Follow the Stench...

Little did we know that the death of our democracy didn't start back in the early winter of 2000 when nine Supreme Court Justices got together and ignored the will of the majority of the people and appointed George W. Bush president of the United States. That was only chapter one. The preface was written in the summer of 2000 when the Bushes asked Uncle Dick Cheney to help their eldest son George W. find a suitable man to join young Georgie (though he was 54 years old - he still had that boyish smirk on his face and in his heart) in the White House for what the family hoped would be a nice run of at least eight years (Babs just won't give up on Jebbie). The seed to this colossal fiasco that we are facing in our democracy today lays at that dastardly request to "help Georgie find a Veep." Dick Cheney may not have understood the enormous consequences that his decision to insist that he, himself, would be the very best candidate to serve as Georgie's right-hand man, but his decision to appoint himself vice president has led inexorably to an atrocious scandal the likes of which we haven't seen since the summer of 1973 when the Watergate Hearings took up day after day of our TV viewing. We may never have anticipated how this choice of Richard A. Cheney would impact the course of events, but now this chicken has come home to roost. And in order to root out the evil at its core, we must expunge the government, and the country, of vice president Cheney. There will be twenty to thirty years ahead while we try to correct the damage that he and his cohorts have done to this democracy. Twenty to thirty years to try to rehabilitate the planet, to restore the rule of law from which NO man can escape, try valiantly to resurrect our sense of justice and equality, to end this horrendous era of offensive violence that we are lashing out on the world.



The second chapter of this nightmare that is coming to a very ugly head was, of course, the attack of September 11, 2001. Setting aside the possibility that 9/11 was an inside job, it was a cataclysmic event that changed the way the world was turning. It gave the current administration an excuse to do something that it turned out that it was planning to do anyway and that was attack the sovereign nation of Iraq and steal their oil and exact revenge for Hussein's humiliation of Georgie's daddy. So we invaded Iraq and are now mirred in a civil war there from which we are having a very difficult time extricating ourselves. That huge foreign policy blunder would be repeated in Iran if Cheney gets his way, but hopefully the American people have seen the vice for what he is, now that he has declared himself not only above the law but above the government (we should be so lucky to have him simply out of the government).

There is no doubt in my mind that Dick Cheney is the single most corrupting influence on this body politic. He must be removed from office, by whatever means necessary, in order to begin to restore some semblance of integrity, decency, and ethics to our government. Impeach Cheney.

Long Live Justice John Paul Stevens!

"I want the people to know that they still have two out of three branches of the government working for them, and that ain't bad. "
Jack Nicholson as President Dale in Mars Attacks (1996).
Make that one out of three. We still have Congress on our side, don't we?
If we ever needed any more proof that Supreme Court appointments matter, we got it in spades today. Five decisions, all 5 to 4, all falling IMHO on the wrong side of the law (precedent be damned!) Here's a brief recap for those of you whose job doesn't include following the every whim of the highest court in the land:

--National Association of Home Builders v. Defenders of Wildlife (06-340) in which Justice Alito ruled that that Section 7(a)(2) of the Endangered Species Act [EPA materials] does not "effectively operate" as an additional criterion to be considered by the Environmental Protection Agency when determining whether to transfer permitting power under the Clean Water Act [EPA materials] to state authorities. This is a victory for those who seek to undermine the Endangered Species Act and do whatever they damn well please on land over which they may have excercised control for all of 15 minutes.

--Hein v. Freedom from Religion Foundation (06-157). Another little gem penned by Alito (that's right, I've already quit refering to him as "Justice" a name he has not earned in my book), in which Alito held that taxpayers do not have standing to challenge executive branch actions under the Establishment Clause. Again, screw the taxpayer, it's not their money once the guvmint gets its mitts on it. Here's a link that details more of the dangerous ramifications of this decision: Freedom from Religion Foundation.

--Wilkie v. Robbins (06-219). This one is a surprise, written not by Alito or Roberts, but by Justice Souter (an occasionally reasonable fellow) wherein he rules that government employees carrying out their official duties and not for personal benefit are not subject to damage claims against them personally based on a lawsuit asserting that they violated the RICO anti-racketeering law or private property rights. In other words, hands off guvmint employees, they are above the law.

--Morse v. Frederick (06-278). A decision that was written by none other that the Chief Justice his own self Mr. Roberts in which he declares that that public schools do not violate the First Amendment rights of students by sanctioning them for speech during a school-sanctioned activity that may be reasonably interpreted to promote the use of illegal substances. This was the infamous "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" case, and I would like to remind readers the sign was not on school property - free speech be damned!

--Federal Election Commission v. Wisconsin Right to Life (06-969). This is the final 5 to 4 decision handed down by the Supremes today. it's another winner by Roberts in which he essentially ruled that Section 203 of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act is unconstitutional as applied to pre-election issue ads run by Wisconsin Right to Life. One has to wonder if the decision would have been the same if the group challenging this particular law was say Planned Parenthood or NARAL or some other pro-choice organization.

This is all to point out that Justice John Paul Stevens is 87 years old and we sincerely hope he doesn't eat any creme brule sent to him by Ann Coulter or otherwise suffer any mishaps or health problems, because he may very well be the only things that stands between the U.S. and an outright dictatorship. Long live Justice John Paul Stevens!

Here's an editorial summary of three of the cases from the NYTimes: Three Bad Rulings

Jeffrey Toobin's Commentary from The New Yorker: Five to Four

Steph Quoted in USA Today,Heads to San Francisco

Here's the article in today's USA Today that quotes Stephanie:
Michael Moore is toning down his act. Will his critics buy it?
By Anthony Breznican, USA TODAY

Michael Moore may be the only filmmaker whose target audience is people who despise him....

...That's partly why Moore believes Sicko is potentially a "more dangerous" film for those who oppose his views: He hopes he has made it more difficult to dismiss his arguments as mere ranting.

"I'm reaching out across the divide that exists in this country and saying to people who are conservatives and Republicans: 'Can't we find some agreement on this one issue, some common ground?' "

Moore's best hope for winning new fans is his humor, says Stephanie Miller, a nationally syndicated liberal radio host. "The hearts and minds you want to win, you have to do it with humor," Miller says. "When somebody perceives you to be a jerk, it hurts your case."



What is the mayor of San Francisco Gavin Newsom doing with Michael Moore in the above-featured photo? I'm not really sure, but it serves as the perfect segue into the next bit of Steph news - Stephanie will be in San Francisco this afternoon. She'll be broadcasting live from the LGBT Center on the Quake from 6:00 - 8:00pm CST (4 - 6pm PST, 7 - 9 pm EST) in conjunction with San Francisco Gay Pride. Check her out - she'll be on the on the air live with fellow progressive talker John Scott from the Rainbow Room. For those of you who are lucky enough to live in San Francisco - there will be an after-broadcast party so that you all may sip some wine with Momma - I'm soooo jealous!!!

