Congresswoman Shot In Arizona

Congresswoman Shot In Arizona

by NPR Staff
January 8, 2011

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D) of Arizona was shot outside a grocery store in Tucson while holding a public event, an eyewitness reported Saturday.

Giffords, who was re-elected to her third term in November, was hosting her first "Congress on Your Corner” event at the Safeway in northwest Tucson when a gunman ran up and started shooting. At least five other people, including members of her staff, were hurt, according to Peter Michaels, news director of Arizona Public Media.

Giffords was transported to University Medical Center in Tucson. Her condition was not immediately known.

Michaels said Giffords was talking to a couple when the man ran up, firing indiscriminately, and then ran off. He was tackled by a bystander and presumably taken into custody. - this from Daily Kos.
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every time I read anything like this -- along with the failed letter bombs sent to D.C., I think, "Oh no! It's really begun!".

I'm so upset by the insane rhetoric on "talk radio" and the "news", along with all the lies and misinformation spread about damn near EVERYTHING, and the ramped up racism and religiosity being called "patriotism" and "traditional values", that I can no longer listen to the propaganda being spread by either the "right" or what passes for "liberal" or "left wing" (it's not).

There is so much unhappiness out here, so many folks who see their lives going down the tubes, that reactions are inevitable.

Given that the USA is armed to the teeth -- this might just become a problem.

I realize many folks don't see violence as an answer -- but, it really tends to work. Just think about The American Revolution, The French Revolution, and the various and sundry revolutions (uprisings, whatever) in England/Great Britain before folks had a measure of democracy.

It's rarely a truly "peaceful" process.

Now, I have a question: How come Sharron Angle and others like her can talk about "2hd Amendment Remedies", but "homeland security", the FBI, and every other police organization are right on the ass of any African-American, Native-American, or left wing organization that talks about any sort of protest? Heck, they even investigate Quakers, while Sworn peace officers say they will not obey "illegal orders". see "Oathkeepers". Granted, they have toned down their rhetoric, but they were only formed AFTER Obama was elected.

As I said, racism runs rampant.

If you are an outspoken lefty, if you are active in any minority or marginalized community, I suggest you purchase some LEGAL means of self defense, and learn how to use it. Why should those who HATE you be the only folks who are armed?

Self defense -- LEGAL and SAFE. If you are prone to depression, or are not stable -- do not put yourself or others at risk. DEFENSE is just that.

Turn Blue (Jimmy McGriff) At The Hammond B3

Jimmy Smith - See See Rider

Jimmy Smith - Honky Tonk

Jimmy Smith - The Sermon (1964)

#2

2011 is off to a "good" start:



Press Releases
Enterprise Bank & Trust, St. Louis, Missouri, Assumes All of the Deposits of Legacy Bank, Scottsdale, Arizona

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 7, 2011
Media Contact:
David Barr
Office Phone: (202) 898-6992
Cell Phone: (703) 622-4790
Email: dbarr@fdic.gov

Legacy Bank, Scottsdale, Arizona, was closed today by the Arizona Department of Financial Institutions, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as receiver. To protect the depositors, the FDIC entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with Enterprise Bank & Trust, St. Louis, Missouri, to assume all of the deposits of Legacy Bank.

The two branches of Legacy Bank will reopen on Monday as branches of Enterprise Bank & Trust. Depositors of Legacy Bank will automatically become depositors of Enterprise Bank & Trust. Deposits will continue to be insured by the FDIC, so there is no need for customers to change their banking relationship in order to retain their deposit insurance coverage up to applicable limits. Customers of Legacy Bank should continue to use their existing branch until they receive notice from Enterprise Bank & Trust that it has completed systems changes to allow other Enterprise Bank & Trust branches to process their accounts as well.

This evening and over the weekend, depositors of Legacy Bank can access their money by writing checks or using ATM or debit cards. Checks drawn on the bank will continue to be processed. Loan customers should continue to make their payments as usual.

