The other way around is OK too.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Saturday whorage
Back on schedule, another chapter of Thirty Days at Zeta is up at The Practical Press.
If ya got anything, leave a link in comments.
If ya got anything, leave a link in comments.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Car runs on compressed air
Raw Story, with video.
This is the second time in two days that Tata Motors has come to my attention. The first is here. There's something goin' on with that outfit, and it may be good...at the very least, when you toodle off in this little jet, you can wave at your friends and say "Tata, Ducks".
I think we can get the price of a fill-up even lower than that if we can harness the waste of good air between the ears of wingnut pundits and politicians, just gotta filter out the poisonous contaminants. Might run the heater as well.
I see no reason this won't work. I've got a toolbox full of air-powered tools that work just fine. There's nothing electrical to burn out, no sparks or volatile fuel to catch fire, no carbon and other by-products of combustion to foul the air or contaminate the motor oil, and the exhaust is just air.
There's no single, all-purpose answer to oil dependence, climate change, and greenhouse gas emissions, but the air-powered car sounds like it could be a good part of the solution.
What really has to happen is awareness and a change of habit, mindset, and lifestyle for all of us. For instance, in my case, to offset the devastating whirring of an air-powered device I think I'll hook up a real-time fast-reaction digital loop of an open pipe 40-inch Triumph to the accelerator (air pedal?)...the neighbors'll love it!
And when folks ask "Whatcha drivin'?", you can say "Blow job. Tata..."
BBC News is reporting that a French company has developed a pollution-free car which runs on compressed air. India's Tata Motors has the car under production and it may be on sale in Europe and India by the end of the year.
This is the second time in two days that Tata Motors has come to my attention. The first is here. There's something goin' on with that outfit, and it may be good...at the very least, when you toodle off in this little jet, you can wave at your friends and say "Tata, Ducks".
The air car, also known as the Mini-CAT or City Cat, can be refueled in minutes from an air compressor at specially equipped gas stations and can go 200 km on a 1.5 euro fill-up -- roughly 125 miles for $3. The top speed will be almost 70 mph and the cost of the vehicle as low as $7000.
I think we can get the price of a fill-up even lower than that if we can harness the waste of good air between the ears of wingnut pundits and politicians, just gotta filter out the poisonous contaminants. Might run the heater as well.
I see no reason this won't work. I've got a toolbox full of air-powered tools that work just fine. There's nothing electrical to burn out, no sparks or volatile fuel to catch fire, no carbon and other by-products of combustion to foul the air or contaminate the motor oil, and the exhaust is just air.
There's no single, all-purpose answer to oil dependence, climate change, and greenhouse gas emissions, but the air-powered car sounds like it could be a good part of the solution.
What really has to happen is awareness and a change of habit, mindset, and lifestyle for all of us. For instance, in my case, to offset the devastating whirring of an air-powered device I think I'll hook up a real-time fast-reaction digital loop of an open pipe 40-inch Triumph to the accelerator (air pedal?)...the neighbors'll love it!
And when folks ask "Whatcha drivin'?", you can say "Blow job. Tata..."
"I reached my personal vomit point ..."
David Sirota with today's 'must read' on the Iowa caucuses and beyond:
Perhaps the first step in getting the politico-corporate foot off our necks.
Putting aside my nausea, let me just say that no matter who wins, it is absolutely great that economic populism has taken center stage so far in the presidential contest. Thanks to candidates like John Edwards and Mike Huckabee ignoring the Punditburo's attacks and trumpeting the populist line, Wall Street-backed candidates like Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have had to resort to posing as populists as well - and that's a good thing. The more candidates channeling the public's righteous anger at corporate greed and economic inequality, the better.
We are at a historic moment right now - and I say that not in the way the Monday Night Football-mimicking political media bills every single election as "the most important election in our lifetime." I say it because I believe America is, for the first time in many generations, starting to think in terms of economic class. Put another way, the battle between Democrats and Republicans is being superseded by the battle between The Money Party and The People Party. How this new class awareness manifests itself in one election cycle is far less important than the fact that awareness is rising at all.
This, beyond everything else, is the storyline that will never be written by the Beltway media - because class awareness among the masses is something that threatens the powers that be. The system in Washington is set up to crush class awareness and solidarity among the masses - to break us up along racial, ethnic, geographic and religious lines so that we do not unify in support of an economic agenda based on fairness and equality. This Washington system exists, ironically, to preserve a well-coordinated class war being waged by an economic class very aware of itself - a class war by the wealthy against the rest of us. This may sound like hyperbole, but polls show most Americans know this is the undeniable truth. And no matter whether your personal preference wins or loses tonight in Iowa, We The People have already won, because class awareness and class-based politics is on the rise.
Perhaps the first step in getting the politico-corporate foot off our necks.
Politician, actor, whatever - no good at any of 'em
Tony Peyser
I hope Thompson doesn't become a waiter in between acting gigs. Folks would lose their appetites. All over the tablecloth.
