DINGBUST

2004-03-18T18:04:00.000-06:00

Helloooooo, world -- I mean, `sphere. I'm posting right in the middle of the first round of the Big Dance so my thought process -- already a couple of cylinders short of a full V-6 -- will be really misfiring writing and watching the games. But I'll give it a shot anyway.

Right now, go read this post ("Elections, Courage and Terrorism") over at the rapidly recovering Steve Gilliard's blog. He rightly jumps all over David Brooks' stupid argument that Spain should've cancelled elections after 3/11. What horseshit!!! I'm not able to expound on Mr. G's post -- just go read it for yourself. Short, succinct -- and definitely to the point.

As usual, I've let events pass me by -- or at least, this blog. I wrote at length here about the pending abortion vote in the state Senate that day. I just knew, given the current political tone, that bad boy would pass. But my God, what a difference a couple of days made. Senator David Fowler, the bill's sponsor, didn't get what he wanted, so he picked up his ball like a whiny little "bee-ahtch" and went home....or did he (or more importantly, the lobbyists) have a more sinister motive in mind behind the whole thing?
'' 'We'll be working to change some of the names and faces
that voted pro-abortion today,'' said Brian Harris of Tennessee
Right to Life."

Hmmm....looks our brave Commander of the RTB figured it out from the get go (here, and here.)

Gotta go...talk to y'all later.

2004-03-09T20:01:00.000-06:00

Here we go again...there was a time last year, right after I started this blog, when there were seemed to be people dying left and right, be they famous or Mr. or Ms. Everyday People. (I was looking for the specific post in my archives, but it appears it's disappeared into cyber-ether.) Well like I said...here we go again: Oscar/Emmy nominee (and Emmy winner) Paul Winfield, and TV's favorite house painter, Robert Pastorelli. Yep, they all come in threes (see previous post).

Let me quickly say congratulations and "whoo-hoooo!!!!" on Steve Gilliard's return home from the hospital -- and to the blogging -- after heart surgery. He's been one of my favorites since his guest posting days over at Kos before and during the early days of the Iraq war, and his blog is on my list of everyday must reads. So here's a tribute to you, Steverino -- "Welcome Back":

(Sung to the tune of the "Welcome Back, Kotter" theme song)

Welcome back....your ticker almost gave out...
Welcome back....to the same ol' blog that we rave about...
When you left, Mister Bush looked invincible,
Now you're back, and we can dream the impossible...
Dubya's not a shoo-in (Dubya's not a shoo-in!),
And JFK Two may get the big win (JFK Two may get the big win!)
Yeah, we need ya a lot,
To put the Bushies on the spot,
Welcome baaaack!
Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back....

Yeah, it stinks....but I'm a blogger, not a lyricist. Anyway, welcome back home, Stevie G. Keep gettin' better. (Oh, and you're finally on my list...right where I need you.)

Finally, I got this little ditty from my sis today. Hope the link works for ya. Enjoy....see ya later.

2004-03-08T20:23:00.000-06:00

Hi gang...I was going to go straight to posting, no stopping at "Go", and no worrying about $200 that wasn't there to begin with...but the news of Spalding Gray stopped me cold. Terrible...just terrible. To be honest, of his filmed monologues, I've only watched several minutes of Gray's Anatomy, so like everybody else, I know him mainly from his most taked about roles (this, this, and of course, this late, lamented TV gem.) When I saw the news on Yahoo! , it featured a link to a eulogy written by a good friend of his shortly after Gray disappeared. Check it out.

Well, the state Senate is voting tonight on whether to amend the state Constitution and put it to the people whether to outlaw abortion. Again, the pro-life people say "activist judges" are the reasons to codify yanking the right of a woman to choose what she wants to do with her body and her future away from her. As I see it, when they use the code words "activist judges" they're harking back to the old Civil Rights court battles of the 50s & 60s, specifically the Warren/Burger/Marshall era when the tide began to turn to equality and personal protections for all of us. Of course, for most of us, those battles are either blurry lines in the pages of a yellowing history book, or the subject of the occasional PBS documentary. But it hits close to home for second and third generation conservatives, who may not have a racist bone in their body, mind you, but probably got that "activist judges" bullshit with all its nasty meanings rammed home each and every day from their progenitors (parents, grandparents, etc.) or teachers, preachers, you name it. Of course, they lost that fight (heh, heh, heh...), so they took it to other social issues, including abortion.

Well, sad to say, this is a fight they'll probably win...at least in tonight's Senate vote. But in the past few days, I've been wondering, just how many abortions are performed in the U.S every year? I mean really, I've never seen any numbers from any given year about the rate of abortions. The way the pro-life crowd makes it sound, there are thousands of terminated pregnancies every point-oh-five seconds. Really, I'd like to know -- how many abortions have actually taken place in the years since the Roe v. Wade decision, compared to the number of live births during that same time period -- and I want year to year data. See, I've got a theory: that since Roe v. Wade gave women the right to choose, the number of abortions have really gone down, because with the option of abortion open to them, more and more women have chosen the alternative. It was in the Dark Ages -- when being an unwed mother was frowned upon -- that women felt forced into going to those back alley butchers. But in this day and age, as women become more and more empowered, they choose to have the baby, or at least put the child up for adoption.

(I'm basing my theory, however cockeyed it may be, on a significant period of U.S. history: Prohibition. When the right to drink was taken away, people turned to the black market [i.e. speakeasies] for alcohol, which gave rise to organized crime. Ergo, you prohibit abortion, and you may just force women to turn to the aforementioned butchers.)

But again, without the numbers, it's just that...theory. So if ya got the numbers, help me out, `kay???

Later, gators.

2004-03-05T19:14:00.000-06:00

First Jevon...then Robaire...now Justin???? Damn, free agency's a bitch.

And so is Martha Stewart...uh, I mean, what Martha Stewart is facing is a bitch. Why the hell didn't she just reach a plea bargain agreement, pay a big fine...which she could afford...and just drop the whole thing??? No, just because she wanted to save a (for her) measley 51 grand, she's now a convicted felon, looking at jail time (won't be much, now), and not only will likely get booted as "chief creative officer" (whatever that means) from her own company, but may have destroyed that very company she worked so damn hard to build.

That's not exactly a good thing.

Put this under the "Smart People who Do Dumb Things" catagory. Well, at least the prison she's going to will get a really nice makeover. ("These curtains have a beautiful floral pattern which would really brighten up this window...and it'll draw attention away from those awful bars!") And hey, her fellow prisoners will get some really sumptous meals...

Say folks, I've got this saying stuck in my head...I think it came from a move, but I can't remember. You say a person's name -- oh, let's say, Martha Stewart -- then follow it with "you bitch!" So it goes like so: "Martha Stewart, you bitch!" (Now that could go for anybody, so don't nobody get mad about me using Ms.Stewart's name as an example.) It sounds like something off of Saturday Night Live...but if the one or two of you who read this know what I'm talking about, hit me back on my e-mail, okay????

Speaking of SNL...guess who's hosting the show next month? "Janet...Miss Jackson, if ya nasty!" Can't wait to see that one...but I don't think we'll see a reprise of the Tit That Topped Texas...or will we?

Gotta go, folks. Later.

2004-02-24T20:40:00.000-06:00

FROM: Big Daddy
Proprietor, "Dingbust"
Somewhere in Davidson County, TN
February 24, 2004

TO: The Honorable (yeah, right!) George W. Bush
President (by Supreme Court edict) of the United States
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue (temporary residence)
Washington, D.C.

Dear Mr. President (rhymes with "Resident"):

Please keep your goddamn grubby hands off the U.S Constitution. And tell that to your Senate lackey from Tennessee, Dr. Plays Rough with Cats.

Thanks,
Big Daddy

P.S. Tell the missus to keep the number to the moving van handy...I think you'll need it in a few months.

