Rick Perry's History Lesson: Mitch McConnell's Letter Home (Rocky Mountain Mike Comedy)

I'm still up to my eyeballs in upgrades and minor problems (for the record, my MacBook Pro is finished, the Windows 8.1 has one minor issue I'm still working on). So, thank goodness Rocky Mountain Mike keeps making fun new comedy bits. It feels like a bit of a cheat that I don't have to do any work to have such stellar content. But hey, Mike has "share" enabled on his bits, and doesn't seem to mind! Also: be sure to buy his new album, Politically Incoherent if you're enjoying his stuff here on my blog. I'm anxiously awaiting my own copy.
 

The George W. Bush Presidential LieBerry

My version of W's memoirs, from the
early days of the blog.

A great promo for Dubya's hall of shame, from Kenny Pick (of The Stephanie Miller Show).

Jeb Bush Thinks History Will Look Kindly on His Brother

Which brother is that, Jeb. . .Neil? Because if you mean your brother George, you are still inside that bubble Mitt Romney was in when he thought he was going to win so handily.

[Excerpt]

Jeb Bush: 'History will be kind to my brother'

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush says that the public will view his older brother, former president George W. Bush, more favorably as time passes. "In (my father's) four years as president a lot of amazing accomplishments took place," said Jeb Bush, the son of former President George H.W. Bush, during an interview on NBC's Meet the Press. "So my guess is that history will be kind to my brother, the further out you get from this and the more people compare his tenure to what's going on now. . ."

Read more at: NBC News

Blast from the Past: Political Schoolhouse Rock!

This week's Blast from the Past is political in nature, because of the torturous two-year campaign we've all been through. WHAT? Yes, more politics, but the best, most patriotism-inducing, rah-rah America loving kind of politics you can get! Back during the bicentennial celebration, ABC produced several patriotic, political Schoolhouse Rock segments, to augment their grammar and math ditties. Some of them became the most famous of them all, including I'm Just a Bill and The Constitution.

And that will do it for this week. I'm off tomorrow, and salute our veterans for it! Have a great week.

History Lesson on Presidential Debates and Winners

As I said, I got slammed with work, so my posts have been short, even if my choices have been entertaining. Now, I'm going to throw you something entertaining and educational. Did you know there have only now been seven televised first debates for incumbent presidents? It's true, they only go back as far as the Ford/Carter debate of 1976, which was marred by technical difficulties.

What I like about this clip from The Rachel Maddow Show is that--contrary to right-wing critics' expectations--Rachel makes no effort to spin President Obama's debate performance as anything other than a loss. What she does is put the debate itself into a historical perspective: the challenger to almost all modern incumbent presidents win in the first debate. But how many go on to win the election? Watch the clip below to find out.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Stephen Colbert Illustrates Sarah Palin's Version of Paul Revere's Ride!

The Colbert Report
Tags: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

Palin Fans Trying to Alter History to Fit Sarah's Paul Revere Story

The Karl Rove Alternate Reality Machine used to take care of stuff like this. Now, it's the Palinites trying--inartfully to do it. But don't worry, Sarah! No matter what you say or do, your cultish legion of fans will always love--and make excuses--for you.

[Excerpt]

Palin Fans Trying to Edit Wikipedia Paul Revere Page

Man, you’ve gotta almost admire the sheer blind dedication of Sarah Palin’s wingnut acolytes.



Now they’re trying like crazy to edit the Wikipedia page for “Paul Revere” to make it match Palin’s botched version of history. Here’s the Revision history of Paul Revere; check out the edits that are being reversed. . .

Read more (of all places) at: Little Green Footballs
Thanks to Stupid Monkey Planet for the link.

Sarah Palin Appears on FOX "News" Sunday as Featured Guest

This morning, when I started the DVR to watch the Sunday morning political showathon, I noticed that Meet the Press wasn't in the queue. Yep, pre-empted by tennis or something. Face the Nation is always bumped, because it is on at the same time as two other shows, and This Week is always on later (sometimes much later) in our region. So all that was there was FOX "News" Sunday with Chris Wallace.


Sigh. Okay, make the coffee, go have a constitutional, and then brave the vaguely creepy Wallace. And who pops up first? Sarah freakin' Palin. I thought when her bus tour to nowhere petered out that we might get a respite from mama grisly. But there she was. Looking very TV-ready, with fluffed up hair, glossy lips, an elaborate--yet tasteful--crucifix necklace, deep tan, and commanding--yet feminine--white top. Clearly, the people who do up the FOX "News" babes got a crack at her. [Continued below]



Anyway, though Palin always manages to talk in endless stream of consciousness word salad sentences, she managed to mostly be succinct this morning. Wallace asked her several policy questions that Palin has no background in, and she hit the softballs back with slightly less folksiness than usual. She managed to get through the interview without tripping on her tongue, or making a major gaffe. And her cultish fans will be thrilled about that. They will also no doubt ignore that Palin was appearing on a program produced by her employer. That she could have been coached, prompted or scripted remains not only possible, but likely.

