A modest sort of fellow (Award-winning journalist, filmmaker and historian) points out a few similarities between Joe BidenSarah Palin & Newt Gingrich. Imitation being the sincerest form of flattery (other than maybe a hummer — you can say that on television, can't you? — in the green room, Nancy Reagan style) we'd bet Gov. Palin is already at work lining up that No. Two slot behind Newt, who, as the oldest weasel (thrice-married & twice-divorced, even better) certainly has the inside track to the GOP nomination.
Laugh if you must (Remember, they ran Dole, & McCain.) but eventually all several hundred forward-thinking Republicans will realize that attempts to levitate Reagan's corpse aren't working nearly as well as hoped, & they'll think ahead from 1984 to 1994, Newt, & his Contract on America. Probably the last actual high point for the elephant party. That they managed to blow it w/ the hypocritical stench they raised about Clinton getting blown has been ignored & almost forgotten, but they always forget such troublesome things.
That memory will be enough to fix their authoritarian minds, looking as always for Daddy Leader, on Newtie. And whether he runs or merely anoints the next nominee, power-mad Palin knows to be on his good side, so she can be Veep or Prez candidate, however Gingrich disposes.
Unless the pagans get to him & cut out his heart for a sacrifice.
As we've spent much of the day exercising our (not-gawd given, but seized-by-the-power-&-will-of-the-people) rights to free speech & inflammatory rhetoric, we take a moment to pretend we have some patriotic (certainly no nationalistic) blood in our varicose veins & acknowledge the poor bastards who died or were permanently damaged for our country, rather than making poor Kraut bastards die for their fascist shit-hole of a nation. Specifically those poor American bastards at the Omaha Beach cluster-fuck, but all those who served & suffered, Canucks, Limeys & Yanks*, at all the beaches, on the ships, in the planes, at their desks ...
Thanks, for whatever that's worth coming from us, or anyone.
Now back to plotting against the upper classes. War is never over until all the enemy are dead.
*No ANZAC; they ran home to the Anti-Podes a-skeert of a never-did-happen Japo-Japanese invasion right before the big day. (Photo stolen here.)
And, for the trifecta, a photo of Pass-Around Pammy* w/ No. Three on the Stooge list, the Gateway Pundit.*Tip of the Bouffant chapeau to the late & still great El Duce for that one.
Traitor Oliver North, serial adulterer Newt Gingrich & campaign fund abuser Mike Huckabee brought their version of Christianity & the Three Stooges to a church in Virginia Beach, VA, recently, where they doubled down on the gawd-squawk. You were expecting differently?
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee urged Christians to get involved in politics to preserve the presence of religion in American life.
"I think this is one of the most critical moments in American history," Gingrich said. "We are living in a period where we are surrounded by paganism."
Sixth-century Newt, surrounded by pagans. Here in the 21st century, we haven't noticed that many, but Newt & Huck are doubtless concerned about their ever-shrinking base of fools, fanatics, right-wing domestic extremists & bitter guns & gawd clingers. (Doesn't Glen Beck preach that "we surround them," them being "us?" Organize your talking points, gents.)
Gingrich and Huckabee, a former governor of Arkansas, argued the rights of Americans stem from God and to ignore that connection is perilous. The two were among several speakers, including former U.S. Senate candidate Oliver North, at the three-hour "Rediscovering God in America" event. The event was closed to reporters but was broadcast live on God.TV, an evangelical Web site.
The continuing religious traditions of obscurantism, suppression of speech & opposition to democracy. Not to mention this "rights of Americans stem from God" horse-pucky. Why repeat the rational, true, common-sense rebuttal to this crap? They're never changing their story; if they insist on debating the issues or whatever the hell from a supernatural basis, there's really no debate to be had.
"I am not a citizen of the world," said Gingrich, who was first elected to the U.S. House from Georgia in 1978 and served as speaker from 1995 to 1999. "I am a citizen of the United States because only in the United States does citizenship start with our creator."
Foolish anti-theist us, we thought being born in the United Snakes (under the pesky to 'wingers 14th Amendment) was what made Gingrich a citizen of the United Snakes. But why would he go w/ that, when it can be made mysterious & spooky? Recent convert-to-Catholicism Newt is swinging the censer here, covering the real w/ a cloud of stench & smoke. "Big Idea Men" like Newton regard reality as a mere speed-bump slowing their race to destiny.
And let's add two words to that: "I am a citizen of the United States because only in the United States does citizenship start with belief in our creator." Think about that. Citizenship for bible-thumpers only. Huck goes in that direction too, urging:
his listeners to get engaged in public life or their views won't matter.
"Politicians aren't interested in pleasing the public," he said. "They're interested in pleasing voters."
Or those who count the votes, right, Hucklebee? And fewer votes make it so much easier to count them. Or not.
Huckabee told the audience he was disturbed to hear President Barack Obama say during his speech in Cairo, Egypt, on Thursday that one nation shouldn't be exalted over another.*
The notion that we are just one of many among equals is nonsense," Huckabee said. The United States is a "blessed" nation, he said, calling American revolutionaries' defeat of the British empire "a miracle from God's hand."
The same kind of miracle, he said, led California voters to approve Proposition 8, which overturned a state law legalizing same-sex marriages.
The potential envisioned here by these giants of the right? A nation that, if led by a loud & public-about-it Xian president who was elected by Real Americans, could do no wrong & probably should be ruling the world, no matter how many Christian soldiers must die to achieve that goal. Not explicitly stated, no, but the implication is certainly there. Then think of the fear-mongering these same buffoons attempt vis-รก-vis the "socialist agenda" or whatever bizarre scenarios other right-wing extremist leaders have imagined Barack Obama to be cooking up.
You know damn well these people will kill for their theocracy. Does anyone believe that Obama is planning a blood-bath so the Feds can start making Trabants to force down America's throat?
*Double Standard Dep't.: Nations or good ol' boys, those Republicans sure are good at it. Ask Newt when he's trading up for a new model carwife.
We're now scanning anything that doesn't move; the cockroaches should start worrying too. (Sweet mystery of life: we scanned this at high-resolution, & got an image that is 20,352 x 28,032.) Attempting to work w/ it makes the devil-box smoke & give off sparks. So we'll give it another shot while we're off to the liquor store. (For smokes & the fish-wrapper, not liquor.)This one not too bad.
Well, there are three of us.
Your editor on the right, & the two other founding members of the Silver Lake Bachelors' Club, the Saturday before X-mess, two or three yrs. ago.(This one scanned from a printed photograph. As always, identities concealed to protect the guilty: the innocent need no protection. And what the hell's the guy in the middle so happy about?)
The Editorial Staff, around 20 yrs. ago, forced to dress as Santa for the departmental event, & being as clever a dick as he is today.(Scanned from a Polaroid®.)
The Associated Press 25 mins ago
Today is Saturday, June 6, the 157th day of 2009. There are 208 days left in the year.
