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Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Who gets their attention
By VictorM: A poll on USA Today showed that 13% of those interviewed had never heard of Nancy Pelosi. 10% had never heard of Rudolph Giuliani. Those numbers by themselves didn’t surprise me too much. But when compared to the next set of numbers, I just have to shake my head in disgust: people who have never heard of Donald Trump and Rosie O’Donnell – 1%.Labels: donald trump, nancy pelosi, Rosie O'Donnell, rudy giuliani
More on the missing "ic"
By assyrian64: When a Republican says "Democrat party" this, on an unconscious level, I think, immediately communicates a negative, Tom Delay view of the Democratic Party. The correct phrase "Democratic Party", on the contrary, brings up, on an unconscious level, positive things such as FDR, the New Deal, JFK, etc. Today's Republican leaders are failures at governance, but masters of advertising and propaganda. They are currently unpopular because the terrifying reality they have created has exceeded their talents at misinformation.Labels: democrats, politics, republicans
Muslims and Sharia Law
By Vox: Perhaps the Bush administration should have considered the following before deciding that democratization and exposure to Western culture would be sufficient to deradicalize Muslims in Iraq: Forty per cent of Muslims between the ages of 16 and 24 said they would prefer to live under sharia law in Britain, a legal system based on the teachings of the Koran. The figure among over-55s, in contrast, was only 17 per cent. If the British experience is any guide, then the American occupation can be expected to make things worse in Iraq.Labels: Iraq war, muslim, sharia law
The Return of the Mommy Party
By Vanessa: The New York Times has a piece today on how women seeking high political positions are playing up their motherhood for more votes. (And that the strategy is a good one.) For a long time women seeking high office, particularly executive office, were advised to play down their softer, domestic side, and play up their strength and qualifications. Relax, ladies! Now that you’ve proved yourself worthy, you can be your natural, nurturing selves again!Labels: femenism, politics, sexism
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Idiot of the Day: Mike Gallagher
By VictorM: This right-wing nut prefers another terrorist attack on America rather than allow its citizens to exercise their first amendment right: Unless we speak out against the Jane Fondas and Tim Robbins and Sean "Spiccoli" Penn of the world, we will deserve them... Seeing Jane Fonda Saturday was enough to make me wish the unthinkable: it will take another terror attack on American soil in order to render these left-leaning crazies irrelevant again. What a pathetic, hateful idiot.Labels: conservative, jane fonda, right-wing
Scooter Libby Trial: The leak
By macmcd: I keep recalling how long it took for people to wake up during the Watergate investigation. But once started, the destruction of the wall of silence seemed like a dam that had sprung a leak. I have the feeling that the Libby trial is the "leak" that will begin a flow that will seem like Niagra Falls before it is over. I cannot imagine that all of the people in the Bush administration agree with what has been going on and that others won't be so afraid of being prosecuted that they are already talking. I think that Ari mentioned having had that feeling and he is probably the tip of the iceberg. It is my belief (hope/prayer) that the rush of legal/political actions against these criminals will be breath-taking as a result of the information coming out in this trial.Labels: scooter libby
Paris Hilton Private Files
By VictorM: It appears that because of a failed payment of $208.00, a stash of Paris Hilton’s private files (medical records, diaries, sex tapes, nude pictures) were auctioned off and the winners of the auction created a website offering a peek at all that stuff for $40.00. Paris Hilton is now suing them to shut down the site. Well, this strikes me as a very sleazy deal by whomever is doing it -- even a public nuisance like her deserves privacy -- but I can’t get too upset about it. This is a perfect case of karma: sleaze begets sleaze.Labels: paris hilton
Australians to drink sewage water
By VictorM: This bit of news from Autralia: CANBERRA, Australia Jan 29, 2007 (AP)— An Australian state plans to introduce recycled sewage to its drinking water as a record drought threatens water supplies around the nation, a state leader said Monday. Well, we know how it feels, after all, we've been drinking their Fosters beer.
