Adventures in My Mind

Now We're All at the Table

noreply@blogger.com (Teddy) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 12:55:28 PST

I was reminded of the this incredible poem from the amazing Langston Hughes by The Washington Post's Eugene Robinson.

I, Too, Sing America - Langston Hughes

I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.

Tomorrow,
I'll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody'll dare
Say to me,
"Eat in the kitchen,"
Then.

Besides,
They'll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed--

I, too, am America.

RIP: Jerry Reed and Don LaFontaine

noreply@blogger.com (Teddy) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 10:42:12 PDT

What with all the politics these last 2 weeks, I've had little time to think or comment about anything else.

But this week saw the deaths of 2 huge cultural icons of mine. Please watch these videos and enjoy.

Jerry Reed

Don LaFontaine

Politicos Roger Simon Apologizes on Behalf of the Elite Media

noreply@blogger.com (Teddy) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:54:32 PDT

In a heart felt column he writes:

On behalf of the elite media, I would like to say we are very sorry.

We have asked questions this week that we should never have asked.

We have asked pathetic questions like: Who is Sarah Palin? What is her record? Where does she stand on the issues? And is she is qualified to be a heartbeat away from the presidency?

We have asked mean questions like: How well did John McCain know her before he selected her? How well did his campaign vet her? And was she his first choice?

Bad questions. Bad media. Bad.

For shame!

Steven Weber: Miss Al Qaeda America

noreply@blogger.com (Teddy) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:47:25 PDT

If you don't know that actor Steven Weber is also an occasional political commentator, then you should check out is stuff on The Huffington Post. For those that do, you either love what the former Wings actor has to say or you think that he should be lynched along with any conspiratorial media types (Jews) or uppity community organizers (blacks). Or you just might be in ST. Paul at the Republican Convention.

I liked what he had to say about ersatz Republican VP pick Sarah Palin so much that I'm going to reprint the whole thing in full. Please enjoy.

Well, one may no longer can claim that women are the smarter, more sophisticated, more earthbound of the species. It is now possible in this wonderful age to be female and still be a completely unqualified, bleating, prevaricating moron who can get kicked upstairs like any of the men before her to have been so blessed.

To the unified delight of all the other morons of both sexes assembled at last night's Repustule Convention, the glass ceiling took another head-butt courtesy of a scrunch-wearing no-nothing and now -- incredibly -- the race is on. While thousands of conventioneers frequently burst into spontaneous cheers (one wishes that many of them could have burst into spontaneous flames instead) all too reminiscent of the ones heard in brauhauses in Munich in the early 30's, the spectacle of the bespectacled bobble-headed boobie capably reading her teleprompter gave the crowd of dead-enders the hope they have prayed so long for. For unto them has been delivered the perfect candidate to further their agenda, one that can deflate and defeat any and all who try to use reason and sense to better this nation's future chances at survival by invoking a large uterus and a tiny brain. Forget "Network" -- this is "Idiocracy", the cult film by Mike Judge that charts the descent of the American intellect to a level of nationwide doltishness.

It's homespun terrorism tailored to appeal to "the average American" and orchestrated nice as you please by the most efficient cultural terrorists this side of Wannsee. It comes bearing Tupperware bowls of Chex Mix and almond bark. It carries a bible and an AK-47 and wears its ignorance on its lapel, right next to the flag pin (which was finally stuck in place after several hours of processing the instructions that come with it). It invokes old glory and Old Glory and hates really only one thing: you.

Oh, okay, I am exaggerating the whole thing. Oh, maybe she's not so bad. Maybe it's not Al Qaeda come to America, putting an IED inside every soccer ball or sprinkling anthrax on every Jello casserole. Maybe it's only America as land of opportunity, where even the mayor of the largest methamphetamine producing city in Alaska can grow up to be Vice President of the United States simply by not trying.

McCain-Palin. Allah help us.

Indeed.

Dennis Kucinich's Democratic Convention Speech

noreply@blogger.com (Teddy) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 12:35:01 PDT

I love that little munchkin! Up with Dennis Kucinich. I truly hope he gets a cabinet position in the Obama administration.

WTF??

noreply@blogger.com (Teddy) — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 10:53:02 PDT

Texas school district to let teachers carry guns

66 to 29: Your Rights Don't Mean Shit

noreply@blogger.com (Teddy) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 21:06:49 PDT

Let's remember that the whole idea behind the "War on Terra" is to protect ourselves against those who would threaten our way of life. Why should we worry about Islamic extremists hiding in caves when we have so many doing a good job right here?

