Joan Baez at the Newport Folk Festival

Joan Baez will be performing at the Newport Folk Festival this year.  So will Pete Seger who is currently 90 years young.

Fans will remember that the Newport Folk Festival was where the Robert Zimmerman showed off his electric stuff, in1965, to the great chagrin of the audience.

A personal note here:  Joan still looks pretty hot;  don’t you other 50+ year old men think?

Last year a band that will be performing this year was picking up garbage at the Festival last year, check out this link and see if you can figure out who that was…

Friday, 07/31/09, Public Square

The last day in July in Kansas often means nothing is very green anymore.  Usually lack of rain and lots of wind have made our state brownish by now.  Not this year!  Everything is still green, and although we’ve had some stretches of hot weather, we’ve also had many pleasant and cooler days.

What’s going on with everyone this last day of July?

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Jessica Simpson’s Ass: Why does it always show up as a search term for this site?

Those of us who can check the blog statistics page note that the search term “Jessica Simpson’s ass” leads to this page.  I cannot figure out why and I swear this is not a desperate attempt to get some hits on our way to a new record.  Anyone who can enlighten me, would be welcome.

Great Advice for President Obama

We’ve all wondered when this so-called Democratic advantage — majorities in the House, the Senate and the presidency was going to bring the changes and improvements we expected.  Well, Larry Flynt, publisher of Hustler magazine has asked the questions we want answered and given the advice we all have wanted to give!

President Obama:

You have proven to be a great campaigner. You have yet to demonstrate your ability to govern. Who needs the Republicans? They don’t know what compromise is. They’re just out to derail your presidency. Bitch slap ’em at every opportunity and put them in their place. They lost; you didn’t.

As for disloyal Democrats, you need to yank the carpet out from under them. Remind them that their survival is dependent upon yours. Don’t pull punches, Mr. President. You need some gonads, and if you don’t have any, as Hillary would say, you’d better grow some.

You have failed to keep many campaign promises. You’ve ignored civil liberty violations such as warrantless wiretapping. You passed a stimulus package that is obviously full of pork for Democrats. You handed over billions more in taxpayer dollars to crooked bankers. You listened to the very people who created our economic meltdown, the Mutt and Jeff team of Larry Summers and Tim Geithner. You’ve let the insurance lobbyists hijack healthcare reform to the detriment of every man, woman, and child in America.

You must say what you mean and mean what you say. Closing Guantanamo means just that. You could do it right now, Mr. President. You don’t have to wait until January. You can place terrorist suspects in the federal correctional system without creating any risk to our citizens.

You’re a nice guy. Everybody likes nice guys. Sometimes they finish last. You don’t want that, and neither do those of us who voted you in.

The American people have placed their future in your hands. For heaven’s sake don’t let them down. Don’t let yourself down.

Larry Flynt
Publisher, HUSTLER Magazine

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What’s up with White Men calling minorities “Racist”?

The Gates arrest incident and Obama terming the situation as “stupidity”, has prompted conservative host, Glenn Beck, to call Obama a “racist”.  What is up with poor persecuted white men calling any minority a “racist”? 

I cannot understand this.  I get it on how people want things to be fair.  But, calling people names for what they have suffered for thoughout history, seems really, really bizarre to me.

Read the full story here.

The Dept of Homeland Security, Sans Confusion, Anxiety and Fear?

Janet Napolitano, Head of the Dept of Homeland Secuity, on Wednesday said, “For too long, we’ve treated the public as a liability to be protected rather than as an asset in our nation’s collective security.  This approach, unfortunately, has allowed confusion, anxiety and fear to linger.”  Well, Janet, your points are exactly 100% true.  Do you not get that sowing confusion, anxiety and fear was the express purpose of the Dept of Homeland Security.  George and Dick had a good thing going with this schtick, too.  They won the presidency in 2004 after allowing the worst attack in history on American soil.  They won that contest by convincing voters that they would be better at keeping America safe.

So, you’re talking about educating U.S. citizens on recognizing terrorism precusors, working with foreign governments in processing their intelligence data, and improving the communication among local and federal law enforcement in this country.  All that sounds good, but what about this self-defeating plan of reducing confusion, anxiety, and fear?  Do you need a job, or not?

iggydonnelly

Thursday, 07/30/09, Public Square

This is an important subject — diversity!  Accepting it adds to our lives in ways we can measure and in others we can’t.  What are the many areas of diversity we should embrace?

And what thoughts do you have today?

