Monday, April 25, 2005
Holy Crap
Words fail me right now, mostly because I'm rollin' on the floor. Go see the Bumper Dumper. Be sure to take mama to the RV place so they can recommend a strong enough hitch. E-Z Lift, maybe? Thanks, 42.
Wolcott in L.A.
James Wolcott is in L.A. for some books & authors deal at UCLA. Since I'm from L.A., and attended UCLA at one time, I read with interest. He picks right up on the important West Coast stuff, for a New Yorker.
Shit, James, L.A. locals don't pay for 'em. They just say they work for a casting director.
Go read the post. Then scroll down one or come back and click for "An Embarrassment Of Arnolds".
This is a noteworthy post because of whom the Governator had frontin' for him at a "rally".
One more reason to control illegal immigration. Tom Arnold only got into showbiz because he lost his Iowa meat packing job to someone who would work harder and for less money.
...and fiery-haired goddess Arianna Huffington, who told me my "blowjob" post was a big hit out there. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Blowjobs, as I'm sure many of you are aware, are a vital industry in LA. High price call girls charge up to a $1,000 for the service, awarding the john afterwards with a certificate of authenticity and a cute little keychain as a parting gift. Well, you really should get something extra for spending all that money.
Shit, James, L.A. locals don't pay for 'em. They just say they work for a casting director.
Go read the post. Then scroll down one or come back and click for "An Embarrassment Of Arnolds".
The LA Times and the local news broadcasts out here (which really live down to their nitwit reputation--it's as if the anchors had the Botox injected directly into their brains) are aburst with stories about Arnold in Trouble. His poll numbers have sunk into Bush territory, the unions are running TV ads slamming the governor into the mat, and wife Maria Shriver has jumped in with both scary cheekbones to exercise damage control.
The best deadpan coverage of Arnold Deflated was provided this morning by the LA Times, which discussed fractures and friction in Schwarzenegger's political team as they fight over the oars on the lifeboat.
This is a noteworthy post because of whom the Governator had frontin' for him at a "rally".
I wonder if identifying Tom Arnold as an "actor" wasn't another subtle insertion of LA Times deadpan humor. Arnold does something on screen in The Stupids, McHale's Navy, and Soul Plane, but I'm not sure it could be characterized by even the most charitable as "acting."
One more reason to control illegal immigration. Tom Arnold only got into showbiz because he lost his Iowa meat packing job to someone who would work harder and for less money.
Bolton? Revoltin'!
Since I brought it up in my last post, just below, I'll follow it up. Thank God for news links like Truthout. From Associated Press.
Who cares? As long as gravity and that sudden stop at the bottom do their stuff!
The Brits are grinding their ax as well. From Newsweek.
It ain't in the bag yet either way. I'm hopin' Bolton will go down. That cat wouldn't have lasted ten minutes in any of the motorcycle shops I've worked in with a mouth like his, and most of the hairy bastards that populate 'sickle shops would make better ambassadors. And, Bolton: take that little chimp down with ya.
Withdraw or be pushed out by the White House. Survive the test of his professional life. Suffer a rejection by the Senate. That's about what it comes down to for John R. Bolton, President Bush's besieged nominee to be U.N. ambassador.
"This nomination is not doomed, but it's on life support and the plug may well be pulled any day," said Allan J. Lichtman, a political history professor at American University.
"My sense is that he's going down," said Thomas Mann, an expert on Congress and the presidency at the Brookings Institution in Washington. It is not clear, Mann said, whether Bolton would jump or be pushed by the White House.
Who cares? As long as gravity and that sudden stop at the bottom do their stuff!
The Brits are grinding their ax as well. From Newsweek.
But the London story is further evidence that Bolton and the White House have their work cut out for them. On several occasions, America's closest ally in the war on terror, Britain, was irked by what U.S. and British sources say were efforts by Bolton to undermine promising diplomatic openings. Perhaps the most dramatic instance took place early in the U.S.-British talks in 2003 to force Libya to surrender its nuclear program, NEWSWEEK has learned. The Libya deal succeeded only after British officials "at the highest level" persuaded the White House to keep Bolton off the negotiating team. A crucial issue, according to sources involved in the affair, was Muammar Kaddafi's demand that if Libya abandoned its WMD program, the U.S. in turn would drop its goal of regime change. But Bolton was unwilling to support this compromise. The White House agreed to keep Bolton "out of the loop," as one source puts it. A deal was struck only after Kaddafi was reassured that Bush would settle for "policy change"-surrendering his WMD. One Bush official called the accounts of both incidents "flatly untrue" (like, duh! - ed.).
