The Impolitic

True friends are hard to find

2012-03-13T03:42:00.000-04:00

Heartbreaking and heartwarming at once. Wish I knew the back story for this photo.

How to beat the Rush

2012-03-12T18:22:00.000-04:00

This is now bigger than just Rush. Advertisers are stampeding away from hate radio. Think Progress has the latest count showing 141 companies don't want ads aired on Rush Limbaugh or any other hate radio show. This includes, "Michael Savage, Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity. According to the memo, the listed companies’ advertisements should be excluded from these programs because they have been 'deemed to be offensive.'”

Think Progress also has a pretty graphic on PinInterest showing the logos of the fleeing advertisers. It's no small deal. This represents millions in ad revenue.

On a related note, David Frum thinks hate radio is dying. He makes a case for the new, gentler musings of Mike Huckabee supplanting the current reign of vicious bombast.

Not so sure he's right about that myself, there's still a market for insensible rage validation among the hard core 27%ers of the fringe whackers, but then again, the economic factor may change the radio market. I had no idea how the financial arrangements worked in this business. Apparently, most of the shock jocks give up their content for free and share in the ad revenues. However, Rushblo charges premium rates for the mere priviledge of airing his vile mendacious tirades. Which means getting local stations to drop the show would hurt his empire much more than simply getting the national advertisers to stop their ads.

Hope the dump Rush activists have taken note and will adjust their protests accordingly.

Wherein Michael Steele proves my theory

2012-03-12T16:33:00.000-04:00

Former RNC chief Michael Steele validates my conspiracy theory today. He explicitly admits in rigging the GOP 2012 primary calendar, his goal was to end up in a brokered convention.

Of course, he says it was simply to make the contest more exciting, but as I said back on Nov. 23, 2011, the only way the GOP stands a chance to win the Oval office is to deliver a brand new hero at the eleventh hour who won't have to withstand more than a couple of months of campaigning.

I'm less sure as time goes on, that Chris Christie will be that shining knight, but still haven't seen anything that convinces me they won't pull somebody out of the jester's cap for the last lap.

Act Now! No Time to Lose!

2012-03-12T10:43:00.000-04:00

By Capt. Fogg

Henry Kissinger -- the name could be a metonym for dishonest defense of imperialism and reckless disregard for the consequences of military action, and so it's no surprise to hear him tell us to ignore the consensus of all 16 US intelligence agencies that there is no evidence Iran is building or is about to build nuclear weapons.

Yes, of course they could all be wrong and there is always the argument from cliche that absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, but even in a nation of emotionally disturbed amnesiacs like the US, some might want to remember our useless attack and occupation of Iraq for which we continue to suffer and will continue to suffer for a very long time. In case you don't remember, that country had no nuclear, chemical or biological weapons or the materials or technology needed to produce huge, heavy nuclear prototypes much less the probably fictional "suitcase" bombs we were told could be smuggled into the US at any moment. Act now!

On CNN's GPS with Fareed Zakaria yesterday, Kissinger told us he was "uneasy" with the intelligence and that we should ignore it as we ignored the lies about Iraq and make the presumption that a bomb was forthcoming.

“I am very uneasy with the so-called intelligence report that say we don’t know whether they are actually working on nuclear weapons. I think we should start from the premise that they are undergoing all this in order to achieve a military capability. I don’t think that is a disputable point.”

I think it is disputable in the extreme, considering that we're listening to a war criminal involved in and culpable for massacres, invasions and genocides in Indochina, East Timor, Chile, Cyprus and Bangladesh talking about fomenting yet another dubious and probably disastrous war.

Kissinger and warmongering toadies like Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu tell us we have no time to lose; that the time to attack is now as Former Secretary of State Rice once told us. Shoot first and pretend there is no question to ask, lest the "smoking gun" of evidence turn out to be a mushroom cloud. Frankly I think we have everything to lose, including our future and any basis upon which to base the proposition and pose of being a force for good in this world.

Bum's Rush

2012-03-11T19:07:00.000-04:00

CNN posted and op-ed today from the Women's Media Center co-authored by Jane Fonda, Robin Morgan, and Gloria Steinem. They want the FCC to take legal action against the toxic gasbag Limbaugh since his bosses won't do it.

If Clear Channel won't clean up its airways, then surely it's time for the public to ask the FCC a basic question: Are the stations carrying Limbaugh's show in fact using their licenses "in the public interest?"

I'm afraid revoking the licenses of the stations over one show is a bridge to far for me to cross. In the first place, I don't want the government to be in the business of adjudicating which speech is allowed. In the second, this line of reasoning only reinforces the con's censorship defense of Limbaugh which is taking root in Greater Wingnuttia. Exhibit A: Doug M at OTB pleads, "don't make me defend Rush" on just those grounds.

His argument is, of course, bogus and selective. He's very concerned about the concerted effort of the lefty hoi polloi to get Rush fired. Because, you know, the right would never do that. I don't know he was even blogging then, but as I said in comments there, I wonder what Scott Beauchamp thinks about this. Or that kid working for minimum wage at Walmart who got fired because he wasn’t properly deferential to the words “Merry Christmas.” Or that kid working the phones at whatever station who made the joke about the X briefly appearing over Cheney’s face and got fired? Or the photographer who took the pictures of Cheney’s estate, with his permission? Or Graeme Frost?

And no, Bill Maher and Keith O and every liberal politician who ever made an offensive reference to Palin or Bachmann is not analogous. If there was any major liberal voice who defended their ugly remarks, I didn't see it and neither did I see anyone disputing their suspensions for going over the line of civil discourse. Neither have I ever seen any leading Democrats hastening to ask their forgiveness on bended knee for disagreeing with their wrongful speech.

In any event, I'll support the vile Limbaugh's First Amendment right to spew his hateful tripe on the air. I don't think it's the FCC's place to shut him down. Especially not when it would shut down other useful voices in order to take away his soapbox.

Let Limbaugh alone be judged in the court of public opinion. And his vile imitators too. It appears to be working quite well.

The suffering of socialism

2012-03-11T17:30:00.000-04:00

David Cay Johnston goes looking for the suffering sad residents of a socialist country. Unsurprisingly, he can't find any. In fact he finds regular working class people doing much better than our own. Funny how that works.

Video clip from Jay Ackroyd at Virtually Speaking. You should be listening to that show all the time if you're into talk radio. They do it the best over there.

Here comes the sun

2012-03-11T17:20:00.000-04:00

No real reason I haven't blogged this week. Just feeling a little burned out. But I think I'll blame it on the solar flares.

Original photo. Scary but beautiful. Or you can watch the animation again.

The last dance, the last chance

2012-03-09T16:33:00.000-05:00

Willard wins the news cycle today with his "y'all" drawl praising of grits (and other things) but I'm more interested in Newt's late night dance party on Wednesday. He and Callista cut the old rug in an empty hotel bar till the wee hours.

More photos at the link, incuding proof they're decent tippers.

Some observers mused that the candidate and his staff seemed to be celebrating being close to the end of their long and winding campaign journey.

Not a bad guess. Unless Newt manages to win both Alabama and Mississippi next week, hard to see how he can go on unless Sheldon wants to bankroll his ego tour just for the hell of it. Don't see what he'd gain by doing it though and he's already said he'd jump on Willard's bandwagon when the time was ripe. The clock is ticking down to last call...

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Breitbart's army flounders without their fearless leader

2012-03-09T14:15:00.001-05:00

The straggling warriors of Breitbart's army, left leaderless by his untimely death, are doing to best to honor his legacy of fake video "stings." Faked being the operative word, as always.

In yet another humiliating attempt to catch the Obama campaign in a hidden video conspiratorial outrageous outrage, the heirs of Andrew at Breitbart.com have creatively edited a video of a lecture by Harvard Law School Prof. Charles J. Ogletree, Jr., to make it look like he was admitting hiding a supposed damning bit of “evidence:” that Barack Obama was a closer friend to Prof. Derrick Bell than they wanted known.

I'm sure you'll be shocked to learn that Prof. Ogletree wasn't talking about the Obama video at all. Which, of course, didn't stop CNN from allowing the little Big.Cons from airing the misleading clip during an interview without checking the context.

Meanwhile, the very serious analysts at HeritageFoundation.GOPscam trumpeted their damning discovery that the new black radical demon du jour, the late Derrick A. Bell made not one, but two visits to the White House before he died. Of course, you'll be similarly shocked to find out, a) the Mr. Bell in question was there for a White House tour, not any meetings with the Prez and b) it wasn't that Professor Bell who took those tours.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

So excited, just can't hide it

2012-03-09T13:16:00.000-05:00

This pretty much captures where I'm at with the GOP carnival of clowns these days.

[via watertiger]

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Out, damned slut

2012-03-08T20:48:00.000-05:00

Out, damned spot! out, I say!—One; two: why, then
'tis time to do't.—Hell is murky ~Lady Macbeth

Like Shakespeare's tragic Lady, Limbaugh is desperately trying to scour out the stains of the sins that stalk him at night. Limbaugh scrubbed his website of his slut references to Sandra Fluke and his demand she produce sex tapes for his pleasure. A futile effort to be sure. The internets never forget.

Nor have they yet tired of the topic. Pressure from the social media is still running strong. Latest count is 50 advertisers opting out of Limbaugh's show. On Limbaugh's main station, WABC, 77 out of 86 ads were unpaid PSAs. Seven of the nine that ran were from companies that said they were trying to cancel their ads. And they better do it. The internets are watching. Already saw Netflix cancellations today because their ads ran.

And even more telling, "WABC's online feed included about 5:33 of dead air when ads would normally have run." Suggests to me that more non-profs are opting out as well.

Truthfully, I believed Rush was unassailable and fighting him was a waste of time. So I mostly ignored him. Clearly I was wrong. My apologies and thanks to all those who preservered in the mockery and archiving of his vile blithering. Without it, this moment most likely would have never have happened.

Also, too, a million thanks to whoever snagged this domain. Defend Rush. Truly brilliant.

[More posts (nearly) daily at the Detroit News.]

Limbaugh's den of skeeves

2012-03-08T15:34:00.001-05:00

The old gasbag Rush Limbaugh has been claiming the stampede of fleeing advertisers hasn't hurt him a bit financially, and was bragging that he already had new advertisers lined up to take over the vacated spots on his show. He declined to name them so I'm not absolutely sure this WaPo post is true or just truthy. It is billed as a comedy/parody blog.

But I'm sure it's true that this website which facilitates extra-martial affairs expressed an interest. And it would certainly make sense that the related "self-proclaimed 'world’s largest sugar daddy and sugar baby dating website'” would be wanting to reach out to Rushblo's fans as well. Seems like people who excuse and even celebrate harassing innocent women with vile smears and innuendo would be the right demo for them. Limbaugh claims he wouldn't allow them to air on his show and if they did air on the affiliates, it was a mistake.

In any event it's indisputable that so far at least 45 advertisers have fled Rush's show and an ad agency in Ohio is refusing to make any buys on Limbaugh's show for his clients.

In a letter to agency clients, Roach said “No woman, including Ms. [Sandra] Fluke, should ever be subject to the type of insults and vitriol broadcast during 'The Rush Limbaugh Show' last week, and no individual or business should wish to be associated with this type of irresponsible behavior.”

I'm also sure it's true that none of this is affecting Rushblo's personal finances. I feel certain he negotiated an ironclad contract for his eight year, $400 million guarantee. And I hope it's true that the little stations aren't being hurt by the exodus either. Radio stations struggle enough to stay afloat and one hopes these advertisers simply move their ads to more deserving programming. Nonetheless, Rush's bluster can't disguise the cosmetic effect of losing commercial clients.

More than half of his recent ad spots have been free PSAs and even those are diminishing as the non-profs are asking to be dropped from Limbaugh's rotation. If the internets can stay focused, it's not impossible that at some point, he won't even be able to give the air time away. In fact, it may already be happening. On one of his latest shows, there was a full minute of dead air between segments.

This will hurt Limbaugh in the fan base over the long run. His dittoheads believe they're some kind of vast majority. They can only function as pack animals, taking their cues from the groupthink and rooting their "courage" in the belief in their numbers. If civil society refuses to engage in the charade, they'll eventually realize they're small and alone. And they'll run.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Here comes the sun

2012-03-07T21:48:00.000-05:00

Can't see a way to embed this video, but watch these solar flares.

The sun erupted with one of the largest solar flares of this solar cycle on March 6, 2012 at 7PM ET. This flare was categorized as an X5.4, making it the second largest flare -- after an X6.9 on August 9, 2011 -- since the sun’s activity segued into a period of relatively low activity called solar minimum in early 2007. The current increase in the number of X-class flares is part of the sun’s normal 11-year solar cycle, during which activity on the sun ramps up to solar maximum, which is expected to peak in late 2013.

Just wild. All that energy going to be bombarding our little planet tomorrow. Expect some trouble with electronics.

Two gigantic solar flares that erupted on the surface of the Sun on Wednesday night have produced magnificent, jaw-dropping imagery and movies of our star’s unpredictable might, but the impact on Earth could be decidedly less enjoyable. The resulting particle blasts are expected to strike our planet at around midnight or early Thursday morning and pose risks to high frequency radios, GPS, and power grids, according to NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Expecting my internets here to be cranky. Hell, they get disgruntled every time it just rains.

Best of the President's presser

2012-03-07T16:07:00.000-05:00

To paraphrase some stupid commercial I saw on TV, Ding. Dong. Hear that bell? That was President Obama taking Ed Henry to school at his press conference yesterday.

