From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE...
Shake your Buhdy
Kossack and recommended-diary list megastar Buhdydharma was born in San Francisco's Haight/Ashbury district in the late 50's and grew up as an authentic DFH. He "dropped out of school early to do drugs and go to political protests. I have been a truck driver, cook, run a book store, and was a laborer, carpenter, and eventually supervisor in the construction industry in the Bay Area, building multi-million dollar homes. All while pursuing various arcane spiritual forms and disciplines, studying martial arts and breaking the hearts of too many good women." He's proud that his son got to cast his first presidential vote for Obama. And, like all red-blooded American patriots, he likes "romantic comedies, long walks on the beach and cuddling in front of a fire on rainy days." This morning Buhdydharma takes a turn in the duct-taped beanbag chair as the latest victim in our Medal of Freedom-winning series, Yes, We're All Staring At YOU!
Cheers and Jeers: How long have you been blogging and what originally brought you to Daily Kos?
Buhdydharma: Ah, now there is a story! Full of thrilling adventures, rousing romance, deeds of dashing daring do, spanning countries and continents and taking us from grim back alleys to the dizzying heights of sacred mountain tops and running the gamut of human emotion while encapsulating every facet of the modern human experience in a way that cannot help but be seen as a commentary on society as we know it! Remind me to tell it to you some day. But the short version is, I watched Katrina unfold, bought a computer and googgled 'political discussion.' The rest is, as they say, hysteria.
How would you describe the mental adjustment you had to make during the switch from the Bush administration to the Obama administration? What was your outlook then versus now?
Humans only truly change through crisis. Humans need desperately to change. We have to become a planet, instead of a collection of tribes, to address things like climate crisis and universal human rights. Fate sent us as big a frickin' crisis as it could in the form of George Bush, and now has sent us a hero figure to lead us in the change we need. I was however deeply disappointed when President Obama finished being sworn in and did not swing around, point a finger at Bush, and say "Arrest that man!" But hey, nobody's perfect.
What kind of music makes you feel invincible to the GOP horde?
Heh, the mere act of breathing makes me feel invincible to those immoral asshats. [covers microphone] Can you say asshats on Daily Kos? It was only a matter of time before they committed suicide by stupidity. But I think Rage Against the Machine is a good choice, metaphor-wise.
You started your own blog, Docudharma, and your tagline is, "Blogging the future." So how does the economic crisis end, Smartypants? And what of Glenn Beck?
The financial crisis ends when Glenn Beck and his ilk are eaten by the hordes of angry wolves that Sarah Palin was too incompetent to shoot. Or, alternatively, when we learn to be a cooperative as opposed to competitive species, and greed is no longer the most lauded human virtue. Until then we live in a world of dwindling resources and soaring population. The very definition of 'economic crisis.'
What makes Docudharma stand out from other political blogs? Style, substance, or both?
Attempted kindness. Which is both. Though it has not always worked, we try to be a place for discussion without the nastiness and sniping of the bulk of the internet. We try to have dialog without unnecessary conflict. Which explains why we're a relatively small community blog!
What's the one book every Kossack must read?
The Koran. Really.
Besides the economy, what is the issue you'll be paying closest attention to as the Obama presidency unfolds?
Torture. Since that is the pinnacle of man's inhumanity to man and representative in the extreme of all Human Rights and Social Justice issues. The way Obama and we as a nation deal with the fact that America does in fact torture will determine who we are as a people.
Finish this sentence: In the kitchen I make a mean...
Pile o' dirty dishes? In a former stage of my life I was a cook, so just about everything. But I guess my favorite would be my big fluffy omelets, Four inches high and stuffed full of....stuff. Mmmmm.
Does your state have good senators or bad senators?
Boxer and Feinstein. There have been many political disappointments in my life, but watching DiFi degenerate from who she was after taking over when District Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone were shot, to who she has become now, has been one of them. On the other hand, Boxer raaawks!
No waffling here: dogs or cats?