It ain't in the bag yet either way. I'm hopin' Bolton will go down. That cat wouldn't have lasted ten minutes in any of the motorcycle shops I've worked in with a mouth like his, and most of the hairy bastards that populate 'sickle shops would make better ambassadors. And, Bolton: take that little chimp down with ya.
Holy War Sunday
Man, there's a lot of shit flyin' today about this clusterfuck. The Louisville Courier-Journal chimes in about the judge nominees that are the cause of it all. I wouldn't feel safe fighting a fix-it ticket in front of these idiots. Via Truthout.
Frist is using the Retardiligious Right and their hatred (a fine christian quality) of "activist judges", you know, the judges who rule by law rather than bigoted pseudo-religious political ideology that fits their demented vision of the future they wish to impose against the rest of us, to further his own personal political ambition, i.e. a presidential campaign. Someone better dab a loop around this idiot and tell him that the 13% of Americans who felt that intervention of Congress in the Schiavo affair was a good thing ain't enough to elect his pathetic ass.
Nah, I take it back; let him run with this deflated football. He's showing his ideology-trumps-reality pipe dream to the American public. A lot of us are getting sick and tired of this religious agenda. Just like it's the Republicans who will pull down DeLay and offensive presidential nominees like Bolton (I hope), it will be the real Christians who will stop this crap because it makes them all look like hateful morons. They have to be the ones who do it. Anyone else would drown under the whine of "religious persecution".
I hope when the God-based bigots and their political users reach the end of their rope, their feet won't quite touch the ground.
At the rate things are going in American politics, next week will bring ads by the Noah's Ark Veterans for Truth claiming that the two Democrats on board were actually stowaways, whom God had intended for drowning but who snuck on cross-dressed as gayals.
It should be called, "Injustice Sunday: Demean the holy and foment schism for partisan gain."
Whatever you think of these nominees and the Democrats' filibuster of them, it is not the religious faith they possess, but the judicial qualities they lack -- restraint, balance, experience, respect for law -- that have brought the nation to this sorry point
There's Priscilla Owen, the token white woman and Texas judge whose eagerness to substitute her own values for the rule of law was too much for even Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who rebuked her for it when both served on the same court.
There's Janice Rogers Brown, the token black woman and California judge who believes that our vibrant nation of free-market capitalism -- this economy of Wal-Marts, Pfizers and Enrons and of Googles, Yahoos and Apples; this home of a pitiful $5.15 minimum wage and of a staggering 44 million people without health insurance; this land of soaring CEO pay and declining real wages for workers -- has actually been crushed by the boot of collectivism ever since what she calls the 1937 "triumph of our own socialist revolution."
There's Brett Kavanaugh, who has never tried a case, but rose from Ken Starr's impeachment crusade to become a White House operative.
There's William G. Meyers III, who also lacks trial experience but who has put in plenty of time rabidly fighting against environmental laws and in favor of mining interests.
And there's William Haynes II, whose meager courtroom work is offset by his considerable contribution, as the Defense Department's counsel, to the shameful abandonment of America's deepest legal principles regarding the treatment and rights of prisoners of war and detainees.
It's no wonder their advocates are so intent on diverting attention from their legal limitations, ideological excesses and partisan activism with claims of anti-Christian discrimination.
But religious martyrs, they're not -- nor jurists worthy of the damage their nominations are doing to both politics and religion.
Frist is using the Retardiligious Right and their hatred (a fine christian quality) of "activist judges", you know, the judges who rule by law rather than bigoted pseudo-religious political ideology that fits their demented vision of the future they wish to impose against the rest of us, to further his own personal political ambition, i.e. a presidential campaign. Someone better dab a loop around this idiot and tell him that the 13% of Americans who felt that intervention of Congress in the Schiavo affair was a good thing ain't enough to elect his pathetic ass.
Nah, I take it back; let him run with this deflated football. He's showing his ideology-trumps-reality pipe dream to the American public. A lot of us are getting sick and tired of this religious agenda. Just like it's the Republicans who will pull down DeLay and offensive presidential nominees like Bolton (I hope), it will be the real Christians who will stop this crap because it makes them all look like hateful morons. They have to be the ones who do it. Anyone else would drown under the whine of "religious persecution".
