Ode to the Last Good Conservative

Apologies to Tony Orlando and Dawn, authors of "Knock Three Times."

Hey boy what ya doin' next to me
Sittin' alone in your stall while I sit here beside you
I can hear your bladder contracting
I think of your sphincter compacting
One stall beside me you don't even know me
I love you

(Refrain)
Oh, my darling, tap three times on my shoe top if you want me
Twice on the pipe if the answer is no, oh, my sweetness
(Tap, Tap, Tap!) Means you'll meet me by the urinal
Mmm, twice on the pipe (clink, clink) means you ain't gonna show

If you look out your window tonight
Pull in the string with the note that says gays are a no no
Read how many times I said it
How people believed I really meant it
Only in my dreams did I know I was living a lie

(Refrain)
Oh, my darling, tap three times on my shoe top if you want me
Twice on the pipe if the answer is no, oh, my sweetness
(Tap, Tap, Tap!) Means you'll meet me by the urinal
Mmm, twice on the pipe (clink, clink) means you ain't gonna show

I can hear your body voiding
I can feel there is no avoiding
That one stall beside me you don't even know me
I love you

(Refrain)
Oh, my darling, tap three times on my shoe top if you want me
Twice on the pipe if the answer is no, oh, my sweetness
(Tap, Tap, Tap!) Means you'll meet me by the urinal
Mmm, twice on the pipe (clink, clink) means you ain't gonna show


For Fred (Anytime, Anywhere ... mmm) Dooley

In Quest for Real Debate

With sincere apologies to Tom Tomorrow.

In tribute to Scott D. Feldstein who reguarly takes on the wingnuts and emerges unscathed, if not feeling a little dirty from the encounters. He was recently banned from the humorously named Real Debate Wisconsin blog, a creation of funny man and saint, Fred Dooley.

(click on picture to enlarge)

What Might Have Been and What It Is

Just imagine for a moment if President Bush had resisted his baser urges and the machinations of the oil industry (using its proxies Rumsfeld and Cheney). With the warring parties in Afghanistan pacified, and its government growing in strength every day thanks to American generosity and military might, and with Al-Qaeda in Afghanstan and Pakistan routed after a long fierce battle, Bush would possibly be remembered as one of our greatest presidents ... one I would have supported. Instead, his arrogance and failure to be focused will ensure he is remembered for this (and the thousands of other innocent deaths his adminstration is indirectly responsible for).

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) -- Taliban militants hanged a teenager in southern Afghanistan because he had U.S. money in his pocket, and they stuffed five $1 bills in his mouth as a warning to others not to use dollars, police said Monday. Taliban militants elsewhere killed eight police.

The 15-year-old boy was hanged from a tree on Sunday in Helmand, the most violent province in the country and the world's No. 1 poppy-growing region.

You failed miserably, Mr. President. You wonder why people hold you in such disdain?

Don't Purchase Items from HD Workshops

I just received a call from a place called HD Workshops. It's based in Phoenix, Arizona. Here is the description of the company's services from its website.

HD Workshops is a service-oriented company offering you the opportunity to purchase products to benefit the disabled community. Our locally owned and operated company has set up a work environment where disabled citizens are able to sell to you a variety of products. Whether you need to pick up lightbulbs, cleaning supplies, T-shirts, or gifts, give us a chance to provide the products for you. By placing an order, you are helping people of all colors, races, creeds, abilities, and ages become taxpayers instead of a tax burden. Contact us in Phoenix, Arizona, to place an order for lightbulbs, cleaning supplies, T-shirts, and gifts sold by disabled workers. We also offer 21 days to return any product you may be dissatisfied with.

The fellow who called asked for my wife, Kelly, by name. I told him I was her husband. I waited and finally after a few moments, he asked for Kelly again. I said, “Excuse me, I said I'm her husband, what can I do for ....” At this point he cut me off and said, “Don't get smart with me, I know where you live, cuz.” He then hung up.

I called back and managed to speak to a manager, a Mr. Thomas. While he was very apologetic, I did tell him that he had lost a donor (we have contributed in past years). I would not recommend this company to others.

It's a shame, too. All because of the attitude of one person.

Random Thoughts on Friday

When are the Democrats in Congress going to grow the balls - all right that might be a bit much for the female members – get tough and tell the Republicans to go fuck themselves? This stupid proposal from Republicans to condemn MoveOn had the Dems falling over themselves, ingratiating themselves with their Republican counterparts, and blathering up wimpy excuses to those liberals they rely on to keep them in office.

Face it, the Republicans have nothing to offer. That's why they get all up in arms about MoveOn. It's a diversion. And the Dems let them do it!

Former Michael Dukakis campaign manager and now Fox News contributor, Susan Estrich, is the perfect example of the fawning, lapdog Democrat that Republicans know and love. Glenn Greenwald has a great piece on the wimps in Congress titled The Susan Estrich Complex.

Mom
My mother has made a surprise visit to Milwaukee from her home in Arkansas (great place for retirees). Taking the baby to see her, go for breakfast, and then over to a local rummage sale.

Be Very Wary

I can't improve on this. From Slate:

The Spanish newspaper El País recently published the transcript of a conversation between President George W. Bush and then-Prime Minister José María Aznar on Feb. 22, 2003—a few weeks before the invasion of Iraq—and it confirms some (though not all) of the most dreadful accounts and suspicions about Bush's intentions and nature.

It may be a bit late in the day for another round in the debate over how the war in Iraq began. But the time is ripe for a discussion of what qualities the next president should possess—and the transcript reveals that, in many aspects, they should be the opposite of President Bush's qualities.

The crucial exchange, in this respect, comes toward the end of the conversation, when the two leaders are discussing the magnitude of changing Saddam Hussein's regime by force.

AZNAR: The only thing that worries me about you is your optimism.

BUSH: I'm an optimist because I believe that I'm right. I'm a person at peace with myself. It was our turn to face a serious threat to peace.

Here, in three sentences, is the first lesson on how to assess the current crop of presidential candidates: Don't pick anyone who utters, or seems capable of believing, those three sentences.

Read more here.

Limpballs Has Audacity to Disparage Troops

Rush Limbaugh said recently that troops who want America to get her troops out of Iraq are “phony soldiers.” This from a guy who couldn't serve because he had a pimple on his ass. Jon Soltz, a guy who was actually a soldier in Iraq, calls Limpballs out.

As Media Matters reported today, Rush Limbaugh, on his show said that those troops who come home and want to get America out of the middle of the religious civil war in Iraq are "phony soldiers." I'd love for you, Rush, to have me on your show and tell that to me to my face.

Where to begin?

First, in what universe is a guy who never served even close to being qualified to judge those who have worn the uniform? Rush Limbaugh has never worn a uniform in his life -- not even one at Mickey D's -- and somehow he's got the moral standing to pass judgment on the men and women who risked their lives for this nation, and his right to blather smears on the airwaves?

Functional Illiteracy

I have to admit I'm a little torn over this issue. Read the beginning of the article below.

TRENTON, N.J. -- A longtime critic of Rutgers University's drive into big-time sports is being criticized over a newspaper article comment that university officials have branded as racist.

At the end of a New York Times article Wednesday about William C. Dowling's failed efforts to get Rutgers to turn away from high-stakes athletics, the tenured English professor responded to arguments that athletic scholarships provide opportunity to low-income, minority students.

"If you were giving the scholarship to an intellectually brilliant kid who happens to play a sport, that's fine," Dowling said. "But they give it to a functional illiterate who can't read a cereal box, and then make him spend 50 hours a week on physical skills. That's not opportunity. If you want to give financial help to minorities, go find the ones who are at the library after school."

Rutgers Athletic Director Bob Mulcahy told local newspapers that Dowling's comment was "a blatantly racist statement."

I remember being annoyed that there were those who received scholarships, but not for any academic prowess. Of course, my annoyance was not in the context specified above ... I was pissed off at anyone who received the ill-begotten assistance.

I'm with the professor. Give the money where it will do the most good.

I wonder what the one or two who read this blog think?

Glenn Beck is So Funny

The baby is underneath the chair, grabbing my legs. Meanwhile, surfing a few sites on the Internet, I came across my friend, Bill over at View From the Cheap Seats. Bill is a great guy. He has been a guest of ours once and we have also shared breakfast. Plus, our baby daughter Quin likes him.

