My Gut Says It's Time for a Brief Respite from Political Fundraising

Vote Wisely November 2....

While walking down the street one day a Corrupt Senator was tragically hit by a car and died.

His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.

"Welcome to heaven," says St. Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you."

"No problem, just let me in," says the Senator..

"Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from the higher ups. What we'll do is have
you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity."

"Really?, I've made up my mind. I want to be in heaven," says the Senator.

"I'm sorry, but we have our rules."

And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down,
down to hell.

The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In
the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and
other politicians who had worked with him.

Everyone is very happy and in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake his
hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense
of the people.

They played a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster, caviar, and the
finest champagne.

Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly guy who is having a
good time dancing and telling jokes.

They are all having such a good time that before the Senator realizes it, it
is time to go.

Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator rises...

The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens in heaven where St. Peter is
waiting for him, "Now it's time to visit heaven.."

So, 24 hours pass with the Senator joining a group of contented souls moving
from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before
he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by, and St. Peter returns.

"Well, then, you've spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your
eternity."

The Senator reflects for a minute, then he answers:

"Well, I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in hell."

So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell..

Now the doors of the elevator open and he's in the middle of a barren land covered
with waste and garbage. He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the
trash and putting it in black bags as more trash falls from above.

The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulders.

"I don't understand," stammers the Senator.

"Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, and danced and had a great time. Now there's just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable. What happened?"

The devil smiles at him and says,

"Yesterday we were campaigning, Today, you voted."

Vote wisely on November 2, 2010

Re: the Pope making Homer Simpson Catholic

My friend and former co-worker Mike sent me this absolute jewel of a transcript of "Homer the Heretic," which ran in 1994. Pardon the layout and all, but that's part of the charm for me. Mike, being deaf, has tracked down the text version* of this episode. Thanks, Mike!!


Homer the Heretic Written by George Meyer
Directed by Jim Reardon

TV Guide Synopsis


Title sequence


Blackboard

{I will not defame New Orleans}. (Only in Canada.)

Driveway


Homer yells, ``D'oh!'' when Lisa scoots past.
Homer yells, ``Waugh!'' when the car closes in on him.

Couch


The couch is missing.

In Canada:
The couch pivots and the family disappears into a secret passageway.

Quotes and scene summary



Prenatal Homer. ``Ah, what a beautiful day in the womb.'' Until the fluid
drains and a hand reaches in to remove him. Homer clings for dear life...

... to the bedpost, as Marge tries to drag him out of bed for church.
Homer maintains that it is too cold out. Outside, a polar baird scavenges
the Simpsons trash can. Homer struggles with his itchy church pants...

One size fits all my butt!
-- Homer, ``Homer the Heretic''

They rip. ``Forget it. I'm not going.'' Marge scowls...

... as she drives the kids to church. In the car, Maggie removes her
pacifier and licks the kiddie seat, only to have her tongue stick to it.

Bart: Hey, where's Homer?
Marge: Your father's ... resting.
Bart: Resting hung over? Resting got fired? Help me out, here.
-- The Norwegian Blue prefers kipping on its back, ``Homer the Heretic''

Homer remains snuggled in bed, but reluctantly rouses himself to go to
the bathroom.

I'm wizzing with the door open, and I love it!
-- Homer Alone, ``Homer the Heretic''

Homer takes a nice warm shower.

Radio: I hope you're somplace warm.
Homer: You bet your sweet... [looks around to make sure nobody's around]

-- Can I say that on this network? ``Homer the Heretic''

The congregation shiver in the unheated church, thanks to a broken furnace,
as Reverend Lovejoy reads from the long version of the Lamentations of
Jeremiah. Maggie unscrews the cap from her bottle, to find that the
milk itself has frozen.

At home, Homer sends the thermostat up to 100 degrees (Fahrenheit),
cranks the stereo to full power, and dances around the house wearing
only his underwear and sunglasses, singing ``Short Shorts.'' He then
raids the fridge to make one of his patented out-of-this-world space-age
Moon Waffles, a truly sickening concoction.

Oooooh... Waffle runoff...
-- Homer helps himself to leftover waffle batter, ``Homer the Heretic''

Mmmm... Fattening...
-- Homer enjoys a patented out-of-this-world space-age Moon Waffle,
``Homer the Heretic''

Reverend Lovejoy's description of the fire and brimstone of Hell warms
up his audience. Muses Bart, ``Aaaaahhhhhh... I'm there.''

Homer drops some of his Moon Waffle on his chest, so he has Santa's Little
Helper lick it off.

The service has ended, but nobody can get out because the door has frozen
shut. Lisa quietly recites an Our Father.

Lisa, this is neither the time nor the place.
-- Bart tells Lisa to stop praying in church, ``Homer the Heretic''

Listening to the radio, Homer discovers that he can answer the trivia
question posed by the dee-jays. He calls in and wins.

Groundskeeper Willy turns an acetylene torch to the door in an attempt
to unstick it. To pass the time, Reverend Lovejoy reads the church
bulletin.

