Dan Fogelberg has died.
Dan Fogelberg, the singer and songwriter whose hits "Leader of the Band" and "Same Old Lang Syne" helped define the soft-rock era, died Sunday at his home in Maine after battling prostate cancer.
His death was announced Sunday in a statement by Anna Loynes of the Solters & Digney public relations agency, and was also posted on the singer's Web site.
"Dan left us this morning at 6 a.m. He fought a brave battle with cancer and died peacefully at home in Maine with his wife, Jean, at his side," it read. "His strength, dignity and grace in the face of the daunting challenges of this disease were an inspiration to all who knew him."
Fogelberg, 56, was found in 2004 to have advanced prostate cancer. In a statement then, he thanked fans for their support: "It is truly overwhelming and humbling to realize how many lives my music has touched so deeply all these years. ... I thank you from the very depths of my heart."
Fogelberg's music was powerful in its simplicity. He didn't rely on the volume of his voice to convey his emotions; instead, they came through in the soft, tender delivery and his poignant lyrics. Songs like "Same Old Lang Syne" -- in which a man reminisces after meeting an old girlfriend by chance during the holidays -- became classics not only because of his performance, but for the engaging storyline, as well.
His song "Nether Lands" is on my piano.
Nether LandsI first heard the song when I was living in the Colorado mountains. It made an immediate connection with me and I can't listen to it without being deeply touched and reminded of how much it speaks of my own life's journey.
High on this mountain
The clouds down below
I'm feeling so strong and alive
From this rocky perch
I'll continue to search
For the wind
And the snow
And the sky
I want a lover
I want some friends
And I want to live in the sun
And I want to do all the things that I
never have done.
Sunny bright mornings
And pale moonlit nights
Keep me from feeling alone
Now, I'm learning to fly
And this freedom is like
Nothing that I've ever known
I've seen the bottom
And I've been on top
But mostly I've lived in between
And where do you go
When you get to the end of
your dream?
Off in the nether lands
I heard a sound
Like the beating of heavenly wings
And deep in my brain
I can hear a refrain
Of my soul as she rises and sings
Anthems to glory and
Anthems to love and
Hymns filled with early delight
Like the songs that the darkness
Composes to worship the light.
Once in a vision
I came on some woods
And stood at a fork in the road
My choices were clear
Yet I froze with the fear
Of not knowing which way to go
One road was simple
Acceptance of life
The other road offered sweet peace
When I made my decision
My vision became my release.
Cross-posted from Bark Bark Woof Woof.
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I'm a political junkie and, as such, have become an expert in the diversity that is political bullshit (wink). The CIA tape destruction scandal has afforded yet another opportunity to refine my bullshit identification skills, but I never would have anticipated the pure specimen that I discovered via the internets today.
Scooter B. (President Bush for the uninitiated) and his minions have sent a letter to the House Select Committee on Intelligence telling them to cease their investigation into the CIA's destruction of tapes.
"We cannot estimate how long this process will take or where it will lead, but pledge to advise you as soon as we conclude that our efforts are no longer at risk or that these requests can be fulfilled without jeopardizing our inquiry."
So, they'll advise Congress on whether or not they broke the law when and if they decide that when they did what they did they broke the law and only if revealing that when they did what they did they broke the law won't prevent them from continuing to do what they do and break the law.
Blink.
Does it walk like it?
Check!
Does it talk like it?
Check!
Behold, 99.9% pure political bullshit on ice...
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Because every new decision we hear about back from his days as governor of Arkansas is like an exercise in smartness. (You lucky Arkansans!)
Nothing will beat the stroke of genius that led to his early parole of serial rapist Wayne Dumond, nor his series of awesome pronouncements about Teh Gayz and Teh Womminz, but the latest round of revelations about his penchant for good decision-making are pretty good in their own right. Because if there's any characteristic you want in a leader, it's being easily bought.
1. Let My People Go:
Questions are being raised about then-Gov. Huckabee's 2004 decision to grant clemency to a repeat Driving While Intoxicated offender in Arkansas named Eugene Fields, despite the objections of a law enforcement official at the time. Documents obtained by NBC News reveal Fields' case was handled differently from any other DWI clemency or pardon granted by Huckabee, and some Republicans are now suggesting significant political contributions may have influenced the governor's decision.
