Shorter Glenn Beck

Blogs and everything else will be on fire

I knew you guys were going to not get it, that's why I made a clearly sexist statement against Sarah Palin. It's like, all about the context of my conservative position. You know, conservatives can make sexist jokes, cause that's what they are, jokes, like satire, and being funny. Sexism is funny. You silly liberals.

Formatting The Palin Effect

In a recent article featured on the Huffington Post, Sarah Palin posted on her Facebook page a letter from a man named Harold Estes. The headline seemed to suggest that Palin was somehow advocating language within the letter that could be considered racial divisive.

I realize you never served in the military and never had to defend your country with your life, but you're the Commander-in-Chief now, son...Do your job. When your battle-hardened field General asks you for 40,000 more troops to complete the mission, give them to him. But if you're not in this fight to win, then get out...I don't think you like America nor do I see an ounce of gratefulness in anything you do for the obvious gifts this country has given you. ... Shape up and start acting like an American. ... I sure as hell don't want to think my president is the enemy in this final battle

For any of you that grew up in the South, you'll likely understand that "son" was not used as a term of endearment toward blacks. But the headline really missed the point of this letter and Palin's use of it.

More often than one can count, Sarah Palin loves to feature some of the most hateful, ignorant, and inflammaroty rhetoric directed toward President Obama. You'll likely not see many people within the mainstream media, save Racheal Maddow and possibly Olbermann, speak about this connection and admiration that Palin has with some of the most fringe members within the conservative movement. But when you do, the standard response is the cry of "Palin Derangement Syndrome"!

With each passing day, especially since her book-tour has taken off to such safe havens as The Villages, conservative media outlets have elevated Palin to deified status the like of which Ronald Reagan would be jealous of.

Simulations And Misinformation

I can't count the number of times I hear Congressional Republicans, conservative pundits, and bloggers prattle endlessly about the economics of proposed healthcare reform. From the fear-laced rhetoric that grandma and your cousin with Downs are gong essentially be tossed to the wolves unless you can pony-up more cash than you can even afford right now.

But economics and conservatives have never been good bedfellows. The reason is that the later has little interest in hard data and more interesting in generating that one soundbite that will get them mentioned by either Fox"News" or Rush Limbaugh - preferably both.

And now, from sickness, comes word that the savings of proposed healthcare legislation are correct, as the CBO has reported.

The new document arms Democrats with a response to the contention of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) that the bill would mean “higher premiums, higher taxes, and massive cuts to Medicare.”

The “microsimulation” analysis is by Jonathan Gruber, an economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Treasury Department official under President Bill Clinton. Gruber used data from the Congressional Budget Office.

It's never been a secret that conservative Republicans will only agree with the CBO so long as the CBO agrees with them. And in reference to healthcare reform, the Republicans in both houses on Congress haven't had a many reasons to agree with the CBO.

I'm actually waiting for the moment when someone like Mitch McConnell actually claims that the CBO is now a liberal organization with an agenda that they are trying to set.

The Reality Of Celebrity

This will be the one and only posting I make about Tiger Woods.

For those of us able to see past the endorsements, the slightly elevated skill level in a sport that - from my point of view - requires little "skill" to begin with, and the overall aura of "majesty" that the media at large has place on this man, Tiger Woods is no more important than any man in any "sport".

Having said that, and having heard the 911 call, and having learned that he refused - yes, REFUSED - to be interviewed by police, I have to say that this man has actually managed to become more of a pathetic piece of work that I initially thought.

And while I am not alone in this, let me just say that this is born out of his overall attitude and lack of professionalism on multiple levels. But certainly, one is likely to be overcome with a sense of megalomania once the media latches onto you.

But let's just see what happens when the average American refuses to be quesitoned by police. It's certainly not going to play out the way it did with Woods.

All the media apologists need to get their priorities in line when it comes to something like this. He will have to pay for what he has done, period. The world will continue whether his wife stays with him or not. There are far more important things in this world than celebrity.

The Silver Platter

This is not new news, but there are more details emerging now that the Bush administration is no longer in power.

US forces had Osama Bin Laden “within their grasp” in Afghanistan in late 2001, a US Senate report says.

The report seeks to affix a measure of blame for the state of the war in Afghanistan today on military leaders under former president George W. Bush, specifically Donald H. Rumsfeld as defence secretary and his top military commander, Tommy Franks.

It says: “Removing the al-Qaida leader from the battlefield eight years ago would not have eliminated the worldwide extremist threat.

“But the decisions that opened the door for his escape to Pakistan allowed bin Laden to emerge as a potent symbolic figure who continues to attract a steady flow of money and inspire fanatics worldwide. The failure to finish the job represents a lost opportunity that forever altered the course of the conflict in Afghanistan and the future of international terrorism.”

The report states categorically that bin Laden was hiding in Tora Bora when the US had the means to mount a rapid assault with several thousand troops at least.

