Thursday, December 27, 2007

Expect a yes vote for Rice, finally

quote[But Rice has three things going for him: 1) His vote total has been north of 60 percent in recent years and Sox historian Dick Bresciani has boosted Rice's candidacy with a convincing public relations campaign; 2) The more we talk about steroids, the better Rice's numbers look; 3) There are no new candidates to overwhelm the voters.]

I hope so. He deserves it...

Friday, December 21, 2007

Why I Don't Support Hillary For President

There has been much ballyhoo over the airways lately about Hillary's dirty campaign tricks, her apparent arrogance, and her seeming predilection to act as if she has already been awarded the nomination. While I do personally subscribe to those sentiments, they are not the only reasons that I don't support her. In fact, I didn't support her before those traits became eminently noticeable. Below are some highlighted reasons why I didn't support her previously.

(Disclaimer: I don't support her, but I still believe she is 10,000 times better than anyone the right has to offer. So, if she does get the nod, I will just have to hold my nose when I vote for her next November).

1) NAFTA - Part of her husbands legacy, but her plans to revisit it do not go nearly far enough. She's on record saying she thought it was a good attempt, but then complains that it's failings are due to it being an inherited policy. The fact that it undercuts American workers seems benign to her.

2) Universal Healthcare and The Insurance Companies - She's taken too much of the insurance companies money. When a corporation buys a politician, they expect something from you. She's essentially guaranteeing more profits for those large corporations. We need less of this, not more.

To be fair, my favorite Universal plan (and the only true one) is Kucinich's. But he's the guy I support, with Edwards trailing not too far behind.

3) Corporate Sponsors and Lobbyist Money - She's on record saying that taking their money is acceptable because they represent real people and real interests; Yes, real people who run really big companies and want REALLY big profits.

We need campaign finance reform. We need to end lobbyists. We need to publicly fund elections.

4) China And The U.S.-China WTO Accession Agreement - She's said how bad it is to have our debt owned by foreign governments, but also said she would "not at this time" call for Congress to limit by law the amount of debt held by foreigners. Furthermore, she has no plan on how to deal with China owning our debts.

The WTO agreement was another inheritance of her husbands, but she supported it. The only current candidate to oppose it was Kucinich.

Also, see #8 below.

5) Iraq War Authorization - Voted for it, claims she was duped. If the Shrub in Chief can fool you, there's something deeper wrong with you.

6) Iran War Authorization - This is too fresh for me to comment on without getting violent towards my keyboard.

7) Retroactive Immunity For Telecom Vote - Claimed she supported Dodd, but was too busy campaigning to stand up for the issue and his filibuster.

8) Her Connection With Wal-Mart - She was a board member to Wal-mart for six years and her Rose Law Firm handled much of Wal-mart's legal defense.

Also, see #4 above. It was Bill's deal, but she supported the market opening in China. Does she really claim to be for women's and human rights when we she supports a company that gets all it's cheap crap from third world slave labor and forced abortions???


I've got a bit more, but let's start with this for now. Feel free to tell me why I'm wrong.

Best & Merry Christmas,

-P

O'Reilly's Sexual Harrassment Lawsuit Sung Like Handel's "Messiah"

quote[The piece is a setting of the sexual harassment complaint lodged against Fox News pundit, Bill O’Reilly, by staff producer, Andrea Mackris, in October 2004 and recorded at its world premiere in January 2007. It includes all memorable moments from the original complaint and more – paranoid rants, clumsy sexual innuendo, and the famous falafel fantasy. Composer Igor Keller has produced this concert-length work in the form of a baroque oratorio, in the style of an updated Handel’s Messiah, for 28-piece chamber orchestra, 26-voice chorus and three soloists. It’s an oratorio for the 21st century!]

Strange!

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Bush Testy Over CIA Tape Question

quote[The president got a little testy when a reporter asked him for more details on when he first learned about his administration's destruction of CIA interrogation tapes.

