The Economy, The GOP and Rush

I keep hearing about the left wing Hollywood that controls the Democratic party. How many of the democratic politicians have achieved power after a successful acting career? I can only think of a few and they never reached the heights in the Democratic party that Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger or Rush Limbaugh have reached in the GOP. True Hollywood actors tend to believe in social causes like the Democrats do and tend to throw their money towards Democratic Politicians, but they don't run the party the way the Hollywood insiders of the GOP do.

How did a blowhard entertainer take over the Republican Party? Michael Steele the Chairman of the Republican National Committee is forced to back down and apologize to Rush Limbaugh. Bobby Jindal Governor of Louisiana and the up and coming face of the Republican Party also had to back down from Rush Limbaugh. These men are not leaders if they can't even stand up to a simple entertainer like Rush. Rush Limbaugh is making a laughing stock out of the GOP. Go Rush Go.

Rush doesn't like Obama because Rush is part of the three percent of the population that will have his taxes raised. I guess I wouldn't be happy either. But it is for the good of the country Mr. Limbaugh. Rush talks about the tax and spend Democrats. Where was he the past eight years when the cut taxes and keep on spending Republicans took a balanced budget and a deficit that was at its lowest rate since WWII and ballooned it to Three Trillion Dollars. I never understood how The United States was supposed to pay for a war costing 10 Billion dollars a month, when we were cutting taxes. I wouldn't buy a house then quit my job it just wouldn't be fiscally responsible. Yet we bought a war and then cut taxes. The government needs capital in order to operate.

Rush said he wants the President to fail. He expects all of the GOP to be good little "Ditto sheep" and follow his every word. Rush said "What is so strange about being honest and saying 'I want Barack Obama to fail if his mission is to restructure and reform this country so that Capitalism and individual liberty are not its foundation.' why would I want that to succeed." Lets be honest I have not heard from Barack Obama or any other Democrat that they do not believe in Capitalism or individual freedom. It is a nice sound bite but it is very deceiving in trying to paint President Obama as some thing that he is not. Where are your facts Mr. Limbaugh. The fact is that the Republican Right and President Bush stomped on individual freedom more since 9/11 than Obama ever would. The Republicans allow this buffoon to be their talking head, their leader, their voice.

As an American I do not want pork stuffed into a recovery bill. Take it out. I will accept lower taxes for the middle class and higher taxes for the upper class. The middle class has carried the load for way to long. If you need bail out money I want to see how you are using it. If you don't want us to look into how you waste money in your corporation then don't borrow the money. I do believe that we need a Banking Oversight Committee that actually watches how the banks operate and protects our money that is deposited in the banks. We do not need political friends to collect a paycheck under the guise of an oversight committee. Had the SEC, IRS and the Banking Oversight Committee done their jobs we probably could have avoided some of this mess.

Should we bail out every large company that needs help? NO. Capitalism works when week companies fail and strong companies take their place. Should the Government spend money on building roads, bridges, schools, hospitals and a new renewable energy infrastructure? YES. Putting money into these types of projects gets money into the economy fast and the people as a whole benefit from their construction for years to come. Plus construction workers tend to be a spend happy group that will get the money recirculating into the economy fast. This is the failure of the Republican thinking. Trickle Down theory does not work. Give the money to the rich and they save it. Give the money to the poor and they spend it. Right now we need spending.

So in conclusion, no one is listening to Rush other than to be entertained. If they were listening and believing what he says we would have McCain, Palin in the White House and a Republican House and Senate. Let Rush be your Moral Compass and you will be disappointed in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016. Let us cut the pork and spend where it will do the most good. And if we lend money I want restrictions on it. Don't give it away like Bush did. God Bless America and long may we prosper.

Slumdog Millionaire

The Academy Awards are over and Slumdog Millionaire won Eight Oscars. Eight Oscars, this must be a great movie I thought. So me and my Honey Bunney decided to go see how great of a movie it is. We caught an afternoon matinee for Five bucks and a free pocorn. After seeing the movie I will say it is a movie worth seeing. Is it Eigth Oscars good? I don't think so.

