Thursday, August 20, 2009

If You Feel Like…

Bringing your manhood gun to an event where the president will be speaking, take a tip from The Police (the band, not the guys in blue):

Do you really need to put your hand in the air like the other, well you know? Besides, you don’t want the left to unleash these guys, do you?

Black Panthers

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Cheerfully Stolen from Tbogg

Who stole it from Wonkette.

UPDATED: I need to apologize to any Republicans whom I may have, at least, mentally associated with this woman. Apparently, she is one of those Lyndon LaRouche Democrats.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

A Lazy Sunday Morning

And I feel like wallowing in the mud a bit. So, at American Sore Loser, we have Don Doug firing the opening salvos in what he hopes will be a blog war with Meghan McCain: 

I didn't know Meghan McCain was a genuine skank. 

And then he posts an image of her saying motherfucker because only a skank would say that. But, what really sticks in Dr. Don’s craw is that:

Yeah, I'm up on Ms. McCain's wars with everybody who's somebody on the conservative right today

And she’s not at war with him, or at least it’s a cold war. And just to establish that he truly is second-rate, even beneath Robert Stacy McCain (a butt boy to, some might say):

I'm sending this post to Robert Stacy McCain (The Other McCain) to see what kind of fisking he'll work up (if any) on Meghan's lastest splash in the news.

And with luck he’ll link to American Power.

An aside, it’s too bad computers don’t have some sort of spell check thingy that could tell Herr Professor that lastest is not an actual word. But, word meanings and spelling don’t matter to him because: 

P.S. Folks know I have something of a bad-boy rep on the right, but boasting my mofo creds on Twitter isn't part of my repertoire! 

That’s right! He bad! This is a link to the post, but please don’t go there because he hates getting a lot of web hits. I try to minimize my own visits. Besides, I’ve cut and pasted every word of his, the rest was just his own cut and paste.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Drinking Away the Guilt

My former congressman, and proud participant in the Brooks Brothers riot, continues to try to drink away the guilt from having been a part of inflicting George Bush upon the nation. If he does receive his much-deserved jail time from these several drunk driving offenses, I wouldn’t worry about his safety in the clink. This is the man Bush deemed Congressman Kickass. 

Sweeney's lawyer, E. Stewart Jones, said the indictment was disappointing and unnecessary. "John is paying a heavy price for who he used to be and who he no longer is," Jones said. 

Yeah, it sucks to no longer be a congressman and be able to just make those DWIs go away. If I see John at a Phantoms game this winter, I’ll be happy to buy him a couple of rounds, though. No hard feelings.

Friday, August 14, 2009

Bruce Bartlett: Shouting into the Wind

Another reasonable Conservative writes a piece suggesting steps the GOP needs to take to become a viable political party again. Unfortunately, the insane base of the Republican party will never listen. Lines such as: 

According to the CBO, federal taxes will amount to just 15.5 percent of GDP this year. That’s 2.2 percent of GDP less than last year, 3.3 percent less than in 2007, and 1.8 percent less than the lowest percentage recorded during the Reagan years. If conservatives really believe their own rhetoric, they should be congratulating Obama for being one of the greatest tax cutters in history.

Would surely get him hanged in effigy. Or in fact:

Where is the evidence that everything would be better if Republicans were in charge? Does anyone believe the economy would be growing faster or that unemployment would be lower today if John McCain had won the election? I know of no economist who holds that view.

I suspect if Professor Clownshoes has read it, he has thoroughly debunked it(in his mind) and removed Bartlett from his Christmas card list for good measure. I’m not going over to find out because he hates to have a lot of traffic. Best of luck to Bruce Bartlett, though. Those town hall protesters might be a hard sell.

Addendum: Steve Benen corresponds with Bartlett and determines that the GOP has just adapted a new form of IOKIYAR.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Peas in a Pod

Sitting in the bleachers at Wrigley is the sports equivalent of the town hall protester.

A Chicago Cubs fan hit Phillies’ outfielder with a cup full of beer during last night’s game in Chicago.
The ugly incident came on an ugly night for the Cubs, who were losing another game when the fan doused Victorino as he was catching a fly ball.

In Chicago, you have Victorino being literally doused with beer as he tries to do his job for the team he represents. In town halls around the country, you have United States congressmen being figuratively soaked with beer while trying to do a job for the people of the United States, whom they represent.

Poor sportsmanship and sore losers abound.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Glenn Beck Goes (Farther) Awry

This clip is stolen from Little Green Footballs. I cannot understand why anyone who is as obviously insane as Glenn Beck has a show on a network that purports to be a news provider. Lord help us that there are people who actually watch this and believe it.

Lucky We Don’t Live There

wingnutz

McClatchy

A Clip for Truth

Because he doesn’t see the value in being a sheep.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Want a Job? Elect a Dem.

job creation

But then, numbers do have a liberal bias.

Who’s Afraid of Rush Limbaugh?

We’ll see.

Laughs at American SoreLoser

Sorry, I guess that’s actually American Power. I won’t bother linking because he hates to have a lot of traffic there. Anyway, this is the type of hilarious graphic I go there for.  Obamacare_Flag_Poster_Profit_FlagHe drew me in with the “Tbogg is a racist post,” but I stayed for the people’s cube idiocy. Beyond the ludicrous idea that the White House wants to stop capitalism there is the image presented. Doesn’t the strong, virile protagonist in the poster represent the forces of anti-capitalism? And the sickly capitalist is the character who is only represented by a hand with a dollar sign? He also seems to have a sallow color. I suppose they are saying this is what the WH would put out. In that case, why help them?

Maybe Professor Clownshoes hasn’t looked at the market lately. My portfolio is certainly perking up. Hope his is.  