Fox"News" is quick to spin away from this, and they would be expected to act in such a manner. They have claimed that the evidence is some 8 years old, and by default completely irrelevant to the story. Also, they want to distance themselves from language like this:

Moments after he complained about “over the top” attacks on President Bush by Democrats last night (5/2/06), Sean Hannity reprised his baseless, discredited attacks on Bill Clinton for “turning down” an offer from Sudan of “bin Laden on a silver platter.” In a teaser preceding the interview, FOX News displayed the disrespectful banner, “Bubba and Bin Laden.”

The Bin Laden claim and the complaints about attacks on Bush came during an interview with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Hannity said, “I want to go back to the issue of Sudan offering bin Laden on a silver platter. Bill Clinton, himself, acknowledged this.” In fact, Clinton said no such thing and Hannity knows it – or he damn well ought to.

Media Matters continues:

On July 20, ABC radio host Sean Hannity thrice repeated the false claim that former President Bill Clinton refused a 1996 offer from Sudan to hand Osama bin Laden over to the United States. Hannity has previously propagated this claim, for which the 9-11 Commission found "no reliable evidence to support."

As Media Matters for America has noted, the false claim originated in an August 11, 2002, article on right-wing news website NewsMax.com that distorted a statement Clinton made on February 15, 2002. While addressing the Long Island Association's annual luncheon, Clinton said he "pleaded with the Saudis" to accept Sudan's offer to hand bin Laden over to Saudi Arabia. Sudan never offered bin Laden to the United States, and Clinton did not admit to the Sudan offer in that speech or anywhere else.

And while this specious claim has been debunked multiple times by multiple sources - and completely ignored by conservative media and bloggers - it should be pointed out that this is a verifiable failure by not only George W. Bush's administration, but of the conservative media that claim that reporting accurately on the ongoing "war on terror" is a priority for them as well.

This hardly comes as a surprise, as Bush priorities in relation to the “war on terror” – bin Laden in particular – haven’t always mirrored the initial goals he set forward.

Weekly Standard editor Fred Barnes appeared on Fox this morning to discuss his recent meeting with President Bush in the Oval Office. The key takeaway for Barnes was that “bin Laden doesn’t fit with the administration’s strategy for combating terrorism.” Barnes said that Bush told him capturing bin Laden is “not a top priority use of American resources.” Watch it.

Bush’s priorities have always been skewed. Just months after declaring he wanted bin Laden “dead or alive,” Bush said, “I truly am not that concerned about him.” Turning his attention away from bin Laden, Bush trained his focus on Iraq — a country he now admits had “nothing” to do with 9/11.

At this point, It's likely conservatives are going to be on defense for a while as they attempt to excuse, misdirect, and fabricate their way out of this corner.

You Can Count On It

One of the more bizarre, and ultimately pointless, arguements the fringe-conservatives and Fox"News" has against Obama is that he uses certain words at a higher frequency than others. And these aren't words that seem odd, out of place, or have no bearing on the subject at hand. I'm talking about pronouns like "I" and their new word that they were talking about this morning - "unprecedented".



Talk about a waste of airtime. They might as well have been talking about the frequency of times that everyone on Fox"News" uses the word "interesting". Sure, they use it an "unprecedented" amounts of times during every 24-hour news cycle, but what does that prove? Nothing, that's what.

Back After The Holidays

No blogging during the Holidays ( and yes conservatives, it's called THE HOLIDAYS because there are several in a row ) has been my gameplan since I started this. It affords me time to get away from a variety of things and focus on other issues.

But now that the first holiday is complete, now that my Christmas tree is up ( Holy Shit, a progressive/liberal just said Christmas! ) and the new week has started it's time to jump back into the fray.

How was your Thanksgiving?

Let Me Count The Ways

You can easily tell when your opponent is struggling to maintain some degree of validity when they are reduced to sophomoric games like lambasting Obama for using the pronoun "I" rather than the editorial "we". It's this specific style of non-intellectual reasoning that the conservative movement loves to immerse themselves in.

The latest example of this is a piece by hogan over at RedState entitled Words Mean Things. His thesis is predicated on the fact that since certain words appear at a higher ratio than others, that this bill will likely mean that winged monkeys will descend from the hills and claw out your grandmother's eyes.

The word “shall” appears 3607 times, but “freedom” only twice. The word “penalty” and its various forms 163 times, but “liberty” doesn’t appear at all. The word “require” and its forms 1025 times, but the “Constitution” is absent both literally and figuratively. The word tax and its forms appears 183 times, fee 234 times, and “Internal Revenue” 104 times. Other words like apply, rule, culture, diverse, enforce, provide, authority - all words that appear repeatedly, while a word like “own” appears only 11 times. See the full list below. It is quite telling.

Other words that likely weren't in the bill:

Taint

Egalitarian

Goat-Fucker

Is the Senate version of healthcare reform any less important or more so because these words weren't included?

