Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Idiot of the Day: Four Soccer Hall of Fame Members
By VictorM: Mia Hamm was elected to the American Soccer Hall Of Fame. Hamm was selected on 137 of the 141 ballots cast, setting a new high in votes received. I'm happy to see she received the highest number of votes ever but how can anyone in their right mind not vote for Mia Hamm, the greatest female soccer player of all time in the whole wide world? There is no excuse whatsoever for not voting for Mia. Whoever these four people are, they are world-class idiots.
Labels: mia hamm, soccer hall of fame
Al-Qaeda: Partying Like It's 2001
By Spencer Ackerman: [John McConnell, the new director of national intelligence] declared himself "very concerned" that al-Qaeda's presence in Pakistan presents the "most likely" gestation of the next 9/11-style attack on America. In other words, after two wars, we're in some sense right back where we were before 9/11 itself: unable to invade the territory where al-Qaeda possesses a stronghold and groping for alternatives, while the intelligence community puts out warnings about the urgency of the threat. Except this time, our entire national-security apparatus is overtaxed from the strains of two wars -- wars that were supposed to significantly diminish, if not remove, the very threat that's regaining strength.
Labels: al-qaeda, john mcconnell
A more terrifying place
By Kim Sengupta and Patrick Cockburn: An authoritative US study of terrorist attacks after the invasion in 2003 contradicts the repeated denials of George Bush and Tony Blair that the war is not to blame for an upsurge in fundamentalist violence worldwide... The new study, by Peter Bergen and Paul Cruickshank, argues that, on the contrary, "the Iraq conflict has greatly increased the spread of al-Qa'ida ideological virus, as shown by a rising number of terrorist attacks in the past three years from London to Kabul, and from Madrid to the Red Sea... Even when terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan is excluded, fatal attacks in the rest of the world have increased by more than one third."
Labels: al-qaeda, peter bergen, terrorism
Let Republicans have their war
By Atrios: Republicans want to continue the war and Democrats want to end it. It's that simple. Any other debate is about what the best method to get George Bush to end the war is. I think even now too many Democrats... are scared they're going to be painted as traitors by the wingnut noise machine. But that's about politics and strategy, not the desired result. Democrats want to end the war, Republicans want to continue it. Make it partisan. The Republicans are. Let them have their war.
Labels: atrios, democrats, Iraq war, republicans
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
My mistake will beat your mistake
By VictorM: They say confession is good for the soul. So, as far as politics go, here’s my confession: In 2000, during the vice-presidents’ debate between Dick Cheney and Joe Lieberman, I actually believed they were two sane, decent, and wise men who would make the presidency of either Gore or Bush better. Now, I dare you, double dare you, to admit to a bigger political mistake. I don’t think you can.
Labels: confession, dick cheney, joe lieberman, mistake
Democrats Back Off Opposing Iraq War
By David Sirota: The renewed refusal by Democrats to use their majority in even the most basic way to stop the war is a declaration that the new majority is not close to using even the most basic powers afforded to it to stop or slow down the war. In other words, in backing off, the Democrats have just weeks after the 2006 anti-war election mandate effectively declared themselves as supportive of the Bush administration's stay-the-course policy - a truly sickening act of cowardice.
Labels: David Sirota, democrats, Iraq war
Idiot of the Day: Joel Achenbach
By VictorM: In an opinion piece in the Washington Post commenting on the Oscar's TV show, Joel Achenbach says: "I've always hated myself for watching an entire Oscar telecast, and this morning hate myself more than usual. It's four hours of punishment." I'm so sick of stupid idiots saying this crap every year. Year after year these people say the same damn thing. Shut the hell up and stop complaining about a format that has been around for decades, has seen few tweaks, and it is what it is. Next year will be the same as this year. Plan a trip to Jamaica, jerk. The Oscar show is about glitz, fashion, some boring speeches, it lasts close to four hours, blah, blah, blah... see, I already wrote next year's Oscar show review for the Washington Post.
Labels: oscar review, oscar show
Monday, February 26, 2007
Idiot of the Day: Betty
By VictorM: In Betty's Page, a right-winger's blog, Betty is either confused or blatantly ignorant about recent history. Talking about Iraq, she asks: "[Democrats] say that our troops should just be used to train the Iraqi forces and not be used for combat. Hey, isn't that basically what Bush was doing for most of 2006 while the situation kept deteriorating and all the Democrats demanded that he alter?" The answer: No! Betty is wrong on the characterization of both the Democrats plan and what Bush was doing in 2006. I guess the people who are too idiotic to see how they screwed thing up are equally idiotic about recognizing a real solution.
Labels: democrats, idiot of the day, Iraq war
Another dagger in their heartless chest
By VictorM: TXU, the largest energy provider in Texas, agreed last night to a $45 billion buyout by a group that promises to turn the company "green". The new group will "shelve plans for eight of 11 coal-fired plants... drop plans to build new coal plants... double its spending to promote energy efficiency... and cut emissions of carbon dioxide to 1990 levels by 2020." Of course, the devil is in the details. Given their track record, it's only natural to be suspicious of energy folks, but if the deal is true and the new owners are serious about their plans this would be another dagger in the heartless chest of climate change stubborn skeptics and good news for everyone.
Labels: climate change, global warming
Olbermann: The Most Honest Man in News
By Rolling Stone: Some people call [Keith Olbermann] a smug blowhard, some call him the one true dissenter against the Bush administration. (In the new issue of Rolling Stone, we call him “The Most Honest Man in News.”) But whether you subscribe to his particular brand of angry liberal eloquence or despise it, there’s little denying the man, to borrow a line from Slim Pickens in Blazing Saddles, uses his tongue purtier than a twenty-dollar whore.
Labels: keith olbermann, rolling stone
Education: Gateway to a better life
By Bill Gates: Education has always been the gateway to a better life in this country, and our primary and secondary schools were long considered the world's best. But on an international math test in 2003, U.S. high school students ranked 24th out of 29 industrialized nations surveyed. Our schools can do better. Last year, I visited High Tech High in San Diego; it's an amazing school where educators have augmented traditional teaching methods with a rigorous, project-centered curriculum. Students there know they're expected to go on to college. This combination is working: 100 percent of High Tech High graduates are accepted into college, and 29 percent major in math or science. Contrast that with the national average of 17 percent.
Labels: bill gates, education
Sunday, February 25, 2007
"Welcome to USA": The America That I Love
By VictorM: On July 5, 2005 Maykel Galindo, a Cuban soccer player playing in a tournament in Seattle snuck out of his hotel, boarded a city bus that happened to be at the corner, and sat nervously on the bus until the last stop. Galindo was defecting. He spoke no English so he called Alex Zahajko, a high school Spanish teacher and soccer coach, the only person in the state he knew. Within minutes, Zahajko and Seattle police arrived on the scene. "When I got into the back seat of the police car, the policeman -- a very nice man I will never forget -- turned around, smiled and said, `Welcome to USA.' That was the first time I breathed a little easier, and thus began my new life.'' When I imagine that policeman's smile and greeting, that is the America that I know and love. Too bad my country's true soul is being marred by war mongers in Washington, hate mongers on radio, fear mongers in churches, misinformation mongers in newspapers, and dishonest pundits with disproportionately loud megaphones.
Labels: defection, Maykel Galindo
The "Surge" Is On For the Long Haul
By Michael Hirsh: The British are leaving, the Iraqis are failing and the Americans are staying—and we’re going to be there a lot longer than anyone in Washington is acknowledging right now... what few people seem to have noticed is that Gen. David Petraeus’s new “surge” plan is committing U.S. troops, day by day, to a much deeper and longer-term role in policing Iraq than since the earliest days of the U.S. occupation. How long must we stay under the Petraeus plan? Perhaps 10 years. At least five. In any case, long after George W. Bush has returned to Crawford, Texas, for good.
Labels: Iraq war, Michael Hirsh, occupation, petraeus, surge
Organized Soccer Hooligan Groups
By VictorM: Slowly but surely, soccer’s image in the United States is changing. Years ago, the only coverage of notice the sport got in the American press was that soccer breeds violence. This article goes into detail about the current violence in Argentine, Italy, Colombia, and other countries, and the general tone is that the “problems stem from the culture of leniency and neglect,” and that most stadiums in those countries are too old and unsafe. They detail how organized these hooligan groups are, how they export their tactics, and how they extort money from teams. But, what stood out to me was that not once was the sport itself blamed for the violence. Baby steps. Baby steps.
Labels: Argentina, barrabrava, hooligan, Italy, soccer
Saturday, February 24, 2007
The World Needs This Like Bush Needs a Stiff Drink
By VictorM: Just what the world needs: "Conservapedia. A conservative encyclopedia you can trust." And why do we need this? "Conservapedia is a much-needed alternative to Wikipedia, which is increasingly anti-Christian and anti-American... Conservapedia is an online resource and meeting place where we favor Christianity and America." Their definition of "liberal": Modern liberals are treasonous and generally hate America. The definition for "Pagan" includes: modern pagans like witches and Muslims, who do not beleive [sic] in Jesus. Yeah this is going to be interesting, and good for some laughs.
