Login HereI'm going to preface this by saying that I'm not a John Mayer fan. But this song keeps coming on the radio in the car at just the right times. Maybe it's something in the lazy, heavy-lidded arc of the guitar riff. Maybe it's the resignation and weariness tinged with hope in the lyrics.
I wrote an angry letter to NPR today. I asked what they're thinking having Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Tom Tancredo, Dinesh D'Souza, Josh Bolten (twice!), and Jeff Sessions (R-Dumbfuckistan) on in one 24-hour period. I felt like I was listening to ClearChannel. I mean, fucking Dinesh D'Souza?! People will swear up and down to you that NPR has a "liberal bias", but I listen to it all day every day and the big news magazines, All Things Considered and Morning Edition are anything but liberal. They're more like center right. I mean, they've had RICH LOWRY on to comment on the Fitzgerald grand jury investigation. RICH LOWRY? I mean, why not just put a pumpkin on a stool and ask it questions?
Right-wing pundits like to make a lot of noise about the "marketplace of ideas", the "culture war", "ideological clashes", and the "war of ideas", but basically all that ever amounts to is buying up all the media outlets and shouting down all opposition. We've got a long way to go, but at least I know that all the really smart people are on our side.
"Belief"
Is there anyone who
Ever remembers changing their mind from
The paint on a sign?
Is there anyone who really recalls
Ever breaking rank at all
For something someone yelled real loud one time
Everyone believes
In how they think it ought to be
Everyone believes
And they're not going easily
Belief is a beautiful armor
But makes for the heaviest sword
Like punching under water
You never can hit who you're trying for
Some need the exhibition
And some have to know they tried
It's the chemical weapon
For the war that's raging on inside
Everyone believes
From emptiness to everything
Everyone believes
And no ones going quietly
We're never gonna win the world
We're never gonna stop the war
We're never gonna beat this
If belief is what we're fighting for
What puts a hundred thousand children in the sand
Belief can
Belief can
What puts the folded flag inside his mother's hand
Belief can
Belief can
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oh lord…
I got EPU’d for sure!
wontcha buy me a mercedes-benz
friday cat blogging
wow.
great lyrics.
NPR also has what’s her face, Mara something or other, as their regular commentator. She’s a Pox News slag….
“Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothin’ to kill or die for
And no religions too . . .”
America blog has a bit about Clinton looking to sue ABC for attempting to re-air the Path to 9/11.
What the hell would they do that for?
And, Comedy Central is predicting that Cheney will resign and Rice will step into the veep slot. How nice to be that much closer to her husband!
NO FUCKING SHIT!!! THAT’S WHAT I HAVE BEEN THINKING FOR WEEKS.
(YES, I KNOW I AM SHOUTING)
This I believe. TRex.
About 20 years ago, we had a revolt at our public radio station. That was during the Reagan years when they tried to have all the stations do NPR news and classical music only.
We won that battle. They don’t f*ck with the listeners here any more.
twolf-great cat video. I love it!
momly @ 8
Maybe they’re hoping the low ratings were a Labor Day thing and not a sucky piece of propaganda shit thing? They’re wroooooong.
I wondered about that scenario when Bush moved Negroponte to State. I would take no joy in being right. (But the confirmation hearings might be fun!)
I stopped listening to NPr except on weekends, because I like this American Life.
has a bit about Clinton looking to sue ABC for attempting to re-air the Path to 9/11.
What the hell would they do that for?
And, Comedy Central (sorry can’t find the link Insider something) is predicting that Cheney will resign and Rice will step into the veep slot. How nice to be that much closer to her husband!
And, Comedy Central is predicting that Cheney will resign and Rice will step into the veep slot. How nice to be that much closer to her husband!
But what would her children think?!?? Oh wait…
bonkers @
6
Mara Liason. She was actually NPR before she was Fox.
Comedy Central Insider link
Americablog link
Patrick 4/4 @ 16
Ah, chicken or egg…Whenever I hear her, she seems like a good ol’ Rupert trooper.
bg,
Was that KUNM?