Other AP. A/V. UPI Almanac.
Today's Highlight in History:
On June 6, 1944, the "D-Day" invasion of Europe took place during World War II as Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy, France.A British bomber crew member describes the approach during the D-Day assault. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower broadcasts a D-Day message to Allied troops.
On this date:
In 1799, American orator Patrick Henry died in Charlotte County, Va.
In 1809, Sweden adopted a new constitution.
In 1844, the Young Men's Christian Association was founded in London.
In 1872, feminist Susan B. Anthony was fined for voting in an election in Rochester, N.Y. She refused to pay the fine and the judge allowed her to go free.
In 1918, American Marines suffered heavy casualties as they launched their eventually successful counteroffensive against German troops in the World War I Battle of Belleau Wood in France.
In 1925, Walter Percy Chrysler founded the Chrysler Corp.
In 1934, the Securities and Exchange Commission was established.
In 1966, black activist James Meredith, who in 1962 became the first African-American to attend the University of Mississippi, was wounded by a sniper as he walked along a Mississippi highway to encourage black voter registration.
In 1968, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy died at Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles, a day after he was shot by Sirhan Bishara Sirhan.
In 1978, California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 13, a primary ballot initiative calling for major cuts in property taxes. [You stupid fucking jerks. — Ed.]
In 1982, Israeli forces invaded Lebanon to drive Palestine Liberation Organization fighters out of the country. (The Israelis withdrew in June 1985.)
In 1985, authorities in Brazil exhumed a body later identified as that of Dr. Josef Mengele, the Nazi doctor who conducted medical experiments on inmates at Auschwitz during World War II.
In 1989, burial services were held for Iran's spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Washington state Democrat Tom Foley succeeded Jim Wright as House speaker.
Ten years ago: The space shuttle Discovery returned from a 10-day mission that included a visit to the international space station. In tennis, Andre Agassi won the French Open, defeating Andrei Medvedev 1-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4, while in golf, Juli Inkster shot a final-round 1-under 71 for a 16-under 272 total to win the U.S. Women's Open.
Five years ago: World leaders, including President George W. Bush and French President Jacques Chirac, put aside their differences to commemorate the D-Day invasion that broke Nazi Germany's grip on continental Europe. Unseeded Gaston Gaudio upset Guillermo Coria 0-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 8-6 to win the French Open.
One year ago: The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 394.64 points to 12,209.81, its worst loss in more than a year. Crude futures made their biggest single-day jump ever, soaring nearly $11 for the day to $138.54 a barrel.
Today's Birthdays: Actress Billie Whitelaw is 77. Civil rights activist Roy Innis is 75. Singer-songwriter Gary "U.S." Bonds is 70. Country singer Joe Stampley is 66. Actor Robert Englund is 60. Folk singer Holly Near is 60. Singer Dwight Twilley is 58. Playwright-actor Harvey Fierstein is 55. Comedian Sandra Bernhard is 54. Tennis player Bjorn Borg is 53. Actress Amanda Pays is 50. Comedian Colin Quinn is 50. Record producer Jimmy Jam is 50. Rock musician Steve Vai is 49. Rock singer-musician Tom Araya (Slayer) is 48. Actor Jason Isaacs is 46. Rock musician Sean Yseult (White Zombie) is 43. Actor Max Casella is 42. Actor Paul Giamatti is 42. R&B singer Damion Hall (Guy) is 41. Rock musician Bardi Martin is 40. Rock musician James "Munky" Shaffer (Korn) is 39. TV correspondent Natalie Morales is 37. Country singer Lisa Brokop is 36. Rapper-rocker Uncle Kracker is 35. Actress Sonya Walger is 35.
Today in Entertainment History Associated Press - On June 6, 1933, the first drive-in movie theater opened, in Camden, N.J.
In 1960, Tony Williams left The Platters for a solo career. Williams was the lead singer on The Platters' hits "Only You," "The Great Pretender" and "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes."
In 1962, The Beatles auditioned for producer George Martin at EMI Records in London. He signed them to a contract the following month.
In 1968, the Rolling Stones recorded "Sympathy for the Devil."In 1969, Rod Stewart signed a solo recording contract with Mercury Records. He had previously sung for the Jeff Beck Group.
In 1971, the "Ed Sullivan Show" was canceled after 23 years. It was TV's longest-running variety show.
In 1977, Stevie Wonder delivered an unannounced lecture to a class at UCLA studying the record industry.
In 1990, a federal judge in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., declared that 2 Live Crew's "As Nasty As They Wanna Be" was obscene. Two days later, a record store owner was charged for selling the hit rap album.
In 1999, Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" was named best revival, "Side Man" won best play, & "Fosse" was awarded best musical at the Tony Awards.
In 2004, "Avenue Q" won best musical at the Tony Awards, while "I Am My Own Wife" was named best play; Phylicia Rashad, who starred in a revival of "A Raisin in the Sun," became the first black actress to win a Tony for a leading dramatic role.
In 2008, Bob Anderson, who played young George Bailey (James Stewart) in "It's a Wonderful Life," died in Palm Springs, Calif., at age 75.
Thought for Today: "To be successful, grow to the point where one completely forgets himself; that is, to lose himself in a great cause." — Booker T. Washington, American educator (1856-1915).
This is the governor of the State of Alaska, introduced by some guy from a Dakotawho sums up Sarah as only the sturdy peasant stock of the heartland can.
Text fans can enjoy sloppy writing* from one of the crooks or liars at Crooks & Liars, & Palin clip w/ a different intro.
And Chris Matthews has the tag-team of Sean Hannity & Rush Limbaugh discussing another frightening socialist scenario wherein the Fairness Doctrine will be but a fond memory after "Obama" controls the banks, & therefore the media cos. who are unable to meet their debt, blah blah.
W/ the repetition of these clear & obvious talking points, the American people will at last understand exactly how the radical usurpers are bringing America to her knees before the atheist bitch-goddess of socialism!Is MSNBC enjoying this a bit too much? We'll look at Countdown & R. Maddow, & see if either of them ran w/ it as well. Yes.
*Well, OK, really, who came blame them for being post-literate? After all, their rep comes from posting video, not long, dull think-pieces. (We continue to forget or ignore the millennium in which we exist.) Rootless, literate cosmopolitans will have to continue coming here for impeccable punctuation & moving pictures.
Pentagon Quietly Sending 1,000 Special Operators to Afghanistan in Strategy Revamp
The Pentagon is sending 1,000 more special operations forces and support staff into Afghanistan and is revamping the way its covert warriors fight the Taliban, military sources tell FOXNews.com.
At least the phrase "special operations troops" was typed in the sub-head.
The Associated Press 2 hrs 28 mins ago
Today is Friday, June 5, the 156th day of 2009. There are 209 days left in the year.
Another AP world. A/V. UPI Almanac.
