Friday, August 31, 2007
Love Is A Corny Thing
So, in case you missed it, there was a brief flurry of gay marriages in Iowa, as a judge there has ruled that the state Constitution allows for such a thing. Of course, now a "concerned" attorney is appealing the decision, so things are on hold for the time being.
Still. Iowa found in favor of gay marriage. That must have flipped a few wigs among the religious right. I don't think this will be a big issue this time around, though. Oh, sure, Romney's probably charting out the best way to flog this issue for all it's worth, but when you come down to it, the American people have become well-nigh-irrevocably pissed off at the war, and unless the vast majority of the Republican candidates suddenly turn around and realize just what a mistake the war's become, I doubt they're going to win anyone over, no matter how much they push the idea of us queers marrying.
Still. Iowa found in favor of gay marriage. That must have flipped a few wigs among the religious right. I don't think this will be a big issue this time around, though. Oh, sure, Romney's probably charting out the best way to flog this issue for all it's worth, but when you come down to it, the American people have become well-nigh-irrevocably pissed off at the war, and unless the vast majority of the Republican candidates suddenly turn around and realize just what a mistake the war's become, I doubt they're going to win anyone over, no matter how much they push the idea of us queers marrying.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Those Manly, Manly MSNBC Men
Apparently, Tucker Carlson didn't think the bowtie brought out his most masculine features, so he thought he'd recount the time he beat the crap out of a guy that "bothered" him in a restroom.
CARLSON: I have. I've been bothered in Georgetown Park. When I was in high school.
ABRAMS: Really?
CARLSON: Yes.
SCARBOROUGH: Wow.
[...]
SCARBOROUGH: Was he the guy in Georgetown, Tucker?
CARLSON: No, actually. I got that -- my point is -- let me just say --
ABRAMS: Tucker, what did you do, by the way? What did you do when he did that? We got to know.
CARLSON: I went back with someone I knew and grabbed the guy by the -- you know, and grabbed him, and -- and --
ABRAMS: And did what?
CARLSON: Hit him against the stall with his head, actually!
[laughter]
CARLSON: And then the cops came and arrested him. But let me say that I'm the least anti-gay right-winger you'll ever meet --
[laughter]
CARLSON: -- but I do think doing this in men's rooms appears to be common. It's totally wrong, and they should knock it off. I mean that. I think it's -- I can't bring my son to the men's room at the park where he plays soccer because of all these creepy guys hanging around in there. I actually think it's a problem. I'm sorry.
Now, Tucker went back and clarified later that, apparently, he'd been assaulted, and he and his friend had actually merely "restrained" the guy until the cops showed up. Which I suppose is fine, if it is the truth.
What really bothers me, though, is how his coanchors take the revelation in its original form. One of their coworkers was apparently hit on, in a restroom, by a gay man. In his original telling, he wasn't assaulted, and he wasn't molested. His response, however, was to bring a friend back and slam the guy's head into a stall.
And his friends laugh. Because gay bashings are so fucking hilarious.
Really, Tucker's ego moment is the least of my concerns in this situation. The fact that of his coworkers, two grown men who host their own primetime shows, find the idea of a gay bashing to be delightfully humorous is the real sticking point for me. What a message to send to the people of America.
CARLSON: I have. I've been bothered in Georgetown Park. When I was in high school.
ABRAMS: Really?
CARLSON: Yes.
SCARBOROUGH: Wow.
[...]
SCARBOROUGH: Was he the guy in Georgetown, Tucker?
CARLSON: No, actually. I got that -- my point is -- let me just say --
ABRAMS: Tucker, what did you do, by the way? What did you do when he did that? We got to know.
CARLSON: I went back with someone I knew and grabbed the guy by the -- you know, and grabbed him, and -- and --
ABRAMS: And did what?
CARLSON: Hit him against the stall with his head, actually!
[laughter]
CARLSON: And then the cops came and arrested him. But let me say that I'm the least anti-gay right-winger you'll ever meet --
[laughter]
CARLSON: -- but I do think doing this in men's rooms appears to be common. It's totally wrong, and they should knock it off. I mean that. I think it's -- I can't bring my son to the men's room at the park where he plays soccer because of all these creepy guys hanging around in there. I actually think it's a problem. I'm sorry.
