End of Year Haiku 2010 (Part 3: The Readers Write)

The Rude Pundit

Now, on New Year's Eve, rude readers provide you with laughter, tears, and genital excitement:

From Paul H.:
Boehner’s Boner
Obamacare’s a
Pre-existing condition
For John’s erection

From Kevin McV.:
Palin Of The North
Frontier woman brave!
How empow'ring it must feel
To kill Bullwinkle.

From Phil K.:
Qualifications
To be a Fox news anchor?
A skull full of shit!

Let's ring this shit to a close with just a moment of defiance:
From Dave N.:
Give It Up
Fuck all the birthers,
Teabaggers and born agains.
It's our country too.

Fuckin' A Skippy it is! Well said, Dave!

Many more.

The Coming War over the Constitution

A little light reading over what's going to start happening next week in the 112th Congress.

Robert Parry

Despite a few victories in the lame-duck session of Congress, Democrats and progressives should be under no illusion about the new flood of know-nothingism that is about to inundate the United States in the guise of a return to “first principles” and a deep respect for the U.S. Constitution.

Yet, while the Tea Partiers and the Right have embraced a mythical view of the Constitution as some ideal document that opposes federal power to tax, borrow and pass laws that improve “the general Welfare,” they have been less interested in the document’s protection of civil liberties, especially when the targets of abuse are Muslims, Hispanics, blacks and anti-war dissenters.

So, it seems the country is in for a new round of crazy while the voices for sanity stay largely mute.

Stephen Pizzo

The Tea Party GOP Gets Ready to Talibanize the US Constitution

Instead, I strongly suspect, they read and "understood" the constitution in the same way they claim to have read and understood the Bible; they began reading it knowing what they knew and what they wanted it to say, so that must be what it says.

But on a more serious note, there is something quite real going on with all this. The far-right has decided to do to the text of the US Constitution what al Qaeda has done to the text of the Koran - twist it to fit their political/social agenda then use it as a bludgeon to get their way.

Fasten yer seat belts. It's gonna be a bumpy ride.

Left Coast New Year's

Happy New Year to all our readers and those we steal from. We couldn't do this without you, so follow Fixer's advice and party like there's no tomorrow even though tomorrow will make you wish there really wasn't one. Heh. Try menudo as a hangover remedy. Or a large Bloody Mary.

Point is, arrive alive and safely at tomorrow someplace other than a drunk tank fulla amateurs and vomit. The other people who don't die because you didn't drive drunk will thank you too.

Me 'n Mrs. G will celebrate the New Year like we always do, watching the "Times Square dynamic" (thanks again, F-Man) on CNN. Kathy Griffin will be outrageous and funny and Andy Cooper will turn beet red in response, although maybe not so much this year as he's learning to cope with her and may pre-medicate. Whatever works.

New Year's is win-win for us yokels out here. Thanks to the East Coast-centric nature of this deal, it's all over at 9PM for those of us who don't like to go out among 'em. There are celebrations at midnight out here of course, but they ain't a patch on the ass of the Times Square flusterpluck so why bother?

The Earth will continue making its trips around the Sun for billions more years, with or without us. To me, the new year is simply the point on a temporal line where I try to remember to change the date on the checks I pay my bills with. Yes, I still do that.

It's a line that can stop anytime. Don't drink and drive.

A resource ...

To help you learn about whom you're dealing with. Thanks, Skippy!

New Year's ...

If you thought Christmas was bad, New Year's is worse. Too many people who don't party like animals believe this is the day they should let it all hang out. In New York especially because we have the Times Square dynamic going on; "Amateur Hour" at it's best. Tomorrow, we'll hear about all the casualties resulting from drunkenness and stupidity. We don't want you to be one of them. My usual admonition on holidays: Party like it's 1999, but make sure you have a sober ride home or a place to stay. We want you back for the New Year.

All the best; wishing you all a happy, healthy New Year from us here at the Brain. Hope next year is better than last for us all.

If this is a surprise ...