Still, we come from opposite sides of the political spectrum, of which I'm sure Bill would readily agree. We have had a few spirited arguments. This might provide more kindling for the fire.

Bill has a post titled Thoughts on Liberal Radio. He listened one day for a short while and decided it was hateful regarding President Bush and things conservative in general. That's a fairly common refrain. I've never listened to Air America, so I can't answer his claim except to say that in the world of talk radio and blogging, it seems that one person's hate is another person's humor. I mean really, Bush is a deluded fucking idiot is not much of a hateful remark. I would consider it rather truthful ... which, I guess makes me a hater. Oh well.

Bill admits the example she provides are not the worst. He does not print the ones that were worse, so it's hard to gauge, but I do know Bill to be an honest guy so I'll take him at his word. However, this comment he provides (in the comment section of the post) is what causes this post. Bill states that Glenn Beck is in no way hateful and shrill.

WTF!

Bill, those long drives at night in your rig have done something to your “hate” antenna, because if you think calling Bush a deranged idiot is more hateful than the following examples of Beck's spewage, I think you need another vacation.

Waste of Skin
Where I come from, calling someone a waste of skin is akin to saying that person should not be alive ... in other word non-existent or dead. And that is exactly what Glenn Beck said referring to former president Jimmy Carter. From the February 8 broadcast of Premiere Radio Networks' The Glenn Beck Program:

Is there a day that God ever says, "What was I thinking?" Here's what I mean: Do you think God ever says, "I could've used that skin making somebody of value, you know? I could have used that skin in such a -- just a better way." You know? And its not -- the reason why I bring this up is: Is there a bigger waste of skin than Jimmy Carter? Ya know, I don't mean to, you know, I don't mean to look the maker in the eyes and say, "Eh, kind of a waste," but I'm asking, do you think he ever thinks, "I don't know, man, I could've used that skin someplace else." You know? Who's the bigger waste of skin, can you name a bigger -- you know, and you could immediately go to people like Kim Jong Il. OK, there's a big waste of skin, but not really, because his skin's being utilized by evil. At least evil is using that skin. Who's using the skin of Jimmy Carter? What purpose does the skin of Jimmy Carter -- it's like an empty suit walking down the street.

Prostitute
In the January 10 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Glenn Beck called anti-war protester Cindy Sheehan "a pretty big prostitute," later amending, at the behest of his executive producer, Steve "Stu" Burguiere, that "tragedy pimp" would be "the most accurate description."
Beck did not like Sheehan because she was, ostensibly, prostituting her son's death. Without getting into other activities that Sheehan involved herself rightly or not, I hardly think Beck has the right to call Sheehan anything until he has a child killed, especially in a wrongful war.

Prove It
On the November 14 edition of his CNN Headline News program, Glenn Beck interviewed Rep.-elect Keith Ellison (D-MN), who became the first Muslim ever elected to Congress on November 7, and asked Ellison if he could "have five minutes here where we're just politically incorrect and I play the cards up on the table." After Ellison agreed, Beck said: "I have been nervous about this interview with you, because what I feel like saying is, 'Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies.' " Beck added: "I'm not accusing you of being an enemy, but that's the way I feel, and I think a lot of Americans will feel that way."

Last time I read the Bill of Rights, freedom of religion was something allowed and enshrined in the first amendment, which states: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. I think that rightfully includes not questioning the patriotism of someone simply because of the sex, race or faith one chooses to follow.

She's Such a Bitch
Where I come from, calling a woman a bitch is not a friendly little aside. One might even say it's just a little hateful. But that's exactly what Beck had to say about Senator Hillary Clinton. On the March 15 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Glenn Beck said:

"Hillary Clinton cannot be elected president because ... there's something about her vocal range." He went on to say, "There's something about her voice that just drives me -- it's not what she says, it's how she says it," adding, "She is like the stereotypical -- excuse the expression, but this is the way to -- she's the stereotypical bitch, you know what I mean?" Beck also asked: "[A]fter four years, don't you think every man in America will go insane?" and pleaded, "I'm sorry for being such a pig. But please, America. Please. I don't think I could do it for four years. I mean, sure the country is going to go to hell in a handbasket, but could we make this about me for a second? I just don't think I could take it from her." He also said that "there is a range in women's voices that experts say is just the chalk, I mean, the fingernails on the blackboard."

Shades of Auschwitz
On the June 28 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Glenn Beck commented on a mock ad -- produced by subscribers to his website known as "Insiders" -- depicting a "giant refinery" that produces "Mexinol," which, according to the ad, is a fuel made from the bodies of illegal immigrants from Mexico. Beck read from the ad: "At Evil Conservative Industries, we know four things for certain. The country needs cheap, alternative fuel source. Two, the human body is 18 percent carbon. Three, carbons can be turned into hydrocarbons. Four, we have a buttload of illegal aliens in our country."

It wasn't too long ago that human hair was used as jacket filler for submariners and to line the insides of boots. Not too funny.

Michael Moore
Whatever one may think of Michael Moore, advocating his death isn't very funny and might just be considered, you know, kind of hateful to suggest. But that's what Beck did during the May 17, 2005, broadcast of his radio show, Beck himself fantasized about killing filmmaker Michael Moore:

Hang on, let me just tell you what I'm thinking. I'm thinking about killing Michael Moore, and I'm wondering if I could kill him myself, or if I would need to hire somebody to do it. No, I think I could. I think he could be looking me in the eye, you know, and I could just be choking the life out -- is this wrong?

I stopped wearing my What Would Jesus -- band -- Do, and I've lost all sense of right and wrong now. I used to be able to say, "Yeah, I'd kill Michael Moore," and then I'd see the little band: What Would Jesus Do? And then I'd realize, "Oh, you wouldn't kill Michael Moore. Or at least you wouldn't choke him to death," and you know -- well, I'm not sure.

Use Your $%$#@&^ Signal Lights

I just managed to avoid an accident this morning, one that would have included two of my children and all because some bozo didn't think it necessary to use his signal lights.

I was heading south on 794 and was signaling to get into the Greenfield Avenue exit lane. There was a car on my right that was traveling that lane, having exited off I94. Autos who exit I94 to 794 generally merge and continue south to the airport, to Chicago or to the I43 exit for Beloit. Occasionally, however, they stay in the lane and exit on Greenfield Avenue.

I was moving faster than this auto and not seeing a signal light, continued thinking I would pull in ahead (there was another auto just behind it following closely). All of a sudden, out of my right peripheral vision I saw the auto swerve toward me. I managed to swerve enough to avoid the auto and sped up to get ahead without interrupting traffic on my left. But my son was shaken and the baby started crying because of the jerk to her head caused by my sharp and quick actions.

I got into the exit lane and looked over to my left in time to see this auto, being driven by some guy, drive by without even a glance in my direction or a wave of apology.

Bastard. Use your %$%$#!%&* signal lights.

Baby Pictures

Quin is almost nine months old now. Couldn't resist a couple of pictures for my two or three readers. Or is it four readers? My popularity is growing exponentially ... by 2045, I'll be up to six viewers. Very exciting.

Anyway ....

Random Thoughts for Tuesday

Choosing A Wife

A man wanted to get married, but he was having trouble choosing among three likely candidates. He decided to give each woman a present of $5,000 and watch to see what they would do with the money.

The first purchased a total make over. She went to a fancy beauty salon to get her hair done and new make up. She then went to the store and bought several new outfits and dresses. She told him she did this to be more a attractive for him because she loves him so much. The man was impressed.

The second went shopping to buy the man gifts. She bought him a new set of golf clubs, some new gizmos for his computer, and some expensive clothes. As she presented these gifts, she tolds him that she spent all the money on him because she loves him so much. Again, the man was impressed.

The third invested the money in the stock market. She earned several times the $5,000. She gives him back his $5,000 and reinvested the remainder in a joint account. She told him that she wanted to save for their future because she loves him so much. Obviously, the man was impressed.

The man thought for a long time about what each woman had done with the money he'd given her.

Then, he married the one with the biggest boobs.