Media Matters decided that they would take a look at the Right's favorite document to see how many of these "objectionable words" they could find. The document - the US Constitution.

If the raw numbers themselves aren't shocking enough, consider this: by RedState's count, the words "Shall" or "Shall Not" appear 3607 times in the 2074 pages of the health care bill, meaning they appear 1.74 times per page. Those same words appear 337 times in the 20 pages of the Constitution, for an average of 16.85 appearances per page.

The evidence is clear: the Constitution of the United States is at least 10 times as socialist and tyrannical as the Senate health care bill. Thank you, RedState, for helping us to expose this founding document as the commie, Marxist, rag that it is.

But this is just another in a long line of misdirections from not only the twitchy folks at RedState, it is a continuation of years of obstructionist propaganda designed to distract, confuse, and disorient people when needed change is on the table.

And I have two words for Mr. hogan that perhaps he will find meaning in as it relates to his latest piece:

Rank Amateur

A Little Lunchtime Political Comedy

If it's one thing that Palin has done successfully, and continues to do, it provide great material for comedians. So I suppose in that regard she's helping some people keep their jobs.

Service Rationing

There have been serveral moments where Glenn Beck has dove head-first into the shallow end of the pool, but this has to be one of his crazier moments.



I don't feel that I'm going out on a limb with this one, but I find it hard to believe that the alleged Courts-Martial of the Navy Seals has anything to do with someone being punched in the mouth. There's just not enough evidence being presented in the media for that to be a legitimate reason to punish these guys. It does, however, fit nicely into the conservative meme that Obama is destroying the military. And that is, though you won't hear any conservatives admit it, patently false.

But all one has to do is just take a look at what Beck is postulating - as mass exodus from military service by anyone that thinks that Obama is damaging them. there isn't a clearer example of someone politicizing the American military than this. I'm not going to be holding my breath waiting for people like Sean Hannity, Oliver North, or Bill O'Reilly - who have all used the military in some fashion or another to hamfistedly prove a point - to distance themselve from Beck on this one.
As he's the literal star of the network right now, they dont' want to run the risk of getting on Beck's bad side.

It seems that some of the most wingnutty of conservative bloggers are beginning to shy away from Beck's hysteria.

Ed Morrissey @ Hot Air

I’d have a problem with this advice if it was given privately, let alone to millions watching on television. Men and women enlist in the volunteer service to defend America, not to pick and choose which Commander in Chief they follow. They’re professionals who serve with honor regardless of the politics of the day. If they feel as though they’re not getting the support they need, they will know it better than those of us sitting stateside arguing over politics and policy. They will not need us to suggest that they bail out of the military if those are truly the conditions under which they serve.

And if you care to sift through the comments section there you'll notice that the village natives are getting restless with people that express their displeasure with Beck - the infighting is starting to get worse.

Revisionist Attacks

Here's a brief bit of silliness to jump-start your brain this morning



I'll pass on Hannity's and Perino's assertion that the Obama administration simply doesn't think that terrorism doesn't exist anymore, but will address it shortly. What is puzzling about this clip is what Perino says about her former employer, George W. Bush.

In point of fact, there were three terrorist attacks during the Bush administration. We all readily recognize Sept. 11th as a terrorist attack, but what conservative Republicans are conveniently forgetting are the Anthrax attack and the DC Sniper. But their own definition of what terrorism is requires that they describe the Anthrax attacks and the DC Sniper incidents as acts of terrorism.

But this doesn't fit the new reality that people like Perino and Dick Morris are fashioning. The conventional wisdom within the fringe conservative movement is that nothing bad happened to America during Bush's term. To them, Bush didn't start governing until Sept. 12th, and it was readily apparent that Bush stopped governing the day after Obama was elected.

A Question Of Business And Media Exposure

In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that I am not the most tech savvy, most business minded person on the planet. However, I can easily spot some stupid and throat-sliting maneauvers quite easily.

So Microsoft has around 6% of the share of internet searches while Google has more than 85% and News Corp is making a deal with Microsoft for exclusivity. Really? Is Rupert Murdoch seriously banking on Bing to be on par with Google? To me, this sounds like Murdock is willing to pay to have his content burried.

Am I reading this incorrectly or is the man that controls more media throughout the world making one of the worlds biggest mistakes?

Celebrating A Suicide

I'm filing this one directly in the "I'm not buying it for a second" bin.

Conservatives are all in a collective, joyous, embrace now that Kentucky State Police are claiming that Bill Sparkman - a Kentucky State Census worker - committed suicide.

There's only one problem that I have with this - this doesn't add up.

Perhaps this is my jaded nature shining through, but think of the verified reports that came out after Sparkman's body was discovered in the Daniel Boone National Forest area: hands and feet bound AND "hanging" from a tree. The former wouldn't be possible if the later was done either before or after. It's impossible to be in that position unless someone else was there.

