tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.comments2023-12-03T02:23:12.272-06:00BeggarsCanBeChoosers.comMarc McDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17105754072842852126noreply@blogger.comBlogger3163125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-2084324374639732212017-06-11T18:53:05.476-05:002017-06-11T18:53:05.476-05:00i appreciate your frustration with the rigidity of...i appreciate your frustration with the rigidity of fundamentalistslocation voiture casablancahttp://www.diazcar.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-29925360728414872752017-04-11T13:49:37.199-05:002017-04-11T13:49:37.199-05:00Hi Cirze, thanks for your kind words, I appreciate...Hi Cirze, thanks for your kind words, I appreciate it.Marc McDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17105754072842852126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-997172080858091522017-04-11T02:11:03.556-05:002017-04-11T02:11:03.556-05:00Thanks, Marc.
Take heart.
And keep fighting (h/t...Thanks, Marc.<br /><br />Take heart.<br /><br />And keep fighting (h/t Lee Camp)!!!!<br /><br />Love you.Cirzehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07070125217972397204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-52492254850783994792017-03-16T03:38:50.703-05:002017-03-16T03:38:50.703-05:00Some scholars believe the Exodus story was contriv...Some scholars believe the Exodus story was contrived to persuade Jews to leave Babylon and return to Palestine following their emancipation in that land. Many Jews were doing well financially in Babylon and weren't happy with the notion of a long road trip and an uncertain future--hence the Exodus myth, which purports to demonstrate the enormous sacrifice made by their forebears to populate Palestine in the first place.<br />location voiturehttp://jazzcar.net/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-74096253627918395962017-01-18T23:52:15.676-06:002017-01-18T23:52:15.676-06:00Hi Anon, thanks for stopping by and for your comme...Hi Anon, thanks for stopping by and for your comment. Here's an interesting thing about Levin's listeners (at least from my own first-hand experience). 90 percent of the Levin listeners I've know over the years work for the government. (No, not as soldiers or firefighters, but as office workers). Many of these people are younger than me and yet they're already retired, thanks for the nice, fat government pensions they are collecting. In that sense, they're just like their hero, Levin (who retired in his 40s from his cushy government job with a generous taxpayer-funded pension before he went on to radio). I've asked a number of these "right-wingers" if they realize that they're big, fat hypocrites. None of them see my point. The fact is, today's Republicans are a bunch of sociopaths. Their creed is "I've got mine, screw everyone else."Marc McDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17105754072842852126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-66385387229233700502017-01-18T22:59:23.235-06:002017-01-18T22:59:23.235-06:00Interesting how all the right comments look like t...Interesting how all the right comments look like they were wrtten by 5th graders...no wonder they buy all this crap. Their own stupidity fuels their own brainwashing. I feel sorry for them. Such low esteem. Now they've lost any sense of "class", so there's not much left to the GOP except for angry, weird old guys with trucker hats...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-32821591886996392192017-01-18T13:46:55.470-06:002017-01-18T13:46:55.470-06:00Hi Anon, thanks for your kind words, I appreciate ...Hi Anon, thanks for your kind words, I appreciate it.Marc McDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17105754072842852126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-18641121247052345212017-01-17T23:29:30.046-06:002017-01-17T23:29:30.046-06:00Excellent post - right on target. Christgau is fam...Excellent post - right on target. Christgau is famous for being famous, sad to say. He knows virtually nothing about the subject he writes about. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-39399300400277411992016-07-28T05:06:44.204-05:002016-07-28T05:06:44.204-05:00Hi AltandMain, thanks for the note and for your co...Hi AltandMain, thanks for the note and for your comment. You make some good points.<br />re:<br />>>everyone knows that she is economically and militarily right wing.<br />I'm not certain that she is---but I do know that the real Powers That Be (who control everything, including the White House) most definitely are.<br />Ultimately, the system is what's at fault. The system is very badly broken. I'd say that's been the case since around 1980. Things started going downhill under Reagan and then the Dubya years were a bullet in the heart of the nation.Marc McDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17105754072842852126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-16211383918325073932016-07-28T04:51:05.042-05:002016-07-28T04:51:05.042-05:00Hi AltandMain, thanks for your comment and for tho...Hi AltandMain, thanks for your comment and for those links. You make some good points.