Thank God That's The Last Racist Republican Chairman!

Well I'm pretty sure we don't have to worry about racism in the party now that Virginia Beach GOP chairman David Bartholomew has resigned.

The city's Republican chairman agreed to resign late Monday night, just hours after a racist joke sent from his e-mail address surfaced.

David Bartholomew is not a racist (so says the Hampton Roads Pilot Online) and agreed to resign because the e-mail had become a distraction to the Nov. 2 election, said Gary Byler, the 2nd Congressional District GOP chairman, after meeting with Bartholomew.

The e-mail was dated March 15 and sent from the address that Bartholomew uses as party chairman. Bartholomew forwarded it without reading the contents when "he was first getting familiar with the Internet," Byler said.

Dude shouldn't have to resign... I mean after all, he only needs to produce the apology emails that he sent out some time between March and the time he discovered he accidentally sent out racist jokes. He could even have had an intern fix up his email thingie so that it would go to the same addresses!

Can you imagine how afraid of appearing racist these guys are, that claiming to not have any knowlege of the internet until 2010 is a less objectionable story? Text of hilarious joke that Bartholomew never got to read because he certainly never would have forwarded it if he had SEEN IT (the TV thing, you know, the screen, wasn't hooked up) but he regretfully sent it anway even though he's not a racist, below.

MY DOG


I went down this morning to sign up my Dog for welfare.


At first the lady said, "Dogs are not eligible to draw welfare".


So I explained to her that my Dog is black, unemployed, lazy, can't speak English and has no frigging clue who his Daddy is.


So she looked in her policy book to see what it takes to qualify...


My Dog gets his first check Friday.


Is this a great country or what?

And again, remember that the point of the joke is that welfare is bad.

Seriously, No Questions

I think we can safely assume that  one of the agenda items once the Tea Party gets control of all branches of government this Novemeber is the elimination of that bothersome, question-askin' press.

The editor of the Alaska Dispatch website was arrested by U.S. Senate candidate Joe Miller's private security guards Sunday as the editor attempted to interview Miller at the end of a public event in an Anchorage school.

Tony Hopfinger was handcuffed by the guards and detained in a hallway at Central Middle School until Anchorage police came and told the guards to release Hopfinger.

Hopfinger has not been charged but the owner of the Drop Zone, the private security firm that's been providing Miller's security, accused Hopfinger of trespassing at the public event, a town hall sponsored by the Miller campaign. The owner, William Fulton, also said Hopfinger assaulted a man by shoving him.

Anchorage Police who responded to the call said they would leave it to the District Attorney's office to decide whether to prosecute. They spent more than an hour taking statements, then left.

Hopfinger, who was holding a small video camera, said he was attempting to draw out a statement from Miller on why he was disciplined by the Fairbanks North Star Borough when Miller worked there as a part-time attorney. After Miller walked away, Hopfinger said, he was surrounded by Miller supporters and security guards and felt threatened, so he pushed one of them away.

Why was Miller speaking at a public school? I thought those guys hated public schools! Next you'll tell me he drove on ROADS to get there! At least he had the grace to use private security guards instead of police to enforce the non-existant law of trespassing at a public event. And you just know that the lamestream media is going to use this to make Miller look bad. As if physically restraining reporters for trying to knock a guy off message wasn't reasonable! AmIRight?

Of course I was being facetious in the first paragraph - obviously item number one will be dismantling the government, like they promised. Silencing the press will be... well, they'll need the government to do that. Once they silence the press and eliminate the Sharia Law threat, that's it, no more government! Oh and preventing Gay Marriage, because people can't be allowed to do anything they want.

The Return Of Knut

Digging around in my stats: the most popular post this blog ever did was about Knut, the polar bear cub.

Knut

Frankly, I don't blame you guys, because that bear is adorable. But the post goes all the way back to 2007! I peaked pretty early, looks like.

Speaking of peaking:

A year after his public debut, Knut was reported as weighing more than 130 kg (286 lb). A plate of six-inch glass, strong enough to resist a mortar blast, was erected between him and zoo visitors. At the end of March 2008, Markus Röbke, one of the keepers who helped rear Knut, reported that the bear should leave the zoo as soon as possible in order to help him acclimate to a life alone. Röbke also said that Knut plainly misses his past father-figure, Thomas Dörflein, and has become so used to attention that he cries when no one is near his enclosure. "Knut needs an audience," Röbke stated. "That has to change". In April, animal welfare campaigners criticized the zoo for allowing Knut to kill and eat ten carp from the moat surrounding his enclosure, saying that it was a breach of German animal protection regulations. The zoo's bear expert, Heiner Klös, however, said that Knut's behavior was "all part of being a polar bear."

It's like all child stars... they get a little older, it's massive weight gain and a neurotic need to be loved by a public that has moved on to the next one. If Knut doesn't have a problem with blow, I'd be very much surprised.

Cold Sweat

Elections are coming up! Dja hear about it?

I have a standing prediction that Democrats will lose seats but not control of the house or senate. Almost everybody disagrees with me about congress. Especially Nate Silver, my statistical idol, who gives the odds that Democrats keep the house at a paltry 28%. I'm going to stand by my prediction because the election is still weeks away, the gaps are closing, and if I'm wrong, so what? A handful of guys in the Netherlands lose their faith in my ability to predict races.

Now let's assume Nate is right (he usually is) and we get a Republican Congress and a Democrat Senate. What changes?  More than it will appear. Republicans will have a much more effective platform to obstruct any kind of government, which is their obvious strategy. The less Obama accomplishes, the better 2012 looks for ... Palin? Angle? Scott Brown? Generic Republican for President! But even with no majorities, it seems like Republicans have done a splendid job of obstructing everything anyway.

But in fact Democrats got a handful of historical things done - health care reform (watered down), credit card regulation (watered down) got the troops out of Iraq (not all of them, and Obama just sent them to Afghanistan) and of course the stimulus (could have been better, watered down). So the next two years, expect everything to be shot down.

Republicans are promising, and will deliver, a government which achieves much less while remaining as expensive. It's still better than if they ran all branches - last time that happened they neutered AND expanded government. So maybe the next two years are good for us.

Plus, assuming the 'baggers make it into office, that oughtta sour voters on the movement in a big way. Either they'll do a bunch of crazy crap and alienate the general population, or they'll be reasonable like Scott Brown and lose the base. No matter how they govern, someone will be furious at them.

Who Reads This Crap?

Thanks to the good folks at Blogger, I can tell you where they're from this week.

United States 89
Netherlands 39
Algeria 18
Belarus 12
Singapore 4
Canada 3
United Kingdom 3
Sri Lanka 3
Hungary 2
India 2

Putting aside the paltry numbers, I gotta question for you guys - what possible interest could someone in the Netherlands have in American politics? Seriously, drop me a line at danielkr@darkmeat.name, because I'm completely mystified. Similarly you guys in Belarus and Singapore. I'm stumped.

More About Paul Snover

For fans of his billboard, from the official Paul Snover Website.

I love to draw, write and be creative in general. My style tends toward the humorous, casual, coloristic side.

A full life of travel and experiences has developed me into the artist I am today.

I Have 30+ years of creative knowledge and offer a variety of skill-sets. I can assure you I have the ability, experience and determination to meet your cutting-edge creative requirements.

Humorous AND coloristic? Sign me up Snover!

"Looks good ... I like your cartoons." Zac

"Very, very nice. had no idea that you were so talented!" Susanne

"I enjoyed viewing your well done website. You are a talented guy! " Dick

"I think you are doing a great job! I have used your site more than any other at this point to stay informed on what goes on in the GJ area. All I could say to you is keep up the great work." Kelly W.

" Wellup........I'm impressed! Do you setup websites? As far as your website goes........SUPER DUPER!!!!! Bright, well done and user friendly." Joyce

Why so formal, Kelly? And Suzanne - bet she's a relative! I'm glad I could paste Joyce's comment here; on the site its dark blue on dark grey, and it's a little hard to read. Just sayin'.

