Stuart Bedasso Radio

Download the Show Here:
http://traffic.libsyn.com/bedasso/TSBS_October_5_2014.mp3

Deborah Magone is back!  This time with long-time friend & manager, Suzanne Fava.  We play some of her new stuff and talk about the new tunes, how one goes about becoming Grammy-nominated, her connection with Bernie Taupin and more.  It's always fun to have Deb on.  We also talk about Rochester Free Radio's Crowdfunding campaign.  You need to give them some money and get some stuff for it.  You dig?

Music:
Deborah Magone - Black On Blue
Tom Paxton - What Did You Learn Today?
Deborah Magone - Backstairs
Black Pearl (w/Deborah Magone) - Waiting For Me
Dana Countryman - Good Radio Day (Hawaiian Version)

I reacted with the same amount of disgust with today’s two Supreme Court rulings as everyone else did.  Well, to be totally honest, the Harris vs. Quinn decision I have mixed feelings about.  But I’m not here to talk about the decisions per se.

Amongst the reactions was the ever-present theory that these decisions were perfect examples of how the two parties are not the same and that this is why we have to vote for a Democratic candidate for President. 

I’ve been hearing this for a while now and ranks up there with the “Nader cost Gore the election” parroting that still continues to this day.  So I decided to actually take a deeper look at this Supreme Court and see if I could draw any conclusions that are similar to “that’s why we have to vote for a Democrat for President.”

We have 9 justices: Roberts, Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas, Alito, Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor and Kagan.  The first 5 are the ones responsible for the decisions everyone is upset about.  So, who is responsible for the make-up of the court who could rule in such a shitty manner?  Well, let’s see…

Presidents get to nominate candidates for the Supreme Court, but it’s the Senate that has to confirm them.  So there’s an equal responsibility here. 

In 2005, GW Bush nominated Chief Justice Roberts.  If you’re anything close to a humanist, you probably think Roberts is a tool.  Well, 22 Democrats voted to confirm him.  Now, if all those D’s voted against, he still would have gotten his seat, but this is an indicator that not all the hallowed Democrats were willing to stand up to this Republican President’s nomination.

Justice Alito was nominated and confirmed in 2006, again under GWB.  Only 3 Democrats voted for this guy and he was confirmed 58 – 42.  So we’ll say this went along party lines.  Well done, Democrats.

Now the fun really begins.  Justice Kennedy. Ronald Reagan nominated him with a Democratic majority in the Senate.  He was confirmed 97-0.  Whoops!

Not done yet… it’s so hard to decide which one is the whopper. 

Shitlord Antonin Scalia (OK, I stole the Shitlord reference) was also nominated by Ronald Reagan and while there was a Republican majority in the Senate, he was confirmed 98-0.  Let that one sink in for a minute.  Not a single Democrat opposed this turd.

But the Pièce de résistance is Justice Pube-on-a-Coke-Can.  Remember that one?  Clarence Thomas, who was nominated by HW Bush in 1991, was confirmed 52-48.  By a Senate that had a Democratic majority.  Ten Democrats voted for him. 

To recap: the Democratic Party had at least 2 chance to stop these two decisions today but chose to, instead, confirm Anthony Kennedy and Clarence Thomas when they had the majority in the Senate.  They also decided to show how much they care about women and workers by unanimously voting in Shitlord Scalia and giving 22 votes to Chief Shitlord Roberts. 

Some may say this is old news, we have to think about the “now”.  Let me show you another great example of how the Democratic Party sticks to it’s principles.

As Bruce Dixon points out, Congressman John Conyers has introduced a reparations bill in the last dozen Congresses, EXCEPT, the two where Democrats have had the majority in the House. 

There were two years where the Democrats held the White House, Congress and Senate and no major legislation was passed during that time.  Now, whoever wrote the Wikipedia entry for the 111th Congress may disagree, but it is my contention that very little legislation there truly affected the systemic issues our country faces.  (OK...none of them.  Bring on the ACA rationalization.)

All of this, combined with the unrestrained contributions to both parties, is why I draw the conclusion that the systemic inequality that is embedded in this country will never be touched until people are willing to abandon the two corporate parties.  Say they’re the same, say they are different.  But they’ve both been in power for a long, long time and the scraps we get when the Democrats are the figureheads are not worth it.

And it is with that last phrase that I take this opportunity to acknowledge that my perspective is one of almost every imaginable privilege there is and that it is easy for me to draw my conclusions and willingness to sacrifice because I am a white, straight, cisgender male.  I realize that my conclusions may not be relevant to some.  But I still contend that despite the crumbs people are given by the Democrats, it is still nowhere near what we deserve and that it is people of privilege who perpetuate this system - those in the 1% and many in the 99%.

