Things can always get more interesting...
As spineless Harry Reid dawdles with seating Al Franken* something interesting happened today. Sen Jim Bunning (R), peeved with his own party, is making threats to resign as a big F.U! to the GOP. Kentucky's governor is a Dem and he would assuredly seat the 60th Dem, making a filibuster proof majority in the Senate. Please, please resign Sen Bunning!
Imagine the coping skills the right would have to come up with for that!
They're not doing so well with the new Dem reality as it is.
(* Imagine how fast a d-bag like Tom Delay would force the 59th Republick senator to be seated)
Only president in history to have shoes thrown at his head by a journalist!
An Iraqi journalist interrupted (and highjacked) the coverage of Bush's PR/bullshit event, by throwing both his shoes (one after the other!) at our idiot-leader shouting (in arabic), ""This is a gift from the Iraqis. This is the farewell kiss, you dog, This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq."
He missed, but the point is made; our president is a disgrace. One less piece of heraldic footage for the Bush archives. When the assailant bends down and comes up the second time, who knows what he may have in his hand, but Bush just stands there like a fucking idiot as if someone was reading 'My Pet Goat.' And look at those lightning-fast reactions of the secret service.
The video is awesome!!!
Bonus: In the confusion, soulless spokesbitch Dana Perino got hit with a microphone and has a black eye.
Ingenious... everyone can get shoes through security. People could have been hitting the fucker for years. Well done! Give this guy the Nobel prize. The shoes should be bronzed and put in a museum.
As expected, because a hopeless dickhead lost a little face, journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi > has been beaten in custody, suffering a broken hand, broken ribs and internal bleeding, as well as an eye injury... which will do so much to repair Bush's miniscule self-respect.
Killer Wave
Decades of rule by warped conservative reactionaries who sought to reshape the nation as a rapture-seeking, civil-rights denying, corporate whore are OVER with last nights Dem mandate; who may now have 30 years to remold the country as a moderate nation;
- install several Supreme Court judges
- begin fixing the economy and the environment
- begin removing & watering down Bush's crony judges
- Rove's plan for a "permanent conservative majority" has been derailed
- It will be a very, very long time before evangelicals will be allowed to select either GOP nominee
In just 40 years, black people have gone from political disenfranchisement to the White House. Awesome. Dems receive a country vrtually ruined by a C-student, trust-fund frat-boy and his vice president Monty Burns.
What an exciting, amazing night!
Bush's legacy is now firmly set as "the worst president" in US history, and the final obstruction that had to be passed to kill neoconservatism, and return conscience and moderation to the country. Goodbye treasonous GOP! McCain, his despicable VP and wife are free to disappear.
Turkey waddle
My favorite picture of an old-guard politician. Is that a sack of flesh? ...a potato?
Mitch McConell (GOP-KY) reacts to the news that GOP Senator Ted Stevens has been found guilty of all seven criminal charges against him. Both of thm are running for re-election.
Gonzales Resignation Looms . . .
Now I realize that turnover in the White House is no real measure of anything (Regan had like 18 cabinet resignations during his two terms) but come on.
Now that's what I call Reform
China has executed it's Food & Drug Chief for bringing shame to the country.
Dang.
Defender of heterosexual marriage and (ahem -----> GOP Senator Vitter diddles prostitutes Hope is... rumors that Dick Cheney is on the DC hooker list will prove true.
The pope has called "Bullshit!" on all non-catholic brands of christianity. Well done popey, christian divisiviness is a secular liberal's best friend.
Dick Luger Gives Bush The Finger
Sorry, no link to go with this . . . just tired of the old Bjork entry.
Ex-Ohio Rep. Ney sentenced to 30 months
The first, hopefully of many, Abramoff sock puppets to do actual jail time.
In true fashion, Ney says he continues to accept full responsibility for his actions while at the same time blaming a "drinking problem" he claims to have.
Obama: Homeless?
Dude, try Craigslist...
Dobbs: I'm a populist and proud of it
Lou throws down...
Both Slate and The Financial Times resist saying what I've been saying loudly and clearly: We're in a class war, and our middle class is losing, and losing badly. But I do blame and have blamed the rich, corporate America and our political elites in both parties who have permitted the unabated assault on middle-class working men and women and their families.
...
I have never blamed the poor of Mexico, China or India for corporate America's avarice and our political elites' cowardice. I blame us for forgetting that the United States is first a nation, and secondly a marketplace or an economy, and I blame us for being taken as fools by both political parties for far too long. It is not nationalism by any stretch of the imagination for me to remind those in power that our political system, our great democracy, makes possible our free-enterprise economy, and not vice versa as the elites continually propagandize.
Let the impeachment proceedings begin!
My ignorance of how our government works aside . . . . with Dems taking control of the House, can we FINALLY give G Dummy and his pals the mother of all bitch-slaps that they deserve?
Diebold be damned!
As we prepare for election day, these dyaln quotes come to mind:
"Politician's got on his jogging shoes;
Must be runnin' for office, got no time to lose.
He sucking the blood out of the genius of generosity.
You been rollin' your eyes, you been teasin' me."
-Bob Dylan
and
"technology to wipe out truth is now available. not everybody can afford it but it's available. when the cost comes down look out!"
How to Spin a GOP Sex Scandal?
Call the perp a Democrat...
See how they handled it on the Factor!
The Associated Press joined in too.
I swear to Yahweh, I wish this type of crap never happened in politics. Wouldn't it be cool if our reps could spend their time doing something positive for the country, rather than cover their ass (or in the case of Hastert, add to their ass). But when things like this come along, it proves the Dems are just patsies. Networks like Fox KNOW they can pull this bogus "error" bs and get away with it.
Stupid Sneaky Brilliant Punks.
Dubya Pardons Uncle Jesse
Bush continued to handle the truly important matters of the country last week, with the Presidential pardon of a moonshinin' extra from the movie Deliverance.
I could not make this up if I tried.
[Randall Leece] Deal's "Deliverance" performance consisted of a single line: "It ain't nothing but the biggest [expletive] river in the state!" For the record, Deal did not play one of the surly locals involved in an infamous rape scene with actor Ned Beatty.
Do you think if he had been involved in the rape scene, he'd get some sort of medal from this administration?
Freedom of Speech
Iraqis are marching in support of Hezbollah chanting all the typical favorites, Death to Israel...Death to America.
"Saddam and Bush, Two Faces of One Coin" was scrawled on Bush's effigy.
That's a loose translation. I believe another interpretation is "We will be greeted as liberators."
Huge Campaign Finance Savings Coming Soon To An Election Near You
Politicians soon will be able to divert campaign war chests to a different focus: Finding the best people available to rig the local Diebold voting machines.
Apparently all it takes is a screwdriver. Awesome.
I feel safer already
A Homeland Security report exposes some rather skewed "potential target" data, and the great state of Indiana is at the top of the list of potential terrorist targets by state.
The National Asset Database, as it is known, is so flawed, the inspector general found, that as of January, Indiana, with 8,591 potential terrorist targets, had 50 percent more listed sites than New York (5,687) and more than twice as many as California (3,212), ranking the state the most target-rich place in the nation.
Now, Graf and I have always joked that we'd love it if "they just got rid of Indiana" during the drive from Chicago to Cleveland, but I never realized there was government funding studying the potential... Maybe it's all those fireworks stores? Casinos? KKK members? All those damned Amish?
Some other high-level targets inlcude:
- A petting zoo in Woodville, Ala.
- Mule Day Parade in Columbia, Tenn.
- “Nix’s Check Cashing”
(Ed. That's where MCA does all his "phony-paper-passin'")
- etc.
Flag-burning is deeply objectionable...
...unless depicted in an MSNBC "news" teaser. If the image above (for an article on a non-issue) had featured an Arab or a hippy, that would be an outrage. In fact, this may be the only flag I can recall being burnt in the last 4 or 5 years.
I guess patriots don't understand that the law would be 100% useless outside the country where 99.9% of American flags are burnt.
Save The Internets
Verizon, AT&T and Comcast are lobbying Congress hard to implement what used to be a joke: an Internet tax. They want users to pay to ensure access to content and high speed performance, blowing up the very system that has made them stupid rich. Hmmm, that's funny, I thought I already paid every month. Does that mean I get my monthly DSL fee refunded? Didn't think so. In effect, they want to hold your Internet hostage, and they're willing to pay off Congress to do it.
