Quick clicks (Or, stuff I didn't get around to blogging about)

Mitch, Joe, Vox, and the Elder recently had some really interesting discussions on conservatives and culture.

Vox: [T]he one thing that NPR has over talk radio (and that liberals have over conservatives) is in the area of culture and entertainment. Conservatives are simply terrible about giving any credence to this area; the very same people who will lament that there are no Christian or conservative alternatives to the atheist secular hit of the moment will assiduously ignore such alternatives even when they are brought directly to their attention. (And yes, I'm speaking from personal experience here.)

Here's an entry point for you.

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In the category of "Clever new ways to repackage old junk" John Scalzi points us to this collection of 70s hits remixed with a modern vibe. It's better than the Lawrence Welk remixes, but let's face it--it's still 70s pop. And that means inscrutable lyrics.

Consider:

Summer breeze makes me feel fine
Blowin' through the jasmine of my mind

Wha? What does that mean?

Cause the free wind is blowin' through your hair
And the days surround your daylight there
Seasons crying no despair
Alligator lizards in the air, in the air

No, I don't get it. I don't want to get it. (But there sure was a lot of wind blowin' through stuff in the 70s, wasn't there?)

There is also a remix of Devo's "Whip It" which seems to be on this album just so you can play "One of these things is not like the others." Maybe I'm nostalgic, but "Whip It" doesn't need to be remixed in order to be hip. It's fine as it is. (Though translating it into French is an improvement. Right Steve?)

Oh, listen online here.

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John Leo gives his awards for the most over the top rhetoric of 2004. His column contains some memorable hits like these:

Cameron Diaz said that if you think rape should be legal, you should not vote on November 2.

Alan Keyes, Republican Senate candidate in Illinois, said Catholics who voted for his opponent, Barack Obama, would be committing a mortal sin.

Comedian John Leguizamo said that Hispanics who pulled the lever for Bush would be like roaches voting for Raid.

According to Sen. John Edwards, “I’d say if you live in the United States of America and you vote for George Bush, you’ve lost your mind.”

There's more fun at the link. Go look.

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Not to be outdone, John Hawkins at Right Wing News collects the 10 Worst Quotes from the Democratic Underground for 2004. This is some serious moonbattery.

"Wait Until After Election 2004. If chimpy gets selected again, we're all in big trouble. The fascists you describe will start doing more than just voting, the "brownshirts" will be coming after people.

And the people like us will oppose them with whatever means necessary.

It'll then get ugly, real ugly."

Hmmm. I think it's already ugly enough thanks to the DU.

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Pat Sajak--I assume it's that Pat Sajak--takes Hollywood to task for being silent about the murder of filmmaker Theo Van Gogh.

Maybe they think it would be intolerant of them to criticize the murder, because it would put them on the side of someone who criticized a segment of the Arab world. And, after all, we are often reminded that we need to be more tolerant of others, especially if they’re not Christians or Jews.

There’s another possibility; one that seems crazy on the surface, but does provide an explanation for the silence, and is also in keeping with the political climate in Hollywood. Is it just possible that there are those who are reluctant to criticize an act of terror because that might somehow align them with President Bush, who stubbornly clings to the notion that these are evil people who need to be defeated? Could the level of hatred for this President be so great that some people are against anything he is for, and for anything he is against?

Vanna, Hollywood would like to buy a vowel. They still haven't got a C L _ E.

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And speaking of game shows, I wonder if I'm the only one who, when told that Ken Jennings' winning streak came to an end, responded "Ken who?"

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That's enough for tonight. Enjoy!