40 years ago this weekend. Santana.

Best drum solo ever.

Woodstock Nation. Best people ever.

,nother great job by Rachel. Liked how she challenged that PR firm to contact her if they think she said something wrong instead of just handing out memos

Don’t forget, she’s going to be on Press the Meat this week opposite Dick (a name given by God!) Armey. I may break my rule about never watching the Sunday Morning Gasbags to catch her…

It is time to water the caduceus. No wonder that darn thing has snakes.

From Saturday’s Sibel Edmonds deposition.

One female Representative, said to be a Democrat and still serving in the House, was described, but not named, as having been “hooked” by Turkish agents into participating in a lesbian affair which is said to have been videotaped for potential blackmail use against the sitting Congresswoman….

Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-IA) claims that President Obama told him “he’s willing to be a one-term president if that’s what it takes to get health care and energy reform,” reports Radio Iowa.

Said Boswell: “The president (said), ‘I’m not going to kick the can down the road.’ And he said that and I said, ‘Well, that’s something I’m kind of used to from southern Iowa, you know. I know about kicking the can down the road.’ And he said, ‘No, if it makes me a one-term president, I’m going to, we’re going to take it on because the country is in need of us taking this on.’ I respected that very much.”

No way, no one played like Ginger Baker or Keith Moon.

Now is the chance for famililes of the WTC victims to depose Sibel Edmonds.

The problem with Obama’s gesture is if he’s a 1 term president, we get someone like Huckabee or Romney.

It’s not like we’re picking between Nixon (who expanded welfare and Social Security) and McCarthy anymore.

Thanks for the heads up. It’s about time we begin to understand that these Temper Tantrums that are being held across the country in lieu of Town Hall Meetings, are not just about some poor slobs who are sadly misinformed. That logic gets us to a conversation — these people don’t want a conversation, they’re at war.

Where are our ads countering this fear mongering with some of our own? I’m thinking something along the lines of groups of men in camo hiding out in the woods shooting at federal agents and shouting “we don’t want no stinking gummint.”

Right on.

Met Moon once at a party at Mayall’s house. World class asshole. He had a jacket pocket full of various pills and was handing them out like candy. Was taking women into the bathroom for a snort that turned out to be pcp. Mayall threw him out.

Can’t wait to see fight of a lifetime….Huckleberry vs Palin. It should play well on SNL. heh

Is Suzy Welch becoming a regular guest on Morning Joe a form of affirmative action?

Why not ask a question concerning corporate “tax exempt/public charity status” enjoyed by Kaiser, BCBS, and many “”tax exempt”” corporations within the health services? SO how can a insurer like BCBS deny coverage and services under the color of law and be considered a public charity, with corporate tax exempt status? This is a racket enabled by state’s rights in this matter sure as state’s rights was the battle cry for those seeking to continue slavery for self interests and economic benefit at the expense of life and liberty. “Leveraged Corporate Servitude,” under the color of law is slavery and is the enemy from within! Corporate identity and corporate control of government was never mentioned at Gettysburg, during Lincoln’s address? Why not Willie Horton the health insurers. The facts are there??

Yes, it’s Morning Joe’s way of reaching out to the trophy wives, America’s most unfortunate demographic.

So do you think Obama’s statement (which most of us have heard him make)is just hubris; i.e., that he’s so confindent that the Republicans can only put up obvious losers, that he can say/do whatever he wants?

No, I just wonder about the strategy. I’d rather have a 2nd term moderate Obama than a batshit crazy Huckabee.

She was so totally off the cuff and low key in the way she stuck the shiv in…..the woman does snark to perfection!

Okay, thanks. I once thought, “Let the idiots nominate that B-movie actor. Bring him on!”

It looks like, unless O changes his ways, he may well get his one-term wish. I have no intention of voting for him next time if he keeps on the same path.

When Rachel laid out the anti-Health-Care-Chain-of-Command, what a feeling I had in my stomach! The right wing of this country is nothing but a cult.

I’ve noticed that Bill Young (R, FL-10) isn’t holding any THs. Never does. He just meets with Sembler and that crew to raise money. He’s certainly done the rich white folks of his district right. For the first time in prolly over 30 years we’ve got a real Dem with name recognition running against him.

Thanks yet again BT. Not sure what I’d without my daily swim!