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Please tell us, what do you want? ? ?

We (Well, I) do watch our blog stats pretty closely.  Wednesday was a good day for us in terms of hits.  Wednesday is usually our best day — my significant other says it is due to Wednesday being a day that is boring day at work.  She may be correct.

Do you have suggestions that would help this humble blog?  Please share them with us, if you do.

Thanks.

iggydonnelly

Why No Death Penalty for Scott Roeder?

The death penalty will not be considered for Scott Roeder whom many eye-witnesses attest murdered George Tiller, M.D. in cold blood in his Church on 05-31-09.  My question is:  why not?

While Nola Foulston likes to talk tough, it is my opinion she is a pretty conservative in the sense that she does not like to take political risks.  I think I agree with what I speculate are her moral calculations with this case.

Roeder has been diagnosed with Schizophrenia in the past.  His court appointed attorneys would likely raise a McNaughton defense* if the sought penalty was death.  I think Nola’s calculus is “let’s get him for something less than the death penalty; he will likely die in prison, anyway”.  Mission accomplished.

I am pro-choice and anti-death penalty.  My ex-wife used to enjoy pointing out the basic inconsistencies of my position on these subjects. Inconsistency does not bother me that much.  I think our support of the death penalty in this country groups us with some of the most backward and fascist governments in the world.  I would hope for more for America.

Given all of the above, I have to wonder if the death penalty for Scott Roeder would not send an important message to the next generation of abortion doctor killers?  I think Roeder says pretty outrageous things for press and the attention, but I have no doubt there are many poised to follow in his footsteps.

In the end, I do agree with Ms. Foulston; a state sponsored killing of Roeder, makes the state no better than him.  Though I am doubting the preceding was her rationalization.

*McNaughton = not guilty by reason of insanity defense.  These are rarely won – which is contrary to what the public believes as revealed by numerous surveys.

iggydonnelly

The Rorschach outed by Wikipedia

Wikipedia has posted images of the Rorschach test with common answers on-line.  These actions are serious copyright violations (the image provided here is not a real Rorschach image).

I have read an opinion that the sooner psychology gives up research on the Rorschach, the sooner it will realize that it can be a serious discipline.

I used to give a lot of Rorschach tests.  They tend to be a seductive mistress, and I am not really sure why — maybe a reason to seek therapy?

Read the full story here.

iggydonnelly

MORE NUDDER COMMENTS PLEASE!

jammer5

Wednesday, 07/29/09, Public Square

Kansas was the 34th state admitted to the union on January 29, 1861.

Population: 2,688,418 (2000 – US census report that comes out every 10 years. Largest Cities: Wichita, Kansas City, Overland Park, Topeka. Major Industries: Aircraft Manufacturing, Agriculture, and Education.  Geographic Size: 82,282 square miles–ranked 15th in geographic size.  Geographic Center of Continental US: Near Lebanon in Smith County. And, (drumroll!) one of the reddest of the red states where Republicans don’t even have to show up to be elected!

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Newman. You’re invited to leave town…

It is interesting that Scott Roeder is saying that Operation Rescue took over $1,000 in donations from him.  Newman is denying finding Scott in their data-base.

I wonder if Troy Newman (pictured) will decide that now might be a good time for him to get out of Wichita.  What purpose does the scum have here now that Tiller is deceased?  Please join me in inviting Mr. Newman to leave Doodah, ASAP.  And, Troy, don’t let the door hit you in the ass as you go…

The Implicit Association Test as a B.S. Repellent

The Gates arrest controversy brought with it a storm of comments from conservatives as to how racism is dead and that we can now move forward with the meritocricy that has been true for a long time in this race-blind country. Yep, you betcha. The only problem with this assertion? That’s right, it is not true in any way, shape, or form.

The Implicit Association Test viewable at the linked Harvard website lays to rest the conservative “race-blind” myth.   The test reveals that racism is alive and well even though many who genuinely believe that they are free of racism, in truth, really are not.  Including, yours truly, the author of this post.  The IAT is one of those pesky reminders that we have not grown much past our Jim Crowe roots.  My test results revealed that I have a strong preference for European whites over African Americans.

Take the test to find out the truth about yourself.

iggydonnelly

Tuesday, 07/28/09, Public Square

Today is the day of the confirmation vote, the day President Obama’s first nominee to the United States Supreme Court becomes Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

Today is also the date of the preliminary hearing of domestic terrorist Scott Roeder who assassinated Dr. Tiller.

What else is on today’s agenda?

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