We live close enough to the Kodak Theater that the persistent buzz of the Oscars’ Goodyear blimp was echoing through our windows all morning. Thankfully, we had a date in Santa Monica at the Election Reform Teach-in sponsored by CitizensAct.org which kept us busy most of the day and night and well out of range of the constant copters, blimps and Joan Rivers.
On the other hand, it also meant that we missed the entire Awards show. Did we actually miss anything? Or did we just not see it? Feel free to blog back in comments and let us know.
We’re a bit too tired to blog too much more this evening other than a quick report from Santa Monica and one quick tease for a story coming tomorrow…
The event was tremendous, and packed to the gills. Standing room only. The speakers were all Election Reform All-Stars plus yours truly. Bob Fitrakis of the Columbus Free Press lit the joint on fire as he opened in lieu of Rep. Maxine Waters who was late coming from the airport. She made it, and followed in fine fettle. As did the Green Party’s Blair Bobier (spokesman for David Cobb), Bev Harris of BBV, Kevin Spidel of PDA and other illuminaries too numerous to mention before the orchestra plays us off.
We had a great time talking about some of the adventures here on BRAD BLOG and Velvet Revolution’s brand-spanking-new “Divestiture for Democracy” campaign which seemed to make a tremendously good impression. (Have you signed the letter there yet?…No worries, it’s so brand-spanking-new we’ve hardly given it a proper introduction here, but we will).
Thanks to those of you who came out to say hello. It was great to put some faces to some of the user names. Even to those of DU’ers 😉
It was also a delight to learn we have so many loyal readers who we didn’t know (too shy to post in comments?!), but we’re happy to have made some swell new friends and a couple of interesting connections to boot. We even picked up some inside Clint Curtis skinny from a few folks who shall remain nameless for the moment…and for their own safety.
And before we drop off from exhaustion, or you do, we’ll just tease briefly that … on Monday … only on The BRAD BLOG … our friend Tom Feeney gets caught once again flashing his Yang in public… This time with pictures to help set the scene. More on that tomorrow…
Until then, please consider this thread now open until further notice…
I watched the Chris Rock monologue on Crooks & Liars. It was pretty good until the end where he thanked the troops for "fighting for freedom". That phrase ruined it for me.
I don’t watch that shit that comes out of corporate Hollywood. It’s just a parade of surguically altered fleshy protuberances that house the mammary glands of these robotic female Barbie Dolls that pass as great talents. Not worth the ticket for me.
I did see "Honey, I shrunk the Kids", though, and I enjoyed it.
"surgically".
And the men… give me Zorro and I’ll attend.
Nice write-up about and link to Velvet Revolution’s Divestiture Campaign at http://www.votecobb.org/#recount under the Recount News section. Go Green!
I don’t watch that crap, although I was pissed that Desperate Housewives got bumped. I like Morgan Freeman though.
Now it’s, let’s pick a fight with the Russians time.
Good on Vermont.
Yes, Cheryl, Good on Vermont! It should be happening all over the place. and #9 provides food for thought, too. It’s hilarious to listen to McCain attacking Putin, and Bush, last week, attacking Putin, too, for engaging in behavior that the US seems to hold multiple patents on…
And if I were sitting on a sea of oil I’d damn well insist on owning the one weapon that even the feral oiligarchy balks at!
Didn’t see the awards (never do) but I did see both Million Dollar Baby and The Aviator. I thought the choice for Million Dollar Baby was on target. For me, that movie was about being true to one’s self in life choices and death choices.
I also notice that I’ve never been in a theatre where at the end no one could get up to leave. That led me to ponder. It seems to me that Eastwood successfully took us through all of the stages of grieving…to final acceptance…whereas a lot of films leave you in anger…or denial…or somewhere in between…sometimes justifiably so. But still, that films do that was new to me.
The Aviator was also good. I am an advocate for genius and adore it any one of them beats any corrupt or ill-run system.
Cheryl #9 –
Maine and New Hampshire have town meetings too. Ours is coming up. Maybe we could do the same thing. Although (*sigh*) it’s probably too late to circulate the requisite petitions.
You go Peg C! At least raise the issue! And Miss Persistent, watch Walkabout and try to stand up after it’s over…
Uh, oh Czaragorn…will I make it through Walkabout? What’s the basic premise?
This is sick! Support our troops indeed! And what of the countless millions of citizens who were and continue to be exposed to this stuff. Murderers! War criminals! When is someone going to have the balls to do something about this???
Was at CitizensAct Saturday and Sunday (in back in standing room Sunday due to taking too long finding parking, still glad to get in at all after long drive from the OC). Thanks for coming and for all your efforts and support to restore and protect democracy in this country. Your presentation was great. Good work. Thanks. I’m new to your blog but will return as time allows. Will be doing what I can to help the cause.
Hey Ken!
Welcome!