I hope when the God-based bigots and their political users reach the end of their rope, their feet won't quite touch the ground.
Justice Sunday
AMERICABlog:
They should have renamed it 'Just Us Sunday'. (I owe somebody credit for that, but for the life of me, I can't remember where I saw it. STML*) It's only hate when us Liberal, Commie-Pinko, Baby-killing, Jesus-hating, anal sex-loving, heathens say something against the Repubs. When they engage, they're protecting something. Be it Jesus (whom I doubt needs any protection from Bill Frist), or marriage, or whatever. The American Taliban are gonna have a rude awakening sooner rather than later. (See Gord's post below.) Already there are die hard Repubs I know (who told me I was crazy when I said the Christo-Fascists are taking over 6 months ago) who now see their party as a laughing stock at best and marginalized at worst. I'm willing to wager that if the 'Christian Wing' of the party keeps up this 'God in government' push, many are gonna jump ship in '06.
And just an aside to the Jesus-freaks: Do you actually think God and Jesus need you to protect them from us? If you do, you have an overly high opinion of yourselves, you ignorant assholes. If God's on your side, you can sleep well knowing when He gets tired of my colleagues and me reaming your asses, we'll be smited (smote? smitten?, no not smitten). Remember Noah? The boat? The Animals' Swingers Club? (All them couples reminds me of Plato's Retreat. It does sorta explain the diversity of species' though.) He don't need you to help him out, trust me. Dickheads.
Remember last fall when Whoopi Goldberg made a joke about Bush at a Kerry fundraiser and the GOP went crazy? Ken "Straight but not on the record" Mehlman called it a "hatefest." The lapdogs in the mainstream media all obediently tagged Kerry with Whoopi's remarks. It was such a scandal....neverminding the fact that Whoopi is a comedian.
The right wingers are always pulling stunts like this, linking comedians to Democratic politicians as if the Dems. are responsible for their acts.
Fast forward to today's radical right wing hatefest: "Justice Sunday - Stopping The Filibuster Against People of Faith." This event is not being hosted by comedians or entertainers. It is sponsored by political professionals who have very close relationships to the White House, the RNC and the GOP leadership in the House and Senate.
[. . .]
They should have renamed it 'Just Us Sunday'. (I owe somebody credit for that, but for the life of me, I can't remember where I saw it. STML*) It's only hate when us Liberal, Commie-Pinko, Baby-killing, Jesus-hating, anal sex-loving, heathens say something against the Repubs. When they engage, they're protecting something. Be it Jesus (whom I doubt needs any protection from Bill Frist), or marriage, or whatever. The American Taliban are gonna have a rude awakening sooner rather than later. (See Gord's post below.) Already there are die hard Repubs I know (who told me I was crazy when I said the Christo-Fascists are taking over 6 months ago) who now see their party as a laughing stock at best and marginalized at worst. I'm willing to wager that if the 'Christian Wing' of the party keeps up this 'God in government' push, many are gonna jump ship in '06.
And just an aside to the Jesus-freaks: Do you actually think God and Jesus need you to protect them from us? If you do, you have an overly high opinion of yourselves, you ignorant assholes. If God's on your side, you can sleep well knowing when He gets tired of my colleagues and me reaming your asses, we'll be smited (smote? smitten?, no not smitten). Remember Noah? The boat? The Animals' Swingers Club? (All them couples reminds me of Plato's Retreat. It does sorta explain the diversity of species' though.) He don't need you to help him out, trust me. Dickheads.
*STML=Short Term Memory Loss
Gannongate revisited
Raw Story via the King:
So, he was more than just a plant. It looks like he also had a 'service contract' with someone at the White House. Gord, give that man a buttplug.
[. . .]
Guckert [Gannon] made more than two dozen excursions to the White House when there were no scheduled briefings. On many of these days, the Press Office held press gaggles aboard Air Force One—which raises questions about what Guckert was doing at the White House. On other days, the president held photo opportunities.
On at least fourteen occasions, Secret Service records show either the entry or exit time missing. Generally, the existing entry or exit times correlate with press conferences; on most of these days, the records show that Guckert checked in but was never processed out.
In March, 2003, Guckert left the White House twice on days he had never checked in with the Secret Service. Over the next 22 months, Guckert failed to check out with the Service on fourteen days. On several of these visits, Guckert either entered or exited by a different entry/exit point than his usual one. On one of these days, no briefing was held; on another, he checked in twice but failed to check out.
