God's Own Crunk

This shit’s bananas, and I liked Crunchy Cons - there, I said it. His weird brand of Beta Male Conservatism is why urinals will probably be outlawed at some point in my lifetime. Whatever – Rod Dreher wore out his welcome with me a long time ago, and RSM had me in stitches in this extended take-down:

Notice that I don’t link to the Amazon page of the book, because I don’t want to risk anyone accidently being influenced by Dreher’s awful ideas, even if it would make me a profit. Jonah Goldberg famously ripped the wretched thing to tatters and flung the bits back in Dreher’s face, leaving me little to do except clean-up work in my Reason magazine review of that Very Bad Book. And in that controversy, I recognized a conflict that wasn’t really about politics, but about career ambition.

Dreher was (and is) what the magazine trade calls a “back of the book” writer — book reviews and so forth — rather than a guy who specialized in actual reporting, and his Moment of Glory on the cover of the National Review was the life’s dream of a thousand literary types who are forced to slum it in journalism.

via OK, Let’s Make This Quick : The Other McCain.

Stereogum’s evolved into my favorite place to read about music, so I say this with love: How is “Juicy,” considered the diamond standard of narrative rap – to say nothing of the best modern cut period – not even good enough to make the top 10 of the man’s own work? Someone’s trying to hard. I was never a huge fan of “Hypnotize,” but like “Juicy,” excluding it is the reason that people hate hipsters, including hipsters. Whatevz – all good baby baby…

A lot of Biggie’s classics, however, like “Juicy” and “Hypnotize,” did not. Both are crucial to his career, but that doesn’t make them the best. “Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems” does not have a place in the top ten, either. It was undeniable hit, but in Bad Boy’s era of shiny suits and glossy Hype Williams videos, it was turned into Ma$e and Puffy’s song with a Big verse at the end. Puffy knew how to draw the masses to Biggie, for sure, and while it was a smart single, it’s one of the sparing tracks that is racked with superfluous lyrics from Big.

via The 10 Best The Notorious B.I.G. Songs – Stereogum.

I’ve referred to it as the perfect movie, a contention I stand by. Go to the link and check out some of the cast-members today. Wiley Wiggins has changed the most (he looks weirdly androgynous) and it pains me to see that Joey Lauren Adams, second only to Parker Posey among indy queens with whom I’d love to spend a week in Telluride, appears to have had some work done. I still love her and her squeaky voice (and her blink-and-you’ll-miss-it nudity in SFW): 

Yes, it’s true, all you former little freshman piggies: Cult high school party flick “Dazed and Confused” is nearly 20 years young.

Many of the cast members celebrated the occasion in Austin, Texas, this week during a special screening of the now classic 1993 film about teens carousing about town, drinking beer, making out, and listening to those sweet sweet ’70s jams.

via ‘Dazed and Confused’ 20-Year Cast Reunion—Did Any of the A-List Alums Like Affleck or McConaughey Show Up? | Movie Talk – Yahoo! Movies.

A humorous tale shedding light on the wit and wisdom of Robert Bork:

The recent fad of calling almost any clear-liquor drink a martini pained him. For a while, I collected some absurd examples and sent them on to him for his Index Potio Prohibitorum: I wince to recall such toxic-sounding confections as a “smoked salmon martini,” a “chocolate martini,” etc. Once, having ordered a martini, Bob was presented with a drink containing two olives. He sent it back. “If I had wanted a salad,” he told the waiter, “I would have ordered one.”

via Roger’s Rules » Martinis, the original understanding.

Roger Kimball does this subject – Bork and martinis – such a good service, it’s compelled me to read Through the Looking Glass. Yes, this one-off piece is just that enjoyable.

When I was a bartender, I took special care in the crafting of martinis – I tended to defer to the newer-school olive approach (ie “like tits one’s not enough but three’s too many but fuck you you’re getting one and you will like it”). As a drinker I was never a martini drinker, probably because I['ve] never really matured.

My nose thanks me for the absence of a gin blossom.

/brex

Smitty at TOM is following along, and now that I’m home from work, I’ve got CSPAN2 tuned in – good stuff:

The last time this happened was, for a quick Google, Bernie Sanders in 2010.

Paul has been joined by Senators Mike Lee, Ted Cruz, and Jerry Moran, and given support by former Senator Jim DeMint. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) has made it bipartisan. Go, webfoot!

Let this be an important symbolic victory, and let it wake up the sleeping giant to the threat parked within our borders.

via American Guts: #StandWithRand : The Other McCain.

Rand Paul is filibustering the nomination of John Brennan to head the CIA until he gets answers from the POTUS regarding targeted drone strikes against American citizens on US soil. I’m fairly hawkish regarding the War on Terror, but this seems like a no-brainer – sort of funny that the Obama Admin is so confused by these questions. As with most things, we could ask where the Left, the anti-war movement, the human rights crowd and the other crazies are on this but … Obama!

As the question goes, “So Progressives were against waterboarding terrorists but they have no problem with targeted drone strikes of Americans on American soil?” Makes perfect sense.

Of all I’ve read about the death of Hugo Chavez, I prefer what Nick Gillespie at Reason said here:

It’s easy to mock Chavez because of his outspoken anti-American attitudes but you know what? That wasn’t the problem with Chavez. He was a thug and a dictator who, like all such despots, spent most of his time and energy destroying the lives of the people he was supposed to help. That’s his real crime – not taking swipes at George W. Bush or attacking the U.S. during overlong U.N. speeches.

via Rep. Jose Serrano on Hugo Chavez: “a leader that understood the needs of the poor.” – Hit & Run : Reason.com.

For a political leader who soooo loved the poor and loathed the wealthy, his reported $1-2 billion fortune is interesting in and of itself.

The trivial difficulty of atheism is thinking Hell a myth. Some men deserve Hell, and Chavez was/is one of them. He impoverished an already struggling country that, at base, is wealthy in natural resources. I could care less about his rhetoric or his useful-idiot water-carriers here in the States – he was an awful human being and I’m quite happy he’s dead.

I return, momentarily, to political leaders who bash the rich while becoming rich themselves while “serving” the people in State roles. We’re quite familiar with this in America, which makes Chavez’s rise, death and impact so troubling. Those who deign to speak for the poor while living as kings are the most reprehensible leaders on Earth – it’s not new, it’s not novel, but it remains despicable.