Monday, April 30, 2007
Abortion and Prohibition: A Lesson From History
By VictorM: Atrios says:As I've long said, ultimately the country is very pro-choice-for-me-but-not-for-thee. People assume that they, personally, will be able to make sensible reproductive and health decisions with their doctors, but are "uncomfortable" with the thought of other people making decisions they don't approve of and therefore there's more support for chipping away at these things around the edges. People fail to understand that such things have the potential to affect them personally, and fail to understand that Judge Santorum or someone will be intervening in their private medical decisions.I don't think it's going to sink into the American conscience that easily. Americans need to be shocked with the reality of seeing innocent white girls from "good" neighborhoods and "good" families being arrested and piped in living color into our living rooms for it to sink in that it could happen to anyone.
Ultimately, brave people are going to have to stand up and start talking about their personal experiences with these things in a way which communicates "this could happen to you" to people.
There was a time when "righteous" people won out and the law of the land made consumption of alcohol illegal. After several years, that law was repealed. That topic is not even discussed anymore. Yet, alcohol is responsible for tens of thousands of deaths in our highways and it destroys a massive number of families. But society decided that those consequences were worth having for the right to choose. Lifting Prohibition forced no one to drink; it merely let citizens choose. The rest of us who could die getting hit by a drunk driver have accepted that as a worthy risk. Despite the grim numbers associated with alcohol deaths or illnesses, there is virtually no movement to bring back Prohibition. The same may need to happen with abortion.
It will take repeated cases of 13 year old girls getting raped, coerced, used, and abused by older boys, teachers, uncles, even fathers or brothers, and then thrown in jail for an act of desperation, shown in living color on all the networks -- oh they will compete ferociously for the most sensational stories -- to show the true consequences of a society gone medieval.
If they treat abortion as murder, then, and only then, will a majority recognize that every single woman who has a miscarriage will be suspected of murder. Either by action of an overzealous district attorney - and there are plenty of those - or by accusation of a malicious neighbor, a rejected former boyfriend, or simply the opinion of a doctor, every woman who miscarriages not only will have to deal with the trauma of losing the fetus, but will have to be questioned by the police. Did she miscarriage because she went horseback riding after the doctor told her not to go? Negligent homicide! Did she have sex after the doctor told her she shouldn't? Negligent homicide! Did she exercise more strenuously than the doctor said? Negligent homicide! Did she once, out of desperation, while carrying groceries say, "I wish I wasn't pregnant"? Will that constitute the basis for suspicion by her born-again Christian neighbor that her miscarriage was really an abortion, and therefore murder?Many females would suffer if abortion become illegal, but history shows us that in most struggles for justice and fairness, there have been heavy prices paid. We need to do all we can to make sure it doesn't get to this, but sadly, it may have to happen before American society finds resolution on abortion.
Tags: abortion, abortion is murder, illegal abortion,
Idiot of the Day: Don Larsen
By VictorM: Don Larsen is a Republican from Utah. Several people actually should be included with him as idiots, but I don't want to call all Utah County Republicans idiots. In fairness, most were gone at the end of their convention when debate on Satan's influence on illegal immigrants came up. And some spoke openly against this idea. But that this topic was even on the agenda is reflective of the current Republican party:In a speech at the convention, Larsen told those gathered that illegal immigrants "hate American people" and "are determined to destroy this country, and there is nothing they won't do."A little over the line of reasonableness, wouldn't you say? It actually takes quite a bit of effort to be this stupid.
Illegal aliens are in control of the media, and working in tandem with Democrats, are trying to "destroy Christian America" and replace it with "a godless new world order -- and that is not extremism, that is fact," Larsen said.
At the end of his speech, Larsen began to cry, saying illegal immigrants were trying to bring about the destruction of the U.S. "by self invasion."
Tags: don larsen, idiot of the day, illegal immigrants, control of the media,
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Max Cleland Speaks the Truth
By Max Cleland, addressing General Petraeus request for more patience, more time for the surge strategy to work in Iraq:This is the fifth year of this war. As a matter of fact, next Tuesday is the anniversary of President Bush standing up on an aircraft carrier, playing dress-up with his flight suit, which he never wore in combat, trying to be the war hero he never was, and saying major combat over, mission accomplished. And later on he said, "Bring 'em on." Well, they came on, surprise, surprise. Have killed over 3,300 young Americans and wounded over 30,000, and over half a million Iraqis have died.
I don't want that kind of patience. It's five years into this thing now. It's time to end it, and it's time to move on and worry about al Qaeda. That's the real threat to this country.
Tags: max cleland, surge strategy, David Petraeus, more time in iraq, iraq war
And the scandals just keep on coming
By VictorM: Still about 28% support the Bush administration. How many more examples of wrong-doing, lies, callousness, hypocrisy, and corruption must come out?We now have yet another Bush administration official resigning because his name was on a list of an escort service he used repeatedly:
Randall Tobias, a former chairman of Eli Lilly and Company of Indianapolis, has resigned as head of the Bush administration's foreign aid programs. According to two people in a position to know the circumstances of his departure, Tobias's name surfaced in an investigation into a high-priced call-girl ring.Now Mr. Tobias claims that sex was not involved. Sounds like the initial defense offered by Mr. Haggard. Not only are these people creeps, but they're lousy liars too.
But the story doesn't appear to be ending there. According to Brian Ross of ABC news:
the list includes the names of some "very prominent people," as well as a number of women with "important and serious jobs" who had worked as escorts for the firm.Get ready to hear a lot of "I didn't have sexual relations with that... high priced call-girl" statements.
Tags: call girls, Randall Tobias, escort service, another scandal
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Goodbye, Baghdad
By Riverbend, a female blogger from Baghdad:I remember Baghdad before the war -- one could live anywhere. We didn't know what our neighbors were -- we didn't care. No one asked about religion or sect. No one bothered with what was considered a trivial topic: are you Sunni or Shia? You only asked something like that if you were uncouth and backward. Our lives revolve around it now. Our existence depends on hiding it or highlighting it -- depending on the group of masked men who stop you or raid your home in the middle of the night.
On a personal note, we've finally decided to leave... So we've been busy. Busy trying to decide what part of our lives to leave behind. Which memories are dispensable?... We don't know if whatever we leave, including the house, will be available when and if we come back. There are moments when the injustice of having to leave your country, simply because an imbecile got it into his head to invade it, is overwhelming.
Tags: riverbend, baghdad before the war, leaving baghdad
Idiot of the Day: Fox News
By VictorM: The creeps at Fox News network were so eager to report a nutty story that they didn't bother to properly check its origin. Think Progress has the details:On Tuesday, Fox News morning show “Fox & Friends” aired at least eight segments on a purported “news” story that was actually a parody article written by a publication similar to The Onion.
The backstory: Last week in the town of Lewiston, Maine, a group of Somalian Muslim middle school students were the subject of a cruel prank when their peers placed a ham steak next to them in order to personally offend the students...
This actual story was then spoofed by a parody site called Associated Content, which made up quotes and details, such as the school’s intention to “create an anti-ham ‘response plan.’”
Follow the link to the Think Progress post to see the video of the Fox News idiots talking about this story. The one guy at the end of the video says: "I hope we're not being duped." No, you weren't; you duped yourselves!
Tags: idiot of the day, fox news, fox and friends, somalian muslim, ham prank
Friday, April 27, 2007
Advice for right-winger dads
By VictorM: I travel the country quite a bit for my job. Eat out a lot, stay a hotels, rent cars, and go to the movies quite a bit. Based on my observations, and assuming that right-winger dads love their children and want what’s best for them, I have one piece of advice: ensure that your children learn Spanish.PS. The advice is for right-winger dads because if you’re a right-winger wife, do you really have a say in anything? Yo penso que non.
Tags: right-winger dad, right-winger mom, advice for children
Time for Oprah to shame them in front of America
By Jonathan Schwarz: On the Bill Moyers documentary last night, he pointed out that Oprah Winfrey did a show about Iraq on October 9, 2002. Her two guests were Judith Miller and Kenneth Pollack.... Has she had them back on to explain how they got things so completely wrong? No. That's interesting, because when James Frey turned out to have made things up for his book A Million Little Pieces, she made him come back on so she could shame him in front of America.Tags: Bill Moyers, Oprah Winfrey, Judith Miller, Kenneth Pollack, James Frey, Iraq War
Idiot of the Day: Confederate Yankee
By VictorM: Right-wingers continue to demonstrate that although they may profess to love America, they despise most Americans. In poll after poll, the American people are with the Democrats on the Iraq war issue, and agree with Senator Reid's assessment that the Iraq war is lost. But idiotic right-wingers continue their idiotic stance that we should fight for a lost cause and continue a criminal war:I was brought up believing that the United States was a champion for liberty and freedom around the world. Today's Democrats obviously disagree, and instead, advocate a disasterous failed state, potential regional war, and possible genocide.These are amazing predictions from people who said we'd be greeted as liberators, the insurgency was in the last throes, and the surge would work. People with such a bad track record should concentrate on attacking Rosie O'Donnell and leave matters of world importance to the grown-ups.
