The Ifill Tower of Babbel

The NewsHour had none other than the new Condi Stephen Hadley on to discuss the President's speech. Now readers of MIT know I am a pretty big fan of the News Hour, while I wont dissagree with others who say it is "Yell TV", I will say it is typically much more informative and fact laden than other forms of Yell TV. I mean the segment lengths in and of themselves are at least 10 times as long. Sqeezing in 3 minutes worth of talk where American Morning would rather devote those same 3 into their 90 second pop (culture that is) segment followed by another 90 in Republican 527 ads. Either way, the NewsHour is perhaps the best form of a news hour that is currently on Television. Plus the bonus that it is part of PBS and therefor free, that puts it into a supre league of journalism all its own. Think about the shit that passes for news on cable. Then look at that monopolistic cable bill every month. I think you will start switchin' to Lehrer in a flash.

Enough ass kissing. So being that I favor the facts in my news you can imagine the look on Sgt. Pepper's face when he saw daddy shame him in a game he thought he held the crown in, particularly around my house. A game I call, SIJSOTF, or Shit I Just Shit On The Floor. Here is how Gewn Ifill (the woman with the biggest bicepts on TV) decided she could start an interview with the new Condi Rice, uh Stephen something.

GWEN IFILL: The president last night in his speech mentioned Sept. 11 five times and alluded to it several more times. Yet, half of Americans say that they don't believe -- this is in this latest Gallup Poll everybody's been talking about today -- say they don't believe there's a connection between what's happening in Iraq and what happened on Sept. 11. What do you say to that?

Believe? Believe? What do you mean we don't Believe in this. This is where the media is going wrong. So all that soul searching that they have or haven't been doing as of late comes down to this.

The News Is NOT A FAITH BASED INSTITUTION.

The News is a FACT BASED INSTITUTION. Or so it should be.

You don't report what people believe. You report what is. This isn't about perception and if it is, it is definitely thanks to questions such as these directed at lying fuckers such as those in the administration. It is no wonder why most of America believed this same assertion in November. So perhaps the media has done its job of widdling that poor idea out of the public's mind. Now only the hard core believers in all things Cheney still believe that on 9/11 Saddam Drove a plane right into the Statue of Liberty and right before it collapsed the Torch lit up like a cheap cigar. Oh yeah, and the reason it's called 9/11 is because the cell phone system in New York crashed and people weren't able to call 9/11.

I am terribly sorry but every single commission that has been battled by the president then finally allowed to do its job to ge to the bottom of 9/11 and the intelligence and all of this shit have never ever ever ever found a link between Saddam Hussein and 9/11. NOTHING. There was perhaps a scenario where one of the hijakers met with another hijaker on a busy street in Paris and the window behind them had a television on playing a History Channel documentary that flashed Saddam's picture at the precise moment they were talking about the Twin Towers. However, other than that, nothing. And in case you haven't figured it out, that doesn't count as a tie, or a link for that matter.

As a matter of fact, in order to tie Saddam Hussein to 9/11, you would have a much easier time finding a hair from Saddam's mustache in the burning rubble that was the twin towers.

Gwen get it right next time. Start off with something like this "Where does the president get off linking Iraq to 9/11? Or is he just trying to catapult the propaganda?"

Needles of belief, buried in haystacks of fact do not good interviews make.

New London Callin

Alright, there is lots of chatter on the left that says we should agree with the Kelo v. New London case. The Left Coaster and Armando from Kos both agree on the merits of the decision itself, and to some extent they may be right. However, given the recent attacks on the judiciary by the right wing cookamungas, its pretty obvious that this issue can and will be used against you in the court of public opinion. This decision will play out only one way. The Liberal Judges on the Supreme Court decided that it is OK for the Government to Take your House and give it to a corporation.

Its that simple. So anyone who doesn't denounce this case on that ground alone is committing a political faux pas. I mean, which politician or movement for that matter wants to align themselves with that type of message.

Its the same type of "I voted for it before I voted against it" trap. Sure on the merits, Kerry was right to vote for and against it. But merits need explaining, and in a world of sound bites that last 3 seconds, you better use your air and vocal chords wisely by having the microphone listen to you say "the Supreme Court was wrong." And walk away to your favorite cocktail party to discuss how you agree with the Court on this one based on its merits.

Otherwise the righties will keep saying the lefties want the government to take your house. Remember this is all about playing jedi mind tricks. Not even Obie Wan Kenobe can convince America that taking away their little pink houses and white picket fences that they worked so hard for is right based on a judicial technicality.

SO lefties, you would be wise to stay together and just say no on Kelo. Cuz if it were your house you wouldn't be so damned happy some corporation was taking it.

Bush Speaks, Juan Cole Listens

In case you missed it, or were sleeping, or were barbecueing shishkebabs (as was I), or were getting drunk at your local Drinkin Liberal Event, President WC gave us a pep rally of a speech last night. He and his team have noticed that without public support for a war, you gonna have troubles. Thus, they sent Rove out last week to bash liberals for having no nuts on 9/11. Then they sent Rummy out after Kennedy asked for his resignation (AGAIN) so that he could tell all the sunday bobble heads that the war is important and going just jolly wolly.

Of course what good are the morons without their leader. So President WC took the stage at Fort Bragg. I didn't want but you can take this to the toilet.

Now I could go line by line and denegrate every single one that makes me go hmm but why reinvent the wheel.

Who would the terrorists have voted for?

I recall this was a hot question during the election season. The right screamed triumphantly that the terrorists would vote for Kerry dammit! This was always of course unsubstantiated and rather based on hearsay at best, but never did they interview a terrorist to actualy confirm the claim. Nor did Gallop or Zogby run a poll on terrorists to see who they favored really. I think they were too busy trying to poll those damned cell phone users.

In any case, from teh bowels of Iraq a few of the reporters who were kidnapped by insurgents got to interview those insurgents. They were even sharp enough to ask them who they would vote for.

The cell leader trained with terror leader Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan and told them the insurgents supported a Bush presidency because they believed it meant that "there will be confrontation, occupation and radicalization of the Iraqi people

Well I am glad that question has finally been put to rest. Also, congratulations Insurgents, your team won!

We here at MIT realize this may sound like its a few months too late to announce to the insurgents who won the US election. However, since shit is pretty FUBAR in Iraq, perhaps the news is a little slow going over there. I can't imagine many newspaper delivery guys, sticking to their route and filling those metal vending machines with newspapers all the while dodging IEDs and RPGs and other three letter acronyms sinonymous with death. Besides, what do you think the demand for newspapers is in Iraq these days? Its not like a guy is gonna put his bazooka or his AK to shuffle around his pockets for a fuckin quarter. Not to mention the state of Newsstands in Iraq.

C-O-L-A COLA

House Agrees to $3,100 Pay Raise for 2006 bringing their salary to $165,200 per year.

"It's not a pay raise," said House Majority Leader
Tom DeLay, R-Texas. "It's an adjustment so that they're not losing their purchasing power."

