Micheal Bay Fucks Up Another Story? b/w The Latest Conservative Meme

After the ham-fisted rehashing of a classic children icon that was the two Transformers films, what could Micheal Bay possibly do to further molest memories of my childhood.

Oh no he's not..........



Sure, he's just the producer, but as long as Bay is within even 1000 yards of a film production, he's going to screw it up somehow.

I'm all for the reimagining of classic films, but there are certain things you just don't touch. Sure, the Elm Street film franchise spiraled into abject silliness in it's later years, but the original is a horror classic. I wonder what Wes Craven and Johnny Depp have to say about this new version.

But if you're thinking that this post is all about Freddy Kruger, you're wrong.

It seems that some conservatives are more than willing to contort the story of Freddy Kruger to mean that the entirity of Hollywood has created an apologist piece for Roman Polanski. No, I'm serious.

A Two Minute Warning

Confused about what the Max Baucus healthcare bill has in it? Tired of having to listen to conservative pundits blathering endlessly about how all Democrats are going to destroy the country? Here's a consice video that I think best illustrates what's really going on with this particular healthcare bill.



Keep in mind that this bill is NOT what the American public wants. It's what the insurance companies want.

The Diefication Begins, Sort Of

You know, I wonder if these easily lead automatons know that Glenn Beck is Mormon?

I wonder if he wears the magical underwear. No, wait, don't answer that.

Some Thoughts For Your Day

- You mean she actually DOES have a book coming out? Yep, Sarah Palin's book is called Going Rogue and clocks in at a whoping 400 pages. Yeah, 400. And talk about fast. Seriously, unless this woman was writing this instead of doing her duties as governor, then that might explain why she decided to quit. But I'm not buying that she wrote this all by herself. It's difficult to write even a modest book at around 250 pages, but the size of Palin's book makes the average piece of conservative drivel look like a pamplet. I'll bet there's plenty of "winking" pics in it though.

- She just isn't even trying anymore. Michelle Malkin has pretty much dove headfirst into the shallow end of the pool once she realized that Republicans were getting their collective asses spanked in the last election. Now, she's all twitching with rage that Barack Obama is going to try to bring The Olympics to America. That's massive amounts of revenue for the city of Chicago, should they get the event. Oh, Michelle, why do you hate America so much? And speaking of The Olympics, I wonder what her toughts are on Mitt Romney, as he claims to have "ran" the Winter Olympics the year they were in Salt Lake City.

- Conservatives are a strange lot. They whine, cringe, and shriek that they want to hear from Democrats on their positions, but once those Democrats do - whether it be in any media form - the conservatives think the Democrats aren't doing their jobs; that they're campaigning. Such is true with Obama. For months, conservatives have shouted that they want Obama to articulate this position, to explain what he wants, to speak directly to the American people. Well now that he has, conservatives just want him to stop. You see, you can't please these people. That's why Obama hasn't spoken directly to them. It's a waste of time.

- It's not suprising in the least that threats against the President have risen by approximately 400%. After all, with people like Glenn Beck, Michelle Bachman, Limbaugh, Hannity, and others within the fringe of the conservative movement stoking the fires of ignorance - and yes, racism - it won't be long until someone tries something remarkably stupid. It's even spreading to Facebook. I'm sure that the Secret Service will have their hands quite full for the next 3 years or more.

- The continuing meme that "Obama is Hitler" is becoming a standard issue talking-point for conservatives all across America. Whether spoken outright or inferred through the inane babblings of talk-show hosts and television personalities, it's still as pointless as ever, but is a shining truth for some. The message really works well at conservative conferences in conjunction with hints that armed revolution is necessary.

- Those "conservative/moderate" Democrats known affectionately as "Blue Dogs" seems to be coming to their senses more. It appears that at least 24 of them support a "public option" in healthcare reform. But all that aside, this isn't about what members of Congress and the Senate want, this is about what Americans want. A plurality of people in this country want affordable healthcare with the public option. And it's interesting to hear what some conservatives say about what the American people want. It's been told to me that most people haven't the slightest clue what is good for them. And to think people actually ascribe to such nonsensical thought.

Some Thoughts For Your Morning

- I'll give the GOP one thing - they certainly know how to tap into a fear and squeeze it for all it's worth. One of the more widely spread, yet sorely underreported, memes of the right-wing machine is that if you own a gun - or would like to purchase one - the Obama administration is going to take away your right to both own AND purchase. So, what does Republican Dean Allen from South Caroloina do at a recent rally? He auctions off an AK-47. It seems that Allen is hoping that since South Carolina has the eyes of the world upon it ( thanks to Mark Sanford and Congressman Wilson ) that he would cash-in on as much political capital as he could afford. So, did the winner have to register the firearm? Was there a background check done?

- As Bill O'Reilly feels the pressure coming at him from Fox's early prime-time hour ( you know he can hear Glenn Beck's footsteps down the hall every day ) it's interesting to see him try to tackle topics with which he is sorely unprepared to handle. When it come to racial animus, O'Reilly decided that he would try and go after Florida A&M University law professor Dr. Jeremy Levitt.

- Despite the reality surrounding the death of Kentuckian and US Census worker William Sparkman, the conservative fringe continue to try and shroud the very real aspects of his murder. They claim that even reporting that what was attached to his body and written on his chest obviously smacks of politically driven hatred is the same as "dancing on his grave". It's situations like this where we see that the fringe conservative will attempt to deny and or defend their own hate-filled rhetoric, even at the expense of potential repeat murders.

- It's not something that hasn't been done before. After all, conservatives love tricks that have worked in the past. But there is something to be said about Ann Coulter's recent assertion that it's not conservatives that are making posters that equate Obama with Hitler, it's actually liberals. This runs completely in line with the conspiratorial nature of the modern conservative movement. It's their version of "trutherism". Conservatives aren't destroying this country, it's a "black flag" operation planned by and carried out by liberals.

- Fox"News" seems to have diefied the pollster Scott Rassmussen this year. But, as perculiar and often slanted ( to the Right, of course ) as his polling practices are, it appears that there are other polls that are just blatantly stupid.

We Can Has English

Yet another example of the scholars that are the bedrock of the tea-bagge movement.



Next up, they accuse all Democrats of not understanding the Declurashun Of Independunce.

I'll be up-front and tell all of you that read this blog - I make mistakes of grammar now and again, but I am willing to acknowledge and correct them. But when your entire movement is predicated on a better understanding of things like The Constitution, shouldn't you at least be able to spell the word correctly?

Waiting For The Retraction

On Friday, it was revealed that the Kentucky coroner examining the body of murdered US Census worker William Sparkman did have the word "fed" written on is chest. But, that's not all that was done to him.



Michelle Malkin, and various conservatives, have taken to this story with smarmy, childishness and attempted to shift the discussion towards liberals and progressives attacking conservatives.

I killed the Kentucky Census worker — along with every man and woman in America who is guilty of having said or written anything critical of government.

The criminalization of conservatism continues.

The complete lack of professionalism that Malkin cloaks herself in whenever it is revealed that fringe-conservative rhetoric has lead to the death of someone is no longer suprising. And as I watched Racheal Maddow on Friday, the first question that sprang to my mind was "when will Malkin own up to the facts in this story?". As of this time of this writing, her original post remains the same.

The Rip-Off : Pt II

In the second part of our musical rip-off series, we examine Pearl Jam and Led Zeppelin.