Today's Highlight in History:
On June 5, 1968, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in Los Angeles' Ambassador Hotel after claiming victory in California's Democratic presidential primary. Gunman Sirhan Bishara Sirhan was immediately arrested. Read the original AP story.Kennedy thanks supporters moments before the shooting, & KRKD radio reporter Andrew West at the scene.On this date:
In 1723, economist Adam Smith was born in Kirkcaldy, Scotland.
In 1794, Congress passed the Neutrality Act, prohibiting Americans from enlisting in the service of a foreign power.
In 1883, economist John Maynard Keynes was born in Cambridge, England.
In 1884, Civil War hero Gen. William T. Sherman refused the Republican presidential nomination, saying, "I will not accept if nominated and will not serve if elected."
In 1916, the Arab Revolt against Turkish Ottoman rule began during World War I.
In 1917, about 10 million American men began registering for the draft in World War I.
In 1933, the United States went off the gold standard.
In 1940, during the World War II Battle of France, Germany attacked French forces along the Somme line.
In 1947, Secretary of State George C. Marshall gave a speech at Harvard University in which he outlined an aid program for Europe that came to be known as The Marshall Plan. Hear a fragment.In 1967, war erupted in the Mideast as Israel raided military aircraft parked on the ground in Egypt; Syria, Jordan and Iraq entered the conflict.In 1976, 14 people were killed when the Teton Dam in Idaho burst.
In 1981, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that five homosexuals in Los Angeles had come down with a rare kind of pneumonia; they were the first recognized cases of what later became known as AIDS. Read the original AP story.
In 1993, country star Conway Twitty died in Springfield, Mo., at age 59.*Ten years ago: Pope John Paul II began a 13-day pilgrimage to his native Poland. Charismatic failed in his bid to win racing's Triple Crown, finishing third behind Lemon Drop Kid and Vision and Verse in the Belmont Stakes. Steffi Graf won her sixth French Open title, beating top-ranked Martina Hingis 4-6, 7-5, 6-2. The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, the first devoted to any women's sport, opened in Knoxville, Tenn.
Five years ago: Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, died in Los Angeles at age 93 after a long struggle with Alzheimer's disease. The nuclear submarine USS Jimmy Carter was christened in Groton, Conn., in the presence of the former president and his wife, Rosalynn, who cracked a bottle of champagne against the sail. Smarty Jones lost his Triple Crown bid when 36-to-1 shot Birdstone ran him down near the finish of a thrilling Belmont Stakes. Anastasia Myskina beat Elena Dementieva 6-1, 6-2 to win the French Open.
One year ago: Defense Secretary Robert Gates ousted Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley and Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne, holding them to account in a historic Pentagon shake-up after embarrassing nuclear mix-ups. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton met privately at the Washington home of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the first such get-together since Obama clinched the Democratic presidential nomination. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the reputed mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, told a military judge at his arraignment he welcomed the death penalty as a way to martyrdom and ridiculed the proceedings as an "inquisition." Astronauts opened up Japan's new billion-dollar space station lab, Kibo, aboard the international space station.
Today's Birthdays: Actor-singer Bill Hayes is 84. Broadcast journalist Bill Moyers is 75. Author Margaret Drabble is 70. Country singer Don Reid (The Statler Brothers) is 64. Rock musician Fred Stone (Sly and the Family Stone) is 63. Rock singer [Huh? She's a zillion times more pretentious than "rock singer." — Ed.] Laurie Anderson is 62.Country singer Gail Davies is 61. Author Ken Follett is 60. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, is 58. Rock musician Nicko McBrain (Iron Maiden) is 57. Jazz musician Kenny G is 53. Rock singer Richard Butler (Psychedelic Furs) is 53. Actor Jeff Garlin is 47. Actress Karen Sillas is 46. Actor Ron Livingston is 42. Singer Brian McKnight is 40. Rock musician Claus Norreen (Aqua) is 39. Actor Mark Wahlberg is 38. Actor Chad Allen is 35. Rock musician P-Nut (311) is 35. Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Torry Holt is 33. Actress Navi Rawat is 32. Actress Liza Weil is 32. Rock musician Pete Wentz (Fall Out Boy) is 30.
Today in Entertainment History Associated Press - June 5, 2009 3:13 AM ETIn 1956, Elvis Presley went on the "Milton Berle TV Show" doing his hip-gyrating act. From then on, cameras would only show him from the waist up.
Fifty years ago, in 1959, Bob Dylan graduated from high school in Hibbing, Minn. The name on his diploma was Robert Zimmerman. He'd been the leader of a high school band called the Golden Chords.
Thirty-five years ago, in 1974, singer Sly Stone married Kathy Silva during a Sly and the Family Stone concert in New York.
Also in 1974, Patti Smith recorded her version of "Hey Joe," her first recorded work.
In 1977, Alice Cooper's pet boa constrictor was bitten by a rat it was trying to eat for breakfast. The snake died. Cooper held a public audition a week later to find a replacement for the snake, which was featured in his act.
Thirty years ago, in 1979, bluesman Muddy Waters, age 64, married Marva Jean Brooks on her 25th birthday.
In 1982, Sophia Loren was released from a 17-day prison sentence for tax evasion in Italy.
In 1983, U2 performed a concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colo. The concert was recorded as released as an EP and a video cassette, both called "Under A Blood Red Sky." Footage was also used in the "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" video.
In 1988, "The Phantom of the Opera" won seven Tony Awards, including best musical. "M. Butterfly" won best play.
*In 1993, country star Conway Twitty died of a ruptured blood vessel in his stomach after completing a show in Branson, Mo. He was 59. [We're pretty damn sure he died somewhere. — Ed.]
Also in 1993, singer Vicki Carr married Dr. Pedro de Leon in what was supposed to be a private ceremony in San Antonio, Texas. She was mobbed by fans as she tried to enter the cathedral where the wedding was held.
In 1995, guitarist Kelley Deal of The Breeders pleaded guilty to drug possession charges. She was sentenced to treatment in a rehabilitation center. [We wish they'd tell us which drugs in these breathless reports. — Ed]
In 1996, an arrest warrant was issue [sic] for Rob Pilatus (pih-LAY'-tus) of Milli Vanilli after he disappeared from a drug treatment facility in Los Angeles. He turned up at another treatment center six days later.
Ten years ago: jazz & pop singer Mel Torme (tor-MAY') died of complications from a minor stroke in Los Angeles. He was 73.
In 2002, singer R. Kelly was arrested in central Florida on 21 counts of child pornography, stemming from a video allegedly of Kelly having sex with an underage girl. Also in 2002, guitarist Dee Dee Ramone of The Ramones was found dead at his home in Los Angeles. He was 50.Five years ago: Jennifer Lopez married Marc Anthony at her home in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Thought for Today: "Whatever else history may say about me when I'm gone, I hope it will record that I appealed to your best hopes, not your worst fears; to your confidence rather than your doubts." — Ronald Reagan, 40th president of the United States (1911-2004). [Is that sound his demented ass spinning in its grave after hearing today's Republicans? — Ed.]