Poor Ed couldn't help himself I suppose. Fox probably ordered him to ask that stupid question. I also liked Obama's slap down on the silly requests that he comment on every person who makes any remark about anything to do with the horserace. Like the man said, it's the journo's job to discuss and dissect the blatherings of pundits and random politicians. He has better things to do with his time.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Wednesday's just as bad

2012-03-07T14:56:00.000-05:00

So Stupor Tuesday is over. Gratefully, I missed most of it since I was celebrating my mom's birthday. Clearly no one is dropping out of the 2012 clown car because of any great mandate from the base. It's just as big a freak show as it ever was. The only presidential primary that mattered as a barometer was Ohio, and I've yet to see any hard numbers, but hearing Willard barely squeaked out a win. Last I saw, he took it with a 1% lead.

Seeing lots of bean counting on the delegates and speculation about nobody getting to the magic number before Tampa. Which I still maintain, contrary to the conventional wisdom and even rational analysis, is the plan and has been the plan all along. Less sure Chris Christie will be the rabbit they pull out of the jester's cap, but mark my words. I'm saying there's only a 40% chance Romney will end up the nominee and it won't be anyone else who's currently running either.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Santorum is our man

2012-03-07T14:41:00.000-05:00

Can't seem to get my brain in gear today so there's this. It was making the rounds yesterday to much mockery. Me, considering the competition, I didn't think it was that bad.

I mean, come on. Sure it's a little corny, but at least they sing on key. So there's that...

Slogan contest

2012-03-06T11:22:00.000-05:00

This is for real, for a good cause and there's a cash prize, besides possibly having your slogan immortalized on highways across the country. Long time activist, master of pithy messaging in unexpected places, Freewayblogger is looking for slogans about climate change for the next tour.

Slogans should be short, smart, fit well into a rectangle, and look good in traffic.
Winner gets a thousand dollars and, hopefully, launches the meme that saves the world. Second and third place are $500 and $250, and all three will have their words displayed up and down the West Coast.

Original work is preferred but not mandatory, and apart from the right to post them publicly, I will make no claim to any submissions as intellectual property. Send entries to freewayblogger - at - yahoo - dot - com. Deadline is March 15th.

I'm terrible at slogan creation myself, but I know some of you high denominator readers are very creative and who couldn't use a few extra bucks? Not to mention, how good would it feel to come up with a slogan that goes so viral, it literally helped save the earth?

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

King of the Wild Frontier

2012-03-06T11:09:00.000-05:00

Some things you just have to post to the archives for future historians to study. This is one of them.

On the bright side, as least he didn't try to sing it. So there's that...

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

They used to love her, but it's all over now

2012-03-06T10:43:00.000-05:00

Lisa Murkowski is very sorry. Sure she voted for the Blunt amendment but she didn't really mean it:

Murkowski called the Blunt Amendment a “messaging amendment” that “both sides know is not going to pass” and said “Republicans didn’t have enough sense to get off of it.” She also condemned Rush Limbaugh’s deragatory comments about a Georgetown law student testifying in favor of greater access to birth control. “I think women when they hear…mouthpieces like that say things like that they get concerned and they look to policymakers,” she said. “That’s where I feel like I have let these women down is that I have not helped to give these women the assurance they need that their health care rights are protected.”

Maybe she could have thought about that before she made her obligatory lockstep vote with the GOP opportunists and theocrats. Of course she would never do something like that again.

“If you had it to do over again, having had the weekend that you had with women being upset about the vote, do you think you would have voted the same?” I asked.

“No,” she said.

Oh had she only realized how pissed off the women whose write-in votes saved her from political annihilation at the hands of the Tea Party darling at the time. Everything would have been different.

We now turn the commentary portion of this post over to Kay at Balloon Juice who already said what I was thinking.

The amendment she voted for would have gutted federal (and state law) guarantees people in her state have now, regarding mandated health insurance coverage. She took people in Alaska backward, to less health care security. There is absolutely nothing in that amendment that would have barred any employer from declining to cover a whole range of health care services to a whole range of people. When Blunt was questioned on this, his one and only “assurance” was that federal courts would sort out what was a religious or moral objection. That’s an admission that the amendment itself offered no protection, and, again, these are protections people have now, under current federal and state law.

Murkowski regrets her vote because she’s finding out it’s politically unpopular. Did she not read and understand the amendment? What happens the next time she wants to “send a message” and actually passes a law?

The problem is, they don't read the bills. Senate votes, especially within the GOP, are preordained. They just say three Hail Marys and press the mandated button. Or else...

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

And then there were seven

2012-03-05T11:28:00.000-05:00

Nobody is buying the lascivious loudmouth Limbaugh's phony apology. Advertisers are still fleeing Limbaugh's odious radio show, the latest being ProFlowers. Meanwhile, Clear Channel is still standing by their bloated gasbag:

Premiere’s parent company, Clear Channel, deferred questions to Premiere, which declined to answer questions about the effect of the ad boycott or the widespread anger at Mr. Limbaugh.

In a statement, Premiere — best known for conservative talk shows — said it was committed to giving listeners access to a broad range of opinion and commentary. “The contraception debate is one that sparks strong emotion and opinions on both sides of the issue,” the company said. “We respect the right of Mr. Limbaugh, as well as the rights of those who disagree with him, to express those opinions.”

They don't have much choice. His $400 million contract doesn't run out until 2016. And I assume this media malestrom may have actually increased his ratings in the short term as people tune in to see what vile slurs he may spew next.

Conventional wisdom tells us advertiser boycotts don't really work, but the anti-Rush social media blitz appears to having an effect this time.

ProFlowers had said on Twitter that posts it received about Limbaugh's remarks affected its advertising strategy. ProFlowers is an online flower delivery service.

And he is losing some major players on a national level.

The six other advertisers that say they have pulled ads from his show are mortgage lender Quicken Loans, mattress retailers Sleep Train and Sleep Number, software maker Citrix Systems Inc., online data backup service provider Carbonite and online legal document services company LegalZoom.

It all depends on keeping the pressure up. As the NYT reported:

Later that day, a LegalZoom executive accidentally copied a reporter on an e-mail to her colleagues. It read, “We may need to prepare additional Q.& A.’s if this situation does not settle down soon.”

Ultimately, it was the loss of advertisers that took down Glenn Beck. A sustained campaign to pressure all the advertisers to drop out, especially and including local businesses on the local affilates, could very possibly end Limbaugh's hateful reign as King of the Cons.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Jurassic Lark

2012-03-03T23:05:00.000-05:00

Dug this out of my my burgeoning trove of saved links. Just love this photo. It speaks to me in ways that can't really be described in mere words.

No idea on the context. From the Seattle Times via the twitter machine. Click to embiggen. It's even more eloquent in the larger format.

GOP suppresses its own voters

2012-03-03T22:20:00.000-05:00

The Republican primary system is in such dissarray. They screwed up the count in Iowa and Maine. Michigan's delegate distribution was a convoluted mess. Today in Washington state the GOP disenfranchised their own voters. When an unexpectedly large crowd showed up for the caucus, they sent half of them home.

Benton County Republican Party members who organized the caucuses said they estimated 2,000 people would show up at the convention center, where most of the county's precincts caucused today.

But their jaws dropped when they saw an estimated 3,000 people packed into the convention center's hallways and spilling outside.

"We where overwhelmed," said Tony Benegas of West Richland, chairman of the Kennewick caucuses. "It's tough because it's all volunteers — nobody gets paid to do this."

Benegas said it quickly became apparent there weren't enough volunteers to check everyone in — which in most cases involved looking up their voter registration on a list provided by the county Auditor and helping them find their precinct number, and that the rooms they booked were filled to capacity.

And the party was under pressure to finish by 11:30 so that results could be tabulated and turned over to the state party.

The leadership decided to just turn away 1,500 people and they're very sorry to deny them an opportunity to be part of the process. Unsurprisingly, those who didn't get to cast votes were not happy. They want the whole damn thing to be invalidated.

I think they're probably right. Don't see how it could be legal to turn them away. They should have extended the deadline until they could figure out a way to accommodate the crowd.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Instant karma gonna get Limbaugh

2012-03-03T22:05:00.000-05:00

This is by far my favorite story of the week. The conservaverse's favorite despicable blowhard finally gets kicked in his prodigious ass. After his digusting attacks on Sandra Fluke Limbaugh's advertisers are dumping him as fast as Newt trades in his wives. The latest being Carbonite.

No one with daughters the age of Sandra Fluke, and I have two, could possibly abide the insult and abuse heaped upon this courageous and well-intentioned young lady. Mr. Limbaugh, with his highly personal attacks on Miss Fluke, overstepped any reasonable bounds of decency. Even though Mr. Limbaugh has now issued an apology, we have nonetheless decided to withdraw our advertising from his show. We hope that our action, along with the other advertisers who have already withdrawn their ads, will ultimately contribute to a more civilized public discourse.

It's satisfyong to see that gasbag have to back down, even though you can hardly call this an apology:

For over 20 years, I have illustrated the absurd with absurdity, three hours a day, five days a week. In this instance, I chose the wrong words in my analogy of the situation. I did not mean a personal attack on Ms. Fluke.

I think it is absolutely absurd that during these very serious political times, we are discussing personal sexual recreational activities before members of Congress. I personally do not agree that American citizens should pay for these social activities. What happened to personal responsibility and accountability? Where do we draw the line? If this is accepted as the norm, what will follow? Will we be debating if taxpayers should pay for new sneakers for all students that are interested in running to keep fit?In my monologue, I posited that it is not our business whatsoever to know what is going on in anyone’s bedroom nor do I think it is a topic that should reach a Presidential level.

My choice of words was not the best, and in the attempt to be humorous, I created a national stir. I sincerely apologize to Ms. Fluke for the insulting word choices.

This the way to to erdicate filthy cockroaches like Limbaugh. Hit 'em in the wallet. One can only hope every single advertiser follows suit. Think Progress is keeping a running list here.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

On the road

2012-03-03T09:54:00.002-05:00

I'm driving today, trying to dodge the bad weather. So no blogging till this evening.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

President Obama wows the crowd in NH

2012-03-02T10:29:00.000-05:00

I love it when Charlie Pierce gets optimistic. He gives a rave review for President Obama's speech at a community college in New Hampshire yesterday. I especially liked this part:

If that is the way Obama's going to run, somebody's giving him good advice again. He talks about the challenges Americans face, but he doesn't do it in the gloom-ridden, stalactite-festooned, minor-key funeral mass context that the Republicans talk about them. He talks in terms of "boundless ingenuity" and "unbridled optimism." This is the way Ronald Reagan spoke on the stump in 1980. Sure, Jimmy Carter sent the country to hell in an handbasket but, by god, the work of climbing out of the handbasket was going to be fun. For all the Reagan cargo-cultism of the Republican party, this is the part of the old goober's charm than none of the Republican candidate have yet mastered. It's become an instinct in the president now.

Good to remember Obama moves to his own rhythm, ignoring the cacophonous keening that surrounds him. Read the whole thing, it's a good antidote to the overdose of toxic prattle we're bombarded with from the other side.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Andrew Breitbart is dead

2012-03-01T17:37:00.000-05:00

I don't really have much to say about Breitbart's death. I'll admit my first thoughts were less than charitable and they haven't improved since, so for the most part, I'm trying to just ignore the memorials. I did read John Cole's take. He likes David Frum's obit and the clip he posted was good.

For myself, all I'll say is I was shocked at the news. I didn't realize he was that young. But otherwise, I've been ignoring him for years in the interests of keeping a healthy blood pressure and I'm not going to trash him in death. For one thing, I know he would like that and I refuse to feed his ego even to the grave. So I'll just leave you with John Cole's thoughts on Breitbart's legacy:

In my estimation, Breitbart was far more damaging to the causes he claimed to support than he was to “teh left.” He got a few scalps, but he was one of the ringleaders fueling the insanity in the current right-wing circus. He’s as much an architect of the tea party sickness infecting our body politic as anyone, so there really is no reason to trash the guy. His legacy does that by itself.

Yes. Yes it does.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Kochs file suit against Cato Institute

2012-03-01T15:52:00.000-05:00

Strange but true. The Koch brothers filed suit against their own think tank yesterday in a bid to seize control of Cato Institute.

Details are sketchy at the moment, but at issue are the Cato holdings of the recently deceased former chairman of Cato, which represent 25% of the shares. It's clear the Kochs want to wrest control of Cato by preventing the grieving widow from gaining control over the shares. It's possible Cato’s current president Edward Crane is siding with the widow, as he is a named defendant. Otherwise, since there's only four shareholders, there would be nothing to litigate and the Kochs would automatically gain majority control under a three person board. Imagine what they could do with that.

Money is certainly not the issue here as the shares are only worth one dollar each. Clearly it's about power. Think Progress has a link to the Koch's complaint and supporting exhibits.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Let them get pregnant, like God intended.

2012-03-01T10:29:00.001-05:00

By Capt. Fogg

What's worse than a bunch of creepy old man religious perverts conspiring against the health and well being of women? Well, perhaps a creepy young woman trying to make sure -- using copious amounts of taxpayer money -- to fight a requirement that health insurers cover the modest cost of birth control. Worse still, she's fighting something that in some cases is a medical necessity and in very many cases will prevent women from becoming unable to work and winding up in poverty and their children on public assistance.

