicken
1 can (8oz) sliced water chestnuts

Prepare rice-a-roni per package directions using the butter and water…then cool.  Drain artichokes, reserving marinade.  Coarsely chop artichokes.  Drain olives and water chestnuts.  Combine all the ingredients (including the reserved marinade) in a large bowl.  Cover, chill before serving.

Let Bert and Ernie Get Married

A petition is online to let Bert and Ernie finally tie the knot.  They've been living together in an apartment on Sesame Street, IN SIN, for more than 40 years, now. 

How much longer will we make them wait to be official, especially as same sex marriage is now legal in New York?  Show them some mercy!

Sign the petition!

Mebbe I Write Good?

I love words and music, so I'm usually in tune with folks from that side of the creative aisle, moreso than with the painters, photographers, and sculptors, etc. I tend to surround myself with creative people, it's very energizing to the soul.

I also don't think I have a lick of creativity in my pore tired old body. Hence the need to gain some culture by surrounding myself with "those who can".

Artists of any sort are usually their own worst critics.  I know songwriters, musicians (they're not always a combination in the same person) and writers of blogs, novels, short stories, and poetry.  They get all caught up in the drama of how bad their work is, and the rest of us roll our eyes because we know they're the latest version of sliced Wonder and we love their work. 

But maybe I'm one of those tortured artistes of a sort.  I've been writing for years, it's a need I have.  And I'll admit that once upon a time, I thought I was pretty decent in that department, I had something to say and I was pithy and sometimes clever and it worked for me.

I gave it all up for a moderately-paying day job a few years ago.  Obviously with this blog it's apparent that the urge is returning.  I'm not sure why.  I don't think it's because of the audience.  I had people asking me to write again almost as soon as I stopped.  I had fans seeking me out.  But I had to give it some time, and come back to it on my own accord. 

And then today happened.  I was mingling with some favorite creative authors.  I was surprised to hear several of them praising my talents.  Especially weird when I haven't produced anything of note in like, forever.  After lunch I spent my afternoon dreaming up new stories to write, new plotlines and twists.  Maybe I can write reasonably well, when the mood takes me and I let it drive. 

But then the demon sitting on my other shoulder piped in that maybe they were also being charitable, flush with their own successes and just in a generous mood.  So it got me to wondering, maybe I'm just like them, I'm my own worst critic, too. 

There's the rub.  More than anything, I fear letting the kind words go to my head.  I don't want to think I'm all that and a bag of chips and start churning out drivel.  It's like a kind of stage fright.   

I'm getting angsty again.  I thought I was WAY too old for that.     

TGIF 11

I've loved Brian dePalma's Phantom of the Paradise since I discovered it in the mid-90s (and that was more than 20 years after it was released).  It predates Rocky Horror Picture Show by a year and it stars Paul Williams, who is an absolute doll (and I love his voice and lyrics, too!)

My favorite song from the show is below.  It's not an official video, it's mostly pictures from the show, as the song actually ran during the closing credits. 

                                           "The Hell of It"

Backwards Economics

Recently I was privy to an online conversation about the economy.  The well educated participants brought up the obvious fact that the Republicans have not created jobs, and some wondered if that was even possible.

One very astute comment was about the fact that for 31 years Republicans have had a monster-sized boner to cut taxes for businesses, stating that concept will help create jobs.  This person made the case that it doesn't work that way.  It's exactly backwards from reality.

The reality is that big businesses in this country are profiting like never before.  They're making out like bandits, reporting huge profits every damned quarter in the last few years.  So if the businesses are profiting in extraordinary amounts, why are they not creating jobs?

Well, why should they, while they are profiting by doing nothing?  Creating jobs is an investment in your business, a plan to increase your product or service that you sell/provide.  An investment in the future.  But it normally takes away from your gross bottom line.

So then what is the incentive to make them do this?  Higher Taxes on Business.  I'm going to repeat this so you know you read it correctly:  HIGHER TAXES ON BUSINESS.

If I run a business and you raise my tax rates, I am going to look for ways to cut my taxable income because I just hate to pay taxes.  It's not even about avoiding a loss to my stockholders. 