Monday, August 10, 2009

Obama’s Death Panel

Here we see several members of the president’s death panel reporting for duty:

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

On a side note: I think I’ve found my Halloween costume.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Pretty as a Picture

Pretty

Thanks to Instaputz!

Wingnuts Looking for a Leader

These are the people who are comparing Obama to Hitler and Stalin. But now, Liz Cheney feels he is not a strong enough “Commander in Chief.”

BTW, he is only a CinC to those who are actually serving in the military. That does not include Liz “deferment #?” Cheney or her chickenhawk father and their followers.

"Now as a veteran of the State Department, I can tell you that effective diplomacy is not about appeasing your enemy. It’s not about unilateral pre-emptive disarmament. America has to negotiate from a position of strength. To survive as a nation, our president can’t function as a disinterested international arbitrator. He can’t attempt to stand above America and our enemies. In other words, America needs a commander in chief, not a global community organizer." 

No, none of it makes any sense, but she was talking to the Red Staters. So, it only matters that she was dissing Obama.

Saturday, August 1, 2009

A Dream Come True

For Rich Lowry and every other red-blooded, cheeto-munching wingnut, their fondest desire has come true. Sarah Palin is back on the market. 

Sarah has recently purchased land in Montana and is considering moving the family there. Sarah Palin is originally from Idaho. 

No word on the dental floss seedlings or the pygmy pony:

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

In Keeping with the Beer Theme

Had a few Magic Hats after the races in Saratoga Springs today to drown the sorrow of losing horribly and reinforcing the reasons I don’t gamble. Anyway, I felt a lot more liberal after a few and apparently they worked wonders for this guy, too. I’m thinking of sending a case of #9s over to American Power.   

Monday, July 27, 2009

Adding Brewer to the Résumé

DSCN0247

Preparing to transfer a batch of wheat beer to the secondary fermenter where the apples await. I’m fairly new to the brewing, so I hope my Apple Wheat will turn out better than the strawberry and raspberry did. I used extracts for those. Extracts are the pits. Real fruit now. Was going to use blueberries, but the cost was prohibitive. I chopped up 2 and a half pounds of apples and threw in a can of Old Orchard Apple Raspberry concentrate for good measure.

BTW, if the prez is in the Glens Falls area, he can stop in for a homebrew and home baked bread anytime.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

The Answer

Not to be confused with the Truth.

They Like Us, They Really Like Us

Well, more than they did anyway. Sorry if it pisses off the neocons, but most of the sane people in the US actually care if we’re respected and looked up to by the rest of the world.

Improved attitudes toward the United States were most marked in Western Europe, but also evident in Asia, Africa and Latin America, as well as some predominantly Muslim countries.

In Indonesia, where Mr. Obama spent part of his youth, no fewer than 73 percent of those polled said that his election had directly improved their opinion of the United States.

But the survey, taken among more than 26,000 people in 24 countries, plus the Palestinian territories, found that anti-American animosity remained high in places like Pakistan, Turkey and among Palestinians.

Europeans, in particular, seemed to be responding positively to Mr. Obama. The number of Britons saying that they trusted the American president to do the “right thing” in world affairs soared to 86 percent this year, under Mr. Obama, compared with just 16 percent last year, under President George W. Bush. The increase was slightly larger in both Germany and France. 

The right thing numbers also jumped in all Middle Eastern countries surveyed — except Israel, which saw no statistical change.

If Obama can follow through on Iraq and solve the Afghan quagmire, he’ll be up 100% internationally. Obviously, we have a solid 15% in this country that are not happy if we are not involved in a clash of civilizations somewhere.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Grand Old Birther Party

The mainstream of the Republican party is now a group of conspiracy theorists who cannot even accept the fact that Barack Obama was born in Hawaii and that by 1961 it was part of the freakin’ US.

(T)he Right Wing of 2009 is rapidly embracing a wild-eyed, media manipulated, and self-destructive "conspiracy theory conservatism." 

If there are people in the GOP who are actually not insane, I believe it would behoove them to try and curb this inclination toward finding a conspiracy under every rock. I don’t even see what the upside is to promoting the crazy. Unfortunately, anyone who mutters a discouraging word is labeled a liberal or RINO or whatever. 

Barack Obama says he is a Christian, but he is really a Muslim working with a secret group to fool the public and take over the American government.

Barack Obama says he is a capitalist, but he is really a socialist working with a secret group to fool the public and take over the American government.

Barack Obama says he is American, but he is really a foreigner working with a secret group to fool the public and take over the American government.

It’s amazing that a small cadre of crazies can influence the entire party to adopt the lunacy. Well, it’s fun to watch anyway. Lucky that only a select few of us loyal libs know that Obama is secretly a Romulan out to destroy the Federation of Planets. 

“I want my country back.” What the Hell does that even mean? Your candidate lost the election. Suck it up!

Monday, July 20, 2009

Compassionate Conservatives, No More

Shorter Jim DeMint: “We don’t give a rat’s ass about people without health insurance.”

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Yes I do, Moran

dallas071709x

Who knew Paris Hilton was a teabagger? Not that kind.

Friday, July 17, 2009

The One

It’s funny, I like hearing Julian Bond use the term more than I do hearing wingnuts use it. 

Hopefully, we are moving toward a more “color blind” society spurred by education and demographics.

The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

And I Thought My Blog was Lame

Michelle Malkin, top o’ the line wingnut blogger attempting, well I’m not sure what.

On a completely unrelated note: a snippet of a comment at American Power reads:

According to my research and notes following a multitude of fincail gurus not interested in politics

Apparently his research and notes didn’t extend into the spelling of the word, financial.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

The Saddest Propaganda Ever

obamacare_530

From “Dr.” Long Beach City College. Is this just the saddest piece of propaganda you’ve ever seen? Good Christ, are you people even trying anymore? Do you think all you have to do is throw out the names Kevorkian and Mengele? Where have all the smear merchants gone, long time passing?

