An Army of One...

ISN'T EFFING BIG ENOUGH!

Just saw an “Army of One” commercial that showed empty workstations, and lonely office spaces. They were empty because the army reservists who used to work there are out doing heroic deeds like “Training Iraqi policemen,” or, “Hunting Osama bin Laden.”

<> It was SO EFFING ROMANTIC. If only they’d shown a sad-eyed dog lost without his master... it would have been perfect. <>
Remember all the crap about Michael Moore’s ads for F9/11 being soft-money anti-Bush ads for Kerry? <>

Well what in the name of Caesar’s ghost are Army commercials that go out of their way to romanticize the war in Iraq and give the impression that we’re doing everything we can to capture Osama?

The soft money that made that ad was mine, and yours. And that makes me throw up in my mouth a little.

Bush=Flag=Final Solutions

Billmon has always been a blogger after my own heart, and he's come out of retirement for one more post.

To begin with his blog Whiskey Bar takes its name from a the "Alabama Song" which (for those not in the know) wasn't written by Jim Morrison and the Doors.

The song comes from Mother Courage and Her Children, by Bertolt Brecht with music by Kurt Weill. For this post Billmon has all but rewritten one of my favorite pieces by Brecht, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui.

Billmon writes:

Now as I pointed out at the time, history is filled with examples of bad things that happened because the military of a powerful state decided to dabble in partisan politics -- which is why the code of military justice generally frowns on stunts like the LaCrosse rally. Authoritarian political movements, like trees, from tiny acorns may grow:

If the t-shirt design catches on, then some other party hack might well develop a proprietary patriotic logo -- something distinctly identifiable as a Republican Party symbol -- to go on those t-shirts. (With their "I am an American soldier" slogan, the LaCrosse GOP is half way there already)

Having the troops all wear arm bands with the new party logo on them would also look kind of cool.

But standing around in the sun waiting for the leader to appear can be hot work, so it wouldn't be too surprising if some local GOP chapters started giving the soldiers baseball caps with that patriotic party logo on the front.

And since you now have all these splendid young hunks standing around in their snazzy party outfits, and since their drill sergeants are also on hand, why not do something fun to entertain the crowd -- like having the troops parade in formation past the leader on his podium. What would be the harm in that?

And if the troops are going to parade, why not have them salute? Of course, using the standard military salute might be a little obvious. So why not create a new party salute -- like, say, banging a clenched fist on the heart, or, better yet, extending a stiffened right arm, fingers pointed towards the leader in a gesture of obedience and respect.

Imagine the effect it would have on the crowd -- all those handsome young heros, marching in perfect lockstep, showing their loyalty to their commander in chief. And if the leader were to give the party salute back, expressing his dedication to the sacred cause of defending the homeland ...

Hah! Let's see the Democrats try to compete with that!

That's pretty much the story Brecht wrote in order to show how easily evil men like Hitler rise to power bourne on the shoulders of good people.

All I can say to Billmon is
America NEEDS a Brecht---- not a Communist mind you (and Brecht was certainly that) but writer that can strip away the ornamental facade and show us the clockworks inside the American Dream Machine.

I know you want to be a playwright Billmon. GO FOR IT!

And can we compare Bush to Hitler now? Can we? Please?

All The Help I Can Get

Hey folks. I'm going to be doing general election coverage for The Flyer on Tuesday. In other words, I'm out looking for the local angle on the bigger story. If anybody hears of anything going down that doesn't smell quite right, you can click on my Blogger profile and drop an e-mail. Anybody who wants to volunteer to help out as eyes and ears can e-mail early and we can work out other means of making contact.

Tennessee is Bush country, but we've all seen how the polls have been stacked against the Dems. I'm thinking we're closer to being a battleground than the numbers suggest. As Shelby Co. is HANDS DOWN the Democratic stronghold in Tennessee, if badnasty things are going to happen they will happen here.

If the rest of the state is a tossup, we're where the boat could tip.

I suspect Tennessee will go red, but what kind of Memphian would I be if I wasn't holding out for the Blues?

Can Run, Did Run. Can Hide, Did Hide

OBL's most recent tape and the threat of terrorism disrupting the elections can only help Bush. That seems to be the default CW.

It seems to me that the tape only underscores Bush's inability to catch the mastermind of 9/11, and the fact that America isn't safer.

But maybe that's just me.

And I can't help but wonder if Bush raised a non-alchoholic toast to the man who has given him EVERYTHING HE'S GOT.

Because before 9/11 Bush's numbers were in the crapper. And god knows his domestic agenda has hurt 98% of the country.

Without bin Laden Bush is less than nothing.
And Bush is the perfect leader for furthering bin Laden's plans to bring anti-American sentiment to a fever pitch in the Arab street.
They have a love that dares not speak its name.

Bush=Flag

So you want to attend a Bush rally? You're going to have to raise your right hand and make a pledge to HIM!

Because, like the great rulers of the ancient world, he is God alive on Earth.

Here's the pledge:

"I want you to stand, raise your right hands," and recite "the Bush Pledge," said Florida state Sen. Ken Pruitt. The assembled mass of about 2,000 in this Treasure Coast town about an hour north of West Palm Beach dutifully rose, arms aloft, and repeated after Pruitt: "I care about freedom and liberty. I care about my family. I care about my country. Because I care, I promise to work hard to re-elect, re-elect George W. Bush as president of the United States."

Can we compare him to history's great dictators now? Does he have to kill 6-million Jews before we can finally say, "well huh... looks like he was a little bit like Hitler after all?"

The fear is upon me.
I tremble like a leaf in a gale.
The gorge rises and falls, rises and falls.
God help us all.

Go Directly to JAIL

From Atrios:

Republicans have proven themselves to just be a pack of disgusting thugs. I hope some of them go to jail for this bullshit. I sure as hell wouldn't accept a registered letter from the Republican party, and I definitely wouldn't bother to stand in line for an hour at my post office to pick it up if I wasn't home to get it. Let's see some prosecutions, damnit.


When Catherine Herold received mail from the Ohio Republican Party earlier this year, she refused it.
The longtime Barberton Democrat wanted no part of the mailing and figured that by refusing it, the GOP would have to pay the return postage.
What she didn't count on was the returned mail being used to challenge the validity of her voter registration.
Herold,who is assistant to the senior vice president and provost at the University of Akron,was one of 976 Summit County voters whose registrations were challenged last week by local Republicans on behalf of the state party.
...
The challengers, all older longtime Republicans -- Barbara Miller, Howard Calhoun, Madge Doerler and Louis Wray -- were subpoenaed by the elections board and were present at the hearings. Akron attorney Jack Morrison, a Republican, volunteered to represent the four.
Democratic board member Russ Pry suggested that the four could be subject to criminal prosecution for essentially making false claims on the challenge forms. The form states that making a false claim is subject to prosecution as a fifth-degree felony.
...The angry voters had the Republicans on the defensive.
``Why'd you do it?'' one challenged voter shouted out at Calhoun. ``Who the hell are you?'' the man asked.

``What the hell do you care?'' replied Calhoun, an attorney.
What the hell do you care? What a monster.
[snip]

To echo Middle C on the Mighty Casio, "WHAT AN EFFING MONSTER!"
Organized election fraud needs to be treated as an attack on the constitution. It needs to be treated as treason. All involved need to go to a very dark place where they will be sodomized with homemade shives for at least a dozen years.
See how easily a peaceful man can come to wish harm on others. You did this to me GOP! You taught me how to hate.

Dear John

John Zogby told John Stewart that Kerry looked like the clear victor. He also said that polling was a high stakes game and that if he's wrong he's got a lot to lose reputationwise.

I'd take that to mean Kerry's looking more and more like a shoe in, otherwise I don't think Zogby would have made the call with such certainty.

Given the new info in missing explosives and the fact that the FBI is no looking into the no-bid contracts to Halliburton, it's pretty clear that the gyre isn't turning for Bush.

I love the smell of toast.

Black Like Them

So I'm listening to NPR. There's an African American man speaking, but I never heard an introduction so I don't know who he is. He says neither candidate, Kerry or Bush has shown much interest in African American issues.

What the fuck?

One of the two candidates wants to get rid of affirmative action, and whoever wins gets to appoint at least three Supreme Court Justices.

One candidate has put American troops-- many of which come from poor, minority neighborhoods-- in harms way for no good reason.

One candidate has refused to even meet with the NAACP.

That candidate would be George W. Bush.

I'll be the first guy to admit that Kerry could have done a better job reaching out to black America, but to put Bush and Kerry on some kind of level playing field concerning their views on African American issues is just dishonest.

And Even More Election Rigging

I've asked before, and I'll ask again: Where's the big splashy network news special about the organized effort to keep Democrats from voting?

Here's more ugliness in Ohio:

Phony letters tell people they cannot vote

Reported by Jeff Maynor
POSTED: Thursday, October 28, 2004 6:30:26 PM
UPDATED: Thursday, October 28, 2004 7:35:40 PM

PAINESVILLE -- It is an outright case of election fraud in Lake County.

· Video: Letters investigated

The phony letter says newly registered voters signed up by the Kerry or Capri Cafaro campaigns or the NAACP, their registrations are illegal and they will not be able to vote.

“That was not authorized by the Board of Elections, said Elections Director Jan Clair. “It was not mailed by the Lake County Board of Elections.”

A real board mailing would have Clair’s signature.

The letter was brought to election officials by Ron Colvin, a longtime registered voter and head of the Lake County NAACP.

Sheriff Dan Dunlap is investigating. “It will be a federal offense because you have

interfered with the constitutionally protected right to vote,” he said.

Congressional candidate Capri Cafaro says she’s sure the letter came from the other side. “So it seems to me the Republicans will stop at nothing to win and this is just another voter suppression tactic,” she said. “I believe it came from someone with significant political motivation.”

In a race where the mud’s been flying, Cafaro’s opponent, Steve LaTorette, decided to sit this one out and said he would have no comment on her charges.

Whether it was Republicans, or Democrats wanting to make it look like Republicans, or some guy sitting in his pajamas at his home computer, the sheriff says from now to Election Day, ignore any message that tells you not to come out and vote.
[snip]

Where's Bobby Kennedy when you need him. This is organized crime and somebody needs to bust it up pronto.

My House

I just found out... My house has a COOL HISTORY. All you progressives will be green with envy.

I moved Downtown 10 years ago looking for lots of space for not a lot of money. Eventually I migrated from South Front to Greenlaw which is now being called Uptown. My wife and I bought what has been described as a mid 19th Century "ecclectic cottage" on Looney Ave.

Just found out: It's the Dave Wells house. Wells--who the community center on Chelsea is named for-- was born in my house in 1884, and he lived there his whole life. He became known as the top political power in North Memphis at a time when waring factions were VERY LITERALLY at war. Wells-- being a Memphis politician during the Crump years couldn't have been totally clean, but he did something truly grand. He CRUSHED THE extremely powerful KKK wh and sent them packing.

I love my ecclectic cottage, and I've always slept well there. Now, I sleep a little better knowing that in its remote youth it housed a freedom fighter who kicked Klan ass!

Early Voting

Today I drove to many of the early voting sites just to see what was happening. All were active and some had lines wrapping around the building. THIS IS GOOD NEWS!
No obvious signs of harassment by poll watchers.

Al Qa Qaa Mystery Solved

...And in related news, Bush is TOAST

It looks like the explosives WERE at Al Qa Qaa during the invasion/occupation and American photojournalists and camera crews have the pictures to prove it.

Dude, My Head is SO Going to Explode

I just have to write all of this down to make sure I’ve got it all straight.

On Monday, Robo-Scott McClellan said,"the Pentagon, upon learning of [the disappearance of the al Qa Qaa explosives], directed the multinational forces and the Iraqi Survey Group to look into this matter and that's what they are currently doing."

Meanwhile back in Baghdad Charlie Duelfer, Chief of the Iraq Survey Group, says that’s all a bunch of wholesale pig pucky.

BUT, Duelfer ALSO says we shouldn’t sweat the mysterious disappearance of 377 tons of explosives.

"It's hard for me to get that worked up about it," Duelfer told CBS adding that Iraq is awash in hundreds of thousands of tons of explosives.

America went to war in Iraq because we were (wrongly) afraid that Saddam Hussein was giving toxic ooze, exploding thermonuclear robots, and the occasional handjob to Osama bin Laden, Montana bin Laden, and all the little bin Ladens.

Now the attitude is, “Dude, our enemy’s got like SO MANY guns, and rockets, and explodie things, what’s another 377 tons more or less?”

That’s only enough to knock 1,154,000 commercial airliners out of the sky. Ain’t no big thang.

EFF-A-DEF-MILF THESE FREAKS ARE MAKING MY HEAD HURT!