Fred Thompson did better than expected in Iowa but may have a tough time resuming his acting career. It's rumored that he recently auditioned for a TV role and didn't even get a call-back as the guy who gets murdered before the opening "Law and Order" credits.
I hope Thompson doesn't become a waiter in between acting gigs. Folks would lose their appetites. All over the tablecloth.
"...this effete, cowardly warmonger..."
A post by Walter C. Uhler and his letter to The Gray Lady on its stupefying decision to hire the neocon Kristol:
And we will similarly report it to our dozens of valued readers, Walt.
I think the "newspaper of record" is fast on it its way to becoming most useful as "newspaper of puppy training". No harm in that until the pup learns to read.
The flip side, of course, is Paul Krugman and "Pops" Rich, both of whom I admire, and MoDo, for whom 'admire' is not exactly the right word. Heh. I wonder if any of them will comment on Kristol's hire.
The final straw for me, however, was the December 30, 2007 decision by the Times to hire William Kristol (editor of the Weekly Standard) as a columnist. Although the Times calls Kristol a conservative, he is, in fact, a notorious neoconservative - a member of a political cult that many traditional conservatives disavow. Readers who noticed this Orwellian elision by the Times might also recall that in January 1998, Kristol (and Robert Kagan) wrote an Op Ed titled, "Bombing Iraq isn't Enough," which the Times was reckless enough to publish.
Reckless? Yes, because, as Robert Parry has observed: "Under principles of international law applied from Nuremberg to Rwanda, propagandists who contribute to war crimes or encourage crimes against humanity can be put in the dock alongside the actual killers." [Consortium News, Posted August 21, 2006] Simply recall that, under international law, the unprovoked invasion of another sovereign state is considered the most egregious of war crimes.
Having cancelled my subscription, I then sent the following email to the Times' Executive Editor and the VP for Circulation:
"I canceled my subscription to the New York Times -- with prejudice -- a few minutes ago. I've terminated my decades-long subscription because somebody at the Times made the immoral decision to hire William Kristol -- as close to a war criminal as a so-called "journalist" can become. You see, I can have nothing further to do with such a morally tainted newspaper. It's a matter of principle.
You might use this moment to reflect on how the reporting by Judith Miller (AKA stenography for Perle and Chalabi) and your editorial decision to delay reporting on Bush's illegal wiretaps contributed to America's poor moral standing around the world. Now, with the hiring of effete coward and warmonger Kristol, who (possessing any morals at all) can consider the Times to be anything but a whore?
I will use my website to inform my thousands of readers about your immoral decision and I will exhort them to cancel their subscriptions as well.
Sincerely,
Walter C. Uhler
And we will similarly report it to our dozens of valued readers, Walt.
After all, simply consider that, ten years after the end of World War II, the editor of Das Schwarze Korps, Nazi SS leader Gunter d'Alquen, was fined 60,000 Deutsch Marks, "deprived of all civic rights for three years and debarred from drawing an allowance or pension from public funds. He was found guilty of having played an important role in the Third Reich, of war propaganda, inciting against the churches, the Jews and foreign countries, and incitement to murder." [Wikipedia, see also Saul Friedlander, Nazi German and the Jews, Volume I, pp. 311-313]
Think about it: If you do something similarly egregious in Bush's Amerika, you get your own column at the New York Times.
I think the "newspaper of record" is fast on it its way to becoming most useful as "newspaper of puppy training". No harm in that until the pup learns to read.
The flip side, of course, is Paul Krugman and "Pops" Rich, both of whom I admire, and MoDo, for whom 'admire' is not exactly the right word. Heh. I wonder if any of them will comment on Kristol's hire.
Why?oming caucuses
Yahoo!News
If the upswing of participants in the Iowa caucus is any indication, Wyoming may need to use a four-door pickup to accomodate them all!
Don't forget Wyoming. It's been overlooked in the hoopla surrounding Thursday's Iowa caucuses and next week's New Hampshire primary, but Wyoming Republicans will caucus Saturday and choose delegates to the national convention in September.
Candidates have paid little attention to the state, though.
If the upswing of participants in the Iowa caucus is any indication, Wyoming may need to use a four-door pickup to accomodate them all!
All for a buck ...
Ol' Montag snagged this:
Neither the Bush administration nor the Republican Party give a shit about your safety or 'American interests'. The only thing they think about is making money at our expense. It's time to cull the herd on K Street by about three quarters.
Time to do a lotta shit. Hopefully, one of these twits running will, but I think their hands are too far in the till already. I wish I could support one of them but I can only see the Dems as the lesser of two evils. So long as the big money is part of the system, the public's interest is the first to get sold out.
...
Six months ago, the Bush administration quietly eased some restrictions on the export of politically delicate technologies to China. The new approach was intended to help American companies increase sales of high-tech equipment to China despite tight curbs on sharing technology that might have military applications.