Labels: conservapedia, liberal, pagan, wikipedia
Economic Inequality Is Real: It's Good to be Rich
By statusquobuster: Rising American economic inequality has received attention by Senator Jim Webb, presidential candidate John Edwards, CNN's maverick Lou Dobbs, and others. The middle class has not shared in rising national prosperity, because the nation's wealth has been siphoned off to the richest Americans. Some elites are nervous... The power elites running and ruining our country have no interest in closing the bipartisan economic inequality gap. Want to do something? Stop voting for Democrats and Republicans that support free trade globalization and illegal immigration. Vote for anyone in favor of increasing taxes on the wealthy and eliminating corporate handouts and welfare... Stop pissing away your money on consuming more unnecessary "must have" (and probably imported) crap that keeps our debt ridden economy afloat and makes the rich richer. Start saving for that rainy day. It's coming for most of us. Because national prosperity is not personal prosperity for most of us.
Labels: free trade, illegal immigration, jim webb, john edwards, lou dobbs, middle class, prosperity
Jim Zumbo Should Go Dixie Chicks on the NRA
By VictorM: Jim Zumbo, some big time, popular outdoorsman/hunter (bullshit language for someone who kills animals for fun), writer, and TV personality criticized the use of military-style assault rifles by hunters by saying: "As hunters, we don't need to be lumped into the group of people who terrorize the world with them. . . . I'll go so far as to call them 'terrorist' rifles." Wow! As you can imagine, the NRA and all gun fanatics went off the deep end: protests, boycotts, threats, and warnings to anyone who even comes close to saying anything like that. Poor Jim apologized but to no avail. I hope that Mr. Zumbo shows some balls, backs away from his silly apology, and goes Dixie Chicks on the gun lobby and decides he's not ready to make nice. While the more rabid members won't listen, he has the reputation and following to get his message about assault-weapons to the less demented members of the gun lobby.
Labels: assault rifles, gun lobby, jim zumbo, nra, terrorist rifles
Idiot of the Day: Dick Cheney
By VictorM: Back in 1991, Dick Cheney was very much against the United States going into Baghdad, for basically the reasons that have turned the current adventure into a disaster. When asked about that, he gave this answer: "Well, I stand by what I said in ‘91. But look what’s happened since then — we had 9/11. We’ve found ourselves in a situation where what was going on in that part of the globe and the growth and development of the extremists, the al Qaeda types that are prepared to strike the United States demonstrated that we weren’t safe and secure behind our own borders. We weren’t in Iraq when we got hit on 9/11. But we got hit in ‘93 at the World Trade Center, in ‘96 at Khobar Towers, or ‘98 in the East Africa embassy bombings, 2000, the USS Cole. And of course, finally 9/11 right here at home. They continued to hit us because we didn’t respond effectively, because they believed we were weak. They believed if they killed enough Americans, they could change our policy because they did on a number of occasions. That day has passed. That all ended with 9/11." Amazing... the same old excuse that 9/11 changed everything, even if Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11 or any of the attacks he mentioned. Hell, for him to fully understand this, next time his heart gives out, the surgeons should operate on his testicles. Poetic justice.
Labels: dick cheney, idiot of the day
Friday, February 23, 2007
Dick Cheney: Amazing track record of being wrong continues
By VictorM: Dick Cheney continues to attack Nancy Pelosi saying the Democrats' policy would "validate the al-Qaeda strategy." One question: how does Dick Cheney know what al-Qaeda's strategy is? Is he trading emails from his bunker with the guys in the caves? Does he get a briefing from the terrorist group? Or he just guessing what al-Qeada's strategy might be? I think it's safe to assume he's guessing because if he KNEW we'd be doing much better against them. Based on Cheney's track record, if we simply did the opposite of what he says we should do, we'd be doing great. So, I'm taking his criticism of the Democrats' strategy for Iraq as a strong sign that it will work.
Labels: al-qaeda, democrats, dick cheney, nancy pelosi
The "Luck" of the Republicans
By VictorM: With helicopters being shot down in Iraq, a surge that's going nowhere, a trade deficit that's ever growing, deplorable conditions at Walter Reed (and so far, no one paying for it but the wounded soldiers), a most dysfunctional group of presidential candidates, the UK and other unwilling nations planning to leave Iraq, the number of those below the poverty line growing, in short, with tons of bad news, Republicans are so lucky that Britney Spears went batty and Anna Nicole Smith died; with the attention the media is giving these two non-stories, the serious stuff -- all of them Republican messes -- are getting mostly just background play. As I write this, the Washington Post, CNN, and ABCNews websites have the "dead and the ditz" stories prominently displayed on their homepages. I don't know, is it luck or friends in high places? (No, I don't mean Him, I mean corporate news heads).
Labels: anna nicole smith, britney spears, republicans
Army hospital scandal should end some careers
By S.W. Anderson: Somewhere in the Washington, D.C., area there is an Army officer who serves as the inspector general for Walter Reed Army Medical Center... If we were president, we’d call Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, with a simple direct order: “I want copies of the resignation letters or retirement papers of every one of those people on my desk by 5 p.m."... Red tape, bad attitude and worse thinking are responsible for the maddening limbo and unfit conditions many of the 700 recuperating outpatients assigned to and under the care of Walter Reed have experienced... These soldiers and their families have been let down in ways that are inexcusable at a time when they especially deserve the best care, housing and support their country can provide.
Labels: peter pace, walter reed
Prince Harry and the Bush Twins
By Sara Tenenbaum: The British Ministry of Defense has confirmed today that Prince Harry (who is third in line to the throne) will indeed serve in Iraq: His Blues and Royals regiment will serve in Iraq for six months as part of the latest deployments.... Last year, the prince said: "There's no way I'm going to put myself through Sandhurst and then sit on my arse back home while my boys are out fighting for their country." Bush twins, are you listening?
Labels: jenna bush, not jenna bush, prince harry
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Sometimes I don't think we deserve to win
By Digby, commenting on the recent Barack Obama versus Hillary Clinton spat: I don't blame Clinton for defending herself but demanding that Obama "denounce" his supporter is stupid... And Obama should know better than to use that old Lincoln bedroom trope. Does he think the right wing won't use the exact same made-up nonsense against him? Perhaps someone should tell him about how the Washington Post helped gin up that controversy on behalf of the GOP congressional scumbags, even going so far as to count Chelsea Clinton's slumber party guests in the Lincoln Bedroom controversy. Jesus. Sometimes I don't think we deserve to win. We can't seem to stop helping the other side, even when they are down and out.
Labels: Barack Obama, Digby, hillary clinton
Chlorine Gas Dirty Bombs in Iraq
By mcjoan: Another chlorine gas dirty bomb was detonated in Baghdad on Wednesday, unfortunately confirming suspicions raised on Tuesday that the chlorine gas attacks are becoming a new part of the insurgents' arsenal... While it's hard to imagine the chaos in Iraq could get any worse, it is getting worse and that trend will only continue... The debacle is only going to worsen in the coming weeks and months, and the escalation will accomplish nothing more than endangering even more American men and women's lives.
Labels: chlorine gas, dirty bomb, Iraq war
Sandy Berger's case versus Scooter Libby's
By VictorM: Some people have really a confused set of priorities. Consider this lost right-winger trying to compare Sandy Berger's case with Scooter Libby's: "A perjury trial or the theft of original classified documents from our archives that relate to 9/11....which one is more important?" Here's why he's lost. He's not honest enough to state the question properly. It should say: "A perjury trial dealing with the outing of a covert agent who was working on the nuclear capabilities of Middle-East countries or the copying of classified documents that we don't know what they were about... which one is more important? The answer is simple: This perjury trial is much more important. Remember when perjury was severe enough to impeach a sitting president over a blowjob?
Labels: perjury, sandy berger, scooter libby
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Right-wing's dishonesty with polls
By VictorM: A few days ago, the idiot of the day referred to a poll stating that 66% of Americans want to win in Iraq. I mentioned that I was surprised the number wasn't close to 100%. Now, even according to a Republican pollster, that poll was bogus: He basically says the poll's a crock. The pollster, David Johnson, the CEO of the GOP firm Strategic Vision, tells me that some of the key questions were leading and designed to elicit the answers they got. "This poll is not the quality we've come to expect from national polling firms," Johnson tells me. Not that I needed this to confirm the stupidity of the poll or the even dumber conclusions by the right-wing blogger, but it's good to have it confirmed.
Labels: idiot of the day, Iraq war, polls
Will Embarrassing the President Make Us Safer?
