Saturday, February 28, 2015

Unwritten Letters to the Post Star

At the risk of looking like too much of a crank, do believe I'll send some editorial letters to my blog and not the Post Star. Anyway. This one goes out to you, John Siebrecht.

As the left continues to flounder and gasp for air like a fish dying on a beach, we on the right chuckle over our morning coffee.

Throwing pebbles against the one news outlet that is not in the left’s back pocket, these pitiful souls sweating from panic will do or say anything to divert our attention away from the fact that their liberal experiment, their apology for something that took place 200-plus years ago, has failed miserably. The anti-American liar occupying the White House now has set race relations back years and has made us a laughing stock around the world.

In Moreau, we have a guy living in his basement with one eye glued to Fox News 24/7 while the other eye watches the letters to the editor for anything that displeases him. His latest rant was accusing Mr. Hepp of creating the Islamic State; anyone but the empty suit hiding beneath his desk in Washington. A couple of weeks before this, a liberal guardian of our letters submitted an attempt at humor by way of a poem that was so embarrassing I almost felt sorry for the guy.

Over in Lake George, we have a woman seated on the left of the lake wants only her and her ilk allowed to voice their opinions. So typical of the left. Call people names embarrass them when they voice their opinions, and shout them down if they don’t fall in line. Sorry liberals, you’ve had six years and look at the mess the world is in. Who is at fault? This is now Obama’s war.

JOHN SIEBRECHT

First off, chuckling into your coffee while we die gasping for air doesn't seem very Christian. But, I'll leave that for another time. And I'll let my buddy Al and the lady from LG fend for themselves. What I really want to address is "The anti-American liar occupying the White House now has set race relations back years and has made us a laughing stock around the world."

I've seen this attack on President Obama here and in other venues. See, I don't think you can lay it all at the feet of Obama. The reason I like putting it up here is that I can add pictures like this to illustrate the point:

 
 
 
And if you don't think that's racist there are plenty more at the link. I do realize that he's not as white as all the presidents we've had that have come before him. In his defense, as Rudy points out, his mother was white.
 
 
 
 
No word on whether she was Dutch. Oh yeah, and I don't think we're a laughing stock around the world either, John.


Can you see why this well thought out rebuttal didn't become a letter to the local press? Some stupidity doesn't deserve a lot. Just a little blogging!

Just want to tack on an RIP for Leonard Nimoy, a beautiful man.

Significantly, Nimoy did not disregard his Jewishness after becoming a star. Even after his depiction of Dr. Spock became famous throughout the world, Nimoy continued to actively participate in Jewish causes, from fighting to preserve the Yiddish language and narrating a documentary about Hasidic Jews to publishing a Kabbalah-inspired book of photography, The Shekhina Project, which explored “the feminine essence of God.” He even called for peace in Israel by drawing on the mythology from “Star Trek,” recalling an episode in which “two men, half black, half white, are the last survivors of their peoples who have been at war with each other for thousands of years, yet the Enterprise crew could find no differences separating these two raging men.” 

Friday, February 27, 2015

Can't Help Myself

I've been trying not to pay much attention to the GOP hopefuls. Let me pause to say to The Donald and The Sarah: Run! For the love of God, go for it. OK. Now then. Scott Walker is turning out to not be so much ready for primetime. It is, of course, still the fault of the liberal media.

"I want a commander-in-chief who will do everything in their power to ensure that the threat from radical Islamic terrorists do not wash up on American soil. We will have someone who leads and ultimately will send a message not only that we will protect American soil but do not take this upon freedom-loving people anywhere else in the world," Walker said. "We need a leader with that kind of confidence. If I can take on a 100,000 protesters, I can do the same across the world."

Following the remarks, the National Review's Jim Geraghty wrote that he took no pleasure in defending the union protesters, but that Walker gave a "terrible response" to the Islamic State question. A spokeswoman for Walker's political committee later sent Geraghty a statement downplaying the governor's mention of the protesters.

"Governor Walker believes our fight against ISIS is one of the most important issues our country face," the statement to Geraghty from Walker spokeswoman Kristen Kukowski said. "He was in no way comparing any American citizen to ISIS. What the governor was saying was when faced with adversity he chooses strength and leadership. Those are the qualities we need to fix the leadership void this White House has created."

It's good that he doesn't feel his fellow Wisconsinites are on par with the group IS. Well, he cleared another hurdle. So to speak.