But today the administration is facing questions from weapons experts about whether some equipment — newly authorized for export to Chinese companies deemed trustworthy by Washington — could instead end up helping China modernize its military. Equally worrisome, the weapons experts say, is the possibility that China could share the technology with Iran or Syria.
...
Neither the Bush administration nor the Republican Party give a shit about your safety or 'American interests'. The only thing they think about is making money at our expense. It's time to cull the herd on K Street by about three quarters.
Time to do a lotta shit. Hopefully, one of these twits running will, but I think their hands are too far in the till already. I wish I could support one of them but I can only see the Dems as the lesser of two evils. So long as the big money is part of the system, the public's interest is the first to get sold out.
Iowa ...
Thank god it's over. Sorry to see Chris Dodd go, but he's being realistic. Glad to see Joe Biden go. Can't wait to see the Rethugs start dropping off. One good sign:
Let's hope that trend holds up in the general election. Regardless of who the Dem is, I hope they win it going away instead of winning with a 'Bush mandate'.
Hillary came in 3rd, but she still got almost twice as many votes as Huckabee
Let's hope that trend holds up in the general election. Regardless of who the Dem is, I hope they win it going away instead of winning with a 'Bush mandate'.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Huckabee: Typical Union-Busting Repug
Click to embiggen
From Ornery Bastard:
Before former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee appeared yesterday on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, officials from the Writers Guild of America contacted his staff to “clear up any ‘confusion’” by making “it crystal clear that he was indeed crossing a picket line.” The Machinists (IAM) union, which has endorsed Huckabee, also implored him not to cross the picket line, saying “he risks losing the support his jobs and economic policies have won for him among trade unionists.”
My bold.
Article from Think Progress
That does it for me.
Mr. Huckabee has crossed a line that can't be uncrossed.
I would like for everyone that reads this to spread this message;
Mike Huckabee is a Scab.
Scabs do not belong in the Whitehouse.
Why, Nucks, how can you say such a thing about a candidate who has been personally chosen by Gawd?
Did we expect anything else from a Repug? They would much rather outlaw unions. Then they wouldn't have to outsource the good jobs. They could pay third-world wages right here at home and really clean up without all the trouble.
Why the Blogosphere Went for Edwards
A pretty fair summation of Edwards' rise by BooMan:
Pretty close, I think.
I'm sitting here listening to a speech Barack Obama made yesterday in Coralville, Iowa. He's saying all the right things. Here's an example (paraphrased): 'If you have been steeped in the common wisdom of Washington DC that says it is a good idea to invade Iraq, you can't be the best person going forward to question and change our foreign policy.' And that is exactly right. That explains so clearly what it means to have been in the fight on the side of the blogosphere versus what it means to have been on the sidelines within the consultancies of the Capitol. But Obama hasn't really embraced us. He's gone his own way. And that explains why, in the end, the blogosphere broke heavily for John Edwards.
No, I don't mean people turned their back on Obama because he didn't pay the proper respect to the blogosphere. That isn't what happened. Obama didn't embrace our way of doing things. Worse, he began to use rhetoric we had spent energy to debunk. He went even further. He tossed aside one of our central insights...an insight won through hard experience: we cannot compromise with the Republican Party...we must smash them (my em).
Perhaps because his wife is such an avid reader of blogs, Edwards' campaign tapped right into our zeitgeist. He came out with our insight front and center. You want Edwards' message? Here it is: 'Fuck David Broder, fuck Joe Klein, fuck Chris Matthews, fuck FOX News, fuck Tim Russert, fuck Mitch McConnell, fuck Big Oil, Big Pharma, and Big Defense. We don't need them. They won't negotiate in good faith. They're stacking the deck against us. And we can beat them by telling the truth and getting organized.' That's Edwards' message, and that is the message we have internalized both through our successes and our failures.
What's funny is that Obama is saying many of the same things, in his own way. The policy differences between Edwards and Obama are minimal. But Obama's tone deaf to the blogosphere. And, as a result, the blogosphere didn't trust him.
In any case, this is the best I can do to express why the blogosphere went for Edwards. None of the candidates were going far enough on policy, but at least Edwards was representing our fighting natures. And that, in the end, was decisive.
Pretty close, I think.
Groaner of the day
Tony Peyser
Grooooan...
A Pennsylvania Roman Catholic priest has been charged with lying about mob ties to a casino owner. It's a done deal that a mobster's testimony in the trial will at some point include this line: "Forgive me, father, for I have skimmed."
Grooooan...
Points ...
Edwards scored a few:
Be nice to hear some of the others say that. I know Richardson has said something similar but it'd be nice if we hear it from Hillary and Obama. Or at least something so unequivocal.
This is what chaps me about those two. I don't like wishy-washy. Have they ever been pinned down on anything? Take a position and stand on it. If facts change, causing you to rethink it, say so and move on. I'd respect them more. Being able to change one's mind in light of new information is a sign of wisdom, not weakness. It's what so pisses me off about the Dems.