I certainly hope Tommy boy will give these numbers a thought for the Congressional Calendar:

4.3 million: Number of Americans who have fallen into poverty since President Bush took office

$5.15: Federal minimum wage

26%: How much the inflation-adjusted value of the minimum wage has eroded since 1979

0: Number of times minimum wage has increased since 1997

7: Number of times Congress has increased its own pay since 1997

$0: How much more a year people earning minimum wage earn today compared to 1997

$28,500: How much more a year members of Congress make today compared to 1997

$10,700: Amount a person making minimum wage will earn in a year

$5,000: Amount below the poverty level working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year at minimum wage will leave a family of three

7,300,000: Number of workers who would benefit from an increase in the minimum wage

72%: Percentage of adult workers who would benefit from an increase in the minimum wage

1,800,000: Number of parents with kids under the age of 18 who would benefit from an increase in the minimum wage

11 million: Number of jobs added to the economy in the four years after the last minimum wage hike

$8.70: Amount minimum wage would have to be today to have the same purchasing power it had in 1968

2.5 years: Amount of health care for two children which could be bought by raising the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25

86%: Percentage of Americans who support raising the federal minimum wage

Oh yeah, and while we are at it, Tom Delay should start worrying a bit more about the purchasing power of the folks over in the Marianas Islands. Who happen to be making "Made In The USA" garments, while not making Made In The USA wages. Which if you think about it, really hurts the rest of those folks who are actually making things in the USA! Oh yeah, and its illegal too.

Another Crook Runs Free

Scrushy Not Guilty

You know, Michael Jackson may have fucked kids in the ass after dropping acid in thier diet Cokes and telling em it was Splenda. Meanwhile, there is a whole institution (Catholic Church) that fucked tons of boys and you don't see anyone with torches in their hands going after those bastards.

But, this fucker robbed many more people of their savings, which could have been used for things such as retirement and college funds.

Perhaps this case was more important, if not in the pedofile realm of cases that should be covered, then on the much broader, wider reaching, social injustice realm of cases that should be covered.

Here is a fun game to play with your friends. Ask them who Dick Scrushy is. Then ask them if they knew he was on trial.

Then tell them he was a pedofile. Maybe then they will do some research on the fucker in order to learn how unjust this fucking society is becomming.

No thanks to the media.

Torture

There are other Rovian reasons to read this LOR post. However, the comment on torture hit it right onthe head:

"In brief: first, it is only a measure of the growing barbarism of our culture that opposition to torture is viewed as an “achievement” worthy of note. That torture is monstrous and shocking to anyone of conscience and to anyone who is remotely civilized is not a judgment representing an unusual achievement of outstanding character and insight—or to be more accurate, it should not be unusual. The fact that condemnation of torture can be regarded in this manner is, as I say, a measure of how far we have fallen. In addition, of course, overwhelming evidence exists that torture does not work. You might think that would end the argument but, alas, in our times it does not. But the primary and most significant objection is, obviously, that torture is inhumane and not to be tolerated by decent men. This is not a question open for legitimate debate, where opposing viewpoints should properly be granted equal weight."

That torture does not work part always reminds me of a movie quote that while I have placed in comments in other blogs, I don't think I ever put it on my own dammned blog. Since I am going through a bit of writer's block coupled with a nauseating apathy towards the state of political affairs in this country and people in general why not put it up here now. Why not even have a game and have people try to figure out the quote in comments:

EDDIE: I take it this is the bastard you told me about. Why the hell are you beating on him?

MR. PINK: So he'll tell us who the fuck set us up.

EDDIE: Would you stop it with that shit! You beat on this prick enough, he'll tell ya he started the Chicago fire. That don't necessarily make it so.

Given the names and the fact there is something called google on this earth, I don't think it would take long. But if Nice Guy Eddie is anti-torture, I don't see why the rest of us shouldn't be.

Must read

Read this whole thing. It is really amazing how this lazy media works these days. Apparently the Downing Street Memo (aka. the proof of War Crimes commited by President Bush) isn't important enough to cover because it is somehow old news. Like people already knew about this stuff if they read Bob Woodward's book. However, Woodward's book has been spun by the likes of Sean Hannity to do nothing but blame the intelligence or George Tenet's slam dunk.

So tell me once more, if it is old news, even though it is poorly reported, should it not be covered anymore? You know by the time they found out about Monica Lewinsky those blow jobs were way in the past. I didn't see the press drop that story because it was old and hairy and forgot to wipe the stains off its dresses.

Eitehr way, there is a big Matza ball out there. One large enough to finally impeach a president for a proper reason. Being an enemy of the constitution and pissing that oath away.

PS. I know I haven't had much going on lately but its busy at work and well besides Rove putting his foot in his mouth and the recent disinformation campagn about Iraq (which the President will continue tonight) there is just your usual daily injustices going on.

However, I honestly haven't even had time to get to the NYT oped page recently. To keep up with good quick and easy things that you should know about I suggest going to the staples like Daou Report and Atrios.

Karl Rove Anti American

In the aftermath of Dick Durbin's pummeling by the right, Karl Rove came to Manhattan and criticized Liberals about their way of going about the business of patriotisming after watching the tallest buildings this side of the Hudson crumble to the ground one faithful morning, taking 3,000 innnocent Americans with them. Rove decided to come to New York, a city that has endured the worse terrorist attack on US domestic mainland soil in its short history. The White House Deputy Chief of Staff and the President's Cheif political advisor came to the Big Apple to denigrate that cities people (a vast majority of New Yorkers are liberals) and their way of going about being Americans.

I wonder what it is about the way liberals and New Yorkers acted in the fallout of 9/11 that Karl Rove deems to be an "offer of therapy and understanding for its attackers?" Could it be how people worked night and day to find dead Americans while him and the other neocons in office immediately searched for war in Iraq? Perhaps it was the way liberals all over this country poured in boxes filled with clothes, food, water, canned goods, gas masks, boots, buckets, gloves, blood, sweat, and tears to the efforts to dig up even a fingernail to attempt to identify the dead in those towers? Maybe it was the way those firemen, police, and EMTs, whose health care benefits Karl Rove's political advice led to the trimming of, after many of them (liberals included) ran up those stairs in hopes of saving even one life, accomplishing only the heroic loss of their own?

Maybe Karl Rove is talking about the liberals who perhaps saved Karl Rove's life by bravely sacrificing their own in forcing the hijakers to crash that plane that was headed towards Rove's office in the White House.

Perhaps Karl Rove is talking about the liberals who have died in Iraq? A war that had certain policy makers advised by Karl Rove shown "moderation and constraint" perhaps 100,000 Iraqi and 1700 American lives could have been saved from "perishing in the flame and rubble" of the Iraq war. Certainly "moderation and constraint" would have at the very least dressed our troops and vehicles in the appropriate armor such that some of those lives could have been spared.

Karl Rove said that by calling American Policies of Torture Anti-American such as Dick Durbin did, and having those thoughts broadcast about the Arabian world puts "liberal motives in question." Karl, not only do the actions resulting from the American policy makers you advise, whose bombs are destroying Iraqi's daily, speak decibels louder than any words Dick Durbin could have possibly uttered. But more importantly, had the liberals and their motives been taken into question rather than dismissed with comments such as these, perhaps the person who caused those towers to come crashing down would have been caught. You know, Osama bin Laden, whom you conservatives forgot about when it came time to drum up $300 billion dollars for your war profiteering buddies (despite that catchy "have you forgotten" song).

Biodiesel

Say hello to Passat 2005 Running On Soy Oil B100. I trampled upon this blog over at talk left (who was silent on the SCOTUS decision, I know the folks at talk left are real lawyers and they regularly put posts up such as we are screwed with court today, and just put open threads up).

So leaving talk left off the hook since they are probably seeking justice on their own, I did see the first comment on the post was completely irrelevant, but it pointed to the biodiesel blog.

Now, the reason I blogrolled it is perhaps this shaky math that was done on this particular post. Just the final quote here:

It would take 4,800 treated gallons to burn 1 gallon of petroleum. Of course, I make no gaurantees that my math is correct.

Now the other interesting posts are here and here. Which basically put his mileage at around an average of 28 miles per gallon.

