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Weekend Music Thread – My Father’s Eyes

Thanks, AdLib. This version at least approximates the original (minus the top and bottom ends, which may have more to do with my present poor quality hooked up to my computer). To me, it still sounds like a beautiful gift on Father’s Day.

It’s good to see you still blogging. I need to get back ‘in the loop’.

» Posted By Daedalus On June 21, 2020 @ 11:09 am

Why is Judy Collins (My Father’s Eyes) missing?

Once, I lived in Ohio. On a farm. Forty some years ago. I had a set of Bose speakers that hung from the ceiling, and a Bose amp that was ‘state of the art’. The vinyl I probably listened to the most was Collins, and this song was the best.

Sadly, the ‘new’ medium doesn’t even come close to capturing the exquisite sound of Collins in that album. Still, the muffled residue let’s you know the genius behind the lyric.

» Posted By Daedalus On June 20, 2020 @ 3:04 pm

Weekend Music Thread – Question

Still alive! However, a bit slower and nursing a somewhat painful right hand, making typing less than pleasant.

It was good to see you still here, and doing so reminded me that I should spend more time on the Planet.

» Posted By Daedalus On June 22, 2020 @ 6:46 pm

Beautiful, Kalima

» Posted By Daedalus On June 21, 2020 @ 11:35 am

Criminal, Liar, Traitor, Thief; The Legacy Of The Republican Party

This isn’t the first time the Republican Party decided to prey upon popular fear in order to ‘gin-up’ hatred.

I’m just finishing a book written by Haynes Johnson titled, “The Age of Anxiety”. It was published in 2005, early into our Iraq adventure, but is eerily prescient concerning our present situation. Bush was no Joe McCarthy, but Trump just might fill that description.

Johnson points out that the nation dodged a bullet with McCarthy, who lost popular favor just in time for some of the Republican Party to allow themselves to vote for his censure. This time, however, will we be so lucky? Currently, Trump still commands a fairly high ‘popularity rating’.

McCarthy had Eisenhower as a hidden adversary within the Republican Party back then. Today, however, the Republican Party appears to have purged all who do not cater to Trump. Republican politicians are afraid of Trump, knowing he can probably kill their career. Time will tell, but I’m pessimistic.

But, McCarthy didn’t create the ‘McCarthy Era’. Instead he exploited the climate of fear he found (and was helped greatly by the Press). The same is true of Trump. Johnson quotes Shakespeare, “The fault is not in our stars… It is in ourselves”. It is our society, ourselves, that allowed both McCarthy and Trump to indulge their malignant and unnatural egos. It is we that tolerate the degeneration of our government and our media into an advertising machine beholden to billionaires.

» Posted By Daedalus On January 18, 2020 @ 5:03 pm

Why a Biden Nomination is Likely to Elect a Republican President in 2024

Cyber Warfare?

What a concept! Killing people via internet!

And, concerning JFK, how should the Russians respond to our missiles pointed at them and our support of hostile regimes on their borders? One doesn’t need missiles that close, of course, but we have them in South Korea, Ukraine, and elsewhere. Are you protesting those missiles?

Personally, I think JFK had the potential to be a spectacular leader. Same with RFK (although he had a more authoritarian streak). When JFK refused to invade after the Bay of Pigs failed to generate a promised popular uprising in Cuba, he was a dead man.

» Posted By Daedalus On August 24, 2019 @ 12:54 pm

I can’t see much to disagree with in your statement. Only a minor ‘quibble’ concerning ‘principles’

Principles need to be re-examined often in the face of ever-accumulating new information.

Now, humans (as I see it) have managed to populate the biosphere because they have a capacity to ‘adapt’ using their nervous system instead of their rather slow reproduction rate. All large animals do this to some extent, however humans seem to excel. Only time will tell if this is a viable long-term benefit. I’d put my money on bacteria.

However, ‘standing on principle’ more or less eliminates, short-circuits the learning process that has brought us into ecological prominence. It assumes what you knew in the past was ‘the Truth’ and invites you to close your eyes and ears.

» Posted By Daedalus On August 24, 2019 @ 12:34 pm

Yes and Yes!!!

» Posted By Daedalus On August 24, 2019 @ 12:15 pm

Clinton endorsed (with vigor) the sanctions on Iraq in hopes of ‘regime change’ from within and in the interest of Big Oil. Government sanctions are the modern equivalent of siege warfare, an International war crime. I’m sure it was considered a more politically acceptable option to invasion that would have had the same effect.

