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Live Blogging the Presidential Debate, October 7, 2008
2008-10-08 03:08:00 McCain claims he?s strong at town hall style debates, but he seems tightly wound and awkwardMcCain stands too close to people he is addressingBoth candidates have an annoying tendency to punctuate each emphasized word with a hand gesture, timing the emphasis words with thehand gesture--wish they'd stop thatTom Brokow strikes me as a little too elderly to be effective, maybe a touch forgetfulEver notice that McCain has an awkward gait? I know he was injured during his time as a POWWhy does McCain wear his suits so that there is way too much space under the arms. They don't fit correctly.What does the bailout mean to me question Obama answered beautifully, also getting in a dig at McCainEw. I do not like the way McCain walks around while Obama is speaking, does a gritted teeth, tight smile, and looks away--like a student who dislikes his teacherHow much of the votes of ordinary people depends on how likeable or unlikeable the candidates are? Certainly, Gore got a lot of flack for th...
By: Tumerica
Palin v. Biden: Unamused by the Howdy Doody Schtick, Goshdarnit
2008-10-03 18:37:00 On Sarah PalinReagan in a skirt, laying on the homespun, Howdy Doody schtick THICK?that is what went through my head as I cringed and suffered though almost every Sarah Palin answer in last night's debate. If you could call spewing talking points, flirting with the audience, and milking the I'm-just-a-regular-gal thing answering questions. Sarah Palin's version of answering pattern goes something like this "Generality, generality, I know how it feels [wink, wink, smile, smile], generality." Functionally stupid is the best way I can characterize how Sarah Palin comes across, although I never could have conceived of the idea until I got a stomach full of it with Bush. Not low-IQ or utterly ignorant exactly, but perhaps unable to think in terms of specifics. Locked into a generalities-only schema. Functional stupidity is a sort of banality of fuzzy thinking that also swirled around the German leaders of WWII?they stuck to generalities and were able to get away with all manner of atr...
By: Tumerica
Financial Bailout Super-duper Crib Sheet
2008-10-01 01:56:00 Thanks, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, my utter, hands-down favorite U.S. politico. I would do anything for this man and I do mean anything (but alas, his wife is gorgeous). Here's what he has to say by way of a quickie but not tricky shorthand for the financial crisis and the bailout. It rings true to me. If nothing else, remember this choice soundbite?Profits are capitalized, Losses are socialized. Sound fair to you?Here is a very quick explanation of the $700 billion bailout within the context of the mechanics of our monetary and banking system: The taxpayers loan money to the banks. But the taxpayers do not have the money. So we have to borrow it from the banks to give it back to the banks. But the banks do not have the money to loan to the government. So they create it into existence (through a mechanism called fractional reserve) and then loan it to us, at interest, so we can then give it back to them. Confused? This is the system. This is the standard mechanism used to expand th...
By: Tumerica
Bye-bye Wall Street and R.I.P., Hank Paulson Seeks to Crown Himself King vi
2008-09-23 21:33:00 So how about this financial crisis? I'm having a hard time thinking of what to say about it other than good-freakin'-grief, and a grammar school graduate could have seen this one coming. When our neighbors down the street were able to get a loan one year ago, even after it was discovered one of them had falsified--yes, falsified--her social security number (I think the family patriarch finally co-signed the loan). And the feds are snatching the underwear from fellow taxpayers to save those guys who get white-glove chauffeured to work on Wall Street, who packaged and sold mortgage-backed securities based on those toxic loans. SHEESH!28 years of deregulation, with the financial movers and the Republicans in bed with each other the whole time--and we folks on the bottom rung are left wearing fig leaves, soon to be bereft of $700 billion and a law that allows the US Treasury Secretary to do whatever he so chooses at any time. If Henry Paulson, formerly a good guy at Goldman Sa...
By: Tumerica
Palin Reveals Her Pale, White, Anti-Gay Underbelly
2008-09-07 18:53:00 Does not take much scratching beneath the surface of the smiling beauty queen facade to reveal the Medieval leanings of John McCain's vice presidential running mate. Sarah Dan-Quayle-in-a-Ponytail Palin has plenty of ties and outright and assertions of an anti-gay atitude.Here's what On Top Magazine found out about Palin?that she: Does not support hate crime legislation Does not support:spousal benefits for gay couples Attempts to "preserve the definition of marriage as defined in the Constitution" Has links to anti-gay groups, including connections to anti-gay Phyllis Schlafly and Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann Her church attempts to reform gays, with a God can "transform the lives of those impacted by homosexuality" message, and believes gay people can be made straight via "group discussions, counseling, Bible reading and prayer."
By: Tumerica
It's So Fun Impalin' Palin
2008-09-04 21:40:00 v:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} Normal 0 false false false st1:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;- mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} Normal 0 false false false st1:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-...
By: Tumerica
Free Speech Denied to Protestors in Minneapolis-St. Paul During RNC Convent
2008-09-01 00:50:00 Normal 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;- mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} First Amendment right to free speech guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution? Wait a second??Stop throwing the Constitution in my face. It's just a goddamned piece of paper!? after all, according to President George W. Bush. But does he speak for the Republican party? News has been leaked via independent media that planned peaceful protests during the Republican Convention this week are being shut down ahead of time, with absurd claims by the police of "violations of fire code,...
