Lady Justice - MAGA Dystopia Book

Democracy Book Challenge. Day 9 of the MAGA dystopia. Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America by Dahlia Lithwick, 2022. A couple of years ago I read this challenging and inspiring account of the women lawyers who fought Trump's racism, sexism and xenophobia not realizing at the time that so many Americans would choose the orange turd rather than vote for a woman president... again. It's time to renew hope and inspiration as the fight for democracy continues. This book will help.

Posted on Bluesky.

Tyranny of the Minority - MAGA Dystopia Book

Democracy Book Challenge. Day 8 of the MAGA dystopia. Tyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point by Daniel Levitsky & Daniel Ziblatt, 2023. 

Includes a great list of recommendations to strengthen our democracy now at the crossroads.
Things like...
Election Day holiday
Expand early voting
Automatic voter registration on 18th birthday
Abolish the Electoral College
Eliminate partisan gerrymandering
Make the number of Senators proportional to population
Establish term limits
Abolish the Senate filibuster
etc.
A number of years ago I had also read their book How Democracies Die.

Posted on Bluesky.

Reagan: His Life and Legend - MAGA Dystopia Book

Democracy Book Challenge. Day 7 of the MAGA Dystopia. Reagan: His Life and Legend by Max Boot, 2024. I read this book last month and today I posted this comment on both Facebook and Bluesky as part of my Democracy Book Challenge.

This was well written and a very good revisionist biography by a Republican writer that cut through all of the hero worship. This book also clearly illustrated how this bigoted ignorant Hollywood joker conman and his nasty wife set the stage for the dystopia world we now live in. He made it happen. There would be no Trump without Reagan. Both demented too.

Max Boot does a good job calling out the long history of the MAGA racist southern strategy and the ongoing lies and misinformation of the GOP that really got Nixon going then Reagan and put Trump where we are today. The sections on his governorship of California is very revealing and would make anyone paying attention know what kind of president he would turn out to be.

I also read another book by Max Boot in 2018. The Corrosion of Conservatism: Why I Left The Right.

Posted on Bluesky.

Bills Lose but Eagles Win

Last night the Bills lost a tight game, they should have won, to the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs... the AFC Championship Game. Again. The score was Chiefs 32 Bills 29. Well, at least it was an entertaining game. They certainly had their chances to win but it didn't happen. Too many bad calls, dropped passes, missed opportunities... again.

A little earlier we watched the Philadelphia Eagles crush the Washington Commanders 55 - 23. It was entertaining too but in a different way. The Eagles were amazing to watch and now they get to go to the Super Bowl. It would have been nice to have a Eagles - Bills Super Bowl. Oh, well. It will be the Eagles vs Chiefs.

Lots of partying going on in Philly.

The Imposters - MAGA Dystopia Book

Democracy Book Challenge. Day 6 of the maga dystopia. The Impostors: How Republicans Quit Governing and Seized American Politics by Steve Benin, 2020. Read last year too.

Posted on Bluesky.

American Psychosis - MAGA Dystopia Book

Democracy Book Challenge. #5 - One post a day on the books I’ve read on the maga dystopia. American Psychosis: A Historical Investigation of How the Republican Party Went Crazy by David Corn, 2022. Read in 2023. Now we all know where that is heading and then they voted for that psychotic jerk as sec of defense. Who's next.

Posted on Bluesky.

A David Lynch Dream Mix

I put this together a couple of days after the passing of David Lynch. These are all songs from albums in my collection and I just went with a Lynch theme and feel and runs about two and a half hours.

On Spotify I created an expanded version of this mix using many more albums on the site that I don't have in my collection. That playlist runs about four hours and is linked here.