Such things don't seem to matter to GOP apparatchiks like Pam Bondi, Florida Attorney General who is suing the Federal Government over the Affordable Care Act, a law that is starting to provide health care to Florida's 4.5 million uninsured and access to contraception. As the ACA will come before the US Supreme Court this month, the redundancy of this suit is as obvious as the smug unconcern Bondi has for truth, justice and freedom from the tyranny of religious nuts.

Sold as another attempt at "smaller" government, it's really nothing but a power play by the Religious Rich to make their perverted, obsessive, inhumane and antique dogmas into public policy no matter the cost. Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi may not be one of these foul, disgusting old men, but she sure as hell works for them while collecting a salary paid by the people she'd like to keep barefoot and pregnant and poor and in thrall to the superstition salesmen with the effrontery to use our freedom of religion and our tax revenues against us.

I can''t understand, why life goes on the way it does

2012-02-29T21:34:00.001-05:00

The internets are insane today. I read this profile, What Every Happened to Ted Turner and thought it was quite good, if a little sad. I've actually been wondering about Ted for a while. It seemed like he just disappeared after being such a visible presence for so many years. Turns out he just got old, deaf and tired of the bullshit. He's devoting his remaining years towards working to make the world a better place and saving the planet.

We all owe Ted a debt of gratitude. He practically invented cable TV. Without his pioneering work, we wouldn't have the wealth of information we now enjoy. Like everything in life, it's a blessing and a curse, but still, without Ted's vision and courage our view of the world would be very narrow indeed.

Just saw that the wingnuts are in a froth about the piece because he made one offhand remark about tea party people being mean spirited. Because you know, spoiled, self-entitled, greedy sociopaths who want to humiliate poor people and make them suffer, deny women vital health care services they don't need themselves and want anyone who disagrees with them to die are really very nice people.

Meanwhile, the twitter tells me Snooki is procreating and Bristol Palin has a new reality show. I find it disturbing I know who both of these people are. Makes me almost wish that meteor that just missed us, hadn't missed.

Post title inspired by this song that just played on the sountrack to some show on the TV.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Anne Romney hates the media

2012-02-29T17:59:00.000-05:00

So this didn't get much attention. At Romney's victory speech last night, a reporter for The Economist was briefly handcuffed and detained for daring to listen to Romney in real time through an open door. "She left the press filing room when she realized that the televisions in the room were showing the candidate’s speech on a tape delay."

You have to wonder why they didn't have a live feed into the press room in the first place. Hard not to suspect it was to prevent them from hearing any potential verbal gaffes. And with Willard, there's always a great potential for that. But this could also explain it:

There have been tensions between the campaign and members of the press after the candidate’s wife, Ann Romney, accused some reporters of wanting to see President Barack Obama re-elected.

“I am so mad at the press [that] I could just strangle them!” she recently told The National Review.

"And, you know, I think I’ve decided there are going to be some people invited on the bus and some people just aren’t going to be invited on the bus."

Mrs. Romney getting rather feisty these days. Beginning to think that poor old Willard has been subjecting himself to the humillation of running for president more because of her ambition to be FLOTUS than his own desire to hold the office himself.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Stupid con tricks

2012-02-29T17:47:00.000-05:00

Don't know what possessed me to read this tripe, but this idiot con at National Review, Charles C. W. Cooke has a eureka moment. He discovers it's easy to get free condoms. In New York City. Which of course, the pea brained cretin decides is conclusive proof that all this concern about access to contraceptive care for women is so invalid. Because you know condoms are exactly the same as birth control pills.

Meanwhile Edroso finds another conservative genuis who has figured out how to free the poors from the slavery of food assistance dependence. Make it as difficult and as humilating as possible for them to buy food. And it can only be shitty food in ugly packaging and of the lowest quality possible to qualify as sustenance. And it can only be sold in government stores. Because, the producers like him abhor the indignity of having to stand in the cashier lines in real grocery stores and watch these damn poor people burn up his tax dollars on staying alive.

This tirade was born of his allegedly having seen a food stamp recipient with a cell phone that was nicer than his. So of course, they're not even poor anyway. And by the way, if they take food assistance they shouldn't allowed to vote, because they'll just vote to give themselves more free cheese.

Every time I read one of these idiot screeds, I wonder where the hell these people shop. I've seen a lot of people use an EBT card. Sure some few buy soda and candy with them. But more often they're buying a very few essentials and end up desperately digging through their pockets because they're a few cents short of the money they need to pay for the toilet paper that isn't covered. And a whole lot of them are elderly.

I shouldn't read these heartless morons. It makes me wish evil would befall them and they find themselves someday subject to the same deprivations and humiliation they wish on their fellow human beings.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Michigan won't be Willard's Waterloo - Updated

2012-02-28T21:26:00.001-05:00

"Power is my mistress. I have worked too hard at her conquest to allow anyone to take her away from me." ~Napoleon Bonaparte

Close race. It looks like Willard could lose Michigan by a handful of votes. Romney HQ is already doing damage control pushing the narrative that Santorum stole the primary by reaching out to those damn Dems, a strategy Romney called disgusting earlier this morning.

The early returns show Santorum holding the edge by a couple of hundred votes with 6% in, but they haven't tallied the Romney strongholds yet. Detroit News is showing with 8%, Santorum is still holding with about the same ratio.

The Detroit News is also reporting Michigan turnout is very light. Can't wait for the media to start talking about the Republican enthusiam gap. But not holding my breath, since they haven't seem to have noticed this has been the pattern since Iowa. Funny how that "liberal media" loves that meme when young liberals are threatening to sit out the election but don't seem to notice when the Tea Party conservatives seem to going all lukewarm.

But to answer Josh's question, if he loses, no, Romney won't go quietly. He's too invested in proving he can do what his Dad couldn't accomplish.

To quote Napoleon again, "Riches do not consist in the possession of treasures, but in the use made of them."

Willard's ego won't let him quit and his money will keep him going to the bitter end.

Update: Looks like Willard is going to saved by Santorum having dissed JFK. The twitter machine tells me Little Ricky is losing the Catholic vote to Willard by about 4%. Which is coincidentally the same amount he's losing by state wide.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Greed is great, greed is good

2012-02-28T15:09:00.000-05:00

News from the Dept. of Obvious, a new study finds wealthy people, lie, cheat and view greed as a virtue. And not just on big stuff. They'll cheat for $50. They see no problem with lying to advance their goals and greed? Piffle. That's just "enlightened self-interest." A good thing in their gilded book.

Apparently, this is particularly common in economic studies majors. Something I can confirm with anecdotal evidence. Fully two thirds of my critics who have openly praised greed also claim to be economic professors or experts of some kind.

The researcher posits that "pairing ethics courses with economics may be beneficial" in changing the dynamic. Good luck with that. The problem is these people have no empathy and their world view is intractably solipsistic. Their moral clock didn't just stop ticking, it never had any juice to begin with that I can see.

And they're cheap. They'll nickel and dime you to death. There are of course exceptions, some few are extraordinarily generous, but as a whole, the more money they have, the more likely they are to stick you with the tab. And the worst are the trust funders. They never had to work to earn their money. They only work to hold onto it.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Turn of the screwed

2012-02-27T20:23:00.003-05:00

Poor little rich guy Willard Romney. He was the inevitable nominee. Everybody said it was supposed to his turn. The Big Mitten should have been his for the taking. But on the eve of the vote, Nate Silver says the latest polling shows the Michigan primary is back to a toss-up.

He probably should have pulled a Palin and just avoided public appearances. It could only have helped because to know him is clearly not to like him. Every time he tries to go all man of the people, his inner multi-millionaire slips out. Take for his instance Romney's little side trip to the Daytona 500.

Asked by the AP reporter if he follows NASCAR, Romney responded, "Not as closely as some of the most ardent fans. But I have some great friends who are NASCAR team owners."

The mockery writes itself. I mean who among us isn't BFF with the owner of a NASCAR team? Meanwhile, say what you will about Little Ricky, he gets how to exploit that demo. Santorum is just a lowly NASCAR sponsor. Don't know how much that costs, but he got his name plastered on the ass end of a race car. Which seems appropriate in too many ways.

Small wonder, whether you want to call it brokered, or call it contested, establishment GOPers clamoring for a crazed convention that would allow a latecomer to take up the checkered flag are growing faster than the last lap of the Daytona. [graphic via]

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Don't give me that old time religion

2012-02-27T00:22:00.000-05:00

Wherein I argue conscience exemptions are unconstitutional at the Detroit News.

And this didn't make the national news. Here's something else Little Ricky told his Michigan Tea Party fans:

Santorum continued to repeat his "phony ideology" of the Obama administration on energy policy. "The earth is there to serve man, not the other way around."

Thinking Santorum needs to brush up on his Bible studies. I seem to recall some passage about being "stewards of the earth." That would imply caretaking, not exploitation.

Anne Romney speaks and other oddities

2012-02-26T12:35:00.002-05:00

Slow news cycle. This was the most amusing story all weekend. Anne Romney is tired of listening to Willard:

"I also decided no more debates," she said, as her husband stood next to her. "If we're going to do another debate, he's going to just sit in the audience and watch me."

Word has it she's a much speaker than he is. Admittedly a low bar.

And a few fun links for your Sunday morning amusement.

[photo via]

Was shocked to get 80% on this short quiz, since I know nothing at all about heavy metal or Megadeath. Apparently I spend too much time listening to Santorum. It's one of those "who said it" quizzes. Little Ricky or Megadeath guy.

Gorgeous graphics in these vintage science ads.

Loved these paper lanterns.

And I'm sure I posted this a very long time ago, but since I'm at the beach and it's one of my favorites, revisiting closeups of gorgeous sand.

And with that I'm off to the beach myself. Will return after dark.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Chris Christie watch

2012-02-26T00:44:00.001-05:00

Every time I turn on the TV New Jersey's gasbag governor is bloviating on some channel or another about some bullshit. They keep asking him about running for president. He's not saying no. In fact he just said, I can't preclude that on this show. And the far right noise machine hasn't stopped talking about a brokered convention. My favorite conspiracy theory is still alive. Just saying...

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Beer bottle orchestra

2012-02-25T13:19:00.000-05:00

This came across the transom yesterday. Love it. I'm told it's very big in the Midwest.

[Direct Link] Via hush6.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Lonely, he's Mister Lonely

2012-02-24T20:30:00.000-05:00

Seriously. Whose bright idea was it to hold a primary rally in a stadium? Poor Willard. It could hardly be more embarrassing. Not only did his jokes fall flat, almost nobody showed up for the Great Romney Rally. Even when they herded "the crowd" into a small space they couldn't hide the emptpy seats.

Looks even worse on the long shot.

Whoever booked this one probably doesn't have a job anymore. But that's okay. Willard likes to fire people. [photos via Charlie and Think Progress.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Tripping the gay fantastic

2012-02-24T16:07:00.000-05:00

Kind of a good news, bad news day for equal rights today. Maryland passed their bill allowing same-sex marriage. The governor promises to sign it. However, the vote was close and in the horse trading, there are provisions included that make it likely the opponents will try to put it to a voters' referendum in November. Not exactly a resounding victory, but progress. So there's that.

Meanwhile, in California a federal court judge ruled "the U.S. government's ban on same-sex marriage benefits unconstitutional." This brought the opponents crawling out from under their slimy rocks. Congressional GOPers are already appealing to the 9th Circuit, apparently as part of their larger strategy to enforce DOMA on us.

The story fails to mention the half milllion Boehner pledged to fight for DOMA. And you know it will cost much more than that by the time all these cases run through the courts. So where are the deficit concern trolls, one wonders? Oh wait. That's right. Spending is okay if it jibes with their agenda. Especially if it pisses off liberals.

What a world...

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Friday Funnies

2012-02-24T11:47:00.000-05:00

I can't embed this cartoon in a large enough format to be readable, but I really did laugh out loud when I read it. Click over for Oliphant's Santorum joke. Note the punchline is in the last panel, in the lower right hand corner. [hat tip Anne Laurie]

And since I'm doing silly stuff, I'm not much into fart jokes but this series of Japanese fart scrolls amused me and they were a big hit with the boys I shared it with. Here's one of them:

Click over for the rest of the scrolls and the funny commentary by the guy who found them.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

A dearth of perp walks

2012-02-23T21:31:00.000-05:00

There's a running joke on the internets. I can't remember it exactyly but it goes something like, want to steal a little money, rob a bank. Want to steal a lot of money, own a bank. Sadly, it's not a joke. The same bastards who robbed the world economy and crashed it in 08 are still at it. Foreclosure scams are the new grand larceny.

Big financial institutions continue to foreclose on troubled borrowers in error -- either while a homeowner is awaiting a loan modification or because of fees incorrectly added to the seizure -- according to a national survey of attorneys representing borrowers.

One intent of the recent $25-billion mortgage settlement among attorneys general, the nation's five largest mortgage servicers and certain federal agencies was to do away with such errors, but in recent weeks consumer advocates have raised concerns that borrowers who are in the foreclosure process may still be harmed.

More than 80% of the attorneys surveyed said they had in the last year represented a borrower who was awaiting a loan modification but a foreclosure sale was attempted.

Atrios flagged this story this morning and then finds the new angle in their scam. After they wrongfully take the homes, the Banksters buy the foreclosed properties themselves and become slum lords. They ignore rules and regulations without fear of retribution.

