Listening Post

These guys have a great sound because it feels like they could've come out of Seattle in the early 90s, but there's no denying the huge influence of the town they actually hail from: Athens, Georgia.

Here's Dead Confederate -- The Rat.

Saturday Morning Cartoons

The constant barrage of "obscenities" coming out of Yosemite Sam's mouth in this one is just priceless.

From 1960, here's From Hare to Heir.

Quote(s) of the Week Month

"How did it happen that you look at people that are Nazis and you say that those are right-wing? It doesn't make any sense whatsoever!"

-- Harry Binswanger of the Ayn Rand Institute (and I dare you to try to say those last seven words without laughing), employing the dreaded "Chewbacca Defense" to deflect blame from the far right following the D.C. Holocaust Museum shooting

"(James Von Brunn) has more in common with the marchers and protesters we see at left-wing rallies."

-- Rush Limbaugh

Folks, we're in uncharted territory of batshit crazy here.

Quote of the Week (Hands Down)

"The Palins have no intention of providing a rating's boost for David Letterman by appearing on the show. Plus, it would be wise to keep Willow away from David Letterman."

-- Official statement from a Palin family spokesperson in response to David Letterman's request that Sarah Palin et at join him as guests on his show; the grammatical error, the unnecessary apostrophe in "ratings," is reprinted exactly as written in the original memo

The possible suggestion that their doe-eyed, defenseless 14-year-old daughter might get all WWE on Letterman's ass, huh? Yup -- those Palins sure are classy. And proving my earlier point, way to once again thrust their child right into the line of fire rather than sheltering her from any further controversy. These people need to learn that they can't have it both ways: You can't wear your kid like an accessory, exploiting her for political gain, then turn around and use her as a human shield once the bullets start flying in your direction. You made her fair game. You and only you. And you'll obviously continue to.

(Update: Jacki Schechner makes the very good point that the implication of the Palins' not-letting-Willow-near-Letterman comment is probably more that Letterman would try to molest Willow -- which is even cheaper and more disturbing than the meaning I came away with. Now that I'm reading over the general consensus among those who've paid close attention this little war of words, that's probably what they meant. Is it really a shock, though, at this point, that I jumped to the white-trashier conclusion?)

(Update 2: Wow -- just, wow. For some reason it took a little while for the comment from the Palin spokesperson to really sink in. I think the reason I involuntarily shut down the notion that what the Palins were suggesting was that Letterman was some sort of lecherous old man who's attracted to children is pretty obvious: It seemed, and seems, incomprehensible that they'd actually go there. David Letterman is a comedian; it's his job to make jokes and to push the envelope -- even if not all his jokes are funny and he occasionally push things too far. But Sarah Palin is the governor of Alaska -- and her family's reaction came in the form of an official statement. In an official response they implied, without any proof, that someone might be dangerous in the presence of little girls. Even if it was a joke, you don't make jokes in official statements. Jesus Christ, what are you, the mayor of Hooterville on Petticoat Junction? You stupid fucking hicks. Act not only your age but your status.)

Sick Day

Just a note from the management: I'll be out for the day today.

My father's going in for surgery this morning (nothing serious, he's finally getting the second half of the "procedure" and soon I'll have two mommies) so I'll obviously be preoccupied. By all means keep the comments coming, though, since I'll still be in a position to check them often.

I should be back tomorrow.

Child's Play

I'll make this really quick and dirty because I'm busy this morning.

Chances are that by now you've seen at least one leg, possibly two or three, of the Palin Family Righteous Indignation tour. Matriarch Sarah, the soon-to-be 40-something great-grandmother who inexplicably refuses to go the hell away, is making the rounds on network TV decrying the smarmy elitist evil of David Letterman, who a couple of nights ago made a stupid but relatively harmless off-color crack about Palin's 14-year-old daughter, Willow. He'd meant to make a joke about the oldest girl, teen mom sensation Bristol, saying that Alex Rodriguez had knocked her up at a Yankees game, but as circumstance would have it, it was Willow who was at the game with her family.

Hence, the swift and entirely horseshit outrage from the right in general and the Palin family in particular.

Letterman has already apologized for the remark, saying that it was an accident, though still somewhat inexcusable. But needless to say that's not good enough for the Palin clan. And of course it wouldn't be -- because the truth is that the resulting blowback is less about getting "justice" for their young daughter, about defending her honor, than it is about milking this politically opportune controversy for all it's worth. The Palins put their children on display prominently at all times, using them as stage props to further their own personal and political agenda (come on, Bristol going on the road as a spokesperson for abstinence?) and get the added benefit of being able to fire back loudly at anyone who dares to comment on it in a way they don't approve of. It's as if the rest of us are supposed to pretend that the kids aren't there -- even though the Palins have made that virtually impossible.

Sarah and Todd Palin don't want their adversaries making jokes about their children? They should keep their children out of the limelight instead of shamelessly shoving them into it whenever it's politically expedient.

I'm not justifying Letterman's comment -- just saying that the Palins' reaction to it, their holier-than-thou umbrage, is laughable.

Listening Post

I'm probably the only person on Earth who didn't think that Loser was the worst movie ever made -- which makes this video more than tolerable.

Besides, this is one of those blast-from-the-past songs I still love the hell out of.

Happy Friday, kids! It's Wheatus -- Teenage Dirtbag.