Archive for December, 2010

I love lists, and I especially love year-end music lists. It’s a chance to see if people agree with your favorites, and it’s also a time to see what music you missed that you’ll love. I like doing it on the blog because I get to throw up songs so you can sample for yourself and see what you see. I’m sure I’ll miss some awesome music (even from my own library) and throw some up you’ll hate, but that’s the fun. I also know there are a lot of albums I probably need to give a better chance (Walkmen and The National), but there is only so much time in the year. This list will be my favorite albums followed by some songs I loved. It was going to be ten albums, but I had too many I wanted. And I realized last year I did fifteen. So enjoy fifteen and some honorable mentions.

Top 15 Albums of 2010:

1. Titus Andronicus – The Monitor

I could tell this one would be near the top of my list when I first listened to it this spring (weeks after Venhuizen wanted me to). There’s a Civil War concept that runs through much of the album that relates to things like a desire to leave your hometown and relationships, and while it’s cool, it’s unnecessary. The lyrics and energy of the album are enough on their own to make it rock.

2. The Tallest Man on Earth – The Wild Hunt

Kristian Matsson is the Tallest Man on Earth, and he is something special. His voice is raw, but it can also be pretty. The songs are just so well put together. I can’t imagine any of them being better than they are. (His EP is also stellar.)

3. Vampire Weekend – Contra

If you are one of those people (more…)

The START Treaty, an arms control act between the U.S. and Russia, was ratified in the Senate with 13 Republicans joining the Democrats. From the LA Times:

Under the treaty, Russia and the United States agree to limit the number of nuclear warheads to 1,550 each, down from the ceiling of 2,200. The pact also establishes a system for monitoring and verification. The treaty was signed by Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on April 8.

Also from the LA Times:

The partisan politics of ratification were clear in the debate. In his comments, Cornyn mentioned the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Obama in the early days of his administration. The citation praised Obama for creating a new climate in international politics, Cornyn noted.

“You ask what is the relevance of this to consideration to the START treaty,” Cornyn chided. “I fear that the New START treaty will serve as another data in a narrative of weakness, pursuing diplomacy for its own sake or indulging in a utopian dream of a world without nuclear weapons divorced from hard reality.”

Cornyn closed by urging defeat of the START agreement to prove that the era of “unilateral American concessions is over.”

That’s right, we’re making unilateral concessions, like requiring Russia to also reduce their nuclear weapons. Wait. What?

And it’s so scary to only have 1,550 nuclear warheads. How can we ever destroy the world with only 1,550 nuclear warheads. Wait. What?

I think the main problem Republicans are having with this bill is that it’s yet another lame duck victory for President Obama and Democrats. Man, if only the Democrats had pretended they were a lame duck group the last two years, who knows what they could have accomplished?

Enjoy it while it lasts.

Adam Feser

Update: It has passed. Success.

It appears as if a deal has been reached to pass the health care bill for first responders. This makes it likely the bill itself will be passed soon.

In order to satisfy guys like Coburn (who refused to meet with responders), they had to cut the funding from $7.4 billion to $4.3 billion. They also had to change the funding for the bill from a tax on foreign corporations to fees to countries that provide goods and services to our government overseas.

It sucks that it had to come to pleasing guys like Coburn in order to do what is right, but it looks as though they will finally get it done.

Enjoy the victory (hopefully).

Adam Feser

Fox News has stepped up its coverage of the first responders bill (though only Chris Wallace and Shep Smith are willing to say Republicans are blocking the bill). Yesterday Shep Smith, who has shown he will say what he thinks, named Republicans that were unwilling to explain their stance against this bill. Today he went after Tom Coburn for still wanting to block it.

It seems that Jon Stewart has succeeded in making this an important issue. From Smith’s show yesterday:

We called a lot of Republicans today who are in office at the moment. These are the ones who told us ‘no’: Senators Alexander, Barrasso, Cornyn, Crapo, DeMint, Enzi, Grassley, Kyl, McConnell, Sessions, Baucus, Gregg, and Inhofe. No response from Bunning, Coburn, Ensign, Graham, Hatch, and McCain.

“…both sides didn’t come to the same page after the tax deal went through. Both sides came to the same page when Jon Stewart did an entire hour, his last hour of the year, on this, and brought on people who were dying. And it took that to get this done.”

Kudos to Shep for covering this as it should be covered. Let’s hope this gets fixed soon.

Enjoy a fantasy novel to escape the doldrums of winter.

Adam Feser

Finally. The Senate now acknowledges that homosexuals can serve their country bravely and as who they are in the military. Someone willing to lay down their life for America now won’t be turned away if it gets out that they are a guy or girl who likes guys or girls, respectively. Why it took this long and why people still voted against it is beyond me, but it’s a sign that common sense can prevail.

A less impressive feat is the failure to pass the Dream Act (which I wrote extensively about here). The Dream Act is likely dead, which is a shame. It makes sense to me that children of illegal immigrants should have a path to citizenship through attending college or military service, but we can’t ask for too much solid policy, can we? It wasn’t a part of a larger bill this time, so that excuse no longer exists.

But I shouldn’t be too negative. Victories have seemed farther apart, so we need to take what comfort we can in each one.

Enjoy 65% of the Senate supporting all of the troops.