And why would they be afraid? They sucked up most of the money betting on the fradulent mortgages in the first place and the government bailed them out when they lost the bet. None of the major players paid a price for their crimes. As Charlie succinctly puts it:

They will not stop — I mean, they absolutely will not stop — until a couple of hundred of them are thrown into jail for terms so long that they scare the tassels off the loafers of the ones who are left unarrested.

The incentives are fucked up. They arrested a few petty thieves like Bernie Madoff for show. Nothing is going to change until they perp walk a whole bunch of the serious larcenists.

Oh please

2012-02-23T17:25:00.001-05:00

By Capt, Fogg

Marvelous Mitt must be desperate to have something scary to say to distract Republicans from the religious wedge issues the public is getting tired of. He'd rather not talk about religion anyway and he needs of course, to distract from the dumb things he keeps saying. So he's had to come up with something dumber, if not quite original.

Remember when Darth Cheney told us in solemn tones that "Obama will be tested" and that there would be an onslaught of terrorist attacks should we be so foolish as to elect him; that candy-ass, ultra-liberal crypto-pacifist, watermelon stealing coward? Well Republicans may not remember, but we all know the result - more terrorists killed than ever and that includes Osama bin Laden. I think he's passed the test.

No, he didn't take our guns, he didn't make capitalism or Christianity illegal, he didn't appoint Jesse Jackson as Secretary of State and he didn't give us a huge middle class tax increase or a confiscatory corporate tax rate. He didn't institute Sharia law. In fact he's usually done the opposite of what the Chicken Littles have been squawking about for 4 years now.

So a return to objective reality not being possible when your entire platform and your strongest base are pickled in delusion and ignorance, what option does he have but to go nuclear? That's right, if we re-elect the president, the world will be blown up in a nuclear holocaust says Mr. Bluster of the plastic face.

" If I’m president, that will not happen. If we re-elect Barack Obama it will.”

I couldn't make this shit up, but then, I couldn't make this Mitt up. I couldn't vote for him either.

“Ahmadinejad having fissile material that he can give to Hezbollah, Hamas, and that they can bring into Latin America, and that they can potentially bring across the border into the United States to let off dirty bombs here — or more sophisticated bombs here.”

Sure Mitt, Just like Saddam Hussein's nuclear weapons were potentially going to be smuggled into Peoria in a briefcase even though he had none, nor the means to make them, and we had to blow a few trillion and kill nearly a million to wipe him out -- and why is Obama going to get us into a nuclear war? Why, says make it up as you go along Mitt, because he hasn't been threatening to blow Iran off the surface of the planet for even thinking about it and possibly because according to the Secretary of Defense, Iran hasn't been doing much more than thinking and blustering about building one.

"Potentially." It's such a great word to weave a plot around. Potentially I'm an NBA linebacker who writes music like Mozart and travels the world in his magic submarine fighting for justice. Is Romney potentially a President? Oh please.

Post debate mortem

2012-02-23T12:03:00.000-05:00

And I do mean post mortem. Even only having sort of half watched half of the debate, one can't come to any conclusion other than the Republican party is dead. Didn't think I'd live to see the day that I agree with Roger Simon at Politico, but really, the thought that one of these cretins could become President is thoroughly chilling. And he gets this part right too:

The upside of having debate after debate was clear: They would introduce the Republican candidates to the voting public.

But the downside of having debate after debate has now revealed itself: They have introduced the Republican candidates to the voting public.

And I didn't think of it at the time, but he's right about this as well. When it came to the vacuous, describe yourself in one word question....

How curious that not a single one said, “Presidential.”

That's all I have to say. I'm outsourcing my commentary to others. TPM does the serious analysis, telling us how Santorum blew his big chance to shine.

For the mockery, go read Charlie. Have to agree that the candidates really outdid themselves in proving they were total, unlikable dicks. And for more just go to Balloon Juice and keep scrolling from the top.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Late to the debate

2012-02-22T21:12:00.002-05:00

Spent the day at the beach so I almost forgot about the debate. Tuning in late, but I'm hearing I didn't miss much. So far the most interesting thing is they're sitting down this time. And the audience is rather feisty, aren't they? Lots of cheering and booing.

Meanwhile, I'm all mellow from a wild afternoon on the beach. Got there, the sun was shining. Stopped to hang out with this gigantic freaking heron who wasn't afraid of people. Ten minutes later, a fog rolled in. Within two minutes you couldn't see ten feet in any direction. Stayed for three hours anyway. It alternated between fog and sun the whole time.

The shelling isn't so great here, but the beach is long, the people on it are interesting and the birds are all really friendly. Had some intimate encounters with the sand pipers and a flock of frigate birds swooped me in formation. That was really cool.

Fog burned off for the last time just at at sunset. Also, too, I cut my hair this morning, and it was the perfect cut for this environment. Which is pretty much 100% humidity. At the end of the day it looked great. So there's that.

Addendum: So I'm listening to the debate as I'm writing this and thinking this is really weird. Newt isn't going after his rivals, He's not really talking about himself at all, he's just going for the cheers for Obama bashing. And the moderation is bizarre. It sounds like one of those shows where the contestants do stupid stunts to win a few thousand bucks.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Big Mitten just not that into Mitt

2012-02-22T13:58:00.001-05:00

Being that I'm now the longest standing political blogger for the Detroit News, I've of course been particularly interested in the Michigan primary. After eight years of being harangued in the comments, I'm not that surprised to see Santorum doing well. Between the fundies and the Tea Party types, there's a huge base of very conservative Republicans in the Big Mitten who demand their candidate pass the purity test. Willard's tenure as governor of that liberal wasteland of Massachusetts alone is enough to disqualify him in that crowd.

Still, I always thought they were a minority, so I didn't expect Little Ricky would become quite so much of a threat. As Michael D. Shear notes Romney has been forced to drop a ton of money to keep his candidacy alive in what should have been a cake walk for him. What with all the grand memories of his Dad and his having grown up in the state. Certainly, he has the full support of the establishment GOP and they're firmly in power now.

In any event, today the editorial board at Detroit News endorsed Romney. And by editorial board, I'm pretty sure I mean Nolan Finley. The lenghty piece on Willard's electability and business acumen read like his work. Oh and that slam on the auto bailout, well, all the candidates did that -- so nevermind the Detroit bashing.

The only part that surprised me was Nolan's whack at the Santorum supporters. Found it to be unusally snide. But you should click over and read the comment section. They're hilarious. I especially liked the guy who accused DetNews of being "the Liberal Media." Hell, I'm the only real liberal who writes there and the liberal leaners are few.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

It's the singer, not the song

2012-02-22T11:49:00.000-05:00

Well, it looks like they had quite a party in the East Room, what with all the legendary musicians that showed up including B.B. King and Mick Jagger. They had the whole audience shaking it, including Michelle and Barack. And damn if our president isn't a pretty good singer. Yep, he did it again:

Details on the festivities here.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

She's my pride and joy

2012-02-21T20:50:00.000-05:00

I was so bummed I forgot to watch The Voice last night. A woman I've known, literally since she was a baby, was on the show. But thanks to my Facebook friends who posted the video, I got to watch Naia Kete nail her performance. (Sorry, it can't be embedded.)

She was so great, I was seriously in tears, just busting with pride and happiness for her. And that's her mom Kulpana in the video at the end. Who is also a tremendous musician in her own right, having fronted more than one successful band. In fact the whole family is ridiculously talented. Pretty sure the tall guy with the dreads is Naia's baby brother, also a fabulous performer. Think the last time I saw him, he was barely out of his stroller. They grow so fast.

Anyway, Naia got to pick between two teams. I'm glad she chose Blake. I didn't like the way Cee Lo was looking at her. I suspect he would have been hitting on her more than coaching her. Blake seemed much more sincerely interested in her talent.

Meanwhile, I haven't had a real vacation in at least five years and I found an affordable beach I like. Don't think I can deal with politics tonight. I spent three hours this afternoon in the sun, walking on the sand to collect a handful of shells. My hair is all fluffy from the salt air. Which is more exercise than I've had in at least six months. Feeling tired, but happy and peaceful.

Going to spend a few days here before the hotel rates go up. But it might rain tomorrow so I'll catch up in the morning.
[photo viawith bonus video]

Plan B From Outer Space

2012-02-21T11:42:00.001-05:00

By Capt. Fogg

It's hard to observe the growing and comical chaos in the GOP without thinking of B movie icon Ed Wood and his Plan 9 From Outer Space, wherein space aliens resurrect dead humans as zombies and vampires to stop evil men from creating the 'Solaranite' bomb. With the Republican circus trying to breathe life into mouldering, uncouth candidates reciting ancient and eldritch formulae to fight the evil Bill of Rights, secularism and the Obama Bomb, it's harder and harder to avoid the suspicion that this is only a movie.

With the economy showing signs of recovery and the ability to substantiate the hysterical portraits of Obama as a Kenyan Communist, Indonesian Socialist ally of big banks, Wall Street and the World Caliphate fading, the GOP must feel like Ed Wood trying to piece together a movie with $273.50 left in the checking account and an unwritten plot. The rising star candidate and the great white hope is making such a fuss about the need for a gospel-based theocracy with sex by permission only that any platform they can cobble together at this point would be so far beyond city limits and so rickety it can't support itself much less a coherent and discernable political position.

Whispers are being heard, CNN.com writes today, about coming up with a new candidate for the GOP ticket and ditching the Chameleon, the Worm and the cut-rate Rasputin. Finding any brand new candidate with any potential of being passed of as sane or decent (if not quite qualified) is remote, as the Tea Party element and the Holy Rollers simply won't accept him any more than they did Huntsman. The rest of the black-hearted Plutocrats aren't going to support Ron Paul and even if they could bring back Reagan from the dead, he wouldn't pass muster as a Conservative in today's party. Who ya gonna call?

The prospect of an open convention with desperate delegates acting like football hooligans in Tampa this August must have Republican strategists doubled over with cramps trying to come up with a plan B before the Grand Old Barrel goes over the falls in November.

With an inability to field a credible candidate so late in the game, the voters are going to have to reconsider a blind allegiance to a party that can't run itself much less a complex 21st century superpower.

The silent treatment

2012-02-21T00:52:00.000-05:00

Hell hath no fury like a woman's rights scorned. Love this. David Dayden reports on a powerful protest against Virginia's state sanctioned rape bill. This happened. Hundreds of women gathered and said not a word.

The Capitol ground rules say that we cannot assemble, hold signs, chant, yell or protest. We think silence in the face of this struggle and their unconstitutional rules presents the strongest response to their assault on women. Please come out and stand up for our rights and for the rights of all women in VA to choose the best reproductive route for themselves. These people are used to signs, yelling, chanting etc. It is not new. They are not used to silently being stared at and having to look us in the eye. It gives us the power.

The crazy theocrats got the message, loud and clear. They postponed the vote on the bill. Of course, the polling also showed "55% opposed to the legislation and only 36% in support" so we can assume that factored into their new found reluctance to push it forward quickly. Which is not to say they won't try again to sneak it through when they think no one is watching. Their kind never gives up.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Feisty old ladies

2012-02-21T00:04:00.001-05:00

When I'm 75 years old, I want to be a bold old broad just like this:

The Health Secretary was berated by June Hautot from Tooting who claimed he was privatising the health service. Brushing aside his denial, she jabbed at him with her finger and shouted into his face: "Codswallop, don't lie to me, I'm sick of you."

Via Atrios, who is getting on in years himself. He just turned the big four oh a couple of days ago.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

We don't need no education

2012-02-20T23:54:00.000-05:00

Watching The Ed Show on MSNBC. They aired a clip of Little Ricky Santorum saying the federal and state government shouldn't be involved in education at all. That it should be solely a function of local government. Translating that to mean: we don't need no stinking public schools teaching liberal crap like the science of evolution to our kids.

Also heard somewhere that the more outrageous Ricky gets, the better he polls. They said he's leading nationally by 10 points. Astounding.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Read it while you can

2012-02-20T10:53:00.000-05:00

I was going to post about Romney's big fundraiser with the anti-gay agenda who made his money on a pyramid scheme business so sleazy, he was legally sanctioned by the government. Then I read about how he bullies even his mildest critics with threats of legal action and saw the evidence the he goes after everyone from the most insignificant bloggers to the highest profile news organizations. Now I'm seriously afraid to even post his name.

However, Glenzilla isn't afraid of him so click over there and get the goods, before the guy intimidates Salon into taking it down.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

TransCanada: This land is our land

2012-02-19T19:53:00.000-05:00

The project may be on hold but that hasn't stopped TransCanada from pursuing land takings in Texas by eminent domain to build the damn Keystone XL pipeline. They don't need federal approval to do that part. Apparently Texas is happy to help. Thankfully, at least one landowner is fighting back.

TransCanada claims they have the right to simply take the easements under the aegis of common carrier law. The Texas Railroad Commission is backing them up, though that may not be true forever. The easy granting of common carrier status is currently being litigated in some courts.

It's not clear to me the landowners get any kind of compensation at all for being forced to risk their land to potential toxic spills. Which in the case of TransCanada would seem to be virtually assured to happen.

