President George W. Bush Appropriating John Kerry

According to ABC News, Defense Sec. Robert "Gig Em'" Gates unveiled a new Pentagon Report concerning how to fight terrorism. The reports states:

"The struggle against violent extremists will not end with a single battle or campaign. Rather, we will defeat them through the patient accumulation of quiet successes and the orchestration of all elements of national and international power. We will succeed by eliminating the ability of extremists to strike globally and catastrophically while also building the capacity and resolve of local governments to defeat them regionally. Victory will include discrediting extremist ideology, creating fissures between and among extremist groups and reducing them to the level of nuisance groups that can be tracked and handled by law enforcement capabilities."

In this new policy, the Pentagon adopts the language of John Kerry, circa 2004... a language that President George W. Bush mocked. During the 2004 Presidential campaign, Kerry stated:

'We have to get back to the place we were, where terrorists are not the focus of our lives, but they're a nuisance. As a former law-enforcement person, I know we're never going to end prostitution. We're never going to end illegal gambling. But we're going to reduce it, organized crime, to a level where it isn't on the rise. It isn't threatening people's lives every day, and fundamentally, it's something that you continue to fight, but it's not threatening the fabric of your life."

When Kerry delivered these remarks, the Republicans argued that these remarks revealed "Kerry didn't get it" as President Bush stated:

"Senator Kerry talked of reducing terrorism to - quote - 'nuisance' - end quote - and compared it to prostitution and illegal gambling," President Bush said. "See, I couldn't disagree more. Our goal is not to reduce terror to some acceptable level of nuisance. Our goal is to defeat terror by staying on the offensive, destroying terrorists, and spreading freedom and liberty around the world."

Bush-Cheney also went after Kerry for using 'nuisance' as pertains to terrorism in a TV ad.

"Nor can we think of our goal in this war in the way Senator Kerry described it yesterday in The New York Times," said Vice President Dick Cheney. "Quote: 'We have to get back to the place,' he said, where terrorism is 'a nuisance,' sort of like - and these are his comparisons — sort of like gambling and prostitution. This is naive and dangerous."

While this new report provides the proper definitional argument, defining the poorly named "War on Terror" as an ideological and not a military conflict, it is still a sad fact that George Bush adopts the vision of John Kerry, who was by no means a god presidential candidate, four years after the fact.

Does anyone else wonder if President Bush knows he is using the language of Kerry? I suppose that even if he knew, he would not care.

And you thought the Democratic Presidential Primary was Bad

Last week Supadiscomama wrote a post about the need for an apology about slavery. In the comments, we discussed a Democratic Congressional Race in Tennessee since the person who sponsored the Apology Bill is a white Democratic who represents a majority-minority district.

Well, the primary race between Stephen Cohen, a white incumbent, and Nikki Tinker, a black challenger, has been brutal. In one ad, Tinker criticized Cohen's support for not removing a Monument honoring a Confederate, a Slave-Trader and a founding member of the KKK. While there are numerous first amendment issues involved with monuments, public space, and free speech, Tinker overlooks these to show Cohen desires to support groups that would terrify most of the people in the district. The juxtaposition between Cohn and the KKK figures is quite racially hostile, especially since the candidates are fighting to represent a majority-minority district.

The latest ad (see below) may be worse. Not only does Tinker race bait, she attacks him on the basis of religion as Cohen is Jewish. The ad states: "Who is the real Steve Cohen anyway? He is in our churches, clapping his hands and stomping his feet."

I also hate the pathetic fallacy over school prayer: "He's the only Senator [when he was a state senator] who voted that kids shouldn't be allowed to pray in schools." Rather than discuss the history of school prayer or the constitutional problems with it, we get "that mean old, white man won't let your kids prayer. Their eternal damnation will be his fault."

With commercials like this, it would be best if Tinker loses her race. Emily's List supports Tinker, which just reinforces their lack of judgment on electoral candidates.

Nikki Tinker race baits Steve Cohen. @ Yahoo! Video

Sponsored by Krispy Kreme Donuts

After a two year visit to the United States, Michelangelo's David is returning to Italy...

Voter Interest and Campaign FInance

If you possessed little interest in politics, did not vote, and are not registered to vote, why would you donate the maximum amount allowed under campaign finance laws? And further, how could someone persuade you to part with $2300/ person or $4600/ couple?

I ask because published a story about campaign finance. http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif In the article, the writer discusses numerous individuals, who are from middle-class backgrounds and show no political interests, yet they donated the maximum possible. All of these individuals wre persuaded to donate the maximum allowed by a political "bundler."

Either the actions of the bundler are not on the level, and there is not evidence that this view is correct, or there are serious flaws with campaign finance laws.

Obama and Anti-Anti-Intellectualism

Though he has not yet written this on The Rhetorical Situation, some time ago Harrogate realized that all along, his favorite thing about Obama by far is that he does not cede an inch to the anti-intellectual strain in our culture. Sure, he's as fond of soundbites as any of them, if not moreso than most. But whereas Kerry wore his associations with intellect as an albatross, Obama unapologetically reminds us that, well, most of the shit candidates for president debate is complicated, and success depends on our willingness to synthesize concepts, to use (gasp) abstract thought.

Here we get a perfect example of this wonderful quality of Obama's, although channeled indirectly. Townhall's green-blooded reporter, Amanda Carpenter, has the headline right: Obama Calls GOP Ignorant on Oil.

“It’s like these guys take pride in being ignorant!” Obama told an audience in Berea, Ohio on Tuesday.

“They’re sending like little tire gauges making fun of this idea as if this was Barack Obama’s energy plan,” Obama said. “Now, two points. One, they know they are lying about what my energy plan is, but they are making fun of a step that every expert says would absolutely reduce our oil consumption by three or four percent.”

Yes. Yes. Yesssssss!!!!! A great method for fighting the GOP affect of blue-collar common sense, point out it's only an affect!!!! Point out that proud ignorance may not be so much of a selling point for politicians as we may have thought.

(In a note of delicious irony that will surprise no Board Members, Harrogate neither has, nor knows how to use, a tire gauge)

A Sign You're Having a Bad Day

Well John McCain, it is bad when Kathy Hilton, the outstanding political analyst and mother of Paris Hilton takes a shot at you, even as she contributed the maximum possible to your campaign.

It is much worse when Paris Hilton responds to your "Celeb" ad and sounds more coherent on energy policy than you do.

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Stop the Presses--Kerry Really Can Be Funny!!!!

Okay, Harrogate has to post this, partly to make up for the rants he has levied against Kerry for the incompetent, even anemic campaign he ran four years ago. This, coupled with a desire to show the silliness of the outrage expressed by some over Kerry's quite reasonable refusal to withhold praise for McCain's military service.

But today CNN posts this on Kerry, who is campaigning vigorously on Obama's behalf. Provocatively entitled "Kerry: McCain is 'dangerous' for the country," the piece includes this discursive nugget, which shows that the caricature of patrician liberalism, John Kerry, really can be funny. It's a nugget that also left the RNC mightily pissed.

“I don’t know if you know this,” joked Kerry, “John McCain is looking for someone for vice president who has more economic expertise than he does. So congratulations to all of you, you’re on the short list.”

The Case Against Crocs: In Which Harrogate Renders an Ardent Tip of the Hat

Harrogate could not let this pass without enthusiastically awarding a Tip of the Hat to a good writer, an even better cultural critic, and clearly a man who takes his fathering responsibilities with the utmost seriousness. Yes, here's to Steve Tuttle, who has not given up in the war of reasonable people against Crocs.

Yes, I'm really, really late to the Crocs-bashing party. Really late. Plenty of fashionistas have written screeds over the years. But the damn things are still here, so this is no time to stop fighting. To quote the great John Belushi: "Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell, no!"

A Wise Voice from the Past

Politico has a story on the potential Democratic VP Pick. For some reason, probably to stir controversy, the story quotes Geraldine Ferraro of all people. The quotes from Ferraro:

Geraldine Ferraro, a Clinton supporter who in 1984 became the first woman on a major party presidential ticket, said Obama should be “gracious” enough to offer Clinton the vice presidency, considering how narrow the race was....