What really concerns me most about this is that the final report is exceedingly vague in presenting the "facts" surrounding the case. But the overriding factor within all this is that it's highly likely that KSP and the FBI were concerned with what would happen not only in Kentucky, but around the nation, should it be brought to light that this was a murder.

The life-insurance policy is the only component of this that does tend to lend a modest amount of credibility to the final reporting. Was this the sole piece of "evidence" that led investigative officials to rule suicide rather than murder? It's possible.

Another sickening aspect of this is conservatives are actually rejoicing over this man's suicide. Of course, this was initially cloaked in "concern" for the man's family, but now that they feel it is acceptable to use Sparkman's death as a new talking point, be prepared to deal with their idiocy for months to come.

Still, I'm not buying the final reporting - not one bit.

The August Ego Of O'Reilly

With each passing day, we begin to understand that Fox"News" is slowly beginning to marginalize Bill O'Reilly. It's a slowly evolving process, but the effects are beginning to take their toll. As Glenn Beck and Hannity duel for "craziest-wingnut-on-television", Greta still stalking Palin, the "straight-news" programs echoing more opinion than fact, Bill O'Reilly has to feel like the girl at the dance without a partner.

So what does a man do when in that position? Why just make something up to make yourself feel better.



For those that don't know, there's been a longstanding fued between Moyers - one of the last great journalists in this country - and the burgeoning ego that is Bill O'Reilly. And, as if on cue, the drooling pavlovian response of O'Reilly kicked in as he took credit for Moyers' leaving PBS, when in reality the 75 year old was simply retiring.

Ever eager to justify his fear of actually confronting someone outside the confines of his studio and the editing suite, O'Reilly is infamous for sending his lapdogs to do his bidding.

As Think Progress points out, O'Reilly is obviously taking credit where none is due

In 2007, Watters ambushed Moyers on the street outside his home. O’Reilly had Watters harass Moyers after the PBS journalist ran a program about impeaching President Bush. O’Reilly claimed that Moyers symbolized “Americans who want their country to lose in Iraq, based upon hatred of all things Bush,” which he determined was a good reason to send his henchman to Moyers’ house. According to O’Reilly, this one interview was what drove Moyers out of his job two years later.

While fellow Fox"News" employee Beck continues to claim that it was he alone caused Van Jones and Anita Dunn, one gets the sense that O'Reilly feels a little left out. After all, he has a regular segment on his program where he can chit-chat with Beck. After a few episodes, the basic premise seemed to turn on it's head. Rather than Beck basking the the glow of O'Reilly, which was likely what Bill intended for this to be, it has become O'Reilly riding the wave of Beck's "success" on Fox"News" in order to bolster his ratings.

Monday Night Music Chain feat. Sasha

Here's a repeat of one of my favorite DJs for the music chain.

SASHA

Baja - from his first artist LP some 10 years ago.



Scorchio - by Sasha and former Underworld mastermind Darren Emerson.



Extended mix of the classic track Xpander



Junkie XL vs Sasha feat. Safron - Beauty That Never Fades

How Does One Articulate Idiocy?

Everytime I hear someone claim that Palin is "real", that she is a "breath of fresh air", or that she somehow taps into what is "real" in America, I often wonder what they would have to say when asked questions about Palin's stance on the issues.



Somebody give this guy a show, please.

Seriously, citizen journalism is head-and-shoulders above 90% of what passes for "news programs" on television today. But that aside, what about these Palin fanatics?

Is it just me or do most of the people sound like this:



This is the reason that straight-forward answers from people like Palin aren't required by Fox"News", conservative bloggers, and their rabidly twitchy followers - because they lack the ability to understand and accept them. They favor glittering generalities and easily memorized talking-points that even a third grader could recite in that cute voice that conservative clamour for.

This isn't a beauty pageant where the prettiest wins, where the sweetest answer wins, this is real life. And it's easy to see and understand that Palin's supporters know as much about real life as she does.

The Cost Of Conservativism

In recent discussions on Twitter with members of the teabagger movement ( you can check out my timeline @aironlater ) it has come to light that they are completely ignoring the spending of former president George W. Bush.

While this shouldn't come as a suprise to anyone paying attention, not only are they ignoring it, but that are attempting to re-write the history and context of the infamous Bush Tax Cuts and the fact that they had a cost associated with them.

here's some relevant data if you have any questions.

The consitant and laughable shrieks of "but if somebody gave you back money, how is that a cost?" tend to show just how ill-informed these people really are.

The Bush tax cuts have contributed to revenues dropping in 2004 to the lowest level as a share of the economy since 1950, and have been a major contributor to the dramatic shift from large projected budget surpluses to projected deficits as far as the eye can see.

The tax cuts have conferred the most benefits, by far, on the highest-income households — those least in need of additional resources — at a time when income already is exceptionally concentrated at the top of the income spectrum.

The design of these tax cuts was ill-conceived, resulting in significantly less economic stimulus than could have been accomplished for the same budgetary cost. In part because the tax cuts were not as effective as alternative measures would have been, job creation during this recovery has been notably worse than in any other recovery since the end of World War II.