Now, Tucker went back and clarified later that, apparently, he'd been assaulted, and he and his friend had actually merely "restrained" the guy until the cops showed up. Which I suppose is fine, if it is the truth.
What really bothers me, though, is how his coanchors take the revelation in its original form. One of their coworkers was apparently hit on, in a restroom, by a gay man. In his original telling, he wasn't assaulted, and he wasn't molested. His response, however, was to bring a friend back and slam the guy's head into a stall.
And his friends laugh. Because gay bashings are so fucking hilarious.
Really, Tucker's ego moment is the least of my concerns in this situation. The fact that of his coworkers, two grown men who host their own primetime shows, find the idea of a gay bashing to be delightfully humorous is the real sticking point for me. What a message to send to the people of America.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Do You Know What It Means...?
Two years ago, Katrina made landfall. Two years ago, we saw an American city flooded. Two years ago, we saw just how horribly the Bush Administration had fucked up our country's infrastructure through blatant cronyism, and just how much the leading voices of the conservative movement cared about the poor of New Orleans.
Two years later, parts of New Orleans lie in ruins. Two years later, there are people still stuck in FEMA trailers who can't find jobs in the city and who have little chance of reclaiming a normal life as conditions still stand. Two years later, there's a murder a day in the city. Two years later, the levees aren't even rebuilt-- and apparently won't be until 2011, if the Army Corps of Engineers has the right estimate.
After Katrina first touched down, there were people wondering why we shouldn't just abandon the city and leave residents with nowhere else to go to fend for themselves. I'm not so sure they haven't won out.
Two years later, parts of New Orleans lie in ruins. Two years later, there are people still stuck in FEMA trailers who can't find jobs in the city and who have little chance of reclaiming a normal life as conditions still stand. Two years later, there's a murder a day in the city. Two years later, the levees aren't even rebuilt-- and apparently won't be until 2011, if the Army Corps of Engineers has the right estimate.
After Katrina first touched down, there were people wondering why we shouldn't just abandon the city and leave residents with nowhere else to go to fend for themselves. I'm not so sure they haven't won out.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Rats. Ship. You Know The Rest.
Wow. The dew drops haven't even dried off of the Turd Blossoms, and Alberto Gonzales is already getting the hell out of Washington. Right now, Chertoff's being considered for a replacement, though I hope to God the Dems give him Hell over this. Let's put a stop to Bush playing Three Card Monte with his circle of friends, juggling them about until the big fuck up occurs.
Until then, I leave you with Gonzo's Greatest Hits. Hit it!
Until then, I leave you with Gonzo's Greatest Hits. Hit it!
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Needling
As much as I like to think of myself as someone who knows where he is politically, I do admit that there are one or two issues where I'm fuzzy. One of those is the death penalty. If implemented in a truly unbiased, 100% accurate fashion, I don't know if I would hate it or not. But I can tell you right now that the death penalty is decidedly not 100% accurate, which is why I take a moderate stance against it, with the idea that hopefully, someone will reform the system.
Which, of course, makes the latest bit of clusterfuckery out of our administration all the more frightening:
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is putting the final touches on regulations that could give Atty. Gen. Alberto R. Gonzales important new sway over death penalty cases in California and other states, including the power to shorten the time that death row inmates have to appeal convictions to federal courts.
The rules implement a little-noticed provision in last year's reauthorization of the Patriot Act that gives the attorney general the power to decide whether individual states are providing adequate counsel for defendants in death penalty cases. The authority has been held by federal judges.
Under the rules now being prepared, if a state requested it and Gonzales agreed, prosecutors could use "fast track" procedures that could shave years off the time that a death row inmate has to appeal to the federal courts after conviction in a state court.