I remember researching VW TDIs when I had my gas guzzling (but oh how I loved the torque) VR6. I remember the efficiency was grand on the TDIs. VW says automatics get 34 mpg city 45 mpg highway. I am assuming this guy has an automatic. He also says he drives half city and half highway and if I know LA, he's probably in traffic most of the time.

Meaning that he isn't loosing fuel efficiency and he isn't burning oil.

Someone tell me why these peak oil pushers aren't screaming about biodiesel?

Business wins again!

Now this is perhaps one of the most misleading headlines out there. Justices, 5-4, Back Seizure of Property for Development. Nope Let's see if the lede clarifies things a bit:

A divided Supreme Court ruled Thursday that local governments may seize people's homes and businesses against their will for private development in a decision anxiously awaited in communities where economic growth often is at war with individual property rights.

Thats the crux of it. Sure governments now have the right to seize your house. This isn't new. They have always had this right, they pay you to leave so that they can build a highway or some other public function for your property.

What is new about this ruling, and I don't know how the hell this ruling has come to pass, is the change in scope of purpose governments now have access to your property for. Where before governments sought to own private property for the public good, now they seek private property for another private interest.

WOW! Where are all the people who fear fascism on this one?

You mean to tell me that if I own a business, and I want your land but you won't sell, that I now have the right to go to the local government and petition them to seize your property so that I can then buy it from the state?

Meaning if I have money, now everyone has a price.

Meaning that if I have money I can buy anything, even your personal nest egg of a home that you may or may not have grown up in or lived in, have memories in. All these things can be wiped away with a few lobbying efforts?

Perhaps the worse part of this decision is that now twice my opinion stands with Scalia and Thomas and the likes of those folks. If the "liberals" on the courts are making pro-corporate decisions, then why and how are they liberal? I have gone cross eyed with this one.

Peak Oil

Ezra has Prof. Goose guest blogging about peak oil. The posts are rather informative and actually give everyone some tips and tricks to help slow the peak oil bomb that's definitely a comming. Crazy to me biodiesel isn't part of the discussion.

Either way, I have added Dr. Goose's site to the blogroll. It is called The Oil Drum and apparently there is tons of info re: peak oil. Particularly this one helped me (a massive Guiness fan) understand peak oil that much more.

In essence, buy and eat more vegetables from an organic source, or at the very least a local farmer's market. Check your tire pressure, drive the speed limit, and buy a more economical car next time around. Also change all the lightbulbs in your house to those flourescent day lights, they have a neat side effect of keeping you happy through the winter because of the full spectrum not offered by filament bulbs.

And stop throwing out plastic.

Granted, its just one more thing that confirms that the rapture is comming, so save your souls heathons.

Future Subject of Jucial Activism - Flag Burning

That damned House of Representatives has been real busy of late, this time approving and anti-flag-burning Constitutional Ammendment. Mind you, there is an Equal Rights Ammendment out there that has yet to pass after over 80 years of women fighting for their own rights, but the House says Flags are more important than women. So be it. However, Constitutional Ammendments are not immune from Judicial oversight. I mean if for some reason the Radical Right would get congress to pass a Constitutional Ammendment on say its ok to kill Arabs, the Supreme Court could still step in and say, nope! Thats a violation of basic human rights. So this flag burning ammendment may fall prey to the same thing.

I mean flag burning may not be the most patriotic of things, but it ain't treasonist either, its an excercise of your basic human right to free speech. A flag is nothing more than the eloquent intermingling of red, white, and blue fibers in a pattern that is the stars and stripes. Now it is either cotton, nylon, or plastic. In any case, its nothing more than a fancy piece of material. We burn materials like crazy in this country and in others.

As the article states, this isn't new ground for legislatures, and courts everywhere.

The measure was designed to overturn a 1989 decision by the Supreme Court, which ruled 5-4 that flag burning was a protected free-speech right. That ruling threw out a 1968 federal statute and flag-protection laws in 48 states. The law was a response to anti-Vietnam war protesters setting fire to the American flag at their demonstrations.

So the House and perhaps the Senate in this case are forcing the states to undergo this new ratification of an ammendment. Though this time they think they are smarter, for they changed the wording a bit:

The proposed one-line amendment to the Constitution reads, "The Congress shall have power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States." For the language to be added to the Constitution, it must be approved not only by two-thirds of each chamber but also by 38 states within seven years.

"Congress shall have the power"

Hmph, I guess there are many things Congress (as the fully elected representatives of the lobbyists people) should have the power to do. There are lots of things like, say oversight of the President's War Crimes, or checking out their own corrupt practices, or giving women their own equal rights.

But that flag is so goddamned important. Maybe there is a loop hole here, for it says "the flag of the United States." So what is THE flag? Where does said flag exhist? I mean THE is likely to be reffering to the one the only flag of the United States. Perhaps Flag should be capitalized, but I guess grammar is not Congress's strong point (indeed I have heard nucyalar mispronounced constantly in those halls).

So as long as the flag you choose to burn is not THE flag I think you can go ahead and practice your coolest zippo tricks. Or say you make your own flags. Make burnable flags. Say with only 49 stars or only like 45 stars so there really is no confusion. You can take a picture of your flag burning for evidence, clearly demonstrating that there is only 45 stars. I guess that flag while resembling THE flag of the United States, clearly cannot be considered even A flag let alone THE ONE THE ONLY.

So entrepreneurs, now that Congress is likely to send special interest groups scrambling to raise money, organize, and fight for flag burning rights in at least 38 states (diverting attention from equal rights for example, or other argueably more important things), while at the same time enjoying big anti-american hatred from the right for doing it, now is your chance. Start a burnable flag business. Register a domain name, like burnableflags.com (still available). Cuz if they found a loophole to get Congress to give up its authority to declare war on a sovereign country, I am sure the burnable flag of 45 stars loophole can hold just as much water. Besides, with all that fighting by state legislatures, special interest groups, and fundraisers, with this action alone it seems Congress has passed its first jobs program of the Bush Presidency.

MISSING: Thunder

Ok so the House GOP crafts a bill that neither solves the so called problem, nor creates private accounts. Instead their bill legislates Al Gore's lock box. So Democrats, Uh, why are you letting the other side effectively steal your thunder? Or do you like being the party of "no new ideas?" This seems like the perfect moment to say "That's our idea, THEY are the party of no ideas."

The French Word for Touch

Howard Dean to The Dickster:

I don't care if Dick Cheney likes my mother or not.

However, the real beauty in this article is the two middle graphs:

"I've never been able to understand his appeal. Maybe his mother loved him, but I've never met anybody who does. He's never won anything, as best I can tell," Cheney said in an interview on Fox News Channel's "Hannity & Colmes."

Dean was elected governor of Vermont five times between 1992 and 2000. He ran for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination but closed down his campaign after stumbling in the early primaries.

Perhaps the Dick should read some history or news papers whilst planning global domination.

Tierney Admits Social Health Care is better than Private Health Care

I don't know about you, but is there any other way to interpret this statement:

"A more immediate reason not to hire the 65-year-old is that he would be more expensive to add to the company health plan. If federal policy were changed to allow older full-time workers to rely primarily on Medicare instead of on their employer, they'd have a much better shot at jobs."

So Medicare IS cheaper than private health care systems. HMPH. So Tierney, in making the case that Old Folks should find work so that they are not as much of a burden on the Social Security tax payer, says that in finding work, Old Folks would still be a burden on the Social Security tax payer. PSST, John, Medicare and Social Security taxes come from the same people. FUCKO!

But wait there is more!
Take a gander at this gem:

We need to rethink the old assumption that employees keep getting raises throughout their careers.

