On sale now. . .at Topco Sales.
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Friday, October 10, 2008
Paintings of Presidents 3 and 4 (Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, and James Monroe, the first President to wear pants)
click to enlarge
Thomas Jefferson stars on the five cent piece, a/k/a the nickel. He also fronts the notoriously unloved and unused $2 bill. Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, raised hemp at Monticello, bought Louisiana from France for $15 million, and probably fathered a child with his slave Sally Hemmings. Despite that, he's one of the good guys. Can you imagine how John Adams felt when he whupped him in the election? It's almost inconceivable from this vantage point to think Tom lost an election. . .
click to enlarge
President Madison served eight years each as Congressman, secretary of state, and POTUS. He played many parts in the founding of this country, and led the country through the War of 1812, which was, really, more or less a second war of independence.
Madison co-authored The Federalist Papers--a series of articles written under the pen name Publius with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay. These papers were intended to gain support for the proposed Constitution. The Federalist Papers are often studied in communications classes as a prime example of how to wage a successful P.R. campaign; the Papers are considered one of the greatest PR campaigns of all time.
We mainly remember James Madison as "Father of the Constitution." He was its leading defender and interpreter for 50 years. He is often considered a lackluster President, but in fact he accomplished a great deal without a lot of chest-thumping and flash. His wife Dolley Madison was a spitfire, and one of the best-loved first ladies of all time. James Madison is the only President to have two Vice Presidents die, and is the first President to wear pants instead of knee breeches.
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Bob Dylan's I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Met)
I forgot one Bob Dylan song....when I posted my list of favorite Dylan songs. . .the early, heartbreaking I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Met). Whew. Here is the tune, and lyrics:
I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)
I can't understand,
She let go of my hand
An' left me here facing the wall.
I'd sure like t' know
Why she did go,
But I can't get close t' her at all.
Though we kissed through the wild blazing nighttime,
She said she would never forget.
But now mornin's clear,
It's like I ain't here,
She just acts like we never have met.
It's all new t' me,
Like some mystery,
It could even be like a myth.
Yet it's hard t' think on,
That she's the same one
That last night I was with.
From darkness, dreams're deserted,
Am I still dreamin' yet?
I wish she'd unlock
Her voice once an' talk,
'Stead of acting like we never have met.
If she ain't feelin' well,
Then why don't she tell
'Stead of turnin' her back t' my face?
Without any doubt,
She seems too far out
For me t' return t' her chase.
Though the night ran swirling an' whirling,
I remember her whispering yet.
But evidently she don't
An' evidently she won't,
She just acts like we never have met.
If I didn't have t' guess,
I'd gladly confess
T' anything I might've tried.
If I was with 'er too long
Or have done something wrong,
I wish she'd tell me what it is, I'll run an' hide.
Though her skirt it swayed as a guitar played,
Her mouth was watery and wet.
But now something has changed
For she ain't the same,
She just acts like we never have met.
I'm leavin' today,
I'll be on my way
Of this I can't say very much.
But if you want me to,
I can be just like you
An' pretend that we never have touched.
An' if anybody asks me, "Is it easy to forget?"
I'll say, "It's easily done,
You just pick anyone,
An' pretend that you never have met!"
Copyright ©1964; renewed 1992 Special Rider Music
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I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)
I can't understand,
She let go of my hand
An' left me here facing the wall.
I'd sure like t' know
Why she did go,
But I can't get close t' her at all.
Though we kissed through the wild blazing nighttime,
She said she would never forget.
But now mornin's clear,
It's like I ain't here,
She just acts like we never have met.
It's all new t' me,
Like some mystery,
It could even be like a myth.
Yet it's hard t' think on,
That she's the same one
That last night I was with.
From darkness, dreams're deserted,
Am I still dreamin' yet?
I wish she'd unlock
Her voice once an' talk,
'Stead of acting like we never have met.
If she ain't feelin' well,
Then why don't she tell
'Stead of turnin' her back t' my face?
Without any doubt,
She seems too far out
For me t' return t' her chase.
Though the night ran swirling an' whirling,
I remember her whispering yet.
But evidently she don't
An' evidently she won't,
She just acts like we never have met.
