The Pope and The Rhodes Scholar

It shouldn't take a Rhodes Scholar to figure out what Dr. Maddow states in the above graphic.   It's been obvious for the last 30-plus years, and has touched all of us in one form or another in that space of time. 

What's rattling the right-wing even more, however, is the recent economic rhetoric delivered by Pope Francis.   This type of speech should not be surprising, considering that Pope Francis has direct experience from the Friedmanist economic experiments conducted in South America and has seen all of the wreckage those experiments created, human and otherwise.  His recognition and calling out of the fraud that is modern economic thought (as displayed by Friedman and his followers) is welcome to hear, no doubt.    But don't get too excited about the possibility of a sea change at the Vatican when it comes to other issues - women's standing, gay rights, etc.   This is the Catholic Church, after all.   

The Repubs thought that the Teabaggers and America's changing demographics, not to mention the attitude differences those changes bring, were challenges enough.   Now they may be losing the unspoken endorsement of the Catholic Church.    

This is getting good.   Stay tuned.  

Quibbles and Bits, Reverence for the Reverends edition

More mental morsels for your chewing pleasure...

>>Charlie Hunter and Scott Amendola made their jazzy duopolistic presence felt at Harlow's in Sacramento a couple of evenings ago (www.charliehunter.com, www.scottamendola.com).   I nearly always recommend just about anything Charlie Hunter does, in large part because of his unparalleled ability to play both guitar and bass parts simultaneously on his custom 7-string guitar.  (What’s more, the guitar parts sound like guitar parts, and the bass parts sound like they were played on an upright.)  And while his chops are, as some say, sick, his taste - knowing what to play, when to play it, and how to play it, is what sets him apart from the wannabes.      Scott Amendola’s playing, at first glance, seems almost free-form as he navigates his kit (complete with heart-shaped gong) like one of the deities you see on a East Indian or Tibetan thanka painting.   But he and Charlie have that seemingly extra-sensory perception, and it was on display tonight.    

Check ‘em out.

>> Saw What Would Jesus Buy earlier this evening.   It is the second documentary film about activist/performance artist/hell-raiser Reverend Billy, with this Church of Stop Shopping in tow (www.revbilly.com).      The film succeeds in showing a multidimensional portrait of the man and his cause - demonstrating the excesses and consequences of consumerism.   Besides the often laugh-out-loud humor of his performances and the lyrics he writes (parodying such classic Christmas carols as Deck The Halls and Joy To The World), it shows the seriousness with which he takes his mission.   He is shown walking the walk (getting arrested at Disneyland, getting kicked out of malls and stores, being banned from all Starbucks in California), as well as talking the talk as only he can in the faux-Billy Graham style.   He deals with his troupe’s bus being rammed by an 18-wheeler on an icy road, resulting in 13 hospitalizations.    He is also shown with his wife, expressing a sincere doubt about whether his message will have any effects, or have we as a society been so brainwashed by consumerism that it’s now an irremovable part of our cultural DNA.

One cannot expect movements like this to have results overnight, or even within the historical finger snap of a few years or even a decade.    Changing attitudes like the deep strand of consumerism in our culture takes generations to fully realize.   What Reverend Billy is doing is sowing the seeds of change, seeds that like their literal counterparts, take time to germinate and grow - and that assumes that the soil in which they are planted are fertile.    It may not seem like it now, but with the rise of the Transition movement, the rise of the “sustainability” concept, and the awareness of the limitations of unfettered capitalism articulated by the likes of Senator Bernie Sanders and Thom Hartmann, our soil may be receptive to the concept to a life beyond consumerism.   Perhaps the soil is hardened at the first few inches (our current generation), but if you dig deeper (the future), you’ll run into some receptive soil waiting for Reverend Billy’s ideas to take root.

It may also be possible, that if the predictions made regarding economic collapse come to fruition (see Mike Ruppert's work, and Thom Hartmann's recent book The Crash of 2016), then a life beyond consumerism may be made for us.    

The Truth About Who We Celebrate on December 25...by John Fugelsang

Better Way than a Third Way...

Check out this post in Salon regarding the recent attempts by the Democrats to cut Elizabeth Warren's bank-regulatin', give-em-hell ideas down to a size small enough to drown in a bathtub.   Don't want to offend those that really own this country (and both political parties) now, do we?  Don't want to see all that effort Billary spent gathering corporate cash into the Dem coffers go away to the Repubs now, right?   Make nice with corporate pigs, or else...