Added: I'm thinking maybe Walker should not have run for president. I can't help but think he's hurting his brand down the road. Not to mention the Republican brand.

Love Stories Like This About Jesus

Because I am a filthy, leftist bastard. Anyway. For some reason I love knowing that he had short hair and didn't die on a cross and was married.

Jesus has been described as the best known figure in history, and also the least known. If you mentioned the name “Jesus” and someone asked Jesus who, you might blink. Or laugh. Even people who don’t think Jesus was God mostly believe they know a fair bit about him. You might be surprised that some of your most basic assumptions about Jesus are probably wrong.

Go. Enjoy the blasphemy. Fixed now that i put the link in.

Thursday, February 26, 2015

A March Surprise?

So, Benjamin Netanyahu is addressing Congress to tell them that we really need to get on with a war against Iran. And oops.

A secret cable obtained by Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit reveals that Mossad sent a top-secret cable to South Africa on October 22, 2012 that laid out a "bottom line" assessment of Iran's nuclear work.

Damn meddling kids! Turns out that Mossad had a different analysis of the Iranian nuclear threat than Ben did.

It appears to contradict the picture painted by Netanyahu of Tehran racing towards acquisition of a nuclear bomb.

And it's not just Mossad.

That view tracks with the 2012 US National Intelligence estimate, which found no evidence that Iran had thus far taken a decision to use its nuclear infrastructure to build a weapon, or that it had revived efforts to research warhead design that the US said had been shelved in 2003.

And:

Media reports and public comments by senior current and former officials have frequently indicated dissent from within Israel's security services over Netanyahu's alarmist messaging on Iran.

Gee, I hope this doesn't hurt him in the election. Oh well, he can always get a job on Fox News. It's funny that his analysis of the threat would be less than accurate, seeing how hard he worked on the chart displaying the threat.

The timing with the election is kind of coincidental, I'm sure. Since I know nothing about the election, I went to the liberal media to get information.  

The probability of a left government is not particularly high, yet it still exists. Such a regime would clearly mean a shift in policy, but not as big of a shift as some may think. 

That's not too heartening. They have nearly as many running as the Republicans do for the chance to lose to Hillary. A little more diversity, tho. 

The current government was formed by a coalition of center-right parties, in contrast to the right-Haredi coalition who ruled before. However, the coming election might put an end to the Netanyahu regime, which has been in power since 2009. The alternative to Netanyahu is the political coupleIssac Hertzog and Tzipi Livni. Together, they lead the Zionist Camp alliance and aim to bring the Labor party back to power for the first time since 2001. Do they have a chance? The polls suggests a complicated answer.

And, I've already killed the lede. With the election coming up, it seems odd for the prime minister of Israel to pick a fight with the president of the US. I had someone tell me this is good for him. Combined with hyping the threat from Iran, I don't see that. 

Tuesday night Obama's national security adviser, Susan Rice, told Charlie Rose that Netanyahu has injected partisan politics into the US Israeli relationship and that the prime minister's March 3 speech is “destructive to the fabric of the relationship” between the two countries.

Rarely if ever has a US official been so harsh in public about an Israeli leader. Her comments prompted Tufts University Prof. Daniel Drezner to describe the effect of the planned speech as “toxic.” Of Rice's comments, he said: “I’m pretty sure that if you’re an Israeli foreign policy principal, those are not the words you want to hear coming out of a White House official’s mouth.”

And John Kerry. Snap!

“The prime minister was profoundly forward-leaning and outspoken about the importance of invading Iraq,” Kerry told the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “His judgment might just not be correct” in the case of Iran.

Yeah, I know. I might as well have just copy and pasted the whole thing like Donald would. The stunning conclusion is some classic Netanyahu.

Kerry's own record of judgment on the Iraq war is not exactly spotless, since as a senator in 2002 he voted to authorize it. But he was referring to Netanyahu’s spectacularly bad judgment on that war, encapsulated in a September 2002 speech the Israeli leader delivered to Congress, urging them to support the invasion of that country.
“There is no question whatsoever that Saddam is seeking and is working and is advancing towards the development of nuclear weapons. No question whatsoever,” Netanyahu said then. “Today the United States must destroy the (Iraqi) regime because a nuclear-armed Saddam will place the security of our entire world at risk. And make no mistake about it – if and once Saddam has nuclear weapons, it is only a matter of time before those weapons will be used.”
He went on to say that a US war on Iraq with broad international support at the United Nations would be best, but absent that support the US “must be prepared to act without it.”
The US invaded that March, and found that Saddam Hussein’s nuclear weapons program had ended in 1991.The fallout from that war continues to be felt in the region.