By VictorM: Ed Koch, the former mayor of New York City, in a piece called Will Embarrassing the President Make Us Safer?, asked: do you think that leaving a power vacuum in Iraq will make us safer? If, as a result of the power vacuum, the terrorists are emboldened and God forbid we sustain here in the U.S. civilian casualties comparable to those caused in Iraq by car bombs, will you publicly accept responsibility? First, the assumption that any action other than Bush's lack of a plan will leave a vacuum is plainly false. Second, after so many years of fighting terrorists, isn't it bothersome that we now have more terrorists to worry about than before the Iraq invasion? Are we not, in fact, creating more terrorists day by day as long as we stay? You know, the real bad guys are still out there, and they are not in Iraq! As to the question on the title of the article, the answer is YES! Let the world know that the adults are on the way and reclaiming their country back.
Labels: ed koch, safer, terrorists
Conservatism: Greed and disregard for human suffering
By VictorM: Talking about the global warming "conspiracy", right-winger Merv says: "It is time to accept that warming is something that we will all have to adapt to. The survivors will prove Darwin's thesis on the survival of the fittest." This logic is dumb and just another another example of the greed and disregard for human suffering that so characterizes the modern day conservative movement in America.
Labels: conservative, conspiracy, global warming
Idiot of the Day: Neal Boortz
By Neal Boortz: Look, Al Qaeda, they could bring in a nuke into this country and kill 100,000 people with a well-placed nuke somewhere. Ok. We would recover from that. It would be a terrible tragedy, but the teachers unions in this country can destroy a generation... They’re much more dangerous. We worry about al Qaeda and we should. But at the same time let’s not let the teachers union skate.
Labels: neil boortz, teachers unions
Hillary Starting To Sound Like George
By VictorM: It's still very early in the presidential election cycle, but never too early to pay close attention to what the candidates say. Hillary Clinton just said: “To underscore a point, some people may be running who tell you we don’t face a real threat from terrorism... I’m not one of them. We have serious enemies who want to do us serious harm.” Who was Hillary referring to? Her follow Democrats or Republicans? I don't know but I know it can't be either because not a single candidate even comes close to saying "we don't face a real threat from terrorism". So, either Hillary misspoke (not likely), or she's starting too sound to much like George, that is, making shit up! Hillary, stop that crap!
Labels: hillary clinton, making shit up
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
The Source of Your Beliefs Not Important To Me
By Atrios, on political beliefs based on religion: [Q]uestioning the sincerity of peoples' faith does anger them. On the other hand, appealing to the sincerity of their beliefs is a way of privileging them, to put them in the realm of privileged discourse, as well as removing the person's responsibility. I don't really care if the desire to discriminate against gay people, or turn the uterus into state property, is motivated by sincere religious conviction. I don't think religious conviction, sincere or otherwise, makes your beliefs somehow special. If you think your misogyny or homophobia is sanctioned by God, it doesn't make you not a misogynist or homophobe... The fact that your political beliefs are motivated by your religion doesn't make them special to me.
Labels: atrios, homophobia, misogyny, religion, religious beliefs
American Legion silent on abuse of America's veterans
By John in DC: The American Legion's Web site home page is very telling for what it doesn't say. The most prominent thing on the Web site is a statement castigating Democratic House leaders for expressing disapproval of Bush's new "surge" plan for Iraq... you'd expect the American Legion to have something to say about the fact that 600,000 veteran disability claims are backlogged and going nowhere at Walter Reed. And about the fact that our troops are routinely treated like dogs while living at Walter Reed and after they're discharged. Or about the fact that the top guy at Walter Reed in charge of helping funnel private donations to help our troops is now being investigated for wrongdoing. You'd really expect that the American Legion home page might have something to say about this gross injustice to America's war veterans. But you'd be wrong.
The Equality America Brought To Iraqi Women
By Riverbend, an Iraqi girl blogging from Baghdad: Humanitarian organizations are warning that three Iraqi women are to be executed next month. The women are Wassan Talib, Zainab Fadhil and Liqa Omar Muhammad. They are being accused of 'terrorism', i.e. having ties to the Iraqi resistance. It could mean they are relatives of people suspected of being in the resistance. Or it could mean they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. One of them gave birth in the prison. I wonder what kind of torture they've endured. Let no one say Iraqi women didn't get at least SOME equality under the American occupation- we are now equally as likely to get executed.
Labels: execution, iraqi women, riverbend
Condoleezza Rice spoke like a grown-up
By VictorM: Whether she believes her own words or not, Condoleezza Rice spoke like a grown-up: Over the weekend, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice addressed military personnel stationed in Baghdad. She told the troops that everyone — including critics of the administration’s Iraq policy — believes that “the sacrifice and the labor of our men and women here has been honorable.” She called the debate over escalation a sign of a “great democracy.” How long before a right-wing nut runs her over with his Hummer for emboldening the enemy (Democrats, Libertarians, independents, Greens, sane Republicans, and any American paying attention)?
Labels: Condoleezza Rice, hummer, iraq debate, troops
Idiot of the Day: Mark Noonan, again
By VictorM: This right-winger quotes a poll showing 66% of Americans saying they want to win in Iraq. He goes on to deride Democrats based on it, saying: "But, but, but...the American people have spoken and they voted to withdraw...which is why the Democrats are standing tall with....non-binding resolutions and slowly knifing the troops in the back." Only 66% want to win? Hell, I'd expect it to be closer to 100%. Who are the 34% that think winning is not important? Maybe right-wing nuts who want to keep the carnage going on because they like blood and guts, guns and savagery, and random bullshit acts of machismo, specially when they're not the ones doing the fighting? Let's see... 34% don't care to win... Bush's approval rating is in the low 30's... um... you do the math! In any case, we win by leaving -- that's what the 66% want!
Labels: blood and guts, idiot of the day, machismo, mark noonan, victory in iraq
Monday, February 19, 2007
Iraq is sucking just about all the oxygen
By VictorM: I often surf news sites and blogs looking for topics to address on this page. While the issues are out there, Iraq is sucking just about all the oxygen from all the events dominating the news. Washington is virtually quiet on education, economy, health care, environment, energy, crime, minimum wage, social security, prescription drugs, and many other issues that we need addressing. We’re at a stand still on those issues while the wage gap increases, the trade deficit widens, the middle-class gets squeezed, and our children's well-being lingers in the low-end of all the nations in the industrialized world. So tell me, between the people who want to leave Iraq and those who want to stay, which ones have the best interest of the country at heart? Let’s get the hell out of that place!
Labels: children, Iraq war, middle-class squeeze, minimum wage, trade deficit, wage gap
Redstate: Angry white men still furious about Vietnam
By PKinTexas, commenting on some posters in Redstate, a right-wing website: Angry white men still furious about Vietnam, and the "victory" we could have had if only we could have killed more people and devastated more of that country in the name of freedom. They just never grasp the fact that we are not (and clearly never have been) the world's grand chess master, and that no matter what lofty goal we think we're fighting for, militarism simply isn't the way to get there except in unusual circumstances (such as Yugoslavia). But those two core beliefs--that our idealism is always noble, and that our military can enforce our ideals on unwilling populations--are really hard to dislodge from the mentality of the angry white men. Faced with the failure of their grand illusions, they have to blame someone else for the appalling destruction they have wrought.
Front-row seat for Britney breakdown
By Ree Hines, about Britney Spears: We’ve seen this car crash before — successful stars who floundered while surrounded by those who won’t, or can’t tell them “no!” Did anyone ever say “Hey, Elvis you’re too fat, and maybe you shouldn’t take so many drugs”? Or, “Jacko, ease up on the plastic surgery”? If so, perhaps they were promptly fired. Are Brit’s friends, family, and handlers afraid to rein her in lest they fall off the gravy train? It’s as if no one, other than angry anonymous bloggers, is willing to say “Put on some drawers and take some parenting classes already!”... So it’s happened before, but what’s different now is that the adoring public gets a front row seat to the downfall... And, now, even when a genuine breakdown seems undeniable, everyone jumps in to enjoy it.
Labels: breakdown, britney spears
The Future of Democracy and the Rule of Law
By Joe Conason: For the first time since the resignation of Richard M. Nixon more than three decades ago, Americans have had reason to doubt the future of democracy and the rule of law in our own country. Today we live in a state of tension between the enjoyment of traditional freedoms, including the protections afforded to speech and person by the Bill of Rights, and the disturbing realization that those freedoms have been undermined and may be abrogated at any moment... As the midterm election showed, more and more Americans realize that something has gone far wrong at the highest levels of government and politics -- that Washington's one-party regime had created a daily spectacle of stunning incompetence and dishonesty.
