Quick Spins

This has been a good month for new music. Excellent albums by Rush and Joe Walsh have dominated my IPOD and stereo but there has also been some other interesting stuff entering the music sphere.

Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends- a compilation of tunes the FL boys have collabarated on with various artists. I found about half the songs to be kind of annoying but the softer ones are great little pieces of psychedlia. Plus, I just love the titles. Example: "I'm Working at NASA on Acid."

Chris Robinson Brotherhood- Big Moon Ritual: The newest non-Black Crowes effort by the band's lead singer. This is the kind of album you can't hurry...it just kind of moves along at it's own mellow, jam band pace. Kind of like the Grateful Dead with a Southern accent.

Smashing Pumpkins- Oceania: A good try and hopefully it will grow on me after a while. Interesting musically but I will never love Billy Corrigan's voice. I will say, however, that he doesn't sound so much like a tortured cat on this album.

Invasion? Sure, Why Not...

I thought the headline on this article was rather amazing. I mean, I try to be a mellow fellow but this is ridiculous.

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20120629/NEWS01/206290322/Most-Americans-OK-aliens-invading?nclick_check=1

Is John Roberts the New "Other"?

A Good Day For Human Decency

Rush Limbaugh said he may have to eventually move to Costa Rica because of the SC decision yesterday. Ironically, that's a country that offers universal healthcare.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/29/opinion/the-real-winners.html?_r=1&hp

Mittserable

Health care will be a fascinating part of the presidential debates. Hope Mitt can keep track of what he really believes.

YES!!!!!!!!!!

Papers Please

I've never understood how a cop in Arizona is supposed to do their job in a "colorblind" fashion. Is everybody in that state expected to carry proof of citizenship at all times now?

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2018535798_parker27.html

Supremely Funny

David Letterman's "Top Ten Things You May Not Know About The United States Supreme Court" 10. For summer promotional campaign, it's been renamed the Taco Bell Big Beef Supreme Court 9. Public courtroom seating has a two-drink minimum 8. Under rare circumstances, decision is handed down based on applause 7. Court mascot "Supreme Kurt" is available for parties and corporate events 6. Prior to oral arguments, the justices spend 15 minutes discussing "Hot Topics" 5. Court basement features an indoor gavel range 4. Thanks to grass-roots Internet campaign, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will host "Saturday Night Live" 3. For the last two weeks, Chief Justice John Roberts has been out on jury duty 2. Fridays are "robe optional" 1. Antonin Scalia: Vampire Hunter

Smart Pandering, Dumb Pandering

Recently both the president and Mitt spoke to the same group of Latino voters. The president had taken action to keep Latino young people from being unfairly deported. Mitt talked about how his dad was born in Mexico. Is it any wonder Obama has sucha big lead with this part of the electorate? http://www.azcentral.com/12news/news/articles/2012/06/25/20120625obama-latino-voters.html

Suddenly Silent

I will confess, I was wrong to blame George Bush and Dick Cheney when the price of gas spiked during the time they were in power. When will a Republican politician come forward and take back their wild eyed conspiracy theory about Obama's energy policy? http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/06/25/505369/with-gas-prices-expected-to-drop-below-3-republicans-suddenly-silent-on-obamas-role/

The GOP Health Plan

I was watching MSNBC this morning and Chuck Todd was talking to GOP Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn. He was asking her what the Republicans will recommend if the Supreme Court throws out Obamacare. It was very telling...it seemed like her reply was just a vague jumble of the usual GOP buzzwords: "individual", "freedom", "marketplace", "choice". In other words, the Republicans could care less about this problem and will never really make any effort to fix it.

Mitt Romney, Outsourcer

Romney's one big talking point is that he was a successful businessman and knows how to create jobs. The question is, how many of those jobs ended up being done in this country? http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/romneys-bain-capital-invested-in-companies-that-moved-jobs-overseas/2012/06/21/gJQAsD9ptV_story.html?hpid=z1

Do the Math

This is one big reason Bloomberg shows Obama has a 13 point national lead over Romney. http://miami.cbslocal.com/2012/06/19/poll-64-of-likely-voters-support-obamas-immigration-policy/

The DREAM Act is Mitt's Nightmare

The president has done a nice job of putting Romney in a no-win position when it comes to the Latino community. http://www.thenation.com/blog/168451/romneys-latino-problem

A Big Question

If the Supreme Court says Obamacare is constitutional will it make a big difference as far as the presidential election? How about if they vote against it?

Romney's Accidental Moment of Truth

Mitt recently made a speech where he really told us what the Republicans have planned...letting us go unprotected, letting our property burn and letting our kids go uneducated. Just the sacrifices that need to be made so the rich can get richer and buy more car elevators and dancing horses. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/15/opinion/krugman-we-dont-need-no-education.html?ref=opinion

It's Painfully Obvious

Anything To Win

What made Mitt Romney change his mind about climate change? http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-romney-energy-20120613,0,1068265.story

Pure Pleasure

Life is full of problems but sometimes you just have to focus on what makes you happy. Here's my favorite band playing a great cut off their great new concept album "Clockwork Angels".

A Mitt Minute

The title refers to the amount of time it takes Romney to change his mind on any particular subject. http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/06/12/498019/romney-teachers-absurd/

America the Colorful

I've watched America become less and less "white oriented" during my lifetime. Food is a good way to measure the changes. I remember the first time I had Chinese food and pizza and tacos. They made me happy and gradually made me more accepting of the cultures they came from. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/baby-boomers-had-better-embrace-change/2012/06/08/gJQAwe5jOV_story.html?hpid=z3

Good Old Joe

I'm really enjoying the new Joe Walsh album "Analog Man". He's funny, heartfelt, wise and still plays a mean geetar.

The Right Thing To Do

I really appreciate these Republican officials doing the right thing in Florida. http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/06/08/496677/30-elected-florida-republicans-stop-rick-scotts-voter-purge/

A Louder Voice

People say donating money to campaigns (or now super PACs)is a type of free speech. Is it okay for folks like the Koch brothers to have a voice that's four hundred million times louder than yours or mine? Is this the kind of democracy you learned about growing up? http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Robert-Reich/2012/0606/In-the-age-of-super-PACS-campaign-dollars-are-becoming-harder-to-trace

I Am the Middle Class

It will be interesting to see what happens in Wisconsin today. I think a lot of people don't realize what an important role unions played in the formation of the middle class in this country. I retired from a union job last October. I worked for the company thirty years and each month paid around thirty dollars a month in union dues. I had excellent medical benefits the whole time I was there. Nobody in my office ever got laid off (all reduction was done thru voluntary retirement incentives)and now I get a decent monthly pension payment for the rest of my life. Other people my age are amazed I could retire at the age of 54. They act like I was able to pull off some kind of magic trick or maybe I won a really small lottery. But all I did was join a union when I was 24 and stood with my fellow workers. The company has prospered, the workers have prospered and telecommunications in this country have improved rapidly over the years. Everybody has won. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/05/opinion/nocera-turning-our-backs-on-unions.html?_r=1