But don't assume that those that still trumpet the virtues and denefits of the Bush Tax Cuts are going to actually come away from this information with any change of heart. They have far too much invested in their own self-destruction to admit that they were wrong.

Partiots In Action

Don't you just love the good, Christian nature of conservatives?

At a recent townhall meeting in Illinois saw a woman openly heckled when discussing a death within her family that was directly linked to the lack of quality, affordable healthcare.

The Chicago Teaparty Patriots seem to think that laughing in the face of death is good for the country



Catherina Wojtowicz, organizer of the teabaggers at the townhall that day, excused the beahvior of her fellow ingrates by claiming that the story was fabricated and that people travel from townhall to townhall and relay false stories like this and cry to garner sympathy.

But it's was Wojtowicz said next that really put the teabagger movement into perspective:

The audience, Wojtowicz later explained, was exasperated by stories of isolated tragedies that cloud debate over the health care bill itself.

Isolated incidents? Apparently hey think that nearly 45,000 deaths a year due to lack of healthcare/proper care are all isolated incidents

This shows that the health and wellbeing of the American people is that last thing on the agenda of not just the teabaggers, but the whole of the modern conservative movement.

The Real Palin Derangement Syndrome

I've stated this many times, but it bears repeating again - conservatives love pretty, gimmicky, things. And when this is pointed out, conservatives suddenly think that those speaking against them are enshrouded in some cloud of fear.

S.E. Cupp love to use this schtick all the time.



Any reasonable person with a partially functioning brainstem can easily see that Palin is not a figure to be feared. At best, she's a thorn in the side of the conservative movement, continually making the caricature, cartoonish, image of the movement she is apparently trying to "lead" all the more real.

Recently, Oliver Willis posted on Twitter about this imagined "fear" that people like Cupp love to talk about. He stated that liberals and progressives fear Palin about as much as Brer Rabbit feared the briar patch.

That pretty much sums it up.

Praying For Death: Pt II

Fox"Nation" bills itself as the place where "America is Talking". And they really enjoy talking about open pray that calls for Barack Obama to die.

As I posted a few days ago, a group of evangelicals have made death threats into a marketing scheme by selling everything from bumper stickers to coffee mugs on CafePress with the bible verse Psalm 109:8.

But not only that, it's being used as a rallying cry within the discussion thread to suggest that anyone that disagrees with this should die as well. Don't you just love the good Christians within the conservative movement.

A Problem With Co-Opting Black Culture

Has anyone noticed the great "interest" that Glenn Beck is taking in members of the black community? Recently on his Fox"News" program he had a panel of all-black "conservaties" that spoke out against Obama and his policies. It didn't take a Rhodes scholar to realize what Beck was really doing. But now, he's taking it a step further.

I am drafting plans now to bring us back to an America that our founders would understand. … We need to start thinking like the Chinese. I’m developing a 100 year plan for America. A 100 year plan. We will plant this idea and it will sprout roots.

Thinking like the Chinese? Really? And this from the man that recently lambasted people for simply quoting Mao.

Beck's rallying cry was heard within the friendly confines of the retirement-community-for-wingnuts known as The Villages.

So what does this have to do with black culture and black history? Beck's proposed rally at the Lincoln Memorial just happens to be the anniversary of another speech that took place there - one that had much more significance to this nation than anything Beck could ever conceive of.

On August 28, 2010, I ask you, your family and neighbors to join me at the feet of Abraham Lincoln on the National Mall for the unveiling of The Plan and the birthday of a new national movement to restore our great country.

Martin Luther King, Jr's "I Have A Dream" speech was given on that day.

So here we have a conspiratorial, reactionary, serial fabricator promoting a book and saying that we need to think more like the Chinese. Sounds like Beck is the one that is in love with Mao.

More from Think Progress.

Healthcare Data Spilling

I don't think I've heard anyone debate this particular point in relation to healthcare reform, but it's something that everyone should be concerned about.

Identity theft.

So you may be asking yourself, just what is the connection. Well, 80,000 people in Universal American Insurance customers in Pennsylvania know.

Thousands of Pennsylvanians could become victims of identity theft just because a piece of mail has been sent to their homes.

Right on the front of the piece of mail, in plain view, is the recipient's Social Security number. Tens of thousands of Medicare recipients may be at risk.

The postcards were from the Universal American Action Network, a subsidiary of Universal American Insurance.

The insurance providers statement seems a little odd though.

UAM Action Network recently sent a mailer to approximately 80,000 Medicare Advantage plan members which mistakenly listed the member’s Medicare number on the postcard. The Medicare number was listed as part of the member’s mailing address and no indication was given as to its reference. We at the UAM Action Network sincerely apologize for this error, which was made by our mailing vendor without our knowledge. We have taken immediate steps to address the situation. The vendor has been fired. In addition, UAM Action Network will send a letter to those members who received the original mailer. The letter will notify them of the error and offer to provide the member with one year of free credit monitoring. Any member who received the mailer and has questions or concerns can contact us by calling 1-877-697-6228."

