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markpkessinger
markpkessinger's Journal
markpkessinger's Journal
April 26, 2014
My brother-in-law snapped this photo of the night sky over my hometown of Beech Creek, PA. It brought to mind immediatly an aria, titled, "Ain't it a Pretty Night," from the opera, "Susannah," by American composer Carlisle Floyd. Here are the lyrics, and elow them is a link to a recording of the aria sung by soprano Mary Mills, from a production by the Philadelphia Opera:
"Ain't it a pretty night . . ."
My brother-in-law snapped this photo of the night sky over my hometown of Beech Creek, PA. It brought to mind immediatly an aria, titled, "Ain't it a Pretty Night," from the opera, "Susannah," by American composer Carlisle Floyd. Here are the lyrics, and elow them is a link to a recording of the aria sung by soprano Mary Mills, from a production by the Philadelphia Opera:
Ain't it a pretty night!
The sky's so dark an' velvet-like, and it's all lit up with stars.
It's like a great big mirror reflectin' fireflies over a pond.
Look at all them stars, Little Bat! The longer y'look, the more y'see.
The sky seems so heavy with stars that it might fall right out of heaven
an' cover us all up in one big blanket of velvet all stitched with diamon's.
Ain't it a pretty night!
Just think, those stars can all peep down an' see way beyond where we can:
they can see way beyond them mountains
to Nashville an' Ashville an' Knoxville.
I wonder what it's like out there, out there beyond them mountains,
where the folks talk nice, an' the folks dress nice,
like y'see in the mail order catalogs.
I aim to leave this valley some day an' find out fer myself:
to see all the tall buildin's and all the street lights
an' be one o' them folks myself.
I wonder if I'd get lonesome fer the valley, though,
fer the sound of crickets an' the smell of pine straw,
fer soft little rabbits an' bloomin' things
an' the mountains turnin' gold in the fall.
But I could always come back if I got homesick for the valley.
So I'll leave it someday an' see fer myself.
Someday I'll leave an' then I'll come back
when I've seen what's beyond them mountains.
Ain't it a pretty night!
The sky's so heavy with stars tonight
that it could fall right down out of heaven
an' cover us up, an' cover us up
in one big blanket of velvet and diamon's.
The sky's so dark an' velvet-like, and it's all lit up with stars.
It's like a great big mirror reflectin' fireflies over a pond.
Look at all them stars, Little Bat! The longer y'look, the more y'see.
The sky seems so heavy with stars that it might fall right out of heaven
an' cover us all up in one big blanket of velvet all stitched with diamon's.
Ain't it a pretty night!
Just think, those stars can all peep down an' see way beyond where we can:
they can see way beyond them mountains
to Nashville an' Ashville an' Knoxville.
I wonder what it's like out there, out there beyond them mountains,
where the folks talk nice, an' the folks dress nice,
like y'see in the mail order catalogs.
I aim to leave this valley some day an' find out fer myself:
to see all the tall buildin's and all the street lights
an' be one o' them folks myself.
I wonder if I'd get lonesome fer the valley, though,
fer the sound of crickets an' the smell of pine straw,
fer soft little rabbits an' bloomin' things
an' the mountains turnin' gold in the fall.
But I could always come back if I got homesick for the valley.
So I'll leave it someday an' see fer myself.
Someday I'll leave an' then I'll come back
when I've seen what's beyond them mountains.
Ain't it a pretty night!
The sky's so heavy with stars tonight
that it could fall right down out of heaven
an' cover us up, an' cover us up
in one big blanket of velvet and diamon's.
April 15, 2014
The Teabonics Hall Of Fame — 60 Iconic Misspelled Protest Signs (PHOTOS)
[font size=4]The Teabonics Hall Of Fame — 60 Iconic Misspelled Protest Signs (PHOTOS)[/font]
[font size=1]By [font color="red"]Tiffany Willis[/font] on April 15, 2014[/font]
One of the biggest fails of the Tea Party movement has been their epic misspellings on protest signs. We aren’t sure what’s up with that. Are their kids making the signs for them? Are they writing them in haste and can’t take the time to spell correctly or use correct grammar? Either way, it’s hilarious. Here is the Tea Party Protest Sign Hall of Fame.
http://www.liberalamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/New+World+Horror+2.png
< . . . . >
< . . . . >
[font size=1]By [font color="red"]Tiffany Willis[/font] on April 15, 2014[/font]
One of the biggest fails of the Tea Party movement has been their epic misspellings on protest signs. We aren’t sure what’s up with that. Are their kids making the signs for them? Are they writing them in haste and can’t take the time to spell correctly or use correct grammar? Either way, it’s hilarious. Here is the Tea Party Protest Sign Hall of Fame.
http://www.liberalamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/New+World+Horror+2.png
< . . . . >
< . . . . >
April 8, 2014
So the President is allowing the CIA to take the lead in declassifying the Senate Report . . .