Real People

The ingenius documentary filmmaker Errol Morris (Fast, Cheap and Out of Control) gives America a number of good reasons to vote against George W. Bush---- as only Errol Morris can. Click on the headline to see what my main man is up to.

Condi Say What?

So I've got the insomnia, and just to insure that I never sleep soundly again I decide to watch Condi Rice on C-Span. She's addressing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, and at one point she says this:

Condi: We are purchasing security at the price of liberty.

Was this a Freudian slip? Because I'd agree with her if I actually believed we were more secure. I'd even go one step further and say we're purchasing the comforting illusion of security at the price of liberty and actual security.

But one way or the other, what did she mean? And why did people applaud that line. Am I missing something here?

Blood is Thinner than Oil

Bush Relatives for Kerry

You heard me right. Go visit these kind folks and give them some love.

Dumb AND Dangerous

Two great tastes that taste great together...

Of course I'm talking about the wingnuts again. These guys argue that the 380 tons of missing explosives, which are being used to make human confetti, are no biggie because they aren't nukes, or even daisy cutters. AMAZING. At once they concede that this may prove we had too few boots on the ground, and then claim that's no proof of the administration's incompetence.

Their solution: if we kill the bad guys in big enough numbers then they can't use the explosives.

Thank effing JESUS these guys weren't running the Cold War.
To call them idiots insults at least one guy in every village in the world.
They are effing idiots.

Keeping It Real

David Mamet has a line that he uses again and again: "Always tell the truth, it's the easiest thing to remember."

Josh Marshall has a few posts up showing how the Bushies are telling too many stories about the missing explosives, and none of them seem to match.

I've heard Republicans dig Mamet, they just don't get him. They think Glengarry Glen Ross is an action flick.

Mamet fans will laugh hard at that. Silence reigns from all other corners.

Nagourney Weaver

HA HA HA HA HA HA!

Poor Adam Nagourney. He actually comes out of the gate swinging, but by paragraph number three he proves that our man Wolcott is entirely correct.

I'd listen to Ad Nag for about two minutes at a cocktail party, then I'd try to find another cocktail party as quickly as I could.

Big Texans

A little more praise for Bush's hometown paper

Last Week The Lonestar Iconoclast learned an important lesson about what it means to deny President Tweak the teabag. Here are the opening graphs to the Iconoclast's post-endorsement editorial, but you really should read the whole thing.
[snip]
The Iconoclast received considerable criticism this past week
after its editors endorsed John Kerry for President. Several subscriptions and advertisements were canceled after the newspaper hit the stands Tuesday morning.
The editorial, co-authored by the newspaper’s publisher, W. Leon Smith, and writers Don Fisher and Nathan Diebenow, expressed the opinion that Kerry would take the country in a better direction. There have been both positive and negative comments.
We expected that perhaps a few readers might cancel subscriptions, and maybe even ads, but have been amazed at a few of the more intense communications, some of which bordered on outright personal attacks and uncalled-for harassment.
We have been told by several avid Bush supporters that the days when newspapers publish editorials without personal repercussions are over. As publishers, we have printed editorials for decades, and have endorsed candidates, both Republican and Democrat. When Bush was endorsed four years ago, the Gore supporters did not respond with threats, nor did Democrats when we endorsed Reagan twice. Republicans did not threaten us personally or our business when we endorsed Carter and Clinton for their first terms.
In the past, when individuals disagreed with an editorial, they would write a letter to the editor politely expressing a different point of view in contrast to the views of the publishers, which we have usually published. Occasionally someone would cancel a subscription or an ad, but this was rare.
The goal of the editorial page has been to provide an arena for the expression of a variety of thoughtful opinions, some by the publishers, some by columnists, and some by our readers.
The new mode of operation, I am told, is that when a newspaper prints an editorial of which some sectors might disagree, the focus is now upon how to run the newspaper out of business. Out the window are the contributions the newspaper has made to the community in the past and the newspaper’s extensive investment in the community.
We do understand peoples’ rights to pull subscriptions and ads, and to express a differing opinion, but we have some trouble understanding threats and payback since in politics there are often a variety of options.
[snip]

What have the folks at the Iconoclast learned? They've learned that times have changed, and not for the better.

Often we are told (and usually by the hawkish) that our enemies might perceive any act of tolerance as a sign of weakness. One word: projection.

In 2000 the right learned that if they are loud enough, and intolerant enough, liberals will back down. Gore-who sacrificed his ambitions in an attempt to keep the country from being torn apart accepted the Supreme Court decision and moved on. The right--and rightly so perhaps--elevated the angry mobs that shut down the Florida recount to hero status. Raw aggression was met by something akin to tolerance. It was seen as fear. And for a period of time, it WAS fear.

During the 2002 midterm elections Democrats were mercilessly branded as unpatriotic wimps at best, and outright terrorists at the worst. Even poor Max Cleland who left a massive chunk of his body in Vietnam had his bravery and loyalty questioned by certifiable scumbags.

Now we are witnessing an organized multi-state effort to suppress Democratic voters. We know that much of this has been directly funded by the RNC.

And then there's all the physical and intellectual intimidation.

The Iconoclast, who endorsed Bush four years ago, now knows all about it.

This is all thuggery. It's all the brutish behavior of small minds that have seen how effective force can be.

Time to stand tall my friends. And though the words nearly choke in my throat it's time to say, "Bring it on---Fuckwads. BRING IT ON."

Monday Night RAW!

This is possibly my favorite media-related post by a Memphis blogger EVER.

In a very silly way it gets right to the heart of what's effing wrong with TV news. Here's the whole damn thing.

[snip]

Some Channel 5 news guy named Darrell Phillips thinks my post about local television weather coverage is "interesting."

I believe this blog belongs to one of the webmasters at the (local paper). It's interesting then that he should take so strong a position regarding their commercial partner, WREG.

Right. So why is that interesting? Channel 5 coverage sucked too from what I've been told. I wonder if Mr. Phillips would find it interesting if the paper reported some scandal at WREG or published an op-ed criticizing them for some actions. Because it would happen, if warranted.

The facts are the facts and it looks like ALL local news went crazy this past Monday with their severe storm coverage. My criticisms would have been leveled at Channel 5 if I actually watched Channel 5, which I don't at all. Except for "Scrubs." That's a good show.

My main gripe is that the local news and their apologists use the "if it saves one life" issue to justify their stupid actions. That's so disingenuous. Sure, there are good times to totally preempt scheduled coverage but those times are rare and should be used sparingly. I've heard all the excuses and bleeding heart justifications but it's all posturing. And anyone who complains is labeled a cold-hearted jerk who would rather watch "Fear Factor" than save lives.

Did you know wearing a helmet while driving a car would probably save at least one life each year? Yeah, it's true. So why don't we do it? Because it's stupid and a freaking inconvenience. Same principle applies to the local weather coverage. The "if a little is good, then a lot is better" philosophy drives me insane, because it's a lie. Sometimes a little is better and a lot is worse.

I have no earthly idea who Darrell Phillips is and the only two names of local news folks I can name off the top of my head is Joe Birch and Tim Simpson (both weather people). Oh, and Andy Wise but I'm not sure if he's still around. My point, I don't watch local news... at all. Maybe it's my newspaper and Web bias but I just do not watch local news. So maybe that's why I say it sucks when I see local news (from any channel) instead of the shows I expect to see.

[snip]

The whole helmet/car takedown. Sophomoric, yes. Genius, maybe.

Decisions, Decisions

The Aardvark asks a simple question.

What If?

Political fiction that asks, "What if a real Republican had won the election in 2000."

Better in concept than form, but well worth a looksee.

State of the Union

The Washingtn Post has an interesting piece about how unions are choosing their candidates this year. Lot’s of good stuff here, but the first graph says it all.
[snip]

BETHELHEM, Pa. -- When union members give him grief about Democrats being soft on the Second Amendment, Bill Dorward, an organizer for the United Steelworkers of America, fires back: "If you lose your job, you can't eat your gun."
[snip]

You can, of course, eat a bullet.
Goodbye cruel world, I hardly knew ye!

Bush San

Why am I not surprised that the Halliburton--- um, I mean the Houston Chronicle has thrown its weight behind President Tweak?

But it’s a curious endorsement if there ever was one. It essentially says, “Gosh, the President hasn’t done a very good job, but now he has experience not doing a good job so we support him. Oh, and Kerry has yet to lay out a tactical plan for securing the peace in Iraq.”

Strange that they don’t mention Bush’s own inability to articulate a plan other than, “we will win in Iraq.” It’s stranger still given the recent news about all the unguarded explosives that have fallen into the wrong hands.

The most curious aspect of this endorsement comes in the closing graph:
[snip]
“In his final debate with Kerry, Bush recalled a Western artist who preferred to live on the east side of the mountain so he could view the promising start of each day rather than its close. That is the forward-looking spirit in which the Chronicle again gives its presidential endorsement to George W. Bush.”

In a certain context this line might only call to mind romantic imaged of the old west, but given the new policy of conquest (well, attempted conquest anyway), the idea of President Tweak sitting on the mountainside staring into the rising sun resonates with the spirit of Japanese imperialism in the 1930s. As one friend put it, “yes, indeed, [President Tweak has] given us a ‘Rising Sun’ foreign policy.”

What’s good for the Empire is good for Halliburton, and what’s good for Halliburton is good for Houston. Let’s think of it as Supply Side imperialism, geared to trickle down. In Texas anyway, as far from heaven as you can get.

Qaa-Blooie

In comments Carpbasman added this tidbit of information to the missing explosives fiasco. I've not seen it elsewhere (well, other than the NYT, but who does paper anymore?) so I'm going to post it front and center.

"Less than a pound of this stuff was used in the Lockerbie bombing according to the NYT article.

350 x 2000 = 700,000 pounds.

This administration has lost track of potentially ~1,000,000 Lockerbie bombings.

It lost track of the nuclear material at another IAEA site.

It allowed antiquites to be looted from musuems.

The Oil ministry was guarded though.

These guys really piss me off."

Me too buddy, me too.

Where's Willie

Just wondering out loud. Our 12-foot-tall Mayor for Life has been MISSING lately, or so it seems. I don't want to start any gossip, but he has been acting ODDLY of late, and for three weeks or so it seems he's been--poof!

Maybe it's just a vacation, I don't know. That's why I'm asking you Blogostan. Where's Willie?

October Dud

Oh man! The wingnut bloggers have been FROTHING over the possibility of painting Kerry as a Gore-esque embellisher over his claims to have met with the entire UN Security Council. Well the story has finally broken in the highly reputable Washington Times (cough) and it is a career killer (cough, cough). By that I mean it slays me like a professional comedian. Here are the key graphs:

"But of the five ambassadors on the Security Council in 2002 who were reached directly for comment, four said they had never met Mr. Kerry. The four also said that no one who worked for their countries' U.N. missions had met with Mr. Kerry either.
The former ambassadors who said on the record they had never met Mr. Kerry included the representatives of Mexico, Colombia and Bulgaria. The ambassador of a fourth country gave a similar account on the condition that his country not be identified. "

So Mexico, Bulgaria, Columbia, and a fourth country that doesn't want to be identified (so I'm guessing the Invisible Land of Moon), didn't meet with Kerry. And..?

The only permanent members of the Security Council are France, Russia, the U.S. , China, and the Brits. If Kerry met with all of those guys plus others he's pretty much been caught (gasp) telling the truth. I understand that sort of thing is tres out in political circles these days. Bad form Big John!

Bulgaria? Really, they're pulling out Bulgaria? Next thing you know President Tweak's going to start bragging about his cozy military relationship with Poland.

Oh, wait.

My bad.

Blow Up

Atrios has more on the missing Iraqi explosives.

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Oct. 24 - The Iraqi interim government has warned the United States and international nuclear inspectors that nearly 380 tons of powerful conventional explosives - used to demolish buildings, produce missile warheads and detonate nuclear weapons - are missing from one of Iraq's most sensitive former military installations.

The huge facility, called Al Qaqaa, was supposed to be under American military control but is now a no-man's land, still picked over by looters as recently as Sunday. United Nations weapons inspectors had monitored the explosives for many years, but White House and Pentagon officials acknowledge that the explosives vanished after the American invasion last year.

The White House said President Bush's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, was informed within the past month that the explosives were missing. It is unclear whether President Bush was informed. American officials have never publicly announced the disappearance, but beginning last week they answered questions about it posed by The New York Times and the CBS News program "60 Minutes."

Administration officials said yesterday that the Iraq Survey Group, the C.I.A. task force that searched for unconventional weapons, has been ordered to investigate the disappearance of the explosives.