Sorry everybody, but I have to make fun of this guy - he's just become the leader of the Republican Party!

Trying Too Hard

Art for a billboard in Grand Junction, CO.



Though they toned it way down once it made it up to the billboard itself;



See? No crescent moon armband! Probably squelched by the lamestream media!

I'm guessing the Democratic candidates in Colorado must be pretty mild, because this guy (Paul Snover) doesn't have any scary ethnic stereotypes to depict them as. They must be - OMG, I just noticed the rat on the right side is labeled "TRIAL LAWYERS"! This is a fatal blow to the Democrats! Jesus, how can they defend themselves against this kind of onslaught?

If only Snover had stopped at ONE rhetorical point, they'd have a chance. Now, clearly, no Democrats will ever be elected again. Curse you for pulling out all the stops!

And While I'm At it - Ladies and Gentlemen, the Next President of the United States

If she can just keep out of the public eye for the next two years, she's got a chance!

Don't Fear the Republican

Not in California, anyway.





The polls are with me on this one. Given the choice between billionaire Republican women I'd choose Whitman over Fiorina, if only because e-Bay was a much better run company under her watch. Still, until Brown says something that really pisses me off (probably involving mandatory wheat germ in school lunches) I'm going for the Democrat because they don't want to scuttle the executive branch.

Volt: Nuts!

American car companies just don't want to do real electric cars. You might think that GM's Volt was going to change that, with it's 230 miles to the gallon and an internal combustion engine which exists solely to charge the batteries. LIES!

In August of last year, we heard GM's then-CEO Fritz Henderson claimed with all the marketing might it could muster at a Detroit-area press event, that the Chevy Volt would get 230 MPG in city driving conditions. Now, as the Volt's being tested by the auto trade press, we're seeing some surprisingly low fuel economy figures amid the expected lavish praise buff books are heaping upon the Volt.

Let's see what they've found out. Popular Mechanics saw just 37.5 MPG in city driving. Car and Driver apparently didn't choose to use their wheel time for any city driving — but found with all-electric driving

"...getting on the nearest highway and commuting with the 80-mph flow of traffic-basically the worst-case scenario-yielded 26 miles; a fairly spirited back-road loop netted 31; and a carefully modulated cruise below 60 mph pushed the figure into the upper 30s."

Motor Trend, like the rest of the trade press other than Popular Mechanics, didn't appear to do any testing in city conditions, but did find that

"Without any plugging in, [a weeklong trip to Grandma's house] should return fuel economy in the high 30s to low 40s."

They also parrot GM's new line of 25-50 miles of all-electric — a far cry from the 230 MPG they originally marketed — that the "Volt provides 25-50 miles of real-world electric operation no matter how hard you flog it."

...But while even providing only 10% of the fuel economy initially touted, these more real-world figures are merely an exaggeration. The bigger problem is that, as Mr. Oldham now claims, is that GM lied to them about the powertrain.

Since the Volt was first unveiled as a concept car, GM engineers, public relations staff and executives have all claimed adamantly that the internal combustion engine did not motivate the wheels. If that were the case then the Volt would be nothing more than a very advanced hybrid. Even as late into the development cycle as this June, we were told the only drivetrain that motivated the wheels was the electric one. The auto trade press swallowed the line, hook and the sinker. Sam Abulesmaid at Autoblog even ran a piece headlined "Repeat after us: The Chevrolet Volt's gas engine does not drive the wheels!." And why shouldn't he have lapped it up when in online chats, the Volt's chief engineer Andrew Farah was saying:

Apparently it's GM's JOB to kill the electric car, over and over again. When are those Teslas coming out again?

I Don't Care Who Does It, I Don't Like Lying In Political Ads

The people at FactCheck.org chase down a lie, this one by Democrats.

And now, there’s a new twist on the false tax attack in the Massachusetts’ gubernatorial campaign. A labor-financed political committee accuses Republican Charlie Baker of "favoring tax loopholes that encourage corporations to ship our jobs overseas" and signing "a pledge to protect those loopholes." However, the pledge for gubernatorial candidates — a single sentence promising to oppose or veto any new state taxes — is different than the one for federal candidates, so the attack on Baker makes even less sense.

I'm glad the Annenberg Center is doing this kind of work, because most people (like it or not) get their political information from TV. A well-informed electorate is a better electorate, whatever an electorate is. I hope that Chris Murphy is desperate and not just lazy, because that would be unforgiveable. If he's desperate, it's merely dishonorable. Either way knock it off dude.

A Vision Of The Post-Taxation America That We All Want

Quoting from the AFA's Bryan Fischer:

A controversy has erupted over a decision by the South Fulton, TN fire department to allow a rural home in Obion County to burn to the ground because the owner did not pay the requisite $75 annual fee to secure fire protection.

The fire department was called when Gene Cranick’s grandson accidentally set his property on fire, but made no attempt to extinguish the flames, for the simple reason that they had no legal or moral authority or responsibility to do so. When the fire endangered the property of Cranick’s neighbor, who had paid the $75 fee, the fire department swung into action and put out the fire on the neighbor’s property. Cranick’s home meanwhile, burned to the ground after his family had fled for safety.

The back story is that, while South Fulton had a fire department several years ago, the county did not. Rural residents approached city officials and asked them to extend their fire protective services outside city limits. Fine, said the city. We will provide fire services to any rural resident who pays an annual $75 fee. You pay the $75, you just bought yourself a year’s worth of fire protection. You don’t pay the fee, that’s fine too, it’s your choice, but be aware that you are making a deliberate choice to forgo fire protection.

Fine, said Mr. Cranick, I’ll take my chances. He didn’t pay the man his $75, and when his house caught fire, he was on his own, by his own choice.

A lot of people have taken issue with Fischer's spin on this issue, that Jesus would have done the exact same thing as the Tennessee fire department. Check out the comments! Then check out Fischer's spin on the comments. Whatever. I'm an atheist, and Jesus wasn't a fireman. But the basic situation that he's talking about, now THAT'S interesting.

Conservatives, as a rule, would love to privatize everything. Everything. Try to pin one down some time, ask him or her what government function wouldn't be better privatized. They're even furious with the post office, which practically IS a private business. It's self-supporting anyway.

I'd argue that when you privatize, this is what you get - a yearly fee that is higher than what you pay for the government service (what portion of your county taxes goes to fire prevention, do you think? $75 bucks?) and less efficiency. This truck had to go out the property and wait until the fire threatened neighboring houses, where it could have saved all the real estate on the block. And they could have simply gotten a pledge from the guy to pay up afterward, but that would have disincentivized his neighbors from paying annually.

Get Well, Glenn Beck

Dude has medical trouble. I sincerely hope it's temporary and not painful. I disagree with the man's opinions, the man himself I got no problem with.

Hey, W4 Paperwork is Hard

Lou Dobbs, says a piece in The Nation, "reserved a special venom for the employers who hire them, railing against "the employer who is so shamelessly exploiting the illegal alien and so shamelessly flouting US law" and even proposing, on one April 2006 show, that "illegal employers who hire illegal aliens" should face felony charges."

So Dobbs is probably turning himself in right now, on citizen's felony charges:

Based on a yearlong investigation, including interviews with five immigrants who worked without papers on his properties, The Nation and the Investigative Fund at The Nation Institute have found that Dobbs has relied for years on undocumented labor for the upkeep of his multimillion-dollar estates and the horses he keeps for his 22-year-old daughter, Hillary, a champion show jumper.

You might think I'm bringing this up to excoriate Meg Whitman, who's had a little illegal alien hiring trouble lately. But there is a broader issue here, which is this: Republicans making aliens an issue are working at cross-purposes to their own interests. If you want to deregulate business and lower the cost of doing business, illegal immigrants are a perfect solution. Let business hire whoever's available! In fact, with all these illegal human resources running around, business can't HELP but hire them. They have an obligation to the shareholders.