------
Here are a few Gay Pride Quotes that I sent into Steph and the Mooks (Steph read a few of them on the air this morning - Monday, June 25, 2007)

"I do not want a seat in your synagogue, I do not want a pew in your church. I seek a license that many of you have had, some of you have had two or three times."
--New York Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell, during the marriage bill debate, as quoted in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

"When I was in the military they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one."
--Epitaph of Leonard P. Matlovich, 1988, Unnatural Quotations compiled by Leigh W. Rutledge

"The Bible contains six admonishments to homosexuals and 362 admonishments to heterosexuals. That doesn't mean that God doesn't love heterosexuals. It's just that they need more supervision."
--Lynn Lavner

"Isn't it a violation of the Georgia sodomy law for the Supreme Court to have its head up its ass?"
--Letter to Playboy magazine, February 1987

"If homosexuality is a disease, let's all call in queer to work: 'Hello. Can't work today, still queer.'"
--Robin Tyler

"No government has the right to tell its citizens when or whom to love. The only queer people are those who don't love anybody."
--Rita Mae Brown, speech, August 28, 1982

"Jesse Helms and Newt Gingrich were shaking hands congratulating themselves on the introduction of an antigay bill in Congress. If it passes, they won't be able to shake hands, because it will then be illegal for a prick to touch an asshole."
--Judy Carter

"I'm a supporter of gay rights. And not a closet supporter either. From the time I was a kid, I have never been able to understand attacks upon the gay community. There are so many qualities that make up a human being... by the time I get through with all the things that I really admire about people, what they do with their private parts is probably so low on the list that it is irrelevant."
--Paul Newman

"If male homosexuals are called 'gay,' then female homosexuals should be called 'ecstatic.'"
--Shelly Roberts

"One should no more deplore homosexuality than left-handedness."
--Towards a Quaker View of Sex, 1964

"You are digging for the answers until your fingers bleed, to satisfy the hunger, to satiate the need.... And as you pray in your darkness for wings to set you free, you are bound to your silent legacy."
--Melissa Etheridge, "Silent Legacy," Yes I Am, 1993

"Wouldn't it be great if you could only get AIDS from giving money to television preachers?"
--Elayne Boosler

"What are you trying to protect heterosexual marriages from? There isn't a limited amount of love in Iowa. It isn't a non-renewable resource. If Amy and Barbara or Mike and Steve love each other, it doesn't mean that John and Mary can't."
--Ed Fallon

"Labels are for filing. Labels are for clothing. Labels are not for people."
--Martina Navratilova

"Pronouns make it hard to keep our sexual orientation a secret when our co-workers ask us about our weekend. 'I had a great time with... them.' Great! Now they don't think you're queer - just a big slut!"
--Judy Carter

"I can't help looking gay. I put on a dress and people say, 'Who's the dyke in the dress?'"
--Karen Ripley

"If you removed all of the homosexuals and homosexual influence from what is generally regarded as American culture, you would pretty much be left with 'Let's Make a Deal.'"
--Fran Lebowitz

"I like my beers cold and my homosexuals flaming."
--Homer Simpson, from The Simpsons

"Hateful to me as the gates of Hades is that man who hides one thing in his heart and speaks another."
--Homer

"Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself."
--Harvey Fierstein

"It's a helluva start, being able to recognize what makes you happy."
--Lucille Ball

Dickie, Dickie, Dickie

Who the hell does Dick Cheney think he is? And why are we still listening to any utterance that passes his crooked, curled, thin, little lips? Apparently playing Edgar Bergen to Georgie's Charlie McCarthy has gone to Dickie's head. He believes that laws do not apply to him. He believes that if he says something then it automatically becomes so. He said that the insurgency is in its last throes two years ago and, lo, let's take a look at that last throe -it has taken yet another trumped up offensive, dubbed "Arrowhead Ripper" to try to combat that "retiring" insurgency.

Why hasn't the country fired Dick Cheney? Would you keep an employee who routinely ripped you off, lied to your face, disappeared for days at a time without explanation, hell no, you'd can his ass, and you'd do it before Monday morning, right? So what are we waiting for?

Here's the latest stunt that proves that Cheney cannot be trusted - he has conveniently exempted himself and his staff from Executive Order 12958. It is interesting that some of the many mentions of the office of the Vice President in E.O. 12958 read as follows:

"The authority to classify information originally may be exercised only by: (1) the President and, in the performance of executive duties, the Vice President"

"'Original classification authority' means an individual authorized in writing, either by the President, the Vice President in the performance of executive duties, or by agency heads or other officials designated by the President, to classify information in the first instance."

''Top Secret' original classification authority may be delegated only by the President; in the performance of executive duties, the Vice President; or an agency head or official designated pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of this section."

"Information originated by: (1) the incumbent President or, in the performance of executive duties, the incumbent Vice President"

"Reveal information that would clearly and demonstrably impair the current ability of United States Government officials to protect the President, Vice President, and other protectees for whom protection services, in the interest of the national security, are authorized."

---
Don't tell me Dickie's attorneys (and you know there are loads of them) are going to try to run the "the VP wasn't performing 'executive duties' trick," that's almost as good as the "Scooter Libby never committed any real crime" ruse. This ploy truly won't fly in the face of Cheney's previous claim that he should be afforded "executive privilege" when he didn't feel like sharing his list of oil and gas executives that he invited over to pick their brains about U.S. energy policy. You can't have it both ways, Dickie - you are either a part of the executive branch and can thereby invoke executive privilege or you are not and are not afforded any of the privileges of the executive office - which is it, Dickie? Give me a freakin' break. Progressives have lawyers, too. And we can all read, and the words demonstrate clearly that Dick Cheney is not following the rules, i.e. Cheney is BREAKING THE LAW. Get it, got it, good... Now act - call your Congressperson and demand that she/he sign onto House Resolution 333 (sponsored by Rep. Dennis Kucinich).

"In stonewalling the request by Congress's General Accounting Office for records of the energy task force's meetings, Cheney has invoked the hallowed principle of executive privilege. He told a weekend news show that the request is 'unprecedented in the sense that it would make it virtually impossible for me to have confidential conversations with anybody ... You just cannot accept that proposition without putting a chill over the ability of the president and vice president to receive unvarnished advice.'"
--Hiding behind executive privilege only reinforces the sense that he's hiding something smelly. By Scott Rosenberg, Salon, January 29, 2002


Why, oh, why is this man and all of his mechanical parts still the second (?) most powerful man in this country? Let's throw the bum out! IMPEACH DICK CHENEY!!!

Text of Representative Kucinich's House Resolution 333 Impeaching Richard B. Cheney, Vice President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors.

Representative Henry Waxman's Letter to Dick Cheney.