If I didn't have t' guess,
I'd gladly confess
T' anything I might've tried.
If I was with 'er too long
Or have done something wrong,
I wish she'd tell me what it is, I'll run an' hide.
Though her skirt it swayed as a guitar played,
Her mouth was watery and wet.
But now something has changed
For she ain't the same,
She just acts like we never have met.
I'm leavin' today,
I'll be on my way
Of this I can't say very much.
But if you want me to,
I can be just like you
An' pretend that we never have touched.
An' if anybody asks me, "Is it easy to forget?"
I'll say, "It's easily done,
You just pick anyone,
An' pretend that you never have met!"
Copyright ©1964; renewed 1992 Special Rider Music
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Thursday, October 09, 2008
Paintings of The Presidents, in order, leading up to the election in 26 days: John Adams and George Washington
In honor of the Presidential race, about which there is virtually nothing to actually honor, we are reprinting Jack's portraits of the Presidents over the next 26 days up to the election. Here are POTUS 1 and 2, George Washington and John Adams.
More nonsense has been written about Washington than any other President (except the conspiracy theories around Jack Kennedy and LBJ, about whom more even gibberish has been written because his murder, and LBJ's alleged role in the "conspiracy" literally sparked an industry of conspiracy theorists.
Did young George chop down the cherry tree? Was he lying when he said "Father, I cannot tell a lie," which may be the biggest whopper of all time? "Father, I cannot tell a lie. I cut the tree," George says when asked by his father. This story elevated him into the pantheon and onto Rushmore. It is also bunk, bogus, hokum, flim-flam::::::::::100% ca-ca. Parson Mason Locke Weems concocted the story in a biography of Washington. In The Moral Washington: Construction of a Legend Weems wanted to humanize Washington after a less than flattering earlier biography of him as 'cold and colorless." Weems book was very popular with the public and they equated Washington with honesty.
Did he wear wooden teeth? No. He actually had hippopotamus teeth--from rarely visited Africa. How they became his teeth is a mystery.
His tight-lipped grimace is often attributed to the wooden teeth. We do know that his false teeth has springs that made them adhere in place, but that is not the reason for the tight-lipped grin.
The raconteur, humorist, and radio legend Jean Shepherd talked about Washington on his Washington birthday show on February 22, 1973. Shep tried to bust a few of the myths around The General. In particular, some of the notions that have arisen from Gilbert Stuart's portraits.
We remember President Washington as tight lipped and aloof because as Gilbert Stuart wrote "When I painted him, he had just had a set of false teeth inserted, which accounts for the constrained expression so noticeable about the mouth and lower part of the face." However, we now know that Stuart disliked George Washington and many people speculate this led to the tight lipped portrait, as well as the air of aloofness we sense in Washington. Stuart also wrote that when he would sit for him: "an apathy seemed to seize him, and a vacuity spread over his countenance, most appalling to paint."
Thanks to the portraits, we also think of him as a dandified man, wearing flouncy shirts, an ornate doublet and knickers. We think of his hair as being bright white. As was the fashion at the time, that was a powdered wig!
We tend to also think of him as a genteel and gentle man of restraint (again, partly due to the portraits). However, he was a man of large appetites who enjoyed copious flagons of Madeira wine (and would have no doubt enoyed bourbon, had it been invented yet). He was not afraid to take a another officer out for a round of fisticuffs, and usually won. Martha Washington indicated in more than one letter to friends that "George is at it again," which some have speculated refers to extramarital affairs.
George was a big man. In that time, the average height of a Continental Army soldier was five foot six inches. George Washington stood six foot, two inches. He was literally a giant among men.
Washington was also an incredible horseman, by all accounts, both in peace- and in war-time. He was a strong man, and tough as nails, as he showed in the war, living under-equipped in the appalling climate of Valley Forge and the other battles of the revolution.
Washington State is the only state named for a President. When I grew up in the 50's and 60's, Washington's birthday was still a state holiday (before that abomination known as President's Day). On February 22, in celebration of the event, cherry pies were on sale in the stores and at bake sales by the Rotary, the Civitan Club, Kiwanis, and others.
_______________________________
And now we come to John Adams, the only President defeated for re-election by his own Vice-President.