Sure why give us a raise all the time. It isn't like inflation affects anyone throughout their lives. I mean I remember paying a dollar for a bus ride that costs $1.50 today but I shouldn't expect a raise every year.

More over at Pandagon.

I smell bacon: Or how I was assaulted by a police officer.

Since I haven't had time to find out what has been happening besides missing white women and boy scouts, I decided to write about another thing that has occured.

I have this interesting problem with my house. It is situated alongside another house. This is typical in quasi-urban-suburban communities (aka slums). The major problem is that there is just enough speace between my driveway and the neighbor's driveway to fit 2 compact cars. Now typically, 2 compact cars in those spots is a rarity. The two parking spots are usually occupied by two larger non-compact vehicles.

Somehow, when there are two cars that are not compact cars parked in those two spots, one of the non-compact cars' trunk overhangs on my driveway and makes it virtually impossible to actually drive my car into my driveway. The driveway has a sign that is rather legible and says "No Parking in Driveway."

So the case is this. Sometimes, there is a car which overhangs in my driveway. Typically, I excercise self control and offer myself solace in not succumbing to my instinctive thought of taking a key to the paint job of the car, then slashing at least 2 of said car's tires. Nay I say. Let me call the police. The reason the second instinct is to call the police is because first they are supposed to "Protect and Serve" and I pay good amounts of property taxes to pay their salary, they also have computers in their cars which can find people's addresses so that they or myself can go and knock on the door of the illeterate fuckwad who overhung his car in my driveway. Other reasons for calling the police include my non-neighborly isolationist, non-nosey, and non-gossipy personality traits. So I don't keep a running log of who lives on my block let alone which car said folks drive. I know this is terrible in the post 9/11 world where we are all supposed to be spying on each other in order to find terrorist treasonist communist baby killing pig fuckers. But alas, I would rather engange in other activities.

By the way, Harrison allows you to parralel park in your drive way (this will be clear in a graph or two).

Now, the scenario just so happened to take shape last night. A car illicitly and explicitly was at least 1 foot over the place where my car would be just about able to squeak by (like if I had an emergency and had to rush to the hospital or something). SO i was unable to insert or remove any car from my driveway. I waited a few hours hoping whomever it was would move the car. Neigh. So inevitably I called the cops. I don't honk the horn in perpetuity anymore. I find that annoying when people do that on my block so I don't think it a good strategy of removing vehicles from my driveway. Besides, remember those cops have neato dorito computers that can avoid honking.

So the following is a rough transcript of what happened when the cop (Harrison Police Officer #38 Last name: Pacillo) came.

Officer: Hi How can I help you.
Me: This car is preventing me from putting my car in my driveway.
Officer: Ok I can ticket it.
Me: I would prefer if you could get it towed or something.
Officer: I am not going to tow a car just because it is slightly overhanging your driveway.
Me: I can't put my car in or out of my driveway and I would appreciate it if you towed this car.
Officer: I won't tow it.
Me: You have to.
Officer: I won't.

Let's hold it there. I have heard all of this before and this is about when the fuse goes boom in my head and my nerves start going nutz. I feel like if I wouldn't got to jail indefinitely I would punch an officer that says I have no right to drive my car into my own driveway which my parents and I have owned far longer than this pig fucker cop has been working in this town. My taxes have more than paid at least one year of this unreasonable fucks salary. That being said, let us proceed (imagine this part happening really loud so that most of the neighbors can hear it):

Me: Listen officer, I get tickets in my own driveway.
Officer PF (Pig Fucker): I don't care I am not the one who wrote those tickets.
Me: I don't care either, I am just making the point that I get ticketed in my own driveway and yet you aren't willing to tow someone ELSE who is parked in my driveway. If you aren't willing to tow it I will just go back inside and get a tow truck to come.
Officer PF: They won't come unless I call them.
Me: Really? Then I will remind you that I pay fucking property taxes to have fucking access to my fucking driveway and I want you to fucking tow this fucking car. (I did use the word fucking a bit much, so what 1st ammendmend).

Oh boy did that set him off. He invaded my personal space and was about 3 inches from my face for this next part. Also at this time, the owner of the car came out. She, interestingly enough, turned out to be my next door neighbor. Let's get it on:

Officer PF (3 inches from my face mind you): If you curse and tell me one more time how to do my job I am going to lock you up.
Me: (Nervous as hell and walking away) OK OK. Fine.
(Enter owner of the car saying sorry and all that jazz)
Officer PF: So why didn't you just ring her doorbell to ask her to move the car.
Me: I don't keep track of who owns ever car on this block.
Officer PF: Neither do I.
Me: But you have a computer that you can run the licence plates on don't you?
Officer PF: If you tell me one more time how to do my job I'm gonna lock you up.
Me: OK officer. Number 38 right?
Officer PF: Yes 38 (screaming still) P-A-C-I-L-L-O.
Me: Thanks

Now let's turn to the legal definition of assault:

1) v. the threat or attempt to strike another, whether successful or not, provided the target is aware of the danger. The assaulter must be reasonably capable of carrying through the attack. In some states if the assault is with a deadly weapon (such as sniping with a rifle), the intended victim does not need to know of the peril. Other state laws distinguish between different degrees (first or second) of assault depending on whether there is actual hitting, injury or just a threat. "Aggravated assault" is an attack connected with the commission of another crime, such as beating a clerk during a robbery. 2) n. the act of committing an assault, as in "there was an assault down on Third Avenue." Assault is both a criminal wrong, for which one may be charged and tried, and civil wrong for which the target may sue for damages due to the assault, including for mental distress.

Frist let's address the empty threat of locking me up for cursing in public. This is not a crime, neither is cursing at a police officer, or cursing about a police officer. You can curse all you want in front of a police officer, unless you threaten that police officer, you can say whatever with impunity. This also applies to the president of the United States. I can say I hate the fucking President and not worry about going to jail. So I say I hate the fucking fucked up President all the time on this blog and in other places, because I know I have something called a Human Right of Freedom of Speech.

Officer Pig Fucker doesn't seem to know that. Apparently they didn't teach him this or other basic ways of dealing with people in "how to be a police officer" school.

Second let's see about this assault stuff. The lady law school student told me he was being an ass hole but I only thought about this assault thing as I was writting this. I am sure she will agree that while he may not have tried to hit me, invasion of personal space in a rather imposing, loud toned, and somewhat violent manner may constituted assault.

Now I am not in the business of ruining people's carreer. My cousin just became a cop and I know its hard work. However, my cousin would never treat another human being like Officer Pig Fucker did. I mean he was raised right, and doesn't have to take his dick out and swing it around every time he wears his uniform.

However, it is officer's such as Officer Pig Fucker that give cops a bad name. They are the kind of cops that given the right murder case, could wind up being a major part of letting a criminal run loose. They also need to learn a lesson.

So besides writting a letter practically the same as this blog post (sans pig fucker refferences) to my local elected and police officials, should I press assault charges on this cop?

It would be grand. And perhaps, given the irrelevance of this case in comparison to other world events, I might get CNN to cover the entire thing.

Prediction Biden '08

Wha?! Grumble, pffst.

Whoa! OK Friday was my birfday. In an unlikely turn of events, a drastic illness overcame me. It was a nasty bug, it forced me to call out of work. I had heard about this bug before and as such I made a decision to well, go get some fresh sea air. I heard this is the only cure for such an ailment. For the salty sea breeze contains molecular structures which render such diseases harmless. I think I had read this before. Also, I had heard that fishing poles, tackle boxes, and bait fish tend to increase the effectivity of the salty sea breeze molecular conduits of health. I would have confirmed this with a doctor however, knowing that the fishing equipment is useless unless you get to the spot earlier than the fish wake up, there was no way I could have waited for the doctor's office to open up.