In August 2001, Fields, of Van Buren, Ark., was convicted of his fourth DWI charge, a felony in the state of Arkansas, was sentenced to six years in prison and a $5,000 fine. Fields reported to prison in August of 2003.
But prison records obtained by NBC News show that six weeks into that six-year sentence, Fields' application for clemency, a commutation of his sentence the governor could issue to grant Fields an early release from prison, was unanimously supported by the parole board. Within months, Huckabee issued his intent to grant executive clemency to Fields, who was released from prison soon thereafter.
Shockingly, Fields went on to get another DWI in 2006. But the Arkansas Republican Party was $10,000 richer, thanks to Fields' wife's donations, and I think we can all agree that's the important thing. Keeping lunatic drunkards who risk the lives of innocent people is a good cause, but lining the coffers of the state GOP is an even better one.
2.
Give My People Jobs:
Mike Huckabee accepted more than 90 gifts from 21 Arkansans he appointed to state posts during his decade as governor, a Politico analysis of state public records found.
Since he set his sights on the White House, those supporters, their families and their companies have kept on giving. They contributed nearly $161,000 to a pre-presidential campaign account and Huckabee's official campaign committee since late last year, according to state and federal campaign finance records.
...Huckabee's personal attorney, Kevin Crass, was designated by his campaign to respond to Politico. It's "a coincidence" that there's some overlap between the list of gift givers and appointments, said Crass, adding Huckabee "understood that you can't trade appointments for gifts and that didn't happen."
Well, that's my mind at ease then!
This guy's a total joke, even in a party of jokers, during a campaign season when their field of contenders is like a frigging
clown car.
UPDATE: And
here's another story out today about how Huckabee dealt (or, in fact,
didn't deal) with allegations his son hung a dog while a counselor at a Boy Scout Camp. That would be the same son who
got busted at the Little Rock airport with a Glock in his carry-on.
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"Love is Dead" by Brett Anderson
My vote for single of the year, by the way.
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Democratic Representative
Julia Carson from Indiana has died of lung cancer at age 69.
Carson, who championed women's rights, LGBTQ rights, and children's issues, was also an advocate for the homeless and a staunch opponent of the war in Iraq. She was the first woman and the first person of color to represent Indianapolis in Congress.
We lost a real ally today. Every Democrat should be as brave, honest, and boldly, unabashedly progressive as Rep. Carson was. I'm proud as fuck she was from Indiana, and I'm sad as hell she's gone.
[See how completely awesome, and
loved, Rep. Carson was
here. The whole thing is just great. I hope she is remembered as well as she remembered Ms. Parks.]
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Hi, I'm Meowser, a hetero fatass in her 40s, born in Brooklyn, New York, currently living in Portland, Oregon with a trio of fat cats and an adorable skinny boyfriend. I transcribe medical records for money, and write songs, sing and record them for an avocation. My bloghome is Fat Fu. And I'm a Sock Monkey Democrat, which is what inspired this post. Enjoy!
"If we could go back to the obesity rates of 1980 we could save the Medicare system a trillion dollars."—Barack Obama during Democratic Presidential Debate, 12/13/07
Don't get me wrong. I am not a fan of George Bush. I am, in fact, one of those people who basically thinks a sock monkey could do a better job than our current president. But I have to admit, I am personally happy that, aside from certain snarkbound comments made by various Surgeon Generals, he does not seem to have made eradication of fat people a high priority in his administration. Who has time, when you have entire other countries to eradicate, and poor people to screw, and air and water and food to poison for the sake of sustaining oligarchy?
But we have an election coming up next year, and strictly from a fat perspective, I worry about who is going to replace him. When I found out Barack Obama (much like Hillary Clinton, who
has made similar remarks in the past) wanted to
disappear me solely because of my weight in order to save the government money, I had to ask: Just how far are they willing to go to make that a reality?
