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Up to the minute notes on the current state of free thinking and free living: Kentucky moonshine - original analysis and reporting from MoreThings, and all round pop culture museum of sight and sound - photo galleries, mp3 and video downloads.
Al Barger and MoreThings - getting people's goats since 1998.
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August 02, 2003
Victoria Jackson's birthday
Born August 2, 1959, Victoria Jackson turns 44 today. Happy birthday!
Goofy in just the right way, Victoria Jackson rates as my all-time favorite Saturday Night Live heartthrob. Ana Gasteyer, for one, was probably a more versatile performer, but only maybe Gilda Radner came close to be just this danged adorable.
The height of her adorableness may have come near the end of her SNL run, with her "I love a cop" bit on the Weekend Update, doing a handstand to display this motto sewn into her leggings. Soon after, she left the show to marry said cop (an old high school sweetheart) and make him babies.
There was a subtle kind of freakiness about being a good Christian girl, indeed a former Bible college student, working in the famously iconoclastic and cosmopolitan atmosphere of SNL. God love her.
posted by Al at 8/02/2003 01:08:00 PM
FCC critics want to control content
Michael Powell wrote an op-ed piece for The New York Times defending his intended FCC plan [announced June 2, 2003] to liberalize ownership rules for media. The big bitch most critics have had has been specifically the proposed change to allow one company to own broadcast stations reaching up to 45 percent of the national market, an increase from the current cap of 35 percent.
The move has drawn sharp criticism and massive resistance from both parties in congress, as well as the opposition of many and diverse interest groups, including the NRA to NOW. Despite backing from President Bush, it appears that congress will absolutely block this loosening of restrictions.
The typical argument for opposing media de-regulation is that letting one company own more tv or radio stations will somehow stifle diversity of viewpoints. This argument seems less convincing by the day, however. From three tv networks we've gone to approximately two million cable channels, plus the internet giving us access to more viewpoints than you can shake a stick at. This dizzying increase in diversity only promises to accelerate.
Powell edged gingerly up to the real point, but he has to be diplomatic. Let me say it directly: all these groups and congressmen and other media types in opposition want to control content. Why else would the NRA give a rat's ass about media ownership?
Let's pick a critic to make an example of. Disingenuous conservative crapweasel Brent Bozell has a column Arrogant Michael Powell in which he as much as called Powell a "scoundrel" for suggesting that critics had some wish to control content.
Those are the words of a scoundrel. C-E-N-S-O-R-S-H-I-P. The inference is all over that statement, and one wonders why Powell didn't just come out and say it. But we know why he didn't say it. This Clintonian scare tactic has no basis in fact.
Then Bozell goes right to his argument against the move. "These networks have simply ignored the public's standards of decency." He goes on to complain specifically about the show Keen Eddie.
C-E-N-S-O-R-S-H-I-P. This is exactly what Bozell wants. This is the whole point of his opposition: He doesn't like the content, and wants to get his or his cronies hands on the levers of power so they can demand changes.
He, like others seeking power, justifies this on the basis that The Public owns the airwaves, so they [ie whatever person is arguing for his own rights to make someone else's tv or radio stations do their will] has a perfectly reasonable right to make demands. They might be demands for decency, racial diversity, whatever cause.
The public "owns" the airwaves? By what right? Because the federal government simply arbitrarily said so many long decades ago, so there. It's just bogus socialism.
I don't necessarily want to specifically endorse the FCC proposal. It's fairly complicated stuff, and I haven't studied it close enough to claim full understanding. I just know enough to be real skeptical of the critics and their agendas.
posted by Al at 8/02/2003 01:02:00 PM
August 01, 2003
Little Jimmy Dickens is more goth than thou
Little Jimmy Dickens hit the biggest with "May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose" and several broadly similar rockin' country songs with novelty appeal, including my big favorite "Out Behind the Barn."
Lately however, his sad 1970 song "Raggedy Ann" has been working on my mind.
This may be the most effectively morbid song I know. The pure bleakness of the widower struggling up the hill to his daughter's grave just lays on you.