That fabulous invisible hand of the free market just gets to take what it wants I guess. Wondering why I haven't seen any libertarians howling about rent seeking.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Sex. Lies and Santorum

2012-02-19T11:47:00.000-05:00

By Capt. Fogg

"He is imposing his values on the Christian church. He can categorize those values anyway he wants. I’m not going to,”

lied Republican candidate Rick Santorum to an assemblage of Tea Bag idiots immediately after having categorized President Obama's "values" and his "agenda"as being

“not about you. It’s not about your quality of life. It’s not about your jobs. It’s about some phony ideal. Some phony theology. Oh, not a theology based on the Bible. A different theology,”

Yes, some phony ideal is on the agenda. A phony ideal involving liberty, Democracy and a constitution that never mentions God or gods or scriptures of any religion and declares that there shall be no religion in government. Science is a phony ideal to sanctimonious Santorum too because we all know that Senators Jesus, Mary and Joseph agree with the oil companies and that the president's job, as 'Rick' told the 'baggers, is to keep gas prices down (and the subsidies up, no doubt.)

No sir, all that Washington, Jefferson and Madison secular prattle is phony and if we're looking for full employment, a decent quality of life and personal liberty you must turn to The Christian Scriptures which forbid us to charge interest on a loan or obtain a divorce or marry whom we will or even to enjoy sex when it isn't only for making babies. Some churches I won't mention have interpreted it to demand a king chosen of God rather than an elected government, but don't bother Rick with that. It's already on his agenda.

So why is this sex-fearing, woman hating, half-witted fake theologian; this lame-brained Longinus and meretricious medievalist mewling about theology while pronouncing Ernulphian maledictions on what he pretends are President Obama's values, cursing them one by one? Because theological statements don't have to be true, you see; don't have to be supported by evidence and are easily and frequently used to do horrible things to people. Cognitively impaired, confused and historically ignorant "conservatives" seem pre-lubricated to receive ecclesiastical wisdom without discomfort and Faith invents facts as well as it rejects them to the despair of brother Ockham.

So Obama, who thinks a Harvard Law degree makes him as good as a white. Christian man, agrees with Justice Scalia that religious freedom does not legalize acts done in the name of religion and yet, conservatives still want to shove the notion that he's a radical, Liberal, Christian-hating Sodomite Commie up the national hoo-ha and true to form, the 'baggers assume the position and take it.

How can any curse suffice?

Second worst Sheriff in the world

2012-02-18T18:49:00.000-05:00

Don't usually post on closeted gay GOPers who get caught but this guy is so bad, he might even tie Joe Arpaio for the Worst Sheriff title. Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu, who also became a high profile figure in Arizona because of his flagrant bashing of undocumented immigrants, is accused of threatening his gay Hispanic ex-lover with deportation unless the paramour agreed to keep their affair a deep dark secret forever.

Apparently, the lover refused the deal and went to the press out of fear for his safety. Details of their extended relationship and somewhat intimate pictures at the link. Word has it some of those pix were sent out over the internets.

But it gets better, or worse, if you're the Sheriff. Babeau is also running for Congress. One wonders how that will play out in the campaign ads. But even more delicious, he was co-chair of Willard's presidential campaign. Emphasis on the was:

“Sheriff Babeu has stepped down from his volunteer position with the campaign so he can focus on the allegations against him," Romney spokesman Ryan Williams told The Arizona Republic in a statement. "We support his decision."

I'll just bet they do.

TBogg has the definitive last word on this story: "Obviously when someone told Sheriff Babeu to "screw the Mexicans" there was a horrible misunderstanding."

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Angry patriotism

2012-02-17T23:13:00.000-05:00

Haven't heard this new Bruce Springstein album yet and the reviewer is bit hyperbolic but the quotes from the Boss are good.

"A big promise has been broken. You can't have a United States if you are telling some folks that they can't get on the train. There is a cracking point where a society collapses. You can't have a civilisation where something is factionalised like this."

(Internet is dicey here tonight so the videos won't load but archiving for future listening.)

"Pessimism and optimism are slammed up against each other in my records, the tension between them is where it's all at, it's what lights the fire."

The album is the last on which Clarence Clemons, the legendary saxophonist from the E Street Band, played on before he died last year. "When the sax comes up on Land of Hope and Dreams," Springsteen says, "it's a lovely moment for me."

RIP Clarence. He was one of the greats. Be worth buying the album just to have his last gig.

If you want a lover

2012-02-17T20:05:00.000-05:00

Rainy Friday night here and my belly is full of Indian food. Finally. Been craving it forever and can't get it in the little city. Been such an ugly couple of days in politics. Don't feel like blogging about it anymore tonight so some music. This was on the soundtrack of some TV crime show I was watching last night.

I love Leonard Cohen. He's held up well over the years.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

GOP primary far from over

2012-02-17T18:17:00.000-05:00

Lost the link, but read this morning both Texas and Pennsylvania primaries are being pushed back until probably May or June because it will take that long for the courts to decide if their convoluted redistricting is too gerrymandered to be legal. Which of course, means nobody is going to feel all that pressured to drop out.

Santorum is riding the wave at the moment so he's not going anywhere. Newt has a comeback plan. It's not that bad a plan actually. At the moment he's targeting wingnut rich districts in California where delegates will be awarded proportionally. Word has it he's generating a lot of excitement among the Tea Party and so-cons with his -- shall we say -- unique style.

Unlike Santorum, whose social conservatism centers around family values, Gingrich's message is characteristically grandiose. In particular, his ideas for reforming the judiciary to reign in "activist judges" fire up those who see the federal courts as a major threat to religious liberty. More broadly, Gingrich's historical vision of America and American Exceptionalism speaks to those who believe that the country has gotten dangerously off track, both morally and economically.

One supporter notes he's "really drawn to his sense of history — it gives us a sense of how we get out of this mess we're in." And Newt just got another $10 million from Sugar Daddy Adelson so he's good to go for another round.

Meanwhile, the state of Maine has decided if everyone is going to make such a big fking deal about it, okay, they'll do a damn recount on their caucus tally and maybe include all the votes they ignored or declared irrelevant this time. Ron Paul may get his victory there yet. Not that he's likely to quit anyway, but it would boost the troop morale.

The good news is the candidates seem to be burning out on the endless debates. Two of three have been recently cancelled because nobody wants to show up anymore. So there's that.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Bye bye Pat Buchanan

2012-02-17T10:22:00.001-05:00

One bright spot in an otherwise dismal news cycle yesterday was the announcement that Pat Buchanan was fired from MSNBC. He blamed the vast left conspiracy, specifically Color of Change and Media Matters.

He's probably right that they were instrumental in his firing, along with the bombardment of cranky viewer emails demanding they kick that bigot out. So great, the left finally threw at least a small monkeywrench into the right wing noise machine. Haven't exactly ground it to a halt yet, but it's a start. So yeah for us. [Grahic via]

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Virginia mandates rape by the state

2012-02-16T22:30:00.002-05:00

I've been trying to find words to express my disgust with this turn of events all day. I've been unsuccessful in coming with anything more coherent than why the fuck are these vile, God bothering assholes allowed to run free in a civil society? So I'm just going to archive this by outsourcing to Dahlia who manages to calmly describe this horrifying conservative attack on women:

This week, the Virginia state Legislature passed a bill that would require women to have an ultrasound before they may have an abortion. Because the great majority of abortions occur during the first 12 weeks, that means most women will be forced to have a transvaginal procedure, in which a probe is inserted into the vagina, and then moved around until an ultrasound image is produced. Since a proposed amendment to the bill—a provision that would have had the patient consent to this bodily intrusion or allowed the physician to opt not to do the vaginal ultrasound—failed on 64-34 vote, the law provides that women seeking an abortion in Virginia will be forcibly penetrated for no medical reason. I am not the first person to note that under any other set of facts, that would constitute rape under state law. ...

Yet physical intrusion by government into the vagina of a pregnant woman is so urgently needed that the woman herself should be forced to pay for the privilege.

Whatever happens in the commonwealth, it’s fair to say it’s no accident that this week the Legislature also enacted a "personhood" law defining life as beginning at conception—a law that may someday criminalize contraception and some miscarriages as well as abortion. Today was not a good day in the War on Women. Abortion is still legal in America. Physically invading a woman’s body against her will still isn’t. ...

Adding, I also wonder, as Charlie asks, where the hell is the AMA? If child molesting priests are allowed conscience exemptions, shouldn't doctors be allowed to refuse to violate their sworn oath? They should be suing these bastards for telling them they can't.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Darrell Issa stacks the deck

2012-02-16T17:04:00.000-05:00

House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa is at it again, holding yet another inane hearing. This was the scene in his committee room this morning:

Yes, his first panel of witnesses was solely comprised of male religious leaders whose consciences are inflamed by the new rule on women's health services that include contraception coverage. Unsurprisingly, Democrats were enraged and demanded at least one witness to balance this skewed panel.

Ranking committee member Elijah Cummings (D-MD) had asked Issa to include a female witness at the hearing, but the Chairman refused, arguing that “As the hearing is not about reproductive rights and contraception but instead about the Administration’s actions as they relate to freedom of religion and conscience, he believes that Ms. Fluke is not an appropriate witness.”

You can view the rejected testimony here.

Apparently, after the media caught wind of the melee, Issa added a couple of women bringing the total witness list to eleven. One assumes he found women who agree a handful of aging Catholic men, sworn to lifelong celibacy, should dictate government policy on contraceptives for the entire female population of the USA.

You have to love the name of the hearing: “Lines Crossed: Separation of Church and State. Has the Obama Administration Trampled on Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Conscience?”. Atrios joked on the twitter machine this morning that the Democrats should hold an all-female hearing on the reproductive health of men. I'd agree. Maybe they could call it something like: "Pelvic Thrust: Does the GOP's Support For Easy Availability of Viagra, Risk Back Injury, Encourage Promiscuity in Men and Enable Out of Wedlock Pregnancies?"

Meanwhile, in a related development, at another hearing Rep. Jeanine Notter gravely informed her colleagues that "health plans shouldn't cover birth control because it causes prostate cancer." No, she wasn't joking.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Que pasa GOP

2012-02-15T20:44:00.001-05:00

Desperately seeking outrage, the GOPers are yelping like a pack of chihuahuas about Jim Messina's tweet:

We demand that Mr. Messina immediately apologize and we ask that President Obama disavow his campaign manager's ridiculous statement," said Jennifer Sevilla Korn, executive director of the conservative Hispanic Leadership Network, in a statement.

Bueno Dios, Republicans are always demanding apologies and disavowals from Democrats but when one of their own makes blatantly overt racist statements, it's always -- sorry if anyone was offended...

Of course, Messina was quoting Dana Milbank, who was quoting John McCain, but you can't fit the entire quote into 140 characters.

Figure given the actual knowledge Republicans have about the Latino culture, some clueless GOPer probably saw chimichanga and was hoping it was as insulting as macaca and got the outrage machine rev'ed up. Expect they would love to have a macaca moment at the expense of the Democrats. And guess they're not worried about offending their elderly Caucasian fundie base by pandering to those durn illegals who are "stealing out jobs" and "taking our welfare." Since they don't serve those at Taco Bell, they won't even know what they're talking about.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Suicidal conservatives

2012-02-15T13:33:00.000-05:00

Going to be busy with real world stuff for a few hours, so here's a quick hit of interest. Kay discovers who benefits from The Affordable Care Act. Take a look at her map. I'm sure you'll shocked to learn that the redder the state, the more they'll benefit from Obama's health care reforms. And the more vehemently they want to repeal the bill. Apparently they would rather die than accept any program that originated from evel commie socialist libruls.

Of course these are the same people who hate themselves for taking safety net handouts from the federal government. The Republicans have so successfully brainwashed these folks, they actually believe they deserve to suffer.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Dysfunction junction

2012-02-14T23:11:00.000-05:00

One and a half months into the new year and our virtually useless Congress is poised to maybe pass one crap bill:

A tentative deal reached by senior House and Senate leaders, which appears poised to pass absent a last-minute snag, would prolong a payroll tax cut that benefits 160 million Americans, extend unemployment benefits and forestall rate cuts to doctors who treat Medicare patients.

Under the plan, a 2-percentage point payroll tax cut would be extended until the end of the year — and the $100 billion cost would be added to the deficit. Unemployment benefits would be extended for the next 10 months and doctors who treat Medicare physicians would avoid seeing their payments cut. Those two provisions would cost about $50 billion and be paid for with cuts elsewhere in the federal budget.

And how are our Congressional professionals planning to pay for their idiot deficit demagoguery? Well they'll bang the rank and file federal workers for pension costs. Cut the timeline for unemployment benefits while the unemployment rate is still almost 9% and "cut $5 billion from a fund created by the Obama health care law aimed at promoting healthy living and curtailing chronic diseases." Because you know, promoting unhealthy living and encouraging the proliferation of chronic diseases is going to save a ton of money. Hell, if enough people die from say cardiovascular disease and diabetes, it could solve the "legacy entitlement" problem in a New York minute.

On the bright side, the deal drops the GOPers lamebrained demand to drug test for jobless benefits. But notably missing from the negotiations is any suggestion instead of robbing working class Peter to pay working Paul, that perhaps the crony capitalists who engineered our current financial ruin with their creative investment instruments might offset the cost themselves instead of pouring their illicit profits into SuperPACs to further rig the game.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

GOP women come out for contraception compromise

2012-02-13T22:59:00.000-05:00

This is heartening. The Republican women Senators from Maine come out in favor of contraception for all:

Sens. Olympia Snowe (ME) and Susan Collins (ME) — both of whom have sponsored legislation requiring insurers to offer contraception benefits in all health plans — are in favor of the new compromise...

