Top 11 Differences Between Steve Miller Who Led The IRS and Steve Miller Who Led The Steve Miller Band

11. One told the story of how Detective Bobby Mack investigated burglars Billie Joe and Bobbie Sue; the other had detectives investigate Churches that protested abortion

10. One is perfectly willing to perform at your fundraiser for as little as $2,000; the other will perform a forensic tax investigation on donors to your fundraiser

9. Miles Davis said one "didn't have his sh#t going for him;" Congress said the same thing about the other

8. One sings "Fly Like an Eagle;" the other audits organizations that use American Eagles as their symbols

7. One is rotated on the play list of KQRS about 35 times per day; the other is involved in an ethics violation about 35 times per day

6. One wants to know why your group is praying; the other knows you are praying for him to stop performing his awful music

5. When one sings "Abracadabra," listeners vomit; when the other says "Abracadabra," conservatives are audited

4. One is a picker, a grinner, a lover and a sinner; the other is just a sinner

3. One has an awful 1970's hairstyle; the other released awful 1970's rock albums

2. Allegedly, one had a three-way with Ann and Nancy Wilson; the other ogled Beyoncé's cleavage at Michelle Obama's birthday party

1. One is the gangster of love; the other is the gangster of Obama

Mark Dayton’s Top 11 Surprise Ways to Finance the New Vikings Stadium

One of the key funding mechanisms for the new Vikings stadium, revenue from electronic pull tabs, has lagged far behind projections.  In a press conference Wednesday, Governor Dayton announced that he has a back-up plan for making up the shortfall, but that the plan is “a surprise”. 

The investigative journalists at Nihilist in Golf Pants have uncovered Mark Dayton’s top 11 surprise ways to finance the new Vikings stadium: *spoiler alert*

11. Sell the Renoirs at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts

10. Gay wedding tax

9. Create a new Futility Tax to be imposed on the Wild every time they fail to score a goal on the power play during the playoffs
 

8. Borrow the trillion dollar coin from President Obama

7. Three-and-out tax

6. Declare anyone going through MSP airport a resident and make them file MN state income tax

5. Annex North Dakota and tax the people creating jobs there

4. Punter excise tax

3. Raise the beer excise tax 6000% as the DFL's current 600% proposal is mere peanuts

2. Set up a trust in South Dakota to fund it, and build it in Wisconsin with non-union labor

1. Convince out of state donors that building a plush Vikings stadium will help defeat Michele Bachmann

If He Could Walk On Water

The media has made a big deal about Marco Rubio's disastrous speech this week.  He had flop sweat and cotton mouth during his response to President Obama's State of the Union address.

If only he could speak well, the media would likely praise him.  After all, Obama's entire presidency has consisted of high unemployment and low economic growth, yet everyone loves him.

The low point in Rubio's response came when, while discussing the failures of the Obama administration, he committed the sin of reaching for a glass of water.  I think Eddie Money once wrote a song about him:

I am Marco Rubio, and I'm a big time Republican.
I think the economy's bad, and the unemployment lines are jammed.
Obamacare will make us sick and the wars go on without end.
I was the one who voted for the guns, and put money in the rich man’s hand.

Gimme some water!
I'm for amnesty at the Mexican border.
Cool, cool water…
Gimme some water.
I need a little water…

Romney gave up so fast, then the torch passed to me one day,
Said, “You’re a big star man – time to take a stand –
You'll be runnin’ for President some day.”
So I sat to give a speech that would be heard across the land
Till the lights got hot, my mouth got dry, and my star crashed to the land.

Gimme some water!
I'm for amnesty at the Mexican border.
Cool, cool water…
Gimme some water.

Oh, Jeez, I can’t control my glands!
I’m sweating like I just ran a marathon!
Now in 2016, I got no room to run!
Shouldn't have voted like I did for those NRA funds!

Hey, hey, yeah!

Gimme some water!
I'm for amnesty at the Mexican border.
Cool, cool water…
Gimme some water.

Can’t you… see them long white robes
Hangin’ from people who think like me?
It's not true, of course - but media's out in force
Republicans must stay a minority.
America elected a man no one understands –
Now let's pray – are we still allowed to pray?
Obama will kick my ass.
My campaign's dyin’ gasp, America could hear me say,

Gimme some water!
I'm for amnesty at the Mexican border.
Cool, cool water…
Gimme some water.