What a putz..and I mean that charitably. We've got Iraq on the verge of civil war, another country just a few miles off our shores already in the throes of a civil war and teetering towards an eventual collapse, a sputtering, wheezing economy, deficits as far as the eye can see, and let's not forget these friggin' sociopaths...and what does he do? Pick a fight on his fellow Americans, who just want to live their lives in peace and happiness. Before he and his ilk try to amend the Constitution, they need to reread this little part of it...especially the part about the general welfare and securing the blessings of liberty. (That goes for you "strict constructionist" mofos, as well.)

Speaking of mofos (pronounced moe-FOES, for all of our slang challenged citizens out there), here's my theme for the `04 Anti-Bush Campaign:

That MoFo Has GOT to Go

And to quote My Main Man -- it's time for me to go. Later, y'all.

2004-02-23T21:02:00.000-06:00

Good people of the Blogosphere, and especially the Almighty Rocky Top Brigade --

IIIII'MMMMM BAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!

Hello....hello....helloooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhh????????

Damn....I've been gone a real long time....but I'll let the subtitle of this blog serve as my introduction, so to speak.

So, how the hell have you guys been, huh? When I last blogged on this here site, I had just added a new site devoted to My Main Man (www.goreabc.com, never to be linked to again, I'm sorry to say) as part of the effort to get him back in the race. Of course, weeks later, he endorsed "Mouthzilla" (see Nunes, Susan for examples of her tirades against the former Governor of Vermont), and it just took the wind right out of everybody's sails. Within a day, Draft Gore ended its effort, the people over at Elect Gore`04 shut their website down with nary a goodbye, good night, see ya later, kiss my ass, nuthin'. There was a last ditch "write-in" effort begun by some remaining Draft Gore diehards, but it all turned out for naught...so what began as the hopes and dreams (and as some right wing assholes would say, delusions) of his most ardent supporters turned into a third disappointment...and this time, we were definitely out.

We were all alike: we'd been living with the heartbreak of the 2000 campaign/fiasco/theft, especially those of us here in Tennessee (knock it off the laughter, Bushies, and finish your glass of GoOPer Kool Aid!). We felt a good man got shafted, and in the process, so did the nation, which would've been well served with his experience, vision, forthrightness and leadership. We saw the country being slowly, then surely, led down to the wrong path, and geared ourselves for the battle to come. Then came the second letdown....December 2002, when he said he wouldn't run. It would've been all about the 2000 election, he said, and that he had come to closure with the decision. O-Dub said it best the day after:

He spoke from his heart - telling us how wrong we were
fighting the war on terror, and how the Bush economic team
should be scrapped (someone was listening, eh?) but still the
derision and distaste continued. It was too much for one
person, even Al Gore.
So he won't be around to kick any more, though whoever
is the candidate of the Democrats can be prepared to be
demonize. But Al Gore doesn't have anything to be ashamed
of. He doesn't have to be the most electric man in the room, or
even the most affable. He is guilty of caring about America.
That's one crime I wish George Bush was guilty of.
Al Gore is still the better man.
(Emphasis mine...)

And I will always emphasize this till I get tired of talking about it...which may be til the day I die. A man raised by a distinguished U.S. Senator and his strong-willed, equally accomplished wife...born and (partly) raised in Washington (and how was that any fault of his own, please answer me that), but ingrained with true Tennessee values: hard work, faith, family, standing up to your responsibilities...and most of all, serving your country. Something which he did proudly, from Vietnam (no John Kerry-like heroism to brag on...but he was regular Army, unlike some people I know) to the vice presidency.

Should he have run this year? Yes, I think he should have. But looking back, did he do the right thing in not running?

Yes...I think he did. Because he wanted it to be about vision and values, and not about just seeking revenge. So he didn't go out like Adlai Stevenson, but instead on his own terms, knowing that his chance at the Oval Office was two and done. And he'd come to closure with it...but some of us hadn't. And still haven't...yet.

But we're getting there. I'm getting there. But fuck it all...he's still MY MAIN MAN.

So as I say goodbye to what could've been...what should've been...I look forward to what I hope will be....President John Kerry. Not because I believe he's better than John Edwards, but because he has what is sorely needed to beat The Pretender in this election: gravitas, that oft-mentioned word used when speaking of politicians. From what little I've seen of Edwards, he's very good on the stump, and may have the right combination of seriousness and charisma needed in otherwise ordinary times. But this year, the Democrats need a man at the top of the ticket who's been through the battlefield, both literally and figuratively, and has the experience to lead our country through some difficult times...and out of the quaqmire this (mis)administration has gotten this country stuck in, both on foreign shores and domestically. Any other year, I'd throw my support right behind Senator Edwards: he seems as if he can appeal to voters across the spectrum, regardless of age, race, creed, and political bent, something that's important if we want to win. But there's not enough battle dust on his shoes, and voters may not see past that. So this year, it's not just important to win the White House, but to have the right person to win...and I truly believe that person is Massachusetts Senator John Kerry.

Besides...Al's not running, now is he?

Later, folks.

2003-10-07T20:13:00.000-05:00

First off: I got a new link on the right hand side devoted to My Main Man...check it out.

It's been a long time since I picked up a golf club -- about two or three summers -- but when I start back, I hope I have the presence of mind not to use ANY of these products. I'm a sucker for a cheap price on any and all goods, and I know these two plants haven't employed lots of people over the past several years, but these are 90 people who won't have a job. Jesus, how many more manufacturing jobs does Tennessee have to lose?

It hasn't been two weeks, and already, the freakin' bloodsuckers are coming out of the woodwork:

A survivor of the NHC nursing home fire is suing the company
for $5.5 million. The fire, which happened on Sept. 25, was
blamed for the deaths of 11 people.
(snip)
Personal injury lawyers didn't waste any time trying to sign
up residents of the NHC nursing home. (Emphasis mine.)
There were 120 residents of the home. Attorneys said almost all
of the 120 residents would have some sort of legal claim so
lawyers from across the state are scrambling to talk to the victims.
In an unusual move, some lawyers advertised directly to families
of the NHC nursing home. One ad appeared next to the obituaries
in the "Tennessean"and and another ad appeared in "The City Paper."
One of the advertising attorneys, David High, said he doesn't feel
it's wrong to solicit NHC patients, and in fact he thinks it's in their
best interest.

"In their best interest," he says. Give me a m_ _ _ _ f _ _ _ _ _ break. You advertise in the goddamn obituaries, for Pete's sake...and I've already seen one ad on T-V specifically target people who've had family members "injured" in nursing homes. Wonder who they're going after, huh? This just adds more ammunition in the drive for tort reform (which I'm againt, BTW). So in the interest of the public good, and to keep those freakin' bloodsuckers from leaching off a serious tragedy (and despite my low to non-existent readership), I'd like to pass on this info:

Nashville Bar Association
Lawyer Referral Service
315 Union Street
242-6546

Meanwhile, these cats take second place on my Dirty Rat Bastards list.

Speaking of blogs, O-Dub just came back from the BloggerCon conference, and has an excellent post about the current and future state of blogs. I have to agree with him 100% -- while I love reading blogs (and writing in them when I get the urge), none of the folks I know know anything about blogs...and outside of the Trent Lott affair, I doubt they've having any real impact yet in the general society, despite what Oliver calls "the blog-to-blog echo chamber."

And Oliver -- despite his tight Democratic leanings -- is nonetheless an independent Dem, in that he could give a rat's ass about Gray Davis.

That is all for now...the Cubs are on, and Zambrano is getting hammered in the 3rd inning (he's already given up THREE straight homers!). Tomorrow, Governor Ahh-nold...after that...God, who knows...

2003-09-30T15:08:00.000-05:00

It has always been my intention to create my very own list of infamous individuals -- people who have indistingushed themselves in our society by their words and deeds.

The title of this list? Dirty Rat Bastards.

I had no concrete plans as to when I would begin the list, probably around the first of the year. But after reading this column via this post from today's Kos, I just couldn't wait any longer to get it started.

Welcome to my list, Rush Limbaugh.