It's about Idon'twannapaynodamntaxes. 

But it's also a truth that with higher taxes I won't profit as much unless I produce more.  So, what better way to produce more and avoid paying taxes and gain good profit, than to expand my business? In the expansion, I will need more employees at every level.  I WILL CREATE JOBS. 

Wowweee!  What a concept!  More people working means more spending, more money going into the coffers of all businesses including my own, and more money going into the government FROM THE WORKERS in the form of taxes.  A rejuvenated economy.

With record profits every quarter, and taxes at their lowest ever, our economy is tanking.  The country is losing its middle class, the backbone of the economy.  Plutocrats and oligarchs are making out, and the rest of us are being flushed into impoverished servitude.

It's backwards economics.  And I'm going fucking insane trying to figure out, why are we doing this ourselves?

What's Cookin' (7)

Zucchini Bread

• 3 eggs
• 1 c oil
• 2 c shredded raw zucchini
• 1 3/4 c sugar
• 1/4 t baking powder
• 2 t baking soda
• 2 t cinnamon
• 1 t salt
• 2 t vanilla
• 1 c chopped nuts
• 2 c flour

Put zucchini in strainer and press or squeeze with hands to get excess liquid out. Beat eggs, sugar, and oil together. Add flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, and nuts. Mix together by hand. Add zucchini. Beat mixture. Pour into 2 greased, floured, loaf pans.

Bake 1 hr. at 350 deg. F. Recipe may be doubled.

Ignorance is Less Painful

I'm up in arms about the debt ceiling deal.  Teahadists are up in arms about the deal.  We're vocal, everyone's yelling.  Except, I'm slowly realizing that not EVERYONE is yelling. 

I know far more voting-age people who don't know what a debt ceiling is, and furthermore they don't care, and their lives are just blissfully flowing along without all this angst over who got screwed and who won this particular battle.

Are their lives less meaningful because they don't live them in tune with the political struggles of the day?  I'm not seeing them be more unhappy than I am.  In fact, they have all the same qualities of any other living being...they have relationship ups and downs, employment ups and downs, and the same need to fill their days with important or pleasurable activities.  They're just the same as me, but with far fewer times they want to tear out their hair over the latest political faux pas of their favorite politician.

If they can live their lives this way, why am I not emulating this behavior and increasing my happiness quotient?  The fact that I care (and care deeply at times) brings me little joy, it mostly has me ranting in frustration.  Who would voluntarily do this to themselves?  Am I a masochist? 

I could argue that there is a need for grownups, a need for those who assume the responsibility of making sure our country is run well and that the citizens have opportunities for good lives.  Systems tend to devolve without constant monitoring and tweaking, and there is a need for people who are willing to take on that managerial role.  An involved electorate.  I am driven that way.

But today I'm envying the ignorant because sometimes, I'd like to feel a little more carefree.

Are We Foolin' Ourselves?

I continually wonder how we liberals can expect President Obama to enact any liberal leaning legislation, when the majority of the country appears to be Teahadist in nature. 

Think about it:  All we hear on the news is the latest state enacting hateful laws; anti-women laws, anti-union laws, anti-gay laws.  More states are passing laws to do bad things to minorities and immigrants and working class people, than the pitiful few states who are legalizing gay marriage or decriminalizing marijuana use.

If the majority of the country were reasonable, were logical, were able to distinguish between laws that are good for our country vs laws that take away our rights and civil liberties...if the mainstream really supported most of our causes as we keep thinking they do (all those polls must be correct!) then...

How is it that all the people we vote into office are fucked in the head.  Seriously?  I think we're foolin' ourselves.

TGIF 10

I saw these guys live at the Knitting Factory in Boise.  It was an awesome concert, partly because of the company I was keeping, partly because the band was very dynamic.  This is a great accoustic rendition of the first song on their latest album "Love Notes and Letter Bombs".

                                    Submarines....Shoelaces

Chain Dining and Gay Rights

Trust Clark Howard to bring us highlights (and low-lifes) in chain restaurant dining.  He's sampling some of the August Consumer Reports magazine fare (who knew they did this?)