By: Tumerica
Palin's Baby Not Her Own?
2008-08-31 18:28:00 Evidence is mounting that McCain's VP running mate pick, Sarah Palin, may have faked her pregnancy in order to cover up the pregnancy of her 16-year-old daughter. Fact or fiction? You decide: * Palin's staff completely shocked upon learning she is pregnant, which she announced at what would have been her fifth month * Photos of Palin during what would have been her third trimester show a svelte Palin who remarkably does not show her baby bump * Palin's 16-year-old daughter, Bristol, took five months off from her private Catholic school during the period Palin was supposedly pregnant. Bristol's diagnosis? Infectious mononucleosis, more affectionately known as mono, which would normally cause a medical absence for somewhere between a few weeks and a month and a half at most. * Photos of Bristol at the beginning of what would have been her own pregnancy, although by no means conclusive, do show a slight bump. * And the most damning of all, at eight month's pregnant--a fu...
By: Tumerica
John McCain Chooses His Dan Quayle: Political Lightweight Alaska Gov. Sara
2008-08-29 18:08:00 Just goes to show you, the polls rule the politics, the tale wags the dog. With questionable backing from women who might be deluded enough to vote for a candidate from the Grand Old [white, male, middle-aged] Patrician party, John McCain has thrown out a desperate left jab, choosing as his running mate a completely inexperienced (two years as the Alaska state governor--golly, that's somethin'!), political lightweight in Sarah Palin.If you stack Palin, who is charming, young, and enormously popular in her home state (she decries a woman's right to choose abortion, and is an avid hunter--kind of an Annie Oakley with a little more responsibility) up against Delaware Senator Joe Biden, with his 20-some years of experience in the Senate, with missions to countries all over the globe, as the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, it's like putting Evander Holyfield in the ring with PeeWee Herman--ludicrous at best. And there goes McCain's chance to bray on and on about his own ...
By: Tumerica
Congrats to Joe and Hurray for Dems Everywhere!
2008-08-23 17:04:00 Amidst all the speculation, some of it clearly my own, Obama made his choice, and voila! It was the obvious one, Delaware Senator Joe Biden. Oh, well. At least it's done. And at least it's a choice of someone so well known, it won't be easy to pick him apart. Now, I it's my turn to goof off--forget about politics for a bit--go to yoga class with my five-year-old, congratulate myself on getting my $371 right-on-red traffic ticket dismissed (more on that soon, I promise), and watch and lots of Olympics.
By: Tumerica
Obama's Veep-stakes: Bill Richardson? Wesley Clark?
2008-08-22 16:52:00 Normal 0 false false false st1:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;- mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} The political punditry announced last week that the VP running list for Barack Obama had been narrowed down to a carefully pruned four names: Tim KaineJoe BidenEvan BayhKathleen Sebelius Now each of them has some aspect that makes them imperfectly desirable: Tim Kaine?less experienced and less well-known than the other optionsJoe Biden?too obvious, too handsome, might outshine the boss, claimed he's "not the guy...
By: Tumerica
Anthrax versus the Patriot Act: Score One for Anthrax in the Death of Scien
2008-08-07 00:02:00 Dr. Francis A. Boyle of the University of Illinois at Champaign, from his book, Biowarfare and Terrorism: ?Could it truly be coincidental that two of the primary intended victims of the terrorist anthrax attacks?Senators Daschle and Leahy?were holding up the speedy passage of the pre-planned USA Patriot Act?an Act which provided the federal government with unprecedented powers in relation to U.S. citizens and institutions?? Go up against the mighty Patriot Act and you shall die. Not only would the anthrax offense have been effective had the intended victims succumbed, but the subsequent scare the whole anthrax form of invisible bio-terrorism?no matter the success or failure of the mission?would served as a fear-enforced shaper of the desired outcome either way. The Patriot Act had to be passed, and no one could stand in the way. And it worked.The downside of using anthrax as a weapon is that the weapon itself, like a nuclear bomb or the Ebola virus, must be wielded by a scientist....
By: Tumerica
Wal-Mart Wants YOU to Vote Republican!
2008-08-01 17:57:00 Wal-Mart upper management is making a concerted effort to sway its workforce to vote Republican. Yes, it's true. (And once upon a fairy tail, partisan politics and big business were not in bed with each other.) The argument Wal-Mart is preaching is that, ew, should a Democratic administration?not to name any names?take power, new laws would be enacted that would, heaven forbid!, make it easier for employees to join unions.Now, what's so evil about unions? Plenty, from Wal-Mart?s greedy, beady eyes. Unions directly steal from their bottom line. Poor leetle gazillionaires. Like I am supposed to be sympathetic for the uber-rich patricians and take food from the proletariat mouths of the low-wage, uninsured masses who have to work at Wal-Mart stores?So be a good little worker, now, and don't complain about minimum wage jobs, unreported forced overtime hours, lack of health care benefits, rampant sexism, and do support your wealthy overlords by voting Republican, by all means! Meanwhi...
By: Tumerica
Iowans Arrested While Arresting Rove: Iowa, the Coolest State in the Union
2008-07-28 17:18:00 Normal 0 false false false st1:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;- mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} Normal 0 false false false st1:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;- mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt;...
