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October 31, 2006
...With Flowers In My Hair
I just got back in town from San Francisco yesterday. Dawn and I had a wonderful time. Saturday we ventured into the Mission District and ate at a wonderful little creperie called Ti-Couz, then we explored the murals in Balmy Alley.
Here are some pics we took in Balmy Alley:
We also carved some pumpkins...
All in all it was a great trip. Except for the fact that when I returned to Chattanooga yesterday I received a call from Dawn who was crying. She had just been mugged. She was walking to a meeting in Oakland just after dark when someone came up behind her, pushed her down face-first onto the sidewalk and took off with her purse. She is okay aside from a bloody nose and a few bruises. It made (makes) me so mad. If I had been there when it happened I would probably be in jail on murder charges right now.
Posted by Joshua Daniels at 12:50 PM | TrackBack
October 25, 2006
Bush Uses "The Google"
Bush done used one dem programs on "The Google" to look at his rainch on the internets. Why does anyone trust this man's opinion on anything?
Posted by Joshua Daniels at 04:49 PM | TrackBack
New Bob Corker Voicemail
Bob Corker, in an attempt to spread his "conservative values," has been leaving messages on the voicemail system at the radio station where I work. They are quite funny. Listen to Corker's latest voicemail below.
:::Bob Corker's Latest Voicemail:::
Posted by Joshua Daniels at 10:33 AM | TrackBack
October 23, 2006
Corker Can't Pull His Own Commercials Off Television!
This completely disgusting television ad for Bob Corker is still airing on local television. Corker has said that he finds the ad, which was put out by The Republican National Committee, "tacky," and that it should be pulled off the air. [Tennessean]
Either Corker really does agree with the content of the ad, and wants to capitalize on a "tacky" ad without taking any responsibility for it. Or, he has so little say over the way his campaign is run he actually cannot get the ad pulled. So, he's either a complete slimeball, or he's completely ineffective. (Both, in my opinion.) How is Corker going to "solve problems in Washington," like the war in Iraq, the nation's healthcare crisis, education, etc., when he can't even get his own party to pull an ad for his own campaign?
Posted by Joshua Daniels at 06:34 PM | TrackBack
October 22, 2006
Some US States Using Dogs To Terrify And Attack Prisoners
A new report from Human Rights Watch reveals that five U.S. state prison systems — Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, South Dakota, and Utah — authorize the use of large unmuzzled dogs to terrify and even attack prisoners to extract them from their cells. According to Human Rights Watch, no other country in the world authorizes the use of dogs to attack prisoners who will not voluntarily leave their cells.
The 20-page report, "Cruel and Degrading: The Use of Dogs for Cell Extractions in U.S. Prisons," publicly reveals this practice for the first time. It also shows that the practice is not only cruel, but wholly unnecessary as there are safer, more humane alternatives that corrections officers can use - and most across the country do use - to remove prisoners from their cells.
View an Arizona Dept. of Corrections video on the use of attack dogs for cell extraction. (Note: Arizona has since issued a moratorium on the use of attack dogs in its prison system.)
Jamie Fellner from Human Rights Watch recently appeared on Democracy Now! to discuss the use of attack dogs in US prison systems. Listen to the segment here.
Posted by Joshua Daniels at 10:38 AM | TrackBack
Flaws In The Military Commissions Act
If you haven't yet heard, George W. Bush just signed the Military Commissions Act into law a few days ago. This legislation gives the president the power to arrest anyone s/he wants to, even American citizens, hold them without access to an attorney, deny them the rights of habeas corpus, use torture against them, convict them (assuming s/he ever gets a trial) with hearsay evidence, deny them access to a civilian attorney, deny them access to the evidence being used against them, and deny even American citizens Geneva Convention protection from their own country. I say "them," but it could be you, it could be me, that is imprisoned without being told why, denied trial, denied access to an attorney, tortured, and convicted before a military court without access to a civilian attorney or access to the prosecution's evidence.