For Official Release: Though the contributions of teh wozzles throughout history cannot be denied, teh Pootie lobby here at Daily Kos are kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human beings I've ever known in my life.
I have one question left, but it's time for me to feed my neighbor's goldfish. To my cat. Please ask and answer the final question yourself...
Buhdy, what is the Big Picture?
We are balanced on the brink of two very distinct futures. A future determined by the Ruling Class, or a future determined by the other 7 billion of us. War, energy, climate crisis, the financial industry, redefining "the economy," the broad spectrum of human rights issues versus the rights of corporations to exploit and oppress "workers" and/or "consumers." The next four years are critical in determining which future we will have. Which future our children and grandchildren will have. People power or the corporate power of the ruling class. It is up to us to decide.
Cheers and Jeers starts in There's Moreville... [Swoosh!!] RIGHTNOW! [Gong!!]
Cheers and Jeers for Monday, March 30, 2009
Note: Your nipple rings are welcome here. Just try to keep 'em from knocking over the liquor cart again, okay?
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By the Numbers:
Days 'til Easter: 13
Days `til Gay Days at Disney World: 64
Number of applicants for the first 140,000 jobs offered by the U.S. Census Bureau to help with the 2010 census: 1,000,000+
Amount the jobs pay: $25/hour
(Source: L.A. Times via The Week)
Amount Italy spent last year to bail out its Parmigiano, Reggiano and Grana Padano cheese industries: $65 million
(Source: Harper's Index)
Percent chance that Fenway Park is freezing its food prices for the 2009 season: 100%
Cost of a world-famous "Fenway Frank": $4.75
(Source: Portland Daily Sun)
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And now today's edition of Pimping Pittsburgh!
Brought to you by the Netroots Nation Convention August 13-16...in Pittsburgh!
Pittsburgh's unique topographic blend of steep, winding hills and flat river areas makes it one of the best cities for cycling enthusiasts. Bike magazine recently acknowledged Pittsburgh's cycling assets by naming it one of the "Top five places to live and ride in the United States." Local support for cycling is strong, through both the official parks and recreation services, and a number of independent road and mountain biking organizations. Downtown Pittsburgh is quickly becoming a popular destination for cyclists with recent developments such as the 3.5 mile Eliza Furnace Trail. It's part of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail System, a 37-mile trail and greenway system running along both sides of the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio Rivers, that connects downtown to adjacent city areas including Oakland, the North Shore, the South Side and the Strip District. The Youghiogheny River Trail, along with the Montour Trail and the Three Rivers Heritage Trail System, are all part of the Great Allegheny Passage, a 150-mile rails to trails project which, when completed in late 2006, connected Pittsburgh to Cumberland, MD, and created a continuous non-motorized corridor from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C.
---From VisitPittsburgh.com via Pittsburgher Ltleredd
And yes, there is a special lane for Big Wheels.
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Puppy Pic of the Day: The Johnsons hit Myrtle Beach
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CHEERS to knocking down a stonewall. Before they grill Karl Rove and Harriett Miers, the House Judiciary Committee wants to look at the White House's files related to the U.S. attorneys who were fired because they had the audacity to leave politics out of their decisions. Well, those files have finally been released...two years after the subpoenas were issued. Aww...how sweet: Bush gave Gonzales gold stars for coloring inside the lines.
JEERS to water, water, everywhere. When your community is on the cusp of becoming a giant community pool, everyone pitches in. Yesterday the residents of Fargo took a quick breather to meet up and pray together for a miracle, and then they headed back to the sandbag lines to increase the odds of it happening. Today there's good news and bad news. Good news is the water's stopped rising. Bad news is, the Sham-Wow! guy was all set to bring in some mega-size shammies, but he got arrested after getting bit by a hooker. When it rains it pours.
CHEERS to happy returns. The Space Shuttle Discovery landed safely on Earth Saturday after its week-long attempt to escape the recession aboard the International Space Station. The astronauts are now in Houston. Their luggage is now on Venus.