Sign the petition at savetheinternet.com, write your congresspeeps, and tell them to support the "Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2006" (S. 2917) amendment that will protect net neutrality from the bloated telco vipers.
The moronic leading the blind
OK, so, Bush makes fun of a visually impaired reporter . . . insert punch line here.
Gitmo hangings "good PR" according to US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
Wow, she must really be important with a title like that. DEPUTY Assistant? Is that like a Junior Ranger Rick badge or something? Where does the Bush administration FIND these morons? Oh, right, they're all friends. Dur.
Colleen Graffy is a sick fuck.
Put your money where your vote is.
Every drop of Coke you buy at Sears and ship via UPS fuels the Neo-con agenda.
Corporate Political Donations Directory
Chicago to RNC "Not interested"
Chicago tells the RNC we're not interested in hosting their 2008 Republican National Convention
http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/local_story_047082857.html
We live in a pretty cool city, lets hope the mayor sticks to that answer.
I think NBC's David Gregory should just show up to the White House briefings shitfaced drunk from now on, and berate ol' Scotty mercilessly. Hopefully this relationship will end in a back alley knife fight. I know I'd pay to see it.
Can I get an "Amen"?
now go unto the world and spread the word with this
much props to johnny c. for sending this.
O'Connor: Rehnquist was 'a betting man'
Rehnquist's humor, sense of duty hailed, as well as his wagering ability, apparently.
In her eulogy, O'Connor also referred to Rehnquist's last days.
"The chief was a betting man," O'Connor said. "He enjoyed making wagers about most things. The outcomes of football or baseball games, elections, even the amount of snow that would fall on the courtyard at the court. If you valued your money, you would be careful about betting with the chief. He usually won.
I'll...er...bet.
(hat-tip: Q)
No time for accountability, because it's all booked up with spin.
After a heated exchange with the White House press over accountability in the Bush administration where McClellan argued that "now is not the time to point fingers," he somehow found the time to clarify Barbara Bush's inexcusable and insensitive comments from the other day.
Barbara Bush's remark clarified
White House press secretary Scott McClellan said: "I think she was making a personal observation on some of the comments that people were making that she was running into. ... But what we're focused on is helping these people who are in need."
Asked if Bush agreed with his mother, McClellan said: "I think that the observation is based on someone or some people that were talking to her that were in need of a lot of assistance, people that have gone through a lot of trauma and been through a very difficult and trying time. And all of a sudden, they are now getting great help in the state of Texas from some of the shelters."
BULL. SHIT. What she quite clearly said was, "Hey, this is a step up for the everyday no-hope poverty and squallor these people live in. Hurricane Katrina did them a FAVOR."
Scotty, OF COURSE she was making a "personal observation." She just happened to make it in front of the press while touring a shelter for thousands of displaced people who just got collectively kicked in the nads by Mother Nature and their government. Keep your personal observations to the fucking country club dining room, if you must voice them at all, Babs.
The Blame Game
Scott McClellan and Karl Rove have been put on the case to misinform, deflect and otherwise discredit the demands for accountability directed at the Bush administration for the mishandling of the Hurricane Katrina disaster management. Their primary approach has been to shift blame to the local governments, but according to the United States National Response Plan, once an "Incident of National Significance" has been declared (Bush declared a "State of Emergency" on August 27 prior to landfall) the President and his administration assume primary responsibility and MUST respond quickly, efficiently and proactively to take the lead role on coordinating a response.
Read all about it here.
and you wonder where it comes from?
you thought g-dummy was the only insensitive member of the family? that mother of his is a doozy.
found while checking out daily kos...
HO. LEE. FUCK.
How. How did we manage to elect (I'd say "twice," but...) such a complete fucking moron? HOW?
Remarks by President Bush During Briefing on Hurricane Katrina.
We've got a lot of rebuilding to do. First, we're going to save lives and stabilize the situation. And then we're going to help these communities rebuild. The good news is -- and it's hard for some to see it now -- that out of this chaos is going to come a fantastic Gulf Coast, like it was before. Out of the rubbles of Trent Lott's house -- he's lost his entire house -- there's going to be a fantastic house. And I'm looking forward to sitting on the porch. (Laughter.)
I am utterly disgusted and embarrassed that this waste of flesh is the President of our country. I feel sorry for Trent Lott getting dragged into such an insane statement.
Would Jesus flip the bird?
George Bush flippin off the press:
Personally I believe that many in the press probably deserved it (but not for the reasons that G.W. probably did it).
But seriously, would Jesus flip the bird?
G.W. has got to be saying the answer is yes, Jesus would flip the bird. Where does it say that in the bible?
See the whole thing here: http://homepage.mac.com/onegoodmove/movies/bushflips.mov
"Holy crap that's a lotta blinkin'!"
Oh, we laugh to keep from crying...
(Thanks Pazen sibling!)
lose rove
My pen pal John Kerry asked me to tel all my friends about his "Fire Rove" petition.
It doesn't matter if you're a Democrat, Libertarian, or even a Republican - this man should go.
Karl Rove: Traitor
It is being reported that Karl Rove was the source that revealed the identity of CIA agent Valerie Plame. This story is just beginning to break, we'll see how much momentum it actually has. Given the shit this administration has gotten away with, however, I wouldn't be surprised if Rove managed to spin this into some sort of Congressional medal for himself.
The Huffington Post has more on Rovegate. (Do I get points for being the first to call it that?)
I say we send him to Gitmo.
You're kidding, right?
So, it turns out it was Brian H. Darling, a lawyer for first year Senator Mel Martinez (R-Fla.), who suggested in a memo that Republicans could use the Terri Schiavo case for political gain.
Hmmm, that's funny. I thought all those self-righteous windbags were standing up to protect their good friend Terri?
The comedy of errors continues. Not only didn't Martinez know Darling wrote the memo (he claims), he went ahead and passed it along to another senator without reading it.
Florida, between Jeb and this guy, you're in capable hands. Godspeed.
What's next, elmo as UN ambassador?
Hey, there's no denying that peoplesoft spokeskid was adorable... maybe this can get his Social Security scheme some traction!
via scott "you can't make this up" b.
State of the Union Parsing Tool
See how many time our beloved president over used particular words in last nights state of the union address. Then click on the other tab and do a historical comparison to Washington, Lincoln, Reagan and Clinton.
Main Page with explanation of the whole thing.
Jump right to the parsing tool here
Then click over here to see George making out with Sen. Leiberman.
The triumphant return of Alan Keyes!
According to Andrew's friend over at the Sun Times, Michael Sneed says Alan Keyes is considering a run for governor of Illinois.
That would be great because then Rod Blagojevich would then almost certainly be a shoe-in for reelection!
Maybe if we are lucky, we can convince Alan Keyes to run for President of the US in 2008, and then maybe a Democrat might actually win!
http://www.suntimes.com/output/sneed/cst-nws-sneed28a.html
Some things to do before the Inaugural
1. Get that abortion you've always wanted.
2. Drink a nice clean glass of water.
3. Cash your social security check.
4. See a doctor of your own choosing.
5. Spend quality time with your draft age child/grandchild.
6. Visit Syria, or any foreign country for that matter.
7. Get that gas mask you've been putting off buying.
8. Hoard gasoline.
9. Borrow books from library before they're banned.
10. If you have an idea for an art piece involving a crucifix -do it now.
11. Come out - then go back in - HURRY!
12. Jam in all the Alzheimer's stem cell research you can.
13. Stay out late before the curfews start.
14. Go see Bruce Springsteen before he has his "accident".
15. Go see Mount Rushmore before the Dubya/Reagan additions.
16. Use the phrase - "you can't do that - this is America".
17. Take a walk in Yosemite, before being hit by a snowmobile.
18. Enroll your kid in an accelerated art or music class.
19. Start your school day without a prayer.
20. Pass on the secrets of evolution to future generations.
21. Learn French.
22. Attend a commitment ceremony with your gay friends.
23. Take a factory tour anywhere in the US.
24. Try to take photographs of animals on the endangered species list.
25. Visit Florida before the polar ice caps melt.
26. Visit Nevada before it becomes radioactive.
27. Visit Alaska before "The Big Spill".
28. Visit Massachusetts while it is still a State.
Found via Cynical-C Blog
all for naught, unless you're the Carlyle Group...
or halliburton...
Can You Imagine?: Hussein Was Right & Bush Was Wrong
You may remember that in 2002, the year before the Iraq War began, the United Nations Security Council ordered Iraq to produce a report detailing all of its biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons past and present. Iraqi officials complied and produced an 11,800-page report on Iraq's weapons programs. The report described all the chemical and biological weapons the country once had where they came from and what was done with them as well as what had happened to Iraq's nuclear weapons program.