American weapons experts say their immediate concern is that the explosives could be used in major bombing attacks against American or Iraqi forces: the explosives, mainly HMX and RDX, could be used to produce bombs strong enough to shatter airplanes or tear apart buildings. The bomb that brought down Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988 used less than a pound of the material of the type stolen from Al Qaqaa, and somewhat larger amounts were apparently used in the bombing of a housing complex in November 2003 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and the blasts in a Moscow apartment complex in September 1999 that killed nearly 300 people.

The explosives could also be used to trigger a nuclear weapon, which was why international nuclear inspectors had kept a watch on the material, and even sealed and locked some of it. But the other components of an atom bomb - the design and the radioactive fuel - are more difficult to obtain. "This is a high explosives risk, but not necessarily a proliferation risk," one senior Bush administration official said.

To quote the big A, "ARRRRGH!" That about covers it.

Rummy on Freedom

"Freedom's untidy. And free people are free to commit mistakes, and to commit crimes."
-D. Rumsfeld, on looting in Iraq.

It's not that the Bush Administration is dishonest. They just have more freedom than most folks.

Now it all makes sense.

The Election is Over!

Or it should be. News is breaking all over the net about 350 TONS of high powered explosives that were under IAEA lockdown in Iraq until they were LOOTED in the early days of the occupation. Beyond the political implications, that's not good news for anybody as these explosives are very likely the same explosives being used in car bomb strikes on American targets, AND are powerful enough to trigger a nuclear bomb.

Moreover the Department of Defence did EVERYTHING IT COULD to keep this information from being reported. They didn't want America to know the truth.

There wasn't enough manpower to guard these explosives, so now they are in the wrong hands and being used against us while the DOD wastes its energies in a coverup. Nice. We should all feel so much safer now.

I'd like to remind everyone once again that while we didn't have enough manpower to guard these explosives we could spare some troops to destroy an unflattering mural of Poppy.

YES, we sent troops to destroy some art, but couldn't spare a man to guard 350-tons of superpowerful explosives.

If this episode and coverup doesn't ruin Bush nothing can.

Unless they can somehow pin it all on Clinton.

Either way, it's time for Rummy to fall on his sword. It's time for all these ass-covering chickenhawk murderers who have done everything in their power to make America less safe to go down in total disgrace. And this kind of news, as upsetting as it is to report, can make that happen.

Visit Josh Marshall for a more thorough rundown of the whole sordid story.

Gest Appearance

Holy Crap! I just sat down and looked at all the press materials I’ve gotten concerning David Gest’s little shindig at the Canon Center and in doing so discovered that the ad rates (mentioned below) are NOTHING when you consider the ticket price.

The best seats are going for $25,000. The second best seats go for $15,000. Third-rate seats cost $10,000, and fourth rate seats cost $1000.

$1000 is the cheapest ticket listed.

And I thought The Who was overcharging for their last round of concerts.

For those not in the know, Gest is Liza’s ex-hubby, and a prime example of how truly creepy show business can be.

Yeah, I know this isn’t politics, but Gest is a new Memphian and his presence here promises many surreal possibilities. In terms of bizarre behavior he might even outdo the City Council AND the Mayor’s office combined.

Be Rachel's Gest

Rachel and the City asks her fellow Memphians an important question, "Why did David Gest move to Memphis?"

"Seriously," she asks, "WTF? Why do we deserve this? And he's throwing himself a housewarming party.

<>Performers listed on his advertisement for the event include The Doobie Brothers, Al Green, Gloria Gaynor, Crystal Gayle, Dionne Warwick, Stephanie Mills, Lou Rawls, Shirley Caesar, Archie Bell, Barbara Mason, Billy Gilman, Mya, The Original Box Tops, Freddie Jackson and others. Academy Award nominee Topol will re-create his character from "Fiddler on the Roof."A salute to legendary movie stars is to include guest appearances by Patricia Neal, Jane Russell, Esther Williams, Carroll Baker and Celeste Holm among others.

Who the eff are they?"

Sadly, Rachel failed to mention the MOST ABSURD EFFING PART OF THIS.

I got a rate card for idiots (um, I mean folks) who might want to advertise in the special program commemorating David's little housewarming party at the Canon Center featuring Topol, and Mya, and Patricia Neal who I swear died 20-effing YEARS AGO . Anyway, if so inclined you may buy the eight page center spread in David's program for a mere $35,000.

No, I didn't add a zero.

$35,000 buys the spread: color or black and white.

Well, don't everybody vomit at once.

Lie Girls

The funniest anti-Bush satire yet--- if you're still 15 on the inside. No spoilers, just GO!

Tweak Scares Republicans Too

Check this out:

A FORMER REPUBLICAN SENATOR FOR KERRY
'Frightened to death' of Bush
By Marlow W. Cook
Special to The Courier-Journal

I shall cast my vote for John Kerry come Nov 2.

I have been, and will continue to be, a Republican. But when we as a party send the wrong person to the White House, then it is our responsibility to send him home if our nation suffers as a result of his actions. I fall in the category of good conservative thinkers, like George F. Will, for instance, who wrote: "This administration cannot be trusted to govern if it cannot be counted on to think and having thought, to have second thoughts."

I say, well done George Will, or, even better, from the mouth of the numero uno of conservatives, William F. Buckley Jr.: "If I knew then what I know now about what kind of situation we would be in, I would have opposed the war."

First, let's talk about George Bush's moral standards.

In 2000, to defeat Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. — a man who was shot down in Vietnam and imprisoned for over five years — they used Carl Rove's "East Texas special." They started the rumor that he was gay, saying he had spent too much time in the Hanoi Hilton. They said he was crazy. They said his wife was on drugs. Then, to top it off, they spread pictures of his adopted daughter, who was born in Bangladesh and thus dark skinned, to the sons and daughters of the Confederacy in rural South Carolina.

To show he was not just picking on Republicans, he went after Sen. Max Cleland from Georgia, a Democrat seeking re-election. Bush henchmen said he wasn't patriotic because Cleland did not agree 100 percent on how to handle homeland security. They published his picture along with Cuba's Castro, questioning Cleland's patriotism and commitment to America's security. Never mind that his Republican challenger was a Vietnam deferment case and Cleland, who had served in Vietnam, came home in a wheel chair having lost three limbs fighting for his country. Anyone who wants to win an election and control of the legislative body that badly has no moral character at all.

We know his father got him in the Texas Air National Guard so he would not have to go to Vietnam. The religious right can have him with those moral standards. We also have Vice President Dick Cheney, who deferred his way out of Vietnam because, as he says, he "had more important things to do."

I have just turned 78. During my lifetime, we have sent 31,377,741 Americans to war, not including whatever will be the final figures for the Iraq fiasco. Of those, 502,722 died and 928,980 came home without legs, arms or what have you.

Those wars were to defend freedom throughout the free world from communism, dictators and tyrants. Now Americans are the aggressors — we start the wars, we blow up all the infrastructure in those countries, and then turn around and spend tax dollars denying our nation an excellent education system, medical and drug programs, and the list goes on. ...

I hope you all have noticed the Bush administration's style in the campaign so far. All negative, trashing Sen. John Kerry, Sen. John Edwards and Democrats in general. Not once have they said what they have done right, what they have done wrong or what they have not done at all.

Lyndon Johnson said America could have guns and butter at the same time. This administration says you can have guns, butter and no taxes at the same time. God help us if we are not smart enough to know that is wrong, and we live by it to our peril. We in this nation have a serious problem. Its almost worse than terrorism: We are broke. Our government is borrowing a billion dollars a day. They are now borrowing from the government pension program, for apparently they have gotten as much out of the Social Security Trust as it can take. Our House and Senate announce weekly grants for every kind of favorite local programs to save legislative seats, and it's all borrowed money.

If you listened to the President confirming the value of our war with Iraq, you heard him say, "If no weapons of mass destruction were found, at least we know we have stopped his future distribution of same to terrorists." If that is his justification, then, if he is re-elected our next war will be against Iran and at the same time North Korea, for indeed they have weapons of mass destruction, nuclear weapons, which they have readily admitted. Those wars will require a draft of men and women. ...

I am not enamored with John Kerry, but I am frightened to death of George Bush. I fear a secret government. I abhor a government that refuses to supply the Congress with requested information. I am against a government that refuses to tell the country with whom the leaders of our country sat down and determined our energy policy, and to prove how much they want to keep that secret, they took it all the way to the Supreme Court.

Those of you who are fiscal conservatives and abhor our staggering debt, tell your conservative friends, "Vote for Kerry," because without Bush to control the Congress, the first thing lawmakers will demand Kerry do is balance the budget.

The wonderful thing about this country is its gift of citizenship, then it's freedom to register as one sees fit. For me, as a Republican, I feel that when my party gives me a dangerous leader who flouts the truth, takes the country into an undeclared war and then adds a war on terrorism to it without debate by the Congress, we have a duty to rid ourselves of those who are taking our country on a perilous ride in the wrong direction.

If we are indeed the party of Lincoln (I paraphrase his words), a president who deems to have the right to declare war at will without the consent of the Congress is a president who far exceeds his power under our Constitution.

I will take John Kerry for four years to put our country on the right path.

The writer, a Republican formerly of Louisville, was Jefferson County judge from 1962-1968 and U.S. senator from Kentucky from 1968-1975.

Silly Baptists

The sign at the Baptist Health Center on Union Avenue has read

WELCOME COCSACS

for the last week.

I'd been meaning to take a picture, but sadly enough they took it down before I could get a snapshot. If anybody can e-mail a picture of this wonderful sign I'd be forever in your debt.

WELCOME COCSACS. What were they thinking?

Fighting the Right

<> The Right Wing infrastructure is astounding. Since Watergate embarrassed the entire party the GOP has bought the best minds in the nation, and put them to work in think tanks. They have constructed a biased media empire, and assembled pressure groups out the wazoo. They have funded professorships, and built massive public relations machines.

Although Nixon brought disgrace to the Whitehouse the GOP held on to the top position for 16 of the following 20 years. And during Clinton’s reign the same machine that was built to head off future GOP scandals used its vast experience to bombard the President with a series of headline-grabbing non-scandals until they finally scored with Monica.

Throw it all at the wall. Something will stick.

Even as GOP voter suppression is being exposed throughout the country the attack dogs of wingnut radio are crowing about “Democratic thugs” out to steal an election. The seed is being planted by Rush and his wannabes that there can’t be a Democratic victory without dirty tricks, obscuring the fact that all significant voter suppression coming from the Right.

They are already inciting the rabble to action.

<>
So what happens when Kerry gets elected? The think tanks won’t dry up. Rush isn’t going anywhere, and even if he does there's always Savage to contend with. Money will still buy chairs for ideologues in the halls of academia. The Right will go back into the same attack mode that limited Clinton’s effectiveness, and wrecked Al Gore’s reputation.

As proven in Florida 2000, they can also mobilize an angry, potentially dangerous mob in no time flat.

I’ve got no answers here. I’m asking. We know what they’ve got. The question is, how will they use it this time around? And how do we stop it?

UPDATE: It's not fair to count Ford's years as "holding on," I know. My bad.

Tenet Says The War Was “Wrong”

BIG EFFING DEAL!

There’s been a lot of hubbub in Blogistan concerning former CIA Director George Tenet’s admission that the war in Iraq was built on faulty intelligence. So what’s so new or revealing about any of this? <>

Tenet went on to explain why the war—based on a bad assumption—wasn’t a completely bad idea. His rationale: Same old shit. Saddam was a bad man who did bad things.

I’m not going to make the typical Lib-Blogger whine of, “But there are lots and lots of bad guys out there.” As true as it may be that line is getting stale.

The civilian death count in Iraq is approaching the equivalent of fifty 9/11s—one 9/11-sized tragedy for every state in the Union. And yet President Tweak still talks about Saddam’s mass graves. <>

We’ve turned a country that had no real connections to terrorism into a breeding ground for terrorists. We’ve played into the hands of Islamic radicals by enraging more moderate Muslims, and we’ve driven old allies away in the process. So how was this war not ENTIRELY BAD? <>

FREEDOM? <>

How do you walk up to a man and say, “Hey there fella, I’m going to overthrow your brutal dictator, but your wife is going to die and your kid’s going to lose a leg, and half of a hand, and a lot of your friends will end up in wheelchairs (if they’re lucky), and chances are your country will dissolve into civil war, but gosh darn it combat is so much more satisfying when you’re theoretically free.”

That’s what we’ve done, after all.

I can see why people want to believe what Tenet said was somehow an important admission. I just can’t really see it that way. In one breath he said the war was “wrong,” and in the next he said he didn’t think it was entirely bad. Well which is it George? Because you really can’t have it both ways.

UPDATE: Damn! Memphis blog-readers are some no-commenting, e-mailing people. YES, FIFTY 9/11s. The civilian body count is somewhere between 13-16,000. The U.S.A.'s population is better than 10-times the population of Iraq. You do the math.