By: Tumerica
Kucinich, the Rock Star of Progressive Politics, Testifies in Bush Impeachm
2008-07-25 23:09:00 Normal 0 false false false st1:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;- mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} Normal 0 false false false st1:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;- mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt;...
By: Tumerica
Send Blessings to Obama as He Tours Assassinatable Sites
2008-07-23 16:08:00 Meetings with Israeli, Palestinian, Afghanistani, and Jordanian leaders cram the itinerary of Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama over the last few days, with more to come. (Keeping his image unbesmirched, he skipped rubbing elbows with leaders of Saudi Arabia and the UAE?doesn't look good to those suffering with high petrol prices at home). Scary places where scary stuff can happen (except for Jordan, which sounds like the oasis of calm sanity in the Middle East.)Already one attack has taken place near where Obama was staying in Jerusalem. Granted, it was the the same modus (grabbing a bulldozer and running over cars) and the same perpetrator as a previous attack (this time he was shot dead). But, only a few miles from where Obama laid his head? Frightening. I, for one, will be glad when Obama returns to U.S. soil?not that that was any help to the four actual presidents who were assassinated here at home. Safe is a relative term. But what scares me most is the possibili...
By: Tumerica
Merely Tasteless? Or an Outrageous Slur Disguised as Urbane Humor?
2008-07-14 16:09:00 The New Yorker. The bastion of all things clever, urbane, adroit, and satirical. The magazine?s latest cover shows,?Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, dressed as Muslim terrorists standing in the Oval Office with a portrait of Osama Bin Laden hanging on the wall. An American flag burns in the fireplace in the background. The magazine claimed that it was a satirical lampoon of the caricature that right-wing critics have tried to create.?Dripping with witty satire? Or sheer malice? Images are more powerful than words, though, and surely the editors knew the effect their image might have on those who would never read the article (18 pages long?have you read it?) but would pass around the image. The more controversial, the more the image gets seared into our retinas. The more the image haunts us with it?s slurs, the more damage it could do.From HuffPost:?Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton called it ?tasteless and offensive? and, according to Jake Tapp...
By: Tumerica
Impeachment on the Floor of the House Today (Thank You, Rep. Kucinich) & a
2008-07-10 10:43:00 Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Iowa sent out this missive today:Dear Friends, Congressman Dennis Kucinich will present a single Article of Impeachment to the House of Representatives sometime between 3:30 pm and 4:00 pm (EDT) today, Thursday, July 10th.Sessions of the House of Representatives are broadcast live on C-SPAN (check your local cable listings for channel) and streamed live via the Internet (www.cspan.org).The article of Impeachment will deal directly with President Bush fraudulently obtaining support for an attack on Iraq by creating a false case for war. Full details of the Article of Impeachment will be available after they are read on the floor of the House by Congressman Kucinich.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~When I signed the Kucinich online petition (which you can do to), here's what I wrote in the Comments field:Here's a simple equation:$535+ Billion U.S. Dollars1,236,000+ Iraqi Civilian Casualties, Mostly Women & Children4116 U.S soldiers killed30,000+ U.S. soldiers woun...
By: Tumerica
What Kind of Guy Would Call His Wife the C-Word? John McCain, of Course
2008-06-19 09:34:00 In The Real McCain by author, Cliff Schechter, John McCain called his wife Cindy the C-word (female body part that when used to label a woman in your presence is sure to get you smacked, broken up with, or divorced. One word to never say if you care anything about a relationship with a woman. Never.) Apparently, Cindy was toying with a strand of McCain's hair and remarked that his hair was thinning. Then, according to MomLogic: McCain's face reddened, and he responded, ?At least I don't plaster on the makeup like a trollop, you c*nt.? Whoa. Cindy just gave an embarrassed smile and remained silent, and the other people in the bus didn't say anything, either, Schechter tells momlogic. Everyone was utterly speechless. The other people on the bus were two aides and three reporters. Best way to keep a secret when showing the other side of your nether regions is to say it in front of reporters. Why does this bother me? No man would call me this word?in private, much less in public?a...
By: Tumerica
Kucinich Delivered Articles of Impeachment Against Bush!
2008-06-09 19:03:00 Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich presented 35 Articles of Impeachment against George W. Bush to the House of Representatives yesterday. The House session was televised live on C-SPAN, and today is getting some noticeable media coverage (that's always an issue with these things: will the media cover it?). Thank you, Rep. Kucinich. Bless you and namaste. Thank you for the courage to do what needs to be done. Sure, there may be six months left of the most horrendous administration in history, but justice, although it's gotten a bit dusty and rusty from lack of use over the past seven years, is still a worthy ideal. Other presidents have gotten impeached for canoodling. How about impeachment for an illegal war that has devastated an entire country, costs thousands of American lives, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilian lives, and, um, bankrupted the U.S.? PHOTO: Dennis Kucinich and his preternaturally gorgeous wife, Elizabeth. Rep. K. is a vegan, practices yoga, and is courageou...