Tags: idiot of the day, confederate yankee, right-winger, harry reid, iraq war
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Republicans: Terrible on Terrorism
By VictorM: Rudy Giuliani's recently stated that if a Democrat is elected president in 2008, America will be at risk for another terrorist attack on the scale of Sept. 11, 2001, further saying:If any Republican is elected president —- and I think obviously I would be the best at this —- we will remain on offense and will anticipate what [the terrorists] will do and try to stop them before they do it.OK, mister wrong-breath, let's take a stroll down Reality Lane and look at the largest terrorist attacks on America:
April 18, 1983 (president: Republican)
Sixty three people, including the CIA's Middle East Director, are killed and 120 injured in a 400 lb. suicide truck bomb attack on the US Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon. The driver is killed. Responsibility is claimed by Islamic Jihad.
October 23, 1983 (president: Republican)
Simultaneous suicide truck bombs on American and French compounds in Beirut, Lebanon. A 12,000 lb bomb destroys a US Marine Corps base killing two hundred and forty one Americans; another fifty eight Frenchmen are killed when a 400 lb device destroys one of their bases. Islamic Jihad claims responsibility.
April 12, 1984 (president: Republican)
Eighteen US servicemen killed and eighty three people injured in bomb attack on restaurant near USAF base in Torrejon, Spain.
September 20, 1984 (president: Republican)
Suicide bomb attack on US Embassy in East Beirut kills twenty three people and injures twenty one others.
December 21, 1988 (president: Republican)
Pan Am Boeing 747 blown up over Lockerbie, Scotland, by a bomb believed to have been placed on the aircraft at Frankfurt Airport, Germany. All 259 people on the aircraft were killed by the blast.
September 11, 2001 (president: Republican)
Two hijacked airliners crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center. Soon thereafter, the Pentagon was struck by a third hijacked plane. A fourth hijacked plane, suspected to be bound for a high-profile target in Washington, crashed into a field in southern Pennsylvania. More than 3,000 U.S. citizens and other nationals were killed.
The question I'd like to see Democrats pose: If Rudy Giuliani, a Republican mayor working with a Republican president couldn't even protect the bottom tip of the island of Manhattan, how can he protect the rest of the country?
We have been attacked during both Democratic and Republican leaderships, but clearly we've been hit more often and much harder during Republican leaderships.
Tags: rudy giuliani, terrorism, terrorist attacks,
Idiot of the Day: Ace
By VictorM: This goes beyond idiotic. It's hard to imagine anyone being wired to be this dysfunctional and hateful. Somehow Rosie O'Donnell has become a great Satan to these people. Someone must have sent out a memo and now they all fall in line: It's amazing to me that Rosie O'Donnell could hate America so much. She's a big fat ugly (not even cute-fat, but just ugly-fat) stupid lesbian without a lick of talent and yet she's a millionaire.Vicious little pest. How's that for a representative sample of right-wing lunacy? They are coming apart at the seams, these folks.
Tags: Rosie O'Donnell, idiot of the day, right-wing lunacy
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Rahm Emanuel's Hall of Shame
By Rahm Emanuel, on the Bush Administration corruption:The Administration would like the press and public to believe all of this corruption and cronyism consists of isolated instances and one-offs. But I ask you:
Michael Brown. Scooter Libby. Bernard Kerik. Halliburton. Philip Cooney. David Safavian. Lurita Doan. Matteo Fontana. Sue Ellen Wooldridge. Steven Griles. Alberto Gonzales. FEMA. Iraq intelligence. Iraq reconstruction.
This Hall of Shame is no accident and these are not isolated incidences. It’s a pattern of political appointees who put partisan interests ahead of country – and were told to do so.
The good news is that this pattern of putting party first and country second has been brought into the light of day and can no longer be explained away as the product of errors or lapses in judgment by individuals. The implausible excuses are piling up, the explanations becoming harder and harder to believe and the truth more difficult to obscure. Americans now know that we are witnessing much more than just incompetent individuals at work. We are watching corruption in action.
[VictorM's comment: read Rahm Emanuel's full speech. It's a great collection of all the shameful things this administration has been part of. The list of bad deeds, the names, the dates, and the specifics is startling. It's a great reference for when discussing the most corrupt administration ever.]Tags: rahm emanuel, Bush administration, republican corruption
Idiot of the Day: Laura Bush
By VictorM: I try to keep to one Idiot of the Day per day but the political scene in the Unites States is fertile territory, specially with right-winger, conservative, Republican, christian-right, and neocon critters coming apart at the seams over their failed version of a new world.I also try not to pick on the spouses or children of elected officials, but Laura Bush's comment on the Today Show cannot stand without mention. Here' what Laura Bush said about the Iraq war:
no one suffers more than their President and I do.Is this lady as delusional and as callous as her husband? I think so.
Tags: laura bush, today show, iraq war, idiot of the day
GOP has dragged us into political decline
By Thomas Schaller, in an article explaining how the Republican party has dragged us into political decline in only the last 10 years:Hop into a time machine with me and set the dial for spring 1997. Mr. Clinton had just been sworn in a few months earlier for a second term... The national conversation had not yet devolved into divisive talk of "blue states" and "red states." The culture wars were under way but had yet to go nuclear...
So still ran the national political waters in April 1997, in fact, that the biggest controversy that month was Mr. Clinton's appointment of former Massachusetts Gov. William F. Weld as U.S. ambassador to Mexico. A Democrat appointing a Republican to a key ambassadorship - oh, the scandal of it!
The nation would soon be jolted out of its slumber... a blue dress, the ham-handed attempt to impeach, hanging chads in Florida, four hijacked airplanes, Afghanistan, "W" landing in his green flight suit, Abu Ghraib, and our continuing, intractable mess in Mesopotamia...
The second floor of the Clinton Presidential Center includes a scale replica of the Oval Office, complete with a variety of the 42nd president's personal memorabilia. On a credenza behind the presidential desk is a fist-sized rock engraved with the words, "Let He Who Is Without Sin Cast the First Stone."If only that were the one biblical injunction guiding those pious congressional Republicans a decade ago, when America was a quieter, happier place.
Tags: bill clinton, blue dress, political decline, republicans
Idiot of the Day: Dana Rohrabacher
By VictorM: The modern day American conservative movement has ushered into public office many despicable politicians. They practically trip over each other to say and do the most idiotic things. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) is today's example of what I'm talking about.During a recent hearing in the House, this took place:
At one point, Rohrabacher argued that imprisoning and torturing one innocent person was a fair price to pay for locking up 50 terrorists who would “go out and plant a bomb…and kill 20,000 people.” When members of the audience groaned, Rohrabacher said, “Well, I hope it’s your families, I hope it’s your families that suffer the consequences.”Spoken like a 6-year-old.
Tags: Dana Rohrabacher, idiot of the day
George McGovern shoots back at Dick Cheney
By George McGovern, replying to Dick Cheney's attack on his record:In the war of my youth, World War II, I volunteered for military service at the age of 19 and flew 35 combat missions, winning the Distinguished Flying Cross as the pilot of a B-24 bomber. By contrast, in the war of his youth, the Vietnam War, Cheney got five deferments and has never seen a day of combat — a record matched by President Bush... We, of course, already know that when Cheney endorses a war, he exempts himself from participation. On second thought, maybe it's wise to keep Cheney off the battlefield — he might end up shooting his comrades rather than the enemy.
On a more serious note, instead of listening to the foolishness of the neoconservative ideologues, the Cheney-Bush team might better heed the words of a real conservative, Edmund Burke: "A conscientious man would be cautious how he dealt in blood."
Tags: george mcgovern, dick cheney, deferments, vietnam war, iraq war
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
George Bush Still Doesn't Get How America Works
By Granny Doc, commenting on George Bush's remarks that Congress should not be telling the military what to do:Uh...Excuse me, you Dim Witted Twit. One of the primary foundations of American democracy is a civilian controlled military... Sorry, George. In America, the Congress, and the American people, DO control the military. We decide with our votes, and our protests, what the military will, and will not do. And when you, and your sicko cronies, lie us into a war, don't expect us to stand idly by while you tell us that we, and our elected Representatives, have no control over how it is waged and when it will end.