Men are like that, you know. There is more money being spent on breast implants and Viagra today than on Alzheimer's research. This means that by 2040, there should be a large elderly population with perky boobs and huge erections and absolutely no recollection of what to do with them.


from my mother

Random Thoughts on a Monday

Aaargh. If only the Brewers had not lost all those games with 3+ run leads. It does highlight their youth, though. I have been surprised that they have contended as long as they did. I truly thought next year would be the year. They're not out of it yet, but with the Cubbies playing the Sisters of the Poor the next six games, it doesn't look good.

My beautiful wife and both lovely daughters are sick with the flu. Can't wait until Wednesday or Thursday when the symptoms start popping up in me. Oh well. I know it will be miserable because Kelly is not a whiner by any stretch, but she has actually complained this time.

The Jena 6: I don't know much about this. I perused some articles. What I gather is this case is not as simple as some clowns on the right make it out to be. There has been anger simmering for some time on both sides of the fence. Kid brings a shotgun to school ... kids take it away and jump him (f**k, I would too). They get charged with theft and attempted murder. Gimme a break. No one is innocent here, but the charges are ridiculous.

Brett Favre looks almost 38 years old ... if judged by his running ability. Man, that arm, though.

Caught a mouse in one of those sticky traps. I named it Fred and then drowned it to put it out of its misery.

A Little Accuracy Would Be Nice

Jessica McBride really should be sure of what she is posting before doing so. In this case McBride, as an update at the end of a rant about Columbia University inviting the president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to speak, informs us that Hitler once did visit Columbia University. She gives a hat tip to that intellectual, Michelle Malkin (though no link) for leading her to that fount of accurate info, Little Green Footballs. It is there, she says, where the truth of the University's dalliance with the enemy is revealed.

Well, not exactly. Little Green Footballs reveals that it was the German ambassador to the United States, Hans Luther, who was invited to speak, not Hitler. In fact, the closest Hitler ever came to the United States was probably in some trench during WWI. Something the eternally clueless McBride could have discovered if she had checked. Something, you know, a lecturer in journalism at a major university might have done.

What gets me the most, though, is not this yet-another-example of McBride's sloppy writing, it's the fact that she really does not understand how a free society operates ... you know, that marketplace of ideas thing that she should be promoting as (I shudder to write this again) a lecturer of journalism at a major university. Let's look at the facts for a moment.

When the offer to speak was extended to Herr Luther in 1933, Germany was still ostensibly a democratic nation and the elected president, Paul Hindenburg had just appointed Adolf Hitler chancellor in January. It would have been considered a coup then (as today) to have the ambassador of a major country speak at any university. And make no mistake about it, Germany was considered a major player in the world and its recovery from the Great Depression was looked upon as a marvel. A recovery, by the way, that had almost nothing to do with Hitler and had almost everything to do with the democratically-elected government, sound fiscal policies and a hard-working citizenry.

Hitler's political success would come later at the expense of a cowed parliament that rubber-stamped everything he and his thugs proposed, and citizens who were exquisitely deluded by the propaganda machine of Joseph Goebbels in a manner not unlike how talk radio is used to misinform and promote GOP talking points and hysteria today.

So, it's easy for wing-nuts to condemn Columbia University, in hindsight, but the fact is in 1933 the excesses to come of the future dictatorship were as yet unknown. That there were some protesters who were prescient enough about Hitler still says nothing about the university's decision.

Inviting the president of Iran to speak is not a condoning of his nation's policies. It is an opportunity to hear what he has to say, and perhaps to ask tough questions, where he will learn first-hand what freedom of speech really means. It will be a remarkable opportunity for students. They should not be denied the chance to hear, unfettered of propaganda from either govenment, what a major actor on the world stage has to say.

In the end, it's just another stupid gotcha attempt by the right and Jessica McBride.

The Party of Family Values

State Representative Frank Lasee can dish it out, but he can't take it and he doesn't like journalists, at least when they are writing something truthful about him. Dan Bice uncovers the fact that Lasee lives in a see-through house and that the self-described father of TABOR is not much of a father in real life.

Random Thoughts on a Saturday

It's been a while since I blogged about anything in particular. Today will be no different as I blog at random for my two readers, elliot and capper.

The other day I decided to do something special for my lovely wife. I knew she likes Qdoba and Mexican food, so I began surfing the Internet for a tasty recipe. Anyway, I found this recipe for enchiladas, for which I have provided a link for those curious (there are other recipes).

I have made a couple small changes to the recipe. It is provided below along with commentary. It was fun to make and the taste elicited a smile from the wife, which was what the entire exercise was about. You will need:

20 Corn Tortillas (apparently they only come in packs of 20,000)
4 pound whole chicken (approximately)
Monterrey Jack cheese (shredded)
Sour cream
Buttermilk
Chicken broth (this will come from boiling the chicken)
Chili powder
Garlic powder
Salt
Cumin
Flour
Corn Oil
Jalapeño peppers (store bought in jar variety)
Green chiles (my add)
Onion

You will also need:

Slow cooker
Large skillet or frying pan
Sauce pan
Paper towels
Prongs
Measuring items

COOK AND SEASON THE CHICKEN
Place the unfortunate and unfrozen chicken in a slow cooker filled with water. Add ½ teaspoon of garlic powder. Cook the chicken on high for 4 hours, or until the meat falls off the bones.

Separate the meat from the bones and place it in a large bowl. Shred the meat and allow to cool. Retain the chicken broth.

Slice open 4 or 5 green chilis. Remove the seeds, rinse the chilis and then finely dice. After the meat has cooled somewhat, mix it with the following ingredients:

½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
green chilis

Cover the bowl with foil and place in the refrigerator.

FRY THE TORTILLAS
Into a large skillet or frying pan, pour about ¼ inch of corn oil and heat on medium high.

Using a prongs (yes, I feel the need to emphasize this) place a tortilla in the oil for 5 seconds. Remove the tortilla, turn it over, and place it in the oil for another 5 seconds.

Remove the tortilla and place it on a plate covered with a paper towel. Use another paper towel to blot the oil from the tortilla. Place the tortilla on another plate. Repeat the frying as many times as you wish. I would stop, eventually.

MAKE THE ENCHILADA SAUCE
Pour 4 tablespoons of corn oil into a sauce pan and turn the heat to medium low. After the oil has heated, gradually (and carefully) add the following ingredients:

5 tablespoons of flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin powder
½ teaspoon of garlic powder
1 tablespoon of chili powder.

Mix until thick, then slowly begin adding 3 cups of chicken broth (again carefully). Keep stirring!

After the chicken broth has been added, slowly add 1 cup of buttermilk. Raise the heat to medium and keep stirring until the sauce thickens, then set the heat on low.

PREPARE THE ENCHILADAS FOR CONSUMPTION (that means eat, for those commenters at the influential Badger Blogger)

Using a prongs, dip a tortilla into the enchilada sauce. Place the tortilla on a plate and sprinkle shredded cheese, chicken, onion on top. Pour a little sauce on top and repeat the process a second time.

Place a third dipped tortilla on top of the stack. Add a dollop of sour cream and a couple jalapeño slices.

EAT AND ENJOY


Ned Yost and the Brewers
Just a couple of other things. Those calling for the head of Ned Yost are out of their minds. The team is a young one and prone to highs and lows. That this team continues to contend after the swoon they experienced in August is a testament to Yost's ability to manage this team. They continue to play hard and are proving to be remarkably resilient. I look for this team to be an exciting one for the next four to five years. If they fail to contend next year, then Yost's status should be revisited. But until then, Mr. And Mrs. Naysayer, relax. The team is doing just fine.

Most Influential
And lastly, this comment about the influential blog, Badger Blogger. Other than Patrick, the owner of the site, this fellow, whose moniker is mickey, comments there at a rate second to none. He is the only individual banned from Boots and Sabers (this takes a lot considering some of the commenting there). Mickey truly symbolizes the level of competency amongst the herd at Badger Blogger. Influential, indeed.

Anyway, this comment was an add-on to a post by Patrick about the hapless woman who thought it an artistic statement to walk into an airport with a fake bomb strapped to her chest. All right, I agree. She's missing a few marbles. But this comment is priceless.