Although the report was prepared for the United Nations, U.S. officials intercepted the report, edited out 8,000 pages (over two thirds) of it, and delivered its Reader's Digest version of the report to the UN.
A German reporter managed to obtain a copy of the original report from Iraq, and then compared it with the truncated copy the U.S. gave to the UN. He found that the missing parts covered the Iraqis' acquisition of chemical and biological weapons from the U.S., the delivery of non-fissionable materials for a nuclear bomb by the U.S. to the Iraqis, and the training of Iraqi nuclear scientists at U.S. nuclear facilities in Los Alamos, Sandia, and Berkeley.
Brain-cloudy Blues
Bush told reporters that he now realizes that "sometimes words have consequences." Could it be more chilling that a guy gets through serving as governor and 4 years as President of the United States before it dawns on him that he should watch his f$%king mouth. It plays like a stand-up routine:
"I don't know if you'd call it a regret, but it certainly is a lesson that a president must be mindful of, that the words that you sometimes say. ... I speak plainly sometimes, but you've got to be mindful of the consequences of the words. So put that down. I don't know if you'd call that a confession, a regret, something."
Cargo Plane for GWB Crashes
Its almost never funny when a plane crashes, except this time.
There were no injuries and the plane had giant letters spelling EELECT GEORGE W BUSH on the side.
Any parallels to GWB's presidency are purely coincidental, with the crashing and sinking, and word mangling . ;-)
Via MSNBC
Put your money where your heart is
http://www.choosetheblue.com
Sounds like a pretty good plan to me. I've already tried to do this to the extent that I know about particular companies, but this site makes it pretty easy to see which company is on which side of the fence.
I actually wanted to do a site like this myself, but I haven't found the time. Now I don't have to, someone else did it for me. :-)
From the Choose Blue main page:
Corporations are as important as politicians in American Politics.
You know what party a politician supports. Do you know which political party a company supports?
ChooseTheBlue tells you what corporations donated to political parties.
If each American who voted for John Kerry spends $100 in 2005 on a Blue company instead of a Red company, we can move $5 Billion away from Republican companies and add $5 Billion to the income of companies who donate to Democrats.
This will be noticed! Choose where you buy ... and make a difference!!!
BUSH: "He's grrrrrreat!"
U.S. Rejects Ukraine Election Results
How can anyone not see the irony in this:
In a news briefing at the State Department, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell delivered a sharp rebuke to the Ukrainian authorities who today declared Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych the winner of a run-off election Sunday that Ukrainian protesters and foreign observers said was marred by fraud.
"We cannot accept this result as legitimate, because it does not meet international standards and because there has not been an investigation of the numerous and credible reports of fraud and abuse," Powell said.
Read the story at washingtonpost.com
Quote of the day/next 4 years
"As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."
-H.L. Mencken (1880 - 1956)
Pazen! Check the Purple Haze over America
Information is power! As I said, these binary red/blue maps (like the grossly distorting electoral map) flatter the winner. They do not depict how close the vote was - they just dump unnuanced color to whoever gets the majority; implying landslides that don't exist.
Here's how we really voted!
America is purple bay-bee! We do not live in a theocracy. The lunatic fringe are just slightly more organized. Do you see a neo-con "mandate" in this map?
The granularity is much better in
the large version of the map (with notes)...
or if you prefer, gigantic.
I swear I didn't write this
I'm gonna get blamed, but it is NOT me ranting... judge for yourself:
fuckthesouth.com
Toughen Up, Lefties!
Surprise, surprise...
Two days after the election, it is abundantly clear that the conservative vote is not some unified, monumental force. It is composed of something like 36 percent neo-fascists, moderates and even progressive Republicans. That pretty red and blue map from election night dissolves into ugly pinks and purples once the electoral college is sent home. Some vague "values" platform was a smart strategy for winning an election but it's terrible for governing. The right is learning they don't actually all believe in the same thing. The Arlen Specter hoo-hah is the first skirmish in the next 4 years of infighting, and yet they have to agree on things to keep winning. (bemused titter)
Beyond the gloating there are many developments that are very positive:
- America has a voting age population of 200 million. Kerry lost by three and a half million! That's not a landslide, it's trivial. it means the Democrats are practically there.
- Kerry came within 3 million votes of the presidency without carrying even a single bible belt state!!! You don't actually need the south to win!
- Bush's victory was the narrowest win for a sitting president since Woodrow Wilson in 1916, not a mandate.
- Over 55 million Americans voted for the candidate dubbed The #1 Liberal in the Senate. That's more than the total number of voters who voted for either Reagan, H. Bush or Clinton.
Again, more people voted for Kerry than Reagan.
If the media are looking for a trend it should be that: so many Americans are, for the first time since Kennedy, willing to vote for an out-and-out liberal.
- Democrats who had control of 44 state legislative chambers on Nov 1st, now control 49 (out of a total of 98).
- In spite of Bush's win, the majority of Americans...
still think the country is headed in the wrong direction (56%),
think the war wasn't worth fighting (51%), and
dont approve of the job George W. Bush is doing (52%).
Have you ever seen a less convincing argument for the right than one of their own members? George Bush's sideshow will be a short distraction (and a large trainwreck) along the countries greater, persistent liberalizing trend. We have to make it through 4 years; they have to make it through the rest of time.
The numbers are not trending their way.
States that favored Kerry had higher IQ and higher personal incomes.
Maybe there was something to the caption on the cover of the Daily Mirror from yesterday?
This web page correlates the average IQ's of the states residents with the candidate that they voted for.
On another web page they correlate the average income of the states residents with the candidate that they voted for.
Apparently we need to either get more money into the red states for education, or introduce some genes from the blues states into the gene pool of the red states to help get their IQ's up above that 100 point threshhold?
God Bless The Brits
The front page of the UK's Daily Mirror says what we're all thinking:
The United States has changed its name...
Jesusland!
thanks to Ken W for IMing that to me
His mamma says he loves him, but she might be jivin' too...
By the looks of this picture, I'm not convinced that Jeb is going to vote for g-dummy!
This being the day before the election, how 'bout we blast the sucka with a caption contest for this photo:
"Not now Jeb, the Nascar dads are watching!"
"Hey Georgie, watch that left hand!"
"Man, do you smell... stop worrying about the election, I disqualified all those black voters..."
"Damn this wind... I'll just hold my mannequin so it doesn't blow over..."
"Sorry George, I will NOT let you do the Macarena in front of Floridians!"
Jon Stewart For President?
Morrissey, yes that Morrissey, would like us all to consider "Jon Stewart for a future president of the USA. In the meantime, he would like us to all vote for John Kerry to "bring sanity and intelligence back to the United States".
Read the full Morrissey endorsement here
hey, that's MY responsibility
I guess people are a little revved up about the elections...
My impression of Kathryn Harris from my encounter last week is that she's a nice lady... despite the fact that she SHOULD HAVE RECUSED HERSELF FROM THE FLORIDA RECOUNTS. I guess someone doesn't feel the same way.
Break through
Where is Richard Nixon now that we finally need him?
Hunter S. Thompson chimes in with his take on the current presidential election, and asks the question burning in everyone's mind... "Where is Richard Nixon now that we finally need him?"
He does endorse John Kerry, and goes on to call Cheney the "cruel and sinister uberboss of Halliburton", and that "Halliburton Inc. controls all three branches of our federal government today"
Read it all here.
Please, don't vote for our cousin!
"Bush Relatives for Kerry" grew out of a series of conversations that took place between a group of people that have two things in common: they are all related to George Walker Bush, and they are all voting for John Kerry...
...We invite you to read our stories, and please, don't vote for our cousin!
If his own relatives are smart enough to not vote for George W. Bush, why would anyone vote for him?
http://www.bushrelativesforkerry.com
9/11-American Air Flight 77 hit the Pentigon... or did it?
This is a pretty compelling video about American Fight 77. Simply stated... if it was a plane hit the building, where's the wreckage?
This film makes a good case that there was some kind of cover up. You decide...
http://www.freedomunderground.org/memoryhole/pentagon.php#Preloader
or
http://www.nixtro.com/pentagon121.swf
Jon Stewart Bitchslaps CNN's 'Crossfire' Show
That's right, Jon Stewart will probably never be invited back on CNN, or possibly any other cable news network show ever again.