Meanwhile, the old men of the GOP who don't give a flying leap about birth control as long as they can still get their Cialis, are going all in:

Republicans in the senate seem determined to oppose the compromise and have introduced legislation that would allow employers or individuals to opt out of any benefit that undermines their moral beliefs. “They don’t have the authority under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution to tell someone in this country or some organization in this country what their religious beliefs are,” McConnell told “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “This issue will not go away until the administration simply backs down,” he said.

Their desperate search for a wedge issue that works has gone beyond pathetic. You might think these ancient idiots who have spent their life in government would know there's nothing in the First Amendment that authorizes a conscience clause. The Church has already received much more in trade for that old trope than they deserve.

But sure, they can keep the issue alive for as long as care to carp about it. In fact, I'm hoping they dodder on and ante up all their chips on that loser bet. They may think they're holding the aces in this game, but it looks like a handful of useless jokers from where I sit.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Hair brained journalism

2012-02-13T14:18:00.000-05:00

There comes that moment in the silly season when the vital question of hair dressing is addressed. I think it falls under the 12 cardinal rules of Village punditry. Unsurprisingly, Callista gets clipped in this odd media obsession.

If you're dying to know the secrets of Mrs. Gingrich's miracle bob, click over for the details. I'm only bringing it up because I heard her speak for the first time this weekend on some youtube clip. I was shocked to learn she has such a pleasant speaking voice. I expected a "nails on a blackboard" screechy pitch to go with that brittle hairdo. It was like when you've developed a phone only relationship with someone for years and them finally meet them in person. In reverse.[via]

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Natural wonders

2012-02-12T22:11:00.000-05:00

I've always wanted to see the Aurora Borealis in real life. I could if only I could bring myself to visit my brother in Alaska in the winter. Haven't managed to do in the last 20 years. Probably should have tried while the solar flares were so active. Apparently they cause spectacular displays like this.

Many more incredible shots here.

These time lapse photos of fireflies remind me of summers in the Happy Valley. There was a certain time of year when it looked very much like this when I walked the big hill into the meadows. Of course, they were moving but they did still leave trails. It was like walking into a fairy tale.

I spent a few days in Paris back in the 90s. I found the residents to be mostly rude if one didn't speak French impeccably, but it is a beautiful city. Lovely photo gallery of Paris in the rain.

This made the rounds a while back, but I didn't get to it for while. If you missed it, it's very cool. Stunning photos of an albino hummingbird.

Finally long time readers know how much I love religious sightings on ordinary objects, like finding Jesus on a grilled cheese sandwich. This one isn't religious, and it's old now. Not sure how it worked out, but bidding on a bit of dried glue that looks like Homer Simpson was over $237,000 when this was posted. Not even that great a likeness. Since I have no luck at winning the lottery, always hoping to make a fortune on a sighting like this so I can retire.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

The politics of violence

2012-02-12T18:56:00.001-05:00

Admit I've been a bit disturbed about the violence being commited at Occupy protests lately. I've been worried this would nullify all the past good work done these many months by peaceful protesters who have kept this movement alive and relevant. Dan checks in today with a thoughtful post addressing the situation.

Count me in on the non-violent side. I don't believe anarchy accomplishes anything but creating chaos. The optics are terrible. Don't think it sways the casual observer in the general public who might be reached to the cause. Even to me, who's sympathetic to the cause, it looks like mere attention seeking with no discernable platform. It dilutes the message and taints any progress for positive change.

I've always been a pacifist and have long thought the anarchists of the day pretty nearly destroyed the peace movement in the 60s. It would be shame if the Black Bloc were allowed to co-opt this movement as well. I wish they would cut it out and use their energy for construction rather than destruction.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Santorum and Ron Paul cry foul

2012-02-12T16:12:00.001-05:00

Romney declared victory in both the Maine caucus and the CPAC straw poll but little Ricky and Ron Paul aren't ready to concede so easily. Ricky says Willard bought the CPAC win.

Rick Santorum suggested on Sunday that Mitt Romney's campaign may have rigged a straw poll of conservative activists by paying the entrance fee for supporters.

"You have to talk to the Romney campaign and how many tickets they bought," Santorum said. "We've heard all sorts of things."

Of course, the losers say that just about every time. Ron Paul was accused of bussing his supporters in previous wins. And really, who the hell cares? CPAC is about as predictive as a coin toss and only reflects the views of a small subset of fringers. Suppose it matters to the candidates, since the CPACers include the so-called opinion leaders of the far right. But their adherents have pretty much shrunk to the 27%ers who are going to vote GOP no matter what.

Of more import is Ron Paul's alleged loss in Maine which smacks of establishment GOP manipulation. It's inarguably suspect that a local GOP chair decides to postpone the caucus based on a forecast of a mere 3 inches of snow. In Maine. That wouldn't be grounds to postpone an outdoor barbecue up there and indeed, it didn't scare the Girl Scouts into postponing an event in the same damn county. Which coincidentally happens to be a Ron Paul stronghold. In fact, the 16% of the precincts whose votes won't be counted just happen to be where Willard would have been trounced.

As I said earlier, it's likely Ron Paul is going to win the delegates in Maine anyway, but optics still matter to encourage his supporters elsewhere. Can't blame him for refusing to concede. [Photo via; believe it's a photoshop]

[Thanks to The Week for the name check]

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Delegate strategery

2012-02-12T12:01:00.001-05:00

Well Romney eked a bare victory yesterday, winning the CPAC straw poll and allegedly winning the Maine caucus. Of course, in Maine, which has a bizarre weeks long caucus process, not all the precincts have voted but the the GOP's big honcho declared Willard the winner and says the rest of the votes won't be counted. This, even though Willard only "won" by 194 votes. Feels like Iowa all over again.

In any case, unsurprisingly the media narrative this morning is about Willard's "comeback." But is Willard really winning? Or is the real story, that Ron Paul is amassing the delegates.

It works like this: Romney, Santorum and Gingrich supporters vote in the straw poll, then leave. Paul supporters vote in the poll and stay around for the county business meeting to be elected delegates. Because those delegates are completely loyal to Paul, not to the straw poll results, Paul, not Romney, Gingrich or Santorum, might actually be winning the caucuses. So, who the hell knows how many delegates any Republican has at this point.

Again, this is the Masschusetts Democratic primary I worked on back in the early aughts, all over again. Robert Reich jumped in late. Everyone said he would never get on the ballot. His grass roots supporters flooded the local caucuses and won seats to the nominating convention. But they were mostly new political activists. They did the same thing, voting in the early rounds and then leaving with the belief it was all over. But the voting continued for many more rounds long into the night with the end result being a five man race. If we had instant run-off voting at the time, I'm convinced Reich would have won.

The point being, this is the most bizarre GOP presidential primary I've seen in my lifetime. Ron Paul could well be winning the delegate count, but that story is unlikely to be reported. [graphic via]

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

The cult of victimology

2012-02-11T13:31:00.000-05:00

You can almost hear their pudgy knees knocking from here. Poor little billionaire Koch brothers are oh so terrified by President Obama after he called them out on their superPAC funding.

A spokesman for the Koch brothers' lobbying firm said the billionaire brothers would not be "intimidated or silenced by the President's aides and his allies" after President Obama's reelection campaign announced earlier this week that they would encourage fundraising by a super-PAC supporting his campaign.

"We will exercise our First Amendment rights and not be intimidated or silenced by the President's aides and his allies who criticize private citizens that disagree with the President's policies," said Philip Ellender, president of Koch Companies Public Sector, in a statement.

Yes, Obama outraised the field in 2008, but that was then and it's a whole new game now.

More than half of itemized super PAC money this cycle has come from just 37 people, according to a an analysis of disclosure reports conducted by PIRG and Demos, two research firms.

And gifts of $1 million or more -- from just 15 donors -- make up 38% of itemized, individual super PAC donations.

You can bet the rent money the Kochs are in the latter group. Damn that mean old POTUS for fighting back against their money bombs and scaring them like that. [graphic via]

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Mars needs women

2012-02-11T10:36:00.000-05:00

By Capt. Fogg

It's an odd fact that, for some male astronauts like former Space Station resident Mike Barratt, spending 6 months without gravity produces changes in vision that often are irreversible. He went up nearsighted and needing glasses for distance and came down eagle eyed and needing reading glasses. His condition seems permanent. The phenomenon is under serious study at NASA which is concerned that the possibility of a long trip to Mars might just carry the risk of blindness. Just why it happens and whether or not it can be prevented may be, according to CNN.com, the determining question as to "whether he or any other astronaut ever journeys into deep space or sets foot on other worlds."

Prolonged weightlessness causes papilledema -- a swelling of the optic nerve for about half the male astronauts, some of whom recover and others, like Barratt do not. Women seem to be immune. Of course another question that doesn't seem to be addressed here is why we don't just hire more female astronauts? Sometimes we obsess so much about a puzzling matter that we neglect to look at obvious alternatives.

Contraception contretemps

2012-02-10T22:31:00.000-05:00

It's been really interesting to see how many ways Obama's contraception modification has been framed today. The reactions have ranged from ha ha, Obama pawned the GOPers on this one to ZOMG Obama sold women out again. And that's just on the left.

I was most surprised by Charlie Pierce's reaction. He called it a graceful dive but I'm confused by his disdain for the terms of the compromise.

And what's to prevent the clever Catholic CEO of Greedy Bastard Health Insurance, LLC from deciding that he has an objection of conscience to providing contraception as part of his company's insurance plan.

As I understand it, the Republican's bill would allow that but unless the insurance company is run by a Catholic church, Obama's rules wouldn't. And then there was this bit.

(If there's one thing that insurance companies produce more of than profits for their executives, it's arcane reasons not to do something. And, as for the institutional Church, it has no earthly reason to accept this deal. It doesn't think anyone should use birth control for any reason ever. If it accepts the deal, by which it essentially farms out its conscience to insurance companies, it looks foolish. If it sticks to its guns and rejects the deal, what's the president going to do? Run against the Church? He pretty plainly doesn't have the stomach for that. The Clan is empowered again. The comeback from the conspiracy to obstruct justice of the crime of sexual assault is complete.

I get being pissed off that the same Church which covered up its ugly history of pedophilia gets away with hypocrisy in claiming moral grounds on contraception, or anything, but nothing about this rule prevents holding them to account for it in the future. And from where I sit, Obama took a pretty bold stand against allowing them to dictate health care choices for women. Furthermore, as Greg points out Obama reversed the dynamic in the debate. The so-called attack on religious liberty has been negated, leaving the Church and the GOP with the sole position of being against any reproductive health care at all. Not a popular stand.

As for the insurers, they save money by passing out birth control instead of paying for abortions and pregnancies. They'll still be scum sucking skimmers, but that would true in any case. It's who they are and what they do. Granted this isn't a glorious victory, but not seeing how this isn't a win for Team Obama and for women. It's certainly more than we had three weeks ago.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Come on baby light my fire

2012-02-10T20:38:00.000-05:00

I really want to stop talking about this, but damn if they don't keep fueling my favorite conspiracy theory. Nobody is going all in on it. Hell, I'm not either, probably for different reasons, but here's Real Clear Politics talking about the path to a brokered GOP convention and only moments ago, I find dark dreams of Chris Christie.

Think what you will, but this much I know to be true. The base is fractured and hates their choices. All the polling, at all the primaries, are showing a depressed turnout. Nate tells me they've cycled through 11 frontrunners so far and nobody has ignited them for long. Even Erik son of Erik is now wishing for annihilation by a fireball from the sky rather than have to rally around any of the current candidates.

A brokered convention is their only hope. Nothing fires up the wingnut wurlitzer like a new hero. At least for a couple of months. Which coincides nicely with the election calendar if a dark horse rides in at the nick of time.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

I am curious, homosexual

2012-02-10T16:32:00.000-05:00

I used to follow the annual con-Con festivities for the amusement value but just not finding CPAC as entertaining this year. Nothing ever changes. Same bigoted idiots, different year. But this is vaguely amusing.

As always, you have your attendees who vow to fight to the death to protect the sanctity of marriage between a man a woman and stop those damn queers from getting married. But hey, a little discreet homo-experimentation? Bring it on big boy. Or boys, as the case may be.

You have your Craig's list pitches and your Grindr searches going on even as you read this. Oh, and in case you didn't know, and I just found out myself yesterday, Grindr is apparently the place where gay men go to meet online.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Brokered spoke - Updated

2012-02-09T15:47:00.001-05:00

Every time I think I can pronounce my conspiracy theory about a brokered convention as DOA, the cons give it another transfusion:

It is conceivable to craft the following general scenario: Romney wins states in the west and northeast, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum combine to dominate the south, Midwest and Appalachia, and Ron Paul siphons off a chunk of delegates. If such a scenario plays out, it’s possible to see how Romney could have problems getting over the top, even if analysts are broadly correct that his money and organization give him the edge.

Meanwhile, Ron Paul is quietly amassing delegates. Romney may have more money, but Ron Paul looks like he has a better handle on strategy in acquring the actual numbers. Reminds me a lot of the Democratic Massashusetts primary leading up to the gubernatorial race of 2002. That would be the race Romney won. I continue to think Robert Reich would have been the Dem candidate if his grass roots supporters had understood the caucus process better.

In any event, the conventional wisdom is the GOP establishment won't let a brokered convention happen, but I'm thinking they could pretty easily end this comedy of horrors at any time. Their problem is Romney makes it more obvious every day they don't have a candidate that can win. So allowing this to play out to the bitter end, as the kids say, could be a feature, not a bug. Again, more than happy to be wrong. [via Bob Cesca]

Update: Sen. Jim DeMint (R-Tea Party) just said a brokered convention is a possibility.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Local lessons in austerity?