I know of no greater threat against us than our own homegrown enemies who seek to dismantle and warp our constitutional protections.

There are reasons for the Bill of Rights. There are reasons for the 4th Amendment. And they are that giving too much power to the government is deadly to a democratic state. We cannot practice freedom, liberty, democracy, and all the other teary-eyed, hand-on-heart words tossed about by our Imperial President.

If He (and all those before and after) have all the power, there is no We. No We the People. No nothing. Just him and his flunkies. Is this concept really that hard to understand?

Today's Best Headline

noreply@blogger.com (Teddy) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:59:44 PDT

I read a lot of news. I read a lot blogs. Sometimes I read headlines and ledes fully with the intent of gaining a better understanding of the day's event. Other times I just scan.

Getting the attention of a scanning reader, of course, requires a bold headline. Here's the best one I've seen today:

Is Madonna Whacking A-Rod�s Balls Out Of The Park?

Yeah. That's a good one.

15 Patriots Stand to Protect the Constitution

noreply@blogger.com (Teddy) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 07:03:11 PDT

Ever wonder who the modern day Patriots truly are? Here's a short list to consider:

Joseph Biden
Barbara Boxer
Sherrod Brown
Maria Cantwell
Chris Dodd
Dick Durbin
Russ Feingold
Tom Harkin
John Kerry
Frank Lautenberg
Patrick Leahy
Robert Menendez
Bernie Sanders
Chuck Schumer
Ron Wyden

These brave men and women are United States Senators and today they took a stand - a stand to protect the Constitution, a stand to insulate the American people from an over-intrusive Big Brother-like government, a stand to ensure that perpetrators of serious crimes and even more serious breaches of the public trust would have to answer for their misdeeds.

That, of course, is a much more poetic way to say that only 15 of 100 U.S. Senators felt it necessary to attempt to find accountability and a more constitutionally acceptable way to gather intelligence information. Thanks to the other 85 senators the Bushies were handed a huge victory in their efforts to wiretap without warrants - an act that is deemed illegal by the U.S. Constitution, by the way.

In the process, all telecoms who participated in the illegal spying program will never be held accountable for the illegal gathering of customer data that they gift wrapped for W. They will never see their day in court. We will never know who ordered the program. We will never know the extent to which they illegally gathered information. We will never know why the surveillance occurred outside the court systems necessary checks. We simply will never know anything.

Since 9/11, the Bush administration has declared war, not on terrorism, but on the Constitution. At every turn they have sought to weaken the protections granted by our amazing model for self-government. They have sought to promote the office of the president to a monarchical position unaccountable to other branches of government. The fight against the FISA compromise was an incredible opportunity for Congress to refuse to cede ground to our junior monarch and his zealous band of imperialists. Instead, they threw it away like so much refuse. The spineless bureaucrats failed in both the Senate and the House to keep us safe from a larger threat than bearded psychos holed up in caves in Bora Bora: they failed to protect us from ourselves.

Sadly, you'll note, that Barack Obama's name is not on the above list. He supports the so-called FISA compromise bill that makes a complete mockery of the 4th Amendment which states:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

It couldn't be more clear: safety, security, probable cause, sworn warrants. None of it necessary any longer. This to me was Senator Obama's first truly presidential test, and he failed miserably.

But a Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever. --John Adams

I'm Voting Republican

noreply@blogger.com (Teddy) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:36:09 PDT

To all you blinkered Clinton supporters who would vote for McSame instead of Obama, I just want you to know that I'm voting Republican too!

Am I the Only One ...

noreply@blogger.com (Teddy) — Tue, 27 May 2008 07:39:42 PDT

who is sick and fucking tired of Seth Rogen? And Judd Apatow?

I mean come on! Are there no other actors or filmmakers in Hollywood? I myself know several dozen who would be happy to have the chance to make the same movie over and over and have obscene amounts of money dropped on their heads. Hell, I'm one of them! I've got plenty of one trick pony potential!

Argh!

16 Military Wives - The Decemberists ... BRILLIANT!

noreply@blogger.com (Teddy) — Fri, 23 May 2008 09:56:11 PDT

I suppose I run the risk of being "un-american" by loving a video like this, but if you think that, may I suggest a subtle "shove it up your ass!"

Take your blind nationalism and Reichstag-burning dogma and sell it to someone who gives a shit. Your false machismo, adolescent insecurity, and contrived patriotism are flagrant reminders of the failed theory of might makes right.