Hillary's evil men
By VictorM: During a town hall meeting, Mrs. Clinton repeated a question that was asked of her. "What in my background equips me to deal with evil and bad men?" And then she paused, seemingly for comedic effect. The crowd howled with laughter. Now, there seems to be a bit of hoopla over who she meant. Get real people. It was a funny moment, but some are trying to read too much into it. Who did she mean to call evil men? Seems she had no one in particular in mind, but I'll tell you this: if you're one of the people insisting she meant something sinister, look in the mirror, I nominate you.Labels: hillary clinton
Monday, January 29, 2007
Idiot of the Day: Republicanpundit
By VictorM: Republicanpundit has his own take on the recently reported attack by American troops. The report this bozo quotes says: U.S. and Iraqi forces killed some 250 gunmen from an apocalyptic Muslim cult on Sunday in a battle involving U.S. tanks and aircraft near the Shi’ite holy city of Najaf.... yet, he twice refers to the gunmen as "terrorists" and adds: If this is a sign that we are finally taking off the gloves and killing the terrorists by the minute, then I am officially signing on for the “Surge”. Well, the gunmen might have been terrorists, but they might have been insurgents wanting to liberate their country from an invasion. It takes the mind of an idiot to make the leap from "gunmen" to "terrorists". It takes an even bigger idiot to believe the number killed without further corroboration.Labels: conservative, Iraq war
Torn between two lovers
Amber asks: My best friend of 5 years is engaged to marry her boyfriend of 4 years. She says she loves him dearly and cannot imagine the rest of her life without him... At the same time - she is also with another man anytime she is not with her fiance. They go out on dates, they have sex, they do the sweet sappy love letters and text messages to each other... What is a best friend to do? (Answer at Ask A Real Girl)
Hillary, it won't be that easy
By VictorM: To date, Hillary Clinton's answer to how she feels about her vote to authorise military action against Iraq is to say: "I've taken responsibility for my vote. But there are no do-overs in life. I wish there were. I acted on the best judgment I had at the time." Well, as far as politicians' answers go, that's a good one. But Mrs. Clinton isn't going to get away with that answer for the next two years. At some point, she's going to have to face that issue head-on instead of with clever deflections. After all, who wants another president who won't admit to mistakes? Come on Mrs. Clinton, get real -- admit you made a mistake!Labels: hillary clinton
The Con Against Solar Panels
By san antone rose: Hubby and I were talking about energy today, as we usually do every time we fill up one of the vehicles, and were wondering why it isn't already a requirement for all new housing to incorporate solar panels on the roof. Wouldn't this be a viable alternative to supplement our increasing electronic appetites rather than building those fucking coal plants in South Texas? Oh wait. Then no one would make money off the solar panels once they're installed. Gotta sell 'em the razor, then sell 'em the blades. Something as simple as mandated solar panels for all new construction projects simply. wouldn't. fly. It would be un-American is what that'd be! Capitalist bastards.Labels: energy, solar panels
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Idiot of the Day: Michelle Malkin
By VictorM: Ring-wing blogger Michelle Malkin visited Iraq and "left Iraq with unexpected hope and resolve." Using her approach, I must signal to the world that there is zero crime rate in Brazil. See, I vacationed in that country for two weeks and I saw not one single crime. Not one! None. Therefore, the crime rate in Brazil is zero. That's right-wing lunatic logic for you.Labels: Iraq, michelle malkin
Bush's Health Care Plan Real Purpose
By wayward: The purpose of Bush's proposal is to divide the health care "haves" from the health care "have-nots". It's "class warfare" with a twist. If Bush can convince the uninsured that the real problem is the well insured, then nothing has to be done about health care. Of course, having been born with a silver Labels: health care
Jessica and Gene up a tree
Jessica asks: I can tell he really cares about me, the problem is we haven't talked about "us". So the other night I brought it up and asked him what I was to him. His answer was you're Jessica and I'm Gene. I don't know if he didn't understand the question or simply trying to avoid it... As a guy what do you think is going on in his head? Do you think he still thinks of me as a friend or that he really does love me? (Answer at Ask A Real Guy)Labels: commitment