Hey, kids. Had to step away for a bit, but I’m back.
I really didn’t know I liked John Mayer until I heard this song.
Member stations are giving away clutching-pearls as premiums this week.
The whole damn “Crossing the Divide” series was an exercise in phony centrism. I couldn’t decide which was quicker - turning off the radio or crashing my car.
NPR=National Public Relations
bonkers @
22
Nice Polite Republicans.
TRex @ 23
That’s a rare breed
Here’s a scary list: 28 senators who on Wednesday voted “yea” to a Wayne Allard amendment that would have eliminated the federal minimum wage. Note that the list includes no less than TWO Republican presidential contenders…one of them John “‘Common Sense Conservative’ Means I Play to Lose” McCain.
Alexander (R-TN)
Allard (R-CO)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burr (R-NC)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Craig (R-ID)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Graham (R-SC)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagel (R-NE)
Hatch (R-UT)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Lott (R-MS)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Sununu (R-NH)
Thomas (R-WY)
Well, let’s not overlook the Nice Polite Republican stylings of Mrs. Cokie Roberts this morning, waxing poetic about the Good Ol’ Days in Washington, when all the little Congressional children played together on the veranda.
What’s Two-Buck Chuck doin’ there?
Hagel (R-NE)
him.
twolf1 @
4
Thanks for that great link! I loved it.
p.s. TRex- you listen to NPR all day every day? I just find that hard to believe. ;)
Actually I only listen to NPR on weekends for “Wait Wait Don’t Tell me” and “Car Talk”. I may be a girl but I am a Click and Clack fan.
Shorter Cokie: “Stop all that infernal bleating, Sheep! Just shut up and let the nice Wolf eat you!”
NPR = Nice Polite Republicans. C’mon, T, don’t try to tell us you’ve never heard that one before.
The two best reasons to have your iPod hard-wired into your car stereo are “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered.”
Bruce (Cockburn, that is) speaks for me:
If I had a rocket launcher
I would retaliate.
P.S. If there are any Crowded House fans out there, and you haven’t heard the news, you’ll want to be sitting down.
They’re back.
Okay, well not all day. But given that I host All Things Considered every weekday, my knowledge of it is pretty extensive.
EvilDrPuma @ 25
Hey Dr.Evil! great minds think alike. If TRex got my (semi) incomprehensible email w/ a suggestion for Late Nite, he can confirm that I too have been on the case.
EEEEEEEEEEE!1 I love Crowded House.
Something so strong,
Could carry us away.
Something so strong
Could carry us todaaaaaaay…
Sandia Blanca @ 26
My kid is 18 and is still not allowed to play with republicans. Too scary.
Margot @
19
Yes.
I live near Sacramento and I am blessed with two progressive radio stations. I pretty much only listen to NPR for “Car talk” and “Wait, Wait-Don’t Tell Me.”
As for John Mayer, don’t sell him short. His song-craft and guitar work are first-rate in an age of sampling and hip-hop booty-worship crapola. Maybe not the greatest vocalist in the world, but a tremendous talent nonetheless. Musicianship is underappreciated and in short supply these days in the world of pop-music. John Mayer is certainly among the best of a very bad lot IMHO.
Sandia Blanca @ 26
Ugh, that was so bad. She was basically saying “I remember the good ole days when women and minorities had no political power, and all the white men got along so well.” It was THAT nauseating.
TRex @
20
he’s a fairly good popster with a flair for the hook, a bit “breath-y” for my taste. if nothing else, he should get high props for penning “Your Body is a Wonderland”.
This cut reminds me of Jonny Lang; doesn’t have the vocal power, but the same kind of bluesy feel.
[Sh*t. I just realized my son could be a Jonny Lang in a few short years; he’s digging learning about the blues.]
