Such a deal!

If ya got 99¢ left, that is...


The best bargain and most useful item might be the paper towels.

We'll see if Slate lets me keep this hot link

Senatorial Junket

WANDTV Champaign, Springfield, Decatur IL

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - Members of a U.S. Senate delegation say Pakistan knows it must take quick action against terrorists in Pakistan connected to last month's attacks in Mumbai, India.

Sen. John McCain also says the Islamabad government will work with India and avoid "any further deepening" of the current crisis between the two neighbors.

McCain has been visiting Pakistan and India as part of a regional tour with members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. U.S. senators Joe Lieberman and Lindsey Graham were also along.

There ya go! Show the two nations in the hottest spot on the planet that we care - send the losers! "Also along" sounds an awful lot like "also ran" which describes McCain's poodles real well, I think.

On the flip side, they're the perfect choice to go on this mission. If Paki militants kidnap and behead those three, what's the loss?

Hard-Hitting Brokaw Questions President-Elect About Whether He's Given Up Cigarettes

Tony Peyser

You know, there's a basic bottom line here
Which many of you may also be thinking:
Tom, don't bitch about Barack's smoking
Unless you ask Bush about his drinking.

Note to Barry: You can go smoke where Bush went to drink and maybe horn a little blow - on the upper balcony at the rear of the White House. You can piss off it like he did too. Also, should you sneak the occasional tipple, and I know it will be more infrequently than Bush did, show a little more class than him and don't throw your empties out in the yard.

Rewarding Those Who Got It Right

MFBTGR* on the O-Man's appointment of Gen. Shinseki. She hopes it starts a trend. So do I.

BROKAW: He's the man who lost his job in the Bush Administration because he said we will need more troops in Iraq than Secretary of Defense Don Rumsfeld thought we would need at that time.

OBAMA: He was right.

It will be nice if "he was right" continues to be something that qualifies one for a job in the Obama administration instead of the cause for dismissal it was under Bush.

By making a deliberate effort to reward those who got it right -- on Iraq, on the economy, on global warming, on health care -- Obama will not only send a message that the days of Bush Darwinism are over, he will also puncture the White House's favorite defense, especially on Iraq, that "everybody got it wrong."

No, they didn't. And it's vital that the Bush apologists, in the midst of their Bush Legacy Project, not be allowed to rewrite history.

Recognizing and rewarding Those Who Got It Right also makes it far more likely that the next Eric Shinseki will be willing to step forward and speak up. Obama's appointment of Shinseki is a solid first step.

It's plenty OK to disagree with those who disagree with you. You argue your side and may the better horse win the race. It is not OK to destroy careers to instill fear into others so they keep their mouths shut (I think an exception can be made in the case of right-wing gasbags). At least Shinseki had a hefty pension, but that's not the point. The point is that oppressively silencing voices that speak truth to power may have been one of the worst crimes of the Bush administration. Among many.

If the freedom to speak one's mind without fear of retaliation is returned to our citizens and our representatives and, perhaps more importantly to the press, then Obama's presidency will be a success.

*My Favorite Big-Titted Greek Redhead

Staying home ...

Something near and dear to my heart. Vacation.

If 2008 was the year of the staycation, then ’09 is bound to be the year of the naycation.

As in, nay — we’re not vacationing.

The conventional wisdom about travel is that it will slip by just a few percentage points next year. But the unconventional wisdom — supported by several troubling surveys — points to a much bigger drop.

...

I can understand that. As you know if you follow our travels, the Mrs. and I book our vacations with a lot of lead time. Our 2009 vacations were booked and paid for this past August (avid cruisers like us know to book early for the best choice of rooms and fares). That said, we're holding off on 2010 because we don't know how the economy will look then. Were we booking for 2009 now, we'd probably be scaling back a lot.

...

A recent Allstate poll found nearly half of all Americans plan to cut back on travel in 2009. An International SOS survey says slightly fewer of us — about 4 out of 10 Americans — are reducing their international trips next year. And a Zagat survey says at least 20 percent of us will travel less in ’09.

But that’s just the half of it. I’ve been talking with people in the industry, who tell me — direct quote here — that travel is poised to “drop off a cliff” in January. In other words, people are telling pollsters one thing but making other plans.

...

I think this recession will hit harder than people think and the luxuries in life will be the first things to go. A cruise vacation just isn't in the cards for people who are struggling with the rent payments. I expect lines like Carnival, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean (along with Disney Cruise Line to some extent - it's still a good value for a family vacation), who cater to the party crowd going to the Caribbean and Mexico, are going to take the biggest hit. Those folks, if they take a vacation at all next year, will probably spend their bucks closer to home.

It looks like 2009 is gonna be a tough year for everybody.

Great thanks to Chris for the link.

Go away ...

I really didn't expect this from a Roberts Court.

...

