Our Favorite Harpy

So by now everyone has seen Ann Coulters command performance on Hardball last night, where she defends saying that John Edwards has a bumper sticker that says "ask me about my dead son" she defends this spew to Elizabeth Edwards by saying she said that three years ago, oh thats ok then you get a pass. This woman is deranged, and the wingnuts just eat up everything she says. I know politics is a full contact sport, but insulting a families dead child crosses all lines of decency, I won't deny she is entertaining to watch, like a traffic accident you can't pry your eyes away from, but she is obviously insane. I just love how the GOP the self-proclaimed pro-family party gives this kook the time of day. One more person who is making this country a much worse place.

Bloomberg?

So Mayor Bloomberg quits the GOP today, and he is mulling over a run as an Independent for President. I like Bloomberg on paper, a poor son of immigrants who became a billionaire, he's pro-choice, pro civil-unions, is for pulling out of Iraq, and generally has done a good job as Mayor of NYC. He's got more money than most 3rd World nations, so he can self-finance and also not be beholden to special interests. That being said I don't want to see him run because he pulls voters away from the Democrats, sort of a Ross Perot in reverse. Who would vote for Bloomberg? Dissatisfied republicans, dems that don't like the dem cantidate, alot of New Yorkers, conservative dems, etc, but in general I think he hurts us more than he hurts the GOP. Christian Conservatives won't vote for him, he couldn't win a single state in the South, so he pulls votes from the Northeast and upper Midwest which we need, This might not be good. Time will tell, but if I go into the booth in 08 and my ballot has Hillary, Rudy, or Bloomberg as my choices I think Mayor Mike could possibly get my vote. There I said it, I don't want to be like the Naderites, but I would have to hold my nose to vote for Hillary. Whats a pissed off Democrat to do?

Sonvolt

This is a very bad cameraphone pic of a fine altcountry band, Sonvolt. Jay Farrar who is the songwriter and singer was one half of one of the best songwriting duos since Lennon /Mccartney (in my somewhat warped opinion) He and Jeff Tweedy were in a fine punk/altcountry band called Uncle Tupelo and when they split up Tweedy founded Wilco and Farrar started Sonvolt. I saw these guys last night at an outdoor concert series that we have in Richmond at a botanical garden, its a great intimate setting to see a show. Sonvolts first album Trace is one of my favorite records of the 90's. Sonvolt has stayed a bit truer to the altcountry genre, pedal steel, etc, unlike Wilco who has dabbled with electronica and 60's pop, their new record has some downright Beatlesesque tunes on it. Farrar has also penned some more overtly political tunes of late, his song "Jet Pilot" is a stinging rebuke of W. It was a great show.

Why Bono Matters

Heres a picture from last weeks G8 summit on the Baltic with German Chancellor Merkel, Bob Geldolf, Youssou N'Dour, Bono, and some lady who I don't recognize. Quite a gathering, I understand the protests at the G8, globalization is scary and many are being left behind. So why is the singer from a post-punk Irish pop band hobknobbing with W and Co.? Simple, to save lives. By becoming an ambassador for forgiving 3rd world debt, spending more on AIDS and malarial drugs, Bono has shamed many world leaders into ponying up, even W. Despite hating Bush's politics a guy like Bono can put that aside when these issues are at stake. My wife picked up this months Vanity Fair which Bono guest edited, the Africa issue, with 20 seperate Annie Liebovitz covers, its really an eye opener. When you see that Bill Gates and Warren Buffet have given more money to African AIDS relief, and education than the govts of China, Italy, and S. Korea combined, it makes you realize how powerful a guy like Bono really is. I wore my cassette of the Joshua Tree out when I was in middle school, U2s activism and opposition to US involvement in Central America and to apartheid made an impression on me and stirred me towards activism as a young teenager. Rock stars aren't always the most well-informed folks, but guys like Bono have inspired individuals and govts to care about issues like poverty, and for that he should be thanked.

Thug Life, Country Style.

I've been debating on posting about this for a while. As most now know, Atlanta Falcons and Former Virginia Tech QB Michael Vick has been implicated in a huge pitbull fighting and gambling ring. Vick grew up in the same corner of the world as me, in rural SE Virginia, he bought some land in Surry County Va and he has been raising and fighting dogs at his compound there. Now his cousin was living there and Vick is claiming that he had no idea what was going on on his property, sure. Local people have known about this for some time, and it finally took his cousin going down on a drug charge to get a warrant for the place. In Va, the Commonwealth's Attorney, who is the lead prosecutor in a city or county is an elected position. The CA in Surry is currently dragging his feet on indicting Vick for numerous reasons, first Vick is enormously popular all over VA, secondly he has ties to Vicks family, and unfortunately he is playing the race card, Surry County is over 60% African-American and the CA thinks by prosecuting Vick he will lose votes. Utter BS, I have long been a fan of Vicks, I think he is a tremendously talented athlete, and until recently I thought he was a decent guy who gives alot away to charity. I now think he is a cruel thug who needs to be prosecuted. Dogfighting in VA is a felony and carries up to 5 years in jail. You can't excuse vicious animal cruelty like this, anyone who would treat dogs like these guys did is a borderline sociopath. Undoubtedly Vick has paid off the local Sheriff and others, but now the Humane Society and other animal welfare groups are involved and hopefully this matter goes to court. Maybe the football pundits are right, Vick doesn't have the smarts to be a Superbowl caliber QB, sheer athleticism only takes you so far if your a moron, and any sick bastard that raises dogs to kill each other so he can bet on them is most certainly a moron.