Ultimately, what Republicans want is for business to be able outsource, and for people like me to be driven to accept half of what I'm making now. It's their solution to unemployment - employ everyone for peanuts. And whatever illegals are around after the fences go up, turn a blind eye. It's an inelegant solution to stop people from crossing a multi-thousand mile border (not unlike nailing jello to a wall) but it's the only way to do something about immigration without disturbing business. And God forbid they should disturb business.

It's been so good to all of us lately.

Event Verizon

At %$#%$^$ last!

Apple Inc. plans to begin mass producing a new iPhone by the end of 2010 that would allow Verizon Wireless to sell the smartphone early next year, said people briefed by Apple.

The new iPhone would be similar in design to the iPhone 4 currently sold by ATT Inc. but would be based on an alternative wireless technology called CDMA used by Verizon, these people said. The phone, for which Qualcomm Inc. is providing a key chip, is expected to be released in the first quarter of next year, according to the same people.

An Apple CDMA iPhone would spell the end of the exclusive U.S. arrangement with Apple that ATT has had since 2007, when the original iPhone debuted.

I am happy to report that my contract with ATT should be ending early next year, heh heh heh.

Speaking of tech that has taken a little long to come down the pike:

Richard Buckminster Fuller had a lot of nerve. In the 1930s, the great US inventor secured the first $1,000 he needed to build a giant futuristic car, called the Dymaxion... The Dymaxion was meant to be phase one of a social revolution, fuelled by the latest technology, but only three were ever built. No 1 caught fire and No 3 was turned into scrap; only No 2 survived. It now sits in the National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada – or it did until 18 months ago, when the architect Norman Foster decided he wanted to fulfil a dream, and build Dymaxion No 4. So he borrowed No 2 for inspiration.

"The Dymaxion had the same engine and transmission as the Ford Sedan of the time," says Foster, who worked with Fuller, his design hero, from 1971 until his death 12 years later. "However, at three times the volume, with half the fuel consumption and a 50% increase in top speed, it not only did more with less, but anticipated the 'people mover' of several decades later."

My friend Skot labored for the better part of a decade to restore a 1946 Chevy Panel Van, which he also painted emerald green. Presumably that's the color he'll be when he sees the Dymaxion.

Don't Regulate Away the Abuse of Animals!

It it the government's JOB to stop the abuse of animals? NO! says the Missouri Tea Party. I linked to an editorial by Joe The Plumber about this last week. They're right of course; regulating animal breeders will just result in more expensive animals.

While they're at it, what's up with those restrictive and unnescesary child labor laws? If your local steel mill or textile factory was allowed to hire children, unemployment would go down! Kids need jobs! Their parents are unemployed, or don't you read the papers?

In any event, it's a bold stroke to side with animal abuse. That's why the Tea Party will completely take over the Republican Party by 2012.

Spending, That's What I'll Cut!

Just a reminder for people who are expecting Republicans to fix the economy.

Ironendorsementy

Nevada's largest newspaper endorses Angle over Reid

This is a DEATH BLOW to Reid! Tea party people respect the opinion of traditional media over everything else!

Actually it's unclear to me whether this is the paper endorsing Angle or just an individual on the paper, though without a byline I suppose we can say it's the Review-Journal. I suppose. Perhaps it will carry some weight, this endorsement, perhaps this is a situation like the opening week of MANNEQUIN - it's critic proof and people will decide no matter what the papers say.

The Gay Agenda Claims Another Victim

Courageous Assistant Attorney General Andrew Shirvell has has been forced to take a leave of absense and will be facing disciplinary action just for exercising his free speech! You may recall he had a blog which criticized the Gay Student Body President of University of Michigan, Chris Armstrong. Isn't it the JOB of government to single out college students and wreck their lives?

The national buzz around the blog began when Shirvell appeared on Cooper's show on Tuesday evening.

"This is a political campaign. This is nothing personal against Chris," Shirvell told Cooper.

Shirvell's blog also features a photo of Armstrong with a swastika painted on a rainbow flag and the word "resign" scrawled on his face.

"Chris Armstrong is a radical homosexual activist who got elected partly funded by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund to promote a very deeply radical agenda at the University of Michigan," Shirvell said on CNN.

See? SEE? Armstrong never would have been elected if HOMOSEXUALS hadn't contributed MONEY to his campaign! Who says THEY have a right to participate? Where is THAT in the constitution?

You could question the judgement of a man in his 30's meddling in college politics, I suppose, or devoting his off-hours time to a blog called "Chris Anderson Watch" (not currently online) instead of anything else, but that's his perogative, right? Well, yes it is.

"He does satisfactory work and, off hours, he's free to engage under both our civil service rules, Michigan Supreme Court rulings and the United States Supreme Court rule," (Attorney General Mike) Cox said.

Cox did, however, call Shirvell's actions "offensive."

"He's clearly a bully. Absolutely. And is he using the Internet to be a bully? Yes," Cox said. "But is that protected under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution? Yes."

So what is he really guilty of, aside from rabid anti-gay hysteria? Nothing! And probably he has a little crush on Chris Anderson, but that ain't no crime. So hopefully when he returns from his voluntary leave he'll get his reprimand for making the AG's office look bad and keep his job, though more likely he'll be moved to a less prominent department. Maybe Assistant Postmaster General could be made available? Those people have a rep for mental stability.

The Levees Aren't Holding

Republicans hate the free press.

They would like to drive young homosexuals to commit suicide. Did I mention that the blog belongs to the Assistant Attorney General of Michigan?

They hate immigrants because they believe all immigrants are illegal criminals.

They hate the idea of businesses having to adhere to contracts they signed, especially when it involves money you gave them for pensions. They businesses have that money now, why can't they keep it? Same thing with social security, except they want to take that money and give it to businesses you don't even work for.

These issues aren't what they're really running on, but it keeps slipping out anyway. What are they running on, anyway? Further tax cuts, I think. That's it. They want to get into office, cut some taxes, and spend a few years doing nothing else and living well on your grandchildren's money.

All I'm asking is a little narrative discipline, you guys! Give me something plausible!

Plan B

Upset at the idea of giving money to black people? Devise an excuse to hold it up! In this case Congress pledged $1.2 billion for Haitians who were devastated by an earthquake. They're still buried in rubble, they're dying of cholera, they're suffering. But they're not all dead yet, so somehow we gotta stall.

Enter Oklahoma Republican Tom Coburn!

Now the authorization bill that would direct how the aid is delivered remains sidelined by a senator who anonymously pulled it for further study. Through calls to dozens of senators' offices, the AP learned it was Sen. Tom Coburn, a Republican from Oklahoma.

"He is holding the bill because it includes an unnecessary senior Haiti coordinator when we already have one" in U.S. Ambassador Kenneth Merten, Coburn spokeswoman Becky Bernhardt said.

The bill proposes a new coordinator in Washington who would not oversee U.S. aid but would work with the USAID administrator in Washington to develop a rebuilding strategy. The position would cost $1 million a year for five years, including salaries and expenses for a staff of up to seven people.

If this one doesn't hold, the next step is vetting the bill for spelling errors and margin-size analysis. Sooner or later them voodoos is gonna die off!

Details, Details

You'd actually kind of expect this from the founder of E-Bay: Meg Whitman's housekeeper was an illegal alien. For 9 years Whitman employed this woman, firing her juuuuuuuuust about the time that she made the decision to run for Governor last year.

There are also allegations of cruelty and abuse, which I'm skipping over because it's one word against another. But Whitman isn't denying that Nicky Diaz – Santillan was illegal, only that she lied on her applications. Because, presumably, it's not the job of employers to do any kind of background checks. Listen, when I was running a movie theatre in Marina Del Rey I had to fire an Australian kid for insufficient documentation. And this was 20 years ago. THE TECHNOLOGY IS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS, MEG.

She keeps promising to lower the unemployment rate in California, and I have a feeling it's going to involve simply counting the migrant farmworkers. Look at that! We have more people employed than we have citizens! Just submitting the roster of her domestic staff could bring us down a whole percentage point.

Pro-business AND pro-illegal - that's gonna be a hard one for the baggers to digest.

