Hastert goes to prison

Another Republican gets a free ride courtesy of the tax payers yet again.

Yup, ol' pervy Uncle Denny is getting 3 squares and a bed for, oh, possibly a year or so, because of his conviction over paying hush money to underaged victims of his alleged sexual misconduct.

I have to say "alleged" because he can't be charged with molesting the kids, as the statute of limitations has run out. But he IS guilty of paying out up to $3.5 million to at least one of his victims.

Look, you don't pay that kind of coin if you aren't guilty of what you're trying to cover up. Obviously he touched the kids.

And this isn't a partisan frenzy, seeing as Hastert is long gone from the House.

No, the partisan frenzy was 10 years ago, when his pal Joe Lieberman defended him (and in essence called me a liar) when I asked him about it after a public event in Milford.



Good ol' Joe. Always backing the wrong guy.

Isn't it weird how Dennis Hastert defended former Rep. Mark Foley (accused of sending sexually explicit texts to teenage male Congressional pages)?

I guess those old perverts really stick together.

The NRA wins again

Yesterday the Senate voted down several common-sense gun control measures that would have taken guns out of the hands of exactly ZERO law-abiding gun owners, while simultaneously keeping guns from being purchased by suspected terrorists and people on the no-fly list.

This is absolutely no surprise, as the Republicans are so terrified of being primaried for their own seats by massively-fund NRA-approved candidates that basically all of them voted against the measures.

Last week's dramatic Senate filibuster in the wake of the Orlando massacre by Connecticut senator Chris Murphy forced the chamber to take up the vote. While nobody honestly expected the bills to pass, it DID show just how hypocritical the Republicans are when matters of preventing gun violence are brought up. The partisan voting lines showed America just where their candidates lean on an issue that has been receiving overwhelming support in recent polls.

Hopefully this will equate to the Democrats taking back enough seats in both Houses of Congress that we will get meaningful legislation passed during the upcoming Clinton administration.

Ever since the Newtown mass shooting, I've known of a sure-fire way to immediately turn public opinion so much against the NRA-supported candidates that even THEY will have to vote for common-sense legislation:

Release the Sandy Hook crime scene photos.
Just by doing this one simple thing, the entire debate will be rendered unnecessary, as the horrific imagery will completely end any discussion on the need for private citizens to have access to assault rifles.

Of course, this will never happen (barring a successful legal challenge to the DOJ on the public need to see these photos) as the carnage will both bring incredible pain to the families of the victims, and absolutely horrify the American public.

Which is why it needs to be done.

Because without meaningful legislation to end this madness, we'll see even MORE schools, MORE nightclubs, MORE shopping malls, MORE theaters...basically, more EVERYTHING being shot up by mentally-damaged individuals or terrorists with agendas of hatred.

All of this because the NRA is a powerful lobby, and some fearful Americans are willing to put up with the more and more frequent mass shootings because they feel safer cuddling with their AR-15s.

Simply release the photos of Sandy Hook, Pulse, Aurora, San Bernadito, and Virginia Tech.

Do this ONE thing, and we'll see life-saving legislation fly through Congress faster than a speeding bullet.

Sunday Night Music Club v.46

Leonard Cohen is an important voice in music, and many of his songs from years ago have the ability to echo their message just as powerfully today.

This being an election year here in the USA, this song seems like an especially appropriate selection.

Leonard Cohen - "Democracy" (1992)

Filibuster!

My senator from Connecticut, Chris Murphy, boldly took the lead in the firearms debate today when he began a filibuster that is currently running strong at press time (in other words, when I hit "Publish") hours later.

I know the likelihood of enough Republicans supporting ANY legislation that might make it even SLIGHTLY more difficult for crazy people to purchase assault weapons is somewhere in the neighborhood of Pluto being reclassified as a planet.

But this gesture opens a serious dialog in this election year. One that may have lasting repercussions going into the next administration and Congress.

I have never felt more proud of our representation in our little home state!

Another massacre

And Congress responds with silence...again.

Well, not ALL of them...Jim Himes (CT-04) responds with absolute clarity:

Sunday Night Music Club v.45

This week's installment of SNMC features Aussie rocker Courtney Barnett.

Barnett plays a live version of the rocking "Pedestrian at Best", from her debut studio album "Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit" recorded at The Triple Door, sponsored by KEXP in Seattle.

I'm not a big fan of the band's "official" music videos, and much prefer their live performances. It almost seems like Australia music videos are scripted by the same people who created most of the late '80s and early '90s MTV videos. They seem a bit dated and hackneyed.

As far as videos go, Barnett's true charisma shines in her concert appearances. She has the stage presence and post-punk charm of a 21st century Chrissie Hynde.

But she's no "pretender"...she's for real.