Tweety nails it ...

Iowa caucus pledge

With apologies to the majority of Iowans who aren't batcrap wingnuts.

Thanks to YubaNet.

Nobody Understands Debt

I do, at least at my own level. That's why I don't have any. Perfesser Krugman explains it on a higher level. Interesting read.

Deficit-worriers portray a future in which we’re impoverished by the need to pay back money we’ve been borrowing. They see America as being like a family that took out too large a mortgage, and will have a hard time making the monthly payments.

This is, however, a really bad analogy in at least two ways.

First, families have to pay back their debt. Governments don’t — all they need to do is ensure that debt grows more slowly than their tax base. The debt from World War II was never repaid; it just became increasingly irrelevant as the U.S. economy grew, and with it the income subject to taxation.

Second — and this is the point almost nobody seems to get — an over-borrowed family owes money to someone else; U.S. debt is, to a large extent, money we owe to ourselves.

I understand that. I've got a secret stash of "motorcycle money" that's meant to finance my bad habits like trials riding and motorbike parts. I borrow from it on occasion and it dwindles more than it gets paid back. Historically, along will come some big financial swindle transaction like fixing someone's bike and the fund gets replenished.

Of course, America, with its rabidly antitax conservative movement, may not have a government that is responsible in this sense. But in that case the fault lies not in our debt, but in ourselves.

What you mean "we", white man? - Tonto, after The Lone Ranger says "We're surrounded by Indians!"

Could Americans Elect be a Republican ploy to create an anti-Obama spoiler?

I've been wondering what's up with that outfit, Here's an opinion.

Politics and Whatnot

Recently, a mysterious organization calling itself “Americans Elect” has been making a lot of news. It claims that it wants to reform the electoral system and create a viable third party. I initially reacted with joy at the news – finally, an organization devoted to creating a system in which a third party can run, rather than merely picking someone and watching them fall to the spoiler effect and Duverger’s Law.

However, when I looked more at the organization’s plan, I noticed several worrying aspects:
...

2.The process seems designed to choose a liberal candidate that will divert votes from Obama. One of the key aspects of AE’s plan is that it would use the internet to choose a candidate, without mentioning any option to mail in or call in a vote. Why is this suspicious? Because internet users tend to be younger and more educated, and younger and more educated people tend to be liberal. Older, more conservative people are far less likely to use or trust the internet over the traditional voting process. AE also lists the logos of five media organizations on their front page to advertise where they’ve been covered: the New York Times, MSNBC, PBS, the Daily Beast, and the Colbert Report. All of these are news organizations that the right alleges to have a liberal bias, and many of them are downright detested. If internet voting did not turn off conservatives, this list will.

3.They have mysteriously come up with a lot of funding out of nowhere, and are keeping their donors secret. [...]
Apparently plenty of people want to give money to this organization, but no one wants any credit for it. Seems odd.
...

I’m not saying I have any knowledge or that there’s any smoking-gun evidence that AE is in fact a front, only that they look a lot like one. [...] However, the difference between this group and past third parties is that instead of being driven to prominence by well known politically minded individuals like Teddy Roosevelt, Ross Perot, or Ralph Nader, this third party owes its prominence to mysterious funding and tactically-minded individuals who came out of nowhere and often have prior loyalties to the Republican party. Now it could be that the secretive Republican members are just dissatisfied with the moronic extremists in their own party and would rather have a moderate bring the country together. But regardless of their motivations, the effect will be the same – a Republican will be much more likely to win if AE succeeds in getting young, educated internet users who watch the MSNBC and the Colbert Report to choose their candidate instead of Obama. If they truly want a viable third party candidate, they will fix the plurality voting problem first. Until then, I have a right to be suspicious.

Yes you do.

North Korea Calls For “Human Shields” To Protect New Leader

Apparently he's already very popular amongst North Koreans. Like a ham sandwich would be if they knew what one looked like.

Tony Peyser

Let's take a vote on this and to make
It official, we'll need a quorum ---
I nominate James & Rupert Murdoch
And two Ricks: Perry & Santorum.

I think the Santorum Salad may have found a market over there. Probly go real good with rock soup.

"And, lo, the Lord be-eth a godless commie fuck..."

HuffPo

Lo and behold, the Bible has gotten too liberal, according to a group of conservatives. And it needs a little editing.
...

Yes, even scripture is not orthodox enough for the modern conservative. Not that it's the fault of the author(s), exactly. The group cites a few reasons why the Bible is too progressive: "Lack of precision in the original language ... lack of precision in modern language" and "translation bias in converting the original language to the modern one."

