Only Nevada GOP Congressional candidate Mark Amodei can stop the impending Chinese invasion. It's true!

By Richard K. Barry

Who is Mark Amodei and how did he develop such an interesting sense of humour? Well, Mr. Amodei is running for the Republican nomination to fill a vacant congressional seat that became available when Representative Dean Heller filled John Ensign's Senate seat when Ensign resigned due to a sex scandal. On the other point, I don't know where Amodei gets his sense of humour.

Running in a way intended to get the attention of those swayed by Tea Party ideas, Amodei has put together a most entertaining television ad, which links raising the federal debt ceiling to a future takeover of a debt-ridden America by the Chinese. The best part is when the Red Army marches past the U.S. Capitol. No kidding, the freakin' Red Army!

Even The Daily Caller, the hyper right-wing website, seems a little taken aback by this one. Though, in a bizarre headline for the story, they did call the ad: "light-hearted fear-mongering." Let that one rattle around in your head for a while.

Anyway, here's a snippet of an interview with the candidate:

Amodei: The message is, the fiscal situation now is dire, and if you don't change the course, it will go from dire to catastrophic.

The Daily Caller: Does the catastrophic include an Army marching over the Capitol?

Amodei: Let's put it this way: If we start selling it to the French, you could substitute the French, you could substitute anybody you want. The fact of the matter is right now, this is where the ton of debt is being placed. There is no racial tone to it, it's simply factual.

I don't know. I really can't see this ad working with the French army marching in front of the Capitol. It would be marginally funnier. Then again, I can't see this ad working at all. But thanks for the giggle.

Here it is:

(Cross-posted to Lippmann's Ghost.)

Photo of the Day: Exploding Chinese watermelons

By Michael J.W. Stickings

The Guardian:

The flying pips, shattered shells and wet shrapnel still haunt farmer Liu Mingsuo after an effort to chemically boost his fruit crop went spectacularly wrong.

Um, yeah.

Bob Dylan in China - same as he ever was

By Richard K. Barry 

Bob Dylan just released a reply of sorts to those who considered his concert in China last April as not in keeping with whatever mythologized idea they have of him.

This is actually pretty funny for those who have followed Dylan's career with even passing attention. On a date now etched in popular music history, July 25, 1965, Bob Dylan performed with a rock band at the Newport Folk Festival. The folk music establishment (interesting oxymoron that) criticized him for turning his back on political song writing. There are varying interpretations as to what really happened. Did he get booed by the audience, were there sharp words back stage? Whatever happened, it was clear that for some, Bob Dylan would forever have to meet their expectations or suffer the consequences, and their expectation were that he would forever be a protest song singer.

Rather famously, Dylan has always run screaming in the other direction from other peoples' expectations of what he is supposed to say and be and represent, which, to my mind, is a pretty radical message to send the world.

So, Maureen Dowd at The New York Times thought that Dylan should have gone to China, maybe sang "Blowin' in the Wind," and "The Times They Are a-Changin'."Then he should have made a political speech about China's woeful record on human rights. In other words, he should have been the Dylan we think we remember but who, if he ever existed, hasn't for a long time.

Apparently Dylan was asked to supply a set list to the Chinese authorities and did so, but he also claims that nothing in his performance changed as a result. I guess we'll have to take his word for it. But I have seen the man in concert over the past many years and I don't find that hard to believe. His concerts are not a '60s retrospective road show. Sorry Maureen.

If Dylan was still writing the old protest stuff and performing it every day and then went to China and censored himself then fine, get all high and mighty. But that is not what happened. That is not who he is anymore and if you want to talk about freedom, freedom is getting to decide for yourself who you are.

Isn't that what the '60s was supposed to be all about?

(Cross-posted to Lippmann's Ghost.)