Developmental DeLays

I don't know exactly what the Democrats have been up to for the past few weeks/months. If you ask the folks at The Nation, the Dems have been doing little more than snoozing through quite a few golden opportunities to stick it to the GOP (bankruptcy bill, the Schiavo debacle, several crucial votes on reproductive rights, etc.) But at least the DNC has gone to the trouble of putting together a little internet dossier on Tom DeLay. If nothing else this term, maybe we will at least get to have the satisfaction of watching his political career go up in smoke.

Rainy Days and Mondays...

Life is strange sometimes. Mike and I just spent a very joyous weekend in NYC with our precious little nephew. He generates endless good vibes, and fills us both with such love. We brought him a new toy - a grabby affair called "the O Ball" - which, when spun wildly, sent Oscar into hysterical fits of laughter. (Is there anything cuter than a baby laughing?)

Today, Monday, back in Philly, it is a miserable, rainy day, and I logged onto my favorite Finn fan site to learn that Paul Hester, former drummer from Crowded House, committed suicide over the weekend. On the eve of the Finn Brothers playing three sold-out nights at Royal Albert Hall.

Maybe it's just me, but sometimes the 180 degree turns that life sends our way can be truly disorienting.

And While You're At It, Pray for Our Democracy

The relentless barrage of media coverage of the Terri Schiavo case has left me feeling fairly nauseous. But what distresses me even more is the intervention of Congress and the President in this human tragedy, the outcome of which - for better or for worse - is appropriately controlled by state law. I know it's been awhile since I graduated from law school, and much, much longer since middle school civics, but as far as I can recall, there are principles like separation of powers and state sovereignty that seem to have been completely tossed out the window by Republican ideaologues. I have been thinking about this situation for days, trying to formulate a coherent point of view. And I think what it boils down to for me is the hypocrisy and outrageous rhetoric of the right, the lawmakers and pundits who claim that Terri Schiavo has been tried, convicted and sentenced to death, while having committed no crime. Well, I don't think they would say the same thing when asked to contemplate a moratorium on the REAL death penalty - the ultimate punishment which has been handed out to more than a few people who have REALLY been charged with and convicted of crimes they did not commit.

As Mike pointed out last night, W. didn't bother to interrupt his Christmas break to respond to the Tsunami disaster, nor did he hurry back to Washington after 9/11. But apparently the political points to be gained from bowing to the pressures of religious conservatives on this issues were just too tempting for him to resist. Way to show your true colors, W.

No Dope, Just Dopes

This is one of the few spring training seasons in recent memory when it has been very gratifying indeed to be a Phillies fan. All you need to do is check out the team's lackluster performance over the past, say, hundred years, to know that there ain't no dopin' going on in this town. But doesn't Mark McGwire looks spiffy in a suit?

Good to know, too, that Congress has such useful and democracy-enriching ways to spend its time.

I Always Knew Polar Bears Hated Freedom

I guess if Mike and I ever get to take that trip to Alaska we have always dreamed of, we are likely to enjoy sweeping Arctic vistas of derricks and oil tankers, rather than sweet cuddly polar bears and other freedom-hating wildlife.

Ode to 1985: It Was a Very Good Year

Everyone loves an anniversary, right? Well, I would like to take a moment to celebrate the 20th anniversary of 1985, a truly great year for rock and roll. Things were simpler then, to be sure. Back then, I paid $11.50 for a ticket to my first U2 concert - at the Spectrum, a venue that now pretty much just hosts weird circuses, mud-bogs and minor-league hockey. Today, my ever-patient husband had to talk me out of shelling out another untold pile of cash to try and see my boys in New York City this fall, when we have already mortgaged our unborn children's future just to get to their show in May. I think I also had to give a blood sample, fingerprints and a urine screen.

1985 was also the the year of my first Bruce concert, at the Vet (which no longer exisits), and Live Aid, at JFK Stadium (which also no longer exists.) (Feeling old yet?) Live Aid was particularly cool because I got to go with my sister's boyfriend, who drove me there in his bitchin' Camero. Your local PBS stations, if it's anything like mine, has been airing the crap out of a 20th Anniversary special on Live Aid. Look for me in the crowd. I am one of the little dots, about mid-way back on the side, house-left.