Card table for sale, top badly damaged, leg missing, otherwise fine.
One dollar or best offer.
-- Advertisement in the church bulletin, ``Homer the Heretic''

Homer watches a Three Stooges movie.

Moe is their leader.
-- Homer's analysis of The Three Stooges, ``Homer the Heretic''

With a great ``Huzzah!'', Groundskeeper Willy opens the door. The
congregation nearly stampede out of church.

Homer turns on the television, only to be disappointed that it's a
discussion show.

We interrupt this public affairs program in order to bring you a football game.
-- ``Homer the Heretic''

Homer celebrates victory.

Meanwhile, Marge's car is the only one left in the church parking lot. It
won't start. Lisa offers backseat advice, then reconsiders.

Homer polishes off a bag of chips as he watches the football game.

Oh, Doctor! A 98-yard triple-reverse ties the score at 63--63!
We have seen nothing but razzle-dazzle here today, three visits from
Morganna the Kissing Bandit, and the surprising return of Jim Brown!
-- Keith Jackson calls the football game, ``Homer the Heretic''

And as if Homer's day weren't perfect enough, he finds a penny on the floor.

Could this be the best day of my life?
[thought balloon: Homer weds Marge]
[thought balloon: Homer dances as an overturned beer truck sprays its contents
like a fountain]
Looks like we have a new champion!
-- Homer, ``Homer the Heretic''

The rest of the family finally arrive, cold and weary.

I, on the other hand, have been having a wonderful day,
and I owe it all to skipping church!
-- Homer, ``Homer the Heretic''

Homer vows that he will never go to church again.

Marge: Are you actually giving up your faith?
Homer: [backpedaling] No! No-no-no-no-no no! [pause] Well, yes.
-- ``Homer the Heretic''

[End of Act One. Time: 6:42]

As Marge struggles to scrape the goo off the waffle iron, Homer explains
his position. Bart supports Homer in evangelical fashion.

And what if we picked the wrong religion? Every week, we're just making
God madder and madder!
-- Homer, ``Homer the Heretic''

Marge prays for Homer, while he plays with her hair. Marge edges away to
a less occupied portion of the bed and prays in a whisper. Homer salaciously
awaits. ``I can wait all...'' He falls asleep and dreams...

Homer sits on the couch as the entire house is shaken as if by an earthquake.
(The TV set says, ``Uh-oh!'') A shaft of light pierces through the dark
clouds overhead, the Hand of God removes the roof of the house, and His
Almighty stands in the Simpsons television room.

God: Thou hast forsaken My Church!
Homer: [in fear] Uh, kind-of... b-but...
God: But what!
Homer: I'm not a bad guy! I work hard, and I love my kids. So why should
I spend half my Sunday hearing about how I'm going to Hell?
God: [pause] Hmm... You've got a point there.
-- ``Homer the Heretic''

You know, sometimes even rather be watching football...
-- God chats with Homer about missing church on Sunday, ``Homer the Heretic''

God: Does Saint Louis still have a team?
Homer: Naw, they moved to Phoenix.
God: Oh. Right.
-- God and Homer talk about the important things in life, ``Homer the Heretic''

Homer explains that what bugs him most about church is the sermons. God
couldn't agree more.

That Reverend Lovejoy displeases Me.
I think I'll give him a canker sore.
-- God, ``Homer the Heretic''

Homer explains that he'll just worship God in his own way. God agrees.
``It's a deal.''

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to appear in a tortilla in Mexico.
-- God takes his leave, ``Homer the Heretic''

Homer waves good-bye in his sleep.

Homer ambles through the backyard dressed in monks' robes.

Lisa: Why are you dedicating your life to blasphemy?
Homer: Don't worry, sweetheart. If I'm wrong, I'll recant on my deathbed.
-- Always have a backup plan, ``Homer the Heretic''

Two birds and a squirrel alight on St. Homer of Assisi. They remain with
him while he takes a shower. ``Guys, please, will you give me five
minutes?''

Reverend Lovejoy joins the Simpsons for dinner.

Marge: Reverend Lovejoy, I had a bit of an ulterior motive in
inviting you to dinner.
Rev. Lovejoy: [surprised and angry] What!?
-- ``Homer the Heretic''

Homer explains...

Homer: God Himself told me I should seek a new path.
Rev. Lovejoy: [suspicious] Oh, really...
Homer: Yeah. He appeared before me in a dream, and I knew that
was special because I usually dream about naked...
[off Marge's glare] Marge.
-- ``Homer the Heretic''

Perfect teeth. Nice smell. A class act, all the way.
-- Homer describes God, ``Homer the Heretic''

Rev. Lovejoy: Homer, I'd like you to remember Matthew 7:26.
``A foolish man who who built his house on sand.''
Homer: And remember... Matthew ... 21:17!
Rev. Lovejoy: ``And he left them and went out of the city into
Bethany and he lodged there''?
Homer: Yeah... [regains his nerve] Think about it!
-- Dueling scriptures with an unloaded gun, ``Homer the Heretic''

At Moe's Tavern, Homer calls in to work to tell them he won't be in tomorrow
due to a religious holiday. When asked for the name of the holiday, Homer
looks around the barroom and comes up with ``The Feast of Maximum
Occupancy.'' Homer invites Moe to join his religion, but Moe explains,
``I was born a Snake Handler, and I'll die a Snake Handler.''