Either way, after that I had a bit of a fiesta at the abode which included beirut aka beer pong (a fun filled game typically enjoyed by students in universities everywhere). This also included BBQ coors light anal chicken (a recipe which includes sticking a can of beer up a chicken's ass and then putting it on the grill for an hour). I must say, this is an ecellent way of cooking a chicken.

There was more fishing, cleaning, and then walking of dogs. In short the birthday weekend became quite the fun time I was not really expecting it to be.

In either case, I did watch the sunday funnies and whilst Atrios seemingly beat me to it. I wanted to predict that Joe Biden is making a bid for 2008 like no problem and he may be a better choice then Hillary. Why? Well Biden is a man. Thats why. Easy Feminist readers. This is not because I don't want a woman president. This is because the red state loonies who think a ball of cells is Nature's screwy way of containing a God created soul think that a girl can't possibly lead an army. And leadin a armay is what we need in this new age of terra.

So. I boldly and unfortunately predict today June 20th, that Joe Biden will be the Democratic Nominee in 2008 (no matter what we little bloggers think we can do). He is a man, he has white hair, looks statesman, and hes from Delaware. Not quite North East, and definitely not a Liberal. He will be the "get us out of Iraq, with a victory, in less than a year" candidate. And that may be enough to win the nomination. He also has learned his lesson when it comes to staying with his party if one of them talks smack.

For instance, Biden was the guy on Face the Nation this weekend. When asked about Dick Durbin the Communist pig fucker he said this:

Sen. BIDEN: Look, I spoke to Dick Durbin yesterday. He told me he's written a letter where he points out that in the letter that there was inappropriate comparisons. He wished he hadn't made them, and he understands that that went beyond the point he was trying to make. But the point he was making was an accurate point about we need to do something about Guantanamo, that we can't leave it sitting in the status quo the way it is now. And as far as the majority leader asking him to apologize, I don't think that's a wise place for the majority leader to go. You know, I mean, if you're going to start talking about apologies I haven't heard him apologize for the Schiavo case, and quite frankly I don't think it matters. I think the matter is what do we do now? What do we do now about Guantanamo, and I think that's what Senator Durbin is now focused on.

So he basically he may have heard about us down here in bloglandia that chastized him for calling Dean a communist pig fucker just a few weeks ago.

So he is training himself for being OK in the bases eyes (fat chance), while at the same time talking truth to power, being one of the few members of congress with a son or daughter actually in the military, and putting forth a decent get us out of iraq idea. Although I don't think Biden's idea for the Euphrates will bode well amongst environmentalists:We had $18.7 billion--or $4 billion. Remember that big fight almost two years ago now?
We've only sent out $6 billion of it in projects. It's going to be 117 degrees in heat. Let these military guys like Webster who does the 3rd ID, give him PVC pipe to hook up to the back of houses and run the sewage into the river instead of two feet of sewage in the front steps. You know, there's 40 percent unemployment. As Dick Lugar said, a former mayor of Indiana and the straightest guy I know, `There needs to be a little walking around money here. Go out in the village and hire the chief and say, "Build this dirt word. Put these people"'--this is important stuff now, now, now, now.

Aall this and he has a penis. Oh and he's white too, but I thought that was a given. I mean if the red staters ain't gonna want no woman fightin da war on terra, they damned well ain't gonna have no black person neither.

Gather all of this plus the fact that he actually is the first to announce he is actually running for president:

Sen. BIDEN: My intention is to seek the nomination. I mean, I know I'm supposed to be more coy with you. I know I'm supposed to tell you, you know, that I'm not sure. But if, in fact, I think, that I have a clear shot at winning the nomination by this November, December, then I'm going to seek the nomination. If I conclude that I'm not likely to be able to win the nomination, then I'm going to figure out who to support.

So I predict that should the focus groups take a gander at all the folks making the sunday talk circuit, and Biden's "get the sewage/get us out of iraq" narrative dominates, then he will be the Democrat nominee come 2008. And the dark world of Republican presidencies will persist for yet another 8 years.

And it is all because they have the uncanny ability to make light of very heavy situations. Like this for example!

Science Trumps Faith

Yet another perfect example:

An autopsy on Terri Schiavo backed her husband's contention that she was in a persistent vegetative state, finding that she had massive and irreversible brain damage and was blind, the medical examiner's office said Wednesday. It also found no evidence that she was strangled or otherwise abused.

Let us pray that Tom Delay and the Religious Right use this as a first step to ending the war on Science.

Save NPR and PBS

I had a doozy of a post on the new developments about the Corporation for Public Broadcasting yesterday. However, blogger ate it and I can't remember it. Either way, in case you weren't aware, Congressional Republicans are giveng PBS the old 1, 2 punch. Or is it three? One, they are putting an ex RNC co-chair to be President of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (think power of the purse, CPB doles out the money to local PBS stations). Two they are going to cut federal funding to CPB completely. The NYT editors handle this pretty well today, Sesame Street references and all. The CPB gets a measly $400 million dollars or 15% of its budget from taxpayers. I tend to think that this is rather little amount of money judging by how swiftly we can pass legislation to spend $300 billion in another not so well off country (free pokemon cards to anyone who guesses the country in comments).

Now to me the fact that these folks have to get on the air every three months and put a coffee cup out there begging for change pisses me off. One because it interferese with my news consumption, and two it gets real annoying really fast. To me the airwaves are public. That is why we have CBs and such. As public property it should be well funded by the tax payers. As such to me, any time spent begging for change and not spend informing me of world happenings, is a wasted tax payer dollar. Just like those $300 billion tax payer dollars that are being wasted in another country (this is the same country, come on folks, I know you can guess it!). The other function of Public Broadcasting is education. I don't know about you, but how many of us would have known our alphabet fast enough to make our parents proud enough to shower us with pride in the form of toys and other consumeables if it weren't for Sesame Street. Guess what, Big Bird wouldn't exhist without PBS.

Furthermore, we have all seen what a wonderful job a fully corporate media can do of handling information vital to our country. Just look at how excellent CNN, MSNBC, FOX news, and the others do when they trade actual news for tabloid journalism. In fact, today I spent my 18 minutes of coffee time watching Soledad O'Brian (what a name combo huh?) drill an expert in theme park ride safety (like you, I had no idea these folks even exhisted) on how a 4 year old could have died on a Disney ride that simulates a rocket launch. Perhaps the real journalism in this type of reporting goes on behind the scenes to find experts in theme park ride safety who aren't homeless due to the lack of work to keep them busy year round. I mean Six Flags launches one ride a year. This guy probably rides it, walks around the track a few times, kicks the tires on the cart and gives it the old thumbs up. How does this guy feed his family? Perhaps CNN deserves a pulitzer for finding him. I will concede that much.

Republicans are now pro-lynching, pro-death (American soldier, African American, and Iraqi civilian), anti-information, and anti-retirement (if Grassley has his way we will be retiring at 93 eventually).

Do your kids a favor, SIGN THIS.

Frist Hearts Hates Black People

And so the tale ends for Frist's Presidential ambitions. For who besides the Clarence Thomas style African American will vote for him after reading this (Linked from atrios because getting to the real article requires subscription, there are ways around this but I was not about to explain it in this post, just trust me, I acted like a real editor here.)

Here is the lede:

WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) refused repeated requests for a roll call vote that would have put senators on the record on a resolution apologizing for past failures to pass anti-lynching laws, officials involved in the negotiations said Tuesday.