"It sounds pretty clear to me when I say the first recollection is when Mike Hayden briefed me," Bush said. "It sounds pretty clear to me."

Bush said he will reserve judgment about the CIA tape affair until several inquiries are finished.]

Ed Shultz: 'Hillary, I do not want you to be the nominee'

quote[Lamenting presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's failure to appear on his radio show, liberal host Ed Shultz said he does not want the former First Lady to get the Democratic nomination because she seems unwilling to talk directly to the party's base.

Schultz, who bills himself as America's No. 1 progressive talker, said Clinton has complained in private meetings about the dominance of conservative talk radio yet refuses to appear before an audience of liberal likely voters, unlike her closest competitors, Barack Obama and John Edwards. Schultz also called out Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) for not appearing on the show to promote his presidential campaign.]


The audio was great!

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Huckabee Compared ‘Homosexuality’ To ‘Necrophilia’ And Fought For Banning Sodomy

quote[– In 1997, Huckabee requested an amendment to a state Senate bill stating “that it is Arkansas public policy to prohibit sodomy to protect the traditional family structure.” [Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 1/23/1997]

– In 1998, Huckabee supported banning gay men and women from acting as foster parents because “it is not in the best interest of children.” [Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 7/29/1998]

– In 2003, Huckabee said “If you ask for survivor benefits to be paid to a same-sex survivor, I think we have a right to say no to that.” [Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 7/3/2003]

Additionally, in the past, Huckabee has spoken of homosexuality using some of the most divisive and hyperbolic rhetoric possible:

– In a 1992 questionnaire for the Associated Press, Huckabee claimed that “homosexuality is an aberrant, unnatural, and sinful lifestyle, and we now know it can pose a dangerous public health risk.”]


It's getting fun with the Huckster!

Thanks Karen (and Shawna)!

– In his 1998 book, Kids Who Kill, Huckabee compared homosexuality to necrophilia, decrying “publicly endorsed and institutionally supported aberrations–from homosexuality and pedophilia to sadomasochism and necrophilia.”

Stephanie In Non-Sequitur




Awesome!

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Huckabee's Other Son Loves Him Some Porno



Quote[For what it’s worth: I went to college with John Mark Huckabee … at Ouachita Baptist University in the late ’90s. John Mark had the biggest porn magazine collection on campus and used to delight his nerd-friends by reading aloud Penthouse Letters he composed and submitted for publication. Not sure if any of them were ever published…. I was present in the dorm room of a mutual friend on one occasion while JM was reading his letters aloud, so this is first hand information.]

LOL!

Monday, December 17, 2007

Huckabee son fired over dog hanging

quote[As Mike Huckabee gains in the polls, the former Arkansas governor is finding that his record in office is getting more scrutiny. One issue likely to get attention is his handling of a sensitive family matter: allegations that one of his sons was involved in the hanging of a stray dog at a Boy Scout camp in 1998. The incident led to the dismissal of David Huckabee, then 17, from his job as a counselor at Camp Pioneer in Hatfield, Ark. It also prompted the local prosecuting attorney— bombarded with complaints generated by a national animal-rights group—to write a letter to the Arkansas state police seeking help investigating whether David and another teenager had violated state animal-cruelty laws. The state police never granted the request, and no charges were ever filed. But John Bailey, then the director of Arkansas's state police, tells NEWSWEEK that Governor Huckabee's chief of staff and personal lawyer both leaned on him to write a letter officially denying the local prosecutor's request.]

Going down...

Top Dem candidates skip wiretap vote

quote[Dodd canceled planned campaign events in Iowa to be in Washington Monday, but the Senate's other Democratic presidential candidates were all out on the campaign trail today, and none were in Washington to vote against the cloture motion or stand by Dodd's expected filibuster. This despite the fact that all three -- Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Joe Biden -- said they would support Dodd's filibuster.]

Pussies.

Friday, December 14, 2007

McDonald's New Menu

Oh my God.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Huckabee: women's role in marriage is to "graciously submit"

quote[Huckabee's opinion on gay marriage is out there, but we should also be publicizing Huckabee's opinions on heterosexual marriage. Specifically, what he believes about a women's role in a marriage.