By: Tumerica
McCain's Evangelist Hagee: "Hitler Was Fullfilling God's Will for Israel"
2008-05-22 00:26:00 I about choked on my own spit when I read what John McCain's backer, evangelist John Hagee said, "'And they the hunters should hunt them,' that will be the Jews. 'From every mountain and from every hill and from out of the holes of the rocks.' If that doesn't describe what Hitler did in the holocaust you can't see that." "Theodore Hertzel is the father of Zionism. He was a Jew who at the turn of the 19th century said, this land is our land, God wants us to live there. So he went to the Jews of Europe and said 'I want you to come and join me in the land of Israel.' So few went that Hertzel went into depression. Those who came founded Israel; those who did not went through the hell of the holocaust. "Then god sent a hunter. A hunter is someone with a gun and he forces you. Hitler was a hunter. And the Bible says -- Jeremiah writing -- 'They shall hunt them from every mountain and from every hill and from the holes of the rocks,' meaning there's no place to hide. And t...
By: Tumerica
Five Reasons Why John McCain Is Not a Good Guy
2008-04-25 16:54:00 Something about the crooked, yellowing grin, the unpolished verbal flubs, the heroic years spent as a prisoner of war lend Senator John McCain a vulnerable lovability?at least on the surface. My husband swears McCain is a good guy and I vehemently disagreed. He's a war-monger, honey. He'd be more than happy to mow down Iran if it so much as sneezed in Israel's direction, my dear. And look what electing someone who can't tell a Shiite from a Sunni got us, sweetheart. It's just not a good idea. Well, that didn't seem enough, or even completely believable, so I decided to scratch the calculatedly benign exterior and see what lurked beneath.Sociopath. McCain is incapable of understanding anyone whose plight is worse than his own, and feels no remorse or guilt for the pain and suffering of others. Think I am exaggerating? He?s against equal wages for women, for starters, and not ashamed to admit it. McCain gave a speech on the importance of free trade recently in a factory that was...
By: Tumerica
Can 'progressive politics' make the world a better place? - Telegra
2008-04-04 20:01:00 Telegraph.co.ukCan 'progressive politics' make the world a better place?Telegraph.co.uk, Uni-ted Kingdom - 14 hours agoGordon Brown is hosting a conference of world leaders and policymakers aimed at finding 'progressive' solutions to global problems such as climate change, ...
Can 'progressive politics' make the world a better place? - Telegra
2008-04-04 20:01:00 Telegraph.co.ukCan 'progressive politics' make the world a better place?Telegraph.co.uk, Uni-ted Kingdom - 20 hours agoGordon Brown is hosting a conference of world leaders and policymakers aimed at finding 'progressive' solutions to global problems such as climate change, ...
Let the 2008 Summer Olympics Begin with Protests
2008-03-24 16:37:00 Photo at right: Chinese riot police marching in Tibet's Shangri-la · 99 Tibetan protesters slaughtered (that is, unarmed protesters) by the Chinese government, who has only recently raised its official death toll for the protests to 22 · Pro-Tibet activists arrested in Greece in the flame-lighting ceremony there, where they face criminal prosecution · Chinese government announced U.S. House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, who met with the Dalai Lama recently, is "habitually bad tempered," and proceeded to try to discredit her · The Chinese government's propaganda newspaper, The People?s Daily (think Fox News for China) accused, "The Dalai clique is scheming to take the Beijing Olympics hostage to force the Chinese government to make concessions to Tibet independence." If the last accusation is true, then more power to Tibet. Sure, I?d hate a boycott of the Summer Olympics, but to help free the Tibetan people from their five decades of Chinese tyranny? I say, bring it on. Ex...
By: Tumerica
Left Out In The Open: How the Netroots are Changing Progressive Politics
2008-03-05 15:00:00 "Internet activism has upended American politics by amplifying new voices, connecting disparate social networks, transforming campaign funding, enhancing public scrutiny and electing non-traditional candidates. The progressive netroots is building a participatory, egalitarian, aggressive movement with an agenda of progressive foreign policy, populist economics, Constitutional rights and open government...This panel will convene progressive leaders and writers for a lively discussion of how the netroots are changing progressive politics." Panel participants after the jump. Read More...Digg this | Email to a friend | Reddit
By: FreeNYC
Parade's Top Ten World's Worst Dictators: Where's Bush?
2008-02-18 17:21:00 Here's the list of Parade Magazine's Top Ten World's Worst Dictators: Kim Jong-ilCountry: North Korea Omar Al-BashirCountry: Sudan Sayyid Ali KhameneiCountry: Iran Than ShweCountry: Burma (Myanmar) King AbdullahCountry: Saudi Arabia Hu JintaoCountry: China Robert MugabeCountry: Zimbabwe Pervez MusharrafCountry: Pakistan Islam KarimovCountry: Uzbekistan Isayas AfewerkiCountry: Eritrea But where, may I ask, is George W. Bush? Why do I think he's one of the world's worst dictators?First, what is a dictator?Dictator, noun, A person granted absolute emergency power, one holding complete autocratic control, or, one ruling absolutely and often oppressivelyAbsolute emergency power: National Security Presidential Directive NSPD 51 and Homeland Security Presidential Directive HSPD-20 give the President the powers to declare martial law in the event of an emergency, the definition of which is, naturally, completely up to the President, or whomever else might be in charge at th...
