You can get voters to the polls...

...but you can't make them vote for your candidates. The next couple of years will be interesting, and I'm sure the analysts are going to beat this to death over the next month or so. I don't expect much of the national political situation to affect me personally, any more than it did in 1992 when Bill Clinton was elected President or than it did the last time the DFL held both houses of the Legislature. The two things that do seem clear to me are that Glenn Reynolds' pre-mortem was pretty accurate and that the 72-hour GOTV drive may have actually helped sink a few Republicans by getting independents who supported W in 2004 but have now soured on the Congressional Republicans (or heck, the whole party, who knows?) into the booth to mark the ballot for someone else.

One thing I do expect to change is the MCPPA. I have no faith in the new DFL majority when it comes to RKBA, and will be spending my next free C-note on finally getting my permit. I've put that off long enough.

You can get voters to the polls...

...but you can't make them vote for your candidates. The next couple of years will be interesting, and I'm sure the analysts are going to beat this to death over the next month or so. I don't expect much of the national political situation to affect me personally, any more than it did in 1992 when Bill Clinton was elected President or than it did the last time the DFL held both houses of the Legislature. The two things that do seem clear to me are that Glenn Reynolds' pre-mortem was pretty accurate and that the 72-hour GOTV drive may have actually helped sink a few Republicans by getting independents who supported W in 2004 but have now soured on the Congressional Republicans (or heck, the whole party, who knows?) into the booth to mark the ballot for someone else.

One thing I do expect to change is the MCPPA. I have no faith in the new DFL majority when it comes to RKBA, and will be spending my next free C-note on finally getting my permit. I've put that off long enough.

I want to know!

I've been curious about Add N to (X) since seeing a sticker advertising their second album, On The Wires Of Our Nerves some years ago. According to the Wikipedia article, they were heavily into analog synthesizers a la Salubrious Invertebrae or Wendy Carlos, but I don't recognize any of the other bands they're compared to - well, I've heard of Throbbing Gristle but couldn't describe their sound if my life depended on it.

So has anyone in my list of friends actually heard this band, or have any friends who were excited about them? I could pick up their CDs off Half.com for fairly cheap, but even at $3 or $5 a disc, that adds up pretty quick for music I may not like all that much, especially when the shipping is included.
Besides, I'm a little old to be buying music because the cover art looks cool.

chebutykin, radio_gnome, zippychik - any of you guys know anything about the band, or know anyone who might? Thanks...

EDIT/ADD: I can't believe I left digex off that list of people who might know summat about the band.

EDIT/UPDATE 11/10: Okay, hold the phones. Heard some tracks on pandora.com and it's good stuff. Thanks to those who replied and e-mailed!

I want to know!

I've been curious about Add N to (X) since seeing a sticker advertising their second album, On The Wires Of Our Nerves some years ago. According to the Wikipedia article, they were heavily into analog synthesizers a la Salubrious Invertebrae or Wendy Carlos, but I don't recognize any of the other bands they're compared to - well, I've heard of Throbbing Gristle but couldn't describe their sound if my life depended on it.

So has anyone in my list of friends actually heard this band, or have any friends who were excited about them? I could pick up their CDs off Half.com for fairly cheap, but even at $3 or $5 a disc, that adds up pretty quick for music I may not like all that much, especially when the shipping is included.
Besides, I'm a little old to be buying music because the cover art looks cool.

chebutykin, radio_gnome, zippychik - any of you guys know anything about the band, or know anyone who might? Thanks...

EDIT/ADD: I can't believe I left digex off that list of people who might know summat about the band.

EDIT/UPDATE 11/10: Okay, hold the phones. Heard some tracks on pandora.com and it's good stuff. Thanks to those who replied and e-mailed!

Sell the horses. Sell the cows. Sell 'em all. Sell 'em now.

This morning-after political crap is worse than crack, I tell you, and there doesn't seem to be any escaping it in the blogosphere or on LJ. (I know, I'm not helping.)

There are a lot of people out there echoing what Congressman Mike Pence is saying - the Democrats didn't win this race, the GOP lost it by not doing its damn job, what people elected us to do. Economist John Seater goes into specifics over at Donald Luskin's blog, and David Strom of the Taxpayers' League puts a local spin on the national failure of the GOP. Some good people got thrown out along with the bums, but as the proverb says, lie down with dogs, get up with fleas...and as we all know from history, some fleas do more than just suck your blood.