Notes from a Radical Militant Insomniac

That's it, this war or occupation or whatever you call the ever-growing debacle/fiasco/quagmire that is Iraq is officially wrecking my life - (well, the war plus the fact that I'm 48 years old and staring down the ugly road of peri-menopause, looking ahead to the full-blown car wreck known as menopause). Thanks to both of these events, I haven't slept through the night in over two weeks and I am more than a little bit cranky. For one thing, every day there is another scandal breaking about how this goddamn administration has broken or simply ignored another law and yet they are still in power - what gives?

It is 4:30 in the morning here in Tulsa, Oklahoma, both of my doggies are sacked out (one on the futon beside me, the other back in the bedroom) sleeping the sleep of two innocent beings while their mom has been up since 3:30am. I've already sent several e-mails to Stephanie, one to Chris (a loverly version of the Armageddon Dildos singing their singular hit "Homicidal Maniac" - don't worry, readers - I'd resort to becoming a suicidal maniac before I'd ever contemplate hurting anybody else), and an e-mail to the lovely and talented Rebekah Baker (the Associate Producer of the SMS).

Here are a few simple questions that plague my sleep-deprived mind:

--Why can't the Bush administration just admit the attack and subsequent occupation of Iraq was a colossal mistake and just get the hell out of that country with the shred that is left of America's dignity?

--Why can't somebody follow the e-mail scandal trail where it so clearly leads and nail Karl Rove's ass?

--Why is Alberto Gonzalez still serving as the Attorney General, while the Department of Justice is in a complete meltdown under his corrupt and deceitful leadership?

--Why are we continuing to funnel huge amounts of money to Halliburton, Blackwater and KBR while every audit has shown that these corporations are ripping us (that's you and me, American taxpayers) to the tune of billions of dollars?

--Why hasn't every Democratic Representative and the few Republican Reps with any integrity signed on to Representative Kucinich's Resolution to impeach Dick Cheney?

--Why, in the wealthiest country in the world, are there people dying IN OUR ERs?

--Why has New Orleans now resorted to soliciting funds from foreign countries, because our own government has squandered so many of the donations that generous Americans gave in the aftermath of that tragedy?

--Why, in a country of laws, not men, is the question of possibly pardoning the convicted felon Scooter Libby even being discussed, while Genarlow Wilson continues to sit in prison for a crime that is now classified as a misdemeanor?

--Why, why, why??? I ask you, if any of you out there can answer these questions to my satisfaction, I would love to hear from you. Shit, it's 5:30 in the morning, guess I'll go ahead and put on a pot of coffee, and hope for better sleep tonight. I don't know if I can keep this up until November of 2008, but that may be the only solution to my problem - Regime change here in America!

Here's the only thing that has buoyed me lately, a wonderful video of the great Patti Smith singing the righteous anthem "People Have the Power." Would that it were true!

The power to dream / to rule
to wrestle the world from fools
it's decreed the people rule
it's decreed the people rule
LISTEN
I believe everything we dream
can come to pass through our union
we can turn the world around
we can turn the earth's revolution
we have the power
People have the power...

--Patti Smith, People Have the Power, from the album "Dream of Life"

Rudy's 12-Step Program

Stephanie,
Here is Giuliani's 12 Step Program - I have helpfully decoded each step by adding a more accurate description of each of Rudy's points in highlighted text.
Cheers,
Faye

Rudy Giuliani’s 12 Commitments
by James Joyner

Rudy Giuliani gave a speech this afternoon announcing his “Twelve Commitments to the American people, a bold vision aimed at moving America forward through change and reform, overcoming new challenges and increasing accountability in Washington.”

Let’s take them one at a time, shall we?
1. I will keep America on offense in the Terrorists’ War on Us.
In other words – I will continue to poke Muslims in the Middle East with a sharp stick.
What the hell does that mean, exactly?
2. I will end illegal immigration, secure our borders, and identify every non-citizen in our nation.
Read – I will institute a national ID card and invade every Americans’ privacy.
No, you won’t. And, frankly, I wouldn’t want to give you (or anyone else) enough power to “identify every non-citizen in our nation.” There are over 300 million people living here, stretched across a continental landmass. How on earth would you do that?
3. I will restore fiscal discipline and cut wasteful Washington spending.
I will only fund projects that support my political backers, and I will continue to fund the military-industrial complex.
I’m for that. How would you define wasteful spending? How much would you cut it? How would you persuade Congress?
4. I will cut taxes and reform the tax code.
I will continue to reward the top 1% of the wealthiest Americans, while the middle-class will continue to get screwed.
Which taxes? By how much? Reform how?
5. I will impose accountability on Washington.
I will run Washington like I ran NYC, shoving all the unsightly stuff under the rug (will Georgie be leaving his yellow ruggie behind?).
How so? We’ve got elections, separation of powers, and checks and balances. What would you add? Is it Constitutional?
6. I will lead America towards energy independence.
I will drill in ANWR and reward the American auto industry while ignoring sensible solutions like the cultivation of industrial hemp.
I’m for that. How would you achieve it? What will it cost?
7. I will give Americans more control over, and access to, healthcare with affordable and portable free-market solutions.
I will privatize Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and eliminate virtually all safety nets for needy citizens.
I’m confused. Is this going to be done by the government or the free market? Anyway, I’ve already got plenty of control and access.
8. I will increase adoptions, decrease abortions, and protect the quality of life for our children.
I will slash publicly-funded pre-natal care, and continue to pander to the religious right by funding more unsuccessful abstinence-only education.
From the White House? How? You’re already going to be chasing terrorists, illegal aliens, and looking for oil.
9. I will reform the legal system and appoint strict constructionist judges.
I will continue, in the tradition of George W. Bush, to appoint judges who are only activists on issues that I believe that they should inject themselves (privacy issues, death penalty, wire-tapping under the guise of national security, etc…)
Reform in what manner? Will these judges be confirmable?
10. I will ensure that every community in America is prepared for terrorist attacks and natural disasters.
I will ensure that homeland security funds are spent to line the pockets of corporations by awarding no-bid contracts to said corporations, and will ignore the needs of communities devasted by hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts, floods, and earthquakes.
Have you ever heard of Federalism? Anyway, 99.9% of the communities in America are in essentially no danger from terrorism, so why would you expend federal resources on protecting them?
11. I will provide access to a quality education to every child in America by giving real school choice to parents.
I will continue to promote the demise of America’s public education system, by redirecting education funds away from public schools to vouchers that support private, exclusive, often religious schools.
No, you won’t. You’d never get it through Congress, for starters, and the courts would likely strike down any law that sent government money to religious schools.
12. I will expand America’s involvement in the global economy and strengthen our reputation around the world.
I will continue to bomb the bejesus out of any country who looks at us cross-eyed.
How could we be more involved in the global economy? And how are you going to do this while shutting down our borders, chasing illegal aliens, and stopping the import of energy from abroad
If any of the highlighted text sounds familiar, well it's all sloppy seconds from the current administration. So if you like what we've got now then Giuliani is your man. However, if you are sick to death of the current policies, then you have eight fine Democrats from which to chose.