It's Time to Grow Some Balls
By VictorM: During the anti-war march in Washington, DC yesterday, the dominant theme, besides bringing the troops home, was the push to have Congress assert its authority to control the purse and consequently shut down the funding for this criminal war in Iraq. According to a Newsweek poll “Congress is criticized by nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of Americans for not being assertive enough in challenging the Bush administration’s conduct of the war.” Undoubtedly, right-wing crybabies will try to blame Congress for losing the Iraq war, but come on, let’s face it, who cares what these people have to say anymore? This Democratic-controlled Congress better grow some balls and do what the American people demand.Labels: congress, democrats, Iraq war
Scientist Slams Australia Climate Policy
By Australian scientist Tim Flannery, whom Prime Minister John Howard officially named as Australian of the year: There's no doubt this government has been dragging the chain... I've said in the past that Australia has been the worst of the worst in terms of addressing climate change, but I'm hopeful that we'll see... some movement... Hard steps are now required where a decade ago we may have been able to take smaller and easier ones... We need to get the polluter to pay, and once that happens if the price is right we'll start seeing investments in a new energy economy.Labels: australia, global warming, tim flannery
Saturday, January 27, 2007
This is what democracy looks like
Feels Like the 60's!
By VictorM: There will be an anti-Iraq war march today in Washington, DC starting at 11:00 (assembly and rally), followed by the march at 1:00 PM. Visit the United for Peace website for more details. I'll see you there and I'll bring back some pictures!Labels: Iraq war, peace march, united for peace
Bush Administraton Has Done 'Far Greater Damage' Than Nixon
By Carl Bernstein: In the current administration we have seen from the President down -- especially Vice President Cheney, Attorney General Gonzales, Condoleeza Rice, Donald Rumsfeld -- a willingness to ignore the great constitutional history of the United States -- to suspend, really, many of the constitutional guarantees that have made us a nation apart, with real freedoms unknown elsewhere, unrestricted by short-term political objectives of our leaders. Then there are the Geneva conventions: Who would have dreamed that, in our lifetime, our leaders would permit their flagrant abuse, would authorize torture, 'renditions' to foreign-torture chambers, suspension of habeus corpus, illegal surveillance of our own citizens.... But perhaps worst, has been the lying and mendacity of the president and his men and women--in the reasons they cited for going to war, their conduct of the war, their attempts to smear their political opponents.Labels: Carl Bernstein, George Bush
Idiot of the Day: Bill O'Reilly
By Media Matters: Last June, Fox News' Bill O'Reilly said that if conditions in Iraq hadn't approved by the end of 2006, he'd want to see the withdrawal of U.S. troops. With that deadline having come and gone, O'Reilly now wants six more months: "O'Reilly declared that the Iraqis have 'six months and that's it' to 'stop killing each other.' Newsday columnist Ellis Henican pointed out that O'Reilly 'said that 18 months ago, and 12 months ago ... and six months ago,' adding, '[Y]ou keep pushing the goalposts further back.' ... O'Reilly replied: 'And I do. And I do push it back because it's that important.'"Labels: bill o'reilly
Friday, January 26, 2007
Stubborn-in-chief
By VictorM: President Bush had this to say about those lawmakers who disapprove of his plan to escalate the war in Iraq: “They have an obligation and a serious responsibility therefore to put up their own plan as to what would work.” They have, Mr. president, they have. You just won't listen! You continue to do the same thing over and over, expecting different results.Labels: Iraq war
Republicans: From Riches to Rags
By Kevin Drum: Aside from the obvious fact that Democrats are hungrier than Republicans because they've been out of office since 2000, the Republican field is remarkably weak this cycle. Compared to Democrats, who have half a dozen genuinely strong contenders, John McCain is really the only high-profile candidate they've got, and even he's hardly setting the world on fire. It's pretty amazing, really. From being on top of the world a mere two years ago, Republicans are having trouble just treading water these days.Labels: democrats, john mccain, republicans