On today's episode Jon Stewart tells it like it really is
Order your own copy of it on DVD here. Make sure you specify the show name "Crossfire" and the show topic "Jon Stewart's America".
Andrew also pointed me to the BitTorrent here
While you're waiting for it to download, read the full transcripts here
Freeway Free Speech Day
Rather enjoyable signage that is springing up these days.
"The Daily Show" viewers are smarter than you
So there.
Are we going to let Bush steal another election?
Stop what you are doing RIGHT NOW. Just go.
special shout out to mc mc and dave bettridge for this one...
Bwahahahahahah! Thanks for making my week, Q! Everyone have a safe and happy Labor Day holiday, hopefully pleasure boating on a nearby body of water.
I'm off to the left coast and the greater San Francisco area. I'll be pleasure boating my way on over to Alcatraz tomorrow, in fact!
Oh, Phil Hartman...
Hello everyone, I am a park ranger and I will be leading you on the tour. All of the park rangers here at Alcatraz were at one time guards, myself included. My name is John Johnson, but everyone here calls me Vicky. Will you please follow me.
Do You Feel Like You're the Only Person Not Protesting in NYC This Week?
Everything the discerning protestor needs!
Ivory Tower Liberal Elitist Dissects NeoCon Speak
UC Berkeley linguistics professor George Lakoff drops some science on yo' no account politics-debatin' ass...
Bush Approval Rating / Terror Alert Chart
Found here.
Bush on the ranch - or is that Will Farrell?
In case you wondered what g-dummy was up to as the Dems pointed their thumbs while at the podium of the DNC.
Amusing. check it out yourself
U.S. President George W. Bush big winner at World Stupidity Awards
Bush was a dominating presence at the second edition of the awards presented at the Just for Laughs comedy festival. Host Lewis Black, whose biting satire is a highlight of TV's The Daily Show, took pride in the recognition the United States received at the awards, saying: "we are the gold standard."
read article
via pazen
Create your own Banter!
The website for the Bush-Cheney campaign featured a create your own banner tool, where you could enter your own slogan and print out your own poster, with the Bush-Cheney logo, and a note at the bottom "paid for by Bush-Cheney '04, Inc." Democrats, of course, couldn't get enough of this. The original sloganator accepted everything, then it started censoring profanity and words like "dictator," and "evil." Nevertheless, many clever folks exploited the sloganator to their own ends before its sad demise only a couple of weeks after its birth, and its mourners assembled some of the best for the slide show.
*Make sure you have your sound on & props out to snoonen.
Desperation mounts for the prez
G-Dummy is now looking for lemmings who might be fooled into voting for him.
"Hey, Dick - what about all the people who go to church? If they STILL cling to the belief that Jeebus turned water into wine 2000 years ago, they might buy the crap we're peddling!"
"Git Jerry Falwell on the phone fer me, Condi..."
read on, blasphemer
Cheney curses out Patrick Leahy on the Senate Floor
Vice President Dick Cheney blurted out the "F word" at Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont during a heated exchange on the Senate floor, congressional aides said on Thursday.
The incident occurred on Tuesday in a terse discussion between the two that touched on politics, religion and money, with Cheney finally telling Leahy to "f--- off" or "go f--- yourself," the aides said.
Read article
With trembling fingers
Despite the worst foreign policy blunder in American history, George W. Bush and his millionaire supporters don't know the meaning of the word shame. Read the article
I don't think it's accurate to describe America as polarized between Democrats and Republicans, or between liberals and conservatives. It's polarized between the people who believe George Bush and the people who do not. Thanks to some contested ballots in a state governed by the president's brother, a once-proud country has been delivered into the hands of liars, thugs, bullies, fanatics and thieves. The world pities or despises us, even as it fears us. What this election will test is the power of money and media to fool us, to obscure the truth and alter the obvious, to hide a great crime against the public trust under a blood-soaked flag. The most lavishly funded, most cynical, most sophisticated political campaign in human history will be out trolling for fools. I pray to God it doesn't catch you.
The Impact of Abu Ghraib on the International Human Rights Movement
An excellent report (windows media player required) on how the scandal at Abu Ghraib has undermined not only the moral authority of the United States in the eyes of the international community, but how other humanitarian NGO's and the Human Rights Movement have been impacted as well.
Taken from Public Radio International's Program, the World
There's no need to record this...
Applying lessons the GOP learned while endlessly persecuting Clinton, when President Douchebag has his closed door session with the 9/11 panel Thursday, his remarks won't actually be recorded in any way. Just transcriptions, which should make deniability much easier for the most secretive administration ever.
Massive March on Washington for Women's Rights
Abortion-rights supporters marched in the hundreds of thousands Sunday, galvanized by what they see as an erosion of reproductive freedoms under President Bush and foreign policies that hurt women worldwide.
Women joined the protest from across the nation and from nearly 60 countries, asserting that damage from Bush's policies is spreading far beyond U.S. shores through measures such as the ban on federal money for family-planning groups that promote or perform abortions abroad.
The rally on the National Mall stretched from the base of the U.S. Capitol about a mile back to the Washington Monument. Authorities no longer give formal crowd estimates, but various police sources informally estimated the throng at between 500,000 and 800,000 strong.
March for Women website
War on Terror Going Great!
I opened my browser this morning to this cheerful little gem. Geez Dubya, the terrorist problem seems to be getting worse. Way to go, cowboy.
Arabs in the Middle East hate the United States more than ever following the invasion of Iraq and Israel's assassination of two Hamas leaders, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said in comments published Tuesday.
Mubarak, who visited the United States last week, told French newspaper Le Monde that Washington's actions had caused despair, frustration and a sense of injustice in the Arab world.
"Today there is hatred of the Americans like never before in the region"
chip chip chip...
Reminder: Former President George Bush Sr. was considered an "unbeatable incumbent," 8 months before the election required his exit from the White House. Toward that...some encouraging signs of Bush's idiocy in the election year:
* While saving the world from imaginary nuclear weapons, Bush allowed Libya to position itself as a nuclear middle man..
* Conservatives are voicing concern about Bush's economic gaffes.
* Last week an unaffiliated poll indicated Kerry would beat Bush if the election were held today.
* Bill O'Reilley coming to his senses
* That idiotic appearance on Meet the Press
It's all pretty encouraging after three years of the media being the simpleton Bush's mouthpiece. Tomorrow, Ralph Nader (seen at right in Night of the Living Dead) will disclose if he is in or out.
Let's hope the jackass makes the right decision.
The Censored Superbowl MoveOn Ad
As you've probably heard, CBS decided not to air ads that they deemed to be politically controversial, despite the fact that they decided to air an ad sponsored by the Bush administration. You don't have to miss out on it, though. Here's a link to the allegedly controversial ad made by moveon.org that was denied airtime. Witness the extremism!
30 second Creative Commons political ads highlighting some of Dubya's "accomplishments." Good stuff.
via boing boing
Just for the record...
I like Ben Weasel.
I am Mayor Willie Brown
I always smile and never frown...
SF Mayor Willie Brown appointed City Supervisor Chris Daly "Mayor-for-a-day" (something he does, apparently, with all supervisors as one of those goofy meaningless political gestures...), and Daly decided to do a little appointin' and pontificatin' while ol' Willie was otherwise preoccupied.
President Bush Heckled by Australian Parliament
American President George W Bush was heckled inside the Australian parliament after his speech in Canberra and jeered by protesters outside. Bush defended the Iraq invasion and war on terror, saying Australia and the United States had to lead by example.
Mike Y.: "Well, I guess we get what we ask for. I hope he does something to stop the cyborgs."
(I get bonus points for spelling "Schwarzenegger" correctly without peeking.)
"The President's 'leave-no-billionaire-behind' tax cut to the wealthy will do nothing to help the average Ohioan. The recently passed tax cut will continue a trend advocated by this Administration of accelerating wealth upwards".
-DENNIS KUCINICH
In a scheme likely to raise as many laughs among Iraq's hardline Islamic clerics as Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses, troops of the 4th Infantry brigade in Tikrit are planning to put up pictures around the town of Saddam's face superimposed on the bodies of a busty Veronica Lake, a slinky Zsa Zsa Gabor, a grooving Elvis and British-born rocker Billy Idol.
The aim, apparently, is to so enrage Saddam's followers that they will draw themselves out.
Q sez there were news reports, earlier in the war, of vans with loudspeakers driving through Baghdad calling the hiding fighters 'girly men' in Arabic. Apparently this enraged them and they'd come out shooting...