TRex @ 32
!!! I didn’t know that!!! I knew you had a late nite musical gig with that classical stuff… BTW, I was not, NOT at ALL, doubting your familiarity with the NPR oeuvre (I mean, like, OMG, I know that’s your DAY JOB), jus’ nigglin’
***!!!Rawrr!!!*** ***!!Chomp, Chomp, Chomp!!***
What had !El Gato Negro! fuming and clawing up the drapes was the fact that Nice Polite Republiculos put el Puerco Grande on the air as part of their bullsheet “Crossing the Divide” Bipartisansheep wank-a-thon.
Joo see, according to NPR, Bipartisansheep ees such an objective good that eef joo can no see eet’s benefits, well then, joo are exactly the same as Limbaugh.
Pfui, stupid and transparent, that’s NPR for joo.
!Pfui!
twolf1 @ 4
Have you seen the website, Stuff on my cat?
Kinda funny. (not todays pictures, btw. Click on the stuff on the right.)
http://www.stuffonmycat.com/
Excellent post and subject, Dinodog.
Lotsa doggies love NPR. I listen. I’ve been listening since May, 1971, when NPR came to Seattle on KUOW with ATC. I was Music/News Director at KRAB during that time, and the Program Director wanted us to start playing ATC at 11:00 a.m., when we could play the live feed, beating KUOW by 5 hours.
Late summer of ‘71, at a board of directors meeting, it came to a vote. At the time CPB (Corp. for Public Broadcasting) actually paid stations money to carry ATC and some other programs. Now, of course, you pay them. But the first hit was better than free.
At the board meeting, I was part of the faction which held that NPR program rules for participants would eventually help destroy small, independent listener-supported radio stations. But KRAB had a cash flow program, and we needed $ to support our “War Report,” which was some of the best Vietnam war reporting on the air. The winning side argued that NPR would surely pick up some of our war reports. They never did.
I’ve watched how, since then, our faction turned out to be right. I began to become a fairly ardent critic of NPR during the first Gulf War, especially after their reporting of the supposedly erroneous bombing of a civilian bomb shelter in Bagdhad, which probably killed almost a thousand innocents.
Sure enough, NPR homogonized public radio. KRAB and all the stations in its network except Portland’s KBOO eventually died. Along with hundreds of others.
@Trex @34:
Then I guess we’ll be seeing you at Coachella this year. They’ll be playing there on Sunday (April 29). Tickets go on sale at 10:00 pacific time tomorrow.
I assume you’ve grabbed the DVD of the Sydney Opera House farewell show from 1996, which came out a couple of weeks ago. Un-flippin’-believable!
Valley Girl @ 33
And so do we!
Rayne @ 40
Hey gang, great cat video, and as for the Crowded House return news I must say I wasnt much of a fan when they were first getting big but theyve grown on me over time. I for one welcome our new old Aussie overlords.
As for your son learning about the blues, get thee to a record store and buy up everything Robert Johnson did, lock the kid in a room for a month with a guitar and amp, those CDs you bought and a CD player and you will have the next Johnny Lang.
oregondave @
7
Well.. there’s always presidential candidate Tom Tancredo (R-Klan)’s solution to the religion bit..
2005 radio show:
“Tancredo: ….Well, what if you said something like — if this happens in the United States, and we determine that it is the result of extremist, fundamentalist Muslims, um, you know, you could take out their holy sites . . .
Campbell: You’re talking about bombing Mecca.
Tancredo: Yeah. ….. “
Shorter Cokie: “Things were just so much more civilized back then, dearie.”
So George W. Bush got a grammar lesson: he’s no longer “The Decider,” he is now “The Decisionmaker.”
That’s The Decisionmaker.
This pronouncement flies in the face of the U.S. Constitution. It declares that the Congress elected by the people of the United States has no power to make decisions about how our government is to function. They can meet, they can debate, they can argue, but they cannot decide anything. Forget any notion of co-equal branches of government.
Listen, Junior:
The Congress makes the laws and controls the purse strings. It declares war, among many other powers. It decides what is supposed to happen in our government.
The president executes the laws. That means he is supposed to do what Congress tells him to do.
The Supreme Court interprets the laws. It decides what Congress meant when it enacted laws, and whether those laws are constitutional.