First up, Zeppelin's classic "Going To California"



And now, Pearl Jam's "Given To Fly"

Singing A Different Tune

While the conservative Right is in twitching rage over a song that a group of school kids that sang a song about Barack Obama, it seems that these same people can't recall something that happened just a few short years ago. And, considering the context with which this happened, it makes it even harder to believe that these same conservatives just happened to "forget"

....such "propaganda" has not been limited to despots, dictators and the Obama White House. As a savvy source points out, back in 2006 children from Gulf Coast states serenaded First Lady Laura Bush with a song praising the President, Congress, and Federal Emergency Management Agency for their response to -- of all things -- Hurricane Katrina.

The event took place at that year's White House Easter Egg Roll and included roughly 100 children from Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. President Bush, it seems, wasn't in attendance during the song itself. But he was there earlier, when the First Lady read the book, Will You Be My Friend: A Bunny and Bird Story by Nancy Tafuri, to the children.

More from The Huffington Post.

But the other side of the story doesn't stop there.

Has anyone seen the documentary Jesus Camp?



An interesting coda to this story is that this song was actually peformed as part of Black History Month.

Should The Question Even Be Asked

In which Dave gives us his Top 10 questions to ask yourself before you spend WAY too much money on dinner with Caribou Barbie



And while Palin is allegedly going to donate the money to a charity benefiting the American Military, I have to ask - why didn't the winning bidder just give the money to charity themselves? Is Palin really that important to these crazies that they have to sit across the table and watch her shove overcooked meat in her face?

A Little Random Friday Action

Here's a blog I posted on my MySpace page back in 2004.

.....While I really can't explain in any fashion that would make all this easily digestible to anyone who happens to read this, what I can do is just write it out like I always have.............For some reason, the number 43 has followed me around since the fall of 1995, and to this day it can just as easily frighten me as it excites and makes me smile.........but, the question still remains, why that number? why so many places? why so many times?..........When I first started researching this number, I thought "why not trace this back as far as I can?"...........so, on a trip to my mother's house, I dug out an old "study bible" from the attic and looked up the number 43 and all it's mathematical derivatives in the reference section and came up with 22 separate passages in which the numbers 4, 3, 7, or 43 are referenced directly........considering how numerology works ( for my limited understanding of it anyway ) you can't just look at a dual digit number like 43 as "itself", you have to view it in multiples, parts of a whole........so, since this was going to be one of the "constants" in my research, I took the number as a whole, it's 10s and 1s digit, and it's sum as my sets..........of course, after several months of digging through countless volumes of hard copy and websites, i thought "why didn't I include the number 1" ----> 4-3 does equal one.........so, that's the only part that I haven't completed yet.......and, considering 1s implications in numerology and "psycho-social" relevance, that just adds to the mystery and complexity of 43...........Other interesting facts about 43 that I discovered from the study bible were the numbers significance as "a numerical value meaning the release from bondage" and a "great joy provided by a divine power" as well as being the numerical equivalent of the words "sick, joy, and lion"..........The two most interesting ways in which the number 43 are referenced in the bible are it's direct link to "god" or "a god" and the fact that the bible names EXACTLY 43 generations between Abraham and Jesus........Many people, from where I was born and grew up, chose names for their children from the bible. So, if your name is Rachael, the numerical value of your name is 43........there are also several ways to find the number 43 in many other places in Judeo-Christian text, but I saw it more as "forcing" the number out.......The final place that the number is ever directly referenced is in the book of Revelations, in which it details the forming of "the new church" in the 43rd month of "The Tribulation"..........In other dogmatic doctrines, numbers are utilized to gives significance to people and/or groups........In the Islamic faith for example, it is stated that "god" will only bless 43 couples to rebuild "his kingdom"........ ---------------


......Since we've explored the number 43 from a "religious" stand-point, what about the world of "science/technology and literature"?........Numbers themselves can be written in a variety of different forms, most of which are used in computer programming as "language"........The three primary "numerical languages" where we see 43 referenced are Binary, Hexadecimal, and Octal..... 43 = 001011 ( binary ) 43 = 2B ( hexadecimal ) 43 = 053 ( octal ) Also, in the ASCII & III, the "code translation" for the "+" symbol is 43. Any 'Private Branch Exchange' ( PBX ) that is operating on a "LAN" has a 'failure rate' of only once every 43 years, during which the 'downtime' is exactly 43 seconds. From the "hexadecimal" example, a computer virtuoso friend of mine discovered something that was very interesting and just a little bit bizarre as well.......Virtually everyone of even a moderate educational background knows the beginning of Hamlet's famous soliloquy from Shakespeare......it's the opening line that has direct baring on the topic of 43…….. "To be or not to be......" In this line, Shakespeare is posing the question to the reader, "Are we to journey through our lives as who we strive to be, or are we doomed to failure?" In computer programming, each line of "code" is like a sentence that is telling the computer what to do at a specific time and place to achieve a desired effect......Let's take this aspect dual function and apply it to Shakespeare's text "To be or not to be....." ----in code form---- "2B or -2B" We have simply taken each word, sans the "or" and replaced it with it's directly corresponding "hexadecimal" partner........then, there is the final step...... "2B or -2B" ----in further code form---- "43 or -43" So.......was Shakespeare trying to say something more, or was this just a "divine" coincidence?.........Considering the fact that computers were hundreds of years away from even being born into the consciousness of the scientists that would eventually create them, it's not practical to assume this directly.........but still, the simple fact that 43, translated into a "code" form, can be directly connected to such a powerful line of text from Shakespeare only furthers the mystery and power of the "soliloquy" and the number 43. Other "numerical" and scientific facts about 43 -- It is the first prime number after "7" where, if you add it's base numbers together, they equal "7" -- The "septendecimal" form of 43 is "61"........6+1=7 -- 43 is also known as a "Chaldean Compound" number, meaning: Revolution, Upheaval, Strife, Conflict, War, Failure -----------


Let's look at common, everyday, places in our "pop-culture" world where we might see 43...... On the internet, you can learn all about a digital video company based out of California called Number43.......Then, type in the URL for a "space-adventure" RPG called HALO43........ If you are into clothing at all, check out the line of apparel from Droors, they use 43 as their logo.......... If you've ever watched NASCAR or know someone that does, you should know that 43 cars start at the beginning of each race, and the car number that Richard Petty used to drive under as well -- there's even a cereal out, since last summer, called Richard Petty's 43's ( wonder if they stay especially crunchy in milk? ).......... A former US Secretary of Education once calculated that the life expectancy of the "average homosexual male" is 43........ And, considering the mystery surrounding the number, it should be no shock to realize that George W Bush is our 43rd President.......... In movies, you can see it as well........The Crow ( on the roof of a police car in the beginning of the film ), Being John Malcovich ( the age at which the "host body" becomes ripe ), Final Fantasy ( referenced by the character voiced by Donald Sutherland ), Contact ( the number of cameras filming Jody Foster as she fell through the "machine" ), From Dusk Till Dawn, There's Something About Mary, the list goes on and on.......One day, there's bound to be a coffee-table book on 43 in films-- but who will write it?.....maybe i should............. For any fans of American history, during the war against the Brits for "independance" Gen. Cornwallis was defeated while holding command over the 43rd Regiment........ Finally, here's a strange little tidbit about Egyptian architecture that, for me, re-establishes the question, "What is so special about the pyramids?" --- The prime example is the "Red Pyramid" which was constructed using only 43 degree angles on the exterior ( while most of the remaining pyramids were built using the same plans or derivatives of 43 )..... Apart from Cornwallis, Bush, and ( to a lesser extent ) the Education Secretary's "find", the number 43 was used in all these cases by choice.........why?.........why is it that 43 cars have to start a NASCAR race? Why not 47 or 50?..........Why chose this particular number as a piece of dialogue or a visual for a film?.........And since the Egyptians built each pyramid for a specific purpose, why pick 43 degree angles?......... Considering the nature of choice being the process by which one thing is used/not used for a specific purpose, what would make a person choose this number.......Some have said because it's visually more interesting than others, and some have no reason.......The same, I'm quite aware, is true of any other number available to us ( of which there are an infinite amount ).......But out of such and unending pool of choices, 43 is slowly beginning to creep into the "collective unconscious" of people around the world almost as much as 7 and 13, even 666........ -------