Homer answers the door to find Ned, armed with a guitar, and backed up
by his loving family. Their mission is to win Homer back to the flock.
They begin singing, but Homer slams the door in their faces.

At work, Homer answers the phone, and hears more singing.

The Flanderses pull up beside Homer on the street and continue their singing.
Homer pulls away.

Dad, the heathen's getting away!
-- Todd Flanders, ``Homer the Heretic''

A car chase ensues. Homer crosses the train tracks just meters ahead of
the train. Undaunted, Ned drives his wagon through an open boxcar.
The chase continues to Springfield Harbor, where Homer drives the car off
the dock and lands on an outgoing barge. Ned stops his car just in time.
Home celebrates victory, until he learns he's landed on a garbage barge.

``Flay Me to the Moon'', another insane Itchy and Scratchy cartoon.
Marge tells the kids it's time for church, and Bart asks why Homer can stay
home. Marge reluctantly explains that Homer is ``wicked''.

Kids, let me tell you about another so-called [makes quotation marks with
fingers] ``wicked'' guy. He had long hair and some wild ideas. He didn't
always do what other people thought was right. And that man's name was...
I forget. But the point is... I forget that, too. Marge, you know what
I'm talking about. He used to drive that blue car?
-- Homer's parable of the guy in the blue car, ``Homer the Heretic''

Marge: Homer, please don't make me choose between my man and my God, because
you just can't win.
Homer: There you go again, always taking someone else's side.
Flanders, the water department, God...
-- They're all against me, ``Homer the Heretic''

Homer turns down one last opportunity to go to church. At church, Reverend
Lovejoy's sermon begins with a pronouncement that the devil lives among them.
Bart attacks a man with a goatee before Reverend Lovejoy can explain what
he meant.

Homer lounges in his underwear reading a Lorne Michaels interview in
``Playdude'' magazine.

``Our unabashed dictionary defines IUD as `love springs internal'.''
Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh! ... I don't get it.
-- Homer reads ``Playdude'' magazine, ``Homer the Heretic''

Krusty comes to the door collecting for the Brotherhood of Jewish Clowns.

Homer: Wait a minute, is this a religious thing?
Krusty: A religious think, yes.
-- Krusty collects for the Brotherhood of Jewish Clowns, ``Homer the Heretic''

Homer slams the door in his face.

Reverend Lovejoy recites the commandment ``Keep holy the Sabbath day'',
as Homer buys a crate of Duff and a box of cigars from the Kwik-E-Mart.
Homer notes that Apu isn't in church, but Apu corrects him: He has a
shrine to Ganeesha in the employee lounge. Homer walks over to the
multi-armed elephant, ``Hey, Ganeesha. Wanna peanut?''

Please do not offer my god a peanut.
-- Apu, ``Homer the Heretic''

Homer makes some disparaging remarks regarding Apu's choice of religion.

[angrily] Mr. Simpson, please pay for your purchases and get out and
[brightly] come again!
-- Apu, ``Homer the Heretic''

``Pride goeth before Destruction,'' proclaims Reverend Lovejoy.

Homer lounges on the couch smoking a cigar.

Boy, everyone is stupid except me.
-- Homer Simpson, ``Homer the Heretic''

He falls asleep and the cigar falls out of his mouth onto
the copy of ``Playdude'', lighting it. The fire quickly spreads throughout
the house, aided by the oily rags and blasting caps stored in the basement.
The house is now engulfed in flame. ``Marge, turn down the heat. ... That's
better.''

[End of Act Two. Time: 15:49]

Santa's Little Helper rushes into the burning living room and tugs at Homer's
robe. He finds a Hershey's bar, takes it, and escapes. The fire singes
Homer's two hairs, which wakes him up.

Aaaaaugh! [finds himself in the middle of a fire] What do I do? What do
I do? [cough cough] Oh, the song. The song.
[sings] When the fire starts to burn,
There's a lesson you must learn.
Something something, then you'll see:
You'll avoid catastrophe!
[realizes] D'oh!
-- Homer's lesson for the day, ``Homer the Heretic''

Homer collapses from the smoke.

Through his binoculars, Apu spots the fire. He puts on his shiny Fire Chief
hat and leaves little Jamshed to watch the store. The young boy cocks out
a shotgun. ``I have waited for this day.'' Jimbo, Kerny, and Dolph freeze
in their tracks.