2012-02-09T14:47:00.000-05:00

Interesting. While there are exceptions, in Colorado, recovery falls along party lines:

The state’s recovery from recession has been spotty and uneven, a pattern seen in many places. But the further wrinkle for both parties in Colorado is that some of the most heavily Republican areas have lagged the most, with stubbornly higher unemployment rates, while some of the most staunchly Democratic places have done better.

One would assume that GOP areas elect mainly Republicans to their local governments. Certainly since the great Tea Party insurrection of 2010, the GOPers have been all about the austerity cuts, over and beyond what was absolutely necessary due to budget constraints. I'm no economist and I expect there's other factors so not sure there's a connection to made here. However, it certainly is an odd coincidence.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Romney's mythology

2012-02-08T21:04:00.000-05:00

It's rather pathetic to watch Willard trying to obscure his silver spoon upbringing. He's not fooling 73% of the people with this line.

"I'm not anti-immigrant," said Romney. "My father was born in Mexico."

For a change it's perfectly true, but that was in a Mormon colony in the state of Chihuahua, where his grandparents fled because polygamy wasn't all that popular in the US. Willard himself hardly had such humble beginnings. By the time he was born, Daddy Romney was a successful businessman in the good ole USA and was working himself up to the higher eschelons of the poltical world. In fact Romney's childhood looked like this:

Mitt Romney, age 10, smiles behind the wheel of a Nash automobile, manufactured by American Motors Corporation of which his father, George Romney, was president, in this 1957 photo. (Courtesy of Romney family / Associated Press) [More Romney family photos here.]

However, the story apparently works for the intractable 27%ers who believe what they want to hear. Dave Weigel on the campaign trail meets up with a Romney supporter and finds:

It's still awfully resonant. After Romney spoke here, I met Bill Wilton, 64, an exterminator and Vietnam veteran who was squarely for Romney. One reason: "He came up from nothing. His father immigrated here from Mexico."

As Dave notes, that's not exactly what Romney was saying. But Willard is more than happy to let that myth rest uncorrected.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Ricky hits a triple TKO

2012-02-08T13:29:00.002-05:00

It was all the rage last week, but today Willard Romney's inevitability takes a nose dive under Ricky Santorum's three state primary sweep. Subdued celebrating at Romney's Colorado HQ last night while his exhausted aide tried to draw a happy face on Romney's dismal loss.

“I think we’ll do well here against Obama,” he said. “Colorado’s a tough state now, it’s going to be in play. It’ll be a tough state.”

He does have something of a point. The Republican intramural contest is whole different beast than the general. And as Charlie so aptly points out, yesterday's slugfest says more about GOP voters than the candidates:

The Republican nominating process last night was rendered a howling mess for the next two months. Super Tuesday is going to be a bloodbath, especially in the South, where Willard will have to see if he can grovel any lower than he already has, where N. Leroy Gingrich, Definer of Civilization's Rules and Leader (Perhaps) of the Civilizing Forces, will make his last stand in places like Alabama and Mississippi, where Ron Paul can continue about the business of Being Ron Paul, and where Rick Santorum can try to build on the momentum he is alleged to have developed last night, when no delegates were on the line, but when he clearly became the favorite candidate of a political movement reduced at the moment to its essential nihilism, and when he became the vessel for that vast number of things about which a fuck need not be given, including the truth, science, the Republican party, and that fragile old republic called the United States of America.

Meanwhile, The Donald slings a bit of mud in Ricky's direction and dreams of future glory in a Romney administration.

On a Romney cabinet position, Trump continues, “I don’t know maybe a position where I negotiate against some of these countries. Because they are really taking our lunch.”

Hmmm. Does it sound like he's expecting to become the next Secretary of State to you? Can you imagine that? And here we thought Bolton had a lock on the title as the absolute worst SoS ever. One thing for sure with Republicans, it can always get worse. [graphic via]

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Doing my shopping at J.C. Penney

2012-02-08T11:02:00.000-05:00

Just catching up on this soc-con outrage, but way to stand up to bigotry J.C. Penny.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres said she was "proud and happy" that retail store J.C. Penney had stood by her in the face of a conservative anti-gay campaign, and said there was no such thing as a "pro-gay bandwagon."

Breaking her silence on the furor, DeGeneres, one of America's best known gay celebrities, also poked fun at the One Million Moms group who had urged J.C. Penney to drop her as a spokeswoman because she is a lesbian and said they would boycott the store.

Oddly, I hadn't been to the store in years but bought some shirts there a few weeks ago. Think it was their store brand. Impressed with the quality of the workmanship. Got a good price on sale and they're holding up well. Now I'm doubly glad I spent my money there.

Haven't seen any ads with Ellen but those new screechy commercials seem to be on a continuous loop on the TV. Those have really got to go.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Every sperm is a baby

2012-02-08T09:47:00.000-05:00

By Capt. Fogg

It will always be impossible to convince all religious people that religion isn't the mother of religious fanaticism and of the self-righteousness that makes fanaticism so dangerous. In fact they may be right in that such ego disorders seem to be a general human failing, albeit one that so often finds a home in Churches, Mosques and Synagogues -- but that doesn't soften the fear that from the frustration believers in old religions feel about the implacable advance of what I like to call enlightenment, a movement will arise like movements in the past to overthrow an age of reason and science and relative freedom.

"any action in which a man ejaculates or otherwise deposits semen anywhere but in a woman’s vagina shall be interpreted and construed as an action against an unborn child.”

There seems to be nothing in that statement that might hint it did not originate in the 5th century before the Christian era and nothing to suggest that it wasn't a measure introduced by a Republican, but alas, neither is true. Oklahoma State Senator Constance Johnson is a Democrat and she has introduced an amendment to pending Senate Bill 1433, a typical "life begins at conception" bill, that says that the resulting fetus

“at every stage of development (has) all the rights, privileges, and immunities available to other persons, citizens, and residents of this state.”

Ms. Johnson wants to extend that right to a sperm cell, although apparently she thinks egg cells are exempt -- since otherwise not getting pregnant might also be as murderous as masturbation. Still, the "every sperm is a baby" bill doesn't have a chance, but apparently Rick Santorum does and probably for few other reasons than his own ridiculous positions on interfering with private lives in the name of small government and Big Religion. Santorum has attracted a plurality of Republican loonies in Missouri, Colorado and Minnesota.

It's hard to think that Rick has a real shot at the presidency, but you know, I've been looking at Costa Rica lately.

I'm generally very intolerant of the "both sides are equally bad" arguments that depend on fraudulent accounting and false equivalence to forgive the side with the preponderance of guilt, but Geez - what does it say about Oklahoma Democrats that she is allowed to speak for them?

An honor to be nominated

2012-02-07T20:45:00.000-05:00

Too cool. Nominated for a Moore award:

DougJarvus Green-Ellis, Balloon Juice, trying to milk what should be an apolitical protest for all it's worth.

Congrats to one of my favorite bloggers. Someday I'll be important enough to get one of those. Oh wait. No I won't.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Every which way but loose

2012-02-07T20:18:00.000-05:00

When I heard Clint Eastwood's voice, I expected to hate the Chrysler ad. I'm probably one of ten people in the entire USA who isn't a fan of his movies. The only ones I really liked were the two with the orangutan. But damn if I didn't love this ad.

Brilliant messaging and killer imagery. Perfectly captured where we are as a country right at this moment. Can't deny that I loved it even more when I discovered it made Karl Rove cry. Been enjoying watching the cons heads explode, probably a little too much.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Just so you know

2012-02-07T20:05:00.000-05:00

I don't usually blog about feminist or LGBT issues because there are so many other people out there who cover it so comprehensively already and well, you can't follow everything. Which is not to say I don't read about it, but I don't generally have anything new to add. Also, too, I have three active blogs so it's always a bit of struggle to decide what to post where on the issues about which I have something worth saying.

That being said, yeah for the Ninth Circuit court who ruled against Prop 8 today, sending it on its way to some kind of final determination at SCOTUS. Rooting for equal rights for my LGBT friends. And so long to the odious Karen Handel of Komen for the Cure fame, who resigned today. Can't say I'll be missing her since she's already on the bobblehead circuit whining about her victimization at the hands of us thuggish defenders of poor people in need of reproductive health services. Can't wait for her fifteen minutes to be over.

My blogging is an evolving process. Where it stands lately is I'm mostly posting on the hottest election issues at Detroit News, where I have the best chance of influencing voters who might be swayed to sanity. Been doing Hoekstra this week and GOP primary stuff there generally. My other personal blog, Last One Speaks, had mellowed into a sort of daily correspondence with friends and family about the small doings in my private life. Lately it hasn't even had much of that, since my life isn't that exciting. Post a lot of odd links to weird arty stuff I pick up on my travels around the social nets. It's the place to go if you need a mental health break.

Meanwhile, this blog is becoming my private refuge where I can vent without worrying about being G-rated, dropping the occasional profanity when I'm pissed off, archiving links I'll want again and talking about the issues that don't quite fit in anywhere else. I'd probably be a much more successful blogger if I focused all my energy in one place, but that's just not my style. Never cared about money and status. I've always cut a wide swath through all the social strata, in my offline and online life. Always hung with everyone from street people to millionaires. Slept in palaces and slept on the streets. Love it all.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

ZOMG! Money plays a role in politics

2012-02-07T11:08:00.000-05:00

So Obama changed his mind about SuperPACs. The media appears to be shocked to learn our POTUS accepted the reality of Citizen United. Wish they could work up as big a lather about how Citizen United is perverting the process.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Unexpected allies

2012-02-06T18:36:00.000-05:00

Knock me over with a feather, but credit for good behavior where it's due. Chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs, Lloyd Blankfein:

I welcome the support for my LGBT friends but admit suspecting some trickery or at least an ulterior motive. Still, one should be gracious, so thanks Lloyd. [via]

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Plausible satires

2012-02-06T18:10:00.000-05:00

When last I mocked Louisiana Republican Rep. John Fleming it was for whining that after he paid all the expenses from his $6.3 million a year gross income, he only had $400,000 a year left for pleasurable pursuits. But I'm inclined to give him something of a pass on being pwned by The Onion since back in 2003 I also bit on one of their satires. If memory serves it had something to with George W. Bush "decidering" to cut the Bill of Rights down to just four.

In my defense, I was a beginner blogger back then and I didn't notice it was an Onion piece. Maybe Fleming didn't either. Maybe he doesn't even know The Onion is a satire site. I do think it was much more plausible that Bush would have been capable of such chicanery than it is that Planned Parenthood would be building an $8 billion Abortionplex. However, Atrios is right, we were both caught because we were predisposed to believe such outrageous conduct could credibly be commited.

Which shows you how firmly established the far right mythology is implanted in the conservative psyche. Bush was already actually testing the limits of the unitary executive theory when I was fooled. On the other hand, Planned Parenthood's alleged desire to become the world's largest abortion mill is a fabrication of the wingnut noise machine that somehow gained the veneer of truthiness solely on the basis of relentless repetition.

Back in 2003 I believed Blogtopia could, and would, overcome their lies with equally relentless repetition of facts. These days I'm not so sure.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

All you need is love

2012-02-06T12:16:00.000-05:00

Been meaning to post this photo for a while. I adore how obviously in love POTUS and FLOTUS are, and that they aren't afraid to show it.

From Time magazine's photo essay, Inside Barack Obama's World.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Give my goodbye to Wall Street

2012-02-06T11:08:00.000-05:00

The life of a Wall Street whiz kid isn't what it used to be. The pending Dodd-Frank regulations are already stripping them of their major money drivers, ending the use of leverage and proprietary trading. Thus, the days of the mega-bonus appear to be numbered and the kids are not alright with it. Which brings us to the quote of the day:

“If you’re a smart Ph.D. from MIT, you’d never go to Wall Street now,” says a hedge-fund executive. “You’d go to Silicon Valley. There’s at least a prospect for a huge gain. You’d have the potential to be the next Mark Zuckerberg. It looks like he has a lot more fun.”

Strikes me as a positive development. At least in the former heyday of Silicon Valley, they were innovating; inventing something useful to society instead of just skimming money off the top of the system.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Rooting for Newt

2012-02-05T17:35:00.001-05:00

To no one's surprise, after being trounced in Florida, Newt lost again to Willard in Nevada yesterday. But Newt is no quitter.

“Our goal is to get to Super Tuesday where we are in much more favorable territory,” Gingrich said on NBC's Meet the Press.

I'm rooting for him to win for a number of reasons, not the least of which is I think he's the easiest candidate to beat in November. However, once in a while Newt actually says something I like. I mean, who would expect a Republican to go all anti-spending cuts on the bobblehead shows today?

“First of all, David, I don’t think you’ll ever find me talking about an age of austerity. I don’t think that’s the right solution,” Gingrich said. “I am a pro-growth Republican. I’m a pro-growth conservative." ...

Not sure there is such a thing as a anti-austerity conservative. The entire GOP agenda has been about spending cuts for years. It could be that attitude is why the Tea Party's CEO is badmouthing Newt.