ART!! I’m working on some ART, to wear at an Obama rally!!!My ART, will have
a BURQA!! Yes, and my ART will have OTHER “ARTISTIC” items of “clothing”. There
will be no problem, because I have RIGHTS!!! If someone questions my clothing,
I’ll proclaim my RIGHT to wear a Swastika, or a JEWISH TATTOO from the third
reich, or I’ll proclaim my RIGHT to “FREE SPEECH”, when I deny the holocaust.
Columbia University , will not silence me, because my words are part of the free
exercise of ideas!!!! My “idea’s” will be part of an open discourse!!Iran’s
Ahmedinijiad, will be given the same open forum that his country would
allow.Would David Duke be given the same forum??Does Columbia, have no sense of
right vs wrong and Ahmedinijiads position in history????Would Karl Rove be given
the same forum??If so. WHY?

Elitist?
I guess I'm elitist for commenting so about poor, misunderstod mickey and the Badger Blogger denizens in general. Curious, what does that make those who comment about us in such crude and barbaric ways?

The Great Moralizers are Frauds

Is this not so true? Especially the Clinton part. Got to love the hypocrisy of conservatives.

h/t This Modern World

Coral Ridge Nutcase Dead

Dr. D. James Kennedy has passed on to his great reward. Can't say I'll miss the founder of the Coral Ridge Hour. Here's why (thx, Wikipedia):

Same-sex marriage: Kennedy was strongly opposed to same-sex marriage and called for a constitutional "Firewall" to protect the nation from "counterfeit marriage."

Apologetics: Kennedy frequently claimed that if Christianity is not true then it is a massive fraud and hoax perpetrated by evil men bent on making the world a place where Christ's commandment to 'Love thy neighbor' reigns supreme, which is the antithesis of the criminal mind, and hence the theory that Christianity is a fraud is entirely incompatible with logic and human nature.

Constitution Restoration Act: a bill promoted during the 2005 Confronting the Judicial War on Faith conference that sought to authorize Congress to impeach judges who fail to acknowledge "God as the sovereign source of law, liberty, or government" and to limit the power of the federal judiciary to rule in religious liberty cases. (italics mine)

Creation-evolution controversy: Kennedy was a Young Earth Creationist and supporter of intelligent design who rejects the theory of evolution and believes that it "led to the death of nine million people in Nazi Germany.... The greatest mass murderers of all time [are] all compliments of evolution," an idea reflected in Coral Ridge's controversial documentary Darwin's Deadly Legacy in 2006. Darwin's Deadly Legacy is based on the 2004 book From Darwin to Hitler, Evolutionary Ethics, Eugenics and Racism in Germany by Discovery Institute Fellow Richard Weikart. The Discovery Institute is the hub of the intelligent design movement, and the Institute's Fellows are frequent Coral Ridge Ministries guest speakers. Phillip E. Johnson, considered the father of the movement, was a featured speaker at Coral Ridge Ministries' 1999 Reclaiming America for Christ Conference. There he gave a speech called How the Evolution Debate Can Be Won which was widely promoted by the Ministries' Truths that Transform.

Kennedy was a co-signer of the "Land Letter" sent to President George W. Bush in October 2002 which outlined a "just war" rationale for the military invasion of Iraq.

Kennedy sought to "reclaim America for Christ" in which government policies and laws would be consistent with evangelical Christianity. Many of his public messages on this topic focused on his assertion that the Founding Fathers of the United States were Christian and had intended to establish a Christian constitution.

Kennedy was a notable member of the Moral Majority polical movement in the 1970s and 1980s.


Good riddance.

Taking a Break

A short note for my lone reader ... I will return, just taking a hiatus from blogging.

Tra la

GOP Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry

h/t This Modern World

A Not So Alternative Reality

h/t Tom Tomorrow

McIlheran is a Traitor

It's time Patrick McIlheran and the rest of his conservative ilk are arrested and charges of war crimes brought against them. This needs to be done because their support of the illegal conflict in Iraq and their efforts at dividing the populace are treasonous.

McIlheran claims the left is guilty for genocide in Vietnam. This is, of course, a lie. Using this lie, McIlheran ignores the illegality of having entered into the conflict in Iraq and who is to blame for it, and says that failure to continue this illegal conflict will be the fault of the left - the guilt of genocide he spouts - when in fact the guilt lies with this administration and those who have lied to the American populace.

Oh, did I say I'm pissed off, too? The reason for my anger is a blog post by McIlheran titled "You Want to Talk Vietnam?" As I stated above, he makes the dubious claim that it was the left's fault for the outcome in Vietnam and if we fail to follow through in Iraq, the same result will occur. What pisses me off is his history about the Vietnam conflict is so wrong. And, I'm pissed off because of his lame attempt to assuage his own guilt about supporting murder in Iraq by lying about Vietnam.

First of all, the anti-war movement was not merely a left-wing phenomenon. I remember family members who were decidely conservative who opposed the conflict. Surely there were others. By 1968, the furor over the war blossomed with the revelations of My Lai. Opposition to the war became a national concern. In fact, it was Richard Nixon's claims that he would bring about "Peace With Honor" that helped him win the presidency.

We now know this was a lie. Nixon lied and escalated the war. This seems to be a habit of conservatives. Their actions can't stand up to public scrutiny, so they lie. Mr. Disengenuous claims Cambodia was ceded to the Vietnamese and Khmer Rouge by American withdrawal and the result was genocide. This is hogwash. It was the bombing of Cambodia in which over 2.5 million tons of bombs were dropped (more than were dropped by the Allies in WWII) and kept secret from the American people that spurred the rise of the Khmer Rouge along with an American-supported coup of Prince Sihanouk.

It is a fallacy that withdrawal of support of the ARVN (South Vietnamese army) caused it to fail in the field. The ARVN was never able to take on the North successfully. It was overun with graft and badly-led troops. It's performance was not improving and a prolonged effort by American forces would have made no difference.

The genocide that occurred was not brought on by American withdrawal, it was brought on by American arrogance. That's why McIlheran and the like are traitors to this country. It's his sort of misleading commentary that, 35+ years ago mislead enough good people to believe that 20 million gallons of herbicides dropped on South Vietnam (our ostensible ally) was a necessary thing to combat communism. It's his sort of commentary that supported the deaths of more than 5 million people, civilian and military.

It's the McIlheran's of the world who are responsible for most of the death and mayhem. They are responsible for every death in Iraq. They continue to lie about al-Qaeda and Iraq when the proof is that al-Qaeda came to Iraq to kill Americans. Not the other way around. They continue to spread the lies this administration so glibly perpetuates. I have no more use for them, even as sometime targets for fun.

McIlheran is right in one regard. This Iraq conflict does share similarities with the conflict in Vietnam. Innocents are being killed. So much for the beacon of light American democracy is supposed to be. So much for compassionate conservatism.

(Edited not for content, but so it might read better. I had a 7-month old in my arms for the initial draft.)

Limpy Mouths Off Again

On the August 21 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Rush Limbaugh played audio clips from Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's (D-NY) August 20 speech to the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and labeled her position on Iraq "the 'no onions' strategy from the woman with the testicle lockbox." As Media Matters for America documented, Limbaugh has used the expression "testicle lockbox" on numerous occasions while discussing Clinton.

Interesting comment from the man who wishes he had some ... as well as his ditto herd.

No More Nanny State

I was speaking with my father-in-law the other day about the so called "nanny state." The discussion arose from an article I had been reading in the local newspaper about the proposal to make all bars and restaurants in Wisconsin smoke-free. I recalled there had been a number of blog posts by conservatives friends in which they take Governor Doyle to task unkindly and, in general, rant about excessive government oversight. My father-in-law is fairly conservative (but a real nice guy) so I asked him what his view was.

Well, my father-in-law admitted he was no fan of cigarette smoke either, but, you know, it is their (cigarette enthusiasts) choice and besides, what about all the bars that would go out of business. I noted that he did not include restaurants as potential closings. We seemed to agree who wants to eat and inhale poison at the same time anyway?