See the pictures here...
Talk about getting more than you bargained for:
The loss of Diff'rent Strokes left a hole in my heart that will never be repaired. I tried, oh god, I tried. I've watched every one of Todd Bridges' talk show appearances, I've rented every one of Dana Plato's porno movies, and while the porno movies are enjoyable, they don't compare to you, Todd, and Dana working together, on Diff'rent Strokes.
As if Arnold Schwarzenegger's being talked about as a "serious contender" in the California gubernatorial race isn't weird enough, several others have also thrown their hats into the race: columnist Arianna Huffington, Larry Flynt, and Gary Coleman... that's right, Gary Coleman. I can't understand why it is that people have this impression of California as a bunch of freaks...
This war isn't really over....
Join us as we gather to erect a memorial wall bearing the names of all the victims of the Iraq War, and call for a Commission of Inquiry to investigate Bush's justification for war. Please Bring flowers to lay at base of the wall
Starts: TONIGHT at 4:00 PM
Where: Federal Building
230 S. Dearborn, Chicago
----I'll probably be there around 5:30 if you're interested in meeting me there, email me.----
Liz
via Carolyn Danckaert, AFSC
Were you upset when the FCC restrictions were tossed out a few weeks ago? Well don't you fret, because this week with a vote of 400 to 21 the bill was reversed.
How do you get 95 perent of the people who just voted for something, to then vote against it 2 weeks later? Who the hell knows? DC is insane.
The chimp-in-chief swears he'll veto this reversal though, cause he gots cronies to repay.
George W. Bush and Tony Blair express their true feelings for each other as they sing a stirring rendition of "Endless Love."
via keith p.
Forget whether the Clintons killed Vince Foster, the gent who disclosed that Blair and Bush lied about Iraq has been found dead.
DIXON A 33-year-old man faces felony aggravated battery charges for tossing a water balloon at U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Yorkville.
--- snip ---
Allen said in court he didn't know Hastert was driving the truck. Lee County Judge Tomas Magdich reprimanded Allen for not recognizing Hastert.
"He is third in line to the presidency of the United States. You won't forget it next time, will you?" Magdich told Allen.
At first glance, very funny. But if you think about it, very very sad. Has it really come to this? Happy 4th, everyone...
via svn
I think House8 needs a ninny category...
--- snip ---
Advertisements that affront "human dignity" by demeaning women would be prohibited under proposals being drafted by the European Commission.
Television programmes would also be censored to ensure there was no promotion of gender stereotypes.
The plans, still in their infancy, are already provoking bitter dispute in Brussels and were described by one commission official yesterday as "lunatic".
--- snip ---
Mrs Diamantopoulou has so far succeeded in pushing through legislation such as a "Vibrations Directive" limiting the time farmers can spend on tractors and a "Noise Directive" restricting decibel levels in the workplace.
--- snip ---
Imagine what will happen when something really important comes up, like GDP variations or insurance liability...
Certain to be banned under the rules discussed would be the Page 3 Girls...
More funny/stupid cards. This is a collection of 54 conservative "hawks" with a "curious lack of wartime service when others their age had no trouble finding the fight."
via boing boing
Inevitable creep of lame idea... but it's kinda funny to see who's gonna pop up on the cards...
An aide to the vice president said yesterday: "This is money that Mr Cheney was owed by the corporation as part of his salary for the time he was employed by Halliburton and which was a fixed amount paid to him over time."
The aide said the payment was even insured so that it would not be affected even if Halliburton went bankrupt, to ensure there was no conflict of interest.
"Also, the vice president has nothing whatsoever to do with the Pentagon bidding process," the aide added.
And he honestly expects people to believe this?
via scripting news
Support my grassroots campaign to get my brother's Web site, Publius, a Webby award. He's up againt NASA.gov and Weather.gov, and so far could really use your vote. If you could spare 30 seconds of surfing time, I'd appreciate it.
Ironically the site promotes "electronic democracy."
IF EVERYONE LIVED LIKE ME, WE WOULD NEED 5.2 PLANETS
via google
Since 1992, the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression has celebrated the birth and ideals of its namesake by calling attention to those who in the past year forgot or disregarded Mr. Jefferson's admonition that freedom of speech "cannot be limited without being lost."
This year's big winners:
John Ashcroft, The 107th US Congress, and school boards intent on eradicating Harry Potter.
via NPR
Mika Koike, 20
"I would like to get a posi-
tion like Monica Lewinsky
and possibly get famous,
so I would follow Bush."
|
 |
Hiroshi Nakagawa, 61
"I hate to have a boss just like Bush. My coworkers and I would form a group to fight him. I hate a dictator and he is no different from Kim Jong Il and Saddam Hussein. There was another way to settle the issue in Iraq but he pushed for war. If he were my boss, I would tell him to go visit the battlefield and lead as a part of his job."
|
He's been too busy running for office in Japan!
via
boing boing
Showing every sign of becoming the autocrat his father was, Richie Daley overtook Meigs Field at midnight and is currently tearing up the runways, hiding his own motivations behind half-assed claims of counter-terorism. "Mayor Daley has no honor and his word has no value. The sneaky way he did this shows that he knows it was wrong," said some guy.
I have no interest in the convenience of businessmen in small aircraft, but an airport right there made Chicago unique.
Hooray... more park land! I've noticed a real shortage of lawn space in Grant Park.
double-plus uncool
While the idea of kicking the shrub to the curb makes me feel giddy all over, I don't think there's much of a chance that it will happen. The case against Bush is unfortunately built on a lot of soft accusations and precious few actual laws broken. Where's Monica when you really need her?
While the idea of kicking the shrub to the curb makes me feel giddy all over, I don't think there's much of a chance that it will happen. The case against Bush is unfortunately built on a lot of soft accusations and precious few actual laws broken. Where's Monica when you really need her?
While the idea of kicking the shrub to the curb makes me feel giddy all over, I don't think there's much of a chance that it will happen. The case against Bush is unfortunately built on a lot of soft accusations and precious few actual laws broken. Where's Monica when you really need her?
Now that's some art!
via Same site as our Transformer friend
I received this via email, an exhaustive yet I'm sure incomplete list of major French companies / financial concerns for good honest 'Umericuns to avoid.
Whatever your feelings for the French, I find it fascinating the lengths people will go to when they get a burr up their ass. No more tooling around in them Frog-owned Zodiac boats for me. That'll show 'em to mess with the US of A!
I much prefer Chris' solution: Boycott mimes! A good policy no matter what the geo-political ramifications.
I've got it! The latest in reality television, jointly produced by CBS and Al Jazeera.
Dubya and Saddam: Together At Last!
It's Big Brother, Survivor, American Idol, Fear Factor and I'm A Celebrity - Get Me Out Of Here! all rolled into one! Genius, I tells ya! Genius!
We could host it on Nauru!
A woman is taken away for execution after being sentenced to death in Beijing in 2001.
---------
When a bullet in the head too messy, just roll up in one of these vans... then roll up your sleeve.
Russian prison officials have promised the ultimate prize - freedom - to the winner of a contest to find the country's best singing prisoner.
Ever.
Arm yourselves for a war of words!
TrueMajority was founded by Ben Cohen, of Ben and Jerrys. From the website, "It is a grassroots education and advocacy project of Priorities, Inc., a non-profit, non-partisan, tax-deductible, 501(c)(3) corporation."
The Virtual March is described on the website as follows: "We will hold your free faxes and send them on February 26th to your Senators telling them that tough inspections can work, war won't. By filling out this form you will be joining over 100,000 people who will be filling the fax machines, email boxes, and phone lines of our Senators reminding them that their constituents back home want to find a peaceful solution to the problems in Iraq."
Send a fax if you feel that Bush is very wrong in alienating the U.S. from the rest of the world with his nonsensical warmongering...
via Icky, my brother
Jennifer Government: NationStates is a nation simulation game. You create your own country, fashioned after your own ideals, and care for its people. Either that or you deliberately torture them.
Relievedly no... A dork-led effort to get him to run was rejected by Jobs himself in an uncharacteristically humble moment.
Bush went on to say that any living person in Iraq can be killed at his discretion.
Details at 11.
Bin Ladens escaped via elaborate "phone switcheroo"
Today's American "intelligence" idiocy bombshell:
With U.S. forces closing in on him during the battle of Tora Bora in late 2001, one of bin Ladens longtime bodyguards took possession of the al Qaeda leaders satellite phone on the assumption that U.S. intelligence agencies were monitoring it to get a fix on their position.