Some Thoughts For Your Day

- Oh, so now conservatives are interested in the death of census worker Sparkman. Apparently, after cobbling together several quotes from local law enforcement - which I should point out essentially state that nothing is being ruled out in the investigation - their own brand of speculation based on nothing of real merit, and even claiming that Eastern Kentucky is filled with nothing more than drug-addicted toss-pots, conservatives have essentially claimed that their inflammatory rhetoric can't be blamed.

- It seems that Sean Hannity is suddenly "concerned" with the water needs in Southern California. In a special edition of Hannity's America - a place I thankfully do not live - he had some protesters bussed in to some local farm where water is in very short supply and essentially blamed Barack Obama for the whole mess. Unfortunately, Hannity left out some key details in his "report".

- In another classic example of Glenn Beck's idiocy when it comes to The Constitution, he cites Article I, Section 9, Clause 1 to claim that "the founders" meant that there was a value to living in this country. I was going to wait to read this book, but it seems that it just might be the greatest piece of unintended comedic literature of the 21 century.

The Thursday Night Music Chain feat. Sasha

Easily one of my favorite DJ / producers of all time. Sasha has guided the evolution of dance music ( along with occasional performance partner John Digweed ) like no other.

The Chemical Brothers - Out Of Control ( Sasha Remix )



Ladytron - Destroy Everything ( Sasha Remix )



Lostep - Burma ( Sasha's Dub Mix )

The Becklash Continues

Mark Levin, in all his nasally rage, continues to go after Glenn Beck like a sophomoric girl goes after the new girl in school when she's threatened.



More from Think Progress

Many on the right are worried about Beck’s ascendancy. Peter Wehner, a former political adviser to President Bush, recently wrote that Beck is “harmful to the conservative movement” because he’s “erratic,” “bizarre,” and is too interested in “conspiracy theories.” Rush Limbaugh recently suggested to Politico that Beck’s role in promoting the 9/12 protest was “cheap and disingenuous.” And MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough said conservatives need to call out Beck’s “hatred.”

But here's something that Mark Levin seems to have forgotten - the modern conservative movement is predicated on promoting fear, hatred, ignorance, and embracing as many gimmicks as possible. It's about making money and not actually making a difference. Modern conservatives want to revert to a past that wasn't quite the glorious experience that they claim it was. They are about regressive policies, actions, and words. What Levin is railing against is his own inability to capture and audience the way that Beck does.

As the rhetoric of Beck, and those like him, is begining to morph into actions ( like the recent murder of a census worker in Kentucky ) will it be long until the fringe-right completely seperates themselves from Beck, or will they embrace his tactic and his particular brand of ideological radicalism as their own. They have skirted this particular style for years, and it appears that they are upset that someone had the sand to take the next step before them.

Your AOL Hotseat Poll

And while the uber-religious in the country have attempted to blame any and everything with which they fail to even marginally comprehend on the "secularization" of society, it should be stated again that most religious figures - and those that follow them without question - are often guilty of the very "sins" that they claim to preach against.

Could Beck Overtake Limbaugh As The New "Titular Head"?

I have often asked myself if Glenn Beck's popularity could effectively marginalize some of the conservative Right's most vocal and visible figures. We've all seen that O'Reilly appears to be afraid of Beck rising popularity, as he consistantly aligns himself with Beck and even has a special Beck segment on his program. But, what of Rush Limbaugh.

Nate Silver tackles this one with interesting info.

Buried in the cross-tabs of the new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll is a question that takes a temperature reading of Glenn Beck. Beck actually makes out pretty well. While just 24 percent of Americans have a favorable view of him (13 percent strongly so), only 19 percent have an unfavorable one (14 percent strongly). That leaves 57 percent who either don't know Beck or are indifferent toward him.

This compares quite favorably to, for example, Rush Limbaugh, who was the subject of a similar question in the NBC/WSJ poll in June. Limbaugh was regarded favorably by 23 percent of Americans, but unfavorably by 50 percent -- including 37 percent who held a strongly negative view. This is not a new problem for Limbaugh, incidentally, who has been roughly this unpopular since at least 1995.

Silver posits that Beck's higher favorability ratings have a bit to do with his particular brand "conservative crazy". Limbaugh is a more status quo man while Beck is wildly unpredictable. After all, the consumerist nature of most American's dictates that we crave something new, somethig that stimulates our sense. And Beck has that in spades.

But, the broader question is this - are we seeing the slow demise of Limbaugh and the old conservative guard? Only time will tell.

Some Thoughts For Your Morning

- While some on the fringe Right are attempting to spin Sarah Palin's recent trip to Hong Kong to give a "speech" into conservative gold, it needs to be pointed-out that this trip was profitable to no one besides Palin. Her message, if one could even say that there was one, was simply a rehash of all the tired coloquialism and home-spun "aw shucks" nonsense that served her so well on the campaign trail last year. The only thing that needs to be said to Palin now is this.

- I have been wondering how long it was going to take some idiotic conservative prattle-head to accuse Obama of "endangering the troops" if he pushed forward with healthcare reform. Jim DeMint has further proven that his ability to be a stage prop for the far-right will not only get him airtime, but that he is willing to use the American military as a weapon for his own devices.

- I'm afraid that Chuck Morris has suffered too many blows to the head and fallen victim to the all too familiar "life after fame" aspect of being a type-cast actor. Ever since his conservative bent has been revealed, Norris has said and done some pretty ignorant things. But this one is pretty much tops.

- Why is it that conservatives, like Eric Cantor, lack the ability to even comprehend that people die from lack of or improper healthcare? Is this simply too much to ask from them?

The Humpday Music Chain

Been thinking about this classic tracks all week.

BT - Smartbomb ( Plump DJs Mix )



Double 99 - RIP Groove



BT & Tsunami One - Hip Hop Phenomenon



JDS - Nine Ways ( Dylan Rhymes Mix )

Seems That Michelle Bachman Got What She Wanted

The story of a Kentucky man, William E. Sparkman Jr., a census worker was found murdered this past week is quite troubling for me for multiple reasons. However, the context of his murder brings about very troubling questions, chief of which is how right-wing fear-mongering contributed to this senseless death.

The FBI is investigating the hanging death of a U.S. Census worker near a Kentucky cemetery, and a law enforcement official told The Associated Press the word 'fed" was scrawled on the dead man's chest.
The body of Bill Sparkman, a 51-year-old part-time Census field worker and occasional teacher, was found Sept. 12 in a remote patch of the Daniel Boone National Forest in rural southeast Kentucky. The Census has suspended door-to-door interviews in rural Clay County, where the body was found, pending the outcome of the investigation.