John Adams was our first Vice President, and second President. He was in the Federalist Party, and was a mover and shaker in the formation--and formulation--of our government. He worked on the Declaration of Independence; the actual drafting was assigned to Thomas Jefferson. When President Washington refused a third term, Adams ran to succeed him and beat Thomas Jefferson.
Adams's years as president (1797–1801) were marked by intrigues and public relations disasters that embittered him the rest of his life.
Passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts helped discredit the Federalist party. Four laws were passed. Most would be found unconstitutional. The Alien Act made it possible for the President to deport any alien he judged to be dangerous. The Alien Enemies Act gave the President more power during times of war--allowing him to "remove" or deport any foreigner that hadn't been naturalized. These acts were aimed at garnering the support of immigrants , who were supporting the Republican Party.
The party devolved into backbiting factions. Adams and Hamilton sharply split, and members of Adams's own cabinet looked to Hamilton--rather than The President--as their political Rabbi. Adams was drawn into the European vortex (the XYZ Affair), and instead of taking advantage of the militantcy it aroused amongst the proletariat here, devoted himself to securing the peace with France. That cost him the whole tamale.
In 1800, Adams ran again as a Federalist candidate. Distrust of him in his own party, public dislike of the Alien and Sedition Acts, and Thomas Jefferson's popularity led him to defeat. He was the first and only President to be defeated by his Vice-President. He retired.
Twenty-five years later--On the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence--John Adams died at Quincy, after uttering his famous last words: "Thomas Jefferson still survives." He didn't know it, but Thomas Jefferson (Potus 3) had died a few hours earlier. You nmay have seen this scene re-eneacted in the recently televised bio-pic of Adams on Public Television.
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More nonsense has been written about Washington than any other President (except the conspiracy theories around Jack Kennedy and LBJ, about whom more even gibberish has been written because his murder, and LBJ's alleged role in the "conspiracy" literally sparked an industry of conspiracy theorists.
Did young George chop down the cherry tree? Was he lying when he said "Father, I cannot tell a lie," which may be the biggest whopper of all time? "Father, I cannot tell a lie. I cut the tree," George says when asked by his father. This story elevated him into the pantheon and onto Rushmore. It is also bunk, bogus, hokum, flim-flam::::::::::100% ca-ca. Parson Mason Locke Weems concocted the story in a biography of Washington. In The Moral Washington: Construction of a Legend Weems wanted to humanize Washington after a less than flattering earlier biography of him as 'cold and colorless." Weems book was very popular with the public and they equated Washington with honesty.
Did he wear wooden teeth? No. He actually had hippopotamus teeth--from rarely visited Africa. How they became his teeth is a mystery.
His tight-lipped grimace is often attributed to the wooden teeth. We do know that his false teeth has springs that made them adhere in place, but that is not the reason for the tight-lipped grin.
The raconteur, humorist, and radio legend Jean Shepherd talked about Washington on his Washington birthday show on February 22, 1973. Shep tried to bust a few of the myths around The General. In particular, some of the notions that have arisen from Gilbert Stuart's portraits.
We remember President Washington as tight lipped and aloof because as Gilbert Stuart wrote "When I painted him, he had just had a set of false teeth inserted, which accounts for the constrained expression so noticeable about the mouth and lower part of the face." However, we now know that Stuart disliked George Washington and many people speculate this led to the tight lipped portrait, as well as the air of aloofness we sense in Washington. Stuart also wrote that when he would sit for him: "an apathy seemed to seize him, and a vacuity spread over his countenance, most appalling to paint."
Thanks to the portraits, we also think of him as a dandified man, wearing flouncy shirts, an ornate doublet and knickers. We think of his hair as being bright white. As was the fashion at the time, that was a powdered wig!
We tend to also think of him as a genteel and gentle man of restraint (again, partly due to the portraits). However, he was a man of large appetites who enjoyed copious flagons of Madeira wine (and would have no doubt enoyed bourbon, had it been invented yet). He was not afraid to take a another officer out for a round of fisticuffs, and usually won. Martha Washington indicated in more than one letter to friends that "George is at it again," which some have speculated refers to extramarital affairs.