Today, of course, we use that tactic all the time. Consider (recently) Venezuela. Consider our support of the Israeli treatment of Gaza. Consider our policy toward Iran. Also consider our former actions against Cuba and our early actions against the Haiti, newly free from French control. The list goes on and on.

Albright supported starving Iraq into submission, and in her statement she confirmed her understanding of the consequence (a rare glimpse). How does starving half a million people (mostly children and elderly) or causing them do die of disease differ from dropping a nuclear bomb on them? In the case of starvation or disease, the pain suffered by the victim is often greater.

Albright didn’t invent that policy, however. She was only supporting the leader of her Tribe with the intellectual tools she had at her disposal. I don’t think of Albright as an evil person, but rather as one who was ‘flawed’. But we (as social animals) all have similar flaws, eh? In today’s world, we had best be able to overcome that flaw and move beyond the ‘my team’ mentality if we are to survive as a species much longer.

» Posted By Daedalus On August 24, 2019 @ 12:11 pm

I’m beginning to see why Yabberz closed down. Please don’t do it to Planet, as well.

» Posted By Daedalus On August 24, 2019 @ 7:36 am

Non…

I wrote you a long message somewhere below and pointed out that the wealthy first ‘reclaimed’ the Republican Party. This was a bit odd, because that Party was, after all, the Party of Lincoln. However, Roosevelt was a Democrat (I’ve heard the argument that he actually saved the butts of the wealthy, since the US was on the brink of a populist revolution when he came into office, and I think that argument has some merit). However, today those same would-be (actual?) oligarchs have also put themselves in charge of the Democratic Party as well. Clinton signed NAFTA into law. Why?

Yes, Iraq was disgusting. Sadam (a secular ruler) was once our ‘ally’ against Iran (a religious State in part because we helped overthrow a democratically elected ruler and install a brutal king, the ‘Shaw’) But, you see, Sadam wanted to keep more of the oil proceeds for Iraq. So, ignoring the obvious lesson that should have been learned in Iran, we tried to do the same in Iraq. But, you see, ‘It’s all about the Benjamins’, and those that have ’em call the shots. Bush (the latter) went truly off the rails in service to Big Oil by producing the Colin Powell testimony.

Perhaps the Democrats can recover and become at least a Liberal party once again, but it seems a long shot.

Three suggested readings:
1. ‘Manufacturing Consent’ (Noam Chomsky). This was written shortly after the Vietnam War, and the thesis (presented in the first chapter) is then backed by example after example in the rest of the book. It explains today’s broadcast media today, and I can’t think of a modern example the contradicts the original.
2. ‘1984’ (George Orwell… and it’s even older, but easier read than Chomsky)
3. Morris Berman’s ‘Dark Ages America’.

» Posted By Daedalus On August 24, 2019 @ 7:15 am

I’m old, and remember watching McCarthy and a HUAC hearing on TV as a kid, where the witness ‘took the fifth’ over and over. I didn’t know what was going on at the time, but I do now.

Also, I barely escaped working in the weapons industry and became well aware of the furor over the ‘Manhattan Project’.

Yes, my use of ‘Red Scare’ was a reference to those days, however it also was meant to relate it to what’s happening, today.

Now, think about it. When did Russia try to invade the US? Yet, ‘Russia’ has been invaded over and over from Western Europe. Do you remember the ‘Cuban Missile Crisis’? In that incident, Russia appeared to be trying to be aiding a sovereign island country (Cuba) by giving them missiles. However, it was WE who went ballistic! Yet, we have missiles and more aimed at Russia from territory close to and connected with the Russian border. We have no reason to be afraid of Rusdsia, but our actions certainly show that Russia has reason to worry.

Now, to the present. The McCarthy era Republicans have used the ‘Red Scare’ for a long time to consolidate power. They did so as vassals to the wealthy who were miffed by the actions of Roosevelt. They controlled the Republican Party far more tightly, in those days. Once the ‘Soviet Union’ collapsed, they went in search of a ‘new enemy’, however the earlier ‘Red threat’ had been so successful that it never quite went away, and now (apparently) it’s the new boogie man.

Did Russia try to ‘influence’ our elections by sending messages to Americans? Probably. But does our ‘intellegence community’ do the same to other countries? Most certainly. Did Russia have any real influence on the outcome? Probably not, and far less than other players. So, why focus on Russia?…

» Posted By Daedalus On August 24, 2019 @ 6:18 am

Perhaps you misread my comment. Nowhere did I say that I was the only one fighting for the causes I wanted.