The Supreme Court has turned down an emergency appeal from a New Jersey man who says President-elect Barack Obama is ineligible to be president because he was a British subject at birth.

...

I figured the conservatives would wring a couple months of outrage and controversy out of the issue.

Know what? I could give shit less if Barry was born in the Third Circle of Hell, so long as he fixes what the conservatives have fucked up, though I think the task is too great to do within term limits.

They finally found ...

Some people his own age for him to play with.

IL Dems Stand Up for Republic Windows Sit-In Against Bank of America

I didn't think too much about this until I just saw Rep. Schakowsky (D-Il, and my choice for Senator to replace Barry) on, sorry, Hardball talking about it.

BuzzFlash

After a week of lawmakers obsessing over a massive auto industry bailout, a Chicago company that makes things Americans actually want to buy tried to quietly go out of business, telling their employees they could forget their insurance and vacation pay. Refusing to let the company walk out on their union contract, workers took a stand, and sat down.

At the heart of their demands is basic workers' rights. The company has said it will not pay for benefits, such as insurance and paid vacation, owed under a union contract with United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE) Local 1110. Federal law also requires the company give workers at least 60 days notice prior to the shutdown. The company claims they cannot pay the benefits because Bank of America will not release the necessary funds (my em).

Senator Durbin:

"Over the last several weeks we have been debating in Washington how to spend hundreds of billions of dollars. We have been sending billions of dollars to banks like Bank of America. The reason we sent them the money was to tell them they have to loan this money to companies just like Republic," he said. He added that Congress will "remind them that the taxpayers' dollars flowing into these big banks are not for dividends; they're not for executive salaries. They're for loans and credit to businesses."

Bank of America has secured $15 billion of the U.S. Treasury's $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program. In acquiring Merrill Lynch, they stand to get $10 billion more from the same program. Meanwhile, Bank of America's CEO Kenneth Lewis received more than $16 million in compensation in 2007 and more than $25 million in 2006. Just last month, Bank of America almost doubled its investment in China Construction Bank, spending an additional $7 billion to increase its share in the Chinese financial institution to more than 19 percent.

From Obama's Sunday news conference:

[...] But it’s also important for us to make sure that the plans and programs that we design aren’t just targeted at maintaining the solvency of banks, but they are designed to get money out the doors and to help people on Main Street. [...]

“Number two, I think it is important for us to make sure that, moving forward, any economic plan we put in place helps businesses to meet payroll so we are not seeing these kinds of circumstances again," he said. “Have we done everything that we can to make sure credit is flowing to businesses and to families, and to students who are trying to get loans? And to homeowners who have been making payments on their homes but are still finding their property values so depressed that it becomes very difficult for them to make the mortgage payments?

“That’s where the rubber hits the road and that’s going to be the central focus of my administration.”

We - that's we, you and me, all of us, have just given BofA billions of our dollars. I guess it's more important for them to sit on the dough or use it for investment in China and for perks, executive salaries, bonuses, dividends, or spa getaways than it is to use it right here in the United States to satisfy obligations to peasants as well to keep businesses open and Americans working. God damn them.

Note to President Obama: You get someone on this shit and look into just what the fuck the money was for and do something about abuses toute de fuckin' suite. Give the op order in yer goddam inaugural speech. Rethink the whole pocket-pickin' giveaway. Better, think about it for the first time unlike Paulson and Congress who panicked and never did. This is total bullshit.

Note to the Republic employees: Good for you. Keep it up. Don't let the bastards beat you out of what's yours.

Logistics II

Fixer has an excellent post below on resupplying US troops in Afghanistan. He's right. Here's a film about resupply efforts many years ago when one little stretch of road was cut by the enemy. This was one base, and the flights were only of a coupla hundred miles or less, not thousands of miles through the airspace of not-necessarily-friendly countries to then distribute supplies to perhaps hundreds of small outposts. It was a 24/7 all-hands exercise of horrendous cost, and it barely kept the Marines alive and fighting.

For more info, see The Battle of Khe Sanh.

Did I mention that the Taliban have surrounded Kabul, similar to the way the PAVN surrounded Khe Sanh?


Note: check out the thumbnails after the video for some spectacular C-130 action!

I think I should mention that it might be wildly inadvisable to refer to the Khe Sanh aircrews as 'AF weenies' in front of some old fart Marine who got to eat and have ammo because of their efforts. Might be entertaining, though...

Incompetence Kept Us "Safe"

Pablo rarely sounds off apart from his photos. Today he does.

That's the hook for his legacy, he kept us "safe". (after one colossal failure)

But it is all BS!

Look at Mumbai. Ten guys, automatic weapons, grenades, ammo. Do you think that couldn't have been done at any time, any place in the U.S.?

What was to stop them?

Homeland Security?

Our strongly defended borders?

Our crack Intelligence apparatus?

