A Bush Review

I usually try to engage people in one on one conversations about politics as I find getting on a soapbox doesn't really accomplish the type of mutual respect for differing opinions that personal discourse can. However, with tomorrow being the end of the Bush administration, I have found the last week to highly introspective in terms of the politics and largely how to it has affected society and myself for my entire adult life.

Here is a 9 minute video by Keith Olbermann that reviews the Bush administration. My discussion follows below.

I understand that Keith Olbermann makes a living off of using his emotion and exaggeration to make money. However, his summary shows some facts that really are hard to deny.

1. We never captured Bin Laden.

Instead, we took the tragedy and shock of a nation, to sell a war in Iraq that had nothing to do with 9/11. Once Bush was outed for connecting the two in 2004, he still maintained that Al Qaeda was in Iraq. When confronted with the fact that they only were in Iraq because of his war, he stated "So what?" He vowed to take justice on those responsible for 9/11. He did not.

2. The size of government grew.

This is the most damning of the Bush presidency. Most of the people I know that voted for Bush believed that he would shrink the size of government post-Clinton. Who doesn't want less government in their life? It make sense to me. Instead, we have spent almost $600 billion on the war in Iraq, and have broken records for most any presidency has spent. So for those heralding Bush's tax cuts, you have to look at the fact he has increased spending. Therefore, our deficit is worse off, and we have mortgaged our future. Oh, and don't get me started on the $700 billion bailout.

3. The United States engaged in human rights violations.

I'm not one of those liberals that has idealistic views towards war. I understand that war is a violent, primal beast. That said, for an administration that consistently spouted that we are spreading democracy to Iraq, we apparently had some serious cognitive dissonance: Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, and the lack of habeaus corpus. Bush has admitted in a few different ways that he knew what was going on. The world isn't stupid. They hear our words and see our actions. Nothing hurts worse than being the global hypocrite. I want my family, friends, and myself to be safe, but we didn't need to sacrifice our American values to do so.

4. Critical thinking was attacked as "Anti-American".

Using the war as a primer, people like Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Karl Rove used arrogance to hide what really was going on: the war was not succeeding. I understand that a leader needs to make diffcult decisions. However, a leader must be able to listen to what people are telling them. It seemed that we lived in the Twilight Zone for 3 or 4 years. The sad part about this is that Bush's actions permiated out into the public. If you weren't with us, you were against us. As soon as you spoke out against the administration, you were fired.

5. Bush has taken no responsibility for the last 8 years.

In the last week, Bush has done interview after interview, and he simply doesn't get it: the reason why he wasn't popular was because he made mistake after mistake. He didn't listen to leading experts on foreign policy and economics.

Ending on a more comedic note:

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Six Days Seven Nights

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

By the way, this isn't a partisan issue to me. I wish parties didn't exist. I am neither Republican nor Democrat.

Lost or How To Find Something Not So Familiar

Last year, I found myself finally captivated by television: Six Feet Under, Dexter, Weeds (though this show toiled in season 3), Damages, and Pushing Daisies help me through winter. This year, I haven't been as avid with television, but with the wonderful ending to The Shield, I don't believe anything will top it.

So what have I done? I've something I wouldn't typically do, but I'm finally getting around to the sensation that is Lost. Lost Seasons 1 and 2 had a captivating premise, but as time went on, I found that the writing had all the elements of aggravation. Flashbacks used to predictably push the narrative forward, side episodes not tied to the more interesting main stories, and characters very easy to dislike. It took about 6 months for me to finally finish Lost Season 2.

Something happened at the end of season 2 that made me a believer: the show finally stepped into territory I had never seen in television. Science fiction twists with shady unknown characters I haven't seen since X-Files.

While parts of the season 3 have suffered the same problems as the first two seasons, Lost Season 3 excels when it unveils a little more of the mystery: the Others' past, the mysteries of the Island(s), and flashbacks for the main characters that add a little more depth.

More Kate and Sawyer in cages...



More Jack in tense surgical moments....


Less oddly placed flashbacks in the middle of the best the main story has ever offered showing minor character's manufactured and laborious pain...