Your Medicare account number is your Social Security number. So the question is, how did the printing company get that number to begin with?

But this isn't the only instance of carelessness on the part of insurance providers in the healthcare industry.

Provider HealthNet lost 1.5 million patient records back in May, but didn't report the loss until this month. And out of that number, information on some 5000 doctors was lost.

The need to reform not only how healthcare is given, and how much it costs the consumer, but how records are kept need to be as well.

What Is Their America?

Glenn Beck has been doing a fantastic job as chief fear-mongerer at Fox"News" since January, and some of his most ardent fans have taken him far too seriously and walked right up to the edge of doing things monumentally stupid. And with the vote on the Senate version of healthcare reform getting closer, the crazy in His Secondary Fatness'* pants is in full bloom.



I'm assuming that the leaflet that Beck holds up at the end of the clip is the Republicans version of healthcare reform.

But that's not what this post is about.

This isn't language used by just Beck, but he's a primary source for this type of crazy. The question is - what is the America that they fear losing? Is it the America where nothing is done? After all, one of the main reasons that so many in this country are taken aback by Barack Obama is that he is trying to get things done. He's not a vacation President like Bush was ( both pre and post Sept. 11th ) and Obama is taking on both international AND domestic issues in tandem with one another, a feat that Bush - on his best day - couldn't even begin to think of starting.

Conservatives aren't used to doing this much heavy lifting, only when their positions of power are directly threatened.

Is the America that Beck is afraid will disappear one that coddles to big business rather than listening to the voices of the people? Sure, he claims to be a champion of the people, but his entire "tea-bagger" movement is pillared by the very businesses that are strangling the citizens of this country. The teabaggers are sliting their own throats and smiling at the same time.

Is is xenophobia? Racism? The fear that people are becoming more and more educated as to the real history of this nation and not the heavily-edited Cliff Notes version peddled by conservatives? What is it?

I think it's a fear that he is going to be proven wrong - and he knows it.


( * Full credit should be given to my friend Rob Bokken for that new title for Glenn Beck )

Someone Might Be Seeking Employment Soon

Setting aside the very masturbatory nature of Fox continually citing their own polling data on both their networks, I'm wondering exactly why they are discussing Sarah Palin's popularity on what is allegedly a "business" network?

But, as those at Fox love to say, "what's interesting" is what one of the more nutty of the wingnuts had to say about Palin:



When people Fox employees like Cody Willard go off message and are honest about what they really think, you get this sense that upper management isn't exactly pleased with what they have to say. You aren't likely to hear anyone at Fox lambasting someone like Sarah Palin on air, but what are these people like outside the studios?

Praying For Death

The reality of reactionary conservatives "bumper-sticker" political discourse has been taken quite literally by the religious Right. Being the good Christians that they are, they are praying for Obama, just not the type of prayer that benefits anyone.

Open your bibles to Psalms 109:8

Let his days be few; and let another take his office.
Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.
Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places.
Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; and let the strangers spoil his labor.
Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: neither let there be any to favor his fatherless children.
Let his posterity be cut off; and in the generation following let their name be blotted out.
Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the LORD; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.
Let them be before the LORD continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth.

The biblical text is quite clear - they are openly praying for Barack Obama to die.

And it doesn't stop there. Items can be purchased at CafePress.com with the bible verse and the words "Pray For Obama" on them.

Think Progress contacted CafePress and they seem to be intent on keeping the items up for sale:

We initially pulled the Psalm 109:8 content from our products today because broader media dialog indicated that these designs potentially suggested violence towards the president. Based on current public discourse and further review of the actual content, we have determined that it is fair political commentary and we are in the process of reinstating this merchandise. As with all of our content, these designs will continue to be reviewed and if at any time their meaning is construed as advocating violence we will revisit our decision.

And while some conservatives will claim that it is only the first portion of the Pslam that they are referencing, it should be pointed out that this is the party of "context", that continually says that you have to look at the totality of a statement to understand it's meaning. Also, this is the party that claims that things must be read and understood before moving forward. Kind of makes one realize that conservative Christians don't know much at all about their bible.

The Fear That They Don't Feel

Ever since the Obama adminstration's Justice Department decided to try 5 Sept 11th terrorist in NYC Federal Court, the collecting, mouth-agape, shrieks from the entirity of the Republican party has drowned out any semblance of rational discourse.

But now that former members of the Bush administration Justice Department are backing Eric Holder's plan, it would appear that Republicans will have to consider the very real fact that they are now against people that they once stood hand-in-hand with.

The reality of the situation is this - there have been nearly 150 terrorists tried and convicted in the US Federal Court system. That's a pretty impressive track record that conservatives are ignoring. To them, they see this as a golden opportunity to fearmonger and stoke the fires of willful ignorance within members of the electorate that would rather be told what to think than exercise any brainpower.