By: Tumerica
U.S. Presidential Election 2008: Name Your Dynamic Duo for the Democratic T
2008-02-01 00:42:00 Match-up What Ifs . . .Clinton?Edwards (Good, right, works for me. Two super-smart Southerners.)Clinton?Obama (Don't think this is gonna happen, no-how?a Scorpio and a Leo serving together? Sheesh! One stings; the other bites.)Clinton?Kerry (Don't mind if I do. Always was fond of Kerry.)Clinton?Bloomberg (Actually, I could see this happening and it might be just what the doctor ordered. New York, New York . . .)Obama?Kerry (I hear it through the grapevine that this is actually under consideration. I like it.)Obama?Edwards (Obama would do well to pick Edwards)Obama?Bloomberg (Don't think so, but ambition can make strange bedfellows) And as a surprise, how about Al "Nobel Peace Prize" Gore in the mix? Hard to imagine, but weirder things have happened. I picture Gore as being more as head of the Environmental Protection Agency or the Secretary of the Interior, although, truth be told, he?d do better for the world to be on an international rat...
By: Tumerica
How about a Clinton?Edwards Ticket?
2008-01-22 20:15:00 Don't know how you feel, but the Obama and Clinton slugfest has left me cold. And with a tinny taste in my mouth for a candidate I formerly respected. As Obama fights meaner, my heart closes tighter against him. Making fun of Hillary in front of a live audience? Poor form and amateurish.And yeah, I've been known to spout off a word or two about why Hillary has resoundingly kept silent on the Iraq occupation, which still pisses me off, but when the vote went down on whether to attack Iraq back in 2003, Obama was nowhere to be seen (not even a state senator at that point). When Obama taunts Hillary because she voted for the Iraqattack, he comes across as a hypocrite. At least Edwards had the courageous conviction to say, "Yes, I voted for it, I was wrong, and I am sorry."Now word on the streets is that Hillary and Edwards met in private for 20 minutes just after the debates last night. Naturally, the first thing that comes to mind is a Clinton?Edwards ticket. This speculation makes ...
By: Tumerica
As of Today, Jan. 21, 2008?One Year Left of the Monster-in-Chief
2008-01-21 17:50:00 Only 365 days left of the Evil Empire! Whoo-hoo! No more orchestrated synthetic terror events (9/11 and anthrax attacks). No more excuses for the illegal war against Iraq (the successor will have to suck it up and do something about the Iraquagmire). No more hideously mangled English. No more monster puppet-master Darth Vader Cheney. Hurray!
By: Tumerica
Looks Like Hillary Clinton Captured Michigan Vote
2008-01-16 04:52:00 Hillary has taken New Hampshire, and now Michigan, so will a momentum build up that could carry her through? (Oops?she was the only Dem on the ballot?the logic of which escapes me.) Will Obama pull it off? I predict he'll carry California anyway, which seems to forge ahead with the new flava however it may taste. Could Edwards pull out ahead? Who knows at this point. Just give me a Democrat, any one will do. I'll probably vote for Hillary but I'm not sure?I've got the paper ballot now, awaiting my vote (permanent absentee status is the only way to go!). I like all three of the top Democratic candidates. Sure is more fun than following Republican scandals and the abysmal state of the Earth right now?plagues and rumors of plagues. Just a brief bit of hope is all I ask.
By: Tumerica
Cormac Murphy-O'Connor : Roman Catholic Assault on Progressive Politics
2007-11-30 19:51:00 The population of the UK is around the 60 million mark. According to a recent survey, 66% of the population doesn't subscribe to organized religion. Approximately 5 million Brits are Roman Catholic, with a large percentage 'nominal' Catholics who rarely darken the door of a church.Given these stats it is pretty clear that the Roman Catholic lobby in the UK has a relatively narrow demographic base. You wouldn't know it though when you listen to chief Vatican shill, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor.O'Connor has been busily trying to sabotage the passage of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill because it contains provisions he and his Vatican overlords don't like. Predictably one of their chief complaints relates to the concern that with the "need for a father" provision lifted, lesbian couples will be able to avail themselves of fertility technology to birth their own children.The Catholic understanding of the term 'family' remains rigidly traditional, despite evidenc...
By: Aidan Maconachy
Musharraf: Three Steps ahead of Bush in the Dictatorship Race
2007-11-06 16:06:00 Which country described below is the United States and which is Pakistan? Mystery Country 1 Protesters clubbed; 3500 imprisonedThe president assumed power in a coup The Constitution was suspended and martial law is in effectRe-election of the president was only questionably legalIs considered to have become a police stateExtremists are making increasingly more powerful attacks Mystery Country 2 2400 protesters imprisoned in 2004 in one protest alone, manhandled, pepper-sprayed, and shot with rubber bulletsThe president assumed power in a much-disputed election, fraught with hanging chads, supporters storming the election returns recount, Supreme Court intervention, and admitted e-voting fraud, under-counted ballots, and other voting fraudHas been chipping away at the ?it?s just another G*^ D$%&# piece of paper? Constitution with the Patriot Act, the destruction of Habeas Corpus (illegal detentions without ...