Now, it's not like I'm arguing that fucks like Richard Ramirez or Charles Ng have any benefit of the doubt left. But there have been cases all across America where people have been freed from death row upon the discovery of new evidence... or where the evidence turned up only after the supposed criminal was executed. And now we're supposed to trust the guy who apparently can't remember anything about the past six months when talking to Congress to handle a program that cuts down on the chance of actual justice being done in a competent manner.
Talk about judge, jury, and executioner.
Which, of course, makes the latest bit of clusterfuckery out of our administration all the more frightening:
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is putting the final touches on regulations that could give Atty. Gen. Alberto R. Gonzales important new sway over death penalty cases in California and other states, including the power to shorten the time that death row inmates have to appeal convictions to federal courts.
The rules implement a little-noticed provision in last year's reauthorization of the Patriot Act that gives the attorney general the power to decide whether individual states are providing adequate counsel for defendants in death penalty cases. The authority has been held by federal judges.
Under the rules now being prepared, if a state requested it and Gonzales agreed, prosecutors could use "fast track" procedures that could shave years off the time that a death row inmate has to appeal to the federal courts after conviction in a state court.
Now, it's not like I'm arguing that fucks like Richard Ramirez or Charles Ng have any benefit of the doubt left. But there have been cases all across America where people have been freed from death row upon the discovery of new evidence... or where the evidence turned up only after the supposed criminal was executed. And now we're supposed to trust the guy who apparently can't remember anything about the past six months when talking to Congress to handle a program that cuts down on the chance of actual justice being done in a competent manner.
Talk about judge, jury, and executioner.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
We Are Serious Journalists. This Are Serious Newspaper.
Submitted without comment.
Now, whether we do any quality reporting at TPM is a matter of opinion. And everyone is entitled to theirs. So against my better judgment, I sent [Michael] Skube[, author of a LA Times piece on the paucity of professionalism in the blogosphere] an email telling him that I found it hard to believe he was very familiar with TPM if he was including us as examples in a column about the dearth of original reporting in the blogosphere.
Now, I get criticized plenty. And that's fair since I do plenty of criticizing. And I wouldn't raise any of this here if it weren't for what came up in Skube's response.
Not long after I wrote I got a reply: "I didn't put your name into the piece and haven't spent any time on your site. So to that extent I'm happy to give you benefit of the doubt ..."
This seemed more than a little odd since, as I said, he certainly does use me as an example -- along with Sullivan, Matt Yglesias and Kos. So I followed up noting my surprise that he didn't seem to remember what he'd written in his own opinion column on the very day it appeared and that in any case it cut against his credibility somewhat that he wrote about sites he admits he'd never read.
To which I got this response: "I said I did not refer to you in the original. Your name was inserted late by an editor who perhaps thought I needed to cite more examples ... "
Now, whether we do any quality reporting at TPM is a matter of opinion. And everyone is entitled to theirs. So against my better judgment, I sent [Michael] Skube[, author of a LA Times piece on the paucity of professionalism in the blogosphere] an email telling him that I found it hard to believe he was very familiar with TPM if he was including us as examples in a column about the dearth of original reporting in the blogosphere.
Now, I get criticized plenty. And that's fair since I do plenty of criticizing. And I wouldn't raise any of this here if it weren't for what came up in Skube's response.
Not long after I wrote I got a reply: "I didn't put your name into the piece and haven't spent any time on your site. So to that extent I'm happy to give you benefit of the doubt ..."
This seemed more than a little odd since, as I said, he certainly does use me as an example -- along with Sullivan, Matt Yglesias and Kos. So I followed up noting my surprise that he didn't seem to remember what he'd written in his own opinion column on the very day it appeared and that in any case it cut against his credibility somewhat that he wrote about sites he admits he'd never read.
To which I got this response: "I said I did not refer to you in the original. Your name was inserted late by an editor who perhaps thought I needed to cite more examples ... "
Sunday, August 19, 2007
The Service Crashers
Remember when anti-gay marriage forces were spreading the lie that, by approving gay marriage, we would force their particular religions into performing gay marriage, whether their doctrine was for or against it? It had to be said repeatedly by people who knew common sense and the Constitution that their religion was still theirs to practice as they saw fit, and that most gay people probably wouldn't barge into their churches and demand a marriage anyway.