Delayed Reaction

After being served Tom DeLay's people called all charges, "moot," presumably because the Texas legislator was already rebuked by Congress for his bad behavior.

Sadly for DeLay a rebuke isn't a pardon. And it looks like the voice traffic between DeLay and his Texas buddies concerning the use of the FAA and Homeland Security to track down Texas Dems during the redistricting battle is now public property.

These audo files include folks at the FAA wondering about the propriety of their actions. Clearly Tommy boy doesn't have the capacity for such reflection.

This could be the beginning of the end for DeLay, and if he goes it's NOT good news for the scummier segments of the GOP (read: most of it).

Spring Break Fallujah

More upsetting than funny, but worth a visit.

We're From France

I can't tell you what's "ostensibly nonpartisan" about a voter drive where anyone who leans liberal is written off. And why would these guys try to hide who they were working for?

Oh yeah, they're scumbags.

[snip]

Campaign 2004: Voter registration workers cry foul

Wednesday, October 20, 2004
By Dennis B. Roddy, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



An ostensibly nonpartisan voter registration drive in Western Pennsylvania has triggered accusations that workers were cheated out of wages and given instructions to avoid adding anyone to the voter rolls who might support the Democratic presidential nominee
 

Sproul & Associates, a consulting firm based in Chandler, Ariz., hired to conduct the drive by the Republican National Committee, employed several hundred canvassers throughout the state to register new voters. Some workers yesterday said they were told to avoid registering Democrats or anyone who indicated support for Democratic nominee John F. Kerry.

"We were told that if they wanted to register Democrat, there was no way we were to register them to vote," said Michele Tharp, of Meadville, who said she was sent out to canvass door-to-door and outside businesses in Meadville, Crawford County. "We were only to register Republicans."

Tharp said volunteers were sent door-to-door to seek registrants but were instructed to first ask prospective new voters which candidate they planned to support.

"If they said Kerry, we were just supposed to say thank you and walk away," Tharp said.

Triumph of the W

This is hands down the best take I've seen on President Tweak's much ballyhooed faith. Schopenhaur would be proud! And so would these guys.

From "Our Magical President"

Given what we know about Bush, from pro-Bush sources such as Stephen Mansfield’s The Faith of George W. Bush and the documentary George W. Bush: Faith in the White House, from the reasonably neutral Frontline special, “The Jesus Factor,” and from mainstream print investigations such as Alan Cooperman's, that’s a fair assessment.

Believing, it seems, is more important to the President than the substance of his belief. Jesus Christ’s particular teachings -- well, those are good, too. But what really matters is that if you believe you can do something, you can.

What Suskind misses, and what Bush’s more orthodox Christian supporters seem to dodge, is that this is not Christian doctrine by any definition. It is, in fact, a key element of the broad, heterodox movement known as New Age religion.

A common aspect of many New Age schools of thought (though not all) is a gentle disdain for perceived reality. That's different from the fundamentalist aversion to worldliness; rather, this approach views the "real world" as that which is within the mind or heart or spirit of the believer. That idea is often dismissed as a modern bastardization of psychology, but many New Agers argue that their beliefs are actually ancient; and, despite the fact that the superficial characteristics are often of a recent vintage, there’s some truth to that assertion. New Age religions are, literally, reactionary, responses to what’s been called the disenchantment of the world. Another word for that process is the Enlightenment, with its claims of empirical accuracy. New Age movements attempt to revive -- or create anew --pre-Enlightenment ideas about magic, alchemy, ghosts, and whatever else practitioners can glean from a record for the most part expunged by institutional Christianity.

This is a good read. Go visit The Revealer for the whole piece.

Iran So Far Away

According to the AP President Tweak just got the official endorsement of (Dramatic Pause) IRAN!

The endorsement in a nutshell: Democrats hurt Iran with sanctions and other bad things. Republicans talk big, but they don't do much to stop us from developing our nuclear facilities.

This is the kind of Bush endorement I can live with!

Like Beethoven said, "Dumb. Dumb, Dumb, Dumb"

Are the voters stupid? It is not considered politically correct to point out that an awful lot of voters don't have a clue what they are talking about. A recent poll from Middle Tennessee State University sheds some light on the subject. For example, when asked which candidate wants to roll back the tax cuts for people making over $200,000 a year, a quarter thought it was Bush and a quarter didn't know. And it goes down hill from there. When asked which candidate supports specific positions on various issues, the results were no better than chance. While this poll was in Tennessee, I strongly suspect a similar poll in other states would get similar results. I find it dismaying that many people will vote for Bush because they want to tax the rich (which he opposes) or vote for Kerry because they want school vouchers for religious schools (which he opposes).

Thanks to Ken for the tip, and the copy.

Tennessee Rethug Watch

This note was posted at Democratic Talk Radio. It seems a young Kerry supporter in Cookvillewas asked to leave a bar or else turn his pro-Kerry T-shirt inside out.

I'm not sure, but refusing someone service because of political attire may fall under the same heading as refusing service due to race or faith. The ACLU needs to have a lawyer give these guys a call. Here's the post:

From a student at TTU:
[snip]

Hello everyone,
I am not involved with the TTU Democrats, although I would like to be, due
to nursing school. Although you do not know who I am I wanted to inform you
that two guys that work at poets and myself went to "Myplace" restaurant
last night to listen to my neighbor play in a jazz band that is there every
Wed. and Thurs. night. We were there for about an hour before a man, I
guess the owner, came up to one of the guys I was with and asked him to
leave or turn his shirt inside out. He was wearing a students for Kerry
t-shirt. So....we left without a fight. However, I am suggesting that if
you are a customer at "my place" that you rethink your position on
remaining a customer there, and consider the rights that you have as a
citizen of the United States. There were people in that establishment
yelling obscenities, yet we were asked to leave over a T-shirt. Isn't there
such a thing as free speech?

Too Sexy For My Political Affiliations

Want to read 51 Thoughts on the Apparent Sexiness of John Edwards? Click on the headline.

Who says lefty bloggers can’t goof on one of their own?

Huckabee Trippin'

Arkansas’ First Lady Janet Huckabee is working as a poll watcher, and a number of early voters have accused her of being rude to the point of being intimidating. Officials have pointed out that there is nothing illegal about Mrs. Huckabee’s decision to work as a poll watcher. Fair enough. And to be fair, her activity might not be unethical either. But there was a time when this sort of thing would have fallen under the category of “bad taste.”
Here’s the clip
From the Fox Affiliate in Little Rock:
[snip]

The Pulaski County election commission held a special meeting today and the hot button issue turned out to be first lady Janet Huckabee's performance as a poll worker. Some voters and elected officials complained that she was intimidating voters and being down right rude and they want her removed from the Dunbar community center precinct because she's becoming a disruption to voters.

Jerry Larkowski, election commission chairman says he went down to assess the situation and says although Huckabee, in his opinion, seemed less than pleasant when talking to voters she wasn't breaking any election rules. However, he's still concerned about the issue and has asked that voters with any complaints submit them in writing to the commission to be reviewed.
 
Said Larkwoski: "While I didn't see any voter that came and complained to me about her actions toward them I did sense some of what I heard that there's tension some of the voters are feeling intimidated by her."
 
The chief election judge, Helen Burr says Huckabee is following the rules and asking questions as she should. She and Huckabee say the allegations of deliberate intimidation and rude behavior are not true, and it may be that merely being the governor's wife is what's intimidating to people.
 
“If I intimidate people I'm sorry. I'm just sitting here doing a job like everybody else and as a citizen and a registered voter I have that right," the first lady told Fox-16.
 
Huckabee says she'll continue to exercise that right as long as the election commission allows her.  And commissioners say if any complaints are with merit and warrant action, they'll meet to decide what that will be.
 

Poll-ish Jokes

The boys at Pandagon have done a neat little experiment. They've assembled polling data from this same period during the 2000 election.

Polling Firm	Date	Bush	Gore	Bush-Gore
ABC	10/19	48%	43%	+5%
Gallup	10/19	50%	40%	+10%
Opinion Dynamics	10/19	45%	42%	+3%
Reuters/MSNBC	10/19	44%	44%	0%
Voter.com	10/19	44%	39%	+5%
ABC	10/18	48%	44%	+4%
Gallup	10/18	49%	39%	+10%
NBC	10/18	45%	43%	+2%
Reuters/MSNBC	10/18	44%	43%	+1%
Voter.com	10/18	44%	40%	+4%

Not a SINGLE poll predicts the actual winner of the popular vote.

But this does bring up an interesting question. Do polling numbers effect the vote? If the answer is "yes" then one has to wonder--given how close the 2000 election turned out-- if the polls were worth a damn would Tweak be hanging in the Oval O?

Sinclairavoyant?

At 2:11 p.m. Dr. Josh at TPM wrote this post:
[snip]

Soon to join the jobless?

The DC Bureau chief of Sinclair Broadcasting, Jon Lieberman, is denouncing his employer's plan to air an hourlong, unpaid Swift Boat ad later this week, according to the Baltimore Sun.
[snip]

At 11:39 p.m. Dr. Josh wrote this post:
[snip]

Yep, like we said this afternoon, among the jobless.

Sinclair Broadcasting's Washington Bureau chief Jonathan Lieberman got canned this afternoon for denouncing Sinclair's Swift Boat stunt in an interview for this morning's Baltimore Sun.
[snip]

Well, I guess you didn't have to be a psychic...

On a happier note Sinclair's stock dropped nearly 8% today. Here's to flipping off your stockholders, that's what makes our economy strong!

Memphis Media Whores: NCLB Edition

Today the Commercial Appeal did for Tweak what Monica did for Bill.

[snip]

Funding for schools up under Bush

October 18, 2004

LITTLE ROCK -- Since 2001, when Congress passed the No Child Left Behind Act, federal funding for education in Arkansas has risen by more than 50 percent.

The total is expected to reach as much as $948 million this year, up from $618 million in 2001, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

The No Child Left Behind law, an initiative of President Bush, calls for all students to score at their grade level on annual state tests in math and literacy by 2013-14.

States are to measure school progress toward that goal yearly. Schools that do not meet state achievement targets in two consecutive years must permit students to transfer to higher-achieving schools and, in some cases, pay for tutoring for those who don't transfer.

The Reading First grant program, the Improving Teacher Quality grant program, and Title I grants for schools with high numbers of low-income children are the largest No Child Left Behind programs in Arkansas.

The Bush administration has been criticized by some for underfunding the act. Gov. Mike Huckabee, a Republican, is not among the critics.

"I think it is the greatest single reform that has ever happened in education in my lifetime," Huckabee said.

[snip]

This is a story. It is not a press release. It was written by a writer. It wasn’t written by a third grader.

Passive voice and choppy sentences aside, the article went on to list all of the things NCLB is supposed to do without going into any detail as to whether or not any of those things are getting done in Arkansas. But that’s not even the point.

Here’s another taste.

[snip]

"I think a person who complains about the lack of money doesn't understand No Child Left Behind," [Huckabee] said. "The No Child Left Behind Act has poured more federal money into states than has ever been poured into education. It is funded for what it was intended to do, which is to give us the diagnostic tools to determine where our deficiencies are. It's not the federal government's responsibility to fix what is wrong. They are giving us the tools to decide what is wrong."

[snip]

Here Huckabee makes a rather bold argument for an alleged conservative: more federal money means a better system of education. Though the reporter mentions that there are critics their specific criticisms are never pointed out, and no critic of the plan is given equal time on the record.

NOBODY has ever denied that NCLB has opened up the federal coin purse. The criticism has been that the funding hasn’t been enough to cover the requirements, and the states—as strapped for cash as they have ever been—are forced to meet requirements that aren’t properly funded.

There was a time when conservatives stood for less money and smarter spending. Education is an area where we can’t afford to cut corners, but we still need smarter spending. And we need an effing media that knows journalism from a press release.

Of course the CA now proudly runs press releases as bylined stories. They call that community journalism.

We call it hacktacular!

Poll Dance

From CBS:

The good news for President Bush in the latest CBS News/New York Times poll is the razor-thin lead he gets in the horserace.

The bad news in the poll is that his approval rating is in the low 40s, more Americans feel the country is on the wrong track and more voters dislike him than like him.
[snip]

How can President Tweak have an overall rating of 44% and still be ahead in the polls? I'm putting my money on the CW that says when a CiC's overall ranking slips below 50% he's toast. And until we get our NewThink orders 44% is still less than 50%.

If anybody else from the SCLM calls Tweak "popular" I may just flip a cog.

Why Can't John O'Neill Stop Lying?

Yeah, it's a little old, but still worth thinking about.

KOPPEL (10/14/04): As I mentioned to you before the broadcast, Mr. O'Neill, we're just going to have time to focus on the one issue that we have looked at tonight. That is the Silver Star issue. And if I could—go ahead.