I have to apologize to all. I simply can’t keep up with this stuff and sell a house at the same time. Yes. Both are badly needed and desired progress twd maintaining some semblance of sanity in our household. (long drive yesterday to said house proved the guy we contracted with to mow the place apparently thought we said something about a hayfield. We wondered why people had stopped calling the realtor for appts to see the inside of the (now apparently deserted!?!) house *groan*

To the point HERE at the Lake, BT: can you refresh and top off my memory bank please? Is Rachel the ONLY clear voice out there on this surreal dance between the astroturfing roughriders and the press-nits?

I don’t dare watch the telly any more, even Rachel. It’s THAT infuriating.

And why isn’t LouDobblehead on semi-permanent vacation at lunar detox stillyetalready?!

Did Jane’s plane ever get off the ground?!?

Please! I need to have hope again. Arrrrghhh!

Wish I could have heard some of the discussion after Bill’s speech at NN last night. When Rahm’s name was mentioned – crickets from the crowd.

Is Rachel the ONLY clear voice out there on this surreal dance between the astroturfing roughriders and the press-nits?

Seems to be the only person willing to go beyond generalizations and name names. I’m really hoping she tears Armey a new one Sunday morning.

new post upstairs: Why I Interrupted Bill Clinton’s Speech at Netroots Nation

Welcome….good luck with the house. That’s a tough one.

On the other front, I went to a meeting last night held by the TX Medical Assoc.; it is supposed to put up a report of the discussion. Staff was present from my Repub. Repres. office. The biggest frustration by far is on the insurance folks; quite a bit of consensus for a public plan; I will be looking for follow up. Maybe we will hear more sane voices.

I thought keyboardist was the best. Anent Keith Moon: he seemed a good chap and very funny dude. The interview with Ginger Baker on the Cream boat payment reunion concert dvd at the RAH was a cracking good lark.

The right wing is intellectually impoverished. The “right wing” if one looks at a national map of red and blue states gives me a sick feeling in my stomach, with good reason. Within the 14th amendment lies the seeds of today’s corporate debauchery. Incorporation at the state level, due process for corporate entities having the “same legal rights” as a person. It seems to me the 14th amendment which addressed the issue of citizenship of “slaves” (Dred Scott) also set in motion an inevitable battle between corporate interest and individual rights, as envisioned and enumerated in the bill of rights and preamble of the constitution. The unfortunate reality is the “right wing” is confused blaming government for problems when the reality is corporate’s undue influence on the political process and politicians who put profit and power before constitutional protections.

Understand this, the DOR in Massachusetts is using the tax code to penalize individuals who refuse to enter into private contracts with tax exempt corporate health insurers like BC/BS. Since when does the government have the right to take my money my liberty away from me because I refuse to enter into a health insurance contract with a corporation considered a public charity for tax law purposes, because I exist and have a “Life???” Servitude to states and corporations enabled under the color of unconstitutional law, via the 14th amendment?

BTW why not leverage hospitals to treat real emergencies as emergencies, and children brought with colds to the emergency room as such, children with colds and price accordingly for non emergency situations, rather than gouging with ridiculous pricing services that are non ememrgency??? Might lower healthcare costs if we had more nurses and doctors and less tax exempt corporate insurers acting to ration healthcare while being considered, public charities???? Americans are ignorant of the underlying corporate tax structure within the health insurance/service sector. If they only knew they would be irate, but media does not report facts just spin that gets people to vote, not in their self interest. Who would walk a mile for a Camel cancer stick today, willingly? Just trying here to expose some warts here, while connecting the dots. Summer has finally come to New England, a little late! Enjoy the warmth Kay. Good Day!

Single payer health insurance is at the center of the debate over the how much scope and power we will cede to a centralized federal government.

The vast majority of citizens in this country (80%) rate their current health care and insurance as good or excellent. They want to keep their plans. They want to see costs lowered and coverage expanded to cover the uninsured and protect those with pre-existing condition, but they do NOT want their current coverage to change. They do NOT want a single payer system. They do not want a ‘public option’ that is a transition, to a single payer, government run, government administered program.

Why? The vast majority of citizens do not trust the government. It is ingrained into our national character. They do not believe that the federal government is the deus ex machina that will help them to overcome seemingly insolvable difficulties. Agree or disagree, first and foremost, they believe in God and themselves.

Ben Franklin famously said, “They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security.”

Be it Joe the Plumber or Katy Abrams, progressives miss the point. Progressives embrace the centralized power of the federal government and seek to strengthen it to achieve what they believe to be the ‘common good’, to protect minority groups eradicate social injustice by expanding the size and scope of the federal government . “We the people” BEFORE the individual.

