Shame Shame Shame

Juvenile, Gold Mouth (feat. Bun B and Ghetto Life)

Paul Wall, Dat's What Dat Is (feat. Bun B)

Three 6 Mafia, Sippin' On Some Syrup (feat. The Diplomats and Bun B)

Young Jeezy, Trap or Die (feat. Bun B)

No, this post isn't not about me or my inner thoughts. Instead, it's another chance to highlight some political stories that I think slip through the cracks while recommending some great political blogs at the same time.

The title above comes from the shouts of members of the Democratic House of Representatives this past Friday afternoon, as the Republican House leadership broke the rules and extended a vote until they got what they wanted from their membership. What important piece of legislation did they ram through? Surprisingly, another bill that benefits the energy companies, entitled "Gasoline for America's Security Act of 2005." It amazes me how much faith they put into gas and oil, as it seems the only thing that rivals G-d in their worldview. Go here to read a study on just how well the energy industry has done under this President and Congress.

It's a minor story in some ways, since Republicans do control a majority and most bills will pass simply because of that fact. However, I think that it highlights one of the most embarrassing stories that has developed over the last decade, that is, the systematic attacks on democratic processes, from late-night votes without debate to limiting public access to the private papers of government, and the leveling of dissent in government, where Party line votes are preordained and demanded. This power has led to nearly no debate on major issues, and what we get is the horrible drug benefit bill, the bankruptcy bill and the gutting of environmental laws. The rules of the Senate and House have existed for decades, yet the Republican majority has ignored them completely over the past 5 years. Their disregard for democratic procedures is telling, as they have never seemed very excited to allow people to become engaged in the process. It's sadly ironic, when one considers their constant talk of spreading democracy to the rest of the world.

Go here to watch the video, as Think Progress has the goods.

-Here are a few more recent Bun B verses; this time I picked out some lesser-known ones. The Juvenile song is phenomenal, one of those songs with claps, minimal drum pattern, piano fills, and the type of experimental, eerie beats that only hip hop producers seem ballsy enough to put out. You will notice that some of these songs are coming from the same mixtape, DJ Keyz's Get Screwed Up. This is a similar take to the Rapid Ric one (available at Houston So Real for download), but you get the entire song, not just Bun's verse. Go here to buy it, as it is highly recommended.

-Here is a great article for all the nerds out there. All my linguistic majors stand the fuck up! This Guardian piece deals with the amazing concept of vocabulary and what it tells us about a particular culture, and includes a great list of some the craziest words out there, with my favorite being karelu in Tulu Indian. Possibly the best thing I have read in weeks. Go here and order the book (out early next year), Adam Jacot de Boinod's The Meaning of Tingo, from which this excerpt was taken. [Thanks to TA, who I miss greatly, for this link]

-Have you ever wanted to email the brilliant mind behind Pound for Pound? I didn't think so. But, if you do get so annoyed at my pretensions, political hackery or general annoyingness, feel free to utilize the new link at the top on the right hand side, which should give you my email address.