This is why we need more than two parties in the political system, along with instant run off voting.   The powerbrokers at the Democratic party know damned well that they are perceived to be the lesser of the evils right now (considering the kookiness of the Teabaggers), but lesser of evils is still evil to me.   

The PTB have set up a nice, neat dichotomy.    You can vote against the Repub, or against the Dem.   But how do you vote against Goldman Sachs?  Or B of A? 

New flavors on the plate...

As you may have noticed, my updating of this humble and not so obedient blog has been sporadic, at best.   Thus, I will be making the following changes:

1.  I'll try for a weekly-minumum update schedule.   One post per week, by Saturday at the latest.   Even if it's one Quibble or Bit;
2.  I'm expanding the purpose of this blog to include cultural and arts commentary, especially music.   I'm finding that I've got quite a bit to say about the sordid state of popular music these days, and have some ideas as to how we can improve what we hear on our perpetually-plugged-in earbuds.  

So - new purposes, new stories, new flavors of Quibbles and Bits.   Stay tuned for a new entry by the end of this week...

Sir Nicholas Winton

It is often said that our greatest heroes are those who simply go about their heroism without advertisement or herald.    Sir Nicholas Winton kept his heroism a secret for nearly half of a century. 

It is often discussed, about the effects of one action rippling through time and history.   
It's not only the people he directly saved (many of whom stood up in acknowledgement at the end of this video) that owe their lives to him.   It's their families, and their children (and in turn, their children), that Sir Nicholas Winton made possible, that owe him a debt.  

We all do.     

Quibbles and Bits, Hitches, Glitches, and Stiches Edition

In regards to the Obamacare website kerfluffers emanating from certain elephantine backsides, a couple of comments:

>>I would agree with the assertions that the Administration was ill-prepared for the site roll-out.   Considering how the Repubs would pounce on any perceived failure of any element of the program, an extra bit of care - updated servers and infrastructure, better-written code - should have been taken.   Would have, could have, should have...

>>...but the milk has been spilled, now's the time to clean it up.    I can see the fixes taking place through October and November, with a completion date being sometime in December.    Once that happens, there goes the Repub talking point...

>>We've heard a few things lately about pricing issues in the rural parts of the country vs. the urban areas.    It's still early in the game, let's see what happens as we get closer to year's end...

This should explain it all...

...I cannot take credit for this picture or the Photoshop.    If you claim copyright, I'll remove it.    But it's just too juicy to pass up - it explains, in a nutshell, the reason for the government shutdown:

Looks like the Boner Falls Dam is about to break.  Kiss your plum speakership goodbye, you for-sale freak.

Good Riddance.    

Quibbles and Bits, Whither September 11th Edition

More crunches in bunches...

>> I'm seeing a concerted effort in the supposedly "leftward-leaning" media to quash, once and for all, any 9-11 related thought process which conflicts with the official government line, as spelled out in the 9-11 Commission Report.   Besides Rachel Maddow's disgusting display a couple of weeks ago,  I'm also hearing this on "progressive" radio.   Thom Hartmann has at least been taking calls from people with varying opinions on 9-11 - but seems to dismiss the possibility of it being an "inside job".   He's good about letting his callers talk - sometimes too good for my taste.   He believes it was a case of criminally gross negligence - a belief that I used to hold until I started looking more and more into the issue. 

More following the break...

Current TV: August 1, 2005 - August 20, 2013

The finality of the demise of Current TV can be seen by its final webpage sendoff.

I came home for lunch early today, in order to witness firsthand the transition from Current to Al Jazeera America.   I thought it was going to be some kind of big-time, fireworks-firing sendoff.  

Nope.  It was much more sublime than that. 

The last program to air was, appropriately, the always-excellent Vanguard series.  The episode dealt with Oxycontin, and the pill mills in Florida pushing the stuff under false pretenses.  Mariana Van Zeller was the last Current personality to be seen on the air.    The last five minutes of the network's existence showed one of the network's classic VC2 (Viewer Created Content) videos, this one about a skydiver who jumps off of bridges and mountaintops.   The thrill was always evident in his voice, and came through the screen with the first-person footage of his death defying drops.   But he always had his parachute, and it always opened on time, allowing him to drop to safety. 