It decides whether what the president decides to do is lawful or constitutional. On occasion, if you have forgotten, Mr. Bush, it decides who is to become president.
The decisionmaker should decide to start listening to the decisions that Congress and the Supreme Court make, and act accordingly.
John Dean on KO now.
[Mod note; bold tag closed]
neurophius @ 50
Close that tag!
Rayne @ 40
Jonny Lang- our hometown kid.
Well, the wankers totally have taken over the airwaves, and public air–since the Newtie years, they have been moving ever rightward.
You know, Cathie Martin’s husband, Colin Powell’s son, and all their cooterie. Icky.
Got it.
When you bring the house down, I hardly know
Which way is up and which way down,
People are strange, God only knows,
I feel possessed when you come round.
My favorite Crowded House song.
The Battle of News Orleans V. 2.0
by
Traitor Joe and Teh Homeland Droogeez:
http://media-newswire.com/release_1042153.html
http://www.nola.com/newsflash/.....thispage=2
NOLA AUSA random cases 2006:
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/lae/press/index.html
http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/pap.....o-drop.php
That last one is by Gonzo and Teh Moot NSA.
————-
Gonzo has visited lots of big cities since the election. High murder/gang violence. Miami, Boston, Phily, LA. Much more of this to come.
[Big cities = Dem votes.]
In NOLA = one.
———-
and who is handling Rep. Jefferson and the evidence from his House Office.?
—
Something is up.
DR. Evil- Ha! Great minds link alike (and so do we)..LOL My comment with link:
http://www.firedoglake.com/200.....ent-476592
Later comment by cp: http://www.firedoglake.com/200.....ent-476671
~~Most of them from States where the law actually would make a difference for those working at or near the current Minimum. These states have their own minimums far behind the proposed Federal level.
Imagine working a 40-hour week and getting paid less than $8,000! I guess these Republicans think that that’s more than enough to live on!
For the record, those running for reelection in 2008 are Alexander, Bennett, Chambliss, Cochran, Cornyn, Craig, Enzi, Graham, Hagel, Inhofe, McConnell and Sununu. Toss in Brownback, and McCain for those who will have to defend how their actions are “Family-Oriented” and for the “working class”.
~~
Fini FiniTOOBZ! >
Every Saturday & Sunday evening from 6:00PM until 12:00AM Pacific be sure & stream KPLU for blues.
“The inaudible and noiseless foot of Time” - William Shakespeare
!El Gato Negro! @ 42
Valley Girl @ 57
I had a feeling.
EvilDrPuma @ 60
I thought that this might catch TRex’s attention, bec. two of the Senators who supported the Allard ammt. are from Georgia. (Or maybe this was just old news).
My senators suuuuuuuuck.
Valley Girl @ 61
On the other hand, it’s just par for the course for the likes of Chambliss and Isakson. And how about the Christian compassion of the Utah vote?
Fri 26 Jan 2007
20.55 Los Angeles
What a relief to read this; I’ve felt completely out of touch even w/ my ‘liberal’ friends because no one seems to notice this. PBS is at least as bad, witness yesterday’s Newshour: the newspaper editor group talk, a more or less regular feature ostensibly representing a ‘balanced’ swath in the middle of the spectrum, featured 1) The Atlanta Journal Constitution; 2) The Chicago Tribune; and 3) The Mobile Press Register. In short, NPR and PBS are only marginally less right wing than the rest of corporate media… and just as coopted.
El Gato,
Does ‘wank-a-thon’ translate to Espanol?
no NPR here ever … BBC streamed overnight for news that acknowledges more of the world and local hiphop on the rare occasion I’m in the car … better for my blood pressure
My father gave the prayer to Congress: Tip O’Neill and I were in the same discrist.
Siun @ 66
The BBC isn’t perfect, but it’s a damned sight better than any American broadcast news for global coverage.
I don’t listen to NPR anymore. I listen to Air America, using my FM to capture the satellite feed. Some of their hosts grate on me after awhile, e.g. Randi, but I listen as a matter of principle. If we don’t support progressive talk, tell me who will????