The moron we have now never changed his mind about anything and look where that got us.
SIOUX CITY, Iowa — John Edwards says that if elected president he would withdraw the American troops who are training the Iraqi army and police as part of a broader plan to remove virtually all American forces within 10 months.
...
Be nice to hear some of the others say that. I know Richardson has said something similar but it'd be nice if we hear it from Hillary and Obama. Or at least something so unequivocal.
This is what chaps me about those two. I don't like wishy-washy. Have they ever been pinned down on anything? Take a position and stand on it. If facts change, causing you to rethink it, say so and move on. I'd respect them more. Being able to change one's mind in light of new information is a sign of wisdom, not weakness. It's what so pisses me off about the Dems.
The moron we have now never changed his mind about anything and look where that got us.
Consequences ...
Not only are the people who made bad financial choices being affected by the 'subprime' mess (it's much bigger than that and threatens to get bigger), their pets are paying the price too. From our pal ThePoliticalCat:
Good links at the page to organizations where you can get (and give) help in placing your pet if you can't afford them any longer. Just because you can't keep them doesn't mean you have to be inhuman to them too. You wouldn't abandon your kids, would ya?
...
They stuck by you through thick and thin for as long as you let them. Don't just leave them to die, people. The least you can do is pass them on to people who care.
...
Good links at the page to organizations where you can get (and give) help in placing your pet if you can't afford them any longer. Just because you can't keep them doesn't mean you have to be inhuman to them too. You wouldn't abandon your kids, would ya?
Culling the herd ...
It's the only thing I hope for from Iowa today. Hopefully, some of the candidates will see the light and pack it up. With all these candidates, it's like Dancing with the Stars without the talent.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Quote of the Day
Keith Olbermann, just now:
Heh. No, er, sh..
"We'll take a look at the field of Republican candidates in Iowa next. Don't wear your good shoes."
Heh. No, er, sh..
Download Uproar: Record Industry Goes After Personal Use
Un-fucking-believable:
Blow it out yer ass, RIAA. I buy my music. I have never, ever downloaded any music illegally, and I have made maybe three CDs to give to friends who wouldn't have bought those albums anyway. You charge me $13-18 dollars for a product that cost you maybe a buck to produce, and then you try to screw everybody, from me to the artists, and then you whine because you're not wringing every last cent out of everybody involved?
Once your CD, legally purchased, is my property, I can do whatever the hell I want with it. I use my computer as another record player and I put the albums in my media player because it's easier than going to my record rack. If I make a CD to give to a friend once in a while, particularly theme mixes that are unavailable anywhere else, just suck it.
Note to RIAA: Man up and fuck off. I bought your goddam records. If you ain't gettin' as rich as you think you oughta be, that's just tough shit.
Despite more than 20,000 lawsuits filed against music fans in the years since they started finding free tunes online rather than buying CDs from record companies, the recording industry has utterly failed to halt the decline of the record album or the rise of digital music sharing.
Now, in an unusual case in which an Arizona recipient of an RIAA letter has fought back in court rather than write a check to avoid hefty legal fees, the industry is taking its argument against music sharing one step further: In legal documents in its federal case against Jeffrey Howell, a Scottsdale, Ariz., man who kept a collection of about 2,000 music recordings on his personal computer, the industry maintains that it is illegal for someone who has legally purchased a CD to transfer that music into his computer.
The industry's lawyer in the case, Ira Schwartz, argues in a brief filed earlier this month that the MP3 files Howell made on his computer from legally bought CDs are "unauthorized copies" of copyrighted recordings.
Blow it out yer ass, RIAA. I buy my music. I have never, ever downloaded any music illegally, and I have made maybe three CDs to give to friends who wouldn't have bought those albums anyway. You charge me $13-18 dollars for a product that cost you maybe a buck to produce, and then you try to screw everybody, from me to the artists, and then you whine because you're not wringing every last cent out of everybody involved?
Once your CD, legally purchased, is my property, I can do whatever the hell I want with it. I use my computer as another record player and I put the albums in my media player because it's easier than going to my record rack. If I make a CD to give to a friend once in a while, particularly theme mixes that are unavailable anywhere else, just suck it.
Note to RIAA: Man up and fuck off. I bought your goddam records. If you ain't gettin' as rich as you think you oughta be, that's just tough shit.
I'd love to see a full-field pile-up in the clubhouse turn...
In the midst of a piece about how the way we do elections is going to be the death of democracy is this:
Read the article. Take the test and check the results. They will not surprise you.
And yes, I'm stone dead from the horse race coverage too.
Is it really true that the health of our democracy can be measured by the wide range of candidate choices we've been offered? Take this 1-minute test, and then tell me if you still believe that: http://www.dehp.net/candidate
How closely did any of the candidates come to agreeing with you? Did those who came closest fall into the category of corporate-acceptable "viability"? Why can't you find anything about this situation or any substantive reporting on candidates' positions at all? Because for some politics is a sport, and the fascination lies in the techniques and maneuvers, not in what it might mean for the world. For others, politics is a soap opera, an excuse to obsess over whether in the next episode Obama will take his shirt off or Giuliani's ex-wife's ex-husband will claim to have Hillary's child. Think I'm exaggerating? Not much.
