47

Lieber Gott! Die Tina Fey ruft mich an!

OK, Tina Fey did not literally call me and I don’t recall whether the Germans are anything but literal with the verb anrufen. Nevertheless, Tina Fey spoke to me last week through 30Rock.

1) Like Jack Donaghy, I was going to be a marine biologist. That may be the only thing Donaghy and I have in common. (No, wait, he speaks German, too. Well-played.)

2) Liz Lemon, like Tina Fey, is smart enough to have placed out of first year German. Tina Fey and I studied German at UVa, albeit years apart. The German word for albeit is obwohl. I don’t normally take personally Tina Fey’s frequent use of German in 30 Rock. («Ich denke, daß sie die schönste Sprache in der Welt ist.» Ja, das stimmt!) However, with the first year reference plus the other items…

47 shirt3) This shirt made me gasp! Why would a character appear in a scene with a 47 on her shirt? Note the IMDB clip is 1 minute 47 seconds long – no lie. As far as I know, Tina Fey is not in that cult of screenwriters (such as J.J. Abrams) who refer to 47 as a sly inside joke to other cultists. (On the radio this morning there was a discussion of economic indicators based on a survey of 47 economists. Now that’s real stuff.)

Believing celebrities or gods are speaking directly to you is a sign of madness, except when you are face-to-face with them. However, this is no goofy Da Vinci code or The Secret. Still, Tina, if you’re really reaching out to me, use the phrase “that’s crazy” in an upcoming script. bis später. Dein, Mark

NADA - New American Dark Ages

Thanks, Tom Udall

Democracy for New Mexico: Sen. Tom Udall Calls for Thorough Review of Patriot Act, Wants Our Input

Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) voted no on the initial enactment of the Patriot Act, as well as the extensions of various provisions that have been passed since the Act’s inception almost 10 years ago, including the latest one. Now Sen. Udall is calling for a thorough review of the law before anything more is done to extend any part of the post-9/11 legislation.

Democracy for New Mexico: Sen. Tom Udall Calls for Thorough Review of Patriot Act, Wants Our Input

NADA - New American Dark Ages

Ronnie Raygun, Unionist

ThinkProgress » FLASHBACK: Ronald Reagan Called Union Membership ‘One Of The Most Elemental Human Rights’

Yet conservatives may be shocked to learn that their idol Reagan was once a union boss himself. Reagan was the only president in American history to have belonged to a union, the AFL-CIO affiliated Screen Actors Guild. And he even served six terms as president of the organized labor group. Additionally, Reagan was a staunch advocate for the collective bargaining rights of one of the world’s most famous and most influential trade unions, Poland’s Solidarity movement.

ThinkProgress » FLASHBACK: Ronald Reagan Called Union Membership ‘One Of The Most Elemental Human Rights’

Shock Doctrine, U.S.A. – NYTimes.com

From Chile in the 1970s onward, she suggested, right-wing ideologues have exploited crises to push through an agenda that has nothing to do with resolving those crises, and everything to do with imposing their vision of a harsher, more unequal, less democratic society.

Which brings us to Wisconsin 2011, where the shock doctrine is on full display.

Shock Doctrine, U.S.A. – NYTimes.com

NADA - New American Dark Ages

Corporate Tax Dodgers

“I have one dollar in my wallet. That’s more than the combined income tax liability of GE, ExxonMobil, Citibank, and the Bank of America. That means somebody is gaming the system.” — Carl Gibson, the founder of US Uncut, which is organizing some of today’s UK-inspired massive demonstrations against tax dodgers

Indeed, as politicians are asking ordinary Americans to sacrifice their education, their health, their labor rights, and their wellbeing to tackle budget deficits, some of the world’s richest multinational corporations are getting away with shirking their responsibility and paying nothing. ThinkProgress has assembled a short but far from comprehensive list of these tax dodgers — corporations which have rigged the tax system to their advantage so they can reap huge profits and avoid paying taxes: [follow the link]

ThinkProgress » REPORT: You Have More Money In Your Wallet Than Bank Of America Pays In Federal Taxes

Mad yet? Ignore the Radical Wrong’s eternal whine about class warfare. The Rich can buy all the defense they need.

NADA - New American Dark Ages

Conservatives Are Right-Nice Folk, Don’t’cha Know, Peaceable, Too

ThinkProgress » Broun’s Vitriol Spawns Hate As Constituent Asks Congressman, ‘Who’s Going To Shoot President Obama?’

This past Tuesday Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) held a town hall meeting in Oglethorpe County, Georgia. During the question and answer session, one constituent asked a particularly outlandish question. As the Athens Banner Herald reports, the questioner asked, “Who’s going to shoot Obama?” The question apparently evoked laughter from the town hall meeting.

Rather than outright condemning the suggestion of violence, Broun tried to show empathy for the questioner by saying that he knows “there’s a lot of frustration with this president” and that he hopes we can “elect somebody who’s going to be a conservative” next year…

ThinkProgress » Broun’s Vitriol Spawns Hate As Constituent Asks Congressman, ‘Who’s Going To Shoot President Obama?’

Viddy

Serenity (4 stars)

I saw Serenity in the theater when it first came out (2005) and again just now on Roku. Like everyone who saw the TV series Firefly, I loved Joss Whedon’s creation, a unique vision of the final frontier. Everyone, that is, but the astonishing idiots in charge of Fox programming. A pox on their houses. I highly recommend Firefly. Serenity, on the other hand, is for true fans: A reunion with old friends. Of course, the movie does add to the myth and provides one of the great anti-heroes in The Operative, played brilliantly by Chiwetel Ejiofor (be sure to see him in Kinky Boots – talk about versatile). Ultimately, Serenity is too violent for my tastes, but love of the franchise boosts my rating.

"It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds." — Sam Adams