Adam Feser

Politifact has chosen the whopper of the year, and it is the oft-repeated (even by Dr) lie that the government has taken over our health care system.

As they (and I) have pointed out several times, it simply isn’t true. Repeating this lie seemed to be a part of the strategy of misinformation intended to stir anti-Obama/Democrat sentiments before the mid-term elections. Well done. All it took was lying over and over to your constituents.

Enjoy the second year in a row where a health care reform lie won the prize. (Last year’s was Sarah Palin’s death panels comment.)

Adam Feser

John Thune and several other Republicans have been called out for voting for an earmark moratorium while also asking for millions in earmarks in a spending bill.

Salon sees this as indicative of a greater problem Republicans will face. They promise to stand strong on conservative principles until elected, then go to the pork and spend money like it’s no big deal (think W.).

Normally this is okay because they aren’t called out on it. But the right has been energized, and Tea Party groups are going to try and make Republicans live up to their promises, which doesn’t bode well for them (or anyone).

Thune defended his actions, saying he supports the projects in the bill and blaming Democrats for not passing a budget.

Citizens Against Government Waste V.P. David Williams sees Thune’s moves in a worse light: “It’s very odd that they would add earmarks to the bill, vote against it, and probably go back home and brag about them. We find it kind of puzzling that they do that. If they’re against earmarks, don’t add them in the first place.”

Thune was getting a lot of accolades (I’ve even said he’s the scariest dark horse for 2012 speaking with conservative friends), so it will be interesting to see how he handles the situation. He’s already been a part of what some believe is the first 2012 GOP Primary squirmish.

Enjoy the off season of the Red Sox.

Adam Feser

I wrote earlier this week about The Daily Show’s coverage of a bill to provide health funding to 9/11 first responders. It hasn’t passed because Republicans had to get rich people tax cuts. It seems horrible to make first responders a pawn, only to be used to get what you want, but they did it.

Now they’ve passed the tax cuts, and still no action has bee taken. The media has largely ignored the issue. Nothing is getting done.

So Jon Stewart dedicated pretty much all of his last show of the year to the bill. He first crushed the media and Republicans for their inaction. Then he allowed four actual first responders, all suffering from diseases contracted as a result of their heroic actions. Some dying. It was a bold move to get coverage for the issue, and it seems to be working (at least to get some press).

There is nothing more powerful than watching dying men discuss senators bitching about working the week after Christmas (like everyone else). It is sickening to behold. It’s the second video, and it’s must-see.

It is also worth noting that Mike Huckabee came on and voiced his support for the bill. He stated that Republicans should hurry up and pass it. Here’s that video:

I guess I just don’t get how this isn’t a bigger deal. Not only do I think it’s bullshit that Republicans are filibustering this bill, I also think it’s baffling that Democrats haven’t raised a bigger fuss over it. You should be able to absolutely embarrass anyone against this bill, yet it isn’t happening. Republicans once made Democrats look like asses for disagreeing with things like torture. But Democrats won’t even go the extra mile for first responders. It’s extremely puzzling in a way that also makes me furious.

One of my favorite takes on the media’s negligence on the issue comes from Eric Otner, former producer on “Good Morning America” who worked as a medic on 9/11 (from the NY Times):

“In just nine months time, my skilled colleagues will be jockeying to outdo one another on 10th anniversary coverage” of the attacks, Mr. Ortner wrote in an e-mail. “The sad thing will be that the wall-to-wall coverage will be little more than window dressing with little true consequence. They’ll make us feel patriotic and tearfully grateful as they sidebar a piece or two on the plight of the rescue workers who still seem to be dying broke, ill and in need of basic benefits.”

“When that happens, this is the moment that I’ll remember,” he wrote. “It’s when the press was needed most, when sunlight truly could disinfect, and my colleagues just aren’t there. This is not a partisan issue… this is a clear case of right and wrong, and basic responsibility. It’s the reason many of us got into the business to begin with… expose injustice and question those who allow it to exist.”

Couldn’t have said it any better. And I hope history remembers what has (not) happened.

Enjoy the Republicans claiming this as a victory when they finally sack up and pass it.

Adam Feser

World Public Opinion has released a study looking at the knowledge of Americans on several issues. These are rarely flattering for the country, and this study is no different.

What is of note is that Fox News viewers were much more likely to be misinformed. From alternet.org:

* 91 percent believe the stimulus legislation lost jobs
* 72 percent believe the health reform law will increase the deficit
* 72 percent believe the economy is getting worse
* 60 percent believe climate change is not occurring
* 49 percent believe income taxes have gone up
* 63 percent believe the stimulus legislation did not include any tax cuts
* 56 percent believe Obama initiated the GM/Chrysler bailout
* 38 percent believe that most Republicans opposed TARP
* 63 percent believe Obama was not born in the U.S. (or that it is unclear)

These percentages are significantly higher than non-Fox viewers.

It isn’t the first study to find that Fox News viewers are misinformed, and it likely won’t be the last. When you push an agenda and ignore facts, this is bound to happen.

Enjoy knowing they have the most viewers. See comments for correct information.

Adam Feser

Nothing like holding 9/11 heroes hostage in the name of extending temporary tax cuts for millionaires. Not much else I can add to this video, at least at this point.

Enjoy year-end lists.

Adam Feser