Labels: democracy, it could happen here, joe conason, rule of law
Sunday, February 18, 2007
You Just Don’t Need That Many Words
By VictorM: Is George W. Bush the worst USA president ever? It took Rolling Stone 2000 words to say yes. The Washington Post said it with about 800 words. USA Today's Al Neuharth said it with 300 words (not bad, not bad). A diary at Dailykos covering Al Neuharth's column provoked 364 comments, some rather lengthy. This is an example of what prompted me to create this blog and limit opinions to 150 words. Folks, seriously, you just don’t need that many words to state the obvious. Let me show you: Is George W. Bush the worst USA president ever? Yes.
Labels: dailykos, George Bush, rolling stone, usa today, washington post, worst president ever
Hillary Clinton's Real Mistake
By georgia10, about Hillary Clinton's Iraq War vote: For me, the question is one of judgment. Of foresight. Of the ability to accurately weigh both current facts and future possibilities... Because even with the President's ominous speeches, even with Colin Powell wagging vials in the air, and even with the lead weight of all the bad intelligence in 2002, the scales should not have tipped toward invasion. Twenty-three Senators and 133 Congressmen voted against the Iraq War Resolution. They knew that this President could not be trusted with awesome war powers. They knew that a possible invasion would be catastrophic. They knew that pre-emptive war in the Mideast would have disastrous consequences... Clinton's weighed the evidence (as it was presented to her), but she simply did not give enough weight to the clear and disastrous consequences of an invasion of Iraq. That conclusion, that flawed analysis, is Clinton's mistake.
Labels: hillary clinton, Iraq war vote, mistake
For Warmongers Talk Is Cheap
By Glenn Greenwald: Tough-guy warmongers love to run around spewing the language of Treason against political opponents, or beating their chests and issuing calls for vastly escalated slaughter in the form of sloganeering such as "the U.S. needs to start doing what needs to be done in the Middle East." But when challenged about these views or called upon to say explicitly what they mean, they very frequently lack the courage of their convictions, fearfully running away from the clear meaning of what they said.
Labels: glenn greenwald, neocons, warmonger
Guys Are Such Vulgar Creatures
Princess, 23, from USA asks: I recently found 2 incest links bookmarked on my boyfriend of 5 month's Netscape bookmarks... Could my boyfriend have a disgusting fetish that I don't know about? And if so, how could I approach him about it without making it obvious that I didn't respect his privacy? I think I have a right to know. (Answer at Ask A Real Guy)
Labels: boyfriend, disgusting, festish, incest, sexual fantasies
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Being against them is not being against us
By VictorM: Why is it that some people cannot grasp the simple concept that if you are against leaders and their ideas, you're not against the country? Sounds something that even a child should be able to understand, yet, so many people don't. Why is that? Is it in their DNA, their upbringing, or their preponderance for being wrong? I don’t know but it's not restricted by ideology. We saw that with communists in China, Cuba, and USSR, with fascists in Italy and Spain, with Nazis in Germany, and more recently with conservatives in America. The string pullers who led these different groups had one thing in common: to muzzle criticism so they could rule unilaterally. This is not the American way. If you cave in to the temptation of being one of these people, well... *gulp* you hate America! (No you don't, you're just an idiot!)
Labels: blind follower, hate america, right-wing
Time for Libertarians To Wake Up
By Ron Chusid: For years many libertarians have concentrated on economic issues ignoring Republican views on other issues, and failing to recognize that Republican corporate welfare is a perversion of capitalism. Many are finally beginning to realize that modern conservativism is an authoritarian movement which has nothing to offer libertarians.
Labels: capitalism, conservative, libertarians
Conservative's nightmare
By VictorM: While conservatives do their darndest to find someone, anyone, with any kind of credibility to debunk global warming, Al Gore keeps on rolling over them. Gore just announced a world-wide music concert to take place on July 7, staged in seven continents, with about 100 major acts, and an expected 2 billion viewers, with one intention: to raise awareness to the impending climate crisis. So, we have Al Gore, plus all the lefty artists, plus global warming -- it's a conservative's nightmare. Well, at least, there's always the argument that the Sun rotates around the Earth -- that's right up their alley!
Labels: al gore, climate change, concert, global warming, world wide
Friday, February 16, 2007
Recovering alcoholic from Midland, Texas
By Bill Maher, talking about George Bush and the surge: The people in Iraq don't want this. The people in America don't want this. The Iraq Study Group doesn't recommend it. The Democrats are against it. Most of the people in his own party are against it, even though many of them wouldn't say so out loud. But George Bush, he knows better. That is a kind of arrogance that is very hard to swallow at this point, especially when it's costing this many lives. Even the pope -- remember he said something bad about the Muslims a few months ago? The infallible pope came out and said, "Geez, my bad. That came out wrong. I didn't mean that." Yeah, the pope can say he's sorry, but this recovering alcoholic from Midland, Texas, he can't even say he's wrong.
Labels: bill maher, George Bush, pope benedict, surge
Idiot of the Day: Danny J Norman
By VictorM: Talking about the deal with North Korea, this right-wing nut says: "As the UK's Guardian pointed out, may [sic] of us are dissastisfied [sic] with Bush playing the fool for Kim Jong Il and giving away US taxpayer money in the mean time. Now, conservatives are lashing out at Bush.... Liberals have pressed the Bush administration to engage with North Korea, is this the deal they expected?" Is it built in the DNA of these critters to accept no responsibility for their actions? Somehow, once again, Bush screws up and rather than blame him, the nut turns his ire on liberals. Idiot!
Labels: north korea, right-wing
The health insurance business racket
By Paul Krugman: Is the health insurance business a racket? Yes, literally — or so say two New York hospitals, which have filed a racketeering lawsuit against UnitedHealth Group and several of its affiliates. I don’t know how the case will turn out. But whatever happens in court, the lawsuit illustrates perfectly the dysfunctional nature of our health insurance system, a system in which resources that could have been used to pay for medical care are instead wasted in a zero-sum struggle over who ends up with the bill... The legal outcome will presumably turn on whether there was deception as well as denial — on whether it can be proved that UnitedHealth deliberately misled plan members. But it’s a fact that insurers spend a lot of money looking for ways to reject insurance claims.
Labels: health care, health insurance, paul krugman, unitedhealth
Oxymoron: Funny Conservatives
VictorM: FoxNews tried comedy with a show called The 1/2 Hour News Hour. Yeah, I know, it has as much chance of success as Rush Limbaugh has of winning the Oscar. Even this right-winger couldn't contain his disdain, saying the show "is SO not funny... Mr. Ailes, I beg you...KILL THIS SHOW". But then, he goes on to say they should have picked other hosts because "There are so many brilliant, funny conservatives." Really? Like who? Seriously, I can't think of any "brilliant funny conservative". Let's face it, if it doesn't include dead baby jokes or bodies floating in New Orleans, they ain't laughing!
Labels: conservative
Republicans do it better than Democrats
By VictorM: Republicans have, all by themselves, screwed up the Iraq war in every manner imaginable. Yet they are almost always on the offensive. If you criticize them or the war, you’re a traitor, weak, a coward, an appeaser, emboldening the enemy, siding with the terrorists, etc. Yet Barak Obama was immediately on the defensive about using the word “wasted” and Hillary is on the defensive about a vote from years ago. Seriously, why is that? What is about the dynamics between the two parties that makes Republicans so good at attacking and Democrats not? Why haven't Democrats mastered the skill of politically having their opponents on the defensive?
Labels: attack, democrats, republicans
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Student Strike Against the Iraq War
By VictorM: I learned from this website that "Following UC Santa Barbara’s call for a student strike against the war on February 15, twenty-six other schools have joined in the fun!" I don't know how many students participated, but it's about time our college and university students start doing this kind of protesting. Up to now they have been to dormant on this issue. I hope this continues and picks-up steam -- the country and the world needs it!
Labels: Iraq war, student strike, war protest
Conservative Movement: Another Flash in the Pan
By VictorM: When I see the amazing collapse of the conservative movement, and to a lesser extent, of the Republican brand, I feel a sense of déjà vu: Theory Z, New Kids on the Block, Zager and Evans (“In the Year 2525”), eight-track players, the Beta (Betamax) video format, leisure suits, the pet rock, etc. Well, you get the idea.
Labels: conservative, deja vu, republicans
Idiot of the Day: Sister Toldjah
By VictorM: There is no way of knowing how old Sister Toldjah is, but from the actual writing and lack of understanding about global warming my guess is that this right-winger is a pre-teen: "LOL! If I’m not mistaken, this has also happened to Al Gore in the last couple of years. He gave a gw speech in the middle of a really bad snow storm. Delish. This was also posted at Drudge: SAVE IT FOR A SUNNY DAY: Maryville Univ. in St. Louis area cancelling screening of Al Gore’s ‘Inconvenient Truth’ because of a snowstorm. Heh." Hey, you want to buy into ExxonMobil's talking points, fine, but even they understand that global warming produces imbalances that will result in some places getting colder and experiencing more storms. Is this person too stupid to understand that? The answer is, Yes!