El Gato, does ‘wank-a-thon’ translate to Espanol?
Badly…si,
as “La Fiesta de los Frotaconados”.
so.
Maldito comment theengy.
Frotacionados.
so.
NPR sacrificed Ray Suarez to CPB. it’s been all downhill since, but I confess that it’s what’s on my car radio when not driving the kidz, listening to their hippity-hop (avg. commute: 10 min.)
Blank Kludge @ 56: Something is up.
Of course. Doesn’t New Orleans have something to do with oil?
I think we ought to phone into Click and Clack, and ask them about the problem of the wheels coming off on the repug / NPR bus, and if they can trace this to the root problem. (I hope I am correct in quoting Montag on this quip- it’s hard to be thrown under the bus when the wheels are coming off). But, I did start to wonder how many wheels that bus has… wheels within wheels…
Listen to this John Mayer song.
http://profile.imeem.com/zn0q4.....w/gravity/
A lot like Martin Sexton. btw, if you have never heard MArtin Sexton, you’re missing out BIG TIME.
Pardon the Blogwhoring, but….
The Decisionmaker decides to listen to The Leaders.
TRex @ 62
Mine also suuuuuuuuuk.
!El Gato Negro! @ 70
Gracias. I’ll save some extra hierba de los gatos para ti.
Fortunately, mine don’t suck. I have FINEGOLD!!!! and Kohl, although the latter does not seem to do much. At least he doesn’t do too much harm.
“RICH LOWRY? I mean, why not just put a pumpkin on a stool and ask it questions?” (HeeheeheeHahahahahahah…. )
Or, speaking of pumpkins, Tim Russert?
punaise @
39
Love that. Also, “Waiting for the world to change.” Been doing a lot of that.
I have been an NPR listener since long before my son was born, and he’s in college. In recent years I am turning more to the internet, disappointed with the apparent NPR scramble toward a safer perch, where it will not be taking so many potshots from wingnuts who think that Mara Liasson is evidence of liberal bias.
I think it was Valley Girl who asked about the MSNBC poll to impeach Bush.
Here’s the link
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10562904/from/ET/
Looks like it’s still at 87% say yes to impeachment.
Vaguely OT or not, but I just stumbled across this post and I’m recommending it. I feel like I learned something.
Leaders vs. Climbers
Valley Girl @ 74
Sadly, no. It wasn’t mine (wish it had been, though :) ).
joysness @ 81
Yep, I eventually found the link. I think that the poll has closed. I was probably among the last to vote, and IIRC, the number of voters did not change a lot after I voted. I thought that the numbers might change after the Left Coast weighed in.
El Gato,
Here might be George W. Bush stumping for the Hispanic vote:
“Lemee ’splain that the Mexican language is an some ways s’perior to ‘merican. For example, in ‘merican there is no word that rhymes with “orange.” Thats unfortunate and a shame-a durn shame. Now in Mexican “orange” is “naranjo.” I understand that ’cause I speak Mexican. Now “naranjo” has many words in Mexican that rhyme with it and as your commander in chief have been bestown the honor in latin ‘merica of “Pendejo,” which rhymes with “naranjo.” Anyways, it’s why I bought that rancho in Paraquay so I can be “Pendejo mas grande.” Mexican compliment I’m told.
montag @ 83
Are you sure? Possibly you don’t remember because you had so many other matters of national importance on your mind. Sure sounded like something you would have penned, tho.
Rushton @ 85
So funny… I think Hugh would appreciate.
Now I’m listening to MArtin sexton. found a few live shows on archive.org.
http://www.archive.org/details/ms2000-12-01.shnf
www.martinsexton.com
check him out. seriously. especially if you ever have the chance to see him live.
Rushton @ 84
hehe.
Rushton @ 85
I have the feeling that most of George’s Spanish was learned in whorehouses in Nuevo Laredo. He probably would know, for that reason, the meaning of pendejo. :)
Rushton,
muy divertido, I weel share eet weeth los gatos atzlanos of my acquaintance.