No, what stopped them was that there was no need. They scored a great success on September 11. They have driven this country into panic, caused 2 wars, economic meltdown, suspension of much of our Constitution, ruined our reputation around the world, and shown us to be so reliant on massive force retaliation, that we are like a helpless infant.

Unfortunately, with the country seemingly coming to it's senses, and changing it's regime, there will probably be another attack in the next decade perhaps another "Mumbai". Nothing as spectacular as 9/11, that is no longer necessary in their eyes. Just a little reminder to kick the panic up a notch.

And sad to say, that act will pretty much cement Bush's legacy.

He kept us "safe".

I would love to see Bush's 'legacy' 'cemented' around his feet just before he goes swimming in the East River, or in his new neighbor's trout pond in the formerly racially exclusive rich white racist enclave in Dallas, but I digress.

Bush's agenda about 'homeland (God, I hate that word) security' was basically to scare the crap out of us and turn us into a nation of spoiled mewling cowards so he could advance tyranny over us and around the world and then pretty much do nothing else other than to have people take their shoes off before they can board an airplane. To a greater or lesser degree it worked.

Whatever the nature of the next terrorist attack, it had better come before January 20 or it will be someone else's fault. 9/11 was, of course, someone's fault other than Bush. Remember, everything that happened before November 4 was Clinton's fault, everything after November 4 is Obama's.

Makes me wanta puke.

Oh, the irony...

Ironic Times

BUSH MAKES ROUNDS GIVING “EXIT INTERVIEWS”
Hopes friendly televised chats favorably influence future grand jurors.

Britain Considers Making It Illegal to Pay for Sex
Anything more than dinner and a movie would be a felony.

Look for a buncha airstrips in Nevada to be extended, maybe even paved, to facilitate direct flights from Heathrow and Gatwick. Shady Lady International Airport? Actually, if you mind traffic just a little you can land anything with its landing gear less than two lanes apart on US95 and deplane at the pleasure palace of your choice. Brits take note. We need your money.

New Rule Permits Loaded, Concealed Weapons in Some National Parks
Sites affected: Al Capone Wildlife Refuge, Bonnie and Clyde Twin Peaks National Monument, Jimmy “The Weasel” Fratianno National Forest.

Recession-Hit Americans Flocking to Movies
Most remain in their seats until morning.

“Impeach Bush” Ornament Deemed Inappropriate for White House Tree
Also “Behead Cheney” ornament (not shown).

How about The Dick's head itself? Nah, might scare the kids.

I wish I'da got a 'liquid alert' for this next one:

NFL Broadcasts Game in 3-D
Viewers particularly enjoy Viagra commercials.

And, last but not least, one that I'm sure we can all relate to:

Stash of 2700-Year-Old Marijuana Discovered in Gobi Desert
At least that's what archeologists told police.

Farce-a Italia

A headline from BuzzFlash:

Berlusconi -- Italy's cross between George W. Bush and Rupert Murdoch -- Wants to Use G-8 Presidency to Regulate the Internet.

Oh. Fucking. Swell. It will start with 'extremist websites and niche pornography', which I got not much problem with, but Bersuckloni owns a lot of media and, like Murdoch, would probably like to go after sites that do fact checking or dissemination of truth at odds with his agenda as well.

I love Italian food and motorcycles. Batshit media mogul heads of state not so much.

After Eight Years of Dumb

From Dharma at Mixter's Mix, "Superbad blogger chix to whom nothing is sacred!"

It seems as if some critics are already picking apart the folks that Obama is choosing to surround himself. They are saying that the choices are all too educated, too smart and from ivy league schools. Well speaking for myself, I think that after eight years of dumb, I am ready to see what a group of really smart people can accomplish!

Too educated and too smart is a negative? How far we have fallen.

Logistics ...

I know I harp on this, but I've been there. We encouraged the Afghani 'freedom fighters' to use these tactics against the Soviets 30 years ago and they're using them quite effectively against us now.

In one of the largest and most brazen attacks of its kind, suspected Taliban insurgents with heavy weapons attacked two truck stops in northwest Pakistan on Sunday, destroying more than 150 vehicles carrying supplies bound for U.S.-led troops in Afghanistan.

The predawn attack on the outskirts of the city of Peshawar left the grounds of the truck terminals littered with the burned-out shells of Humvees and other military vehicles being transported by private truckers. At least one guard was reported killed.

Early today, a second attack on Western supplies was reported in the same area. A security guard said 50 containers had been burned and some vehicles destroyed by rocket fire.

...

By the time the Soviets left Afghanistan, only about a third of their supplies were getting to their destination. When they tried to use Mi-24s to guard the convoys, the Afghanis would shoot them down from the natural fortifications in the surrounding heights using RPGs (gunships have the thinnest armor on the top surfaces and the props are sitting ducks) or from below using the Stinger missiles we gave them.