A David Lynch Dream Mix

1. Twin Peaks Theme (Instrumental)
2. Laura Palmer's Theme (Instrumental)
3. The Nightingale - Julee Cruise
4. Floating - Julee Cruise
5. Crazy Clown Time - David Lynch
6. Pinky's Dream - David Lynch & Karen O
7. Star Dream Girl - David Lynch
8. The Big Dream - David Lynch
9. Blue Velvet - Peggy Sue
10. Dark Night of the Soul - Danger Mouse, Sparklehorse & David Lunch
11. Strange and Unproductive Thinking - David Lynch
12. Sun Can't Be Seen No More - David Lynch
13. Swing With Me - David Lynch & Chrystalball
14. I Remember - Julee Cruise
15. Just You - Angelo Badalamenti & David Lynch
16. Shelly - Angelo Badalamenti & David Lynch
17. Star Eyes - Danger Mouse, Sparklehorse & David Lynch
18. The Ballad of Hollis Brown - David Lynch
19. Noah's Ark - David Lynch
20. Subliminal Eternal Love - David Lynch, Chrystalball & Angelo Badalamenti
21. The Black Dog Returns At Night - David Lynch, Thought Gang & Angelo Balamenti
22. Into The Night - Julee Cruise
23. Love Theme From Twin Peaks (Instrumental)
24. Falling - Julee Cruise
25. Half Heart - Angelo Badalamenti & David Lynch
26. Mysteries of Love - Julee Cruise
27. This Train - David Lynch & Chrystalball
28. A Real Indication - David Lynch & Thought Gang
29. She Knew - David Lynch & Chrystalball
30. The Pink Room - Angelo Badalamenti
31. Lark - Au Revoir Simone
32. Tarifa - Sharon Van Etten
33. Falling - Xiu Xiu
34. Theme From Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me - Angelo Badalamenti
35. Questions In A World Of Blue - Julee Cruise
36. The Answers To The Question - David Lynch & Chrystalball
37. Can't Help Falling In Love - Beck
38. Fade Into You - Mazzy Star
39. Laura - Bat For Lashes
40. Shadow - Chromatics
41. A Dream In Blue - Silencio
42. Moving Through Time - Angelo Badalamenti
43. Windswept - Johnny Jewel
44. Blue Velvet Main Title Theme - Angelo Badalamenti
45. Wild At Heart: Dark Spanish Symphony - Angelo Badalamenti
46. Falling - I Am Snow Angel
47. Suzanne - Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions
48. Kangaroo - This Mortal Coil
49. Into The Night - Xiu Xiu
50. She Rise Up - David Lynch
51. Montage From Twin Peaks - Angelo Badalamenti
52. Be My Angel - Mazzy Star
53. The World Spins - Julee Cruise
54. The End of the World - Sharon Van Etten

The Spotify version:

Strongmen - MAGA Dystopia Book

Democracy Book Challenge. #4 - One post a day on the books I’ve read on the maga dystopia. Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present by Ruth Ben-Ghiat, 2020. Read in 2023. The racist orange man-child's idea of leaders and where he wants to take America.

Posted on Bluesky.

Snow in New Orleans & Florida

It was kind of ironic that on the day the Orange Cockroach with the tiny hands pulled America out of the Paris Agreement international treaty on climate change that includes 194 countries plus the European Union there was snow in Florida and then New Orleans and parts of Texas got 9 1/2 inches. They got 7 inches in Pensacola FL. A historic snowfall throughout the South. Of course the moron will try to adjust the weather reports again with his sharpie.

More fires have also just started in Los Angeles due to climate change weather conditions with a drought and wind storms. And he thinks California should take care of itself without any Federal aid.

Buffalo Lockjaw

Buffalo Lockjaw by Greg Ames, 2009

I had mix feelings about this book. I'm not a native of Buffalo but I've been living in this city for over 40 years so I got a feel for it. The book is somewhat hit and miss in describing the city and it's people. The author certainly has a love for his hometown but at times I thought the book was harsh. There were moments of brilliance but also sad and bleak story.

That being said I did enjoy reading it and in particularly liked the descriptions of neighborhoods and places that I've been familiar with like walking down Elmwood Avenue in the 1980's after the psych center was emptied of patients. It was interesting to see familiar places in a novel but he didn't make it like you would want to live there or be proud you grew up in Buffalo.