Who’s ready to pass out candy, then drink till they pass out?
I am, I am!
Halloween time is upon us, and here at DFE, there have been a few spooky changes to fit the spooky season. can you spot them? Hmmm? I’ll be passing out candy at the house tonight, joining in the celebration with all the kiddos, which on Mt. Vernon Avenue is something akin to a waist-high Marti Gras. In fact, we’re really just one well-placed sugar high away from a Lord of the Flies kind of thing. . .
But, it’s really cool seeing all the kids dressed up and ready to party. Its even nicer to live in an area safe enough to actually invite a crowd for All Hallow’s Eve. Sure, we’ll get our allotment of smashed pumpkins and the like, but apart from that, the holiday passes without incident.
So, I’m hoping all of you out there have a safe and happy Halloween!
Maggie Brooks seems hell-bent on pissing off every single last person in Monroe County she can. Bad enough that she has the audacity to call her tax theft the “F.A.I.R.” plan, but in the face of overwhelming public outcry over this plan, rather than be diplomatic she chooses to shove her foot in your face:
Brooks Unveils 2008 Budget Proposal – 13WHAM.com
“I think it would be hard for anyone to stand up and criticize a budget that reduces the property tax rate, maintains services, cuts spending in government, and eliminates our Medicaid problem,” said Brooks. “The critics that are complaining about this budget, in my opinion, are people who don’t want to see us solve the problem and who don’t care about the community.”
OK, I could shrill on and on about “who cares about the community and who doesn’t,” but I won’t. For now, let me set aside my personal beef with the County Executive’s plan and ask, why does she need to be such a freakin’ hard-ass about this? There’s an entire community up in arms about this plan, but she doesn’t seem at all capable of doing the diplomatic thing you would have expected a leader to do.
Hey, I’m a Liberal and I was never going to want to go along with this plan. Or at least, it would have taken some convincing.
But I’m not in the majority in this county. The majority of this county has, perhaps until now, liked Maggie Brooks and seen her in a positive light. But now that they have some objection to a plan of hers, Maggie moves them all into the “enemies” category without a second thought. Instead of allaying the fears of her constituency and building a consensus around her plan, she tells them that they don’t care about solving the county’s problems and they don’t care about the community.
Jeeze, that’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?
I spent yesterday evening practicing with The Buddhahood ahead of the upcoming Tony Cavagnaro tribute, and I’m starting to get really, really excited about the show. Apparently, I’ll be playing Through the Veil with Nate Coffey, Peet Mugnolo, and returning BuddhaHoodlum Evan Stuckless. There will also be an impressive coterie of percussionists with an array of instruments on hand for this, the last song of the Buddhahood set.
Apparently, I’m bringing my gong as well. You know a show has to be good if there is to be a gong involved. » Continue Reading…
Wonder whose writing the bullet points for the White House on Iran? We’re in deep shit, here, folks. Deep shit.
The Raw Story | US: Iran seeks nuclear weapons
US: Iran seeks nuclear weapons AFP Published: Monday October 29, 2007 Propel This! – Submit to Propeller.com The White House warned Monday that there was no doubt that Iran seeks atomic weapons, rebuffing the head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency after he said there was no evidence for such a charge. “This is a country that is enriching and reprocessing uranium and the reason that one does that is to lead towards a nuclear weapon,” spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters.
Bush Administration Officials’ Lies about Iraq’s Supposed Weapons of Mass Destruction in Their Own Words
Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction. – Dick Cheney, speech to VFW National Convention, Aug. 26, 2002
Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised. – George W. Bush, address to the U.S., March 17, 2003
There is no doubt that the regime of Saddam Hussein possesses weapons of mass destruction. And….as this operation continues, those weapons will be identified, found, along with the people who have produced them and who guard them. – Gen. Tommy Franks, press conference, March 22, 2003
I have no doubt we’re going to find big stores of weapons of mass destruction. – Defense Policy Board member Kenneth Adelman, The Washington Post, March 23, 2003
You know? What the hell, let’s try a little doubt this time. . .
Technorati Tags: Iran, War, Bush, Cheney, Lies
CNN is one of the participants in the war. I have a fantasy where Ted Turner is elected president but refuses because he doesn’t want to give up power.