In-N-Out Burger, the best
McD's and BK, yuckiest

Chick fil A, the best
KFC, almost the worst of every fast food restaurants, period.

Papa Murphy's Pizza got the 2nd highest score of all restaurants.  Presumably that made them the top pizza place, too.

I like Papa Murphy's just fine.  KFC, McD's and BK, not so much.  In-N-Out, I like them just fine too.  

But Chick fil A, I will never eat at, until they change their prejudicial ways. 

They've been so careful in how they word things since their sponsorship of a group meeting that is anti-gay marriage, blew up in their faces.  But until they actually support marriage rights for everyone, just saying they respect everyone is a lie.  They want to get your business, and they won't come out and virulently or hatefully attack your desire to have a gay marriage.  But until they offer to send any married gay employees to their marriage seminars, as they do their straight employees, it's clearly all smoke and mirrors.

They can't dance to that rigid Christian piper and expect us not to boycott them for calling those bigoted tunes.

Ada Co Public Hearing

In these tough economic times, people have been laid off from private companies, or been forced to take pay cuts or retire.  Government employees have faced similar reductions in force and frozen salaries, too.  Programs and services have been cut, and the idea was, if you wanted to stay in for your pension, you toughed it out.

There was a hearing to be held last night about the proposed Ada Co budget for the next year.  It isn't a lower budget, it's actually 11% higher.  Almost 2 million of the proposed increase is for a 2.5% raise in pay for county staff who have gone without raises for 3 years now. 

I wish I had gone to that hearing, I bet it would have been interesting.  I am also betting that if the pay increase flies, all the other counties and cities and maybe even the state employees will be expecting some similar loving to show up in their paychecks starting next year.

I'm also betting, any raises will be more than offset by increases in health insurance expenses.  And it looks like the days of no property tax increases may soon be over. 

Did you go to the hearing?  What happened, if anything?  I can't find any mention of it today, was it just a non-issue?

What's Cookin' (6)

Golden Gazpacho


3 ½ cups chopped seeded yellow tomato

2 cups chopped seeded peeled cucumber

1 cup chopped yellow bell pepper

½ cup chopped red bell pepper

½ cup chopped green bell pepper

½ cup chopped red onion

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 T chopped fresh mint

1 T chopped fresh cilantro

2 T white wine vinegar

1 T honey

1 T extra-virgin olive oil

1 T salt

¼ t ground cumin



Combine first 7 ingredients in blender; process until smooth. Add mint and remaining ingredients; pulse 5 times or until well combined. Cover and chill at least 1 hour or overnight.

 Yields 6 cups.

Debt Ceiling Games

I'm annoyed with the charade going on in Washington.  I want President Obama to call the bluff of the Republicans and let the country go into default.  I want teahadists to not have their Social Security checks in August (who says Social Security is welfare?  The Retirement, Survivors, and Disability portion of RSDI goes along with the word INSURANCE, which is the "I" at the end.  Title II benefits, paid into by the working slobs in this country.  Those are not welfare benefits.)

I want chaos.  I'm tired of this pretense at civility, only to have the Democrats give in at the last minute and we get a washed-out, tired and timid action that makes no one happy and makes the Dems look stupid.  I want the sheeple to figure out they're being screwed and make an intelligent decision as to whom they intend to vote OUT of office in 2012.

I'm a little on edge today.  I love the Dakotas and the badlands, and I traveled home from there yesterday after a rushed trip to clear my head.  I should have stayed another week, actually.  Crazy Horse is going to be awesome.

Right-Wing Rhetoric

Norway is reeling, weeping and in shock. They are a progressive country, but even in an enlightened place, darkness dwells. Rhetoric of hatred, of exclusivity, of superiority over certain others. Rhetoric that in the name of free speech incites much lone-wolf activity, because it feeds and inflames their particular brand of mental illness.

The Christian Right Wing has a great deal of power in this country, and they make a great deal of noise, politically.  Yet they don't see themselves as domestic jihadists.  They don't see the parallel between themselves and the Islamic extremists in the Muslim countries.  They see lone wolves as mentally ill and deranged but refuse to acknowledge the part their rhetoric plays in empowering these people to take drastic and horrifying action.