Tags: american military, civilian control, managing the war
Idiot of the Day: PoliPundit
By VictorM: It's amazing these days what bothers right-wingers. With the massive problems in Iraq, the environment, education, security, etc. this idiot had to dig deep to find a new foe:I don't know the validity of Ms. Crow's suggestions, but she's not advocating that we invade foreign countries who pose no threat to us, she's not in bed with the biggest polluters in the world, and she's not suggesting that people give up their freedom to speak their mind just because she doesn't agree with them, as this idiot just suggested.I’m convinced these people need serious psychiatric treatment. Singer Sheryl Crow’s answer to combating Global Warming is to limit our toilet paper use per restroom visit:.... Hey Sheryl, Shut up and sing!
So, Ms. Crow, do sing but please do not shut-up, even if you have wacky ideas. America belongs to you too!
Tags: idiot of the day, Sheryl Crow, global warming, toilet paper
Monday, April 23, 2007
Did the $400.00 Include the Tip?
By VictorM: This story is a few days old but I didn't comment on it before because I was waiting for more details. The simple version of the issue: John Edwards got a $400.00 haircut and some people are making a stink about it.That does sound like a lot of money for a haircut, but it sounds different when you consider that because of Mr. Edwards' schedule, the hairdresser and a make-up artist came to him in advance of a TV appearance. Given this additional information, I agree with Ezra Klein:
I just hope he tipped well.As a supporter, I'm perfectly happy for the campaign to be making sure the candidate doesn't go on TV without makeup. Nobody wants to be Nixon from the 1960 presidential debates.
In general, it seems to make good sense for a presidential candidate to cultivate good relationships with barbers and makeup people, and to pay them to come to him. You don't want to walk into a random barbershop and get a bad haircut -- or worse, a haircut from a Republican who bears a grudge. So selecting a couple highly skilled and loyal people and having them travel to you to take care of your personal appearance is a fine thing to do.
Tags: john edwards, $400 haircut
Diets fail in the long run
By VictorM: We have more and more diet programs and yet the number of obese people continue to grow. We know that to lose weight and keep it off people need to eat less and exercise more. Yet, we're inundated with advertisements promoting the next great diet. And a large number of desperate people fall for it. I doubt that the results shown below will surprise anyone:Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, examining 31 weight-loss studies found long-term dieting doesn't keep the pounds off. While people can lose weight initially, many relapse and regain the weight they shed.
The findings confirm what many scientists have been saying all along: Losing weight is easy. Keeping it off is another story.
"If dieting worked, there would be a bunch of skinny people walking around," said obesity researcher Dr. David Katz, head of Yale University's Prevention Research Center, who did not participate in the latest study.
Tags: weight-loss, long-term dieting, obesity research
Stating the Obvious: Barack Obama
By Barack Obama: This president may occupy the White House, but for the last six years the position of leader of the free world has remained open. And it's time to fill that role once more... The disappointment that so many around the world feel toward America right now is only a testament to the high expectations they hold for us. We must meet those expectations again, not because being respected is an end in itself, but because the security of America and the wider world demands it.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Idiot of the Day: Wake Up America
By VictorM: What makes people say the dumb things that people like this right-wing blogger say? Gullibility? Stupidity? Fear? All of those and more, I suppose. We have another idiot trying to connect Democrats with al-Qaeda:Our military our soldiers have stated repeatedly that they are making progress and that their successes are not shown in our media. One has to wonder if Reid, Pelosi and crew actually get the text of the videos that al-Qaeda sends and deliberately take their words and phrases to use for themselves. Certainly seems like it.If true, this would mean that al-Qaeda would place the best interests of America above that of the Bush administration and all the sycophants who back their criminal behavior and blatant lies. And they wouldn't be as wrong (or as manipulated) in their assessments as our military leaders have been.
But of course, that's not the case. Al-Qaeda wants to harm America intentionally and the right-wingers are helping them unintentionally. And why? Is it because they hate America? No. It's because they are idiots.
Tags: idiot of the day, harry reid, nancy pelosi, al-qaeda
Goerge Bush: Bullshitter-in-chief
By DarkSyde: By week's end Bush had moved on to yet another painfully pathetic claim that the tide is turning: President George W. Bush on Friday claimed that sectarian murders have dropped by half in Iraq since the latest US military build-up began in February, and said the "direction of the fight is beginning to shift".
It's disturbing that our President might be either an exceptionally delusional, fatally arrogant fool, or just a run of the mill pathological liar. But whatever is going on, it takes a spreadsheet to keep up with all the different ways he can restate the same endless bullshit.
Tags: bush lie, iraq lies
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Stupid Ideas by Stupid People
By VictorM: In the aftermath of the Virginia Tech shootings, the call from certain people was to permit students to carry concealed weapons as a way to thwart would be attackers. I have no doubt that the people proposing this solution mean well, that they wish to prevent any such future attacks.But before we give this idea much consideration, let's understand that these are the same people who thought we should fight terrorism by attacking Iraq, that we would be received as liberators, that the way to solve our public school problems is to do away with public schools, that the way to solve a non-existing social security problem is to do away with social security, that the way to solve pollution is to let the polluters handle it, that global warming is a hoax, that star wars is a great defense system, that the poor are stupid and lazy, that homosexuals getting married threaten every else's marriages, that having a one party system is the American dream.
In short, they are stupid people and don't know what the hell they are talking about!
Tags: virginia tech shooting, concealed weapons,
Idiots of the Day: Tom Delay and Tom Tancredo
By VictorM: This is a case of Dumb and Dumber. This is a twofer combining two of the most obnoxious politicians in American history.On his blog, Tom Delay says:
As you may or may not of heard, Senator Majority Leader (D-NV) Harry Reid has already surrendered. Yesterday he delcared the war lost and deemed the troop surge a failure. Today, however, Tom Tancredo (R-CO) fired back: Tancredo said Thursday that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid should be held responsible for the deaths of all American soldiers in Iraq from now on after Reid said the war there is "lost." ... Right on Tom. No more words need be said on the subject.No, Harry Reid should not be responsible. We should be holding responsible the people who put the soldiers there without a good reason, without a good plan, and without an exit strategy. Yep, that includes Dumb and Dumber!
All Harry Reid expressed was an opinion. He's not the architect of what amounts to foreign policy suicide. He's just the messenger speaking on behalf of the majority of Americans who agree with Mr. Reid's assessment.
Mr. Delay is wrong. Plenty more words need to be said until we get our troops out of that hell hole and hold responsible the criminals who got us in that disaster.
Tags: tom delay, tom tancredo, harry reid, lost iraq war, idiot of the day,
Will Major League Soccer Surpass the National Hockey League?
By VictorM: I was listening to a podcast interview with Managing Director Mark DeGrandpre of the New York Red Bulls of the Major League Soccer (MLS). He stated that the goal of the league is to surpass the National Hockey League (NHL) to become the 4th largest league in the United States (NFL, MLB, and NBA being the top three).It is clear that the top 3 leagues far outdistance the hockey and soccer leagues. There is also no question that currently the NHL is a bigger league than MLS. But does Mr. DeGrandpre have a leg to stand on when he makes the prediction that MLS will surpass NHL? I think so. The best reason for saying so is best summarized by this remark:
I've always believed that there were more soccer fans in the U.S. than hockey fans. The difference is that ALL hockey fans in America follow the NHL. That's not the case for MLS. There is a sizable audience in soccer that won't follow MLS.We hear so often about how Americans may not warm up to soccer, but at this point, they are not the target. More significant is that there are millions of soccer fans who aren't following the league yet. Getting them to come out and support the league won't be easy, but they are an enormous potential source of growth for MLS, something the NHL doesn't have.
Basically, MLS has a huge untapped market for new fans, the NHL is maxed out.
Tags: major league soccer, mls, nhl, professional sports, soccer growth, hockey, red bulls
Friday, April 20, 2007
You can't make this stuff up... but they can!
By VictorM: All religion in general, and the Catholic church in particular, have some theories that make me scratch my head in puzzlement how reasonably intelligent people can stomach them. Here's an example of the peculiarities of religion:Well, there you go! Limbo no more, just like that. To paraphrase Mel Brooks: it's good to be the Pope.VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Roman Catholic Church has effectively buried the concept of limbo, the place where centuries of tradition and teaching held that babies who die without baptism went... According to the CNS report, the 41-page document says the theologians advising the Pope concluded that since God is merciful he "wants all human beings to be saved."
It says grace has priority over sin, and the exclusion of innocent babies from heaven does not seem to reflect Christ's special love for children, CNS, which is owned by the U.S. Catholic Bishops Conference, quoted the document as saying.
Limbo, which comes from the Latin word meaning "border" or "edge," was considered by medieval theologians to be a state or place reserved for the unbaptised dead, including good people who lived before the coming of Christ.
"Our conclusion is that the many factors that we have considered ... give serious theological and liturgical grounds for hope that unbaptised infants who die will be saved and enjoy the beatific vision (of God)," the document said, according to CNS which is part of the U.S. Catholic Bishops Conference.