As of September 30, 2010, Legacy Bank had approximately $150.6 million in total assets and $125.9 million in total deposits. Enterprise Bank & Trust will pay the FDIC a premium of 1.0 percent to assume all of the deposits of Legacy Bank. In addition to assuming all of the deposits of the failed bank, Enterprise Bank & Trust agreed to purchase essentially all of the assets.

The FDIC and Enterprise Bank & Trust entered into a loss-share transaction on $119.8 million of Legacy Bank's assets. Enterprise Bank & Trust will share in the losses on the asset pools covered under the loss-share agreement. The loss-share transaction is projected to maximize returns on the assets covered by keeping them in the private sector. The transaction also is expected to minimize disruptions for loan customers. For more information on loss share, please visit: http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/lossshare/index.html.

Customers who have questions about today's transaction can call the FDIC toll-free at 1-800-405-8357. The phone number will be operational this evening until 9:00 p.m., Mountain Standard Time (MST); on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., MST; on Sunday from noon to 6:00 p.m., MST; and thereafter from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., MST. Interested parties also can visit the FDIC's Web site at http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/legacybank.html.

The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $27.9 million. Compared to other alternatives, Enterprise Bank & Trust's acquisition was the least costly resolution for the FDIC's DIF. Legacy Bank is the second FDIC-insured institution to fail in the nation this year, and the first in Arizona. The last FDIC-insured institution closed in the state was Copper Star Bank, Scottsdale, on November 12, 2010.

#1

The first bank to fail in 2011:


Press Releases
First Southern Bank, Boca Raton, Florida, Assumes All of the Deposits of First Commercial Bank of Florida, Orlando, Florida

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 7, 2011
Media Contact:
David Barr
Office Phone: (202) 898-6992
Cell Phone: (703) 622-4790
Email: dbarr@fdic.gov

First Commercial Bank of Florida, Orlando, Florida, was closed today by the Florida Office of Financial Regulation, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as receiver. To protect the depositors, the FDIC entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with First Southern Bank, Boca Raton, Florida, to assume all of the deposits of First Commercial Bank of Florida.

The nine branches of First Commercial Bank of Florida will reopen on Monday as branches of First Southern Bank. Depositors of First Commercial Bank of Florida will automatically become depositors of First Southern Bank. Deposits will continue to be insured by the FDIC, so there is no need for customers to change their banking relationship in order to retain their deposit insurance coverage up to applicable limits. Customers of First Commercial Bank of Florida should continue to use their existing branch until they receive notice from First Southern Bank that it has completed systems changes to allow other First Southern Bank branches to process their accounts as well.

This evening and over the weekend, depositors of First Commercial Bank of Florida can access their money by writing checks or using ATM or debit cards. Checks drawn on the bank will continue to be processed. Loan customers should continue to make their payments as usual.

As of September 30, 2010, First Commercial Bank of Florida had approximately $598.5 million in total assets and $529.6 million in total deposits. First Southern Bank did not pay the FDIC a premium for the deposits of First Commercial Bank of Florida. In addition to assuming all of the deposits of the failed bank, First Southern Bank agreed to purchase essentially all of the assets.

The FDIC and First Southern Bank entered into a loss-share transaction on $484.3 million of First Commercial Bank of Florida's assets. First Southern Bank will share in the losses on the asset pools covered under the loss-share agreement. The loss-share transaction is projected to maximize returns on the assets covered by keeping them in the private sector. The transaction also is expected to minimize disruptions for loan customers. For more information on loss share, please visit: http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/lossshare/index.html.

Customers who have questions about today's transaction can call the FDIC toll-free at 1-800-423-6395. The phone number will be operational this evening until 9:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time (EST); on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., EST; on Sunday from noon to 6:00 p.m., EST; and thereafter from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., EST. Interested parties also can visit the FDIC's Web site at http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/firstcommercial.html.

The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $78.0 million. Compared to other alternatives, First Southern Bank's acquisition was the least costly resolution for the FDIC's DIF. First Commercial Bank of Florida is the first FDIC-insured institution to fail in the nation this year, and the first in Florida. The last FDIC-insured institution closed in the state was The Bank of Miami, Coral Gables, on December 17, 2010.