<br />re:<br />>>Clinton is likely to nominate a very corporate Justice as well.<br />Yes, actually, I'm sure she would. Clinton is very pro-corporate. Corporate America had record profits under her husband (and I'm sure that trend will continue under a Hillary presidency).<br />Still, just to play devil's advocate here: I would trust her Supreme Court picks over those of Trump.<br />Although Hillary is hardly a progressive, I do think that deep down, she'd like to see the end of Citizens United. Or keeping (and building upon) Obamacare. Or some action on gun legislation. If the GOP has the chance, they'll put all these issues out of reach for a generation to come.Marc McDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17105754072842852126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-36663352336059546672016-07-27T10:27:28.493-05:002016-07-27T10:27:28.493-05:00A few more thoughts too about the Supreme Court:
...A few more thoughts too about the Supreme Court:<br /><br />http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/23/opinion/bush-would-have-nominated-garland.html?_r=0<br />http://mediamatters.org/blog/2016/03/16/president-bushs-attorney-general-give-judge-gar/209304<br />http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/25/business/on-business-issues-republicans-might-want-a-justice-garland.html<br /><br />It is not nearly as cut and dried as one might think.<br /><br />Clinton is likely to nominate a very corporate Justice as well. AltandMainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01014823246265859953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-1423616613035171252016-07-27T09:43:31.033-05:002016-07-27T09:43:31.033-05:00The answer is what will happen in 2020? If Clinton...The answer is what will happen in 2020? If Clinton wins, she will have the same problem that Obama had in 2012, only everyone knows that she is economically and militarily right wing. <br /><br />Her base will likely become discouraged pretty quickly. That could lead to a disaster, compounded by the fact that 2020 will be a census year (which is why 2010 was so devastating for Obama). <br /><br />If Trump wins, he will likely be a one term president once his base realizes they have been sold a bill of goods.<br /><br />There will always be Supreme Court of the US positions open. 4 or 8 years is a long time. Letting that get in the way gets the DNC a free pass to do whatever they want, which in Clinton's case seems to be to accept money from companies like Goldman and not release the transcripts. They'd probably be Clinton's 47% moment. AltandMainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01014823246265859953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-69162943547174525072016-07-27T00:35:08.792-05:002016-07-27T00:35:08.792-05:00Hi AltandMain, thanks for your note. I'm certa...Hi AltandMain, thanks for your note. I'm certainly no fan of Hillary. But I'd like to ask you: do you think it'd still be worthwhile to support her, not for her agenda, but if nothing else but for the sake of the Supreme Court? I think a lot of discouraged Sanders supporters are going to hold their nose and vote Hillary for this reason alone.Marc McDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17105754072842852126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-41284753427204586962016-07-26T23:40:32.016-05:002016-07-26T23:40:32.016-05:00If I may take a dissenting view - I wish that Sand...If I may take a dissenting view - I wish that Sanders had snubbed Clinton and had endorsed the Green Party.<br /><br />The difference of course is that Sanders cares and is a person of principle. I think that his heart is in the right place, but I refuse to follow him into supporting Clinton. <br /><br />Actually I'm not sure he was that willing even:<br />https://drlillianglassbodylanguageblog.wordpress.com/2016/07/12/bernie-sanders-body-language-says-he-angrily-and-reluctantly-endorses-hillary-clinton/<br /><br />I wonder what really happened behind closed doors.AltandMainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01014823246265859953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-75987345743569527152016-06-29T13:39:53.020-05:002016-06-29T13:39:53.020-05:00Well... now that everyone has had their pity party...Well... now that everyone has had their pity party, what direction now ?<br /><br />do we continue to ship jobs out ? How do we force manufacturers to hire American workers ?<br /><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11272070237786867860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-169214893709543582016-06-27T09:48:28.640-05:002016-06-27T09:48:28.640-05:00Hi Ed, thanks for the video. But I must say, I thi...Hi Ed, thanks for the video. But I must say, I think these cocky "Leave" Brits will come to rue the day they backed exiting the EU. Britain actually had a good deal with the EU. They've screwed it up now. They're going to have all the disadvantages of being outside of the EU and none of the advantages.