[. . .]
So, he was more than just a plant. It looks like he also had a 'service contract' with someone at the White House. Gord, give that man a buttplug.
Sunday, April 24, 2005
F-man=Asshole
I have my moments. Had one this week and I'd like to apologize for it. Not to go into it here, I'll let you hear it from the injured party. My apology is in comments.
Gonna leave this on top today
I know that gloating is premature, but...
Editorial in today's NYTimes:
I've been predicting this for months, even though I claim no credit for thinking it up. I'm glad the media is finally commenting on the elephant they spotted in the room some time ago. Sometimes, I guess it takes being smacked upside the head with a 2x4 to get 'em to do their job. That usually works for me.
We are not optimistic, or naïve, enough to call it a trend yet, but there have been signs that some sensible Republicans are starting to realize that the Senate majority leader, Bill Frist, and the House majority leader, Tom DeLay, are vastly overreaching any plausible electoral mandate in their quest for one-party control of every aspect of government and their demands for mute party fealty.
The most striking example was in the Senate, where a few Republicans are starting to resist President Bush's latest demand for unquestioning approval of a high-level nominee who is clearly unsuitable for the job he has been given.
Mr. Bush is still sticking with Mr. Bolton and Mr. DeLay. But Republican concerns undercut his attempt to paint the criticism of both men as partisan. The fast-emerging question for him and the other Republicans is, when they will realize that nothing in the American system provides for the party that wins an election to do whatever it wants, no matter what objections are raised by the minority party or even some of its own members? The point is not lost on American voters: primal party loyalty is no substitute for effective, democratic government.
I've been predicting this for months, even though I claim no credit for thinking it up. I'm glad the media is finally commenting on the elephant they spotted in the room some time ago. Sometimes, I guess it takes being smacked upside the head with a 2x4 to get 'em to do their job. That usually works for me.
Oy!
Just going over site referrals. Imagine my surprise when I find that a Google search for the word "buttplugs" points you to the Brain. Gordon, what have you been up to?
Shameful
The Family Values team is once again showing their true colors. Chimp Co. wants to weaken Clinton's Family Leave legislation, making it harder for people to take time off from work to tend to sick family members. They want the Terri Schiavos of the land to live forever, but they don't want her family to have the time to care for her. Seems that's a burden for Big Business.
I'm so freaking tired of hearing about compassion, religion, and the Culture of Life from these Republicans when they wouldn't have given Mother Mary time off from work to tend to Jesus on the cross. They make me ill, and they ought to be ashamed.
I'm so freaking tired of hearing about compassion, religion, and the Culture of Life from these Republicans when they wouldn't have given Mother Mary time off from work to tend to Jesus on the cross. They make me ill, and they ought to be ashamed.
The stench of hypocrisy 5
John at Blogenlust sees a glaring example:
Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. Yeesh!
Jeb Bush will be the head of the US delegation at Pope Benedict XVI's inauguration on Sunday, and by the standards of the new pope, I'd like to condemn Jeb's participation in the Holy Communion.
[. . .]
Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. Yeesh!
A little redesign
No, not the blog, the benefits of retired military. Rob:
The Bush Doctine: We'll 'support our troops' as long as they're able to pick up a rifle.
[. . .]
Translated...it's getting too expensive to live up to the promises we made to those who serve our nation. Time to "redesign" those promises.
[. . .]
The Bush Doctine: We'll 'support our troops' as long as they're able to pick up a rifle.
But Jesus hates queers
Via Francesca from LA Times:
3000 children torn away from loving homes. Shows ya how concerned the Repubs are about kids. Buncha assholes. What I've found (living in New York, I have a bunch of gay friends), is that some of the best and committed relationships are between gay couples. I know couples who've been together 20, 30, even 40 years, far more than among the hetero couples I know. Some have children, the vast majority whom have turned out bright and well-adjusted, what we'd all consider successes. Now, regardless of what it says about the marginalization of gays, it's what this will do to the children who are torn away from generally loving, nurturing families.
How can anyone say they care about children when they would willingly cause them this type of trauma? I mean, people don't become foster parents (generally) unless they want to give a child a good, stable home and lots of love. With all the child abuse we hear about occurring in the Lone Star State (Andrea Yates, and that other lady who cut off her kid's arms, and others; all 'good Christians'), why would they want to deny these children a loving home? Why would they go out of their way to hurt children in the name of God? Why would they want to reduce in size the pool of kind, caring people willing to open their home to a child who needs one? What Texas Repubs (and the lot of 'em nationally) are attempting to do is not Christian. Ladies and gents, I may be a little heathen but even I know Jesus wouldn't want that. Not the Jesus I learned about.