The Loudest Dog-Whistle Ever

Some people would read the President's interview with Rolling Stone and conclude that the story is about how he's pushing back, ever so gently, at what he considers unfair criticisms of himself and his administration. But it takes the good citizens at Fox Nation to find the real story, buried deep in the interview.

President of the United States Loves Gangsta Rap

From Rolling Stone:

What music have you been listening to lately? What have you discovered, what speaks to you these days?

My iPod now has about 2,000 songs, and it is a source of great pleasure to me. I am probably still more heavily weighted toward the music of my childhood than I am the new stuff. There's still a lot of Stevie Wonder, a lot of Bob Dylan, a lot of Rolling Stones, a lot of R&B, a lot of Miles Davis and John Coltrane. Those are the old standards.

A lot of classical music. I'm not a big opera buff in terms of going to opera, but there are days where Maria Callas is exactly what I need.

Thanks to Reggie [Love, the president's personal aide], my rap palate has greatly improved. Jay-Z used to be sort of what predominated, but now I've got a little Nas and a little Lil Wayne and some other stuff, but I would not claim to be an expert. Malia and Sasha are now getting old enough to where they start hipping me to things. Music is still a great source of joy and occasional solace in the midst of what can be some difficult days.

They also helpfully include a couple of examples of gangsta rap for real Americans who aren't familiar with the genre.

Why isn't the MSM making a bigger thing about this? I suppose because it's not news. All those, well, you know, those people listen to it. Its hard-wired into them, just the same way that they can't help committing more crimes or eating watermelon. It's just a matter of time before the British Ambassador is mugged in the Oval Office because Obama needs money for crack. Don't say they didn't warn you!

And vote for Christine O'Donnell!

Angle Openly Mocked Health Coverage For "Autism"

Note: "Autism" in air quotes. As if there were such a thing!

She's also making a pretty good argument for insurance companies not covering autism, with or without laws requiring it. I wonder how she feels about the military? "Why do I have to pay for a common defense when I have my own bodyguards, thank you!"

I noticed she hasn't complained about the government going to the expense of printing her name on a ballot, when she could have printed up her own ballots. Hypocrite!

Attention Climate Change Deniers

I personally don't believe this proves anything, but I'm bringing it up because any time it's chilly people on Fox News laugh derisively and claim that there is no global warming. So go ahead, and tell me why you don't think this is proof that you're wrong:


At 113 degrees, downtown L.A. hits all-time record high [Updated]

Free Enterprise

Time to renegotiate them contracts, boys.

Contract America

I made a lot of fun of Mitch McConnell last month when he said this:

MCCONNELL: I think we clearly do need to make sure Americans know what we would do and we’re gonna make that announcement in late September so the voters will have an opp…

HOST: But you have an opportunity right here to spell it out.

MCCONNELL: Yeah but I think I won’t scoop myself. We’ll be making that announcement in late September.

And it turns out he wasn't bluffing - they had a thing in mind! And now it's out for me to make more fun of! Note: the whole document I'm linking too is hosted by CBS news, which means you shouldn't believe anything in it.

I'm a little short on time today so just a few remarks:

I'm glad they're dropping that whole "reducing the deficit thing," because it would just be troublesome.

Check this out:

Unfortunately, the metrics used to hold Congress accountable are often flawed. Rather than using the scale of how well elected representatives represent the views of the people, the scale is often currently measured in bills passed, dollars spent, and programs created. This must change.

Every American must ask: what has Congress done to ensure opportunity and to safeguard my liberty and the freedoms guaranteed to me in the Constitution? We stand ready to be judged by that standard.

...Any ideas on how to judge you on that, boys?

And, of course, any ideas? We've been waiting for this for a while now, and and far as I can see the ideas are LESS TAXES (because taxes are really low now and the economy is just soarin' like an eagle) and reducing the size of government, just like GW Bush and the Republican congress and senate did after they promised to in 2000.

And, apparently, an unspoken pledge to license massive amounts of clip art, thus stimulating the clip art sector.

At Last! AT LAST!

Asked by Fox News’s Greta Van Susteren what “would be a reason to run” during an interview Wednesday night, Palin laid out her criteria:

“A reason to run is if nobody else were to step up with the solutions that are needed to get the economy back on the right track and to be so committed to our national security that they are going to do all that they can, including fighting those on the extreme left who seem to want to dismantle some of our national security tools that we have in place,” Palin said.

“If nobody else wanted to step up, Greta, I would offer myself up in the name of service to the public,” Palin added. “But I also know that anybody — anybody — can make a huge difference in this country without a title, without an office, just being out there as an advocate for solutions that can work to get the country on the right track. And that's where I am now.”

All during that last month of the 2008 campaign I was teasing my rightist friends about not likely getting their President Palin, even though she hadn't been nominated and wasn't running for President. So, who do you think is going to step up and deprive the 'baggers of their mama grizzley now? Ain't nobody, that's who.

Let's face it, the most likely scenario is a lot of money flowing into SarahPac, then Sarah quits once she's got enough for another home and a couple of bitchin' leather jackets. 2nd most likely: she wins under very mysterious circumstances involving all Diebold polling machines going her way and no other machines, gets into office, and then quits after a couple months leaving Vice President John Bolton to run the country, until he literally spontaneously explodes a few days later.

Besides, 2012 is the end times - who wants to be president for THAT?

Quote of the Day: "Same Thing We Do Every Night, Pinky" Edition

O'DONNELL: ... these groups admitted that the report that said, "Hey, yay, we cloned a monkey. Now we're using this to start cloning humans." We have to keep...

O'REILLY: Let them admit anything they want. But they won't do that here in the United States unless all craziness is going on.

O'DONNELL: They are — they are doing that here in the United States. American scientific companies are cross-breeding humans and animals and coming up with mice with fully functioning human brains. So they're already into this experiment.

-Christine O'Donnell, O'Reilly Factor 2007. She must still believe it. Where are these mice? Why will they not speak up?

Republicans Next Target

-- the Humane Society. Yes, they want to stop a NGO from saving cute puppies. Presumably because they dogs should have remained celibate. After lobbying to ensure that it's not against the law to bully gays and pushing to force women to have children that they then want to eliminate public school funding for, these guys should probably just go ahead and all grow big handlebar mustaches to go with their black capes.

Unit Cohesion is Saved

Up until yesterday it looked possible that a soldier in the US Military might have to shower, naked, with men that he knew were gay. Now, thanks to a few very, very brave Democrats, that soldier is taking a shower today, surrounded by potentially gay men. Maybe they all are, maybe none of them are; maybe it's just the guy right behind him. He could ask, I guess. No, just kidding, he can't ask. And they can't tell.

Thus the United States remains in that club of nations that forbids open homosexuality and we can march proudly alonside Communist China, North Korea, Cuba, Iraq, Iran and Pakistan among others, while our sworn enemies with their degenerate armies (Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Uruguay) can swish around to their certain defeat because of the lack of Unit Cohesion.

It's great when logic trumps prejudice and fear, innit?

The Impossible Dream

Joe Miller, 'bagger candidate for Governor of Alaska, is willing to support unconstitutional practices until a completely impossible event makes them unnessesary.

KING: Now you have said you believe extending unemployment benefits and federal unemployment benefits are unconstitutional.

MILLER: Let me tell you why. The Democratic Party and even the votes that many of which Murkowski voted in support of the Democratic Party is not the answer to putting people back to work. And as long as the federal government stays on the back of the American worker by too much regulation, by creating an anti-competitive atmosphere, by taxation, we absolutely are going to maintain the unemployment benefits so that workers can continue to be where they need to be but long term there has to be a transition there, too. …

So until all laws regulating business (you know, safety things, anti-trust things, minimum wage things) are repealed, let the welfare state thrive! Presumably with borrowed money. No wonder these guys are anti government - they fear it for its powerful magic!