Labels: conservative, exxonmobil, global warming, idiot, right-wing
How Obama May Have Saved Hillary
By Mickey Caus: An obvious point about Hillary: She's in trouble now because of her pro-war vote, and her unimpressive attempts to explain it without repudiating it. But the 2008 campaign has started so early that there's plenty of time for her to reverse field and recover. She should thank Barack Obama for forcing her to move up the start of her campaign. If it were December or even October, things might be different and she'd be in real trouble.
Labels: Barack Obama, barak obama, hillary clinton, Iraq war vote
Jews: Republicans aren't our kind of people
By Jennifer Rubin, on why few Jews vote Republican: The dustup over the location of Mitt Romney's presidential announcement — the Henry Ford Museum — may be revealing... Ford, of course, was a notorious anti-Semite... The GOP has become a rural, overwhelmingly Christian and Southern party. It is not populated by urban ethnics who, even if they aren't Jewish, understand Jews' cultural references and sensibilities... the Republicans are not just our kind of people, many Jews say. They don't sound like us, they don't talk like us and they don't understand us. Unless and until that changes, Jews likely will likely be voting overwhelmingly Democratic for years to come.
Labels: democrats, gop, jennifer rubin, jews, Mitt Romney, republicans
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Conservatives Have No Credibility on Iraq
By VictorM: Conservatives are beating the drum that debating the Iraq war will cause us to lose and that the Democrats' plan is certain to bring us defeat. I have a simple question: What credibility should we give to people who are predicting that a certain action is doomed to fail when every action they've taken has already failed? No credibility. That's the right answer.
Labels: conservative, Iraq war, right-wing
When a wingnut quotes Abraham Lincoln
By Roger Ailes: When a wingnut quotes Abraham Lincoln, the quote is almost certain to be bogus. Frank Gaffney Jnr. starts today's column in the Moonie Times with the following: "Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled, or hanged.-- President Abraham Lincoln."... But, of course, Lincoln didn't speak or write like a third-rate blogger with his pants around his ankles after watching 24. The quote is entirely fabricated, and it originated in another Moonie rag, Insight. And these morons didn't even spend the two seconds needed to confirm the quote is bogus.
Labels: right-wing
Idiot of the Day: Scared Monkeys
By VictorM: In a blatant display of indifference to the plight of others, right-winger Scared Monkeys has this to say about illegal immigrants: Sneak into the country. Get free medical care. Get free education. Work off the books, pay no taxes. Open a bank account. Don’t bounce a check for 3 month and get a credit card. Man, when I come back I want to be an illegal alien. Assuming this idiot would even have the courage to get off his ass to seek a better life, he would have have to deal everyday with the fear of being caught and deported, abused and mistreated, work below minimum wages, work in toxic and dangerous environments, with ruthless bosses who know he can't complain, and doing work that most other people don't want to do. Illegal immigration needs to be resolved but stupid idiots like this wouldn't know how to do it even if the answer bit them in their cold heart.
Labels: illegal aliens, immigration
Why I Have Doubts About Barak Obama
By VictorM: Recently Barak Obama commented on the Iraq War, saying: "We now have spent $400 billion and have seen over 3,000 lives of the bravest young Americans wasted." It didn't take long for people to jump on his use of the word "wasted". He quickly apologized saying the remark was "a slip of the tongue." See, I have a problem with him issuing an apology when one isn't required. The truth is the lives of those soldiers have been wasted! Indeed, a terrible waste of human life! Why not stick to his guns and say what he meant instead of the phony "slip of the tongue" excuse? Obama's penchant for playing the middle and trying to play nice with everyone is aggravating and frankly, I think it's going to backfire on him.
Labels: Barack Obama, barak obama, Iraq war
It Sucks To Be a British Child
By VictorM: Hey, don't look at me funny, I'm not making this up. A Unicef report placed the UK last in the survey of 21 nations, which included Europe as well as the United States, Canada and Japan. These are just some highlights (lowlights?) of the report: they are at the bottom of a table examining the physical and emotional well-being of youngsters in the world's wealthiest nations. Despite living in the fifth richest country, they experience some of the worst levels of poverty. They regard themselves as less happy, and that they drank more alcohol, took more drugs, and had more underage sex than children overseas. They were also more prone to failure at school, to experience violence and bullying while suffering a greater number of unhappy relationships with both their families and peers. Maybe this explains why Wayne Rooney is so damn cranky.
Labels: british, children, unicef, wayne rooney
Refreshing Leadership
By VictorM: The New Zealand Prime Minister, Helen Clark... set New Zealand the ambitious goal of becoming "carbon neutral" - reducing its net emissions of greenhouse gases to zero... "I believe New Zealand can aim to be the first nation to be truly sustainable across the four pillars of the economy, society, the environment and nationhood. I believe we can aspire to be carbon neutral in our economy and way of life." I have no idea if this attainable, or what record Ms. Clark has to know whether she's being realistic, but it's refreshing to see a leader layout a bold vision and set goals that demand more of us to enhance life on this planet. I can only hope that she's sincere and does her best to make this happen.
Labels: carbon neutral, greenhouse gases, helen clark, new zealand
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Iraq War: Enough Already!
By Jerry Nadler, during the Iraq debate in the House: The Iraq War is President Bush's war. The President deceived the American people and Members of Congress when he made the case for war. Every reason we were given for invading Iraq was false. Weapons of Mass Destruction? Not there. Saddam Hussein working hand-in-glove with Al Qaeda? Not true. And the more information that leaks out, the more apparent it becomes that these were not mistakes, but deliberate lies... We need to say "Enough already!" Enough with the lies, and the deceit and the evasions! Enough with the useless bloodshed.
Labels: Iraq war, jerry nadler, resolution
USA Trade deficit keeps going in the wrong direction
By VictorM: The U.S. trade deficit set a record for the fifth straight year in 2006... The Bush administration says it OK because they're opening foreign markets. In a nutshell, they're saying you have to spend more money than you make in order to make money down the road. Their logic is akin to someone who is unemployed and making no money having to spend money buying a suit and nice shoes in order to get a good job. To complete the analogy, in this case, the person is spending good money applying for a job with Enron.
Labels: trade deficit
Another defeat for prejudice and stupidity? Si! Oui! Sim!
By VictorM: Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell vetoed an English-only bill that had been passed by Metro Council. The mayor called the bill unconstitutional and mean-spirited. Kudos to the mayor for doing the right thing. These types of bills do nothing but communicate the prejudice and stupidity of those endorsing them. The English-only movement got dealt another defeat; we all win when that happens.
Labels: bill purcell, english-only, nashville
2007 MLS Season: The future getting closer
By VictorM: Major League Soccer (MLS) will kick-off its 2007 season in early April. Although the off-season is not over yet, this has been the most eventful one in league history. How so? Let me count the ways: 1) David Beckham, 2) TV deals with ESPN, FSC, Telefutura, and HDNet, 3) Toronto debuting in its own soccer stadium, 4) Colorado will open its own soccer stadium, 5) Funding approved for soccer stadium in Salt Lake City, 6) Inaugural InterLiga tournament, 7) Claudio Reyna, 8) Sale of DC United for $33 million, 9) New and committed owners in Kansas City, 10) Likely return of San Jose Earthquakes to its own soccer stadium, 11) Started construction of Red Bull Park, 12) Approval of sponsor logos on team jerseys (extra revenue). Good steps in the right direction to turn this league into a profitable league first, a development league second, and in the years ahead, a true major league.
Labels: claudio reyna, david beckham, major league soccer, mls, red bull, toronto fc
Idiot of the Day: William Kristol
By Carpetbagger Report: William Kristol, unable to defend the war in Iraq with any kind of substance, seems to have bought a one-way ticket to Limbaugh Land, where reason, facts, and common decency have lost all meaning... Kristol attacked Obama’s Iraq policy, saying [Obama] wants to appease terrorists like pro-slavery politician Stephen Douglas tried to appease slave-owners... Stephen Douglas supported the Dred Scott Supreme Court decision of 1857, and took the pro-slavery position that each territory should decide whether or not to allow slave-owning. To suggest that [Obama] would have essentially supported slavery is simply outrageous and disgusting.
Labels: Barack Obama, barak obama, slavery, william kristol
On Brands: A Note to The Religious (and The Press)
By Paperwigth: If you don't use and defend a trademark or brand, you lose it. In particular, you have to defend your brand against people using it to identify products and services that you don't provide and which may be far inferior to the products and services that you provide. This is the fundamental problem that the mainstream religious face in the United States today: they have not defended their brand, and they have lost it to the outrage pimps of Republican Fundamentalism like James Dobson, Jerry Falwell, and (most recently) William Donohue.