The volunteer fire truck races towards the Simpsons house. But first, it
must wait at a duck crossing. Ned discovers the burning house and rushes in
to carry Homer out. But his exit is blocked by a fallen burning beam. So
he carries Homer to Maggie's room, tosses out a mattress, then shoves Homer
out the window after a prayer. Homer lands on the mattress and bounces
back into the house via the front bay window. With a sigh, Ned does the
same. He finally drags Homer out the now-broken front window as the
fire truck arrives.

Homer: Flanders, you saved me! Why?
Ned: Heck! You'd'a done the same for me.
Homer: [thought balloon: Ned screams for help, trapped in his house. Homer
lounges in his hammock chuckling.] That's right, old friend.
-- ``Homer the Heretic''

Marge and the kids rush to Homer's side, concerned.

Our magazines and roach traps... Gone! All gone!
-- Homer remains in a state of shock after the house fire,
``Homer the Heretic''

Krusty saves the cat. Barney uses the axe to chop the Simpsons mailbox.
Lisa notes, ``Truly this was an Act of God.'' The fire spreads to Ned's
house, and Homer notes, ``Hey. Flanders is a regluar Charlie Church, and
God didn't save house.'' A tiny cloud forms over the Flanders
house, the rain dousing the fire, and the damage sealed with a rainbow.

The insurance representative arrives.

Insurance agent: Any valuables in the house?
Homer: Well, the Picasso, my collection of classic cars...
Insurance agent: Sorry, this policy only covers actualy losses,
not made-up stuff.
Homer: [miffed] Well that's just great!
-- ``Homer the Heretic''

A Channel 6 mobile truck has arrived.

Brockman: Fire, Man's Oldest Foe. Insatiable, remorseless, unquenchable.
Wiggum: Hey, it's out! [cheers]
Brockman: [brightly] Coming up next: Which work better? Spring clothespins
or the other kind?
-- ``Homer the Heretic''

In the kitchen, the firefighters enjoy a well-deserved mug of hot cocoa.
Homer learns his lesson:

The Lord is veangeful. [falls to his knees] Oh Spiteful One,
Show me who to smite, and he shall be smoten!
-- Homer, ``Homer the Heretic''

Ned: Homer, God didn't set your house on fire.
Rev. Lovejoy: No, but He working in the hearts of your friends and
neighbors when they came to your aid,
be they [points to Ned] Christian, [Krusty] Jew, or [Apu] ... miscellaneous.
Apu: Hindu! There 700 million of us.
Rev. Lovejoy: Aw, that's super.
-- ``Homer the Heretic''

Homer: I was rude to every one of you, and you saved my life when you could've
just left me to fry like the proverbial pancake that I am.
Marge: Aw, Homer, I'm so glad to hear you say that.
-- ``Homer the Heretic''

Homer promises to be in church next Sunday, front row center.

And he holds his promise, snoring loudly in the front pew. Homer enters
Dream-Land.

Don't worry, Homer. Nine out of ten religions fail in their first year.
-- God, ``Homer the Heretic''

In the background Ben Franklin (Yes, Ben Franklin) beats Jimi Hendrix
at air hockey.

Homer: What's the meaning of life?
God: Homer, I can't tell you that. You'll find out when you die.
Homer: I can't wait that long!
God: You can't wait six months?
-- ``Homer the Heretic''

Homer wants to know now, so God decides to tell him. ``The meaning of life
is...''

[End of Act Three. Time: 20:46]

Voice Credits

Starring

Dan Castellaneta (Homer, Radio DJ, Krusty, Groundskeeper Willy)
Julie Kavner (Marge)
Nancy Cartwright (Bart, Rodd and Todd)
Yeardley Smith (Lisa, Maggie)
Hank Azaria (Moe, Wiggum, Apu)
\: and
Harry Shearer (Ned Flanders, God, Rev. Lovejoy, Kent Brockman)
Also Starring

Maggie Roswell (movie character)

Didja notice...


... it was so cold in church, the flower petals cracked like glass?
... at the beginning of act two, Maggie was actually eating her food!
... God has fingers and toes! So much for being made in His image.
God also wears Birkenstocks.
... Homer's car window is an automatic? You'd think a car with a
``Hi-Fi'' 8-track would have manual windows.
... the sign for Springfield Harbor includes a depiction of Blinky?
... the title of Reverend Lovejoy's sermone was ``When Homer Met Satan''?
(A pun on the Rob Reiner film ``When Harry Met Sally''.)
... Krusty was wearing a yarmulke while collecting for the Brotherhood
of Jewish Clowns?
... Ned's eyes separated from his head momentarily when he fell through
the floor? (A standard cartoon technique.)
... one of Barney's grunts as he chopped the mailbox was a belch!


Movie (and other) References


+ Risky Business
- Homer dances in his underwear when nobody else is home.
~ Mission: Impossible
- The violin trill as the fire traces the lamp cord like a fuse.

Freeze Frame Fun


Homer's Space-Age Out-of-This-World Moon Waffles


* Ingredients
+ One bag caramel cubes
+ Waffle mix
+ One bottle Liquid Smoke
+ One stick butter
* Directions
+ Empty bag of caramels onto waffle iron.
+ Add generous portion of waffle batter.
+ Add one bottle of Liquid Smoke.
+ Cook until burnt.
+ Wrap waffle around a stick of butter.
+ Serve on a toothpick.