“If he picked Claire McCaskill or [Janet] Napolitano [or Kathleen] Sebelius, I think it would annoy women,” Ferraro said.

Ferraro added that “those are women who we spent our lifetime helping run for office” and that “a lot of us are not happy with these women for not supporting Hillary because they came to us for help based in large part on their gender.”

Let the Cult of Personality continue. At one point I thought sexism referred to discriminatory attitudes or holding stereotypical views on the basis of sex or gender. But thanks to Ferraro, I now know that women are the same, especially in their support of Hillary Clinton. If Obama were to pick Sebelius it would not be seen as an advancement for women or breaking ceilings but demeaning to one woman and most women would feel that way.

If there were other explanations, I would like to know. Her first reason may be valid as Clinton received the second highest number of votes in a Democratic primary. But noting that the selection of another woman would reinforce the notion that an "experienced" woman was passed over makes sense if Senator Clinton possesses the necessary experience in the first place.

And yet, Ferraro perpetuates what she is against...

The NFL/Reebok Commercial

The song is by Vashti Bunyan (Harrogate had never heard of her), and it is called "Train Song."


One of the most well crafted sports commercials we have had in a long time.

McCain Explaining the Race Card...UM...Maybe?

Last Week, I discussed McCain's awkwardness in an interview with CNN reporter John King about the use of the Race card. Well, via The Jed Report, it seems McCain's interview came back to haunt him while campaigning in Florida.

As this video shows, he cannot explain the attack he made against Senator Obama.



And the town hall format is McCain's best?

Rhetorical Strategies of the Day

Concept One- Perspectives by Incongruity: This concept, as discussed by Kenneth Burke in Attitudes Toward History, occurs when a rhetor engages in "Verbal Atom Cracking," and takes a word or concept from one category and applies to a new category (308).

This is an unofficial Obama ad that performs perspectives by incongruity on the McCain "Celeb" ad, increasing the ethos of Senator Obama through the ethos of Ronald Reagan and, in the process, diminishes the arguments of Senator McCain. As this ad reminds the listeners of the attacks on Obama by McCain, it situates them next to similar complaints employed against Ronald Reagan. The intent is to make you rethink the attacks on Obama since they were false against Reagan.

Concept Two- Stealing the Symbol: The ability to appropriate the meaning of a symbol and redefine it to one's advantage. By presenting the virtues of Reagan, the ad claims that Obama, and not McCain, possesses the virtues of Reagan, which is important to the "Reagan Democrats."

Another Pelosi Plug for Chet Edwards

CNN is reporting the Nancy Pelosi put in yet another plug for Texas Rep Chet Edwards for Obama's VP. He doesn't stand a chance, but he does seem like a damned good guy...

Anthrax, Iraq, and Religion: Lifestyle choices runnning amok

Salon has a good article on the use of chemical weapons in the US after 9/11 in order to incite a rhetoric of fear about Iraq.

All of this developed from the investigation, and presumed guilt, of Dr. Bruce E. Ivins who the FBI believes is the person responsible for mailing the Anthrax to journalists and representatives, killing five people in the process.

In the reporting about Ivins, someone found a few letters to the editors that he wrote about end-times prophecies. If these letters are correct, then he is a Dominionist, believing that Christianity should guide politics and law, especially in regards to the Middle East. It seems that the purpose of a war n the Middle East was to "speed things ups" and usher in end times. How narcissistic.

You can read the letters here.

Backlash from the Celebrity Ad

Political Analysts Kathy Hilton, the mother of Paris Hilton, responded to John McCain's celebrity ad. At The Huffington Post, she writes:

I've been asked again and again for my response to the now infamous McCain celebrity ad. I actually have three responses. It is a complete waste of the money John McCain's contributors have donated to his campaign. It is a complete waste of the country's time and attention at the very moment when millions of people are losing their homes and their jobs. And it is a completely frivolous way to choose the next President of the United States.

Oddly enough, the Hilton parents maxed-out with their contributions to McCain.

The Olympics, Human Rights, and ... LeBron James?

8-8-08. Day one of the 2008 Summer Olympics.

I'll admit it right up front: I'm an Olympic junkie. I'm NBC's favorite customer. The sound of the Olympic theme song gives me the goosebumps. I love the competition, the national heroes that return for another try at the gold, the human interest stories that tug your heartstrings. I have a wild crush on Michael Phelps (known in my household as my Olympic boyfriend) and, when I grow up, I want to run just as fast as Allison Felix. Anyone else remember Ian Thorpe? Well, I have kept the flame burning these last four years; don't worry, he'll be back to compete in Beijing.

The Olympics, as solon and I have recently discussed, have--at least in recent (and I use the term loosely to mean the last century or so)--been political. To pretend that they haven't is pretty dishonest. There's always some group that has good reason to protest the selected location of the Games and this year is no exception. In fact, China's human rights violations--not to mention their sweeping unconcern with industrial and environmental standards--have got a lot of people, including this Olympic fan, up in arms.

Which is why I was so pleased, initially, to see the ESPN interview (done, I believe, in May) with LeBron James in which the basketball player spoke out about China's human rights violations and said he would use his celebrity in Beijing (a huge new NBA market) to raise awareness specifically about the situation in Darfur. James's USA teammate Kobe Bryant, having participated in a recent PSA about Darfur, was also expected to lead the team in public statements on this issue. But a recent interview with the players at a Team USA practice told another story. Nearly word for word, all of the players rejected the notion that they would use their international platform as a way to publicize China's violations. "We're athletes, not politicians," they claimed. Team USA officials and the NBA have claimed to have no part in this turnaround. But the millions of fans and billions of dollars in China hint otherwise.

Obama and the Anti-Christ

Yesterday, I stated that some believe that Obama is the anti-Christ. Well, according to Hal Lindsey, an advocate for Dispensationalism -- with the emphasis on sensationalism-- and a popularizer of the "end times" prophecies/ mythology, Obama is not thee anti-Christ but just prepping the world for the Anti-Christ. I wonder if he felt the same when Reagan spoke in Germany? Oh, wait...

Since when do lifestyle choices such as religion get to determine the fate of the world?

McCain, Obama, and Evangelical Voters

When I first saw this ad, I thought it was a web parody. CNN tells me otherwise.

In Grandpa McCain's new ad, he calls Senator Obama "the One." Of course, shouldn't McCain know better as he lived to see the development of all of Western Civilization, as well as the BCE - CE change over.

The video seems to be an attempt to reach out to Evangelical voters as well as develop a third argument about Obama, he is arrogant. This is on top of the other two, he is risky and he is an empty vessel celebrity. After watching the ad, it ridicules Obama by taking his words well out of context, beyond recognition, the the point of lying. This of course should not make people want to vote for McCain as each attack diminishes the ethos of Grampa Simpson.

Second, the ad appears to reach out to Evangelicals and to warn them about "false prophets." I would imagine that the reasoning behind this move is that if the Evangelical voters will not vote for McCain, they better not vote for Obama, who appears blasphemous in the video. Well, then again, maybe he is the anti-Christ.

Well, he appears blasphemous if you possess no sense of irony or no sense of humor.

Update: According to David Plouffe, Obama's campaign manager, because of McCain's attacke, 100,000 donated money to the Obama Campaign. One-third of those who donated were first time donors. Good job John, thanks for your support.

The Democratic Divide Continues

Backers of Senator Clinton write the problems of the primary into the Democratic Party Platform. From the L.A. Times:

As her chances of becoming vice president recede, some of Hillary Rodham Clinton's supporters are pushing for the Democratic Party's new platform to state that the primary elections "exposed pervasive gender bias in the media" and to call on party leaders to take "immediate and public steps" to condemn future perceived instances of bias.

