Post. 17 Oct 2013.

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I’ve heard these pedals are totally bank. Will have one in tomw to audition. The Strymon Flint is a killer Tremolo/Reverb pedal that mimics 60’s, 70’s & 80’s sounds. The modules are stackable and sweepable. It came in yesterday — so not much time to mess with it in detail but from what I’ve heard provisionally — it sounds bank too. More guitar madness over the weekend when proper time can be devoted. I’m plugging into a 1992 Matchless DC-30 head and a 2×12 Marshall/Celestion 30/25 @ 16 ohms cab (courtesy of Brent Magnano). Am amazed. Pretty strong.

Can’t wait to have breakfast at Denny’s on Sunset.

Post. 16 Oct 2013.

Ed,

I’m glad that the government shutdown has ended, and I’m relieved that we didn’t default on our debt.

But I want to be clear: I am NOT celebrating tonight.

Yes, we prevented an economic catastrophe that would have put a huge hole in our fragile economic recovery. But the reason we were in this mess in the first place is that a reckless faction in Congress took the government and the economy hostage for no good purpose and to no productive end.

According to the S&P index, the government shutdown had delivered a powerful blow to the U.S. economy. By their estimates, $24 billion has been flushed down the drain for a completely unnecessary political stunt.

$24 billion dollars. How many children could have been back in Head Start classes? How many seniors could have had a hot lunch through Meals on Wheels? How many scientists could have gotten their research funded? How many bridges could have been repaired and trains upgraded?

The Republicans keep saying, “Leave the sequester in place and cut all those budgets.” They keep trying to cut funding for the things that would help us build a future. But they are ready to flush away $24 billion on a political stunt.

So I’m relieved, but I’m also pretty angry.

We have serious problems that need to be fixed, and we have hard choices to make about taxes and spending. I hope we never see our country flush money away like this again. Not ever.

It’s time for the hostage taking to end. It’s time for every one of us to say, “No more.”

Thank you,

Elizabeth

I’ve always liked Elizabeth Warren. She’s smart and brave. And you just can’t say that about everyone, now can you? I always hear people in Austin refer to some of the local women as being smart. The ones I’ve known really aren’t what I would call smart. They’re really more devious; devious doesn’t get within a 100 miles of smart. And devious doesn’t seem to play for very long either.