Apparently, this doesn't quite work the other way around:
A conservative Christian values group has been interrupting services at two central Ohio churches to protest their support for homosexuality.
Minutemen United vowed to attend services every Sunday.
The group started its crusade when First Baptist Church in Granville hosted "Love Makes a Family," a traveling exhibit by the Family Diversity Project showing photos of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender families.
Go on, Minutemen! Tell us why our individual right to worship is an affront to your individual right to worship:
Hurt said a man, who introduced himself as a minister from the New Beginnings Church in Warsaw, Ohio, started to give a sermon about how the church was acting against God's word by accepting homosexuals.
Members of Minutemen United also visited King Avenue United Methodist Church in Columbus that same morning, said the Rev. John Keeny.
"They rebuked me as a pastor for preaching that God's love is for everyone," Keeny said.
For parties like the Minutemen (and a good number amongst the political wing of the religious right), equality doesn't matter. They already have equality. What they want is supremacy. Anyone who voices any opinion counter to theirs must be browbeaten into submission.
And somewhere, God just shakes his head and washes his hands of all this shit.
Apparently, this doesn't quite work the other way around:
A conservative Christian values group has been interrupting services at two central Ohio churches to protest their support for homosexuality.
Minutemen United vowed to attend services every Sunday.
The group started its crusade when First Baptist Church in Granville hosted "Love Makes a Family," a traveling exhibit by the Family Diversity Project showing photos of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender families.
Go on, Minutemen! Tell us why our individual right to worship is an affront to your individual right to worship:
Hurt said a man, who introduced himself as a minister from the New Beginnings Church in Warsaw, Ohio, started to give a sermon about how the church was acting against God's word by accepting homosexuals.
Members of Minutemen United also visited King Avenue United Methodist Church in Columbus that same morning, said the Rev. John Keeny.
"They rebuked me as a pastor for preaching that God's love is for everyone," Keeny said.
For parties like the Minutemen (and a good number amongst the political wing of the religious right), equality doesn't matter. They already have equality. What they want is supremacy. Anyone who voices any opinion counter to theirs must be browbeaten into submission.
And somewhere, God just shakes his head and washes his hands of all this shit.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
In His Stone House In R'lyeh, Great Yahweh Lies Dreaming
As many of you know, I am a RPG geek. And, as a RPG geek, I hang out on message boards with other RPG geeks. And one comparison that usually gets made on these boards is between certain Christian groups and "Cthulhu cults." For those of you not familiar with the works of H.P. Lovecraft, a "Cthulhu cult" is a cult that worships one of the Great Old Ones, squamous beings of infinite might who can squash all of humanity like a fly. These cults endeavor to bring about the end times, when...
"...the secret priests would take great Cthulhu from His tomb to revive His subjects and resume His rule of earth....Then mankind would have become as the Great Old Ones; free and wild and beyond good and evil, with laws and morals thrown aside and all men shouting and killing and revelling in joy. Then the liberated Old Ones would teach them new ways to shout and kill and revel and enjoy themselves, and all the earth would flame with a holocaust of ecstasy and freedom."
As such, many comparisons have been made with certain Christian groups-- y'know, the types who perform rituals in the Supreme Court in hopes of getting Alito elected, or say that aneurysms are willed on people by God because they didn't support His plans, or, say, actually want to bring about the end of the world.
Here, for example, is the case of Dr. Wiley S. Drake, a noted Southern Baptist preacher. Drake issued a press release from his church-- not a personal one, but one from his church-- saying that he would be supporting Mike Huckabee for president, and that his brothers and sisters in the faith should likewise throw their support behind him. Now, as any good constitutional scholar would tell you, church and state are supposed to remain separate-- which means that no preacher can tell his congregation to vote any one way for any one politician. So, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State noticed this, and contacted the IRS.
Then it got really weird:
Drake responded almost immediately with a hastily written press release calling for our demise.
“In light of the recent attack from the ememies (sic) of God,” he wrote, “I ask the children of God to go into action with Imprecatory Prayer.” An imprecatory prayer is one that asks God to curse, injure or kill one’s adversaries.