As I've said many times, I don't care what kind of force you have on the ground. If you can't resupply them, they're ineffective at best, dead at worst. Afghanistan in particular is the last place you want to have resupply problems. The Khyber Pass, and the entire mountain range they are a part of, is a natural obstacle to resupply and has played a big part in the death of armies for the last few centuries.

The only alternative route is over land is through the 'Stans, via Russia or China (overhead) and the terrain on that side is almost as unforgiving. The Russians and Chinese (were they to help us) present their own set of problems. Air resupply is about as iffy as a convoy in that terrain, the cargo aircraft easy targets for mostly the same reasons (vulnerability on takeoff and landing from shooters on the high terrain, and during the offload/onload process sitting on the ground - one idiot with a mortar can make life miserable on the flightline).

I hope President-elect Obama receives good counsel from his staff before he decides to send more troops to the area. He could take a hundred thousand from Iraq, yet if he can't get them food, fuel, and bullets they're useless. Before we commit another unit to the battle, we'd better take a long look at what our mission really is; at what we're trying to achieve there.

If we are going after al-Qaeda, we have to have the cooperation (real cooperation) of the Paks. Without it, without being able to get a credible force in the tribal areas, we have no chance of getting Osama or the rest. If we are trying to build a 'western democracy' in Afghanistan, we might as well forget it. The culture would never accept it. In all the years we've been there, we've barely brought democracy to the city of Kabul and once you leave the city limits, it becomes the lawless place it's been since the British tried to tame it.

With the new administration comes a time to reassess, and the war in Afghanistan (or whatever its become now) has to be reassessed as well. We have to sit back and look at what we want to accomplish and whether the costs are worth it - in lives and money. Throwing a division or two at the problem might not be the best idea when the Soviets had over a hundred thousand on the ground and still failed. I hope President Obama takes that into consideration before committing more U.S. troops and capital to what is now a no-win situation.

Great thanks to our pal Montag for the LA Times link.

Weekend whorage

Another chapter of Birthright is up at The Practical Press.

Starting to get some color on the walls in the house.

And another instance of why General Motors, and the rest of the Big Three, are losing their shirts.

And, for your Sunday evening listening pleasure, I followed Gord's cue but instead of one of Robert Plant's latest offerings, I dredged up one from 35 years ago. One of the best blues tunes evah:

Led Zeppelin - Since I've Been Loving You

Sunday World Music Blogging

If you like World Music, you should go see calabashmusic. A wonderful selection of music from South America to Africa to Finland to Coney Island to Tijuana and all points in between.

Ojos de Brujo translates as "eyes of the wizard*". It's an appropriate name for a band who attempt to create musical magic. Formed from a collective of young Spanish musicians who use flamenco as a foundation for cross-genre experimentation, Ojos de Brujo incorporate elements of hip-hop, funk, salsa, and reggae into a dynamic flamenco sound.

Ojos de Brujo - Tiempo de Solea

*I usually translate 'brujo' as 'witch', but it may be more like 'batshit crazy smelly old fart who lives in a cave and wears a torn loincloth that lets his sack drag the ground who will put a curse on your mother-in-law for a jug of pulque'.

Fixer takes on the ice cream truck

Shinseki will head VA

I heartily concur with this choice! Here's Gen. Shinseki's wikistory.

Run, Tweety, Run!

P.M.Carpenter

Nothing has created so much breathless Internet stir since W. choked on a pretzel.

You recognized instantly, of course, that the "nothing" of which I just wrote is the nothing of Chris Matthews' possible -- probable -- run for the U.S. Senate, circa if not precisely 2010.

Plus, Arlen Specter isn't exactly the Huey Long of the Republican Party. He's about as boringly moderate as boring moderate can get, which is the only reason his extended tenure is endangered to begin with. Only the consecrated Whackos from the reddest hues of Whackoism are ever truly safe.

Eliminating Arlen only means eliminating the lingering vestiges of sanity in the GOP.

On the other hand, a Matthews run would irritate the bejesus out of the PUMA people -- and who can honestly say that that wouldn't be one helluva lot of splendid fun? I miss them, I miss them already, and I miss them deeply. They never write me anymore and I fear they're depressed. Matthews would give them something to live for, something to hang their hat-full of organized but homeless psychosis on.

So sure, that right there is reason enough, I suppose, for me to proudly don a "Matthews for Senate" button and then, maybe, when I'm feeling bulletproof, breeze by a few Women's Studies departments just to draw some amusing fire. It would seem like old times.

Please go read the rest.

Personally, I think Matthews has better sense than to run for the Senate. First, his entire body of work is on tape, some of which is the stupidest shit ever recorded, and a clever editor could cut inumerable 30-second ads that would tear him a new one and have us all either rolling on the floor laughing or throwing things at our TV sets. Second, he may not want to take the cut in pay.

We will see.

Remember