Open thread below...

Here's one from Primus's second album that showcases the development of their early sound. A chaotic, experimental sound, but a sound none the less. Primus is also known for their humor, which finds its way into the majority of their songs; something that evolved greatly on this album. "Is It Luck" doesn't emphasize humor too much (there's very little variation in the lyrics), but it's definitely present and compliments the disarray that's happening musically.

Listening to anything experimental?

Continue reading »

DOWNLOADS: (47)

PLAYS: (196)

Embed

Fox News host Geraldo Rivera asserted on Friday that New York City's "Stop-and-Frisk" policy "protected" black and Latino residents more than other groups even though they make up about 90 percent of the people targeted by the policy.

During an appearance of Fox & Friends, Rivera welcomed the news that Judge Shira Scheindlin was removed from the case against "Stop-and-Frisk" and an order that required a federal overseer be put in place to monitor changes and prevent future discrimination was blocked.

"New York is the safest big city on Earth," he explained. "Chicago has three and half times the homicide rate of New York. And Chicago has a very similar demographic."

"And whose lives are being saved by Stop-and-Frisk? It is precisely the people -- the black and Latino young person most susceptible to being killed by violence. These are the people being protected by Stop-and-Frisk."

He added: "Ray Kelly was right, Mayor Bloomberg was right. Twenty years of Republican administrations in New York has done a good thing."

The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), however, disputes that Stop-and-Frisk was necessary to bring down the crime rate in the city.

"No research has ever proven the effectiveness of New York City’s stop-and-frisk regime, and the small number of arrests, summonses, and guns recovered demonstrates that the practice is ineffective," according to the NYCLU. "Crime data also do not support the claim that New York City is safer because of the practice. While violent crimes fell 29 percent in New York City from 2001 to 2010, other large cities experienced larger violent crime declines without relying on stop and frisk abuses."

One year ago, survivors were still being pulled from Hurricane Sandy’s rubble. She made landfall on October 29, 2012. A year later, it is clear that many communities will never fully recover.

On Hurricane Sandy’s first anniversary, scores of elected Republicans seemed to have already pushed her out of mind. About 50 elected officials (almost all Republicans) spent part of their day speaking to a astroturfed crowd of coal supporters on the West Lawn of the Capitol. The rally was organized by the National Mining Association’s “Count on Coal” project. I attended the event hoping to speak with some of the miners that had been bussed in from coal states, but I soon learned they had been issued strict orders to avoid press. Instead, their bosses required them to send media inquiries to the public relations professionals staffing the event.

Yes, this was Astroturf.

Just to be clear: The miners were real miners. And aside from the "Impeach Obama" and other signage, they reminded me of the people I grew up with in the Adirondack mountains. They just want to make a living and enjoy their lives. But the world isn't cooperating, and they need someone to blame.

I would have liked to have been able to report on the human interest component of the transition from coal, but with billions of dollars (and lives) at stake, it was unsurprising to learn of the gag order.

Instead, I turned my camera on the politicians. I decided to ask about their views related to climate science, disasters, and the government’s role in managing carbon emissions. This video is the product of two days of such reporting. The Miley Cyrus questions were asked on September 19th, 2013. All other clips were recorded last Tuesday, October 29 (Hurricane Sandy's birthday).

Continue reading »

Alabama blogger Roger Shuler is living testimony to how "justice" is delivered in Alabama. Shuler writes a blog called Legal Schnauzer, where he focuses on Alabama politicians and the unjust justice Alabamians face if they find themselves on the wrong side of the powerful Southern political machine in place in that state.

ThinkProgress:

An Alabama blogger who continued to write about the alleged extramarital affair of a prominent lawyer despite a court order was arrested and jailed last week. He was still being held without bond as of Tuesday, according to reports.

Roger Shuler, a former local newspaper reporter, writes a blog about Alabama politics, Legal Schnauzer. He wrote a series of posts alleging that Robert Riley, Jr., son of former Alabama governor Bob Riley and a lawyer rumored to be running for Congress, had an affair with lobbyist Liberty Duke.

Riley sued Shuler and his wife, Carol Shuler, last year for alleged defamation. The court issued a temporary restraining order and preliminary and injunction that prohibited Shuler from writing anything about Riley’s alleged extramarital affair, allegations that he had a child out of wedlock, and other related stories, according to documents posted online. When Shuler continued to write about Riley’s alleged affair, police pursued him during a traffic stop and arrested him for contempt.