The push for the plank in the party's statement of principles reflects a lingering unhappiness over Clinton's treatment during the Democratic primary, and over what her supporters say was an inadequate response from party leaders.Some Clinton supporters have complained of jibes against the New York senator by TV talk show hosts, off-color novelty items and incidents such as the time when hecklers yelled "Iron my shirt!" at a Clinton rally.

A Democratic committee devoted to writing the platform is to meet today in Cleveland to hear presentations from policy advocates, then draft the document.

"There were so many examples in the media of sexist comments where we never heard from the party leadership or Barack Obama," said Stacy Mason, executive director of a political action committee called WomenCount, which claims thousands of members. The group ran newspaper ads in the spring urging Clinton to stay in the contest.

"We're focused on why the Democratic leadership was so silent about it during the campaign," Mason said. "It was their obligation to come to the defense of one of their own primary candidates, and they didn't. They stayed silent during the campaign, and that's not OK."

There are no specifics yet but this will be an interesting development, especially as it seems clear that Clinton will not be the VP and that she will speak on the anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment. While other aspects of the Democratic Platform will concern ending the war in Iraq or passing legislation for universal health care, it is not clear what legislative action will occur, if any.

Race and the Election

In the past few days, race entered in to the Presidential campaign for the first time though it is not as explicit as it was in the Democratic Primary. On one level, the purpose of interjecting race, for both sides, is preventative. On another level, the purpose of raising the issue of race is to increase racial resentment.

The Obama camp wants to raise the specter of to race to warn against its use, redirecting the campaign to the issues because he is winning on almost all of the issues (Economy, Health Care but not necessarily Iraq). This is why he states, “they'll state I'm different and not like the other presidents on our currency;” “he has a funny name;” and “I’m black.” By preemptively redirecting, he hopes to keep the focus on the issues and avoid race. Ironically, in a web ad, the McCain campaign used the face of Senator Obama on a dollar bill, as well as on the Statue of Liberty and Mt. Rushmore.

The McCain camp wants to raise the issue that Senator Obama and not Senator McCain is playing the race card in the election, focusing the campaign on the issue of race and on character. Since McCain is not winning on the issues he must win on character. Consequently, McCain's campaign has two main arguments about Senator Obama. First, he is risky (he is a celebrity and not a politician; he has "fans;" he would rather win the campaign and not the war; he delivers great speeches but does not have great ideas).

Second, Obama is different (he likes arugula; he goes to the gym three times a day; he appeals to foreigners; he prefers MET-RX chocolate roasted-peanut protein bars and bottles of a hard-to-find organic brew -- Black Forest Berry Honest Tea). At Open Left, Chris Bowers notes the premise behind this is "different who are people suck." The is just tribal politics of which identity politics is a sub-category.

In addition to his arguments, McCain's new race strategy is to push the issue of race as far as possible without every being explicit. The celeb ad is one part of the strategy. The creators of the "Celeb" ad are the creators of the attack against Harold Ford Jr., in "Call Me." However, "Celeb" does not go as far as "Call Me" did. It went far enough to move the discussion to race but it is only suggestive and implicit in a way that "Obama did drugs so maybe he is a dealer" is over the top and explicit, right Mr. Penn?

By moving the topic to discuss race we move further away from the issues, especially when the end of July numbers shows even more problem with jobs and corporations. This would be all bad news for McCain if we would focus on it. Instead, the McCain campaign stirs the pot of racial resentment, especially within the "blue collar" and lower-income demographics. As Ben Smith at Politico discusses, while racism is not necessary a campaign strategy, racial resentment is necessary to increase racially-polarized voting, which would only hurt Senator Obama or any racial candidate in most majoritarian voting systems.

In an interview with CNN's John King, Senator McCain awkward addresses the race issue, claiming that there is no place for it in this campaign, the Obama campaign used the race card, and then ends the interview with no chance of rebuttal. His campaign manager, Rick Davis, said Obama pulled from the bottom of the Deck to play the race card. For Obama to use the race card, McCain suggests, is to try to win on style and not substance, reinforcing argument one, and McCain cares too much for the Ameircan people to let that happen, reinforcing argument two that states Obama is different, since Obama is not patriotic and does not care about the American people as a president should. Subsequently, McCain cares the American people, hence, he is more patriotic.

Another potential topic where McCain can use this strategy is affirmative action. Recently McCain's reversed his position on affirmative action, as he now will vote for the anti-affirmative action initiatives in Arizona. All he needs is the media to ask him about it and he can reinforce his to arguments about Obama: Affirmative Action provides people with benefits who do not deserve them, making that group "special." The first argues that the people receiving the benefits are less qualified (aka, they lack substance) and these practices create special groups and treat citizens differently.

Conincidently, there are are three states with anti-affirmative action initiatives on the ballot this fall and two of them are the "Swing States" of New Mexico and Colorado. Imagine that: a controversial initiative hoping to stir the emotions just like, on a limited scale, the Gay-Marriage Initiatives of 2004.

By walking around the issue of race, the McCain campaign entices the media to pick up the story, which it did because there is little else to cover (or what there is to cover may require too much substantive reporting of actual issues) and draw the Obama campaign to discuss race, which they have to in response to McCain and the Media. When everyone discusses race, especially potential double-standards on race, this may raise racial resentment. And if there is a discussion of race or the development of racial resentment, Senator Obama loses voters.

If Senator Obama continues to make comments to defend himself against the different charge, then the McCain campaign will make the argument that Obama is playing a game with race. This provides he McCain campaign to interject race as they can quickly counter with a Chicken Little argument or "There he goes again." Of course, McCain will not be able to play this game throughout the fall as, at some point, he must actually address the issues and not Senator Obama.

Some Pedagogical Help, Please

I was thinking about including a section on visual rhetoric in my upcoming freshmen composition course. I thought that I would start with the following picture. I'm certain that it's ripe for analysis, but I'm not really sure what to say about it, or where to go from here. Any advice...?

What's Next for G-dub?

According to Dave-TV (not to be confused with Dave TV), the best post-presidential job for George W. Bush is that of a Motivational Speaker. Here's why:

The president understands what it takes to get somewhere in life. For him, every day is a mission accomplished, and he can swiftly sum up his winning philosophy in a few words. "I hope the ambitious realise they are more likely to succeed with success as opposed to failure."

That, and his ability to shoulder responsibility ("My job is a decision-making job. As a result, I make a lot of decisions"), make him ideally suited to a career as a life coach. We expect he'll be in great demand as a motivational speaker. And let's not forget his wide understanding of how industry works. As he once said: "The fact that they purchased the machine meant somebody had to make the machine. And when somebody makes a machine, it means there's jobs at the machine-making place."

Ancient Fart Joke

Reuters reports that researchers have traced the world's oldest recorded joke--a fart joke--back to 1900 B.C.E. It was a saying among the Sumerians, who resided in what is now southern Iraq.

Something which has never occurred since time immemorial; a young woman did not fart in her husband's lap.

It's been quite some time since I've studied the Akkadian language--the successor to ancient Sumerian, beginning around the second millennium B.C.E.--but I think the joke would have sounded something like this in its original tongue (NB: my translation here attempts to represent the text phonetically for my audience at TRS; obviously, it is not an attempt to reconstruct the text as it would have been read by Sumerians, as their cuneiform writing system is impossible to decipher for those who have not studied the language, and also my keyboard does not have the characters necessary to render the text such):

licunim sutatra mu naka shi ni petikkatra tam triali; tu yu mistress no ppfffttt a dkratanum pruni.

Hillary CLinton Night at the Democratic Convention

According to CNN, Senator Clinton will speak on the second night of the convention, Tuesday, August 26h. Coincidently, August 26th is the 88th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which gave women the right to vote. It will be interesting to see how she discusses the anniversary, the tension in the campaign, and the Democratic Party.

Of course, the underlying implication is that Senator Clinton will not be the V.P. According to USA Today, Vote Both, he Obama-Clinton advocacy group will close its doors.