Labels: James Dobson, Jerry Falwell, religion, republicans, William Donohue
Monday, February 12, 2007
Congress should force the President
By Wes Clark, commenting on the non-binding Iraq resolution being discussed in the House: The purpose of any Resolution is to demonstrate strength of resistance to the President's strategy- so a non binding resolution is ok as a first step if it gets a broad measure of support. But in order to affect the president's strategy, the Democrats have to threaten something the President wants. This is what our Congressional leadership should be working on...is it confirmation of judges, approval of budget requests, supplementals, or whatever...the power of the purse, as well as the power to investigate, are essential powers of the Congress. I would like to see our top Congressional leaders go to the White House - after they've shown they have the leverage - and force the President to modify his strategy. I've pretty much explained what the strategy should be...but the key question now is, do we have the Congressional leverage?
Labels: congress, Iraq war, resolution, wes clark
Dixie Chicks: The Words That Started It All
By VictorM: So the Dixie Chicks swept the Grammies. Five nominations, five wins (plus their producer also won). Wonderful. A just reward to talented women who endured a lot in the last three years: boycotts, name calling, death threats, and being black listed by major radio networks. And as Atrios just reminded us, what was their sin? Once, at the beginning of the Iraq War, one of ladies uttered these words: Just so you know, we're ashamed the President is from Texas. That's it!
Labels: dixie chicks
Abortion law in Portugal and the fear factor
By VictorM: Because less than 50% of the voters showed up to vote on a referendum, a strict anti-abortion law in Portugal remains despite 60% of the voters choosing to relax the law. Prime Minister Jose Socrates said he will introduce legislation to change the abortion law to reflect the will of the majority of those who voted. The opposition claims that the majority who didn't vote, by doing so, expressed their desire for keeping the current law. I don't buy this conclusion at all. I'm more inclined to believe the reluctance to vote is more for fear of the church than conviction on the issue. The Prime Minister should press forward with his plan and introduce a law that reflects the will of those who voted.
Labels: abortion, catholic church, jose socrates, portugal
The Real Culprit for the Iraq War Fiasco
By TPM Reader BW: Hillary [Clinton] is right to remind Democratic Primary voters that the mistakes in Iraq belong to Bush... Focusing attention on Bush's conduct of the war, and how the conduct of the war has contributed to the hopelessness of the current situation -- there Bush's responsibility is unambiguous and unshared... The story of how Bush conducted the war, and how that conduct led to the on-going fiasco and catastrophe, which is Iraq, is the story ALL Democrats should be telling, over and over, until nothing else can be heard in this country, and the U.S. gets out, out, out.
Labels: democrats, George Bush, hillary clinton, Iraq war
God Forbid Rove's Son Did an Honest Day's Work
By VictorM: I'm surprised by the reaction to White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove comments about immigrants when he said: "I don't want my 17-year-old son to have to pick tomatoes or make beds in Las Vegas." I never had any doubt that the Republicans want cheap labor in this country. Their big fuss about illegal immigration was just for show to cater to the prejudices of their followers. Rove's admission can only be a shock to the idiots who make-up the 30% who still support Bush and of course, to the corporate media who are acting like this was some big secret.
Labels: carl rove, immigration
Answers in Genesis Brainwash Children
By RenaRF, commenting on the documentary Friends of God: Groups like AiG [Answers in Genesis] are out there actively training children to discount science. Tens of thousands of them, according to the documentary. And these kids are being trained (brainwashed?) at a young age. Many will undoubtedly carry this crippled, dogmatic view of the Bible as an absolute reference forward with them as they mature. And in that, their path as Christians will be crippled as will their path as informed human beings and members of society. We surely haven't seen the last of the evolution "debate". In fact, I would guess that what we've seen thus far is only the first warning rumblings of a Bizarro-world fight yet to be waged in the future.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Victory Is Not an Option
By William E. Odom, (select quotes from his opinion article about the Iraq war): "the president's policy is based on illusions, not realities."... "to expect any Iraqi leader who can hold his country together to be pro-American, or to share American goals, is to abandon common sense."... "We are now fighting to prevent what our invasion made inevitable!"... "One of the president's initial war aims, the creation of a democracy in Iraq, ensured increased Iranian influence, both in Iraq and the region."... "it was the U.S. invasion that opened Iraq's doors to al-Qaeda. The longer U.S. forces have remained there, the stronger al-Qaeda has become."... "If Congress cannot act, it, too, will live in infamy."
Labels: congress, Iraq war, opinion, william odom
John Howard's Attack on Obama and Democrats
By VictorM: John Howard, Australia's Prime Minister said: "If I was running al-Qaeda in Iraq, I would... pray, as many times as possible, for a victory not only for [US Senator] Obama, but also for the Democrats." Besides being highly innapropriate for a foreign leader to take sides with a political party in another country, this is just another sign that Mr. Howard comes from the same stock as Mr. Bush. In 2004 Americans blew their chance to remove one of these two war mongers from power; I hope Australians exercise better judgment and give Mr. Howard the boot.
Labels: al-qaeda, australia, Barack Obama, barak obama, democrats, Iraq war, john howard
Happy Darwin Day
VictorM: On Monday, more than 850 events around the globe will mark Darwin Day, the 198th anniversary of the evolutionary theorist's birth. It's fitting that this day gain more attention world-wide -- Charles Darwin freed humanity from the shackles of ignorance. Given his contributions, and that of many other scientists, we should celebrate their achievements. I just fear one thing: that soon we'll be manipulated to start the tradition of giving each other flasks, microscopes, fossils, and other such paraphernalia.
Labels: charles darwin, evolution
A Warning or Nostalgia?
By VictorM: Russian Dictator President Vladimir Putin said that "Washington's unilateral, militaristic approach had made the world a more dangerous place than at any time during the Cold War." This just proves that sometimes, even bad guys can say things that are so true. It's also true that Mr. Putin has been an accomplice of the current American government in making the world less safe. Let's face it, the Cold War was good business for men like Mr. Putin. Maybe his comments are more a sign of nostalgia than a warning.
Labels: cold war, vladimir putin
This is how you counter-attack
By VictorM: For the last few days, right-wingers try to portrait Speaker Pelosi as a spoiled traveler looking for excessive air travel arrangements. That story has been totally debunked. But it doesn't end here. Now, Rep. John Murtha, D-Pennsylvania... said "he's requested from the Defense Department records on travel and logistics from the past two years. He asked the Defense Department to hand those over within a month." OK, time to go straight at the accusers and their behind-the-scenes manipulators and find out who really has abused their privileges. Democrats with a fighting back spirit -- how refreshing.
Labels: john murtha, nancy pelosi
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Murder by Spreadsheet
By nyceve: Yes, in the richest country on the planet, many American citizens who are denied medication or a medical device or what-have-you by a for-profit insurance company, are forced to beg for their lives. What makes this particular story so terribly scary is the person quite literally begging for her life, has health insurance. Can anybody say, Murder by Spreadsheet?
(VictorM's comment: I'm always concerned that these types of stories may be scams. I'm personally convinced this one is legit because of the people involved. I visited the site and donated. If you can afford it, I hope you visit and donate as well.)
(VictorM's comment: I'm always concerned that these types of stories may be scams. I'm personally convinced this one is legit because of the people involved. I visited the site and donated. If you can afford it, I hope you visit and donate as well.)
Labels: health care, health insurance
O'Rilley: Being Raped is Fun
By VictorM: Shawn Hornback was kidnapped at age 11 and found by police at age 15. Prosecutors say that the kidnapper raped the boy repeatedly for the first month of his captivity. And at least once a month thereafter. Bill O'Rilley said the boy could have escaped but didn't because he was having fun. Oddly enough, Bill O'Rilley was to be a speaker at a National Center for Missing Children event. Enough people protested O'Rilley's appearance that the National Center issued a statement: "In response to the numerous e-mails and inquiries we have received, we are providing the following update... Bill O’Reilly, host of The O’Reilly Factor, will not be a speaker at the dinner." Strike one for the good guys!
Labels: bill o'reilly, missing children, rape, shawn hornback
Pre-9/11 thinking
By Mark Kleiman: Nancy Pelosi's handling of the military-aircraft question has been thoroughly irresponsible. She has recklessly allowed security considerations to override appearances. That's pre-9/11 thinking. Post 9/11, we have learned from the Decider that PR is more important than reality. Making it harder for terrorists to take out the third-in-succession for the Presidency pales in importance compared to scoring political points.
Labels: mark kleiman, nancy pelosi
Friday, February 09, 2007
They see it as not bad news
By VictorM: John Edwards hired two bloggers who have said things in the past that right-wingers and religious fanatics aren't happy about. Some of those things were stupid and, if they were aiming for humor, not funny. But this remark by a conservative nut puts things in perspective: Edwards keeps bloggers? Sounds like it... It appears that Edwards has caved to his Nutrootian base, which isn’t bad news for us. See, things are so bad in right-winger land that this is about the only not bad news they've seen in a while. Maybe, just maybe, their 15 minutes of "fame" is up because they're so goddamn petty.