For it was a sad moment in Senate history when a simple procedural symbolic vote could have done many things within the span of perhaps 10 minutes. A simple roll call vote, which takes up all the time of 100 Senators pressing a single button on a small remote control type device. I give them ten minutes because some of the bigots in the Senate would have actually had to think about appologizing to all the African AMERICANS. Whose families had been subjected to things such as theft of estates, and of course the worse part about thousands of people who had been sentenced to death without proper trials, simply because the color of their skin. Here is but one of those compelling stories.

The measure was perhaps George Allen's way of getting a few black votes for his presidential ambitions. However, that is speculation. Let us just say that indeed he did feel it was time for the Senate as an institution to appologize to all the African AMERICANS for a failure to enact anti-lynching legislation.

Yes, all the African AMERICANS who have been dying in all our wars, dying to keep some in this country free to lynch again. With the help of a single man, Bill Frist, this appology could have been recorded for all the world to see if there was any true remorse for how this country had treated African AMERICANS.

Alas, twas not to be. For Bill Frist thought it unneccesary to bring this to the Senate Floor as a recorded vote.

I guess this goes to show you that the 16 Racist Republicans have a leader, one who has presidential ambitions.

Tell me once more how Republicans can possibly claim they are the party for the African Americans?

Hanging African Americans Because They are African Americans

So there is lots of chatter over the non-recorded vote that took place by 6 Senators last night to approve a bill that says sorry for lynchin' all those African Americans. While those of us on the Left are wondering why it is that only certain Republicans didn't attach their name to the resolution as a show of support, the Freepers have different ideas about the appology. Here are a few jems from the bigots at Freeper Central:

Holy moly! Lynching isn't against the law???

Well, live and learn. There's a fella in the mail room who's been giving me dirty looks. I think me and a few of the guys from Financial Operations are gonna pay him a lunch time visit and exact my revenge the only legal way I know of.

...

I'm gonna check the supply closet and see if we carry rope, ping. (same freeper)

...

I don't want the US Senate wasting time on this...except maybe Byrd who could be responsible for lynchings. Let's get an Energy bill passed or fix SS !

And they wonder why congress only has a 20 percent approval rate!!

...

The problem is they lynch the wrong perps, they need to run full speed on the ACLU and other commie entities who wish the demise of America.

...

My belief: latest polling data shows that the Democrats are losing their grip on Blacks. Bush has been good for minorities on many levels. The Democrats offer nothing except victimhood for Blacks.

Emmett Till is exhumed and autopsied. There is a 1964 Civil Rights murder trial underway. Lynching is now back on the front page. The message is going out: The US hates Blacks. Blacks are victims. The only safe place is back on the plantation.

The Democrats are desperate, and I think the game is over for them. The days of 90% of Blacks voting Democrat are over -- and the Dems can feel it slipping away.

I won't go on because I just hurled a few thousand times, I think my inner sub-mucosal cells just flew the coop. However, in response to that last post, I think the only things Democrats have to do in order to keep the African American vote is point to A) this legislation and B) this thread at Free Republic.

Path of War Timeline

For all your friends who just can't buy the argument that things were a bit shady at best and obfuscated at worse here is a handy dandy timeline. Use it freely as a visual aid to your overtly fleeced Hannitized friends.

Unlicensed Lawyer Gets Lifetime Job on Federal Appeals Court

Well, that's how the headline should read. So where is all of this rule of law talk when you really need it? I know the focus is slowly turning to where it should be (ahem impeaching President War Criminal or as I will in the future call him President W.C.) however, I remember a huge amount of money and effort being spent convincing people that the Ten remaining Bush Judges were all FUBAR and nobody in their right mind would vote for them. I also remember a compromise not saying anything about Judge Griffith.

However, just so we all know a little bit more about Justice Griffith Appealer at Large, here is her profile from the all knowing Independent Judiciary on Justice Thomas Griffith.

Apparently, not having a license all the time isn't his only issue, he doesn't seem to like that pesky Title IX. So ladies, perhaps a letter to the folks who voted up or down on this fella might not be such a hard thing to do.

OH for those of you wondering who voted up or down here ya go!

Doggy beach

Latest post is up at Democats and Republidogs! Go read it.

Media Truly In Trouble

Let me just begin with a length warning, grab a cup of Joe, an ashtray and whatever else you may need to stick with me on this one. It promises to be a doozy long of a post. In one of those rare Monday moods there is just simply too much that is too related to split into my usual mini posts.

I was reading the NYtimes on the doggy beach yesterday (more on that later) and I ran accross this article in the NYT regarding Lebanese elections:

"Parliamentary elections enter a crucial stage in the mountains above Beirut on Sunday as rival anti-Syrian candidates - those of a long-exiled general and of an unlikely coalition of civil war enemies - face off for the first time."

Astounding I thought because I already knew that there had been at least 1 wave of elections (which apparently no Bush freedom marchers talked about) and that yesterday (Sunday) was supposed to be the 2nd round of elections.

Well apparently, John Kifner and the idiot eitors at the Grey Lady realized this today when they almost lede with this:

Today, they faced off on campaign posters here and all over the central Mount Lebanon region, the steep, lush hills overlooking the Mediterranean, in the critical third phase of a parliamentary election that is being held on a different Sunday in each of four regions of the country.

The article is only a day apart?! Either way the real story is how the Freedom is on the March crowd is being drowned out by crickets on the news that Hezbollah is winning these elections!

Frank Rich really reminds us of exactly how much the Media Is In Trouble and why I stopped screaming at my TV and started writting this blog not so long ago!

The attacks continue to be so successful that even now, long after many news organizations, including The Times, have been found guilty of failing to puncture the administration's prewar W.M.D. hype, new details on that same story are still being ignored or left uninvestigated. The July 2002 "Downing Street memo," the minutes of a meeting in which Tony Blair and his advisers learned of a White House effort to fix "the intelligence and facts" to justify the war in Iraq, was published by The London Sunday Times on May 1. Yet in the 19 daily Scott McClellan briefings that followed, the memo was the subject of only 2 out of the approximately 940 questions asked by the White House press corps, according to Eric Boehlert of Salon.

Indeed! Instead on CNN we get a bald supermodel reporter


Telling us what the hell is going on with the latest WWWA report. Somehow when watching I can't get over hearing the real dialogue between Soledad and Karl Penhaul it goes a little something like this:

Soledad: So we know the white girl is lost but more importantly, how are you dealing with having to cover a story for the requisite 3 -4 weeks so that we don't have to pay attention to the real news in Aruba of all places, and how is that playing in the hearts and minds of all the Aruban chicks women (note Update 2) you must be fucking on a nightly basis?

Karl: Well soledad, it really is a shitty job but someone has to do it! I mean I didn't ask to be assigned to this story although knowing full well that a stint such as this in Aruba would be right up my alley, I just didn't think I would get it. I thought Bill Hemmer would be a shoe in for this job, I guess it is too bad he got sent to Rome for Pope month. Either way, this island is small and I have already banged a record number of chicks women (note Update 2) down here. By the time I get done, I will probably pick up a strange STD.

Soledad: So lets just ask more silly procedurealy related questions that aren't news but more like status updates about the missing white girl while we really discuss the underpinnings of the unfairness that you got the Aruba assignment and none of us did? Is it any wonder why more CNN reporters are increasingly pissed off at the lack of opportunities such as this?

Karl: Yes really, I mean look at your cohost Jack Cafferty, those bags under his eyes are a sure sign he has begun drinking again. I mean he definitely looks like a recovering alcoholic but I hear that once he heard they sent me down here, he fell right off that wagon.