Limbaugh's idea of commentary Sunday involved an absurd
attack on Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb and on "the media" that
have overrated him because "the media has been very desirous that a
black quarterback do well. There's interest in black quarterbacks and
coaches doing well." McNabb, Limbaugh said, isn't "as good as everyone
says he has been."

I knew from the very first frickin' minute when ESPN hired that (formerly) fat blowhard that I would never purposely watch one second of their Sunday pregame show -- and in all honesty, I never remember to turn to it anyway, because we're always getting ready to go to church. But just the fact that he's on there is reason enough for me to never watch the damn show.

And kudos to Phil Sheriden for pointing out something that I've wanting to bring up for quite awhile:

Conservative sleight-of-hand artists like Limbaugh love to use the
label "the media" (alternately "the liberal media") as a kind of blanket
insult. Well, guess what, Rush? You've got a nationally syndicated radio
show. You have your own Web site. You had a national TV show. Now
you're on ESPN every Sunday morning.

You.

Are.

The.

Media. (Emphasis mine.)

See, that's what kills me about these damn conservative comentators bitching about "the media." If the media is as liberal as you guys (Tucker Carlson, Coulter, Ingraham, etc.)...well, why are you on it????? And since you make these appearances on all these shows...then are you, not, in fact, the media???? (Or, as Sheridan says, "a part of them"?)

Again, welcome to my list, Rush -- ya Dirty Rat Bastard.

Mr. Limbaughtomy, the ball is now in your court.

2003-09-30T06:28:00.000-05:00

Hi, ho everybody.

As I write this, all is good with the world:

-- the Cubs are in the playoffs...

-- the Titans came back and beat the Steelers (my favorite team dating back to my youth)...

-- Tennessee and Tennessee State pulled out key conference victories...

-- and Bush is finally getting his ass handed to him (see my man Josh for the latest and greatest on info on this stuff)

But alas, there are some things NOT going my way:

-- it looks like it's going to be Governor Ah-nold in California (can we all say "frickin' ego trip"?)

-- and time may be running out for us trying to get My Main Man back in the race (but we're still trying!)

As far as Governor Ah-nold is concerned, I've had some...ohhhh, let's say, concerns about the Gallup results, especially since recent state polls found the race to be tightening up. But then I went to Uggabugga and found this post about a previous Gallup poll....so maybe we're all just worrying for nothing. God, I hope so.

Gotta go...yeah, I know, it's a short one. Just doing enough to keep from being MIA. Talk to y'all later.

2003-09-23T19:55:00.000-05:00

Hi ya folks...

I thought things would start getting nasty soon for The General, but not like I imagined.
I haven't read the original story, but my friends on the left side of the blogosphere (a few of them on the right side of this page) are talking about it -- including Josh at Talking Points Memo, starting here and here.
And speaking of Josh, I'm about to hit the sack with some great reading material:
part one of his interview with former Ambassador Joseph Wilson. (I had to print the whole thing out, because it's just too damn long for me to read straight off the monitor.) I'll get to Part Two before the week is out.

And speaking of my friends on the left side...I've added a new blog on the right -- and it comes from Lefty Headquarters itself. It seems the D.C. Dems have finally gotten serious about the blogosphere (thanks to Kos and Howard Dean), and know it's their first line of defense against the GOP and their "friends" in the media.

Bye for now.

2003-09-17T17:29:00.000-05:00

Hi, ho, everybody...this one is going to be real short, so here goes...

Well, it's official...the general is suiting up for political battle. At the risk of sounding like I'm jumping ship, I have to confess that I like Clark, and think he'd make a good, solid president. But as I said a couple of days ago, things may get real ugly, real soon, between the General and Governor. And whaddya know, I'm not the only one who believes that:

The Clark plan is probably simple enough -- set themselves up as
the anti-Dean. (Emphasis mine.) They probably figure Dean will
take care of Gephardt (Iowa) and Kerry (NH) all by himself. So they'll give
Dean a temporary pass and train their guns on Edwards and Lieberman....
Take those two out, and Clark has a clear path in the SC and OK primaries.
Then he and Dean can fight over AZ, DE, MO and NM -- the rest of the states
on Feb 2.
After that, it would be a Dean/Clark battle to the bitter end. And with
Fabiani and Lehane in the mix, it won't be clean or amicable.
It pains me to say this, but it's not looking like a Dean/Clark
or Clark/Dean ticket will be viable. (Emphasis you-know-who.)

Fabiani and Lehane, of course, are Mark Fabiani and Chris Lehane, who pretty much have a reputation as the Democratic version of Karl Rove, especially Lehane.
And then Kos has this to say about the "Draft Clark" groups:

There's the classy team of DraftWesleyClark.com, and then there's
the DraftClark2004.com team (who should get along really well
with Lehane. They're cut from the same cloth). There is no love lost between
the two groups.

Read the rest of Kos's post. Again, I'm no soothsayer -- and who the hell is? -- but I'm feeling a little (just a little) smug right now.

Big Al...don't go away just yet.

Bye now.

2003-09-15T18:55:00.000-05:00

Hi folks....so how about `dem Titans?!? Sheesh....

They must be feeding cats to that boy, or they've been giving him cats to boil when he makes his special miracle potion on Death Row -- but whatever: Philip Workman has once again been spared his date with the executioner. And as far as political nine lives, you gotta give it up to my man Gray Davis. Now get ready for Chief Will, Doubting Thomas and (as Jo Fish calls him) "Big Tony" to step in and say "To hell with you minority voters....move to precincts with good machines! "

Well, it was inevitable: my man Kevin says My Main Man should not run next year, despite the new Zogby poll. Granted, he makes several good points why Al shouldn't get in, including raising money (a point I didn't exactly touch on, but similar to what I predicted people would say in my last post.) And then there's this:

"All of those problems can be overcome, but there is one that I do not think can: the press loathes him." (Emphasis yours truly.)

I would have to respectfully disagree with Kev on that one. Yes, they loathed him in the 2000 campaign -- and MoDo over at the NYT looks like she's itching to continue that theme . But nearly three complete years have passed now, and the once kiss ass press is finally waking up to the fact that things have really gotten fucked up since January 20, 2001 (economy/deficit, Iraq/Afghanistan, overall foreign policy, war on terrorism, smokescreens on education reform, environmental issues, etc.). And with the bloom finally off the rose, the main issue that hounded Gore throughout 2000 -- honesty and integrity -- will be all but gone, and the tables will be turned on Bush to prove how the nation has improved under his watch. When he can't prove it (and by God, he can't), Gore will look better and better to the voters, especially to the Greens (who did just a good a job as the Rethugs in smearing My Main Man last time) and Independents. And as the poll shows, there's still lots of support at the grassroots level for Gore, so any attempts by MoDo, Howie Kurtz, and the rest of those smart-ass, high paid insider journalists won't mean a damn hill of beans to the voters (and it really didn't the last time, when you think about it). And don't forget the theory I posted at post below (and yes, it may sound off the wall...but hey, did we think George W. Bush would really become president?) Plus,

Besides...this go around, my peeps over at the right hand side of the page will have his back BIG time.

More later.

2003-09-14T00:11:00.000-05:00

Hey folks....remember me?

Yes, I've been gone a loooooooonnnnnnnnggggggg time. Fortunately, our RTB Daddy hasn't declared me MIA yet, and I appreciate that. So let's see, where do I begin? We went to Detroit and Chicago, as I said in my last post, we had a good time for a good week...and when we came back, we had no friggin' A/C! So when stayed in a hot box for a good three days, and believe me, we were quite miserable. But all is well now...so back to the present....

Enough has been said about the Man in Black, so I'll just leave that alone. And we can't leave out someone else with Nashville ties, John Ritter. Right now, I'm watching the Southern Heritage Classic on BET, and Tennessee State has been struggling on offense, so the defense has been carrying the load (they blocked a punt and ran it in for T-D in the first quarter, and tackled a Jackson State player in the end zone for a safety late in the second) But finally the offense scored, so now it's 16-6 at the half.