As a lifelong resident of Kentucky, I am not suprised at all by this turn of events. After the continuous and ill-conceived blatherings of the lunatic fringe began to dominate most political conversations that I heard and often found myself participating in ( as a voice that I had hoped would bring reason ) I started to tell myself that someone is going to die because of this. And I can say without equivocaiton that I am ashamed to call myself a Kentuckian. There are maybe two cities in this poor-excuse of a state that have even a shread of dignity left in them and I am some 3 hours away from them.

It will be interesting to see how this story is spun. I'll be following this until the murderer has been captured.

Some Thoughts For Your Day

- Am I the only one that has noticed that, over the last couple of weeks, the DOW has been gaining really solid ground and is not that far from 10,000? Remember when conservative media outlets were all in a snit talking about "Obama's Recession" and watching the DOW as it dove down? Wonder what happened to those people.......

- Have you ever wondered where Glenn Beck's idiocy started?

- The power of amatuer video has been an invaluable resource over the last few years. Recently, Micheal Steele was speaking in Little Rock at Philander Smith College when a man posed a question that Steele / the college security detail apparently didn't appreciate.

- Michelle Bachman has hinted at reaching for higher political office in the recent past, and I for one hope that she goes for it. Everything this woman says and does is utterly amazing. She's a source of great inspiration for countless people. It's great to see that she puts her lunacy to such good use. The one thing I'm trying to figure out now is why she thinks people "vote with their feet".

- I wonder is John Boehner realizes that the very broad language in his bill to defund ACORN can include ANY organization that has taken federal money and taken part in illegal activities. I wonder how many organizations loved by and protected by conservatives would be hurt by this bill?

Levin's Becklash

This audio clip from Mark Levin's program shows that some conservatives aren't exactly too keen on Glenn Beck getting all the spotlight. Either that, or they haven't caught onto the fact that the right-wing's new "working girl" is better at their schtick than they are.



The falsetto blatherings of the alleged "Great One" are indicative of the conservative mantra, but hardly hit the mark like Beck - shout out your poorly scripted memes louder than the rest and then you'll hit the bigtime. But, while insisting that jealously is the primary motivator of Levin's screed, the listener does get a sense of bewilderment from what is being said. This could be, by and large, the initial signifier that the far-right will begin to eat their own should Beck become the defacto "messiah" of their movement. Levin is obviously troubled that Beck's style is, far and above, crazier and more conspiratorial than his own.

But here's one point that Beck may not realize. Mark Levin has a HUGE backer at Fox"News" - Sean Hannity is a BIG TIME fan of Mark Levin. This could get very interesting if the infighting spreads to Fox prime-time. Talk about a ratings booster. And, as we all know, that's all that Fox"News" cares about.

Some Thoughts For Your Morning

- I'm almost to the point where I am starting to wonder about conservative Republicans and their racially charged language. Are they blatantly skirting the edge of full-tilt racial animus just to get a response? Considering the response that Missouri Congressman Roy Blunt's "joke", I'm also wondering if his base is aware of this as well. After all, conservatives sure do love a gimmick. It's just this is one gimmick that I would stay as far away from as possible.

- It's been said since time began that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". So, I'm wondering what exactly Jason Mattera has in his eye that is fucking with his vision. Michelle Malkin is hot? Really? Well, if the man is attracted to a woman that has about as much appeal as a braying donkey, then who am I to judge.

- The woman simply won't quit. It appears to Orly Taitz is one-upping herself on the whole "Obama wasn't born in the US" meme and has filed papers alleging that the court is being controlled by the Obama Administration. Seriously, when is this woman going to be put in a padded room and studied? You can't make this stuff up.

- It appears that Michelle Malkin still doesn't understand that those pushing for healthcare reform have never claimed to be a "grassroots" group. It's all part of her diversion scheme to keep you from realizing that the "tea-baggers" aren't even a fraction of the "grassroots" as she'd like you to believe they are.

- Since when did every conservative in America suddenly become Constitutional scholars? I don't think I've seen or heard so many people on the Right attempt to draw meaning from every Ammendment they can think of in order to kill healthcare reform.

You Mean She's Still Around

Yep, she's still trying to milk this ride for all it's worth.



Oh, yeah, she's SOOOOO brave. It takes a lot of courage to become a conservative media darling overnight. I'm sure she cries herself to sleep in hotels that The Heritage Foundation and FreedomWorks are paying for.

And she's "never seen anything like this?" Really? Sounds like Miss Prejean needs to do a little studying on her socio-political history of America. Sure, she may just be 22, but it wasn't that long ago that the entire conservative machine was accusing Obama of being a terrorist sympathizer, a secret Muslim, and.........oh, wait, they're still doing that, aren't they.

A few more points on this.

Did you see the edit @ 2:06 and 2:44? Wonder what was cut. Probably just more about how "she's an instrument of God" and more pleas for people to feel sorry for her.

Also, why the uncomfortable pause between 2:56 and 3:05? There doesn't appear to be anyone heckling her. Maybe that voice in her head that she thinks is God was telling her to wrap it up.

And what's with the pausing her faux "choke up" to ham-it-up for the cameras. Wait, I think I just answered my question about the edit points. Pure, beauty-queen nonsense. And these people ate it up.

The Far Right's Favorite Prostitute ( For Now )

By strict definition, a prostitute is one that provides services in favor for money.

By that definition, Glenn Beck isn't just a prostitute, he's a full blown whore. Why, you ask? Seems that it wasn't just his stance on healthcare that changed from transition in employment at HLN to Fox"News". He was singing a whole other tune when it came to the bailouts last year, prior to Obama being elected.

But, before Obama was elected POTUS and when Glenn Beck was on CNN, he was singing a very different tune. One could say that Glenn Beck was for the bailouts before he was against them. Not only was he for the bailout, but he argued that it wasn’t big enough!

On September 22, 2008, speaking about the bailouts Glenn Beck said:

The “REAL STORY” is the $700 billion that you`re hearing about now is not only, I believe, necessary, it is also not nearly enough, and all of the weasels in Washington know it.

More from Jenkins' Ear

Transcript of Beck can be found here.

Considering the near rage with which Beck approaches his subject matter, one has to now question his passion toward everything else he discusses. Was the 9/12 project just another example of this? After all, he didn't even bother to show up, he was sitting in the studio phoning-it-in. What about all this revisionist history that he has been putting forth while giving this implied handjob to Jonah Goldberg? Is this all an act, kind of like how Sean Hannity has been alleged to be acting it all out for ratings?

Taking into account that Beck is enjoying MUCH more fame now that he is at Fox"News", and likely another zero or two to the left of the decimal point in his bank account, it's almost certain that he will do and say whatever is expected of him. This isn't just hypocrisy, it's profitable hypocrisy - and it takes a special type of person with no sense of purpose or self to take on this position.

Song Of The South

Considering the way that the Republican party is pushing it's message ( ie: tea-baggery nonsense, racial devisiveness, anti-everything from healthcare reform to clean energy, and a complete and total embrace of the Palin/Beck/Bachman wing of the party ) does this chart come as any suprise?



With all the talk about the 2010 Midterm Elections next year, this research doesn't show that the GOP are gaining any ground outside the southern states. So if they want to make any real headway, and potentially regain control of either house of Congress, they are going to have to bolster their numbers elsewhere.