Before the legislation passed, Sen. Russ Feingold had this to say on the senate floor:
"Let me be clear: I welcome efforts to bring terrorists to justice. It is about time. This Administration has too long been distracted by the war in Iraq from the fight against al Qaeda. We need a renewed focus on the terrorist networks that present the greatest threat to this country.
But we wouldn't be where we are today, five years after September 11 with not a single Guantanamo Bay detainee having been brought to trial, if the President had come to Congress in the first place, rather than unilaterally creating military commissions that didn't comply with the law. The President wanted to act on his own, and he dared the Supreme Court to stop him. And he lost. The Hamdan decision was an historic rebuke to an Administration that has acted for years as if it were above the law.
Finally, only because he was essentially ordered to do so by the Supreme Court, the President has agreed to consult with Congress. I would have hoped that we would take this opportunity to pass legislation that allows us to proceed in accordance with our laws and our values. That is what separates America from our enemies. These trials, conducted appropriately, have the potential to demonstrate to the world that our democratic, constitutional system of government is our greatest strength in fighting those who attacked us.
And that is why I am saddened that I must oppose this legislation. Because the trials conducted under this legislation will send a very different signal to the world, one that I fear will put our own troops and personnel in jeopardy both now and in future conflicts. To take just a few examples, this legislation would permit an individual to be convicted on the basis of coerced testimony and hearsay, would not allow full judicial review of the conviction, and yet would allow someone convicted under these rules to be put to death. That is simply unacceptable. We would not stand for another country to try our citizens under those rules, and we should not stand for our own government to do so, either.
Continue reading "Flaws In The Military Commissions Act"
Posted by Joshua Daniels at 09:31 AM | TrackBack
October 21, 2006
Relish Packet For U.S. Senate
I believe in ol' Relish Packet.
Posted by Joshua Daniels at 11:45 PM | TrackBack
October 20, 2006
Keith Olbermann On The Beginning Of The End Of America
This is one of the most accurate and concise appraisals of the implications of the Military Commissions Act that I have heard. Regardless of your party affiliation or your interest in politics, you need to listen to this, and think about it very seriously.
Posted by Joshua Daniels at 11:46 AM | TrackBack
October 19, 2006
Mountaineer (I Love Type Records)
German singer/songwriter Henning Wandhoff's newly formed band Mountaineer just put out one of the best albums of 2006. "When The Air Is Bright They Shine" is just out on Type Records.
This is a very good description of it from Mountaineer's web page:
Wandhoff had a specific goal in mind as he pieced together the initial skeletons of ‘When the Air is Bright They Shine’; he was listening to the classic LPs of the late 60s and 70s; 35-40 minutes, 10 tracks, every track perfectly realised and the album holding together without filler. There were none of those modern devices used to trick people into thinking they have got something a little more worthy than it really is… just pure pop music. He wanted to re-create this, but not make something knowingly retro, instead to put together his album with the same sort of high bar of quality control, to put together 10 songs that embodied the philosophies of those classic albums without actually mimicking them. After two years of work Wandhoff finally succeeded and had moulded the tracks into leftfield pop gems, raking in influence from decades of essential music.
Here is a wonderful track from the album:
:::Mountaineer - Eliza (A Day For Every Hour):::
I also included the Mountaineer track "Don't You Miss Her" on my latest podcast (although The Pulse spells it "Mauntaineer").
Speaking of Type Records, they also just released the new album by British composer Ryan Teague. It is titled "Coins & Crosses," and it is mind-blowingly good. Check out the title track below.
:::Ryan Teague - Coins & Crosses:::
Posted by Joshua Daniels at 08:12 PM | TrackBack
October 18, 2006
Early Voting & New Election Commission Location
Early voting for the midterm elections has started. Here are the dates and locations where you can participate:
Take note that the Hamilton County Election Commission has moved from its 3rd Street location. The main election commission office is now located at 700 River Terminal Road, just off Amnicola Highway.
Of course, if you vote on November 7th, the official election day, you will need to vote at your polling location. If you live in Hamilton County you can find your polling location and view a sample ballot here.