<br />London is going to see a lot of its prime finance jobs migrate to the likes of Paris and Frankfurt in the coming years. In fact, I'm sure the finance sectors of those cities (which have long envied London for its finance industry) are quietly celebrating today, because they know they stand to gain from Brexit.<br />By the way, the Brexit vote means that Scotland is going to go its own way. Scotland wants its independence and it wants to remain part of the EU. Any Brit who doesn't see this is deluding themselves. The U.K. is no more. For that reason alone, its clear that the Brexit vote is an enormous fiasco for the U.K.Marc McDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17105754072842852126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-77284831236780395932016-06-19T00:25:48.930-05:002016-06-19T00:25:48.930-05:00Hi Gilbert, right on. I agree.Hi Gilbert, right on. I agree.Marc McDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17105754072842852126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-51485449617594647582016-06-19T00:18:28.543-05:002016-06-19T00:18:28.543-05:00Hi John Ray, I'm not sure what you're talk...Hi John Ray, I'm not sure what you're talking about here. Are you trying to blame Obama for the crash of the Wall Street banks? I don't know what Rush told you about this, but this happened under Bush.<br />And who, exactly, "gutted" the military? Both Democrats and GOP presidents in the modern era have thrown trillions of dollars into the Military Industrial Complex (which is not to be confused with the men and women who serve in the armed forced (and who are, for the most part, vastly underpaid for what they do).<br />By the way, Obama is now embarking on a gigantic trillion-dollar upgrade of U.S. nuclear missile systems (although this has gotten little attention in the corporate media). One could argue whether this upgrade is necessary. But one thing I know is that it isn't going to protect the homeland from boxcutter-wielding terrorists who want to hijack our airliners.<br />By the way, I'm just a nobody who worked his way up from dirt poverty with zero help from anyone (least of all, the government).<br />But where I come from, a trillion bucks is a lot of money.Marc McDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17105754072842852126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-64394421489728852892016-06-18T11:53:34.252-05:002016-06-18T11:53:34.252-05:00You mean when he had the banks give crap loans to ...You mean when he had the banks give crap loans to people that couldn't begin to pay them back? Or do you mean when he gutted the military to wave money around and say look at me I am the greatest. Or do you mean when they made off with the Lincoln bedroom and china? Those times es?john rayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09970938371878593433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-7896630006916051782016-06-09T21:56:27.100-05:002016-06-09T21:56:27.100-05:00Hillary, SchmillARY...whatever...we've got a b...Hillary, SchmillARY...whatever...we've got a bigger problem folks....There is a man that could become president if Hillary does not beat him. A certain Mr. Trump, who is the worst candidate in United States history is on the horizon and we better all know -whether we are Republican, Democrat or Independent - that his election will signify the moral collapse and most likely the nuclear destruction of our country. I could recite the litany of horrible things this man has said, but suffice it to say, any person who considers John McCain a "loser" because he was a POW is immoral and not worthy of carrying the label president. Yes, I know John McCain supports him, thereby showing a moral cowardice but I have called upon him to renounce his support of Donald Trump. There were more than a dozen Republicans at the beginning of the primaries and these were at least thinking human beings. Any one of them would at least make an independent or undecided voter stop and think about considering that person as candidate. Everybody must join this fight, "Dump Donald Trump Tonight."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-50080813249682180952016-05-21T03:11:46.836-05:002016-05-21T03:11:46.836-05:00The only way to get ride of these leeches is to ba...The only way to get ride of these leeches is to band together and strike. leave your jobs, stop the presses, and demand congress to take responsibility or get out.. have them roll back on that pay hike. if every body stop all work for two days in every state, the cry of this nation will be heard all over the world.. you will get Action, congress needs a boss and that is we. let's do this now.Gilbert Riosnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-2400305362732318012016-05-12T18:48:43.757-05:002016-05-12T18:48:43.757-05:00Hi John, thanks for stopping by and for your comme...Hi John, thanks for stopping by and for your comment. You know, there may well be music being made today that is just as great as the likes of primetime Clash, Pistols, The Jam, The Specials, etc. But I've listened to a lot of new music and I just don't find it as worthwhile. In fact, I pretty much lost interest in rock and now I usually listen to stuff like free jazz, old blues, and experimental music. Every now and then, I'll find a "new" gem like Ya Ho Wa 13---but that's a band that recorded in the early 70s and most of us never heard of them back in the day.