Monthly Archives: February 2012

‘I’m Looking Through You’


I assumed for many years, because of the scorned and scornful tone of the lyrics, that this was a Lennon song. Actually, McCartney wrote most of it. The fact that he’s the lead singer should have tipped me off. John … Continue reading

Posted in arts, pop music | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Mitt, they see right through you


Gertrude Stein’s famous quotation — “There is no there, there” — is as good a way an any to describe Mitt Romney, who can’t seem to make a public statement without lying and/or contradicting himself. A Huffington Post story explains … Continue reading

Posted in economic collapse, Great Recession, liar, Mitt Romney, The New Depression, unemployment | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

‘Who Do You Love?’


I walked 47 miles of barbed wire/Used a cobra snake for a neck tie/Got a brand new house on the roadside/And it’s made out of rattlesnake hide/I got a brand new chimney put on top/Made out of human skulls/Come on … Continue reading

Posted in arts, pop music | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Isn’t it romantic?


The ad was shown during the Super Bowl, to make sure it reached the maximum number of sophisticates. The girl in the ad is a famous foreign model — “super-hot,” as they say on the sports radio stations. You know … Continue reading

Posted in humor | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

‘Third Stone From the Sun’


Your people I do not understand So to you I shall put an end And you’ll never hear surf music again

Posted in arts, pop music | Tagged , | Leave a comment

CivilWarLand in bad denial


A must-read piece in today’s New York Times focuses on the declining fortunes of Chisago County, near Minneapolis, and examines an interesting paradox: The government safety net was created to keep Americans from abject poverty, but the poorest households no … Continue reading

Posted in economic collapse, Great Recession, mainstream media, Mitt Romney, New York Times, Occupy Wall Street, The New Depression, unemployment | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Rats on sinking ship, no exit


Background: Danny Ciello (Treat Williams) has cooperated with a federal investigation into NYPD corruption, after being assured investigators wouldn’t go after his friends and fellow cops in the narcotics unit. He learns he made a deal with the devil as … Continue reading

Posted in arts, movies | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Don’t trust MSNBC, either


What, if anything, did the federal government’s $25 billion “mortgage settlement” deal with the big banks do to help people who lost their homes, or are on the verge of losing them because of deceptive practices by the banks? The … Continue reading

Posted in economic collapse, Great Recession, mainstream media, Obama, The New Depression | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Reagan’s wrecking crew


Where would America be without the two-term presidency of Ronald Reagan? Answering this question, Charles P. Pierce addressed the ghost of the Gipper on his 101st birthday: …You did more than anyone else to demolish the notion of a political … Continue reading

Posted in campaign finance reform, economic collapse, Great Depression, liar, The New Depression | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

When he was good


From Rod Stewart’s first solo album (1969), released not long after he broke with the great guitarist Jeff Beck. This was before Stewart stopped singing songs about working-class misfits and turned into a Hollywood poof (“Do Ya Think I’m Sexy”). … Continue reading

Posted in arts, pop music | Tagged , | 4 Comments