O’NEILL: May I say, Ted, that's a real shame. It's a shame that you focused only on the one minor accomplishment of John Kerry, and refused to ever cover the sampan incident where the small family was killed, the two times he fled that are described in the book, or the time he visited the North Vietnamese.
[snip]

Of course only one child was killed, and the survivors were taken on Kerry's boat. Big John's never denied this, and neither have his buddies. But to turn it into "a small family,"is, to quote President Bush, "one of those exaggerations."

Was Koeppel ready, willing or able to call O'Neill on his lie? Not a chance .

The Daily Howler has the definitive takedown.

Greed

Like they say, the rich get richer. The LA Times has an upsetting report on the gaps in pay and benefits between workers and upper management. It looks like all those things corporations CAN'T do for workers due to a lack of capital, they can do in spades for upper management.

The average CEO makes better than 400 times what the average worker makes. Think about this for 30 seconds and tell me in all honesty if this isn't the beginning, middle, and end of America's economic woes.

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

Haloscan Activate

After a few failed attempts to add haloscan, It's finally working. Don't know why it worked this time and never before, but I've got no complaints. I'm sure you guys do so have at it!

Dirty Tricks Were Used

Need a state by state rundown of GOP tricks? Click this headline and you're there.

Thanks to Hesiod for the heads up.

Justice Delayed

So why is it taking so long for the Justice Department to investigate the GOP phone jammers? Because the truth only hurts Bush, natch.

Opening Graphs:

Why is it taking the U.S. Justice Department so long to get to the bottom of the phone-jamming incident in the 2002 New Hampshire election?
The phone jamming, initiated by Republican campaign operatives to suppress Democrats from voting in that heated state election, doesn’t involve an entangled international conspiracy. Nor is it a plot with a cast of thousands.
Yet, two years later, the Justice Department is still plodding along in its investigation. So far, two of the parties in the phone-jamming incident have pleaded guilty.

Lots more where that came from. These are questions that should be asked on every major news station.

Almost caught up. More soon.

The Infinite Jest, My Bitches

<>I’ve got a ton of work ahead so posting will be light for the next day or so. But I wanted to share a few random thoughts.

Yesterday Atrios ran a big picture of Mars with the headline, “Our Symbol of Victory.” He was alluding to President Tweak’s bizarre announcement that he was ready to plant an American flag on Martian soil. The announcement—or “diversion,” to give it its most proper name— came at a time when the country was beginning to second-guess the President’s attitudes toward Iraq.

President Tweak’s reign has so closely followed the dramatic arc of a Greek tragedy one would SWEAR old Sophocles was somehow writing the script. There’s been no shortage of treachery, deceit, death or even torture. In recent month’s Tweak’s love/hate relationship with his father has been more visible than ever. He loses his cool whenever anyone compares him to his one-term Daddy who never “finished the job” in Iraq, and who never followed through on his own proposed mission to the Red Planet. And let’s not forget Hubris, the tragic pride that allows a man to “stay the course” when he’s got more than enough reasons to suspect he’s on a collision course with certain doom. There’s been an awful lot of that going around lately.

I think it’s fitting that Mars—the planet named for a petty, hotheaded, and decidedly unstable God of War— should be the symbol of our victory.

If there is a force that governs the cosmos he/she/it LOVES to spread the irony on with a trowel. It doesn’t make the bullshit worthwhile, but the catharsis of victory in November will be that much sweeter.

Mars, my bitches. Effing MARS!

Moore Update

Word to the haters...

Here's the story as I understand it. MM came down with the Boogie Woogie flu on October 6, and he's been on-again off-again since. He's trying to keep as many engagements as he can in spite of the fact that he's still not well. So yeah, we got dissed. But we weren't the first. And we won't be the last.

Diebold May Kill Memphis

Holy effing Jesus on a stick, this is SCARY!

A good friend just went to vote early. It looks like Memphis has gone Diebold, and paper ballots aren't really an option. When my friend said he refused to vote on a Diebold machine and requested a paper ballot they said he'd have to wait-- paper ballots would be delivered in a few minutes. So my buddy went to lunch and did some chores, and went back to vote. Still no paper ballots. Again he was told that if he waited they would show up, "Any minute." He asked if there was anyplace where he could cast a paper ballot or vote on a machine not made by Diebold he was told, "No."

We all know about Diebold. And we know that the very fact that we're being forced to use this faulty, easily hackable system is proof positive that President Tweak has nothing but contempt for Democracy and the will of the American people. Demand paper ballots. If you can't get them contact ALL your city state and federal reps. Write The Commercial Appeal AND The Memphis Flyer, and the MBJ, and anybody else you can think to write.

It doesn't matter if you are a Democrat or a Republican, faulty voting equipment that leaves no paper trail or other means of authentication isn't good for America.
Don't vote Diebold. Demand your paper ballot.

No Moore

Michael Moore's visit to Memphis has been cancelled due to illness. I've heard he has pneumonia. Let's all keep the controversial truth seeker (and sometimes obtainer) in our thoughts. And let's use the time we would have spent at this event out volunteering. Michael would want things that way.

Rove the Retard

Memphis lawns have been littered with what appears to be an anti-Bush flyer created by Democrats. But there are some people who think this plot stinks of Karl Rove. The Flyers have a picture of Bush's head on the body of a youthful runner. The text reads, "Voting for Bush is like Running in the Special Olympics. Even if you win you're still retarded."

Josh Marshall excerpted this first hand account from a one-time Rove operative from the Atlantic Monthly:

A typical instance occurred in the hard-fought 1996 race for a seat on the Alabama Supreme Court between Rove's client, Harold See, then a University of Alabama law professor, and the Democratic incumbent, Kenneth Ingram. According to someone who worked for him, Rove, dissatisfied with the campaign's progress, had flyers printed up—absent any trace of who was behind them—viciously attacking See and his family. "We were trying to craft a message to reach some of the blue-collar, lower-middle-class people," the staffer says. "You'd roll it up, put a rubber band around it, and paperboy it at houses late at night. I was told, 'Do not hand it to anybody, do not tell anybody who you're with, and if you can, borrow a car that doesn't have your tags.' So I borrowed a buddy's car [and drove] down the middle of the street … I had Hefty bags stuffed full of these rolled-up pamphlets, and I'd cruise the designated neighborhoods, throwing these things out with both hands and literally driving with my knees." The ploy left Rove's opponent at a loss. Ingram's staff realized that it would be fruitless to try to persuade the public that the See campaign was attacking its own candidate in order "to create a backlash against the Democrat," as Joe Perkins, who worked for Ingram, put it to me. Presumably the public would believe that Democrats were spreading terrible rumors about See and his family. "They just beat you down to your knees," Ingram said of being on the receiving end of Rove's attacks. See won the race.

[Snip]

Also Steve Clemons at The Note has this to say

Remember when the equally nasty RNC mailer emerged in West Virginia and Arkansas? It took more than a week for Ed Gillespie and the RNC, which originally disavowed knowledge of the mailer, to own up that the "ban the Bible" mailer was an RNC product. In this case, the denial from the Dems is immediate and firm.

[snip]

Everyone knows that if this flyer had been generated by Democrats it would have said, "Even if you win you still have SPECIAL NEEDS."

Scared Rethugs Cancel Moore Protest

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

This is too funny for words. The GOP protest of tomorrow's Michael Moore event has been cancelled for fear of VIOLENT DEMOCRATS!!!

Here's the full text of the e-mail from Shelby County GOPer Kemp Conrad:

"Dear Chris,

After careful reflection regarding the "No Moore Lies" rally
Saturday, I have decided to cancel the bus ride and rally at
the site where Moore will be speaking.  The reason is
twofold.

First and foremost, I am concerned for the safety of our
volunteers that may be put in harms way.  Democratic
supporters have unfortunately turned to violence in this
campaign - much of it because of the putrid rhetoric from
people like Michael Moore.  The Knoxville GOP Headquarters
was recently fired upon, and in Orlando Union thugs stormed
the GOP Headquarters, taking it over.  Anything can happen
in an uncontrolled environment and the risk for trouble in
this situation is just too great. 

Second, the two hours we would spend at Moore's location
would be two hours lost when we could be knocking on doors
for President Bush and our Republican legislative
candidates, and advocating for defeat of the payroll tax. 
Democrat legislators, like Mike Kernell, are now trying to
push a bill through the state legislature that might nullify
or weaken your vote for President Bush by splitting up our
Electoral votes.  We simply do not have enough time to play
around with Michael Moore, we have to take this battle
directly to the voters before it is too late.

We WILL still be meeting at our Headquarters at 11:00 for a
rally, then we will go door to door as planned for President
Bush's "Walk the Vote Day".  As early voting begins
Saturday, we will also be making Get Out The Vote phone
calls.  If you were planning on attending Saturday, I hope
you will still join us in what will be a safer and more
effective use of time. 

Thank you for your consideration and understanding, and
please do not hesitate to call me with your questions or
comments at 292.4653.  We recieved more positive response to
this call to action than almost anything else we have sent
out.  That lets us know how much you care and how much you
want to help.  We just have to focus our energies on
activities that will have a more direct impact on this
election.

Thank you for all that you do for President Bush and our
Republican candidates.

God bless,

R. Kemp Conrad
Chairman"

All I can say to that is this: PUSSIES!

Ohio Election Theft

Via Hesiod

This is VERY bad news.

The Lucas County Democratic Headquarters was burglarized overnight, and three computers, including the party’s main system, were stolen.

The computers contained highly sensitive information, including the party’s financial information, names and personal phone numbers of hundreds of party members, candidates, and volunteers.

The computers also stored e-mails from candidates that included discussion about campaign strategy.

A second computer, belonging to an attorney-volunteer working to ensure voters’ rights, also was taken, officials said. The headquarters on 1817 Madison Avenue does have an alarm system that volunteers believed they set late Monday when they left."

It would appear that the thieves knew exactly what computers to steal. Why is it that when it comes to modern day election fraud, it's ALWAYS the Republicans who are doing the stealing?

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE:

Via Josh Marshall:

As we told you a few days ago, six Republican party staffers and campaign workers in South Dakota resigned 
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The latest comment:
Philip James: Telling it straight and narrow  over a burgeoning voter fraud scandal. Chief among them was Larry Russell, head of the South Dakota GOP's get-out-the-vote operation, the Republican Victory Program.

To date, no criminal charges have been filed. But the state Attorney General says the investigation is "continuing."

Today comes news, however, that Russell -- still under investigation in South Dakota -- has been reassigned to run President Bush's get-out-the-vote operation in Ohio. Russell will now "lead the ground operations" for Bush in Ohio, according to an internal Republican party memo obtained by the Sioux Falls Argus Leader.

And Russell's bringing along with him to Ohio three of the five other GOP staffers who had to resign in South Dakota and are similarly under investigation in that state.

Think about what this means. The GOP knowingly brough in a team of operatives with a history of dirty tricks and unlawful practices. That should tell you all you need to know about how these guys woek. I think I know who the cops need to call about getting the Democrats' computers back.

This is VILE people. Don't sit still for it.

PISSED: Gossip Update

A little birdie told me that the 10-G for last night's open bar for Harold Ford Jr.'s underwhelming debate party came straight from SHELBY CO. DEMOCRATS.

What a STUPID MOVE BY JR!

With the race for the White House in a dead heat the local Dems (who are getting squat from national) could have put that dough to MUCH BETTER USE.

I've never thought Jr. had particularly good judgment, and have always considered him to be a self-serving, opertunistic flake who looks like his mother dresses him every morning.

Suspicians confirmed!

10-G PISSED AWAY. Literally.

Gay Pride

There has been a lot of garbage coming from the Right (and even from Mrs. Cheney herselvis) about how out of line Kerry's "gay daughter" comments were.

Why?

It's not like this was an outing.

Kerry's comments--empowering comments at that--could only be seen as offensive by someone who thinks homosexuality is something to be ashamed of. End of story.

Hey Wingerville: this dog will NOT hunt. Let it go.

More on the debates later.

The Ever Loving Onion

If Kerry is elected Cheney vows to personally attack America.

Memphis Stuff

I wish I got as many comments as e-mails!

Lots of folks want to see more Memphis politics, and I WILL DELIVER. God KNOWS this crazy city is poli-bloggers wet dream.

But through November I'm concentrating on the national, with an occasional bit of local news or media crit. BUT HERE'S A TEASER TO FILE UNDER "JUICY LOCAL GOSSIP."

I understand that there is an open bar debate party at Jillians tonight hosted by a certain congressman. I understand that the "open bar" is costing $10,000 and is being paid in part if not entirely with DNC dollars. Since Tennessee wasn't thought to be a battleground state the Shelby Co. Party got little or no money from National. They can't afford to replace all the Kerry/Edwards yard signs that are being stolen.