Someone Else's Comment of the Day

Another month, another Glenn Beck rally. This one is in Chicago and the press won't be allowed in. Prompting a Wonkette commenter to remark:

I want to believe that Beck & co. are afraid that the Media might expose their wicked lies, but I'm 99% positive they simply don't want to hand out any free tickets that would otherwise bring in $125.00 a pop.

Now THAT'S a gotcha! Let's hope Beck doesn't cancel!

I've Been Unfair to Christine O'Donnell

I'm putting words into her mouth. What does she stand for? What does SHE believe? Check out her website and get the truth from her, in her own words.

Rand Paul, the Reasonable One

Not all the tea party candidates are crazy incompetents. Rand Paul for example has yet to propose armed insurrection to solve our nations woes. And he's worried about the deficit!

A spokesman for Rand Paul, the Tea Party-backed Senate candidate in Kentucky, said Paul “will vote against and filibuster any unbalanced budget proposal in the Senate.”

What's more, he refuses to use taxes to do it!

Paul...said it would be better to pair the tax cuts with a plan to reduce spending. However, asked if he would vote to extend the tax cuts without corresponding spending cuts, Paul said, "Absolutely. The money is not the government's. It is ours."

And if anybody makes a move to change that, he'll stop 'em! Some say it's an impossible dream, but there is a way:

Discretionary spending — inclusive of defense spending — in 2010 will be about $1.4 trillion. So Paul would have to get rid of almost the entire discretionary side of the budget (which includes some veteran’s benefits, operational funding for Iraq and Afghanistan, and the Nuclear Security Administration) to achieve his goal.

The non-defense discretionary side of the budget — which is where education funding, housing assistance, FEMA, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Secret Service all reside — comes to about $530 billion, nowhere near enough to close the gap Paul wants to eliminate.

So the upshot is that Paul would have to raid the mandatory budget — which is largely composed of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security — to entirely eliminate the deficit in a single year, unless he is planning to ditch the FBI and the Secret Service overboard. And extending all of the Bush tax cuts only makes the problem worse.

Rand Paul: WHY DON'T WE LEAVE THE CRIMINALS AND MUZZIES ALONE?

Everybody Wins!

Christine O'Donnell! Carl Paladino! The Tea Party (it's not really a party) HAS WON (some primaries).  And they'll take the senate now, because Democrats aren't going to vote at all, but all Republicans love the Tea Party candidates!

Okay, almost all. Okay, some.

"O'Donnell ...enters the race against Coons as an underdog, putting GOP control of the Senate further out of reach. Former George W. Bush political adviser Karl Rove told Fox News Channel, "This is not a race we're going to be able to win."

...Her victory set off a round of accusations and fingerpointing inside and outside the GOP.

Republican Party officials who saw Castle as their only hope for winning the Delaware seat once held by Vice President Joe Biden made clear they will not provide funding for O'Donnell in the general election. The Republican state chairman, Tom Ross, has said O'Donnell "could not be elected dogcatcher," and records surfaced during the campaign showing that the IRS had once slapped a lien against her and that her house had been headed for foreclosure. She also claimed falsely to have carried two of the state's counties in a race against Biden six years ago."

CBS, which is a lot classier than me, doesn't bring up the anti-masturbation rhetoric or the fact that at 41, she still isn't married. Which means that if you're worried about your politicians being some kind of mysterious "other" maybe you don't want to pal around someone who has never had an orgasm in her life. And probably thinks you shouldn't have either. In fact, she will probably attempt to pass laws against it.



Paladino? Also doesn't have a chance, also crazy. But unlike O'Donnell, the guy Paladino bumped off the ticket didn't have a chance either.

Anyway, the point is we all win. The 'baggers get the candidates up for a vote, and the Democrats get easy-to-defeat candidates. All they have to do is QUOTE 'EM! And deep down a part of me dreads the future, because the Democrats probably will fail to do it.

Opaque Editorial Statement of the Day

Want more? Here it is.

Book Burning

I'm against it. Like I often say, I want Rush Limbaugh on the air. I want Mein Kampf  in the libraries. I want the option to reject those opinions myuself, rather than have others pre-emptively  reject them. That's why the founding fathers were so worked up about free speech.

So Pastor Terry Jones, please put the whole Koran-burning idea to bed, or move to North Korea or China or one of those countries where suppression of ideas is just dandy. Feel free to speak out against Islam all you want, just don't burn their damn books.

Apples To Apples, For A Change

As usual, I'm responding to my pals over at Where Are My Keys, who keep posting charts comparing this recession to the other post-WWII recessions. I don't think that's a good comparison. None of those recessions started with a complete credit freeze; none of them had a market crash comparable to the one we experienced the day that John McCain said "The fundamentals of the economy are sound."

In fact what this recession resembles is the Great Depression. The difference is, of course, that having gone through the first one we had a chance to apply the lessons we learned which is why we're not in a Depression now. So look at the chart above. We only have three years of data to work with (that last year isn't even complete yet, and I estimated the rate at 9.8, which will hopefully prove to be too high). You can see too things - stepping in early we appear to have dodged a bullet; and no matter how wonderful people think the economy was under Bush, unemployment was higher than during the roaring 20's when he was running things.

Also remember that the current talking point from ANY Republican you hear is that we'd be far better off if we'd done nothing. Which is exactly what they said in the thirties. As far as they're concerned the fundamentals of the economy ARE strong, which makes sense if you don't really care about unemployment. The middle class? Those people can take care of themselves.

So what I'm saying is yes, things are awful right now, and they'd have been much much worse if Republicans had been in charge.

Quote of the Week

"All you guys were doing and talking were beheadings, beheadings, beheadings," the governor said. "That is something that has stuck with you all for so long, and I just felt we needed to move on."

-Jan Brewer, explaining to the press why she won't talk so much to the press.

Climbing On A Chair and Shrieking

What do Republicans fear? They're afraid the six members of the New Black Panther Party swung the last election. They believe scientists have a liberal bias. They fear terrorist babies. They are afraid that if Gay people get married that they, too, will feel compared to marry gay people. And animals. And now, they're afraid of Satanic Death Cults.

Actor John Cusack went on a caustic Twitter rampage Sunday evening, attacking former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Fox News.

“I AM FOR A SATANIC DEATH CULT CENTER AT FOX NEWS HQ AND OUTSIDE THE OFFICES ORDICK ARMEYAND NEWT GINGRICH-and all the GOP WELFARE FREAKS,” Cusack tweeted.

...“His provocative tweets could easily incite a rabid fan to commit violent acts against Fox News Headquarters and others he names," said Dr. Carole Lieberman, a Beverly Hills-based psychiatrist and author of "Coping With Terrorism: Dreams Interrupted."

Yes, the minions of John Cusak will arise and... uh... rent office space at Fox News to operate their Satanic Death Cult! Which would implicitly threaten retired Republican operatives! SOMEHOW!

Mathematically speaking, the threat would come from a subset of people - those who are both John Cusak fans AND members of a Satanic Death Cult. And can afford office space in Manhattan.

News About Liberal News Media News

The Washington Times, a newspaper with a reputation for -- let's say it's not considered as accurate as the Washington Post, unless you're a birther -- has just been repurchased by its original owner, the Reverend Sun Myung Moon. Yeah, that guy.

What is it with the xenophobia on the right? Betwen Moon and that Saudi who owns a lion's share of Fox News, it's pretty obvious that without foreign heathens they'd be nowhere! Embrace the other!

Hey, Teacher, Leave Them Bullies Alone!

Focus on the Family: pro-life, pro-USA, pro-bully.

G.B.C.T.

Glenn Beck's 828 Restore Honor Rally was held today on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and I have to give Beck props. He promised it would not be a political event, and though I didn't get to see the whole thing, Beck's speech certainly was not. And the man is a gifted speaker, with a great voice made for drama. I wound up tweeting the whole time I watched. Sure I was snarky but not too unkind, I hope. On the whole, as I tweeted:

So far, he hasn't said anything I disagree with. 

Yes it's because he avoided specifics as much as he possibly could. The speech was a call to action without saying anything about what action it was a call for. I am serious when I say that's not a problem. Anybody can come away from that speech motivated to do what they think is right, and most people are not bad, so it's a positive. I'd much rather people decide what's right for themselves than get it from Glenn Beck.