To Mr. Aravosis, he's never been on a cruise ship:

We're getting older. But in the gay community, that's a relatively new phenomenon. There weren't millions of openly gay people before now in American history. But all of those who came out in the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s are getting older now. It's something that really has never happened before - having a large number of openly gay seniors.

I don't think I've ever been on a cruise (31 so far) where there weren't at least a few older gay couples if not a whole hoarde of them traveling as a group.

This is just a test...

This is the first successful tryout of my new Active-i glasses w/video camera. Mrs. G saw these on her daily traipse through the minefield of QVC Daily Specials (she has a Q-Card and can order anything by pushing the buttons on her phone! Danger lurks...). It's a cute gimmick. She showed me and I wanted it. Silly of me, I suppose, but I think it's a nice addition to my video camera arsenal which is now two. I cannot text or make calls on it so that's a plus.

First impressions are that we move our heads more than we think we do and I'll have to be looking slightly below what I want to catch because the camera is very slightly above eye level. Best use on a motorcycle might be to tape it to the headlight. Heh.

Quote of the Day

From an extraordinary rant by our pal Bustednuckles, the Ornery Bastard:

If there was ever a mortal sin that could be committed purposely, keeping your children ignorant is it.

Amen, brother.

End of Year Haiku 2010

From The Rude Pundit and his readers. Part 1 and Part 2.

From the terrible Supreme Court decision that started the year to the shocking grace notes that ended it, sometimes it's just better to say less than more about the tumultuous times. Through haiku, perhaps?

Citizens United
Ironic name, no?
For the new destruction of
Our United States?

Last Minute Good News
At least gay men and
Lesbians can freely die
For our lost causes.

Many more and probably more tomorrow.

The U.S. Economy in 2011

Robert Reich predicts:

What will happen to the US economy in 2011? If you're referring to profits of big corporations and Wall Street, next year is likely to be a good one. But if you're referring to average American workers, far from good.

The big disconnect between corporate profits and jobs is likely to continue because America's big businesses are depending less and less on U.S. sales and U.S. workers. Their big profits are coming from two sources: (1) growing sales in China, India, and other fast-growing countries, and (2) slimmed-down US payrolls.

In a typical recovery, profits lead to more hiring. That's because in a typical recovery, American consumers head back to the malls — and their buying justifies more hires. Not this time. All the hype about Christmas sales over the last few weeks masked the fact that American consumers demanded bargain-basement prices. And the price-cutting dramatically reduced sellers' margins. In short, profits aren't coming from American consumers — and profits won't be coming from American consumers in 2011.

Most Americans don't have the dough. They're still deep in debt, can't borrow against their homes, and have to start saving for retirement.

I have no debt whatsoever, own my home outright and have no need or desire to borrow against it, have saved all the money I could and hope it lasts.

I'm almost not part of this economy and have never been so glad of anything in my life.

I'm OK for the foreseeable future and hope you are too.

Headline of the Day

The 2010 P.U.-litzer Prizes

Smell Something Rotten? 2010 P.U.-litzer Prizes recognize the worst of U.S. journalism

Many of the usual suspects, some new ones.

The 10 most awesome albums of 2010

For once, Mark Morford and I are even.

Every year at this time, my friend Andy sends out a highly excitable e-mail asking about a dozen of his most rabid, music-obsessed friends -- sound engineers, club promoters, DJs, designers, anyone for whom music is less a casual dalliance and more like lifeblood -- to compile their personal lists of the year's best music, so we can all discover something new and/or gently mock each others' weird tastes in African banjo disco, kazoo jazz funk or ambient doom metal.

He describes his pick albums:

Rather amazing year for superlative glitchy electronica chill-out...

Opium daydream white-boy falsetto hip-hop one-man-and-a-MacBook masterwork of faraway weirdness and dreamy faded washes, so unusual in tone and timbre yet so instantly impressive in its singularity of vision that it makes you wonder what the hell you've been doing with your meager little life.

Ultra-premium rainy day/sigh at the moon/sip your whisky/wallow in the bathtub/ponder the Endtimes/crave a warm companion/nurse your wounds/ache for a simpler time/masturbate slowly for an hour and then go to bed and dream of navigating a small boat through a quiet storm of existential angst music.