The Xenophobia Behind "English Only" Laws

This morning I caught the award ceremony at the French Open Tennis Championship, and I, along with the commentators, was struck by the multi-lingual skills of Roger Federer. In his wikipedia entry it says this about Federer's linguistic abilities: "He considers his main language German, but he also speaks French and English fluently." Not a particularly remarkable skill for a citizen of Switzerland or many other European countries, but one that apparently many Americans find terrifying.

The web site U.S. English, Inc. presents a case for making English the official language of this country, one that panders to some right-wing Americans' most base attitudes. Besides reporting on the passage of the S.I. Hayakawa National Language Amendment Act of 2007, offered by Senator James Inhofe (R - OK), the web site goes on to list a few of the reasons why English must be preserved as the national language of the United States. None of the reasons hold up under scrutiny, but they provide the basis for remarks such as the one offered by Rep. Tom Tancredo (R - CO) last week at the GOP Debate:

"Believe me when I tell you this, English — the preservation of the English language is important for us for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is because it is what holds us together. It is the glue that keeps a country together, any country. Bilingual countries don’t work, and we should not encourage it."

Not only is the fallacy of this argument painfully clear to anyone who has even a rudimentary knowledge of other countries - Canada, for example. Although Afghanistan, India and China may not be beacons of democracy or freedom, it is not multilingualism that is creating the problems that each one is facing. But it is also an insult to the rest of the world to announce that we won't bother to learn how to communicate with others, however, we do expect that others will learn our language so that should we ever need anything from them, they'll be able to understand us and serve our wishes. Not every American shares Tancredo's or Inhofe's arrogance and limited vision - thank goodness.

One of my sister's spent time in the Peace Corps and is fluent in at least three languages. I'll never forget her remark to me when I told her that I planned to major in English in college. "That's the best you can do, a language you already speak!" We both had a good laugh, and I did go on to study English and American literature, but I've never forgotten my sister's remark and the truth that hides not too deep in those words.

There is something inherently insular and narcissistic about Americans' worldview, something that makes us as a people think that learning another language would somehow diminish us as a society when just the opposite is true. If I were the Secretary of Education, we would be teaching Arabic, Hindi and Mandarin Chinese in HeadStart classes across the country. Every study done on language acquisition shows that the earlier another language is introduced, the easier it is not only for the learner to acquire a second language, but also to later learn a third and even fourth language. Of what are we so afraid?

"English Only" laws reflect a stubborn view and an unfounded fear on the part of those lawmakers who propose these inane pieces of legislation. English is the universal language of commerce. It is far and away the language most people from other countries are likely to speak if they speak a second language. There is little danger that English (or American as the Brits might suggest) will cease to be the primary language of this country. Tancredo's ridiculous vision of a country in which he isn't inconvenienced by having to press "1" for English is just that - a selfish claim to an inconvenience with which he would rather not be bothered. Nada mas, nada menos (nothing more, nothing less).

Another point against "English Only" laws is that they often sweep up Native American languages in their wake. Native languages have been spoken across this land long before English was even introduced by Europeans. It is just a fluke of history and warfare that we are not speaking French or German or Spanish today, nevermind Cherokee or Chahta or Navajo. These languages are playing an important part in keeping cultures and traditional ways alive. Every so often we read about a Native elder who passed away taking a world of knowledge with her/him and some of us recognize what we have lost.

We must cultivate a sensible foreign policy that recognizes that no single country need be dominate on this planet in the next millenium. In fact, our very survival (unlike the survival that Mr. Tancredo mentioned in the debate) will depend on our ability to work together on problems that we all are facing - problems such as global warming, and the finite amount of oil and fresh water, and the ever-shrinking rainforests. In order to accomplish these tasks we must be able to communicate with each other, beyond threatening each other with guns and bombs.

Here are a few more good reason why we don't need and would actually be harmed by instituting an "English Only" law (From the ACLU's web site)

"The Inhofe English-Only amendment would punish citizens who need access to medical care and disaster relief, and it would raise new barriers to learning English. This country needs better access to English education for limited speakers, not a mute button on government access for millions of Americans."
--Caroline Fredrickson, Director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office

The Inhofe amendment would deny limited-English proficient (LEP) Americans access to basic government information such as instructions on how to pay taxes, which would inadvertently promote tax evasion. It would limit information about federal policies and government services in languages other than English. It would bar instructions about workplace safety, natural disasters and vaccinations in a form that all Americans can understand. It would also prevent LEP patients, particularly the elderly, from communicating with their doctors. It is a dangerous amendment that places every American at risk.

"The Inhofe Amendment does nothing to promote the use of English. It does not reduce the long waiting lists for English classes or educational discrimination against Americans with limited English. Instead, it keeps people who want to learn English from speaking it. It panders to English-only groups seeking to exclude millions of language minorities from American society."
--James Thomas Tucker, ACLU Policy Counsel and Author of a 2006 study of ESL waiting times

Another Summer of Love

"No government has the right to tell its citizens whom to love. The only queer people are those who don't love anybody."
--Rita Mae BrownForty years ago the world celebrated the summer of love in San Fransisco and Monterey and Los Angeles, fifteen summers later Tulsa, Oklahoma celebrated its first Gay Pride event in Mohawk Park. Yesterday marked the 25th anniversary of the Gay Pride Parade and Diversity Festival here in Tulsa. The Parade displayed and honored Tulsa's Native heritage as the Grand Marshall was John Hawk Cocke, former Director of Tulsa's Two Spirits Society. Cocke rode in the first vehicle and the Tulsa Two Spirits Society followed as second in the parade lineup. Following the parade, somewhere between 15,000 and 18,000 people came out to Veterans Park in downtown Tulsa to celebrate love, lust, and fun. There was the Logcabin Republicans booth that seemed forlorn compared to the Lambda Legal Defense Fund booth where they were giving away a nifty canvas tote bag if a person signed a petition to promote workplace equality. I brought my boyz who were remarkably well-behaved (that is until Dylan relieved himself on his mom's leg - eeeew!). We even paraded across the stage where I introduced both Tulsey and Dylan to the crowd and received a roar of applause when I mentioned that they were both SPCA rescue pups. We ran into old friends and politicians and other folks that we were happy to see at the Pride event. We were also glad that several of the booths provided water bowls for the many, many doggies that attended the event with their humans. Dylan, of course, decided to take a bath in one of the larger bowls and splashed most of the water out of the bowl - but the good-natured folks who were staffing that particular booth just laughed and refilled the bowl as I was dragging the boyz away. I took photos of the parade and of friends at the festival, and although there was nothing as flamboyant or as massive as the Pride festivities in other cities, Tulsa has come a long way in the past 25 years. Yet those of us who live here in this still very red state understand that we still have a long way to go. Just wanted to report on the beginning of another summer of love.