Read the article. Take the test and check the results. They will not surprise you.
And yes, I'm stone dead from the horse race coverage too.
Poor babies ...
...
For oil companies, this hasn’t been the bonanza one would expect. Oil companies buy the oil they refine into gasoline, diesel and heating oil, meaning they suffer if the price of those products doesn’t keep up with the price of oil. And while all three products rose sharply in price this year, those increases lagged oil’s spurt.
...
You'd think they took losses or something.
...
The nation’s three largest oil companies, Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp. and ConocoPhillips, had combined profits of $50.3 billion in the first nine months of the year, a decline of 8.5 percent from a year earlier.
...
You know, I'll worry over oil company profits when they lower their prices so people aren't so strapped and only make half the profit. I'm tired of hearing the plight of Big Oil. They spend little on infrastructure (they blame their refining capacity for the seasonal fluctuations in price) and give half-billion dollar retirement bonuses. Spare me. It's time someone put the screws to these assholes.
Thanks to Chris for the link.
Kill me ...
As I sit here watching the news, trying to talk myself into going to work, I notice I'm sick of the primary coverage. The most I glean is that nobody knows anything about how they'll turn out. The thing I am waiting for (though I'll probably never see) is for one of these talking head clowns to acknowledge the fact that all the Rethug candidates are batshit crazy. That or Alzheimer's patients. Am I the only one who has no idea what McCain's talking about?
And something else for you to consider. Athenae brings up a good point by SteveB:
But then, the media would have to think war is stupid. All of them have this Hemingway-esque need to go to a war zone, probably seeing it as the fast track to the big time. If it weren't for the media flag-waving and the need for Democrats to 'prove' they have a set, we probably wouldn't be in Iraq right now.
And something else for you to consider. Athenae brings up a good point by SteveB:
...
When I read that, I wondered, "What are Republicans required to do to prove their seriousness?"
For some reason, it's only Democrats who are required to fuck over their constituents to prove their seriousness. No member of the pundit class demanded, in 2000, that George W. Bush demonstrate his seriousness by taking on the oil industry. And who would dare to suggest that Huckabee needs to prove his seriousness by taking on the Christian right and advocating the teaching of evolution in public schools?
And it's Democrats who always have to "prove" that they're willing - and even eager - to use military force. Because the voters need to be reassured that a Democratic President won't be a total pacifist. No reassurance required that the next Republican President won't get us into another stupid war.
...
But then, the media would have to think war is stupid. All of them have this Hemingway-esque need to go to a war zone, probably seeing it as the fast track to the big time. If it weren't for the media flag-waving and the need for Democrats to 'prove' they have a set, we probably wouldn't be in Iraq right now.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Now I know ...
What bugs me about Obama. Atrios put it into words for me today:
In his own subtle way, running against the party - at least to the extent that its part and parcel with the Village in general - has long been Obama's message. But he's also long been good at blurring just what that meant, wink wink nudge nudge suggesting he was running to its left even as he used rhetoric which suggested he was running as David Broder's love child.
Just sayin' ...
If you're trying to get me to buy something from you or hand over my life savings via email, you might want to send your email in a language I can read. Spanish, Turkish, French, and African nomad dialects, all the same to me, Greek. Cyrillic and Chinese (Japanese, Korean, or any other minor Asian language) pictographs ain't cuttin' it either. Sorry. If yer gonna clog up my inbox, increase your chances of me reading your drivel before I delete it by putting it in English. Better yet, don't send it at all. Thank you.
Smart people ...
The Krauts, like the rest of Europe understand that TV is dumbed down to the lowest common denominator:
Just anecdotally, after staying with my family in Germany for a couple weeks, they get more from their computers than the TV set. Chris in Paris relates too:
There's just too much formulaic crap on TV. I lost interest when we got 'realty' for just about every profession under the sun. Thankfully, being early risers precludes us from seeing most of the prime time programming. When you're up at 4 in the morning, you ain't watching shit on after 8 all the way through and I don't love TV enough to spring for TiVo. Thank God for the Beeb.
MUNICH (Hollywood Reporter) - For the first time in recent memory, Germans spent less time in front of their TVs in 2007 than they did the year before, according to a new survey.
...
Online entertainment consumption in Germany has long lagged that in the U.S. and U.K. But the fact that the major broadcasters also lost ground to smaller channels might signal the beginnings of dissatisfaction with big-time television programming in general.
Just anecdotally, after staying with my family in Germany for a couple weeks, they get more from their computers than the TV set. Chris in Paris relates too:
... Even with TV being included with my internet/phone service (€30/month for everything including unlimited land line calls around the world), we just stopped watching. We know others who have done the same because they too became fed up with the rubbish on offer ...