And the deterioration of politics continues

Senator John McCain released a new web ad for his anti-Obama message. It is titled "Celeb." The amount to dissect in this 30 second spot is just astonishing:



First, Obama is not a member of the Liberal, Elite East-Coast. Instead, he is a "empty vessel," a representative of the Hollywood Elite. He performs, he does not lead and he does not govern. He enchants through words and images.

Second, Paris Hilton and Brittney Spears appear in the video. We know the first since she is the heiress to the Hilton chain and a movie-star. Well, she appears in them any way though she does not act. Well, maybe she acts in her home-videos. The second lip-sics, is completely crazy, and cannot raise children. I wonder what the message is, besides the Harold Ford Jr., "Call Me" implications, which may not be strong as neither Brittney nor Paris seems desirable anymore. But, as Talking Points Memo discusses, the race implications are there, yet again.

Third, and this is the best part: Obama in Germany. A Crowd chants the same phrase over and over. He is known for delivering speeches that appeal to the passions and move the masses. He is unknown, hence risky and depends on "foreign" goods. As The New Republic notes, the ad looks very similar to the end of "Triumph of the Will."

But I am sure this is a coincidence since Grampa "Straight Talk" approved the message.

And just think it is still July. I wonder how explicit the attacks will be in November.

Apologies

Can anyone explain to me how public "official" apologies for hideous acts in history are useful or beneficial? (For example, the recent apology by the House of Representatives for slavery and Jim Crow). The whole effort feels very artificial and half-assed and doesn't seem to make much of a difference. Am I missing something? (Solon, I suspect that you have a lengthy explanation at the ready...)

Remember When

A friend just sent me a link to an older blog with a list of the best malapropisms from The Sopranos. In honor of the rumored movie, I thought I'd pass it on. My favorite? "I agree with that Senator Sanitorium. He says if we let this stuff go too far, pretty soon we'll be fucking dogs."

Last Night: A Study in Terministic Screens

Last night things happened that, perhaps, affected the way Board Members "view" one another.

It needed to go on record.

Home: A Musical Tribute

With my move to CU Land a little more than a week and a half away, I've been thinking a lot about home lately. As I've blogged about at Separation of Spheres, I never expected to become as attached to Southwest College Town as I've become. It isn't, however, the place I'm attached to. It is the people. The people that C, Wild Man, and I have adopted as our family have become home for us. I'm sure we will become attached to CU Land as we make friends there, but I'm equally sure that we will never experience the type of community we've experienced here. This musical tribute is in honor of my home.

And Speaking of the "Cheetos Brigade": America's Rich Are Being Soaked, and Papa Bear O'Reilly Is Pissed

Okay, so maybe Nader's platform is flawed. Papa Bear O'Reilly puts it all in perspective for us. Blinded by deceitful rhetorics of economic justice in America, we were not able to see the truth. But the spin, as it were, stops here. Leftist America is taking his money, and giving it to the undeserving: lo and verily, this ought not to stand: it is time American stopped beating up on the top 1 percent.

Snippety snippets:

That means that people who drink gin all day long will be getting some of my hard-earned money. Folks who dropped out of school, who are too lazy to hold a job, who smoke reefer 24/7 all will get some goodies in the mail from Uncle Barack and Aunt Nancy, funded by me and other rich folks.

Under the Republican Bush administration, tax money presently pays for abortions, Viagra, condoms, sugar-laden food, dangerous housing in blighted neighborhoods and prescription drugs that will send you to the land of Oz.

But if you complain about any of this, you're an uncharitable greedhead.

Well, I am complaining. I don't want my money supporting some layabout who wants to get high all day long. Robin Hood wouldn't give those people money. The feds shouldn't either.

"Layabout" is a great word by the way.

A Radio Station Readers Must Explore

Megs has put Harrogate in something of a recommending mood, himself.

Go here, dear friends. Where Harrogate turns frequently. Good music to read and write to, to clean to, or simply to veg with. And, streamlined out of one of Harrogate's favorite cities on God's Green Earth.

Book Recommendation

Yes, readers, I'm actually going to recommend a parenting book. My relationship to parenting advice literature might best be characterized as obsessive ambivalence. I obsessively buy and read these books and then find myself feeling ambivalent, almost dirty, afterward. But a blog I love recently recommended Becoming the Parent You Want to Be and, like any good member of the Cheetos Brigade, I clicked right over to Amazon and bought a copy. Here's the surprising thing: it's pretty damn good!

The book is labeled "A Sourcebook of Strategies for the First Five Years," which makes it especially appropriate for our little community. It starts off with nine main principles (ex: Learning to Value Struggle and Disequilibrium) and follows with chapters on specific issues for young children. I thought the chapter on Sibling Relationships--my latest fascination--was really great and helped me to see that the previous stuff I'd been reading situated these relationships, at least rhetorically, in terms of rivalry rather than mutual contribution to each other and the family. It's always nice when a twenty page chapter helps to redefine your entire outlook on family dynamics. (The chapter on "Parenting with a Partner" is also well done.)

M, in response to Anastasia, recently prompted discussions about smartness, sensitivity, and praise, and there are chapters in the book that speak to those issues, as well. Overall, a good read. At least one and a half thumbs up!

"Goin' Out West"

An effusion, of sorts. Here's something of an oldy, but still, as it were, a goodie, Tom Waits performing "Goin' Out West"--on the Arsenio Hall Show, no less. A good theme song for Harrogate's dissertation? In some ways, perhaps . . . at least, it works in that role fairly well during those rare periods when Harrogate isn't hating his dissertation so much that he wouldn't dream of honoring it with a theme song.



"I know karate . . . Voodoo too."

" For You, O Democracy," Walt Whitman

Come, I will make the continent indissoluble,
I will make the most splendid race the sun ever shone upon,
I will make divine magnetic lands,
With the love of comrades,
With the life-long love of comrades.


I will plant companionship thick as trees along all the rivers of America,
and along the shores of the great lakes, and all over the prairies,
I will make inseparable cities with their arms about each other's necks,
By the love of comrades,
By the manly love of comrades.


For you these from me, O Democracy, to serve you ma femme!
For you, for you I am trilling these songs.

McConaughey on Childbirth

Matthew McConaghey recently shared with OK! Magazine his experience during the birth of his child. It amazes me how similar his experience is to my own. We must have read the same book on becoming a dad (or at the very least, skimmed the chapter on the father's role during labor and delivery). He says...

We found a great rhythm. Contractions started kicking in. I sat there with her, right between her legs. We got tribal on it, we danced to it! I was DJ-ing this Brazilian music.

I have it all chronicled. Becoming a dad is something I've dreamed of doing since I was 10. Becoming a father felt very, very natural. We were jamming! She was sweating. No painkiller, let's go. She just clicked into that gear that only a woman has at a time like this. We'd been up for 40-something hours, and we went from dead tired to a really steadfast, 'Let's handle this… let's stay in the rhythm. Don't let the contraction be more than you.'

Tulula does NOT do the Hula

I remember a conversation about names I had a with a pediatric nurse before duckling was born. She relayed the story of poor Cash Monet, Tequila, and B'ri'tnnee. Babies who will have a lot of explaining to do as they grow. Well, a judge in New Zealand has helped prevent future bullying by denying some name requests. Sadly, some other ones got through (article from MSNBC).

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - A family court judge in New Zealand has had enough with parents giving their children bizarre names here, and did something about it.
Just ask Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii. He had her renamed.
Judge Rob Murfitt made the 9-year-old girl a ward of the court so that her name could be changed, he said in a ruling made public Thursday. The girl was involved in a custody battle, he said.

