Raul Midon: "When You Call My Name".

Yep. NPR again. Sometimes I don't know what I would do without the eclectic content of NPR. I was listening to Michell Martin's program last night (she was off somewhere) and a guy named Raul Midon was interviewed. Now, if you already know him, you won't be surprised by my reaction, but if you don't, boy are you in for a treat. He blew me away with his voice, writing and general coolness. Only him and his guitar last night. Great. The song that caught my attention was "When You Call My Name" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5_2mp2C1Fc) . Simple and straight up. Beautiful content. His new album is called "Synthesis" and you can bet it will be in my car very soon.

Thanks NPR.

Lyrics: http://www.cduniverse.com/lyrics.asp?id=21360187&style=music&pid=8001578

Photo:http://www.raulmidon.com/albums/synthesis

Civility is Dying.

The house passed the health overhaul. Amid shouts of “faggot”, “nigger”, “baby killer” and others. The tea baggers unleashed a zealous repetitive assault, the technique learned from the McCarthy era, its latest iteration on Fox news. Bret whats-his-name showed it clearly (another post). Lack of civility. The whole Republican party? If not, where are the loud voices from the Right protesting the over-the-top behavior? I don’t see much of it. Folks, for better or worse we are (or maybe it should read “should be”) in this together. Bush passed the tax cuts. The Democrats objected but got on with it. So now Obama has passed Health Reform. Will the Republicans just get on with it? Not bloody likely. See, they play by a different set of rules. They scream and insult while the Democrats talk softly and try to be civil. I really hope civility wins, but I am not sure it will. You historians out there: Does this look like the end of any other civilized governments?

Image : newyorkbrits.blogspot.com/2008_05_01_archive.html

Rudness beyond the Pale

"Bret Baier's Obama Interview Ratings High": headline from the Huffington Post. I heard about the interview so caught it on YouTube. Appalling is too mild. Baier was interviewing the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!! While President Obama displayed his usual intellect, directness, knowledge of the subject and demeanor, Baier displayed all the attributes of a not-very-well trained Rottweiler.

I can't help thinking that for 8 years, President Bush avoided all non-scripted venues. Why? I think he was incapable of the kind of on-the-spot thinking that Obama has. I could be wrong, but his handlers definitely didn't want us to see him spouting Bushisms and winking to the wings.

Right or wrong, Obama is the President, and for that reason alone deserves more respect than he got from Baier. Every time Obama puts himself "out there" he makes the Republican right look stupid. My mother had an expression: " Stupid is as stupid does".

I wonder if "Obama" means "Hercules" in Swahili?

Image: www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=268309

Obama interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTArUG054nI

Where is Hercules when we need him, or, "How Low Can You Go?"

Prediction: The government of Florida will screw things up so badly that a wholesale change in the Governor's Office, the House and the Senate will come about. Problem: By the time the citizens wake up the problems will be so deep and broad that it may be impossible for anyone to put it to rights without a lot of pain.

Florida has depended on growth in housing, population and tourism to provide revenue for governmental expansion while at the same time tax loopholes were added or ignored and tax cuts were routinely enacted. So, when the "bubble" burst, Florida was scrambling. What happened: Cuts in education, security (police, fire and first responders) and human services for the elderly, handicapped and others. To make up for shortfalls in income the legislature and Governor wisely looted most or all of the State trust funds, raised tuition for students at state supported institutions and accepted billions in Federal stimulus dollars. This legislative session already sees cuts in State employees, education funding and funds for human services on the table. And, of course, tax cuts, trust fund looting and redirecting Federal dollars are also underway.

The results: A looming fiscal disaster of Aegean proportions when Federal dollars dry up .

Florida already ranks near the bottom in many comparative indexes. Can we go lower? Remember the the Limbo? "How Low Can You Go?". Oh yes, we can go lower.

A few inconsistencies: Florida is strongly for the death penalty but "pro life"; Florida is strongly "pro family" but sucking up gambling dollars in both lottery and casinos (known for targeting poor people); Florida is strongly for "Education" but consistently cuts education funding; Florida enacted the lottery legislation for "Educational Enhancement Only" then systematically reduced the budget for education, using lottery dollars to do so. Florida is strongly "anti-tax" but willingly adds "sin" taxes to the books. The list goes on but why go there. I don't know about my Georgia friends, but I suspect they are in the same cesspit.

Image: www.eleutheraliving.com/.../pp_leroy_limbo.jpg