Randy Newman -- A Few Words in Defense of Our Country

Rolling Stone Magazine named Newman's song the 2nd Best Song of 2007

Now in my 40s, I cheerfully cede my need to stay on top of popular music to my children and their generation. So I've never heard of M.I.A., whom Rolling Stone has placed on the top of their list of Top 50 Albums of 2007. However, I did love The White Stripes (#17), Youssou N'Dour (#30) and Maroon 5 (#32), so at least I knew a few on the list.

What music stood out to you last year?

Tomorrow morning's New York Times Magazine pays tribute to those who passed away in 2007, including the blogosphere's own Steve Gilliard.

UPDATE: John Amato: Jesse Wendell of "The Group News Blog" corrects some of the mistakes Matt Bai made in his article.

Gilly didn't lead a lonely life. It was rich and filled day to day with his work, family, friends and sports. From his niece and nephew, his mother and father, to his co-publisher Jen, and the bloggers and friends he hung out with on a regular basis in person and on-line, this was a man who had a full, rich life.

Gilly was a true friend to me. We talked on the phone and emailed quite often. He was a source of incredible encouragement to C&L and gave me solid advice numerous times on blogging and life in general. Please celebrate the life that is Steve Gilliard. He'll always be missed...

Open Thread below...

A Tiny Revolution: When we murder millions, we don't just do it for fun! We have reasons !

Ali Eteraz: The cover of the this month's American Conservative magazine depicts Giuliani in a Fascist uniform

Feministing: Scare tactics and intimidation used against Planned Parenthood Clinic

The Left Coaster: Admittance to the Other Reality

Whiskey Fire: From the perspective of our lazy, script-loving press, Edwards is No Fun

Washington Monthly: Are conservatives just incompetent? Or is it their ideology? Some blame Democrats for the diasastrous BUSHCO reign

Good Magazine:

Throughout the developed world the business surrounding death has often been an uneasy topic of discussion. Originating in the mid-19th Century, the modern funeral has evolved into an economic and cultural monster, with a vast network of supporting industries and myriad options for your earthly remains. ...This original GOOD Magazine animation takes you inside the business of death.

ABA Journal:

...we asked 50 defense attorneys who’ve worked on federal terrorism cases since 9/11 their opinions of the legal war on terror. (We also asked 50 prosecutors, but U.S. Department of Justice spokesman Dean Boyd told assistant U.S. attorneys across the country not to participate. He declined to tell us his reason.)

Memo to Mr. Boyd, Esq.: This is the American Bar Association asking you. Remember? The ones who gave a unanimous "well-qualified" rating to Samuel Alito? We're not talking those commies at the National Lawyer's Guild, radical journalists at Mother Jones Magazine or some Nazi/KKK blackmailing leftwing blog, heh. What exactly are you afraid of? That attorneys supposedly working FOR you might express the same common sense opinions shown above?

Michael Savage went after CSPAN and Brian Lamb because they had the audacity to not cover his..get this...the Talker's Magazine "Freedom of Speech" award...The reason was because Savage sent in a DVD of his speech instead of appearing live at the event he was being honored at so CSPAN declined to cover the event.. During last week's telecast---CSPAN showed the vicious and misinformed emails that were sent to Lamb and CSPAN...And the Savage man is now charging his followers 22.00 bucks to buy the DVD. What a deal...

Download | play Download | play

Why don't you contact the Savage Nation and let Weiner know that C&L'ers understand a thing called the truth and to please stop the false accusations against CSPAN.

Michael Savage

michaelsavage@paulreveresociety.com

Talk Radio Network

Talk Radio Network

Talk Radio Network

P.O. Box 3755

Central Point, Oregon 97502

Phone: 541-664-8827

Fax: 541-664-6250

Think Progress has it too....

Media Matters has another post on Savage's homophobia...

Time Magazine has made Al Gore this week's cover story, as well as offering an excerpt of Al's new book, The Assault On Reason:

American democracy is now in danger-not from any one set of ideas, but from unprecedented changes in the environment within which ideas either live and spread, or wither and die. I do not mean the physical environment; I mean what is called the public sphere, or the marketplace of ideas.

It is simply no longer possible to ignore the strangeness of our public discourse. I know I am not alone in feeling that something has gone fundamentally wrong. In 2001, I had hoped it was an aberration when polls showed that three-quarters of Americans believed that Saddam Hussein was responsible for attacking us on Sept. 11. More than five years later, however, nearly half of the American public still believes Saddam was connected to the attack.

While Al Gore is still not committing to whether or not he will toss his hat in the presidential ring (he says "he's fallen out of love with politics"), Smoking Politics guarantees he will be attacked next week --for daring to say the truth about how dishonest political discourse has become.

(thanks to Nicole for her assistance)

Writer's Almanac: (h/t Pastor Dan)

It was on this day in 1988 that the Supreme Court issued an important decision in the history of satire in the case of Hustler Magazine v. Jerry Falwell. The court ruled that satire of a public figure - no matter how vulgar, insulting, or even false - is protected by the First Amendment.

The Quotations Page:

I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.

Voltaire, (Attributed)
French author, humanist, rationalist, & satirist (1694 - 1778)

Left In Aboite: The news director of a public radio station in Santa Fe, New Mexico has instructed his staff to ignore national stories that quote unnamed sources.

AxisofLogic:  Spreading democracy...  

Mercury Rising: Fight back! You have the power to stop the flow of cash to that ditch-crawlin' waste of skin, William Donahue (h/t  Agitprop)

Oliver Willis: House Democrats make a dumbass move

Here's an interesting profile on Blogtogenarian, Robert Stein.  The 82-year-old former magazine editor and chairman of the American Society of Magazine Editors, is the proprietor of a political blog--linked here recently--Connecting.the.Dots.  Keep punchin', Bob!

OFF THE BEATEN PATH: Out of My Head...Morning Martini,,,Machination.org...Stalin's Crayon

There are literally dozens of snarky remarks floating through my head over this. Like will they include Camus and three Shakespeares in his library? However, for a president so preternaturally concerned over his "legacy", this has gotta hurt.

Raw Story:

Southern Methodist University is one of the three schools that may play host to the presidential library of George W. Bush, along with the University of Dallas and Baylor University.

The blog of Paul Burka, the senior executive editor of the magazine Texas Monthly, includes excerpts of a letter written to SMU's president by faculty, administrators, and staff of the university's Perkins School of Theology, worrying about siting the library at the university. In it, they say they would:

...regret to see SMU enshrine attitudes and actions widely deemed as ethically egregious: degradation of habeas corpus, outright denial of global warming, flagrant disregard for international treaties, alienation of long-term U.S. allies, environmental predation, shameful disrespect for gay persons and their rights, a pre-emptive war based on false and misleading premises, and a host of other erosions of respect for the global human community and for this good Earth on which our flourishing depends.

Read on...