If you have not seen the movie, again it is worth seeing. The movie is a love story about two kids Jamal and Latika who grow up destined to be together. Jamal ends up a contestant on Indias version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire". Jamal answers all of the questions correctly and of course before he can answer the last question time on the show runs out and Jamal will have to return tomorow to answer the last question. As Jamal is leaving the Television Studio he is arrested and interogated by the police. The Police want to know if he is cheating or how he knows all the answers. Jamal starts to tell them how he has come to know each and every answer. Each answer is connected to an event in his life that he could not forget.

It shows Jamal and his older brother Salim and how they grew up in Mumbai. How Jamal meets Latika and loses touch with her. How he finds her only to lose her again. Jamal knows if he can get on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" that Latika will see him and come back to him.

The movie is a coming of age story, a love story, a gangster story, a good movie not a great one. I was entertained but, it did not make me want to cheer or cry or get angry or be overly happy in the end. I was not emotionally connected to the charecters in any way. Gran Torino was a much better movie in making the audience emotionally connected to the charecters and the story. (See my review of Gran Torino). Overall I would give Slumdog Millionaire Four and a half Twirls with a couple of moth catcher hand moves thrown in. A good movie worth seeing but not a great movie worth Eight Oscars. Twirls are based on a five Twirl system.

Bigotry

Since President Obama started to run for President I started to receive bigoted e-mails disguised as jokes. I was hoping that once he became the most powerful man in the world that the bigotry towards at least Obama the man would stop. It hasn't it has gotten worse. In the past week here are some of the disgusting e-mails that I have received.

We should start looking for a new President now. When was the last time you knew of a N****r to hold a job for four years.

Pictures of the White House in total decay, weeds in the burned out grass, paint peeling, a rusted pool with dirty water. You get the idea.

The inn***eration.

What do you call Barrack Obama now that he is President, N****r

Explain to me how 2 million blacks can go to Washington in 8 degree weather but, 200,000 blacks could not get out of New Orleans in good weather with 5 days notice.

Do you know why it is cold and snowy outside? For 200 years white people have been saying that it will be a cold day in hell before a black man becomes President.

I had one good Republican tell me that he was glad that Obama had won the Presidency. He has to succeed otherwise he will fuck it up for the rest of the N****rs.

I don't care if you are Democrat or Republican if you are a decent human being you can't find any of these remarks funny. Personally they turn my stomach. Why would anyone pass this garbage on in an e-mail? I am asking for an explanation if anyone has one.

I could kind of understand if the e-mails were coming from uneducated white males who grew up in a black neighborhood where they were persecuted for being a minority. That is not who is sending this shit. No, this crap is being sent by college educated, white males, who have enlisted in the military and served as civil servants. These same people will exclaim "God Bless America" the greatest country on earth. But they will not stand behind a Harvard educated man because he is half black. If you fought for this nation, doesn't that mean that you fought for all people of this nation not just the white ones. If you are a civil servant that means you have a big enough heart to want to help people, all people not just the white ones. If you are college educated you should be smart enough to know this stuff is not funny.

I have been told to lighten up, that all of these "jokes" are meant to be funny, I am too serious, I can't take a joke. If you know me, you know I love to laugh. Bigotry is not funny. It is 2,009, it is time to judge men for their accomplishments and not by the color of their skin. E-mails like the ones mentioned above go straight to my trash file they don't get passed along. I hope more people will do the same.

P.S. I don't mean to offend any one and I am not pointing a finger at any one, I just don't want to be confronted by the bigoted e-mails any more. Do not pass them along, just keep them under your pointy white hats.

Derek Trucks Band HOB 2/11/09

I need to take some advice from Greg Cielec, the famed music critic, author, teacher, coach, friend and so much more, he told me that when he goes to review a band he takes notes during the concert. Seems simple but I didn't do it and today I can't remember the name of the songs that DTB played. I will say that if you wanted to hear short songs with catchy lyrics played like they are on the radio you came to the wrong concert.