Religious warriors have wreaked havoc all throughout history.  The Bible is rife with references to entire cities being wiped off the map, every man/woman/child, in the name of Yahweh.  The Crusades were  the Christians against the Moors (Islam).  The Catholic Church conducted its Inquisition and these days, zealots continue to murder their perceived foes in the name of their God. 

Free speech says we allow the rhetoric to continue.  But common sense says we don't give it as much power as it wants.  Leave it in the back rooms, the plain-paper wrapped mailings, the poorly-mimeographed and tattered meetup sheets tacked to the bulletin boards at laundromats.  Don't give it broadcast power, newschannel power, audience and ratings power.  And the only way to take away that power is to show it for what it is:  hateful, inflammatory and shameful. 

TGIF 9

What better song to request to be played at your funeral?  Such a sweet request for our friends and loved ones.

                                 Keep Me in Your Heart For Awhile 

Miscellaneous Musings

I missed the Rachel Maddow show today, she recently had as her best new thing in the world the news media struggling to report on the "Haboob" that hit AZ (specifically the Phoenix area).   Since today was "Return of Haboob", or "Son of Haboob", or "Haboob 2" or "Haboob Redux"...I wonder if she did something on it today?  I may never know...

I was tickled by the "Rachel Madcow, Lesbian Vampire" video she played (somewhere in the last year) by Billy Bob Neck.  I have always liked him and Roy Zimmerman, and when Roy posted one of their videos I decided, what the hey.  I sent a friend request to both guys and now I'm FB friends.  Ha!

Tiger's ex is dating.  Good for her, why not? 

Google +.  Any of y'all using this?  I'm thinking on it, but all the forums I'm already in, it seems a little much to add that, too.

What's Cookin' ? (5)

Oatmeal Cake

½ c shortening
1 c brown sugar
1 c sugar
3 eggs
1 1/3 c flour
1 t cinnamon
1 t soda
½ t salt
1 c quick oats
1 ½ c boiling water
½ c raisins
½ c nuts

Pour boiling water over oatmeal and set aside for 20 minutes.
Cream together shortening, brown sugar, sugar and eggs, add to oatmeal. Add other ingredients.
Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.


Topping:

¼ c butter
½ c brown sugar
¼ c cream
1 t vanilla
1 c coconut
1 ½ c chopped nuts

While the cake is baking, mix together the ingredients for the topping in a saucepan and simmer. Pour on cake while cake is still hot and place under the broiler until golden brown.


Now, I happen to love the topping and so I double the recipe for it from what is listed above. I sometimes use a little bit of nutmeg also, it makes it really good. Enjoy! ;-)

Jane Velez Mitchell

Do you also see the Nancy Grace wanna-be in that woman?  Ugh.  It was never more apparent than when she was broadcasting from the point that Casey Anthony was released, and she was one of the jackals waiting there at midnight for the golden moment.

She said later that she'd been up for more than 24 hours and was operating on pure adrenaline and was determined to keep going.  She was desperately milking that story for everything she could get out of it.  Goddamn, she represents everything that is horrible about our media.

Sorry to be so grumpy, but a week in Tornado Alley, nervously shuttling from hotel room to conference room, and no laptop afterwards (forgot to take it with me, THAT won't happen again) will do that to me.  I'm home for a month now (barring any sudden issues) so I'm expecting peace and quiet and tranquil posts will flow (ha!)

On Hiatus until July 17th

Just figured out how to get to this from my mobile phone.  I've been on the road for my consulting business for a few days now and forgot to post some stuff ahead of time.

I should be back home Sunday night, sorry for the empty nest until then!

TGIF 8

The Smiths.  Was there a more angsty group in the 80s?  More representative of bored, disenfranchised working-class youth?  My goth children loved this group, along with The Cure. 

This song seems to be the perfect relationship song, with bizarre lyrical declarations of  "I'll gladly die with you under awful circumstances".    

                            There is a Light that Never Goes Out...

Women in Combat

I believe in young people having to serve a mandatory period of time in service to our country.  This time could be in peaceful service such as AmeriCorps, or in the military service for the protection of our country. 