Read this - then go to Some Assembly Required - follow link

O.K. - I made myself a pledge that I wasn't going to just cut and paste anymore. More research, less lazy-ass agreeing with other folks - and posting their words.

But!!

It seems "Some Assembly Required" has some stuff I can't improve on (I know, why not just give up and say, Go to Some Assembly Required?) - so, here are some sweet little morsels, little greetings from the aforementioned blog -- with just the right amount of snark, sarcasm, and humor (albeit dark).
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Keeping Atheists out of Foxholes: The Army is running an “experimental” religious mental-health program that is designed to identify soldiers who are not “spiritually fit” to kill people and blow things up. The program, designed by the same guy who designed the Bush torture program, has been run 800,000 times during this “experiment.”

Words, Words, Words: Now the GOP says the $100 billion figure was “hypothetical.” A hypothetical promise. Did they have their fingers crossed? And they're going to raise the debt ceiling, too.

Contempt by Congress: If I understand the plan, the House GOP is going to pass a budget of some sort, only to refuse to raise the debt ceiling. Bizarre. This means they could (and will, because for all the big talk they are not going to cut much from the budget) tell the Treasury to spend money it does not have and cannot borrow. And they think we're dumb enough to applaud.

Echo: The US is sending 1,400 more Marines to Afghanistan because the previous surge forced the insurgents to spread out from their traditional strongholds into once peaceful areas in the north and west. We’re supposed to believe this is a sign the surge worked.

---------------------------------------

There's more. Go there and make sure you click on the porn o'graph. There's a map that shows the site of mass animal deaths -- with a list of what they were.

Look and read -- then tell me it's just "coincidence".

Back in the real world

California Blue Cross, Blue Shield is requesting rate hikes up to FIFTY-NINE PER CENT!!

Can you say - SINGLE PAYER?

Conservatives claim anti-tax crusader secretly leading Muslim indoctrination

It has been alleged by some fellow "conservatives" that anti-tax, and anti-government "crusader" Grover Norquist is a MUSLIM (if he is, can you still call him a "Crusader"? Wouldn't he be a "Jihadist"?).

I have no idea if there is ANY fact behind this -- but, in the minds of his fellow anti-tax, anti-government "activists", does it really matter?

Isn't it amazing how these folks can always find some sort of "impurity" with folks who were their "heroes" just a couple of years ago. No one is quite orthodox, quite pure enough.

This from Raw Story -- please follow link to original.


Conservatives claim anti-tax crusader secretly leading Muslim indoctrination

By Eric W. Dolan
Thursday, January 6th, 2011 -- 10:11 am

Are a growing cross-section of American conservatives really secret Muslims bent on destroying western civilization?

Answer: No.

But that's not stopping right-wing activist Frank Gaffney from claiming the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) had been infiltrated by radical Muslims because of the inclusion of Americans for Tax Reform president Grover Norquist and former Bush staffer Suhail Khan.

American Conservative Union (ACU), the oldest conservative lobbying organization in the country which hosts CPAC, is involved in a "stealthy effort to bring Shariah" to the United States, according to Gaffney.

"This is a ticking time bomb for the conservative community," he told the conservative conspiracy website WorldNetDaily. "An influence operation is contributing materially to the defeat of our country."

Gaffney alleges that Norquist and Khan are secretly working for the Muslim Brotherhood, a radical Islamist group, and trying to influence conservative groups in a plot to "Islamize" America. Both Khan and Norquist are ACU board members.

Khan, a conservative activist who previously worked for the Bush administration, allegedly has ties to the radical Islamists from his time as consultant for The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). He has also served on committees at the Islamic Society of North America, according to Gaffney.

Gaffney also claimed that Khan's father was a founding member of the Muslim Brotherhood in America. In a report by Talking Points Memo, Khan called the allegation "laughable" and said his father was from India, noting that the Muslim Brotherhood was formed in Egypt.