Y'know, I think we can all say that when you get to the point where you're calling for your followers to pray to your deity that they visit a fatal curse upon your enemies, you've officially crossed the line from "peaceful disciple of Christ" to "Yahweh cultist."
Apparently, some other Baptists are organizing a "counter-prayer" campaign, because they too recognize that Drake has gone batshit crazy. Just goes to show you that people can get so devoted to an idea that they forget everything that it stands for.
"...the secret priests would take great Cthulhu from His tomb to revive His subjects and resume His rule of earth....Then mankind would have become as the Great Old Ones; free and wild and beyond good and evil, with laws and morals thrown aside and all men shouting and killing and revelling in joy. Then the liberated Old Ones would teach them new ways to shout and kill and revel and enjoy themselves, and all the earth would flame with a holocaust of ecstasy and freedom."
As such, many comparisons have been made with certain Christian groups-- y'know, the types who perform rituals in the Supreme Court in hopes of getting Alito elected, or say that aneurysms are willed on people by God because they didn't support His plans, or, say, actually want to bring about the end of the world.
Here, for example, is the case of Dr. Wiley S. Drake, a noted Southern Baptist preacher. Drake issued a press release from his church-- not a personal one, but one from his church-- saying that he would be supporting Mike Huckabee for president, and that his brothers and sisters in the faith should likewise throw their support behind him. Now, as any good constitutional scholar would tell you, church and state are supposed to remain separate-- which means that no preacher can tell his congregation to vote any one way for any one politician. So, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State noticed this, and contacted the IRS.
Then it got really weird:
Drake responded almost immediately with a hastily written press release calling for our demise.
“In light of the recent attack from the ememies (sic) of God,” he wrote, “I ask the children of God to go into action with Imprecatory Prayer.” An imprecatory prayer is one that asks God to curse, injure or kill one’s adversaries.
Y'know, I think we can all say that when you get to the point where you're calling for your followers to pray to your deity that they visit a fatal curse upon your enemies, you've officially crossed the line from "peaceful disciple of Christ" to "Yahweh cultist."
Apparently, some other Baptists are organizing a "counter-prayer" campaign, because they too recognize that Drake has gone batshit crazy. Just goes to show you that people can get so devoted to an idea that they forget everything that it stands for.
The Assets of Grief
Over the past few years, we have seen how twisted the far right is willing to make the debate over America. Opponents of the war have been called "traitors" and "appeasers" by everyone from TV pundits to generals to Turd Blossom himself. Every time someone thinks that we should approach the geopolitical situation sensitively, the bloody flag of 9/11 is waved about, its standard held by a screeching hawk.
And a few days ago, the debate hit a new low:
On the August 10 broadcast of his Fox News Radio show, John Gibson and the program's executive producer, known on air as "Angry Rich," mocked Comedy Central host Jon Stewart for emotional remarks he made shortly after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. While airing a clip of Stewart's remarks from the September 20, 2001, edition of The Daily Show, Gibson mimicked Stewart and sarcastically interjected, "Oh, God, Jon. Just tell me it's not true," and, "Oh! That's great. I'm -- God, I'm touched." Before playing the clip, Angry Rich asked, "Do you remember what the media was like shortly after 9-11?" Gibson answered, "Oh, Jon Stewart sobbing." After the clip concluded, Angry Rich called Stewart a "phony."
Gibson closed his word-by-word mimickry of Jon Stewart's opening by saying, "Let me bash Bush for the next six years."
This is the measure of a patriot to people like Gibson. It's not just that you don't love America if you don't support the war. It's not just that you don't stand for liberty if you approve of our President's movements to squash it.
In his mind, you cannot mourn the loss of three thousand of your fellow citizens, the destruction of your home town, and the worst attack on American soil in the history of the nation... because, in the future, you will question the measure of the response of the people in charge.
Remember, folks; the minute a "patriot" decries the mourning of a man, they have failed their nation utterly.