Anyway, I came right out and said I was fully in favor of the ban for both restaurants AND bars. I explained I am the worst of the anti-smoking zealots, a former smoker and one who smoked on average one pack a day. I'm a former smoker who does not miss the telltale smell of smoke, the yellow fingertips, nor the accumulation of the following chemicals in his lungs (the list is actually longer, I just went with the popular ones):

Aluminum
Zinc
Mercury
Lead
Acetone (nail polish remover)
Ammonia (floor/toilet cleaner)
Arsenic (rat poison)
Butane
Carbon Monoxide
Formaldehyde (for preserving my youthful visage)
Methanol (rocket fuel)
Napthalene (moth balls)
Nitrous oxide phenols (disinfectants)
Toluene (paint thinner)

Back to bars ... alcohol and cigs, that's another story. Don't they go together like Sigmund and Freud, like Green Bay and Packers? We discussed the difficulty in seperating the cigarettes from the bar. Wouldn't it cause large ripples in Wisconsin's economy? I felt a moment of despair for the poor bar owners destined for bankrupcy. This was quickly extinguished by thoughts of those poor workers who must endure entire shifts filled with smoky air. Surely they can find other jobs, it was proposed, but then, I asked, why must their economic needs be held secondary to addiction?

And then my thoughts turned to reckless behavior and drunkeness. Why, one might ask? Well, you see, I reasoned, bars are major sources of drunk drivers. Tell me I'm wrong and I'll call you a liar. People go to bars, drink too much, ignore friends' requests to accept rides, try to drive home and usually make it there safe and sound. However, too many times they don't and far too often they either damage someone elses property or injure, even kill others ... all for their right to imbibe ridiculously.

We have laws against that sort of behavior. So, why not for cigarette smokers? Their behavior could be considered reckless. They continue to smoke though their smoking is dangerous to my health, similar to drinking to excess and driving drunk. Not dangerous? There are a slew of reports that say otherwise. For example, as reported by the American Heart Association (you know, I can't remember where, but a righty once dismissed anything from the AHA as having an agenda ... gee, improving health and saving lives, some agenda), a study that evaluated the smoking ban in 2003 in Pueblo, Colorado (a city with higher the average smokers than statewide) determined that the ban contributed to a reduction in heart attacks, 108 fewer in an 18-month period.

The point of this is, wasn't it not too long ago that driving drunk was considered less serious than it is now? Hands were slapped, eyes were winked and the occasional death was shrugged off as unfortunate. But no more. In a sense, society grew up and decided it no longer wanted to nanny its wayward children. Responsibililty! Charlie Sykes and his herds' favorite word.

Instead, society decided that adults would be treated from now on as adults. Don't you think it's time for smokers and conservatives to grow up, too, and leave their nannys behind?

McBride Strikes Again

Sheesh. I've not been posting because I've really been trying to enjoy what remains of the summer. That means spending time with the kids, my wife (the woman of my dreams), visiting friends and celebrating birthdays. But, today, I made the mistake of traveling to Jessica McBride's world. Hers is one I have been avoiding mostly because of the mendacity of her posts, but also because it's become somewhat boring to pick at her every written word. However, this entry took the cake. She wrote:

Bill Clinton was, at worst, slightly right of center.

Bill Clinton was incredibly popular.

So, if Bill Clinton was slightly right of center, and he was incredibly popular, the liberals are finally admitting that conservative ideals are incredibly popular with the public, right? They are the mainstream ideals, even if the media won't admit it.


Reading this was enough to cause some bile to rise uncomfortably into my throat. Little did I know she would later surpass herself in utter illogicality.

I should have left well enough alone, but I returned and discovered she had written this response to a comment about her post claiming that her reasoning was a bit off (realism: Correlation does not imply causality.). McBride replied that her piece had been an example of deductive reasoning and laid out this argument.

It's deductive logic.

Bill Clinton was slightly right of center.

Bill Clinton was incredibly popular.

Thus, being right of center must be incredibly popular.

She's right, to an extent. What we have here is a categorical syllogism, though better written if the conclusion had been: "Thus, being right of center was incredibly popular.

Aside from that, the thought occurred to me that her argument was less than one would expect from a 30-something woman, who astonishingly enough teaches at the university level. Her argument barely rose to the level of adolescent playground banter.

If that had been the end of her comment, one might have let it go, saddened that a mind is so misused. Alas, for her, she continued to put finger to keypad and produced a truly remarkable mudpie.

Or, perhaps, that the power of personality matters so much to liberals that they will reject their principles, if you buy that Clinton was slightly right of center and incredibly popular but still argue that the public is not.

To wit, one can only say, "Huh?"

UPDATE: Professor Putnam would probably say my writings on logic need improvement. Illusory Tenant and capper at Whallah need no corrections.

So Very Christian

This is the first of probably many posts about the deep felt Christian attitudes of our far right brethren.

Officials at the nondenominational High Point Church knew that Cecil Howard Sinclair was gay when they offered to host his service, said his sister, Kathleen Wright. But after his obituary listed his life partner as one of his survivors, she said, it was called off.

"It’s a slap in the face. It’s like, ’Oh, we’re sorry he died, but he’s gay so we can’t help you,"’ she said Friday.

The church’s pastor, the Rev. Gary Simons, said no one knew Sinclair, who was not a church member, was gay until the day before the Thursday service, when staff members putting together his video tribute saw pictures of men "engaging in clear affection, kissing and embracing."

Wright called the church’s claim about the pictures "a bold-faced lie." She said she provided numerous family pictures of Sinclair, including some with his partner, but said none showed men kissing or hugging.

The 5,000-member High Point Church was founded in 2000 by Simons and his wife, April, whose brother is Joel Osteen, well-known pastor of the 38,000-member Lakewood Church in Houston. Now High Point meets in a 432,000-square-foot facility in Arlington, near Dallas.


So much for supporting the troops.

Lies and More Lies

To those wing-nuts in the area who don't realize a fact spoonfed to them should be swallowed with caution. Here's some news: Jeri Thompson is not a lawyer. The Trail has more.

It is a measure of how rapid Jeri Kehn Thompson's rise to prominence has been that there has been widespread confusion about a basic fact of her background: whether or not she is a lawyer.

Several major news organizations -- including USA Today, the Associated Press, Chicago Tribune, and The Post -- have in recent months referred to Jeri Thompson as both a political consultant and lawyer in articles about Fred Thompson's nascent presidential campaign, in which his wife has taken a leading role.

And supporters of the Thompsons have repeatedly invoked Jeri Thompson's status as an attorney to challenge insinuations that the 40-year-old mother of two is a mere "trophy wife" for the 64-year-old actor and former Tennessee senator. On Fox News last week, host Chris Wallace quoted a letter from a viewer attacking NPR's Juan Williams for having previously used the 'tw' phrase in reference to Thompson: "You chauvinist pig. Jeri Thompson is an intelligent, accomplished woman. She is a lawyer. And she has worked in the public policy arena." Added conservative blogger Ed Morrissey last month: "Anyone with access to Google knows that Mrs. Thompson worked as an attorney and media consultant in DC."

Well, presumptuous as it may be to challenge the holy writ that is Google, the hard fact is that Jeri Thompson is not a lawyer. There is no trace in public records of Thompson holding a license to practice law in D.C. or any of the states in which she has resided. And today, campaign spokeswoman Linda Rozett said conclusively, "Jeri Thompson does not have a law degree."

Never mind!

Because We Don't Want to Play Anymore

courtesy of This Modern World

Finally doing the right thing ... ignore Fox. Let them blather to their shrinking base of angry white men and women who barely understand English.

Still Clueless After All These Years

After 3,679 American deaths, 27,104 Americans wounded and 60,000+ Iraqi casualites, Patrick McIlheran almost got it, in an ironic sort of way.

Posting about the news that Pvt. Scott Thomas Beauchamp, author of the much-disputed "Shock Troops" article, has recanted his story, McIlheran attempts to use Beauchamp's alleged deceit to question the motives of the (as he calls it) "surrender-now side."

His final sentence of the post, however, was almost a striking condemnation of this entire misbegotten affair and the failure of the McIlherans on the right to honestly view the excursion into Iraq, rather than mouthing platitudes provided to them by this administration. If McIlheran had had the courage, this is what he would have written:

What good can come from the war against the war in Iraq if it's a campaign founded on lies?

That was nearly the first honest thing you've said about Iraq, Paddy! Keep trying.

Mark Belling v Margaret Farrow

Jessica McBride tantalizes us with this five word reportage of a Mark Belling and Margaret Farrow debate. She says, "Who do you think won?" Such in-depth reporting.

Somewhat surprisingly, dad29, a decidely right-wing kind of guy (btw: I thought McBride said anyone not using their own name was gutless and she wouldn't allow their posts), steps in and says this about Belling:

"It is not unusual for Belling to make asinine and uninformed statements to keep interest/ratings in his show. If it's a 'sliming contest,' Belling wins. Not the first time."