Derek came out at exactly 9:00 and played for 2 hours and 15 minutes and played 14 songs. He opened with "Down Don't Bother Me" and "Down In The Flood" from his new Already Free CD. The only other two songs I can recall from his new CD were the title tune "Already Free" and "I Know". His third song slid into "Sahib Teri Bandi" a classic instrumental song and a fan favorite. The Derek Trucks Band plays a rock and roll, bluesy form of jazz with a tinge of African and Indian overtones. You should have heard Derek's instrumental version of Julie Andrews "My Favorite Things" with an interlude of Jimi Hendrix's "Who Knows". I don't think Julie Andrews knew her song could sound this good. No one plays a slide guitar that sounds any thing like Derek's. Another highlight was "Soul Of A Man" Mike Mattison's vocals were superb on this one. Actually Mike Mattison vocals were superb all night when he was on stage, remember DTB likes its instrumentals and jams so Mike dissappears form the stage at times. Todd Smallie is a reserved Bass guitarist who I feel needs to step to the front on a song or two. He is very accomplished on his instrument but very reserved just the same. The ever popular Yonrico Scott was on drums adding a deep back beat joined by Count M'Butu on congas and tambourines. Kofi Burbridge added the right keyboards and flute to every song. The night was a great night of World Music and Peace and Love. OK not the love part.

I felt no love towards some of my felow concert goers. I had two chicks with a guy in a wheel chair next to me that talked incessantly the whole concert. SHUT UP AND LISTEN. My Honey Bunny had a guy standing three people away from her that was trying to talk louder than the music, he eventually left to go bother other people. Then the gray haired gentleman in front of me pushed past me six times to go to the bar before he and his partner decided they had had enough and staggered out of the show with five songs to go. Is there such a thing as concert etiquette any more. Even with all of the distractions I rate it a five twirl show.

Super Bowl

The Super Bowl is over. Bruce Springsteen did a good job on the half time entertainment ( I could have done without his new song). I loved the oldies but goodies he did. The commercials were not that good, none of them made me laugh and a few were so strange that everyone I was with just had quizzical looks on their faces. The game was one of the best Super Bowl games I can remember. Shitsburg pulled it out for the win in the end. That made me sad until I realized that all of Pitspukes fans that bet money on the game, lost money, because the Cardinals covered the spread. I gained some solace from the fact that the lovers of piss yellow and tooth decay black lost money because of their team. Hooo Haaa!

White Album Redux

I have a friend who is very intelligent but tends to over think things at times. Maybe he has too much time on his hands or maybe that is what makes him so smart. I tend to take music at face value and I try not to over analyze music. Over analyzing music, many times, takes the fun out of the music and I like to have fun. Concerning music I have heard people say they don't understand the music. To me, there is nothing to understand, I go with the flow and let the music take me where it will. I don't even try to decipher the words, the vocals are just another instrument and the words just form a cadence. Some phrases stick with me such as, "I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now." But for the most part music is made to enjoy not fret over.

My friend has decided that The Beatles White Album needs to be reworked and cut down to a single album, one hour long. The Beatles had discussions as to whether they should release the White Album as a double album release or as two separate single albums. The Beatles never intended to throw out half of the White Albums music and release just one single album. As a matter of fact many songs that showed up on later Beatles albums and solo albums were recorded during the White Album sessions. Some of the songs that did not make the White Album are; Mean Mr. Mustard, Polythene Pam and Something off of Abbey Road; Jealous Guy off of Imagine; Junk off of Paul McCartney's first solo album; Not Guilty and Circles off of Harrison's Gone Troppo album; Long and Winding Road off of Let It Be. Some excellent music did not make it on to the White Album because the music that was chosen was so good and so different from any thing else that had been made up until this album. Revolution #9 many people today will turn their noses up at but nothing had been made up to 1968 that sounded any thing like it before.

The White Album sat atop the charts at #1 for 9 weeks and is ranked #10 on Rolling Stones top 500 Albums of all time. Jan Weener tends to get things wrong on his lists but, it still shows that the White Album is an excellent album. The White Album sold 9.5 million copies, to the record company that means they sold 19 million units. Why would anyone feel that the White Album needs to be improved upon? It is sacrilegious to believe that half of the songs on this album should be thrown away.

