David Pakman: MSNBC Interrupts Jane Harman On NSA For Report on Justin Bieber

Source:The New Democrat

MSNBC- "This just in Justin Bieber arrested for drunk driving which of course is our top story today. Also in the news on our backstory, New York City has just been hit by a nuclear missile attack. Hundreds of thousands of people reported dead. Several of our staff are here at NBC News World Headquarters including reporters and producers, have been unable to check in to give us a full report on that yet. Luckily our reporters and producers on the Bieber story were here all night working non-stop to give you the first breaking news footage of the Bieber story.

Our real news reporters and producers are only human and needed to go home before coming back to work. We hope to bring you coverage of the NYC nuclear missile attack on our late night insomniac news  coverage. If there isn't any Bieber related or other pop culture related breaking news. We are also following the latest Khloe Kardashian nightclub fight. And what shoes her sister Kim wore when she was out shopping last Saturday".

I already knew MSNBC was a joke when it came to news. They use Michael Moore as an actual news commentator and analyst and actually take him seriously. The prime time lineup is really nothing more than far-left commentary and a lot of their afternoon drive is that as well. And they really only seem to interested in what anti-corporate, anti-capitalist Socialists in the country think about news. Even though MSNBC is as pro-capitalist and pro-corporate as they come. And I don't believe they are fooling a lot of people, but that is what they do.

The Justin Bieber story just sort of takes the monster huge monster size cake to use an old expression, about what the so-called mainstream news media is about and interested and what the American people are interested in. And how our country and culture is so dumbed down now that they feel the need to know all about their favorite pop culture celebrities and as little about things that actually affect their real lives. Like their privacy, civil liberties, the ability to download, photos, videos, and other information of their favorite celebrities and whether their government monitors their online activities. And also little things like how much they are going to have to pay in taxes. Just  to use as examples.

Thom Hartmann: 'Time to do Away With The Second Amendment?'

Source:Thom Hartmann- with a look at the 2nd Amendment.

Source:The New Democrat 

"Thom Hartmann says Second Amendment was added to keep Virginia from backing out of ratifying the U.S. Constitution.

If you liked this clip of The Thom Hartmann Program, please do us a big favor and share it with your friends... and hit that "like" button!" 

From Thom Hartmann 

From what I’ve read over the last two weeks and blogged about, I’m starting to get the idea that I should write a new section or create something called something to the effect The Big Government Report. Or This Week in Big Government or Today in Big Government. The last two weeks alone I’ve read a Far-Right blog The American Thinker arguing in favor of tobacco prohibition. And that link with a counter reply to it is on this blog and why that would be a brain-dead idea. Last weekend I read a piece in Salon arguing for nationalizing the news in America. Another brain-dead idea and I wrote the counter reply to that which is on this blog. And now a proposal to outlaw the Second Amendment. 

As far as outlawing the Second Amendment and by the way good luck with that and I’m sure Thom Hartmann has much better things to do. And won’t spend much time on this losing cause. Because the Second Amendment is popular in liberal democratic states as well. Not just country bumpkin redneck states. And I happen to live in one of those liberal democratic states. The Free State of Maryland and also keep in mind the United States Constitution is a liberal democratic document.

But for the hell of it why don’t we imagine the Second Amendment get’s repealed. Perhaps the whole country, or all of our state legislatures are drunk when this happens. Why not because that might be what it takes to accomplish this. Next what will come from these big government far-leftists is repealing firearms in the hands of private citizens and institutions. And leaving only government which has never had and will never have the resources to defend everyone. With any ability to defend the people from violent criminals and acts of crimes.

Keep in mind American government at the federal, state and local levels, all have histories of using violence against their own people. As well as covering up violence against their own people. Look no further than the civil rights movement and we could also go back to slavery in this country. Is this really the big government collectivist state the Far-Left in America wants to create? Where we are all dependent on the big state for everything. Including law enforcement that they aren’t capable of providing everyone with. Which is a reason why we have the Second Amendment.

PBS NewsHour: Poverty and Politics: How Strong Is Safety Net For Poor Americans?

Source:The New Democrat

The perfect debate for the mainstream Left in America to have that Liberals and Progressives should be debating about. The future of the safety net and it exactly what it is for. Is it really a safety net in its purest form, there to catch people who fall down in life in a liberal capitalist economy and give those people temporary financial relief to help them get by as they are struggling, as well as help them get back on their feet so they no longer need public assistance?