USA: Indebted Up to Its Eyeballs
By bonddad: President Bush is going to make a "state of the economy speech" sometime over the next week. Well, I'm going to beat him to the punch because that's the kind of guy I am. I will stipulate the following: the GDP numbers are pretty good and unemployment is low. However, there is a big problem that overhangs the entire economy. Debt. The US economy is built on debt, especially during this expansion. The problem with debt is simple; borrowers have to pay it back. That time is coming. And when it starts to hit, debt payments will act as a drag on overall GDP growth.Labels: economy, national debt
Your Laugh for the Day
By VictorM: Conservative blogger Gina Cobb provides the laughs as she writes about president Bush's State of the Union speech. I kid you not, she is serious: What we have here -- and we will miss it when it is gone -- is a president whose kindness is not rationed out in proportion to the decency of his rivals. In his prepared speeches, he makes a conscious choice to speak as kindly of his rivals as is humanly possible. His graciousness is more noticeable when the vitriol from his rivals reaches its apex -- or at a time when his approval rating seems to be in free fall. What we have here is a decent man who takes the dignity and responsibility of the presidency seriously. HAHAHA... you crack me up, Gina!Labels: conservative, George Bush
They are still out there
By JoieDe, disagreeing with the proposition that the far-right movement is dead: The religious right is still out there, awaiting the end times... the end of abortion, the end of contraception, the end of homosexuality, the end of non-born-agains. Reason doesn't enter into their world, and "persecution" just makes their faith stronger.Labels: christian right
Forty three rotten people
By VictorM: Around 80% of the American people support a minimum wage increase. The House just recently passed a minimum wage bill by a very wide margin. In the Senate, 43 rotten people felt the need to deny the American people what it so strongly favors. Those 43 Senators have one thing in common: they are all Republicans. When the 2008 elections come around remember that John McCain, who has consistently voted against a minimum wage, is among them.Labels: john mccain, minimum wage, republicans
Thursday, January 25, 2007
One of the signs of Jesus Christ's imminent return
By VictorM: In this story about showing the documentary An Inconvenient Truth in public schools, Frosty E. Hardiman, a parent of seven wrote in an e-mail to the Federal Way School Board: "No you will not teach or show that propagandist Al Gore video to my child, blaming our nation -- the greatest nation ever to exist on this planet -- for global warming"... This guy is an evangelical Christian who believes that a warming planet is "one of the signs" of Jesus Christ's imminent return for Judgment Day. We cannot and must not be tolerant of religious fanatics whose views are sure to have such dire consequences to each and everyone of us.Labels: al gore, global warming, inconvenient truth, religion
He just can't help being a jerk
By VictorM: At the start of his State of the Union Address, president Bush congratulated the 'Democrat majority' -- a term most Democrats take as an insult. The prepared remarks say "Democratic majority". It's obvious that the petulant, petty, and sore-loser attributes of Mr. Bush's personality took the best of him when delivering the speech. Or, most likely, he was just being himself.Labels: democrats, George Bush
Bush's Baby Einstein Gaffe
By Timothy Noah, referring to Bush's choice to pay a tribute to Julie Aigner-Clark, founder of the Baby Einstein Co.,: In May, a child-advocacy nonprofit filed a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission about Aigner-Clark's creation, alleging that claims made on the videos' behalf... are deceptive and false. Filed with the complaint were letters of support from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. "The reality," wrote the American Academy of Pediatrics, "is that parents play the videos to give themselves some time to do other household chores, like cooking dinner or doing laundry. However, they shouldn't be led to believe that it helps their baby." There's a sucker born every minute, but only a select few get to be president of the United States.Labels: baby einstein, George Bush