And a few days ago, the debate hit a new low:
On the August 10 broadcast of his Fox News Radio show, John Gibson and the program's executive producer, known on air as "Angry Rich," mocked Comedy Central host Jon Stewart for emotional remarks he made shortly after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. While airing a clip of Stewart's remarks from the September 20, 2001, edition of The Daily Show, Gibson mimicked Stewart and sarcastically interjected, "Oh, God, Jon. Just tell me it's not true," and, "Oh! That's great. I'm -- God, I'm touched." Before playing the clip, Angry Rich asked, "Do you remember what the media was like shortly after 9-11?" Gibson answered, "Oh, Jon Stewart sobbing." After the clip concluded, Angry Rich called Stewart a "phony."
Gibson closed his word-by-word mimickry of Jon Stewart's opening by saying, "Let me bash Bush for the next six years."
This is the measure of a patriot to people like Gibson. It's not just that you don't love America if you don't support the war. It's not just that you don't stand for liberty if you approve of our President's movements to squash it.
In his mind, you cannot mourn the loss of three thousand of your fellow citizens, the destruction of your home town, and the worst attack on American soil in the history of the nation... because, in the future, you will question the measure of the response of the people in charge.
Remember, folks; the minute a "patriot" decries the mourning of a man, they have failed their nation utterly.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Prelude to an Apocalypse
Well, looks like our President is on the verge of declaring a foreign military a terrorist body. Three guesses whose military it is, and the first two don't count.
The US is preparing to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guards force as a foreign terrorist unit, officials say.
If confirmed, this will be the first time official armed units of a sovereign state are included in the list of banned terrorist groups.
And if that didn't put the fear of God in your stomach...
Speaking at a news conference last week, President George W Bush hinted at a tougher stance against the Revolutionary Guards, accusing them of meddling across the Middle East.
"When we catch you playing a non-constructive role, there will be a price to pay," Mr Bush said.
Not "if we catch you playing a non-constructive role." "When." As if there's no credibility left, and the decision has already been made.
Yes, this is exactly what we need at this time. By all means, George, taunt the dictator. No way we can end up in even more of a clusterfuck!
The US is preparing to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guards force as a foreign terrorist unit, officials say.
If confirmed, this will be the first time official armed units of a sovereign state are included in the list of banned terrorist groups.
And if that didn't put the fear of God in your stomach...
Speaking at a news conference last week, President George W Bush hinted at a tougher stance against the Revolutionary Guards, accusing them of meddling across the Middle East.
"When we catch you playing a non-constructive role, there will be a price to pay," Mr Bush said.
Not "if we catch you playing a non-constructive role." "When." As if there's no credibility left, and the decision has already been made.
Yes, this is exactly what we need at this time. By all means, George, taunt the dictator. No way we can end up in even more of a clusterfuck!
Monday, August 13, 2007
And Washington, D.C. Smells Just A Little Bit Cleaner
So, looks like someone wiped up the Turd Blossom. About fucking time. Rove's a profound symbol of the many, many things wrong with the Bush Administration: the corruption, the blatant disregard for reality, the venomous partisanship.
Only question is, now what is he going to do? I hear Hades has a few slots open...
Only question is, now what is he going to do? I hear Hades has a few slots open...
Friday, August 10, 2007
Why We're Still At War
Because people aren't willing to make possibly unpopular decisions to save American lives:
Tuesday night Sanchez said she could not support the protesters because the $145 billion in Iraq war funding was in the same bill that would provide money to build the C-17 aircraft in California.
"I never voted for this war," she said. But "I'm not going to vote against $2.1 billion for C-17 production, which is in California. That is just not going to happen."
This is the stand that some of our Democrats are taking. Sure, there's a horrible war going on that's resulting in the death of brave Americans who wanted nothing more than to protect their country, that was launched for reasons that turned out to be utterly bullshit, but hey, my pork is at risk, so it's not like I can do anything.
Congratulations, you wonderful, spineless scumsuckers.
Tuesday night Sanchez said she could not support the protesters because the $145 billion in Iraq war funding was in the same bill that would provide money to build the C-17 aircraft in California.