If conservatives think that this trial will make NYC a target, did they not think the same for the GOP convention in Minneapolis last year? Certainly there's going to be media attention, but what about all the rallies that McCain and Palin held last year - were they not potential targets as well for terrorist action?

The Nuts Blaming The Nut

Chalk it up to the predictability factor, but a majority of Republicans ( not just the teabagger/conservative wing ) actually believe that ACORN stole the election for Obama.

...PPP's newest national survey finds that a 52% majority of GOP voters nationally think that ACORN stole the Presidential election for Barack Obama last year, with only 27% granting that he won it legitimately...The organization is generally unpopular though, with only 11% of voters viewing it favorably to 53% with an unfavorable opinion and 36% without one. The only politician we've polled on this year with comparably bad favorability numbers is John Edwards. The constant harping on ACORN by Republican politicians may sound nutso in some circles, but it certainly has hurt the organization's image and it looks like the anti-ACORN message may resonate with a decent portion of the American electorate. ACORN is probably well overdue for a rebranding.

So what do these results tell us about Republicans? For starters, this is not about race. Well, in as much as there is likely a marginal racial component, it's not likely that this is more about the voices of the few having such a large microphone to scream into.

ACORN has been demonized more than any other non-profit, community organizing group, than any in modern history. With literally wall-to-wall coverage of an organization that not many people had heard off before outside the metropolitan areas where the group operates, opinions from middle America - the cradle of conservative ideology - were formed and fomented from the reactionary prattlings of Fox"News" and conservative talk radio. Do you really think the average American actually did any research into ACORN's history?

So how could they have stolen the election? There is the reality of a small fraction of voter registration infractions, but that's registration, not actual votes being tabulated. And ACORN wasn't in charge of counting the votes, so that theory is out. There wasn't some massive data-mining operation where ACORN purged the names of voters from the rolls, as that tactic is reserved for those who wish to prevent people from exercising their right to a vote.

All that ACORN did was get people out there to vote who likely hadn't before. And entire, disenfranchised, group of people had little incentive to vote, as the last four years were controlled by a Republican administration that only served the more affluent within society.

The results of this poll show one thing quite clearly - that conservatives believe that Democrats, liberals, and progressives shouldn't be allowed to vote, because it means that they won't win when we all come together.

They Distort, We Reply

While watching Fox & Friends this morning to see what the Three Stooges of Morning TV were up to ( my apologies to Larry, Moe, and Curly ------ Shemp, you can pound sand ) I noticed that Steve Doocy was practically creaming his pants claiming that 4000 people showed up at a book store in Grand Rapids to meet Palin. More on that inflated number later. But when I signed on this morning to check email and get my day started, I noticed this little gem:



For those of you that don't recognize it, that's footage from the 2008 McCain/Palin campaign and NOT a crowd outside Barnes and Nobel.

Think Progress has more.

And this isn't the first time that the "Fair and Balanced" network has been caught with their proverbial pants down. From the complaints about other networks having access to the White House, to Sean Hannity's program using 9/12 footage to promote Bachman's paultry "House Call" rally, to a variety of claims by Beck, Fox"News" is certainly letting the mask slip quite a bit this year.

Shorter Ed Morrissey

1500 Wait In Freezing Weather To Meet Palin On Book Tour

That's right, less than 1/100th of the population of Grand Rapids, Michigan - that are already used to freezing temps this time of year - stood outside and waited to enter a climate controlled room to meet Palin. Likely bolstered by thick jackets, hot coffees and cocoa, as well as from the body heat of others, the crowd braved the elements of late fall in Michigan like they will for the next football tailgating party. Behold, the power of Palin!

The Reality Behind Caribou Barbie

Ever since the Newsweek cover featuring a photo of Sarah Palin from Runner's World sparked a firestorm of complaints from the reactionary conservative movement, the Right has been ablaze with accusations of "sexism".

But it was Michelle Malkin that let the mask slip just enough to let us know what Palin is really about.

Whatever the intentions of the left-wing Newsweek editors, I think Sarah looks fabulous.

Newsweek’s weasels found a way to evade responsibility for their rank sexism by using a photo of a real Palin doll in schoolgirl regalia.

And within Malkin's statement lies the truth.

This isn't sexism, it the reality of conservatives iconography. The conservative movement loves someone with "looks", someone that can be posed, someone with a gimmick - just like a doll. She's attractive, easily manipulated, and will say whatever you want her to. Carrie Prejean is a favorite of conservatives for this exact same reason.

But, the fallout comes when those that you have deified actually start to believe what they are being told to say.

To be fair, though, it would be complete inappropriate to assume that Palin doesn't believe some or most of what she's saying. The real issue here is does she understand, does she comprehend the things that she says and realize the effect that they are having on the conservative movement. The reason that this should be asked is because of her very real power to kill the Republicans chances of winning, should she step back into the political fray. And you'd be fooling yourself to think that she wouldn't.

