Empire State of Mind, Part II from The Element of Freedom

Jay-Z had a big hit with his version of Empire State of Mind, which featured Alicia Keys.

For her new album, Keys reworked the song for herself. My little girl was singing this all over Manhattan when we were visiting, so I found myself humming it myself. However, my youngest prefers the hip hop mix of the Jay-Z version, with the recitation of the NY landmarks and locations.

What do you think? Which version do you like better?

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This is rich. C-Street Family member Tom Coburn who along with his fellow Family members have been doing their best to inject religion into the health care debate, uses a quote by Thomas Jefferson about separation of church and state, and takes it out of context.

h/t jenyum at Daily KOS who has more -- Dear Senator Coburn: Liberals Can Quote Jefferson, Too:

During today's Senate health care bill debate, Senator Tom Coburn held up a big graphic displaying a quote from Thomas Jefferson:

To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical

This quote resided in the background while Coburn went on and an about earmarks, and abortion, and waste and fraud in the federal government. If Senator Coburn had actually read the original source of the quote, however, I don't think he'd be so quick to use it.

Jefferson's actual words originated in the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom:

to compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves is sinful and tyrannical

The Statute goes on to say...

our civil rights have no dependence on our religious opinions any more than our opinions in physics or geometry, that therefore the proscribing any citizen as unworthy the public confidence, by laying upon him an incapacity of being called to offices of trust and emolument, unless he profess or renounce this or that religious opinion, is depriving him injuriously of those privileges and advantages, to which, in common with his fellow citizens, he has a natural right, that it tends only to corrupt the principles of that very Religion it is meant to encourage.

Obviously among other things too long to list, Tom Coburn's irony alert button is broken. He'd better hope he doesn't wind up in trouble for his part in his buddy John Ensign's affair that the press has been giving him a pass on. As jenyum noted:

Jefferson's words when not taken out of context are hardly a rallying cry for a party that opposes health care reform on religious grounds.

Couldn't have said it any better myself.

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Steve King is out of his "freedom-loving" mind. In what world do all Americans have health care coverage? Oh yeah, the emergency rooms. That's the GOP's idea of health care coverage and "freedom".

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The nation's most "fair and balanced" network gave up over 20 minutes of its premiere Sunday "news" show to nation's loudest conservative voice. With little resistance, Fox News' Chris Wallace allowed Rush Limbaugh to continually attack President Barack Obama. Limbaugh called Obama "the man-child president," accused him of visiting the families of fallen troops for a photo op and said the president doesn't care about the war in Afghanistan.

"You suggest that he is taking all of this time to decide what to do in Afghanistan to keep his left wing base on board for health care reform," suggested Wallace.

"Well, it's partly that, but I also don't think he cares much about it," replied Limbaugh. "See, this is -- I know this is going to sound controversial, but i don't think he cares."

Limbaugh went on to call health care reform an "attack on liberty" and an "attack on freedom."

"We've never seen this kind of radical leader at such a high level of power in this county," said Limbaugh.

September 15, 2009 Comedy Central The Colbert Report

The Word - Let Freedom Ka-Ching

Corporations do everything people do except breathe, die and go to jail for dumping 1.3 million pounds of PCBs in the Hudson River.

(Video - Ed Schultz's take on this story from 7/29)

Only at Fox News.

This afternoon, Bill Shine, SVP of Programming told TVNewser, "During Fox & Friends this morning, Glenn Beck expressed a personal opinion which represented his own views, not those of the Fox News Channel. And as with all commentators in the cable news arena, he is given the freedom to express his opinions."

Make no mistake, the powers that be at Fox News couldn't care less about Beck's statement. If they did, Beck would have been suspended, or at the very least, reprimanded. This kind of outrageous propaganda permeates their network and they use it daily to hold on to their racist viewers.

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Funny Sean, my recollection was more of a nightmare than a "dream" with how the GOP ran things under Bush. But never let that get in the way of Sean Hannity bringing on Karl Rove to propagate the latest GOP propaganda. Can someone please explain to me why this man is on Fox News instead of in a jail cell? I'd really like to know.

Karl seems to think that the GOP just needs a more positive message. Hannity...freedom!!!...lol. And Karl reminds us not to forget about those "family values" as well. Yeah... save that advice for Sanford and Ensign and spare the rest of us from your empty rhetoric please.

Hannity and Rove decide on "The Party of the American Dream" being the new mantra for the GOP. These guys Can't stop writing their own punch lines.

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(Freedom - sadly neglected but never ignored)

While I am knee deep in sifting and editing the pressing history of the day, I thought I would take a break and offer up a little sadly neglected psychedelia from 1968. Freedom was an interesting band with a steller, but somewhat short-lived history. I came to know them via their second incarnation and an album issued on ABC Records in 1971 - but this was their first incarnation formed in 1967 and their debut single for Mercury featuring ex-Procol Harum members Bobby Harrison on drums and Ray Royer on Guitar with Steve Shirley on bass. When I first heard it I thought it was a mislabeled previously unknown Traffic single, but "Trying to Catch A Glimpse Of You" was the B-side of their initial 45 release on May of 1968. It only seems fair to offer the A-side at some point soon.

Fans of the Mellotron - rejoice!