Labels: conservative, john edwards, right-wing
The Perfect Fantasy Woman
By VictorM: When news of Anna Nicole Smith’s death buzzed around the office, one guy said “good riddance”. I didn’t see it that way. Granted, she wasn’t exactly a good role model for young women but for me, when she first came on the scene with her Playboy layout she was one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen. She wasn’t the kind of girl you’d want to take to meet mom, but that was part of her appeal – she was wild, fun, rebellious, and amazingly gorgeous! She was the perfect fantasy woman, the one you want to get away with for a while, but not for a lifetime. In a relative sense, her life was as brief as the fantasy.
Labels: anna nicole smith
Cooking the Intelligence
By Kevin Drum: You remember all that, um, stuff created by Doug Feith's private intelligence shop in the Pentagon back in 2002 and 2003? You know, the stuff about how Saddam Hussein had close ties to Al Qaeda and possessed an enormous arsenal of chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons? The stuff that helped justify a catastrophic preventive war that's still raging four years later?... Today, Feith tells us what it actually was: "This was not "alternative intelligence assessment." It was from the start a criticism of the consensus of the intelligence community, and in presenting it I was not endorsing its substance." He didn't actually believe any of that stuff. He was just passing it along for giggles. Please make it stop. Please?
Labels: doug feith, intelligence, kevin drum, pentagon
A Sad Display by Mexico's Soccer Team
By VictorM: The United States beat Mexico 2-0 fair and square. Oh, sure, luck was involved and during most stretches if the match Mexico played better and created more chances. But in the end, they lost yet again to a team that was younger and less experienced. I can understand their frustration but there is no excuse for not shaking hands with the American players after the game. This showed a terrible lack of class and was a pathetic display by the team and their management. They are going to have to get used to the idea of losing to the United States -- it's going to happen very frequently.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Dick Cheney and the Astronaut
By VictorM: I'm sure by now you're heard about astronaut Lisa Nowak. Her obsession with a romantic rival led her to drive 950 miles to allegedly kill her. Obsession can be a weird thing, something that can lead otherwise lucid and intelligent people to do very dumb and mean things. You know, just like Dick Cheney's obsession with Joe Wilson.
Labels: astronaut, dick cheney, Lisa Nowak, obsession
Nancy Pelosi's air travels
By Joe in DC, commenting on the false reports that Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked for a bigger plane for herself and her staff: In the past two days, 11 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq. That's news. But the GOP and the Pentagon don't want to talk about the disaster their incompetence has created in Iraq. If the GOP and the Pentagon want to talk about aircraft, let's talk about aircraft - how about all the helicopters being shot down in Iraq? No, we can't talk about that - that's real news. They'd rather manufacture scandals about nothing, then disseminate it through the GOP's all-too-willing allies in the press who fall for it again, and again, and again.
Labels: media, nancy pelosi, republicans
FDA OKs First Nonprescription Diet Pill
By VictorM: The FDA approved Xenical, the first over-the-counter weight loss pill. Studies show that "When taken with meals the drug... blocks the absorption of about one-quarter of any fat consumed. That fat... is passed out of the body in stools, which can be loose as a result. About half of patients in trials experienced gastrointestinal side effects." Now, I'll bet you a dozen donuts and three Big Macs that despite the warning that dieting and exercise needs to be part of a weight loss program, far too many people will see this pill as a way to just eat more.
Labels: diet pill, weight loss, xenical
The Tragedy of Ted Haggard
By Andrew Sullivan: He previously said he'd struggled with his sexual orientation his entire life; now, he's "completely heterosexual." He is now claiming his sole sexual outlet was the one prostitute, Mike Jones. And yet he is being treated for "sexual addiction." Er: adultery with one other partner is not sexual addiction. Let's put it this way: even the quacks behind reparative therapy for homosexuals do not believe a few weeks of therapy will do the trick.
Labels: andrew sullivan, homosexuality, ted haggard
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
A Soccer "War" Between Neighbors
By VictorM: The United States plays Mexico tonight in what is called a "friendly" game. But the rivalry between the two teams is so intense that there is nothing friendly about it (on ESPN2 at 9:00 PM ET). Fans and players have helped fan the fire of this intense rivalry. In 2003, during a tournament in Mexico, fans greeted the U.S. team with chants of "Osama, Osama." A television crew filmed forward Landon Donovan, the marquee player for the U.S. squad today, urinate on a Guadalajara, Mexico, field after a practice. Donovan later said, "I don't regret it. You gotta go, you gotta go." That's the spirit Donovan! 62,000 passionate fans in Arizona, a sell-out crowd, the world's most popular sport, two teams aiming to get ugly -- this ain't no sissy purple rain stuff! Bring it on!
Labels: arizona, mexico, soccer, usa
Weed Them Out
By san antone rose: "New Zealand doctors have warned children that jumping for joy can hurt them... Doctors... have called for restrictions on trampoline sales because of the rising number of children being injured while jumping on them." I say give all kids one of those old rectangular trampolines, remove the padding and a few springs, and let these pussies weed themselves out. Our gene pool deserves it.
Labels: injury, kids, new zealand, trampoline
Valerie Plame: The Case of the Missing Media
By Eric Boehlert: "As the facts of the White House cover-up now tumble out into open court, it's important to remember that if it hadn't been for Patrick Fitzgerald's work, there's little doubt the Plame story would have simply faded into oblivion like so many other disturbing suggestions of Bush administration misdeeds. And it would have faded away because lots of high-profile journalists at The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time, and NBC wanted it to."
Labels: media, patrick fitzgerald, valerie plame
Costly Amphibious System Not Meeting Expectations
By VictorM: Does this look like wise investment of your tax dollars? "After 10 years and $1.7 billion, this is what the Marines Corps got for its investment in a new amphibious vehicle: A craft that breaks down about an average of once every 4 1/2 hours, leaks and sometimes veers off course. And for that, the contractor, General Dynamics of Falls Church, received $80 million in bonuses." Funny, some people go apeshit over a poor soul somewhere getting a Welfare check he doesn't deserve, but turn a blind eye to cases like this.
Labels: military complex, welfare
Gays Can Be "Cured"
Hey, all you have to do is want to believe. Details at Religion Today.
Labels: homosexuality, religion, ted haggard
Giuliani: To the left of a good number of Democrats
By Josh Marshall, commenting on Rudy Giuliani's candidacy for president: [Dick Morris says:] "Conversations with conservative activists also show a remarkable openness to supporting Giuliani - a belief that he can overcome (perhaps finesse) his pro-choice, pro-gun-control, pro-gay-rights and pro-immigration positions." Let's be frank. On most or all of these issues, Giuliani is to the left of a good number of Democrats outside the northeast and the west coast.
Basically, for social conservatives, Giuliani is way on the wrong side of every signature, litmus issue. But there's a "remarkable openness." How about remarkably desperate? They just don't have anybody in this race at the moment that's catching any kind of fire in the nomination process and has any chance in a general.
Basically, for social conservatives, Giuliani is way on the wrong side of every signature, litmus issue. But there's a "remarkable openness." How about remarkably desperate? They just don't have anybody in this race at the moment that's catching any kind of fire in the nomination process and has any chance in a general.
Labels: democrats, republicans, rudy giuliani
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Republicans Own It
By VictorM: All Senate Republicans voted not to debate the Iraq War as part of a non-binding resolution. Good. There should be no debate – Republicans own this disaster all to themselves, including the latest escalation, and that’s the way it should stay until 2008. I just hope Democrats have the balls to remind voters of this.
Labels: democrats, Iraq war, republicans, senate
Teen Pregnancy Rates Hit All-Time Low
By VictorM: The teen pregnancy rate in the United States is at a 65 year low. One expert said: "This shows, maybe, that we're educating the public better, providing better health care, better contraception, better contraceptive choices for teens." Imagine how much better we could do if instead of spending our time, energy, and money fighting the lost cause of trying to ban abortions we instead dedicated our efforts to more sex education, birth control, and abstinence.
Labels: birth control
Another Mission Accomplished?
By VictorM: While some of us see this as a problem, I wonder if conservatives are preparing the next "Mission Accomplished" banner: "Currently, 38 million Americans live below the poverty line, which the federal government defines as an annual income of $20,000 or less for a family of four. But for the first time in history, more of America's poor are living in the suburbs than the cities—1.2 million more, according to a 2005 survey."
Labels: conservative, mission accomplished, poverty
Monday, February 05, 2007
Bush Outreach: Words But Not Deeds
By VictorM: In the Washington Post, Dan Froomkin says: "President Bush was self-deprecating but unapologetic during his Friday visit to a gathering of House Democrats -- a delicate combination, even for him, and the latest example of his willingness to reach out to Democrats in words, but not in deeds." The truth is that referring to the Democratic party as the "Democrat party" was no accident or mangling of the English language, as Mr. Bush suggested. The man was just being a prick, as usual.
