In the 1980’s, the Reagan Revolution swept the country. It was an awkward marriage of fiscal conservatives trying to deregulate or privatize as much as they could get their hands on (no matter the long term economic costs) and tricking dirt farmers in Kansas that they were holy rollers in order to do it. This…
Author: Alabama Liberal
Tip 2: On a Cougar Hunt
In a small town where most of the available women are probably A. single moms, B. meth heads, or C. both, you could probably do a lot worse than a cougar. In fact, odds are good you will do worse, at least during dry spells, so why not go for an older woman? I recommend…
Interviews with the Invisible: The Returning Veteran
Today, I interview an Afghanistan war veteran named Tony Beaird. I wanted his general take on private contractors, troop suicide rates, and what hope, if any, there is in Afghanistan 1. Thank you for coming on. First question: I’ve heard several generals say the Afghanistan/Iraq Wars have exhausted our military to where we might not…
Larger Editorials: Why America is in an Arms Race with Itself
Last week I briefly mentioned that in the ongoing debate about trimming the deficit the one sacred cow the Republican Party seems resistant to cut is the defense budget. This week, I’d like to talk about it a lot more than briefly. Ever since the height of the Cold War, America has become the exact…
Petty Issues Week 2
Joe Biden is the Fredo Corleone of Vice Presidents. If Obama doesn’t ditch him and trade up (I’m looking at the lady who should have been offered the job in 2012, Hillary Clinton) we can look forward to the Dumb and Dumber Presidency of Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin. God I hope The Social Network…
Now What? (Life Post-Grad): Network Connectivity Problems, What to do When You Don’t Know Anyone Useful
Last week we talked about how brutal the job market can be without experience. This week we should talk about how brutal it can be if you don’t know anyone. Generation Z or Generation Next or Generation Wireless or whatever the hell our generation of socially retarded, 30 year old brats surfing facebook 4 hours…
The Fast Food Critic: Today’s Review is The McRib
If there is such a thing as snooty fast food, it would be the McRib. The legendarily elusive McDonald’s sandwich is never available in all stores nationwide, it is never available at a single store year round, and pops up across the country at random stores with no rhyme, reason, or release pattern. It doesn’t…
Working Class Economist: If a Bank Doesn’t Know Your Name, Bank Somewhere Else
Last week I encouraged people to ditch their credit card for anything but the most extreme of situations—and there aren’t many—in order to avoid the cancer sweeping the nation: credit card debt. This week I’m asking you to ditch your bank. Not any bank you might have, but a very specific variety: the one that…
Red State Vs. Blue State: The Two Beer Debate
After approximately thirty seconds of soul searching (and not a moment longer) on why last week’s debate might have went south—Alabama pun, get it—I decided it must have been because I knew the person I was debating, so I set out to debate a complete stranger this week. At first, I was unsure of where…
Down & Out in Bumblefuck: The Rural News
It’s no big news to anyone that U.S. soldiers are disproportionately from rural areas, and more are from the Southeast than any other region of the country. What isn’t widely known is that 2010 had the highest suicide rate of returning veterans in U.S. history. This Friday I’ll hope to ask an Afghanistan veteran why…
Finally in Bumblefuck Part Two: Blue Valentine is Greeted with a Shoulder Shrug in Alabama
As I identified last week in my review of 127 Hours, some movies in limited release take a while to get to Alabama. Some movies never come, and some wish they never had. Blue Valentine might be an example of the latter. I’ll start by saying I like this prickly, difficult film about a young…
No Strings Attached Vs. Season of the Witch: When a Sincere Dud is Judged More Harshly Than an Ironic One
First off let me acknowledge that I am waaay behind the eight ball in reviewing these films about a month after their release. I saw both of them before the blog was started and I figured, hell, if I had to sit through both of these movies the least I could do is write a…
Seth Rogen: The Godfather of fat, charmless sidekick roles becomes an action hero. And Doesn’t Change All That Much to Do It
In The Green Hornet Seth Rogen plays a fat, hard partying loud mouth who stumbles into being an action hero. The role is a huge departure for Rogen who has played a fatter, pothead loud mouth who stumbles into being a porn star in Zach & Miri Make a Porno, a fugitive in Pineapple Express,…