I’m not even going to bother with a link to the post, “Obama to Ration Health Care” which could have at least tried tried to tie it to euthanasia for the Kevorkian link.

And Mengele, who the Hell knows how he fits in?

I expect more from a pro-victory professor.

 

Oops, here’s an American Power post that got by me that deserves some attention. It concerns Hilzoy’s retirement from blogging. It’s got a variety of wingnuttiness. There’s the misogyny of Douglas’ commenters who likely haven’t taken a hard look in a mirror lately. Douglas himself is certainly no candidate for any  female blogger’s rule 5 blogging, if you know what I mean.

Then there’s:

Perhaps Professor Bok needs to spend some time with her colleagues in the Department of Psychology!

You can cut that irony with a knife. But, perhaps Long Beach has no department of psychology.

Then there’s the out of left field attacks:

And here's an interesting piece of related trivia: Conor Friedersdorf, the eminent "conservative" and now Atlantic blogger/Andrew Sullivan colleague, was a student of Professor Bok's at Pomona College in the 1990s. And being the idiot that Friedersdorf is, he refuses to address her by her real name after he found it published at Wikipedia.

The only idiotic thing Friedersdorf has done is go over to Don’s place and play on his field. It’s likely that Don’s trying to bait him into doing so again, as he does with Sullivan, Greenwald and others.

And here’s the wingnut as victim:

UPDATE: I love it! Personal attacks in place of argumentation or refutation! From the very first comment:

Your jealousy is showing, Mr. Long Beach City College. 

 

He doesn’t mention the personal attacks on Hilzoy in his comments section. But, I can see why there aren’t many female commenters at AmPow. And once again pointing out that, “Dammit Jim, I’m a doctor”:

Actually, that would be "Dr. Long Beach City College."

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Leave Daddy Alone!

Liz “Spawn of Satan” Cheney defends the Dark Lord:

Vice President Dick Cheney's daughter Liz said Tuesday she doesn't believe her father did anything wrong in connection with a secret CIA operation that officials have said was designed to capture and kill al-Qaida figures. 

I think that I, along with my America hating leftist buddies, were assuming that we were trying to capture al-Qaida operatives. Capture and kill sounds like summary executions, though.

Asked directly on MSNBC whether her father directed the CIA not to keep Congress fully informed about the secret program, Cheney said, "This is a classified program and he doesn't talk about classified programs."

He especially doesn’t talk about them to Congress. Keeping Congress informed is so pre-9/11. 

Liz Cheney, a former principal deputy secretary of state for Mideast affairs during George W. Bush's presidency, is helping her father write his memoirs. She aggressively defended him in Tuesday's nationally broadcast interview while declining to say point-blank whether he had violated any law or rule.

The closest she came was in declaring, "There's no evidence of that."  

And here I expected her to say, “Damn straight he did, he was vice-president of the United States which we all know is the highest elected office anywhere.” And I’m sure it’s always a surprise to these news programs that invite her on. Who could anticipate that she would defend her father so vehemently?

Cheney said she didn't think Democrats were "up to handling national security" and that she thought they were trying to cover themselves on classified they agreed to support "when it was politically expedient." 

Blah blah blah, because her daddy is such a man’s man despite the 5 deferments during the Vietnam War, one of which is her. 

"People had different perspectives about when Congress needed to be briefed," she said. " ... I think we've got to go back to, how have we been so successful in protecting against attacks to the homeland?" 

Yes, because it’s always a good idea to put unlimited power in the hands of a few incompetent schmucks and not have any oversight on them. Worked out well for the Romans.

Going Nut Picking

Perusing the offerings at American Power, it’s so hard to make a choice. Think I’ll go with “Obama Gets Thrill With Gaddafi Handshake!” with obligatory exclamation point. Yes Libya, under Gaddafi, has funded terrorists. But then, technically so has the United States under a variety of presidents from both parties. This includes anyone called a freedom fighter and a number of state terrorists. Yes Gaddafi is probably insane. But, if he is no longer funding terrorism and a handshake will help insure that he continues in that manner, what’s the harm?

Then there’s the fact that under George the Lion-Hearted, we made nice with Libyans.

Gaddafi and Bush do apparently see eye to eye. On Monday, Gaddafi accomplished one of history's great diplomatic turnarounds when Secretary of State Condeleezza Rice announced that the U.S. was restoring full diplomatic relations with Libya and held up the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya as "a model" for others to follow. Rice attributed the ending of the U.S.'s long break in diplomatic relations to Gaddafi's historic decision in 2003 to dismantle weapons of mass destruction and renounce terrorism as well as Libya's "excellent cooperation in response to common global threats faced by the civilized world since September 11, 2001." 

It’s convenient for the “professor” to climb into the time machine and go back to the 80’s and resurrect Gaddafi as public enemy number one in order to hit Obama over the head with him. Of course, the 80’s was when Saint Ronald was not only shaking hands with terrorists, he was selling military spares to the same Iranians that held Americans hostage for 444 days. And then, he took the profits to arm the terrorist Contras in Nicaragua. But, at least he didn’t shake hands with terrorists. He sent Rumsfeld to do that. 

From Herr “Professor”: By now there's no doubt that President Obama gets a thrill up his leg when he's pressing the flesh of the world's most brutal dictators.

I suspect, though, that it doesn’t compare to the thrill that Douglas gets when Obama shakes the hand of Gaddafi or Chavez. If it was Castro there’d be something running down his leg. 

And this from an AmPow commenter:

We, as Americans, Lefties included, need to examine our complaisant (sic) fantasies and realities in this country. We have enemies. Obama is dragging his entourage of adoring press, that influences the public zeitgeist, with him in confusing surface friendships with opportunists -deeply soulless dictators. They will take all of your American comforts, and turn them into ashes. And they will not care if you are sympathetic to their causes. You, my leftist friends, are their enemy, too. 