No, really, I want to know. I'm willing to sacrifice a lot in order to make life better for poor people, gays, Muslims, waterboarding victims, and a whole lot of other folks who have been personally kicked in the rear a lot more severely than I have by the current administration. I'm willing to sacrifice a lot for a cleaner environment, safer food, no war, no wiretapping or torturing just because you don't like someone's mustache, and more affordable housing for all. Which is why I'm a Democrat. They may not be perfect, but at least they make a pass at giving a damn about those issues.
But I still think I have a right to know just how much agency they are willing to remove from people—and especially fatasses like myself—in the name of "health care cost containment." You'd think the Democrats would be all about personal agency and individual freedom. They damn well ought to be. But I'm afraid that when it comes to nosing around in people's body autonomy, they're just as guilty as the people they want to replace; they just want to nose around in a different part of our bodies, that's all.
Here are some questions I'd love to see asked during Presidential debates (and not just of Democrats):
"Do you believe in reducing the number of fat people by any means necessary? What if people really make an effort to exercise and 'eat right' but are still 'obese'? Do you favor requiring them to have bariatric surgery, or putting them in weight-reduction prisons, or having a police state in which people get their homes broken into and their pantries cleaned out and forced at gunpoint to work out until they drop, or being barred from all restaurants and grocery stores and all public places until they slim down? How far are you willing to go?"
And bonus question:
"If certain medications have been demonstrated to foster weight gain, do you favor taking them off the market, even if they make it possible for a person to live something approaching a 'normal' life in every respect except weight? There are, after all, many more of these drugs on the market than in 1980, and many have attained very high levels of usage. Do you really want to take them away from people to make them thin?"
Not that I expect real, informed answers from any of 'em. They'll probably mumble something about how, of course they don't want to round us all up and amputate our stomachs, of course they don't want to impinge upon our personal freedoms, of course of course of course. All they want is for us fatasses to eat our vegetables and exercise, and most all of us will magically get and stay thin and never have costly health problems again! And if they're Democrats they'll probably also mumble something about how they'll give the veggies away, if they have to, along with the pots, pans, stoves, cooking classes and electricity required to prepare all those nummy orange-and-greens. Oh, and of course, we must think of the children, and take all the skin off their chicken before they are doomed to a life of FAAAAT! Ha. Ha ha ha. Ha. Rich people really don't get it, do they? And who the hell else can run for president and win?
The whole issue of removing personal agency to make people "healthier" should be a serious concern for everyone, regardless of weight. In this country, we allow adults to refuse to take medications or have surgeries or submit to other medical treatment at their own discretion, even if it goes against the recommendation of doctors. The one exception is putting someone on temporary psychiatric hold if they are deemed to be a direct and immediate threat to themselves or someone else, but even there, a fairly stringent standard of evidence applies—unless the person actually says, "I plan to commit suicide or homicide," or someone sees them actually physically carrying it out, you can't just "put someone away." And even then you can only do so as long as the immediate threat continues to exist. I don't know what the laws are in other countries that have government-sponsored health care in terms of patients being allowed to refuse doctor-recommended treatment modalities, but I would imagine that in most cases they are similar—if you are an adult, ultimately you are the one who gets to decide what gets put into your body (or your child's) and what doesn't. (If you have information to the contrary, feel free to correct me.)
As someone who has transcribed and edited thousands of medical reports, I can tell you that people refuse treatment all the time, and not simply at the end stages of their illnesses. I myself have refused to take statins against my doctor's recommendation, because frankly, I don't trust the damn things and haven't seen any evidence they prevent heart disease in women, and thus aren't worth the risk to me. My doctor may not agree with my decision, but he is not going to refuse to treat me unless I take statins. Might people refusing treatment at certain times in their lives "drive up health care costs"? Sure. If you wait, oftentimes the condition becomes more grave and expensive to treat in the long run. It's a risk. But it's a risk we allow people to take without forfeiting future care, and they do so routinely.