Rush Goes Liberal?

I've written before over at Fraters about the fact that the entertainment industry loves to give awards to liberals.

I am also a fan of the Canadian rock and roll power trio Rush.  Rush has been around for four decades and has over a dozen studio albums.  While they have not had chart topping hits, they have been successful enough to have dozens of songs receiving regular airplay on album oriented rock (now known as "classic rock") stations.

Rush has achieved a level of success similar to bands such as Pink Floyd, Genesis, Aerosmith, ZZ Top, or AC/DC, whether you define success by record sales, tour sales, longevity or radio airplay.  However, the other examples the I mentioned are members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an honor that has alluded Rush.  One has to ask why?

Like many bands of the progressive genre, Rush sang songs about mythology and heroes and monsters in concept albums that revolved around a theme.  One topic unique to Rush was the literature of Ayn Rand and libertarian thought.  Their album 2112 contains many references to Rand's novel "Anthem."  Perhaps the Hall of Fame has held this against them?

This year, Rush was named to the list of inductees to the hall.  I wonder what they did to earn that honor?  Perhaps they reworked their classic song "The Spirit of Radio"?  I'd imagine it would be easy to make it into "Spirit of Right Wing Talk Radio"!

Begin the day with an angry voice
A companion so abusive
Same old song that's not inclusive
And the right wing news that makes your morning blue

All of the day, how they love to goad
Beck and Limbaugh  point their fingers
Hannity and bitter clingers
Unwilling to listen in their group think solitude

[Chorus:]
Racist dog whistles crackle with life
Attack machines bristle with the energy
Dumb caller feedback across the wavelength
Oh, what a shame that their speech is still free

All this machinery serving corporate interests
Is always so cold hearted
Your outrage is charted
With no regard at all for their honesty, yeah
Their honesty
One would like to believe in the doctrine of fairness
But corporate prizes that disdain compromises
Shatter the illusion of integrity

[Chorus]

Talking points of Koch brothers were written on the studio wall
Repeat them all!
And echoes with the sounds of Goldline salesmen

High Style

Apparently Michelle Obama's election night dress was a big hit.  Copies have sold out in two days.  Here is the knockoff dress:

 



and here is Michelle on election night, wearing the original:

Miss Scarlett, In the DNC, With the Microphone

Sources tell me that Scarlett Johansson planned to do a take-off on Clint Eastwood's empty chair speech.  The run-through didn't go so well:

Johansson: Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you
very much. 

(APPLAUSE)

I know what you are thinking. You are thinking, what's an actress here? The answer is that I had to sleep with a lot of people to get this spot.  Rahm, you are really freaky, and I don't mean that in a good way.

(POINTS TO EMPTY CHAIR)
So I -- so I've got Mr. Romney sitting here. And he's -- I was going to ask him a couple of questions. But -- you know about -- I remember a week ago, when Mr. Romney won his party's nomination. And though I was not a big supporter, I was watching that night when he was having that thing and they were talking about tax cuts for the rich and gutting Medicare. Then I found out that there is 23 million unemployed people in this country, all because of Bain Capital.
   
(APPLAUSE)
   
Now that is something to cry for because that is a disgrace, a national disgrace, and we haven't done enough, obviously -- Bain Capital hasn't done enough to cure that. Whenever interest they have is not strong enough, and I think possibly now it maybe time for these rich people to go away so we can solve the problem.

(APPLAUSE)

So, Mr. Romney, Why do you want the rich people to get tax breaks and why don't any of them pay taxes? I mean, what do you say to people? Do you just -- you know -- I know -- people were wondering -- you don't -- handle that OK.
Why, won't you close Gitmo?-- what do you mean Obama doesn't even support closing Gitmo?
   
(CONFUSED LAUGHTER)
   
OK, I thought maybe it was just because somebody had the great idea of trying terrorists in downtown New York City.
   
(APPLAUSE)
   
I've got to to hand it to you. I have to give credit where credit is due.    I know you were  responsible for the war in Iraq, and the war in Afghanistan. Why didn't you check with the Russians to see how did it -- they did there for 10 years before you committed us to that war.
   
(APPLAUSE)
And I thought -- I thought, yeah -- what do you mean you were not a part of government when that war started?