The new name was not made public to protect the girl's privacy.
'Very poor judgment'"The court is profoundly concerned about the very poor judgment which this child's parents have shown in choosing this name," he wrote. "It makes a fool of the child and sets her up with a social disability and handicap, unnecessarily."
The girl had been so embarrassed at the name that she had never told her closest friends what it was. She told people to call her "K" instead, the girl's lawyer, Colleen MacLeod, told the court.
In his ruling, Murfitt cited a list of the unfortunate names.
Sex Fruit?Registration officials blocked some names, including Fish and Chips, Yeah Detroit, Keenan Got Lucy and Sex Fruit, he said. But others were allowed, including Number 16 Bus Shelter "and tragically, Violence," he said.
New Zealand law does not allow names that would cause offense to a reasonable person, among other conditions, said Brian Clarke, the registrar general of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
Clarke said officials usually talked to parents who proposed unusual names to convince them about the potential for embarrassment.

Happy Wednesday Musical Tribute

Harrogate will never forget the first time he heard this song on the radio. He was working in a greasy-spoon in the Mall, slinging Steak and Cheeses, frying fries, and awaiting the end of his shift, which would mean a good long sojourn on Pete's Couch.

But then the Garbage song "Queer" burst into the Rhetorical Situation of that little diner. Oh my, thought young Harrogate. Whatever. Have. We. Here.

Though otherwise cheerfully given to hyperbolic language, Harrogate must say that he doesn't use such language lightly when it comes to Pop Music. But Really. This song, when he heard it for the first time, really felt like something new. And it forever changed the soundscape of Harrogate's musical taste.

When Metaphors Crystallize: A Real 'Media Drive-By', of Sorts

Still, as Harrogate and Supadiscomama discussed last night, the best Metaphor in our Vernacular remains that of Shit Hitting the Fan. It means exactly what it evokes, so sublimely, so humorously, so viscerally.

But the 'Drive-By Media' meme, begun by Rush Limbaugh, is also relatively useful at times. This morning we had a convergence between Reality and Metaphor, as Valerie Plame's verbal assassin, Robert Novak, apparently slammed his car into a bicyclist and attempted to leave the scene of the crime.


Linky.

He said he chased Novak half a block down K Street., finally caught up with him and then put his bike in front of the car to block it and called 911. Traffic immediately backed up, horns blared and commuters finally went into reverse to allow Novak to pull over.

Bono said that throughout, Novak "keeps trying to get away. He keeps trying to go.” He said he vaguely recognized the longtime political reporter and columnist as a Washington celebrity but could not precisely place him.

Finally, Bono said, Novak put his head out the window of his car and motioned him over. Bono said he told him that you can't hit a pedestrian and just drive away. He quoted Novak as responding: “I didn’t see him there.”

Heh. Down K Street, indeed.

Why Some People Like Ron Paul, Part IV

Lo, it has been a while since Harrogate rendered an installment of his award-garnering series, Why Some People Like Ron Paul. This has been for several reasons. Some say an uncouth band of Paulites actually kidnapped Harrogate there for a while, and held him hostage on Pete's Couch, where in between tokes they force-fed him issues of The Federalist Papers.

Others, more cynically minded, asserted it was because Harrogate followed Media Hero Frank Luntz's lead, and just stopped caring about The Paul.

Finally, there have been rumors circulating that the real reason Harrogate stopped writing about The Paul is that he discovered a secret message in the movie Office Space, wherein it was pointed out that Libertarianism is the last, last, last thing that needs any extra discourse, in this gilded age of cubicles, outsourcing, mercenary contractors, cuts in education, and the like.


But whatever the reason, Readers, Harrogate now triumphantly returns to the topic. Yes, he boisterously links to one of the last great bastions of Independent Thought in the Media, that Lion known as the Washington Times. Courtesy the equally trustworthy AP, the Times reported yesterday that:

Supporters of maverick Rep. Ron Paul who are organizing a rally as an alternative to the Republican National Convention are moving their crosstown event to a larger venue.

The Rally for the Republic featuring Paul _ the Texas conservative failed in his bid to win the GOP nomination for president _ is scheduled for Minneapolis' Target Center, home of basketball's Minnesota Timberwolves.

"Bah humbug!" quoth Minnehaha Republican Honcho Ron Carey. Or, to quote him directly:

The real action is going to be at the Xcel Center where one of the people who does have a chance to be president is going to be speaking and rallying the troops. When people come to St. Paul in September, they're not going to be focused on Ron Paul.

The Nader: 6 Percent and Rapidly Rising. But, Should His Voice Be Included in Debates?

He's so . . . well . . . ASSY. And, in so many ways. But yet, even challenging, let alone deconstructing, the real veracity of his actual politics is an enterprise to which our flacid Media are notably unequal. As they do in just about every substantive area, they simply choose to murder through omission.

Earlier this month, John Nichols had an interesting piece on The Nader, as well as other fringe candidates. The article provides an illuminating, if only cursorily so, glimpse at the state of multiparty politics in the United States.

Writes Nichols:

A striking 6 percent of Americans who are likely to vote this fall back an alternative candidate: Independent Ralph Nader. Another 3 percent back Libertarian Bob Barr.

Those are some of the highest percentages in years for independent or third-party candidates. And they matter, especially Nader's 6 percent.

And then there's this:

Will any independent or third-party candidate reach the 10 percent threshold this year? Nader appears to be best positioned to do so. Despite scant media attention, he has polled in the 4 to 6 percent range in several polls. Getting up to 10 percent will be hard. But as Obama softens his positions on civil liberties, political reform, trade policy, presidential accountability and ending the war -- issues on which Nader has long focused -- his prospects improve.

And one does not have to be a Nader supporter to hope, for the sake of democracy, that they improve sufficiently to earn him a place in the Google/YouTube debate and other fall matchups. And if Nader gets in, why not Barr and likely Green Party nominee Cynthia McKinney?

The only real quibble that emerges from Nichols' pro-republicanism piece is his assertion that Obama's positions have changed in the recent news cycle. But this is far, far more a reflection of the news cycle itself than of Obama, who has for the most part been pretty damned consistently honest about who and what he is. All pathetic gnashing of teeth in certain quadrants of the blogosphere notwithstanding.

Ok, I have a problem with this

This morning, while my students took an exam, I made use of my time by catching up on email and checking out some news sites and a few other sites that I tend to check out regularly. One sight was the NOW website. Let me begin by writing that I am becoming increasingly disillusioned with NOW, primarily because their brand of feminism is becoming dated. But that is a topic for another post.

This morning's annoyance comes from an analysis of the recent New York Times cover. Here is the article on NOW's site. I'm annoyed because this is the first time (at least that I can remember; I didn't troll the archives of the site to make sure I am indeed 100% correct) that NOW has offered analysis of the racism present in the Presidential Campaign. Until now, their analysis of the media has focused almost exclusively on sexism as it has been leveled against Hillary Clinton. To me this--the failure to recognize that racism and sexism are so often linked--demonstrates one of the primary problems with mainstream feminism, if NOW's brand of feminism can, in fact, be seen as mainstream.

"Shut the Fuck Up...It is Almost Over."

Megs and I went to see the Dark Knight this evening. And, during the climatic, existential fight scene between Batman and The Joker, a fight almost broke out to the left of us, with people screaming back and forth over who kicked whom and who did what to whom and why the value of the dollar is so low and whether or not the current credit crisis will drop us into a recession.... Oh wait. Only the kicking and screaming happened right at the point the Joker explained his actions, which I'll have to read on Wikipedia because I heard nothing else other then "You Been Kicking me all through the movie...." Of course, after hearing that, everyone understood why the person kicked all through the movie....

Then, the people in the front ("the kickees") left the theater only to return with a representative of the theater's management. The manager approach the alleged "kickers" and asked them to leave. Of course, the manager looked like a fool when the kicker said, "No" and the rest of the theater told manager and the petulant movie-goers to "Shut the Fuck Up" and "Shut the Fuck Up! It's almost over."

And tickets cost $10.75 a piece. And the popcorn was terrible; too salty, not enough butter, and it took 25 minutes to get it. And I never ate my peanut M&Ms.

Oh, and the movie. Incredible. Health Ledger's version of The Joker was one of the best movie villains, ever. No hype, or, all the hype is true. He made Anton Chigurh seem like Mary Poppins.