There's just too much formulaic crap on TV. I lost interest when we got 'realty' for just about every profession under the sun. Thankfully, being early risers precludes us from seeing most of the prime time programming. When you're up at 4 in the morning, you ain't watching shit on after 8 all the way through and I don't love TV enough to spring for TiVo. Thank God for the Beeb.
Thank you ...
We've been nominated for other awards before, but this one I treasure because we were nominated by our fellow bloggers. We didn't win (congrats to those who were also nominated, a good number of them friends, and to the winner Driftglass, who most certainly deserves it), but it's nice to know our compatriots think so highly of us (it'd have been nice if they spelled our name correctly, but who's bitching? They got the URL right).
Thanks again and Happy New Year.
Thanks again and Happy New Year.
"No Fite - Just Rubs"
My precise wishes for the New Year:
From I Can Has Cheezburger
Peace above all and all the best in 2008.
JG.
From I Can Has Cheezburger
Peace above all and all the best in 2008.
JG.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Quote of the Year
Has to go to the poster boy for retroactive abortions. Jonah Goldberg himself in his new book, Liberal Fascisim: Though I wouldn't know a Fascist if he bit me on the ass:
Have you looked at the Republican Party lately, you load?
"Scott Lively and Kevin Abrams write in The Pink Swastika that 'the National Socialist revolution and the Nazi party were animated and dominated by militaristic homosexuals, pederasts, pornographers, and sadomasochists.'
Have you looked at the Republican Party lately, you load?
So tell me ...
Now that 2007 is slithering out under the door, where was all this good shit the Democratic Congress we busted our butts to get elected was supposed to do for us? There are still a hundred thousand some odd troops in Iraq and the Chimp is getting everything he wants ... except recess appointments. Good job, guys.
Hope 2008 is better but I doubt it. I'll betcha Huckabee gets elected President.
The Mrs. and I are getting all hedonistic like we do every New Year. If I post some incoherency later, you'll know why.
All the best in the New Year to our readers, commenters, and staff. Be safe, be happy, and celebrate. Don't waste your time making resolutions. Don't do anything I'd do. Trust me ...
Hope 2008 is better but I doubt it. I'll betcha Huckabee gets elected President.
The Mrs. and I are getting all hedonistic like we do every New Year. If I post some incoherency later, you'll know why.
All the best in the New Year to our readers, commenters, and staff. Be safe, be happy, and celebrate. Don't waste your time making resolutions. Don't do anything I'd do. Trust me ...
FYI
I just got this info from Mrs. G via e-mail.
If you go to Google and type in a phone number, it will identify the folks at that number, give you their address, and offer a map to the address.
It's a nationwide reverse telephone directory. Be careful who you and your children give your phone number to.
I now have maps to all your homes. What time's dinner?
If you go to Google and type in a phone number, it will identify the folks at that number, give you their address, and offer a map to the address.
It's a nationwide reverse telephone directory. Be careful who you and your children give your phone number to.
I now have maps to all your homes. What time's dinner?
899
Think Progress
All for nothing. If there is a kind and benevolent God, I hope he takes a break from that shit and damns Bush and all his warmongering accomplices to an eternity of suffering for the evil they've done. Today would be fine.
The number of American soldiers who died in Iraq during 2007. Despite a dramatic drop in violence during the latter part of the year, 2007 was still “the deadliest for the U.S. military since the 2003 invasion.”
All for nothing. If there is a kind and benevolent God, I hope he takes a break from that shit and damns Bush and all his warmongering accomplices to an eternity of suffering for the evil they've done. Today would be fine.
Legal Fictions
Continuing with the year-end "Top ___ lists", Here's Dahlia Lithwick's:
She's got guts! How d'ya pick only 10 from that list?
You know all of them, but go see her take.
The Bush administration's dumbest legal arguments of the year.
She's got guts! How d'ya pick only 10 from that list?
You know all of them, but go see her take.
The 50 Most Loathsome People in America, 2007
A lot of these lists go around this time of year. Most can be safely ignored, but here's one at Buffalo Beast that's entertaining. I think the guy's a little off base occasionally, but he's entitled to his opinion. Liquid alert.
There are some things even the Sun won't do...
And No. 1 Most Loathesome Person of 2007? Take a wild guess...
Here's a coupla snippets from some of the others:
Don't miss this one, folks!
35. Tim Russert
Charges: Mountainously inert, he explained his failure to verify the Bush administration's prewar claims with other government officials by lamenting, "I wish my phone had rung." Smirks defiantly at his own humorlessness. Has held the most visible and secure seat in political media for over 15 years without once mustering the courage to call his guests liars. Impossible to watch him interview any woman on "Meet the Press" without fearing he'll suddenly waggle his sinewy tongue, Jabba-like, and beslobber her.
Exhibit A: Self-mythologizing non sequiturs such as "Look, I'm a blue-collar guy from Buffalo. I know who my sources are."