The bodyguard moved away from bin Laden and his entourage as they fled; he continued to use the phone in an effort to divert the Americans and allow bin Laden to escape. He was captured at Tora Bora in possession of the phone, officials said.
When did we learn this? How long was this revelation delayed to minimize damaging Bush's ratings?
How many billions of our tax dollars go into military and bureaucratic intelligence? And we're defeated by a ruse this ridiculous? Can I retroactively bill the government twenty billion dollars for being able to caution against a dodge this idiotic? What level of counter-intelligence is too low to concern ourselves with? Hey intelligence community! Keep your eyes peeled! Next time he might change into his pirate disguise.
I can't believe this isn't a scandal at least as big as some of the previous boondoggles.
I'm picturing bin Laden laughing, saying: "Wow I can't believe that worked."
What a fucking joke.
Meter parking jumps to $3 an hour. The city has reopened hundreds of parking spaces downtown that had been closed since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, but the rate at many of the meters has tripled. The new rate, including at parking meters on sections of Lower Wacker Drive, is 25 cents for five minutes, up steeply from a quarter for 15 minutes.
In five minutes can you even leave your car and accomplish anything?
Ouch!
An open letter to Time/AOL
Dear Time.com
I am writing because I just finished reading one of the articles that I linked to from The netscape start page that is the default page when I open my browser. The article in question was, "Ready To Move In: U.S. forces could be primed to start fighting Iraq again in short order" By MARK THOMPSON/WASHINGTON.
This is perhaps one of the most irresponsible and inflamatory articles that I have recently had the opportunity to read. The article, while mentioning nothing of the fact that Iraq has so far complied with inspections (although unwillingly), or the report submitted by Iraq detailing their programs, it gleefully extols the virtues of how our military advances could provide us with a new war just in time for Christmas. While this may be true, it clearly belies that fact that mass marketing journalism and Time in particular has no taste for thoughtful reporting, but tends strongly towards sensationalist tabloid journalism and irresponsible pro-war propaganda. Although Time magazine presents itself as a legitimate source of news, this is clearly not so.
While attempting to read another of your articles to see if in fact, your publication does give fair voice to both sides of the issues, I was confronted not with an article, but a synopsis of an article and a prompt to subscribe for a fee to read the full story. I feel compelled to let you know that the model of paying for news content on the internet is an idea whose time has not come, and will, with any luck, signal the demise of your publication and its sister in mediocrity, AOL.
I will be changing my default browser page from your partner, Netscape, to a more reputable news source, and will be letting them know why.
Thank you,
John Fuller
Dorky, yes, but it killed 7 minutes of my last day at work before the long weekend.
President Bush said legislation to shield the insurance industry from catastrophic costs of future terror attacks is vital to the war on terror and to the nation's economic security.
...just not your security.
I'll start: "I just love the sound of democracy in the morning..."
Ok, now you...
Dry Bones
"A low voter turnout is an indication of fewer people going to the polls." -George W. Bush, Jr.
"It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in our air and water that are doing it." -George W. Bush, Jr.
Favorite ballot initiatives this election?
Just two I heard about this morning:
1) North Dakota voted down a proposal to give young North Dakotans financial incentive to stay in North Dakota.
"It was a well-intentioned initiative to try to keep young people in North Dakota," former Gov. Ed Schafer said. "However, as time went on, people realized it wouldn't get the job done."
How about hookers and drugs? I guess you gotta go to Nevada for that. Well, the hookers, anyway.
2) Oklahoma banned cockfighting. Congratulations! So if you're lookin' for a good ol' fashioned legal cockfight, ya gotta go to Louisiana or New Mexico.
vote vote vote for... (Well just vote)
Don't forget to vote Tuesday. If you think Bush is bad now, just wait till the party that controls the white house also controls congress. You can start kissing your civil rights good-bye Wednesday morning.
I will be voting a straight democratic ticket, (regardless of which of them are idiots) in an effort to offset the right wing.
Thank You.
Italian porn star and former Italian parliamentarian "La Cicciolina" has offered to give herself to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in exchange for world peace, speaking in an interview published in Catalan daily El Periodicoon.
Montana's Libertarian Senate candidate Stan Jones has turned blue from drinking a silver solution that he believed would protect him from disease. Jones said he started taking the stuff in 1999 after becoming concerned that Y2K disruptions might lead to a shortage of antibiotics.
This is precisely the kind of leadership this country needs.
Misinformed, paranoid... unembarrased.
Beautiful parodies of vintage WWII propaganda posters:
Regarding Iraq's acceptance of immediate and unconditional demands that weapons inspectors be allowed back into Iraq:
The White House was skeptical of the offer, warning that Baghdad was trying to evade strong UN action. Washington's skepticism is hardly surprising, not only because of Saddam's long history of cat-and-mouse defiance of the UN on disarmament issues, but also because the Bush Administration's ultimate objective is not to bring Saddam into compliance with Security Council resolutions, but to win international consent for a military campaign to oust his regime. If his offer to cooperate is perceived as genuine, Saddam undermines the case for war.
What a wet blanket! How dare he undermine our case for bombing them! I swear, if he ruins this season's war...
...referring to the use of automatic weapons to raid a "hospice," Nadelmann said such actions indicate a worrisome rogue mindset as the White House and Congress define the limits of sensible homeland security.
...Bitter at the loss of so much medicine, Ms. Corral said, "...with a court-appointed president, this is what you get."
via Brad G.
Rapid melting of the Arctic ice pack may turn a cherished sailor's myth into reality. The Northwest Passage, the legendary shipping shortcut from the Atlantic to the Pacific, could be ice-free in as few as 10 years
An ice-free Northwest Passage would let ships traveling between Europe and Asia shave more than 4,000 miles off the route through the Panama Canal and would allow ships to avoid the occasional delays and the passage fees of the canal.
Well sure, if it saves someone a passage fee, it must be good...
I wonder if the guy who's selling these is using proper accounting methods...
During the debate to pass the Financial Anti-Terrorist Act (later re-named the Patriot Act) after Sept. 11th, tobacco lobbyists managed to remove a section that basically said, "If you do stuff like money laundering in another country that we would consider illegal in the US, we will bust you."
Well, this presents a problem for Big Tobacco, who regularly smuggles squares into other countries to get around taxes and other nasty things that might cost them money.
...Philip Morris and Brown & Williamson developed a system for smuggling their Marlboros, Kools and other brands into [Colombia] without paying customs tariffs or any import taxes whatsoever. For more than a decade, this enabled them to compete head to head with Colombias domestic manufacturers: While legal imports of foreign cigarettes should cost from four to five dollars a pack, with all duties paid, they were sold throughout Colombia at just over a buck a pack.
And it worked.
Shortly after the Patriot Act passed the House without Section 107(B), Canadas lawsuit was dismissed by the appeals court, which based its decision substantially on the revenue rule; and on Feb. 19, the Colombian and European cases were likewise dismissed by a federal district judge who also cited the revenue rule.
Who needs strong anti-terrorism legislation? Cheap smokes on holiday! Woo-hoo!
via blogdex
"Ooh! The Germans!"
via Camworld
A California congressman wants to make it a federal crime to rent or sell video games showing violence, prostitution and drug use to anyone under the age of 17 without parental consent.
Co-signed by 21 members of the House of Representatives, it covers eight kinds of explicit in-game depictions, including scenes of:
- decapitation and dismemberment,
- murder,
- car jackings,
- illegal drug use,
- rape,
- prostitution,
- assault and other violent crimes.
...uhmm, so that basically leaves me with Mario Karts or Britney's Dance Beat.
The most compelling evidence that the Smurfs were communists comes from their relationship to the arch-villian Gargamel. If you remember, the only thing that Gargamel wanted the Smurfs for was for his own profit. In the first four or five seasons, Gargamel's master plan was to catch the Smurfs, boil them, and turn them into gold. For some reason, in the later years when the show was dying, they started saying that he wanted to eat the poor blue creatures, but for the most part he wanted to turn them into gold. He didn't care about the Smurfs themselves, their culture, or their well-being. All he cared about was getting gold. His only interest in how to get rich, and nothing, nothing would get in his way.