George Bush Health Care Plan
By Paul Krugman: In the name of consumer-directed health care theory, Bush is proposing changes that would essentially encourage people to move into the individual market -- which wastes a lot of money, and doesn't and can't work for those most in need -- while undermining the employer-based system, which isn't wonderful but is still essential. In particular, healthy high-income people would be encouraged to drop out of employment-based plans, leaving behind a sicker risk pool, driving up rates, and pushing employer-based care in the direction of an adverse selection death spiral. The plan... doesn't sound big enough to have catastrophic effects, but it's a step in the wrong direction.Labels: George Bush, health care, paul krugman
Iraq: Democrats vs Republicans
By Kos: It's frustrating that despite the lessons of history and the GOP's own actions, so many Democrats are still afraid to actually lead on Iraq. They couch their "opposition" to Iraq in so many layers of caveats and rhetorical fluff that clarity and force of conviction are sacrificed. Take a look at how Webb did it: "[Democrats] might bring the war in Iraq to a proper conclusion that will also allow us to continue to fight the war against international terrorism, and to address other strategic concerns that our country faces around the world." See, it's that easy. The contradiction between the parties is stark -- one wants to end the war in Iraq and focus on truly battling international terrorism, the other doesn't. We want out, they want to escalate.Labels: democrats, Iraq war, republicans, webb
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
You hit us, we hit you back
By Thers: I'm watching McCauliff (Now HRClinton's campaign committee manager) on the Daily Show, and he's telling Stewart "hit us, hit Hillary, we'll hit back harder." I like it -- mostly. I wish our elections would be decided rationally, on issues, but they aren't. But if the Dem candidates have learned at long last to be feisty, hell, it's about goddamn time.Labels: daily show, democrats, hillary clinton, politics
Simple Question, Simple Answer
By VictorM: On his right-wing blog, Jules Crittenden, asks: Psychopaths are out there trying to kill Americans. That’s the Number One issue. What is the Democratic Congress going to do about it? Um... they might do what Bush hasn't: hunt them down and kill them without killing thousands of innocent Iraqis and diverting billions of our dollars to their friends!Labels: conservative, democrats, Iraq war, liberal
Idiot of the Day: The Bug Man
By VictorM: This is pretty funny, when you consider the source: The Democrats are not off to a great start; they have installed dictatorial rule in the House by shutting down debate, they are showing themselves for what they truly are: the tax and spend liberals of the 1970s. Who said that? Tom Delay.
Husband looking at porn
Julie, 23, from Michigan asks: I got married almost a year ago now and I love my husband to death. The problem is that I found out lately that he is looking at porn all the time. This really bothers me and I told him but he basically told me to "grow up" and that it wasn't a big deal. He doesn't understand (or seem to care) what a big deal I think this is. What can I do about it? Or am I overreacting? (Answer at Ask A Real Guy)
Clearing the decks?
By Will Bunch: MSNBC just went all "Breaking News" on us on the Scooter Libby trial, and it seems that whatever you thought about Vice President's Dick Cheney's role in the CIA leak case, it's much worse than you thought... With this news, we would have to speculate that the impeachment of Dick Cheney in the new Democratic House is a very, very real possibility. There are significant pros and cons, politically, but it may prove an effective way to keep the White House in check without tearing the nation apart. Perhaps this explains the Negroponte/Condoleezza Rice manuevers, to clear the decks for a new VP.Labels: dick cheney, scooter libby
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Bush at 28% approval
By VictorM: In its latest poll, CBS has president Bush with 28% approval rating. When I read that number, two thoughts came to mind: One, who the hell are these 28% and what the heck are they thinking? Two, how many of the remaining 72% think this president cares about this number? Because whoever thinks he does is wrong. You have to be a person with feelings, integrity, and pride to care. In this regard, this president is 0 for 3.Labels: George Bush, polls
I am pro-choice because...