Some Thoughts For Your Morning

- Sarah Palin's sad attempt to hang onto any shred of notoriety found itself nestled in the odd confines of EBay recently. The disgraced former governor of Alaska was auctioning off a dinner with her to some poor sap willing to dish out more money than the average American makes in a year for the dubious "honor" of sitting across the table from her. However, this auction wasn't open to everyone. After all, this is about Palin donating money for tax-write-off purposes...........oh, I mean for "charity".

- A video has surfaced of a Fox"News" "producer" urging the crowd at the 9/12 rallies to cheer longer and louder when prompted. So, if Fox is allegedly impartial in these matters, then why would this woman be rallying the people? Oh, that's right..........

- Did you know that the CBO ( Congressional Budget Office ) that the right-wing conservative set has had such joy in referencing this past summer has released a new study that shows proposed Cap-and-Trade legislation would cost American families around $160 per year? That's 44 cents per day. Wonder why Mitt Romney is still using the already debunked $1761 per year number?

- Bill Moyers, whom my uber-conservative Aunt and Grandmother have been watching for years, recently did a piece on Dick Armey ( the point-man behind FreedomWorks ) and his current lawsuit to keep his government controlled healthcare plan. And, as we all know, Dick is also one of the point-men behind the "grassroots" Tea Party nonsense. But wait, don't they want government OUT of the healthcare industry? Ah, I love the smell of conservative hypocrisy on a Monday morning.

- Apparently, there was a wingnut convention somewhere in the US called the Values Voters Summit, and former governor Mike "I <3 Bass Guitar And Chuck Norris" Huckabee won the "straw poll" for potential presidential candidates. He even beat out Sarah Palin nearly 2 1/2 times over. Even though it's a poorly constructed and coneived idea ( because no matter what, a wingnut wins ) this just may say something of Palin's popularity at this point in the game.

- It seems that James O’Keefe, the VERY white guy that dressed completely unconvincingly as a pimp - yet somehow managed to dupe a few ACORN workers in the US - has a very interesting reason for going after the group. It doesn't sit well with him that ACORN registers minorites. And as we all know, most minorities are going to vote Democratic, as the Republican party has done nothing to make them feel like they were the same as white Americans since Lincoln ended slavery.

-

RIP "Roc Raida"

Anthony Williams, aka "Roc Raida" of the X-Ecutioners crew from Brooklyn NY passed away suddenly this weekend. His is a tragic loss in the world of Hip-Hop and underground music.

Here he is tearing it up at the DMC Competition way back in 1995.



The X-Ecutioners rose to prominence in the early 2000s and one of their great cross-over jams was a collaberative effort between them, Wayne Static of Static X, and Linkin Park.



The musical world surely is losing some of it's great masters this year.

The Stupid!!! It Burns!!!!

These people really have it together, don't they.



Lots of complete and utter confusion on what's really going on coupled with such an open embrace of ignorance. Keep it up folks, you're doing a great job of looking like the dithering idiots the bulk of the population thinks you are.

Some Thoughts For Your Day

- Is the fringe of the conservative movement now controlling the debate on virtually everything? From ACORN, to healthcare, to race relations, and their continuing struggle to know the difference between ratings-boosting "info-porn" to actual news reporting, the fringe conservatives in this country are having their voices validated on a daily basis.

- The rank hypocrisy of the recently marginalized Bill O'Reilly still continues to amaze some. And, as much as I - and many others - can see through his daily charade, it was still rather interesting to see him anounce his support for a "public option" in healthcare reform. And while some might say he is "seeing the light", it's a rather thinly veiled attempted at garnering ratings and perhaps tricking some more right-leaning Democrats to come on his show. Who knows. Regardless, if he wants to keep up with Beck, he's going to have to have another "Inside Edition" moment.

- Apparently, many insurance companies think that if you have a "c-section" birth, then that places you in the catagory of "pre-existing condition". Nice to see that insurance companies are now considering our children a liability against their bottom line.

- While POLITICO has recently run a story suggesting that Rush Limbaugh should be afraid of Glenn Beck, they are really missing the point on this one. While O'Reilly likely does - as I have stated before - it's hard to fathom the fleshy, cholesterol laden facade of Rush Limbaugh is afraid of anyone. The reason being is simple, Rush has enjoyed power and privaledge that no one within the conservative movement, save The Gipper, ever has or ever will. He is at the point where he can do and say anything he wants without repercussion. Beck, on the other hand, is just like that new girl in school with the big tits and fancy car that all the other girls are jealous of. Pretty soon her gimmick gets old and she really loses her street-cred when she's caught blowing the vice-principal in the teachers lounge. Which begs the question, who is Beck going to get caught with?

- In all the discussion that is going on about the Obama administrations choice to remove the "missle sheild" from the Czech Rep. and Poland, a lot of people seem to be missing the point that there are far more technological approaches and ones that allow for mobility and better accuracy. Of course, it sensationalizes the story to make it look like Obama is essentially handing Poland over to Russia.

O'Reilly Pretty Much Nails It

......sort of.

This is probably the only time that I'm going to partially agre with a premise that he sets forward. But check out this clip and you'll see where he gets it wrong.



Yes, Fox"News" and conservative talk-radio enjoy an enormous audience. And yes, the establishment media does cover their non-sense more than focusing on the actual subject at hand. But, where O'Reilly jumps completely off the rails is in his primary thesis.

Conservative media, no matter what form, can't seem to seperate the reality that just because you draw a massive audience that that DOES NOT mean your reportin is honest or based on fact. We are a consumerist culture and we crave entertainment. And, if that entertainment happens to be watching Glenn Beck completely losing the ability to discern fantasy from reality every evening on live TV, then so be it. The same goes for O'Reilly's program. It's info-porn. And considering The Factor's penchant for blondes and videos of women "behaving badly", that's not exactly an inappropriate title.

The trap we get into is this - if you ignore what Fox"News" and conservative talk-radio, then you validate their actions. But the flip side isn't much better. If you confront them, if you fight back, then they pull out their "the mainstream media is afraid of us so they smear us" meme. It's a win/win for them, because they don't care about the facts, they care about the ratings.

The Rip-off

This is, quite obviously, something else that is done at the C&L website on Fridays. I have offered by suggestions quite often but they haven't been considered yet - at least I don't think so. But just in case, I thought I would take it upon myself to create my own "rip-offs" thread each week to show what I think are either blatant or coincidental cheats in music.

Our first selection features a not-so-well-known goth band versus The Smashing Pumpkins.

First up, Christian Death's fantastic track Death Wish




And now, the Smashing Pumpkins track Zero from the Infinate Sadness opus.

A Voice That Created Legend

Mary Travers, of Peter, Paul, and Mary, lost he ongoing battle with lukemia last night.



Peter, Paul, and Mary weren't just any other folk trio. They completely revolutionized the genre and weren't tied to the strick, and often scripted, stylings of the three-part-harmony.

Mary Travers was steeped in the folk tradition from an early age, having seen her parents play with some of the greats, like Pete Seager. Unfortunately, P-P&M are more widely known by the younger generations for Puff The Magic Dragon. It's a shame that more people aren't familiar with their complete catalog. We have truly lost an American treasure.

Down The Memory Hole

While both political parties are prone to moments of hypocrisy, no one on this planet does the dance better, faster, harder, and stronger than Fox"News". And their current golden-boy ( who has effectively marginalized Bill O'Reilly ) takes this to a whole new level.



Beck's smarmy, frat-boy-eque delivery is truly something to marvel. His complete and utter elevated sense of self has already started to destroy his reputation. While he may be able to transfix a particular subset of the American public into plopping their asses on their couches at home, he's advertising poison.

