As an adult, I now realize there was more nuance than I noticed as a child. My mother almost always had a side job, sometimes teaching guitar or piano in our house, or substitute teaching at our school. Recently I realized that it was my father who nearly wore out the orange plastic 8-track of Johnny Cash’s Orange Blossom Special in the old red pickup we drove out in the country where I was raised. So, I know my dad always loved music as much as my mother, just that he devoted all his time to his job, house and garden, making sure his family was fed and sheltered.

When he retired several years ago, Dad bought a bass and started learning how to play. Then he took singing lessons so he could play and sing. These days on weekends you are likely to find my parents at a campground playing and singing together with like-minded musicians in the Ozark Mountains. My mother is the one who plays multiple instruments and sings the best, but it is my father with his engineering-trained focus who impresses me the most. In a few short years he has become a masterful bass player, acquiring various styles of high quality instruments on eBay, and his deep voice is a moving addition to the circles in which he plays.

When Fresh Air played this episode on Friday about fathers, featuring an interview with Jimmie Dale Gilmore about his traditional country album dedicated to his late father, and one with Wayne and Darrell Scott about son Darrell’s release of his father Wayne’s original songs, I could only imagine my father enjoying the heck out of the music and the stories. Since I don’t know enough about basses to pick out a good one on eBay (besides the fact that my father always just buys what he wants anyway), I offer him this small gift of a post on my blog with these two audio pieces from Fresh Air that I know he’ll love.

Jimmie Dale Gilmore: In Song, A Eulogy For Dad:

Wayne And Darrell Scott: Father-Son Country

I understand and support both sides of the issue on Prop 2 — an amendment to the City Charter banning tax incentives for multi-housing and multi-business development. It is poorly worded and will have a negative impact to the City Charter if it is passed. However, lately the COA City Council has shown a financial preference to big box retailers over local business, which translates into more money (and big money) going out-of-state in return for low-wage jobs. In the end I voted for Prop 2 for two reasons.

First, our Council members need to hear a clear message from the voters that we prefer “Keep Austin Weird” to convenient big box retail shopping. We can rely on the outlying suburb cities to keep us stocked in Best Buy, Michael Kors and Macy’s stores. Heck, since Bee Caves closed the Backyard to build a strip mall blight on the Hill Country landscape I think we can assume that they’ll be perfectly willing to destroy any city charm in favor of low-cost high-impact shopping. Second, the argument that expensive lawsuits will surely follow is flawed since the lawsuits will be cheaper then the cost of the tax incentives and economic impact.

Happy voting day everyone. If you’re in a swing state then good luck with your presidential candidate of choice. The rest of us need to focus on local concerns.

One of the things that surprises me about John McCain’s reaction is that he was a prisoner of war who was denied these rights, and yet somehow he doesn’t think these people deserve better. Habeas corpus is based on the true Christian values that this country was based on — treating men equally whether or not you align with their religious convictions. To deny this right to the people we are detaining is to treat them in a manner that shames me.

It certainly doesn’t help my opinion of McCain when he associates himself with the a hypocrite of Lindsey Graham’s level. “…the greatest of these is charity…” unless you’re a detainee and then we’ll lock you up for five (or more) years. Graham’s amendment to the DoD Authorization Act — what the Supreme Court was decrying with this ruling — shows his lack of compassion, so it was no surprise to hear him standing next to McCain sayng:

What happened yesterday was unprecedented. Americans are going to be shocked to find that that mastermind of 9-11, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, now has the same legal standing as an American citizen.

He’s either the worst spin man in Washington, or he’s a judicial idiot. In no way does this decision give detainees the full legal standing of an American citizen. It simply gives them the rights any captive should have.

I was supportive of Bob Dole several years ago when he announced his intention to run for POTUS, then he started his campaign and began spouting dogmatic anti-Christian attitudes. I had strong positive feelings for McCain before the campaign started. I really thought he could be a good modern face for conservatives. Now it is becoming clear that he wants to continue (what has apparently become the true thrust of) the neo-conservative attitude — increasing international inequity, restricting freedom and promoting violence in the world.

… I want to try to set the record straight. I hope that you will take a moment to read this. … Make no mistake: powering our homes and buildings is going to get more expensive, perhaps dramatically. Right now, we have an opportunity to get in front of it. … Sellers wouldn’t have to make upgrades, and they wouldn’t have to pass an inspection – they would just have to let buyers know what kind of efficiency condition the house is in. … The Task Force is discussing a VOLUNTARY program. Under a voluntary program, “low-hanging fruit” like weather stripping and duct sealing would be prioritized, and spending caps would be proposed. All of Austin Energy’s rebates and incentives would be available, including their low-interest loan program. …
Sincerely,
Will Wynn
Austin Mayor

I love having a mayor whose name is so aggressively positive, and while he hasn’t been a perfect mayor I think this kind of missive is representative of why I think he’s been a really good mayor.

Of course, we may need more delineation that that. Maybe we should call it Lil’ Bush’s Recession. We wouldn’t want to cause confusion with the other U.S. recessions — you know, Big Bush’s Recession or Reagan’s Recession (oh, ok, or Carter’s Recession.)

Ira and Jack Hitt take us through a number of disturbing events in the government/legal realm of late, and it reveals a disturbing trend. Repeatedly the Bush Whitehouse has decided to sign away laws, create rules that don’t exist, or ignore the rules altogether. What were formerly binding agreements with the US, are now worthless. Why does any foreign country trust us, except their obligation to our massive financial powers…and what will they do when that goes away? (Sidebar: Yes, Alex P Jones is a nut but you should listen to what he has to say about our flailing economy and follow the trail of Alan Greenspan’s investments outside the US.) Where the Justice Department once relied on the justice system, now they invent their own rules when necessary and redact the ones they dislike. How can the people of this country trust the JD when the say “we can decide to do whatever we want without explanation on our part or recourse on yours”?