What a metaphor for this network.  It started as a big risk, with a risky, edgy, and innovative initial programming premise of predominantly viewer-submitted video "pods" (even many of the commercials were viewer-produced).   The pods were hit-and-miss in quality, but the best of them contained a feel and a perspective that is unattainable with the polished emissions of what the network became in its later years (not to mention every place else on the TV dial).   I can still remember the pods about Burning Man, about life and travel in other countries, and a host of other subjects.   I can only imagine how many careers those pods must have started or enhanced.   I remember the guests in those early years - Joss Stone, Crowded House, and other musical acts were often guest hosts for their pod shows.   The network, in its early years, was a free-wheeling affair, and appropriately, based out of San Francisco.   My hope now, is that whoever owns this programming (probably Al Jazeera) will have archived it and allow it to be used on a "tribute" site, perhaps as a link to the existing Al Jazeera web presence.   That would be an appropriate tribute to what I think was the most innovative, fresh, and exciting channel I have ever seen on TV.   It took the big leap.   It took it's viewers through the thrill of an eight-year free fall.    The parachute (Al Jazeera) opened, and we're all back on the ground, safe.  

The final 30 seconds of the VC2 pod are winding down.   The "sponge" has just wiped off the VC2 logo "spraypainted" on the top left of the screen.   The old Current logo seems to grow in size on the bottom-right of the screen as the pod progress indicator on the bottom left is at full.    The skydiver has landed in safety.   Without going dark, the next images seen are that of the gold ribbons winding their way across America, eventually to wind their way up and twist into the logo of Al Jazeera.   

Thank you to Joel Hyatt and Vice President Al Gore for taking that initial leap.  

Goodbye, Current.    You will be missed.    

Hanging up on the Party Line

Abby Martin has been doing sterling work lately on her RT show Breaking The Set.   Her latest video has a general theme about how our mass media seems to automatically dismiss "conspiracy theories" when those theories don't tow the party line or otherwise verge too far off of the predetermined "beaten path" of public discourse.    A classic example is the JFK assassination, and how it was proven decades ago about how a bullet's trajectory cannot possibly zig-zag it's way through Kennedy's body in order to kill him.    Even RFK Jr. doesn't seem to buy the official line, either.

Then there's 9-11.    The resultant Commission Report has been proven, many times over, to be one of the most whitewashed pieces of horseshit inflicted upon, and fed to, the public.   The stench still wafts, yet as demonstrated in the video, Rachel Maddow is among the chorus telling us that the stench is actually Chanel Number 5.  She's on the video, promoting not only the Commission Report itself as if it were an authoritative tome, but also the visual novel (comic book) version of the same, as well as another book which is supposed to debunk all those pesky "conspiracy theories" that won't go away.   She says they won't go away because they fill some kind of emotional need.

Bullshit.

They won't go away because THERE IS SUBSTANCE TO THE "THEORIES".    Or at the very least, there are enough educated, independent-minded people who have read the Commission Report and put the story propagated within to the test, and have determined that the stench that emanates from that book is, indeed, horseshit.

>> I've lost a lot of respect for MSNBC in general over the last year or so.   It's sad, because when Keith Olbermann was in the anchor's chair and proved that there is a market for left-leaning commentary and presentation, MSNBC was required viewing in my living space.    Now with the network acting as a mouthpiece for the Democrats and the Obama Administration (as Foxymoron News is for the Repubs),  I've largely tuned out.   Maddow's rant on 9-11 (and her displayed ignorance about what the 9-11 "truthers" actually say about that sordid day and what actually happened) cost her a lot of respect in my eyes.    Ed Schultz's and Melissa Harris-Perry's demonization of Edward Snowden relegated them to my internal "ignore" list.

So from this point forward, I will relegate MSNBS (they've been demoted several letters from C) to the political sideshow comedy-relief of the "left" (they're actually staunch centrists - the "left" is Pacifica, Abby Martin, Democracy Now, and a few other outlets).  