- Arthur C. Clarke
Based on nothing scientific at all, without the slightest whiff of knowledge about any of the candidates, all of whom I assume are good administrators, and in the utter absence of any qualification to make any such endorsements, I nevertheless endorse Jean-Claude Brizard to be the next RCSD School Superintendent:
RCSD Superintendent Candidate Forums Begin – 13WHAM.com
Jean-Claude Brizard, Senior Executive for Policy and Sustainability for the New York City school system. He also served as a Regional Superintendent in that district, overseeing 100 schools, and 100,000 students.
See, I figure any guy with a French hyphenated name is immediately qualified as a leader, just like my favourite captain:
The below-linked blog roundup has a bunch of interesting tidbits in it from the Sunday news show circuit. Don’t miss the discussions of Mukasey and Iran. But I’m commenting because I was perusing all the different sections when I hit this one and stopped cold:
Blog – Patrick O’Connor – Politico.com
News flash: The federal, state and local governments responded better to wildfires in California than the debacle that unfolded in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. All right, so maybe that’s not big news, but members of the California delegation were much heavier on the praise than the criticism during an interview with ABC’s “This Week.” “I think things went as well as could be expected,” said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).
Let me be quite honest with you: I’ve watched some of the coverage of the wildfires and was almost immediately bored of the whole affair. I know, that doesn’t seem very empathetic of me. But as I watched, I was almost completely devoid of any particular concern, for all that the media spent covering it like I should. I am genuinely sorry that people lost their homes: there’s no loss quite as violating as such a loss. But then, they did build in the middle of an area known for it’s wildfires, didn’t they?
Now, we’re expected to be impressed somehow with the fact that California acted quicker and more effectively than Louisiana did. . . ? That a state with a 1.5 trillion dollar economy, saving the lives and properties of millionaires such as Kelsey Grammar and Mel Gibson, outperformed a state with a 140 billion dollar economy attempting to save. . . well, can you name anyone affected by Katrina? Really affected?
In fact, we would never have expected anything else, and that’s the whole point. There’s nothing worth being particularly impressed by in California, it’s just a rich state doing what rich states can afford to do. There’s nothing shocking when a disaster that affects People Magazine personalities turns out to have been handled expeditiously. And whatever was meant by the gesture, Bush hastening to show up for a tour with the Governator, filled with looks of concern, just adds icing to the cake.
Technorati Tags: California, Wildfires, Katrina, Disaster, FEMA
Senator Larry Craig and Bob Allen may occasionally use public restrooms to relieve themselves. . . of loneliness. Mark Foley may cure loneliness discussing sweat and masturbation in IM chats with teenage pages. And it must be a lonely life as a Republican with a name like “John A Boehner.” But they are none of them alone on the International stage when it comes to sexual and electoral duplicity. Matter of fact, Senator Craig is a bit of a let-down in the excuse department, as you will quickly see:
Family values party dumps candidate for porn pics | Oddly Enough | Reuters
Sydney music teacher Andrew Quah, 21, admitted photographs showing his penis and circulating widely on gay websites had embarrassed his party and made his candidacy untenable.
“But that’s not my penis,” Quah told the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper, adding one of the images may have been digitally altered.
“I might have been drunk off my face, or my political enemies might have drugged me,” Quah said. “It was a mistake that I would not have committed had I been of right mind. All I know, I have been humiliated.”
Oh, that’s his naked body in a picture, alright. In fact, the “Family Values” politician may have just been really, really drunk, and convinced to pose naked for photographs. I think we’ve all been there before. But there’s no way that penis is his! Look at it! It’s all pink and wrinkly!
Technorati Tags: Family Values, Conservatism, Values Voters, Sarcasm
. . . New York might actually be a pretty OK place to live. Alas, we may find ourselves sporting RealID cards – a thing which I would have thought neither Right nor Left would have wanted – because Spitzer made an attempt to try to solve the dissonance between Federal immigration law and State need for highway safety. Rottenchester at F29 does a good job of summing up the situation:
Drivers’ Licenses Will Still Be An Issue – The Fighting 29th
I didn’t have an objection to Spitzer’s earlier plan, because I don’t think that it’s the state’s business to become immigration police. But his endorsement of the intrusive and pointless RealID program now has turned me against it. Since nobody is happy with issuing illegals second-class licenses, I’ll bet that the final outcome will probably be no license for illegals, and RealIDs for the rest of us. Our highways won’t be any safer, but we’ll all be packing a big-brother identity card.