Anyway, what we learned from the mavericky rogue, included:

- She didn't screw up the Paul Revere story, she was just giving us the less famous part of the story (why, I have no idea)*.
- She's ponderin' the run for president, and turnin' over rocks, but she hasn't decided yet, doggone it!
- Her bus tour wasn't a family vacation or a publicity tour, it was a history tour!
- She's really sorry she stepped all over Mitt Romney's toes (or ran them over) when he announced his run. Don't get your magic underwear all in a twist there, Mittens!

*Incidentally, everyone who is trying to spin Palin's rambling Revere story as accurate (including the person who posted the above video at YouTube): you're full of it. Palin's delivery was abysmal, and her "facts" sounded like they went through a food processor. She burped up "bells" and "guns" and "warned the British." If she were giving an oral report in a history class (or even if this were a pageant answer), I seriously doubt she'd have made the grade. So give it up. She's a twit.

Rachel Maddow: The Iraq War, Credit Where It's Due

What would a new month be without a Rachel Maddow Show post on the blog?  And this one's a doozy.  With the War in Iraq effectively over (we hope), the President gave a speech to mark the occasion.  It was a speech with a soft touch as to how the war started, and what we were there for.  President Obama did mention President George W. Bush (three times, despite what you may have heard), but he didn't blast him for the decision to invade, or really say much of anything negative at all.  It would seem that the President is still in the "looking forward, not back" mode, and would prefer we would do the same.

Harumph.  The Iraq War was not only started under false pretenses, the official reason for the war kept shifting, to equally implausible scenarios.  Americans have famously short memories for this sort of thing (history? boring!), but thankfully we have people like Rachel around to put things into perspective.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Science is Cool: History of the Internet in 8 Minutes

This nerd-tastic video is quite educational. And it has simple (but nifty) graphics to help you understand. The British-accented narrator doesn't hurt either. But see how far you can follow this before you hit your "huh?" wall. I got to TCP/IP, and then my brain burnt out. . .

DNC: The Hillary Clinton Factor

The mainstream press--working seemingly in tandem with right-wing punditry and the John McCain campaign--has been beating the "divided Democratic Party" drum for months and months. And this week, with the Democratic National Convention underway, the beat has gotten louder.

Left-wing pundits have been downplaying this, which they would probably try to do even if it were true. But many voices, from Thom Hartmann on Air America Radio, Randi Rhodes from Nova M Radio, and John Aravosis from AmericaBlog have been reporting that it is not only overblown, but that this divide isn't even evident at the convention itself. My thought is that it makes a good story, but that it's typical mountain out of a molehill stuff.

As the story below shows, the events taking place at the convention with Hillary Clinton are not at all unusual, in the context of previous Democratic Conventions. In fact, it would be odd if she didn't have a prominent spot.

[Excerpt]

Hillary Clinton speaks at convention. The press concocts a story

Within the fast-forward world of campaign journalism, it's not considered cool to examine the recent past in order to provide context for today's events. (We know it's not cool because nobody does it.) Nonetheless, here's a very brief history lesson that the political press prefers to ignore. . .

Read on (it's really good) at: Media Matters for America

Blast from the Past: World's Oldest Voice Recording

Photo found at JeffBots

I wrote at least five variations of the same term paper on Thomas Edison (appropriately changed for advancing grades), so this story is both cool and a bummer. A bummer because it makes Edison the second person to make a recording, which is not something one usually aspires too. But it's still OK, because he likely never heard of this other guy, and Edison was still the first to record and play back sound. So no need to re-revise that paper! Whew.

[Excerpt]

U.S. experts find oldest voice recording, from 1860

U.S. audio historians have discovered and played back a French inventor's historic 1860 recording of a folk song -- the oldest-known audio recording -- made 17 years before Thomas Edison invented the phonograph.

"It's magic," audio historian David Giovannoni said on Thursday. "It's like a ghost singing to you. . ."

Read more at: Reuters

FOX "News" Helping Rehabilitate Bush's Image

Fellow Democrats, there's something to be on the lookout for in the coming months: an attempt to rehabilitate George W. Bush's image. Historically, such a thing has been done before. Back in the late 80s, when Ronald Reagan was President, his approvals were mired in the 40% range. There was a concerted effort to romantacize his presidency, and it most definitely worked. Ronald Reagan is now just a smidge short of a deity--at least to Republicans.