...channels Elvis on a heroin porn binge, and try not to smile a dark and dirty smile. Unevenly produced, terrible artwork, who the hell cares. Turn it up, slam your firewater and curse the gods. Awesome.

I actually understood this:

This record is badass incarnate and you don't dare roll your eyes until you've heard it like, 10 times, naked and drunk and clawing at the moon.

Come ta think of it, if "lost my pants" and "clawing at the commode" can be shoehorned inta that, I've done it. To country! Heh.

So how are Morford and me even on music?

First, he and I both call music compilations 'albums'. I've been doing that since before he was born.

Second, I've never heard of any of the artists or groups or albums on his list. He wouldn't have heard of any of the artists or groups or albums on mine.

All you music lovers go enjoy this column, then come back and tell me what he said.

Why ...

Is this woman back in my face again?

AP reports that "federal authorities have opened a criminal probe of Delaware Republican Christine O'Donnell to determine if the former Senate candidate broke the law by using campaign money to pay personal expenses."

...

She's been on every network so far this morning. It's 7:30 am and I already have a dull ache at the base of my skull. Going upstairs to stab myself to death with a butter knife ...

How long ...

Have I been saying this?

As an American expat living in the European Union, I’ve started to see America from a different perspective.

...

The U.S. has 59 million people medically uninsured; 132 million without dental insurance; 60 million without paid sick leave; 40 million on food stamps. Everybody in the European Union has cradle-to-grave access to universal medical and a dental plan by law. The law also requires paid sick leave; paid annual leave; paid maternity leave. When you realize all of that, it becomes easy to understand why many Europeans think America has gone insane.

...

I was talking to my nephew in Germany on Christmas Eve and he basically said the same things (smart kid for 22 years old). He was in a state of disbelief over the debate on health care in this country.

And the money question:

... Isn't it better to invest in a social safety net than in a large criminal justice system? (In America over 2 million people are incarcerated.

What, and deny Big Prison all that profit? Surely you jest.

Addendum: Almost all of my European friends and relatives have looked at this nation with disbelief since we elected George W. Bush and most of them aren't flaming Lefties.

Great thanks to Susie for the link.

Study: Conservatives have larger ‘fear center’ in brain

Raw Story

Political opinions are considered choices, and in Western democracies the right to choose one's opinions -- freedom of conscience -- is considered sacrosanct.

But recent studies suggest that our brains and genes may be a major determining factor in the views we hold.

A study at University College London in the UK has found that conservatives' brains have larger amygdalas than the brains of liberals. Amygdalas are responsible for fear and other "primitive" emotions. At the same time, conservatives' brains were also found to have a smaller anterior cingulate -- the part of the brain responsible for courage and optimism.

No wonder fearmongering works so well on wingnuts. It didn't say so in the study, but I don't think they have very large brains to begin with.

Anecdotally speaking ...

We're heading out in a few minutes, over to an attorney's office to close on our mortgage. We're refinancing to get a lower rate. It's not that I have a big mortgage, less than half the value of the house, it was just a consolidation of the small building loans I got over the years (when interest was cheap) that were ARMs (but I never held them long enough for the interest rates to change) into a fixed rate mortgage when we saw the writing on the wall. I pay less mortgage than most pay in rent. With this refi, we'll save $200/month. Good for us.

That said, I noticed, this time, that all the associated parties (bank, title company, etc) did a lot more thorough background on us than they have in the past. 7 years ago, they were disappointed I didn't want to take 150% of the value out of the house and barely did more than verify my signature. This time, even for as little as we've borrowed, we were subjected to the equivalent of a credit cavity search. It's not that we're taking any more money, just refinancing the little balance we have left.

Just anecdotally, then versus now, I'd say the banks are taking greater care in whom they give a mortgage to.

Blogging flurries today

We had a pretty good snowstorm yesterday and last night. Just an average one, foot-and-a-half or so, nothing like the Right Coast got. The power was out but obviously is on now. The sun's out now and so is the landline and cable TV, and the intertubes connection is intermittent.

I'll do what I can as long as I can do it. It's sure a relief to know that weather has nothing to do with climate.