In August of 1998, Huckabee was one of 131 signatories to a full page USA Today Ad which declared: "I affirm the statement on the family issued by the 1998 Southern Baptist Convention." What was in the family statement from the SBC? "A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ."

The ad wasn't just a blanket, "we support the SBC statement," but rather highlighted details. The ad Huckabee signed specifically said of the SBC family statement: "You are right because you called wives to graciously submit to their husband's sacrificial leadership."

Add "graciously submit" to his "Take back the nation for Christ" statement, and if the media does its job, he's well on his way to being toast.]


And he seems more viable than the other righty candidates...

I didn't realize that the deliverance-wing of the republican party was so big!

New Documents Revealed In Case Of Huckabee's Support For Freeing Rapist

quote[Also included in the file is an officially marked and dated Arkansas State Police affidavit, given to Huckabee prior to his decision to support parole, in which Dumond confessed to having raped another woman. Dumond was never charged for the crime.

The document provides a clear indication that Huckabee had evidence from state officials concerning Dumond's long history of violent behavior. While on the presidential campaign trail, Huckabee has stated that no one could have anticipated that Dumond would strike again after being set free.]


More for the Muckabee file...

US state of New Jersey moves to abolish death penalty

quote[The US state senate of New Jersey has voted to replace the death penalty with life imprisonment, taking a major step toward becoming the first US state to abolish the death penalty in three decades.

New Jersey senators voted 21-16 on Monday to get rid of capital punishment in favor of life without parole for the most serious offenders, and the state's general assembly is set to vote on the issue on Thursday.

With hefty support from New Jersey's Democratic-controlled assembly, the measure also enjoys the backing of Democratic governor Jon Corzine, who has vowed to sign it into law by January if lawmakers decide to pass it.

New Jersey has not executed any prisoners since 1963, even though it was one of the states to reinstall the death penalty after a US Supreme Court ruling in 1976 overturned an earlier ban.]


I hope more states follow suit.

Monday, December 10, 2007

White House press secretary admits she didn't know what Cuban Missile Crisis was

quote[Appearing on National Public Radio's quiz show, "Wait, Wait ... Don't Tell Me," this weekend, Perino admitted a story she'd previously only shared in private: When a reporter asked her a question during a White House briefing in which he referred to the Cuban Missile Crisis -- she didn't know what it was.

"I was panicked a bit because I really don't know about . . . the Cuban Missile Crisis," said Perino, who at 35 was born about a decade after the 1962 U.S.-Soviet nuclear showdown. "It had to do with Cuba and missiles, I'm pretty sure."]


This happens to be my favorite weekend show, but they've really beeen scraping the barrel with righties lately.

Huckabee refuses to retract '92 remarks on AIDS patients

quote[ Responding to an Associated Press questionnaire, Huckabee said steps should be taken to "isolate the carriers of this plague" during his failed run for a U.S. Senate seat from Arkansas 15 years ago.

He said he probably would not make the same statement today because of what is known about how HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is transmitted.

"I had simply made the point -- and I still believe this today -- that in the late '80s and early '90s, when we didn't know as much as we do now about AIDS, we were acting more out of political correctness than we were about the normal public health protocols that we would have acted," Huckabee told Fox News on Sunday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded in 1985 that AIDS was not transmitted by casual contact. But Huckabee said at the time, "there were other concerns being voiced by public health officials."]


Let the dirt cometh!

After Guantanamo, 'Reintegration' for Saudis

quote[In July, he was suddenly released to his native Saudi Arabia, which held a very different view. Dossari was immediately reunited with his family and treated like a VIP. He was given a monthly stipend and a job, housed and fed, even promised help in finding a wife. Today, he is a free man living on the Persian Gulf coast.]

And I thought it was liberals who wanted offer treatment to the terrorists (a common Fox talking point)???