Don't people have the same agency when it comes to refusal to diet (or even "eat right and exercise" HAES-style)? Even if they are fat? Even if they are really, really, really, no-kidding-around fatfatfat? I don't happen to binge on soda and fries, but if I wanted to, isn't that my right, and who's to say that's necessarily the "self-destructive" choice? Wouldn't you rather I consumed comfort food when upset than, say, killed myself or someone else, or even drove like a maniac or got into a fistfight or screamed at someone at work or at home who didn't deserve to get screamed at? Is "eating badly and not exercising" really the worst thing I can possibly do? Is there really that much of a difference between, "I hate salad, exercise bores me to death, and I'd rather watch television, I've already given society my pound of flesh so leave me the hell alone," and "I refuse drug X/treatment X/surgery X, just because I don't want it or I'm not ready for that now"? Just how much agency do we want to remove from people to make them "healthy"?
Because, you know, mental health counts too. And having someone holding the highest office in the land who would rather kill me than treat me like a human being is not going to do wonders for mine.
[Cross-posted.]
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Huckabee is taking off, and far from being elated that their party is primed to annoint a man one would presume to be the evangelical dominionist of their wildest wet dreams, Republicans are freaking the fuck out.
The people that pass for moderates in the GOP want Giuly or Willard, but the evangelical base doesn't like Divorce Boy and Mormon Man. They want the Ginuwine Jebus Freak. Neither side can win without the other. For years, it's been all-Jebus-all-the-time with the GOP, just to win elections, but now Huckabee's coming home to roost, so the moderates are in revolt. Oops. Careful what you wish for, bitchez.
Can't wait to watch this clusterfuck implode.
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You remember David Gest, don't you? He was a television producer and collector of Judy Garland memorabilia who rose to fame after scoring the biggest of all Garland collectables: one of her offspring. His gaudy and public marriage to Liza Minnelli was only outdone by his equally gaudy and public divorce from her.
Gest is a perfect candidate for I'm Mad at You Just Because I Know Who You Are if there ever was one. He is as undeserved of fame and our attention as anyone I can think of. And yet, he's been the subject of countless tabloid articles, guested on a slew of TV programs (the Brits seem to love him), and even had his own reality show.
And yet too, here I am posting about him. Maybe that's because he just won't go away.
The latest of Gest's assaults on the world and myself (yes, I am taking this as a personal affront) is a no doubt tasteful little show titled David Gest Is Nuts... My Life As A Musical.
It's a show that promises "special guests such as Coolio, Gloria Gaynor, Candi Stanton and The Weather Girls… encompassing the story of David's life with comedy and music which will be performed by the original artists." I can't wait.
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Probably six years ago, my oft-mentioned Londoner Andy sent me an email, the subject of which was "IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT" and the entire content of which was:
"Niles Crane is the greatest sitcom character in the history of the world."
It was just such an insanely hilarious non-sequitur to me, that I immediately had to ring him in London just to howl with laughter into his ear until we were both weeping.
Occasionally, he will honor this Great Moment in Friendship History by ending an email with some variation of the original declaration. So earlier today, I got an email that ended:
"BTW, Niles Crane is the greatest sitcom character ever (Reprise)."
A few exchanges later, another email ended with:
"BTW, Niles Crane is the greatest ever TV sitcom character (Redux)."
And then:
"BTW, Niles Crane is the greatest sitcom character ever (Director's Cut)."
Followed by:
"BTW, Niles Crane is the greatest TV sitcom character ever (DVD deluxe box set with tons of extras)."
And just now:
"BTW, Niles Crane is the greatest TV sitcom character ever (now available on iTunes)."
Honestly, he drives to me absolute distraction with this shit. I am ready to collapse into a heap.
Andy cracks my shit up in London, 1999.
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Thanks to Bekitty and Jazgar for reminding me about this unfortunate story. Rather than paraphrase, I'll just present the situation from the man himself:
Folks,
I would have liked to keep this one quiet for a little while, but because of upcoming conventions and of course the need to keep my publishers informed, it seems to me unfair to withhold the news. I have been diagnosed with a very rare form of early onset Alzheimer's, which lay behind this year's phantom "stroke".
We are taking it fairly philosophically down here and possibly with a mild optimism. For now work is continuing on the completion of Nation and the basic notes are already being laid down for Unseen Academicals. All other things being equal, I expect to meet most current and, as far as possible, future commitments but will discuss things with the various organisers. Frankly, I would prefer it if people kept things cheerful, because I think there's time for at least a few more books yet :o)
Terry Pratchett
PS I would just like to draw attention to everyone reading the above that this should be interpreted as 'I am not dead'. I will, of course, be dead at some future point, as will everybody else. For me, this maybe further off than you think - it's too soon to tell. I know it's a very human thing to say "Is there anything I can do", but in this case I would only entertain offers from very high-end experts in brain chemistry.