Still, there's this.

"On his television show on August 11, Beck claimed that "what is going to happen on 8-28 will be a miracle." Beck told his viewers that he is "filled with great hope because I remember, not what I've said to you, but what I know to be true. I've said for some time now, expect miracles." He also told his listeners: "Literally, expect to see miracles. Great, powerful miracles are coming."

So I have been reading the coverage of the event and in any sense of the word, no miracles happened. There were no strange weather events, no one was saved from incurable illness, no laws of physics were violated. Zip. JoDee Messina performed, which is nice, but it's no miracle.

A handful of people will conclude that Beck was lying to sucker people into coming to the rally. Not me. Obviously Glenn Beck thinks that there were miracles that took place at the rally. Is he insane? No. He simply expresses himself in a hyperbolic way. And this is why this rally was so valuable: It is the Rosetta Stone of Glenn Beck.

It is the Glenn Beck Calibration Tool.

Look at it this way.

Glenn Beck "828 Rally = Miracle"
Most people "828 Rally = Pleasant Inoffensive Rally"
Thus Miracle = Pleasant Inoffensive Rally

Now we can decode other Beck statements, knowing that they're not the insanity that they first appeared!

"This president, ...has a deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture." ..."I'm not saying that he doesn't like white people, I'm saying he has a problem. He has a -- this guy is, I believe, a racist." = The President doesn't like a particular white guy, I think it's Hannity.

"You will have to shoot me in the forehead before you take away my gun; you will have to shoot me in the forehead before I acquiesce and be silent." = You will have to ask me to give you my gun and be quiet, and then I will.

"We are a country that is headed towards socialism, totalitarianism beyond your wildest imagination." = Rich people may have to pay Reagan-era tax rates.

Armed with this tool I may finally start watching Beck, now that I know what a pussycat he really is.

Everything You Need To Know About Glenn Beck's Event

They intend to distract you from the real Lincoln Memorial with a picture of the Lincoln Memorial. Expect America's honor to be treated the same. (picture H/T Wonkette)

Don't Make Something Out of This

Even I think that this exchange, between Sharron Angle and a talk show host, does NOT indicate a belief that there are Muslim terrorists in Congress.

MANDERS: You know I talk often about this oath that they give and it is to defend the Constitution and all that. But one of the things that is very important to me in this oath that they give is that they will defend against foreign and domestic enemies.

ANGLE: Yes. Yes.

MANDERS: We have domestic enemies. We have home-born homegrown enemies in our system. And I for one think we have some of those enemies in the walls of the Senate and the Congress.

ANGLE: Yes. I think you're right, Bill.

Wonkette is making that claim today. Of course they're snark merchants, much in the same way that Angle is.  Difference is, maniacs with rifles don't take Wonkette seriously. Still, I want to be on record as saying that she clearly wasn't suggesting that if she is elected, she'll take those people out with sniper fire. It's just rhetoric.

I Have A Dream - A Really Scary Dream

There's no way I'm attending Glenn Beck's MLK-themed rally this weekend, unless I'm sleepwalking. Still I'm glad he's having it, because it throws the racial terror of conservatives into an especially sharp relief.

Much has been made of the fact that Martin Luther King's niece Aveda King is speaking at the event. I found it telling that a caller to Stephanie Miller's show yesterday thought she was called Coretta Scott King. They all look alike? Close enough? We report, you decide.

Just a reminder that Glenn Beck is so frightened of the black man that he thinks six of them can sway an election, and he fears a black dance troupe as if they were a private army. If there are white men at the rally with rifles, the right will consider them to be exercising their constitutional rights; if black men have clubs, they'll be wrestled to the ground and taken away.

Well, here's hoping for a best-case scenario - no politics (as promised) no hate speech, and a Martin Luther King like message of acceptance and brotherhood. Anyone takin' bets?

(By the way, about those sleep disorders - I actually had #2 once and it wasn't scary. It was hot.)

The Grand Canyon

Here's the Phoenix Fox Affiliate, talking about Arizona's big primary today:

The Secretary of State's Office is expecting 20-25 percent of voters to hit the polls Tuesday.

...Political analyst Mike O'Neil has his theory. "It has been a pretty nasty campaign in some of the races. There has been fighting back and forth and it may not be clear who is telling the truth. That may induce some voters to wait until the last minute -- there may be a little bit of a surge on Election Day -- but probably the biggest factor in suppressing turnout is the fact that the big enchiladas, the gubernatorial and senatorial nominations, appear to be fixed. And those are the marquee contests that tend to bring people in to vote."

Polls show that John McCain has a big lead over JD Hayworth, and the governor's race between Jan Brewer and Terry Goddard won't be addressed until the November election.

So, mighty Tea Party, how's that mobilization going?

Context!

Ron Futrell over at Big Journalism bemoans the slow news week anniversary rememberance of Katrina. How dare they bring this up every year, he cries! Nobody is talking about the way Obama spilled all that oil in the gulf!

Ron, baby, calm down... Remember the last couple of months, when you and everybody up was calling the BP spill Obama's Katrina? What better time than now to refresh people's memories, eh?

Stewards of the Economy

Worried about your investments? Want to solve the unemployment problem? Vote Republican!



No wonder Glenn Beck keeps advising you to buy gold!

Reminds you of this guy, from July:

KING: So, It’s a combination of being against what Obama is for, and also giving certain specifics of what we are for. Having said that, I don’t think we have to lay out a complete agenda, from top to bottom, because then we would have the national mainstream media jumping on every point trying to make that a campaign issue.

And why would it become a campaign issue? Because they want things America doesn't! America, hold out for specifics. You won't get 'em, but hold out anyway.

Correction: Do You Miss Me Now Edition

Earlier in a comment, I misattributed the following quote to Barack Obama. The correct attribution is below. Keepin' It Real Yo regrets the error.

"Islam is a vibrant faith. Millions of our fellow citizens are Muslim. We respect the faith. We honor its traditions. Our enemy does not. Our enemy doesn't follow the great traditions of Islam. They've hijacked a great religion."

Remarks by President George W. Bush on U.S. Humanitarian Aid to Afghanistan
Presidential Hall, Dwight David Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Washington, D.C.
October 11, 2002

Okay, How About A Coptic Church?

H/T Wonkette for this little item, which goes back a few months but could have happened a few minutes ago.

Many protesters held American flags. Many carried signs.

"A Mosque at Ground Zero Spits on the Graves of 9/11," one placard proclaimed. Another sign depicted a toilet, with this message: "This is a Mosque. Do You Want it Built at Ground Zero?"

At one point, a portion of the crowd menacingly surrounded two Egyptian men who were speaking Arabic and were thought to be Muslims.

"Go home," several shouted from the crowd.

"Get out," others shouted.

In fact, the two men – Joseph Nassralla and Karam El Masry — were not Muslims at all. They turned out to be Egyptian Coptic Christians who work for a California-based Christian satellite TV station called "The Way." Both said they had come to protest the mosque.

"I'm a Christian," Nassralla shouted to the crowd, his eyes bulging and beads of sweat rolling down his face.

But it was no use. The protesters had become so angry at what they thought were Muslims that New York City police officers had to rush in and pull Nassralla and El Masry to safety.

"I flew nine hours in an airplane to come here," a frustrated Nassralla said afterward.

Misunderstanding aside, if we don't build SOMETHING on that smoking ruin, what do we have? A symbol of the terrorists victory over New York. I've asked WAMK, who speaks for all conservatives, to say what WOULD be appropriate to build on the site. It's clear that he either has no ideas or doesn't want to say "The Heritage Foundation" for fear that I'll ridicule him. Me, I think the RNC should put in a bid. They can own a building and rent out space to Fox News, Dr. Laura Schleshinger, and the Bush Library classified documents, which would take up most of the floors.

Oh hey, I know. A big church, and a synagogue. Something to conspicuously note the absense of a mosque. That'll send a message!