In retrospect, daddio's response doesn't really surprise me. I will say this, he is a straight shooter. McBride's response is not a surprise either, alas:

"I don't agree with your description of Belling at all. I think he calls it like he sees it and acts from principle not partisan allegiance."

I wonder what sort of principles Belling employs when hanging out at Victors and ogling the young girls, many who are of an age to be his daughter, if he had managed to have any. Thankfully, he has not reproduced.

However, saying Belling is not a partisan hack is precious. In the world of McBride, down really is up.

UPDATE: After the fact, McBride adds this. Apparently she reads other blogs.

(My take? Belling won hands-down. Arguing for the legal defense of racial preferences isn't an easy sell.)

A Bridge Too Far

Those who've been saying that it's the Bush administration's fault for the failure of the bridge in Minnesota are not being fair. While true that sufficient funding for maintenance has been inadequate, this was the case for the previous Clinton administration, too.

What the real shame is that the Clinton administration, in its zeal to be elected was willing to move so far to the center as to be emulating the me-first attitudes of the previous Republican administrations. They managed to fool Democrats, who desperately wanted to return a Democrat to the White House after 12 years of Republican mis-rule, and now Ms Clinton hopes to do the same again. Her flip-flopping on Iraq is just one measure of her desperation for the presidency.

We must first make sure that a Republican is not returned to office, because the neglect of our infrastructure will continue and more tragedies will occur ... all because the greed of the moneyed elite and their hapless minions, the so-called angry white men and women who would sell their souls for a return to the gloried 50s are incapable of thinking for themselves. Read some of the local blogs if you think that thought is necessary for conservatism to prevail.

I don't know who I favor yet, but I do know that I cannot support Ms Clinton. I cannot support anyone who will do anything to be elected. I cannot vote for anyone who will not show the fortitude and a backbone to make a stand rather than standing on poll results. Here are some thing I will look to when deciding:

What I want is a structured plan for an exit from the illegal conflict in Iraq.

I want recall of the Patriot Act and have it replaced with legislation that both protects our nation and its citizens and protects us from overzealous and power-hungry politicians.

I want universal health care ... period. Proper health care for anyone should not be a monetary concern.

I want religion put back in its place, where it belongs ... in the family and in the faith community ... it does not belong in the political sphere, nor should government be favoring one religion over others.

I want my son to shower regularly and use deodorant.

All of the points above can be reached, except perhaps the last one, which likely will not occur until he reaches the age where girls are attractive.

But for now, don't blame Bush for this one tragedy ... this one carried the weight of history.

O'Reilly Rant

This is the first I've seen the video of Bill O'Leilly v. Senator Chris Dodd ... only heard the audio previously. Watching, though, reminds me of what it's like when battling some of the local conservative numb-nuts in print. Just like O'Leilly, they cherry-pick facts and merely try to shout down rather than engage.

Now, that is not true of all conservative bloggers ... but their cause is not helped by the clowns among them. Here is the video, courtesy of atrios.

Irony Never Sleeps

Because I'm bored today ... let's turn to Tom Tomorrow for enlightenment.

In light of the question posed in this week’s cartoon, Jack Hitt passes along yet another example of what has become an entirely predictable trend:

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (AP) - The minister of a Baptist church has been charged with indecent exposure and driving under the influence, and police officers say he propositioned them.

Tommy Tester, 58, of Bristol, Va., was wearing a skirt when he was arrested last week after allegedly urinating in front of children at a car wash, police said. Police also said Tester offered to perform oral sex on officers who were sent to the scene. Authorities identified Tester as the minister of Gospel Baptist Church in Bristol and an employee of Christian radio station WZAP-AM in Bristol.

Using Conservatives' Logic ....

h/t Tom Tomorrow

Oh my.

The well-known hate site BillO’Reilly.com is being investigated by the Secret Service for threatening Hillary Clinton’s life. Well, actually it was just some commenter, but by Billo’s own standards, if the comment is on his site, that means he condones it. Why does Bill O’Reilly want Hillary Clinton to die?

Feed 'em a Peanut

Kudos to James Wigderson at Wigderson Library & Pub for taking on the ridiculousness at Carrick Bend Thoughts (an odd name for the site since very little thought emanates). Wiggy said this:

"Dave of Carrick Bend Thoughts posted a picture of Governor Doyle & Lt. Governor Lawton posing with caricature Native Americans from the old TV series F Troop. He captioned it, "The Governor and Lt Governor meet with concerned constituants (sic) to discuss the the impact of indian (sic) gaming on Wisconsin politics." No context, no link.

Dave was a little unhappy when Mike Mathias at Pundit Nation called it "offensive and juvenile."

"Does anyone wonder why Republicans find themselves battling charges of being insensitive to minority groups?

It’s because too many of you don’t speak up when individuals like Carrick sling their vile hash around.

Regardless of how one feels about Doyle or his gaming polices, our politics and political discourse are tarnished by Carrick’s brand of…well, what is it exactly? It looks like the kind of thing that would draw hoots of approval from readers of websites that advocate white supremacy."

Dave replied with two posts to Pundit Nation readers (in the second he refers to visitors as Nazis ... the last refuge of the weak-minded). In the first post he linked to a post, which contained a YouTube compilation of clips of Jesus and God jokes from Family Guy. Dave thought this an example of the lack of a moral compass of lefties.

I left this message for Dave: "God has a better sense of humor than you ... the ultimate joke."

Dave chose not to accept the comment (he has comment moderation turned on). Why might you ask? The comment was fairly innocuous.

The answer is that Dave is the on-line equivalent of those radio cowards Charlie Sykes, Jeff Wagner, etc. They say they accept comments from listeners, but you know the only ones who really get through are those who agree with them.

...or white supremacists.

Righteous Outrage?

I have a real big problem with all of the Barry Bond's haters. There have been many unkind observations that Bonds must have ingested steroids at some time. But the fact is there is no proof. The time may come when the truth is finally determined ... yet, Barry Bonds is vilified here, here and here by local conservosphereans who claim some sort of love for baseball, certainly not for the adage "innocent until proven guilty."

I don't hear the same chorus of outrage at Jason Giambi who has admitted to using steroids. I hear the crickets from the right, but no outrage over Mark McGwire and his non-answers regarding steroid use. Hell, I'm surprised they're not all over Jose Canseco ... he is Hispanic after all, the right's favorite whipping dog of late.

Lastly, I hear no words of approbation for Bud Selig who knew about the problem but did nothing about it. Of course, baseball was in a mini-renaissance. He probably didn't want to ruin his legacy ... but now, the best he can do is say what those on the right refuse to admit. However, Selig's admittance of innocence before guilt is pathetically lukewarm.

Read here for more on the subject by Buster Olney.

Poor right-wingers, so misunderstood.

Draft a College Republican

Saw this at both jef4wi and This Modern World. I liked it so I reproduce it here for the two or three that look at this blog infrequently. Listen to the Tom DeLay part especially. The man is an absolute putz.

The Sky is Falling

h/t via Illusory Tenant

Regarding the outcry from conservatives about the defeat of the John Doe amendment which would have provided immunity for anyone who alerted authorities about supposed terrorists, and the accusations were found to be false ... this comment by Steve:

Clearly, the way to fight terrorism is to encourage as many people as possible to cry wolf. Surely there’s no way that could be bad for us in the long run.

Hee hee!

The Homophobes Are Coming

h/t Working for Change

This is important. I've already sent in my two-cents to our senators. You can too.

President Bush just doesn't seem to get it. He continues to propose right-wing nominees for top posts in our government as if Congress was still controlled by rubber-stamp Republicans, eager to please their fundamentalist base.

The latest in Bush's series of inappropriate and ideologically-slanted nominees is Dr. James Holsinger of Kentucky, whom Bush has nominated to the post of United States Surgeon General. Holsinger has exhibited a pattern of hostility to gays and lesbians that is evident throughout his career. Consider:

Dr. Holsinger, along with his wife, co-founded the Hope Springs Community Church in Lexington, which operates a so-called "ex-gay" ministry -- with the type of "conversion therapy" that has been condemned by both the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association.