See, the problem is that we just don’t have enough enemies. Despite the fact that we (during the Bush II administration) re-established diplomatic relations with Libya that is no reason to act diplomatically toward them.

Friday, July 10, 2009

The Latest GOP Candidate for Ex-Communication

Peggy Noonan on Sarah Palin:

In television interviews she was out of her depth in a shallow pool. She was limited in her ability to explain and defend her positions, and sometimes in knowing them. She couldn't say what she read because she didn't read anything. She was utterly unconcerned by all this and seemed in fact rather proud of it: It was evidence of her authenticity. She experienced criticism as both partisan and cruel because she could see no truth in any of it. She wasn't thoughtful enough to know she wasn't thoughtful enough. Her presentation up to the end has been scattered, illogical, manipulative and self-referential to the point of self-reverence. "I'm not wired that way," "I'm not a quitter," "I'm standing up for our values." I'm, I'm, I'm.

In another age it might not have been terrible, but here and now it was actually rather horrifying.   

And after eviscerating the myths of Palin: 

The era we face, that is soon upon us, will require a great deal from our leaders. They had better be sturdy. They will have to be gifted. There will be many who cannot, and should not, make the cut. Now is the time to look for those who can. And so the Republican Party should get serious, as serious as the age, because that is what a grown-up, responsible party—a party that deserves to lead—would do.

It's not a time to be frivolous, or to feel the temptation of resentment, or the temptation of thinking next year will be more or less like last year, and the assumptions of our childhoods will more or less reign in our future. It won't be that way.   

We are going to need the best.

Burn the witch RINO!

UPDATE: They are now gathering the kindling* at right wing sites.

*Truth warning-do not click this link.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Mistressing is Good Work if You Can Find It

In GOP sex scandal news, attention turns back to John Ensign who has been thanking Allah Jehovah for Mark Sanford, Sarah Palin and Michael Jackson.

Nevada Sen. John Ensign has acknowledged that his parents paid his mistress and her family $96,000 in April 2008, according to a statement made by his attorney moments ago. 

It’s not a pay-off or anything like that, though. 

"After the Senator told his parents about the affair, his parents decided to make the gifts out of concern for the well-being of long-time family friends during a difficult time," said Paul Coggins, counsel to Ensign.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Thank You, Jimmy Carter

Just finished bottling a batch of Raspberry Wheat Ale and am currently relaxing with a Strawberry Wheat. Thought it appropriate to thank the men who made these homebrews possible. Thanks Mr. Jimmy and Rep. Barber Conable. 

The American public had decided it liked its beer cheap, bland, and less filling, and the industry—which, after decades of consolidation, consisted of a mere 44 breweries in 1979—was happy to oblige.  

Three decades later, the U.S. boasts 1,463 breweries, including 975 brewpubs.

Most microbrewers started out as homebrewers, So, if you ever find yourself enjoying a beer above and beyond the mass-produced Budweiser quality, raise one for Jimmy and Barber.

Sunday, July 5, 2009

The End is Near

On July 30, conservatives are 'going Galt,' named after Ayn Rand's famous character John Galt from her novel Atlas Shrugged, and thus  refuse to show up for work.  They plan to 'call in conservative.' 

How will the republic survive without conservatives for one day?

If this means businesses lose billions of dollars on that day, fine.  If this means that travel will be disrupted, good.  If this means communication systems are crippled, so be it.  

Feel the sting of “John Galt.” 

No doubt employers and business owners will threaten employees with termination if they 'call in conservative' on that day.  Don't let them intimidate you.  They need conservative employees, who tend to be the most reliable and conscientious.  And, it must be stated that some will probably lose their jobs.

It’s like Nathan Hale, only,“Give me the day off or give me termination.” If they get fired for one call in, doesn’t that kind of quash the idea of how indispensible they were in the first place?

Your country and its rule of law--The United States Constitution--need your help at this critical time.  If multi-millions of citizens participate, there is no way Washington can ignore us.  And if they do,  the next step may not be so pretty. 

And, if no one notices will you STFU about it?

Belated Advice to Sarah Palin

Age wrinkles the body. Quitting wrinkles the soul.
Douglas MacArthur

I'm quitting the business today. I'm going to open up an appliance store, I've always really been into toasters. I'm giving it all up.
Dane Cook 

If either player abandon the game by quitting the table in anger, or in an otherwise offensive manner; or by momentarily resigning the game; or refuses to abide by the decision of the Umpire, the game must be scored against him.
Howard Staunton 

Learned helplessness is the giving-up reaction, the quitting response that follows from the belief that whatever you do doesn't matter.
Arnold Schwarzenegger 

Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever.
Lance Armstrong 

Quitting doesn't enter my mind.
Jimmy Buffett 

Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit.

 Napoleon Hill   

Most people who succeed in the face of seemingly impossible conditions are people who simply don't know how to quit. ~

 Robert Schuller

Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit. ~

 Conrad Hilton  

A quitter never wins and a winner never quits. ~

 Napoleon Hill

No man is ever whipped until he quits in his own mind. ~

 Napoleon Hill

A man is not finished when he is defeated. He is finished when he quits. ~

 Richard M. Nixon  

Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit. ~

 Vince lombardi 

When faced with a mountain, I will not quit! I will keep on striving until I climb over, find a pass through, tunnel underneath - or simply stay and turn the mountain into a gold mine, with God's help! ~

 Friedrich von Schiller 

It's always too early to quit.

Norman Vincent Peale 

Please don’t go away, Sarah!