Sensitivity to Local People

Okay, the "ground zero" "mosque" shouldn't be built, not because it's illegal, not because all Muslims are terrorists, but because it offends the people. We should be sensitive, it is said, to the locals who feel strongly about the 9/11 attacks. It would upset them, regardless of the other considerations.

Isn't this an argument against Isreal?

It's Hard To Fill 3 Hours Of Radio A Day

And more to the point, why not? Did the Shinto religion bomb Pearl Harbor? Is it wrong to open Christian Churches in Poland, because Hitler was Christian?

ALL Christians Torture Heathens on the Rack

A very good reason for me to not weigh in on the "Ground Zero Mosque" controversey is I don't live in New York, and I'm not Muslim. Also come to think of it, it's a community center and not a mosque. And it's not proposed for ground zero.

So if I WERE going to weigh in about it, I'd probably say something like Eboo Patel of the Interfaith Youth Corps said on CNN.

Patel: In America, we don't tell people based on their race or religion or ethnicity that they are free in this place, but not in that place --

Lemon: [interrupting] I understand that, but there's always context, Mr. Patel . . . this is an extraordinary circumstance. You understand that this is very heated. Many people lost their loved ones on 9/11 --

Patel: Including Muslim Americans who lost their loved ones. . . .

Lemon: Consider the context here. That's what I'm talking about.

Patel: I have to tell you that this seems a little like telling black people 50 years ago: you can sit anywhere on the bus you like - just not in the front.

Lemon: I think that's apples and oranges - I don't think that black people were behind a Terrorist plot to kill people and drive planes into a building. That's a completely different circumstance.

Patel: And American Muslims were not behind the terrorist plot either.

My ex-neice is Muslim. A remarkable young woman, brave and intelligent, and like almost all Muslims, not a terrorist. I am a white male, and I've never felt the need to enslave a black man. I know a lot of Republicans, and to my knowlege none of them has ever bombed an abortion clinic.

The Museum of Tolerance has come out against this community center, prompting Peter Gross on Wait Wait Don't Tell Me this last weekend to joke that they are building a Museum of Irony across the street. Point is, if we don't behave like adults here and stop knee-jerking around with the Muslim community, we'll never get them on our side where we need them. America has enough enemies without turning our friends into them also.

You Call That A Fence?

There was a rally this weekend at the border fence in Arizona. Tea Party activists showed up and lamented the way it was so easy to get into the US from Mexico.

“Instead of finding bugs in our beds, we’re finding home invaders,” said Tony Venuti, a Tucson radio host who attached a huge sign to the fence that told immigrants to head to Los Angeles, where they will be more welcome, and even offered directions for getting there.

Addressing the crowd, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who conducts controversial sweeps in immigrant neighborhoods in Phoenix and other parts of Maricopa County, said the problem could be solved if the Border Patrol was given permission to track down migrants on the Mexican side before they crossed.

“If I had all the national TV here, I’d probably climb the fence to show you how easy it is,” Sheriff Arpaio said from the rally’s stage, a flag with the words “Don’t Tread on Me” flapping behind him.

You might ask, why hold the rally at one of the few places where there is a border fence? Isn't that bad optics? You might ask that. Go ahead. I'll wait.

Okay, here's the problem. It's not a good enough fence even! Look at it. Is this going to keep immigrants out?

Of course not! We need something more like this:

Symbol of freedom for generations: The Berlin Wall.

Just In Case This Is An Actual Democrat, I'm Against Her

Some campaigns are designed to promote political aspirations; some are performance art. Perhaps in the later category, Rachel Brown, "Democrat" for "Massachusetts' 4th District."

"I know what to do, and I’m committed to fight to save people’s lives, by stopping the Wall St. bailout, and rebuilding our economy with a future-oriented Mars colonization program, CCC-style youth training program, and Glass-Steagall reorganization of the banking system. Join with me now to remove the failed leadership in Congress, and enter a generation to bring in a new era."

And here's an interesting update, from August 10th:

"As Michelle Obama gallivants around in Spain, one thinks of a delusional monarch fritting away one's moment on stage, while her husband meanwhile grits his teeth, closes out reality, and pushes himself further onto the stakes of popular despisal on behalf of his British controllers.



...The President is a narcissist and delusional, with a mentality like that of Hitler in the bunker before the capture of Berlin, or of Emperor Nero before suicide. He will not let reality intrude into his self-centered psychotic beliefs. Although he recently admitted that the posters of him have changed, that now they have “a little mustache,” his actions have not changed. He continues to claim historic legislative victories, even as 3.18 million Americans have left the employment rolls since he took office, and our cities are literally falling apart."

There is much crazy to sink your teeth into there, but I want to call your attention to the phrase, "his British controllers." Yes, Brown is claiming that Obama is a puppet of our arch-enemies, the lobsterbacks. This notion appears to have been incubated during the BP oil spill, and backed by the rock-solid public policy strategies of Lynden LaRouche.

I just want to be on the forefront of Democrats disowning their crazies. I'm actually a registered independent though, so let me say that I'm this woman don't belong to the indpendents either.

h/t Wonkette

Schroedinger's Pineapple

Been in the break room all day - will it disappear when no one sees it, like a bowl of lemons?

Greetings Wingnuts

This will serve as a post on my own blog and Where Are My Keys, where I have won a guest-writer position through sheer mathematical chance. My suspicion is that the contest was rigged because let's face it, why guest someone who will write what you already would?

There's no point in getting into too much detail here. After all, that's what the comments section is for. I do want to point one thing out, regarding that generic candidate poll that Madeline's Dad (nice guy, had a steak with him once) keeps trotting out: a recent poll that he himself cited yesterday includes this item:

Q14 - If the candidates for President in 2012 were Basil Marceaux and Barack Obama, who would you vote for?

Basil Marceaux...21%
Barack Obama...46%
Undecided ...33%

See, a generic Republican might win, but when you throw around specific names things change. And don't go dragging those Undecideds into this - they're not likely voters, are they. And probably if they knew who Basil Marceaux was, they'd go with Obama.
Okay, onward to bigger things. Look, as hard as it is to believe, the difference between Liberals and Conservatives is fairly minute. Neither category wants to destroy America. In fact both are bent on making America a better place. Seriously. Calling the people who disagree with you on public spending policy "traitor" or "Hitler" misses the point. It's stupid when it happens at Daily Kos and it's stupid when it happens here. If I call you guys on it rather than the far-left commenters, that's because it's depressing to confront your own crazies.

And when you reject people's ideas just because they classify themselves differently, you wind up throwing out a lot of good ideas. When the Stimulus passed, it may be the first time in modern history that Republicans were almost unanimously against a middle-class tax cut.

One more thing - the Tea Party is not your friend. It's going to split your vote the way Ross Perot did in '92. Only the 'baggers could produce a candidate that makes Harry Reid look good. Beware of them. If you are them, let me encourage you to speak out. It helps the moderates decide who to vote for.

Casting a Paul on Free Speech

Rand Paul apparently did some (at least one, anyway) crazy thing in college. I haven't brought it up because that's the whole point of college, and judging people by what they did twenty years ago is just stupid.

However, putting aside Rand Paul, this should interest you.

In our conversation, she elaborated that she doesn't want her name in print because she's a clinical psychologist who works with former members of the military, some of whom are Tea Partyers, and fears that complicating Paul's Senate run could put her in danger.

This is America, and freedom of speech means the freedom to publicly disagree with someone else's speech; it doesn't mean the freedom to shut people up through the threat of violence or job loss. That's what terrorists and mobsters do. And I bet right now there a dozen 'baggers narrowing down the list of psychologists to find who this woman is, and then the intimidation will really start. I'll only be proved right if they're successful, of course. I hope I'm not proven right.

There's More To Life Than Politics

Hat tip to Comics Curmudgeon. Nothing can explain today's Mark Trail:

The President is Cheating

Noticing Sarah Palin's tweet from a couple hours ago:

SarahPalinUSA What's the plan,man? Still no Obama/Dem's formal proposal telling Americans how they'll increase taxes in 4 mos, nor what they'll do w our $

As the good folk at Crooks and Liars point out, the plan is in the president's budget, Feb 2010.