Holsinger currently serves as president of the Judicial Council of the United Methodist Church; in this capacity he opposed a decision to allow a lesbian to be an associate pastor, and supported a pastor who would not permit an openly gay man to join the church.

He also authored a white paper in 1991 -- "Pathophysiology of Male Homosexuality" -- trying to make a medical argument that homosexuality is unnatural and unhealthy. (A University of Minnesota professor on human sexuality has said this paper would have received a "failing grade" in his class.)

Holsinger is, of course, entitled to his private religious views, however narrow and exclusionary they may be. But the U.S. Surgeon General needs to be the chief medical officer for ALL Americans -- not just the heterosexual ones. Tell your Senators to reject this nomination and force President Bush to choose competence over ideology for his next nominee.

Are You Awake, Mr. President?

The vice president of the United States, Dick Cheney, will be briefly in power for a second time according to this report from MSNBC. The reason for his assumption of power on Saturday is the president will be under the effects of anesthesia while a colonoscopy is performed.

Apparently, a previous operation was performed in 2002. At the time:

The 2002 procedure began at 7:09 a.m and ended at 7:29 a.m. Bush woke up two minutes later but did not resume his presidential office until 9:24 a.m., after [Doctor] Tubb conducted an overall examination. Tubb said he recommended the additional time to make sure the sedative had no aftereffects.

My question: How could the doctor tell the difference?

Stick Them Where?

"Stick Magnetic Ribbons on Your SUV"

by the Asylum Street Spankers



For my friend, Fred. Oh the idiocy!

More Irony

This is really bad. I wrote a post about some of the nastiness from the right wing (courtesy of This Modern World). The responses have been interesting.

Tom McMahon sent me a comment with a link to his site where he had posted about Hunter Thompson. I zipped over and found that some of the comments matched in ferocity and venom those I posted earlier.

As I said in the comments, echoing something capper said, I know it is true that there are those on the left who can wallow in the depths too. It's just sad to see.

To be fair, below are some of the comments left with Tom. Sorry you had to face that, Tom. I could share some stuff that equals that from one of our local cheddarsphereans ... but, I guess, what is the point. He's not worth the energy and nor are the people who commented at your site.

This guy started out ok, but then the weirdness kicked in.

Mr McMahon Its so obvious that you have read little of Hunter S. Thompsons' literary genius. The man was the most gifted and articulate Social and political commentator of the 20th century. He was a man who lived without fear and lived fully everyday of his life.

Your problem with HST is that he lived his life his way without apology. He lived outside your preconceived ideas of right and wrong and made it work. He proved that you can live a productive life and still ingest whatever you want without losing your intelligence or success. Not everyone is capable of living that lifestyle and no one should try to immitate his life. Yet he did live his life without hipocrisy.

So all I have left to say to you, you bloated greedhead nazi is Fuck you and your GOP horse that you rode in on.

This fellow (appropriately named Chris ... inside joke) was lost from the beginning.

Here we have a bunch of uptight greedy-eyed squares attempting to grind Hunter's image into the dirt. Screw on your heads, Dr. Thompson was one of the most creative and brilliant men in literature this century, do you read Thomas? Obviously not enough. Hunter stayed young and idealistic until he died, you, however, my fatbodied Tommy, are a rotting corpse with no life left in you, don't be envious, loosen your collar and let some blood flow to your oxygen deprived brain meats.

This person wouldn't even include a name. Coward.

When you die, there will be no one will be SOOOO sick of you because you are a talentless partisan hack.

Take a break from force feeding us with the leftovers of your moral self f***atio and learn that the drugs Hunter S. Thompson took are just as bad as the cheeseburgers you slug down like ambrosia.

How stereotypical of a truly revolting kind of conservativfe to judge a man's life not by his merit but by GASP drug consumption.

You are a revolting pig of a man whose simple mindedness would never be able to grasp the brilliance of a man who searched for truth.

You could not find truth if it were right below the pompous tint in your squinted eyes and the gluttony of your corpulent double chin.

Last one. There's more, but I think you all get the point.

hey you cheese burger engulfing Nazi, why dont get your thumb out of your ass and come to terms with the fact that he is a success of an author to some and a revolutionary who lived by his own terms to others.... you know what fuck you mussolini im gonna go get an h.s.t. tattoo now, eat cock!



Sorry, Tom.

Fox Reality

The wingnuts love Fox. Why not, it feeds into their twisted sense of what's real. Witness this from This Modern World.

As Tom Tomorrow points out, the vote was actually 52 in favor of pullout. It fell short of the 60 votes needed. But Fox would have you believe a majority voted to shoot down the plan.

I wonder how Fred at Real Debate would see this?

Irony Never Sleeps

h/t This Modern World

A sampling of the email Markos received from Bill O’Reilly’s viewers after Bill O’Reilly — who later in the same broadcast professed complete computer illiteracy — denounced Daily Kos as a "hate site."

U/R A DIRTY RECTUM LICKING COMMIE SLIME MAGGOT!

BORN FROM KARL MARX’S ROTTING FECES.

Your Evil, Fascist Organization.

Fascist scum like your organization need to be removed and sent to another universe from this one. Evil prevails in your organization, and I hope you will receive the reckoning you deserve when all of you meet your Makers. A gentle riddance to thou in the interim.

You…
…suck beyond belief. Hurry up and die.

I have never seen so much hate

I have never seen so much hate you would embarrassed Nazi’s

Why can’t people like you just make a living, instead of hating everyone else?

Are you all muslims?

I just say fuck you, asshole

Kos

I hope you all die a slow death. Much like you wish on good honest people like T. Snow, the Pope, etc. Liberal Fucks! I hope you choke on the smog & drown in the global warming waters caused by cows. You people are so stupid.

IE: San Fransisco is much better now a days since the liberal invasion 1/2 century ago. Hmmmm: It’s full of disease, poverty, queers(goes with disease…..), and polution. You people can’t keep your backyard clean, but cont. to impose your views on other parts of the country. I’m so sad your still around. I’m sure you’ll die off sooner than later. Much like you morals have. Go eat some grass

Anyone who’s been on or mentioned by one of these shows knows there will be a flood of this sewage in their inbox soon thereafter. O’Reilly certainly knows it as well.

Reads like some of the high-minded commenting found at Real Debate and Badger Blogger here in SE Wisconsin.

Just a Question

What do you think of this statement and do you think it is a fair one to make (bonus points if you can guess who said this)?

"My sons are 25 and 30. They are blond-haired and blue-eyed. One amendment today said we could not sell guns to anybody under drug treatment. So does that mean if you go into a black community, you cannot sell a gun to any black person ...."

Howling at the Moon

Rick Esenberg recently commented about a post by Mike McCabe (some Democratic party guy ... I don't really know all their names) that, Esenberg said, ranted a bit about the listening audience of Charlie Sykes' show, and, presumably, talk radio in general (I have no link because one was not provided and anyway, that's not really what this post is about).

I found this paragraph at the end of Esenberg's post interesting.

I am gobsmacked by the fact that a presumably sophisticated and intelligent public figure actually thinks that talk radio's audience is made up of bible thumping young earth creationists. If you really think that folks you don't agree with must be a bunch of mouth-breathing morons, I suppose you never will encounter any ideas but your own and will continue to commit howler after howler in your isolation. If you think that you and your friends are oh-so-much-smarter, why take anyone else seriously? Why take the time to make sure that you know what you're talking about?

Aside from Esenberg playing a little bit of the victim game (oh those darn libs think they are so smart), one cannot help but wonder whether he feels as gobsmacked by the fact that four of the Republican candidates for president have admitted to disbelieving evolution in favor of the notion of the 6,000 year-old Earth (Sen. John McCain, Sen. Mike Huckabee, Sen. Sam Brownback and Rep. Tom Tancredo).

Oh those creationist-believing Christian candidates, they think they are so much more inteliigent by design than the rest of us. Talk about howler after howler just to capture votes.

Why We Love Jess

"What's with the weird obsession most of the Lefty Blogger Guys in Milwaukee have with Jessica McBride? By comparison John Hinckley had a take-her-or-leave-her attitude about Jodie Foster. I really don't get it. "

This question was broached by Tom McMahon in a previous post and I thought it deserving of an answer because, unlike what J-J-J-Jeff Wagner said about those of us who follow McBride ("the kook fringe ...insanely jealous of her..."), we are all relatively sane individuals.