2005 is actually shaping up to be a pretty amazing year for music, too, one which will hopefully include a Bruce show to accompany U2, the Finn Brothers, John Hammond, Glenn Tilbrook, and some guy named Bob Dylan. Not too shabby.

Maybe things really do improve with age.

Maybe Bono Wasn't Such a Bad Idea After All

Is it just me, or is W. doing a pretty crappy job of "reaching out" in an attempt to improve diplomatic relations with...oh, let's see, THE ENTIRE PLANET??? I must admit to being rather incredulous at the news of the nomination of Paul Wolfowitz, neo-con hawk extraordinairre and master mind of the Iraq quagmire, to head the World Bank. I just heard an audio clip of Bush explaining why Wolfie is qualified for this gig, and it went something like: "He's managed a large organization...The Pentagon is a large organization...The World Bank is large organization..."

Can someone please tell me what he is talking about?!?!??!

This news, taken together with the nomination of John Bolton to be US ambassador to the UN, really makes me dispair that all of the sunny, olive-branch rhetoric of Condi's recent European tour was truly just a bunch of s!#$@!

At least Wolfowitz's nomination is subject to the approval of the Bank's board of directors. Let's hope they have the guts to stand up and do the right thing.

Bruce Inducts The Boys: Chocolate in my Peanut Butter!

I like to call the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame the "Rock and Roll Hall of Crap" - and not just because Philly got dissed all those years ago when they were trying to decide where to build the thing. Many great artists will never be recognized, while many, many mediocre or downright LAME ones have been. In any case, Bruce inducting my boys, U2, on Monday night, was a little rock and roll girl's dream come true. There is just something very moving about one of my heroes patting another of my heroes on the back. It may be a bit early for the boys, but God knows they deserve it.

"The Rich Stay Healthy, the Sick Stay Poor"

If you have a second, please take a look at - and sign - this petition from Planned Parenthood. Congress is planning big Medicaid cuts over the next five years that would certainly cause lots of problems for my clients and their families, and maybe for people you know and/or work with/for, too.

Just another shining example of "compassionate conservatism, " I guess.

California Dreamin'

As if we needed any more reasons to love Sunny California. Three cheers for pesky Judge Richard Kramer of San Francisco Superior Court, who has ruled that the state's ban on same sex marriage is unconstitutional and serves no rational purpose. YA THINK?? Appeals are sure to follow, but for now, we can celebrate another victory on the road to the U.S Supremes. (I am soooo making my plans now to attend THAT oral argument. Guess I'd better start work on getting myself admitted to that bar.) I would look for this latest decision to prompt W. to dust off the Federal Marriage Amendment for another round of hate-filled rhetoric. Bring it on, George.

My Husband, Mad Scientist

It occurs to me that I have posted all this nonsense about politics, my musical obsessions, my insanely sweet niece and nephew, and I haven't mentioned the fact that I happen to be married to one of the greatest musicians on the planet. Mike never ceases to amaze me with his boundless energy for playing - guitar, bass, anything with strings,really. Whether it's in a seedy practice space on Delaware Avenue, a basement in Washington, DC, our own living room, or down in the "hobbit hole" (where the REAL magic happens), he is always up for a tasty groove. It's true I love to sing, but hey, someone else writes the songs. Mike is constantly cooking up gorgeous new soundscapes, and I am just so thankful that he shares them with me.

They Don't Call Me the Boogie Aunt for Nothing

The Little Boogie Man, NYC.

I can't possibly express in just a few short words how much I love my nephew. He has grown from a tiny little 4-plus pound peanut into a gigantic bundle of love faster than you can say, "Oscar, Oscar, why ya buggin'?" He drools, he rolls, he is totally unstoppable! I treasure each second I get to spend with him on our monthly visit. Looking forward to our Easter weekend in NYC more than I can say.

Mike and I are already fighting our impulses to program Oscar with just the right taste in music. Luckily, he attended his first Finn Brothers concert before he was even out of the womb. (Glenn Tilbrook, too.)