But progressives forget that the INDIVIDUAL IS THE LARGEST MAJORITY. They cannot be so conveniently defined and demonized. Stupid, racist, greedy, sell-outs, tools, stooges, and (gasp!)activists…Are you serious?

Citizens like Katy Abrams and Joe the Plumber fear the power of the state MORE than they fear the private sector. (Gasp again!)These citizens value individual liberty ABOVE collective fairness.

INDIVIDUALS finding common cause to protest against a massive wave of government spending and debt, corporate bailouts, government takeovers of large segements of the private sector economy, higher taxes, loss of economic and personal freedom, an ‘out of touch’ elitist class far removed from their concerns.

“Single payer health insurance is at the center of the debate over the how much scope and power we will cede to a centralized federal government.”

So let the “states” rape the people…..

Big business and big government are one in the same. As the WH deal with Big Pharma clearly demonstrates. Big business loves statist solutions because these solution allow them to ‘leap frog’ over the concerns of the consumer. “No one hates capitalism more than capitalists.” Capitalism FORCES business to compete on a level playing field. What we see today is favored businesses (Big Oil under Bush, Goldman Sachs and Big Pharma under Obama) making deals in their best interests with the power structure consolidated in D.C.

Want to limit the influence of big business over the citizenry? Then we will have to SHRINK, not expand the role of the centralized, federal government. What we see now, with this administration is an unprecedented consolidation of power between big business and big government. Taxpayer dollars being used to expand and enrich the Washington/Wall Street axis.

Explain how the ’states’ rape the people?

What we are seeing today has parallels with the battles between Jeffersonian “Republicans” vs. Hamiltonian “Federalists”.

In a republican system ‘the censorial power is in the people over the government, and not in the government over the people’. James Madison

GE owns MSNBC. GE has recieved bailout money. GE has made a deal with the WH re: health insurance reform.

I add MSM to the Washington/Wallstreet/MSM axis of ‘monied elites’ who wish to consolidate and centralize power at the expense of the common folk.

I get the impression that how this plays out will influence what direction Obama goes over the next 3 years. If the progressives can roll back the compromises with both the corporate overlords and repudiate the wingnuts then he’ll swing to the left. Otherwise he’ll maintain his compromising ways.

I saw the notorious Winterland concert when Moonie collapsed from a cocktail of ludes, Wild Turkey and who knows what else. Had to be expected as the Townsend asked if anyone in the crowd knew how to play drums. Out of a thousand hands theypicked the guy who could do all the stuff up through Tommy. Never learned who the shill was…but at the time it was stunning.

I think that Roger and Pete wre sending Keith a little message about how expendable he might be.

BTW why not leverage hospitals to treat real emergencies as emergencies, and children brought with colds to the emergency room as such, children with colds and price accordingly for non emergency situations, rather than gouging with ridiculous pricing services that are non ememrgency???

This might work if you had people who were willing to not call ambulences for non-emergencies, leave the emergency room to see another doctot, then wait in line for a couple of hours while those with appointments got seen. You’d also need someone in ER (actually before hand) to do triage…which could delay actual emergency care for those needing immediate attention.

Much better if everyone had real coverage that would allow them to obtain both preventative and non-emergency care within a health care plan. Then folks would not take their kids to the ER for a cold.

Typical Boomer… went to one disastrously disorganized concert with shitty sound and thinks they discovered the secrets of the universe in the brown acid.

Yeah, ain’t it great! Can’t wait till the new movie comes out. I missed the real thing, so I hope it’s like being there.

It’s so nice to be white.

When you’re not white, you will not be treated or received as an individual.

A black guy beat up your brother once? Now he hates all black guys. Your sister had a bad experience with a doctor of Indian extraction? She’ll never go to another Indian doctor. But let a white guy screw her life completely over, and she’ll go directly to another white guy without ever thinking twice about it.

Go ahead, “pull yourself up by your own bootstraps,” and see how far that gets you if you’re not white. You can be a summa cum laude graduate of a very prestigious Ivy League university, but if you’re not white it will only be because of affirmative action. You can go from being the child of a single mother who by grit of working your ass off and having a stellar mind becomes President of the United States– but find that you couldn’t possibly have been born in the US.

When you’re white, of course, you can go to five schools to get a bachelors in communications and be considered a top-flight intellect.

Ah, yes, individualism.

It’s still just for white people anymore!