Proposed guidelines for changes to what the Lord's writers really meant:

1. Framework against Liberal Bias: providing a strong framework that enables a thought-for-thought translation without corruption by liberal bias
...

4. Utilize Powerful Conservative Terms: using powerful new conservative terms as they develop;[4] defective translations use the word "comrade" three times as often as "volunteer"; similarly, updating words which have a change in meaning, such as "word", "peace", and "miracle".
...

7. Express Free Market Parables; explaining the numerous economic parables with their full free-market meaning

8. Exclude Later-Inserted Liberal Passages: excluding the later-inserted liberal passages that are not authentic, such as the adulteress story

That must be a reference to Callista Gingrich. Heh.

Thus continueth the tradition of writing the Bible to conform to a political agenda that dates back to the first biblical writer that touched pen to parchment.

Word ...

Culling the herd ...

The winnowing out of the sick (batshit crazy) and infirm (paste-eating stupid) begins today.

Voters in the rural state of Iowa are preparing for the first test of the US election season as they choose a Republican candidate to take on Barack Obama for the White House in November.

Mitt Romney, Ron Paul and Rick Santorum lead a field of six contenders in a race that remains too close to call.

...

It's a shame because the entertainment quotient in the run up to the Mittster's inevitable coronation might be cut by a third today. I hope the Frothy Mixture stays around a little longer because I haven't had so much fun with 5th grade humor in a long time.

I know I'll be crying if one of them (Mitt) actually gets elected, but it's so nice to laugh at them now, when they're all mostly harmless. That, and all the shit they say is ammo for our side. As Blue Gal says:

I really do think the Obama Campaign is going to run GOP Debate moments, unedited, through November.

The answer, my friend ...

Is blowing in the wind:

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So, let me get this straight. Mitt Romney was pro-choice because a poll told him it was the easiest way to advance his political ambitions? And then he decided he wasn’t pro-choice anymore, when that was the easiest way to advance other political ambitions?

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You know, Romney turns my stomach. I have less respect for that man than I do for Newt.

Ew ... Ick ... Ugh ...

Rick Santorum can't be President. I'd never eat again:

A Pizza Ranch manager in Boone, Iowa, has renamed the restaurant’s chicken salad “Santorum Salad,” after Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum.

'Punishment Park' and the OWS protests

Something I hadn't heard of from The Last Word.

As 2011 draws to a close it should be noted that this year marked the 40th anniversary of Peter Watkins' "Punishment Park" — a small pseudo documentary about young anti-establishment protesters being tried for crimes against the United States. The young protesters are given a choice: several years in federal prison, or punishment park, where they'll be forced to walk across 50 miles of California desert to win their freedom. Along the way the young people must avoid the police chasing them and survive the desert heat without water.

Upon its release in 1971, "Punishment Park" screened for exactly one week in a Los Angeles theater and was quickly forgotten. It wasn't until the success of director Peter Watkins' later films that "Punishment Park" would be given a second look now.

This year has seen an entire world in protest. From massive protests in the Middle East, to recent anti-government rallies in Russia and finally, to our own Occupy Wall Street protests. Time magazine even named "The Protester" their 2011 Person of the Year. While these movements were not directly inspired by this 88-minute film, the themes and visuals very much apply to today's world.

Ultimately, "Punishment Park" is about social class roles, racism and the nature of morality. Some of the arguments made about the direction the United States are very much a product of their time. But the imagery of police brutality shows eerie similarities with the N.Y.P.D. and Oakland police departments' actions toward Occupy Wall Street protesters. Four decades after a limited release in one Los Angeles theater, the movie stayed alive through magazine articles, bootleg copies and word of mouth to become not only a warning for those who abuse their power, but hopefully a lesson about how to engage in political protest.

Fifty miles across our desert on foot without water is nothing to sneeze at even if you're not being pursued by armed assholes, but I'd choose it. You'd only have to outsmart one cop to have both water and a weapon. Then you'd have a fighting chance.

More about the movie here. Get it here.

A Letter from Kim Jong-un

To the People of Iowa
...

Dear Voters of Iowa:

In December I became Supreme Leader of North Korea. Pretty amazing development for a twentysomething who at the time was still living at home and spending all day playing Angry Birds. But there I was, receiving the cheers of millions of North Koreans, who usually don’t get that excited unless they’ve caught sight of a pork sandwich. (LOL)
...

Here is why I am writing to you today: on Tuesday, you will go to your caucuses and choose from among a field of Republican presidential candidates. And let me tell you, the idea of any of these people getting nuclear weapons scares the shit out of me.