Creating jobs ...

For Americans. Oh ... wait ...

Perhaps if we purged the tax code of the numerous incentives to move jobs overseas (the latest was in the recent tax cut deal), it would be more likely to translate into jobs within shorter commuting distance than India:

...

It's so nice that the 1.4 million jobs created by American business didn't go to Americans. Good thing they got all them tax cuts so now they have "certainty". The only thing we can be certain about is that their bottom line will be better this year. Any certainty middle class Americans have is that they'll get screwed just as badly in 2011 as they did in 2010, maybe worse.

Gays target DADT's last bastion

Don Davis

Coming off perhaps their biggest victory yet with the repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy, the leading gay and lesbian civil rights organizations are now planning to take on the last U.S. institution to follow this outdated policy: The Republican Party itself.

David Brock of Media Matters, who served as a key leader of the campaign to repeal DADT in the armed forces, admitted that “this may well the most daunting task faced by the LGBT community, since the uber-macho culture of the GOP makes the United States Marine Corps look like a Sunday afternoon tea party.”

Sir! Steep for two minutes! Aye-aye Sir! Stir, two! Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Not surprisingly, John McCain immediately registered his objections, stating on the Senate floor that the GOP “simply cannot afford such a radical change, particularly in the middle of the War Against Obama.” McCain later told Bill O’Reilly: “Just imagine how it would feel to suddenly wake up one morning and discover that the Chamber of Commerce lobbyist you’re in bed with … is actually gay!”

More.

Update:

"A pup in a valley of alpha males..."

The London Review Of Books does Dubya. Scathingly. A 'recommended read' by a reviewer who probably actually likes real books.

Team DP has indeed created ‘a space into which the writing subject constantly disappears’; one learns almost nothing about George W. Bush from this book. The names of hundreds of other people are mentioned, almost always in praise – it is, in its way, the world’s longest prize acceptance speech – but none of them, outside of the Bush family, has any life as a character. Each new person is introduced with a single sentence, noting one or more of the following: 1) Texan origins; 2) college athletic achievements; 3) military service; 4) deep religious faith. The sentence ends with three personal characteristics: ‘honest, ethical and forthright’; ‘a brilliant mind, disarming modesty and a buoyant spirit’; ‘a statesman, a savvy lawyer and a magnet for talented people’; ‘smart, thoughtful, energetic’ (that’s Condi); ‘knowledgeable, articulate and confident’ (that’s Rummy); ‘a wise, principled, humane man’ (Clarence Thomas); and so on. Then the person does whatever Bush tells him to do.

Bush is the lone hero of every page of Decision Points. [...]

This is a chronicle of the Bush Era with no colour-coded Terror Alerts; no Freedom Fries; no Halliburton; no Healthy Forests Initiative (which opened up wilderness areas to logging); no Clear Skies Act (which reduced air pollution standards); no New Freedom Initiative (which proposed testing all Americans, beginning with schoolchildren, for mental illness); no pamphlets sold by the National Parks Service explaining that the Grand Canyon was created by the Flood; no research by the National Institutes of Health on whether prayer can cure cancer (‘imperative’, because poor people have limited access to healthcare); no cover-up of the death of football star Pat Tillman by ‘friendly fire’ in Afghanistan; no ‘Total Information Awareness’ from the Information Awareness Office; no Project for the New American Century; no invented heroic rescue of Private Jessica Lynch; no Fox News; no hundreds of millions spent on ‘abstinence education’. It does not deal with the Cheney theory of the ‘unitary executive’ – essentially that neither the Congress nor the courts can tell the president what to do – or Bush’s frequent use of ‘signing statements’ to indicate that he would completely ignore a bill that the Congress had just passed.

A pup in a valley of alpha males, inadequate compared to Dad, humiliated by Mother, he classically became a bully to compensate: an ass-brander, noted for what he calls verbal ‘needling’; a boss who cussed out his subordinates and invented demeaning nicknames for everyone around him; a president who taunted terrorists, most of them imaginary, and challenged them to ‘bring it on’.

The reviewer uses many words well to describe Bush where I use only two: a sociopathic weakling.