Many people would consider Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" the gold standard of morbidity, but that's really largely extra-musical. The singer killed himself shortly after making the record. Admittedly, that's a great gimmick for getting your record a big reputation.
However, "Raggedy Ann" has a more overwhelming musical quality by far, a dry and parched world of isolation and grief that stretches for decades. Dad has soldiered on bravely- to no relief or reward. There was no spike of grief relieved by your own hand, but years of no one to talk to but the doll on his daughter's grave.
This is one of those country recitatives, broadly like the Dolly and Porter classic "Jeannie's Afraid of the Dark." This one is far blacker, though. You want goth, you got it.Labels: country_music
posted by Al at 8/01/2003 02:03:00 AM
July 31, 2003
The upside of being simplistic
Message received!
In response to the instantly infamous Berkeley study of conservatives,
Uday Hussein didn't need a phony study to comprehend Bush's lack of "nuance." The London Sunday Telegraph recently reported that, soon after the war began, Uday was deeply depressed. According to the former director of Iraqi television quoted in the Telegraph, the last words he heard Uday speak were these: "This time I think the Americans are serious. Bush is not like Clinton. I think this is the end."
-Ann Coulter
posted by Al at 7/31/2003 02:51:00 AM
Gross cosmetic injustice
I clicked through on THIS STORY based on the pull quote, "Hendrix will enter the state prison system not only as a transgender inmate, but also as a snitch." Yowsa, take that snitch! That's really funny- for about half a second, until the reality of what that actually means sinks in.
Reading the actual circumstances, however, might lead you to considerbly more sympathy. Donnie Hendrix worked as a make-up artist, and was working on the side at "pumping parties," essentially giving cheap unlicensed cosmetic silicone injections. Unfortunately, one of the subjects died.
One of Hendrix' co-defendents actually got a murder conviction. Hendrix was convicted of practicing medicine without a license and culpable negligence, and given the maximum sentence of five years. Ouch.
On top of which, Hendrix has been cut off from the hormonal treatments, leaving the body reverting back towards unwanted male traits. This must just doubly-triply suck.
Responding to obviously legitimate concerns about the violence Hendrix has already faced in jail, much less a full-fledged prison, prosecutor Howard Scheinberg claimed it's not the defendant who needs protection: "It's only five years that we can protect the public from Mr. Hendrix."
All of which is nonsense. The guy VOLUNTEERED for the injection- and had done so at other such gatherings with other pumpers. Hendrix did not jump somebody in the street and victimize them.
Hendrix did not victimize anyone. Nor did Hendrix defraud anyone. Obviously, anyone would know that getting silicone injections at pumping parties in a motel room is a somewhat high-risk proposition.
Perhaps a modest fine for violating professional licensing laws might be reasonable. However, years in prison, deprived of your meds, and the high likelihood of dying in prison does not constitute any reasonable facsimile of justice for this victimless crime.
posted by Al at 7/31/2003 02:47:00 AM
Sam Phillips 1923-2003
Samuel Cornelius Phillips, founder of the legendary Sun Records, has died at age 80.
In 1950 Phillips opened the Memphis Recording Service studio at 706 Union Avenue. He recorded blues artists and leased the masters to record labels, such as Chess. Among others, he recorded fledgling acts BB King and Howlin' Wolf over the next couple of years before starting the Sun Records label in 1952.
Elvis Presley came along in 1954. Phillips has been criticized for having sold Presley's contract to RCA, but it was probably a very wise move. Presley only had a few months left under contract, and Presley's Sun Records hadn't really sold that much. Presley's records had made some noise- Phillips obviously recognized Elvis' potential, but he lacked the distribution and promotional clout of RCA. Plus, Phillips pointed out, that money helped him turn Sun into a real record label, much better able to properly exploit other acts that he signed after Elvis.
Among those other acts were Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Orbison- EACH ONE of which is arguably as big a creative haul as Elvis.