Playdude


+ July 1966
+ ``Don't laugh. It's a car from Japan.''

Springfield Volunteer Fire Department


+ Apu (fire chief)
+ Chief Wiggum
+ Krusty
+ Some guy with thick glasses and a grey moustache
+ Mrs. Van Houton
+ Barney (drinking a beer)
+ Otto (hanging on for dear life)

Miscellaneous


+ The pizza menu on the kitchen corkboard has been replaced by a
note titled ``God bless this mess''.
+ The restaurant on the pier is named ``Smoke on the Water''.

Animation and continuity goofs


Two angles in the post-Itchy and Scratch scene seem poorly-done.
Marge's first close-up shows a darker coat, and her bustline is different.
After Marge says, ``I'll have to tell them their father is...'', the
quick shot of Lisa shows a darker dress. Incidentally, throughout the scene,
the way Lisa is sitting on the couch really shows off her paunch.

The soot on Ned's forehead magically disappears.

Comments and other observations


References from the obvious to the obscure


No Soap, Radio!


The shower radio was named ``No Soap, Radio!'' If you don't get the joke,
you probably can't.

Keith Jackson


Although the football announcer was apparently intended to be Keith
Jackson, Keith Jackson calls college football games, which take place
on Saturdays. @{mdv}

Morganna the Kissing Bandit


During the mid 80's, an overly-endowed woman would often rush onto the
playing field of a major American sports event and plant a smooch on a
player. She would then quickly be escorted off the stadium grounds by
security.

Short Shorts


[syracurg@lp.musc.edu] gives a brief musical history lesson:

``Short Shorts dates back to 1958, when it was recorded as a legit
song by the Blazers and also the Royal Teens (and a few other groups).

Marge the mother


Bart's Sunday attire consisted of a brown blazer, brown shorts, and brown
shoes. (But still with the little white dot on the inside of the foot.
Were they brown sneakers?) Lisa was wearing her traditional pink Sunday
dress, with short sleeves and a short skirt. How could Marge have let
her kids go to church in sub-freezing weather dressed in summer clothes?
They weren't even wearing coats!

Homer's coffee mug


Could anyone make out the picture on Homer's coffee mug as he listens
to the radio? It looks like a pirate but I can't figure out why.
(I.e., it wasn't funny.)

Ben Franklin?


Yes, it was Ben Franklin. For evidence, I point you at episode [7F03],
in which Ben Franklin invents the sled. You'll see that the two characters
have the same appearance and the same voice.

Church


Notice that Springfield Presbyterian Church has a somewhat relaxed dress
code. Hats, make-up, and shorts are permitted. And one wonders whether
the damage to the card table advertised in the bulletin was Satan-induced.

Homer's story


In case you didn't attend Sunday School for one reason or another, the
traditional antecedent of Homer's story about the ``guy with long hair
and wild ideas'' is Jesus. As usual, Homer threatens to show a
glimmer of intelligence, but we discover that he was on a completely
different track.

Jamshed


Amitava Biswas @{ab} suggests that Jamshed is named after Jamshed
Tata, one of India's most famous industrialists, akin to Ford in the US.

Miscellaneous


Now that most of the walls and floors of the house have been burnt, the
Simpsons might discover the gold and jewels hidden under the floor of
Lisa's room. ... Naaaaah.

Distribution notice and Acknowledgments

Blah blah Chris Baird blah blah Raymond Chen blah blah.

Raymond ``You guys have been watching too many cartoons.''[Rugrats] Chen



*link:
http://www.snpp.com/episodes/9F01.html

While the country yawns over the latest Wikileaks revelations, think on this:

Thanks for this from Prairie Weather today.

Let's toss that "impeach" word around again, only this time...

... let's talk about it in the context of the Supreme Court.  You can't impeach a Supreme Court justice because you disagree with his opinions.  But maybe you can if his private life gets just too, too tawdry and too political.

There's the tawdriness of the lies Clarence Thomas doubtless clung to during his harrowing confirmation hearings.  That nastiness has surfaced again and will -- plenty of us hope -- do him the damage he has deserves after decades in a position he lied to achieve.

But even that's cheap goods compared to the general tawdriness of the newer conservative justices on the Court, the damage they are doing to the Court and the nation.  As we acknowledged the other day, John Roberts is no prize.  But Thomas and Scalia (maybe some Americans are also waiting for the Alito shoe to drop) are using their position on the Court to play footsie with the conservative and libertarian movements and with the people who pour billions into influencing legislation. 

Even leaving aside Ginni Thomas's work (and outside interests), we are confronted once again with Antonin Scalia's and Clarence Thomas's playtime activities among the vote buyers.

A secretive network of Republican donors is heading to the Palm Springs area for a long weekend in January, but it will not be to relax after a hard-fought election — it will be to plan for the next one.