Sentence: Life as an actual blue-collar guy from Buffalo, i.e. a call center drone in North Carolina.
25. Mormon Jesus
Charges: Least plausible Jesus. We heard his brother is the devil -- OMG! Won't even let his flock have a cup of coffee in the morning -- what a jerk. As with any celebrity comeback, lacks the oomph of the glory years. Won't stop baptizing dead people from other religions, which they generally don't appreciate as much as he thinks.
Exhibit A: Loves Mitt Romney, Harry Reid, and Glenn Beck. And magic long johns.
Sentence: Interrupted during the game by Mormon missionaries.
16. Chris Matthews
Charges: Calling his show "Hardball" is like rechristening ping-pong "Thermonuclear Warfare." Displays the slurred, unmodulated speech and unfocused antagonism of an aggrieved middle-management drunk. Can read a scurrilous political attack into any paragraph at twenty paces. Continues honing his pointless questions as his guests attempt to answer, cutting them off with an affected imperial weariness when their responses are insufficiently inane. Apparently ignorant of the implications of satellite technology, Matthews shouts louder at geographically more distant guests. Has repeatedly called Ann Coulter "brilliant." Referred to Gerald Ford's yuletide demise as the former president's "Christmas card to the country." Unable to laugh like a normal human, Matthews compensates by simply shouting "ha!"
Exhibit A: "This country is based on generalizations!"
Sentence: Hillary's White House Press Secretary and personal toilet steward.
9. You (Well, I said he was a little off occasionally - G)
Charges: You believe in freedom of speech, until someone says something that offends you. You suddenly give a damn about border integrity, because the automated voice system at your pharmacy asked you to press 9 for Spanish. You cling to every scrap of bullshit you can find to support your ludicrous belief system, and reject all empirical evidence to the contrary. You know the difference between patriotism and nationalism -- it's nationalism when foreigners do it. You hate anyone who seems smarter than you. You care more about zygotes than actual people. You love to blame people for their misfortunes, even if it means screwing yourself over. You still think Republicans favor limited government. Your knowledge of politics and government are dwarfed by your concern for Britney Spears' children. You think buying Chinese goods stimulates our economy. You think you're going to get universal health care. You tolerate the phrase "enhanced interrogation techniques." You think the government is actually trying to improve education. You think watching CNN makes you smarter. You think two parties is enough. You can't spell. You think $9 trillion in debt is manageable. You believe in an afterlife for the sole reason that you don't want to die. You think lowering taxes raises revenue. You think the economy's doing well. You're an idiot.
Exhibit A: You couldn't get enough Anna Nicole Smith coverage.
Sentence: A gradual decline into abject poverty as you continue to vote against your own self-interest. Death by an easily treated disorder that your health insurance doesn't cover. You deserve it, chump.
5. Nancy Pelosi & Harry Reid
Charges: Graduates of the Neville Chamberlain school of appeasement, the Democratic leadership continues to ignore the constitution-and the American people-by keeping impeachment "off the table" and refusing to defund the war. True pushovers, they're too stupid, cowardly, weak and outmatched politically to accomplish anything substantive, their "strategy" essentially boiling down to whining a lot while handing Bush whatever the hell he wants. There is just no way that appearing this weak and ineffectual could be any better for them politically than impeachment. Everything that the White House gets away with, it gets away with because congress allows it.
Exhibit A: Failure to woo the two thirds majority needed to override a presidential veto is moot: They could defund the war with a 41-senator budgetary filibuster. But that would take guts and conviction.
Sentence: 2 cups anthrax bisque.
2. Dick Cheney
Charges: Worst president ever. So openly horrible, he now makes jokes about being Darth Vader. Unashamedly advocating for executive abuse of power and corporate theft. In and out of public office since his congressional internship during the Nixon Administration. Didn't care about the quagmire he foresaw in '94, because since then he'd deftly maneuvered to profit from it. Polling lower than HPV.
Exhibit A: His Halliburton stock options rose 3000% in value from 2004-2005. No joke.
Punishment: Raped by the sun.
There are some things even the Sun won't do...
And No. 1 Most Loathesome Person of 2007? Take a wild guess...
Here's a coupla snippets from some of the others:
Sentence: Sealed neck-high in the outhouse foundation of a popular Mexican Spring Break destination. Jaws propped open.
Starchier than a peep booth wastebasket...
Don't miss this one, folks!
Oh, the irony...
Ironic Times
Heh. A well-maintained, smoothly running engine "works differently" than one that has been run out of oil and flang a rod out the side, too. To put it nicely.
See ya. I'm off to YouTube...
Bush Administration Finally Develops Immigration Policy That Works
It’s called “recession.”
Study: Brains of Liberals, Conservatives Work Differently
To put it nicely.
Heh. A well-maintained, smoothly running engine "works differently" than one that has been run out of oil and flang a rod out the side, too. To put it nicely.