Sooooooo....have y'all seen the latest Zogby poll? You know, the one that has My Main Man in a statistical dead heat:

The Sept. 5-9 poll shows Bush with less than majority support and only with the narrowest of margins over Al Gore, 48% to 46% -- a difference smaller than the poll's margin of error (3.2%). Moreover, Gore leads Bush among independent voters by 47% to 43%. (Emphasis mine.)

Oh, and here's another interesting point:

The poll, conducted by Zogby International for Draft Gore, also shows Gore leading all major contenders for the Democratic nomination with 24% -- compared to 16% for Dean, 12% for Lieberman, 11% for Kerry, 7% for Gephardt, and 2% for Edwards. (Again, emphasis mine.)

So, a guy who's not on the campaign trail, who says he's not going to run, who has largely been silent on the issues (except for this speech), is leading in the polls against the other nine declared candidates. Hmmmmmmmmm.....

Now, I know a lot of folks would dismiss all that for various reasons: it's because he's well known, he was vice president, there's still a lot of unhappiness over the 2000 election, etc., etc. And now with Wesley Clark on the verge of jumping in himself, there's no room for Al to back in if he wanted to, and time is running out, more etc., etc., ad nauseum..... But then...let's suppose....

I found this little ditty this week from my man Josh Marshall: Is the Dean camp trying to set up Wes Clark? Josh links to the WaPo article about the latest Clark/Dean meeting...and the fact that the Dean folks floated the idea of Clark taking the number two spot on the ticket with Dean (even though the damn caucus/primary season is still four months away). Well that same day -- September 11, of all days -- Josh comes right back and linked to the "Washington Whispers" column from U.S. News & World Report about Clark's potential candidacy and possible V.P. selection:
"Supporters say that's a dirty-tricks campaign pushed by rival Howard Dean
who's scared of a Clark candidacy." (Emphasis you
know who.)

So keeping all this in mind, it's possible (and granted, I'm no political soothsayer) that Dean and his campaign, desperate to keep their front runner status, starts going after Clark. Clark may be able to stay above ground for a little while, but he's got a late start, and knows he's got to defend himself against Dean. So that sucks up all the media attention and oxygen from the other candidates, who may also resort to negative campaigning. So the whole field remains nothing but a "babble", and the Democratic voters are split all to hell and demoralized. So could that mean a certain someone from Tennessee gets back in the race to unify the party?

Just thinkin'.

UPDATE: Tennessee State's offense finally got on track and pulled away for a big 44-14 win! Phew!!!!

2003-08-20T17:40:00.000-05:00

Hi, ho everybody. It's close to 5 p.m. central time as I write this, I have to go outside and cut grass, I have errands to run, people who need my help, and I've got one more working day before staring a weeklong trip to Detroit and Chicago.

And I haven't blogged in nine days. So what's new?

Anyway, let me catch up on a shameful oversight: welcoming the newest members of the Rocky Top Brigade. Welcome one and all...and just to let you know, I, too, am in the fight for truth, justice and a good malt -- but not of the hard liquor variety. (I'll tell ya, though, it's a damn sight cheaper than Bubba's favorite drink!)

I write this as the mildest summer in recent Nashville history gives way to the usual dog days of the season. These aren't exactly the days that try men's souls, but they sure will put a beat down on wanting to hang around outside, especially if your're a tad overweight. (Ya hear me, I said a tad overweight.) That's why I'm in here posting, tyring to wait out the sun a little bit longer before tackling my own mini-jungle. And something else I've forgotten: it's been the wettest summer since I can remember -- hell, the wettest year in recent memory. I can't find the total precipitation for this year, but I know it's been wet, what with all that snow we had in the winter, and all that rain we had during the spring and most of this summer (including the tornadoes/severe thunderstorms).

A quick word of advice: do NOT eat a whole bag of Hershey's Sugar Free Rich Dark Chocolate minibars. Let's just say...it'll keep you well "occupied" ...if ya know what I mean.

Okay, sun's gone down quite a bit now. Gotta go...bye-bye.

2003-08-11T20:50:00.000-05:00

Well, hello, again...please, notice the changes on the right, and adjust your life accordingly.

Yes, once again, I'm a day late and a dollar short on some major events, namely My Main Man's speech last week. More on that in a few secs...but once again, Big Daddy must pause and pay tribute to two more fallen American giants: Gregory Hines and 1980 U.S. Olympic coach Herb Brooks, the man who lead the great "Miracle On Ice" victory against the Soviets. Where was I when it happened? Sacking groceries at my part time job when my dad came in and told me the news. I don't know about everybody else in that store, but I was on Cloud Nine when he told me. And what can you say about Gregory Hines, the original Tap Dance Kid, that hasn't been said already? All I know for sure is, somewhere in this world, Savion Glover is crying a mean river...

Okay, about the speech: I read the transcript, and watched it both on the C-Span replay and streaming video (it's downloaded now at the newly renovated AlGoreDemocrats.com, by the way), and all I've got to say is: YOU GO BOY! Yes, he spoke before a partisan, welcoming crowd...he brought the freakin' house down, and just reiterated for me why he should be the one living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and not the man carrying the title now. Some columnists have already tried to shoot bullets at him, especially the Washington Post in this bullshit editorial, which starts with a quote from a 1998 speech. But here's the thing, slappy: yes, he (and Clinton) both said that Saddam needed to be stopped -- but they didn't say he was an imminent threat, not like the Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Wolfowitz, et.al. cabal. And what was that he said about actually going to war? Let's go revist what he said less than a year ago, September 23, 2002 -- before the shootin' started:

In the case of Iraq, it would be more difficult for the United States to succeed alone, but still possible. By contrast, the war against terror manifestly requires broad and continuous international cooperation. Our ability to secure this kind of cooperation can be severely damaged by unilateral action against Iraq.
In just one year, the President has somehow squandered the international outpouring of sympathy, goodwill and solidarity that followed the attacks of September 11th and converted it into anger and apprehension aimed much more at the United States than at the terrorist network - - much as we manage to squander in one year's time the largest budget surpluses in history and convert them into massive fiscal deficits.
Regarding other countries, the Administration's disdain for the views of others is well documented and need not be reviewed here. It is more important to note the consequences of an emerging national strategy that not only celebrates American strengths, but appears to be glorifying the notion of dominance. If what America represents to the world is leadership in a commonwealth of equals, then our friends are legion; if what we represent to the world is empire, then it is our enemies who will be legion.

And those were the prepared remarks (courtesy, again, of AlGoreDemocrats.com). But in all those well crafted statements, it's what he said off the cuff (no, not that "Kuff") that counts for me:
If you're going after Jesse James, you take the posse with you.

Al ain't perfect, we all know that...but, at the risk of sounding like an overawed schoolboy, he's the only politician I've known in my lifetime blessed with an amazing intelligence and foresight (honed by experience) to see how things will play out down the road.

`Nuff said.

2003-08-06T21:17:00.000-05:00

Hi, ho, folks...again, sorry to have been gone so long. I'm writing this as I listen to Terry Gross interview Bill Maher on Fresh Air, so my thought patterns will probably be rather scattershot. (And did you know Bill has a blog?)

My Main Man is giving a speech tomorrow about the post-war Iraq situation in New York City...hopefully either C-Span or CNN will carry it live, considering all the buzz about him getting back in the race. Oh, and by the way, did you see who is now encouraging Al to reconsider? Why, it's Mario Cuomo!

"Right now, the Democratic voice is not a single voice. It is not a chorus. It is a babble...â€�
(Emphasis mine.)
In a subsequent interview with The Associated Press, Cuomo said that the Democrats are lacking a â€œpositive agenda, one that the whole party can come around, and a guy like Gore â€” who has done it, who has it and who can point to it â€” I think he would be an advantage to the campaign.â€� (Again, emphasis mine.)

And here's another columnist -- not a nationally known columinst, mind you, but still somebody in the press who believes Al should come off the sidelines and give it a go.