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Yes It Does, Just Ask Rick Santorum

Easy post. Now that I've written the letter. Here's a letter to the editor and area wingnuts who read the Post Star and to a certain someone. Enjoy!


     I haven't seen the movie about Chris Kyle, so I can't discuss that. I'd like to mention some other brave heroes who served in Iraq, and likely won't have movies made about them. Since March 2003, over 150 journalists and over 50 media support personnel have died there, in an effort to bring us the truth.

     Despite their sacrifice, and the efforts of others like them, some in this country see fit to disparage the press. I appreciate the fourth estate. If they tell me we've turned Iraq into a Hobbesian hell-hole, it's because we have. I'm sorry for those who cannot accept that or other truths. When you use the term liberal media, I can't give your opinions any more respect than if you had mentioned 9/11 Truth, Obama's birth certificate or the Illuminati.

     If someone can truly make the case for this grand conspiracy, then tell Congress to begin investigating immediately. They will, happily. In the meantime, could you drop me a few hints? Is it the wealthy owners or the reporters in the field or some nefarious group of jackals in between, who are pushing opinions ever leftward? Does anyone have in his hands, a list of names? Out of curiosity, does the internet have a liberal bias, as well?

And to my spell checker, Hobbesian is a fucking word.

Monday, February 23, 2015

One For Matt

Here you go, you big Green Party loon:

Bringing this fight means openly opposing the president. That’s something most progressives have never done and are still reluctant to do. For many it means conceding a point they’ve long resisted, that on many vital issues his views are those of the very establishment they hoped he would transform. Many will have to forsake electoral politics for a while, and also all its tools and tactics. We’ll win not with slogans or metaphors, but with fierce logic and tireless exposition.

But Democrats are still not the same as Republicans.

And ISIS is losing:

It's certainly true that ISIS remains a terrible and urgent threat to the Middle East. The group is not on the verge of defeat, nor is its total destruction guaranteed. But, after months of ISIS expansion and victories, the group is now being beaten back. It is losing territory in the places that matter. Coalition airstrikes have hamstrung its ability to wage offensive war, and it has no friends to turn to for help. Its governance model is unsustainable and risks collapse in the long run.

Unless ISIS starts adapting, there's a very good chance its so-called caliphate is going to fall apart.

The less help we give them will probably be the better for them.

Friday, February 20, 2015

Chris Kyle Links

Haven't seen the movie and will likely wait to see it for free from the library. But, I have seen links about it I would like to save bookmark here.

Guardian

Salon

Another Salon

From Matt Funiciello (Chris Hedges) partly keeping this one for the WTF Mark
Frost aspect of it. Really Mark? You endorsed him?

Yet another from Salon in which the Right hopes to create more Chris Kyles

Yeah, Salon again, critique of Atlantic article, "What ISIS Really Wants."

Since I'm bookmarking today, here's one from MoJo on the impending (possibly) death of ACA as we know it.

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Rudy is Humping America's Leg Again

Someone hit him with a rolled up newspaper.

“I do not believe, and I know this is a horrible thing to say, but I do not believe that the president loves America,” Giuliani said in remarks reported by Politico. “He doesn’t love you. And he doesn’t love me. He wasn’t brought up the way you were brought up and I was brought up through love of this country.”

But, he doesn't mind saying horrible stuff  because he's a horrible person. And, I hadn't seen much about this guy, but sweet Jesus you have my sympathy Joe.

Amid depressed turnout and pent-up frustration with the Springfield status quo, Illinois voters last November ousted Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn, awarding billionaire venture capitalist Bruce Rauner a five-point victory. The five weeks since Rauner took office as Illinois’ first Republican governor in a dozen years have offered a vivid illustration of the truism that elections have consequences — consequences that will be paid disproportionately by the state’s poor, working class, and middle-income citizens.

There's too much to abridge, so you'll have to go read it all. Suffice to say he is out to screw unions, state employees, young people who might want a college education and probably anyone making less than 6 figures per year. And Rudy will ceratinly be humping his leg if he gets the chance.

