One of these Christmas songs is not like the other

You know you’re old when you hear once cutting edge raging music softened into nice elevator notes and played in the lobbies of dentist offices. But every Christmas there’s one song that doesn’t get watered down so much, it’s definitely festive and has that sound, but still doesn’t seem to quite fit in. It’s a little too, brash, and yet so appropriate it’s now a Christmas classic. I even caught my 85 year old mother tapping her foot when it came on the local radio station the other day. That punkish rock song and some of its story below. [Read more…]

We are still here

It wasn’t quite as much of a predatory feeding frenzy as Y2K, but there are no doubt some End-o-World scammers running for cover with their stolen loot right about now. As, alas, the world failed to end.

But fear not! There are still many ways it could end. And even if there is no dramatic flame out, our collective fate is at least partly in the hands of madmen, some of whom who literally and proudly believe Jesus loved guns so much he rode a dinosaur named Trigger. Plenty of opportunity there for epic fail, so keep on truck’n boys and girls. That is all.

Guns don’t kill people, VIDEO GAMES kill people!

I finally turn on the TV and guess what? The same people who were aiding and abetting heavily armed Teaparty lunatics raving about Obama taking away their guns for the last three years are now scolding that lazy, shiftless Obama for never so much as lifting a finger to take away anyone’s guns (WHERE have you BEEN Mr President!?). It’s like the media matrix has the memory of five-day old puppy.

But until an unusually supple wingnut playing rightwing twister figures out how to start in Connecticut, step all over blame, and end up pointing both fingers at the black guy, the NRA-GOP nexus of evil may have to settle for an interim scapegoat for the tragedy with — surprise surprise! — an extra credit slightly more subtle overtone of brown people. Take it away John Cole! [Read more…]

Mental health strikes home & reportedly in CT too

The news over the last few days was so depressing I could barely turn on a cable news station much less post. On top of that a friend I’ve known for decades, a bright, lovable, Texas good old boy with a heart of gold got depressed out of the blue a few months ago. He sank deeper and deeper into the abyss, despite his family’s wealth and the treatment it afforded, and despite having friends and family around keeping him company. But it’s not possible to watch someone 24/7 for weeks on end, he was left alone for a few minutes, he got into a safe — one we didn’t think he knew the combo to — where all the guns had been hidden away and killed himself, leaving us all in shock. One of the things he got obsessed with near the end as his symptom progressed and various drug regimens were turned on and off — was the fear of being committed.

Words is the CT shooter Adam Lanza may have also been terrified of being in a full treatment facility. Some are speculating that’s what set him off on his deadly rampage: [Read more…]