Now, here's a contradictory view from my girl Sweet Sue -- like me, a fervent Gore supporter -- and she makes a valid point about why Al should stay out of the fray (for now, anyway). From a calendar standpoint, yes, it may be wise for Al not to get back in it...he faces a fast approaching deadline to get his name on the ballots in the primary states, and he's got NO ground organization to speak of anywhere...but still...the thought of a refreshed Gore jumping back in the fray is just too much for us "Gore-ites" to contemplate.

Shit...just heard the news on NPR: looks like Ah-nold is going to run after all. Now maybe Feinstein will change her mind and get in the race, `cause at this point, Gray is freakin' toast. I think Ah-nold must've gotten some advice from his Predator co-star Jesse Ventura: "Yeah, Arnold, man, go ahead, being governor is real cool, man...ya get to live in a nice big house and have a nice cool office and have a lot of people kiss your ass...ya just gotta deal with those pain in the ass legislators, but you know, man, who cares about them, you'll be the man, dude!" Hopefully Jesse also told him that dealing with budget deficits will also be a big, unadulterated nightmare.

(I just checked the comments over at Kos -- some people are praying for former congressman/OMB director/Clinton chief of staff Leon Panetta to get in the race...and the Political State Report says Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamente is getting off the fence and will put his name on the ballot. This is turning into a freakin' circus...but hey it's politics, what the hell do you expect?)

Time to face facts -- U-T President John Shumaker's days are numbered. Personally, I don't think the issues of his spending comes anywhere close to a scandal (although on the face of it, it all was a bit excessive)...but the fact that he got a big 10 grand payoff from a South Korean company may be the straw that broke the camel's back. Common sense should've told him to either 1.) decline the money or 2.) ask Hyundai that instead of giving it to him, make a donation to a scholarship fund at the school. Now we come to find out that he took out a marriage license to help a Chinese student get a visa to stay in the U.S.

All this comes down to two axioms: most times, the smartest people do the dumbest damn things...and finally, don't piss off your ex-wife!

Finally...I will try my damndest to post on a far more regular basis. The only way a blogger will get people to read him/her if they blog (i.e. write) every day...and I would like to be a part of this growing medium, not just as a reader, but a full fledged participant. Unfortunately, over the past week and a half, I've been a bit on the fatigued side, and as I've been trying to catch up on my sleep, it's not only kept me from blogging, but from a new activity -- water aerobics. Hey, brother got to lose some weight! But I should be able to post more from home, now that we're hooked up on BellSouth's V.92 Modem On-Hold program (now I'm just waiting for their DSL to come to my area). So, like I said, I'll try and post on a more regular basis.

See ya.

2003-07-31T05:44:00.000-05:00

Hi ho, everybody...since I last checked in, there's been good news on the home front: the heat is on to get him to change his mind. For us Gore supporters (and yeah, we're out there), this is good news indeed. If you want more info/reax, go to the sites dedicated to My Main Man.

Okay, enough time has passed so that the initial reaction has worn off -- so let me say this: this was some sick shit -- I don't care how you intellectualize that kind of thing, it was sick, sick, sick. It's fine if they use such a program to predict future terrorist events and political upheaval in the Middle East on a purely intellectual/analytical basis (did I just contradict myself here?) -- but damn it, don't place bets on it. Josh Marshall had some brief thoughts about it here.

Enough for now.

2003-07-29T05:45:00.000-05:00

Hello folks...sorry it's been sooooooo long since my last posting...I've gone back to my usual habit of reading more blogs than writing in the one I have. Right now, I'm writing this post from the ol' job...something I promised myself I wouldn't do, but as I don't want to be delcared MIA on the RTB, I may do this more often, if circumstances permit.

There's been far too much going on in the world over the past 12 days for me to try and catch up on -- the Iraq mess, the 9/11 probe, etc., Bob Hope going to his great reward -- so I don't know where to begin. Of course, last night in our Middle Tennessee area, we had a great big thunder boomer, but thankfully, nobody died. Personally, I've been bouncing back and forth to get the latest on the campaign for my favorite non-candidate (check out the websites on the right). Right now (I'm sorry to say), there's a bit of a lull in the activities, but the die hard among us are praying for some kind of real breakthrough and soon. Frankly, I've been spending too much time surfing the internet, when I've got a great book just waiting for me on my nightstand: Getting Mother's Body by Suzann Lori Parks. I've gotten through the first few chapters, but this damn
blogosphere (and all the fine writers among it) has gotten me so hooked I can't concentrate on anything else.

Okay, gotta go. I'll blog later.

2003-07-17T21:09:00.000-05:00

Hi, folks...I'm going to try and write this post while watching Jacob's Ladder on the Bravo channel, starring that great Commie pinko subversive Tim Robbins and child star-turned-future great actor Macauly Culkin...so my thought processes may be off the mark.

Well, let's get back to "Nephews and Knuckleheads." We managed to get the little nephew dressed and ready for church, where he showed out a little bit, as restless two year olds often do. But he tickled us silly near the end of service, when the pastor called for people to come up and join church after his sermon. As we were standing up, the boy grabbed my arm, said "Put your hands behind your back!" and proceeded to help me do just that! I looked at the missus -- who already had her hands behind her back -- and we just laughed...as did the people sitting behind us. (The missus later said he probably saw people do that at his church. She wasn't kidding when she said that boy was smart!)

His dad came and picked him up at church, as we were going on a quick church trip down to Chattanooga that day. We waved good-bye as they drove off...and as he was pulling away, his dad relayed to us his goodbye: "He said 'Bye, baby."

See what I mean by "knuckleheads"? And he's got an older brother who's four and lives here in TN...I can't wait to see them together...that's "knuckleheads" times two!

Gotta go.

2003-07-16T21:27:00.000-05:00

Another week, another giant falls -- Latin music great Celia Cruz has died.

I'm not going to talk too much about the war and the goddamned mess we're in...I'll let my crew on the right of your screen do all the pontificating and such. That's why I haven't blogged for almost a week -- I've been spending all of my time reading all these cats, especially Mr. Kos and his partner in crime Steve Gilliard. Some of the best, most insightful writing about the war on the Internet -- along with Billmon at The Whiskey Bar and Steve Soto, The Left Coaster. Their writings have truly opened a window on the current "difficulties" and helped bolster those of us who opposed this god-awful shit...and the incompetent bunch of weasels who started it.

No, I'm here to spend a few minutes to talk about nephews and "knuckleheads"...with both catagories one and the same. Our little nephew is down from Detroit to stay with his dad for a few weeks. Last Saturday night, the missus took him to the UniverSOUL Circus, which was in town on a four or five day stop on its latest tour. I didn't get to go with them, as I had a previous engagement (choir rehersal, okay?!). Well, he spent that night with us, and we just had a ball with him. The missus bought him a stuffed elephant (she says he sucked his thumb and crawled up under her when the real ones came out) and a stuffed tiger, and one of those thing-a-ma-bobs that has the two Jack-in-the-Box looking things that bob back and forth on long narrow springs that are attached to a headband and you turn on a switch and they light up and you put them on your head -- yeah, that thing. Anyway, the kid is just as sweet and cute as he can be. He asked me for "juice" twice in a five or 10 minute period ("That boy drinks like a fish," said the missus), which naturally meant he had to go "potty" soon after that. (A question, to whoever's reading...is this the first sign of juvenile diabetes?)

We got up the next morning and got ready for church...the child hates getting in the tub and taking a "real"bath, so I had to sit him next to the hand sink and bathe him that way. The missus instructed me to put baby powder on him, which was an adventure in itself, as was the brushing of his teeth. I had to brush my teeth to get him to brush his...and I'd already brushed mine!

("Nephews and 'Knuckleheads' to be continued tomorrow....I swear!)

2003-07-11T21:22:00.000-05:00

Ewwwwww...it's been a looooooooonnnnnnnggggggg time since my last dispatch...saw-reeeee.

So, it looks like ol' George is gonna walk the plank on the phony Niger uranium story...no, not that George, but this George. Not only is my man Josh all over it, but so are the folks over at the almighty Daily Kos, as well as King Atrios and the gang over at Eschaton. But while I'm disappointed in Tenet apparently caving in and putting himself out as the fall guy for that obvioius lie, I'm not surprised -- this gang will take no responsibility whatsoever for all the problems it's created, from the ballooning deficit to this debacle in Iraq. Eleanor Clift says it better a whole lot better than I can.