. . . what could possibly go wrong? 
April 3, 2014
I couldn't let that one stand. Here was my response (which has not yet posted to the site):
My response to one NY Times reader regarding the Supreme Court . . .
In the comments to an editorial in today's New York Times titled, "The Court Follows the Money," one reader wrote:
< . . . . >
If reform is impossible, then a revolution is needed. What kind of revolution? How to proceed? Many paths are possible, none are easy. Let me suggest two places we might start.
First, stop voting. At the least, never again vote for the lesser of two evils. Again, if the system is irredeemable, then the sooner it fully breaks, the better off we will be in the long term. Working for the election of Democrats leads to nothing but heartbreak. That energy is better spent elsewhere. The more the tea-party and like minded elements succeed, the quicker the collapse of the system will arrive. Scarry? You bet.
< . . . . >
If reform is impossible, then a revolution is needed. What kind of revolution? How to proceed? Many paths are possible, none are easy. Let me suggest two places we might start.
First, stop voting. At the least, never again vote for the lesser of two evils. Again, if the system is irredeemable, then the sooner it fully breaks, the better off we will be in the long term. Working for the election of Democrats leads to nothing but heartbreak. That energy is better spent elsewhere. The more the tea-party and like minded elements succeed, the quicker the collapse of the system will arrive. Scarry? You bet.
< . . . . >
I couldn't let that one stand. Here was my response (which has not yet posted to the site):
Terence Stoeckert advises: "First, stop voting. At the least, never again vote for the lesser of two evils."
If we stop voting, we play into the oligarchs' hands -- so that suggestion is possibly the worst advice one could possibly give.
As for voting for the "lesser of two evils" ("LTE"
, while LTE voting my well be worthy of criticism, I would remind you that this ruling did NOT come about as a result of voters choosing between the lesser of two evils. All five of the justices who voted to overturn the aggregate contribution limits in McCutcheon were nominated by presidents of ONE of the two parties: the GOP, and ALL FOUR who dissented were nominated by Democratic Presidents. Similarly, in Citizens United, the SAME FIVE JUSTICES were in the majority, three of the dissenters were nominated by Democrats and one, Justice Stevens, was a liberal Republican nominated by Gerald Ford.
Whatever criticism one may have of Presidents Clinton and Obama, it was the Justices they nominated who did NOT stand with the majority in this case. And it was the Justices nominated by Reagan, Bush I and Bush II that WERE the majority. But that probably doesn't sit well with your "both aprties are the same" narrative, does it?
If we stop voting, we play into the oligarchs' hands -- so that suggestion is possibly the worst advice one could possibly give.
As for voting for the "lesser of two evils" ("LTE"
, while LTE voting my well be worthy of criticism, I would remind you that this ruling did NOT come about as a result of voters choosing between the lesser of two evils. All five of the justices who voted to overturn the aggregate contribution limits in McCutcheon were nominated by presidents of ONE of the two parties: the GOP, and ALL FOUR who dissented were nominated by Democratic Presidents. Similarly, in Citizens United, the SAME FIVE JUSTICES were in the majority, three of the dissenters were nominated by Democrats and one, Justice Stevens, was a liberal Republican nominated by Gerald Ford.
Whatever criticism one may have of Presidents Clinton and Obama, it was the Justices they nominated who did NOT stand with the majority in this case. And it was the Justices nominated by Reagan, Bush I and Bush II that WERE the majority. But that probably doesn't sit well with your "both aprties are the same" narrative, does it?
April 2, 2014
Text of Justice Breyer's blistering dissent
I have extracted Justice Breyer's dissent from the decision and have made it available on my Google drive, for anyone who might be interested in reading it:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5nYovU90WRmX2NJMG1IYjZ5VFk/edit?usp=sharing
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