<br />And actually, The Clash, against all odds, did get some airtime back in the early 1980s. I recall hearing the likes of "I Fought the Law," "Train in Vain" and "Lost in the Supermarket" quite a bit on my local radio station. And, of course, "Rock the Casbah" was a huge hit. Sadly, nothing from The Clash's first two stellar albums ever got much airtime.Marc McDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17105754072842852126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-7464632528543529152016-05-12T07:50:55.885-05:002016-05-12T07:50:55.885-05:00Jeebus, man. There's still great music being ...Jeebus, man. There's still great music being made! And the Clash couldn't get air time in the 70's and 80's because the pop-music crap of that era was dominating the airwaves.John Ihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17504464158133804298noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-85181161164673013002016-05-04T23:44:38.356-05:002016-05-04T23:44:38.356-05:00Hi AltandMain, thanks for your comment. You make s...Hi AltandMain, thanks for your comment. You make some good points.<br />re:<br />>>Trump is actually to her left on foreign policy, free trade, and possibly even<br />>>corruption<br /><br />One reason that I find it hard to hate Trump is that I actually greatly admire him for standing on a high-profile GOP debate stage and slamming Bush and the decision to invade Iraq. I've been waiting for a long time for a Republican to say that. These bastards need to own up to this fiasco and they need to apologize to the American people.<br /><br />Meanwhile, Hillary voted for the measure that enabled Bush to invade Iraq. A lot of people on the Left have never forgiven her for that.<br /><br />Yes, I realize this is only one issue. But to me and a lot of other people, it's a very important issue. America as a whole needs to face up to what it did. We need to hold trials and convict these war criminals. Yeah, I know, I'm fantasizing---but for me, the next best thing was Trump slamming Bush's decision to invade. Frankly that took guts---and it's made it hard for me to hate the guy.<br /><br />Unless America faces up to the reality of what it did in Iraq, it'll be much more likely that we won't learn from this catastrophic mistake---and there will be more Iraqs in the future.Marc McDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17105754072842852126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753985.post-35984100879448373322016-05-03T19:52:46.698-05:002016-05-03T19:52:46.698-05:00The problem is that there will always be Supreme C...The problem is that there will always be Supreme Court positions during a presidency.<br /><br />Personally, I'd recommend going Green like crazy:<br />https://www.salon.com/2016/01/17/fine_give_the_gop_four_years_the_liberal_case_for_either_bernie_sanders_or_electing_a_republican_president/<br /><br />The other reason is that Clinton, if she wins, will not be able to draw the kind of Progressive support Obama did in 2008. At best, she would draw the level Obama did in 2012. There is also the possibility that in November 2016, she may hand over the victory to Trump altogether, because he ends up drawing record numbers of working class white voters. There are also large numbers angry Sanders supporters who, if the Bernie or Bust movement gains popularity, may go Green or write-in Sanders. <br /><br />Let's say she wins. The Democratic Party is from out of the woods in that case. Then the Democratic Party would likely get mauled in the 2018 midterms, and Clinton would be exposed, making her very vulnerable in 2020. The problem is that if the Democratic Party loses 2020, it is a census year as the article notes. Her true colors will show pretty quickly like Obama's - Trump is actually to her left on foreign policy, free trade, and possibly even corruption. <br /><br />A Sanders victory would be far more likely to get more Progressives out to vote during the midterms and likely in 2020. The reason is because of the fact that he will be trying to get things done vs the image of Clinton. Note how Obama's ratings have gone up in the past year due to his efforts to appoint a Justice and his use of executive order more frequently. A Sanders or similar Progressive would likely do the same from day one (or be forced to anyways because the GOP will bring the US Congress to a total halt). <br /><br />Finally, Garland, Obama's appointee is not as left wing as some people think.<br />http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2016/03/17/3761337/merrick-garland-isnt-especially-liberal-heres-what-that-means-for-how-hell-decide-cases/<br /><br />A Clinton presidency is likely to appoint similar justices, perhaps even more right wing. That is a huge problem. Here I think Sanders would do much better, albeit be bitterly opposed by the Republicans every step of the way.AltandMainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01014823246265859953noreply@blogger.com