Gargamel was a capitalist.
via CamWorld
Here's a lovely little photo of some Palestinian youths dressed in traditional garb, fake explosives and all. Navigate around the site for more photos of weapon brandishing children.
just go here immediately
via Linda G
Um. Yeah. Just go here.
via Liz
So when the President was here on July 4, I had the opportunity to shake his hand. I wasn't sure if that was a good idea or not but I did it anyway, and said to him, "Mr President, I hope you only serve four years. I'm very disappointed in your work so far."
He kept smiling and shaking my hand but answered, "who cares what you think?" His face stayed photo-op perfect but his eyes gave me a look that said, if we'd been drinking in some frathouse in Texas, he'd've happily answered, "let's take it outside." A nasty little gleam.
...
But anyway, if you ever wondered if the Prez really was kind of a jerk, I'm here to tell you, he is, and I got The Gift to prove it. I'm thinking of making up t-shirts so we can share The Gift with everyone:
"Who cares what you think?"
- President George W. Bush, July 4, 2001
via
Flutterby!
I really have been living under a rock
Dack's started blogging again, and this time, he's irritable. Subject matter is solely dedicated to articles about (what the hell are we calling this thing now?) the Current Situation in Afghanistan and surrounding locales.
Be sure to check out his "Am I Hot or Not?"-ifying of photos of injured children entitled, "Am I a Terrorist or a Member of Al-Qaeda or a Taliban Fighter or Not?"
A satirical White House Site...including Governor Tom Ridge's Operation Mandatory Patriotic Tattoo "requiring every last man, woman, and child in the nation to obtain an exciting new breed of tattoo."
Also amusing...Homeland Security Safety tips...be vigilant of any Burka-Clad transvestites.
Print some out and put 'em up in your neck of the woods.
via Neoflux
Say hi to all them Yalies for us...
"For God, for Country, and for Yale."
via Obscure Store
Emroz Khan destroys for a living. He dismantles car engines, slicing them open with a sledgehammer and a crooked chisel, prying apart the cylinders, tearing out pistons, dislodging screws and bolts and throwing the metal entrails into a pile that will be sold for scrap. He is 21 and has been doing this sort of work for 10 years, 12 hours a day, six days a week, earning $1.25 a day.
I'd be pissed, too. These people are no different than youth in the U.S. that get sucked into the KKK, Neo-Nazi organizations and religious cults. The difference is that if an American kid has the desire and the support, there's often a (difficult) way out of that life.
Where are these people going to go?
In the background, the speaker of the moment is inciting the crowd against Pakistan's military regime, which is backing Washington's anti-terror campaign. "The generals are stupid," he shouts. Then, like a rock star inviting crowd participation, he calls out, "Generals!" and the crowd roars back, "Stupid!" They are quick learners.
via NextDraft
Something good. I especially like the pop up that launches once you go to this site. Get your "Say No to Taliban" T-shirt. I like this revolutionary cause, but I cannot stomach the fact that they sell t-shirts and coffee mugs just like everyone else on the Internet looking for a quick buck. Shit, I'd rather send a monetary donation than buy some ridiculous t-shirt!
Well, this dude standing by my desk is wearing a really fucked up jacket - can I cap him?
I may be way behind the times on this one, but you can get the book My New Fighting Technique is Unstoppable (on karate, not the war) at Chicago Comics and Quimby's.
This has been making the weblog rounds.
via Doc Searls
Brilliant. Utterly brilliant. Don't ask...just go...
via Swallowing Tacks
Bhopal, India - How to become an unpopular nation
Depressing history lesson ahead....
In 1984 Union Carbide (who makes batteries) wasn't allowed to build their toxic chemical plants in the U.S.. Instead Bhopal India was chosen because it was impoverished and remote. In the early hours of Dec. 3, 1984, their methyl isocyanate (pesticide) gas tank leaked and filled the city for miles with a deadly white fog. Thousands were killed instantly from exposure to the gas as they slept or as they fled through the narrow alleys of the residential areas surrounding the plant. Hundreds of thousands were maimed and remain injured to this day. Due to the mass burials and cremations following the incident, estimates of the number of dead vary widely, but official estimates prepared by the Indian government suggest a casualty toll of at least 1,700 individuals in the 48 hours following the leak. Unofficial estimates indicate a toll of 6,000 or more fatalities in the days immediately following the Disaster."
Although initially Union Carbide was quick to act, they proved to be greedy corporate scumbags in the actions that followed. Settlements were ridiculous.
If an Indian company did this in Chicago could you imagine the outcry?
Some links:
http://www.bhopal-justice.com/
http://www.bhopal.com/
http://www.bhopal.org/
Skip them! Read this Mary Schiavo interview to learn why flying isn't safe.
Transcript of phone call intercepted by the CIA:
Mother do you think they'll drop the bomb?
Mother do you think they'll like this song?
Mother do you think they'll try to break my balls?
Mother should I build the wall?
Mother should I run for president?
Mother should I trust the government?
Mother will they put me in the firing line?
Mother am I really dying?
Censorship not welcome at The Onion
Bush Sr. Apologizes To Son For Funding Bin Laden In '80s
MIDLAND, TX Former president George Bush issued an apology to his son Monday for advocating the CIA's mid-'80s funding of Osama bin Laden, who at the time was resisting the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. "I'm sorry, son," Bush told President George W. Bush. "We thought it was a good idea at the time because he was part of a group fighting communism in Central Asia. We called them 'freedom fighters' back then. I know it sounds weird. You sort of had to be there." Bush is still deliberating over whether to tell his son about the whole supporting-Saddam Hussein-against-Iran thing.
Comments: This chicken-shit was interviewed on CNN Friday. When asked why he didn't eliminate Saddam Hussein a decade ago, he audaciously suggested that no one was asking that then. (!!!) Everyone was asking that then. It was the single most controversial issue of that war. The interview smiled emptily and continued. A friend at CNN tells me that when an interview like this goes down, Bush's press secretary is in the control room with his hands on the feed cable. If CNN had pursued this issue, the feed would have been unplugged!!!
Ah America... where people came to be free from censorship once...
On a somewhat related note, they want to cancel "Politically Incorrect" because of Bill Mahers comments last week. Here's a petition to keep it on. If you want to slow the decline of independent thought in in the U.S. you should sign it. Here's Ariana Huffington's column on the brou-haha. Think of this next time a CIA drone runs for office.
"I tried to put it in the simplest possible terms for you people, so you'd get it straight, because I thought it was pretty important," said God, called Yahweh and Allah respectively in the Judaic and Muslim traditions. "I guess I figured I'd left no real room for confusion after putting it in a four-word sentence with one-syllable words, on the tablets I gave to Moses. How much more clear can I get?"
via J. Gruszka
The Senate approved a $15 billion bailout of the airline industry today, 96-1. The one dissenting vote was that of the typically combative and controversial Peter Fitzgerald (R) of Illinois.
I caught the tail end of his comments as I was driving home tonight, and I have to say I probably agree with him.
An excerpt:
"Either the shareholders or the taxpayers will take a hit," stated Fitzgerald, "and I dont think its at all intuitive that the right thing to do is shift the cost of the industry decline from the shareholders to the taxpayers."
The senator explained that the shareholders are, in many cases, sophisticated investors who may be familiar with the industry and who understand the inherent risks in airline stock. The currently structured bailout would protect them, while making ordinary American taxpayers foot the bill.
(emphasis mine)
From the linked MSNBC article:
Even as lawmakers debated the provisions of the bill, some questioned whether an industry with such highly paid executives, and that was financially wobbly even before Sept. 11, should be given a special government-financed aid package.
Addressing at least part of those concerns, Congress stated that executives of airlines seeking assistance could not receive salary increases over the next two years if their current salaries exceed $300,000 a year.
$300,000! You've got to be fucking kidding me! What about the tens of thousands of people that are about to lose their jobs over this? Not a fucking word about them. But heaven forbid some jackass CEO make less than 6 figures a year. Now that would be a real tragedy.
This is a few days late perhaps, but this gallery shows photos of people around the world and how they have responded to the terrorist attacks on America.
via Susi P
Richard Helmss Afghani Niece Leads Corps of Taliban Reps
The Accidental Operative
by Camelia Fard & James Ridgeway
via Village Voice
Exerpts from a New York email
I got an email today from a friend who recently moved to New York. After talking in detail about the horror of the recent events that he had the displeasure of watching from his office window he wrapped up with these comments:
...and as if it isn't already too much, i spend the next couple of days listening to The Dolt make inspiring statements about "finding these folks" (did he actually call terrorists "folks"!?), how we're gonna "whip terrorism" (not crush, destroy, vanquish...) and say "this was the first war of the 21st century". so "the war", it's over then? and this just in: "There's an old poster out West as I recall that said: 'Wanted, dead or alive." does he think this is a CBS mini-series?