Or do we want to create a real welfare state and perhaps write a paper called something to the effect, Of Moving Past the Safety Net and Into the Welfare State. In other words transforming from America to Europe and creating a super-sized superstate there to meet most of our economic needs for us and there to take care of everyone. So we don’t feel the responsibility or freedom to have to take care of ourselves. Because we have big government to do that for us.

Well that last example isn’t so much center-left as it is far-left and a more socialist economic system. So maybe the other version of the safety net in America coming from center-left Progressives, would be to still have these social insurance programs targeted for the needy. But to spend a hell of a lot more on them without having work requirements or anything else for people on them. And have the Federal Government completely run all of them itself. But not try to create a welfare state in America.

Again if you are familiar with this blog you know where I come down on these issues at least as a Liberal. That a safety net is exactly that and nothing more and that to have the strongest economy possible, you need the most educated and productive people as possible to be able to meet their own economic needs. And that the safety net is there for the few who for a temporary amount of time aren’t able to do that for themselves. With the safety net also there to empower those people to be able to take care of themselves in the future.

The Ed Sullivan Show: Jim Morrison & The Doors (1967)

Source:Television Vanguard- The Lizard King Jim Morrison and The Doors, on The Ed Sullivan Show, in 1967.

Source:The New Democrat

"In part 2 of our two part clip of the Doors 1967 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek provides wonderful commentary on his and bandmates fateful visit to the Ed Sullilvan Show on Sunday night, September 17, 1967.

The Doors of course went on to great fame over the coming years.  Truly one of the recording industries most influencial bands, the foursome of Jim Morrison (lead vocalist), Ray Manzarek (keyboardist), Robby Krieger (guitarist) and John Densmore (drums) made the Doors remarkable in their groundbreaking approach to rock and roll music in the late 1960s and early 1970s.  From Light My Fire, to Riders On the Storm, the Doors were unique and one of the very best.

This video clip has been edited down to ensure we comply with any copyright requirements regarding the song 'Light My Fire.'

This video clip is presented here on YouTube for the entertainment and informational value of the viewer, and no copyright infringement is intended." 

From Television Vanguard

"The Doors "Light My Fire" performed on The Ed Sullivan Show on September 17, 1967. Subscribe now to never miss an update:The Ed Sullivan Show. The full performance by The Doors is available on "Ed Sullivan's Rock & Roll Classics", "The Very Best of The Ed Sullivan Show Vol. 1" and "Rock'n'Roll Forever" DVDs at:Ed Sullivan." 

Source:The Ed Sullivan Show- The Lizard King Jim Morrison and The Doors, on The Ed Sullivan Show, in 1967.

From The Ed Sullivan Show  

"Jim Morrison's leather pants get much higher" 

Source:Bod Mas- The Lizard King or The Leather King Jim Morrison, on The Ed Sullivan Show, in 1967.

From Bod Mas

Don’t get me wrong here, because I believe Jim Morrison and The Doors gave an excellent performance here and I completely agree with The Lizard King (or Leather King) about leaving the lyric higher in the song on free speech grounds. But one of the reasons why this performance is so memorable, is because you have the lead vocalist with a big boner sticking out of his skin-tight, black pants. Apparently Jim Morrison got excited right before he went out on stage or perhaps saw a beautiful, sexy woman while he was on stage during the performance. But that is what can happen when you are a man who perhaps is not completely sober when you go out in public and you wear skin-tight, black leather jeans almost everywhere you go in public.

Source:The Ed Sullivan Show- The Lizard King Jim Morrison performing on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1967. I guess he was excited to be there. After this performance Morrison should've been known as The Leather King, because this is the outfit that he made famous in rock and roll with his leather jacket, leather jeans, western belts, and cowboy boots, that gave him national exposure.

Good reason not to wear skin-tight leather jeans on national TV when you aren’t sober, as Jim Morrison did on a regular basis for visual effect and he wanted especially women checking him out. But the risk is you end up showing more of yourself than you perhaps intended. Especially when you get excited and you are right there for the whole world to see.

Unless no one actually saw The Lizard King go out on stage right before he went out and especially saw him up front and perhaps noticed something about his pants that his, well his thing lets saw was sticking out and he had a boner sticking out of his leather jeans. Or Morrison got excited as he was already on stage and perhaps saw a sexy woman or something. 

For the life of me I can’t figure why someone didn’t walk up to Morrison and say: “Uh Jim, you should go to the bathroom or back to the dressing room before you go out on national TV. Because you have a boner sticking out of your pants that everyone is going to see on national TV." 

Thom Hartmann: Caller: Could Restitution For Slavery Work?