But there's 10-G for booze floating around somewhere.
Like I said, this is GOSSIP. If it's true, then somebody has some SPLANIN' to do.
Since Tennessee has come into play the local Party needs all the cash it can get just to cover THE BASICS. A little shindig for a few hundred folks at Jillian's makes a certain somebody look a little self-interested, and a little self-serving.

If it ain't true Jr. I'll take it all back. Balls in your court.

Banana Republicans

This is funny. I need all the funny I can get right now.

Update: The link that was broken has been restored. Go get your funny on.

RNC Funded Voter Supression

EFFING BEAUTIFUL! There's too much going on to write about everything, so I'm lifting this straight from Kos. Something tells me he won't mind a bit.

[snip]

Found the following links which all seem to point to the same company that is suspected of tearing up Democratic voter registration forms in Las Vegas. It has set up registration drives in Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Florida and Nevada and is accused of the same things in most if not all of these states. Sproul & Associates is a Republican consulting firm run by Nathan Sproul, former head of the Arizona Republican party and Arizona Christian Coalition.

Nevada:
Voters Outreach of America AKA America Votes tears up Democratic voter registration forms in Nevada.

Oregon:
Company claiming affiliation with non-partisan 'America Votes' to register voters in Oregon is actually GOP consulting firm Sproul & Associates, Inc.

West Virginia and Pennsylvania:
Sproul & Associates AKA America Votes workers in WV and PA refuse to register Kerry voters.

Oregon
Democrats in Oregon have complained that canvassers for Arizona based Sproul & Associates have been pressuring residents to register as Republicans so that they can get paid.

Arizona
Arizona Nader campaign was assisted in its petition drive by an unlikely figure: the ultra-conservative former executive director of the Arizona Republican Party, Nathan Sproul.

About Sproul:
Good background story on Sproul and his political track record, cached on Google.

The link:
Here is the direct link between Sproul and Voters Outreach of America.

According to several sources, two of the contractors Sproul hired to oversee petition gathering for No Taxpayer Money For Politicians -- Aaron "A.J." James, who directs Voters' Outreach of America, and Diane Burns -- were also paid by Sproul to get as many signatures as possible for Nader.

Good stuff, so far. But the reader then asks the key question -- who is paying for these efforts?

The answer?

KLAS-TV, Las Vegas:
"The company has been largely, if not entirely funded, by the Republican National Committee."

CareerBuild.com listing:
Help wanted ad for Voters Outreach of America says "Paid for by the Republican National Committee".

The Republican Party is funding these efforts. The link is direct and unambiguous.

Meanwhile, Bob Johnson has got a diary with more information on this developing scandal. As he says,

[C]ritical is the fact that Sproul and his organization misrepresented themselves to voters as a legitimate, nonpartisan GOTV organization. That is fraud, my friends.

The Googlemonkeys are ferreting out all sort of great info. Might be time for a dKosopedia entry on this to consolidate all this info.

(Two great examples of participatory journalist at its finest.)

[snip]

This is revolting. The next time a Rethug calls any Democrat un-American or unpatriotic this news should shut them up and fast. There is NOTHING more unpatriotic or anti-American than trying to take away the votes of American citizens. I'm a peaceful man and would like to see every death row in America eliminated. But voter fraud of this size should be considered a serious a viscious attack on the constitution of the United States. Those who are behind it should be considered TRAITORS to their country. Lets see how much the Rethugs LOVE the death penalty when some of their top players are staring down that lethal injection.

Over the top?

Here's the definition of Treason from dictionary.com: Violation of allegiance toward one's country or sovereign, especially the betrayal of one's country by waging war against it or by consciously and purposely acting to aid its enemies.

Attempting to deny citizens their vote in order to insure a political victory that isn't in accordance with the will of the people is--without question--a violation of allegiance toward one's country. And last time I checked, treason was punishable by death.

Now I'm against killing people, but there's nothing wrong with scaring the living bejesus out of these assholes.

Crying Wolf Blitzer

Want to know what a nasty little creep Wolf Blitzer is?

From The Daily Howler:

Wolf Blitzer was chatting with Bob Schieffer, tonight’s debate moderator—and Wolf’s “liberal bias” was starting to show. First, Blitzer discussed a troubling aspect of last Friday’s Bush-Kerry Debate II:

"BLITZER (10/12/04): Talk a little bit of how you're going to discipline these two presidential candidates. We saw Charlie Gibson, at least on one, maybe two occasions, have a little trouble making sure they kept within their time-lines and simply didn't want to respond when they weren't allowed to respond.

Huh? We don’t know what Blitzer meant either. But after Schieffer’s nondescript answer, he referred to one widely-noted incident from Friday’s debate—the incident where Bush, in a follow-up on Question 6, interrupted and talked over moderator Gibson. Yes, the incident has been widely discussed. But check out how Blitzer described it:

BLITZER (10/12/04): Well, what happens, though, what do you do if—if what happened the other night in St. Louis happens, that John Kerry says something really, really nasty at [sic] the president and it's time for you to move on to another subject, but the president is obviously anxious to respond and he just starts talking? How do you—he's the president of the United States!

[LAUGHTER]

Amazing, isn’t it? Kerry had said something “really, really nasty at the president,” and Bush was “obviously anxious to respond.” Want to see the depth of Blitzer’s decline? Here’s the “really, really nasty” thing Kerry had said at the time: KERRY (10/8/04): Let me tell you where the president's policies have put us. The president—and this is one of the reasons why I am very proud in this race to have the support of General John Shalikashvili, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Admiral William Crowe, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; General Tony McPeak, who ran the air war for the president's father and did a brilliant job, supporting me; General Wes Clark, who won the war in Kosovo, supporting me; because they all—and General Baca, who was the head of the National Guard, supporting me."

Gosh, if Kerry had said something that nasty to me I might have to TWEAK ON HIM TOO!

Choose Death

Kevin at Lean Left has a fine, fine piece up about the "abortion gag rule" put into effect by Reagan, taken out by Clinton, and put back in by President Tweak on his very first day in office. The "Mexico City Policy," gets in the way of family planning, but that's not even the half of it. As Kevin puts it:

"It is a policy that is, quite literally, killing people, increasing disease, increasing unplanned and unwanted childbirth and its attendant poverty and infant mortality, and, not incidentally, increasing abortions in some regions. But it persists because it flatters the obsessions of the most rabid wing of the religious right."

Read the whole piece

Why do the Republicans HATE LIFE?

More Election Rigging

It looks like the B.S. in Nevada is happening in Oregon as well. This must be STOPPED.

I don't care what side of the political fence you sit on. If you attempt to thwart the electoral process and you are caught and convicted you should be treated as a TRAITOR becauseyou are attempting to undermine EVERYTHING AMERICAN DEMOCRACY STANDS FOR.

Jail time is a given, but only after the criminals have spent some time in the shadow of the gallows. Make that long, long sentence seem like sweet mercy.

Rigging the Election

It would appear that the same private voter-registration firm hired by the GOP to collect autographs for Nader in Nevada has destroyed THOUSANDS of Democrat voter registration forms.

LOCK THEM UP WITHOUT PAROLE
And let's see if President Tweak makes with a pardon.

Bloody Hands

Sy says we're raising up a new crop of Winter Soldiers.

This is upsetting beyond words.

Snarkiness fails.

Sinclair Linked to Government Contract

Sinclair's propaganda may blow up taking the Bushies with it. Like the man says, FOLLOW THE MONEY.

Looks like Sinclair is getting big crony-bucks from President Tweak. No WONDER they want to keep him around.

Ministry of Ashcroft

John Ashcroft, being the caution that he is, has attempted yet another assault on American civil liberties. As Steve Clemons says at The Note, watch out for The Champion Act. Tucked into these "plans" for a complete Intel overhaul there are provisions allowing the justice department to SELL YOUR RECORD to potential employers.

Clemons hopes Kerry can use this in the next debate:

From The Note:

The questions should be:

President Bush, if you had been held accountable for misdeeds that only you know about from your self-described wild youth, would you have been hired by the people of the United States as President?

If your employers and business partners had known that you broke laws (not saying you did...but you and Jesus know) because this information had been plugged into a national data base and shared with anyone who wanted it and paid the Justice Department, "a reasonable fee," would you have gotten where you are today?

Did you read Orwell's 1984? Do you think sharking records of all criminal offenders with employers around the nation fits with compassionate conservatism?

Sinclair Stupidity

Sinclair's Mark Hyman on CNN:

"Because [there] are some elements of this [Swift Boat Vet-connected documentary] that may reflect poorly on John Kerry... it's somehow an in-kind contribution of George Bush?

If you use that logic and reasoning, that means every car bomb in Iraq would be an in-kind contribution to John Kerry. Weak job performance ratings that came out last month would have been an in- kind contribution to John Kerry. And that's just nonsense.

This is news. I can't change the fact that these people decided to come forward today. The networks had this opportunity over a month ago to speak with these people. They chose to suppress them. They chose to ignore them. They are acting like Holocaust deniers, pretending these men don't exist."

I can say without fear of being corrected that this is one of the most twisted bits of logic I have ever encountered. I try not to use the F-word (and by that I mean Fascist), but when FACTS become propaganda, and propaganda becomes news, there just aren't many other terms that fit.

Good Old Fashioned American Drugs

From Ruminate This:

"...those stalwart souls capable of sticking out the Friday night Presidential debate may well recall that there was a point where Gee Dub, in all his hot-blooded feral glory, was asked about importation of drugs from Canada. He replied that he wanted to make sure that any imported drugs were actually safe for the sake and protection of the American people before he was going to jump head-long into such a program. If only he could effectively communicate this concern for our health to the Food and Drug Administration....

...onThursday, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa and chairman of the Finance committee, revealed that a long-time employee of the FDA drug safety program had received heavy pressure to hush up about his concerns about the arthritis drug Vioxx weeks before it was voluntarily pulled from the market by it's manufacturer.

Dr. David J. Graham, associate director for science in the FDA Drug Center’s Office of Drug Safety, told Senate investigators he faced stiff resistance within the regulatory agency to his findings.

"Dr. Graham described an environment where he was 'ostracized,' 'subjected to veiled threats' and 'intimidation,'" Grassley said in a statement after Finance Committee investigators interviewed the researcher Thursday.

And that's not where this little story ends either. Go visit RT for the rest of the story

Troops to America: We Don't Support You

If things are going so swimmingly, why do our boys think they'll never come home?

Potty Time at Lesbo High

First Tom Coburn the Republican Senate candidate in Oklahoma warns of "rampant" lesbianism in some schools that is SO BAD, "they'll only let one girl go to the bathroom."

Now Keith Ballard, execuitive director of Oklahoma school boards says, "I don't believe that."

It's one thing to lie. It's another thing to add detail like, "only one girl can go to the bathroom."

Senator Coburn has been thinking hard about two subjects: Lolita hotties getting busy in the ladies room, and lonely Lolita hotties in the ladys room.
[Cue Chuck Berry]

Iraqi Nuclear Material Missing

Why again are we safer?

GOP Ethics: An oxymoron?

Pandagon Nails It

Remember when every wingnut blowhard in the punditry accused ABC of having a liberal bias (and a credibility problem) because Nightline listed the names of every American soldier killed in Iraq.

So where are those same blowhards now that Sinclair Broadcasting plans to run a factually challenged anti-Kerry documentary just a few days before the election?

Objectively nonpartisan facts aired months before an election vs. outright propaganda aired days before the election: which is worse?

Or did 9/11 even change things that happened AFTER 9/11?

Jack Handy Eat Your Heart Out

If you’re part of the wealthiest class in the wealthiest nation in the world what do you care if jealous outsiders hate America? You’ve lived with this social burden for your entire life and it’s never stopped you from buying a diamond.

Update:

Jack Handy Eat Your Heart Out II

Wingnut Edition

America is divided like never before. It seems like there’s almost nothing that everyone can agree on. But I think there is still one thing we can all agree on. John Kerry looks like Lurch from the Addams Family

Hey, you gotta be fair and balanced, right?

You Don't Know Dick

For everything you ever wanted to know about our genuinely creepy Veep, but were truly afraid to ask.

You may hate me for posting this link. It's going to consume the rest of your day, and chase you into dreamland.

How do you know if the President is Lying?

Is his mouth moving?

How many times has Tweak told us that he listens to his generals, and gives them what they say they need?

Via Atrios

"Since May, Brig. Gen. Oscar B. Hilman, commander of the 81st Brigade Combat Team, a National Guard unit from Washington State that operates the base, has requested 500 to 700 more soldiers. But he said the request has been denied.