I am after all, Catalan, from Catalonia that ees, although I take no offense or displeasure at jour inability to place my accent, eet ees difficult to prehend een textual form, no?
so.
montag @ 89
If that’s true, I hope he didn’t pass a little sumthin extra onto Condi-nasty…ewww….
Continuing my coverage of NPR 34 years ago -almost to the week:
NPR refused to air two or three of my own reports on the Vietnam War. They were mild tidbits, like interviewing businessmen outside what was then the biggest building in Seattle, a bank across from the library, the day the Pentagon papers were released about the businessmen’s attitudes. But the story that was so good I wish I had the tapes, was a multi-part radio documentary on Operation Linebacker, called “Air War.” We aired and syndicated it in early 1973.
It culminated with a series of interviews. Our War Report reporters discovered a group of Scandinavian and Soviet doctors and nurses were going to have an overnight stopover in Vancouver, BC on their way back from Hanoi/Haiphong to their places of work. I was already in Vancouver, interviewing a Chinese musician from the PRC for what would be the first on-air interview of a PRC artist in the US.
Karen and Roy came up and I watched and did some recording setup help as they interviewed a succession of medical professionals who hade endured weeks of the bombing. Some had been there throughout.
What they described was a horrendous war crime. The height of “Linebacker” or “Nixon’s Christmas,” as they called it, was a cluster bombing campaign in suburbs of Hanoi and Haiphong which either didn’t have adequate civil defense facilities or where the facilities were degraded. Thousands of tons of a new type of cluster bomb were dropped in these civilian areas.
The bomblets were shrouded in magnesium. Inside, magnesium, phosphorus and little fiberglass shards and balls were packed around an explosive core. When the bomblets exploded, the combination of stuff would enter and get on the skin of human bodies. But the fiberglass shards and balls, driven sometimes inches under the skin, didn’t show up on contemporary imaging devices.
Doctors had to excavate and search for whatever was causing hemmhorage, creating more internal bleeding. The doctors claimed this was intentional and that it worked. They stated the Vietnamese doctors, exhausted and demoralized by continuous work in the trauma centers, pled with the leadership to find a way to stop this.
We were Americans interviewing people who clearly hated what our country was doing. I’ll never forget the way they looked at us.
Driving back to Seattle the next evening, I heard a Vancouver radio station playing Shostakovich’s 8th string quartet, partially about the Allied bombing of Dresden in February 1945. I’ve seldom cried so hard or so long.
NPR practically hung up on Roy and Karen as they tried to sell the program to ATC. ATC suggested toning it down and making 5 minutes – we’d already pruned the report considerably for NPR– to 90 seconds (!!!). They still refused it. Even Pacifica only ran part of the series.
http://profile.imeem.com/Kywei.....about_you/
Play this one.
mhpcr @ 67
Hi, I grew up across Mass Ave from Tip’s home in Cambridge. You?
Ed*ard Teller @ 93
Wow.
Just dropped in to say that, as someone who takes his rock guitar playing and players pretty seriously and critically, in my not so humble opinion, young Mr. Mayer has clearly gone to school and learned.
He’s sadly destined to be the rock Vince Gill. Don’t get me wrong, Vince is a great, if somewhat sappy singer, and a truly nice man. But how many folks out there know that he’s a really great guitarist?
Yeah, that’s what I thought.
ET- you continue to amaze me. Glad you stuck it out after your (long time back) initial rocky reception at FDL. Yes, I do have a good memory!
Hey SteveAudio! What you been up to?
SteveAudio @ 97
We are definitely on the same wavelengths brother, I’ve been saying this about Vince Gill for years and people just look at me like I said aliens walk amongst us. He really is a good guitar player.
I dont care for John Mayer myself, just not my cuppa tea. But I do recognize from this video here that he does have some talent in the pickin department. I may have to give him a second chance. Maybe his non radio stuff has redeeming value.
SteveAudio @ 97
I kinda did. My country lovin’ neighbor brings it over and makes me ape it on my ‘67 Gibson. My brother and I both both admire and despise Mayer. ahh. yes 2 boths.