Allow the Bush Tax Cuts for Households Earning More Than $250,000 to Expire. In the last Administration, those at the very top enjoyed large tax breaks and income gains while almost everyone else struggled and real income for the middle class declined. Our Nation cannot afford to continue these tax cuts, which is why the President supports allowing those tax cuts that affect families earning more than $250,000 a year to expire and committing these resources to reducing the deficit instead. This step will have no effect on the 98 percent of all households who make less than $250,000.

It looks like Palie just failed to do research, but in truth Obama read that tweet 2 hours ago and then WENT BACK IN TIME and added the clause, in the exact same way he went back in time to falsify his birth certificate. No wonder the right fears him so!

A House Divided

As the congressional election draws nearer, more stories about the Tea Party emerge. I feel compelled up front to point out that there really is no Tea Party, just a bunch of little groups under a big banner. And therefore, you can't assume they all stand for the same things. So this account of a meeting between some members and defeated GOP candidate Bob Inglis doesn't indicate the whole Tea Party is behind this notion.

I sat down, and they said on the back of your Social Security card, there's a number. That number indicates the bank that bought you when you were born based on a projection of your life's earnings, and you are collateral. We are all collateral for the banks. I have this look like, "What the heck are you talking about?" I'm trying to hide that look and look clueless. I figured clueless was better than argumentative. So they said, "You don't know this?! You are a member of Congress, and you don't know this?!" And I said, "Please forgive me. I'm just ignorant of these things." And then of course, it turned into something about the Federal Reserve and the Bilderbergers and all that stuff. And now you have the feeling of anti-Semitism here coming in, mixing in. Wow.

The takeaway from this anecdote, as I say, is not that the Tea Party is nuts. It's that the Republican party is not nearly as well-positioned for the fall elections as they think they are. Inglis is a pretty conservative guy, and the Tea Party rep who won the primary - I can't imagine moderates voting for him, let alone Democrats. Or to be more blunt - people hate the Democrats nowadays but only the Tea Party votes for the Tea Party. The Republican voting bloc is split, and at least half of that split will dig their heels in the sand and refuse to vote rather than vote for a RINO.

I'm seeing low voter turnout and Democrats maintaining control of the houses. I know the pundits think I'm wrong on that, but pundits make money from drama.

Bikes = 1 World Government

Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Maes is warning voters that Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper's policies, particularly his efforts to boost bike riding, are "converting Denver into a United Nations community."

"This is all very well-disguised, but it will be exposed," Maes told about 50 supporters who showed up at a campaign rally last week in Centennial.

Maes said in a later interview that he once thought the mayor's efforts to promote cycling and other environmental initiatives were harmless and well-meaning. Now he realizes "that's exactly the attitude they want you to have."

"This is bigger than it looks like on the surface, and it could threaten our personal freedoms," Maes said.

He added: "These aren't just warm, fuzzy ideas from the mayor. These are very specific strategies that are dictated to us by this United Nations program that mayors have signed on to."

...Polls show that Maes, a Tea Party favorite, has pulled ahead of former Congressman Scott McInnis, the early frontrunner in the Aug. 10 primary for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. Maes acknowledged that some might find his theories "kooky," but he said there are valid reasons to be worried.

"At first, I thought, 'Gosh, public transportation, what's wrong with that, and what's wrong with people parking their cars and riding their bikes? And what's wrong with incentives for green cars?' But if you do your homework and research, you realize ICLEI is part of a greater strategy to rein in American cities under a United Nations treaty," Maes said.

He said he's worried for Denver because "Mayor Hickenlooper is one of the greatest fans of this program."

"Some would argue this document that mayors have signed is contradictory to our own Constitution," Maes said.

Next up - walking! Are the Illuminati behind it? Is exercise socialism? Some would argue yes.

MD, when this guy wins you better not be caught at the gym!

Noted For Future Reference

A federal judge in San Francisco decided today that gays and lesbians have a constitutional right to marry, striking down Proposition 8, the voter approved ballot measure that banned same-sex unions.

U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker said Proposition 8, passed by voters in November 2008, violated the federal constitutional rights of gays and lesbians to marry the partners of their choice.. His ruling is expected to be appealed to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and then up to the U.S. Supreme Court.

You know, there is a reason why it's difficult to write this law without causing constitutional trouble - it's against the constitution. I'm being premature of course - it will have to go up to the Supreme Court, and they might strike it down there or if they're weasels about it, kick it back down to the individual state level. Either way it's going to be really hard to uphold it and keep the constitution intact, 'cause the constitution don't roll like that homey.

It's President Obama's Birthday

Happy Birthday, Mr. President.

Something Else Sharron Angle Will Rather Not Discuss, When They Bring It Up

"And these programs that you mentioned -- that Obama has going with Reid and Pelosi pushing them forward -- are all entitlement programs built to make government our God. And that’s really what’s happening in this country is a violation of the First Commandment. We have become a country entrenched in idolatry, and that idolatry is the dependency upon our government. We’re supposed to depend upon God for our protection and our provision and for our daily bread, not for our government."

- 4/21/10, On TruNews Christian Radio

Why is the Government providing police and fire protection? Only GOD can save us from fire! Vote for me, I'll cut your taxes in half and your services to nothing! Oh and maybe you can take some of that money you're giving to the church and divert it to SharronAngle.com, so I can protect your church.

...And They're Not Talkin'

All right, now it's getting hilarious.

HOST: Do Republicans need to articulate what you would do in power, as opposed to simply campaigning against what the President’s done?

MCCONNELL: I think we clearly do need to make sure Americans know what we would do and we’re gonna make that announcement in late September so the voters will have an opp…

HOST: But you have an opportunity right here to spell it out.

MCCONNELL: Yeah but I think I won’t scoop myself. We’ll be making that announcement in late September.

"We have great ideas to get America out of the mess it's in! And you'll love them! And THAT'S WHY WE'RE HIDING THEM UNTIL A MONTH BEFORE THE ELECTIONS!" It's exactly the same strategy that movie studios use when they have a movie that they just know you'll love - refuse to screen it for critics before it opens.

NOW You're Talkin'

PALO ALTO (CALIFORNIA), Aug 3 (Bernama) -- Stanford engineers have figured out how to simultaneously use the light and heat of the sun to generate electricity in a way, that could make solar power production more than twice as efficient as existing methods and potentially cheap enough to compete with oil.

Stanford University news said that unlike photovoltaic technology currently used in solar panels - which becomes less efficient as the temperature rises - the new process excels at higher temperatures, Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported Tuesday.

Now obviously this isn't a solution for all locations - Seattle wouldn't be contributing too much power to the grid for example, and until we come up with better wind farms, we'd be burning a lot of fossils during winter. But imagine the boon this would be to cheap energy on the whole! Getting just a fraction of your power load from the sun would result in lower costs, less environmental damage and less financing of terrorist states. Downside anyone? Anyone?

My Friends the Originalists

Last year (c. 2003), Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) introduced a bill that would change the Constitution to allow anyone who has lived in America for at least twenty years to run for the Presidency. Earlier this year, at a meeting of the National Governor's Association in Washington, Schwarzenegger was quoted as saying, "that there's no reason why not [to allow a person with at least twenty years United States residency to run for President]."

Well, they got THAT crazy notion outta their heads pretty fast! Okay, it took about 6 years.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told The Hill on Monday that Congress “ought to take a look at” changing the 14th Amendment, which gives the children of illegal immigrants a right to U.S. citizenship.

McConnell’s statement signals growing support within the GOP for the controversial idea, which has also recently been touted by Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).

I suspect this more recent attitude towards immigrants is the closer to the real Republican position. So what made them diverge in 2004? Right, a charismatic German leader. Just sayin.

Could we possibly work within the constitution rather than try change it every time we need votes? You guys are better than that.