Quibbles and Bits, Looking Up And Down And All Around Edition

They're in the air, on the ground, in the water, and from my head onto this page.   More morsels for your mental-culinary discernment:

>> Check out this picture from NASA, a rare, clear, beautiful view of Sarah Palin's home state.  
With this picture, we can now say with a clear conscience that we can see almost all the way to mainland Russia.  

It's a beautiful picture, all right - and terrifying.

This much of Alaska should not be this cloud-free this time of year.    The accompanying article mentions areas well-north of Anchorage with high temperatures into the upper 90s.   

Don't believe in human-caused global climate change yet?    Check this out...

>> Imagine being able to swim at the North Pole.  You can do that now, as the beacon that serves as the marker for 0-degrees North is now doing double-duty as a buoy.   There's a nice-sized lake up there now,  smallish to be sure, but time to break out your swimsuits and suntan lotion.   

This is what happens when we allow corporations to purchase our government.   

What Lessons did Trayvon Teach Us?

I just got word a few minutes ago, about the Trayvon Martin verdict.  

This is going to be a strange blog entry, as I honestly don't know what to make of this.    I feel for Trayvon.   I feel for the family and the supporters.  I feel for those who felt that justice was not served.  And I feel for the jurors. 

I was a foreman for a jury trial last year.   Being put in a position of juror for a criminal (or for me, civil with criminal overtones) case, especially one with as much emotional payload as this, puts the jurors into a lose-lose, damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don't, situation.    Someone is going to be upset with this verdict, regardless of which way it went.     Had George Zimmerman been found guilty, then the gun nuts and the entirety of the right wing would be up in high dudgeon, trumpeting their anger and racism from on the heights of 1211 Avenue of the Americas and elsewhere.   The white supremacists would have likely come out in force.   

But that's not what happened.   

But here's the truth -  I wasn't at the courtroom.    I don't know what the judge allowed or disallowed for evidence.   I don't have the transcripts, and I could not observe how the jurors (only 6??  For a criminal case?  I find THAT interesting...) were acting during the course of the trial.   I know that in some areas of the trial, such as that involving whose voice was on the tape, there were conflicting claims as to whose voice it was screaming.    The bottom line is - I only know what the press filters out to the public, and that's not sufficient to potentially put a person behind bars for life.

I could speculate till all things that go "moo" come home.    I suppose that in the coming weeks, we'll be hearing about "Flori-duh" and the culture down there as far as race relations are concerned, and about the police, and about George Zimmerman being the right wing's new hero, and about "stand your ground", and about how this verdict opens the floodgates for race-based murder disguised as "stand your ground" self-defense, and on, and on, and on.    But guilt or innocence is not what I'm concerned with here.

I'm concerned about our country's love of sensationalism.  It sells - at the expense of all of the affected parties;
I'm concerned that "stand your ground" will now be opened for misuse, especially with our nation's sordid history of race relations;
I'm concerned that this case will form a stone paving the path to future race-related violence;
I'm concerned that our justice system will now be seen by more as an unfunny farce.  

The only winners here are George Zimmerman, the American Right Wing, and the 2nd-Amendment-Solutions crowd.    Nobody else is celebrating in the zero-sum game we play in the Gladiator's  Stadium of America.   

Eastern Seaboarding

I've been away for the last week, between self-guided walking tours of New York City and Boston and homework when I can get to it.  By the way, my adventures in these cities are detailed here, at my travel log blog, Beyond Highway 99.   I'm refining it as I go along, and will include photos, links to recommended places, and other things learned along the way as a relatively novice traveler.  

In my travels, I did find a few nuggets which I think of as relevant in this here progressive-leaning blog.     You'll see 'em soon - I think I might actually have a couple of doozies for you.   

So before I knock off for now, I'll let you know about a couple of topics I won't cover here, outside of what you see below:
1. The case against former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez - he may be as guilty as hell, but at least let him have his day in court;
2.  The crash of the Asiana Airlines flight at SFO, especially in light of the possibility that the flying fickle finger of blame may be pointed squarely in the flight crew's direction when all is said and done.   No rush to judgement, please;

More later.  

Putting the Boot to John Galt

It isn't typical that a professional athlete speaks out publicly on politics, current affairs, or much else that doesn't relate to their chosen profession.   What gets in the news, as we know, is the sensational stuff, much like the sensationally idiotic tweetings of Lolo Jones regarding the Trayvon Martin case.  