So why the attention?

For myself, McBride deserves the attention because she is an embarrassment claiming to be a professional journalist. She mocks the history and the role of the press every time she puts fingers to keyboard. She disregards Thomas Jefferson who said: "Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost." She misses the point of Napoleon Bonaparte who said: "Three hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets."

Journalists are not here to cater to the party line, which McBride unfailingly does; they are the bulwark of our freedom. That's why she annoys me so much when she so freely besmirches this respectable institution and yet claims to be a card-carrying member. Her forays into commentary contain a disregard for fact and decency that begs for attention.

Bill Christofferson and Mike Plaisted also agreed to comment. Christofferson said:

"It's why Willie Sutton said he robbed banks; "that's where the money is." McBride is an easy and inviting target because she is so wrong so often. You might disagree with (Charlie) Sykes, for example, and challenge him on his view on issues, but you won't catch him making inane comments or stupid mistakes on a daily basis. That is what sets McBride apart.

"She is in a class by herself -- a self-centered ditz, with very little knowledge, who got built up and promoted way beyond her ability and capacity. Her commentary might be tolerable from a teen, but not from someone who presents herself as an insightful adult."

And from Plaisted:

I agree with Bill that one reason she gets so much negative attention from us is because she is such an easy target. Much more so when she had the radio show -- she was such an outrageously bad radio personality, listening to her was like watching a train wreck -- horrible, but somehow engrossingly bad.

I try to give her as little thought as possible. However, when I do, I envision her as Margaret Holihan, played by Sally Kellerman in the original M*A*S*H. Donald Sutherland as Hawkeye described her as a "typical Army clown". I think that's as apt a description for McBride -- inserting wing-nut for Army -- for the same reasons.

We do have to be a bit cognizant, it seems to me, that part of her target-worthy status is because she is a woman. Although the WISN radio geeks don't have vanity blogs, a minor nitwit like Jay Weber is just as insignificant, intellectually offensive and politically vapid as McBride.

But somehow, the same sort of nonsense coming from a smug, elitist woman has much more of a fingernail-on-the-chalkboard quality to it and is so much more fun to criticize. I don't think this is sexist -- she just stands out from the white-boys who usually run the GOP talking points. Her (literally)air-brushed self-image wrapped up with her nose-in-the-air sanctimony and the fact that she is so marvelously wrong all the time just makes her too wonderfully bad for words. It would be blogger malpractice not to take on her glamour-puss at every opportunity.

Now Tom, are you going to ask the same question of those who find every word written by Eugene Kane fodder for comment?

Shallow Jess

Jessica McBride's lack of intellectual depth is really sometimes stunning. Her most recent plunge into the shallow end of the pool regards an article in the New York Times, written by Adam Liptak, and titled, "For Libby, Bush Seemed to Alter His Texas Policy." She claims in her post titled, "The Libby False Analogy," that Mr. Liptak has provided a false analogy in the article by comparing Bush's pardon of Libby to a lack of pardons in capital crimes when Bush was governor of Texas. She huffs:

The critics say that Bush's action in the Libby case is wrong becaus he didn't commute the sentences of many death row inmates in Texas.

For starters, obviously, the death row inmates committed capital crimes. Actually, that's the end of the argument. They are murderers with special circumstances.

So: No story.

She concludes by saying the New York Times finally comes up with reasons that prove the analogy doesn't hold water, but these are buried ... bad New York Times.

I have read and reread the article and can only come to one conclusion ... McBride's treading water and barely staying afloat when all she needs is to put her feet down to touch bottom.

The article had nothing to do with what critics of the Libby action may be saying. The article is entirely a discussion about the history of Bush's policy toward clemency, which has been (essentially) if you're guilty of the crime, you pay the consequences. Liptak writes:

In Mr. Libby’s case, Mr. Bush expressed no doubts about his guilt. He said he respected the jury’s verdict, and he did not pardon Mr. Libby, leaving him a convicted felon. And Mr. Bush acted before the courts had completed their review of his appeal.

Liptak then ponders whether Bush has changed his standard for clemency because it has been documented that clemency, for Bush, was reserved for cases of "demonstrable actual innocence," a far different cry from his decision in the Libby case. The article concludes with this:

In June, before the Libby commutation, The Austin American-Statesman reviewed Mr. Bush’s record on clemency as president and governor in a front-page article. The headline said, "Bush history gives Libby little hope for a pardon."

The article simply explores this seeming discontinuity of Bush's action towards Libby ... at no time making a statement about the right or wrong of Bush's decision.

That is a far cry from the insinuations by McBride ... insinuations that have no basis in fact. But then, McBride has never been one to let facts get in the way of a partisan hack piece. Quick, someone throw her an inflatable doll, she's sinking fast.

She's So Silly

How stupid and annoying is this woman? Jessica McWitless notes this paragraph from the British Newspaper website Telegraph.co.uk, from an article titled "45 Muslim doctors planned US terror raids":

The three "cyber terrorists" - a British national and two who had been given the right to live in Britain - are facing lengthy jail sentences after admitting using the internet to spread al-Qa'eda propaganda inciting Muslims to a violent holy war and to murder non-believers.

They had close links with al-Qa'eda in Iraq and believed they had to fight jihad against a global conspiracy by kuffars, or non-believers, to wipe out Islam.

You mean Iraq is part of the global war on terror? Who knew.

Well, we know now. They weren't and wouldn't have been there but for the actions of this incredibly corrupt administration. Gee, who would have known they would go where it was easiest to strike at Americans.

McWitless and her fellow co-travellers in lunacy (i.e. most conservative bloggers) are like little kids confronted with an empty cookie jar. They ate all the cookies, but having discovered that someone else might have had a cookie, once upon a time ... well, you know who's to blame for eating the cookies.

Thick as a Brick

More evidence that many conservatives are very twisted and very odd people ... regarding the script being passed around that the Libby episode was purely political (you know who is leading the charge). This from Orin Kerr at the Volokh Conspiracy, via Anonymous Liberal (the highlighted text mine):

The Scooter Libby case has triggered some very weird commentary around the blogosphere; perhaps the weirdest claim is that the case against Libby was "purely political." I find this argument seriously bizarre. As I understand it, Bush political appointee James Comey named Bush political appointee and career prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald to investigate the Plame leak. Bush political appointee and career prosecutor Fitzgerald filed an indictment and went to trial before Bush political appointee Reggie Walton. A jury convicted Libby, and Bush political appointee Walton sentenced him. At sentencing, Bush political appointee Judge Walton described the evidence against Libby as "overwhelming" and concluded that a 30-month sentence was appropriate. And yet the claim, as I understand it, is that the Libby prosecution was the work of political enemies who were just trying to hurt the Bush Administration.

Things Going for Waukesha, Part Two

Todd Rosiak provides early coverage of the Marquette Golden Eagles b-ball team. Lazar Hayward, Rosiak said, looked especially impressive. Read more here.

For more information on the major NCAA basketball team in Waukesha ... oh, so sorry, there ain't one.

Things Going for Waukesha, Part One

If Yi Jianlian and his handlers ultimately decide that the Milwaukee Bucks are not a good fit for his talents, he can always play for the Waukesha pro basketball team.

Oh, forgot. Ain't one.

Jessica Mcpocrisy

Oh heck, I just commented over at Jessica McBride's (first time for everything), but really should have posted it here. Here is what poor Jessica has to say about Scooter Libby:

Remember that Libby was convicted of lying in a politically-motivated investigation into something that wasn't a crime. In other words, he covered up something that wasn't criminal.

Hmmm. Replace the name Libby with Clinton and you get a healthy dose of understanding into conservative hypocrisy.

You Can Call Me Scooter

In lieu of recent events, I have decided to undertake the legal means to rename my children. I'm certain that my wife and I do the best we can raising the three little urchins ... others have said as much, too. But a little precaution can go a long way.

So, from now on when referring to my 11 year-old son, my six year-old daughter, and my baby daughter, please call them Scooter. At least I can be assured that should any of the three become involved in some unforeseen illegal activty, their chances of avoiding jail when convicted (like Scott "Scooter" Jensen), or receiving amnesty though having lied during trial (like "Scooter" Libby) are increased.

You can never be too careful. I could take the extra step and have them join the Republican party, but that's going just a bit too far.