by twit
Olbermann has some choice words for Bush about his claim of sacrificing golf out of respect for families of soldiers lost in his wars:
via Buzzfeed.
by lestro
Today the President in all his wisdom chided those who would negotiate with “terrorists and radicals.”
It is being perceived as a shot at Obama, for his (amazingly Christian, something you’d think our born-again crusader of a president would know) view of talking with our enemies in an attempt to resolve the issue by not having to start a multi-billion dollar, never-ending war.
“Some seem to believe that we should negotiate with the terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along,” Mr. Bush said.
“We have heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: “Lord, if I could only have talked to Hitler, all this might have been avoided.”
We have an obligation to call this what it is — the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history.”
What a son of a lame duck bitch he is.
by the squid
Today New York State signed into law legislation which would require pedophiles to register their screen names and e-mail addresses that so they can not be used when trolling for children on the social networking sites. I am not a fan of pedophiles, they are the lowest of the low. However, I am a fan of human nature.
My spidy-sense makes me think that those who are trolling on social websites posing as teenagers looking to “score” with the under-age are not the “follow-the-rules” type of people. The new law demands that the CONVICTED sex offender notify the proper authorities within ten days of changing or adding a new screen-name or e-mail address.
“Under the new law, registered sex offenders must also disclose all their user names and e-mail accounts for the purposes of chat, instant messaging, or social networking. If they create any new online profiles, they must notify the state within 10 days or face prosecution for a new felony. “
That is just silly.
by lestro
In the opening of her victory speech last night, Hillary Clinton dropped this little nugget and it got me thinking:
There are some who have wanted to cut this race short. They say “give up, it’s too hard, the mountain is too high,” but here in West Virginia, you know a thing or two about rough roads to the top of the mountain. We know from the Bible that faith can move mountains and, my friends, the faith of the Mountain State has moved me. I am more determined than ever to carry on this campaign until everyone has had a chance to make their voices heard.
In a place known as The Mountain State, her speech writer must have been particularly proud of that bit, but one can go even deeper into Hillary’s mountain metaphor.
The biggest industry in West Virginia is coal mining and the newest thing is called “mountain top removal” which involves blowing the tops off mountains and dumping the dirt into valleys, burying streams, communities, whatever and is, as one might expect, absolutely horrendous for the environment:
Mountaintop removal involves clear cutting native hardwood forests, using dynamite to blast away as much as 800-1000 feet of mountaintop, and then dumping the waste into nearby valleys, often burying streams.
While the environmental devastation caused by this practice is obvious, families and communities near these mining sites are forced to contend with continual blasting from mining operations that can take place up to 300 feet from their homes and operate 24 hours a day.
Families and communities near mining sites also suffer from airborne dust and debris, floods that have left hundreds dead and thousands homeless, and contamination of their drinking water supplies.
It’s an absolutely horrible process, one the Bush EPA has looked the other way on for years while the Bush Administration has actually been trying to expand the practice.
So here’s the deeper metaphor drawn from Hillary’s speech: Instead of doing the hard work of actually building herself up to climb to the top of the mountain, the Clinton Campaign has been doing everything it can to slice the top off that mountain and bring it down to their level by knee-capping her opponent.
Meanwhile, in doing so, she has completely poisoned the surrounding party environment and vastly hurt their chances of taking back the White House, all in the name of her own, sick profit.
by twit
While the current scope of government-facilitated death and destruction fails to move the world to further action than what the Burma junta permits, the situation is predicted as about to change dramatically for the worse.
From the Guardian on May 14, 2008:
Weather experts said there was a good chance the tropical depression in the Bay of Bengal could develop into a “significant” cyclone within the next 24 hours.
There is no doubt at this point that Burma is contributing the scope of the crisis:
Gordon Brown today described the crisis as having touched “the whole conscience of the world”.
He said that, while more relief planes had been allowed into the country, the situation was still “not good enough”.
“A natural disaster in Burma, by the actions of a despicable regime, has been turned into a … manmade catastrophe,” he said.
China is currently responding to its own natural disaster, demonstrating what a military can do to reach survivors in devastated areas.
From the Associated Press on May 13, 2008:
Soldiers hiking over landslide-blocked roads reached the epicenter of China’s devastating earthquake Tuesday, pulling bodies and a few survivors from collapsed buildings.
by twit
with thanks to the epic Kevin Kelly:
[This video is] created by an artist photographing a very long series of his murals. The artist’s name is Blu. He is an Italian graffiti artist, though it appears this series was painted in Brazil.
by lestro
As Hillary Clinton rolls to another victory among stupid white people (sorry West Virginia, but I call them like I see them: You are 95 percent white, only 15 percent of you went to college and you are a full 5 percent below national average on high school graduates) in a state that leans so red it isn’t even considered a swing state, a new Gallup poll says that a majority of Democrats want Hillary as Obama’s Veep:
“A new Gallup poll shows 55 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents surveyed think Obama should offer the New York senator a spot on his ticket.”
but the next sentence explains how that could possibly be true:
“That number is significantly influenced by Clinton’s supporters — close the 75 percent of her backers want the No. 2 spot to be offered, while only 43 percent of Obama supporters feel the same.”