George was a big man. In that time, the average height of a Continental Army soldier was five foot six inches. George Washington stood six foot, two inches. He was literally a giant among men.
Washington was also an incredible horseman, by all accounts, both in peace- and in war-time. He was a strong man, and tough as nails, as he showed in the war, living under-equipped in the appalling climate of Valley Forge and the other battles of the revolution.
Washington State is the only state named for a President. When I grew up in the 50's and 60's, Washington's birthday was still a state holiday (before that abomination known as President's Day). On February 22, in celebration of the event, cherry pies were on sale in the stores and at bake sales by the Rotary, the Civitan Club, Kiwanis, and others.
_______________________________
And now we come to John Adams, the only President defeated for re-election by his own Vice-President.
John Adams was our first Vice President, and second President. He was in the Federalist Party, and was a mover and shaker in the formation--and formulation--of our government. He worked on the Declaration of Independence; the actual drafting was assigned to Thomas Jefferson. When President Washington refused a third term, Adams ran to succeed him and beat Thomas Jefferson.
Adams's years as president (1797–1801) were marked by intrigues and public relations disasters that embittered him the rest of his life.
Passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts helped discredit the Federalist party. Four laws were passed. Most would be found unconstitutional. The Alien Act made it possible for the President to deport any alien he judged to be dangerous. The Alien Enemies Act gave the President more power during times of war--allowing him to "remove" or deport any foreigner that hadn't been naturalized. These acts were aimed at garnering the support of immigrants , who were supporting the Republican Party.
The party devolved into backbiting factions. Adams and Hamilton sharply split, and members of Adams's own cabinet looked to Hamilton--rather than The President--as their political Rabbi. Adams was drawn into the European vortex (the XYZ Affair), and instead of taking advantage of the militantcy it aroused amongst the proletariat here, devoted himself to securing the peace with France. That cost him the whole tamale.
In 1800, Adams ran again as a Federalist candidate. Distrust of him in his own party, public dislike of the Alien and Sedition Acts, and Thomas Jefferson's popularity led him to defeat. He was the first and only President to be defeated by his Vice-President. He retired.
Twenty-five years later--On the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence--John Adams died at Quincy, after uttering his famous last words: "Thomas Jefferson still survives." He didn't know it, but Thomas Jefferson (Potus 3) had died a few hours earlier. You nmay have seen this scene re-eneacted in the recently televised bio-pic of Adams on Public Television.
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Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Crowd at Palin Rally Hurled Racial Epithets
Thanks to Jeff Clinton for pointing out this article...it is a good follow-up to our recent article on Sarah Palin's race baiting: McPalin finally play the race card/Governor Palin takes to lying like a pig to slop
Crowd at Palin Rally Hurled Racial Epithets at African-American on News Crew
Jon Ponder Oct. 7, 2008
Rolling Stone reporter Matt Taibbi’s depiction of Sarah Palin at the GOP Convention as “Gidget addressing the Reichstag” is becoming more apt by the minute. Earlier, Trish wrote about Palin’s incitement of verbal violence at a rally in Clearwater, Fla., when a Republican voter in the crowd shouted, “Kill him,” apparently in reference to Barack Obama.
Now the Washington Post’s Dana Milbank says the anger among the GOP rank and file in Clearwater was also directed toward reporters covering the event generally, and an African American sound man in particular
Palin’s routine attacks on the media have begun to spill into ugliness. In Clearwater, arriving reporters were greeted with shouts and taunts by the crowd of about 3,000. Palin then went on to blame Katie Couric’s questions for her “less-than-successful interview with kinda mainstream media.” At that, Palin supporters turned on reporters in the press area, waving thunder sticks and shouting abuse. Others hurled obscenities at a camera crew. One Palin supporter shouted a racial epithet at an African American sound man for a network and told him, “Sit down, boy.” Given the racist bent of their base, and leaving aside their constant lying about Barack Obama, his associations and his record, John McCain and Sarah Palin are playing with rhetorical fire.
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One more dull debate, with McCain edging Obama?