FOX "News" is advertising a program that is just one step in this plan. Here's the placard for that program:


Source: Andrew Sullivan The Daily Dish

There is an effort afoot to head off such a campaign. And they're hugely bankrolled. It is essential for history's sake that Bush doesn't somehow obtain a patina of gravitas or anything resembling competance. It's just not right. Karl Rove spent his time in the White House creating a false reality. Sorry, I want real reality!

[Excerpt]

Anti-Bush Campaign Planned

A liberal advocacy group plans to spend $8.5 million in a drive to ensure that President Bush's public approval doesn't improve as his days in the White House come to an end.

Americans United for Change plans to undertake a yearlong campaign, spending the bulk of the money on advertising, to keep public attention on what the group says are the Bush administration's failures, including the war in Iraq, the response to Hurricane Katrina and the current mortgage crisis. . .

Read more at: Associated Press

Michelangelo’s Last Sketch?

Image from source, MSNBC

As an artist of sorts, I found this story interesting. Michelangelo is one of history's greatest lights, amazingly talented, and incredibly ahead of his time. Imagine what that intellect could do today. And he wouldn't have had to keep David a secret. . .

[Excerpt]

Michelangelo’s ‘last sketch’ discovered

A long-missing Michelangelo sketch for the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica, possibly his last design before his death, has been discovered in the basilica’s offices, the Vatican newspaper said Thursday. . .

Read more at: MSNBC

Smart Egyptian Monkey Prosthetics

Posted by Stupid Monkey Planet

I just thought this was cool. Some of the times we monkeys can be smart. Just not enough of the times.

The prosthetic toe in the Cairo Museum. Credit: Jacky Finch

Egyptian Monkey Cleverness...

Behind the Blogger, Part Six: The Experience Thing

This is the last (at least for a while) in my series of "Behind the Blogger" posts. I've related the various things in my life that have formed my point of view, and motivated me to write. Now you might be wondering (OK, you're probably not, but what the hell), what kind of experience do you have putting together a publication?

Photo from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia©
The Computer Language Company Inc.

I've always had a serious desire to be in publishing. In sixth grade, I teamed with another student in creating a regular "newspaper" called (not coincidentally) The Greenlee Gazette. It was a collection of puzzles, cartoons (of teachers!) and the like. No real news, but the kids seemed to like it. It lasted about 8 issues. Not all that long after, when I was 14, I co-founded and co-edited (with my Mom) a quarterly newspaper called The Indian Relic Trader. This publication had a bit more longevity, 11 years before it was sold. Along the way, we renamed it Prehistoric Antiquities to be more politically correct. I contributed cartoons, logos, layout, and did a heck of a lot of typing.

I was also for a short time, editor of Artifacts Magazine, and also A.R.E.A. Newsline of which I have very little memory other than, again lots of typing.

In high school, I joined the school paper, The Ramble, as Assistant Production Editor. Senior year, I was promoted to Production Editor. I was a roving reporter, columnist, puzzle and cartoon maker, and in charge of layout and design. I also did a complete redesign of the cover, which (I believe) was retained for a few more years.

I majored in Graphic Communications in college, and while I was there, I started a spin-off newspaper to Mom's original called The Comic Book Trader. This was a little overly-ambitious of me, considering there was no easy-to-research World Wide Web back then , and I had no time what with a full-time job and college. But unlike the original paper, I was in charge of the whole ball of wax, from inception to (six issues later) demise.

Since then, I've found my graphic arts and design skills in high demand, regardless of what job I held. I'm currently Graphics Director at a sign company in Las Vegas. But it hasn't been until this blog that I've had the chance to experiment with my writing craft (or lack thereof). I've been a little too excited about the blog, and I'm sure my friends and family are sick of hearing every little detail. Sorry, everybody! Given the millions of blogs out there, my aspirations aren't very high, but I intend to keep it up as long as I can. I'm just having too much fun!

So if you've found me by accident or on purpose, I appreciate your indulgence. Please continue to send your ideas and links, too. After all, my real experience is in editing and publishing. I'm hoping the actual writing keeps pace! Thanks.

UPDATE 01/13/09: I probably should mention that I'm also not altogether new to the Internet machine, nor to computers in general. I've been using graphics and publishing software almost since it was invented back in the late eighties, and have been self-taught all the way. During a period of unemployment in the early nineties, I taught myself HTML, and produced a website for my mother's business. Later, after attaining gainful employment once again, I developed (and maintain) a website for my current employer.

I dabbled in Internet message boards back when modems were all dial up, and 14Kbps or so. I participated in message boards on Prodigy, and later on AOL and Usenet. While I didn't start this blog until 2007, I've been participating in online communications for close to 20 years.

All of that means I'm probably no more qualified than you are. On the other hand, I'm no less qualified than Sean Hannity or Rush-freakin'-Limbaugh, right?