It means like their candidate, Hillary supporters can’t let go. They are clinging tenaciously to the idea that she could still get back in the White House, that it’s not over, that she didn’t lose, couldn’t lose.
A majority of Obama supporters, meanwhile, seem to want a clean break and want to turn the page.
by the squid
I am a New York Giants fan. I am more Democrat than Republican, but I do want a Democrat to win the White House. However, I am definitely a Giants fans.
All the Giants fans I know were happy, thrilled in fact, to see the Giants get to this years Super Bowl. We all gathered together, wore our jerseys and settled in for a nice Rocky vs. The Russian battle. But as Giants fans, we have gotten pretty used to having a talented football team find novel ways to blow leads or execute plays poorly and finally lose games which should have been won.
We saw it with the Panthers a few years ago; and lets not forget Junkin, the long snapper who flubbed two long snaps in a row in a tie game with no time left; that game ended with a wayward field goal attempt. As a Giants fans, one does not celebrate until the score is in our favor and the clock reads “0:00.”
This year, the Patriots with their golden boy quarterback Tom Brady and an undefeated season looked to smack around the Giants and waltz into the history books. We Giants fans thought the same and only hoped the loss would be admirable and tolerable. We were prepared, as Giants fans always are, for a new and novel defeat. As the loss comes, we always lean back and say, “Well, that was interesting. How will we lose next week.”
I feel the same about the Democrats. Somehow, someway, they always find a way to lose and I feel by having both Hillary and Barack running they will do just that; Lose a White House bid to more of the same Republican propaganda. The media loves that both Hillary and Barack are running. It makes for GREAT television, and it makes for great conversation. Hillary and Barack are breaths of fresh air in a stagnant room, but the reality is that people - voters - are NOT rational.
by twit
is not Bill Clinton. Please make a note of it.
Do you regret referring to Bill Clinton as the first black President?
—Justin Dews, Cambridge, Mass. [to Toni Morrison]
People misunderstood that phrase. I was deploring the way in which President Clinton was being treated, vis-à-vis the sex scandal that was surrounding him.
I said he was being treated like a black on the street, already guilty, already a perp. I have no idea what his real instincts are, in terms of race.
by twit
It is a heady consequence of the Bush doctrine of preemptive warfare that it even feels tangible to think about invading a country like Burma, so I proceed with caution here. Ultimately, my point is similar to what lestro said, after finding the satellite images of the original coastline and the new shape of the country:
Why can’t we use the military to deliver aid the same way we do death?
Why is it we only need to be allowed in to help but it’s ok to just go in when we want to destroy something?
Click on the picture to toggle between the two images, via the Washington Post:
by lestro
Sen. Obama -
I recognize that you have secured an insurmountable lead in the pledged delegate count and continue to pull closer in super delegates, but frankly, it is ridiculous it has taken this much time to decide the Democratic Party nomination and even more ridiculous that the super delegates are still squabbling over the best candidate.
The people have spoken and even the pundits have started talking about what anyone with open eyes could see for months.
If the Democratic Party Establishment ignores their own rules and the major in-rush of new voters yearning for something new, something different, then fuck these idiots; Go it alone.
You can win a three-way race between these candidates. Encourage and support Democratic candidates in their races around the country (though there is nothing wrong with supporting a Republican worthy of support), but run on your own. The Red Dawn Generation will follow.
If the Establishment picks the Establishment Candidate, they are obviously no longer the party we need running things.
Go it alone.
Your supporters are fervent. Most of them have been waiting their whole lives to see a candidate who looks like them and understands their world view. For too long we have had to choose between our grandparents and our parents telling us what to do and I am fed up with it. It is time for someone who looks and thinks like us.
And it’s a testament to the good work of the Baby Boomers and the fact that their old ways of thinking are no longer necessary that a white guy from Upstate New York can say that about a black guy from Chicago.
by loadz
Sure, we may not have a cruise ship (yet) but $50 bucks for salvation sure seems like a bargain compared to the green you have to shell out to complete the highest level of Scientology - Operating Thetan VIII.
Apparently the rigors of the training are so grueling that the church purchased a cruise ship, The Fairwinds, to ply the seven seas while John Travolta, Cruise and the other Hubbtards achieve enlightenment (during breaks from the buffet I presume. I mean have you seen Travolta lately? It’s a good thing he flies multi-engine plane nowadays because there is no way you’re wedging his large ass into a Lear Jet)
Apparently the course will run you about $10,000. (That’s about $9,950 more than the Kiwi for the math impaired) Hard to justify, until you factor in that Captain L. Ron has also thrown in transportation to the next plane of existence on the Mesothelioma Express, courtesy of the scads of fryable blue asbestos in the ship.
Not to worry though. Hubbard and Scientology have yet to acknowledge any link between cancer and death:
by twit
MSNBC reports: “A half-dozen police officers kicked and beat three men pulled from a car during a traffic stop as a TV helicopter taped the confrontation.”
Note to MSNBC: learn how to count, then come back and tell me how many cops appear in the video…
… “On the surface it certainly does not look good in terms of the amount of force that was used,” Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey said.