Speech, SCOTUS, War, Death, Culture, Stupidity, Ignorance, Illogic, Hypocrisy, & The Like, Ad Nauseum: If You Haven't Already Noticed, We're Against All of Them (Or Just Don't Give A Shit); Therefore ...
By The Associated Press 1 hr 53 mins ago
Today is Thursday, June 4, the 155th day of 2009. There are 210 days left in the year.
From other Press Associations. A/V. UPI Almanac.
Today's highlight in history:
On June 4, 1942, the Pacific Battle of Midway began during World War II; three days later, American naval forces claimed a decisive victory over the Japanese. [Someone has a problem w/ the International Date Line, judging from this same entry yesterday. Again, the AP is killing newspapers. — Ed.]On this date:
In 1647, the English army seized King Charles I as a hostage.
In 1783, the Montgolfier brothers first publicly demonstrated their hot-air balloon, which did not carry any passengers, over Annonay, France.
Two hundred twenty-five years ago, in 1784, opera singer Elizabeth Thible became the first woman to fly aboard a Montgolfier hot-air balloon, over Lyon, France.
In 1878, Turkey turned Cyprus over to the British.
In 1892, the Sierra Club was incorporated in San Francisco.
In 1896, Henry Ford made a successful pre-dawn test run of his horseless carriage, called a "quadricycle," through the streets of Detroit.
In 1917, the first Pulitzer Prizes were awarded.
Ninety years ago, in 1919, Congress approved the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guaranteeing citizens the right to vote regardless of their gender, and sent it to the states for ratification.
Seventy years ago, in 1939, the German ocean liner St. Louis, carrying more than 900 Jewish refugees from Germany, was turned away from the Florida coast by U.S. officials.
In 1940, the Allied military evacuation from Dunkirk, France, ended.In 1944, the U.S. Fifth Army began liberating Rome during World War II.
In 1954, French Premier Joseph Laniel and Vietnamese Premier Buu Loc signed treaties in Paris according "complete independence" to Vietnam.
In 1972, black militant Angela Davis was acquitted of murder, kidnapping and criminal conspiracy charges stemming from a California courtroom shootout in which a judge and three other people were killed.
Thirty years ago, in 1979, Joe Clark of the Progressive Conservatives became the 16th prime minister of Canada.
In 1985, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down an Alabama minute-of-silence law as specifically fostering classroom prayer.
Twenty years ago, in 1989, Chinese army troops stormed Beijing to crush a pro-democracy movement, killing hundreds, possibly thousands, of people.In 1998, a federal judge sentenced Terry Nichols to life in prison for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing.
Ten years ago: Using a provision of the Constitution allowing him to bypass the Senate, President Bill Clinton appointed openly gay San Francisco businessman James C. Hormel ambassador to Luxembourg while Congress was in recess. On the 10th anniversary of China's crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests, tens of thousands of people in Hong Kong held a candlelight vigil.
Five years ago: A powerful bomb blast ripped through a crowded outdoor market in central Russia, killing at least 11 people. President George W. Bush nominated former Missouri Sen. John Danforth to be America's U.N. ambassador.
One year ago: Barack Obama, having clinched the Democratic presidential nomination, picked Caroline Kennedy to help him choose a running mate. Police in Hartford, Conn., released a surveillance video showing a 78-year-old man being struck by a hit-and-run driver on a busy city street and being ignored by most passers-by. (The victim, Angel Acre Torres, was removed from life support on May 11, 2009.) The Detroit Red Wings won the Stanley Cup for the fourth time in 11 seasons with a 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 6 of the finals.
Today's Birthdays: Actor Bruce Dern is 73. Musician Roger Ball is 65. Actress-singer Michelle Phillips is 65. Jazz musician Anthony Braxton is 64. Singer Gordon Waller (Peter and Gordon) is 64. Rock musician Danny Brown (The Fixx) is 58. Actor Parker Stevenson is 57. Actor Keith David is 53. Actress Julie Gholson is 51. Actor Eddie Velez is 51. Singer-musician El DeBarge is 48. Actress Julie White is 48. Tennis player Andrea Jaeger is 44. Actor Scott Wolf is 41. Comedian Horatio Sanz is 40. Actor Noah Wyle is 38. Rock musician Stefan Lessard (The Dave Matthews Band) is 35. Actor-comedian Russell Brand is 34. Actress Angelina Jolie is 34. Rock musician JoJo Garza (Los Lonely Boys) is 29. Model Bar Refaeli is 24.
Today in Entertainment --On June 4, 1963, The Searchers released their debut single, a cover of The Drifters' "Sweets for My Sweet."
In 1967, "The Monkees" TV show won an Emmy Award for outstanding comedy series.
In 1973, Murry Wilson, the father of Beach Boys Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson, died of a heart attack at age 55. He managed the band at the beginning of its career.
Twenty-five years ago, in 1984, the album "Born in the U.S.A." by Bruce Springsteen was released. [And like all of the Boss's "Broadway-illusion of rock & roll" music, it sucks to this day. — Ed.]
Twenty years ago, in 1989, "Jerome Robbins' Broadway" won best musical at the 43rd annual Tony Awards; "The Heidi Chronicles" by Wendy Wasserstein won best play.
In 1991, Billy Crystal got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His movie "City Slickers" opened a few days later.
In 1992, the "young Elvis" stamp beat out the "Vegas Elvis" stamp in a contest conducted by the U.S. Postal Service. More than a million votes were tallied.
In 1997, bassist Ronnie Lane of Small Faces died after a battle with multiple sclerosis at his home in Trinidad, Colo. Lane was 51. That same day, the body of singer Jeff Buckley was found floating in a riverfront harbor in Memphis, Tenn. Buckley was 30. To complete the trifecta, actor Matthew Perry entered a drug rehabilitation program for addiction to prescription painkillers.
In 2000, rapper Eminem was arrested outside a club in Warren, Mich., on two felony weapons accounts. Police say he used an unloaded pistol to hit a man kissing his wife. He was later sentenced to probation and fines.
In 2005, Creed announced their breakup.
In 2007, Paris Hilton began serving a 23-day jail sentence for breaking probation. She was transferred after three days to her own home for house arrest after she developed a psychological condition. She later returned to jail to finish her sentence.
Thought for Today: "Reputation is a bubble which a man bursts when he tries to blow it for himself." — Emma Carleton, American journalist (1850-1925).
We suppose it's pathetic that we're obtaining musical info from TNR's pop music critic (as if wasting the last X yrs. of our existence behind a keyboard is anything but sad) but there is a new genre on the horizon, & we think it has potential, having always been of the "We've suffered for our art, now it's your turn, audience" school.
