Moyers

Bill Moyers on the American progressive movement and how it relates to politics today (linked by atrios):

[Moyers/ProgressiveStory]: you have to respect the conservatives for their successful strategy in gaining control of the national agenda. Their stated and open aim is to change how America is governed -- to strip from government all its functions except those that reward their rich and privileged benefactors.

[...]

I'll be frank with you: I simply don't understand it -- or the malice in which it is steeped. [...] What I can't explain is the rage of the counter-revolutionaries to dismantle every last brick of the social contract.

[...]

What will it take to get back in the fight? Understanding the real interests and deep opinions of the American people is the first thing. And what are those? [...] That self-interest is a great motivator for production and progress, but is amoral unless contained within the framework of community. That the rich have the right to buy more cars than anyone else, more homes, vacations, gadgets and gizmos, but they do not have the right to buy more democracy than anyone else.

5:12:29 PM   permalink: []   feedback:   comments: []  

Holding the Door

There was a dad and three boys walking across the sunny parking lot. They were coming to pickup breakfast tacos at Maudie's[*].

Actually, three of them walked. One of them, the youngest, ran to the door and darted inside. Moments later, he poked his head back out. And then he stood there holding the door wide opened as the cool, conditioned air rushed out.

Close the door, the father urgently mouthed to the boy.

What? the boy yelled back, chomping on a big red piece of bubble gum he had just got from the machine inside.

Close the door, the father said out loud.

What? the boy asked again.

By that time, the father and the two other sons were out of the sun and standing by the door. The father held the door while the three boys went in.

What did you say? the little boy asked, looking back at his dad.

Thanks for holding the door for us.

---
[*] Maudie's to the Third Power on Brodie Lane, Austin TX: http://www.maudies.com/maudiesthird.html
1:50:58 PM   permalink: []   feedback:   comments: []  

Franken and O'Reilly

In an entry entitled Sense of Decency, Dave Johnson of seetheforest talks about lies from the right and the recent Al Franken vs. Bill O'Reilly spat (emphasis and links from the original):

I think we might be having a "Have you no sense of decency, sir?" moment. If so, I want Al Franken to get the historical credit, for going after O'Reilly the other day. I heard about it from several blogs, and saw it on C-Span. You gotta see it, it's historic. You can watch by clicking here (scroll to where it says Franken, and click "Watch") or, if you have DSL or cable, here. (Use RealPlayer's slide bar if you want to skip to where Franken starts - about 27 or 28 minutes into it.)

Franken went after Bush and Limbaugh and O'Reilly (in person - he was sitting right next to him) for lying. I mean he really went after them.

Franken spent some time detailing three specific quotes in which O'Reilly had claimed in no uncertain terms to have won two Peabody Awards, O'Reilly himself emphasizing on several occasions that this award is the most prestigious journalism award. In fact he had won some other award that also starts with a 'P'.

Franken cited Nexis data and provided dates for these statements, and he then quoted O'Reilly as later saying (when he had been challenged on the subject) that he never said any such thing and that no one could provide any transcript to that effect.]

Here's a mini-transcript of some key parts of the tiff that I wrote down while listening to the C-Span video as I sat watching it expecting a fight to break out at any moment.

Franken: And it's important. And it's really important. And it's important because we've been just taking it. We have been taking it and taking it on the left. [...] We're not going to sit for it any more. We just aren't. [...] Ok. I'll finish for now. I could go on all day...

O'Reilly: I know you could...

Franken: And I know you could!

O'Reilly: ... you just about have! You just about have.

Franken: Yeah! You tell 'em, Bill!

O'Reilly: We're supposed to be on here for 15 minutes. This idiot goes 35. Ok? All he's got in six and a half years is that I misspoke, that I labelled a Polk award a Peabody. He writes it in his book. He tries to make me out to be a liar...

Franken: No, no, no, no, no...

O'Reilly: Hey! Shut up! You had your 35 minutes. SHUT! UP!

You really do have to see the C-Span video.

9:50:42 AM   permalink: []   feedback:   comments: []  

Ed's Dad

Ed Cone writes about his dad:

[EdCone]: That was an eye-opener. Not that I hadn't known that my father was a reader and a thinker, but somehow hearing him riff from a book that I loved and took to be my own, and realizing that he had read the same book and internalized it way back before J.D. Salinger withdrew from the world, somehow that hit me in a nice way and made me feel a little closer to him

7:52:15 AM   permalink: []   feedback:   comments: []