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

The Yin And The Yang Of Letters To The Editor

Today's local paper, the CORPORATE OWNED (for Matt) Glens Falls Post Star had a couple of notable letters to the editor today. First, the lovely and charming Al Scoonzarielli:

Editor:
Aw, Joshua Scott. You were doing fine. You actually came off in your Post-Star interview as a reasonable, informed parent. But you couldn’t leave it alone, could you? You had to follow up with your typical half truths and misunderstandings. I don’t think you lie though, Joshua. I’m sure you mean well. And please call me Al, with a nod to Paul Simon, rather than what I imagine you call me.
And you, George McGowan have some crust complaining about Democratic tall tales. How many of them, George, led to the biggest foreign policy blunder in history, a blunder worse than Vietnam wherein 3,500 of our troops died needlessly because you and your ilk didn’t heed Dwight Eisenhower. He said beware the power of the military industrial complex. So you give it the keys to the White House. No Bush, no Iraq invasion. No Iraq invasion, no ISIS. Saddam would’ve squashed them like bugs, and he knew we could squash him at any time after Poppy Bush shoved him back to Baghdad.
If someone repeats something they erroneously believe to be true, are they lying? I’m asking you this because of your recent statement that fracking saved our economy. Of course it didn’t. Let’s give you the benefit of the doubt and say you actually believe that. But if you were lying, would that mean all Republicans lie? Of course not.
Also, no Bush, no wrecked economy. Was the Iraq thing good for the U.S.? Was it good for the Iraqis? It was great for that military industrial complex, and I’ve just come full circle. What company was it again that Cheney has so much stock in? I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but sheesh. Follow the money on this or any other Bush-Cheney proposal and see who benefits.
Followed by the disturbing Mario P. Hepp:
Editor:
I feel that it is a shame that we have a commander-in-chief who has led this great nation in the wrong direction for the past six years. Instead, we have a president who is nothing more than an arrogant, unqualified, flat out liar who lacks honesty, integrity and the ability to lead the country in the right direction. This man has been a wolf in sheep’s clothing since he was elected to the presidency in 2008. President Barack Obama’s goal was to destroy America through the elimination of capitalism by purposely overwhelming the U.S. economy with his out-of-control spending and failed programs such as Obamacare, the failed stimulus package in 2009 (to the tune of $887 billion — where did the money go?) and the list goes on. Obama wants the populace of this nation to depend on the government through social programs which are only creating a controlled nanny state.
On the subject of Islamic terrorism, Obama repeatedly refuses to use the words terrorist, jihadist, jihad or Islamic radicals when dealing with these terrorist attacks, beheadings and the burning to death of a Jordanian pilot. In 2011, he withdrew troops from Iraq against the will of our commanding generals in the field, which led to the void being filled by this Islamic terrorist group ISIS who would do harm to America and innocent individuals around the world who do not agree with their Islamic radical ideology. Let’s be clear: Obama’s allegiance is to Islam and to the prophet Mohammed not the United States of America. Obama had two main goals in 2008: 1) secure his position; 2) execute his social agenda; and with the help of the left-wing national media and the left-wing loons, who have been in a coma for the past six years, he continues do his damage.
I just don't know how we're going to survive another 2 years of Barack Obama. My investments have done quite well since he took office. Maybe Mr. Hepp is in gold or silver or whatever the right wing shills on talk radio are promoting these days. 

Why Liberals Don't Live In Montana

I'm not going to check and see if all of these bills actually exist. I'll just suspend disbelief like a Fox viewer must have to do and accept them as fact. The first two are reason enough for me.

Prepare for National Ammunition shortage (SB 122)

and

Establish Armed Militias in Every Town (SB 130)

Forget about that fucking SAFE Act there. And in case that's not enough guns and ammo for you.

Allow Concealed Weapons in Bars, Banks, and on Campuses (HB 371, SB 143)

Nothing wrong with that. Makes bank robberies a lot more doable. I'll probably do as much of my banking online as possible, though.

Ban “Foreign or Religious Law” From American Courts (SB 199)

Sweet Allah, I'm glad I live in a state where it's still safe to follow Sharia Law and occasionally Sharona Law (a joke I stole from Reppie).

Nullify All Federal Gun Laws (HB 203)

Really? You can do that?

Allow Hunting With Silencers (HB 250)

Forget about the rest of them. This one is just stupid.


Sunday, February 15, 2015

Steve Vs. Brian

So, out of curiosity I did a web search to find out if Steve Emerson is still on Fox News. Apparently, he has made some FauxNewsPas before.