But back to the hypocrisy thing. Beck's unmitigated idiocy has either caused him to purge the previous 4 years from that burn-out hull he calls a brain or he is working this schtick for all it's worth. He's a caricature of the conservative movement more than anyone I have ever seen on television.

Some Thoughts For Your Morning

- Having completely ripped president Carter's comments from their original and clearly understandable context, the conservative Right is doing any and everything it can to deny that there is a racist foundation within a great percentage of discussions of Barack Obama. Why are these people even attempting to protect racist hate speech?

- Apparently, Glenn Beck thinks that if you call out someone's racist hate speech then you are no better than an Al Queda member who uses children as suicide bombers.

- What does it say about David "Man Diapers" Vitter when he comes out against ACORN's alleged assistance in setting up a brothel?

- It seems like conservatives are ready to start back up with their distortions regarding Cap and Trade legislation. They're still trying to use the completely debunked meme that it's going to cost families over $1700 dollars a year. MIT economists have already proven this isn't true

- When are Fox"News" and all those that love them going to realize that high ratings do NOT equal accurate reporting?

The University In Glenn Beck's Ass

Considering the source of this astounding revelation, and considering the fact that he prides himself on finding the details in the bigger picture that most won't or don't see, it's a pretty big thing to forget who released the crowd size estimates.



I'll pass on reposting the comparison pictures of the inauguration of Barack Obama and the paultry rally that Beck claims drew nearly 2 million people; I want to see if ANY university did this study and if "body spacing" a crowd shot is real at all.

After searching online for some time, I could find no evidence of ANY university study that used "body spacing" to determine a crowd size of 1.7 million. I did, however, find an interesting perspecitve from a blogger that was there and compared a regular Saturday in DC and the amount of people that Metro transports. Then, I found this article by the LA Times:

Farouk El-Baz, a Boston University research professor and expert on crowd estimation, said his informal research from press coverage indicated 75,000 as the peak number. Pete Piringer, a spokesman for the District of Columbia Fire Department, said he made an unofficial estimate of 60,000 to 70,000 at the beginning of the event.

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority spokesman Steven Taubenkibel said Saturday that ridership figures indicated an extra 87,000 people took the subway all day, a significant increase over the 350,000 average.

That's 3 different estimates, and none near Beck's imagined number.

Never Said Anything About Race?

While Dick Morris made the laughable and easily debunked statement that there has never been a criticism against Obama - by conservatives - predicated on race, he must have forgotten the man that essentially sets the message for the conservative movement.



While there is a heavy doseage of snark mixed in with Limbaugh's racially charged rant, it should be pointed out that this is exactly what president Carter was talking about when he spoke of racism that boils within certain cross-sections of the American public.

And while the likes of Drudge and Malkin* are willing to do as much as they can to gin up racial animosity in this country, the message is often set by the likes of Rush Limbaugh.

So, for someone like Dick Morris to state as fact that conservatives have not used racially motivated speech to express their displeasure with Obama is patently and utter false. I feel like a need a Congressman Joe Wilson soundbite for this.

-------------------------------------------------------

* While Malkin initially, in all her reactionary fury, dove headlong into her writing up the story from the "white victim" perspective, she has apparently realized that the police do not see this as motivated by race. However, her response to that was that it must have been due to what happens when people allege a racial component to an incident. In other words, she still thinks the same way.

Misleading The Letter Of The Law

As is to be expected, Fox"News" and various conservative blogs, message boards, and "news" sites are pushing the story of the White House gathering your "data" or your "info". And while the Presidential Records Act requires that all correspondance with the White House be archived, the way the story is being framed is that your "personal information" - not just your name and your comments that were posted - is somehow in danger.

The White House is collecting and storing comments and videos placed on its social-networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube without notifying or asking the consent of the site users, a failure that appears to run counter to President Obama's promise of a transparent government and his pledge to protect privacy on the Internet.

Marc Rotenberg, president of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, said the White House signaled that it would insist on open dealings with Internet users and, in fact, should feel obliged to disclose that it is collecting such information.

"The White House has not been adequately transparent, particularly on how it makes use of new social media techniques, such as this example," he said.

If one were to simply read the lead-in, you would come away with the impression that ALL of the social networking sites are being monitored even if there is no direct correspondance with the White House.

Even the Washington Times article explains this rather poorly. The average reader might not catch the word "its" in the opening paragraph which is the only signifier that it's not the entirity of Facebook or Twitter that is being archived, but the White House's personal sections. Trust me, your MySpace pic folder where you put your emo pics and videos of that drunk kid from the party last weekend, as well as your home address, phone and social security number, are safe.

And while the spectre of identity theft is real, it is these fears within people that conservatives are hoping to stoke to a boiling point. People should worry about their own use of personal information on social networking sites rather than respond to the fearmongering of conservatives.

This Happened On CNN?

While I am in no way a fan nor a repeat audience member for Anderson Cooper's 360 program, it was quite iteresting to see this exchange on his program.



It's quite interestig to see one of the lead tea-baggers, Mark Williams, run for cover from some of the statment that he has made and somehow try to validate his canted view of the world.

Once again, in William's attempt to excuse his rhetoric and that of the "grass-roots" crowd that follows his lead, once has to ask the following:

- where were they when the Bush administration had a drastically more far reaching expansion of government?

- where were they when the tax cuts for the richest 1% of Americans got a tax cut that was paid for by the remaining 99%?

- where were they when the national debt was more than double under the same man that they claim kept this country safe, even though he and his advisors ignored warnings and we lost more than 3000 lives in the fall of 2001?

The Distance Between Us

Back before Bush left office, I started to postulate how long it would take conservatives to not simply distance themselve from the man that they lauded as the savior of America. And it did happen on some levels that most didn't realize, as his departure was under-reported in severe fashion by most conservative forms of media. So, how long is it going to take for these same reactionary conservatives to pass this up.

I'm trying to remember if I've met her before. I'm sure I must have. His eyes twinkled, then he asked, "What is she, the governor of Guam?" [...]

This woman is being put into a position she is not even remotely prepared for, he said. She hasn't spent one day on the national level. Neither has her family. Let's wait and see how she looks five days out. It was a rare dose of reality in a White House that liked to believe every decision was great, every Republican was a genius, and McCain was the hope of the world because, well, because he chose to be a member of our party.

Liberals have been called out as fascists, anti-American, and equal to those that crucified Christ for no less than this.

More from GQ

Welcome Back John

Shorter Michelle Malkin

Racial Thuggery In St. Louis

Nevermind that there is no way to tell what prompted this fight on the schoolbus, or the very real fact that teenage boys are prone to fight on any given day of the week, but let's get some more racial divisivness going. Come on, I'm just a non-white girl trying to live in a all white world. Who's with me?

Hot Teabagger Action Live On Camera

Another fine piece of video journalism from Max Blumenthal.



This is so indicative of the apparent lack of intelligence within the tea-baggers.

One of the greatest parts is when the obese woman said that her health was great and she didn't need insurance because she had doctors in her family. I nearly lost my ability to breath for about 4 minutes I was laughing so hard.

The Film Everyeone Seems To Have Forgotten

After hearing of Patrick Swayze's death last night, I started to think back to his great work in film. While most Americans will recall Dirty Dancing and Ghost, the one film that was such a signature piece in my childhood was also one of Swayze's best

Red Dawn



And, as is the trend of recent years, they are remaking it.