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Taking Back Religion

The religious left has a long tradition of activism on social issues, including the civil-rights movement. But for the past quarter century, faith-based politicking has been dominated by the religious right, which built a powerful army of activists -- and a formidable fund-raising machine -- on the strength of leaders such as the Rev. Jerry Falwell of the Moral Majority and radio host James Dobson of Focus on the Family.

The religious left's re-emergence as a strong voice -- with the financial backing to make aggressive media buys -- is a "seismic shift," said D. Michael Lindsay, a sociologist at Rice University who studies evangelical politics. 

If the Republicans don’t even have religion to fall back on anymore, what do they have? 

A religious coalition called the American Values Network spent nearly $200,000 placing the global warming ads. Some political analysts credit the campaign with boosting support for the Waxman-Markey climate bill, which narrowly passed the House last week.

As opposed to the right wing religious view that God gave us the planet to destroy as we see fit. 

Democratic lawmakers representing conservative districts say such efforts help them make the case to skeptical constituents that they aren't simply toeing the party line -- or turning into bleeding-heart liberals -- when they support President Barack Obama's calls for health-care and climate-change legislation. 

Maybe Obama knew what he was doing when he was “palling  around with Rick Warren.” 

 

Of course, as any good pro-victory associate professor of polisci will tell you, left wing types can’t be religious. They are all atheistic nihilist scum from the fever swamp or something like that.

Friday, July 3, 2009

Andy Griffith as Sarah or Todd?

How long will the act continue to play to the marks?

Scared? You Betcha!

It's become a truism among those on the right that we libtards are scared of Sarah Palin. Well, now with her resignation with two years remaining in her term as Alaska's governor, I'm absolutely petrified. The only reason I've come up with is that someone made her an incredible offer to star in a reality TV show, "The Wasilla Hillbillies," or some such. Off to American PowerMad to find how this is still "all good."

UPDATE: Winners never quit and quitters never win. And yes, the rubes at AmPow are ready to send all their money to you, so just give them the address Sarah and Todd.

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Congratulations Senator Franken

I believe I'll have a couple of homebrews to celebrate tonight. Meanwhile, others have opened a case of whine*. And just to be gracious in victory, thanks to Norm Coleman for only being enough of a sore loser to stretch it out for 8 months.

(W)ith Franken, we're seeing the acccession of the most disgusting fever-swamp partisanship to Capital Hill.

Keeping it classy, Don.

* Truth 101 warning-Do not click!

Stolen from bjkeefe


for no particular reason other than I like lolcats. And who doesn't? Thanks Brendan.


Sunday, June 28, 2009

Another Case of Left Wing Extremism *

I'm sure the pardons are in the mail for these left wing white supremacists, since they are so obviously working hand in hand with the Obama administration:

federal prosecutors in Arizona announced that Mahon, 58, and his twin brother, Daniel, had been indicted in the 2004 mail bombing of a Scottsdale city office that promoted racial and cultural diversity.

Also involved was a major Obama campaign contributor:

Also Thursday, agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives searched the Warsaw, Ind., home of Tom Metzger, director of the White Aryan Resistance and an associate of the Mahons.

I'm sure the ATF was just there to cover up any evidence that might have been used against Metzger. I've heard he's tight with ACORN, as well.

*In case Don shows up. This is sarcasm, it may not rise to the level of satire.

New Government, Old Methods

First off, I know nothing of Zelaya in Honduras. He could be a major-league dick. And it sounds like he miscalculated in trying to extend his term where he had little support (certainly when it came to the military. But, here is the president's statement:

In Washington, President Barack Obama expressed concern over the developments on Sunday. "I call on all political and social actors in Honduras to respect democratic norms, the rule of law and the tenets of the Inter-American Democratic Charter. Any existing tensions and disputes must be resolved peacefully through dialogue free from any outside interference,"

I can now hear the right wing noise machine ginning up some hoo-hah about his jumping to the defense of his leftist brethren or some such. I believe "all political actors" would include Zelaya himself, not that he's in a position of strength. This looks similar to the statement on Iran, except I'm too lazy to go look. As with Iran, let's wish all these other countries well as they sort out their own internal problems. Neocons want the poor and sick in this country to fend for themselves in getting employment and healthcare, But, in a heartbeat they want to rush off to get involved in the issues of other countries. It seems unpatriotic.

UPDATE: Argentina shows them how it should be done.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

You're Not Rush Limbaugh

Apparently, Robert Stacy McCain thinks he is, though:

Why give money to the campaign committee whose job is to re-elect these RINO sellouts?

Mary Bono Mack, California
Mike Castle, Delaware
Mark Kirk, Illinois
John McHugh, New York
Frank LoBiondo, New Jersey
Leonard Lance, New Jersey
Dave Reichert, Washington
Chris Smith, New Jersey


Unless and until all eight of these swine announce their retirements -- or are defeated in next year's primaries -- I say the grassroots answer to the NRCC should be NOT ONE RED CENT!

Not that I mind the idea of not funding the NRCC, but I've got a $25 campaign contribution for the first of these eight to tell McLame to piss off.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Rest in Peace, Farrah and Michael

Rather than RIP, it seemed appropriate to write it out in full. These were two people who never seemed very happy in their celebrity. I suppose there are those who are envious of the rich and famous. I will remain thankful for having more happiness than these two souls, despite my relative poverty and obscurity. May Fawcett and Jackson find tranquility in whatever follows our sojourn on Earth.

Up on Housing Project Hill, it's either fortune or fame. You must choose one or the other though neither are to be what they claim.

Who needs Tom Thumb's blues anyway?

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Where in the World is Mark Sanford?

I'm mostly just posting this so I can use that title and my 2012 losers label. So, he wasn't hiking the Appalachian trail for 5 days, in the buff or otherwise. Now, the story is that he was visiting Argentina. Ummm, carne asado. Oops, maybe he was after more than just Argentinian beef.