He is now a senior fellow for Christian-Muslim Understanding at the Institute for Global Engagement.

Norquist, founder of the conservative Americans for Tax Reform, was also accused of secretly providing the Muslim Brotherhood with access into the highest reaches of the conservative movement.

"Grover Norquist is credentialing the perpetrators of this Muslim Brotherhood influence operation," Gaffney said. "This is part of tradecraft, to get people who have standing in a community to give it to people who lack it, so they can do what they're assigned to do in terms of subversion. We are in a war, and he has been working with the enemy for over a decade."

Gaffney is no stranger to making wildly unsubstantiated claims. He said in 2009 that there was mounting evidence that President Barack Obama "not only identifies with Muslims, but actually may still be one himself."

"The man now happy to have his Islamic-rooted middle name featured prominently has engaged in the most consequential bait-and-switch since Adolf Hitler duped Neville Chamberlain over Czechoslovakia at Munich," he added.

CPAC was facing a boycott from a number of conservative groups for inviting the conservative gay Republican group GOProud to the conference. The Family Research Council, Concerned Women For America, American Values, the American Principles Project, the Capital Research Center, the Center for Military Readiness, Liberty Counsel, and Liberty University have said they will not attend the conference in February.

go to "Some Assembly Required -- Read It.

more on "Going All The Way"

By the way, while we are eliminating all sorts of help for the afflicted, the elderly, the differently abled, let's also eliminate all corporate welfare. If this is to be a "Social Darwinist State" -- ALL corporate welfare MUST be eliminated. Also, since it's truly "survival of the fittest" (and the wealthiest) -- eliminate ALL health insurance -- including that for ALL Congress folk, Presidents, ex-Presidents, Vice Presidents, and EX-Vice-Presidents (like Dick Cheney -- $*# only knows what HE must cost to keep alive) -- let's REALLY go ALL THE WAY!

How about ENDING ALL farm subsidies! Ending the "anti-market" subsidy for ethanol. After all, why must the hated "non-productive urban folks" PAY to help those "salt of the earth", "productive" farmers?

Aren't many of those good folks the very ones who want to END "government interference" in their lives?

END the "nanny state", "get government off their backs" -- stop giving them MONEY!! After all, aren't they "survivors"?

Let THEM use their "god-given ingenuity" to "prevail".

While we're at it -- let's STOP giving Alaska money. They tell us they are pioneers -- right? Well, let them survive as true PIONEERS -- without all that help from those hated "Washington Bureaucrats".
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My country is gone. It's been replaced by mean spirited, racist, small-minded ass-wipes, who have no vision, no knowledge, , no idea of what made, and was making America great. With folks like this in charge we will not only never attain the heights we could, we will either decline or collapse.

Oh yeah, as it stands now, President Obama is a part of the problem. He is NOT a Democrat -- he is, at best, a "center-right-Republican" -- and not an especially "liberal" one either.

What have you done to The USA?

Hang On

Hang on folks -- it's going to be a bumpy ride. Just for a little info. -- I'll use two states, because I do know their basic figures -- Ill. has a "budget gap" of about 16 BILLION, on a budget of about 32 BILLION. Texas has a current "shortfall" (notice how those who want secession, who call themselves "fiscal conservatives" use words that try to minimize DEBT, try to minimize the fact they are either wastrels and spendthrifts, or unable to write a real budget - IE: stupid)
of 25 BILLION on a budget of 95 BILLION. I'm not even mentioning California, New Jersey, or any other States that are about to go down the tubes (can you say - Michigan. Now, I have read that our Republican "leaders" (if by "leaders" you mean idiots elected to do the bidding of extreme right-wing millionaires, while pretending to be some form of "populist") want to make it possible for states to declare bankruptcy. As The laws are currently written, there is no way for a STATE to declare bankruptcy.

State bankruptcy would make it possible to break unions, break pension agreements, destroy any "security" civil servants have.