And I believe that women should be able to serve in all functions of that military. This includes combat.  If we must engage in combat, it's only right and fair to allow our daughters to fight alongside our sons.

Here's a petition you can sign if you also agree with the idea that women should be allowed to join in combat situations. 

Per the site, the petition will go to Buck McKeon (R-CA) and Adam Smith (D-WA) who head the House Armed Services Committee and Carl Levin (D-MI) John McCain (R-AZ) who head the Senate Armed Services Committee, as well as the President since he is the Commander in Chief.

Let's stop the notion that women are inferior to men.  As an enlightened and modern country, we are better than that. 

What's Cookin' ? (4)

Chicken with Green Olives

• 4 T butter
• 4 T olive oil
• 6 pieces chicken (I used thighs and legs) with skin
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 green bell peppers, seeded and chopped into large pieces
• 1 28 oz can whole tomatoes, drained well and chopped
• 1 cup white wine
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 1 cup whole green olives
• 12 oz linguine, cooked al dente

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large ovenproof skillet or dutch oven, melt butter and olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and brown on both sides. Remove chicken to a separate plate.

Reduce heat to medium. Add onions, garlic, and green bell pepper to the pan. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes. Add tomatoes and cook for a minute or two. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in wine and stir. Add chicken pieces back to pan, cover with lid, and place into the oven for 45 minutes.

Remove pan from oven and remove lid. Add whole green olives and heavy cream (drizzle evenly over the top.) Put on lid and shake the pan to “stir” in the cream. Return to the oven for 15 to 20 minutes to thicken the sauce. Remove from oven and keep lid on until ready to serve.

Place pasta into a large serving bowl or onto a large serving platter. Arrange chicken pieces on top of the pasta, then pour all of the sauce over the top. Sprinkle with minced fresh parsley and shaved parmesan, if desired.

Happy Birthday, USA

I have spent the last week listening to the neighborhood explode things.  Tonight will be a mega-version of that joyous need to make noise.

Patriotism is well and good, it's like having a favorite sports team.  You cheer for it when they win, crazy giddy in the winning seasons.  But you also cheer for it when they lose, sadly resigned in the losing seasons.

You stand by it year after year, and you feel a sense of ownership with that pride.  So you also groan when they hire a terrible new coach, or make a terrible draft choice on the line. You speak out, you don't just suffer in silence.  You want your team to succeed.

So Happy Birthday, USA.  You're my country, and I am compelled to help keep you honest, help my fellow fans, and help you continue to be the best country possible.

All You Fascists Bound to Lose

Woody Guthrie was an American Icon.  He spent his time trying to rouse up the common man against The Man.  He wrote incredible songs that inspired and united those whose spirits needed uplifting.

I found this on facebook.  It's a pretty cool song.  I hope you like it!

TGIF 7

My buddy TuBob-orino is crazy in love with this band and promotes this one song as the most awesomest song ever recorded in the history of all the known universes, but he says it in SO MUCH MORE FLOWERY LANGUAGE (his wordskills I am not fit to pretend to be able to emulate).

I had never heard of this band but he's linked to the YouTube versions of this song so many times, I feel as if I must do my bit and pass it along to y'all...now you done been SERVO-d...

                                     Brian Jonestown Massacre

What is Beauty?

People reading the CNN website and taking the polls tend to mostly answer with the same kinds of responses I do, and I am a LIBERAL.  They have a story today about "What is Beauty and Who Has It?"

So today's poll results surprise me.  It has (so far) 68,690 YES responses and 18,279 NO responses (including my own) to the question:

Does physical beauty matter to you?

Seriously?  Almost 80 % of the respondents say YES???  I am confused.  Are liberals this shallow?

I don't always answer with the herd but as I said, I usually do, and I am not even close to being middle-of-the-road, politically.  Beauty to me, comes from inside the person.  That feels like a liberal response, if I were to select one based upon ideology.

I look like a troll.  A big, hairy, cave troll.  The troll in the LOTR games would want to bear my children, I am such a twin soul mate.  So maybe, the fact that I am not good looking probably colors my judgment, and keeps me from having a need for others to be good looking. 