Also from TPM:

Early morning: Sanford arrives at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta on a flight from Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he says he has been for the last few days. He tells a reporter from The State that he considered hiking the Appalachian Trail, but decided he "wanted to do something exotic" instead. Sanford says he went alone, and that he spent time driving along the coast. He also says he changed his return itinerary to fly in to Atlanta, not Columbia, in order to avoid the media.

I've been avoiding this story until it turned out the governor was unharmed and fortunately, now we can all laugh about it. Well, not Mark Sanford because he's too busy getting this story straight. But, everyone else. I thank you Mr. Sanford and most of all John Ensign thanks you.

UPDATE: Surprisingly, he was having an affair. Were you guys paying attention during the 90's? It was OK for Bill Clinton because he was a Dem and we are not expected to have morals. Republicans like Newt were not allowed to get away with it because they are expected to be holier-than-thou.

It's likely not the affair that kills his 2012 chances,though, it's all the bad choices that surround it.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Neocons and Flag Desecration

I see that Jules Crittenden and Donald Douglas think it's cool to desecrate the United States flag as long as it's used as a bikini on a hot babe. I suppose it's another instance of neocons making their own rules. The US Flag Code has different rules. According to paragraph 8, section D: "The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery." I don't believe any exception is made for super-nationalist chickenhawks.

Once again, they show their true colors. These people have no regard for true patriotism. They use the flag, the men and women in the military and anything else they get their blood stained hands on, only to suit their own purposes, including the young woman tragically killed in Iran.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Crocodile Tears of Neocon Clowns

Shorter Joe Klein: Neocons don't give a rat's ass about the Iranians; never did and never will.

And it was this sort of thinking by Ron Paul that got him a couple of campaign contributions from the ex-DLB.

when is the last time we condemned Saudi Arabia or Egypt or the many other countries where unlike in Iran there is no opportunity to exercise any substantial vote on political leadership? It seems our criticism is selective and applied when there are political points to be made.

Thanks Dr. Paul. BTW, for those keeping score, he is a real doctor.

And, a nice posting by Steve Benen along the same lines. Why neos have any forums beyond laughable blogs is a mystery.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Newt Gingrich, Chinese Communist Agent?

You have to wonder about your views when they coincide with Dana Rohrabacher. Anyway, he has tossed Newt into the hall of shame:

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., said in his opening statement during a Tuesday hearing of the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Human Rights. Democrats and other Republicans also piled on Gingrich for "fear-mongering" and allegedly peddling Chinese propaganda.

The issue, of course, is what to do about the Uighurs who have been wrongfully imprisoned in Guantanamo.

Rep. Bill Delahunt, D-Mass., the committee's chairman, said that Gingrich is either misinformed or intentionally circulating false information about the 17 Uighurs to "appease the Communist Chinese,"

And here I thought Obama was the appeaser. Sometimes I think Newt may not be as sharp as he's made out to be. I realize he's a sleaze, but underneath that he is supposed to be one of the intellectual giants of the GOP. When the right wing of the party says you're spreading ChiCom propaganda, you may want to re-think your position.

"Many if not all of the negative allegations against the Uighurs can be traced back to Chinese intelligence, whose purpose is to snuff out an independence movement that challenges the communist bosses in China," Rohrabacher said at Tuesday's hearing.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Is This the Republican Mainstream?

Unfortunately, it's probably not far off. If you made up this story, it would sound far fetched. It's safe to click, Truth.

UPDATE: Apparently, there are many more where she came from. Thanks, Repsac.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Killing Them to Save Them

I would love to see the neo-con response to this criticism of their position leveled by Greenwald:

Much of the same faction now claiming such concern for the welfare of The Iranian People are the same people who have long been advocating a military attack on Iran and the dropping of large numbers of bombs on their country -- actions which would result in the slaughter of many of those very same Iranian People...

Missing here is a list of genocidal freaks given by Greenwald worth going to his post to see...

Imagine how many of the people protesting this week would be dead if any of these bombing advocates had their way -- just as those who paraded around (and still parade around) under the banner of Liberating the Iraqi People caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of them, at least. Hopefully, one of the principal benefits of the turmoil in Iran is that it humanizes whoever the latest Enemy is.

Monday, June 15, 2009

The Decline and Fall of Neo-conservatism

American Standard

Comes the news that Rupert is shedding some of the dead weight in his media empire. Apparently, he is selling American Standard. Oops, that’s right, they decided on Weekly Standard for some reason. Maybe because neos are so distinctly un-American. Who knows? Piss on it, who cares? 

Will Kristol and Barnes remain at the helm? Or will the magazine turn toward a more traditional conservatism? 

Or will they have to find honest work that doesn’t involve shilling for war and more war. 

The neoconservative movement has recently suffered several blows. The sun has set on the pugnacious New York Sun, which served as a valuable outlet for neoconservative journalists and authors. The American Enterprise Institute has ousted several neoconservatives, including Joshua Muravchik, from its roster of fellows. 

Sad, isn’t it?

But the Standard’s greatest feat was to play a decisive role in shaping the debate during the run-up to the Iraq War, when magazines such as the New Republic followed its lead in promoting the toppling of Saddam Hussein. 

Coincidentally, this is also the reason they should burn in Hell.

If the Standard’s success helped push the Bush administration in the direction of pursuing a kind of World War III against Islamic terrorism, it also influenced magazines such as National Review. Formerly redoubts of traditional conservatism, skeptical of nation-building and foes of big government, these publications muted—if not abandoned—much of the original faith, to the distress of conservative founding fathers like William F. Buckley, Jr., who depicted the Iraq War as a dangerous Wilsonian crusade

Once again, why is the word conservative part of the word neo-conservative.

Kristol may simply become bored with journalism and take a post either at a think tank or inside the GOP itself.