PASADENA, Texas — Texas lawmakers are considering legislation that could make this the only state to ban gays and lesbians from being foster parents.
Conservatives have pledged to fight for the measure, part of a bill to revamp the state's Child Protective Services agency, despite concerns that as many as 3,000 children could be removed from their homes. [my emphasis]
[. . .]
3000 children torn away from loving homes. Shows ya how concerned the Repubs are about kids. Buncha assholes. What I've found (living in New York, I have a bunch of gay friends), is that some of the best and committed relationships are between gay couples. I know couples who've been together 20, 30, even 40 years, far more than among the hetero couples I know. Some have children, the vast majority whom have turned out bright and well-adjusted, what we'd all consider successes. Now, regardless of what it says about the marginalization of gays, it's what this will do to the children who are torn away from generally loving, nurturing families.
How can anyone say they care about children when they would willingly cause them this type of trauma? I mean, people don't become foster parents (generally) unless they want to give a child a good, stable home and lots of love. With all the child abuse we hear about occurring in the Lone Star State (Andrea Yates, and that other lady who cut off her kid's arms, and others; all 'good Christians'), why would they want to deny these children a loving home? Why would they go out of their way to hurt children in the name of God? Why would they want to reduce in size the pool of kind, caring people willing to open their home to a child who needs one? What Texas Repubs (and the lot of 'em nationally) are attempting to do is not Christian. Ladies and gents, I may be a little heathen but even I know Jesus wouldn't want that. Not the Jesus I learned about.
Thinking gives me a headache
From my dear friend (and cousin-in-law) Encino Man:
More Below the Fold . . .
It started out innocently enough.
I began to think at parties now and then -- to loosen up.
Inevitably, though, one thought led to another, and soon I was more than just a social thinker.
I began to think alone -- "to relax," I told myself -- but I knew it wasn't true.
Thinking became more and more important to me, and finally I was thinking all the time.
[. . .]
More Below the Fold . . .
Saturday, April 23, 2005
Heh, one more
| F | Flamboyant |
| I | Important |
| X | X-Rated |
| E | Eccentric |
| R | Rounded |
Name Acronym Generator
From Go-Quiz.com
I think I'm going to declare a moratorium with regard to these stupid things. At least with regard to posting 'em. Oy! Thanks, once more, to Cmdr. Sue.
Short, sweet, wonderful Truth
Spoken by Jayinbmore at RUFNKM:
The Right Wing knows it too.
. . . Sin is the essential mechanism to create artificial demand for the Church. Or did I misread that?
[. . .]
The Right Wing knows it too.
Your tax dollars . . . never mind
DemVet isn't surprised:
Hey, it ain't their money, is it now?
[. . .]
Imagine that. CheneyBurton overbilling 42% of their contract amount. Well, being connected has always paid off. Literally. I guess that all that you know, math and accounting and stuff could be some kind of objectively pro-terrarist™ "fuzzy" liberal-think made up to embarras the gawd-fearin' 1600 Crew.
[. . .]
Hey, it ain't their money, is it now?
Handcuffs?
Morrigan asks a question about the litttle 5 year old girl in Florida who was handcuffed by police. Go answer it.
Responsibility and Culpability
Via Today in Iraq from WaPo:
Not excusing them, but only the grunts get jail time? What about the 'private contractors'? What about the officers? Yup, a few 'bad apples'. None of this would have happened unless the officers let it happen.
An Army inspector general's report has cleared senior Army officers of wrongdoing in the abuse of military prisoners in Iraq and elsewhere, government officials familiar with the findings said yesterday.
The only Army general officer recommended for punishment for the failures that led to abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison and other facilities in Iraq and Afghanistan is Brig. Gen. Janis L. Karpinski, who was in charge of U.S. prison facilities in Iraq as commander of the 800th Military Police Brigade in late 2003 and early 2004. Several sources said Karpinski is expected to receive an administrative reprimand for dereliction of duty. [my emphasis]
[. . .]
Not excusing them, but only the grunts get jail time? What about the 'private contractors'? What about the officers? Yup, a few 'bad apples'. None of this would have happened unless the officers let it happen.
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