Some Thoughts For Your Morning

- Why are Democrats sacrificing a Public Option in healthcare reform in favor of bipartisanship when they should realize they aren't going to get either? This needs to be done with a straight up majority vote. That's how things get done.

- If all these politicians, who work in and for governemnt, are so concerned about the size of government, why don't they quite and become private sector activists? Is the healthcare coverage that good?

- This morning on Fox and Friends, Glenn Beck furthered the false claim that their were over 1 million at the 9/12 tea-baggery party. How can people believe this clown anymore?

- Did you know that a plurality of doctors, including the AMA, are in favor of a public option in healthcare reform?

- One has to wonder why the media are barred from Sarah Palin's planned speech in Hong Kong. She's such an attention whore, that you have to question the motive. If reports are true, and this really is some bizarre joke, then do you think Palin is starting to get a little queasy?

- Conservatives are now pushing the meme that 50% of Americans are part of the "tea-party" movement. I'm wondering if this number has been rigged by yet another faulty Rassmussen poll.

- In watching the VMA's recently, I have to continue to ask myself what happened to musicianship and why has it been trumped by "the gimmick". Pink doing a high wire act while singing a song has nothing on a band like Zeppelin performing live.

- Even though Glenn Beck likes to parrot the "50% of America" meme, the one 50% figure he should worry about is his lost advertising revenue.

-

Adventures In Gimmick Marketing

While Twitter, Facebook, and countless online message-boards and chat-rooms were taking up way too much bandwidth talking about Kanye West and Taylor Swift, it was the reactions of some that have proved the catalyst for this particular piece.

Here is what is being postulated – it was all staged.

As highly contrived, nearly complete preposterousness, as that seems to me, let’s run with this paper-thin thesis for a moment and take stock at what this all means.

The one question to ask is this - who benefits?

Certainly all interested parties, most notably Kanye, will benefit from the ensuing press that will pour through the internet, traditional print media, and radio, but that’s pretty much where it ends. People will talk about it for a few news cycles and then something else will happen and folks move on.

While it is being argued by some of the more rabid fans of the pop-music genre that this will have a direct effect on sales of not only West’s catalog of music, but Beyonce and Swifts as well, one has to question the overall effect of this sales bump. Are we talking about such a boost in sales of tracks ( both online and in standard retail outlets ) that it will rocket all three of the artists involved simultaneously upward on the Soundscan charts that the likelihood of one of them reaching #1 exponentially increases? Hardly. Although events like this do have a direct effect on sales of portions of the artist’s catalog, it’s likely to be nothing more than a modest gain at best.

And as it’s being argued this was all a set-up, who was actually in on it? If it was all three, then Taylor Swift and Beyonce would had to had known that they were going to win their respective awards. Does this violate some unwritten rule regarding the sealing of the ballots? Likely not, as this is a far cry from the Academy Awards. Furthermore, the ability for anyone in the pop-music field to keep their mouth shut about a gimmick like this is somewhat suspect. Had this actually been a preplanned stunt, it surely would have leaked just hours before the program.

But what if it was just Kanye, then what does that say about how much MTV cares for Taylor Swift? Even though she comes from the country genre, they are walking a pretty thin line. As country music begins to sound more and more like pop, and more artists like Taylor Swift are crossing over to such an extent that MTV is willing to recognize them, how will this play out for MTV. It’s no secret that MTV is a towering giant in the music industry, and can pretty much do whatever they want, so long as it doesn’t hurt their bottom line. But alienating an entire cross-section of the consumer market just so you can make fun of Taylor Swift on live TV doesn’t sound like a good business plan to me.

The only way to look at this is from the standpoint that MTV benefits more than any of the parties involved.

But what are the repercussions?

Kanye isn’t expanding his fanbase by any means by acting like a spoiled child. He already has a solid following that will defend him against virtually any and everything. But even those fans won’t be around for long. Consumers are quite fickle. Once they see something that is a little bit brighter or shinier or bigger and louder, they will slowly start to push Kanye West away.

And this is the point that some fans of pop music don’t seem to realize. Legacy is what matters to people like Kanye West.

While he is, at this particular moment in time, safe in the arms of the MTV machine, it won’t be long until even they grow weary of him. If we continue to operate under the assumption that Kanye West’s behavior on the VMAs was staged, we have to ask the question – how much of the rest of his appearances are staged? Are all the blog postings, interviews, tirades during live performances, and temper-tantrums caught on tape staged as well? And if so, to what extent is this affecting him mentally? Has Kanye West lost the ability to discern between his real self and his corporately funded self? Have consumers lost that ability to tell the real Kanye from the bizarro world Kanye? Did they ever, and do they even care?

A Poet Is Gone

Just found out that America has lost one of it’s most unique and passionate pop-culture characters.

Jim Carroll has died at the age of 60 after suffering a heart attack on Friday.

After establishing himself as a poet, Carroll next turned to music, coaxed in part by his friend Patti Smith. Carroll caught the eye of the Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards, who helped the Jim Carroll Band secure a three-record deal. Their first album, 1980’s Catholic Boy, is considered a landmark of the New York punk scene. Carroll followed the debut with two more LPs, 1982’s Dry Dreams and 1983’s I Write Your Name, then released a fourth album, Pools of Mercury, in 1998.
The soundtrack for the Basketball Diaries film also found Carroll collaborating with Pearl Jam on a new version of his song “Catholic Boy.” Carroll’s “People Who Died,” a Catholic Boy ode to Carroll’s friends who died too soon, also featured on the soundtrack of Steven Spielberg’s E.T.

More from Rolling Stone

Some Thoughts For Your Monday Morning

- Why do people on the Right continually think that their Congressional representatives are going to vote with what their constituancy wants? This entire healthcare debate has been framed by the Right as to what "they" want, not what the voters in their districts want.

- While it is true that ACORN has problems with a handful of people ( which they have severed ties with ) there is somewhat of a hypocritical message that is being sent by conservatives - the Republican party in specific. While the Republican party, just within the last few years, has seen several sex scandals ( one involving an underage boy in the Mark Foley incident ) corporate corruption, drugs, and misuse of state funds, how do they have the right to lambast ACORN?

- Has anyone else noticed that Bill O'Reilly has been so marginalized since Glenn Beck got to Fox"News" that he's hardly a headlining act in the American psyche anymore? Sure, he's got his audience every night, but his relevance is all but gone.

- For those that watched the VMAs last night, and saw what Kanye West did to Taylor Swift, do you think that was planned? There's been some chatter on Twitter over the last few hours that it was. If so, I have to ask why? Why would West, a man that is widely known for his childish behaviors, want to continue validating those opinions? That's not exactly good marketing.

- How many blacks did you see at the "9/12" protests? I wasn't there, but I counted 2 that were interviewd by Beck. Diversity? I think not.

- And speaking of the continuing "tea-bagging" within the conservative movement, where were these same people when Bush more than doubled the national deficit? Where were they when Bush's tax cuts and the Iraq occupation cost more than double what proposed healthcare legislation will? Where were they when Bush clearly violated the Constitution, that these people claim to be scholars of, by using warrantless wiretapping on Americans?

-

Sunday Night Music Chain

Dieselboy - Invid



Bad Company ( UK ) - The Nine



Tech Itch - Soldiers ( VIP )

Random Video Action

In amongst the piles of drivel and idiocy that one can find on YouTube, there are gems. This is one of them.