Libby drops appeal of CIA leak conviction

quote[Wells explained that the decision not to continue the appeal was tactical. "The appeal would lead only to a retrial," he said, "a process that would last even beyond the two years of supervised release, cost millions of dollars more than the fine he has already paid, and entail many more hundreds of hours preparing for an all-consuming appeal and retrial."

The decision also reflects the political reality that if the appellate court granted a new trial, it would probably occur during the administration of the next president, who might not share Bush's interest in helping his former official.]


Bet he gets a last minute pardon...

Friday, December 07, 2007

A "Psychological" Optical Illusion

quote[The influence of culture and environment can have an effect on our visual perception. This theory was first explored by Robert Laws, a Scottish missionary working in Malawi, Africa, during the late 1800's. Take a look at the picture below. What you see will largely depend on where you live in the world. After you have examined the picture, scroll down for a more detailed explanation.]

I thought this was pretty neat.

Christmas in Fallujah



Not bad, but not super-catchy either.

A Friday Funny...

George Bush goes to a primary school to talk to the
kids to get a little PR. After his talk he offers question
time.

One little boy puts up his hand and George asks him
his name.

" Stanley ," responds the little boy.

"And what is your question, Stanley ?"

"I have 4 questions:

First, why did the USA invade Iraq without the support
of the UN?

Second, why are you President when Al Gore got more
votes?

Third, whatever happened to Osama Bin Laden?"

Fourth, why are we so worried about gay-marriage when
1/2 of all Americans don't have health insurance?

Just then, the bell rings for recess. George Bush
informs the kiddies that they will continue after recess.

When they resume George says, "OK, where were we?

Oh, that's right, question time. Who has a question?

Another little boy puts up his hand. George points him
out and asks him his name.

"Little Johnnie" he responds.

"And what is your question, Little Johnnie?"

"Actually Sir, I have 6 questions:

First, why did the USA invade Iraq without the support
of the UN?

Second, why are you President when Al Gore got more
votes?

Third, whatever happened to Osama Bin Laden?

Fourth, why are we so worried about gay marriage when
1/2 of all Americans don't have health insurance?

Fifth, why did the recess bell go off 20 minutes
early?

And sixth, what the F ..... happened to Stanley ?"

From The "It's So Bad, It's Good," File

quote[Sen. Larry Craig's bathroom follies have been the butt of plenty of late night jokes, but he found some sympathy in primetime this week when William Shatner had his own run in with the law on an ABC drama.

Craig's foibles -- the Idaho Republican was charged with soliciting sex in a public restroom this summer -- served as a plot line on the ABC legal drama, Boston Legal. Denny Crane, played by William Shatner, finds himself arrested after some miscommunication in a bathroom stall.

As Crane's sidekick Alan Shore, portrayed by James Spader, summed it up: "In an effort to relieve some mild constipation, he unwittingly offered to be a whistle-blower for an undercover police officer."]


When will the writer's strike end???

Thursday, December 06, 2007

Savage calls Retired Brig. Gen. Keith Kerr a "gay, phony general"

quote[On the December 3 edition of his nationally syndicated radio show, Michael Savage called retired Brig. Gen. Keith Kerr (CSMR) a "gay, phony general." Kerr, who is a member of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) Military Advisory Council, a member of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Americans for Hillary Clinton steering committee, and a co-chairman of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's (D-NY) Veterans and Military Retirees for Hillary Committee, had a video question about the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy selected for airing during the November 28 CNN/YouTube Republican presidential debate and was in the audience for an opportunity to ask a follow-up question.]

Why does anyone listen to this piece of shit????

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Democrats Drift Toward Kucinich

quote[ On issue after issue, says Richard Wolffe of Newsweek, Dennis Kucinich's views have gone from fringe to mainstream. That pattern became apparent again at NPR's Democratic presidential debate yesterday, Wolffe says.

Kucinich notions that once seemed crazy to the Democratic Party ended up front and center Tuesday, Wolffe says, and NPR's debate format gave the Ohio congressman a chance to shine. Kucinich is generally considered among the darkest of dark horses in the race. Yesterday, he spoke out about his opposition to liberalized trade with China and to the war in Iraq.]