Posted by Joshua Daniels at 09:16 PM | TrackBack
October 15, 2006
Will Oldham Stars In New Film
Louisville-based musician Will Oldham (Palace Music, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Palace Brothers) has a starring role opposite Daniel London in a new film by Kelly Reichardt.
OLD JOY is the story of two old friends, Kurt (Will Oldham) and Mark (Daniel London), who reunite for a weekend camping trip in the Cascade mountain range east of Portland, Oregon. OLD JOY is a minimalist story of friendship, loss and alienation in the Bush era. For Mark, the weekend outing offers a respite from the pressure of his imminent fatherhood; for Kurt, it is part of a long series of carefree adventures. As the hours progress and the landscape evolves, the twin seekers move through a range of subtle emotions, enacting a pilgrimage of mutual confusion, sudden insight, and recurring intimations of spiritual battle. When they arrive at their final destination, a hot spring in an old growth forest, they must either confront the divergent paths they have taken, or somehow transcend their growing tensions in an act of forgiveness and mourning.
[IMDB]
It also has an original soundtrack by Yo La Tengo. Hopefully I'll get to catch this in Berkeley, CA later this month. Here is the trailer:
Posted by Joshua Daniels at 10:37 AM | TrackBack
October 09, 2006
I'm Bob Corker, And I Approve This Lie
I must admit that I never intended this to become a political blog. But when a corrupt ex-mayor of my town starts lying through his teeth in an attempt to secure a seat in the US Senate, well, it makes me very upset. Upset enough to blog about.
Two of Bob Corker's latest TV commercials really have me peeved.
COMMERCIAL #1
In this commercial a large group of people "from Chattanooga" talk about what a great mayor Corker was. Trouble is, many of the people in this commercial claiming to be from Chattanooga are from other cities and towns.
Some of the people praising Republican Senate candidate Bob Corker for the job he did as mayor of Chattanooga in TV ads don't live in that city.
"We're from Chattanooga," one woman says in the commercial, as the camera pans across a group of about 60 people.
The Corker campaign confirmed Wednesday that not all those people live in Chattanooga or voted for Corker when he was elected mayor in 2001.
The most recent ad, which began airing Friday, praises Corker for lowering the city's property taxes and crime rate. A similar ad, featuring the same people, ran before the Republican primary in August.
"Bob was a great mayor, the best Chattanooga ever had. We live in Chattanooga -- we know," several people say in the earlier ad.
The Corker campaign, which paid for the ads, would not confirm the exact number of people in the commercial who were not from Chattanooga.
"All of the speakers in the ad are from the Chattanooga metropolitan area and are actively involved in the civic life in Chattanooga," Corker spokesman Todd Womack told The Associated Press.
Patti Frierson lives in Lookout Mountain, Tenn., a small but separate town near Chattanooga with its own mayor and town council.
"Bob was a great mayor," Frierson says in the advertisement.
Frierson, who has lived in Lookout Mountain since 1995, said she was involved in Chattanooga's civic life during Corker's term in office, even though she didn't pay city property taxes.
She served as chairwoman of the Creative Discovery Museum in downtown Chattanooga and worked on the city's waterfront development campaign, which was coordinated by Corker as mayor.
"To say people who live right outside of Chattanooga don't benefit from what he did while he was mayor is really parsing words to me," she said. "I never even thought twice about saying I live in Chattanooga."
Ann Weeks, whose current address is also in Lookout Mountain, speaks in the TV ad. Her business is located in Chattanooga, and she has been the head of redevelopment efforts in Chattanooga's southside. Weeks did not return a phone message left at her listed phone number.
The ad also features Carol Downs, who lives in Signal Mountain, another small, independent town near Chattanooga. Downs did not return a message left at her listed phone number.
[WSMV]
No. Saying you "Are from Chattanooga" when you are not is not "Parsing words," it's lying. Plus this ad credits Corker for a 51% decrease in violent crime, a figure that seems to have no foundation or evidence to support it (we'll get to this in the next commercial).
