Saturday, February 27, 2010

About the new missile defense agency logo dust-up...

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!

Get over it!

You lost the election. Move on with your lives. There's nothing to see here.

Take a deep breath and fringe and purge.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Dear John...

Could you have looked any crankier, any lamer, any more impotent in Thursday's Health Care Summit? I can't imagine how.

What a crotchety weenie you were. Even when you smiled and laughed you seemed like a weenie.

You lost, John, get over it.

I used to really like you; I did. I was pulling for you against Bush in 2000 (but I probably would have pulled for a chimp that year), but you've become almost a bad joke with a worse punchline. Not that you care, but I feel badly for you. I feel almost sorry for you... almost.

I like your wife and daughter a
whole lot more than you.

Good luck, John, in your campaign against a tea-partying Phoenix sportscaster, and not a very good sportscaster at that. It should be a nice closer to your political career, that and having given us all Sarah Palin.

Wow. Thanks again for that one, JC.

You're a national hero and that's the truth; you deserve everyone's respect and
thanks, but you'd be far better off if you didn't speak anymore because when you do you garner anything but respect, and many of us would be far more thankful if you just buttoned it and moved on, if you just let the memories of you remain golden.

With kindest regards... a former fan

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Imagine if you will...

For those who might have watched today's health care summit/debate, I'd like to play a thought game with you.

Put in your mind a room with an enormous square table.

Imagine a group of people sitting around that table, a group comprised of key members of the US Congress, including senators and congressmen and congresswoman.

Imagine the President of the United States and his Vice-President sitting at that same table.

Imagine everyone taking part, and for the most part contributing to moving things forward. A congressman speaks, a senator speaks, the president speaks, a congresswoman speaks, the vice president speaks; everyone speaks.

Got the images?

Now, imagine that the President in the room is George W. Bush.

Jarring, isn't it.

This summit obviously didn't happen when he was in office, but the truth of it is this: a summit like this never would have happened under President Bush even if members of his own party asked for it. This could only happen with someone like Barack Obama. Bush simply didn't have the tools, the skills to pull something like this off.

Even if nothing comes of this, you'd have to be a complete jerk if you didn't see and admit how hard Obama's trying, how hard he's working to get this done, to get real health care reform. The cynics will say it's a stunt, but fortunately the cynics aren't POTUS.

After watching the health care summit...

...I have one word for the Democrats: Reconciliation!

Do it. Do it now. Pass the public option with reconciliation. Extend Medicare to people 55 and over.

The Republican'ts don't give a flying f@ck about anyone or anything but their talking points. They don't. They want to obstruct. They want to block Obama. That's all.

The Democrats need to stop acting like a bunch of pussies and just get this thing done and move things forward, because the Repos don't care about real reform. This is obvious to
anyone who pays attention for even 5 minutes.

The Repos just want Obama to fail. Full stop.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Hey bass players, here's a tip for saving big money!

If you're a bass player who appreciates excellent, thoroughly playable instruments, and you're considering purchasing a collectible "vintage" Fender Precision Bass or Jazz Bass, you can expect to spend from $4000 to as much as $15,000, depending on condition, OHSC, etc.

And if your plan is to play out with it you'll have to deal with the ravages of time, which do not treat all bass guitars equally or necessarily well: the truss rod might be at its tightest setting; the OHSC will have broken hinges or a broken handle or worse; the neck might have a warp; the frets might need simple dressing or complete replacement; the pickup might be dead or dying; all manner of things might be at issue with your new prize.

And,
if your plan is to play out with it, you'll then have to insure it, but considering its rarity, it'll be virtually irreplaceable, so insurance will be dear if you want to insure it for what you paid for it.

So, instead of going that route, consider this one: buy a Sadowsky Ultra-Vintage P or J Bass*.

What you'll get for less than $4,000 is an incredibly playable and great-sounding bass guitar that is hand-built to original Fender specs, in any "vintage" Fender color you want (including Fiesta Red,
Olympic White, or Lake Placid Blue), and a bass which I would argue sounds way better than a 45-plus-year-old, fragile, belt-rashed and battle-scarred warhorse that's potentially on its last legs, in need of expensive and collectibility-killing work, and that you'd be afraid to take out of the closet let alone the house.

No, you're right, a new Sadowsky Ultra-Vintage Bass won't give you the gravitas, the collectible appeal of a "vintage" Fender, but this is entirely subjective and relative: something is only worth what you paid for it, or more, if someone else is willing to pay that amount. You were, but will someone else be?

And who knows? Roger's Ultra-Vintage basses might find their own "ultra-vintage" niche in 20 or 30 years or so, and until then you'll have a spectacularly fine and completely playable instrument that you bought at a fraction of the cost of a "vintage" Fender, and Sadowsky's insanely good build quality will help assure your Ultra-Vintage Bass will handle that two or three decades in style and emerge in fine shape.

Heck, you could buy two Ultra-Vintage Basses and still be ahead of the game.

For what this might be worth.

*I am in no way affiliated with Sadowksy Guitars. I'm simply a bass player who plays and loves their great basses.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

G-Nope-P...

According to a recent Associated Press article, some in the Grand Nope Party are "wary of pitfalls" in President Obama's call for a health care summit.

The AP writer, Charles Babington, reports these Republican'ts are concerned that Obama might be "laying a trap for" them, that this trap might expose their lack of ideas, might "portray their ideas as flimsy."

Seriously? They're only concerned about this because of a proposed sit-down with the President?

This odd concern once again proves the cluelessness of the Repos. Their lack of ideas is already exposed and they don't even realize it.

Hey Repos! Wake up! Everyone can see you're wearing no clothes and it isn't pretty; no amount of TV exposure is going to make it any worse for you.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Super Bowl certainly was...

I'm listening to the sports media yack today about yesterday's Super Bowl, but especially all the Peyton Manning bashing that's going on. Instead of bashing him, and talking about his interception, they should be talking about how good New Orleans was as a team, from quarterback to kickers to coaches.

Wow.

I'm sure Manning and his Colts feel lousy. Maybe if their receivers had caught more balls. Maybe if Freeney and Wayne had been healthy. Maybe if their kicker had put that field-goal through the uprights. Maybe if their special team had secured the on-side kick. Maybe if Manning had not thrown that late interception.

All these maybes. But Indianapolis didn't lose this game: New Orleans won it. And to say anything else is unfair to both teams.

Rather than talk maybes, talk certainties, and the greatest certainty from that game was that New Orleans played like a team and won the game, and deservedly so. And if anyone wants to extrapolate a larger point from the metaphor of New Orleans-the-team that overcame disaster, that came back, that worked together toward a common goal, well feel free.

But here's one last certainty: the Super Bowl certainly was a great football game, the Saints should be proud of themselves, and the city should be proud of its team.