Or he could spend the rest of his life repenting for the damage he’s done. Wouldn’t count on that. I’m sure his smirking face will still be seen in countless arenas pushing for the US military to fight new wars against the enemies of William Kristol.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

A Vast Left Wing Conspiracy

Here’s proof that not only is James Von Brunn a left winger, but so was Richard Nixon.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Would the Bottom 30 Look Different?

The advantage I see to this list is that anyone who finishes below Ann Coulter would almost have to quit writing on anything besides a bathroom wall. I can’t imagine the shame of being ranked below a smear mongering, no talent, sensationalist hack like Coulter. Turn in your keyboards fellas. 

30) Brent Bozell</
29)
Jack Kelly
28)
Cassy Fiano
27) Quin Hillyer
26) David Limbaugh
25) Dennis Prager
24) Michael Barone
23) Wes Pruden
22) Tony Harden
21) Melissa Clouthier
20) Larry Elder</A
19)
David Harsanyi
18) Mike Adams
17) Frank Fleming
16) Rich Lowry
15) Tony Blankley
14) Jeff Jacoby
13) Karl Rove
12) Lorie Byrd
11) Charles Krauthammer
10) Victor Davis Hanson
9) Jonah Goldberg
8) Dick Morris and Eileen McGann
7) Burt Prelutsky
6) Michelle Malkin
5) Walter Williams
4) John Stossel
3) Thomas Sowell
2) Mark Steyn
1) Ann Coulter

Monday, June 8, 2009

Torture Scott Roeder

From the Washington Post:

The man charged with murdering a high-profile abortion doctor claimed from his jail cell Sunday that similar violence was planned around the nation for as long as the procedure remained legal, a threat that comes days after a federal investigation launched into his possible accomplices.

"I know there are many other similar events planned around the country as long as abortion remains legal," Roeder said. When asked by the AP what he meant and if he was referring to another shooting, he refused to elaborate further. 

Ve haf ways of making you talk: stress positions, sleep deprivation, temperature extremes, a few hundred waterboard sessions, etc. The iron maiden will loosen his tongue.

That’s the problem, you coddle these terrorists and you’ll get nothing out of them. At least waterboard him. It’s not torture, the Bush legal team said as much.

Yes, I’m kidding. 

Thursday, June 4, 2009

RIP David Carradine

I’m of an age to have been a big fan of the original Kung Fu series. Carradine always seemed a little off, in a good way. He pulled off eccentric well, something I  aspire to myself. Don’t know why he would have hung himself, health problems maybe, who knows. If it is the case that he did commit suicide, it was his choice and so be it.

Go in peace back into the river of the Tao, David.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

So Long, Hummer

This is what I was looking for in the story:

The sale of the Hummer brand to a Chinese company will not impact the production of U.S. military vehicles. Military Humvees are produced by a different company, privately held AM General, based in South Bend, Ind.

A bit troubling that one of the signature vehicles of the US military is now going to be owned by the Chinese, even if it’s not the exact same thing. It’s not troubling for military reasons, but rather as a further indication of our economic slippage.

Start your kids learning Mandarin, they’re going to need it. 

Another Meaningless Top 25 List

Personally, I would have put Xena at the top. Barbarella, Wonder Woman and Storm, as well, would have been higher. For quality of the work, Alien was far above all the rest, though. Sigourney Weaver was incredible in in that whole series.

xena4

I feel like I’m intruding on Brain Rage’s territory here. Or worse yet, doing Rule 5 blogging. What can I say, I love campy science fiction.

Monday, June 1, 2009

Mittwitt

Here’s Mitt Romney showing why he finished in fourth, possibly fifth, place in the race for the White House. At one point, he spouts some insanity about how the shareholders should run GM. I own shares in a number of companies. I send back my proxies. Do I have a clue who I’m voting for? No. Just like 90 some on per cent of shareholders. How the freakin’ Hell are the shareholders going to run GM?

He’s making Palin look smarter.

Sunday, May 31, 2009

If

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
– Kipling (of course). 

Top officials from the Bush administration have hit upon a revealing new theme as they retrospectively justify their national security policies. Call it the White House 9/11 trauma defense. 

Being in over their heads is probably not a good excuse for the crimes of the Bush gang. Can you plead incompetence which is what WH 9/11 trauma defense sounds like?  

Cheney's admission that 9/11 caused him to reassess the threats to the nation only underscores how, for months, top officials had ignored warnings from the CIA and the NSC staff that urgent action was needed to preempt a major al-Qaeda attack.

Let this never be forgotten, along with:

Shortly after the second World Trade Center tower was hit, I burst in on Rice (then the president's national security adviser) and Cheney in the vice president's  office and remember glimpsing horror on his face. 

And you guys wanted us to think you were the second coming of Churchill.

The Bush administration's response actually undermined the principles and values America has always stood for in the world, values that should have survived this traumatic event.

Al-Qaeda did not defeat the American people, only the little men in the White House who had no trust in American values of law and justice.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Abu Ghraib, Part Deux

Now that everyone’s appetite has been whetted by the original pg-13 photos from Abu Ghraib comes news of the alleged existence of some slightly more steamy material:

At least one picture shows an American soldier apparently raping a female prisoner while another is said to show a male translator raping a male detainee.

Further photographs are said to depict sexual assaults on prisoners with objects including a truncheon, wire and a phosphorescent tube.

Another apparently shows a female prisoner having her clothing forcibly removed to expose her breasts.

President Obama is there to assure us that these are much ado about nothing, though.

It was thought the images were similar to those leaked five years ago, which showed naked and bloody prisoners being intimidated by dogs, dragged around on a leash, piled into a human pyramid and hooded and attached to wires.

Mr Obama seemed to reinforce that view by adding: “I want to emphasise that these photos that were requested in this case are not particularly sensational, especially when compared to the painful images that we remember from Abu Ghraib.”