“But we don’t want to rush to judgment.”
so don’t rush to judgment, here’s the video and more from MyFox Philadelphia:
Video: Chase Ends Violently (Viewer Discretion Advised)
Slideshow: Images Of Confrontation
Video: Suspects Taken In Custody
Video: Police Statement About Shooting
by lestro
From the Times:
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s decision to take on members of Congress over her proposal for a federal gas tax holiday this summer -– “are they with us or against us” –- is tempting fate a bit, as she risks antagonizing uncommitted superdelegates who are members of Congress and who oppose the tax holiday.
Where have I heard that before? oh, right:
“Over time it’s going to be important for nations to know they will be held accountable for inactivity,” he said. “You’re either with us or against us in the fight against terror.”
yeah, because that’s the kind of change we need.
But beyond that, one has to wonder who the “us” is. She must mean her and McCain, right?
Since just about every newspaper and economist in the country has come out against this plan and Obama has already nixed her ‘Dream Ticket,’ I figure she’s finally officially bucking to be on the ticket with Johnny Mac.
by lestro
I was reading David Brooks’ column today and I am not sure what his point was, as this stopped me in my tracks:
New dynamos like India and China threaten American dominance thanks to their cheap labor and manipulated currencies. Now, everything is made abroad. American manufacturing is in decline. The rest of the economy is threatened.
Hillary Clinton summarized the narrative this week: “They came for the steel companies and nobody said anything. They came for the auto companies and nobody said anything. They came for the office companies, people who did white-collar service jobs, and no one said anything. And they came for the professional jobs that could be outsourced, and nobody said anything.”
Now, correct me if I am wrong, but wasn’t it the Clinton Administration - including the first lady - that promoted NAFTA, as well as granted Most Favored Nation status to China?
And hasn’t she been in the Senate for eight years and on the national stage for 16? Shouldn’t she have said something before now?
You know, something other than this:
“I think, on balance, NAFTA has been good for New York and America.”
(Jan. 5, 2004)
by twit
according to The Telegraph on May 2, 2008, these are the top ten “most influential” political pundits in America:
why yes, that is Karl Rove named as the number one ‘pundit’ in America. imagine that.
by twit
and I don’t necessarily mean the End Times, but some kind of doom seems to be afoot, given the volume of recent reports of children left far, far behind…
From western Canada, so funny it hurts:
“There’s aliens, real-life aliens on a wall,” one unidentified girl said. “No one believes us.”
by twit
From the Associated Press on May 1, 2008:
“OMG Im scard,” Lauren said in a text message to her mother, Margo Roby, 53, who was working at a car dealership about 15 minutes away. “I think were being robd Im hiding help me!”
Roby called 911 and raced home from work, ramming her vehicle into the back of the suspects’ car parked in the driveway, authorities said.
Rowr. She got there faster than the cops, too:
One of the suspects, Jenna Marie Burns, came out of the house and Roby wrestled with her just as sheriff’s deputies and the police chief arrived, said Fairfield County Sheriff Dave Phalen.
by loadz
Sometimes having Pooh on your ass isn’t a result of bad Mexican food.
I’m not necessarily against marketing underwear emblazoned with Disney characters to youth so much as I’m opposed to the placement of the Pooh.
I mean really.
Disney also had this to say about the Miley Cyrus naked back photo:
“Unfortunately, as the article suggests, a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines,” a network statement said.
As opposed to deliberately manipulating young teens to sell Winnie the Pooh panties, of course.
Photo courtesy of the classy people at TMZ.com.
by twit
it turns out Gary Larson was right…
“Any kid who grew up with a PlayStation will be able to come in here and learn this in seconds,” reports the Associated Press on April 28, 2008:
NES TZIONA, Israel (AP) - Israel’s newest “soldier” can see at night, never nods off on sentry duty and can carry 660 pounds without complaining.
The Guardium, a remote-controlled, unmanned vehicle commissioned by the Israeli military and shown to The Associated Press on Monday, is among the first such machines to be ready for the battlefield. The army said it had not yet entered service, however, and declined further comment.
The four-wheeled vehicle is designed to replace human soldiers in dangerous roles, and sometimes tedious missions, cutting casualties.
Like the pilotless drones that have become a mainstay of air forces in Israel, the U.S. and elsewhere, the Guardium is operated from a command room far from the front line. It can carry cameras, night-vision equipment and sensors, as well as weapons like machine guns.
by twit
have you seen this pig? if so, there’s a $10,000 reward for its safe return…
The spray-painted pig balloon was released during Roger Waters’ performance Sunday at the festival. The school-bus-size prop emerged during “Pigs,” a song from Pink Floyd’s 1977 album Animals.
“A pig got loose last night,” said Bill Fold, one of the festival’s producers, on Monday. “We really like him and want him back…. It’s a very emotional time for us.”
The pig was covered with political graffiti: “Don’t be led to the slaughter,” read one slogan. “Fear builds walls,” read another. A cartoon Uncle Sam painted on the pig held two bloody cleavers, and the porker’s belly read “Obama,” with a checked ballot box alongside, according to the Associated Press.
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