A letter to Lawrence O'Donnell on the 4/25 Episode of MSNBC's The Last Word

 

Dear Lawrence,

Greetings from Philadelphia. I'm a regular, near nightly viewer of the MSNBC line-up, and try to watch as dedicatedly as I can. Tonight, however, may be only the second time I've ever cringed at your show. The interview with Rev (?) Graham made me incredibly uncomfortable, and then the follow-up on Rush Limbaugh just made me wince....well, Limbaugh makes me wince on his own; perhaps this was a double barreled wince.

What made me squirm so hard is that I almost felt you were softballing Graham. The guy is just another typical white rich-kid coasting on his Daddy's reputation along with the inherited Billy G Billions, and you gave him open mike to proselytize endlessly. Did he really need to read the entire John 3:16 quote, plus? Frankly, WHY does it matter if President Obama is a Christian? Should it matter at all? Even more importantly, why would a President need the holy water dripped from the likes of Graham and his ilk for approval to govern?

 

Given that Graham seems to love using the racist euphemism that Obama has "the seed of Islam" inside him and is now riding on Donald Trump's wig-tail, why get him on camera at all? He brings nothing useful to the discussion other than more proof that evangelicals are crackpots, swindling people out of their cash by using fear of Hell as motivation.

 

Which leads me to part two: The Thrashing you gave Limbaugh. Yeah, I get it. Rush is a lyin' sack of bird vomit, puking up predigested swill for the baby flock to swallow. They may think it's nutritious and delicious, but they're still swallowing puke. Chairman of the Keeping America Stupid Foundation, that man. (And I can't get a broadcasting gig? Life is SO unfair sometimes.)

 

Meanwhile....bookend both segments and I was starting to feel like my Cable Box had magically switched channels from MSNBC to an episode of The 700 Club. I half expected your Rush segment to close with a request for viewers to open up their hearts, open up their wallets and call the 800 number on the screen. Operators will be standing by.

 

If I wanted almost a quarter hour of uninterrupted Christian Come-ons, I can call my Bible Thumping crazy Republican Step-mother. But as one of America's non-believers, I'd prefer my MSNBC to continue giving me useful information, news and relevant commentary. In fact, I am always proud that you, Rachel Maddow and Ed Schultz contribute thoughtful and factual reports on Gay Rights issues. Tonight, though, just made me wonder where the thoughtfulness went.

Respectfully,

Tim Brough

Frickish Birthdays

frick's birthday is today!

My Amazon Reviews: Crowded House "Intruguer"

We're Just Paper Over Cracks
4 Out of 5 Stars

When Crowded House member Paul Hester committed suicide in 2005, Neil Finn reacted by recording "Time On Earth" with the surviving CH members. That album was a heavy rumination on the loss of a life-long friend and creative partner, and was a tough album to absorb. One of Crowded Houses's best attributes was that they were a terrific band, with a sense of camaraderie and often (despite some serious songs, like "Better Be Home Soon" or "Four Seasons in One Day) the sounds of good mates getting together for a good joke or two. This was always reflected in their videos and even in the odd comic song ("Chocolate Cake," "Here Comes God"). "Intriguer" is less weighty than "Time On Earth" yet still feels haunted by Hester's ghost.

Neil Finn's songwriting remains top-notch, with brilliant moments on "Intriguer" measuring up as should-be hits like "Even If" or the giddy in love "Twice If You're Lucky." There's a nice propelling beat and synth-line to the opening "Saturday Sun" that hearkens back to Finn's days with Split Enz (and seems most indebted to Hester's passing).



"The madness is won,
The nightmare is done.
Meantime, he waits
Colors up the sky,
Make the darkness come to life.
Memories inside his heart
Of everything he wants to know
And every place he has to go."

There's plenty of other delightful songs and temptingly quotable lyrics all across the album ("Amsterdam," the atmospheric "Isolation") that will lure CH's many fans to this CD. I've been an Enz/House fan myself for many years, including seeing the band on the "Woodface" tour (with Roger McGuinn showing up for the encore!). "Intriguer" lives up to Neil Finn's continuing legacy of excellent albums.