The smearing of Toyota

Ray Exum, while not overlooking the 34 deaths involving malfunctioning Toyotas, zooms in on the smearing of the world'd largest automobile manufacturer in The Chattanoogan:

In the past two weeks I have been drawn, by some almost unexplainable reason, into the way that Toyota, one of the premier automobile makers in the world, has taken such a glaring whipping that has resulted in 8.5 million cars being recalled and caused what will be billions of dollars in damages for the company.

Just over a year ago, this just before the U.S. government became the largest stockholder of General Motors and also bought a 10-percent stake in Chrysler, we were assured Toyota made the most reliable cars in the world and, if you’ll recall, the bail-out sponsors then pleaded for American manufacturers to rise to such a level of expertise.

It was pointed out at the time that a foreign car could be built for roughly $2,000 cheaper than a similarly-equipped American-made vehicle because of the huge automotive unions. Honda, Toyota and Nissan, for example, do not have unions, thus a problem for American manufacturers in the highly-competitive market.

It so happens the United Auto Workers union is the government’s major partner in the General Motors ownership. When the American people bailed out GM, we kept many auto workers afloat, you remember that? So when Toyota’s problems with sliding floor mats and sudden acceleration were brought to light, there was launched a witch hunt that is now being questioned in a shameful but equally necessary way.

Technorati tags: politics automobiles cars auto news toyota general motors big three Politics government uaw labor unions

Durbin defends "nuclear option" on ObamaCare, defended filibuster in '05

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) who nominally represents me in Washington, is defending the use of the "nuclear option," bypassing Senate rules to ram through the increasingly unpopular ObamaCare bill.

Five years ago, Durbin decried a GOP maneuver to bypass the filibuster to get President Bush's judicial nominees approved.

Durbin won't face Illinois voters for another four years. We'll be ready for him in 2014.

Technorati tags: Illinois Politics Illinois Democrats Durbin senate news obamacare health universal health care health care reform law legal

Review: Johnny Cash's American VI: Ain't No Grave

Last week the final American Recordings album by Johnny Cash, American VI: Ain't No Grave was released--three days short of the 78th anniversary of his birth. The Man in Black of course died in 2003--his health had been poor since the turn of the century.

Had this been Cash's first album, well, it would not be so-well received, by myself or anyone else. Seven decades and some hard living had worn down his voice, but with a performer such as Cash, it's impossible to separate a swan song from the earlier body of work.

Think of watching your father in a family Thanksgiving touch football game--as an awestruck child you witness his mastery of the sport, but as he ages--and you can't help not noticing that--you fondly remember his earlier greatness even as he runs with the ball more slowly.

And it is with American VI.

Death pervades the album. If it was a movie, it would take place in late fall and the opening scene would take place in a graveyard.

But Cash's Christian faith also dominates, as he sings in the title track:

There ain't no grave gonna hold my body down
When you hear that trumpet sound
Gonna get up out of the ground
There ain't no grave gonna hold my body down

American VI contains just one Cash original, "I Corinthians 15:55."

O Death, where is thy sting?
O Grief, where is they victory?
O Life, you are a shining path.
And hope springs eternal, just over the rise,
When I see my redeemer beckoning me

Opposite of Cash's handwritten lyrics of this song is the image of Christ from the Shroud of Turin.

Unlike the other albums in the Rick Rubin-produced series, there are no "Wow, he's covering that!" songs here. The only track that comes remotely close is the Hawaiian folk song "Aloha Oe."

Until we meet again.

The Man in Black is now acompanied by angels in white on the other side.

Many of the musicians from the earlier American Recordings, including Benmont Tench and Mike Campbell of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are back for this effort. As for the sound of the album, it continues the refined acoustic nature of Cash's later output, but without the grit of such tunes as "Sam Hall" from American IV.
If you are intrigued by Cash's work but are unfamiliar with him, or if you just know Cash from Joaquin Phoenix' portrayal in Walk the Line, this album is not for you. I recommend you start with a greatest hits package such as The Legend of Johnny Cash, or either of his best live albums, Folsom Prison or San Quentin.

For everyone else, go out and purchase American VI.

Related posts:

My Mississippi Manifest Destiny: Johnny Cash's boyhood home
Happy 78th birthday, Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash: Hurt
Johnny Cash: The Big Light
Johnny Cash - Ballad Of John Henry's Hammer
Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson: Sunday Morning Coming Down
Johnny Cash: Without Love

Technorati tags: Americana Johnny Cash Country Music music entertainment religion christianity faith tom petty rick rubin

The return of the Tea Party Express

Searchlight, Nevada, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's hometown, will be the place to be for all patriots on March 27. That's when the third incarnation of the Tea Party Express kicks off. As if that is not enough, Sarah Palin, Joe the Plumber, and former SNL performer Victoria Jackson will be there too.



I'm planning to meet up with the patriotic caravan on April 6 in Rockford, Illinois.

Related posts:

The Tea Party Express comes to Mishawaka, Indiana, part one

The Tea Party Express comes to Mishawaka, Indiana, part two

The Tea Party Express comes to Mishawaka, Indiana--part three

Technorati tags: tea party Harry Reid Nevada news Sarah Palin Illinois

Hawaii partition in the works

The mainstream media was focused on the tsunami that fortunately did not overwhelm Hawaii on Saturday. Meanwhile, there is a different kind of trouble in paradise. Our 50th state was America's first multicultural community. But as the Wall Street Journal informs us, the House of Representatives just approved a frightening bill that culturally splits Hawaii in two.

The bill creates a complex federal framework under which most of the nation's approximately 400,000 ethnic Hawaiians can organize themselves into one vast Indian tribe. It endows the tribe with the "inherent powers and privileges of self-government," including the privilege of sovereign immunity from lawsuit. It also by clear implication confers the power to tax, to promulgate and enforce a criminal code, and to exercise eminent domain. Hawaii will in effect be two states, not one.

The method used to create this tribe should make everyone squeamish. The bill delegates the delicate task of deciding who may join the tribe to a federal commission appointed by the secretary of the Interior. Ultimately, the tribe itself will have the power to expel members or invite new ones.

Earlier versions of the bill demanded that the secretary appoint only ethnic Hawaiians as commissioners. In the current version, only those with "10 years of experience in the study and determination of Native Hawaiian genealogy" and "an ability to read and translate . . . documents written in the Hawaiian language" may serve on the commission. These commissioners will examine an applicants' backgrounds to ensure that only "qualified Native Hawaiians" with the right amount of Hawaiian blood join the tribe.

Unlike Indian tribes such as the Sioux and the Navajo, which were identifiable communities when they first encountered European Americans, contemporary native Hawaiians have lived within our culture for 200 years. The legislation, known as the Akaka Bill--it's named for its sponsor--is about racial preference. Let's hope the Senate quashes the bill. We need one nation--not two, not twenty.

Technorati tags: politics news government Congress Democrats hawaii akaka