Queen Debuts Own YouTube Page
Most popular videos: Prince Charles hit in groin with cricket bat; Prince Philip starts fire after lighting fart.
See ya. I'm off to YouTube...
Looking at America
NYTimes editorial
The editorial then lists but a few abuses, and closes with:
Operative words are 'we can only hope'.
I like the 'vampire' reference - as long as this administration is sucking the life's blood out of our nation's ideals and the Constitution, there is no reflection in the mirror at all.
There are too many moments these days when we cannot recognize our country. Sunday was one of them, as we read the account in The Times of how men in some of the most trusted posts in the nation plotted to cover up the torture of prisoners by Central Intelligence Agency interrogators by destroying videotapes of their sickening behavior. It was impossible to see the founding principles of the greatest democracy in the contempt these men and their bosses showed for the Constitution, the rule of law and human decency.
It was not the first time in recent years we’ve felt this horror, this sorrowful sense of estrangement, not nearly. This sort of lawless behavior has become standard practice since Sept. 11, 2001.
The editorial then lists but a few abuses, and closes with:
These are not the only shocking abuses of President Bush’s two terms in office, made in the name of fighting terrorism. There is much more — so much that the next president will have a full agenda simply discovering all the wrongs that have been done and then righting them.
We can only hope that this time, unlike 2004, American voters will have the wisdom to grant the awesome powers of the presidency to someone who has the integrity, principle and decency to use them honorably. Then when we look in the mirror as a nation, we will see, once again, the reflection of the United States of America.
Operative words are 'we can only hope'.
I like the 'vampire' reference - as long as this administration is sucking the life's blood out of our nation's ideals and the Constitution, there is no reflection in the mirror at all.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Wildwood Weed, Fast Cars, & Untaxed Whisky
I'm still in 'screw politics' mode. It'll pass, but in the meantime, ENJOY!
Performed by Jim Stafford.
As long as we're on the Good Ol' American subject of untaxed psychoactive substances:
Performed by Jim Stafford.
As long as we're on the Good Ol' American subject of untaxed psychoactive substances:
No robots needed
Maybe I'm just old-fashioned, but I think we need a counterpoint to Fixer's post. Work safe if you work in the back room of a motorcycle shop.
As far as 'doing what dogs do', I eat, shit, and howl at the moon. Three outta four ain't bad...
As far as 'doing what dogs do', I eat, shit, and howl at the moon. Three outta four ain't bad...
Primaries ...
By the time they get to New York, it'll be all wrapped up. I'll support whoever the Dems nominate. Let me just say, there's no one who I'd actively campaign for. The only one who rises up a little (in my book) is Chris Dodd, and that's because of his principled stands on some issues.
I don't believe any of them will bring the troops home from Iraq anytime soon. I don't believe any of them are really going to do something about the proliferation of lobbyists in Washington and I don't think we'll get an movement on a good national health care program. Something about Barack Obama worries me and I can't put my finger on it (no, it's not his blackness, or lack thereof). Something about Hillary bugs me too but I know what that is. It's the fact she's too cozy with the money people. Bill Richardson would be a good cabinet secretary or vice president. Edwards ain't bad but I don't think he's got what it takes to stand up to a strong Congress. Joe Biden, for the same reasons Hillary bugs me.
I don't really like any of 'em but Hillary is probably the most qualified. We'll see. Any of 'em are better than the Chimp and his band of criminals.
I don't believe any of them will bring the troops home from Iraq anytime soon. I don't believe any of them are really going to do something about the proliferation of lobbyists in Washington and I don't think we'll get an movement on a good national health care program. Something about Barack Obama worries me and I can't put my finger on it (no, it's not his blackness, or lack thereof). Something about Hillary bugs me too but I know what that is. It's the fact she's too cozy with the money people. Bill Richardson would be a good cabinet secretary or vice president. Edwards ain't bad but I don't think he's got what it takes to stand up to a strong Congress. Joe Biden, for the same reasons Hillary bugs me.
I don't really like any of 'em but Hillary is probably the most qualified. We'll see. Any of 'em are better than the Chimp and his band of criminals.
Fucking robots ...
You know what they say. "If I could do what my dog can do ..."
The future is now*.
The future is now*.
*Link not safe for work and children.
You dumbass ...
Via Maru, the 5th Annual World Stupidity Awards have been presented. Of course, our President didn't fail to disappoint:
...
Bush, a perennial winner at the awards, was almost shut out this year, although the White House did take the category of Stupidity Award for Reckless Endangerment of the Planet for its opposition to the world on climate change.
...
A day late and a whore short ...
As our good (but impatient) friend Brother CAFKIA reminds me, I didn't post a chapter from Thirty Days at Zeta yesterday. It's at The Practical Press now. I also wanted to direct you to blogmeister Kenneth Quinnell's rewriting of T'was the Night Before Christmas which I forgot to do last week.
Whore your own in comments.
Whore your own in comments.
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