You are correct that it takes coalition building in order to bring about political change. I know that from having done it. Also, one can’t build a coalition without first establishing mutual, one-on-one trust. Those on this website that demean others will never be able to accomplish much because they are dividers, not uniters.

» Posted By Daedalus On August 24, 2019 @ 5:28 am

Curiously, I did just that. In fact, I served on the DP County Executive Committee as Vice Chair (after being a ‘member’ for a while) for several years. I spent innumerable hours ‘organizing’ my district, and made many friends among the local populace as a result.

You have no idea how many hours I spent (over a a five year period) lobbying to get a meager environmental bill passed in the State legislature. And, oddly (with last minute opposition from the Chamber of Commerce), I succeeded.

Few people have put in more unpaid hours fighting for ‘liberal’ causes in a practical way. One thing I learned, however, is that many organizations that ‘advocate’ do so only to raise money. As I said, I did it for free.

But, the DP is (currently) a ‘top-down’ organization, determined to impose the ‘wisdom’ of the ‘leaders’ down to the State and County level. That ain’t a ‘democratic’ Democratic Party. The Party is authoritarian, and now ruled by big money.

Instead of supporting that situation, in my opinion you need to fight it.

» Posted By Daedalus On August 23, 2019 @ 5:55 pm

Ah! So McCarthism is now fashionable, but among Democrats! Who would have imagined? How sad.

» Posted By Daedalus On August 23, 2019 @ 5:31 pm

Madeline Albright (Clinton’s Secretary of State) was asked if killing half a million children in Iraq was worth the price of ‘regime change’. She paused, and then responded, “Yes, I think it was”. That’s evil on a colossal scale.

Secondly, the vote is controlled by the ‘electoral college’. I live in Tennessee. I’m probably far to the left of you, but I’m not so sure getting rid of the electoral college is a good idea.

Thirdly, how do you suggest reforming the Democratic Party so it actually reflects the People’s interest rather than that of their fat-cat donors?

» Posted By Daedalus On August 23, 2019 @ 5:27 pm

Jake… What is it with you and Russia? You seem obsessed. Please, try to address ideas instead of trying to smear the messenger.

» Posted By Daedalus On August 23, 2019 @ 5:03 pm

Hey…

I remember, very early on, Obama announcing that ‘single payer is off the table’. This was before the so-called negotiations took place. No negotiator announces a capitulation before talks even begin. Instead, a savvy one sets out an extreme position so that the ‘middle’ is at least a possibility.

I voted for Obama twice, but he only produced a Heritage Foundation health care proposal in the first two years (when he had a majority in both the Senate and the House). True, he didn’t have 60 in the Senate, however that hasn’t stopped the Republican juggernaut. Why did it stop Obama?

You and I disagree on whether the ACA is a ‘step’ toward universal, single payer healthcare. I think it’s more of a ‘juke’. When a right wing think-tank comes up with such a plan, I can only conclude that the purpose was to mollify the protest against our crummy health care system. We don’t need a ‘step’, we need radical change.

That being said, Obama was the first Black (as defined in the US) President, which was a huge step forward. But, I think he was weak.

On a personal note,… It’s good to see that your blog appears to be attracting more interest (finally!). As you say, ‘It’s better…’ and so on. Thanks for your persistence.

» Posted By Daedalus On August 23, 2019 @ 4:57 pm

Jake…
Forget the ‘sarcastic or snide’ and try going for more descriptive (rather than evaluative). Sarcasm may be ‘clever’ and ‘cute’. It’s ‘fun’ and earns ‘brownie points’ with those who happen to already agree with you, however it simply muddies a descriptive discourse. It solidifies a clique, but also isolates.

I haven’t posted here for maybe a few years, but back in the day, this site was a bastion of rationalism. Please help to keep it that way.

» Posted By Daedalus On August 23, 2019 @ 4:31 pm

Perhaps, Jake, because you seem to be a ‘one trick pony’.

» Posted By Daedalus On August 23, 2019 @ 1:59 pm

Surely you know, Jake, that lapsing into name-calling is an indication that you are on intellectual thin ice and feel the need for rhetorical tricks as a last desperate attempt.

Did I say I ‘took pride in giving us Trump’, Jake? No, I did not. And, you demonstrate yet another rhetorical ‘trick’, the invention of a ‘straw man’, to put it politely, or the presentation of a lie, to be more blunt. It seems that you and Trump have something in common.

Who are you, ‘Jake’? Are you a youth, or are you a foreign agent? Let’s have some background from your own fingers so we can evaluate the response.