Have a closer look at Shuler's photo. During that traffic stop, someone's elbow (or fist?) appears to have collided with his eye. According to Shuler's wife, they also pepper-sprayed him, claiming he was resisting arrest. Matt Osborne has photos of the scene where he was arrested.

Once again, it appears Republican hypocrisy is rearing its ugly head when it comes to online activity. On the one hand, many conservatives seem to follow the principle that libel and slander are fine and if you don't like it get a lawyer and sue. On the other, they cry about free speech until the guy who is exercising his right happens to be taking aim at the son of a former Alabama governor.

AL.com has a decent analysis, including quotes from LA lawyer Ken White of the Popehat blog:

Continue reading »

No matter how callous and disreputable the GOP's acts, Fox News will always be there to back them up. We've been covering the cuts to the SNAP program and other entitlements all week, but after watching Fox news cover the same story, I had to reply since they relish it when Americans suffer.

Brad Blakeman is the typical Fox News pundit that spreads lies and disinformation on almost anything that benefits average working class Americans, including the Poors. Here he is, equating the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that many Americans need to survive, to drug dealers and addicts. Gretchen actually makes the case that making drastic cuts to SNAP will be able to help root out fraud in the system. Is she on whacky weed?

Gretchen: Brad, are these cuts the right thing to do so we can root out this fraud?

Blakeman: You bet and we should not only be looking at food stamps, but every entitlement. Faud, abuse and mismanagement is rife in America.

Continue reading »

DOWNLOADS: (49)

PLAYS: (454)

Embed

[Note: The video above from 2007 links the Southern National Congress to the League of the South "hate group."]

At least one Republican lawmaker from Tennessee is prepared to speak to a neo-Confederate secessionist group over the weekend.

As The Tennessean reported on Thursday, the Southern National Congress' website announced that both state Rep. Judd Matheny (R) and state Sen. Frank Niceley (R) would be attending a weekend session to discuss legislation supporting the idea that the Southern states could again secede and form their own government.

The Southern National Congress allegedly has ties to the League of the South, which is considered to be a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). The League of the South works to "establish a Christian theocratic state and politically dominate blacks and other minorities" with white rule, according to the SPLC.

Southern National Congress Chairman David O. Jones told The Tennessean that Matheny had tried to be taken off the schedule because he was going to be out of town, but Niceley was still planning to attend the event.

The Tennessee Anti-Racist Network first pointed out that the lawmakers had been scheduled to speak at the event.

"Ultimately, we don’t want elected officials to speak at extremist hate events," member Darlene Neal explained. “Really? We have to say this out loud? It’s unbelievable, but we believe it because we’re living it.”

Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler tossed his hat into the 2014 Governor's race to unseat Democrat John Hickenlooper in September of this year, and has been working to capture an early lead when he suddenly suspended his campaign in order to send his resources into a local school board election.

Understandably, this has outraged many, including the good citizens of Douglas County, the focus of Gessler's efforts. Denver Post:

Republican Secretary of State Scott Gessler says his passion for education reform is why his 2014 gubernatorial campaign is shifting gears over the new few days to focus on electing a conservative slate of candidates to the Douglas County School Board on Tuesday.

But Gessler’s announcement, both in an e-mail and on Facebook, has attracted critics who contend the state’s top election officer — and a former elections law attorney — is violating campaign finance laws with announcements about “paid opportunities.”

Not at all, said Gessler’s political director Rory McShane.

Continue reading »

Link:

LOS ANGELES — A suspected gunman was in custody Friday following a shooting at Los Angeles airport that left multiple people wounded and disrupted flights nationwide.

Gunshots were reported at Terminal 3. Los Angeles police Officer Norma Eisenman said the conditions of the injured people were unknown.

She says the suspect also exchanged fire with airport police. The airport was being swept for precautionary measures and the bomb unit was on scene.

Airport staff evacuated travelers and flights were disrupted nationwide.

Television images showed two people being wheeled away by firefighters. Triage stations also were seen.

Witness Brian Keech told The Associated Press he heard “about a dozen gunshots” from inside a security gate at the terminal, which has been evacuated.

The Federal Aviation Administration said a “ground stop” was in affect for all flights heading to Los Angeles, meaning planes in any other airport in the country can’t take off for the city, although some flights already in the air were allowed to land.