(CONFUSED APPLAUSE)
   
So anyway, we're going to have -- we're going to have to have a little chat about that. And then, I just wondered, all these promises -- I wondered about when the -- what do you want me to tell
Hollywood? I can't tell them to do that. I can't tell them to be fair.
   
(APPLAUSE)
   
You're crazy, you're absolutely crazy. You're getting as bad as Hitler.
   
(APPLAUSE)
Rich people are evil!

(APPLAUSE)

Yes, I made $20 million for my role in "The Avengers." But that is different! I am an actor, and actors reflect truth to society.  I think it would be a good idea for an actor to be the president.
   
(CONFUSED APPLAUSE)
OK, well anyway. All right, I'm sorry.  Ronald who?

(APPLAUSE)
   
I would just like to say something, ladies and gentlemen. Something that I think is very important. It is that, you, we -- we belong to this government.
   
(APPLAUSE)

And -- so -- it's time for us to come around and beg for votes every few years. It is the same old deal. But I just think it is important that you realize , that Republicans have not done the job, we
got to let them go.
   
(APPLAUSE)
What do you mean Obama's been President for 43 months!  If that were true, unemployment wouldn't be so high and the economy wouldn't be so crappy.

Free Pussy Riot

UPDATED - to add result of trial and include a closing statement from Nadezhda Tolokonnikova

I'm a little bit surprised that the blogosphere isn't more fired up over the most recent crack down on civil liberties in Russia.  The American media has generally been lax to report on totalitarian strongmen that deny civil rights to their citizens.  Yet occasionally, violence in Tianamen Square or the fall of the Berlin Wall forces them to take notice.  I would have thought the treatment of Russian punk rock band Pussy Riot might intrigue them into some sort of reporting.  However, it has been lax.

For those that don't follow the story, Pussy Riot is a collective of young Russian women that play thrashy hard core punk songs protesting their totalitarian government.  Since I don't speak Russian, I'm taking this on faith, as I can't understand the lyrics.  There are a bunch of them, and they wear masks on their faces (reminiscent of the American Wrestling Associan's Super Destroyer Mark II) so the authorities cannot identify them. 

They call themselves feminists, and unlike American feminists, want something more substantial than government funded birth control.  They want reforms to a government that is reverting back to its old Soviet legacy.

Interestingly, Vladimir Putin, in his consolidation of power, seems to have found an ally in the Russian Orthodox Church.  Because of this, last February (2012) Pussy Riot staged an uninvited performance at the Church of Christ the Savior in Moscow.  They subsequently released video of the event as part of a music video for their song, "Punk Prayer: Mother of God Drive Putin Away."  Here is the video (without subtitles, but effectively shows what happened):

Afterward, three members of the band were tracked down, arrested, charged with hooliganism, and are were recently found guilty, facing two years of prison.  Two years of prison, for what looks to me to be an act of trespessing.  Clearly, the prosecution is an act against free speech by the Putin regime.  It is so obvious that usual leftists like Madonna and Sting have come out in support of Pussy Riot.  We at NIGP are happy to reach across the aisle in support of human rights, so we want to add our support to their just cause.

Reports suggest that some of the members of the band have fled Russia.  However, the band recently released a new song, "Putin Lights up the Fires."  I think it is the best song I've heard from them yet.

 

 

I will close with a powerful appeal for free speech from Nadezhda Tolokonnikova's closing statement at her trial:

 

I am overwhelmed that truth really does triumph over lies even though physically we are here in a cage. We are freer than the people sitting opposite us for the prosecution because we can say everything we like, and we do, but those people sitting there say only what political censorship allows them to say. They can’t speak words like “punk prayer” or "Virgin Mary, Banish Putin!” They can’t say the lines from our punk prayer that have to do with the political system. Perhaps they think it wouldn’t be a bad thing to send us to jail because we are rising up against Putin and his system as well but they can’t say so because that’s not allowed either. Their mouths are sewn shut. Unfortunately, they are mere puppets. I hope they realize this and also take the road to freedom, truth and sincerity because these are superior to stasis, contrived decency and hypocrisy. Stasis and the search for truth are always in opposition to one another and, in this case, at this trial, we can see people who are trying to find the truth and people who are trying to enslave those who want to find the truth.