Only in a fantasy-land like Hollywood do people we’ve never met give awards to people we’ll never meet for movies filmed at places we’ve never been to about characters we can’t relate to, while other people we don’t want to meet spend months telling us how important it all is.
Only in a fantasy-land like the United States could two presidential elections in a row get stolen, yet could more people care who was Best Supporting Actor in a film they’ve never seen while telling us to "get over" the election they won’t discuss with people they don’t want to talk to anyway.
But there’s hope, as long as we have Brad and others who care about what’s real in the world.
"We even picked up some inside Clint Curtis skinny …"
Cool.
A poster claiming to be "Chuck" showed up on The Oviedo Voice thread.
He has the same obfuscating style as Chuck Noles did in the dialogue with you. It could be him.
However, new things have turned up which led me to conclude that it could be a plant doing the posting.
I have a hypothesis that The Oviedo Voice has a working relationship with The Publishers Ink.
I say that because Network Solutions includes Diana Jernigan as a person associated with The Oviedo Voice website. Diana Jernigan works at The Publishers Ink.
Someone at The Publishers Ink by the name of Chris Jernigan does websites.
Another person working at The Publishers Ink is Joe Irvin.
The Publishers Ink claims that "He has held high-level communications positions with a major political party, with the State of California, and most recently, with the cutting-edge Fuel Cell Partnership, a consortium of the major auto makers." (bold added). Why do they not reveal which political party?
So, whether my hypothesis becomes a theory depends on whether or not I can make predictions and they hold.
I am predicting that Joe Irvin is a news operative of the news manipulating kind. Another prediction is that he worked for the republican party.
If that pans out then the hypothesis may be able to become a theory. Hey, that’s how science works.
And if not, you throw the hypothesis away and do some other fun story.
Can’t wait to hear the news. We gotta make the truth fun …
nite all.
The Oscars are a huge waste of money and resources that should be immediately going to fed, cloth and shelter the hungry and homeless. Same goes for the Olympics.
I really enjoyed Donnie Darko and Eternal Sunshine though.
PS-
"Hollywood is leading our children down a moral sewer."
–Homer J Simpson
Brad,
FYI; another big scandal is being developing….
At first, this does not seem to be strongly related to the Election Reform but think again…
Check this up:
http://www.sfbayview.com/081804...um081804.shtml
Doc for Truth #19 –
God. Of course we’d all heard about the effects of DU on the Iraqui civilian population from Gulf War I, whic was scandalous enough. This beats all. This country isn’t going to hell in a handbasket; it’s travelling by supersonic jet.
Peg C,
Read more on #16. It’ll make you sick.
Miss Persistent, I guarantee you’ll make it through and be enchanted. It’s about life…
The Emperor’s Potemkin Visits.
The absolute height of hypocrisy!
Go get them, people!
Vietnamese sue over use of Agent Orange during war.
Wah! Wah! Condi cancels visit to Canada while having a temper tantrum.
If you don’t play what we want, we’ll take our toys and go home!
Wells Fargo is supporting the troops.
Here’s a real
*man of God*:
"There are some people that you just have to kill if you want to live in a civilized society……This is a battle between civilization and barbarism." said Land, who also serves as president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Says it with a straight face and doesn’t seem to know that they are the barbarians.
Dexter Kamilewicz definitely supports the troops!
Thanks a boodle, Cheryl – Now I’ve got food for thought for a long time, and that’s just today’s links! If this not-necessarily-gracefully-aging hippy were ever through some simple twist of fate, as someone might say, made POTUS (although I despise the acronym, like anyone else I’d accept the mantle were it thrust on me, and in fact I’d snatch it up with great gusto), I’d make sure you were there to give me the latest news (note I avoided terms like "to give me the lowdown" or "to brief me" – Guckygate has poisoned many wells, indeed) each morning. Unlike JFK, who famously read the "seven major dailies" each morning before seven (while the ritalin was kicking in, no doubt), I would read as many blogs as I could, and rely on you to bring the blockbusters I missed. Thanks again…
Hoo haa!
Back to Gannon Guckie! Slaughter and Conyers make FOI request to Homeland Security.
Aw shucks Czaragorn….isn’t that a nice thing to say to a gal?
Here we go again, this time with Syria.
The newest addition to neighbourhoods. Coming soon to a suburb near you, missile launchers. Yes, you too can enjoy the beauty of these multi-purpose missile launchers. Everyone needs one! (Yep GW, everybody definitely feels safer in the good old US of A)
Bubba wins reprieve! (Good thing he doesn’t live in Texas)
This is why Bushco is fighting the Agent Orange case. So they can continue to use these horrible weapons on people.
"He is a torturer, a murderer, they had rape rooms. This is a disgusting tyrant who deserves justice, the ultimate justice," he said in a US television interview."
Who is this person talking about? No, not GW silly. This is GWB speaking about Saddam shortly after his capture. Hard to tell though, isn’t it?