"Because the enemy is persistent, we need additional forces. We asked twice," said Hilman, who arrived here in April for a yearlong stint. But Hilman said he was told that "there are no additional forces," and that U.S. soldiers are needed elsewhere, particularly to battle insurgents and cover a large area to the north that includes the rebellious cities of Tikrit and Samarra.

The 81st Brigade's top enlisted man, Sgt. Maj. Robert Barr, said the soldiers here are frustrated, and that he often hears the same question: "Why aren't we stopping it or killing their guys who are doing it?"

Their complaints contrast sharply with statements by President Bush and top Pentagon officials, including Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, who say U.S. troop strength is sufficient but that more soldiers will be sent if senior commanders ask.

While the 81st provides security inside the fence that surrounds the base, the task of protection outside the concertina wire falls to the 2nd Brigade, part of the 1st Infantry Division, based in Tikrit. During the past week, the division has participated in the effort to take back Samarra from insurgents. Those units, too, are stretched thin.

"They have other operational concerns," said Lt. Col. Harry Gonzalez, a spokesman for the 81st. "There's a lot of real estate."

Hilman said he requested additional forces in the spring and again in the summer from 13th Corps Support Command, which is responsible for LSA Anaconda and all other multinational supply and transportation facilities in Iraq.

Maj. Richard W. Spiegel, a spokesman for the 13th Corps, confirmed that Hilman put in the request and that it was endorsed by the command's top officer, Brig. Gen. James E. Chambers.

The request was forwarded to Multi-National Corps Iraq headquarters, which assesses troop requirements and makes the final decision, Spiegel said. The request was denied, he said, declining to provide details."

Amazing how these guys made a reasonably honorable guy like Gore seem like a compulsive liar in 2000.

The FCC Strikes Back

Josh Marshall at TPM posts this missive from the FCC to Sinclair broadcasting.

Dear sirs:

I'm told you were involved in a decision to order Sinclair stations to carry anti-Kerry propaganda. If my information is false, please forgive this intrusion. While I do not believe you should be required to carry pro-Kerry content, except of course for an even-handed sale of your advertising time to both campaigns, I do wish to register my objection and concern if in fact you have obliged your stations to carry anti-Kerry propaganda.

I assure you that if you were carrying anti-Bush propaganda I would be equally concerned.

The problem is this: How can it be part of a broadcaster's public interest obligation to aspire to alter the perceptions of the audience about a presidential candidate by showing biased content that in no way reflects either breaking news or even-handed treatment of the issues? Why should a broadcaster keep its licenses if it behaves in this manner? I hope you will reconsider your edict -- unless, of course, I am misinformed, in which case I do hope you forgive this message.

-- Reed Hundt


Now that sounds EXACTLY RIGHT.

Morons Hate Freedom

In a recent post I waxed prematurely nostalgic about the day when I would give my little girls their first copy of Orwell, and say, "We lived through it."
Here's another example


It would seem that the right isn't interested in returning to a time when terrorists don't dictate every action in our lives.

Sure, as a POLITICIAN Kerry never should have admitted the obvious: because fighting terrorism is more like fighting organized crime than traditional models of "the enemy state" we'll never be able to scrape out every last cell. Kerry should have overpromised terrorist genocide to eliminate erectile dysfunction in the blame-America-never set.

Heck, last I heard there were STILL NAZI War criminals to be captured, but the Third Reich hasn't been a nuisance for years.

I'll Wash Yours...

From Jeanne d'Arc:

"Custer Battles is a company with no experience whatsoever in the security industry and an owner who has contributed to Republican causes and is a former Republican congressional candidate. Can you think of anyone more deserving of a $16 million contract to provide security for the Baghdad Airport?"

Experience exschmeriance. You support the Repubs wholeheartedly YOU GET TO REBUILD IRAQ.

Whether it's good for the Iraqis or not.

Go read the whole thing. Bring an air sickness bag just in case.

The other Babs

The Dems have officially got the gay vote in a lockbox.

Surprise, Surprise!

As it turns out NOTHING means more to George W. Tweak than winning the election.

From the LA Times

"WASHINGTON — The Bush administration will delay major assaults on rebel-held cities in Iraq until after U.S. elections in November, say administration officials, mindful that large-scale military offensives could affect the U.S. presidential race."

Amazing stuff, ain't it? It's sort of like a football tream that won't play until the quarterback gets laid. Except in this case the fans in the bleachers are dying, and suffering, and dying, and... oh, I said "dying" already, didn't I?

The Shorter Jim Hoagland: John Kerry for President!

When my little girls are old enough to read Orwell I'll give them my dog-eared copy of 1984, and I will hug them and say, "We lived through it honey. They tried to do it to us, but eventually the Newspeak broke down, and we survived."

This week's prize for self-defeating Orwellian logic goes to Washington Post columnist Jim Hoagland.

Hoagland's fair and balanced thesis gives the President a lump or two, but it can be condensed thusly: Saddam was not "un-bad," therefore it is absurd for war critics not to blame him for things that he did not and could not do because he would have done them if he could.

As the Tweak campaign is quick to note, John Kerry thought Saddam was a bad enough dude to authorize the use of force. He's never claimed otherwise. Kerry's charge is that President Tweak mislead America in a rush to war that COULD have been avoided, or at the very least PLANNED.

So hurrah Jim Hoagland! You can't fully embrace this war narrative without first admitting that THE INVASION WAS BASED ON A LIE!

Well, unless you're intellectually dishonest.

Update: Using Hoagland's logic men who have lost their equipment could find themselves facing a paternity suit.

President Tweak

Anybody who thinks Kerry didn’t slaughter Bush in the second debate is blinded by the soft bigotry of low expectations.

It’s not that President Tweak rushed the moderator’s desk flailing his arms and demanding the right to respond even if the rules were against him. Charles Gibson, stunned by President Tweak’s aggression, was already offering additional time, but blustering anger headed Tweak was too busy reacting to something that never happened, to see that he was already getting his way. He looked like a spoiled, petulant manchild who discovers one day that his riches are squandered, and his outlook uncertain. The outburst made him seem cornered, unstable and weak.

The President’s meltdown was a major victory for the Democrats. It proved that when Tweak starts barking orders, he can’t hear what anybody else in the room is saying. It’s a damning image that meshes perfectly with the narrative John Kerry has been pushing; a narrative that suggests our Tweak is wholly unfit to command, and dangerously out of touch with the needs, if not the actual values of the American majority.

Kerry explained in easy to understand detail why small numbers of well-trained, well-equipped troops can win a battle, but can’t win a sustained peace. He showed that our inability to secure Iraqi ammo dumps is now costing American soldiers their lives. He made it clear that the General who warned poor Tweak that we needed more men on the ground was put out to pasture.

All because our Tweak—a man who makes Howard Dean look like a novice ranter—just can’t listen. Not even when he’s getting his way.

John Kerry went down to the Show Me state, and he did exactly that.

“If Missouri, just given the number of people from Missouri who are in the military over there [in Iraq] today, were a country, it would be the third largest country in the coalition, behind Great Britain and the United States,” he said.

It was like hearing the coffin lid slam down on Bush’s campaign. Now everybody in America has a simple, concrete example of what our “grand international coalition” means in human terms. That my friend is “plain language.” That kind of talk solidifies your base, and wins previously forgone votes from the other team. That kind of simple, illuminating talk wins landslide elections, and shames opponents.

Steam poured from President Tweak’s ears, and his forced smile turned into a smirk. He tried to make a little joke about his inability to suppress his anger and disgust, but it fell flatter than a period on onionskin. His logic fell apart like a $20 car.

“Nobody is going to follow somebody who doesn't believe we can succeed and with somebody who says that war where we are is a mistake,” Tweak said, and in an instant a new Global policy was born: Let’s call it The Lemming Theory.

The Shorter Tweak: John Kerry can never convince estranged allies to help America by telling them he agrees with them 110%.

One charge President Tweak refused to rebut in any real or consistent way was Kerry’s claim that recent tax cuts are only beneficial to the richest one percent of America. Instead he looked into the eyes of America and declared his disastrous economic policies a smashing success. The fact that Tweak actually managed to put together a few coherent sentences may fool the Heathers and Whores of our 24-hour telepunditry, but poor and middle class people know when times are good, and when jobs are few and far between. Bush can’t fool anybody on this issue, and his retreat to wedge issues like abortion and stem cell research only appeals to the clear minority who vote a straight Jesus ticket.

Concerning embryonic stem cell research Tweak said:

“Destroying life to save life is an ethical dilemma we face.”

Yes, this came from the same mouth that lied 1000+ American soldiers to their death in the increasingly bloody sands of Mesopotamia where the civilian body count is the equivalent of fifty 9/11’s.

As the debate wound down Kerry took Tweak on a very literal trip to the woodshed by showing how, under the GOP’s plan the President’s own modest timber interests qualify him for “small business” tax incentives. Poor Tweak, caught totally off guard, reached out like Benny Henn on a healing jag and asked his loyal lifelines if he really had wood.

Factcheck.org, the Dick Cheney recommended website says:

"President Bush himself would have qualified as a 'small business owner' under the Republican definition, based on his 2001 federal income tax returns. He reported $84 of business income from his part ownership of a timber-growing enterprise."

Bush seemed astonished to discover he even had timber interests, and his limp attempts at laughing it off quickly devolved into an advertisement for natural male enhancement.

Time and time again Bush tried to smear Kerry with the taint of ambiguity, but as it turns out the lanky New England Senator is made of Vulcanized rubber and the increasingly hunched POTUS is straight up Crazy Glue.

Slander

In case you haven't heard already, the Sinclair Broadcast group--a media giant penetraiting at least 25% of American households will be screening a MOONIE-MADE ANTI-KERRY DOCUMENTARY just a few nights before the election.

Some folks are looking to confront Sinclair over this. Maybe you want to help

UPDATE: I'm just lifting this from Kos.
"From what I'm hearing, the local Sinclair stations have no say in airing the anti-Kerry program. Doesn't matter, the harder we hit them, the more they'll pressure HQ to back off the program.

But if you want to go straight to the top, here are the three who made the decision:

mhyman@sbgnet.com (Mark Hyman, host)
dsmith@sbgnet.com (David Smith, president)
jdefeo@sbgnet.com (Joe Defeo, news director)

Main telephone: 410.568.1500
Main Fax: 410.568.1533

As a fun aside, Atrios notes that David Smith, conservative stalwarth, likes the hookers.

The president of Baltimore-based Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc., which owns the local Fox television affiliate, was arrested Tuesday night and charged with committing a perverted sex act in a company-owned Mercedes, city police said.

So yeah, your typical hypocritical brand of conservatives."

9/11Hagiography

Some cable news channel is running a piece about Bush’s behavior on 9/11. They're talking about how noble it was that, upon discovering America was under attack, Bush kept mum, and continued reading to the students he’d come to visit.

Imagine what a great campaign commercial Dubya would have if he’d stood up and said, “I’m sorry class, but I’m going to have to leave you all a little early today. The office of President is one of great responsibility. You will soon discover what has happened, and I hope you’ll forgive me for running out on you. But America must be protected. That’s my job. God bless you all, and God bless America.”

He would have seemed like Superman, and not like a hard-luck gambler who just heard Vito was waiting outside to collect his pound of flesh.

History is FILLED with great leaders who, in times of crisis, overcame their handicaps and human frailties to become heroes and saints. It’s the obstacles that make great leaders into heroes.

That's the story, Alpha to effing Omega.

Poor Dubya, forever a victim to the soft bigotry of low expectations, can only be considered a brave leader and statesman by virtue of affirmative action.

Definitive Take on the Second Presidential Debate: The Abstract

My post debate rant has been delayed by things like sleep, and twins, and trying to get tickets to see Michael Moore.

Until then why not watch President Tweak have a MELTDOWN.

As it happens, Bush was being granted more time to speak. That didn't stop him from flying off the handle and demanding more time--because he doesn't LISTEN.

One more thing

I suspect that John Kerry could have come out in favor of eating babies, and George Bush could have come out in favor of eating lesbians and the Talking Hairpieces would have said the EXACT SAME THINGS tonight. So much of the post debate spin was so obviously constructed before either candidate stepped out onto the stage.

The curtain is slipping. We're starting to see the wizard peeking out.

Out of Step

The next post will be about the debate. But first, some context.
Last week, during his 50-minutes of free Network airtime Bush explained why rolling back tax cuts on the rich won’t work. The Rich will, “hire lawyers,” and find, “loopholes,” and the weight ends up on the middle class anyway. In this feeble attempt a “lawyer joke” Dubya spoke a mouthful:

“Privlidge has it’s privlidges,” he seemed to say. And everyone else had better get used to it.

Just let that sit with you for a while.

