Darkness, Darkness

The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story is, in a word, magnificent. In 1976, embroiled in a lawsuit and disillusioned by the hoopla that had accompanied his masterworkBorn to Run, Bruce Springsteen began to write and record an expansive group of songs that would eventually become distilled into his finest album, released in 1978. The Promise tells that story via three CDs and three DVDs -- a remastered version of Darkness on the Edge of Town, 21 additional songs recorded during the session, a documentary about the making ofDarkness, a recent performance of the entire album, a compilation of recording sessions and concert clips, and a complete concert from the triumphant 1978 tour.

I saw Springsteen twice in 1978 (once the day before the performance included in The Promise). They were great shows delivered by an artist and band that seemed to treat every note as a make or break moment. The San Antonio show on July 14 remains not only the best show I've ever seen, it's easily the best show I've ever seen.

The Promise is not only the release of the year, it's the release of most years: An epic account of a great artist at the pinnacle of his game...

A conservative friend from Texas writes:

I just drafted a letter to Senators Cornyn and Hutchison and representitive Gohmert asking them to reconsider the TSAs new policy giving us a choice of the x-ray that reveals all or the pat down that touches all. I might feel differently if the policies in place had caught a single terrorist or seemed to make much sense...

I agree with him, but have no inclination to join him in writing my senators. If the TSA lifted the policy and something happened for whatever reason, Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck, Fox News, the teabaggers, and every right-wing politician on the face of the earth would fall all over themselves in the rush to be the first to blame President Obama...

Be sure to check out the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care:

For more than 20 years, the Dartmouth Atlas Project has documented glaring variations in how medical resources are distributed and used in the United States. The project uses Medicare data to provide information and analysis about national, regional, and local markets, as well as hospitals and their affiliated physicians. This research has helped policymakers, the media, health care analysts and others improve their understanding of our health care system and forms the foundation for many of the ongoing efforts to improve health and health systems across America...

How about those Seahawks, anyway?

Constitution "tragic," say right wing. When a court found a Guantanamo prisoner not guilty on all but one count, Republicans were quick to denounce President Obama's decision to try suspected terrorists in civilian court. Apparently, they do not trust the system of justice prescribed by the Constitution they pretend to revere. I'm waiting for the left to defend the president. Judgement Day will come first...