“I don’t think Newt will be able to replicate that magic moment in South Carolina,” said Dick Armey, chairman of the conservative grassroots group FreedomWorks, on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Indeed, Armey isn't happier with Romney, but he has a plan. "Armey said his group would work to elect conservatives to Congress instead of focusing on the presidential race." Liberals and progressives take note. I've been saying for a while we're focusing too much on the presidency. If the last two years have shown us anything, it's the power of Congress and statehouses to force the GOP agenda into reality, even without public support.

Of course, Armey is still going to urge his Tea Party patriots to vote GOP for the presidency regardless:

"We would rather have a Republican president that's not fully the guy we adore wanting our affections than a Democrat president who despises us and covets the affections of our mortal enemies on public policy," he said.

Meanwhile, the other big reason I'm rooting for Newt is colonizing the moon. He's not backing down on that proposal and says it can be done without "massive government spending." I don't care how they pay for it. I want to be a pioneer in the final frontier and live on the moon. I mean who wouldn't want to wake up and see the Earth rise?

[Big thanks to Michael J. W. Stickings for kindly linking in at Crooks and Liars. If you're not reading him at his own blog The Reaction -- well -- you should be.]

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Oh baby

2012-02-05T12:10:00.000-05:00

To lighten up the mood a bit after the previous post, politicians kissing babies is a time honored tradition. Some are better at it than others. Romney seems to have a bit of trouble relating.

More here from TPM's hilarious photo gallery.

In contrast, Obama is a natural with kids.

Original

Lots more sweet Obama with children photos here.

And of course, there's the classic interaction when Obama got a baby to stop crying. Instantly.

Not making any grand statements here. Just like that our POTUS is so good with kids.

Horrifying

2012-02-05T11:05:00.001-05:00

Usually try to avoid this sort of story on Sunday morning, but can't get this photo out of my head. What a mess in Syria.

Heart breaks for this child. What a vision to take through life. [via]

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

LAT reporter gets kicked out of Nevada caucus

2012-02-04T20:24:00.000-05:00

Nevada is holding its caucus today. Yes, I know. Zzzzzzzzzzz. It's a given that Willard is going to win this one. The twitter tells me the Mormon turnout was strong. And so was the Tea Party turnout which probably was at the root of this little imbroglio. Ashley Powers of the LAT was kicked out of a caucus even though she was there with a press pass issued by the Clark County GOP.

Ashley was there, doing her job, taking notes on a legal pad when the the caucus chair announced: No. Press. Allowed. Or course, it wasn't true but caucus goers in her immediate vicinity responded forcefully:

So the verdict on my presence was loud, and near-unanimous.

“BOOOOOOO!”

“You’re a bunch of liars!” someone shouted.

“Spy! She’s a spy!” someone else said.

A woman waved a button at me, which said: DON’T BELIEVE THE LIBERAL MEDIA.

Tough crowd, I thought.

Then a man walked over to me and said if I didn’t leave, he’d call security. So I left the room while voters cast their ballots.

Paranoia runs deep in this crowd, fed by most high ranking Republicans generally, Newt and Limbaugh specifically and of course, the entire Fox "News" media empire. And then there's Brent Bozell's new campaign against the liberal media.

Don't want to think what might have happened if Ashley had refused to leave since she really was there by permission. Wingnut wurlitzer is playing with fire by pushing this meme so hard. I expect the anger and paranoia will only escalate in the months ahead. Afraid one of these days, somebody is going to get hurt.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

It's all a liberal Big Government plot

2012-02-04T16:53:00.000-05:00

It's getting to the point where it looks like conservatives invent a new conspiracy theory every day.

Across the country, activists with ties to the Tea Party are railing against all sorts of local and state efforts to control sprawl and conserve energy. They brand government action for things like expanding public transportation routes and preserving open space as part of a United Nations-led conspiracy to deny property rights and herd citizens toward cities.

They are showing up at planning meetings to denounce bike lanes on public streets and smart meters on home appliances — efforts they equate to a big-government blueprint against individual rights.

They're apparently convinced the gummit is going to herd them all into cities, force them to share tiny apartments in filthy tenements, take away their cars and make them ride the bus. Or something. And of course, as this guy notes, it's all the fault of those hippie communist socialists that secretly run the United Nations.

Some may in fact see it as a UN plot, but, then, the UN has been pushing junk science and all sorts of initiatives, most recently “biodiversity” and “sustainability”, as a means to put more control into the hands of government, as well as people’s hard earned money. As Tom Nelson points out:

Is Revkin really sure that Tea Party activisits don’t just see their hard-earned cash being blown on idiotic left-wing bad-weather-preventing projects?

Because, you know, it's their God given right to waste resources and trash the planet if they want to and no damn liberal is going to tell them they can't do it. And besides, it snows in winter and Al Gore is fat, so all this climate change alarmism is just a leftist myth. Fox News and Limbaugh said so, so it's gotta be true.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Will the real Jesus please stand up?

2012-02-04T09:03:00.000-05:00

By Capt. Fogg

“But for me as a Christian, it also coincides with Jesus’s teaching that for unto whom much is given, much shall be required,”

Said the President of the United States to a nation fulsomely fond of telling us that not only were our founding fathers fundamentalist Christians, but that our laws are really a re-statement of the Bible and that we are a Nation under God -- whatever that's supposed to mean.

Apparently it doesn't mean that a man with an African father who can't be considered a "real"American or a "real" Christian and most assuredly not a "real" president can presume to have such values in a country in which they have almost always been honored in the breach. Why that boy must think he's not only as good as the rest of us to whom America was given, but he must think he's Jesus himself if he presumes to quote from the book that belongs to us as white people.

"Someone needs to remind the president that there was only one person who walked on water, and he did not occupy the Oval Office.”

said the reprehensible Orrin Hatch (Hypocrite-Utah) at the National Prayer Breakfast Thursday.

No Orrin, those Christian values you pretend to aren't any different than Muslim or Jewish values with respect to the love of justice and our fellow humans and mocking anyone for attempting to put them into action doesn't allow one to walk on water, even if one actually is Jesus of Nazareth. Walking on, wading through and bathing oneself in shit however makes you just another lump in the cesspool and whatever magic ceremony you perform or whatever special underwear you put on, you're an enemy of everything any good man stands for whether he be Jesus or Jefferson.

Graphic light projections are the new graffiti

2012-02-03T22:31:00.001-05:00

How the time flies. Citizens United is two years old this week. Love this celebration:

To mark the second Citizens United anniversary, we lit up the Supreme Court with giant dollar signs to send a message: rights are for PEOPLE, not corporate "persons."

Backstory here

I thought one of the most powerful and effective moments of the early Occupy protests was when they did that projection on the building during the Brooklyn Bridge march. Glad to see it's catching on.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Memory and Irony

2012-02-03T14:26:00.000-05:00

By Capt. Fogg

The jobless rate has declined to 8.3% according to the latest reports -- well below the Reagan rate and the lowest in three years after adding about a quarter million Jobs this January alone. That's a quarter of a million more in one month than were added under eight years of Republican flim-flam economics. The markets are booming, but we can be sure to hear nothing but sneer, snark, scoff and panicked pessimism from fact-free America and its electronic Svengali, Fox News.

I'm hesitant to make too much of it or to extrapolate too far, but unlike every Republican I talk to, I am willing to remember the Bush years when the air was full of nonsense about how Democrats were pessimists and Republicans were optimists and bullish on the economy. Of course it would be fun to mock the Fox News survey that gave "proof" that Liberals were trying to damage the vibrant economy with gloomy reports during the Bush years and of course the prophets of doom were quite right although not one of Fox's friends seems to remember, because after all, this is Obama's recession and Bush had nothing to do with it and the predictably dilatory nature of the trailing indicator -- the unemployment rate -- proves that it's all going to hell any time now.

A sense of irony would make fertile fields for all kinds of sardonic humor, since with the economy steadily improving, having already this year added more jobs than were added during the entire Bush administration (unless you want to count all the government jobs created by bloating the size and expense of our government,) they're still pretending the man who inherited this disaster caused it. But if there's any essence at all to American Conservatism, it must involve total blindness to the most glaring irony. They're still insisting that continuing what brought it on would end it quickly if only we'd have elected an empty headed beauty contest runner up and a doddering old man who couldn't remember his address but was sure the crash wasn't actually happening.

And while we're talking about irony, do we care to speculate about how many would have been lost if General Motors had disappeared and how many are working now that GM is again the worlds largest automaker? No, that investment is spending, while the massive expenses of Bush's prescription drug plan written by and for the drug companies increases as the population ages isn't even to be discussed -- and of course people are only getting older because of "that Obama's policies" hard as they are to discern. If I were a Republican you can damn well bet I'd be blind to the irony too as well as the outright dishonesty.

Things are looking at least a bit better of late and at a rate proportional to the improvement, the apocalyptic predictions increase. The Mayan end times, the Rapture, the death of the Dollar and the Zombie Apocalypse hold fewer horrors than are being predicted daily as the people who insist every time they hold the White House, that the government cannot create jobs and should not try, scream themselves hoarse nonetheless about jobs, jobs, jobs, dangling that elusive carrot in front of the desperate.

It's a hell of a thing to remember well, and that's why I'm sure amnesia, like ironic obtuseness is a necessary component of the conservative mind. It's a hell of a thing to be the only one to remember that "debt doesn't matter" was the keystone of Republican economics since Reagan and right up to the disaster of 2007 because tax breaks for the people who put all their windfalls into real estate, hedge funds and offshore accounts in Luxembourg, Liechtenstein and the Caymans would boost the economy so much, the debt would wither away in Marxist style.

Jobs, jobs, jobs and debt, debt debt in the relentless Republican ostinato like drumbeats in some dark jungle night, as though debt did very much matter and matter more than the ability to pay it off -- as though paying Bush's bills and saving the financial structure of our country with a far smaller amount of money than the shill for Goldman Sachs Bush used for a treasury secretary were an invitation to disaster rather than fiscal responsibility -- as though a three trillion dollar war to be payed for by magic; massive bailout packages without accountability and unprecedented spending weren't things the Democrats were howling helplessly about for 8 years.

Increased military spending along with an amazing record of eliminating al Qaeda means Obama is "slashing the military." Allowing increased freedom to carry weapons means he's a "gun grabber." Arresting and deporting more illegal aliens than Bush means he's "pro-illegal." Giving most Americans a tax break means he raised taxes, and although every day I have to listen to some Republican blowhard telling me he hates "Obamas policies" not one has been able to come up with a policy that actually exists -- that glib trope having become nothing more than the password to the club they think every white man belongs to.

No, sure they don't remember nor do they see the irony. Like Janus, they look both forward and back to see the easiest way to slither away from accountability and as and if the economy slowly improves and the spectre of Depression recedes, they'll continue to boom and bellow and snicker and sneer without any memory of how they accused Democrats of "hating America" even though all those dire predictions we made for 8 years came true while none of theirs ever materialized.

Pink, pink, you stink: Komen backs down

2012-02-03T13:57:00.001-05:00

I've been offline for a couple of days so the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation fiasco played out without me. I see it didn't take long for the pink ribbon people to back down in the face of overwhelming criticism. Komen announced today they would restore Planned Parenthood funding.

The official line is they realized they made a mistake in basing the decision to defund on a poltical investigation and absent an actual criminal finding of guilt. Thinking it's more likely it's because their major sponsors looked likely to jump, wealthy pro choice advocates wanted their money back and insurrection within the foundation itself. "Two top Komen officials resigned in protest following the announcement. Local chapters of Komen also rebelled, pledging to defy the order and continue funding Planned Parenthood."

Furthermore, the enormous pushback exposed unsavory details about their spending. It appears Komen for the Cure is a gigantic scam:

Komen’s founder and CEO, Nancy Brinker, is a big money Republican with ties to the past three Republican administration who received a political appointment from George W. Bush as a reward for her fundraising largesse. She draws a salary of $459,000 annually, money well spent compared to the 39% of its budget the foundation spends on “public health education” (i.e., marketing itself). Not to mention that they also spend a million bucks per year in legal fees to threaten other non-profit groups who use the phrase For the Cure, to which Komen(tm) claims to have intellectual property rights.

It couldn't be more clear the choice to pull Planned Parenthood's funding in the first place was driven by highly placed anti-choice wingers within the foundation. Under the circumstances, the walk back is too little, too late.

Planned Parenthood issued a gracious statement thanking Komen for the reversal however, one has to ask why anyone should support Komen ever again. I figure just about everyone has lost someone to breast cancer and these people have preyed on their wish to help find a cure mainly to enrich themselves. Seems to me pro-choicers would do better to donate directly to Planned Parenthood and skip the middlewomen.

Much more in a dozen other posts at Balloon Juice and Memeorandum. [graphic via]

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Last of the Blue Dogs

2012-02-03T00:32:00.000-05:00

This is great news. Heath Shuler is retiring. The GOPer majority in the statehouse that the clueless voters in my part of country put into office redistricted him out of job. He was useless as Dem. Never understood why he didn't just run as a Republican in the first place. It's not like he ever voted with the Democrats when it counted.

First elected in 2006, Shuler built a brand as a fiscal conservative unafraid to break with Democratic leadership on issues of spending, voting against President Obama’s 2009 economic stimulus bill as well as healthcare reform.

He also launched an unsuccessful attempt to oust Rep. Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) from her position as the Democratic leader in the House after the party lost control of the majority in the 2010 midterm elections.

I've long maintained it's better to just give up the district to a Republican rather than dilute the Democratic brand with an idiot who votes with the GOP anyway. The voters in his district are never going to understand the GOP is screwing them otherwise. Good riddance.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]