Sunday Afternoon Blogroll

- Remember what happened immediately after the inauguration when conservatives were up in arms over the trash? Guess what these "patriots" did with their signs and American flags after yesterday's "massive demonstration"? This Daily Kos Diary clearly illustrates the pride these people have in their message.

- In which Nate Silver examines the connections between conservative rallies and the lies, misinformation, and the people that perpetuate them.

- For those of you longing for the days of G.I. Joe when the series actually meant something, you all should check out Samurai Frog's continuing "Yo Joe!" series. It certainly is more entertaining than that hyper-effects-laden piece of clap-trap that was in theatres this summers.

- Tenebrouskate over at The Tenebrous Empire outlines the rage and suspicion that comes from the horror-set when it comes to remakes of classics and why it just might be a little displaced at time.

- Manifesto Joe @ They Gave Us A Republic examines the very real reality of the average "journalists" are too often ignorant to political and economic issues

The Face Of Indoctrination

I came across this pic at Bob Cesca's blog and several questions popped into my head.



This kid, who doesn't appear to be one hopeful chest-hair more than 11 or 12, likely knows nothing about Racism, Communism, or McCarthyism, or even the political process other than what he hears about from this own family. But, there are several things that we can postulate from this pic alone.

The dog-tags likely belong to his father. Could he be another pseudo-radicalized member of the military that we have seen pop up in sporadic frequency over the past 9 months? Is this boy subjected to racist rantings at the dinner-table fueled by cheap whiskey and personal failures? However, the boys appearance leads me to believe that he isn't from a lower-income home. He appears to be well taken care of, and his mother or father seem to have enough money to throw away on a trip to DC and right-wing fringe coture.

However, even at that age, aside from hearing the inane ramblings of his parents, he is likely smart enough to do a little research on his own. Is he afraid to, or has he become so steeped in abject ignorance that he is numb to it all now? With the ever elevating technical abilities of America's youth and their ability to use the internet better than most adults 2 and 3 times their age, one would have to wonder how a kid this age even believes one putrid ounce of what his family apparently believes in.

Random 80s Moment

For the past several weeks, I have been trying to think of 10 of the greatest 80s tracks ever recorded. I keep going back to just a handful of of bands, maybe 3 or 4, but Duran Duran is consistantly the top of my list.

While sifting through some blogs on my blogroll, I can across this posting at Bride Of Awesomeness.

Your AOL Hotset Poll

Shorter Michelle Malkin

Celebrating The 9/12 Rallies

I was never really great at math, but there was a lot of people around me so that had to be at least 2 million. After all, I was there so there had to be 2 million that wanted my autograph. I do have the best selling conservative book, you know. These are solidly verified numbers, just ask Breitbart and Drudge. They're sure to have solid intel.

For more on this, check out Blue Girl's post at They Gave Us A Republic.

Why Didn't This Play Out Differently?

While this has been a point that has been continually validated by the Right, it's not focused on enough.



While it is interesting to note that conservatives and former members of the Bush administration continually laud Bush's complete lack of reaction as the appropriate course of action, this was the first signifier that we had that George W. Bush completely lacked any sort of leadership capabilities in the face of a national emergency.

Not only that, but where were the Secret Service during this? There was a verified attack on the nation and they weren't concerned about getting the president to safety? And not only that, but the remaining members of the Bush administration staff that were there seemed to show some signs of concern. Was it over the situation in New York City or was is that the man that they had to answer to simply sat there, an utter look of confusion playing across his face, and did nothing? Did they quesiton his ability to lead at this point, or were they just as confused as he. After all, there had been intel delivered to them for over a month that this may happen.

Naturally, it is to be expected that Fox"News" would give airtime to someone like Andrew Card to continue the validation process of a man that prefered to just sit there than act.

Just The Facts

People are always telling me that they don't understand Obama's plan for healthcare reform. Here's a little something that might help them out.

In light of all the lies, distortions, and misinformation that have been spread about health care reform in general and the House health care reform bill (H.R. 3200) in particular, Health Care for America Now (HCAN) – the nation's largest health care campaign – has created the following chart to show how the health care system would really work under America's Affordable Health Choices Act.

You can download the chart from the link above.

Considering that we are a very visual culture, it's much easier to understand language that is presented in a form that we may not be familiar with when it is transfered to visual form.



This is something that you should not only check out, but pass along to any and everyone you know that has questions.

Newt's Stimulation Situation

It's been said that everyone belches, farts, and masturbates. And I'm sure that conservatives aren't excluded from that by any stretch of the immagination. However, since they try day in and day out to present themselves as sure pure, honest, and religious individuals, each and every time one of them is caught in a compromising position, it's great entertainment to see them try to explain what's "really" going on.

This letter was sent to Allison Vivas of Pink Visuals by Newt's office.

Newt would like to arrange a private dinner with you at the historic Capitol Hill Club on the evening of October 7, 2009 in Washington. You’ll dine privately with Newt at this exclusive venue and he’ll take the occasion to present you with your well deserved award and have your photo taken together.

This tremendous honor is a testament to your success in building your business and recognition of the risks you take to create jobs and stimulate the economy. As an award winner, you’ll be on the ground floor as Newt and his Council begin the work to turn this country around. … Newt is looking forward to hearing your ideas on getting the economy moving again and getting your feedback on his plans over dinner.

Pink Visuals is a adult DVD megastore. Not exactly the place that one would expect a man like Gingrich to laud, much less give an award to for stimulating the economy. And then, the spin begins.

In a statement by Pink's marketing coordinator, Q Boyer, it seems that they aren't buying what Gingrich's people are trying to sell.

We're not entirely clear on how one 'inadvertently' sends a fax to the right person at the correct fax number, so our sense is that this is damage control on the part of a group that is having second thoughts about either recognizing the excellent work of a porn company entrepreneur in light of their own conservative political and social orientation, or having second thoughts about their promotional methodology and communication protocols."

As Think Progress points out, Gingrish was prepared to stomp out pornography with one of his "contracts".

Ironically, on May 17, 1995, Gingrich led a press conference on Capitol Hill announcing the Christian Coalition’s 10-point “Contract with the American Family,” a conservative legislative wish list. One of the items in the contract: restricting pornography.

With the porn industry generating billions of dollars in revenue, and red-states being those that purchase more porn than any other states, it's no suprise that Gingrich's office would honor Pink Visuals. And it's not suprise that once they were found out that they would make excuses. Just admit it guys, it's natural for everyone to like sex.

Do Members Of Congress Even Remember What They Voted On?

While this is a brief primer on Congressman Joe Wilson, it is also a rather interesting perspective on all members of Congress. The quesiton is, do they not only remember what they voted on, but do they even care?

in 2003, Wilson voted to provide federal funds for illegal immigrants’ healthcare. The vote came on the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003, which contained Sec. 1011 authorizing $250,000 annually between 2003 and 2008 for government reimbursements to hospitals who provide treatment for uninsured illegal immigrants. The program has been extended through 2009 and there is currently a bipartisan bill in Congress to make it permanent.

While Wilson's childish outburst is becoming even more pathetically false as each day passes, the fact that Congress is actually given credance to his distortions is shaping up to be more troubling. But that aside, one has to question whether these conservatives that are clamouring for people to "read the bill" ever even read what they had passed before.

I'm sure that it is difficult for every member of Congress to recall every single vote, but it shouldn't be that hard for someone like Wilson - how is apparently quite passionate about this particular point - to remember something like providing money to illegal immigrants for healthcare on a bill that was passed just around 6 years ago.