Do I wish I was good looking, is the poll asking about my own looks?  Hmmm.  Maybe then, I might lean a little more to answering 'yes', but I'm pretty resigned to being fuck-ugly on the outside. 

This bothered me so much I mentioned it to a friend, who had a simple response.  "There are many true liberals who wouldn't bother to answer this shallow question.  So the answers are mostly conservative responses this time".

Yeah, no.  I think as a culture, we have an obsession with beauty.

What's Cookin' ? (3)

Fresh Fruit Salad

1 cantaloupe                                                2 pears

1 honeydew melon                                      2 bananas

1 bunch green seedless grapes                 2 nectarines

1 red apple                                                1 pint blueberries

1 granny smith apple                                1 lb ripe cherries

3 kiwis                                                      1 quart SOUR cream

  Prepare the fruit…use a melon baller for the melons, or you could chop them into 1 inch pieces.  Chop the apples, pears, nectarines into smaller chunks. Slice the bananas and the kiwis.  Cut the cherries in half, remove the pits.   

  Mix the fruit together, except for the kiwis.   Use enough sour cream to coat the fruit mixture thoroughly.  Arrange the kiwis on top as a garnish.

Serve immediately.

Protecting Our Children from ??

Well, at least the Supreme Court gets kudos for this one.  Yes, violence is awful, and it's not good to expose children to it.  But to force video game companies to clean up their act opens up a whole 'nuther set of issues indeed.  The argument that a child is willingly complicit in the violence by pressing on the controller buttons holds no water vs all the violence they can read about or see on tv, hear on the news, etc.  First Amendment protections for the video game makers.

But there's no sex in your violence, is there?  (Apologies to Bush...I'll make it up to them by promoting "Everything Zen" below).  If the video games show sex, or nudity, are they still just exercising their First Amendment Rights?  Apparently not, because we as a culture haven't cared about violence but we damn sure don't wanna see no tits...

CNN HLN SUX

I'm a news junkie.  When CNN Headline News first went on the air, I loved it.  Even though on slow news days the news was repeated every hour, at least I got an hour of updated news every few hours or so.  In fact, because it was repetitive in the evenings, I listened to an hour then used the next hour as my audio whitenoise to go to sleep.

Then Fox News must have been eating their ratings lunch (or dinner, as it were) because CNN brought on that same format.  All of a sudden, instead of news, we got Nancy Grace, Glenn Beck, and ShowBiz Tonight.  Repeated all night.

I couldn't go to sleep to any of that.  It was vile, low-brow, inflammatory rhetoric instead of news.  It was so awful I stopped watching CNN HLN.  It was only in the last year on the weekends and my weekdays off, I found I was able to grab an hour or two of actual news on HLN during the day. 

That all ended when the Casey Anthony circus began this spring.  Now HLN runs live footage of the trial during the weekdays (and even Saturdays if the trial runs that day).  And on the weekends, HLN runs RECAPS of the trial footage from the previous week. 

What the fuck?  I never watched any of the OJ trial, I don't want to watch Casey Anthony either.  But it must be a ratings bonanza, because it's taken over the channel. 

TABLOID "NEWS".  All the "news" that's fit for our current culture.  We don't need no steenkin' news, give us dirty laundry. 

Peter Pan Syndrome?

I have a few close friends who are my own age, and have acquaintances who are older than me.  But the vast majority of my friends could actually be my adult children.  We like the same music, we like the same books/authors and even the same recreational activities, etc.  I am comfortable in their presence and oddly enough, they seem comfortable in mine despite my age and decreptitude.

This observation occurred to me today when a group of friends got together and I spent most of my time at the end of the table with the younger set rather than those my age and older.  I wondered, is there something wrong with me?  I'd say, my younger friends are remarkably mature (which is true) but I don't think that accounts for it, strictly.  Am I refusing to grow up? Am I stuck in a permanent second childhood? 

My spouse has always looked very young.  Age hasn't been kind to me, however.  I don't think it bothers me, much, to look my age, as I'm rather resigned to it by this point.  So what is it, then? 

I realize I'm prone to navel gazing to the extremes, but on this one, I think I'll have to ponder the significance (if any) for awhile... 