I'm hoping the shorter seasons of 4 - 6 allowed the writers to cut out the excess fat of monotonous side stories and continue to find something not so familiar.

Musical Discoveries of 2008 Part 3 of 3

Peter Broderick - Float (Type, 2008)

Peter Broderick had a big year: he released two solo albums, did all the arrangements for Horse Feathers, and toured with Efterklang. Float's main melodic drive comes from subtle piano arrangements backed by a large variety of instruments. As the title suggests, no individual track really steals the show. The album feels like one complete tracks meandering about picking up sad melodies along the way.


Pigeon Funk - The Largest Bird in the History of the Planet... Ever! (Musique Risquee, 2008)

Kit Clayton, Sutekh, and Safety Scissors show how being technically apt with the studio and instruments can pay off for fun's sake. Pigeon Funk's second album hits many genres: glitch, techno, lounge, polka, big-band, musique concrete, and more. A great reminder to everyone that techno usually takes itself way too seriously.


Quiet Village - Silent Movie (!K7, 2008)

Taking some of the same ideas from the Avalanche's Since I Left You, and removing the dance beat, Quiet Village leaves us with tracks that sound like a family's old 8mm home movies. Swelling strings, beach sounds, and smooth bass, it could make for a cheesy romp through kitschy 50s and 60s soundtracks, but somehow Quiet Village pulls it off.



Sixto Rodriguez - Cold Fact (Light In The Attic, 1970)

The reissue world is often riddled with music snobs who use music's obscurity to show how academically superior they are to everyone else regardless of the quality of the music. However, the best part of the reissue community is when people and labels such as Light In The Attic manage to commericially channel their passion for a lost musician into something that sounds relevant even today. Rodriguez's Cold Fact is one of the those that has all the right ingredients: poetic lyrics about society, poverty, love, life, and psychedelic guitar breakdowns.


SOS - Balance 013 (EQ/Stomp, 2008)

Doing a thoughtful well through out mix over 3 CDs is not something I recommend anyone try. SOS manages to pull it off using just about every style of music: baleric disco, 80s new wave, house, jazz, and more. SOS shows they understand a variety of music styles and blends it into a perfect ebb and flow mix.


Stimming - Resident Advisor Podcast #111 (www.residentadvisor.net, 2008)

The one exception to my list of albums. Every Monday morning, I look forward to the new Resident Advisor podcast. They manage to get many of the hot DJs right now to do an exclusive mix just for RA. My mind was blown when I heard the Stimming live set mix. Essentially all tracks are his productions minus the first track remix, so I would consider this his album. I have not heard any dance music this year that has the same sense of urgency as Stimming. He understands that the high tempo bass beat should service the rest of the track which he often feels with amazing melodies. My favorite new dance artist for sure.


Subtle - exitingARM (Lex, 2008)

For Hero: For Fool left me a little disappointed after A New White really promised a new sound. exitingARM is more effective at what they were trying to do last album: better melodies, harder and faster raps, and no dead songs. A fitting way to leave the Subtle project for a while.


Susanna - Flower of Evil (Rune Grammofon, 2008)

Another form of recontextualization of music that I believe is more difficult is the cover song. In most cases, the artist covering the song doesn't really bring anything new to the track. Susanna Wallumrød is notorious for her covers. Her melacholic and sweet voice has transformed some pretty untouchable classics in the past like "Love Will Tear Us Apart". Flower of Evil has her in full piano diva mode with subtle guitar and drum arrangements on select tracks. This is perfect Sunday morning music.


Various Artists - Disco Italia: Essential Italo Disco Classics 1977-1985 (Strut, 2008)

Last year, minimal techno was king: repetitious drums, very minor melodies, and quiet shifts in dynamics. Thankfully, disco made a huge comeback this year notably in musicians like Hot Chip, Hercules & Love Affair, Lindstrom, Prins Thomas, and others. To mark the landmark year in awesome disco music, Strut has put together an amazing collection of Italo Disco. Heavy percussion, early synths, and spacey melodies showcase the best of the period. Stevie Kotey, owner of the best current disco labels, Bear Entertainment and Bear Funk, mixes them all together with a few exclusive re-edits. Vintage bliss!