Koch Industries, the longtime underwriter of libertarian causes from the Cato Institute in Washington to the ballot initiative that would suspend California’s landmark law capping greenhouse gases, is planning a confidential meeting at the Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa to, as an invitation says, “develop strategies to counter the most severe threats facing our free society and outline a vision of how we can foster a renewal of American free enterprise and prosperity.”

The invitation, sent to potential new participants, offers a rare peek at the Koch network of the ultrawealthy and the politically well-connected, its far-reaching agenda to enlist ordinary Americans to its cause, and its desire for the utmost secrecy. ...

Yes, indeed.  Look at the guest list.

The participants included some of the nation’s wealthiest families and biggest names in finance: private equity and hedge fund executives like John Childs, Cliff Asness, Steve Schwarzman and Ken Griffin; Phil Anschutz, the entertainment and media mogul ranked by Forbes as the 34th-richest person in the country; Rich DeVos, the co-founder of Amway; Steve Bechtel of the giant construction firm; and Kenneth Langone of Home Depot.

The group also included longtime Republican donors and officials, including Foster Friess, Fred Malek and former Attorney General Edwin Meese III.

Participants listened to presentations from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, as well as people who played leading roles in John McCain’s presidential campaign in 2008, like Nancy Pfotenhauer and Annie Dickerson, who also runs a foundation for Paul Singer, a hedge fund executive who like the Kochs is active in promoting libertarian causes.

To encourage new participants, Mr. Koch offers to waive the $1,500 registration fee. And he notes that previous guests have included Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas of the Supreme Court, Gov. Haley Barbour and Gov. Bobby Jindal, Senators Jim DeMint and Tom Coburn, and Representatives Mike Pence, Tom Price and Paul D. Ryan.

Just like the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United, the get-together reeks of partisanship, megabucks, and secrecy. Attending the State of the Union speech is optional for the justices;  responding to the Koch brothers' invitations is de rigeur.

Imagine what our courageous forebears -- who dreamed up America and brought it into being -- would think of what we've made of their gift!

Some Evidence....

This arrived in my inbox this morning from Digby, Howie, and John of Blue America.  Yes, it's an ad, but it's true:

A lot of people are trying to say that all politicians are the same, that your vote doesn't matter. Well, let's look at the evidence. In the last month, here are some headlines about politicians.

"Democrat Alan Grayson Calls for Foreclosure Moratorium"

"Democrat Ohio Secretary of State Attacks Foreclosure Fraud"

"President Obama Pocket Vetos Pro-Bank Bill That Would Increase Foreclosures"

"Democrat Harry Reid Calls for Foreclosure Moratorium"

"Democrat Nancy Pelosi Calls for Investigations of Foreclosure Fraud"

"Democrat Ohio Attorney General Attacks Foreclosure Fraud, Sues GMAC"

"Democrat Illinois Attorney General Asks for Foreclosure Halt in Illinois"

"Democrat Maxine Waters Calls for a Foreclosure Freeze"

"Democrats Alan Grayson, Barney Frank, and Corrine Brown Call for Fannie to Stop Working with Foreclosure 'Mills' Being Investigated for Fraud"

"Democrat Earl Blumenaur Asks for a Foreclosure Freeze in Oregon"

"Democrat Jeff Merkley Calls for a Special Investigator for Foreclosure Fraud"

" Democrats Luis Gutierrez and Dennis Moore Call for Investigations of Bailout Recipients Engaging in Foreclosure Fraud"

"Democrat Attorney General in California Asks for Foreclosure Halt"

"Democrat Attorney General in Massachusetts Asks for Foreclosure Halt"

Notice a pattern here? If not, let me give you another hint.

"Republican Richard Shelby Tries to Weaken Rules, Kicks Regulators"

And people wonder why banks and corporations are spending $5 billion on this election, nearly all of that for Republicans.

 For the life of me, I can't understand why anyone would vote Republican.  The old, honorable Republican party--the one my father voted for--is dead.  

In Case You Didn't See This....

The following is a comment by a reader of Bob Herbert's column in today's NYT, "That Sinking Feeling."  Thanks to the comment's author for pointing out the obvious: we're acting like a bunch of sheep!

That Sinking Feeling…

James Madison long ago questioned if we were utterly without civic virtue? “To suppose that any form of government will secure liberty or happiness without any virtue in the people is a chimerical idea.” If it is so, then we are truly wretched.

Former British Labour MP Tony Benn clearly elucidated how the majority of Americans, whose interests are so grossly being underserved, and because they have lost their political will, have forgotten what it means to have a truly representative government:

"Because people in debt become hopeless and hopeless people don't vote.... If the poor...in the United States turned out and voted for people who represented their interests it would be a democratic revolution. So they don't want it to happen. So keeping people hopeless and pessimistic.... See I think there are two ways in which people are controlled. First of all, frighten people. And secondly, demoralize them. An educated, healthy and confident nation is harder to govern, and I think there's an element in the thinking of some people- we don't want people to be educated, healthy and confident because they would get out of control. The top 1 percent of the world's population owns 80 percent of the world's wealth. It's incredible that people put up with it, but they're poor, they're demoralized, they're frightened and they think perhaps the safest thing to do is take orders and hope for the best."