Jack and Ira spend the last few minutes of the episode discussing the fact that the now meaningless boundaries of the legal system are the real issue of this election year, and how the potential candidates have responded to Bush’s abuses. I feel it is not enough to have the lip service of the candidates. Watching Horten Hears A Who today I felt immense empathy for the poor Whovillians — helplessly tossed about in a world they can no longer control. We must stand together in the face of our government and make as much noise as possible.

We are here! We are here! We are here!

Horton Hears A Who is not the return of Toy Story days, but it is very well done and quite funny. Be careful that your children don’t see it or they may start to question authority.

p.s. Is it silly to lay the seriousness of our dire political situation alongside the animated adventures of an elephant? Dr. Suess, the Lorax and even the Onceler would say it is not.

p.p.s. Do we refuse to vote for John McCain because he will carry with him many of the same advisers that have stolen justice from us in the last 8 years — a form of punishment to show the GOP that what has transpired on their watch is unacceptable? or do we trust that he is somehow the anti-GOP within the GOP that will return it to a path of sensible government FTPBTP?

After years of dealing with recovering right-wing idealogue guilt, I can finally put my finger on why Sen. Clinton rubs me raw.

When she was declaring victory in Ohio, the crowds began chanting “Yes, She Will”, a riff on Sen. Obama’s “Yes, We Can”. Which manages to be pandering, insulting, and a rip-off all at the same time. I fear that any election featuring Sen. Clinton will continue to be a referendum on the politics of the personal instead of any actual issues. Which is kind of a shame for her, but it is what it is.

By the same principle, I’m fundamentally opposed to, say a Jeb or Jenna Bush run.

Allow me to deconstruct:

1. The focus is on “She”, as in “Oh, save us oh great and mighty Hillary”. I don’t want to be indebted to the folks I elect – the relationship ought to work the other way around – listen to the constituents, listen to the electorate, and do THEIR will, not your own. Granted, there are certain times when the representative of the people may be in a better position to judge things, and may, on occasion, need to contravene the will of the people. However, these extraneous circumstances need to be few and far between, and need to be explained penitantly, with the understanding that the people have the prerogative to kick the public servant to the curb. Sen Clinton and many others seem to think that since they’ve risen through the party ranks, the people ought to do their bidding at the ballot box, and that once elected, her job is to pick winners.
2. Following her declared right to the office of president, we are told what “she will” do. The president, absent times of emergency, ought to be more of a “facilitator-in-chief” than a “commander-in- chief”. I’m finding more and more that the most effective leaders I run into, and the ones who I try to emulate, are those who can articulate a general vision, win concensus, and get people to figure out how to make it happen, rather than those who have a fully-formed end state in mind and try to command their way to a conclusion.
3. “Yes, she will” is also the absolute worst kind of derivative work – a cheap, quick ripoff, mainly designed to raise the ire of the people from who it was taken without adding meaning or being in the least bit clever. It’s the kind of crap that those of us on the right wing have been doing as long as Limbaugh has been on the radio, the kind of crap that was thrown at the “Contract on America”, the kind of crap that does nothing but stifle discussion. (Pot, kettle)

Is it naieve on my part? Probably; upon reaching half of my allotted threescore and ten, I ought to know better than to think that there’s hope of civility. But I can’t actually think that. As often as I see reason to be cynical, I also see reason to be hopeful, people who restore my faith in the goodness of America. 

Torture is no proper tool in the arsenal of democracy. Torture is foreign to our values, foreign to our history, foreign to our religions, foreign to our laws, and to our international commitments. There can be no compromise. No middle ground. There must be zero tolerance for torture.

This is the turnout for the 2004 primary.

This is the turnout for the 2008 primary.

Sure, the Dems are fired up about finally having viable candidates to support — and I think I heard something about dissatisfaction with something about current events or whatever — but I have to believe that former GOP voters contributed to the 2:1 party turnout when four years ago the ratio was almost 1:1.

p.s. This table created with Textile shortcuts. Check out this advanced tutorial on the topic.

Just in case you didn’t get the handy “do the texas 2 step” mailer from Obama, here’s what to do:
FIRST – Between 7 am and 7 pm – vote in your primary. You can find your voting locating here.
SECOND – At 7:15 sharp, attend the caucus at your primary voting location. Raise your hand when they say the name of the fine candidate you support. You MUST have voted in the democratic primary to caucus.

Have fun today, everyone. Oh, and if I happen to see you without an “I Voted” sticker today watch out for a swift kick in the shins.

The article went into detailed descriptions of why the CMC are spewing hatred at the presumptive GOP nominee. Rush, Coulter, Hannity, you name ‘em — they have all said that a vote for McCain is anti-Republican, anti-Conservative, anti-Regan, and anti-American. Oddly enough, though, the polls show that America thinks he’d do a good job as POTUS despite all that.

The conspiracy theorist in me wants to believe that McCain’s spin doctors snuck this story onto the lead of Newsweek to flush out on-the-fence voters for their candidate. The optimist in me — which has a much smaller voice — thinks that Newsweek is simply covering the kind of topics that it’s readership want to know about. What confuses the whole matter of whether Newsweek has become a shill for McCain is this picture from another story supposedly about the campaign trail and Obama.

p.s. The only weekly magazine I make time for these days is Entertainment Weekly…and sometimes it takes me 8 days to finish it.