My favorite impression of Phillips comes from a famous studio outtake with Jerry Lee Lewis with a mic left running unbenknownst that you really have to hear to believe. Jerry Lee was suddenly balking at recording "Great Balls of Fire," the follow-up to his big splash "Whole Lotta Shakin'." "H-E-L-L" Jerry started preaching against the "devil's music"- leaving Sam having to be the voice of moderation in arguing with Jerry Lee Lewis. This was, as you might imagine, an unenviable position. "Now, religious conviction does not mean anything resembling extremism." Good luck telling this to The Killer. It's priceless.
Good work, Mr. Phillips. Rest in peace.Labels: country_music
posted by Al at 7/31/2003 01:44:00 AM
July 30, 2003
Henry Ford, the greatest benefactor in human history
Henry Ford was born 140 years ago today, on July 30, 1863. We should all take a moment today to thank Rand for this great man.
Henry Ford was the greatest benefactor in all of human history. According to dictionary.com, a benefactor is "One who confers a benefit or benefits." Henry Ford has arguably conferred more benefits to mankind than any one other person in history.
Mother Theresa was OK, but Henry Ford did 10,000 times more to actually help poor people. Sure Mother Theresa helped thousands of poor sick people. Tens of millions of folks have gone from poor struggling dirt farmers to being middle class homeowners who could afford to send their children to college, though, because of Henry Ford.
Moreover many times those millions have gained mobility and benefits from being able to DRIVE. Being able to get around has exponentially increased individual options. Why, I can get a job in the city 20 miles away, and easily drive there every day. Indeed, anyone who could come up with $200 could buy themselves a new Model T and go anywhere- no walking, no horses to feed or rest.
Don't get me wrong- Henry Ford was no saint. He apparently didn't care much for the Hebrew people. Privately, he apparently didn't much like black folks either. He hated unions.
These private feelings are irrelevant, however. Note the famous words of Adam Smith in The Wealth of Nations, "It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest." This is the essential elemental beauty of capitalism.
Henry Ford may not have give a good goddam about a black man. However, he did black Americans far more good than even the sainted Martin Luther King. Now, MLK was doubtless a nicer guy than Ford. He CARED much more about a black man than Ford, no doubt. MLK helped get people the right to vote and go to the bathroom. These are good things.
Ford, on the other hand, created millions of jobs for black folk who could then afford to buy whole houses with multiple bathrooms of their own. Millions of black folk went from poor indebted sharecroppers to being middle class homeowners. Dad's wages working for Ford have sent more kids to college than the United Negro College Fund.
Black folk: Think for a minute, then tell me whose efforts actually benefit YOU the most day to day, Jesse Jackson or Henry Ford?
MLK and Mother Theresa doubtless CARED far more about poor oppressed folk than Henry Ford. However, their Deep Concern won't put food on your table. A good job at Ford, however, does just that and much more. Plus giving even the customers the mobility to get much better choices of jobs, and health care, etc.
No more than he liked unions or lost sleeping worrying about the poor people, he offered a $5 per day minimum wage- a big deal- on grounds that it increased productivity. He battled unions, but without Ford creating the industry there would have been no union jobs over whose wages anyone could fight.
On a lighter note, for a little consideration of the downside of this benificence, dig up a copy of Jerry Reed's classic hit "Lord, Mr Ford."
posted by Al at 7/30/2003 04:05:00 AM
A Machiavellian 16 word rope-a-dope?
The "16 words" flap has puzzled me. To recap, in the State of the Union address in January, President Bush said that British intelligence had reported that Saddam Hussein tried to buy uranium in Africa last year.
For weeks now, the Democrats and the media have been just BESIDE themselves with furious accusations that the president LIED. They want blood. The Washington Post had a big front page article how this flap has caused a big drop in Condoleeza Rice's reputation. LIE, LIE, LIE. Howard Dean is demanding that people be fired.
Thing is, Bush's 16 words were absolutely true and correct. British intelligence did say that Hussein was attempting to buy uranium, and they are still sticking by their story.