Dissent is patriotic. In fact, American patriotism is born of dissent. When Jefferson, Madison and the gang gave George the First the big "vaffanculo!", they did so with love of country (their own country) in their hearts. They saw that things were not going in a way that best for them and their burgeoning home on this side of the Atlantic and they rebelled. The resisted. They dissented. And the world is better off for it. Amen.

And right now we are in need of some thoughtful dissent again. Our principles have been compromised. Our liberty has been curtailed. And our position in the world has been diminished by a slavish adherence to capitalism and ideology. The great Neo-Con experiment needs to be terminated.

Our liberty and freedom doesn't depend upon our (perceived)correctness and our ability to cram our will down the throats of the rest of the world. It depends upon our courageousness ... the courage to act responsibly; the courage to act wisely; and, above all, the courage to know that, more often than not, it is more courageous to avoid a fight than to start one.

A Real Foreign Policy, Not Just Rattling Sabres

noreply@blogger.com (Teddy) — Fri, 23 May 2008 08:10:14 PDT

Joe Biden refutes closet Republican Joe Lieberman's attempt to pat McCain, Bush, Cheney, et al on the back for the fine job they've done with our foreign policy over the last seven years.

Terrorism is a means, not an end, and very different groups and countries are using it toward very different goals. Messrs. Bush and McCain lump together, as a single threat, extremist groups and states more at odds with each other than with us: Sunnis and Shiites, Persians and Arabs, Iraq and Iran, al Qaeda and Shiite militias. If they can't identify the enemy or describe the war we're fighting, it's difficult to see how we will win.

With John McSame not knowing Shiites from Sunnis and Al Queda from the Mehdi Army, how are we to expect different results from another Republican administration.

Belgium Comes to a Tree-Lined Pittsburgh Street

noreply@blogger.com (Teddy) — Fri, 09 May 2008 09:13:24 PDT

Sami and I went out last night for a rare parents-only getaway. It was a nice quiet evening that, although way too short, led us to an out of the way place favored by one Sami's friends. Stuck right in the residential heart of Point Breeze, Point Brugge Cafe is a nice little place to go. It boasts a small, but packed full of flavor menu and popularity among the more discerning dinner crowd. The Thursday night crowd buzzed quite a bit and lined up 2 deep at the bar at one point.

Serving a wide variety of Belgian beers and wines from around the world, the drink menu is much more expansive than the dinner choices. The wines are available both by the glass and the bottle. Sami chose a glass each of the Peter Lehmann Shiraz and the Airlie Pinot Noir. I stuck to the beer menu and had a Lindemans Framboise, a raspberry lambic that is expensive at $10 a bottle but worth every penny!

For our meal we stuck with a few small plate favorites, including a cheese board with grilled fennel rubbed sausage, macaroni gratin, and their famed twice-cooked Brugge Frites. We followed that with a shared Cafe Chicken sandwich that ended the meal quite nicely.

The cheese board included several cheeses I've never had but went very well with the accompanying walnuts and apples. It also included a couple of cheeses I don't much care for: Chevre and Maytag Bleu. There was a mustard cheese with mustard seed in it that was an excellent match for grilled sausage.

And for more cheese (I love cheese!)The Macaroni Gratin was the best mac & cheese this little Pittsburgh boy has ever had. With a blend of gruyere, parmesan, and cheddar; it was toppped with grated cheese, bread crumbs, parsley and baked until golden brown. It may speak to simple tastes, but the gratin was by itself reason enough for the trip.

The Brugge Frites are a true French/Belgian delight. First parcooked at a low temperature and then quickly cooked at a high temperature these French Fries are related in name only to the ones served at your local McD or greasy spoon. The frittes are served with a very continental basil mayo that was bursting with fresh basil flavor.

After looking at several of the delicious sounding entrees we settled on splitting the Cafe Chicken sandwich with fresh mozarella, roasted red peppers, romaine lettuce, and more basil mayo. It included a mixed green salad tossed in the house lemon vinaigrette. By this time we were pretty full so half of the sandwich now sits in th fridge.

The only drawback I experienced was the clientelle: a mix of older professionals and younger yuppies, few of whom I would've wanted to share my table with. And given the small space and necessary intimacy I felt as though I was indeed sharing my table with them. But I suppose the perceived pretension was in keeping with the Belgian inspired menu. A menu that I want to explore more on future visits.

Entrees like Steak Frittes, a traditional bistro favorite of steak and fries, and Carbonnade Flamande, beer-braised beef, warrant more of my time. The specials included a pan seared yellow tail tuna served over mushrooom fennel couscous that sounded fantastic.