I have one question... is this retroactive? I mean, were all unbaptized babies going to paradise all along, we just didn't know it until now?
Tags: religion today, limbo, catholic church
Idiot of the Day: Charles Krauthammer
By VictorM: No one is above demonstrating some hypocrisy now and then. Many of us recognize it when we're callanged about it but others make a career out of it. Glenn Greenwald takes us the rest of the way:In his column today, Charles Krauthammer delivers a solemn lecture on how terribly inappropriate it is to exploit tragedies like the Virginia Tech shootings to make a political point.... On Wednesday -- less than 48 hours after the shootings -- the same Krauthammer went on Fox News to explain why the Virginia Tech shootings and the killer's "manifesto" are connected to Al Jazeera, the Palestinians and other Muslim Enemies who dominate Krauthammer's political agenda.
Tags: idiot of the day, hypocrisy, right-winger
Bloomberg's Vision for the Future of New York City
By VictorM: New York City's mayor Michael Bloomberg will be making a speech outlining many initiatives he sees as necessary to tackle issues the city is likely to face over the next couple of decades. This piece about traffic congestion stood out to me:What will almost certainly be the most contentious idea, however, involves charging drivers to enter the busiest sections of Manhattan.Anyone who has been to the city understands that traffic congestion is a problem and will only get worse as the population grows. And I have not heard any better solutions to this problem. However, the notion of paying to go into certain sections of the city sound like another in our ever slow process of turning this country into a feudal America where those who can afford them are given special privileges. What's next? Moats and castle walls?
If part of the problem, as the mayor says, are pollution concerns, don't the excesses of someone in a three-piece suit stink as much as someone in a maid uniform?
Tags: new york city, traffic congestion, feudal america
Right-wingers: People out of touch with reality
By Ron Chusid, commenting on suggestions by right-wingers that students should be armed:I see little point in pointing out what is wrong with the various beliefs spread by the right. My bet is that the vast majority of people will realize how crazy these views are, and those who don’t are not going to be convinced by anything we write. These are generally the same people that believe that Saddam had WMD, creationism is a valid alternative to evolution, and that it is inconsequential that the consensus of scientists in the field agrees that human action presents a meaningful threat to the climate. Seeing these views move from the right wing blogosphere to the news media will only help demonstrate what we have known for quite some time. The right wing blogosphere is dominated by people out of touch with reality who possess ideas which just go beyond the bounds of rational thought. Such views have infiltrated into the Republican Party to a degree sufficient to prevent them from governing effectively.
Tags: right-wingers, out of touch, arm students,
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Idiot of the Day: Carolyn McCarthy
By VictorM: Democratic Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy has proposed a gun-control bill (H.R. 1859) that would ban weapons with barrel shrouds. During an interview with Tucker Carlson she was asked, point blank, if she knew what a barrel shroud was. She had to admit she didn't know.If you're an elected official wanting to introduce laws that prevent American citizens from having certain rights, you have an obligation to make sure the reasons for the law you're proposing are rock solid. Even if others disagree, you must at least have done due diligence to be as informed about what you're proposing as possible. When a politician goes in front of TV cameras and can't even define something that basic, it's downright wrong and humiliating for the party he or she represents. Seeing Ms. McCarthy on TV was embarrassing and gives justifiable pause to those who are skeptical of such laws and the motives of such lawmakers.
It doesn't matter what party you represent; if you're so lazy that you can't even be well-versed on a bill that you are introducing, you're not just an idiot, you're a threat to our way of life!
Tags: gun control, barrel shroud, idiot of the day, carolyn mccarthy
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Idiot of the Day: Instapundit
By VictorM: Responsible people stayed away from jumping to conclusions or trying to score political points as the Virginia Tech shooting story was unfolding. But of course, there were those who are devoid of any decency who couldn't wait to start pointing fingers. The reliably vulgar Instapundit (Glenn Reynolds) was one of the first ones to exploit the situation:Reader John Lucas, who works with a Virginia law firm, emails that Va. Tech is a "gun-free zone." Well, for those who follow the law. There was an effort to change that but it failed: "A bill that would have given college students and employees the right to carry handguns on campus died with nary a shot being fired in the General Assembly." That's unfortunate. Had the bill passed, things might have turned out differently, though we'll never know now.I'll say no more. The man is not only an idiot, he's a disgusting pig!
Tags: glenn reynolds, virginia tech shootings, idiot of the day
Right to bear arms statement out of context
By VictorM: Many liberal blogs were quick to jump down Mr. Bush's throat for what they claim was politicizing the shootings at Virginia Tech. And when I read some of the reports, I felt the same way although I had made a decision not to blog about this tragedy, at least until more facts were known.But, I have to come to the defense of the president this time. I think the blogs and most of the reports I saw, wrongly characterized the words of the president as relayed by his press secretary. Here's an example of how the media reported the president's view on the right to bear arms:
But, what this report, and many others, didn't say was that when Ms. Perino mentioned the right to bear arms, she was responding to a reporter's question about the president's feelings about gun control.[A White House spokesman said President Bush was horrified by the rampage and offered his prayers to the victims, the Associated Press reported. "The president believes that there is a right for people to bear arms, but that all laws must be followed," spokeswoman Dana Perino said.]
Here's the question and the answer that prompted the statement about gun control:
Maybe Ms. Perino could have answered the question differently, but in the name of fairness, I hope mainstream publications, and the liberal bloggers who commented based on misleading reporting, set the record straight.Q Dana, going back to Virginia Tech, what more does this White House think needs to be done as it relates to gun issues? The President says current laws need to be strengthened, anything beyond that -- you had a conference on school violence with guns -- what more needs to be done?
MS. PERINO: I would point you back to the fact that President, along with Secretary Spellings, hosted last October -- October 10, 2006 -- a conference on school gun violence after the Amish school shooting and the other shootings that had happened, because the tragedies are the ones that just collectively break America's heart and are ones that we deeply feel, because all of us can imagine what it would be like to have been at your own school, your own college, and to have something happen. And those of us who are parents, or brothers or sisters of people at the schools have to take that into consideration.
As far as policy, the President believes that there is a right for people to bear arms, but that all laws must be followed. And certainly bringing a gun into a school dormitory and shooting -- I don't want to say numbers because I know that they're still trying to figure out many people were wounded and possibly killed, but obviously that would be against the law and something that someone should be held accountable for.
Tags: right to bear arms, dana perino, virginia tech shootings
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Idiot of the Day: Tommy Thompson
By VictorM: When I heard that Tommy Thompson was running for president, I had to laugh in amusement. The man was a total nincompoop while in the Bush administration, and his latest goof is nothing to even bat an eye about; it's just vintage Tommy Thompson:Speaking to an audience at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism in Washington D.C., Thompson said that, "I'm in the private sector and for the first time in my life I'm earning money. You know that's sort of part of the Jewish tradition and I do not find anything wrong with that.I wonder if Tommy understands what the fuss was about or if the apology was issued just because it's politically sensible.
Thompson later apologized for the comments that had caused a stir in the audience, saying that he had meant it as a compliment, and had only wanted to highlight the "accomplishments" of the Jewish religion.
Atrios uses sarcasm to illustrated what Thompson and other of his ilk may not understand:
I would like to compliment my African-American readers on their dancing abilities and athletic prowess, my Asian-American readers on their studiousness, and of course my female readers for their excellence in homemaking.
Tags: jewish tradition, earning money, stereotypes
Monday, April 16, 2007
Alberto Gonzales: Time to go!
By Todd and in charge: Let's hope Al Gonzales leaves our government soon, and leaves public life completely, as soon as possible. He has presided over a remarkable decline and erosion of basic civil rights, crafted torture policies that are reprehensible and will be forever linked with his name, and is a corrupt and dishonest man. I was gratified to see a top conservative group call for his resignation todayTags: alberto gonzales, civil rights, resignation
War on Terror: Nothing But a Marketing Slogan
By VictorM: I think that the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq war, the Afghanistan war, and the whole confrontation with al-Qaeda has been a series of cluster-fucks, each one of them leading to conditions that are worse now than they were before they got involved, and getting worse. The only benefit of their politically motivated actions is that it gotten them elected in 2004.Now, Hilary Benn, a candidate for Labour's deputy leadership in the UK, hits another nail on the head, attacking what has been nothing more than a marketing slogan:
President George W Bush's concept of a "war on terror" has given strength to terrorists by making them feel part of something bigger.He goes on to say they don't use the term "war on terror" in the UK, but is that really true? I don't know. I don't even know much about this guy (yes, Hilary is a guy), but it doesn't matter -- he's 100% right!
With this administration, even the choice of terminology has been a screw-up. Remember "shock and awe"? "Mission Accomplished"? "Axis of Evil"? Each one set for failure.