Tulsa Pride and Diversity Festival 2007

Dennis R. Neill Equality Center, Tulsa, OK


Two-Spirit Friends at Pride 2007

NativeOUT (a Native LGBT site)

Stephanie Miller, The Stand Up Comic of Progressive Talk Radio

Read the interview with Stephanie Miller on BuzzFlash.

"Generally human nature is that you don't want to be angry all the time, or depressed. In a way, that's on our side. That's the only power we have -- the power to mock them, which means you're taking the power back. You're not letting them make you afraid and depressed. A lot of people say it's the only way you can deal with what's happened to this country over the last however-many-years that Bush has been in, because it is depressing, and it is horrible."
--Stephanie Miller, Jones Radio Network, 9 am - 12 pm ET

Why Ignore Industrial Hemp?

With all the talk about reducing carbon emissions in this country, we are ignoring a sensible alternative to ethanol, an alternative that has already proven problematic because it takes a large amount of corn to produce, thereby removing corn from the food supply. An obvious answer to the problem of creating a cheap, easy-to-grow, renewable resource is the cultivation of industrial hemp. Before you all start making jokes about stoners and bongs and other references to industrial hemp's notorious cousin cannabis sativa or marijuana, let me explain that industrial hemp has a very low percentage of THC (typically less than 1%) - the active ingredient that creates a "high" from ingesting or smoking marijuana, so that a stoner would literally have to smoke a bale of industrial hemp in about 20 seconds and then all the smoker would get for her/his trouble is a headache.

The DEA remains in the dark ages about this ideal crop that not only could solve our energy problems, but also is so versatile, the fiber produced from this amazing plant can serve as a source of paper, clothing, and even cooking oil. Industrial Hemp is grown legally in Canada and many countries in Europe. It grows pesticide and herbicide-free and grows in virtually any part of the country. In fact, the government encouraged the cultivation of industrial hemp during WWI & WWII in order to make rope and other supplies for the troops. This is why the legacy of ditch weed still grows in many parts of rural America. If you'd like to learn more about this phenomenal crop, please visit the web site, Vote Hemp, and contact your Congress people about passing legislation that would allow farmers to grow industrial hemp - we are going to need all the help we can find to end our addiction to foreign sources of oil. This a great way to add to the solution!

Read about the government's insane battle to destroy industrial hemp crops being cultivated on the Sovereign Lakota Nation: S.D. family seeks the right to grow hemp

Here's a link to an excellent column by Jamison Colburn, Why The War on Drugs Should Not Include a War on Hemp.

Another Reason I Will Not Be Supporting Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton - the common wisdom says that you either love her or you hate her. I neither love her nor do I hate her. Yet I must agree with the late great Molly Ivins that I will not be supporting Hillary Clinton's campaign for president. Aside from all of the great reasons that Molly gives in her wonderful column, I have a new reason why Hillary has lost any chance of earning my support. Hillary Clinton has declined to attend "Prez on the Rez" an historic presidential forum that will be held on August 23, 2007 at the Morongo Band of Mission Indians Resort, Casino and Spa in California. The forum is not only an historic event - the first time that presidential candidates will meet with and address issues that matter most to Natives in this country, but it is also a fantastic opportunity to showcase so many of Senator Clinton's own concerns - health care, education, civil rights, etc... What reason did Mrs. Clinton give for not participating in this event? She won't be in California on that day - come on, that is as lame an excuse as I've ever heard. We all know that Hillary can be wherever she wants or needs to be whenever she wants or needs to be there.


This last week I moderated a panel at a conference that has been held annually for the last 20 years - the conference is called the Sovereignty Symposium and the title of the panel I moderated was "Native Peoples and the Media." The purpose of the panel was to present various ways in which Native people are using media to challenge stereotypes, promote tribal sovereignty, and increase their voices in the political arena. The first speaker was Chad Burris, a Chickasaw Indian, who has produced both a short film and a feature-length film that have both been screened at Sundance. Chad showed his short film "Goodnight Irene" (a low-key, moving film - if you ever have an opportunity to see it, do - you won't be sorry) that focuses on three generations of Seminole Indians waiting for medical care in an Indian Health Service hospital in Oklahoma. The film poignantly portrays a loss of culture while also emphasizing the sorry state of health care that is the reality for most Native people in this country. I whispered to Kalyn Free who was also on the panel that I wish Hillary Clinton could see this film and incorporate some of the needs highlighted in this film into her own health care plan.

Kalyn Free was the next presenter and she spoke about her organization INDN's List, the very same group that is hosting the "Prez on the Rez" event. She mentioned that Hillary Clinton has recently declined an invitation to attend and at the mention of Mrs. Clinton's name there were booes heard around the room. Unless Senator Clinton changes her mind and decides to participate in "Prez on the Rez," I predict that she will alienate most Native voters, and as proven in Montana, South Dakota, and New Mexico, Native voters can swing elections. As they organize more and more with the help of INDN's List, their political clout will only increase and they will be voting for someone. At this point, I doubt very seriously that those votes will be cast for Hillary Clinton.

Beware the September Song

Although my disappointment with the Democrats rests heavy on my shoulders this week, I have already spotted another worry on the horizon - I am very wary of the September chorus that sings about a bi-partisan solution concerning the withdrawal of troops from Iraq. The song goes something like this - after General Petraeus makes what is now clearly expected by nearly everyone to be a report of little progress in the ongoing disaster (read "surge") that has already become our country's occupation of Iraq, we will magically join hands and the congress and the president will come together to finally pull an exit plan for Iraq out of their collective arses - yeah, right, if you believe that, you either have been living in the White House or under a rock for the last six years. Here's an e-mail I sent to Steph a few days ago:

Hey there Steph & Crew,
You all know how much I love Chris, yet I feel compelled to offer up a thought or two about Mr. Lavoie and his highly troubling anticipation of the future of this country's occupation of Iraq. Pardon me if I sound cynical (it may have something to to do with the last six years...), but Chris, Chris, Chris, what makes you think that Bush and company will be ready to leave Iraq by September? I firmly believe that we must KEEP the PRESSURE ON and let our Senators and Representatives know that we are taking note of the vote that they cast last week and all future votes that each one of them casts regarding Iraq funding and the continued occupation. As Stephanie said yesterday, "Waiting until September just gives the Repubs and Neo-cons time to 'manage expectations,'" in other words, more time to come up with their next big lie. Give me a break, if you honestly believe that in September we're all going to come together and magically vote for a real exit plan to truly bring the troops home - YOU GOTTA KNOW THAT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN! Not without relentless pressure from all 75% of us who know that this war is wrong. I'm just afraid that if we all adopt Chris's attitude, we're gonna wake up on September 1st or 30th or any day inbetween, and there will still be 100,000 + American troops in Iraq, and they will still be dying, and our money will still be going to pad Halliburton's coffers. President Bush will come up with yet another phrase with which he will coax us along until December, then it will be spring, and we will still be there, and then summer will roll around, and before you know it, we will be heading into the election, and nobody will pay any attention to what's going on in Iraq (or Afghanistan), save for the various campaign phrases in which each candidate sums up his/her hopefully more nuanced foreign policy in some catchy slogan. Grow up, Christopher, and realize that the Bush administration cannot be trusted. Can't you smell a KarlRovian con game when it's the same damn trick over and over again? Wake up!!!
Cheers - your radical militant librarian,
Faye

For up-to-the-minute facts that you can use when you are composing your e-mails or planning your phone rants to your Congress people, see U.S. War Watch.