“However the elections turn out, the Obama administration needs to begin focusing much more intently on the economic plight of ordinary Americans.” I wouldn’t count on that Mr. Herbert. They are complicit tools of the corporate oligarchy, the one percent, who now control this country.

What do you suppose it will be like when voters realize that, because defense and national security, as vital parts of our “debt-and-credit industrial complex,” are exempt from deficit budget issues, Social Security, Medicare, and other social protections are being tossed over the side, and they find themselves unable to stay above water, after the elections?

France’s transport ministry last week issued an advisory that a fuel shortage at the Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris required airlines to arrive with enough fuel to get home, as hundreds of thousands took part in another national protest against President Nicolas Sarkozy's bill to raise the retirement age. This week the protests are escalating, adding to widespread travel disruption, alarm about petrol supplies and the closure of schools. One has to admire the French. Unlike us, they don’t let their economic and political masters run rough shod over them without a huge protest.

What is needed is what our political and economic masters fear the most, an educated, healthy, confident nation willing to initiate large and clamorous protests, like the French, willing to deny all support to these corporate toadies. If the majority of Americans simply acted out of self-interest and voted only for people who represented their interests, it would be a democratic revolution.

Are we so utterly without civic virtue? If so, then we are truly wretched.

Why Have We Forgotten?

Today's TruthOut has this by William Rivers Pitt:
Please read the whole article (click the link above)

After an era of Republican rule that saw vast economic collapse, the abrogation of basic rights, the trashing of Constitutional law, two decade-long wars that still have no end in sight, a catastrophic terrorist attack that could have been prevented, the virtual annihilation of a major American city that could have been prevented, and the theft and waste of trillions of dollars, every available poll appears to indicate that the American people have already forgotten all about it, and are perfectly ready to let the wolves back inside the fence.

 ....

Dear Elected Officials: Go to Hell

And while you're on the way, please DO NOT ask us for any further contributions to your election or re-election campaigns. Do not inundate us with phone calls, emails, and letters asking for money.

You could not find it in your hearts/minds/whatever to give a Social Security cost of living adjustment (COLA) to America's senior citizens and disabled persons for the past two years (since 2008), and now, buried in deep in the back pages of the newspapers yesterday was the news that you will not give them a COLA increase for the NEXT TWO YEARS--until 2012. 

Please....just go to hell.  Whether you are members of the Democratic party, the Republican party, the Green party, the Tea Party, or an "Independent" (Joe Lieberman, this especially means you); or whether you're a Senator, a member of the House of Representatives, or a senior member of the Administration (Yes, Barack, that means YOU--practically the first words out of your mouth after we busted our butts to get you elected were "No COLA increases for SS recipients until 2011"), we've had it.  You can watch your own ships sink without any help from us.

And btw, Barack, Nancy, John Kerry, Al Franken, et al., (I won't even mention the Repuglicans, since they'll kill it this time, too, just as they did the last one of these somebody proposed) I see you're going to "try" to get Congress to pass a bill to give us a "bonus" of $250 "soon" (i.e., after the November elections).  Be still my beating heart....or should I tell myself "Don't hold your breath"?  Just think!  A whole two hundred and fifty dollars!!!  It's too bad it's not 1959.  Back then, that was a whole month's salary (upon which I paid Social Security taxes).

The person in charge of Social Security COLA says prices haven't gone up enough to merit an increase for the country's senior citizens and disabled.  What planet does he live on?  Prices have been going up steadily ever since Barack got into office--but I guess he hasn't noticed.  Only the poor people notice when milk costs $4 for a half-gallon or a can of plain old beans costs a buck.

How's your brain holding up after the long weekend??

xkcd.com has a great MAP of online communities

If you don't know what webcomix are (is?)....xkcd.com is the place to go....

Use the zoom on your computer to read the tiny writing....so funny! 

Conversational Arts 101

Apparently, after nearly 50 years of being deaf, I've lost--or forgotten--the art of conversation. I'll be walking along with a friend, and she'll ask me, "Did you hear what I just said?" As we've been chatting, I'll have been keeping an eye on the path so as not to trip over the myriad cracks and uneven bricks sprinkled so generously throughout the fair City of Satan. And people who have known me for a while are well trained to think that if I am not looking right at them, I'm not hearing them. But I can hear pretty well now if I've got the implant's settings right, and I don't need to do that as much now. If they don't say something that I think requires a response (like ask a question), I don't feel the need to interrupt their narrative after every sentence. I dunno...jeez...sometimes I just like to listen to them talk. Dear Sally suggested, when I asked her about it this weekend, that I give some kind of audible clue back...like a grunt or something: "Uh huh, uh huh" (or, as they say it in Iowa, "MmMMH MmMMH"--faster and with the accent on the second syllable).