Tags: terrorism, al-qaeda, war on terror, Bush administration
Idiot of the Day: Meet the Press
By VictorM: The popular TV political talk show gets the Idiot of the Day mention because of something that flernk observed about the topics covered in Meet the Press:After a full week of shocking and sometimes heartbreaking news from around the world and especially in the political environment, what single issue could be so important that the Meet the Press round table discussed it (and nothing else) for 36 full minutes? Iraq? Iran? Wolfowitz? Missing emails? Deadly weather patterns?
Nope.
Don. Fucking. Imus.
Just another sad statement about the tabloid nature of our so-called mainstream media.
Tags: mainstream media, don imus, idiot of the day
Favelas: Death Traps in Rio de Janeiro
By VictorM: In January I spent 2 weeks in Brazil vacationing, most of the time in the great city of Rio de Janeiro. I was aware that the crime rate was high and took several precautions to avoid being a victim. As a result, I had a great time without the slightest sign of crime or violence.One of those precautions was to stay away from the favelas, which are shantytowns of poor people, where Brazil's crime rate is at its worse. But as bad as I thought it was, I didn't realize it's far worse. These numbers startled me:
Both numbers are sad realities. What's even sadder is that I think it will be easier to solve the problem in the middle-east than in Brazil. Implausible at it may sound, with people of good will in charge, peace between Palestinians and Israelies is possible. But in Brazil, who do you strike a peace accord with?The favelas are statistically the most violent sections of Rio, a city where the number of juvenile deaths attributed to violence far exceeds that of many war zones. From 2002 through 2006, 729 Israeli and Palestinian minors were killed as a result of the violence in Israel and the occupied territories, according to B'Tselem, an Israeli human rights group. During the same period in Rio de Janeiro, 1,857 minors were reported murdered, according to the Institute of Public Security, a state research center.
Politicians in Brazil are trying to enact measures to curb that violence, but they all seem so minor and so hopeless. The harshness of life in a favela will continue to breed more people with low regard for human life. The favelas in Rio are just too large for police activity to be effective. Discussions of sending in the military seem doomed to fail as well, for the same reason the military activity fails in Iraq: it's hard to tell the bad kids from the good kids.
A portion of the people in Brazil can do what I did and stay away from the favelas and ignore what goes on there, but in doing so, Brazil will continue to be fractured. And how long can people with a conscience turn away from the devastation in those shantytowns? Meanwhile, Brazil continues to lose too many of its most precious resource -- it's people.
Tags: brazilian politics, favelas, rio de janeiro
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Stupidy of Global Warming Naysayers
By Glenn Greenwald: Although it is a heated competition, I think the single dumbest and most intellectually dishonest rhetorical tactic -- wielded most prominently by Drudge but with plenty of followers doing the same -- is from those who cite cold weather conditions on a given day in order to impliedly discredit the worldwide consensus of climatologists and other scientists on global warming. It would be as if someone constantly linked to individual obituaries as proof that world population is not really growing. It is that dumb and dishonest.Tags: Global Warming, Drudge
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Why Imus Thinks He's Not a Racist
By VictorM: Much has been written over the last few days about Don Imus and his remarks. While most people have condemned them as racist, Don and many of his supporters continue to claim he is not a racist.Pericles, over at dailkos has the best explanation for this apparent disconnect between his words and his feelings. I tried to select a few passages to post here but you really need to read the whole piece to get the full impact. WARNING: It contains several references to the n-word and includes a racist joke used to illustrate the point. If you're easily offended don't go there, otherwise go read Change in My Lifetime: Why Imus Thinks He's Not Racist.
Tags: racism
Idiot of the Day: Bull Dog Pundit, follow-up
By VictorM: Bull Dog (yeah, that's really what he calls himself) took exception to being named the Idiot of the Day yesterday, and responded to it on his site. He first refers to a post on his blog from the 9th where is says:By now you’ve all heard about the incredibly hateful and racist comments made by Don Imus about the Rutgers women’s basketball team... If I ran a TV or Radio Station he’d have been fired already.Fair enough. He did say that, but in that same post he goes on to say:
And then he proceeds to make that post about Al Sharpton. How is that germaine to Don Imus's "hateful and racist comments"? It isn't. It goes to the heart of the reason he was the Idiot of the Day yesterday. It's typical right-wing inability to deal with wrong-doing about their own without trying some sort of deflection. So instead of talking about Don Imus, he wants to talk about Al Sharpton, or Tony Blair.I’m not here to discuss whether or not Imus should be fired, or go into the ridiculous double standard between he and Rush Limbaugh, Jimmy the Greek, Al Campanis, etc.
No, what I find most interesting is that Imus is going to start trying to make amends with the black community by going on Al Sharpton’s radio show.
Also, Bull Dog isn't satisfied with simply pointing out that he too had decried Imus's statements, he has to start his rebuttal with this line:
I don’t like to promote kook left-wing sites, especially those that have zero trafficWhat does the traffic to this site have to do with the merits or demerits of my opinion? Nothing, of course, but this is another example of typical right-winger mentality: they can't just deal with the issues head on; they must find other ways to demean, to put down, to change the subject. And as often is the case with right-wingers, the statement is hyperbole. If I have zero visitors, how did he read my post? Can we all agree I had at least one visitor?
So basically we had Don Imus make "hateful and racist comments" but Bull Dog never tackles his remarks alone. The bulk of his posts on the subject turn into posts about Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, or Tony Blair.
Come on, Bull Dog, prove me wrong and show me a post of yours where you focus on Imus without trying some sort of deflection. Prove to me that what I said: "[right-wingers] rely on their habitual pattern of trying to change the subject" is wrong. Show me just once where you point out Imus was wrong without trying to lump him with some Democrat, liberal, black, foreigner, Muslim, or minority who has done the same thing. I dare you, mister popular website. I double dare you.
Tags: racism, Don Imus, Tony Blair, idiot, right-winger
Idiot of the Day: Katie Couric
By VictorM: Katie Couric continues her path down the tubes as a serious reporter. Giving her the benefit of the doubt about her intentions in the following story, the woman is at a minimum a seeker of sensationalist journalism (I know, I'm being polite).Her coverage of a segment on Barack Obama is a clear indication of her unwillingness to be fair and tell the truth:
Hi, everyone. Is America ready to elect a president who grew up praying in a mosque?... Barack Obama has arguably the most diverse religious background of any candidate ever... That background sparked rumors that he had studied in a radical madrassa, or Quranic school -- rumors his campaign denied, declaring that Obama is now a practicing Christian.Ms. Couric had to have known that he didn't grow up praying in a mosque, that the story was not based on rumors, that they were lies started by his detractors and fully debunked by CNN and other news organizations.
I don't know if she was being lazy or biased, but I know she came across as an idiot!
Tags: Barack Obama, Katie Couric, Idiot of the Day
Why don't they look under a rock?
By VictorM: How things have turned around... CBS News has a poll out showing that Republicans are more unhappy with their choices for president in 2008 than Democrats:But what I found more interesting than the numbers themselves, was this line about Republicans: "Most of those who call for more candidates, however, can’t name anyone in particular." That's the price you pay for passing the baton to people like Gingrich, Delay, Frist, McCain, Rove, Cheney, Bush, etc. who in turn only allowed those like themselves to advance within the party of corruption and greed.Fifty-nine percent of voters who said they expect to vote in a Democratic primary or caucus next year said they are satisfied with candidates now running for the Democratic nomination, and 36 percent wish they had more choices.
In contrast, only 35 percent of Republican primary voters are content with the people now running for the nomination, while 61 percent want more choice.
Meanwhile, the good guys have given way to Barack Obama and John Edwards, among others. What a contrast!
So Republicans are left with crummy choices. They have no one but themselves to blame.
Tags: presidential candidate, republican, democrat, 2008, Barack Obama, John Edwards
Friday, April 13, 2007
Evolution: Not Valid Unless Finally Proven
By VictorM: What a nice, convenient position religion has gotten itself into. I'm referring to the assertion that everything that religious folks don't believe in is not valid unless finally proven. Until then, by default and without a shred of proof, the Bible is right:Benedict XVI, in his first extended reflections on evolution published as pope, says that Charles Darwin's theory cannot be finally proven and that science has unnecessarily narrowed humanity's view of creationThis pope offers no proof whatsoever about creationism, and in fact, is in contradiction with John Paul II, yet "scientific and philosophical reason must work together, he said, in a way that does not exclude faith."
Well, why not exclude faith? If the purpose is to get at the truth that can be "finally proven", we MUST exclude faith.