Glad to hear they’re not sensational. Sunlight is still the best disinfectant. Might as well get them all out. The sooner, the better.

UPDATE: I put this post up with realization that the Telegraph was not the most reliable news source. There seems to be a lot of back and forth over how sensational these photos are. Leaving the content to people’s imaginations is probably not the way to go, though. Digby:

The pictures are not the lurid images the Telegraph said they were.
Of course, this raises the most important question again (for me at least) which is why anyone thinks the withheld pictures will cause some sort of firestorm if they are actually less incendiary than what we've seen before.

The cover-up is worse than the crime. This remains a truism.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

The New Supreme

From Adam Nagourney in the NY Times:

“The G.O. P. has to make a stand,” said Scott Reed, manager of the 1996 presidential campaign of Bob Dole. “This is what the base and social conservatives really care about, and we need to brand her a liberal with some out-of-the-mainstream positions. Forget about cosmetics and ethnic heritage, and focus on her record.”

Nice move by Obama. The GOP has a choice between pissing off their base and tossing away any chance of courting the Hispanic vote for the next few decades. They’ve probably lost that vote already, so what the Hell, filibuster.

As an aside, I have to wonder how Gonzo feels. He coulda been a contenda for the Court, but chose the path of war criminal and is now unemployed. Life sure is funny!

And speaking of funny, apparently Mike Huckabee is under the impression that all Latinas are named Maria.

Beijing Cavaliers?

Did we run out of treasury bills to sell to the Chinese? Well, I for one welcome our new Chinese overlords. And I’m sure Lebron does as well. Nihao!

Monday, May 25, 2009

Memorial Day 2009

capt_7e3998b91a6e4d5f9088cfb3bf527b7d_obama_memorial_day_whcd106

Today is the day in the United States when most of us honor those who have fought in war, for the majority of us who haven’t. These include men such as Colin Powell, Andrew Bacevich and Chuck Hagel. And, so as not to be sexist, it includes women such as Janice Karpinski.

Some however, such as Rush Limbaugh and Donald Douglas, will spend the day devising ways to ensure that these soldiers will no longer be part of the GOP. Let’s not discourage them. No one need sign an oath supporting torture and unnecessary wars in order to be a member of the Democratic party. Let’s encourage the idea of the Republican party being made small enough to be drowned in a bathtub. Maybe Grover Norquist will lend a hand.    

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Beautiful China

This is an awesomely, incredible collection of photos from which I had a difficult time choosing just one.

beautifulchina04ym7_9wpZYLxNpMPQ

BeautifulChina8_SWTPHODflQuQ

So, I added another.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Since We’re on the Subject of Daisies

Thought it appropriate to throw on this video for the GOP, in honor of their resurrection of the Lyndon Johnson era daisy ad. Since the Republican party now seems to be mostly in the position of pushing up daisies:

Next

I’ve listened to Mancow a few times and think he’s a total dick. That said, I have to give him credit for going through with this and then admitting that it is torture.

Next up, Liz Cheney and Sean Hannity.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Making 9/11 Truthers Look Sane

 

billboardbirthcertificate650

Do you get the idea that these people, on January 20th 2017, will still be bitching about the birth certificate, William Ayres and Jeremiah Wright? Not to mention fist bumps, handshakes and God knows what.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

This is Just Too Good

Political or not, I just gotta put this up:

Hat tip to Steve Benen.

Good news, Carl Levin is offering to take the Gitmo prisoners. Here’s hoping the brave folks of Michigan have more faith in corrections officers than the average senator of either party.

Gotta include the John McCain quote:

But McCain said the issue has been muddied by the public perception that the administration would release dangerous prisoners to walk the streets in U.S. neighborhoods. “Whether that’s accurate or inaccurate, that’s the impression that the American people have,” McCain said.

Senator, where do you suppose the public got that perception?

Monday, May 18, 2009

Criminal, Not Political

My aim with this blog was, and continues to be, to avoid the political. I have high hopes for Mr. Obama, but I don't want to be a wide-eyed believer.

That being said, this story which continues to build is not political, it's criminal if true. Actually, I'm not even sure what the defense would be. We know there were no WMD's. We know prisoners were tortured at Gitmo. We know the CIA assessment was that Saddam had no WMD's before the war and they had witnesses to testify to that. It's not hard to infer that "evidence" of al-Qaeda and Iraq connections was tortured out of these prisoners.

"detainees interrogated at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp had revealed that Iraq had trained al Qaida operatives in chemical and biological warfare, an assertion that wasn't true."

"interrogators at Guantanamo and other prison camps were ordered to find evidence of alleged cooperation between al Qaida and the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein — despite CIA reports that there were only sporadic, insignificant contacts between the militant Islamic group and the secular Iraqi dictatorship."

"two alleged senior al Qaida operatives in CIA custody were waterboarded repeatedly — Abu Zubaydah at least 83 times and Khalid Sheik Mohammed at least 183 times."

"A key proponent of the Iraq invasion and of harsh interrogation methods, Cheney has become the leading defender of such measures"

I have never studied law, beyond business law, but I suspect people have been indicted on less than what has so far been revealed in this episode.

Somehow, the fact that Liz Cheney and the CIA are saying there's nothing to it, doesn't put my mind at ease.

(Liz) Cheney said: "You saw the CIA come out yesterday and say, absolutely, unequivocally, waterboarding was not used to establish this kind of a link."

Fortunately, we have Michael Steele and "a lot of Republicans" calling for a truth commission.

UPDATE: I meant to mention Speaker Pelosi in the original post. Since I just saw it at PolAnimal, I'll say it now. Investigate everyone who should reasonably be investigated.

UPDATE DOS: President Obama is quickly going from the "new JFK" to being the "new LBJ."