By Pablo Fanque
John McCain needed a bump from this debate to raise his standings and give him a shot in what appears to be an electoral college lock by Obama. He probably will not get that bump. He did however, mostly redeem himself from his earlier debate performance with a relaxed, folksy performance, "my friends." He was short on substance and never seriously went on the attack. Not completely unexpectedly, there were a couple of strange moments: when answering Tom Brokaw's question about who he would appoint Treasury Secretary, he answered "Not you Tom!" and at one point he vaguely gestured toward Barack Obama and called him "that one." McCain did not bring up any of the mud-slinging "character" issues his partner in crime, Sarah Palin has been hammering away at in rallies recently.
All This Is That National Affairs Editor
The two candidates debated last night in Nashville, and predictably clashed on the economy, taxes, the economic bailout, and the wars in Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. We heard very little we hadn't heard before.
John McCain needed a bump from this debate to raise his standings and give him a shot in what appears to be an electoral college lock by Obama. He probably will not get that bump. He did however, mostly redeem himself from his earlier debate performance with a relaxed, folksy performance, "my friends." He was short on substance and never seriously went on the attack. Not completely unexpectedly, there were a couple of strange moments: when answering Tom Brokaw's question about who he would appoint Treasury Secretary, he answered "Not you Tom!" and at one point he vaguely gestured toward Barack Obama and called him "that one." McCain did not bring up any of the mud-slinging "character" issues his partner in crime, Sarah Palin has been hammering away at in rallies recently.
For his part, Obama provided more specifics, and consistently linked McCain with George W. Bush. In a dust-up on foreign policy, Obama hammered away at McCain's steadiness. "This is a guy who sang bomb, bomb, bomb Iran, who called for the annihilation of North Korea—that I don't think is an example of speaking softly." Obama, however, once again appeared stiff and detached. The man just doesn't seem to be able to loosen up on stage, and while he is a great orator, his skills in retail politics are lacking. He never quite connects in these debates the way he seems to when he is alone in the spotlight.
If the debate had a winner, it may have been John McCain. While Obama once again appeared Presidential, McCain was able to connect with the audience in a more folksy way, reminiscent of the old John McCain that people loved. Unfortunately for John McCain, the old John McCain rarely makes an appearance these days, ceding stage time to the George Bush-lapdog McCain.
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Tuesday, October 07, 2008
The Sarah Palin movie
As advertised on Craig's list:
NEED SARAH PALIN LOOKALIKE ASAP FOR ADULT FILM (LA)
Reply to: gigs-836109998@craigslist.org
Looking for a Sarah Palin lookalike for an adult film to be shot in next 10 days. Major adult studio. Please send pix, stats etc. ASAP Pay:
$2000-3000
No anal required
Location: LA
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
Compensation: $2000-3000
PostingID: 836109998
Copyright © 2008 craigslist, inc. terms of use privacy policy feedback forum
NEED SARAH PALIN LOOKALIKE ASAP FOR ADULT FILM (LA)
Reply to: gigs-836109998@craigslist.org
Looking for a Sarah Palin lookalike for an adult film to be shot in next 10 days. Major adult studio. Please send pix, stats etc. ASAP Pay:
$2000-3000
No anal required
Location: LA
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
Compensation: $2000-3000
PostingID: 836109998
Copyright © 2008 craigslist, inc. terms of use privacy policy feedback forum
video of the Saturday night live Palin-Biden debate parody 10-4-2008
Here is a video clip of the full Biden-Palin debate parody from Saturday Night Live, October 4th, 2008:
The Great Debate, McCain v. Obama, Part II
Click the debaters to enlarge
To call it the great debate is to besmirch the memory of Lincoln and Douglas, particularly now that the level of mud-slinging has accelerated to epic proportions on both sides. But just like the train-wreck you see coming, you can't take your eyes off the track. Here's hoping Obama shows some real passion and that McCain comes completely unhinged (there's only about two screws left in those hinges, and they look pretty rusty). Whatever happens, tonight's dust-up in Nashville should prove interesting.
Will Obama come out warm fully locked-on to the voters, and ready to do battle (as opposed to a more staid parry and thrust)? Or will he play the cool detached professor again? Will John McCain come out as the folksy "maverick," or the deranged Captain Queeg? Will they stick close to their established personas and leave us scratching our heads at one more snooze-fest, or will one of them take a real shot at either the issues or their opponent?
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