COMMERCIAL #2
This commercial features Bob Corker flat-out lying to his mother about reducing violent crime in Chattanooga during his term as mayor.
First off... If your candidate is barely 5 feet tall and has the voice of an pre-adolescent cartoon character, maybe showing him snuggling up on the porch with his mommy isn't your best option. Especially right after his opponent just made headlines statewide by calling him a "wimp." This ad screams "momma's boy."
Plus... The script makes no sense. Mom says, "Is there any politician who thinks we need to be weak on crime?" And Bob says, "50%."
These are Corker's first words in the commercial I guess I'm supposed to be intrigued by this non sequitor so I'll pay attention to what he says next. Instead I'm busy wondering:
1) Why Mom is defending Harold Ford, Jr., by demanding her own son acknowledge that every politician thinks we need to be tough on crime?
2) Why, right after we hear the words "weak on crime," is our attention immediately directed to Corker?
3) How viciously is factcheck.org is going smack Corker's ass for this totally bogus lie? And are the local newspaper/TV stations going to smack him around as well?
Here's the thing: "50%" is how much Corker claims he slashed violent crime while mayor of Chattanooga. There is nothing to back this up. He pulled this number out of his ass. Here are the facts:
1. The FBI, the TBI, and the Chattanooga Police Department all keep statistics on violent crime. None of them indicate a 50% drop in violent crime during Corker's term, so where do Corker's numbers come from? Only his proctologist knows for sure.
2. Violent crime in Chattanooga was 2.11 times the national average during Corker's term. In other words, the people of Chattanooga were twice as likely to be victims of violent crime as the average American.
3. In 2004 (Corker's last full year in office), the U.S. Justice Department called Chattanooga "one of the hottest zones of criminal activity" in the country. ATF agents compiled a list of the "worst of the worst" violent offenders in Chattanooga, but the city failed to arrest even half of them.
4. Rapes, sex crimes, and drug crimes all rose more than 20 percent during Mayor Corker's tenure, according to the TBI.
5. Bob Corker froze the pay of Chattanooga police and firefighters, even while he took three pay raises himself.
6. Although there was a significant (but not anywhere near 50%) drop in violent crime in Chattanooga under Bob Corker, the numbers were climbing back up again by 2004, his last full year in office.
[Daily Kos]
If Corker really was serious about reducing violent crime, why did 14.9% of 911 calls in Chattanooga in 2004 go unanswered? One out of every seven 911 calls went unanswered in 2004 under Corker's leadership. The Chattanooga Times Free Press quoted the city's former police chief Jimmie Dotson as saying, "I asked for communications officers in every budget, especially under the Corker administration, and each time it was denied. . . . (We) spent many, many, many hours battling the Corker administration asking for communications officers." [Factcheck.org] If Corker really wanted to do something about violent crime in Chattanooga, then why not do something simple...like hire more communication officers and make them answer the phone when someone calls to report a burglary, or an assault, or a rape, or a murder, or a drug deal, or a shooting?
Posted by Joshua Daniels at 02:32 PM | TrackBack
October 05, 2006
New Bob Corker Voicemail!
Corker's new voicemail underscores his status as a true problem solver.
Posted by Joshua Daniels at 12:31 AM | TrackBack
October 03, 2006
Chicken Plant Blues
The Pilgrim's Pride chicken processing plant on Broad Street is one of the worst blights on the city of Chattanooga. I work on Broad Street, and I can attest that the smell is absolutely intolerable. On several occasions, mostly in the morning when driving to the office, I've actually had to pull my car over to vomit after smelling the feces and decay wafting on a moist, hot southern breeze.
It must make the property in its vicinity utterly worthless, and really, how is the south side of town going to flourish with a smelly blanket of chicken funk covering it like a thick olfactory fog?
Anyway, when I passed the plant this morning it made me think of this skit from Wonder Showzen:
Posted by Joshua Daniels at 05:22 PM | TrackBack