American intelligence on this story was mixed, with one guy reporting back that the information was incorrect. Considering that it was a case for war in a SOTU speech, you might reasonably argue that even this one sentence buried in the middle of an hour plus long speech was somewhat questionable. The fact that he specifically said that the information was from BRITISH intelligence, however, might reasonably be seen to imply that our people hadn't confirmed it. At worst, this item constitutes a slightly questionable judgment call.
The FACT that Bush's 16 words were totally TRUE does not, of course, dissuade the opposition from screaming their bloody heads off. That's not real puzzling or surprising to me. Further, they've had one defense that does seem legitimate, which leads to my puzzlement.
If what the president said was true and above board, then why are they acting like they've done something wrong? Why was Ari Fleischer out apologizing? Why did they send George Tenet out to accept responsibility when there's been nothing done wrong? Huh?
This does seem pretty odd. The administration has a perfectly reasonable defense, yet acts like they've been caught at something. This doesn't make any sense. You can hardly get a politician to accept responsibility for things they've done realy, really wrong, so why would they be apologizing for things that are NOT wrong?
Gentle readers, I have a theory. I'm not saying that it's necessarily true, but I'll just throw it at the wall and see if it sticks:
Perhaps the administration has purposely chosen to draw fire for a minor issue. It's just enough that Democrats and media will find themselves irresistably drawn to the chance to smear Bush- at least it became irresistable once Bush's people started acting like they were vulnerable. It's a rope-a-dope, causing the opposition to pound themselves bloody, and wear themselves down.
Naturally the Democrats and the media have spent hundreds of hours and tens of thousands of column inches carrying on. LIAR, LIAR, PANTS ON FIRE. Democrats have been SO anxious to come up with a good excuse to say this that they just can't help themselves.
Yet it's not going to fly with the American public. They hear all the carrying on, but anyone who's not a partisan Democrat and doesn't have a pathological hatred of Dubya will just blow this off. It's one line, and that one line wasn't what sold any significant number of people on supporting the war. Plus, the words are easily demonstrably true. The shrill, hysterical eagerness of these half-assed attacks on the president aren't impressing the average guy, who would be more interested in knowing what exactly the Democrats would do instead.
Meanwhile, this 16 word lightning rod for criticism was reaching full charge just before the 9/11 inquiry report came out. There's considerably more real danger to the administration in the contents of THAT than in the SOTU. The kid gloves treatment of the Saudis looks FAR more questionable to me. I am MUCH more interested in the missing 28 pages redacted from the 9/11 report than the 16 words of the SOTU.
The 16 words flap is something like a flu vaccination, building up some immunity from criticism by drawing the opposition into blowing their credibility on some petty nonsense. They have wasted their time and ammo on something that ain't going to get them anywhere. Moreover, their predictably hysterical reactions are cutting into their credibility such that many people won't listen to them even if they come up with totally warranted criticism of something else, such as our relations with the Saudis.
This theory has a twisted Machiavellian air about it. It's a backwards way of making sense of the administration's reactions to 16-words-gate, but it's the most sensible explanation I've come up with.
posted by Al at 7/30/2003 12:59:00 AM
July 29, 2003
Oh damn, I'm Stuart Smalley
I wandered into this little personality quiz that struck me interesting.
free enneagram test
Turns out that I'm some kind of caring nurturer, like Al Franken's Stuart Smalley character. More specifically, I was considered "Type 2, The Helper." Click the link for the full descriptions of healthy, average and unhealthy manifestations. The healthy type 2 corresponds to "Empathetic, compassionate, feeling for others. Caring and concerned about their needs. Thoughtful, warm-hearted, forgiving and sincere." Ah jeez, why don't I just get my nuts cut and start wearing a frickin' dress?
[I also scored nearly as high on Type 5: The Investigator and Type 7: The Enthusiast.]
posted by Al at 7/29/2003 11:51:00 PM
Sad but true
"One thing is certain: those who worked and voted for less government, the very foot soldiers in the conservative revolution, have been deceived. Today, the ideal of limited government has been abandoned by the GOP, and real conservatives find their views no longer matter."
--Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) Labels: ron_paul
posted by Al at 7/29/2003 01:00:00 PM
July 27, 2003
A job left unfinished
Fifty years ago today an armistice was signed in the Korean War, leaving an official state of war that still continues today. Worse, it left in place an evil communist dictatorship that besides destroying generations of North Koreans now threatens the world with weapons and destruction many times worse than anything they could possibly have unleashed then.
Admittedly speaking with the advantage of 20/20 hindsight, we would have been better off to have done whatever it took then to knock out this evil regime. We certainly COULD have done the job, but lacked the will to do so. Indeed, besides the obvious situation there today, we might well have been spared the entire Vietnam war.
posted by Al at 7/27/2003 11:07:00 PM
OSHA for criminals
I knew gun control laws had to serve SOME purpose:
"Gun control laws are like OSHA for criminals. When criminals have guns and their victims don't, crime becomes a safer occupation. In some countries with strict gun-control laws, burglars enter houses while people are still at home several times as often as that happens in the United States." - Thomas Sowell
posted by Al at 7/27/2003 03:44:00 AM
Jonathan Richman and Kohl's
Sometimes hearing pop songs in tv commercials annoys me. Usually it leaves me indifferent. In this case, it pleases me very much.
Kohl's is using Jonathan Richman's classic "Ice Cream Man" for their summer sales pitch. The song plays over a fairly simple demonstration of the lyrics: children chasing an ice cream truck.
I'm so pleased to see this. The song gets used in a manner true to the spirit of the recording, while giving broad exposure to a great song that is unfamiliar to probably 99% of the tv audience.
I'm also pleased to think that Jonathan is getting paid.
What it has to do specifically with Kohl's I don't know. However, I think I'll make a point of going into a Kohl's store just on account of this.
I don't remember ever in life going into a Kohl's store to even know exactly what they sell, but any friend of Jonathan's is a friend of mine.
posted by Al at 7/27/2003 02:54:00 AM
Jesus is dead
So we've got this discussion thread under my "Any questions?" article about the deaths of the Hussein boys. What exactly is the right way to play this? Photos, yea or nay? Cleaned up or au natural? These involve some tricky judgment calls.
Yet in the middle of this reality, our discussion gets took over by Jesus and pacifism. Natalie is the principle advocate of non-violence. It turns into some analysis of Mennonite vs Reformed Calvanist viewpoints.
All the WWJD speculation in this thread is nice- but has nothing to do with reality and Iraq.
The problem with the Jesus stuff is that it just isn't true. If you in fact try to follow the pacifist model, you'll just end up getting killed- like Jesus. Except that real life ain't a fairy tale, and you don't come back from the dead.
I do not say this just to hurt people's feelings or pick a fight. I say it because it is true, and because we are dealing with real life and death issues. We do not have the luxury of indulging our fantasy lives here, unless we are willing to get a lot of people killed doing so.
Now, it was all well and good for MLK to be all peaceful in his protest. He was dealing with Americans, who are basically good people. He appealed to the consciences of white people. Fortunately, they had consciences to appeal to. It's good to avoid violence where you reasonably can.
Try an appeal to conscience with a Baath party dickhead, or some Muslim radical, though. See what it gets you. [HINT: the correct answer is "shot."]
posted by Al at 7/27/2003 01:43:00 AM
Merle Haggard defends the Dixie Chicks
Merle Haggard has an editorial on his website questioning the wisdom of the war in Iraq, and defending the Dixie Chicks. You might be a bit surprised to hear these sentiments coming from the author of "The Fighting Side of Me":
I don't even know the Dixie chicks, but I find it an insult for all the men and women who fought and died in past wars when almost the majority of America jumped down their throats for voicing an opinion. It was like a verbal witch-hunt and lynching. Whether I agree with their comments or not has no bearing.
Then again "in the same breath" he also pronounces his admiration for Toby Keith.
That's Merle Haggard for you, Mr. Love.
[Psst. CLICK HERE for groovy free Merle Haggard mp3]Labels: country_music, dixie_chicks
posted by Al at 7/27/2003 01:41:00 AM
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