The Depression brought blues to the pop charts and led to the rise of folk and country music. If new forms (musical or otherwise) emerge from the current meltdown, they might well be ones now held in such low esteem that we cannot begin to take them seriously yet. I do not know what they might be.
For informed counsel, I turned to a colleague whose taste I abhor, and he pointed me to a new genre of intolerable noise constructed either electronically, with computers, or with electrified instruments. Its purpose, he said, is to challenge prevailing standards of normalcy by "sounding as awful as possible." Its early advocates have given it a name, derived from the rock genre "shoegaze." It is called "shitgaze." I tend to doubt that it will blossom to become the dominant music of the coming years, though music critics for publications such as The New Republic felt the same way about blues a hundred years ago. For now, I am kind of tickled by the idea of shitgaze, as much as I am maddened by the sound of it. Maybe Neil Young is onto something. Perhaps the music appropriate to this shitty time should properly sound like shit.
Shit yeah. We hope that the intolerable noise of shitgaze (Why not "shitcore?") is considerably less tolerable (i. e., better) than Metal Machine Music, to name but one.
A cursory Google™ reveals it's close to over, but you can sift through the ruins there, & actually listen if you're such a philistine that you just can't believe any of this. The fact that the WaPo has a blog entitled PostRock may indicate the unequivocal end of civilization, & possibly all of humanoid culture. (Back to the trees, we say. We'll need to, when the water's risen a few meters.)
But if the end days aren't nearer because of the WaPo (they certainly should be) shitgaze may be the long-awaited "conservative" rock: Loud, distorted, performed by people who don't appear (or may not want to appear) as if they know much about what they're doing, & played in an echo chamber.
We're not about to bother dissecting any more of Ross Douthat's piece for the (Internet version only) NYT. Blah blah activist yada yada judges &sw.
But we had to note this paragraph, which overflows w/ factoids:
Complaints about the Supreme Court’s power are almost as old as the Constitution, but they have more merit now than ever. According to calculations by the Harvard law professor Jed Shugerman, the Court has gone from overturning roughly one state law every two years in the pre-Civil War era, to roughly four a year in the later 1800’s, to over 10 a year in the last half-century. So too with federal law: Prior to 1954, the Court had struck down just 77 federal statutes in a century-and-a-half of jurisprudence; in the 50-odd years since, it’s overturned more than 80. Under Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, the Court invalidated federal statutes at an unprecedented rate — and by the barest of majorities, in many cases. In one eight-year period, the University of Michigan’s Evan Caminker has noted, the Court invalidated 16 Congressional statutes by a 5-to-4 vote, something that had happened just 25 times in the previous two centuries.
Great gobs of goo, boy. An increase in the number of states (13 to 50, if we must remind you, & it seems we must) & population growth & movement would be a good start to explaining all that. (The first Google™ hit has everything we need to say.) Total population in 1790 was 3,929,214, the nation was 5.1% urban & 94.9% rural. By 2000, we were 291,421,906 lost souls, 81.0 % of whom congregated in cities, while 19.0% clung to the old ways.
Consider also the rise of industrialism (Heard of that, Ross?) vast fortunes being made & lost, increased legislation (Some say that the development of air conditioning caused the ruination of the nation, as it allowed those pesky lawmakers to stay in Washington, D. C. all yr., doubling their chances to mess things up. Also: California's capital, Sacramento, which is hot & humid much of the yr. Look how effed we are.) & X thousand other factors that have effected legal & court activity. Ya think? As to five to four decisions, the electorate has been fairly evenly polarized until the recent election. A few more presidents somewhat to the left of Attila the Hun, or Pat Buchanan, & we'll probably be seeing many more seven to two or better decisions, as the hicks & traditionalists continue to marginalize themselves, & are replaced by cosmopolitan sophisticates.
Americans? Becoming cosmopolitan & so forth? Almost as amazing a pipe dream as Douthat's odd reverie.
Hell, we can't even label him a reactionary, because he doesn't admit (realize?) that anything has happened to react against since America changed bosses in 1776. More amusing than Kristol in that respect. What else will he share w/ us? Hurry, Monday.
By The Associated Press Wed 3 June, 12:01 am ET
Today is Wednesday, June 3, the 154th day of 2009. There are 211 days left in the year.
From the AP, also. A/V. UPI Almanac.
Today's Highlight in History:
On June 3, 1808, Jefferson Davis — the first and only president of the Confederate States of America — was born in Christian County, Ky.
On this date:
In 1621, the Dutch West India Company received its charter for a trade monopoly in parts of the Americas and Africa.
In 1888, the poem "Casey at the Bat," by Ernest Lawrence Thayer, was first published, in the San Francisco Daily Examiner.
In 1935, the French liner Normandie set a record on its maiden voyage, arriving in New York after crossing the Atlantic in just four days.
In 1937, the Duke of Windsor, who had abdicated the British throne, married Wallis Warfield Simpson in Monts, France.
In 1942, the battle of Midway began. It raged for four days and was the turning point for the United States in the World War II Pacific campaign against Japan. [Battle of Midway from Spike.com. — Ed.]
In 1948, the 200-inch reflecting Hale Telescope at the Palomar Mountain Observatory in California was dedicated.
In 1963, Pope John XXIII died at age 81; he was succeeded by Pope Paul VI.
In 1965, astronaut Edward White became the first American to "walk" in space, during the flight of Gemini 4.In 1968, pop artist Andy Warhol was shot and critically wounded in his New York film studio, known as "The Factory," by Valerie Solanas, an actress and self-styled militant feminist.
In 1983, Gordon Kahl, a militant tax protester wanted in the slayings of two U.S. marshals in North Dakota, was killed in a gun battle with law-enforcement officials near Smithville, Ark.
Twenty years ago: Iran's spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, died. Chinese army troops began their sweep of Beijing to crush student-led pro-democracy demonstrations. SkyDome (now called Rogers Centre) opened in Toronto.
Ten years ago: Caving in to Russian and Western demands, Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic accepted a peace plan for Kosovo designed to end mass expulsions of ethnic Albanians and 11 weeks of NATO airstrikes.
Five years ago: President George W. Bush announced the resignation of CIA Director George Tenet amid a controversy over intelligence lapses about suspected weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Frances Shand Kydd, the mother of the late Princess Diana, died at her home near Oban, Scotland, at age 68. Julio Franco became, at age 45, the oldest player in major league history to hit a grand slam, connecting in Atlanta's 8-4 victory over Philadelphia.
One year ago: Barack Obama clinched the Democratic presidential nomination, making him the first black candidate to lead his party. Astronauts installed a 37-foot-long Japanese lab at the international space station. Health officials said an outbreak of salmonella food poisoning first linked to uncooked tomatoes was reported in nine states.