I'm not saying there is no crisis -- but it seems it's more important for "conservatives" to break the unions than it is to fix the system. They are doing almost everything to keep the economy from growing, thus making the problem worse.

If you destroy the American economy, and then blame it all on workers, what's left of the "middle class", and Civil Servants, instead of on the machinations of Wall Street, you are serving a master who opposes the American people, freedom, and our Constitution.

This is a plan to replace our current Republic with a form of Theocratic State Socialism.

I do hope I'm being alarmist - but I fear I'm not.

When I wrote the post just before this one, I thought I was being biting, sarcastic, and rather "out there". I now realize I am really not that far from the truth. Our corporate overlords - both Republican and Democratic - would not be that upset if a whole bunch of us old folks were to just "go away".

the call is for "austerity", "balanced budgets", and REDUCED SERVICES (read: eliminate).

Now, the MYTH of our "miracle" in Texas, where low taxes and limited services, along with a "business friendly environment" (read: air you can both see and taste in Houston, as well as other places) has "spared" us from the major effects of the current DEPRESSION (that's right, the "recession" is really over - unfortunately, the DEPRESSION isn't) -- here's a chart by way of Paul Krugman (I think I posted it before -- but nothing beats context and repetition)

Let's Go All The Way!!

That's right, let's go all the way. Texas (my home state) is talking about leaving medicaid. Our Republican "populists" in Congress are talking about cutting Social Security and Medicare -- to "save money", "cut the budget", etc., etc., etc.

They seem to want to go further than Pres. Obama's "catfood commission" did -- which is pretty far.

Heck, if you really want to save money -- why not ELIMINATE Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid?

Don't cut the taxes poor folks pay -- just eliminate all the possible benefits.

Also, eliminate unemployment insurance, and any sort of aid to the disabled, differently abled, etc. End special education, end any special classes for young people who are autistic, etc., etc., etc.

Now, since policies like those I proposed will lead to slow death, starvation, and other unpleasant forms of public nuisance (beggars all over the streets, sick people wandering around - dying at the wrong time, whining, annoying us, etc.), these "undesirables" have to be kept somewhere out of sight. Since this will increase costs -- wouldn't it make more sense to just "eliminate" ALL undesirables"?

Homosexuals, transsexuals, bisexuals, the mentally ill, mentally challenged, drug and alcohol abusers, atheists, "funny looking" people, feminists, "ugly" women, people of "the wrong religion" (subject to the "dominant" religion of the group in power), etc., etc., etc. This is not a comprehensive list -- just the beginning of my "modest proposal".

I almost forgot -- after 70 or so years of age -- all "citizens" are to be eliminated/terminated/ euthanized/put down, for their own good, and the good of society.

These policies will insure that only the young, healthy, "loyal", strong, and obedient FREE AMERICANS will work for the greater good.

Naturally, if you are among the top SEVEN percent of CITIZENS as far as wealth goes -- you are exempt from these rules. This SEVEN percent consists of "natures noblemen", the "elect", and are exempted from these rules -- of course, if they, or their offspring fall out of the SEVEN percent, they are to be immediately eliminated (For their own good - and the good of society. After all, who knows how much trouble they might cause with their whining).

I think these proposals neatly fit the true agenda of our current "conservatives". I haven't yet addressed the place of Clergy in this NEW FREE SOCIETY - but, rest assured, it will be exalted.

I propose we call the agency that administers this The A.C.E. (American Council of Eugenics)

Thank you.

Sebastian Dinwiddie

Milwaukee Archdiocese Files for Bankruptcy

Kiddie Fuckers in Milwaukee don't want to pay the bill. RC Church not only protects abusive Priests, they also try to avoid making it right for those they FUCKED (literally).
please follow link to original


By JOE BARRETT

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Tuesday as it faces lawsuits brought by 23 people who allege they were sexually abused by priests.

Milwaukee is the eighth U.S. Catholic diocese to file for bankruptcy-court protection amid sex-abuse claims in recent years.