"I never voted for this war," she said. But "I'm not going to vote against $2.1 billion for C-17 production, which is in California. That is just not going to happen."
This is the stand that some of our Democrats are taking. Sure, there's a horrible war going on that's resulting in the death of brave Americans who wanted nothing more than to protect their country, that was launched for reasons that turned out to be utterly bullshit, but hey, my pork is at risk, so it's not like I can do anything.
Congratulations, you wonderful, spineless scumsuckers.
Save the World! Vote for Me!
Y'know, every time I keep thinking that my loathing for my former governor can't get any deeper, he finds a way.
A woman at an Ask Mitt Anything forum earlier today in Iowa raised the question again, asking whether any of Mr. Romney’s five sons are serving in the military, adding pointedly, “If none of them are, how do they plan to support this war on terrorism by enlisting in our U.S. military?”
Although his campaign said his remarks were taken out of context, Mr. Romney’s response is drawing criticism, because he said, in part, “one of the ways my sons are showing support for our nation is helping to get me elected.”
Well, I guess we all do our little bit, huh, Mitt? Now, while Mitt's saying this was taken out of context, it reminds me of comments The Frothy Mixture said back when he was still relevant, about how people could "serve their country" by buying one of his bumper stickers, comparing it to the very act of going to fight overseas.
Remember, there's always a quick and easy way to serve the country.
A woman at an Ask Mitt Anything forum earlier today in Iowa raised the question again, asking whether any of Mr. Romney’s five sons are serving in the military, adding pointedly, “If none of them are, how do they plan to support this war on terrorism by enlisting in our U.S. military?”
Although his campaign said his remarks were taken out of context, Mr. Romney’s response is drawing criticism, because he said, in part, “one of the ways my sons are showing support for our nation is helping to get me elected.”
Well, I guess we all do our little bit, huh, Mitt? Now, while Mitt's saying this was taken out of context, it reminds me of comments The Frothy Mixture said back when he was still relevant, about how people could "serve their country" by buying one of his bumper stickers, comparing it to the very act of going to fight overseas.
Remember, there's always a quick and easy way to serve the country.
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
It Ain't Bragging If You've Done It
Sadly, they haven't.
"These censure resolutions will let future generations know that Congress stood up to the destructive policies of this administration that have weakened our national security, cost more than 3,600 American lives, and undermined the principles on which our country was founded," Feingold said in a prepared statement.
Russ, Russ. You're a good guy, and I know you weren't directly responsible for the massive clusterfuck that was significant members of your party approving a bill that gave the President authority to spy on anyone he wants without having to seek a warrant. But, right now, it's probably not the best time to boast about standing for liberty when your close colleagues roll over for a powerless bully who wins them over by threatening to keep them after school has let out.
I'm just saying.
"These censure resolutions will let future generations know that Congress stood up to the destructive policies of this administration that have weakened our national security, cost more than 3,600 American lives, and undermined the principles on which our country was founded," Feingold said in a prepared statement.
Russ, Russ. You're a good guy, and I know you weren't directly responsible for the massive clusterfuck that was significant members of your party approving a bill that gave the President authority to spy on anyone he wants without having to seek a warrant. But, right now, it's probably not the best time to boast about standing for liberty when your close colleagues roll over for a powerless bully who wins them over by threatening to keep them after school has let out.
I'm just saying.
Sunday, August 05, 2007
How I Whored For My Summer Vacation
So, President Bush threatened to hold Congress into its summer recess if they didn't approve his legislation on reformatting FISA. Never mind the fact that the president's power over Congress is traditionally limited to the veto, and not to, say, legislative blackmail. He actually told Congress that they'd stay in session until he was presented with "a bill [he could] sign."
What did the Democrats do? They capitulated. So, what does Bush's wiretap program do now?
Privacy advocates accused the Democrats of selling out and charged that this bill gives the government more authority than it had under a controversial warrantless wiretapping program begun in secret after the 2001 terrorist attacks. Under that program, the government could conduct surveillance without judicial oversight only if it had a reason to believe that one party to the call was a member of or affiliated with al-Qaeda or a related terrorist organization. This bill drops that condition, they noted.