But its nice to see exceptions to that rule.    Chris Kluwe, former Minnesota Vikings punter now with the Oakland Raiders, has long been noted as a supporter of gay marriage.   I can only wonder how much his outspokenness on this issue led to his dismissal from the Vikings roster - the Vikings said it didn't, so well...OK.    What caught my attention is this post in Salon magazine regarding the shortcomings of the Ayn Rand philosophy which serves as the bedrock for modern Conservatism.   It's a short article, just a few paragraphs, but he gets right to the heart of what's wrong with Rand - a severe case of social myopia, and a delusional perception of a dream world existence.     Check it out.  

Righteous Indignation

Normally, I usually let some time pass between posts.   It allows my brain to sift through the news and events, and shape something which I hope makes sense.

But I couldn't pass this up.    Rep. Tammy Duckworth is, and always has been, an unfailing, stalwart supporter of our military veterans - especially since she left her legs and part of the use of her right arm on the battle field herself.  While I don't always agree with her stances on fiscal issues (too "Blue Dog" for my tastes), when it comes to veterans, she's a special kind of warrior in my book.

It takes a special kind of scum sack to declare that his foot injury, sustained playing prep school football, somehow qualifies him for veteran's disability classification and the resultant windfall of government cash for his business.   It speaks volumes that he's been able to get away with this for as long as he apparently has.  What's truly sad, however, is the political culture in Washington that fosters this kind of system-gaming.   This character is probably just the tip of the iceberg.   

The way that Rep. Duckworth conducted herself, in a case which I'm sure was personal to her as an injured veteran, is to be commended.   The fact that she was able to keep it together, even through her voice shaking toward the end of her time at the mic, is remarkable.    My father was a veteran (Navy), and I've known many who have served in various capacities in our nation's military.    I'm not so sure they would be so, well, civil if they were to be confronted by a leech like the contractor witness.

Let's just say - words might fail them.  

UPDATE - 7/1/2013:  Note Darrel Issa's response after Rep. Duckworth's remarks.    Apparently he let her go over time, and noted that it was "time well spent."   I guess he's had lots of practice recognizing crooked behavior.   Trying to make amends, eh, Rep. Issa?

Quibbles and Bits, Snowed In Edition

Morsels of varying sizes and shapes.   Bon Appetit!

>> I'm amazed at the division that the Edward Snowden affair is causing on the left side of the political spectrum.    I've seen and heard what seems to be an equal number of supporters, as there are detractors.    Democratic Underground has made for especially interesting reading over the last couple of weeks - and the detractors are in full force, at times reading like only slightly-better-educated versions of the typical right-wing hack.    Many progressive radio show hosts have not taken kindly to him, either: listen to Stephanie Miller on a given morning over the last couple of weeks.    I'm sure that all this division is causing the Republicans to just jump for glee at whatever hideout serves as their headquarters these days - because that's ultimately who this whole brouhaha is benefiting.  

By the way, those on the left that are raising Cain over Snowden and demanding his head on a plate:  who are you really trying to protect?   I suspect that they know that all of this is a reflection on President Obama, and their real concern is the potential impact on the 2014 and 2016 elections.   We cannot afford to have disillusionment drive down turnout and thus benefits the Repubs, but can you blame people for not being especially enthusiastic about casting a vote for a party that betrayed them?   Chris Hedges lays it all out in Death Of The Liberal Class - read it. 

>> Edward Snowden is being accused by this Administration of espionage.    Here's the question:  spying on whose behalf?????   If this was truly a case of espionage, and he's acting as an agent for somebody, would any of his revelations have seen the light of day?   He could have sold this information to an interested nation, with it likely being kept secret,  and be paid quite handsomely for it, so I don't think that personal enrichment was his motivation for going public.   

>> Not to overstate the obvious, but Mr. Snowden will not get a fair trial in this country.    Hong Kong knows that.   So does China and Russia, not to mention any other country not completely in America's waning sphere of influence.    Honestly - would Hong Kong have made their statement that our extradition request didn't completely meet their legal requirements 15-20 years ago?  How about Ecuador's public reminder that Snowden's extradition request will be evaluated based on Ecuador's constitution and laws?   The international community is standing up to us, and I say, GOOD!  It's high time.  