By: Tumerica
Pat Tillman 1976?2004: The Death of War Dreams Rap
2007-11-01 22:05:00 Chorus No safety for the safetyNo solace for the saneNo justice for the heroJust an end to his game. Fragged by a sniper From the very same team That?s not how you play the game, ?The death of war dreams.? We saw September 11 If you believed your eyes, We took it all in The gut-wrenching surprise. But you took it on As your own war to fight Enlisted to help out, And make the wrong right. ?Hmm,? said the leaders, ?Hmm,? said The Man, Smells like a winner For our propaganda plan? ?NFL Safety Quits Season To Fight Terror War? Trained you up, shipped you out Moved you to a distant shore. [Chorus] Sent you to Iraq And then Afghanistan Out on patrol Where only Army Rangers can. Don?t know what you saw. Can?t see with your eyes Your diary disappeared And your voice And your soul. First it was a hero?s death By hostile enemy fire But wait, no, that?s not right Oh, yeah, it was friendly fire? It happened at night Where no one could s...
By: Tumerica
Remembering an Icon in Progressive Politics
2007-10-26 05:16:00 PZ said it well - where are all the progressive politicians like this? Dennis Kucinich and Russ Feingold come to mind, but Paul Wellstone was more outspoken on his principles.
By: Migrations
2007 SoCal Fire Disaster the New Katrina?
2007-10-26 01:23:00 Disaster response efforts hampered by lack of federal fundingDisaster response efforts hampered by lack of coordination across agenciesDisaster response efforts hampered by lack of National Guard troops who are over-stretched by their presence in the Middle East. Said Sen. Jim Webb, himself a decorated war verteran, "Extended troop deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan compromise the long-term ability of states to respond adequately to natural disasters of this magnitude . . . "One million or more US citizens displaced due to the disaster?1 million southern California residents displaced from their homes, mostly in San Diego county in the SoCal fires, 25 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) since Hurricane Katrina Both the Hurricane Katrina disaster rescue disaster and the 2007 SoCal fires disaster are blazing examples of fallout from political decisions higher up the chain.
By: Tumerica
Mr. "'I mean, people have access to health care in America?they can just go
2007-10-03 22:08:00 Ranking on the all-time least sympathy for the common person list, among the likes of Marie Antoinette ("Let them eat brioche") and his own mother (about hurricane Katrina relief "Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality . . . this is working very well for them"), President Bush made no effort to air-brush his true feelings when he said, "I mean, people have access to health care in America?they can just go to the emergency room." This in regard to the new barriers his administration has thrown up to deter uninsured/underinsured children from getting the health insurance they need. The State Children's Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP) worked before and was authorized by the federal government as recently as a year ago. SCHIP pays for insurance for children whose families are not qualified for Medicaid, do not have private insurance, and cannot afford to purchase private insurance. A push for the expansion of SCHIP now has the feds stepping in and mucking up the waters for ...
By: Tumerica
Bush Jonesing to Attack Iran: Three-day Blitz Planned
2007-09-03 15:45:00 Massive air strikes against 1,200 targets in Iran; an attempt to annihilate the Iranians? military capability in three days; Bush claiming Iran puts Middle East ?under the shadow of a nuclear holocaust?; inventing a "proxy war against America in Iraq" rhetoric. Sounds like the manic drumbeat of the Cheney-Bush War Consortium warming up for its magnum opus before departure power--before the first primary election. Sure, attacking Afghanistan did not work. By everyone's account except Cheney-Bush-Petreus's, attacking Iraq did not work. But since when has that deterred the War Consortium? Despite all these in-your-face defeats and quagmires that scream out how American war policy as stinking to low heaven, nope, they are forging ahead with full-scale plans to detonate the entire Iran--a whole 'nother can of worms entirely--military apparatus. Iran. Different country from Iraq. Hmmm. I may not be a military expert, but let's do a public knowledge review of facts: Iran has its...
By: Tumerica
U.S. Taxpayers Fork out $1.6 Billion for Propaganda
2007-08-15 19:52:00 A new Government Accountability Office report just published reveals what we already know?that the Bush administration has been buying news. That is, federally funded public relations contracts to report "news" that spouts a predetermined agenda written by the Bush administration?all while the networks and other agencies that air the instanews disclose nothing about the source of the information. What we did not know was how enormous was the expense. And naturally, why the media, who may also be on the government payroll, are not making huge efforts to publicize this finding (or maybe we know that too).State-run media might be nothing out of the ordinary in a country such as, um, North Korea. But here in the U.S., we like to think our media at least retains a semblance of democracy and objectivity.What the Bush administration is doing is a violation of federal law and therefore fraudulent. (Hey, they're already culpable for the lives of thousands of service men and women, hundreds ...
By: Tumerica
Warrentless-and-Legal Flava Wiretapping?Now at a Snoop Shop Near You
2007-08-09 00:39:00 "The White House maintained Monday that the surveillance measure signed into law by President Bush over the weekend did not give the government any sweeping new powers to eavesdrop on Americans without court warrants." Thus speaketh The New York Times.Did anyone ever wonder that maybe the White House is right? The newly signed surveillance measure did not, in fact, give new powers to eavesdrop on Americans without court warrant because the eavesdropping powers already in place are powerful enough.How the framers of the U.S. Constitution would roll in their graves with this new?now fully sanctioned?level of the decimation of democracy by an uber-powerful Federal government that can pop on over and check out your stupid joke e-mail, your testosterphone calls ("I'm on my way home now." "OK, hon. See you in a few. Bye"), your heated conversations with your annoying neighbor?all at any time for no reason. Well, let's just say the words "suspected terrorism" as a reason and b'gosh, any...