Blue Grit - A Great Read for Dismayed Dems

If you are half as discouraged as I am by the recent betrayal by the Congressional Democrats on the Iraq funding bill and if even Keith Olbermann's terrific rant did little to buoy your spirits, I'd like to recommend a wonderful book that is full of hope and courage and direction for these sorry times we are existing in. The book is Laura Flander's Blue Grit True Democrats Take Back Politics from the Politicians. The book is dedicated to June Jordan and when I read the openng quote I thought, yes, this speaks to me at this particular moment:

And because revolution always takes place on the basis of great hope and rising expectations, I am not too worried about the future. One way or another a whole lotta change is gonna come. Through happiness realized or through and beyond the pain of betrayal, we will become the beneficiaries of our faith.

And even without revolution, we will prevail because we have proven to the world, and to ourselves that we are not "fringe elements" or "special interest groups"or so-called "minorities." Without us there is no legitimate majority: we are the mainstream. We have become the "people."

And let our elected leadeship beware the awesome possible wrath of a mighty, multifoliate, and faithful people whose deepest hopes have been rekindled and whose needs have not been met.

--June Jordan, "On the Night of November 3, 1992," Affirmative Acts: Political Essays

Another good quote from Blue Grit:

"If liberal funders spent half the time studying the sucesses of the Left that they spend obsessing over the Coors foundation, they'd be better informed, not to mention cheerier."
Laura Flanders, Blue Grit, p. 101

Keep the faith, folks, keep the faith...

A Life of Living Magically

[Photo: Chester Higgins Jr., NYTimes]
On May 23, 2007, I left Tulsa, OK on a Southwest Airlines flight to Islip, New York with a stop in Kansas City and a plane change in Chicago. In Tulsa I began reading The Year of Magical Thinking and I finished it that night in my friend George's apartment in Patchogue on Long Island. At age 48, I am one of the few people my age who can honestly say I've never lost a person highly significant to me, with the possible exception of my mother's older sister who died six years ago, two days before she would have turned 82 years old - she was buried on her birthday. I have, of course, lost all four of my grandparents, all before I graduated from high school, and when I was in fifth grade my best friend's mother committed suicide. This made an impact on me mostly because I was in the house when she shut the garage door and turned on the car. I remember the groggy head I had when the fireman came upstairs to rouse my friend and me from our carbon-monoxide-tainted slumber. After leaving my best friend's house that morning, I remember my dad and I walking across the field where a man kept ponies that we used to try to ride, he was trying to get some fresh air inside me, I just remember a special walk with my dad.

Reading Didion, who has always been one of my favorite writers, had my mind reflecting on a time in my life when I was living in New York City, working at People Magazine in the Time-Life Building. I spent a lot of time with a college friend who also lived and worked in the City, she worked at the Whitney Museum around the time that the Whitney was mounting the Edward Hopper Exhibit (early 80s). We used to do what I imagine young, underpaid, educated people do when they find themselves living in the greatest city in the world - we had fun in cheap and frivolous ways. We knew just about every restaurant that allowed us to bring our own bottle of wine and we walked from Chinatown to the upper east side where my friend lived in a Catholic girl's rooming house (a cheap, safe alternative that pleased my friend's Catholic family). We dined on hors d'oeuvres at gallery openings and sold review copy books (collected from the hallways at People magazine) in Greenwich Village. It wouldn't be until many years later that I would discover that this vibrant, fun-loving friend of mine from college was dead. We had lost touch with each other, I hadn't spoken to her for probably ten years. I don't think I would have known, but a mutual friend of ours "googled" her name and an obituary came up. In an instant life changes....

As I already admitted, death has touched me only tangentially. Both of my parents are still living and I have not lost a close friend or a member of my immediate family, still the death of my college friend caught me off guard, she was 45 years old, an art history major in college who decided after several years out of school to go into medicine, tackling medical school in her late twenties and graduating at age 31, serving her residency in Iowa before settling in Boston where she practiced and taught at Harvard.

While I was on Long Island, after spending a day in the City and thinking back on the brief time of my life when I used to live in Manhattan and my college friend with whom I used to hang out, I thought about going and seeing her parents who also live on Long Island, West Babylon to be exact. We used to go out to her folks' place on the weekends and stuff ourselves with wonderful homemade Italian food - both of my friend's parents are first-generation Italians. When I learned about her death, a full year after the fact, I bought a card and thought about sending a check to my friend's memorial fund, but never got around to sending it. So while I was in the neighborhood I thought I would go by and see her parents, and I did. I learned that my friend died of leukemia, in spite of being an internal medicine physician herself and getting the best possible care in Boston. I saw the pain in her parents eyes and felt the loss that must come only when parents lose a child. Together we told stories of my friend, their daughter, and we looked at old photos of her smiling a beautiful smile, my friend was a gorgeous woman - dark Italian good looks with a jaw line and cheek bones to die for. In an instance a life ends and many lives are changed forever.

I cannot imagine losing my parents who are both 75 years old and in good health, thank goodness, but I know someday it will happen, and I don't imagine that I'll know how to react, how I'll feel. That is one of the points that Didion makes in her memoir.

At the end of the amazing performance that is the one-woman show at the Booth Theater on Broadway, Vanessa Redgrave reads the following words directly from the book on which the play is based, "Grief turns out to be a place none of us know until we reach it. We anticipate (we know) that someone close to us could die.... We might expect if the death is sudden to feel shock. We do not expect this shock to be obliterative, dislocating to both body and mind." To the contrary, I do anticipate losing both my mind and my heart when my parents die, but I'm also fairly sure I will go on, I will continue, but it's true that I have no idea how I will manage this. Even after reading this incredible book and seeing the equally amazing play, I simply have no idea.

See Momma in Madison!

Momma in Madison, Wisconsin...

If you, like me, were stuck wherever you live and weren't able to get to Madison, Wisconsin on Saturday night to see Steph at the Barrymore Theater, never fear - they took a few videos and they are available at the MIC 92.1 web site. Check them out! It's not the same as being there, but it is the next best thing. Here are a few still shots from Momma's May 2006 appearance in Madison:

In Praise of Unsung Heros

REBEKAH BAKER - Unsung Hero

This morning I am sitting at home waiting for a repair person to come over and hopefully fix my refrigerator freezer which quit working a couple months ago. As I sit here it occurs to me that there are many people who make my life more bearable, and not all of them have their names in lights or have a nationally syndicated radio show with their name blazened across a web site.