That's right; the government can listen in on you, without seeking a warrant, no matter what the circumstances. Which means Bush can spy on queer folk and Quakers to his heart's content. All because he threatened Congress-- and, more pointedly, the Democrats-- with the loss of their summer vacation. And they gave in.
In some very key ways, the Democrats who voted for this bill have forgotten us. Sure, they fight for an end to the war. Sure, they fight for civil rights. But once someone threatens their own personal pleasure, they roll over. When we next go to the ballot boxes, we should remember just who they serve: themselves.
What did the Democrats do? They capitulated. So, what does Bush's wiretap program do now?
Privacy advocates accused the Democrats of selling out and charged that this bill gives the government more authority than it had under a controversial warrantless wiretapping program begun in secret after the 2001 terrorist attacks. Under that program, the government could conduct surveillance without judicial oversight only if it had a reason to believe that one party to the call was a member of or affiliated with al-Qaeda or a related terrorist organization. This bill drops that condition, they noted.
That's right; the government can listen in on you, without seeking a warrant, no matter what the circumstances. Which means Bush can spy on queer folk and Quakers to his heart's content. All because he threatened Congress-- and, more pointedly, the Democrats-- with the loss of their summer vacation. And they gave in.
In some very key ways, the Democrats who voted for this bill have forgotten us. Sure, they fight for an end to the war. Sure, they fight for civil rights. But once someone threatens their own personal pleasure, they roll over. When we next go to the ballot boxes, we should remember just who they serve: themselves.
Friday, August 03, 2007
Back From Minnesota
Well, it wasn't the massive disaster I thought it would be. Hell, it was likely diametrically opposed to the massive disaster I thought it would be.
Mind you, it didn't start off well. We headed for Logan on Saturday, when a storm was picking up. Sure enough, it broke at the airport, and our flight got delayed... and delayed... to the point where we realized there was no way in Hell we were going to make our connecting flight from St. Louis to Minneapolis, went home, and arranged for a flight early the next morning. So when we fly out to Minneapolis and get our rental car, we get horribly lost trying to get to 35 West due to road work that keeps blocking off nearly every convenient entrance to 35 West. Once we get on the highway (after an hour of desperate searching), it takes us about six hours to get to Lutsen.
And Lutsen... wasn't bad. Really. Hanging out with the relatives was very nice. Brother Cognito and I were left on our own to hang about while our parents did stuff they wanted to do. And the dining in Grand Marais was deceptively excellent. That must've been the first time I've ever had duck confit, and I've gotta say, it was excellent.
On a more serious note, Mother Cognito was a bit freaked out by the bridge collapse. Not only because it was a massive tragedy, but because we would've been traveling over that very bridge to get back to Minneapolis. So, if it had happened eighteen hours later...
Still. In all, it was a pretty good reunion, and I probably should not have bitched about it so much. Live and learn.
Mind you, it didn't start off well. We headed for Logan on Saturday, when a storm was picking up. Sure enough, it broke at the airport, and our flight got delayed... and delayed... to the point where we realized there was no way in Hell we were going to make our connecting flight from St. Louis to Minneapolis, went home, and arranged for a flight early the next morning. So when we fly out to Minneapolis and get our rental car, we get horribly lost trying to get to 35 West due to road work that keeps blocking off nearly every convenient entrance to 35 West. Once we get on the highway (after an hour of desperate searching), it takes us about six hours to get to Lutsen.
And Lutsen... wasn't bad. Really. Hanging out with the relatives was very nice. Brother Cognito and I were left on our own to hang about while our parents did stuff they wanted to do. And the dining in Grand Marais was deceptively excellent. That must've been the first time I've ever had duck confit, and I've gotta say, it was excellent.
On a more serious note, Mother Cognito was a bit freaked out by the bridge collapse. Not only because it was a massive tragedy, but because we would've been traveling over that very bridge to get back to Minneapolis. So, if it had happened eighteen hours later...
Still. In all, it was a pretty good reunion, and I probably should not have bitched about it so much. Live and learn.