Good!

Did A Film Maker Find Bin Laden???

quote[I was at Sundance in 2004 when Morgan Spurlock took over the festival with his documentary Super Size Me. Four years later, Spurlock returns to Park City with Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden?, a film documenting the director’s search for the most wanted man on the planet. The Weinstein Co quickly snapped up the documentary, after seeing only 15 minutes at the Berlin Film Festival. Distributors who saw the footage were asked to sign draconian nondisclosure agreements.

Many people are speculating that Spurlock may have done what the U.S. government has been unable to do, and actually found Bin Laden. The film’s director of photography, Daniel Marricone added fuel to the fire, telling the press that Spurlock “definitely got the holy grail.” Not much information has leaked about the film, and even the director is keeping quiet. When asked if the rumors, Spurlock would only say “Until there’s something to see, why talk about it?”]


I'm looking forward to this.

Going Nucular



I felt sick after watching that press conference.

Report: 35 percent of toys contain lead

quote[Tests on more than 1,200 children’s products, most of them still on store shelves, found that 35 percent contain lead — many with levels far above the federal recall standard used for lead paint.

A Hannah Montana card game case, a Go Diego Go! backpack and Circo brand shoes were among the items with excessive lead levels in the tests performed by a coalition of environmental health groups across the country.

Only 20 percent of the toys and other products had no trace of lead or harmful chemicals, according to the results being released Wednesday by the Michigan-based Ecology Center along with the national Center for Health, Environment and Justice and groups in eight other states.]


Merry Christmas, kids!

Crooks And Liars' John Amato With Norman Goldman On The Ed Schultz Show 12/04/07






Monday, December 03, 2007

Fox: 'Atheist Outrage' over holiday 'Tree of Knowledge'

quote[Fox & Friends launched a salvo in the War on Christmas Monday, attacking an atheist group's "tree of knowledge" erected in front of a Philadelphia courthouse alongside a creche and menorah, while ignoring a 32-foot tree dedicated to "commercial attraction" in the same public square.

The perky hosts objected because the Freethought Society of Great Philadelphia has set up a "Tree of Knowledge" as part of a seasonal display in front of the Chester County courthouse.]


Oh, if only I could find my Festivus pole!!!

Sunday, December 02, 2007

US says it has right to kidnap British citizens

quote[AMERICA has told Britain that it can “kidnap” British citizens if they are wanted for crimes in the United States.

A senior lawyer for the American government has told the Court of Appeal in London that kidnapping foreign citizens is permissible under American law because the US Supreme Court has sanctioned it.

The admission will alarm the British business community after the case of the so-called NatWest Three, bankers who were extradited to America on fraud charges. More than a dozen other British executives, including senior managers at British Airways and BAE Systems, are under investigation by the US authorities and could face criminal charges in America.

Until now it was commonly assumed that US law permitted kidnapping only in the “extraordinary rendition” of terrorist suspects.]


WTF??? How long before the world gives up on us and refuses to even do business with us?

Scrap 'don't ask, don't tell' gay policy, say retired US generals

quote[Twenty-eight former military chiefs have collectively called for a repeal of the controversial "don't ask, don't tell" policy whereby gay and lesbian Americans are allowed to serve in the armed forces but only if they keep their sexuality secret.

...

Since 1993 about 10,000 men and women have been sacked from the military under the policy.]


Hey! I got an idea about solving the declining enlistment numbers: let's kick out perfectly qualified people just because of their sexuality!

More gay men describe sexual encounters with U.S. Sen. Craig

quote[David Phillips. Mike Jones. Greg Ruth. Tom Russell.

Four gay men, willing to put their names in print and whose allegations can't be disproved, have come forward since news of U.S. Sen. Larry Craig's guilty plea. They say they had sex with Craig or that he made a sexual advance or that he paid them unusual attention.]


I am not gay...I love my wife...