Tags: religion, evolution, pope
Don Imus: The Largest Lesson Being Learned
By blockbuster, commenting on the Don Imus controversy:Interestingly, the largest lesson being learned seems to be by Imus himself. After meeting with the team and officials from Rutgers last night, Deidre Imus made a statement that the hate mail being sent to the Rutgers' girls must stop. That's right... Imus slanders bright and innocent young girls, the public complains, and the innocent young girls receive hate mail. Some say that the black community is to blame because of hip-hop and rap music which uses the same terms used by Imus. Baloney! What is it about these girls which makes you believe, makes you ENTITLED to believe, they are into hip-hop and/or rap culture? The majority are black? Am I a Mahler fan because I'm white? Excuse me for saying, but I know one hell of a lot of black folks who pretty much hate hip-hop and rap, because of the way they feel it degrades their children. I can't provide a study, but it wouldn't surprise to find that the vast majority of hip-hop and rap music is purchased by white kids.
Tags: Racism, Don Imus, Hip-pop
Idiot of the Day: Bull Dog Pundit
By VictorM: It's really not surprising at all that right-wingers would not do the right thing and condemn Don Imus for his racist remarks. Instead, they rely on their habitual pattern of trying to change the subject. Case in point is this idiot's take on Imus's firing:Given that MSNBC has dropped Don Imus due to advertisers pulling out, er, because of his remarks, I’m guessing that race-hustling hypocrites Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, both of whom are “Reverends” (Of what? The First Church Of Jew Hating and Media Whoring?) are going to take their act across the pond, especially given Tony Blair’s remarks blaming black culture for a recent spate of violence in England.
Now, don't even bother following the link about Blair's statement. And whatever you think about Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, they are not the issue.
What is the issue is Don Imus, his racist statements, and how right-wing Americans have defended and encouraged those who engage in hateful speech. Imus, frankly, is just the proverbial tip of the iceberg.
The good people need to continue to muzzle the despicable ones. There's plenty of scum dwellers at the bottom of the filthy pond, and we need to send a signal that their reign is coming to an end. We all know who the bottom dwellers are. Like Imus, I hope their days are numbered too.
I'm glad to see that the idiot I'm quoting today is getting an earful in his comment's section. Good!
Tags: Don Imus, Idiot of the day, racism
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Soccer on ESPN: Another Step in the Right Direction
By VictorM: Today marks another important step in the forward progress of professional soccer in the United States. At 10:30 PM Eastern Time, ESPN2 will show the first of what will be a weekly series of Thursday night Major League Soccer (MLS) matches, between the LA Galaxy and Dallas FC.This places ESPN in charge of the telecast and having a monetary interest in advertising the show. Now, besides the obvious benefit of a weekly presence on prime time, ESPN is motivated to promote the game and to take it more seriously. A side benefit, for example, is the drastic reduction of deprecating remarks about the sport by their sportscasters. Also, news segments on the network now cover soccer scores and news with more frequency.
Clearly this is not a silver bullet – not any one thing is. But when considering many of the other developments that have occurred, such as the building of soccer specific stadiums, setting up youth academies, and signing players like Beckham, Blanco, and Reyna, this TV deal is another step in the right direction.
Labels: david beckham, major league soccer, soccer
Upending the Mayberry Machiavellis
By Sidney Blumenthal: In 2002, a University of Pennsylvania professor and earnest conservative named John DiIulio, who had been appointed a White House domestic policy advisor... resigned, becoming the first person to quit the administration in disgust... Possessed with a sense of history, the disillusioned professor's remarks of five years ago have proved prophetic: "There is no precedent in any modern White House for what is going on in this one: a complete lack of a policy apparatus. What you've got is everything -- and I mean everything -- being run by the political arm. It's the reign of the Mayberry Machiavellis."In all his machinations Rove did not calculate that he would ever create an opposing force that might stop him. The Republican Congress had long shielded the administration from oversight and investigation, protecting Rove's handiwork. Now the Democratic Congress has begun to uncover seemingly endless series of abuses. In this respect, the clash of the legislative and executive branches is not over a difference in policy, as in the conflict over the Iraq war. Rather, Congress' effort is even more fundamental: to salvage the executive branch -- its capability of functioning in the public interest in the future -- from Rove's radical experiment to transform it forever.
Labels: bush administration, karl rove
Idiot of the Day: Atlas Shrugs
By VictorM: In case you have not heard, Don Imus has been fired by NBC for his recent racist remarks. Even Imus himself is reported to have said that he saw that coming. But, this idiot right winger, calling Don Imus "the darling of the left" (what the fuck do these people smoke?), predicted the following:No Imus won't be fired folks. Kerry was his candidate. The decadent left has no morality, no ethics, no standards. They cover for each other and answer to no one. Morally bankrupt on every level.What an idiot! And wrong! So, what's new?
Labels: don imus, idiot of the day
Close Encounter of the Right-Winger Kind
By VictorM: Today I gave a ride to a coworker of mine. The ride was about 15 minutes. In this period of time, and although I have not really spoken about politics with this person but knew of her right-winger views, I learned the following:- CNN is a Communist TV network
- Global warming is a hoax
- What Dom Imus said about the black members of the Rutgers women’s basketball team wasn’t so bad, after all, rappers and other black people treat their women even worse and call them worst things
- If Don Imus gets in trouble so should Rosie O’Donnell because she said the American government was responsible for killing the 9/11 attack victims.
- The model guy was the father of Anna Nicole Smith, not the lawyer guy.
But I asked if she thought that whatever insults blacks have for black women (as she understands it) are nice things to say. She said, no. Then why is Dom Imus saying it OK? Well, she said, it wasn’t a nice thing to say, but come on, why should he get in trouble over it. So, it’s OK if Dom Imus had similar insults about your mother or sisters? Well, she repeated, I know what he said wasn’t right, but other people say worst things. But other people don’t have millions of listeners. And his insults were specific about eight young women who did nothing to him. Yeah, she admitted, he was wrong, but he apologized so people should leave him alone. But, I said, that apology means nothing because he’s said other racist things before, and even now, at first he didn’t think what he said was bad. It took days for the apology to come, and only after the whole thing had snowballed. But then Rosie should go too, she said.
I couldn’t hold back. I said, Rosie did not say she thought the government was behind the 9/11 attacks. She questioned the falling of building 7. But even if she had challenged the government, should we not as citizens keep an eye on those in power, whether they are Republicans or Democrats? Yeah, you’re right, she said.
Maybe she agreed because she was tired and we had arrived at work.
The one thing I have noticed, not only with this right-winger encounter but others recently, is how much more subdued they are these days. They still cling to the beliefs that make them right-wingers – disdain for people, talking in slogans, repeating talking points, not offering a single solution to any problem, etc. -- but the wind is out of their sails.
Labels: don imus, right-wing, Rosie O'Donnell
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Idiot of the Day: Maybe You?
By VictorM: So, tell me honestly, were you one of the many people who eagerly awaited to know who was the father of Anna Nicole Smith's baby? Serioulsy, if you had more than just a passing interest in that piece of "news", you're an idiot.Come on now, tell the truth? :)
The Proof I Hope Never Comes
By VictorM: Camille Paglia is a columnist for Salon. com. She identifies herself as a libertarian Democrat. Her current article is a set of questions and answers about politics and pop culture. Even in disagreement, I find her answers thoughtful and interesting.Ms. Paglia voted for Ralph Nader in 2000 because she felt the country needed a strong Green party. Yet, she is a global warming skeptic. I was curious to read her views considering she has sane credentials. But after reading her answers, it turns out she's just a run of the mill skeptic.
To illustrate, here's one of her points:
Too many of my fellow Democrats seem peculiarly credulous at the moment, as if, having ground down organized religion into nonjudgmental, feel-good therapy, they are hungry for visions of apocalypse. From my perspective, virtually all of the major claims about global warming and its causes still remain to be proved.Proof. That's the usual refrain. They lack proof, she says. Well, before Katrina hit landfall what proof was there that it would cause the damage it did? Did Ms. Paglia think that anyone who was predicting dire results was being "hungry for visions of apocalypse"? What proof is there that any oncoming storm is going to wind-up flooding whole cities? Or that a predicted storm will turn out to dump 24 inches of snow paralyzing cities and airports? When the weather forecast calls for rain or sun what proof is there it will be right? Yet, how many of us don't heed the warnings?
Ms. Paglia and others like her fail to realize that when it comes to global warming, if something is proved, IT WILL BE TOO LATE! Proving global warming is the last thing we want to do!
Labels: global warming
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Idiot of the Day: Don Imus
By VictorM: My blog was down for several days so it may seem that I'm too late to the party, but there's not way I can skip bringing up Don Imus as the idiot of the day.In case you aren't aware of what I'm talking about, here's a recap what he said referring to the Rutgers female basketball team member:
- he called them "nappy-headed hos"
- he agreed that they they resembled male basketball players
- the Tennessee players, by way of comparison, were "cute"
- he referred to his remarks as "some idiot comment meant to be amusing"
There is no remorse, just Imus reflecting his sick right-wing mentality.