Source:The New Democrat  

One big problem with restitution for slavery and that will be the one problem I’ll focus in this post, because it is a big enough problem by itself to make it a bad idea, is that it would open up new holes and other avenues for other communities to jump in. And say, “hey what about us, we’ve been discriminated against by the United States Government because of our race or ethnicity as well. Where’s our compensation?”

I’m not trying to put this lightly, but has the African-American community been through the worst or racial or ethnic bigotry in America? Maybe, but the American-Indian community who has it worst and has had it worst since the African slaves were officially freed hundred and fifty years ago. Could say, “the Europeans stole all of our land and we want to back.” They would be right to with that and they could say, “this is our country and we are going to decide who get’s to stay and who has to go.”

Japanese, Italian and German-Americans could say, what about us? How about World War II and being forced to live in those detainment camps simply because of our ethnic heritage and the Roosevelt Administration holding us against our will because they thought we were on the side of Japan, Italy and Germany during World War II.” Their motherlands even though a lot of these people had been loyal Americans for over hundred years at that point when they started immigrating to America from Japan, Italy and Germany.

Is racism still a problem in this country and do we still have racists? Sure and by the way not all racists in America can track their roots back to Europe. No race of people has a monopoly on racism or tolerance. But the bigger problem and an issue that can be addressed by government that we could all fix together is empowering people regardless of race and ethnicity to be able to live in freedom. Making liberal democracy work for all Americans and that get’s to things like infrastructure. Having a real national infrastructure system that builds up the communities that have been left behind. And a quality education and job training system for everyone so we all can have the skills needed to live in freedom.

Thom Hartmann: Dr. King's Economic Bill of Rights

Source:The New Democrat   

President Franklin Roosevelt had an Economic Bill of Rights that he released to the public after the New Deal. He tried to pass it in I believe 1944 and it had similar goals to what Thom Hartmann was talking about in Dr. King’s Social and Economic Bill of Rights. Right to a job, right to a good income, right to not want. I guess meaning not to be selfish. Right to health care and probably health insurance as well. And a right to education. President Roosevelt didn’t get his bill passed, but this was to be the next phase of his administration. But he died before he could get it passed through Congress.

And Thom Hartmann in what he was saying about Dr. King was basically the same goals. Past racial equality under law the next goal of the United Sates was to achieved economic equality as well. That regardless of race that all Americans should be have a good life in America and not to have to live in poverty at all. That these things are so important and critical to American democracy that the Federal Government should guarantee these things when American capitalism fails to achieve them.

This wouldn’t be my approach as a Liberal. I’m all for equal treatment under law regardless of race. And other classes as well and I’m also for the right to a good education. That we all deserve as Americans the right to be able to go to good schools and have good teachers. And those are really government’s main two roles when it comes to the economy. To see that everyone has a good opportunity to be able to do as well as they can and what they do with those opportunities is up to them. And have to live with the consequences of their decisions for good and bad.

Salon Magazine: Fred Jerome: 'Lets Nationalize Fox News, Imagining a Very Different Media'

Source:The New Democrat

Imagine a country where the state meaning the central government controlled all the news and media. I know in the 21st Century that is very hard to imagine with so much of the world moving in a least in a Democratic direction if not a liberal democratic direction. And even countries in the Middle East and not just Turkey and Israel can people there get access to non-state-owned media and Saudi Arabia is one of them thanks to satellite TV, the internet and smart phones.

So this is really not possible anymore, but let’s say somehow the United States nationalized the media here at least the domestic media. And now you have the Federal Government with the National Security Agency and everything else now in control of even more information. And who get’s to see it and when. Even if you can forget about the fact that this would be unconstitutional because of our first amendment. Meaning this could and would never happen.

All of that power and information inside of the hands of the people with the power in the country getting to decide for the most part what we can read and listen to or watch. And when we could do those things. Now if you are going to imagine these things, you might as well imagine living in jail because the same thing happens there. You can’t have a Democracy especially a liberal democracy something that is covered a lot on this blog, without Freedom of the Press and the ability for people to get the information they need to be able to managed their own lives. It is really this simple, you put the power of media in the hands of government, you get what they want you to hear, when they want you to hear it.

What I just asked you to do, was to imagine a nightmare. Unless you are a fascist and statist who is so power-hungry that you can’t imagine anyone especially not with your government and political faction having any real power of their own affairs. That you see people as stupid, who can’t control things like information and how they get it and can’t manage their own affairs. What Fred Jerome is proposing here, especially to nationalize Fox News simply because it is kicking MSNBC’s butt in ratings, is nothing more than pure leftist statism and fascism. That the Far-Left likes to accuse the Right of all the time.