Of Crows, Ice Cream, and Wedding Rings: Jouissance, Assy McGee style

The more Harrogate sees of this blog, the more he likes it. Things keep going the way they're going, somebody's gonna get blogrolled.....

Vanity Fair's Response to the New Yorker; Or, Something To Do In Between Softball Games

This is Vanity Fair's current "cover", an overt parody of the now ubiquitously discussed New Yorker cartoon.

The editors write:

We here at Vanity Fair maintain a kind of affectionate rivalry with our downstairs neighbors at The New Yorker. We play softball every year, compete for some of the same stories, and share an elevator bank. (You can tell the ones who are headed to the 20th floor by their Brooklyn pallor and dog-eared paperbacks.)

And heaven knows we’ve published our share of scandalous images, on the cover and otherwise. So we’ve been watching the kerfuffle over last week’s New Yorker cover with a mixture of empathy and better-you-than-us relief.

One thing that's interesting about this, although nobody with any stroke at all outside of Ralph Nader would ever mention such a thing, is the idea of collusion between media outlets. Nay, did Harrogate say collusion? Better to say, when a small handful owns the whole shabang, you're gonna get the same tripe rolled out in slightly different packaging. When was the last time we were able to say the major television and print media did a legitimate service for the nation?

But those days are over. Once they got rid of who was by far the most liberal President in the post WWII Era, Richard Nixon (that's right, Tricky Dick), for being more overt about his criminality than other Presidents, that was pretty much it. From there on out it's been water-carrier city. Hello ditto-heads, and a carnivalesque homage about what a great servant ye were, when ye die. Etc.

But stay! lo and forsooth, enough of such things that Readers don't care about, and to the Cover itself.

Jeralyn at TalkLeft writes of the cover:

I think the VF cartoon is much gentler and less offensive than the New Yorker cartoon.

Also, the McCain cartoon has more truths: John McCain is old, Cindy McCain did have a love affair with pills (even though in the cartoon the pills she is holding are for her husband) and McCain does admire George Bush.

What would you have added to the McCain cartoon to clearly represent the "politics of fear"?

Well. Harrogate is going to, as someone said in Office Space, "GO AHEAD and disagree" with her premise. After all, there really isn't that much you can make up about McCain that is harsher than the truth of what he represents.

But soft! What's that? Jeralyn's deeper premise is right, though? Does Vanity Fair really have the gall to treat the burning Constitution as a caricature, after all we've already seen?

Okay, to Jeralyn's last question, Harrogate will answer. In truth they should have depicted, on a War Room type screen, an image of a huge crowd about to be landed upon by a nuclear warhead. Or, to make the same point, simply a picture next to the one of Bush, except this one depicting McCain having lunch and laughing it up with William Kristol.

But then, how far off would those images have really been?

At the End of Round One

Tobias- 1
Sweet Toddler J- 0

A Tribute to Paperweight, M, and Wildman; Or, Not-So-Happy Tuesday Music Tribute

A big "tip of the hat" to Paperweight, who loaned to me this weekend his copy of Alison Krauss and Robert Plant's Raising Sand. It's a wonderful album!

The clip below is a live performance of one of my favorite songs from the album, "Gone Gone Gone." Posting this particular song makes this otherwise happy tribute also equally heartbreaking, for it reminds me that Paperweight, M, and Wildman will soon, themselves, be "Gone Gone Gone." But only in physical proximity. We will not see them as often as we do now, but I know we will continue to meet often in the blogosphere, where we will no doubt laugh and argue as we do now (just as we continue to do with Solon and Megs after their departure).

Our friendship will last a very, very long time.

Poem for Tuesday: “Democracy,” by Langston Hughes

Democracy will not come
Today, this year
Nor ever
Through compromise and fear.

I have as much right
As the other fellow has
To stand
On my two feet
And own the land.

I tire so of hearing people say,
Let things take their course.
Tomorrow is another day.
I do not need my freedom when I'm dead.
I cannot live on tomorrow's bread.

Freedom
Is a strong seed
Planted
In a great need.

I live here, too.
I want freedom
Just as you.

Happy Monday Musical Tribute: "Jigsaw Falling Into Place"

Always, always the case that there is at least one Radiohead song which Harrogate cannot get out of his head. The current sublime tyrant is "Jigsaw Falling Into Place," off their spectacular and most recent offering, In Rainbows.

It's more the sheer sound of this song that haunts Harrogate. That opening riff just makes everything, ahem, fall into place


But as the lyrics ought not be denied their heft, Harrogate provides them below, as well.








"Jigsaw Falling Into Place"

Just as you take my hand
Just as you write my number down
Just as the drinks arrive
Just as they play your favourite song
As your bad mood disappears
No longer wound up like a spring
Before you've had too much
Come back in focus again

The walls abandon shape
They've got a cheshire cat grin
All blurring into one
This place is on a mission
Before the night owl
Before the animal noises
Closed circuit cameras
Before you're comatose

Before you run away from me
Before you're lost between the notes
The beat goes round and round
The beat goes round and round
I never really got there
I just pretended that I had
What's the point of instruments
Words are a sawed off shotgun

Come on and let it out
Come on and let it out
Come on and let it out
Come on and let it out

Before you run away from me
Before you start unravelling
Before you take my mic
Just as you dance, dance, dance

Jigsaws falling into place
There is nothing to explain
Regard each other as you pass
She looks back, you look back
Not just once
Not just twice
Wish away the nightmare
Wish away the nightmare
You've got a light you can feel it on your back
You've got a light you can feel it on your back
Jigsaws falling into place

A Word on the Flaming Sword Hasselbeck/Goldberg Thread; or, an Elaborate Reply to M

First, the issue for Harrogate is not so much that people came down on Hasselbeck per se. Second, Hasselbeck breaking into tears has nothing to do with Harrogate's argument, either. For that matter, it isn't even what made her, for Harrogate, seem more human than Goldberg.

The issue for Harrogate is this: What made Hasselbeck seem more human, as Oxymoron eloquently put it, is that she acknowledges a lack of understanding on what is, contrary to some recently expressed opinions, a very complex issue. Goldberg, on the other hand, drops all the glib talking points about "APPROPRIATION," as if that settles the matter. Maybe in a Graduate Theory Course that would settle it. But that's about it.

Indeed, m, Harrogate vehemently disagrees with your suggestion that there is ever a point in the clip previously shown, where Whoopi Goldberg and Elizabeth Hasselbeck occupy the same footing, attempting to "make themselves heard." Though Hasselbeck talks more, she shows a desire to listen throughout: Goldberg on the other hand through the whole clip is as static as a medical flatline, offering only the monolithic view which she frames as beyond dispute, and cetainly beyond dispute of anyone who is, gasp! White.

How dare a white person weigh in on this issue in a way that is not fawning?--Is this question the product of an understandable impulse? Of course it is. But how it is in any way good for debate, how it advances understanding, eludes reason. And of course that wretched tool, that enabler par excellance, Barbara Walters, is practically fanning her and feeding her grapes while she pontificates.


Supadiscomama pointed out recently that in the movie O, the modern day Othello figure tells his white girlfriend something to the effect of, "I can say Nigger. You can't. You can't even think that word." Again, understandable?--of course. But then, so too are many things understandable that we don't ultimately embrace. Shall we sympathize with O's effusion unproblematically? Does anything outside of absolute identity politics doctrine allow such a weird assertion to pass, uncriticized?


The problem is, again, Hasselbeck and Goldberg were arguing about something that is very complicated. Neither party is Obviously right. Yet on the recent thread we had the suggestion, by two different commenters, that the problem at hand was Hasselbeck's lack of education. The self-righteousness and smugness of which assertion, and most importantly the wrongness of which assertion to anyone not invested in a particular academic doctrine, is not to be missed.

So these things needed to be pointed out, and point them out Harrogate, in his own clumsy way, tried to do. It may well be that, as one commenter said, that the poster child for corporate greed and pampered vacuousness, Elizabeth Hasselbeck, needs to "get a clue." But then, by the same token, it is also the case that Goldberg's modes of argumentation are embarrassing to those of us identifying as three-dimensional liberal humanists, from sea to shining sea.