Saturday, April 07, 2007
2007 MLS Season Is Under Way
By VictorM: Today is the start of the 2007 Major League Soccer (MLS) season. After the busiest and most exciting off-season ever, the 2007 season starts with much promise. A few of the major developments:1. Signing of world-class players: English superstar David Beckham, Mexican icon Cuauhtémoc Blanco, and America's most accomplished player, Claudio Reyna will be playing with LA, Chicago, and NY respectively.
2. TV Contracts: All games will be televised, with ESPN2 showing one game every Thursday night during prime-time. There will also be games shown every Saturday and every Sunday.
3. Soccer specific stadiums: Colorado and Toronto will start the season playing in their own stadiums. Chicago will start their first full season in theirs. And stadiums are under way, or will be shortly, in New York/New Jersey and Salt Lake City.
4. SuperLiga: A summer tournament pitting 4 MLS teams versus 4 Mexican teams.
Labels: claudio reyna, david beckham, mls, soccer
Friday, April 06, 2007
This Is Why I'm a Liberal and Like Other Liberals
By VictorM: Over at dailykos, thereisnospoon and Christopher Day engaged in a great point-counterpoint that shows how liberal are willing to challenge each other, not merely being ditto heads.Tackling Dick Cheney and Rush Limbaugh's claims that Democrats want to lose the war in Iraq, thereisnospoon says:
We control the government. We control the streets--or have the ability to do so with a single military raid. We control the infrastructure. We control the prisons. We control the economy. It is within our power to let the population live, or to "pacify" it brutally and without mercy. We own Iraq in every sense of the word: there are no enemy leaders to kill; no territory to seize; no infantry battalions to crush; no navy to sink; no air force to shoot down; no landmarks over which to place our flag in triumph. We are quite simply NOT fighting a war of any kind in Iraq. Indeed, the reason there is no military solution to this war is because there IS NO WAR. See how tidy that is?--and we don't even have to put on bullshit protectors over our ears!But Christopher Day sees it differently:
These two snippets don't give either blogger due credit for their ability to question each other. Go read the whole post and the many comments by others to see honest and thoughtful debate in action.I hate to break this to you, but its still a freaking war. It wasn't ever really just about removing Sadaam Hussein even if that was once the rationale of the week. People here act like its a big aberation that we were lied into this war. News flash: Its a rare war that isn't sold to the people with lies. Remeber the Maine? Tonkin Gulf anyone? Medical students in peril in Grenada? I could go on.
Sorry, the purpose of this war was to secure U.S. domination over Iraq and its strategic resources and to project our power over the rest of the region. As everyone who knows what PNAC stands for should know. There is nothing inconsistent with us running both an occupation AND a war. In fact its a pretty common combination. Its a war of occupation.
Labels: dailykos, dick cheney, Iraq war, rush limbaugh
One of those "no duh!" moments
By VictorM: One of the notions put forth by the Bush administration to justify the criminal Iraq war was that of cooperation between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda before 9/11/2001. Sane people in the world knew this allegation made no sense at all, but the repetition by this lying administration (even as of yesterday Cheney was lying about this) and the gullibility of their base has allowed this notion to fester.Now, we have one of those "no duh!" moments after recently declassified documents were released:
The declassification came as a result of Democratic Senator Carl Levin's request. I can only imagine what else we will be finding out about the most corrupt regime ever in the history of this country.Captured Iraqi documents and intelligence interrogations of Saddam Hussein and two former aides "all confirmed" that Hussein's regime was not directly cooperating with al-Qaeda before the U.S. invasion of Iraq, according to a declassified Defense Department report released yesterday.
Labels: al-qaeda, declassified document, Saddam Hussein
Idiot of the Day: Bill O'Reilly
By VictorM: Ah, the worst person in the world, the creepy Bill O'Reilly, makes our list. I'll let Crooks and Liars take you the rest of the way:"A young girl was tragically killed by a drunk driver. But this was not enough for O'Reilly. Instead, because the criminal was an illegal alien he added this incident to his ongoing crusade against the brown people. Luckily Geraldo was on the show and he - to his credit - called out O'Reilly's xenophobia for exactly what it was. This drove Bill O'Reilly insane. I was almost certain he was going to reach across the table and hit Geraldo."GERALDO: "Cool your jets! It has nothing to do with illegal aliens…it has to do with drunk driving! Don't obscure a tragedy to make a cheap political point. It is a cheap political point and you know it!!"
Crooks and Liars has the video. Go watch it.
Labels: bill o'reilly, geraldo rivera, idiot of the day, illegal aliens
Thursday, April 05, 2007
One thing is for certain
By Gov. Howard Dean, on an e-mail from the Democratic National Committee:President Bush's impending veto of the Iraq War supplemental bill is an insult to Congress, to the majority of Americans who voted for change in November, and to the brave men and women who risk their lives every day we remain in Iraq.
One thing is for certain: A Democratic president wouldn't veto that bill.
But that's not all that President Bush is doing. He's defending Alberto Gonzales for firing eight U.S. Attorneys, claiming he has "100 percent confidence in the Attorney General." And he's apologizing for the conditions of Walter Reed Medical Center six weeks after the conditions were exposed -- making promises to "fix the problem" that sound eerily similar to those he made to Hurricane Katrina victims.
The days of a do-nothing Congress are over, but the days of a do-nothing President are still going strong.Wanna Talk McCarthyism?: A Response to Monica Goodling
By Jesselyn Radack, commenting on the statement by Monica Goodling's attorneys that what's happening to her is reminiscent of Senator Joseph McCarthy:And as for McCarthyism, the best example is this Administration's behavior during the past six years. It has rounded up hundreds of Arab and Muslim men based on racial and ethnic profiling and bogus material witness warrants; kept 500+ people in the legal black hole otherwise known a Guantanamo bay; held people, including American citizens, without charge, conviction or judicial review; reversed the usual presumption into a bastardized "guilty until proven innocent" standard; denied due process under the inaply-named Patriot Act; conducted secret trials; tortured; eavesdropped on American's phone calls; wiretapped citizens without warrant; put anti-war protesters and political dissidents on terrorist watch lists; resurrected long-interred relics of the McCarthy era like denying entry to aliens for pure speech; and gone on witch-hunts and missions of personal destruction that make Eugene McCarthy look like Floyd Abrams. Terrorism is the new Communism.
Labels: monica goodling, purgegate
Idiot of the Day: Gina Cobb
By VictorM: Some right-wingers will pick on liberals just for the sake of picking on them. Even when it denotes blatant hypocrisy. We have this right-winger (among many others) pick on Nancy Pelosi for wearing a scarf over her head during a visit to a masque in Syria:This has to be a joke. The Speaker of the House is not only going out of her way to defund America's troops in Iraq and shake hands with leaders of terrorist states like Syria, but is now donning the garb of America's enemies.I wonder if this idiot thought the same thing when Laura Bush did it:
(White House photo. Clich here for full size)
Here's another picture of Ms. Laura Bush appeasing the enemy:
And here is Condi Rice "donning the garb of the enemy":
Right-wingers... really stupid people!
Labels: idiot of the day, laura bush, muslim scarf, nancy pelosi
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Questions not soon to be answered
By S.W. Anderson: Who did flak-jacketed Sen. John McCain think he was fooling, going for a half-hour shopping trip in Baghdad, claiming the place is much safer than reported, all the while surrounded by 100 protective U.S. troops, while three Blackhawk and two Apache choppers provided air cover? (Click here for several other interesting questions)Labels: john mccain, questions
Harry Reid: Bush is president, not king
By VictorM: We hardly talk about any issue today that doesn't have to do with abuse of power by George Bush or the conduct of the Iraq war. The mighty United States of America will be in such limbo until the Bush administration ends. These two paragraphs in a Washington Post story pretty much sum up where the United States federal government stands:As Democrats see it, Bush is having a hard time adjusting to life in a two-party government. His vow to veto any spending bill with timetables for a withdrawal, they maintain, betrays a unilateral approach to governing. "He is president of the United States, not king of the United States," Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.) told reporters in his home state. "He has another branch of government, a legislative branch of government, he has to deal with."
Democratic presidential candidates quickly accused Bush of ignoring the public sentiment expressed in the November elections and in recent opinion polls. "This is vetoing the will of the American people," Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) said in Iowa. Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) added: "The American people and their Congress have said repeatedly that they will no longer accept a war without end in Iraq."
George Bush... the man who wished to be king. Democrats... the only knights that can stop him. The American people... expressing their wish in rejection of Machiavellian mentality.
It'll be like this the rest of the way until he's gone.