Today's Birthdays of the Dead & Rotting: Automaker Ranson Olds in 1864; actor Maurice Evans in 1901; opera tenor Jan Peerce in 1904; jazz dancer and singer Josephine Baker in 1906; actresses Paulette Goddard in 1910 & Colleen Dewhurst in 1924; country blues singer Jimmy Rogers in 1924; poet Allen Ginsberg in 1926; sax virtuoso Boots Randolph in 1927; & singer/songwriter Curtis Mayfield in 1942.
Today's Birthdays: Actor Tony Curtis is 84. TV producer Chuck Barris is 80. Actress Irma P. Hall is 74. Author Larry McMurtry is 73. Rock singer Ian Hunter (Mott The Hoople) is 70. Singer Eddie Holman is 63. Musician Too Slim (Riders in the Sky) is 61. Rock musician Richard Moore is 60. Singer Suzi Quatro is 59.Singer Deneice Williams is 58. Singer Dan Hill is 55. Actor Scott Valentine is 51. Rock musician Kerry King (Slayer) is 45. Rock singer-musician Mike Gordon is 44. CNN host Anderson Cooper is 42. Country singer Jamie O'Neal is 41. Singers Ariel and Gabriel Hernandez (No Mercy) are 38. Tennis player Rafael Nadal is 23.
Today in Entertainment History -- On June 3, 1964, the Rolling Stones made their U.S. TV debut on "Hollywood Palace" hosted by Dean Martin.
In 1967, Marvin Gaye and Tami Terrell made their debut as a duo on the R&B chart with "Ain't No Mountain High Enough."
In 1969, Diana Ross's two pet dogs were poisoned by rat bait in her dressing room in Philadelphia.
In 1970, Ray Davies of The Kinks traveled from New York to London to change one word in the recording of "Lola." He changed "Coca-Cola" to "cherry cola" because the BBC banned commercial references in songs.
In 1972, the Rolling Stones began their "Exile on Main Street" tour, with Stevie Wonder as the opening act.
In 1987, "I Want Your Sex" by George Michael was banned by the BBC.
In 1989, Reba McEntire married her manager, Narvel (NAR'-vel) Blackstock, in Lake Tahoe.
In 1990, Michael Jackson was admitted to a Santa Monica, Calif., hospital after he complained of chest pains. Tests showed he bruised some ribs because of a vigorous dance practice.
In 1994, actor Don Johnson checked into the Betty Ford Clinic in Rancho Mirage, Calif., for treatment of alcohol and prescription drug abuse.
Thought for Today: "Nothing is done. Everything in the world remains to be done or done over." — Lincoln Steffens, American investigative reporter (1866-1936). [The sad, sad, truth. — Ed.]
The Gray Lady waxes nostalgic, asking readers to submit photos of their General Motors iron.
As we're unable to steal any of the pics in their slide show (& as a thrill for the VW-driving audience members) how 'bout some pictures from another gov't./business collaboration?
Stealing again from David Weigel (we're going to have to list him as a co-editor) as he follows up on the story we stole yesterday.
“In college you have this culture of drinking all the time, and he kicked it cold,” said Kevin DeAnna, a friend of Epstein and the founder of Youth for Western Civilization, a student group founded in 2008 of which Tancredo is the honorary chairman. “It’s unfortunate that he’s getting hit from this now, years after he stopped doing this kind of thing.”
No, Epstein's getting hit "from" this now because he's about to be sentenced, following his bogus plea bargain. And one might ask, "Youth for Western Civilization?" One would be entirely correct to ask. Believe it or shove it.
Jim Pinkerton, pundit, had this to say on the "Sotomayor's a racist" talking point that Epstein's friends are promulgating.
“The ‘R’ word is a tough word,” said Pinkerton. “My immediate reaction to Sotomayor’s ‘wise Latina’ comment was ‘tell that to the people whose faces are on Mount Rushmore. They were pretty wise and they weren’t Latina females.’ That being the case, we all are blessed with the vocabularies to choose different words. In our culture, ‘racist’ is really up there in the Richter scale of words.”
++ secret racism? ++ secret reverse racism? Dead white men are more sculpturally represented across America, therefore ... um, therefore ...? Government by monument? (The redundancy "Latina female" is hard-wired into the ignorant & proud thereof mind. Why even bother?) And stop applying "racist" to them, especially if it's true. It's an earthquake of free speech suppression under Mt. Rushmore!!
Curt Levey, the executive director of the Committee of Justice*, has been optimistic about the right’s fight against Sotomayor, but he admitted to TWI that he “underestimated the degree to which a few conservatives would say a few extreme things, and that would be characterized as what all conservatives think.”
Even insincere denials (See: Tiller, George) aren't convincing every one now. Not that many conservatives have denied the pathetic charges of racism against Judge Sotomayor from other conservatives.
Last paragraph of the item (Oh, almost over.):
For Epstein’s friends, this aspect of the Supreme Court debate has simply been surprising and sad. “I hope he can live it down,” said Taylor of American Renaissance. “I would have thought Dick Morris would never live down his $150 an hour hooker. I would never have thought Bill Clinton would live down what happened between him and Monica Lewinsky. In the end, those people were welcomed back into the fold. It’s just that liberals tend to be very unforgiving about things of this kind.”
Let's really think about this, & strive for the "moral clarity" that is so popular w/ the right. So. Consensual sex (or toe-fetishism) between consenting (or at least remunerated) adults, compared to "things of this kind" that liberals are so unforgiving about. And let's be clear on what "things of this kind" means. (Odd that he didn't give the slightest description, as compared to his other two examples.) It means being drunk @ 1915 & slapping a woman while calling her "nigger." Violence & hate, compared to sexual activity. Morally equivalent, aren't they? Had Clinton sponsored, say, a bill removing adulterous sex as a reason for divorce, or Morris lobbied for the legalization of prostitution, there might be some equivalence here. Someone neck deep in anti-Latin American immigration commits physical violence against a woman of different minority group, while getting down w/ the racial slurs, might indicate an actual connection between policy, racism, & extremist, eliminationist violence. How's that for "moral clarity?"
It must drive these people absolutely nuts that some citizens of these United States are not of 100% European descent, & that said inferiors can't just be deported w/ the other swarthy types.
*Not related or affiliated w/ the Justice League of America.
Here's a sentence you don't see every day. And another one:
The nation is still moving away from Republicans demographically, too. It can't be emphasized enough that Michael Dukakis would have won the 2008 election. His exit polls of 40% among whites, 89% among African-Americans, and 70% among Latinos is enough to reach 50%+1 now, even in the event that African-American turnout was only 12% of the vote instead of 13%. That is an 8% shift toward Democrats in just twenty years, leading to a crude rate of 0.5% a year, or 2% every four years. Demographic trends are so bad for Republicans that Dukakis would be able to win a landslide in 2012. That's pretty bad.
Polling is bull shit, but we're dealing w/ demographics here, not fickle responses dependent on whether or not the President left the White House this wknd. given by a nation wanting to get off the 'phone w/ this moron & get back to tee vee &/or dinner. (This doesn't mean George Soros can turn off the money spigot, by the way.)