By: Tumerica
U.S. Drops Atom Bomb on Hiroshima, August 7, 1945: The Choice between Hell
2007-08-06 16:54:00 How unfortunate for the citizens of Hiroshima, Japan to know that their city is famous throughout the world only as the first city to be bombed with a nuclear bomb. The bombardier of the Enola Gay dropped ?Little Boy? on the unarmed city 62 years ago today, killing 70,000 civilians instantly. Not distinguishing among elderly, babies, women, or other innocent non-military.But that wasn't the end of it. 70,000 may have perished as a direct result, but 60,000 more died shortly thereafter from related injuries and illnesses. And as many as 200,000 total died within five years, from the bombing or the after-affects.Nagasaki became the only other city to be the victim of an atomic bomb a few days later, where Japanese report 75,000 more were killed instantly.One week after the first bombing, Japan surrendered, perhaps explaining the propaganda found in every American child's history textbook that the "atomic bombing was justified as a stimulus to end the war" If you could stand in the ...
By: Tumerica
Cleavage Club Clacks Clinton: Breasts Not Bombs Protest Bounces into Action
2007-07-26 16:22:00 How many peace rallies have you been to that had an actual impact? Made the media squirm?but they at least showed up? Maybe even became national news, all while raising consciousness about a scary and unpleasant cause? The radical anti-war group Breasts-Not-Bombs staged a peaceful protest outside the Hillary Clinton campaign launch party in San Francisco last Saturday. Clinton had been notably silent about her Yes vote for the invasion of Iraq (unlike Edwards, who said he was sorry), refusing to come out against the illegal war since then. Many of us want to forgive Clinton, but have a hard time doing so?can she really be our bosom buddy, as a fellow woman, after such a dodge?Meanwhile, what's wrong with a little breast in peace? Or even a big breast in peace, if you are doubly blessed? One of the leaders of Breasts-not-Bombs had this to say about the outrage against her form of nudey protest: ?Why does the public at large have such a definitive and immediate reaction to women's f...
By: Tumerica
"Haircut Journalism" Smear Tactics Now Focus on Clinton's Cleavage
2007-07-23 20:33:00 The Washington Post stooped to a new low with Robin Givhan's July 20th article on Senator Hillary Clinton?s cleavage (?Hillary Clinton's Tentative Dip Into New Neckline Territory??I am not linking to it because I will not promote such an article). Would The Post run a similar article on George W. Bush's crotch bulge (or lack thereof), or perhaps on Dick Cheney's declining sex appeal that is inversely proportional to his expanding belly? The answer is an unequivocal ?no.? This kind of reporting may be worthy of The National Enquirer, but People Magazine would not even stoop so low. Was the editor asleep on this one or was there complicity with the Republican agenda to discredit a viable Democratic candidate and therefore a threat? Abominable and disgusting political tactics and bad journalism, this style of reporting is what noted blogger Majikthise calls "haircut journalism," after the smear campaign the mainstream media focused on John Edwards' pricey haircuts, published solel...
By: Tumerica
If Bush Had His Way, We'd Attack Pakistan and Iran?We're Lucky He's Undergo
2007-07-20 21:28:00 Musharraf Going Down?"The Bush administration, after publicly demanding that Musharraf rein in militants linked to al Qaida, on Wednesday threatened to launch attacks into Pakistani territory if it sees fit." Not the first time Pervez Musharraf has heard a threat of bombing extrude from the many mouths of the Bush regime. The Taliban in that area of Pakistan?North Waziristan, near the border with Afghanistan?have given up on peace talks. 17 soldiers were killed in a recent clash there, and speculation has been rampant that Musharraf?whose fortunes have been waning of late with the reinstatement of his arch-enemy, Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry?would send a forceful military crackdown to the region. If Paki military forces show up in the area, though, expect reprisals and a delicate situation to blow right up. Doesn't help that Bush's press-patsy, Tony Snow, shakes his skinny baboon fist in the air, droning on about U.S. military chutzpah. Meanwhile, the street cred is that Mushar...
By: Tumerica
Harry Reid to Republicans: Give me Cloture? I'll Give You an All-nighter
2007-07-17 16:13:00 Cloture vs. All-nighter Withdraw troops no later than April, 2008Reduce the number of troops no later than 120 days after the passage of the amendment These are the two strictures of the Reed-Levin Troop Redeployment bill. In one corner are Republicans threatening a filibuster. In the other is Senate majority leader Give-'em-Hell Harry Reid, threatening cloture--which would allow up to 30 hours of debate--with no breaks. Meaning, you filibuster this puppy and you fixin' to pull an all-nighter.I remember an all-nighter in college where I downed an entire pound of peanut M-n-Ms. The feeling I got was somewhere between high and the color the the one M-n-M that's reputed to make you feel amorous. (That was the 80s, before the blue M-n-M hit the candy aisles.) When I hear all-nighter, I think green M-n-Ms. Ick. But the Senate has let us down, has let the world down, and an all-nighter is the lightest punishment I could imagine. Glad Harry Reid has the courage of the Wizard of O...