TGIF 6

Are you a Stone Roses fan?  This is a slightly muddy recording of "Elephant Stone".  (I heard a very nice live cover of it on Wednesday, done by Cary Judd at a Boise sports bar.  I usually like his own music best, but everything he does is quite nice, and this was no exception).

Panhandlers Are Everywhere!

I used to have a pretty decent income.  I gave via payroll deduction to the United Way every year.  When the Boy Scouts (the biggest benefactor of those funds), openly threw out the homosexuals, I stopped giving.  Until they stop discriminating, I will not be supporting them via donations to the United Way.

So then how could I fulfill my need to be charitable?  I started handing out $20 bills to the guys on the street corners. 

I took all sorts of abuse for doing this, as if I was personally enabling them to kill themselves by giving them money.  Of course they were going to buy drugs and alcohol with it, I knew that was a good likelihood.  But they were asking for help, I had extra to give, so it was a mutually agreeable situation.  Who was I to make a value judgment as to their worthiness for receiving aid that I was able to give?

Until the economy went south.  All of a sudden, so did my income.  I started giving $10s instead of $20s.  Within a few months, it got worse, and I dropped to $5s.  And that's about the time that EVERY ingress and egress point in the city became permanent stations for people with badly written cardboard signs.  (Does no one have access to anything other than old black marker and hand-torn flaps of cardboard?  Seriously?)

Sign o' the times:  Lots of women out there, not just the usual man or man with loyal doggie.  Sometimes, even entire nuclear families sitting forlorn in the inclement weather.

Now I dread going shopping in the daylight, because I can't avoid them.  I have started giving only a few dollars each time.  I haven't the intestinal fortitude to sit in my car and studiously pretend I don't see them, nor do I have the hard heart to ignore their silent pleading eyes.  At the same time, my wallet is near to empty and I'm living from paycheck to paycheck, myself. 

What happens to us when the Zombie Apocalypse hits?  These folks are prime recruits and we will all be targets.  Don't say I didn't warn you!

What's Cookin' ? (2)

Leek Potato Soup

2 large leeks                                        3 c chicken stock

1 onion, finely chopped                      1 c heavy cream

3 T butter                                            salt and freshly ground pepper

2 medium potatoes                              chopped chives

Trim the root end of the leeks, then cut off and discard about half the green stems.  Slit the leek severals times lengthwise from the stem and rinse well under cold water.  Chop the leeks and cook them with the onion in butter about 3 minutes, stirring.

Peel the potatoes and cut into ½ inch cubes.  Add the potatoes and stock to the leeks and bring to a boil.  Simmer about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.  Add the cream and bring just to a boil to heat through.

Season to taste and serve hot, sprinkled with chopped chives.

Are You Proud?

It's a crime that this couple has spent 61 years together and have not been allowed to get married.  As a country, the US is better than this.  As a society, we must protect the rights of all our citizens.  As voters, we must ensure this is never allowed to happen again.

SLC Pride was on June 11th.  Boise Pride was on June 18th.  Did you get there?  Pocatello has Pridefest on August 20th.  Mark your calendars!

This photo was posted by Cindy Gross, a local activist and tireless supporter of human rights.  State Senator  District 19 (D) Nicole LeFavour is at the podium.  She rocks!

How Does My Garden Grow?

It doesn't.  Or at least, it doesn't grow with anything I have planted this year.  After using a scythe to get through the man-high foliage of whatever weeds were thriving there, I'm staring at it and getting ideas.

At the store today, luscious looking and delightful smelling potted vegetables and herbs were beckoning.  The eggplant was especially wicked, and even the catnip giggled insanely as I dithered.  Or was that me, giggling insanely?

I'll never know because the piece de resistance was the entire rack of basil, and it was crowing so lustily for attention that nothing else mattered.

I'm strategizing right now.  I see fresh pesto in my future...

TGIF 5

I'm likin' Cee Lo's music solo these days...but a few years back, this was a great one from Gnarls Barkley...Crazy

Online Newspaper Comments

I prefer to get my news online.  I got the subscription to the Statesman paper edition and it’s difficult to re-train myself to sit and read it.  But reading the paper edition is infinitely preferable to reading the online edition and accidentally scrolling to the comment sections.