There is dissension in the comments, but we stand firmly behind our statement that you (we, really) don't see sentences like that every day.
By The Associated Press 2 hrs 47 mins ago
Today is Tuesday, June 2, the 153rd day of 2009. There are 212 days left in the year.
Assoc. Press Alt. Univ. A/V. UPI Almanac.
Today's Highlight in History:
On June 2, 1953, Queen Elizabeth II of Britain was crowned in Westminster Abbey, 16 months after the death of her father, King George VI. [Up the Queen! — Ed.]On this date:
In 1851, Maine became the first state to enact a law prohibiting alcohol.
In 1862, Gen. Robert E. Lee took command of the Confederate armies of eastern Virginia and North Carolina in the Civil War.
In 1865, the Civil War came to an end when Confederate Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith, commander of Confederate forces west of the Mississippi, signed the surrender terms offered by Union negotiators.
In 1886, President Grover Cleveland married Frances Folsom in a White House ceremony.
In 1897, Mark Twain, 61, was quoted by the New York Journal as saying from London that "the report of my death was an exaggeration."
In 1924, Congress passed a measure that was then signed by President Calvin Coolidge granting American citizenship to all U.S.-born American Indians. [Say, that's mighty white of Silent Cal & the Congreฦs, wouldn't ya say, fellas? — Ed.]
In 1941, Lou Gehrig, baseball's "Iron Horse," died in New York of a degenerative disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; he was 37.
In 1946, Italy held a referendum which resulted in the Italian monarchy being abolished in favor of a republic.
In 1966, the U.S. space probe Surveyor 1 landed on the moon and began transmitting detailed photographs of the lunar surface.
Forty years ago, in 1969, an American destroyer, the U.S. S. Frank E. Evans, was struck and cut in two by the Australian aircraft carrier Melbourne during naval exercises in the South China Sea; 74 crew members from the Evans were killed.
In 1975, Vice President Nelson Rockefeller said his commission had found no widespread pattern of illegal activities at the CIA. [The C. I. A. never lies. — Ed.]
In 1979, Pope John Paul II arrived in his native Poland on the first visit by a pope to a Communist country.
In 1986, for the first time, the public could watch the proceedings of the U.S. Senate on television as a six-week experiment of televised sessions began.
In 1987, President Ronald Reagan announced he was nominating economist Alan Greenspan to succeed Paul Volcker as chairman of the Federal Reserve Board. [The Beginning of the End. — Ed.]Ten years ago: South Africans went to the polls in their second post-apartheid election, giving the African National Congress a decisive victory; retiring president Nelson Mandela was succeeded by Thabo Mbeki.
Five years ago: Three foreign aid workers and two Afghans were shot and killed in an ambush in northwestern Afghanistan in an attack claimed by resurgent Taliban militants. Software engineer Ken Jennings began his 74-game winning streak on the syndicated TV game show "Jeopardy!"
One year ago: Massachusetts Sen. Edward M. Kennedy underwent 3 1/2 hours of risky and delicate surgery to cut out as much of his cancerous brain tumor as possible. Polygamist sect children began to be reunited with their parents two months after Texas removed the children from the sect's ranch. The space shuttle Discovery linked up with the international space station, and the 10 space travelers immediately got ready to install the Japanese lab Kibo.
Today's Birthdays of the Unliving: Martha Washington, the first U.S. first lady, in 1731; French writer Marquis de Sade in 1740; English novelist Thomas Hardy in 1840; English composer Edward Elgar ("Pomp and Circumstance") in 1857; Olympic gold-medal swimmer and "Tarzan" movie star Johnny Weissmuller in 1904; actor-composer Max Showalter in 1917; & astronaut Charles "Pete" Conrad of Apollo 12 in 1930.
Today's Birthdays: Actor Milo O'Shea is 84. Actress-singer Sally Kellerman is 72. Actor Ron Ely is 71. Actor Stacy Keach is 68. Rock musician Charlie Watts is 68. Singer William Guest (Gladys Knight & The Pips) is 68. Actor Charles Haid is 66. Composer Marvin Hamlisch is 65. Movie director Lasse Hallstrom is 63. Actor Jerry Mathers is 61. Actress Joanna Gleason is 59. Actor Dennis Haysbert is 55. Comedian Dana Carvey is 54. Actor Gary Grimes is 54. Rock singer Tony Hadley (Spandau Ballet) is 49. Singer Merril Bainbridge is 41. Rapper B-Real (Cypress Hill) is 39. Actress Paula Cale is 39. Actor-comedian Wayne Brady is 37. Actor Wentworth Miller is 37. Rock musician Tim Rice-Oxley (Keane) is 33. Actor Zachary Quinto is 32. Actor Dominic Cooper is 31. Actress Nikki Cox is 31. Actor Justin Long is 31. Actor Deon Richmond is 31. R&B singer Irish Grinstead (702) is 29. Rock musician Fabrizio Moretti (The Strokes) is 29.
Today in Entertainment HistoryOn June 2, 1962, Island Records released its first single, "Twist Baby" by Owen Gray. Island became home to such acts as Jethro Tull and Traffic. Later, reggae artists like Bob Marley and the Wailers were featured on the label.
In 1973, Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham dumped a bucket of water over promoter Bill Graham following an argument at a show in San Francisco.
In 1978, Bruce Springsteen's album "Darkness on the Edge of Town" was released.
In 1989, Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman married model Mandy Smith. He was 48, she was 19. They divorced in 1991.
In 1993, Ronald Ray Howard's murder trial began in Austin, Texas. Prosecutors said Howard killed a state trooper after listening to 2Pac's "2Pacalypse Now" album. Howard was convicted and sentenced to death.
In 1996, game show host Ray Combs hanged himself in the mental ward of a hospital in Glendale, Calif. Combs hosted "The New Family Feud." He was 40.
In 2001, Tom Petty married longtime girlfriend Dana York in Las Vegas.
In 2008, Bo Diddley, 79, a founding father of rock 'n' roll, died of heart failure at his home in Archer, Fla. in Archer, Fla. Actor-director Mel Ferrer died in Santa Barbara, Calif., at age 90.
Thought for Today: "Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; truth isn't." — Mark Twain (1835-1910).
STATUS: A Cadillac, this one a 1958 Eldorado, topped GM’s “Ladder of Success,” a shrewd marketing strategy that welded a link between who we are and what we drive. — L. A. TimesWhat America drives today. — Just Another Blog (From L. A.)™
Dan Neil, probably the best writer at the owned-by-a-bankrupt-Chicago-corporate-entity "local" fish-wrapper (Not damning w/ faint praise here. The official editorial position at Just Another Blog™ is that you fat* pig-dog 'Murkins oughta get out of your cars & walk to work, while your cars should all be recycled; so when we tell you that we regularly read Mr. Neil's auto reviews, you should get an idea.) has a good one on GM & (yup) America.