BTW, perhaps the Emperor isn't completely naked - yet.    But the skivvies are certainly in full view - and the Moon Over American Exceptionalism is on the rise.   See below.  

>>I actually think that we're having a discussion that should have been had for a long time - how much are we willing to let any third party, whether that be government or corporate (these days, is there any difference?), intrude and pry into our personal lives and data?   From what I'm seeing, especially on the left, we're willing to put up with A LOT of it.    Too much, in my opinion.   Remember what Ben Franklin was quoted saying, that those who sacrifice freedom for security shall get neither?  

How easily intimidated we Americans are.

>>Lastly, a bit of a departure, but perhaps related somewhat: the subject of American Exceptionalism.   In my view, American Exceptionalism can be likened to a big, round, plump pair of butt cheeks, between which the collective heads of much of the American population have their heads shoved up and firmly between.   In America, we're born with our heads shoved up this space, kept there by the media and the jingoism and belligerent nationalism (which we mistake for patriotism) we were raised with.   It's education, experience with other cultures and countries, and a cultural commitment to open mindedness, that begins the prying-out process.  

Time to start pulling, ladies and gentleman.   And be sure to take a shower afterward - lest the stench wafts around.      

Piecing Together The Ransom Note

Over the last few weeks, whenever I read or watched the news I always felt like I'm reading one of those archetypal ransom notes, where the words and letters were cut out of various magazines, newspapers, and other sources, and taped/glued together in a hodgepodge.  

I've been following the events going on in Turkey over the last couple of weeks, and found myself being reminded quite vividly about how the #Occupy movement was treated with a similar level of brutality.   I've read various items on the internet and in the friendly neighborhood Barnes and Noble that seem to carry a common theme: learn to live with and be happy with less, finding fulfillment with less, etc. etc. etc.   This message is also implied in proclamations like that recently issued by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, who seems to think that the reason for the college debt crisis is that there are too many people going to colleges and not enough getting into the trades like plumbing and carpentry.   It's especially galling when that message, as well-meaning as it might be, is being issued by the "money press" like CNBC, with admonitions about "resourcefulness", and the old canard about how necessity is the mother of all invention and innovation.    And to hear politicians (even Republicans, from whom a message like this is par-for-course) say that the automatic increase in student loan rates is a good thing because personal responsibility is "cool" - don't get me started.  

Anything, so that Corporate America and the rich don't have to pay one more dime to the Government, which they now own anyway.   They've already "gone Galt", in a financial sense.  

And if they own the Government, and if "We The People" are supposed to BE the Government in a "democracy", then who does Corporate America, by extension, own? 

That's right, WE THE PEOPLE.   They own US.

The ransom note is becoming increasingly easy to decipher.   It's varying fonts and cut-out words and phrases are now seen for all:

Dear People:

SIT DOWN, & SHUT the F**K UP.

Behind the Mask...

Yes, I know, it's been a few months.   I added the title "college student" to my collection of personal stick-ons, and as a result, have been taking courses that have my butt unable to be planted anywhere.  

So I'm back.   And I'm pissed. 

A few posts back, I posted what Las Vegas and other communities are doing about their respective homeless issues - specifically, shipping them out of town by bus, and criminalizing helping those that remain in any way, shape, or form.   

Now, check this out.    Apparently, ahead of the approaching G8 Summit in Northern Ireland, the Fermanagh County forefathers found it appropriate to create the illusion of economic prosperity in the host townships by supplying large "stickers" of seemingly full store inventory to place in the shuttered storefronts and doors.   Now, we would not want to give the dignitaries any possible thought that their Friedmanist bullshit doesn't work, do we?

But that's part-and-parcel of our society today.   Truth means squat - literally.    Perception, on the other hand, is everything.   

Between The Scan Lines...

The Network For Church Monitoring website posted this link regarding 14 propaganda techniques found on Foxymoron News.   It's a fascinating read, and calls to memory much of the work done by media observers like Robert Greenwald.   On a darker note, it's also reminiscent of the work of Joseph Goebbels - the techniques noted (bullying, projection, etc.) are time-tested, and have been used by propagandists through the ages to attempt to bend and sculpt popular opinion toward a desired direction.  