God help us.
I couldn't agree more.
via Dennis of New York
Other thoughts on WTC
As usual you (Andrew) have thoughtful level-headed points to make. I didn't mean to come off as a bomb-loving nitwit. For the benefit of bloggers who haven't met me yet I'm more of a dove than a hawk.
There are so many things I'm angry about here. I am stunned that the Taleban was just playing a PR game when they issued a "Don't bomb us, we're really poor" statement then followed it in 2 days with "You'll be sorry if you bomb us." (!) When a country allows an extremist to come to power, they may have to pay with a few innocent victims. (I believe we just did...) Cultural evolution sometimes kills off your countries brand of idiocy.
Every belief system is not equally valid and does not deserve consideration. A thinking Islamic culture might have taken the following steps. (Step 1) Appeal to people about fundamentalism on it's own merits (Step 2) Fail miserably and bomb us. Instead their complete thought sequence was: "Our restricitve ideology has no merit, let's just kill Americans." That's some foreign policy! What kind of arrogance does it take to look at your miserable failed wasteland of a country, and decide that the rest of the world would benefit from the same arrangement? I don't think the U.S. is blameless on the world stage but consider where the world would be if Afghanistan were the remaining super power. It's an imperfect world.
Sometimes countries get punished for having bad ideas.
Sometimes thousands have to die to save millions.
Sometimes you have to run with your best theory (even with inconclusive evidence) to prevent a clandestine enemies next strike. A painstakingly considered ideal response will have fewer supporters if we get hit again. You cannot assume we have the luxury of time. Remember... they're terrorists.
The "NOTHING GETS FIXED TILL IT BREAKS DOWN COMPLETELY" Department. There's no shortage of culprits on this side of the ocean that you can thank for the situation we're in:
CORPORATE GREED
Mary Schiavo is the former Inspector General for the US Dept. of Transportation. She is still an outspoken whistle-blower who appears as a commentator on FAA-related news stories. She can indentify a shitty security policy in seconds. She has been sounding the wake-up call for almost a decade about criminal flaws in our air industry that would not be addressed (just as she predicted) until the body bags stacked up. The worst crime here - The whole tragedy could have been avoided if the greedy airlines (with Congress' support) hadn't been allowed to dismiss her conclusions as cost-prohibitive. This left a hole the enemy could use to do this.
Wanna get angry?
The first appeal to hit the floor of Congress since the disaster? Even before relief bills were introduced, the FAA went to Congress to be absolved of negligence/responsibility and to ask for a bailout. These greedy fuckers have some major cojones!
Now Schiavo's conclusions will be pulled out of the files where they've sat ignored. Her name will be scratched out and some asshole will get credit for her a brilliant new policy. Instead Schiavo should be given a position of the highest authority within the DOT. But that would involve acknowledging political complicty and kickbacks.
PRESIDENT BUSH (THE FIRST)
The previous President Bushs reputation should take a major hit for his bewildering decision to end the Gulf War without eradicating the figure who brought it on. Saddam Hussein should have been captured or killed when we were in Kuwait 9 years ago. Bush can take a big slice of credit for this genocide.
FOREIGN POLICY? WHAT FOREIGN POLICY?
An investigation of the U.S.'s duplicitous and greedy foreign policy. Our policy should not be changing every 4 years with each new administration. We should be building the relationships we want diplomatically not ones developed because we need that countries resources. Why do we stay in bed with Israel, no matter where their leadership is ideologically? The US funded college of the Americas trained both these despots (Hussein, bin Ladin).
CONAN THE REPUBLICAN!
In the U.S. movies with gunplay, explosions and wall-to-wall killings get PG ratings, but films with sexual situations get R ratings. (?) These screwy priorities have lasting effects on our culture. Take a hard look at our violent entertainment. This mess was orchestrated to get the attention of a culture numbed by film and tv violence. Hope everybody enjoyed those Willis Schwartzeneggar Stallone bomb-fests...
Not a funny read, but encouraging news (from Time mag?) that Colin Powell is very unhappy with the Bush administration. Why does he stay?
"Do you know how much worse it would be without me?"
Interesting comments on how dumb the administration is.
Enjoy ten or fifteen seconds of fun at Dubya's expense.
Senator and psycho killer Gary Condit has an actual online application form to be his new intern.
Take this simple test and find out!
The government is giving audio experts a chance to uncover a key subterfuge of Watergate. When Nixon turned in his personal recordings of meetings in his office, 18 and a half minutes of tape (recorded three days after the break-in) were blank.
But technology has moved forward and recovering lost audio is possible now. The team has to show they can really retrieve voices from test recordings that have been erased without mangling the original tapes.
Sexy Man
Al Gore is sportin' a new look. Maybe if he had this look during the election, he could have persuaded more good ol' boys to vote for him.
"The numbers on Bush look good, but the numbers on his policy look bad," a spokesman said. "Unless Bush moves substantively, as opposed to rhetorically, toward the center, I think the going will be tough. He's selling goods for which there's no market."
To stay on the subject of mr. gomez's last entry, I'd like to blog this tragedy. Was he looking for trouble? Did he deserve such a death? You decide. I didn't know much about the situation in Genoa until i came across this. It drove me to read a few articles and, although I am not an expert, I still feel fucking horrible about what took place during the G8 protests. View photos only after lunch.
via supersphere
60 years ago the cannons roared, and the HMS Hood was lost.
"Our immediate reaction has been one of surprise by the damage suffered by Hood," Mr Mearns said yesterday.
"It is far worse than any of us had expected."
Note: It sunk, didn't it?
Hey kids! Its wacky fun-time with the new Psychedelic Republican trading cards! Collect and trade all 12! Learn all about your favorite G.O.P. superstars while you watch them defend America live every week on C-SPAN!
Through our long time reliable and trusted contacts at governmental level we are finally able to offer a genuine diplomatic passport from a highly respected country for only US$50,000! As a part of this program you MUST agree to go to the host country to personally pick up your diplomatic passport and credentials direct from the head of state.
Here's my favorite:
7. Doors, which may have been previously closed, will remarkably open once you have received your diplomatic status.
Many of you may know Jib Jab already, but do check out the recent Dubya cartoon about how our fearless leader memorizes names of African and Asian dignitaries... it's high-sterical...
Bernie Goetz is running for Mayor of NYC. Apparently, if elected, he'd just hire Guliani to keep running the show. I suppose that's better than putting his pet vegetarian squirrel in charge.
via aaronland
Renouncing ties to the political right that made him a best-selling writer, David Brock acknolwedges lies he provided about Anita Hill to get porn-loving conservative Clarence Thomas on the Supreme Court.
...there is precious little information on the grainy black-and-white poster that arrived at the Houston Press offices last week; that is, with the exception of a few nondescript boxed words at the bottom that read like an upcoming pay-per-view boxing match: Closed Circuit Event/The Execution of Timothy McVeigh/Monday June 11th/ 7AM. Under the box is an attribution line: PAID FOR BY CITIZENS FOR CAPITAL PUNISHMENT.
via Plastic
The US president, George Bush, today began his European tour with a gaffe - mispronouncing the Spanish prime minister's name in a television interview.
Mr Bush was mocked during the US election campaign for his relative ignorance of international affairs, but had always maintained he could speak Spanish.
But in the interview he referred to Jose Maria Aznar as "Anzar" and employed a mangled grammar, placing the emphasis on the wrong parts of words and confusing gender.
Can Bush say or do anything without embarrassing the country? What a fucking moron.
Note to self: watch SNL this week.
via The Morning News
Dr. Yuri Zotov likes his job as surgeon at Vacha's one and only hospital. The problem is the pay...
...Instead of rubles, Vacha's esteemed medical professionals were offered 3 tons of manure for services rendered.
These Russian doctors sound like a bunch of whiners if you ask me.
The Bush administration has announced it will deny federal financial aid to students who won't answer questions about their drug records. Since this policy comes from a man who spent an entire campaign refusing to talk about his own drug history, we have one simple request:
"President Bush, if you deny federal funds to students who won't talk about their drug histories, it's only fair that you forego your federal salary until you are willing to come clean with your own drug past."
A lengthy look at 100 plus days of Bush actions and which of his contributors directly benefit. Eye-opening! Depressing!