For the love of Pete.  Do real people, with intelligence, humor and compassion, ever read that paper online?  If they do, they have certainly learned not to venture into that inner circle of Hell that constitutes the comments section.  Dwelling there are trolls, assholes, and lost souls.  The poor lost souls wage an endless and winless war against the sheer volume of vitriol and unabated spite coming from the other two groups.  It’s demoralizing and horrifying and I can’t believe it’s been allowed to continue.  Is this what free speech is all about in Idaho?

The Idaho State Journal (Pocatello) and the Spokesman Review (Spokane) are both open sites like the Statesman, and their comment sections seem to be hit and miss.  I’ve seen times when the comments get out of line, but there also seem to be plenty of both sides in the mix.     

I don’t know about the Idaho Press-Tribune (Nampa), or the Morning Tribune (Lewiston), because those are subscription sites.  The Post Register (Idaho Falls) makes a point of saying that it requires real names and it monitors the online bashfest, but again, I can’t tell unless I subscribe.

Anonymous commenting (opines this anonymous blogger) is apparently a license to spew.  I don’t know if that’s progress that we allow it, or spineless.

What's Cookin' ?

I'm going to try a Tuesday feature that gives a recipe I'm dying to try or one my friends have been dying to get from me.  This one I searched online for, because I was an addict for Iggy's Sausalito Chicken, but the restaurant went under and no one knows that recipe by that name...but this one I found online comes closest. 

Mediterranean Chicken

Ingredients

• 4 boneless chicken breasts cut up in thin strips
• 1 medium onion cut into thin julienne strips
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 small jar of artichoke hearts drained and chopped
• 1/8 cup drained capers
• 1/2 cup fresh coarsely chopped basil (reserve 1/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes coarsely chopped
• olive oil - enough to coat bottom of pan
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup sliced leeks
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• juice of 1 lemon
• Angel hair pasta, cooked al dente

Preparation

Heat olive oil in pan over med high heat. Add chicken and brown until chicken has a good sear. Add onions and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes.

Add artichokes, capers, sundried tomatoes and pine nuts. Salt and pepper to taste. Toss evenly.

Add leeks and 1/4 cup of fresh basil. Add wine. Bring to an even bubble.

Add lemon juice then cream. Stir and heat just until thick and bubbly.

Serve over cooked Angel Hair pasta with the rest of the basil on top.

Desperately Seeking Purpose

I’m old, and I’m tired.  I’m got my health issues as do many people, and this is not the forum to whine about that.  Universal, affordable health care is not likely to happen in my lifetime, as there are too many powerful and monied interests who depend upon making big bucks off the broken fucked-up system that is the status quo. 

What’s got me in the dumps lately is what to do with my life.  I’m bored, bored bored bored bored.  Not to mention, bored.  And some days, despite everything I can think of, I’m just bored some more.

Have I been there, done that?  Not at all, not everything I’d like to do.  But I have some severe limitations on my choices of actionable steps, including lack of discretionary funding (due to said health issues). 

But even if I had the $$, I can’t seem to find anything that yanks my chain these days, and that’s got me concerned that I may be depressed, which is another topic for another day.   I’ve tried various volunteer positions, political activism opportunities, and even the usual fare of TV, video games, library books, Netflix, and internet.  Nothing jazzes me. 

I thought I had found a raison d’etre this last year.  I met a person whose business is going nowhere fast, but it has great potential and makes a popular product that I very much enjoy.  Recently I offered my sweat labor services (behind the scenes and free of charge) to help them grow their business, and they accepted my offer but haven’t extended any work my way.  So, nothing is happening and business remains low-key as usual.  And as their stagnant situation is obviously suitable to them, I figure I may as well give up, move along and find another pet project to apply my talents toward. 

But that puts me back at square one, searching for a purpose.  I want to DO something, be happy about something, have meaning in my life, before I leave these Earthly bonds.  “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” says if I try sometimes, I just might find, I’ll get what I need.  Maybe I just need to try harder?