The action follows a failed effort to mediate a settlement and a court decision that makes insurance coverage unlikely, said Archbishop Jerome Listecki.

"The abuse was sinful and it was criminal," he said, adding that the filing was the best way to compensate the victims equitably while allowing the archdiocese to continue its work.

One of the half-dozen priests named in the lawsuits was convicted of a sexual crime after the abuse alleged in the suit.

The archdiocese reported $98 million in total assets as of June 30, but said about $90 million was encumbered in some way. It has spent more than $29 million to cover costs of clergy abuse, Archbishop Listecki said.

Jeff Anderson, a St. Paul, Minn., attorney for the alleged victims, said the filing was an effort to delay a deposition of church officials.

Bix & His Rhythm Jugglers - Toddlin' Blues / Davenport Blues - Gennett 5654

Bix Beiderbecke, c / Tommy Dorsey, tb / Don Murray, cl / Paul Mertz, p / Howdy Quicksell, bj, absent from the first side / Tom Gargano, d. Richmond, IN, January 26, 1925.

Marian McPartland - In A Mist

Marion McPartland plays Bix's "In A Mist"

unemployment statistics -- from Bureau of Labor Statistics

follow link to original -- The GOVERNMENT actually says total un and under employment is 17% -- we know the rich are not suffering -- so, guess who is?

Do you think it just might be those folks Republicans say are "the backbone of America"? The ones they actually IGNORE with their policies?

Can you say, "phoney recovery"?

The BLS is reporting 10% of those unemployed have been so 2 years or longer.

Lester Leaps In / BIRD!!!!!

I can't believe that you are in love with me

Lennie Tristano - Tangerine (Copenhagen '65)

Hank Jones, Ray Brown, Buddy Rich - Ad Lib

The Big Lie

From Robert Reich -- THE BIG LIE (please follow link to original)


The Big Lie

Monday, January 3, 2011

Republicans are telling Americans a Big Lie, and Obama and the Democrats are letting them. The Big Lie is our economic problems are due to a government that’s too large, and therefore the solution is to shrink it.

The truth is our economic problems stem from the biggest concentration of income and wealth at the top since 1928, combined with stagnant incomes for most of the rest of us. The result: Americans no longer have the purchasing power to keep the economy going at full capacity. Since the debt bubble burst, most Americans have had to reduce their spending; they need to repay their debts, can’t borrow as before, and must save for retirement.

The short-term solution is for government to counteract this shortfall by spending more, not less. The long-term solution is to spread the benefits of economic growth more widely (for example, through a more progressive income tax, a larger EITC, an exemption on the first $20K of income from payroll taxes and application of payroll taxes to incomes over $250K, stronger unions, and more and better investments in education and infrastructure.)

But instead of telling the truth, Obama has legitimized the Big Lie by freezing non-defense discretionary spending, freezing federal pay, touting his deficit commission co-chairs’ recommended $3 of spending cuts for every dollar of tax increase, and agreeing to extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy.

Will Obama stand up to the Big Lie? Will he use his State of the Union address to rebut it and tell the truth? Maybe, but so far there’s no evidence.

In his weekly address yesterday, the President restated his “commitment” for 2011 “to do everything I can to make sure our economy is growing, creating jobs, and strengthening our middle class.” He added that it’s important “to look ahead - not just to this year, but to the next 10 years, and the next 20 years” to find ways to stimulate the economy through innovation. And that it is critical that the U.S. discover ways to “out-compete other countries around the world.”

Become more innovative? Out-compete? Who or what is he talking about? Big American corporations are innovating like mad all over the world, with research and development centers in China and India. And their profits are soaring. They’re sitting on almost $1 trillion of cash. But they won’t create jobs in America because there’s not enough demand here to justify them.

In the Republican address in response, U.S. Senator-elect Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) restated the Big Lie. “The American people sent us to Congress with clear instructions: make government smaller, not bigger,” she said. Deficit reduction “isn’t a Republican problem or a Democrat problem — it’s an American problem that will require tough decision-making from both parties.” And the way to shrink the deficit is to cut government. The extension of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts over the next two years, she said, was an “important first step” to jump-start the economy.