Labels: democrats, George Bush
It's not over till Bush goes home for good
By matt: It appears that Bush is trying to kill two birds with one stone: begin the process of gutting Social Security while at the same time sacrificing the future retirement security of the poorest working Americans in an attempt to stimulate spending now with the refunded taxes. It’s comforting to hear that Congressional Democrats describe this plan as “dead on arrival,” but this and Bush’s executive order governing agency regulations certainly are warning shots to anyone who thinks that Bush is a lame duck with two years left.
Labels: congress, democrats, George Bush, social security
Conservative Thinking and Global Warming
By VictorM: This is another example of conservative thinking: It's 14 degrees F (-10C) in the Washington, DC area -- this proves Global Warming is a hoax. Think I'm exaggerating? Read this.
Labels: climate change, conservative, global warming
Simple Question, Simple Answer: Just say No
By VictorM: The Bush administration will ask Congress for another $100 billion for military and diplomatic operations in Iraq and Afghanistan this year and seek $145 billion for 2008. The answer should be No!
Labels: congress, funding, Iraq, war
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Dick Armey: Admitting to a major mistake
By Dick Armey, addressing his vote for the resolution to go to war with Iraq: The resolution was a resolution that authorized the president to take that action if he deemed it necessary. Had I been more true to myself and the principles I believed in at the time, I would have openly opposed the whole adventure vocally and aggressively. I had a tough time reconciling doing that against the duties of majority leader in the House. I would have served myself and my party and my country better, though, had I done so.
Labels: dick armey, Iraq war
Cheney's Fingerprint?
By Dan Froomkin: The revelation... that Scooter Libby acknowledged in November 2003 that he and Vice President Cheney may have talked in July about whether to tell reporters that Valerie Plame worked at the CIA further bolsters the theory that Cheney may be the prime force behind this whole sordid tale.
Labels: dick cheney, scooter libby, valerie plame
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Where Congress Can Draw the Line
By James Fallows: War with Iran would be a catastrophe that would make us look back fondly on the minor inconvenience of being bogged down in Iraq. While the Congress flounders about what, exactly, it can do about Iraq, it can do something useful, while it still matters, in making clear that it will authorize no money and provide no endorsement for military action against Iran.
Labels: congress, iran, james fallows
Something they just don't get
By VictorM: Talking about Molly Ivins, Mr. Dean (no, not the smart one) said: "She also had a tough life in a lot of ways, usually undeservedly so, which probably fed a lot of the anger that so obviously fueled most of her work." Why is it that anytime someone speaks their mind and confronts those in power right-wingers term it "anger"? I know, I know... being a right-winger is a character flaw so we shouldn't expect them to understand. OK, OK... consider that a rhetorical question.
Labels: molly ivins
Friday, February 02, 2007
Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Join us in our forum for a discussion on the Aqua Teen Hunger Force and the scare in Boston. Who's to blame? Did Boston officials overreact?
Labels: aqua teen hunger force, boston
Who Made Baby Jesus Cry?
By VictorM: Call me what you will, but I don't buy this story of a statue of the baby Jesus crying tears. One woman who apparently witnessed the event said: "Everybody took out their cell phones, some of them have cameras. For me, it was a very special day. I feel like God is telling us he is alive." Sounds to me like another case of some perfectly good explanation that people just choose to ignore.
Labels: Jesus Christ, religion, tears
Grotesque lie that should lead to impeachment
By Cenk Uygur: [The Bush administration] repeatedly insinuated and outright claimed that Iraq was complicit in the attacks against us on 9/11. That is a grotesque lie. Imagine if Roosevelt had lied about who attacked us at Pearl Harbor and brought us to war with China instead of Japan. Would that not be an impeachable offense?
Labels: impeachment
The Battle of Baghdad
By Kevin Drum: Muqtada al-Sadr's militia has so thoroughly infiltrated the Iraqi army and police force that they're the ones who mostly benefit from our training ... You know, everything I've heard suggests that Gen. David Petraeus is a terrific officer in all respects. And yet, there's something that's been niggling in the back of my mind for a while: namely that in August 2004, when al-Sadr was hatching this plan, Petraeus was the guy in charge of creating and overseeing the training program for the Iraqi army and police. In other words, he was the guy who was being suckered. Now he's in charge of the whole operation. Is anybody else bothered by this?
Labels: baghdad, Iraq war, kevin drum, petraeus
Irony Is Not Dead
By The Heretik: A big duh: “The fact is that income inequality is real -- it’s been rising for more than 25 years,” Bush said in an address on Wall Street. “The reason is clear: We have an economy that increasingly rewards education and skills because of that education.” Bush left out the part where inherited wealth and easy name-dropping dropped a fortune in his pocket several times over.... Bush may think he can rewrite history late in his term. His will be a legacy of not caring at all.
Labels: George Bush, wall street
Courtney Love's typing skills
By VictorM: There was a rumor that Courtney Love would replace Paula Abdul as a judge in American Idol. The rumor was denied by Courtney on her website: "i woul dnever ever do that, ive never watche dthat show except once with my daughter i went to the final night, I couldnt even get ON that show nor would i wantt o and no offense to anyone who has been on that show and wantsto be on that show- i have no interest at this point in my life, im interested in putting this record out- doing films and doiung rock shows this summer and being on the road, and thats what i shall do." Um... she must be a woman in a hurry.
Labels: american idol, courtney love, paula abdul
Inviting carnage on the United States of America
By Joe in DC: Tony Snow's exact quote today (as quoted on CNN), presumably referring to the various resolutions being debated in the Senate about the Bush/McCain escalation plan for Iraq: "Osama bin Laden thought that a lack of American resolve was a key reason why he could inspire people to come after us on September 11th. I am not accusing members of the Senate of inviting carnage on the United States of America. I'm simply saying you think about what impact it may have"... Bush's war in Iraq has been a failure. Bush's war against terror has been a failure. Bush's presidency has been a failure. The fact that Tony Snow can even invoke Bin Laden just sums it all up.
Labels: Osama bin Laden, tony snow
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Will delays better lies make?
By VictorM: The Bush administration has postponed plans to offer public details of its charges of Iranian meddling inside Iraq amid internal divisions over the strength of the evidence, U.S. officials said. Sounds like they don't have all their lies in a row.
Spiraling Into War with Islam
By Zbigniew Brzezinski: If the United States continues to be bogged down in a protracted bloody involvement in Iraq, the final destination on this downhill track is likely to be a head-on conflict with Iran and with much of the world of Islam at large. A plausible scenario for a military collision with Iran involves Iraqi failure to meet the benchmarks; followed by accusations of Iranian responsibility for the failure; then by some provocation in Iraq or a terrorist act in the U.S. blamed on Iran; culminating in a "defensive" U.S. military action against Iran that plunges a lonely America into a spreading and deepening quagmire eventually ranging across Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
Mary Tyler "Molly" Ivins (August 30, 1944 – January 31, 2007)
By wmtriallawyer: Molly was one of the "regular people." That's what made her special. You couldn't peg Molly as someone with an elite background, despite the fact she had a top-notch education. I suppose that's what infuriated her detractors so much. Her writing came from the heart, and it was directed at the soul of Texas and America.Labels: molly ivins
Reflection on the future
By Mad Kossack: The truth about the deceit that led to the war in Iraq, the attempts to dismantle the Constitution, the attempts to normalize torture and kidnapping and imprisonment without trial--- all of this must be displayed for the world to see, and for children studying the history of their country to pore over in their history books.The people who did this to our country must be shown to be the shameful bastards that they are. They should be beyond 'rehabilitating' themselves into future Republican administrations. That has been allowed in the past and led to the travesties we witness now.
Labels: conservative, republicans
Idiot of the Day: Mark Noonan
By VictorM: The few still fighting global warming aren't going down easy. This idiot had this to say: As I've been saying for about ten years now - if the world is warming and if human agency is the cause, then the proposed solutions won't fix the problem. You see, even if we grant that global warming is caused directly by greedy Americans - on purpose because Haliburton has a plan to sell us all gas-guzzling air conditioners - no one is actually proposing a solution to the problem. There are proposals to gut America's economy. Labels: conservative, global warming
South Dakota to tackle abortion ban again
By Jessica: South Dakota is at it again. A new abortion ban bill is expected to be revealed today at the state Capitol--and this time around it will have exceptions for rape, incest and the health of the woman. (So generous, I know.)... this is going to mean a change of fighting words on our part. After all, a lot of what pro-choicers talked about when trying to defeat the last ban was the lack of exceptions...Labels: abortion, feminism, sexism, south dakota