Fie and a pox on the ReadID card! An unnecessary thing for an unproven crisis of identification. But then, the entire illegal immigration debate, the license debate, the voter registration debate, the RealID and the War on Terror are all rooted in the same garbage. It’s the exact same xenophobia that compels housewives to buy antibacterial soap where humans have existed for hundreds of thousands of years without it. It is the fear – and the intentional amplification of the fear – of the unknown.
Because it benefits someone, you are expected to believe that dangerous bugs crawl on your skin; that terrorists lurk in the back rooms of every 7-11; that people are driving in droves from one polling station to another, voting four and five times for the same candidate; that Mexican illegals are carting canisters of Sarin gas with them as they creep across the border. Even if Americans are slowly waking up to the fact that they’ve been getting gamed all along, the Republicans are even up for playing the fear card on local issues as banal as driver’s licenses because they still think fear is a winning issue.
And, I fear, they’re right.
Technorati Tags: RealID, Security, New York State, Drivers License
Please note: I’ll be updating this page as new information becomes available, so check back often!
UPDATED! Rick Whitney of the Buddhahood got back to me with a list of guests in the Buddhahood’s set, listed here for your perusal below.
The lineup is getting set and things are working themselves out: the Tribute to Tony Cavagnaro will be on Sunday, November 18th, from 2pm to midnight. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door and the proceeds of that cover, along with a host of other goodies, all goes to Tony’s wife and son, Jan and Calvin.
They’ll be releasing a double live CD which will be reviewed on this site as soon as I can get my mitts on it, along with a “Tony Made Me Cool” tee shirt which I can’t wait to own. There will also be a silent auction, raffles, vendors and Dinosaur BBQ.
The talent for the show – myself notwithstanding – is definitely the creme of the crop in Rochester groove music. If you go for no other reason, you should really stop out to experience all the incredible music Rochester has to offer but which mostly goes unknown to all but a select few people. The Giant Panda Guerrilla Dub Squad will be there as will the Hypnotic Clambake, a band which you really must see to believe. Suzi Willpower will be jamming on stage as well, and returning to Rochester will be Rob Cullivan, a musician whose talents are sorely missed. The Peachy Neatcheese, The Filthy Funk Band and an enormous drum jam to close the show. . . .it’s going to be a great night!
The Buddhahood hasn’t yet released a list of the musicians and artists who will be joining them on stage during their segment, but as I understand it, most of their set will be with the guests they’ve invited. Certainly, Rob will be playing a bit of harmonica with the band. Former members of the band – of which there are a very large number – are also probably going to make an appearance.
It’s going to be a great show for a great cause and I’m hoping to see lots of my friends there. Maybe I’ll see you, too? If you go, I’m the guy playing the hand drum for the last song of the Buddhahood’s set. Say hello!
Bands
Order may change – times have not been completely confirmed:
Dance of universal peace – 2:40 (on floor)
Liqwid – 3:00
Filthy Funk Band – 3:30
40 Rod Lightning – 4:00
Druids – 4:30
Park Ave Band – 5:00
Peachie Neatcheese – 5:30
Mysterious Blues Band – 6:00
Redline Zydeco – 6:30
Hypnotic Calmbake – 7:00
Sleeping Giant – 7:30
The Buddhahood w/ guests – 8:00
Sweet Life/Bare Bones/Joint Chiefs – 10:00
Giant Panda Guerrilla Dub Squad – 11:30
Giant Drum Jam – 12:15
Guests during the Buddhahood Set include:
Rob Cullivan
Jim Schwarz
Dylan Savage
Paul Brown
Ben Rossi
Paul Mastriani
Peet Mugnolo
Evan Stuckless
Suzi Willpower
Dave Mabelis
Don Anonymous
Dr Bob Regan
Kevin MacConkey
Frank Boehm
Bob Olson
Russ Roberts
Tom Jones
Nate Coffee
Thomas J Belknap
Krissy Whitman
Buddhagals
Brenda Steffon
Kenny Kahler