Obviously that is a fake news report, however the real transcript from Karl's report today:

PENHAUL: I'll tell you something else, Ali, it's exactly two weeks now since Natalee Holloway disappeared. And I was outside the Carlos & Charlie's Bar, where she disappeared from, around 1:00 last night. That's the time she was last seen. It was a really eerie feeling to think that the minute she walked out of there, only four people know exactly what happened after that, the three suspects now in custody who were in that car with her and herself -- Ali.

VELSHI: Karl, are there a lot of people outside of Carlos & Charlie's at that hour of the morning? Is it typical that more people might have known? Could there have been more witnesses?

PENHAUL: It's possible. At that time -- the time that Natalee was leaving is also the time that the bar closes. It was a Sunday night coming into Monday morning and that Carlos & Charlie's closes at 1:00 a.m. And at that stage, people tend to pour out. There's a lot of people on the streets while they take cabs and such like. It could be that other people saw them all leave -- Ali.
VELSHI: Karl, good to see you. Thank you very much.

Karl Penhaul in Aruba -- Soledad.

Someone get on the fucking phone and call Pulitzer, Karl Penhaul needs to be awarded that coveted prize for reporting on what a bar looks like at 1AM while it is closing. I can't believe that fucker actually admitted to being at a bar at 1 AM where there is no reporting necessary even to cover this fucking story!

However, the new Terri Schiavo case is already being Market tested to be sure to gain traction on the cable news networks. We now have a cas where parents are refusing radiotherapy for their cancer laden child. As such the state rightfully removed her from their fucking idiotic care and are forcing radiotherapy onto their cancer laden child in the hopes that as in millions of other cases, it worked to treat the cancer.

The parents cite the long term side effects associated with radiation therapy and that they don't want their child getting the "standard protocol" treatment. They feel each cancer is different and as such should be treated different. First of all, the chemotherapy agents already running through this daughter have many more long term health effects than radiotherapy. In fact radiotherapy is now much safer than it ever was, by using new technologies, the radiation can be focused to just affect the tumor, not so in a systemic chemotherapy infusion. As if this isn't a pin big enough to blow the air right out of the case the parents are making, standard boiler plate protocol's of treating cancer are standard boiler plate treatments for a reason. THEY FUCKING WORK!!!!

Yet Soledad missed that this morning.

Another thing that bothers me is the fucking call in or click in polls that typically follow these stories! Like, "Do you think the state was right to have intervened on behalf of the child's welfare?"

So now we are all part of the market research that must surround these stories so that CNN knows how long to send someone down to Aruba and wether or not the data shows a sginifant increaase in ratings enough to justify covering said non-story for a required alotment of time. The polls will no doubt ensure that they accomplish two goals. One, increase overall ratings and two distract attention from anything this country really needs to be informed about. Yes call in and click in so that CNN gets a better finger on wether or not they can hound this one far enough to generate small vigils outside of someone;s hospital. Better yet, the click count will surely signal that American's want cable news to hang around long enough to piss off the locals so much so that a restraining order is required to keep the locals from beating down the reporters!

We reached 1,700 dead US soldiers in Iraq this weekend, there is a memo that has been acknowledged by 500,000 Americans, 89 congressmen and women, and the rest of the world, that implicates our President as a War Criminal, yet American Morning decides that Mike Tyson's Punchout and Mike Jackson's verdict are a bit more important and newsworthy than that!

No wonder Blow Jobs rank high on the list of impeachable offenses in this country!

UPDATE: Welcome Daou Reporters!! Y'all come back now ya hear?!

UPDATE 2: My pissed off feminist girlfriend reminds me that the word chicks is offensive to women and rather "Jerseyesque" of me. Thus the edit. Sorry for my insolence!

James "Cartman" Sensenbrenner

Ok There was lots of Hooplah this week over Dean calling Republicans WACOs (White Anglo Christian Oligarchs). However, how can this move by a representative actually elected for and by the people be construed as anything but "Screw you guys! I'm Goin' Home"


Or is it really more of a "You will respect my ATHORITAI!"


Either way, who would you consider to be more unprofessional in this case? They guy who is just name calling to generate some money? Or the guy who is wasting tax payer dollars by closing a hearing on a debate that should have been had the first time the fuckin UNPATRIOTIC act passed?

Yet, it remains to be seen if Sensenbrenner will get the "Dean" treatment by the 4th estate. I got a dollar says he won't. Anyone want some of this action? Leave a comment.

Picture Book...

You want a piece of this?! Huh! Come on!!



Mr. President, this here is how we can talk to God!



In summation, our South Korean policy revolves around how many G.I. Joe's we have on the ground.



Former US weapons inspector turned traitor David Kay is seemingly happy in his new job.



Stem Cell Research protesters make the point against cloning.



Where are Maverick and Goose when you need them?

Krugman Still Beating down Okrent

You may or may not have noticed that recently there was a showdown on the pages of the NY Times. The Howler got lots of links for presenting it pretty well. The showdown continued on the New Public Editor's Site, Krugman getting the last word and really just placing Okrent in the hole he wished he could have found without the help of the Professor.

However, Krugman chooses not to "lead with his chin" but instead chooses to go back to that hole where he sent Okrent, grab him bny his ass pubes, pull him out, dumps him in a ginger-soy marinade, slaps him on the Weber, and rings the dinner bell. OK maybe not but he does take a neat "obfuscated" jab.

However Right From Okrent's "So-long column":

Op-Ed columnist Paul Krugman has the disturbing habit of shaping, slicing and selectively citing numbers in a fashion that pleases his acolytes but leaves him open to substantive assaults.

From Today's Krugman COlumn:

These partisans rely in part on obfuscation: shaping, slicing and selectively presenting data in an attempt to mislead. For example, it's a plain fact that the Bush tax cuts heavily favor the rich, especially those who derive most of their income from inherited wealth. Yet this year's Economic Report of the President, in a bravura demonstration of how to lie with statistics, claimed that the cuts "increased the overall progressivity of the federal tax system.

Anyone want a slice of the Okrent loin Krugman is serving up?!

UPDATE: Welcome Crapheads World O' Crappers (hat tip to glenstonecabbage in comments)!! Y'all come back now ya hear?!

Kerry's Records

So the 101st fighting keyboarders are far from satisfied with Kerry's latest release of his military records. For months it seems that Kerry has been dogged by the winger division, to sign the SF- 180 in order to release the records. There is even a petition you could still sign.

So Kerry finally did it. And what is the result?! The right shall not be satisfied!!!

Even Swifty John has complained that the form may not have been filled out properly! Well here is the fuckin' form! (for some reason a warning that this is a pdf is in order).

SO, Malkin, LGF, Assrocketeers, Polipunshit, and SWIFT BOAT JOHNNY O'NEIL. Explain to me how anything but the full military records can be disclosed using this form?

I don't see any check box for "Send only the records I have requested already" or "Send everything but the damaging details" or "Don't send anything without John O'Neill's approval of wether or not my military records are complete and satisfactory."

UPDATE! Welcome O Dub Fans, and Xoverboarders!

EXTRA EXTRA Read all About it!

Days after SCOTUS decision, Bush pardons Pot dealer

Republican Senator Halts Bush Diplomat Nominee Based on Abortion Views

It's OK if You're A Republican (AKA IOKIYAR)

Bush Flip Flops on Gitmo

Capital Gang!