One of those folks I'd like to dedicate this post to today is Rebekah Baker, Associate Producer of the Stephanie Miller Show, who labors tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure that callers can get through and talk to Steph, makes sure that there are always interesting and entertaining people calling in on the celebrity hotline, and makes reservations and other travel arrangements for Steph whenever she is on the road as she is today (for those fans of the SMS who are able to get to Madison, Wisconsin, Steph will be appearing at the Barrymore Theater at 8:00 tonight - check her out!)

Rebekah Baker is one big reason why the Stephanie Miller Show has taken off like it has - her efficient, yet friendly, manner on the phone is often remarked on by callers, and her ability to juggle many tasks simultaneously is a true testament to her organizational skills. Rebekah not only is the associate producer for the SMS, but she also produces two other radio shows: Handel on the Law and a The Tech Guys, so she is lucky to get a single day off every week. Rebekah also designed and maintains Stephanie's MySpace page - another fabulous resource for all things Steph. Check it out!

This is just a reminder that there are many people in our world who make it all happen each and every day and whose presence goes unnoticed precisely because they are so good at doing a seamless job. Here's to Rebekah Baker and her doggie "I" who I'm sure would like to spend more time with her mom, but appreciates her as much as the rest of us Steph fans do. Yeah Rebekah - you go grrrl!!!

Falwell Meets Tinky Winky - the Gay(?) Teletubbie

For those of you who were listening to the SMS this morning, you may have heard that I called in during hour one and mentioned a political cartoon that I enjoyed after the demise of Reverend Three-Chins. Here it is - I just wanted to share it with you all:

Oklahoma's Governor Makes an Excellent Call

Note: Rarely do I just post an entire editorial as I'm doing today, but this one is special - it was published today in The Oklahoman a daily newspaper published in Oklahoma City, OK. A few years ago, The Oklahoman was named the worst daily newspaper in the country by the Columbia Journalism Review. This editorial is significant because it praises the appointment of Jim Roth to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, an appointment that makes Mr. Roth the only openly gay person currently serving in statewide elective office in the U.S. Although the following piece makes no mention of Mr. Roth's sexual orientation, I think it is a triumphant op-ed from The Oklahoman, and I wanted to share this moment of pride that is rare, to say the least, here in very red Oklahoma.

Wed., May 16, 2007

Good call: Roth great choice for vacancy

The Oklahoma Editorial

Cliche it may be, but we have to say it anyway: Oklahoma County's loss is Oklahoma's gain with the selection of Jim Roth to succeed Denise Bode on the state Corporation Commission.

Bode is leaving to run a foundation. She had nearly four years to go on a six-year term, but Roth — appointed by Gov. Brad Henry to replace Bode — must stand for the office next year if he wants to keep it.

Roth has been an outstanding public servant as District 1 county commissioner. He handily won a second term last year, wowing voters with his professional approach — in stark contrast to the norm on county commissions across the state.

Roth is just 38. His departure creates the need for a special election to fill the rest of his county commission term. Roth was the only Democrat on the three-member commission and will be the only Democrat on the three-member Corporation Commission.

Voters can't blame him for forcing a special election — the opportunity was too good to pass up. Henry, a champion of bipartisanship who doesn't always practice it, praised Roth for his fairness, integrity and bipartisanship.

The corporation commission is in good hands as Roth joins Jeff Cloud and Bob Anthony. Oklahoma County District 1 also is in good hands because Roth's chief deputy will be interim commissioner and is quite capable of taking care of constituents.

So both commissions are in good shape because of these changes, but it will be difficult to find a permanent replacement for Roth who can fill his shoes. A return to a traditional style of governance on the county commission is unacceptable. With one of the other three commissioners mired in legal problems, we have reason for concern about the direction the commission will go unless the right man or woman seeks the job.

Greetings to Mothers of All Creatures

"I am my dogs' mom."
Stephanie Miller, April 25, 2006

This first thing that impressed me about Stephanie Miller when I visited her web site (before I believe I had ever heard a minute of her fabulous show) was that the site was populated with photos of Steph and her doggies. So on this Mother's Day I would like to extend a heartfelt greeting and a huge thank you to all of those moms out there whose kids have four legs and loads of body hair.


Stella on her bed - What a good girl!

First and foremost, I would like to dedicate this post to my sister, Lynnie, who is dealing with the end of her longtime companion Stella's life - Stella and Lynn have been together for over 17 years - quite a long life for a chow-mix.


Dylan Thomas & Tulsey Lewis Hadley

I'd also like to say a few words about my own two "boyz," Tulsey and Dylan. Tulsey is my heart and my best friend - he is the sweetest boy in the whole world - he'll be six years old tomorrow, and I'll bring him a special bone that he'll enjoy and closely guard from his baby brother Dylan. Whereas Tulsey is pure sweetness, Dylan is at least half devil. He's a mischievous little scallywag who just today managed to knock over a planter that I had just filled with potting soil and a few basil plants and broke it all over the steps to the backyard and when we came back from our walk this afternoon Dillie-doo-doo decided to take a dip in the water bowl in the kitchen and splashed water all over the floor. I love him to pieces though and although many people have suggested that it might be wise to farm Dillie out to a ranch or some other home where there is more room to run, I just can't bring myself to break up our family. That is how I know that I am also my doggies' mom. They sleep with me at night and hang out with me while I am on the computer, in short they are, if not my whole life, a very big part of it, and I am so very glad.

I'd like to also wish Happy Mother's Day to Moose and Goose - proud moms of Roxie, Vicky - proud mom of Richard and Elizabeth, Lou (and Jesse and Joe) - proud family of Tugger, Rebekah - proud mom of I, and of course to Stephanie Miller - proud mom of Puff and Max and a puppy as yet unknown, but soon to join the family ;) Thanks for all the love!!!

"50 Ways to Leave Iraq" - Just Get the Hell Out!

Here are a few suggestions for exiting Iraq - all of them are a good-sight better that what's being considered by the current administration which is essentially worse than nothing (escalating the violence by increasing the number of troops in Iraq) or, at best, taking a "wait and see" approach: Here' wishing that Congress would just get behind any one of of these plans and ram it through this stubborn, deceitful, authoritarian, greedy, power-hungry, immature, anti-intellectual administration until they get the message that the gig is up - it's over, it's way past time to go home.

1. John Edwards Plan - Just keep sending Bush the same bill over and over until Bush comes to his senses or enough Republicans see the error of their ways and join the Democrats and override Bush's veto.