Godstuff

I just heard two British clergymen on the BBC debating about prayer. One said, "God is like daddy, and daddy loves to spoil his children so it's okay to pray for money and material goods." The other said, "being human and frail we WILL pray for money and material goods, but God just can't be bothered with doling out our weekly allowances, so get over it." Or something like that.

Hmm. If I were a Christian drawing my assumptions from the Good Book I'd suggest asking God for the wisdom and strength to be a force for good in the world. This is, if I understand the doctrine of the Christ-Eaters, where personal ambition meshes with God's will, if not his perfect apocalyptic plan.

Earlier I heard a comedian on Comedy Central freaking out about Nukes in India.

"Don't give the bomb to people who believe in reincarnation," he said. Knee jerk laugh.

No buddy, don't give the bomb to people who think their God wants the world to be destroyed by fire.
Not as funny, but a damn site scarier.

The Kettle for Satan's Tea Bag

Coulter's on with Larry King who--for those who may not remember--still looks like an owl.

I can't watch.

Wavelength

The Bush administration responds to the earpiece flap--- and with a sense of humor no less.

From mediachannel.org

[I went] to Mark McKinnon, Media Director for the George W. Bush re-election campaign. McKinnon is by most accounts one of the top media strategists and image-makers in the business, having helped to elect a slew of Democrats before switching sides and successfully running media operations for Bush's first presidential campaign in 2000. Although now a died-in-the-wool convert, McKinnon is different from many Bush operatives in that he is open, responsive, and often displays a keen sense of humor, as evidenced by his emailed response to my query:

"I love this. Am tempted to say, 'I cannot confirm or deny,' and let the story get some legs. Or, how about, 'Since we put the metal plate in his head, we have had some measure of success with audio transmissions to the President.' Or, 'Yeah, but it clearly broke down during the debate.'"

McKinnon continues: "Unfortunately, the truth is not nearly as interesting. The answer is, 'The President has never been assisted by any audio signal.'"

Okay, now we have an OFFICIAL RESPONSE. Unless somebody can jam the signal causing "Who Let the Dawgs Out" to play every time Bush opens his mouth (something I would WELCOME) I'd suggest that we all let this one go.

Short People

When Dubya says things like this

"On Iraq, Sen. Kerry has a strategy of retreat...I have a strategy of victory."

Doesn't it sound a lot like Napoleon dissing Wellington as he marches on to Waterloo?

Lying like a Rug

Just in case anybody wants to clean out their memory hole before tonight's debate, Failure is Impossible has a pretty thorough list of Bush's lies.

Be warned, smacking yourself between the eyes over an extended reading period may result in brain trauma. The Fly washes his hands of any personal injury you may receive while reading this material.

It Still Stinks

Today the Memphis section of the newly redesigned Commercial Appeal has three B1 stories-- one about Michael Moore, one about a GOP plan to block Memphis' proposed payroll tax, and one about a senseless shooting-- that jump to page BO. Of course there is no page BO. The first two stories jump to page B5, and the third is hidden in the lower left hand corner of B2, just under requests for marriage licenses.

Making mistakes like Little Debbie makes cream pies.

Tax the Poor

In his free 50-minute campaign commerci... er, I mean MAJOR POLICY ADDRESS President Bush handed Senator John Kerry the assassin's knives, and offered up his own throat for the slitting.

Bush, trying to explain why taxing the rich is pointless, and taxing wages is a good idea said that the rich would just, "hire lawyers" and accountants to find "loopholes." Bush said the rich would, "get out," of paying those taxes, and working folk would still carry the load. In short, George W. Bush looked America in the eye and said, "If you're not rich you're fucked coming AND going, might as well vote for me."

Kerry can vaporize Bush with this.

Milli Vanilli

Salon actually gives the whole "was the President wired during the debate" thing a halfway serious shake.

Minus smoking gun proof of wrongdoing this kind of speculation really does make the left sound like a bunch of nutjobs.

Yes, I saw the bulge in the President's jacket, and no I don't know what caused it. But I also saw the bulge in the President's flight suit and I have it on good authority that there's nothing there either.

So go figure

Another Reason to Hate O'Reilly!

... like they say, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend."

And I--um--I guess that's--um--true?

Hey, any reason for turning off O'Reilly is a GOOD reason for turning off O'Reilly.

O'Reilly on the Daily Show

Can Bill O’Reilly hear himself? Tonight on the Daily Show he compared Dubya’s pursuit of consistency over correctness to a comedy routine gone south.

O’Reilly told Stewart, “You know when you’re doing a comedy sketch and it dies? You don’t pull the sketch, you go through with it.” Or something very close to that.

Yeah Bill, but when a comedy routine dies 1000 American soldiers don’t die with it, you DIMWIT!

O'Reilly actually tried to pass himself off as an undecided voter. And Mr. Stewart was gracious enough to pretend to believe him.

Viva la Revolution

Atrios and the gang are going that extra mile

"Writing a blog post is not enough. Reading a blog post is not enough. Commenting on a blog is not enough.

Being educated is the first step toward political change. But the next step requires doing something.

BlogPac.org is that next step -- a group of bloggers not content to simply write words or read them, but eager to take action on the pressing issues of our day. We will not sit idly by and merely chatter as everything we care about burns. And you join us in our efforts."

GO GIVE SOME TURKEE TODAY!

Memphis Media Whores

Good GOD what's wrong with that two-bit daily The Commercial Appeal? A full 24-hours after the Cheney Edwards debate they run a Cal Thomas column PRAISING CHENEY FOR HIS DISTORTIONS! AARGH!

Here's what Not so silent Cal had to say:

"And then there was this devastating line from the Vice President: "In my capacity as Vice President, I am the president of the Senate, the presiding officer. I'm up in the Senate most Tuesdays when they're in session. The first time I ever met you was when you walked on the stage tonight."

Yes you walrus-tushed bafflegabber, he did say that. But as it turns out Cheneywas telling a BALD-FACED LIE. On top of that, the "President of the Senate" has been even MORE absent from Senate chambers than Edwards. In fact, Edwards--who is not the President of the Senate-- has presided over the Senate just as often as Cheney. That would be twice.

EVERYONE KNEW THIS YESTERDAY. It ran in some reputable papers. It was on NPR, and all over the web.

Had the CA run this coulmn on Wednesday, it would have still been horseshit, but it wouldn't have been totally unethical horseshit. To print a column praising distortions and lies--- after they are known to be distortions and lies is SHAMEFUL.

Of course the redesign is way fabu... like lipstick on an effing pig.

Hang the Witch

...Well, dunk her in water and see if she drowns first. If she doesn't then HANG THE WITCH!

I mean, of course Ann "Horseface" Coulter.

To borrow from Ms. Coulter's refined brand of playschool rhetoric, If I ever wrote a column this ugly I'd shave it's ass and teach it to walk backwards.

I'd do the same for Horseface, but something tells me she'd be WAY in to it.

Shudder

Rapture, Be Pure

…Take a Tour Through the Sewer

Headed North on Front Street, very near The Pyramid I spied a ramshackle jalopy —I couldn’t begin to guess the make or model. Its back window was covered in pro-Bush bumper stickers. I was amazed at how this one car window represented EVERYTHING that’s wrong with the modern American Right.

The first sticker simply said “Bush/Cheney” in red, white, and blue. The second sticker simply said, “God,” in red white and blue. The third wasn’t so much a sticker as a homemade sign, crudely stenciled and Duct-taped to the rear window. It said, “Osama bin Laden for John Kerry.”

The implication: Our Dubya is a modern Moses, leading God’s latently pagan children through the wilderness on their way to a Promised Land overflowing with oil and honey. John Kerry favors the God and Freedom-hating terrorists.

Basing one’s politics on divine right and cultural fear mongering isn’t retrograde; it’s DARK AGES retrograde. You know, like back when the church was more powerful than the state, and Europe was in the grips of a great black plague, exacerbated by a pandemic of ignorance? Back when the church used all that poverty and ignorance to amass great wealth and unimaginable power? Remember?

And now, once again, the Dark Ages have returned.

For the umpteenth time.

George W. Bush lied 1000 American soldiers into their graves.

He gives tax breaks to the wealthiest members of the leisure class, but taxes hard-earned wages.

Dick Cheney voted against Head Start and Meals on Wheels for Christ’s sake.

Are these REALLY the people anybody’s God wants at the helm of the most powerful country in the world?

Did any of these Wingnut idiots ever read that part of the Bible where Jesus tells us all to mistrust people who make ostentatious displays of faith, and admire those who quietly give everything they can afford? Of course not. They never got past that part where a Dynasty of Pharaohs ruled the world, each one the living embodiment of God on Earth.

Yes, all of this started with some bumper stickers. It doesn’t take much to set me off these days.

Limp Dick

This was first published as one of my regular Barnstorming columns at

The Memphis Flyer

Hey, I'm a new blog. I need content!

Edwards nails Cheney, and the media can’t get any dumber.

Vice President Cheney had one thing going for him during his debate with John Edwards. Unlike President Bush he can think on his feet and doesn’t look like Barney Fife on low-quality crank. But Grandpa Dick still came off as grumpy, detached, and colder than a dead man’s kiss. And then there are the lies.

For starters, the Vice President said he’s never met John Edwards before the debate. But there are pictures proving otherwise, and here’s one of them.



Then Cheney said he’d never suggested a connection between Saddam and 9/11. But he’s famous for both suggesting and saying exactly that. It’s all preserved on video, so there’s no running away from it. To make such a stupid, transparent lie during a nationally televised debate where your opponent is repeatedly calling you a liar isn’t just dumb. It’s dumb like the shirtless guy on C.O.P.S. who keeps telling the officers he’s “110% against doing drugs,” but he’s really so high he’s forgotten about the joint behind his ear. Amazing.

Then, as if to deliberately sabotage himself Cheney tarred John Kerry for voting against the same defense projects that he—while serving as Secretary of Defense—also chose to cut. This bizarre campaign tactic has already received extensive media play, and now it’s going to get some more. Incredible.

Edwards won this debate in one definitive swoop. When the Vice President turned hatchet man and tried to make his opponent sound like an insubstantial absentee Senator, Edwards told America that Dick Cheney voted against Head Start programs, and Meals on Wheels. Cheney offered up a vague political smear, and Edwards countered with specific evidence that Dick Cheney’s values are not in line with those of the Average American voter—“red states” included. When offered a chance for rebuttal the Vice President bowed just his head like the Devil in that old Charlie Daniels’ song, and passed.

John Edwards did seem a little flighty. But he also seemed honest, while the specter of Halliburton with its Enron-style accounting, it’s offshore subsidiaries, and its no-bid government contracts loomed over Cheney like the Ghost of Christmas Past.

Like Reagan who—love him or hate him—exuded optimism, Edwards offered hope in troubled times. Cheney made with more scare tactics. But most importantly, Edwards—citing specific examples—made it perfectly clear who comes down on the side of Big Industry, and who’s looking out for the people.

Best of all, instead of directing voters to factcheck.org, Dick Cheney sent them to factcheck.com

Try typing that in your browser and see where it takes you.

And now enough of this foolishness, on to what really matters


Reason the media is stupid number eleventy-thousand

Flipping through channels for some post-debate chatter I heard a disquieting meme put forward several times by the Heathers of our 24-hour telepunitry:

Choosing the man who’s going to be a heartbeat away from the presidency is going more important in this election year—yes, you’ve guessed it— because of the threat of terrorism.

As has been the case more and more often lately, eloquence fails and all I can say is “WTF?” This observation made by so many of our talking hairpieces is so shallow it’s almost deep, and very nearly terrifying.

Even in recent times, relative to the office of President, there have been assassinations and near assassinations.

Saddam tried to have the first George Bush rubbed out.

An ex-Mansonite took pot shots at Ford.

Reagan was shot for the Love of Jody Foster.

Kennedy was killed by whomever you think he was killed by, I’m tired of arguing.

In 1974 Samuel Byck killed the pilot of a commercial airliner in an attempt to fly it into the White House and kill Richard Nixon.

On September 11—1994, that is— Frank Eugene Corder flew a Cessna into the Clinton White House.

The fact that Condi Rice couldn’t imagine terrorists using airplanes as a missile is pretty stunning. There have been attempts to slaughter American presidents for about as long as there have been American Presidents, and at least one of these attempts involved an aircraft. Poor Frank Corder didn’t hate Clinton, he just wanted to get his name on headline news when he died, but still...

So why would the media decide that Terrorism makes our choice for Veep so much more important today than it has been in the past? Could it be that the President—the most heavily guarded man in America— is somehow less safe than he was four years ago? Gosh, then what does that say about the safety of the average Janes and Joes out there in the heartland?

Poor media-sluts. They can’t even whore right anymore.

Diebolder With A Vengeance

Okay, I admit it. This is the worst boobie job ever. This is what happens when I have to redo something. My heart's only in it the first time. Sigh