The house favorite is clearly the Moules or Mussels. The wait staff carried plate after plate from the kitchen. Diners have the choice of three delicious sounding sauces that are served with a delicious crusty bagette bread. I'm not a fan of mussels, but watching those huge piles of beautiful black shells being set on surrounding tables almost made me want some. Such is the power of suggestion!

Check out Point Brugge Cafe the next time you're looking for a good drink and an inspired Belgian style menu.

Point Brugge Cafe
401 Hasting St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15206
412-441-3334

Let Them Eat (Wedding) Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Teddy) — Wed, 07 May 2008 08:35:29 PDT

At press conference called by the First Lady Laura Bush, the subject digressed from the devastation in Myanmar - the ostensible reason for the whole thing - to the much more urgent topic of Jenna Bush's upcoming marriage.

I wonder if we can get some more footage of W. (Nero) dancing (fiddling). How much is a barrell of oil now?

The Empire Strikes Barack

noreply@blogger.com (Teddy) — Fri, 02 May 2008 09:32:17 PDT

PA Primary: I Voted!

noreply@blogger.com (Teddy) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 06:26:35 PDT

Have you?

Still undecided?

It doesn't matter who you support, despite my partisan heckling. Just get out there and vote!

And if you are an Obama supporter, please hit the counter on the right and drop a little cash in the till for November.

Barack Obama '08

45 Minutes

noreply@blogger.com (Teddy) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 12:37:25 PDT

Forty-five minutes for mainstream media to put the last nail in its own coffin.

Who Won the Debate?

noreply@blogger.com (Teddy) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 19:21:56 PDT

ABC won in the ratings as American democracy loses once again. And what's with George Stephanopolous taking his questions directly from conservative sawtooth Sean Hannity?

And what the hell is up with him moderating the debate in the first place? Did he not used to work in the Clinton White House? Did he not help get Clinton elected in 1992?

I read this week that he felt that he would be capable of being neutral. Bullshit! I haven't seen that type of neutrality since Hitler promised not to annex the Sudetenland.

Rupert Murdoch and the New York Post could've been more impartial the Stephanopolous and Gibson.

And where the hell did they get the mouth breather who asked about the lapel pin? "I'm not questioning your patriotism, but why don't you wear the pin?" What? What!

Prices out of control. Government incompetency running wild. An unending war in Iraq. Bin Laden still running loose in Pakistan. And we get a question about lapel pins. It was an excellent way to spend your 15 minutes of fame, Martha, or whatever the fuck your name is.

This "debate" was a sham. It was a pile on from Clinton, Gibson, Stephanopolous, and Sean Hannity. It was a joke. It was a shame. It was sham. It was a travesty of mockery of sham (sorry about the paraphrase Woody).

You Call This a Debate?

noreply@blogger.com (Teddy) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 17:48:41 PDT

Forty-four minutes in and apparently ABC and George Stephanopolous have decided to lynch Obama.

I Hear the Train A'Comin' ... The Obama Train

noreply@blogger.com (Teddy) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:31:08 PDT

The Pittburgh Post-Gazette endorses Barack Obama:

This editorial began by observing that one candidate is of the past and one of the future. The litany of criticisms heaped on Sen. Obama by the Clinton camp, simultaneously doing the work of the Republicans, is as illustrative as anything of which one is which. These are the cynical responses of the old politics to the new. ... Pennsylvania -- this encrusted, change-averse commonwealth where a state liquor monopoly holds on against all reason and where municipal fiefdoms shrink from sensible consolidation -- needs to take a strong look at the new face and the new hope in this race. Because political business-as-usual is more likely to bring the usual disappointment for the Democrats this fall, the Post-Gazette endorses the nomination of Barack Obama, who has brought an excitement and an electricity to American politics not seen since the days of John F. Kennedy.

Hillary, this is not your husband's politics anymore.

Bill Can Say It But Barack Can't?

noreply@blogger.com (Teddy) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:11:40 PDT

From Bill Clinton's 2004 memoir, My Life.

If [Republicans] could cut funding for Medicare, Medicaid, education, and the environment, middle-class Americans would see fewer benefits from their tax dollars, feel more resentful paying taxes, and become even more receptive to their appeals for tax cuts and their strategy of waging campaigns on divisive social and cultural is sues like abortion, gay rights, and guns.

Clinton said it because it's true. Obama said because it's true.

Hillary seized on it because she, like the Republicans, is looking for a wedge issue to discredit Obama.