The gang over at Kos has been talking a lot about comparisons between our current situation in Iraq and our horrible history in Vietnam (notably here, here, and here.) But the best comparison I've heard was on NPR's All Things Considered earlier this week...a serious must listen. Open your ears...and open your eyes, folks.

Just got through watching the Daily Show's John Stewart on NOW with Bill Moyers...here's the transcript.

Well, a new poll just came out about the `04 Democratic presidential race...and guess who was in the lead?

"Among Democrats, 75% indicate they would consider voting for Gore, compared to 68% for Hillary Clinton, 65% for John Kerry, 62% for Lieberman, and only 53 for Howard Dean.
In direct match-ups against Bush, Gore garners 47% compared to 45% each for Lieberman and Gephardt, 42% for Kerry, 36% for Edwards and 32% for Dean."

(Sound effect: BigDaddy snickering in the background...and enjoying the increasing call in the media for Big Al to run again.)

Later, gator.

2003-07-02T19:52:00.000-05:00

The giants just keep falling and falling...jazz flutist Herbie Mann is dead.

I'm sorry to be so morbid, but I've been dealing with death/mortality quite a bit this year, starting with the death of my great uncle back in January. Since then, the list just keeps growing; as I told my father recently, it's either been someone I know, or the loved one of someone I know: the mother of a high school classmate...the brother of a high school classmate...the husband of a classmate...the brother of someone I worked with in high school...the son of one of my mom's best friends. And just last weekend, I attended the funeral of the husband of my wife's cousin -- killed by a drunk driver last week. On his way home from work...back to his wife and two teenage sons. He and my wife's cousin had been together since junior high school...meaning they'd been in love for 20 plus years, probably 25. Sweet Jesus.

And then today, I read the obituary of the former night city editor for The Tennesseean. This part really struck me:

Mr. Carnahan participated for years in a local wine club and had put away some money for a trip to the California wine country. He decided to postpone that and have house repairs done, Whitt said. He was on a ladder last Wednesday examining the eaves before getting work done on them when he somehow fell and sustained a head injury. He underwent surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center last week but did not improve substantially, so life support was removed Monday.

He put off the trip to fix his house...and he slips off a ladder, busts his head, and dies. You see how fragile life is? Therein lies the lesson...don't put off a damn thing that you want to do...just do it. Because as the Bible says, we do not know the hour, or the day...

Later, gator.

2003-07-01T20:35:00.000-05:00

Well, here I am, back on the blogosphere...and feeling great shame. I know it says "occasional dispatches" under the title (and I gave the reason why in my very first post)...but it wasn't my intention to be this occasional! The way you get an audience of loyal readers is if you write and post loyally. I'll try and do better (for you one or two people who may be out there.)

Well, good ol' Strom Thurmond is dead. What can I say? Not much really. But my good man August has something to say about that throwback...a lot to say...and he's damn funny about it to, in that Mister Pollack kinda way. (Note: if you scroll up the page, he tells us how to "pronounce" XQUZYPHYR. I've always prounounced it "Ex-Quiz-Zi-Fer." I think I'll keep calling it that, too.) And besides, my great-uncle, who passed away earlier this year, is just waiting on Strom in the afterlife...and I'm sure he's got a lot to say to him...in his face. Heh, heh, heh, heh.....

(And finally, check out this Slate article about good ol' "Daddy Strom." Of course, none of the major media outlets talked about this part of his life...but really, did what else did we expect?)

I'm out...more later...and I hope, sooner.

2003-06-24T19:30:00.000-05:00

Hi folks...can't stay on long...just wanted to let y'all know that I finally got my links up (as you can plainly well see on the right hand side of the page, thank you very much!). As I e-mailed Bubba, I'll get this Blogger thing down yet!

Another giant has left us: Maynard Jackson, the first black mayor of Atlanta. He was one of the ones who helped make Atlanta Atlanta, at least the Atlanta that's become the mecca/place to visit for a new generation of African Americans.

More later...gonna fix me a big chocolate shake, now!

2003-06-23T14:57:00.000-05:00

Yes, I've been away...but I'm back....and with a new template, can'tcha tell! However, I can't seem to provide any links, because the stinkin' "editme" link on the right side of the page is all bollixed up! Crap! I'm trying to do what our fearless leader told us to do and keep up with our posts so we can stay on the RTB (remember, I actually applied for membership). And I really, really, really want to...but as I said previously, my posts will be occasional until we upgrade our ISP connection (or unless I go to the public library, where I am right now). So please, Bubba, please...have mercy!

Enough of that...let's go to press! Guess what the Supreme Court did today: gave the country a split decision on affirmative action! Without getting into the nuts and bolts (which is probably on every blog out there by now), they said yes to the University of Michigan's law school admissions policy, but gave a thumbs down to the undergrad admissions policy, which gave extra pionts for race. In what appears to be a trend, Sandra D. was the swing vote when it came down to the law school policy:

â€œ `The (Constitutionâ€™s) Equal Protection Clause does not prohibit the law schoolâ€™s narrowly tailored use of race in admissions decisions to further a compelling interest in obtaining the educational benefits that flow from a diverse student body,' Oâ€™Connor wrote. "

And believe it or not, I'm okay with the decision to strike down the undergrad policy. From what I've read (and I admit, I didn't know about that policy, and didn't know it was being reviewed by the high court), it appears U of M may have gone a little too far in trying to bring about diversity (something which is NOT a dirty word in my dictionary, thank you!). I'm going to do a little more research and get some feedback from other sources. But let me say this: my generation and the one immediately preceeding me have been the main beneficiaries of affirmative action. It's gotten us into colleges that in the past wouldn't have taken us in....gotten us in the doors of many industries/professions that were unreachable in the generations before us. Before the modern day Civil Rights Movement, blacks were generally limited to being skilled/unskilled laborers, as well as teachers, lawyers, and doctors (thanks to Howard University and Nashville's own historic Meharry Medical College). There were the occassional architects (here in Nashville, it was Moses McKissack and sons, later passed on to the women in the family), as well as entrepreneurs (barbers, etc.). But since the advent of A-A, so much as opened up to us: we're now engineers, astronauts, salespeople, corporate executives...you name it. Would those opportunities have opened up without A-A? Hell yes, `cause black folks got it goin' on! But -- and this is strictly my opinion -- affirmative action just opened those doors FASTER.

There's one other thing about A-A...something that touches me on a more personal and emotional level. When I first arrived on the campus of U-T Knoxville in the early 80s, my father was driving me around campus, looking for my dorm. My great aunt was in the car with us, sitting in the front seat. As we drove past all those fine buildings, my father said to my great aunt, very softly and reflectively: "You know...my taxes have gone to support this institution for years, and it's only now that me and mine can reap the benefits." (Emphais mine.)

So when you folks who are against affirmative action (and against high taxes, as well) rail and scream about the system, I hope you take my father's words to heart. And if you don't...well....

ppppppppppppfffffffffffftttttttttttttt! (That's supposed to be the sound of what they call a "raspberry", if you didn't know.)

More later.

2003-06-18T19:57:00.000-05:00

Hey folks!

I am ashamed of myself: while waxing poetic on the recent deaths of David Brinkley, Gregory Peck and Hume Cronyn, I neglected to mention the passing of a local legend: Cornelius Ridley. Coach made state history in 1966 when his Pearl High School won the TSSAA state basketball championship -- the first integrated tournament in that organization's history. (I believe he also won five other titles in the segregated era, but I can't find the info.) Read this tribute to him by Tennessean sports writer Joe Biddle, which includes a quote by one of Coach Ridley's former players. A true hero.