Labels: Barack Obama, George Bush, harry reid, hillary clinton
Rosie O'Donnell and 9/11 Conspiracy Theories
By VictorM: I was talking to a coworker. She asked me what I thought ABC would do to Rosie O'Donnell. I thought she was referring to the Rosie-Trump silliness, but no, she was talking about Rosie saying that America killed those 3,000 people during 9/11.Since I had not read such a thing anywhere I asked where she got that information. She said it was from Bill O'Reilly. I asked: "You listen to that piece of trash?" She was a bit startled by my tone, stuttered a little and tried to imply that she heard it elsewhere too. I just got up and left.
So when I got home I decided to look this up. Yep, Rosie mentioned something in her blog back in mid March about the conspiracy theories we've heard for the longest time and that for the most part have been debunked. I couldn't find any story about it in the mainstream sites. And for good reason. As you can see below, this is a non-story. Only a dimwit like O'Reilly or someone of his ilk would bring it up.
This site has a transcript of what Rosie said in The View and she didn't say our government was involved, she just had questions about how building 7 came falling down. God forbid Rosie dares to question something that doesn't make sense to her. In this entry in her blog (I assume it's her blog, I don't even know for sure), Rosie explains what she finds odd about the collapse of that one building.
OK, so Rosie brought up questions about the collapse of building 7. Even if you consider Rosie's statements dumb, nothing she said is any dumber than these:
- Saddam as weapons of mass destruction.
- Iraq poses an eminent threat to the United States.
- Iraq was involved in the 9/11 plot.
- I want Obama dead or alive / I don't lose any sleep over Obama.
- The insurgency is in its last throes.
- In six months we'll see a vast improvement.
- (Six months later) In six months we'll see a vast improvement.
- The insurgency is in its last throes.
- (Six months later) In six months we'll see a vast improvement.
- The insurgency is in its last throes.
- (Six months later) In six months we'll see a vast improvement.
If you're a conservative you have plenty to worry about; Rosie is the least of your problems.
Labels: conservative
Idiot of the Day: Glenn Beck
By VictorM: It's irritating to hear so many well-to-do white guys playing victims. Guys with great educations, jobs, wealth, and yet, they can't stop complaining. It's a testament to their indifference to the human condition and to the greed that is such a part of who they are. Count Glenn Beck, CNN TV personality as the latest idiot to play victim:Glenn Beck claimed he "can't win" because he is "American," "white," "Christian," and "conservative." He said: "[I]f you are a white human that loves America and happens to be a Christian, forget about it, Jack. You are the only one that doesn't have a political action committee for you." He also said: "I mean, I was talking about it with my family yesterday. I said, 'I'm tired of being the least popular person in the world." Beck also said that being "Christian" is "not popular anymore" and went on to say, "I've got to find one thing that I agree with the rest of the world on, I guess. I'm tired of being in that group."
Labels: glenn beck, idiot of the day, media matters
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
The Judgment of the Generals
By Josh Marshall: The president keeps saying that the Democrats are substituting their judgment for that of the generals on the ground. But this is an easily rebutted statement. The entire story here is that the president substituted his judgement for that of the generals on the ground. Remember, they didn't think the surge was a good idea. So what happened? He fired them. That's why Gen. Petraeus is there. The president looked around until he could find a general willing to agree with him. And when he did he put him in charge. This isn't about the 'generals on the ground'. It's about President Bush, whose judgment has been catastrophically abysmal from the start.Labels: generals, Iraq war, josh marshall, petraeus
Idiot of the Day: Reliapundit
By VictorM: It's becoming easier these days to find candidates for the Idiot of the Day. I was a bit rushed today and thought I might have to skip this feature but in a few minutes I had my guy. What's prompting this onslaught of idiotic behavior? Fear, as always.Take this guy... please. What an amazing level of hyperbole and stupidity. And the all caps are his:
WHILE THE UK'S LEFT-WING PM COWERS AT THE FEET OF THE MULLAH'S IF IRAN, THE TOWNS AND CITIES WITHIN HER OWN SHORES ARE RAPIDLY BECOMING ISLAMIFIED. 70 YEARS. AND THEN SHARIA.Ooooo, how scary. As we all know, Muslims are war-mongers, homosexual hating, male chauvinistic, religious fanatics, bent on forcing their religion on the rest of us. Oh wait... um... those are right-wing Christians.
UNLESS EUROPE TAKES HARSH ACTION NOW, EURABIA IS INEVITABLE, AND WITH IT THE END OF A CIVILIZATION.
THIS IS A REAL THREAT - UNLIKE "MAN-MADE GLOBAL WARMING".
Projection is a darn thing.
Labels: christian right, idiot of the day, islam, muslim
Monday, April 02, 2007
Getting Rove: Taking a Big Bite Out of Corruption
By VictorM: When confronted with possible wrong-doing by someone in their flock, right-wingers go into deflection mode. If you recall, with Mark Foley, they started pushing the "when did Democrats know?" defense rather than deal with the skeevy details of the man's behavior. In the case of Purgegate, the common refrain from them now is that "Democrats are just after Rove".OK, let's for the moment assume they are correct, Democrats want to nail Karl Rove. I have a few questions for you, right-wingers:
1. What is wrong with going after Rove? After all, Rove has been toxic in American politics for a long time, is the architect behind using 9/11 and the Iraq war for political gain, and has been the mastermind of numerous shady campaign practices. Doesn't matter if you agree or not, if Democrats think he's corrupt, why shouldn't they try to prove it?
2. Even if that is the Democrats' sole intention, does that alter the facts of the Purgegate case? After all, Monica Goodling pleading the 5th, Kyle Sampson contradicting his boss, and Alberto Gonzales blatantly lying are strong signals that there is something serious being hidden. There's plenty to investigate for very good reasons. Unless you hate democracy, that is. Do you?
3. Do you believe that just because people consider themselves conservatives they are incapable of being corrupt or incompetent? Among the millions of members of your flock, aren't there some bad apples? Why not get rid of them?
Protecting corruption or incompetence in the government is something you should not stand for, but you do. Why is that? Could it have something to do with the massive quantity of bad apples you'd find, including yourself? Could it be because you know that unless you lie and cheat you will never get into power?
So, are Democrats out to get Rove? I sure hope so. For if they get him, they take a big bite out of corruption. And if that happens, democracy wins, America wins. You'd have to be unpatriotic to be against that.
Labels: karl rove, kyle sampson, monica goodling, purgegate, right-wing
Idiot of the Day: John Boehner
By VictorM: It's discurraging when you find out elected politicians who are too lazy to care. House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH), who has been on a solid streak of saying idiotic things, gets recognition today with this:He is either too lazy, doesn't care, or thinks the words "sumbliminable" and "nucular" are also pronounced properly.A truly embarrassing moment for House Minority Leader John Boehner at today's Congressional Medal of Honor ceremony honoring the Tuskegee airmen.
During his short speech to those in attendance, Boehner six times mispronounced the group's name as the "Tusk-E-gee,'' eliciting audible groans from the front to the back of the Capitol Rotunda. One woman standing in front of me leaned to her companion and whispered, "This is so embarrassing, and he's from my state."
Labels: idiot of the day, john boehner, Tuskegee
Sunday, April 01, 2007
April Fools Day
By VictorM: Today is a good day to take a break from keeping up with the news; you never know which story is the April Fools Day joke. I will not be quoting any stories today for that reason. Although I have to admit, it's fun trying to pick which story might be the joke.For example, Yahoo is carrying this AP story: Bush: Gonzales 'honorable and honest'... um, that has to be a joke, no?
The Washington Post has this beauty: Tommy Thompson to Run for President. Come on guys, try not to be so obvious.
The New York Times tries to be funny with this one: McCain Says Baghdad Is Getting Safer.
CNN had me laughing with this headline: White House tries new immigration plan
Oh yeah, and Google is giving away free wireless internet access.. :) (read the whole thing, it's pretty funny)
Labels: april fools
Idiot of the Day: Carlos Villagomez
By VictorM: Notwithstanding David Beckham's signing, the success of soccer in America continues to be an uphill battle. In an effort to contribute to that success, Major League Soccer's (MLS) Houston Dynamo team is looking to built a soccer specific stadium in or around Houston. One of the bidders is the city of Webster. City Councilman Carlos Villagomez said this recently about his support for the bid (emphasis mine):"Soccer is a big sport, especially here in Texas," Villagomez said. "It's getting hot. Every time they've had a soccer team come to Reliant Stadium, it's a sellout. I think soccer is going to be bigger than football."Come on. Statements like this just aren't helpful. That's just an idiotic statement, specially for someone from Texas where some high-school football games draw more fans than many MLS soccer matches.
Mr. Villagomez, please help the Dynamo get a new stadium, but sir, keep your mouth shut about the sport -- you don't know what you're talking about.
Labels: houston dynamo, idiot of the day, major league soccer, mls