Here is a list of the songs that my friend believes should be thrown away from the White Album.
Glass Onion
Ob La Di, Ob La Da
Wild Honey Pie
Mother Natures Son
Everybodys Got Something To Hide Except For Me And My Monkey
Sexy Sadie
Long Long Long
Honey Pie
Savoy Truffle
Cry Baby Cry
Revolution #9
Put these songs on an album and I bet you will still sell over two million copies.

Now some other guy has just sent a list as to how he thinks the White Album should be cut up. This guy could not even get the time down to under and hour so that it would fit on vinyl. Plus he is dragging different versions of the songs that were found in some archive some where. Where does it end and what purpose does it serve? George Martin and the boys did very well for themselves without a little help from my friends. I don't think they would appreciate the help now. Leave well enough alone and enjoy the music.

President Obama

Thank God we have a new President. I don't believe there is a person in the United States that can wish that President Bush would have stayed in office any longer. We needed a change. The Bush policies of deregulation got us into a hell of a mess. The rich were getting richer and the poor were getting poorer and the middle class was falling behind. The oil tycoons and Haliburton were getting more and more wealthy every day. The blue collar workers were being held hostage and asked to cut their wages and benefits while executives prospered with huge bonuses from failing companies.

People are already claiming that President Obama wants to steer the country towards Socialism. I don't believe that to be true. President Obama wants health care for any one who doesn't have it right now. He also wants stipulations on any bailout money that he is going to be handing out. That is not Socialism.

Bush gave 350 billion dollars away and know one can account for where it went or how it is helping the economy recover. President Obama is willing to give 350 billion dollars away with strings attached so that the American people can get an accounting of how the money is being used. My tax dollars are being used I want to know how it is benefiting me. If you do not like the strings that are attached then don't ask for the money. Socialism is if the government forcefully takes over all the banks for the good of the people. But, if the banks come willingly to get bailout money with strings attached that is not socialism. No one is begging the capitalists to take the bailout money. I wish that they would not take the money and that the banks could get themselves out of trouble but they can't or won't.

When bush first came up with the bailout plan I hoped and prayed that he was right and that his policy would work. I pretty much over the years have come to the opinion that Bush was an idiot but, I still wanted his policies to work so that all Americans could prosper. Wanting a President to succeed, even when he doesn't have the same ideals as me, as an individual, is what being a true American, a true Patriot is all about. To wish that the President fails is Treason; its unamerican, its unpatriotic. The President is running America and by wishing that he fails you are wishing that the United States fail. You might as well throw the flag on the ground and stomp on it. I will defend a persons right to freedom of speech but, if you are hoping that America is going to fail because you are not of the same political party as the President, then I pray that you die a painful death from cancer soon. Lets rid this country of this pox.

You Ditto Heads need to pull your heads out of your ass and realize how putrid your leader is to this country. He makes up facts to fit his argument for the day. He is a rabble rouser who is going to undermine the American Government. He uses his audience to spew hatred towards other Americans. He tries to break down the system so that it doesn't work. He is pushing for Anarchy. Ask yourself why?

Rush Limpdick is a very wealthy person who will not personally benefit from any of the Presidents new tax cuts. Since this selfish, blow hard will not benefit from any of the new economic policies, he is trying to convince his ditto sheep that the new political regime is bad. If the ditto sheep could think for themselves, they would find that the new regime is going to benefit 95% of them. Rather than do a little research and be able to think for themselves they would rather drink the Rush Kool-aid and spew the same false hoods that their leader is spewing.

I will defend your right of freedom of speech but make sure your facts are correct. Freedom of speech is not the freedom to tell lies. If you are quoting Rush Limpdick then you better check your facts because much of what he says are out and out lies or twisted truths. You will sound uneducated if you blindly go around quoting this miscreant. I have caught so many of you sheep in the past two years telling Rush lies. When confronted with the true facts, it is funny to see your heads cock to the side and your mouths drop open and your eyes roll slowly around in your head and you kind of stutter because you finally are having to think for yourself. It is so precious to sacrifice a right wing lamb.