Articles like this - those that alert us as media consumers - are becoming increasingly relevant in this era of media consolidation.   It pays to keep in mind who owns what in this American society, in that our government (at all levels), is owned by those that contribute the most "lubricant" (money) to the machine.   Those that own the media machine in this country, also own the government through their lobbyists and campaign contributions.   There is almost no separation between the two camps now - and when corporate and governmental interests and functions merge, what do you have?

Fascism.  

Quibbles and Bits, Bowled Over Edition

A few leftovers from Sunday's festivities...

>> I had a sense of foreboding the day before the game, that the 49ers (whom I've rooted for since 1979 and the Steve DeBerg era) were coming home from this endeavor empty-handed.   Michael Silver, in his column on Yahoo Sports, seemed to have a "feeling" about the Ravens, that there was "something" about that team, that told him it was their time.    It was one of those articles that gave me the dual emotions of "yeah, he might be right", and "shove it up your kiester, Mr. Silver!".   He was right;

>>Ray Lewis will now take his two Super Bowl rings to ESPN, so lets hope he keeps the preaching and proselytizing  to a minimum.   Heck, Mr. Lewis - start a ministry, like the late, great Minister of Defense, Reggie White - then you can put on your dance and let the waterworks flow for a receptive, captive audience;

>>The Niners lost this game in the second quarter.   They dug themselves into a 22-point hole that they ultimately could not dig themselves out of, though they came to within 7 yards of doing just that at the end of the game.   You can't spot your opponent that kind of a lead, plus rely on field goals rather than touchdowns, and expect to win.  

>>The Ravens and their fans earned this victory - congratulations.   They should enjoy it while it lasts, because they're not a dynasty.   Ray Lewis is gone, and Ed Reed is resembling a mastodon.   Their team has been built on defensive dominance, and with those two players gone, expect this house of cards to collapse by mid-2013.  

>>The Super Bowl is not intended to be a place to learn one's craft - it's a place to apply what you've already learned.    But there are a lot of lessons to be drawn in this game, especially for second-year pivot Colin Kaepernick.   He's proved to be a quick study and a hard worker, so combined with these hard lessons, his youth, and a host of returning veterans eager to avenge this loss, I fully expect the Niners to be back next year.   The Niners, in fact, may be the NFL's next dominant team with their current collection of key players.  

>>When it comes right down to it - does a football team's success or failure reflect on my ability to pay my mortgage or rent, or to feed myself or support my lifestyle?   It doesn't.   It's only ENTERTAINMENT.   The players get paid regardless of victory or defeat, and the payoff for me is bragging rights or water cooler conversation, nothing else.  

>>Finally, better to be in San Francisco (5-1) than in Buffalo (0-4), Cincinnati (0-2), or Detroit (0-0, they've yet to go).  

I now close the book on my Niners' commentary for the 2012 season.  A season unfinished, incomplete, but still successful and memorable.  

More later.  

Quibbles and Bits: Auld Lang Sighing Edition

Yeah, yeah, I'm late on the draw for the New Years, not so new anymore now that were almost half-way into January.    So here are a few morsels to chew on:

>> I'm not surprised in the slightest about the sale of Current TV to Al Jazeera.   The channel has struggled since its inception, and despite the chameleon-like reinventions over the years, it never was able to capture a substantial viewership.    It was a good idea, but I suspect that like Air America, it was mismanaged and under-capitalized.   I hope that Al Jazeera keeps the best of what Current produced - Vanguard documentaries are the first thing that come to mind.   Even an occasional, back-to-the-future viewer-produced video production wouldn't be a bad thing - those home-videos were the freshest feature of the network when it started up, and I'm sure that more than a few careers were started by those video submissions.    The programs on the air now - Stephanie Miller and Bill Press, Jennifer Granholm, etc., will likely remain on the air for another few months, but I suspect that by the end of April, Current will be no more.    RIP. 

>> I've been watching RT's news offerings lately.   So far, I'm impressed - even though the leftward slant is noticeable among the feature hosts (Thom Hartmann, Abby Martin, et. al) and the anchors.  The channel's shows do lob a fair number of journalistic bombs at those that represent themselves as left-leaning, though - such as what is seen in Abby Martin's Breaking The Set.  Check it out here.

>> I will be expanding the subject matter of this blog a bit, as music will be making an appearance as a topic.   Expect some posts in the coming months.  

More later.