I know its wednesday and I am light blogosphere years behind in commenting on Saturday's Capital Gang. So what. I think what Ms. Carlson subtly did to the Sith Lord is worthy of some electronic real estate that nobody reads anyway. That being said, the beauty of the whole Deep Throat Story is that it would force CNN's Capital Gang to discuss it. Since the Capital Gang has such accolites as Al Hunt, Margaret Carlson and my favorite Mark Shields, any discussion on an anonymous source turned nonymous would certainly ensue.

The Gang typically stroll into the Miller/Cooper Valerie Plame leakgate territory whenever they discuss the anonymous leak issue. The challenge to the gang is that Bob Novak is sitting right accross from them and as such he is able to use the force (ala Darth Vader) to choke the others.

So here is the first exchange:

HUNT: Margaret, is Deep Throat now going to be used as an excuse for retaining anonymous sources?

CARLSON: I hope so! We need some excuse because, as Ben Bradlee said, it's under attack. And at the very moment Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein are -- are out in the public again and reviewing this, Matt Cooper and Judy Miller are possibly going off to prison for protecting some thug in White House who gave them bad information and who won't -- who won't admit that he or she did it.
So you know, there's a lot at stake. We all have to be careful that we're not being used, figure out what axe to grind the person might have, but it's -- it's one of the ways that you have to use to get information out.

HUNT: Chuck Colson, you know, the ex-con, was shocked that a public official violating the public trust. I don't think there's anybody here -- maybe John Sears, but nobody here is going to -- going to -- going to be shocked at the use of anonymous sources, are they, Bob?

NOVAK: Well, no. We use anonymous sources all -- you can't -- you can't exist in this town without anonymous sources, particularly on a story like Watergate. But just on a normal little story, a little -- a little story I'm doing on -- on how -- whether the president's doing a good job on congressional relations -- nobody's going to talk to you on the record on that. And these editors, self -- self-important editors and reporters that say, We're going to -- we're going to give it -- put a stop to this -- so I get a -- I give -- I hope that this does stop some of that, but I'm afraid it won't.

OK, Margaret, it wasn't wrong information, it was wrong to disseminate it, like Darth Vader did. So please redeem yourself, the segment is young!

Then this exchange:

CARLSON: And someone in the White House wanted to dish out a story about Joe Wilson's wife, to be mean and undercut the story and whether -- and now won't be called to account for it, while two reporters march off to jail. Now, that's a -- you know, I think there should be some way that if a source lies to you or commits a crime, that then the privilege is diminished.
HUNT: Certainly, if they lie to you, but not if they're wrong. There are some people who...

CARLSON: No, not if they're wrong...

HUNT: ... said if they're wrong...

CARLSON: ... but if...

HUNT: Some people want to be...

CARLSON: But this -- this is...

NOVAK: I do -- I do believe...

CARLSON: This is a lie.

NOVAK: ... one of the (INAUDIBLE) of journalists, since we have my colleague, Margaret, making rather broad declarations, I don't think reporters should make judgments and declarations on things they don't know anything about.
HUNT: John Sears...

CARLSON: Well, we wouldn't have a show!

DAMN! OH SNAP! She just got crazy silly fresh silly gumby gold fresh on that ass!

BIG UP Margeret! If you want to let Marge know how quasi neat it was for her to quasibash Novak on the show you can go here!

However, if Novak claims Margaret knows nothign about her rather broad declarations, why don't you fill us in Bobby?! You DO know something about it don't you?

Googlenheim

For one day only!

4:20

Bad News, Supreme Court Rules Against Medical Marijuana.

Good News, we get nifty quotes that will endure ad infinitum in the Library of Congress (unless Bush & Co. get Alexandria on that ass).

Like this one from Sanndra Day:

There is simply no evidence that homegrown medicinal marijuana users constitute, in the aggregate, a sizable enough class to have a discernable, let alone substantial, impact on the national illicit drug market–or otherwise to threaten the Controlled Substances Act regime.

Or this one from Justice Stevens:

One need not a degree in economics to understand why a nationwide exemption for the vast quantity of marijuana locally cultivated for persons use...may have a substantial impact on the interstate market for this extraordinarily popular substance.

Another cutie from Scalia:

Not only is it impossible to distinguish "controlled substances manufactured and distributed intrastate" from "controlled substances manufactured and distributed interstate," but it hardly makes sense to speak in such terms. Drugs like marijuana are fungible commodities. As the court explains, marijuana that is grown at home and possessed for personal use is never more than an instant from the interstate market - and this is so whether or not the possession is for medicinal use or lawful use under the laws of a particular state. Congress need not accept on faith that state law will be effective in maintaining a strict division between a lawful market for 'medical' marijuana and the more general marijuana market.

More cute SCOTUS quotes here. I also wrote on this case before.

Many including myself will view this decision as a loss for a variety of reasons, i.e. pot is not allowed as a pain killer yet, morphine (as in derived from opium) is allowed. However, when a SCOTUS decision favors protecting an illegal interstate market over the rights of patient/doctor decisions, and they document that in said decision, you have to wonder about the severity of the loss. I mean here you have a debate about wether or not Californians (and other medical marijuana users) are fucking with the illegal trade of Marijuana by growing their own pot!!! The nerve of the fuckers, screwing the whole supply and demand law of economic physics, defying the "what goes up must come down" rules that govern the everyday buying and selling of illegal substances that somehow, the Supreme Court is fucking worried about protecting as a market!?

How can this court be possibly viewed as liberal. If anything they are just fucking stupid. Either that or they are just worried about the soaring price of Marijuana, something I didn't know was taking up so much space in the Frontal Lobe of the Cerebral Cortex of the SCOTUS.

The Opposition Party

While this Atrios' post title reminds me of an Annie Lennox song, and this post has some crazy nuke talk in it, Arios is largely right. Even Cokie hit the "what the fuck do the Democrats have to offer" note this morning. And we all know how much of a news maker Cokie Roberts is!

Let me elaborate. I have been saying this for quite sometime now but it seems like it is only resonating with Cokie Roberts and Atrios. Democrats are being caricatured by the Sith lords of the right as a party "devoid of ideas." This has been happening for the entire year thus far. However, what people (including Democrats) are not realizing is that the Sith lords are being proven right every day. Everyday that goes by where the Democrats simply say "No Sir, I didn't like it!" equals a political defeat. Instead they shoul dbe toting their ideas like mad upon every single talk show and upon every single pulpit they can get their hands on. Every idea should be a centerpiece of their talking heads interviews.

Yet the party chooses the bitch and moan tactic over the tote your own ideas tactic. Far be it form me to get all consultant-like on that ass, but judging by the recent polls, perhaps a change of narrative is needed at this point.

Particularly if the Democrats want to try and pick off some seats in 2006.

Ah NJ Politics

As you may know, I have been spending a bit time helping Matt Stoller and others beat back a bunch of righties over at the Corzine Connection. In the process I have found a bunch of pretty good NJ bloggers. One of them found this beauty.

Bret Schundler is running in the Republican primary against some formidable foes. WHile he is likely to loose, the thought of his campaign team having fun with photoshop is just grand. What can be better than a republican stealing a Democrats picture and "fixing it up a tad."

Anyway check the link it's one of those good finds.

Another beaty of a post has to do with NJ Property Taxes. Besides pointing out excellent facts about regressivity in NJ Property taxes Sir Scott points out an even bigger issue. The Big Republican Myth: How Republicans Failed to Shrink Government by Growing it Instead. I think this is an issue all anti-republicans can get behind. I think this would make an excellent book. Ever since the Gipper said "Government is the problem not the answer" the libertarian wing of the republican party got a hard on for pushing the "smaller government" line of the party. Well more and more this myth is being dispelled.

I think its time to publish this idea.