I'll try it. For years I've gotten my notions of conversation from books, and it's not the same as what people do when they actually TALK. It takes a long time to get the hang of acting like someone who can hear.

How to raise awareness of the coming perfect storm....

It's not exactly a secret any more, but Robert Reich nails it in this column in today's Huffington Post. We're heading for a perfect storm, and we need to DO SOMETHING. (Emphasis mine)

Right now we're headed for a perfect storm: An unprecedented concentration of income and wealth at the top, a record amount of secret money flooding our democracy, and a public in the aftershock of the Great Recession becoming increasingly angry and cynical about government. The three are obviously related.

We must act. We need a movement to take back our democracy. (If tea partiers were true to their principles, they'd join it.) As Martin Luther King once said, the greatest tragedy is "not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people."

What can you do?

1. Read Justice Steven's dissent in the Citizens United case, so you're fully informed about the majority's pernicious illogic.

2. Use every opportunity to speak out against this decision, and embarrass and condemn the right-wing Justices who supported it.

3. In this and subsequent elections, back candidates for congress and president who vow to put Justices on the Court who will reverse it.

4. Demand that the IRS enforce the law and pull the plug on Karl Rove and other sham nonprofits.

5. If you have a Republican senator, insist that he or she support the Disclose Act. If they won't, campaign against them.

6. Support public financing of elections.

7. Join an organization like Common Cause, that's committed to doing all this and getting big money out of politics. (Personal note: I'm so outraged at what's happening that I just became chairman of Common Cause.)

8. Send this post to your friends (including any tea partiers you may know).

Robert Reich is the author of Aftershock: The Next Economy and America's Future, now in bookstores. This post originally appeared at RobertReich.org.

[XE here: for your convenience, if you want more information about Common Cause or how to join, Common Cause's weblink has a tab at the upper right "Join Common Cause."


Justice Stevens' Dissent, complete text

The Sky Is Falling!!

Ever feel like everything's gonna wind up in a heap?



God bless the Golden Girls! Only one left now....but how wonderful they were!!

Yes, you can save $$ and eat like rich folks....

One of my favorite blogs is The Foodinista. You can't help but realize, however, when you read it that each of Foodinista's posts is NOT a download from White Trash Cooking. For example, today's recipe is baked potato chips with horseradish sour cream dip for all those legal secretaries, UCLA adjuncts, and entertainment industry execs in her area to take to the office for lunch.

No matter. I am here to tell you that these fancy food blogs I visit so often give me wonderful ideas for cooking my own grub. TF uses bagged chips for her recipe, but she's in another SES altogether. In these parts, a bag of first-class baked potato chips costs about $3.99 (doesn't everything). So....cheaper to just buy the effing potatoes yourself and do your own cooking. Not every potato has to be boiled and mashed! So this time, I'll use the idea of slicing the potatoes really thin, oiling and seasoning the slices, spreading them one layer thick on a 9x13 baking sheet, and baking them in a fairly hot oven (375? 425?) for 20 mins/half an hour or so until they get golden/brownish. And then eating them with horseradish-sour cream dip. (Easy enough: Just add bottled horseradish sauce to sour cream. Foodinista has the recipe on her blog.)

Boy, that sounds soooo good!! And mildly healthy, too. I'll have to go out and get a few more potatoes at the farmers market in Rose Park tmw afternoon--if it's nice--otherwise, I'll go to Yes! Gourmet grocery. Maybe I'll try this with SWEET potatoes, too, but I dunno. I'm not a big fan of sweet potato fries. I like sweet potatoes baked and served with a nice big knob of butter on top!!

Thanks, Crabby!

TGB's Crabby Old Lady said it all for me recently. (And thanks to Cowtown Pattie for the nudge bringing it to our attention.)

Here's some highlights:

To...politicians and candidates who want to replace them: stop telling the country that rich people's tax cuts create jobs. It is a lie. They've had those tax cuts for eight years and look where it got us – millions of permanently lost jobs and 10 percent “official” unemployment that is actually much higher.

Or this...(Speaking of cable companies, how does YOUR elected rep stand on the bill to allow Comcast to buy MSNBC?? There's talk of Comcast cleaning house at MSNBC if our beloved gov't allows the deal--like, no more Rachel Maddow? Get on the horn and call your rep...tell her/him to say NO to this latest maneuver for media consolidation.)

To cable news media: stop filling 90 percent of your air time with fact-free talking heads flapping their gums in total ignorance of everything. Crabby Old Lady has never learned one useful thing from them. Pay some trained reporters, instead, to do some real journalism. A whole lot of them are out of work and they'll do the job for less money than your “star” bloviators.

And so it goes....Read Crabby's post in full. It's no fun to be crying "Doom!" all the time, but somebody's got to do it. Crabby does it better than most.

When will we learn?

If this doesn't bother you because you are not gay, think again



Martin Niemoller had it right:

They came first for the Communists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for me
and by that time no one was left to speak up.