So naturally, after any event like the one in Boston yesterday, Emerson gets called upon by major news networks (though mostly just Fox, these days) to offer his analysis, especially when so much attention turned to a Saudi national whom police questioned and whose home they searched.

Long story short, apparently that Saudi national was not involved in the bombing in Boston. So in his case fucking up is a feature, not a bug as the cliche goes. And Brian Williams is (likely deservedly) given the bum's rush out of his anchor chair. On Fox, this terror "expert" can be called a complete idiot by Cameron and cause the mayor of Paris to sue the network for defamation and I can only assume he is still a valued guest. 

Saturday, February 14, 2015

Why Can't We Have Good Things?

Yes, I know this is what Funiciello has said. Ad infinitum. As far as I know, he has never explained how we get to it since the Right in this country managed to successfully smear ACA as Socialism.

A new study has put a price tag on how much more the United States pays in health care costs because it has chosen not to adopt a single-payer system: $375 billion.

That figure, in a report published this week in the online journal BMC Health Services Research, represents the excess administrative costs imposed by our private billing and insurance system in 2012. It would have been enough, the report said, to provide every uninsured American with health coverage and upgrade coverage for millions of others who are carrying inadequate, bare-bones policies.

“We could provide everyone with good care and remove the complex and onerous cost-sharing that we have in the current system,” said James G. Kahn, senior author of the study and a researcher at the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies at University of California at San Francisco, in an interview with OurFuture.org.

Anyway, I want to thank the Goddess that I live in the great Socialist State of New York which has set up its own health exchange. Hopefully that will shield me from the Supreme Court ruling stripping subsidies from those in states which have not set up exchanges. All I can say is, "Don't elect a Republican governor."

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Because I Hate America

Or because I love it enough not to want to see it in bed with fascists, I wanted to link to this Alternet post.

Given the United States’ long history of supporting one fascist dictatorship after another in Latin America, the embargo of Cuba has been the height of hypocrisy on the U.S.’ part. While it’s true that Amnesty International has often been critical of the Castro regime over the years, many of the other Latin American dictatorships that Amnesty International has criticized have been U.S. allies—and Cuba has hardly had the market cornered on human rights abuses in Latin America.

Go see who our friends in Latin America have been. And don't forget that way back when; greedhead, racist assholes like Henry Ford were deeply in love with Adolph Hitler. 

Friday, February 6, 2015

Profiles in Courage?

They probably are not, and my representative Elise Stefanik is certainly not. But, kudos to Bruce Poliquin, John Katko and Robert Dold anyway and good luck against your Tea Party opponents in 2016. The three reps were at least honest enough to vote against the repeal of ACA because the GOP has nothing to replace it with so good for them.

"I am against Obamacare. It is hurting jobs, hurting our families, limiting choices,” Poliquin told CQ Roll Call as he left the House floor Wednesday afternoon. “But I need to see a tangible, free-market replacement and this bill does not give us that. I need to see how we’re gonna fix this and not just be someone who votes for the 56th time to repeal this.

“Show me a fix,” Poliquin said, “and you’ll have my support.”

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Christie and Walker Stalking the Crazy Vote

Jeb is gonna have to step it up to fight these guys for the loony right vote.

 (Christie's)unfathomable nod to anti-vaccination crazies, that odd mix of entitled parents on the left and the right who are trying to bring back deadly childhood diseases we once conquered, having already triggered a measles outbreak. After touring a venture that makes a flu vaccine, Christie told the New York Times that while his own kids got their vaccinations, parents should have “some measure of choice” on the matter.

So, the Right is pissing themselves over the nearly non-existent threat of Ebola in the country and giving the real threat of measles a pass. And Scott Walker is ready to invade Syria.

WALKER: I think anywhere and everywhere, we have to be – go beyond just aggressive air strikes. We have to look at other surgical methods. And ultimately, we have to be prepared to put boots on the ground if that’s what it takes, because I think, you know–

RADDATZ: Boots on the ground in Syria? U.S. boots on the ground in Syria?

WALKER: I don’t think that is an immediate plan, but I think anywhere in the world–

RADDATZ: But you would not rule that out.

WALKER: I wouldn’t rule anything out. I think when you have the lives of Americans at stake and our freedom loving allies anywhere in the world, we have to be prepared to do things that don’t allow those measures, those attacks, those abuses to come to our shores.

Not that Hillary might not consider it as well.