As for the assertion of departure by Anastasia, whose comments have of course been valued, and whose return we hopefully await. Harrogate, in short, hopes thicker skin prevails.

Finally, since it is so clear to so many on this Blog, Harrogate then could use some "splainin" by some of them, why exactly it is so obvious that there is no social harm done in the Idea of African Americans, among one another, keeping the word "nigger" alive and well.

On Rock of Love, Part Tres; Or, Does Anyone But P-Duck and Oxyfamily Care?

A few months ago, I offered my congratulations to Bret Michaels for finding his soul mate on Rock of Love II. Shortly thereafter I learned that a third installment of the series was planned, this time starring Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi fame. I intended to post this news on our award-winning blog, primarily for fellow Rock-ofLove-lover P-Duck. Alas, the post kept slipping my mind.

Well, yesterday I learned that Richie Sambora will not star in Rock of Love III. Instead, Bret will give it another go. Apparently, he and Ambre broke up. Rumor has it that his rock star lifestyle is to blame. So rather than find another soul mate who cannot cope with "life on the road," part tres will take place on a tour bus, to insure that the lucky girl understands the ins-and-outs (in-and-out, in-and-out, in-and-out, ahhhhh!) of Bret's life.

Happy Sunday Music Tribute

Well, this is not really a tribute. I was just watching VH1 Classic's Totally '80s and the following video played. I always laugh/cringe/hide when classic rock stars do things like this.

Odd Man Out + Baby

Oxybaby completed her second week of daycare this week. When I picked her up on Friday, she had an invitation to a birthday party for one of her schoolmates. Well, obviously Oxybaby and said acquaintance have not had ample time to form an everlasting friendship. This will take at least another five days. But she received the invitation just the same, as the daycare requires that no child in a particular class be excluded from events where other classmates are invited. Fair enough.

When I got home that evening, Mrs. Oxymoron was there. I told her about the party, and she simply reiterated the policy by which Oxybaby likely received her invitation. I then picked up the phone and called the child's mother to RSVP for Oxybaby and me. Mrs. Oxymoron gave me the strangest look, and when I got off the phone, asked if I was really going. "Sure," I said, "you'll be in Austin for a girls night out, and we've nothing better to do." She acknowledges the truth here, but still says it's a bit weird: "you don't even know these people, they don't even know you, and Oxybaby was only invited because everyone in her class was invited."

I just got back from the party. We were there for about forty minutes. And I will admit, it was a bit awkward. Everyone was nice, but I knew not a soul. And Oxybaby and the birthday boy didn't seem to know one other from Adam (a strange expression if you ask me). Perhaps I should have listened to the Mrs. But then again we got some cake. And Oxybaby loves cake. Although we could have purchased several cakes for the price of a birthday gift.

I should also add that Mrs. Oxymoron teased that I was going to the party to check out MILFs. No comment.

Happy Saturday Music Tribute

In honor of my first Neil Young album, 1972's Harvest, purchased just one day before the now-infamous and well-attended Pancake Sunday a few weeks ago. Here is a BBC performance of the first cut on the disc.

The Hasselbeck "Meltdown"

Harrogate finally decided to watch this clip, given the bruhaha. Now, he reports what he saw.

Many no doubt see it as the same old tired argument. And in a sense, it is. Why do African Americans say the "N-Word." The Moral and Intellectual Juggernaut known as "The View" (on television, perhaps only "The Situation Room" and "Hardball" surpass "The View" in terms of Moral and Intellectual Juggernautness) tackled precisely this, and the real showdown featured:

In The Blue Corner: A Caricature of Liberal Smugness and of Self-Righteous Identity Politics......

Whoopi Goldberg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And in the Red Corner: A bastion of spoiled, privileged white womanhood. She married a Quarterback! Her opinions really, really, really matter! But, the fly in her $3,000 a jar ointment? Blame America Firsters!!!!!

Elizabeth Hasselbeck!!!!!!!!!!!!


Between Goldberg's smugness and Hasselbeck's intellectual woodenness, this particular conversation didn't have much to recommend it going in. But then came Hasselbeck's "meltdown." This made an otheriwse banal experience suddenly a bit "worthwhile."

Harrogate's Verdict: The pampered one "wins" on account of seeming most like a human being in the clip.

And oh yeah. Barbara Walters is a tool.

What are Raisins, Alex?

Happy Friday Musical Tribute Redux; A Synthesis, and a Tribute to Larry "Thunder Mug" Craig

Because Harrogate's "Happy Friday Musical Tribute" Fell Short of Expectation...

I want to remind him that there's always tomorrow.

Happy Friday Musical Tribute

A great musical experience this fair Friday afternoon, as we ease into the weekend.

It has been more than a year since Roof Almighty introduced Harrogate to the music of Joanna Newsome. Let this also be, then, a Tip of the Hat to him.

Speaking of Bumper Stickers...

A bit of fun for you all:

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/05/21/100-bumper-stickers/

Obama/Hagel: The Rumor Just Won't Go Away

Fairly emblematic of Harrogate's despair at this election season is that, though this probably won't happen, if it did, the choice on Obama's part would not be at all out of character with the race he has run thus far.

That the idea is even floating out there, that one of Obama's surrogates if not (GASP) the candidate himself has not shot this down as silly, is itself something of a fitting "Fuck You" to the easily duped, and apparently entirely disposable progressive impulse in the United States of America.


Query: What will it take for political progressivism to get a fair shake in our electoral process? Is there any hope at all for such a phenomenon, in the foresseable future?

Morons in the Morning

Jamie Garrett and Brian Brown, also known as Those Guys in the Morning on Central Texas's Eagle 101.7, were discussing the many ways that all the other counties in the world suck. This talking point soon led the morning zoo dipshits to complain about all the people in America who complain about America. Their solution, of course, was "if you don't like America, if you don't like Texas, then get out."

Now this is where it gets really fun. During said discussion, they note that what really irritates them is when women complain. And here's why:

What do women have to complain about. It's not they're oppressed in America. Who cares if you make 75 cents for every dollar that a man makes. It's not like we tell you what to wear. Well, sometimes. It's not like we tell you what to think. Well, sometimes. If you think you have it so bad, try moving to Egypt or Iraq. You'll realize then how good you got it.

This is the first time that I've listened to this particular show. (The reception was bad on my usual morning show, the Dudley & Bob Show, on Austin's KLBJ FM.) But I don't think it will be the last time I flip over to this channel. "Those Guys" are addictive in there ignorance. This morning they also complained about Christian Slater being arrest a few years back for pinching a strangers ass in public. "He's a star, for crying out loud," they cried. "How far has political correctness gone when you can't even pinch a girl or cat-call her from a construction site without getting in trouble?"

The thing that bothers me most about the show and these sorts of on-air conversations is that the target audience of "Those Guys" are soldiers at Fort Hood in Killeen, TX. This is seen in their many discussions of things happening on base, and call-ins from people talking about military events in the area. Combine this with their macho, mans' man personae, and they do a great deal to promote and perpetuate the sexist, chauvinistic, and sometimes abusive culture of the military. The message is, if you want to be a man in a man's profession, then you need to act like this.

Why is masculinity so often displayed through misogyny? Man, I sound--. I mean: Person, I sound like a feminist.

A Thunder Mug Throwback Moment: And a Double Tip of the Hat

Harrogate heartily thanks Jeralyn at TalkLeft for calling public attention to this wondrous post by Crooks and Liars, in honor of which blog Harrogate not only Tips His Hat, but also hereby proclaims the accompanying caption: "Presented without Comment," to be class-A blogwriting.


Harrogate, ye will be kind enough to remember, posted copiously on Larry "Thunder Mug" Craig, when the iron was hot. Now the Senator testifies to the practical advantage of studying the principles of the Rhetorical Situation.