I'm hoping that the early detection will work in Terry's favor for possible treatment. After all, I have to make sure he's aware of his role in getting
Mr. Shakes and me to travel through Discworld and Azeroth with reckless abandon.
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…is for some enterprising reporter to ask SpunkKnob FirePants point-blank if he considers women his equal. Bonus points if a female reporter asks him: "Do you consider me your equal?" And if he has the unmitigated temerity to answer yes, then here's the follow-up question: "Then can you please explain, Mr. Huckabee, why you appear to hold them in such contempt?"
Huckabee is one of those guys who expresses the sanctimonious patronization he calls respect for women with grand protective flourishes like failing to support a woman's right to engage in combat because "of my strong traditional view that women should be treated with respect and dignity and not subject to the kinds of abuses that could occur in combat." Well, fuck you very much, Mr. Chivalry. The problem is that there are women who are willing and ready to risk injury and death for their country as much as any man is, and preventing them from doing so to honor some retrofuck ideal of manhood predicated on infantilizing women only to play Big Protector Daddy treats women with neither respect nor dignity.
It's condescending claptrap, and I am highly dubious that Huckabee is incapable of seeing his own unjustifiable bias for what it really is—just another expression of the privileged arrogance that underlies any argument about Things Girlz Shouldn't Do for Their Own Good.
If he knows what he's doing, and does it anyway, he's a misogynist asshole and doesn't deserve to be president. If he's so fantastically fundie fucknutted that he is quite genuinely ignorant as to how the paternalistic urge to save women from themselves does not honor women nor treat them as equals, then he's too goddamned stupid to be president.
Either way, he's unfit. And he and his graciously submitting wife should just go on a long vacation and leave the rest of us to live in the twenty-first century, during which, by the grace of Maude, their "traditional views" will at long last go the way of the dodo.
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Here's another sign of splendid progress from Iraq:
The Iraqi government has ordered all policewomen to hand in their guns for redistribution to men or face having their pay withheld, thwarting a U.S. initiative to bring women into the nation's police force.
This is one hell of a way to ensure that stability comes later, rather than sooner. Not to mention, of course, that with later stability comes later troop withdrawal. Pulling guns is only the tip of the iceberg, however. There's a broader issue of misogyny that's gaining quite a bit of ground in this new "model democracy":
[U.S. Army Brig. Gen. David] Phillips said the pistol recall was the latest in a series of moves that have limited many policewomen to desk jobs. The few who worked on the streets have been reassigned to administrative tasks. Iraqi law still prevents policewomen from advancing to commanding-officer levels. Phillips said women have complained to him about limited opportunities and harassment by male colleagues.
[...]
The growing impact of religious influence on Iraqi women has manifested itself in other ways as well. In the southern city of Basra, police say religious militants this year have slain dozens of women who did not cover their hair or dress modestly. In Baghdad, once a secular metropolis, it is rare to see women without scarves covering their hair. Women's activists say the new constitution clears the way for Islamic rule by guaranteeing individuals the right to decide domestic and family issues according to religious traditions.
For all his bullshit rhetoric about "freedom", Bush still has no concept of what freedom is. And as long as we remain the oil crack-ho to the Middle East's pusher, it's really easy to overlook these little stories about harassing policewomen and restricting dress, issues that shouldn't exist in a "free" society. I guess this is something else we can add to the history books that Bush feels will prove him right.
"OK class - please turn to page 242 where you'll see how Bush invaded a country for no reason, isolated our country from the global community, and helped establish a misogynistic clusterfuck in Iraq."