-Dave

The "solution" is a bit debatable, but...it's a good description of how we got here.

Download the Show Here:
http://traffic.libsyn.com/bedasso/TSBS_September_16_2012.mp3

Stuart wants Herman's Hermits, but this week we bring you an excusive interview with Kelly and Luis from The Dollyrots.  We talk about their new album and the upcoming tour...and Dave will not be following them to Liechtenstein. Dave's Dad bestwows gifts upon Dikoff Studio.  Melyssa has an ephiphany.  Epiphany and Ivory live together in perfect harmony.  DON'T feed your pet food from Purina.  More new band names for you to steal.  Hurry before The Dollyrots steal one!

Music:
The Dollyrots - F U Famous
The Dollyrots - Twist Me To The Left
Tony Joe White - Groupy Girl
The Peacocks International Guitar Band - Feresirima

Download the Show Here:
http://traffic.libsyn.com/bedasso/TSBS_July_15_2012.mp3

I think we may have coined a new phrase with this show - Girl Junk.  Our tribute to the late, great actor and masturbator, Ernest Borgnine kicks off the show.  What's the effing deal with Kodak?  The judge should just put them out of our misery.  Jeremy sucks, but Brian, from Co-oply rocks!  We interviewed Brian Van Slyke from the co-operative who brings you Co-opoly. We talk about the game, co-operatives in general and the history of Monopoly.  A great story!  Buy a Co-opoly from the Stuart Bedasso website and get awesome swag!  We kid you not!

Special shout out section!  Make sure you check out the book signing by TSBS friend, James Bailey.  It's on July 21, 2012 at Liftbridge Book Shop in Brockport, NY from 2-4pm.  James is there signing is debut novel, The Greatest Show on Dirt.  Tell him Stu sent ya!

Music:
Eleni Mandell - Magic Summertime
Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad - Pockets

Wow!

It's late and if I'm not going to go to bed there are a million things I should be working on, but I just can't.  Everywhere I go on the internets I see liberals plotzing over the President saying gays should be allowed to marry.  Doesn't this kool-aid taste a bit familiar? 

First of all, as Stuart mentioned on his Facebook earlier today, why is it that Barack Obama's values "evolve" while Mitt Romney flip-flops?  Kind of a double-standard don't you think?  You have to look at the "hope & change" smoke and mirrors bullshit and all the rhetoric while doing a lot of bad, nasty stuff.  This is pure calculation.  Really?  Joe Biden pushed him to come out and say this?  This was staged, pure and simple. 

OK...Obama said gays should be allowed to marry.  He's the freaking POTUS, what's he going to do about it?    Nothing, that's what.  He found his out..."but it's still up to the states to decide."  Fuck you, dude.  And all the liberals (notice I said liberals, not progressives) are swallowing this stuff all over again.  Why?

Because they've been searching for anything they can to hold on to the "hope" that he'll come around and do something liberal.  Not talk.  DO.  Hey POTUS, how about that Executive Order repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell?  Thought not. 

A lot of my Facebook friends are delirious that this has gone down.  Many of them are also my friends in real life, too.  And I know my tone with this is going to annoy them, but this is the coldest, calculatedest, political move this guy has ever done..  Look at the laundry list of issues he's "pulled the football" from.  [Note: this was written before the "revelation" was announced and I wouldn't use the word "progressive" in the context this author did, but the list is spot on.]

Yes, Barack Obama pulling this stunt does have one good part to it, even though his reason for doing it is wrong.  The President of the United States saying that gays should be allowed to marry is one tiny brick in the wall in the struggle for equality.  But really, it's not as big of a deal as many are making it.  He's a Democrat!  He's supposed to accept same sex marriage.  Think about it...this being such a big deal to so many...doesn't that tell you that maybe the bar is a bit low?

And why now?  Huh?  This wasn't really on the mainstream media's radar right now.  And as many wealthier gays had been holding out in contributing - let's see how many of them start ponying up this week.  Calculated.  Shoot, I'm wondering if another war is right around the corner.

OK...and one last point.  Even if this is legit; real "evolution".  The Green Party and all 3 of the people vying for their nomination have always been down with same-sex marriage.  And every single other issue people who are liberal or progressive claim to stand for. Just sayin.

I'm sure I'll post another time on the "lesser of two evils" anti-logic as we get closer to the election. 

Alrighty...feel free to let me have it in the comments.

Download the Show Here:
http://traffic.libsyn.com/bedasso/TSBS_August_7_2011.mp3