Damn...damn, damn, damn. Sometimes I feel like the Tennessee Titans take two steps forward, and three steps backward. That damned salary cap! He's one of my favorite players -- does anybody remember the In Godfrey We Trust slogan? GM Floyd Reese says he doesn't like restructuring contracts to free up money, because it pushes off financial burdens to future seasons, leaving cuts as primary options. Crap! Well, maybe they've got someone to take over (I'm hearing Frank Chamberlin and Rocky Calmus), but this is has become an awful trend for the Titans over the past few years. We've gotten rid of so many -- so many -- key players over the last few years, especially on defense, which lead to the absolute debacle of the 2001 season, and the 1-and-4 start of last year...dingbust!

Ya know, much of life is all about how we perceive things. A co-worker was telling me today that people in her department treat her as if she doesn't know what she's doing...despite the fact that she's been there more than a decade. Now, many conservatives believe -- will up and down swear -- that much of mainstream media is liberal...such as Dear Mister Hobbs, who has this to say about a Al Gore's reported efforts to help start a new television outlet that would present more liberal viewpoints. (BTW, nice picture, dude!) Here's an interesting comment:

"In Gore's loss-addled mind, news is "objective" if it leaves out the viewpoint of roughly half the country."

Now when I was growing up, it seemed to me that whenever they had black folks on the news, the only thing they talked about/showed were black people always in trouble, in prison, or just goofing off (I remember seeing a story about a historically black college in East Tennessee -- Morristown College, if I remember correctly -- and they showed the students hanging out on the "yard" listening to a big boom box.) And anytime they talked about the black community, we were either searching for "the next Martin Luther King, Junior" or that the black men weren't around to raise their children. But that "perception" was totally opposite from what I saw around me every single day: married couples of all ages raising children, buying homes, going to work...including my own mother and father (still together after 40+ years). So what outlet could I turn to to get a different viewpoint from how the mainstream media was portraying my community?

[There was an outlet for African Americans who came along during the early to mid 20th century: the black press, including Ebony Magazine (during it's first 20-30 years, when it was the size of the old Look Magazine -- not now that it's half the size of the old format -- and an editorial shell of its glory days). And for black movie audiences who wanted to see more than Stepin' Fetchit and the like, there was the groundbreaking work of this man.]

So like I said, it's all about perception . I perceived that the mainstream media always presented black folks in a bad light...conservatives perceive that mainstream media is liberal (to which I say bullshit: for if the mainstream media was always liberal, they wouldn't have always presented black people as nothing more than criminals, etc.) But as there was a black press to counter give the black community a different image of itself during the days of segregation, etc., now there's Fox News, Rush Limbaugh and the rest of the gang to counter the so-called liberal media.

Bye for now.

2003-06-16T20:11:00.000-05:00

Hi, ho, Big Daddy here....how was the weekend, folks?

Well, the big event I was trumpeting just a few weeks ago came and went...and it wasn't what we all had hoped for. As the story and picture shows, the crowd was awfully sparse, and it a sudden thunderstorm literally rained on our "parade," cutting the whole thing short. Those of us in attendance were terribly crushed by the turnout and the shortened rally, and feared the worst from the media...for example, things like this from my friend Mister Hobbs.

But now after seeing some of the coverage, I don't feel so bad. Granted, the turnout was small...but the reports I've seen and heard noticed the determination of the people who were there. Then I went to the discussion boards at www.algore04.com and www.draftgore.com, and the response was pretty positive. (Sadly there was also a lot of "screaming" between the forum participants...and that's somethin' that's gotta stop.) And none other than Judy Woodruff gave the rally a brief mention during today's "Inside Politics" . So all it takes is just a few steps to begin a long journey.

Well, on to other topics. A memorial service was held in Arlington National Cemetary for one of this nation's greatest heroes and patriots: Medgar Evers. And guess who was among the dignitaries?

"Among those scheduled to attend are U.S. Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., and U.S. Reps. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and Chip Pickering, R-Miss."

And he was there, folks...I saw the footage on CNN. As Dear Mister Hobbs would say -- hehehe. Nothing more need be said.

Justice came to to Texas today: 12 people -- from one small town -- convicted of drug possession were set free after four years in prison -- all based on the lies, damn lies and untruths of an undercover cop.

"Coleman claimed that that he bought drugs from the defendants, but he worked alone and used no audio or video surveillance. No drugs were found during the arrests, and little or no corroborating evidence was introduced in court."

The 12 were among 46 people who were convicted because of this dirty rat bastard. Thirty-nine of them were black....thirty nine. I heard a fine report on NPR's All Things Considered by Wade Goodwyn about the scandal....this is truly a must "listen." (Note to rest of press: please, instead of focusing all your attention on sensationalist stories like Laci Peterson, concentrate on stuff like this, will ya?)

So, everything is going just swimmingly in Iraq, huh? Then what about all this?

U.S. arrests dozens in Iraqi sweep

And the soldiers we've got over there?

Anxious and Weary of War, G.I.'s Face a New Iraq Mission

Yep...it's all going according to plan...especially when it comes to finding those WMDs.

Sigh....

Finally, another giant passes gentle into that good night: Hume Cronyn died yesterday at the age of 91. He was a true legend, someone who could appeal to generations of audiences, from Lifeboat and People Will Talk (a personal fave) to Cocoon and 12 Angry Men. He was one of the best...and the lady he was married to for more than 50 years was no slouch, either. Another who will be missed.

Bye, y'all.

2003-06-13T13:35:00.000-05:00

It's Big Daddy, back in the blogosphere again! How y'all doin'?

Since I've been gone, the world has lost two giants: Gregory Peck and David Brinkley. As an old movie fan, Mister Peck was one of my favorite actors -- some must sees are Gentlemen's Agreement, Twelve O'Clock High, Spellbound, and Cape Fear (co-starring another of my personal favorites, big bad Robert Mitchum.) And of course, we can't forget his Oscar-winning performance in To Kill a Mockingbird -- and in the "Where Have You Been Catagory", one movie I haven't seen. (Gotta find that DVD!) (Dear Mister Hobbs has a nice eulogy for Gregory Peck, and links to another blogger who has a nice post about Mister Peck's early days as an actor. Good stuff.)

As for David Brinkley, he was from an era when reporters simply reported the news -- and that's ALL people wanted from their reporters, without all the freakin' noise that's cluttering up the airways now. And he, along with Murrow and Cronkite, were the pioneers of the new medium -- and a time when the "suits" pretty much left the people producing the product (whether news or entertainment) alone. That's a time I wished I grew up in...but with the advent of the internet and blogging, maybe this is "my" moment.

I'll check in later.

2003-06-10T20:52:00.000-05:00

Hi folks...I'm baaaaaaaaaaack! For what it's worth, anyway.

The missus and I spent a quick weekend here. We had a pretty good time...at least she did, considering she was the big winner at the slots. Now for those who haven't been in Tunica, the casinos themselves are located in Robinsonville, which is a few miles north of the town. Unlike Vegas, the casinos are not set up in a "strip" but are grouped in clusters. We ventured into the town on Saturday, visited the town museum (a very nice, interesting modern museum that deals with the town's rich history and culture) and took a trip around the town square. Later that night we went to Clarksdale and visited the Ground Zero nightclub. The club was cool, but I warn you, the trip down Highway 61 at 8 o'clock at night is damn scary, because there's no lights along the way. (I thought I was going to run into the very devil that Robert Johnson sold his soul to at the Crossroads.)

A quick thank you to Susan Nunes for adding me to her blogroll. And a belated "hello" to my fellow RTB inductees, rushlimbaughtomy, smokyblog, alphapatriot, frankcagle, and resonance. And scroll down the current page for the newest members -- Tennessee is taking over the blogosphere, y'all!

I know this is a short post, but I wanted to check in in case I was missed (hey, I heard that snickering in the background!). I've been a little on the fatigued side, and that hasn't been very conducive to blogging (at least for me). So hopefully I'll check in with you guys tomorrow...take care

2003-06-03T19:36:00.000-05:00

P.S.

Oops: when talking about Oliver Willis, I said he was "an early supporter of this cause"...without linking to the cause. My bad.