Sell the horses. Sell the cows. Sell 'em all. Sell 'em now.

This morning-after political crap is worse than crack, I tell you, and there doesn't seem to be any escaping it in the blogosphere or on LJ. (I know, I'm not helping.)

There are a lot of people out there echoing what Congressman Mike Pence is saying - the Democrats didn't win this race, the GOP lost it by not doing its damn job, what people elected us to do. Economist John Seater goes into specifics over at Donald Luskin's blog, and David Strom of the Taxpayers' League puts a local spin on the national failure of the GOP. Some good people got thrown out along with the bums, but as the proverb says, lie down with dogs, get up with fleas...and as we all know from history, some fleas do more than just suck your blood.

Oh, FUCK no.

What the hell good does this do now? Does W think he can buy some sort of deal with Rumsfeld's rapidly-cooling corpse?

As somebody on the Corner remarked earlier, if I were an Iraqi, I wouldn't be checking out the line at the US Embassy yet, but I'd sure be scoping out times and prices for departing flights.

So much for loyalty, eh, Mr. President?

Oh, FUCK no.

What the hell good does this do now? Does W think he can buy some sort of deal with Rumsfeld's rapidly-cooling corpse?

As somebody on the Corner remarked earlier, if I were an Iraqi, I wouldn't be checking out the line at the US Embassy yet, but I'd sure be scoping out times and prices for departing flights.

So much for loyalty, eh, Mr. President?

Cobbapalooza

Sometime last night when the rest of us were watching pr0nthe election returns, Cobb laid down this meditation on American culture. It's kind of stream-of-consciousness, but somewhere in there in the shadows of it I can see it kind of hooked up and crosswired into what Jim Webb was talking about in Born Fighting when he talked about the redneck lifestyle of fervent piety mixed with earthy tastes for liquor, lovin', and the country music that's first cousin to the blues.

Not content with that, he breaks down the vote in the Steele/Cardin race down home by county, with particular attention to the white/black population. What he doesn't say, though it seems pretty obvious to me, is that the time of black politicians being able to deliver their constituents is definitely over. Otherwise PG County would have been solid Steele and maybe bought him the win. Montgomery County, no way. Those people are all limousine liberals up there (sorry, Dutch and Brenda, but you know your neighbors better than I do) and wouldn't vote for a Republican of any color if you held a gun to their heads. Same goes for Howard county - too many rich liberal folks. Charles and Baltimore Counties, though, those kind of surprise me; I thought they were more middle class and more open to the message. Shows what I know.

Last but not least, he calls out the incoming Democrats on health care and challenges them to throw down on Ronald McDonald. I think he's goofing, but he might could be serious, and they might be crazed enough to set the trial lawyers on that beef-slingin' clown.

Cobbapalooza

Sometime last night when the rest of us were watching pr0nthe election returns, Cobb laid down this meditation on American culture. It's kind of stream-of-consciousness, but somewhere in there in the shadows of it I can see it kind of hooked up and crosswired into what Jim Webb was talking about in Born Fighting when he talked about the redneck lifestyle of fervent piety mixed with earthy tastes for liquor, lovin', and the country music that's first cousin to the blues.

Not content with that, he breaks down the vote in the Steele/Cardin race down home by county, with particular attention to the white/black population. What he doesn't say, though it seems pretty obvious to me, is that the time of black politicians being able to deliver their constituents is definitely over. Otherwise PG County would have been solid Steele and maybe bought him the win. Montgomery County, no way. Those people are all limousine liberals up there (sorry, Dutch and Brenda, but you know your neighbors better than I do) and wouldn't vote for a Republican of any color if you held a gun to their heads. Same goes for Howard county - too many rich liberal folks. Charles and Baltimore Counties, though, those kind of surprise me; I thought they were more middle class and more open to the message. Shows what I know.

Last but not least, he calls out the incoming Democrats on health care and challenges them to throw down on Ronald McDonald. I think he's goofing, but he might could be serious, and they might be crazed enough to set the trial lawyers on that beef-slingin' clown.