Harrogate's been looking for things to make him laugh out loud, lately. He needs it. This did it.

Wherein Harrogate Sees Oxymoron's "Nice Find," and Raises Him A Few Chipmunks

Speaking of Nice Finds. Harrogate was touring around some animated film Soundtracks, and realized the sublime, divine, soothing existence of Alvin and the Chipmunks' Cover of "Bad Day."

This aint bad, O Readers. Yea and verily, 'Taint bad at all. It does what a good cover must by definition do: capture the spirit of the song, but make it thine own.

A Nice Find...

from Charlie's record shop in Oklahoma City a few weeks ago. Bobbie Gentry's Ode to Billy Joe. Here's a clip of her performing the title track.

I saw a bumper sticker yesterday that said...

Monica Lewinsky's ex-Boyfriend's Wife for President

Funny.

Campaign Approved Jokes

The Borowitz Report received recently a list of "official Barack Obama" campaign jokes that comedians can incorporate into their routines. Since they are free, I will post them all:

Barack Obama and a kangaroo pull up to a gas station. The gas station attendant takes one look at the kangaroo and says, "You know, we don't get many kangaroos here." Barack Obama replies, "At these prices, I'm not surprised. That's why we need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil."

A traveling salesman knocks on the door of a farmhouse, and much to his surprise, Barack Obama answers the door. The salesman says, "I was expecting the farmer's daughter." Barack Obama replies, "She's not here. The farm was foreclosed on because of subprime loans that are making a mockery of the American Dream."

A horse walks into a bar. The bartender says, "Why the long face?" Barack Obama replies, "His jockey just lost his health insurance, which should be the right of all Americans."

Q: What's black and white and red all over?
Barack Obama: The New Yorker magazine, which should be embarrassed after publishing such a tasteless and offensive cover, which I reject and denounce.

A Christian, a Jew and Barack Obama are in a rowboat in the middle of the ocean. Barack Obama says, "This joke isn't going to work because there's no Muslim in this boat."

Okay, back to work. Kid B is on the way. Well, he/she will arrive sometime this summer. Maybe in two weeks, maybe in six. You can just never tell....

For Wild Man, Et Al

If I remember correctly, M mentioned that Wild Man loves Feist. Sweet J is over her lately, but I'm hoping this brings her back:

Jon Stewart on The New Yorker Piece

Just when Harrogate was starting to lose hope that he would see anyone on television say something about politics that makes good sense, he realized he'd forgotten about Jon Stewart.

If ye love Stewart, or have thought stuff about the New Yorker cover, this clip is definitely for ye.

This segment about the New Yorker fiasco hits on about twenty important truths about the current climate. Reminding us once again, that the truest and hardest hitting social critiques most often involve comedy.



Thanks, Jon. Harrogate needed that.

Because You Know He Reads All My Posts

A tip of the hat to Barack Obama, whose response to Larry King's question about the New Yorker cover directly addressed the insult to Muslim Americans:

You know, this is actually an insult against Muslim Americans, something that we don't spend a lot of time talking about. And sometimes I've been derelict in pointing that out. You know, there are wonderful Muslim Americans all across the country who are doing wonderful things. And for this to be used as sort of an insult or to raise suspicions about me I think is unfortunate. And it's not what America is all about.

In a previous post, I lamented the fact that this hadn't happened yet. I'm glad to see Obama relocated his manhood in time for my love to remain strong.

Time for Some Campaigning

Yeah, we've all seen the new JibJab video already, but it's damn funny. And I did a version in which I inserted Harrogate's photo and it was even better. Unfortunately, you can't post the personalized version.

The best line? "Like the change we must change to the change we hold dear."

Ode to M, Our Resident Feminist

Per your request...

Christian Values Trump Academic Freedom

When I work (when!), one can find me in Townsend Library at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. I do not attend this Baptist university; I just do my reading and writing there.

Earlier today, sitting in said library, I published a post on this blog about gay marriage in Massachusetts. As I prepared to write the piece, I ran a Google search to find the source story whose headline I saw earlier that morning at Starbucks. My first query did not return a link to the story I was looking for. But it did return a link to the following website: http://gaylife.about.com. I clicked on the link, as the two-line excerpt provided by Google looked interesting. To my surprise, I was not taken to to the website. Rather I was redirected to a page that said this:

Access Denied

Why has this site been blocked?

The content of this site may not meet UMHB's Christian principles and beliefs or it may violate University policy. Because of this, President's Council has determined that this site should be blocked in order to uphold these fundamentals.

. . .

Reason: The Websense category "Gay or Lesbian or Bisexual Interest" is filtered.

So much for academic freedom and critical inquiry.

I understand that the university doesn't want students surfing porn, but COME ON! This was a just a gay and lesbian website. I guess the Christians at this institution of higher learning don't want any opinions on gay marriage or homosexuality to be formed by sources other than the Bible.

Supadiscomama and Nightfox: Facets of Smoothness

To bookend megs' recent "Ode to Solon," Harrogate herein offers the following in honor of Supadiscomama.

Quoth George Clooney: How, O how, did François Toulour get through that laser field in the Great Hall?

Massachusetts: "Visit our bay; get married if gay"

I've heard some proponents of gay marriage claim that politicians largely oppose gay rights in an effort to protect the economic interests of their big-business supporters, most of whom do not want to contribute money for spousal benefits for same-sex couples. I've also heard that the federal government wants to save money by denying death benefits, social security benefits, tax-free inheritances, and joint tax filings to millions of homosexuals living together in monogamous relationships.

I don't know if these economic concerns really shape the moral positions that many of our politicians have on the issue, but it seems that economics is enough to overturn a Massachusetts law that prohibits the state from marrying out-of-state couples whose unions would not be legal in their home states.

According to the NY Times, Massachusetts has taken notice of the economic boost seen in California's tourism and wedding industries since the west-coast state invited out-of-state gay couples to "come and get married here" last month. Recognizing the potential economic benefits, Massachusetts will extend the same invitation to same-sex couples as California.

It's nice to see economic interests break down the walls of discrimination for a change.

An Ode to Solon

"Happening now: Somebody, somewhere, listening to 'Mambo No. 5.'"

Selling America by the Ounce; Or, What's Next, Apple Pie?

Today the undisputed King of Beers and most patriotic of all domestic brewing companies has given up its American citizenship.

Budweiser is now a Belgian beer!

Christina Aguilera, Patriot; Wherein Harrogate is Made That Much Stronger

For those who have been considering sitting out this coming election: your self-justification just got a lot more problematic thanks to one the great political thinkers of our era, Christina Aguilera.

Just watching this clip made Harrogate feel, as it were, that much stronger, and made him work a little bit harder, and made him that much wiser, so that he wants to thank her for making him a fighter. (The clip also, by the by, made Harrogate learn a little bit faster, made his skin a little bit thicker, and made him that much smarter.)

Goodnight Moon, George Bush and Parodies

Thanks to Lilian at Mama(e) in Translation for bringing Goodnight Bush to my attention. Since most of us who blog regularly at the Situation have children, I know we're all familiar with Goodnight Moon; it is certainly a favorite of Wild Man's. This parody made me laugh out loud, and I think I just might have to order a copy.

Texas Teens Like Sex

The Associated Press reports that a recent survey reveals that Texas high school students like to have sex.

Yes, it's true! Even though Texas spends more money than any other state on abstinence-only sex education programs (a whopping $17M), federal statistics show that 52.9% of Texas students in the ninth through twelfth grades have had sexual intercourse. This figure is 5% higher than the national average.

There is no word as to whether intercourse with sheep and various other livestock figure into the statistic.

Obama and Christianity

A lot has been made about Barack Obama's religious views and his use of religious rhetoric. I'd like to urge everyone to take a look at Newsweek's cover story this week: Obama's Christian Journey. I like this article a lot, but I'm not quite prepared to say why yet. I'm planning a longer post on it for later in the week, but in the mean time, I thought I'd take the time to share it with everyone who visits the Situation.