Here's the cause right here. And of course, that was before the December announcement.

Bye bye, y'all!!!!

2003-06-03T19:30:00.000-05:00

Folks, I create my posts on the "BloggerBasic" page, and I haven't found a way to create a blogroll...so here are a few of my favorite bloggers (separate, of course, from the RTB)
:

Josh Marshall (by far the best damn journalist in Washington)
Oliver Willis (the first African American blogger I ran into, and an early supporter of this cause)
Susan Nunes (a Nevada teacher who is damn funny and smart, and appeals to my love of "profane" humor)
Daily Kos (one of the best political web sites on the `net, and the inspiration for him and him)
Eschaton (Middle C on the Mighty Casio, baby)
Democratic Veteran (someone who knows what being in the military is all about)

An honorable mention goes out to Tom Tomorrow, who's cartoon runs in the Nashville Scene . It was through him that I started my adventures through Blogdom (or the blogosphere, or whatever we wanna call it), and it was because of him that I've lost a lot of sleep and tied up a lot of hours on our phone line reading blogs. So thanks Tom...I guess.

And I'd like to give a special mention to a "A Soul Sistah Single Mom and Her Two Main Squeez" out in Oaktown. Nothing political, just an online diary about a woman trying to make it through everyday life. Go read her, and all the others I mentioned.

2003-06-03T18:52:00.000-05:00

Hello, folks! I've been away for the past coupla days, due to the fact that I was quite fatigued. But I'm back...if it's worth anything...

And that leads me to today's topic! I've gotten in my first blogosphere "tiff"...with none other than fellow Nashvillian Bill Hobbs. After nailing me for having "less traffic than a Chick fil-A on a Sunday," he again calls one of my favorite bloggers, Jeanne D'Arc an idiot for her post in which she lays the responsibilty of the looting of Iraqi nuclear sites on the Bush Administration. I think she's right, because it was the Bush Administration (starring Rummy, Wolfie, and Cheney), who invaded that country, and had the responsibility of protecting those sites...especially if they were so worried about Saddam's weapons of mass destruction, since that's why they went there in the first place. That's the point Jeanne is trying to make, and the one that Dear Mister Hobbs is ignoring.

Then he takes another shot at my man Al Gore: "When a politician he likes makes a political statement it just can't be politically motivated. " Dude, again, Gore didn't make a "political" statement when he came out against the proposed uranium plant in Trousdale County. Our fellow RTB member Barry made that exactly that point in his post of May 29 (scroll down on his page...sorry, I'm not sure how to link to specific posts). Sigh....oh well.

But Bill -- of course I get "less traffic than a Chick fil-A on a Sunday" -- I just got here, dude! (Gotta admit, that shore was a funny line!) But thanks for the inbound links, homey! Aw, shucks, big guy -- let's put all this aside and get together one day -- I'll treat ya to a super large Mocha shake at the ice cream parlor/coffee shop of your choice. Oh, and one other thing: HAPPY BIRTHDAY! And that's coming from a fellow Gemini (my birthday is this week as well). We really oughta get together and celebrate!

How does Chick-fil-A sound?

2003-06-01T20:18:00.000-05:00

Hi folks! Today was a good day: my church choir sung at the dedication ceremony of the new Answer Bell at the Tennessee Bicentennial Capitol Mall state park. And ya know, that's the same place where another event will take place. And that leads me to this....

My fellow Rocky Top Brigade member Barry points out to a very nasty post by my fellow Nashvillian -- and raging conservative -- Bill Hobbs. In the post that I have linked to above, our Dear Mister Hobbs as a whining, "past-his-political-prime tree-hugger" for coming out against the proposed uranium enrichment plant to be built in Trousdale County. (He links to the article of Mister Gore's oppostion in a recent edition of The Tennesseean.) Hobbs calls it a cynical ploy by Gore to try and keep his name in the headlines, since he's outpolling all the declared Democratic candidates. But Barry, in refuting Bill, points out that the article mentions that Gore still owns a home in his native Smith County (which neighbors Trousdale), and has "been a champion for environmental services - dating back to his Senatorial days and beyond."

But here's the winning quote from Barry (in my opinion):

"Like so many other pundits, he believes any headline in which Gore or Clinton is mentioned or quoted is a blatant, calculated bid for political relevency. It doesn't really matter what the story says, as long as any former political adversary reemerges into the public eye, it must be solely politically motivated."

Touche! Long before Bill, Barry, or I, or anyone began this blog adventure, Al Gore was speaking out on issues ranging from the environment, to nuclear arms, to the information superhighway -- which, if it didn't exist, NONE of us would be here (that includes you, Dear Mister Hobbs). And stop right there before you bring up that "he claimed to have invented the Internet" bullshit. He never, never said that...if you want proof, go here.
And I'll tell you this, my dear readers: historians will be talking about Al Gore's accomplishments and service to his nation long after all of his critics -- including Dear Mister Hobbs -- are dead and turned to dust.

Now after all of that, some credit to Bill Hobbs: he mentioned those recent polls that shows Al still at the top of the heap of all the declared candidates. THANKS BILL!!! (But I'm not letting you off the hook that easy...your calling Jeanne D'Arc an "idiot" in one of your posts was nasty and low-fuckin'-down. She's a very thoughtful, careful, intelligent, smart writer...but she just happens to be on the left side of things, so that's why who had to rip her like that, huh? Like I said in a comment over at SKB you're cold...and on top of that, you have no manners. You can disagree with someone without name calling...oh, but I forgot...conservatives don't behave like that, do they?)

Oh, and Barry...hallelujah and praise to you for coming "out": a Scotch malt whiskey may be nice -- but a soda fountain malt is nuthin' but pure Heaven!!!!!!! (P.S. I like chocolate!!!)

I forgot...I was supposed to talk about the cause. Well, it's pretty damn simple: we're trying to get Al back in the race! Either by trying to convince him, or by drafting him. And check out the website I linked to above, for info about Gore, all the "myths" about him, and where he stands on the issue.

Talk to y'all later!

2003-05-30T23:27:00.000-05:00

Ya know, folks, I didn't realize I was making RTB history by becoming the first blogger to formally apply for admission. So, dear readers, I have made both personal (my first blog) and "professional" history on cyberspace. Well dingbust!

I know I said I would talk more about the cause , but I'm a bit on the sleepy side, so I'll try to do so before the weekend is out. Take care, y'all!

2003-05-30T14:43:00.000-05:00

Well, good people of blogosphere, I have DONE IT! I have gained proper entry and admission to ye old Rocky Top Brigade! And a big thanks to SouthKnoxBubba for recognizing my love of "malts of a different variety." I am especially pleased to be associated with my fellow "libruls" SKB and Kevin. They're fine boys, they are...fine, smart boys!
(And congratulations to Kevin and his missus on the impending birth of their child -- may he/she be strong, healthy and sturdy enough to survie the Bush/Ashcroft/Rumsfeld, etc. regime!)

And now, let me briefly stir up my first blogosphere controversy. An important event is coming up in two weeks -- here's the link with the info...and here's another link if you want to know how to join the cause.

I'll talk more about the cause later...until then, peace out!

2003-05-29T20:51:00.000-05:00

Hi folks...BigDaddy here in D.C. After a year or more of reading/loving blogs, it's so good to finally be aboard! As I say in the subtitle, my posts will be occasional, because we (the missus and I) are still in the dark ages of Internet connections, i.e. we're still on freaking dial-up. So as not to tie up the damn phone lines, I'll be posting here and there until we switch to either DSL or broadband (and if you have any suggestions, please feel free to give advice).

Right now, my main goal for this blog: to join SouthKnoxBubba and his Rocky Top Brigade, of course! Now I agree with him on almost everything in the RTB Constitution...except, maybe "the good single malt scotch whiskey for around $20, because for the most part, I don't drink. But dadgummit, find me an ice cream parlor that can make a mean chocolate shake -- Baskin & Robbins, of course...but a Swenson's would be damn nice! -- and we're in! Talk to you guys later!