It was enough to get Dan on (more faint praise here) "Hardball" this afternoon.
Note to Dan Neil: SHAVE THAT STUPID UGLY FUCKING THING HANGING OFF YOUR CHIN THERE, BILLY GOAT GRUFF! WHAT IS WRONG W/ PEOPLE TODAY?! And stay the fuck off my lawn! (It's covered in dogshit.)
*Since you asked: 240 lbs., & gaining, assuming the last scale we tripped over was accurate. But that's a meaningless statistic; you don't know how many of us there are!
Buchanan attributed the release of court documents to “some low-life” who was acting out of spite. “Marcus is going off to law school [at the University of Virginia] at the end of the month,” she said, pointing out he had planned to leave before this case became public. “Who cares? This is something that happened two years ago that Marcus has paid a price for.”
Yes, you could call it a youthful indiscretion, like shoplifting a six-pack on a dare, or a speeding ticket or something. Except it's hitting a woman while calling her "nigger."
By The Associated Press 13 mins ago
Today is Monday, June 1, the 152nd day of 2009. There are 213 days left in the year.
AP. A/V. UPI Almanac.
Today's Highlight in History:
On June 1, 1813, the mortally wounded commander of the U.S. frigate Chesapeake, Cap't. James Lawrence, said, "Don't give up the ship" during a losing battle with a British frigate, the HMS Shannon, during the War of 1812.
On this date:
In 1533, Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII, was crowned as Queen Consort of England.
In 1792, Kentucky became the 15th state of the union.
In 1796, Tennessee became the 16th state.
In 1801, Mormon leader Brigham Young was born in Whitingham, Vt.
In 1812, U.S. President James Madison warned Congress that war with Britain was imminent. The War of 1812 started 17 days later.
In 1868, James Buchanan, the 15th president of the United States, died near Lancaster, Pa., at age 77.
In 1880, the first public pay telephone began operation in New Haven, Conn.
One hundred years ago, in 1909, the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition opened in Seattle. (The fair closed the following October.)
In 1925, Baseball Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig's streak of playing in 2,130 consecutive games began when he entered a game as a pinch hitter for the New York Yankees.
In 1943, a civilian flight from Portugal to England was shot down by the Germans during World War II, killing all 17 people aboard, including actor Leslie Howard.
In 1958, Charles de Gaulle became premier of France, marking the beginning of the end of the Fourth Republic.
Thirty years ago, in 1979, the short-lived state of Zimbabwe Rhodesia came into existence.
In 1980, CNN made its debut.
Twenty years ago, in 1989, former Sunday school teacher John E. List, sought for almost 18 years in the slayings of his mother, wife and three children in Westfield, N.J., was arrested in Richmond, Va. (List was later sentenced to life in prison; he died March 21, 2008.)
Ten years ago: An American Airlines MD-82 landed off-center during a severe thunderstorm in Little Rock, Ark., and barreled off the end of the runway, breaking apart and catching fire; 11 people, including the captain, died. President Bill Clinton ordered a government investigation into whether — and how — the entertainment business was marketing violence to children. (In a report released in September 2000, federal regulators said the movie, video game and music industries aggressively marketed to underage youths violent products that carried adult ratings.)
Five years ago: A federal judge declared the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act unconstitutional, saying the measure infringed on women's right to choose. (The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the law in April 2007.) Ghazi Mashal Ajil al-Yawer, a powerful Sunni Muslim tribal leader and critic of the U.S.-led occupation, was named president of Iraq's incoming government. Historian-biographer William Manchester died in Middletown, Conn., at age 82.
One year ago: Hillary Rodham Clinton won a lopsided, but largely symbolic, victory in Puerto Rico's presidential primary. Fire ripped through a lot at Universal Studios. At least eight people suffocated at an overcrowded stadium in Monrovia during a soccer match between host Liberia and Gambia. NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander took its first practice scoop of Martian soil. Fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent died in Paris at age 71.
Today's Birthdays: Actor Richard Erdman is 84. Actor Andy Griffith is 83. Actor Edward Woodward is 79. Singer Pat Boone is 75. Actor-writer-director Peter Masterson is 75. Actor Morgan Freeman is 72. Actor Rene Auberjonois is 69. Opera singer Frederica von Stade is 64. Actor Brian Cox is 63. Rock musician Ronnie Wood (Rolling Stones) is 62. Actor Jonathan Pryce is 62. Actor Powers Boothe is 61. Actress Gemma Craven is 59. Blues-rock musician Tom Principato is 57. Country singer Ronnie Dunn (Brooks and Dunn) is 56. Actress Lisa Hartman Black is 53. Singer-musician Alan Wilder is 50. Rock musician Simon Gallup (The Cure) is 49. Country musician Richard Comeaux (River Road) is 48. Actor-comedian Mark Curry is 48. Actor-singer Jason Donovan is 41. Actress Teri Polo is 40. Basketball player-turned-coach Tony Bennett is 40. Model-actress Heidi Klum is 36. Singer Alanis Morissette is 35. Washington Redskins wide receiver Santana Moss is 30.
Today in Entertainment History Associated Press - June 1, 2009 3:13 AM ETIn 1926, actress Marilyn Monroe was born Norma Jeane Mortensen in Los Angeles.In 1964, the Rolling Stones arrived in New York to begin their first North American tour. The opening date was at a high school stadium in a Boston suburb.
In 1967, The Beatles' album "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" was released in Britain. Two days later, it was released in North America.
In 1971, Elvis Presley's birthplace -- a two-room home in Tupelo, Miss. -- was opened to the public.
In 1973, the James Bond movie "Live and Let Die" opened.
In 1975, the Rolling Stones began their first tour with guitarist Ron Wood.
In 1990, Mariah Carey made her national TV debut on the "Arsenio Hall Show" performing "Vision of Love."
In 1991, singer David Ruffin died in Philadelphia of a cocaine overdose. Police said that he had visited a crack house hours before his death. Ruffin is probably best remembered for singing lead vocals on Temptations classics like "My Girl" and "Ain't Too Proud To Beg."
In 1992, Marilyn Monroe's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was rededicated in honor of what would have been her 66th birthday.
In 1993, Dan Rather and Connie Chung began as co-anchors on "The CBS Evening News."
In 1998, singer Scott Weiland (WY'-land) of Stone Temple Pilots was arrested for heroin possession as he walked out of a housing project in Manhattan.
In 2005, singer Jack White of the White Stripes married model Karen Elson in Brazil.
Thought for Today: "Patience! Patience! Patience is the invention of dullards and sluggards. In a well-regulated world there should be no need of such a thing as patience." — Grace King, American author (1852-1932).
A modest sort of fellow (Award-winning journalist, filmmaker and historian) points out a few similarities between 
