Monthly Archives: May 2010

Wingnut Fantasy Drowns In Flood Of Aid Requests

The fantasy. The bitter, hateful fantasy:

In several years, I suspect most of Nashville will bear few physical scars from the 2010 flood, because the city and people of Nashville are not just survivors, they are winners determined to triumph.

Years after Katrina, New Orleans will still be a stinking cesspool of quitters and defeatists crying for handouts.

Look at the character of these two cities, and see if you can figure out why one will thrive no matter the odds, and why one will fail no matter the treasure wasted.

Stinking, ungrateful, parasites are all like "Hey, gimme some money so I can rebuild my house which was drowned under 15 feet of water, which incidentally killed 1,800 people, thanks to shitty under-maintenance of the levies !"

The reality:

Tennessee’s congressional delegation is calling for federal assistance beyond the financial aid available through the Federal Emergency and Management Agency.

In a letter addressed to President Barack Obama, Tennessee’s two U.S senators and nine U.S. representatives requested that funds for flood victims in 52 Tennessee counties be carved out of the federal Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2010.

“Tennesseans are helping themselves and their neighbors, but Tennessee will require federal assistance beyond what current emergency programs' funding can support,” the letter reads.

“Because the Senate Appropriations Committee will mark up supplemental appropriations legislation that you have requested on Thursday, it is vital that a request for Tennessee flood relief come from the Office of Management and Budget as quickly as possible.”

Some 18,000 Tennesseans have already registered for federal assistance, and more than $28 million worth of federal aid has been approved

Wait, what? These "winners determined to triumph" are asking for handouts? Does this mean we should now think of Nashville as a "stinking cesspool of quitters and defeatists" ? I hope not. That seems like a pointless and ridiculous insult to someone who has had to suffer through a huge natural disaster.

Lyrics Quiz

It's been ages since we last did one of these. So, let's do one now!

The following are first lines to well-known* songs. Name the song and artist.

  1. If you're having trouble with your high school head AC/DC - "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" [Paige]
  2. Company, always on the run Bad Company - "Bad Company" [Paige]
  3. We-hell I see them every night in tight blue jeans Cyndi Lauper – "She Bop" [MikeJ]
  4. They tell us that we lost our tails Devo - "Jocko Homo" [Platosearwax]
  5. Oh it's funny to be seeing you after so long, girl - Elvis Costello - "Alison" [MikeJ]
  6. Dreamed I was an Eskimo Frank Zappa - "Don't Eat The Yellow Snow" [Cris]
  7. Do you have the time to listen to me whine - Green Day - "Basket Case" [MikeJ]
  8. Hear the lonesome whippoorwill Hank Williams - "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" [Paige]
  9. I'm trying to tell you something about my life Indigo Girls - "Closer to Fine" [Cris]
  10. Sleep all day, out all night James Gang "Funk 49" [xjmueller]
  11. They seek him here, they seek him there Kinks - "Dedicated Follower Of Fashion" [RobC]
  12. Wanna tell you 'bout the girl I love Led Zeppelin - "Hey hey what can I do" [ellaesther]
  13. Traveling in a fried-out combie Men at Work – "Down Under" [MikeJ]
  14. Where it began, I can't begin to knowin - Neil Diamond - "Sweet Caroline" [Cris]
  15. How many special people change? Oasis - "Champagne Supernova" [Atlantys]
  16. "The problem is all inside your head", she said to me Paul Simon – "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" [MikeJ]
  17. I've paid my dues, time after time Queen - "We Are The Champions" [Atlantys]
  18. Her green plastic watering can, for her fake Chinese rubber plant Radiohead - "Fake Plastic Trees" [RobC]
  19. Sweetness, sweetness, I was only joking Smiths – "Bigmouth Strikes Again" [MikeJ]
  20. I don't want to work Todd Rundgren – "Bang on the Drum All Day" [MikeJ]
  21. Is it getting better, or do you feel the same? U2 - "One" [MikeJ]
  22. I get up, and nothing gets me down Van Halen - "Jump". [Modesto Kid]
  23. Fall is here, hear the yell White Stripes - We're Going To Be Friends [dbati]
  24. High climbs the summer sun, high climbs the corn XTC - "Love On A Farmboy's Wages" [Platosearwax]
  25. When I heard the knock on the door, had to catch my breath
  26. Clean shirt, new shoes ZZ Top - "Sharp Dressed Man" [MikeJ]

* : or maybe not so well-known.

Hint: there are 26 songs.

Leave your answers in comments. I’ll cross them off as people get them.

You can click here for the answers. But give it a good try, first!