[H/T to
Blogenfreude]
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Shaker Sunburned Counsel says in comments:
"Senator Reid is moving the version of the FISA bill that Dick Cheney supports to the Senate floor today, paying no mind to the hold that Senator Dodd has placed on it, and the fact that for all Reid's talk about not providing amnesty to the telecom companies that helped this administration blatantly break the law he is now doing exactly that. (And he's doing it on Friday so as not to arouse as much media coverage.) Please give his office a call and express your feelings on a.) his capitulation to the administration b.) his disregard for Senate procedure in ignoring Dodd's hold c.) his tacit endorsement of warrantless spying of US citizens. The Number to Reid's Washington office is 202-224-3542. It will only take a second or two to give them a call, so please do."
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Mike Huckabee told the Christian Broadcasting Network that he's got a theology degree. His campaign research director says he doesn't. Funny thing to lie about, don'tcha think?
"B-b-but loaves and fishes, bitchez!"
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Jeff over at Feminist Allies, riffing on my teaspoon lament, talks about choosing to carry a pink cellphone and how it provides opportunities for Random Acts of Feminism:
[F]rom time to time, I like to express my disdain for the strictness of traditional gender roles. At times that feels silly--like having a pink phone says anything to anybody about the rigidity of what 'being a man' means. It feels trite and pointless sometimes.
And yet: I've had lots of good conversations with people about gender norms that began with an offhand comment about that phone. These days, I usually respond to people who say "Nice pink phone" with "Thanks. Do you like pink too?" or some such. And then, I try to follow it up with simple questions about why pink ought to signify 'feminine' at all, why I can't have some traditionally 'feminine' likes and dislikes without it being a judgment on my worth, etc. And this is a little thing. And yet, conversations being had that wouldn't be had without this little thing make me think that, even if it's just a little thing, it's not nothing. Even if it is teaspoons emptying the ocean, it's better than no teaspoon at all.
Rock.
I hereby award Jeff with the inaugural Shakesville Silver Teaspoon for Random Acts of Feminism.
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Hey, check it out. Korea's made glow-in-the-dark cats.
This kind of thing should probably scare the shit out of me, but it doesn't. I look forward to a time when I no longer trip over my cats on the way to the bathroom in the middle of the night.
Of course, I am sure there are other benefits. Glo-Kats® could make good holiday decorations, for example. (Take that, War on Christmas!) Or low cost nightlights. If you could get them to blink, and had four of them, you could market them as a
Simon that never needs batteries.
I'm sure there are other things that could be done with glow-in-the-dark cats. Any ideas?
(Hat tip to my buddy
Kobb, a mad scientist in his own right.)
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The trial of the so-called Liberty City 7 goes "phfft."
A homegrown terrorism case that allegedly sprouted in one of Miami's poorest neighborhoods wilted on Thursday when a judge declared a mistrial in the prosecution of six of seven defendants.
Federal jurors acquitted one defendant in the so-called Liberty City 7 trial, but they could not agree on any of the terrorism conspiracy counts against the others.
"We believe that no further progress can be made," the 12-member jury told U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard, ending deliberations after nine days following a two-month trial in Miami. Each, if convicted, would have faced up to 70 years in prison.
The judge ordered a retrial to begin Jan. 7 and issued a gag order.
The jurors found defendant Lyglenson Lemorin not guilty of four terrorism-related conspiracy charges. Lemorin, 32, a Haitian immigrant, cried with his attorney, Joel Defabio, after the verdict, saying they were ''ecstatic.'' But Lemorin won't be immediately released because of immigration issues.
The judge's decision was seen as a significant defeat for the Justice Department and a temporary victory for most of the defendants, who are still in custody. The U.S. attorney's office in Miami declined to comment.
Sure, I want law enforcement to investigate and arrest the bad guys, but it was pretty obvious from the git-go that these guys were not exactly Dr. Evil and his minions of criminal masterminds. I'm pretty sure the reason the government went ahead with the prosecution was to send a signal to all those groups out there meeting in someone's garage or tool shed that they're watching them. But in the end all it did was prove that they don't know how to evaluate a real threat by people with the means and the dedication to commit a real act of terror and a bunch of not-too-sharp guys who thought they could rip off the FBI undercover guy, and they can't even get a conviction on that. Meanwhile Osama bin Laden is still hanging out in the bat cave in Afghanistan and probably laughing his ass off at the Global War on Terror. I'm sure he's quaking in his boots even more now.
Cross-posted from
Bark Bark Woof Woof.
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