By Jill (follow Jill's link for many more reasons): I am pro-choice because it’s the pro-choice movement that has advocated for policies which actually decrease the need for abortion, and which make it easier for women to have children: comprehensive sexual health education, affordable and accessible contraception (including emergency contraception), pre-natal and well-baby care, social support for pregnant women and women with children, affordable child care, fair pay for working women, supporting pregnant girls, and gender equality. Comparatively, the “pro-life” movement* has no interest in actually lowering the abortion rate; their ultimate goal is sexual control of women, evidenced by their opposition to contraception and their belief that there is only one singular way to live: abstain from sex until heterosexual marriage, and then have as many children as God gives you.Labels: abortion, pro-choice
Monday, January 22, 2007
Senators' bluntness: About time!
By VictorM: It's refreshing to see some blunt and wholly justified language coming from some members of the Senate. This from Jay Rockefeller talking about president Bush: "I don’t think he understands the world... I don’t think he’s particularly curious about the world. I don’t think he reads like he says he does... Every time he’s read something he tells you about it, I think." Senator Joe Biden gave his opinion about vice-president Dick Cheney. He said Vice President Dick Cheney was absolutely wrong in suggesting that a resolution against the war would "embolden our enemy." "Every single person out there that is of any consequence knows the vice president doesn't know what he's talking about. I can't be more blunt than that... He is yet to be right one single time on Iraq."Labels: dick cheney, George Bush, jay rockefeller, joe biden
Health Care: Puny Little Proposal
By Kevin Drum: Apparently the big new healthcare proposal in Tuesday's State of the Union address is going to be a tax increase aimed at (some) people who already have employer-provided health insurance combined with a tax deduction aimed at (some) people who have to buy individual health insurance. Yippee... The amazing thing about this isn't whether it's a good idea or not. It's the fact that healthcare is supposed to be one of the big issues in this year's [State of the Union address] but this puny little proposal is all Bush has to offer. To call it laughable would be giving it too much credit.Labels: health care, state of the union
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Idiot of the Day: Dinesh D’Souza
By Alan Wolfe, commenting on Dinesh D’Souza's book The Enemy at Home: Like his hero Joe McCarthy, he has no sense of shame. He is a childish thinker and writer tackling subjects about which he knows little to make arguments that reek of political extremism. His book is a national disgrace, a sorry example of a publishing culture more concerned with the sensational than the sensible. People on the left, especially those who have been subjects of D’Souza’s previous books, will shrug their shoulders at his latest screed. I look forward to the reaction from decent conservatives and Republicans who will, if they have any sense of honor, distance themselves, quickly and cleanly, from the Rishwain research scholar at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.Labels: conservative
Stupidy in action
By VictorM: Salon.com reports that: "A segment on global warming on the January 17 edition of Fox News' Your World featured on-screen graphics that read: "Global Warming?" and "Nation in a Deep Freeze: What Global Warming?" Host Neil Cavuto began the segment by noting freezing temperatures in Texas, Arizona, and California and asking if these temperatures were "[p]roof that all this hype over global warming could be just that -- hype?" There really is nothing else to say about these types of comments but to call them for what they are: sheer stupidity!Labels: climate change, fox news, global warming, neil cavuto, stupidity
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Wiretap jurisdiction: where it should have been all along?
By Rick Moran: I’m not sure whether this is an huge change in policy or whether the media is spinning it that way, but the controversial NSA intercept program has now been placed under the jurisdiction of the FISA Court.... The question screaming to be answered is: if it is possible to do today, why didn't the administration come up with this "innovative" arrangement with the FISA court from the beginning?... The Administration has just admitted that what it had been doing for 5 years was either illegal, unconstitutional, or both. How this will play out over the next several months as Democrats begin sharpening the long knives and begin their investigations in earnest will determine the fate of the President.Labels: eavesdropping, fisa, nsa, wiretap
Rascals in our midst
By Cenk Uygur: Justice is too important to be left to the American justice system. The people who believe these things - Dick Cheney, Scooter Libby, David Addington, John Bolton, etc. - are profoundly un-American.... I think it's fair to say these ideologues hate the idea of America. They are not for an open society with fair rules that trusts its citizens to be fair and to police themselves. They have never believed in the American experiment.... It appears now that the great American system is beginning to strike back. We have arisen from our slumber and find rascals in our mi