This is just one of many differences between your country and mine. In North Korea, we lock up the criminally insane. In America, you let them debate on TV. Right now you have people running for President I would not trust to take care of my plants.

So who do I recommend you vote for on Tuesday? In a word, me.

If you think about it, I am the most Republican candidate of all. In North Korea, we have no taxes. We have achieved that through a conservative policy of no jobs. Also, we have no wasteful “big government” programs providing food, shelter, or safe drinking water. And am I pro-life? Well, try this on for size: I believe that life begins at conception and ends at starvation.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: I’m too young to be President, since I’m under 35. Well, who would you rather have running your country, someone who’s under 35, or someone whose IQ is under 35? (LOL)

I think when you look at all the facts, voters of Iowa, you’ll realize that Kim Jong-un is the Republican who most deserves your vote. And if you’re still not convinced, remember this: at least I’m not Mitt Romney.

Peace out yo,

Your Supreme Leader

Oh, the irony...

Ironic Times

Republicans Say They Can Support New Taxes
Like a poll tax.

2012 Election Year Preview of Top 10 Lobbying Groups

Americans for Clean Air and Water - a consortium of the biggest oil companies

Citizens for a Healthy Tomorrow - drug company front group

Americans for America - anti immigrant vigilantes

America for Americans - armed white supremacists

Health Care for All Americans - insurance industry group against health care reform

Vote America - vote suppression group

Americans United for the First Amendment - want Christianity named official religion of the United States

Citizens for Freedom of the Press - want to make it easier to throw reporters and editors in jail

National Labor Rights Association - business group out to destroy unions

Americans for the Bill of Rights - group for legalizing indefinite detention, torture.

Somewhere, George Orwell is laughin' his ass off.

Jersey (Shore)-style ...

Heh ... I have now seen too much of Secaucus Fats.

Quote of the Day

Josh Marshall:

Fittingly perhaps, challengers Rick Perry and Rick Santorum are closing out the Iowa campaign with an argument about sodomy.

Heh ...

Heh ...

Pic stolen from Tengrain.

If you don't get it, google "Santorum".

Simple explanations ...

Perfesser Krugman sums up the Right's obsession with auterity and budget cuts to "entitlements" in the past year simply:

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The bottom line is that 2011 was a year in which our political elite obsessed over short-term deficits that aren’t actually a problem and, in the process, made the real problem — a depressed economy and mass unemployment — worse.

...

A good straightforward read on how, once again, the Right is just wrong.

Me and Gordon have been writing this blog going on 8 years now. A search through our archives (close to 18,500 posts) would document the Right being wrong on just about everything over that period, starting with the War on in Iraq.

Let's get this straight now. The Republicans of the 21st Century can't:

1. Fight a war, let alone know the proper time to start one (a hint: when the country is attacked).

2. Run the economy (any other way but into the ground).

3. Do any meaningful foreign policy.

4. Do any of the things government is supposed to do (yet they're damn good at using it to meddle into the private lives of Americans).

5. Understand the lessons of history and learn from our predecessor's mistakes.

6. Tell the difference between the words "constituents" and "contributors".

Why anybody who busts their ass for a living would vote for them anymore is beyond me.

Thanks to our pal Montag for the link.

Assholes ...

We had some asshole targeting Jewish folks during Rosh Hashanah/Yom Kippur holiday a few weeks back and now we have another asshole deciding it's time for his own personal jihad.

A wave of arson attacks spread across eastern Queens on Sunday night, and the police said the firebombings were being investigated as bias crimes — with Muslims as the targets.

No one was hurt in the four attacks, in which homemade firebombs were apparently used. In three of the four attacks, the police said, Molotov cocktails were made with Starbucks bottles.

...

We don't get much in the name of bias attacks here, thankfully. The majority of the ones we do get is stupid kids who just figured out how to draw a swastika deciding it's a good thing to spray paint them on a synagogue or the gates of a Jewish cemetery.

These assholes need to be found and made an example of.

TEOTWAWKI

Article in the LATimes of the "Age of Aquarius, Mad Max, or hooey?" variety.

I'd like to drill a hole in my Mayan calendar so I can hang it on the wall but I'm afraid I'll upset the universe.

New Year OK so far...

Happy New Year

Once again I would like to thank Times Square for being three hours ahead of us out west. The ball will drop and Kathy Griffin will get done embarrassing the shit outta Anderson Cooper and the whole silly shootin' match will be over at 9 o'clock.