2. How to Exit Iraq by Christopher Preble (January 17, 2005), in which Mr. Preble, director of foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute, and director of the task force that prepared Exiting Iraq: Why the U.S. Must End the Military Occupation and Renew the War against Al Qaeda (2004), calls for a relatively swift end to the U.S. military occupation of Iraq. Preble states that it is in America's interest to quickly end the military occupation -- a stance that was, at the time, dramatically at variance with the conventional wisdom, which presumed that the United States must remain in Iraq "as long as necessary." As long as necessary has proven too long. The authors of Exiting Iraq anticipated that the trend of rising opposition to the U.S. occupation would not be reversed by the nominal handover of sovereignty in June, 2004. They recognized that the presence of U.S. forces undermines the legitimacy of the Iraqi government. They also noted that widespread opposition to the U.S. occupation within the Iraqi populace undermined U.S. credibility on a host of other issues.

3. Richard Clarke's article, USA Today, November 28, 2005
"The Senate voted overwhelmingly that Iraqi forces should assume the lead in the war in 2006 so that the U.S. could begin a phased withdrawal." We are now almost half-way through 2007 and the Iraqis show no more sign of being ready to defend their own country, and given the level of the civil war, insurgency, and violence, perhaps are even less prepared to defend their homeland today than they were a few months ago.

4. Congressman John Murtha has a plan.

5. George McGovern has a plan.

6. Senator Russ Feingold has a plan.

7. Representative Dennis Kucinich has a plan.

8. Senator Joe Biden has a plan.

9. General Wesley Clark has a plan.

10. Senator Barack Obama has a plan.

I could go on and on, there are literally over "50 ways to leave Iraq," not one of them is seriously being considered by the current administration. Why the Hell NOT? is my question. Why the hell not? Indeed.

GOP Debacle, er, Debate

Steph,
Boy, was I impressed last night with the GOP field especially Tancredo, Brownback and Huckabee who all three raised their hands indicating that they don't believe in Evolution - what insight! That is, if you are courting the votes of toothless, evangelical, fundamentalist, four-times divorced, trailer-park inhabiting Neanderthals who stop for cigarettes on their way to church every Sunday and save their best outfits ("Kill 'em all - Let God sort 'em out" t-shirts and sweat pants - all XXXL size) for their daily trip to Wal-Mart. What a bunch of losers!!!
Cheers,
Faye

Lucinda Williams Rocks Tulsa (with a little help from her friends)

Lucinda Williams rocked out in Tulsa's classic Cain's Ballroom on May Day 2007. Her show was opened by Anne McCue, a relatively unknown artist from Sidney, Australia who played only a handful of tunes, but did come back out and join Lucinda and the band for a rousing rendition of "You Took My Joy (and I Want it Back)." Lucinda introduced this song by proclaiming to an audience that was predisposed to love her, "Don't let anyone take away your joy, not even the president..." In fact, it was Lucinda's fantastic rapport with an audience that came to hear her unique meld of blues/country/rock 'n roll music and superb songwriting that made the night feel special. Lucinda opened her show with a set of country songs played as an homage to the ghosts of Cain's Ballroom, including a Ralph Stanley inspired hoe-down.


As Lucinda chatted with the crowd of about 2000 adoring fans, she mentioned that she had a few friends in the audience and proceeded to call a couple of them up on stage. So Tulsa was treated to two old-time true American blues tunes with legendary blues guitarist D.C. Minner (hailing from Rentiesville, OK), who joined Lucinda and company onstage along with D.C.'s wife Selby who was positively channeling the late great Janis Joplin and who strapped on a bass guitar for one of the tunes. The crowd responded warmly to the mini-reunion of sorts that was witnessed and much appreciated by all, then it was back to the business of rocking out the Cain's...

A task that Ms. Williams and her able band took quite seriously. After going through her country set, Lucinda launched into some rock 'n roll favorites, including a wonderful version of the song "Overtime" written by Williams, but made famous by Willie Nelson. I believe that the band even covered an old Jethro Tull tune. Williams and her band concluded with the aforementioned "You Took My Joy." For the encore (and yes, Lucinda and the boyz did another set for an encore), Lucinda opened her final set with a crowd-requested version of "Metal Firecracker" followed by a new song about a honey bee (wink wink) and she closed out the show with a cover of the Bobbie Gentry classic "Ode to Billy Joe."

All in all, it was a fabulous evening with loads of great, and most importantly, fun music. Tulsa loves Lucinda and Lucinda dubbed the Tulsa crowd the "best audience of the tour," so the feeling must be mutual. You're welcome anytime here in Green Country, Lucinda, don't stay away long.

Here's a review of the show in the Tulsa World.

Let Dan Abrams Know That You Love Steph!!!

Stephanie Miller, Jim "Voice Deity" Ward, and Chris "Cute as a Button" Lavoie were in the MSNBC house this morning and what a wake up call it was! Things started off a tad shaky as Momma and her lovable mooks got their sea, er TV, legs, but by hour two Momma had figured out the phone-in machine and the Voice Deity was in full swing and Executive Producer "Boy Toy" Lavoie only missed one discernible cue. They were the best thing I've seen on the boob tube (no reference meant to Momma's purple sweater - and I do mean sweater - more on that in a moment).

Let's just sit back a minute and allow some of our own wonderful progressive, liberal voices to bask in the limelight that they veritably snatched out from under Imus and other true ToxJocks (credit Roxie for coining that apt and able term) this morning. Mr. Abrams should give himself a raise for having the foresight and vision to put this wonderful crew on the air. What a breath of fresh air, what an amazing sea-change, what insight, what a show - I could go on and I think I will... As I mentioned it took these quick studies no longer than the first several minutes of the first hour to work out their kinks. Stephanie is a TV pro, and Jim Ward a star of stage and screen, but the one who stole my heart was little Chris Lavoie - all blinky and dewey-eyed in his virgin TV appearance (not counting the rib-eating contest that Chris participated in during a radio stunt in Phoenix.) The gang of three and lovely Rebekah Baker back in LA on phones and drums set the cable news world on fire. If you missed it, shame on you. But never fear, if you didn't see the show this morning, you have another chance to catch Momma and the mooks tomorrow - same time, same channel (6:00 - 9:00am EST on MSNBC). Do yourself a favor - don't miss it! And if you enjoy the show half as much as I did - let Dan Abrams know. E-mail him at feedback@msnbc.com or viewerservices@msnbc.com and give our grrrl and her team a plug.

Now back to an honest critique of the show, lest my radical militant bias become too obvious. So here are a few words about the purple sweater with the emphasis on "sweater." A round of "Oh dears" were hear across the nation this morning when Steph lifted her arms in an enthusiastic move, we noticed that she was not only wearing the much-requested form-fitting purple sweater, but she had also chosen to forego the pads under her arms, so we found out that Momma is a real-life human who sweats and talks and jokes (and probably farts, too, but my point here is not to be indelicate.) Rather it is just to point out that not a single one of us is perfect, but some of us are certainly loads of fun, and I have to say that not only is Stephanie Miller loads of fun but she is also a barrel of laughs. I e-mailed Steph and suggested that she may want to select a less form-fitting top for tomorrow, but otherwise don't change a thing. The SMS ROCKS - check it out!