Live from LA...it's the Leggy Dance!

Little Sadie, Uncle Mikey.

Sadie has been rocking our world for over a year now: hard to believe how time flies. She and her parents will be taking the East Coast by storm again in just a few short weeks, and we can't wait to help come up with some answers to the immortal question, "What's that?"

The Brother I Never Had Plays a Mean Bass Guitar

My cousin Joel has been a big musical influence on me ever since I was in middle school, when we would exchange letters and cassette tapes of Police rarities (remember when Sting wasn't a complete cheeseball?)

Today I was at the gym, listening to my beloved i-pod on "shuffle," and right after a track from U2's glossy latest, came a track from Joel's band Hindu Rodeo. Joel gives those high-profile, highly-produced Irish chart-toppers a serious run for their money. Joel is an amazing talent who whips up one of the cleanest, catchiest records you will ever hear. I wish Hindu Rodeo was more of a full-time job, and less of a hobby, because God knows the airwaves could benefit from what they have to offer.

A House Divided?

It seems that the issue of the Democratic Party moving to the right is going to be an extremely hot and contentious one in the Beck/Pomerantz household over the next year and a half. Email petitions are circulating wildly now to encourage the party to stand firm in its support of reproductive rights and other "women's issues." Check them out; see what you think. Sign them if you like. Do your own research. These are tense times.

Another Blue State Heard From...

Like a dope, I forwarded to many of my friends and family around the country an email petition from NARAL directed at Slimey Santorum and his anti-choice ways. Can't get anything past fiery Blue-Stater Kirsten Keefe, who, by the way, toils in the public interest sector in the HIGHLY RELEVANT field of predatory lending. She writes:

not my senator, baby, yours!

quite frankly, i think your senator would like to get rid of women, or atleast their access to literacy, altogether. along with the poor and thedowntrodden (which is ironic since he votes in ways that will inevitablyincrease their numbers).

All too true. Anyway, if any of you are interested in taking up temporary residence in Pennsylvania to assist us in our campaign to dethrone Santorum, please let me know. I think we can clear out some guitars and make some guest space.

Bench Players...

No, I am not talking about the hapless baseball players who spend their careers "riding pine," languishing in the dugout while the big stars get all the fame and glory. I am talking about W's federal judicial nominees, and Republican attempts to abolish the filibuster as a minority tool for blocking nominees who are so far out of line with reality as to be rendered wholly inappropriate for the bench. From social security to the bankruptcy bill, it seems the the Senate and the entire country are more divided than ever. Isn't this what we all feared would happen after last fall's tragic election?

Barack Obama was on NPR last night, and his beautiful, buttery voice notwithstanding, it sounds like he is in for a long and gruelling six years. We need more people like him in Washington; I just hope he doesn't end up getting trampled by the herd of elephants.

Tour de...Jersey?

I thought this might be a good place for me to plug this year's MS 150 Bike Tour, which takes fearless riders on a (sometimes wind and rain-swept) trail from Cherry Hill to Ocean City, New Jersey - and back! That's right - it's 150 miles of sheer cycling ecstasy over two days. I am preparing to do the ride for the fourth time this coming September. Mike will be riding for the third time, and last year we even corralled a few friends to join us. It's a great time - especially if you like hurricane season! - and it's all for a good cause. I started riding for my kick-ass mother-in-law, Ann, who lives a fuller life with MS than many people I know who do not face such great physical challenges. She really rocks. I wish she had a website so I could send you the link. We'll have to work on that next - get the whole extended family blogging!

Please check out the MS site, and think about either joining us for the ride or helping us out with a wee (or maybe not so wee) financial contribution.

Casey Jr. for U.S. Senate: The Right Path for Dems?