It's About the Clinton's, Stupid!

noreply@blogger.com (Teddy) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 07:32:07 PDT

Uber Journalist, Carl Bernstein, gives a rather cogent look forward into a Hillary Clinton presidency (check the link below). His advice is simple: look back to 1992.

The answer by now seems obvious: It will look like her presidential campaign, which in turn looks increasingly like the first Clinton presidency.

Which is to say, high-minded ideals, lowered execution, half truths, outright lies (and imaginary flights), take-no prisoners politics, some very good policy ideas, a presidential spouse given to wallowing in anger and self-pity, and a succession of aides and surrogates pushed under the bus when things don�t go right. Which is to say, often.

And endless psychodrama: the essential Clintonian experience that mesmerizes the press, confuses the citizenry, confounds members of both parties in Congress (not to mention the Clintons themselves, at times) and pretty much keeps the rest of the world constantly amused and fixated.

It is this long march back in time that every American should be afraid of. This campaign and every moved she has made since 1999 has been about one, rather two things: Hillary and Bill, Billary.

These tragic characters lack the self-awareness necessary to understand that there are simply some things in this world that don't have anything to do with them. They are they ultimate products of the Me generation. Living in the center of their often self-created clouds of sturm and drang, they believe that they are good people and that that should be good enough. Good enough to philander and womanize. Good enough to lie to grand juries, to the press, to the electorate, to themselves. Good enough to do and say anything. Good enough to apologize later, instead of asking permission now. Good enough to destroy the Democratic party in their rush to legitimacy.

Let's not forget that Bill Clinton was elected with less than 50% of the vote in both of his presidential victories. There was no mandate. More Americans wanted someone else than wanted him. Ross Perot, of course, gave us Bubba anyway.

Let's also not forget that the peace and prosperity of the 1990s came with the very high price of all of us being dragged through their personal and public dramas. And memory and history will both show that much of the corporate greed and economic immolation of the last 7 years was either born or nurtured during Bill's administration. Much of the deregulation and unfavorable trade deals we suffer from now came from then. Bob Rubin, where are you? Oh, yeah that's right. You're a Wall Street billionaire. NAFTA anyone?

Much like an old lover who was great under the sheets, but an emotional train wreck during the light of day, it's time to move on America.

Barack Obama for President 2008

CNN Puts the Lie to Criticism of Obama

noreply@blogger.com (Teddy) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 08:11:19 PDT

This campaign must end soon. The politics of destruction that the Clintonistas are engaging in is morally bankrupt and damaging to Democratic prospects in November.

Do you really want to see a President McCain? It becomes a bigger possibility everyday that Clinton stays in the race.

Obama's Response to the So-Called "Bittergate" Controversy

noreply@blogger.com (Teddy) — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 11:11:58 PDT

If you're from the small towns of central PA or the suburbs of Pittsburgh, you know that he's right.

I grew up here. I know the frustration. I've seen the anger, the resentment, the hopelessness. I still live here and I see the one issue voters - guns, abortion, immigration, gay marriage - spouting intolerance and anger.

Obama is right. Washington, Harrisburg, or another capitol in this nation is out of answers so they choose demagoguery to seek votes. They set a group of "them" vs. a group "us" and choose sides. They keep the electorate separated through fear, envy, and distrust. They choose religion to soothe and the 2nd amendment to arouse. They speak platitudes as barter for votes.

Ask the people of Aliquippa, PA or Gary, IN what any government official has done for their towns in the last 25 years. You won't get many positive answers. The most popular person in Aliquippa is Mike Ditka; and not because they're proud of their native son who's done well, but because he donates the most money to their incredibly successful football program. He gives them something to believe in.

Why is the NRA second only to the catholic church in numbers of believers in PA? Because, as Obama says, it gives people something to believe in. The jobs have fled. Their kids have moved away and a constant flow of office seekers have come to soothe their fears and tell them that everything will be okay. Well, guess what. It's not. And it hasn't been for a long time.

That is what Obama was talking about.

Clinton is only half right when she says that she doesn't see bitterness, that she sees hope and resiliency. Of course there is resiliency. After all the small towns have just dried and blown away. But she has also seen the bitterness. In fact, she counts on it. Her entire "I'm a fighter" stance is grounded in that bitterness. Why else would they need a fighter if the people in small town America didn't feel betrayed by their elected officials? Fight whom? For what?

Her criticisms of elitism sounds very hollow as she proffers a protective wing for those who have allegedly been wronged. "Come with me," she says. "I will make it better. I know what's good for you."

Elitism indeed.