CHEERS to big balls, little balls, balls balls balls! After a wild weekend of ups and downs and smiles and frowns, your NCAA Men's Fabulous Four matchups are: Michigan State vs. Connecticut and BossaVillanova vs. North Carolina. Meanwhile, after spending eight months in the clubhouse mending a bum knee, it only took three tournaments for Tiger Woods to complete his comeback with a win in Orlando. But that's nothing compared to this: Croquet season starts this week. It's wicket exciting!
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Gong! Gong!! BuddaBuddaBudda... GONG!!!
This is another edition of The One Word Answer Man. Marisa Cohen at Prevention asks: "It smells okay. You don't see any fuzz on it. So what if that bottle of barbecue sauce has been sitting in the back of your fridge since July 4, 2003? And that frost-covered lamb chop that's been chilling in your freezer since last year---it's still good, right?
Yes!
Now back to Cheers and Jeers.
Gong! Gong!! BuddaBuddaBudda... GONG!!!
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JEERS to hitting your imaginary limit. Republicans (and even some Democrats) have loudly and repeatedly accused President Obama of doing too much---spinning too many plates, juggling too many swords, overloading his circuits, pick your cliché. I mean, in his first two months he's addressed the economy, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, the auto industry, stem cell research, regulatory issues, women's issues, mountaintop removal, gas mileage standards, the NCAA brackets, and a $3.7 trillion budget that reforms health care, education, energy policy, and deficit-reduction. My goodness---what's it gonna take before he says, "No more!!!" I mean, where does he draw the line? Ah, yes, of course: repealing the massively unpopular military law that punishes gay people willing to die for their country---not to mention translate intercepted terrorist messages from Arabic to English---would be the straw that breaks the POTUS's back. (Yawn---what a surprise.) Of course, we can't blame Obama entirely for kicking the 'Don’t Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Drop the Soap' policy "down the road a little bit." No doubt Harry Reid would claim that his glorious Senate would be "paralyzed on the issue if we don’t get the 99 votes we need to overcome the threat of me getting a swirlie by Mitch McConnell in the men's room." He's so hot when he's deliberative.
CHEERS to this week's Words of Inarguable Honesty from Meet the Press. Ladies and gentlemen, I present yesterday's guest, John McCain:
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"I'm not an expert."
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I'll stick that on my refrigerator so I don’t forget.
CHEERS to...huhhuhhhuh...rubbers. On March 30, 1858, the pencil-with-attached-eraser was patented by Hyman L. Lipman of Philadelphia. Then things got ugly:
In 1862 Lipman sold his patent to Joseph Reckendorfer for $100,000, who went [on] to sue the pencil manufacturer Faber for infringement. In 1875 the Supreme Court of the United States ruled against Reckendorfer declaring the patent invalid because his invention was actually a combination of two already known things with no new use.
Rumor has it George W. Bush is writing his new book with a Lipman pencil. He's apparently using both ends equally.
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Five years ago in C&J: March 30, 2004
CHEERS to the upcoming Saddam trial. CIA says he's a wily, feisty beast ready for a good scrap. And just wait `til you see his one-armed push-ups during his opening `training montage.' (cue the theme from `Rocky').
CHEERS to (really!) John McCain. Says we should be able to order our cable TV a la carte, and we heartily agree. Let's see...Comedy Central...Bravo...MSNBC...Spice 1, Spice 2, Spice 3...
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And just one more...
CHEERS to Earth Hour. It was a huge success! No, wait, it was a dismal failure! No, wait, it really was a huge success! C&J participated in the event with our Kossack friends kptlaurie and fennster, going a full hour Saturday evening without electric lights. Best of all, this year we only used up 925 Duracells to power the battery-operated chandelier. Go, environment!
Oh, and hooray...it's Monday!!! Floor's open...What are you cheering and jeering about today?
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Today's Shameless C&J Testimonial:
Witty 'Cheers and Jeers' dazzles in 3-D
---USA Today
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