I read an editorial in yesterday's Philadelphia Inquirer about how our esteemed Governor, "Sweet" Ed Rendell - erstwhile head of the DNC - has cleared the Democratic field of primary challengers to unseat the king of sleaze, Rick Santorum. Bob Casey, Jr. has already been annointed as the party's nominee for the '06 Senate race. While I recognize the vital need for Democrats to regain control of the Senate, is a move to the center really the way to go? Casey is strongly anti-choice and anti-gun control. Is the path to a Democratic revolution going to be led by figures like Casey who, when viewed in certain light, look an awful lot like Republicans? We cannot let the Republicans control the political discourse in this country.

I know there are lots of reasons why running Casey is the "practical" answer for the Democrats. But still, the prospect leaves me with a very bad feeling in my gut...

Meanwhile, Back on Planet Earth...

I am still in my first 24 hours as a blogger, and the wheels keep turning. So much to say, so little time...Back on planet earth, I do have a day job with the Public Defender's office in Philly. No, I don't do criminal work: I am busy trying to save kids from abuse and neglect. Hurray for under-paying public interest jobs! I do love it. Perhaps this forum will assist in my efforts to be a little less zip-lipped about my professional life. The stories that come our way here are often beyond comprehension. I will make an effort to share some along the way; hope you aren't too skittish. It's a rough world out there, and people do crazy and inhuman things to children. So does the Department of Human Services, sometimes, but that is a story for another day.

I tried to include links to the PD's "website," (which doesn't say much - hey we're a non-profit) and to the DHS page, but for some unknown reason, the little green inch-worm guy with glasses who usually hooks up the links does not like the web addresses for either of these entities. So you 'll just have to use your imagination, or ask me lots of questions.

If Music Be the Food of Love...

So maybe you got the idea from my first post that I am a little bit nuts with the music thing. It's true. Since I am just learning how to work this thing, I thought I would start with a wee discussion of some of the music that makes my world go 'round.

I already tipped my hat a bit with my first post, which betrayed my deep and psychotic love of all things realted to the Finn Brothers, Tim and Neil - Kiwi rock and roll gods who maintain a small-ish but rabidly devoted fan base in the US. Check out www.frenz.com to get a nice idea of the brother's musical history. Try them, too, in their previous incarnations - Split Enz and Crowded House - or sample their solo work. They are two huge talents who, when they join forces, really are greater than the sum of their parts. Which is saying something. Unfortunately for most of you, the Brothers have just completed their most recent round of US dates, but keep your ears peeled. I have a feeling they will be back.

I'd like to also promote the work of another under-appreciated musical genius who is certainly cut from the same cloth as the Finns - Glenn Tilbrook, formerly of Squeeze. He has put out two brilliant solo records in the last few years, and he has been touring furiously in the UK and US. He will be back in Philly on April 11, 2005, at World Cafe Live. I highly recommend that you check him out if you can. He plays with great skill, humor and ebuliance, and he happens to be one of the great songwriters of all time.

This has been a big year so far for another of my favorite artists, the ubiquitous U2. They certainly don't need any help from me in the P.R. department, but I do want to take this opportunity to say that even though I certainly have mixed feelings about their inflated ticket prices and their botched internet pre-sales, I still feel like they are extremely generous and gifted live performers. And their latest record really is as good as all the hype, as long as you skip track 7, a peculiar anthem in these days of proposed Federal Marriage Amendments. I do not, however, think that Bono should be the next head of the World Bank. No disrespect, but last time I checked, he already has a job. Perhaps more on the B-man's political shennigans at another time...

Lastly, a quick nod to the mighty Bruce Springsteen. I am anxiously awaiting his new, "quiet" record, which is to be followed by a small-scale tour. This is a real thrill for me. I am looking forward to a more intimate show from Bruce, even though he commands a massive stadium crowd like no one else. A few years ago, Mike and I had the incredible good fortune of being just a few hundred feet from Bruce on stage at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ, when he hopped up to join E-Streeter Nils Lofgren for a few tunes, and when you get that close to his magic, you realize what a singular talent he really is.

I think that covers all the major musical bases for now. Happy listening...

A Finn-tastic Weekend in...Harrisburg?????

Stranger things have probably happened, but Mike and I did run into Tim Finn, one of our rock and roll heroes, at a crappy hotel in Harrisburg. Coincidence?? Not exactly...