Starting Wednesday, when the 112th Congress convenes with a Republican majority in the House, we’ll be hearing far more of the Big Lie.

George Orwell once explained that when a public is stressed and confused, a Big Lie told repeatedly can become the accepted truth. Adolph Hitler wrote in Mein Kampf that “the size of the lie is a definite factor in causing it to be believed” and that members of the public are “more easily prey to a big lie than a small one, for they themselves often tell little lies but would be ashamed to tell big ones.”

Only the President has the bully pulpit. But will he use it to tell the Big Truth?

Go Read: As Time Goes By (and a little music from Herb Ellis & Joe Pass)

If you are "older", "mature", or "adult" (though NOT in the sense of "adult movies") you really must read the blog "As Time Goes By -- what it's really like to get older". (please follow link to the blog).

On Sundays, they have a column titled "Elder Music" by Peter Tibbles. Always interesting, this last one is titled "Toes Up", and lists many of the musicians we have lost in the past year -- ending with, "and, Lena Horne". Go read it -- you will learn stuff, and just might go looking for music you have either forgotten, or never known.


Here's a little something from Herb Ellis and Joe Pass:

Gay Marriage - NO!!! Pedophilia? Sure! (follow link to original, please)

From Joe.My.God


CALIFORNIA: Pastor Who Backed Prop 8 Held On Multiple Child Molestation Charges

Pastor Tom Daniels of Rio Linda, California is being held on $6M bail after being charged with multiple felony counts of sexual assault on a child. Lavender Newswire reports that Daniels twice made donations to Protect Marriage, the backers of Proposition 8.

Police admit keeping records on people who report crimes (after all, those who REPORT must be doing SOMETHING wrong too -- no?)

Big Brother IS watching: (this from The Guardian -- please follow link to original)


Police admit keeping records on people who report crimes

Freedom of information request reveals 'Big Brother' culture among police staff affecting millions in UK

* James Meikle
* The Guardian, Monday 3 January 2011

Police forces in England and Wales have gathered data on millions of people who have called to report possible crimes or pass on information, it was revealed yesterday.

In some cases, staff not only recorded names, addresses and contact details, but asked about the callers' date of birth and ethnicity. Senior officers admitted details could be used in future investigations but insisted their databases were needed to fight crime, protect vulnerable people and ensure concerns were dealt with appropriately.

Critics warned that figures collected by the Press Association news agency from freedom of information requests answered by 13 forces indicated a "Big Brother" state.

The forces revealed personal information was spread across up to 22 databases, saying details of the same person could be recorded several times. They said staff and officers were following guidance published by the National Policing Improvement Agency.

West Midlands police, the second largest force, holds 1.1m records of people who have reported offences over the past 12 years. Lancashire, Cleveland, Avon and Somerset, Gloucestershire, West Mercia and North Wales hold more than 150,000 each.

Thirteen forces responded, but most said it was not possible to do so because the scale of the task was so big.

Daniel Hamilton, of the pressure group Big Brother Watch, said: "For the police to log this kind of information isn't just wrong – it's dangerous.

"The public must be confident that, when they report a crime, they do so in the comfort of anonymity and without risk of their details being stored on a central police database which can be accessed by thousands of people."

Ian Readhead, director of information at the Association of Chief Police Officers, said forces should only record information relevant to the call.

An "amicable exchange of information" could be used against callers in the future, but most people would expect police to hold on to it.

"What is important is that data is retained in applications that are clearly transparent and subject to audit and that the information commissioner is content with the business processes. We must be transparent and reassure the public that the information is not being misused."

Houston Person / Ron Carter 1989 - Joy Spring, and George Coleman & Ahmed Jamal - My foolish heart I

Though I post a fair amount of music - mostly Jazz -- I do overlook some great players. Here are a couple:

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

let us hope the coming year will actually be better than the one just past -- in EVERY way.