By: Tumerica
John Edwards Supports Gay Pride: Mainstream Recognition for the LGBT Commun
2007-06-22 22:48:00 For the first time in U.S. history, a candidate for President is coming out of the closet to support the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community. Through his wife, anyway. It's been a long wait, my friends, and I am sorry this mainstream support could not have come sooner. But here it is: Elizabeth Edwards, spouse of presidential candidate, John Edwards, will be the keynote speaker at the Alice B. Toklas Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Democratic Club breakfast (that is a mouthful!) this coming Sunday.I cannot wait to read the transcript of Elizabeth Edwards' speech, or to see a snippet of it. What will she say? She was a gifted attorney during her earlier career and is the author of Saving Graces, a memoir that covers the tragic death of their son, Wade, her own struggles with breast cancer that are still ongoing, her life as a military brat, and how she found strength from the support of her community throughout it all.During the John Edwards bid for the Whi...
By: Tumerica
Iraq is Number 2: Where Is Your Country on "The List"?
2007-06-19 22:19:00 1. Sudan2. Iraq3. Somalia4. Zimbabwe5. Chad What comes to mind when you read this list? Countries in states of civil war, chaos, dire poverty (well, Iraq had some oil wealth, though Saddam Hussein hoarded it)? African nations (except for the oddball, Iraq)? The list goes on: 6. Cote d'Ivoire7. Democratic Republic of Congo8. Afghanistan9. Guinea10. Central African Republic11. Haiti12. Pakistan13. North Korea Ah-ha?countries with horrible governments, failed governments. How about Failed States?Every year, The Fund for Peace puts together the "Failed States Index," a detailed list that is the analysis of "hundreds of thousands of articles from global and regional sources." Each country gets a score based on 12 criteria, such as demographic pressures, refugees, severe economic decline, criminalization of the state, deterioration of public services, etc.The 2007 Failed States Index includes first world countries as well?all get ranking, and all get assigned a discrete color zone. ...
By: Tumerica
Vice-monster In Chief Has New Grandson: Is Baby-Cheney a Conflict of Intere
2007-05-24 16:34:00 Just when you thought only komodo dragons and now hammerhead sharks could have virgin births, VP (for Vile & Pugnacious) Dick Cheney and his heavily face-lifted wife, Lynne, are the proud grandparents of a fresh, eight-and-a-half pound baby boy from their daughter, Mary (whose namesake had that other famous virgin birth a coupla millennia ago). While this birth may not be parthenogenesis, it is disapprove-a-genesis from the senior Monster-in-chief. Did George W. Bush come before the child with hearty congratulations and flowers? Because for sure, he did not bring gold, frankincense, or myrrh, as he is definitely NOT a wise man.For the VP and Tight-Face Lynne, this new birth is their sixth grandchild, but their first to be conceived under a policy Dick may not approve of?openly, anyway. Yeah, he gives lip service to "I want everyone to be treated fairly with respect to their living choices," but he works with Mr. Doo-Dah-Dubya (I cannot say ?works for? as we all know who has the sign...
By: Tumerica
The Decider Has Decided: Give Me a Catastrophe and I'll Be Your Emperor, or
2007-05-22 01:39:00 Just when you thought it was safe to start thinking about something innocuous like the primaries, that now start next January, thanks to Florida and New Hampshire . . . just when you thought it was safe, well, Bush progressed from anointing himself King (wiretapping private citizens without a warrant, the Patriot Act, retaliating against whistleblowers, firing federal judges, torturing anywhere and everywhere, the slaughtering of Habeas Corpus, etc.) to anointing himself Emperor. Yes, Julius Caesar Bush, you are now closer to God on the level of unprecedented Executive branch powers in the United States of America. (The same U.S. of A. that opted NOT to have a king--remember "taxation without representation"? The Revolutionary War, anyone?)And just how did Bush accomplish anointing himself Emperor of America? Quietly, without so much as a whisper in the mainstream press, and disguised with mysterious and ambiguous, you guessed it, verbiage. The one article on the feat was in The ...
By: Tumerica
Intervention is the Incubator of Terrorism
2007-05-21 20:22:00 ?How can all of our meddling fail to spark some terrible retribution? Have we not suffered enough - Pan Am 103, World Trade Center (1993), the embassy bombings in Nairobi and Dares Salaam - not to know that intervention is the incubator of terrorism? Or will it take some cataclysmic atrocity on U.S. Soil to awaken our global gamesmen to the going price of empire.America today faces a choice of destinies. We can choose to be a peacemaker of the world, or its policeman who goes around night-sticking troublemakers until we, too, find ourselves in some bloody brawl we cannot handle." ?Pat Buchanan, in a 2000 speech while running for the PresidencyShocking, really, coming from the mouth of none other than the founder of The American Conservative, and supporter of Ron Paul in the Republican primaries. Dang, dude. If we had only listened to Pat before September 11, 2001.
By: Tumerica
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