» Posted By Daedalus On August 23, 2019 @ 1:50 pm

The Democrats WERE in charge during the first two years of the Obama administration. All we got was more war and an Heritage Foundation ‘health’ plan that made insurance companies richer.

Harry Truman dropped the ‘bomb’ on Hiroshima. LBJ totally dived into Vietnam.

It’s not about ‘Party’, it’s about policy.

» Posted By Daedalus On August 23, 2019 @ 1:10 pm

Jake, Wake Up!

The ‘Red Scare’ was in the 1950’s! Get a grip.

» Posted By Daedalus On August 23, 2019 @ 12:57 pm

Isn’t it odd, Jake, that you would bring up Russia?

There are many entities, Jake, that have far more influence on our elections than Russia. You might start with the ‘corporate elite’ that brought us NAFTA and the TPP. In terms of countries, you might want to look a bit south.

Any neocon militarist to me is the same. Trump is simply more obvious because he’s more arrogantly clueless and overt. However, more ‘brown’ people have died under the Clintons. Remember the half a million in Iraq that Albright said was ‘worth it’? Remember the support of Hillary for the overthrow of Assad by supporting the radical ‘opposition’? Remember our support of ‘Al Kaida’ as they fought against Iraq? Where was Biden at the time? Check out his vote.

» Posted By Daedalus On August 23, 2019 @ 12:54 pm

I live in Tennessee. My vote made no difference, but was designed to send a message to the DNC. Apparently, it had no effect there, either.

» Posted By Daedalus On August 23, 2019 @ 12:23 pm

The ‘lesser of two evils’ argument has brought us Trump. A bit of spine a few years ago might have kept the Democratic Party from becoming the sad shadow of Roosevelt it now is.

» Posted By Daedalus On August 23, 2019 @ 12:21 pm

My top choice (most policy positions I agree with coupled with political experience) is Bernie. Second choice, Tulsi (great positions and way more experience in government than ‘Pete’ or Yang, and a coherent record as a legislator. Warren worries me because she seems to blow with the wind (no real cutting edge legislation introduced when she had the chance). I like her talk, but not her recorded walk so far. I’d probably vote for her if she got the nomination, however. Particularly so if she chose a left-of-center running mate.
I remember, however, how Warren had a chance to endorse Bernie in the 2016 primary and, instead, refused to endorse, perhaps hoping for a ‘sure’ cabinet position under Hillary.
Warren doesn’t have a promising history, in my book, but I like her talk. Unlike Obama, however, unless I saw her immediately deliver, I would never vote for her twice. Obama ‘delivered’ only a health care plan promoted by the Heritage Foundation, and yet I was stupid enough to vote for him a second time hoping that being ‘freed’ from running again, he would finally act in a way consistent with his rhetoric. I won’t make that mistake again.

Truth is that we now obviously live in an oligarchy. I prefer a democratic republic.

» Posted By Daedalus On August 23, 2019 @ 12:11 pm

Actually, I don’t think Biden has a ‘snowball’s chance’ to win against Trump in 2020. People like me will vote third Party, or simply not show up (as they did in 2016).

When faced with a choice of ‘Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee’, why waste the energy? I consider my vote to be reflection of my political views, and I’ll not vote for a corporate shill from Delaware. Yes, I know that in the State that has almost as many corporate residents as actual people, the only way to win a Statewide election is to cater to the ‘corps’ (‘corpse?’), but those who do so lose almost all respect from me, unless they immediately turn around an bite the corporate owners in the ‘nether parts’ when they get a chance. And Biden hasn’t even remotely shown that propensity.

After Biden loses to Trump, will we even get to vote in 2024?

» Posted By Daedalus On August 22, 2019 @ 4:41 pm

Rudy Giuliani’s Lips File For Separation

Ad Lib:

I just wanted to let you know (after so much time), that there are so many more of us who read, appreciate your humor, and ‘follow’ who just don’t have the energy to participate on a daily (or even weekly, or monthly) basis.

As the saying goes, “Thank you for your service”.

» Posted By Daedalus On May 8, 2018 @ 5:55 pm

Fox News Balances Pope Coverage, Hires Satan For Commentary

Ad-Lib, I’ve been absent from commenting on your blog for many moons, now, but you always lure me back. I had no doubt (reading the title) who wrote the article. I couldn’t resist, and wasn’t disappointed.

I live in Tennessee, and I’m going to forward this piece to a few of my friends (people who I think will appreciate your wit). Keep it up.

I hope you are considering a book made of your best satirical posts. It could pay a few bills and reach a different audience.

» Posted By Daedalus On September 24, 2015 @ 12:32 pm