The Republican party has no place for a woman like Meghan McCain. She only fits a minor amount of the criteria to be considered a full-fledged voice of conservative ideology. Yes, she's attractive, but she appears - at least to me - to exercise enough of her own will without being too influenced by what others might think of her.

It may not be the most acceptable way to point this out, but conservatives have created this beast with which they now must wrestle. They created the Palin icon out of the very nature that drives them. And now that people are slowly realizing this, and talking about it, conservatives aren't quite sure how to excuse their own problems with reality. So, in turn, they pretend that they are the victims.

They Would Favor A Loss Without Purity

In a recent CNN poll, it appears that a majority of Republicans questioned would actually prefer a purely ideological candidate, even if it meant losing on election day.

The poll indicates that a slight majority, 51 percent, of Republicans would prefer to see the GOP in their area nominate candidates who agree with them on all the major the issues even if they have a poor chance of beating the Democratic candidate. Forty-three percent of Republicans say they would rather have candidates with whom they don't agree on all the important issues but who can beat the Democrats.

So, what does this say of the modern Republican electorate?

Well, for starters it is a clear signifier that they will completely rule out the bipartisanship that they have been shouting for these past months. Tell me, how many times have you heard people like Boehner and McConnell whining about how they have all these great ideas and no one wants to hear what they have to say? I don't recall their right to deliever their ideas being cut off in any way. Could it be that they aren't really wanting bipartisanship, but a return to their untethered idiocy that was the root cause of multiple problems here in America?

And what are all the "major issues" concerning not just Republicans, but the conservatives that made up a large portion of those polled?

Considering that rhetoric of some of the conservative movements most prominent voices, it would have to be completely denying any form of rationale healthcare reform, privitizing Social Security and Medicare, as well as completely walling off America from Mexico and profiling anyone that isn't white and votes Democratic.

Thy Clearance Bin Overfloweth

It's no suprise to those that understand the nature of conservative book publishers, the NYT Bestseller List and the closely guarded "List of Top Purchasers" that the market has literally been flooded with Sarah Palin's* book. But have you seen the suggested retail price on this.

It's almost $30!

Likely sensing that the average consumer, Palin fanatic or not, wouldn't be so willing to pay such an exhorbonent amount for what amounts to nothing more than 400 pages of "stop making fun of me!" material.



And it's not just conservative publications that are practically giving it away ( as they do with literally every right-wing ream of paper that is churned out ) large retailers are in a price-matching war to get rid of their stock.

Walmart.com dropped price from list price of $28.99 to $10, then to $9 and below as other retailers matched it. On October 15, Walmart.com began offering preorders of Going Rogue, along with nine other new book releases, for $10. After Amazon.com reportedly matched the price, Walmart.com "str[uck] back, slashing its prices to $9" [AOL Daily Finance, 10/16/09]. Amazon also dropped its price to $9 [Buzzflash.com, 10/19/09]. Target.com joined in the price war, prompting Walmart.com to drop its price further [The New Yorker, 11/9/09]. By November 5, Walmart.com was selling the book for $8.98, Target.com was selling it for $8.99, and Amazon was selling it for $9. The respective retailers were still selling the book at those prices as of November 16. All three retailers give the book's list price as $28.99.

More from Media Matters.

There likely isn't anything overtly special about this book, other than it was written in such a short period of time and has the entirity of the conservative movement in such an uproar that even saying the title causes twitchy genuflection and paranoia that Beck or Limbaugh may be monitoring what is being said.

As for me, I'm not about to buy this at any cost. Although, I do plan on doing my own personal review of it. I'm going to simply wait for it to hit my library next week or just pluck it from the give-away bin at my local Goodwill. It's probably not even worth stealing.

Your Random Video Of The Day

Some Thoughts For Your Day

- I love how language has become so malleable, especially in the last 10 years. With the advent of the internet, communication has taken on whole new forms and functions. Couple that with widely recognized forms of pop-culture language and words that you wouldn't expect have become verbs. Teabagger has recently become a finalist for Word Of The Year - and this has some people rather displeased. More on this later today

- I was on Twitter recently and saw a message from Meghan McCain. I find her particular brand of conservative Republican thought interesting and confusing at the same time. Her tweet that evening was in relation to the Newsweek cover that Palin herself is now calling sexist. And what made Meghan's statement just as peculiar is that she thought it was sexist as well. Here's what is so odd about both these statements - how can the cover be construed as even remotely sexist? There is no denying that Palin does pose quite the problem for the GOP, as has been discussed ad infinitum. Her rhetoric is both inflammatory and bizarre while not really serving to show that the modern conservative movement aren't the reactionary obstructionist that they have become since Jan 20th. But this is to be expected from conservatives. When they are backed into a corner and confronted for their actions and words, they claim they are victim to vicious attacks.

- And here's another reminder that healthcare reform is just not necessary and a waste of time for the American people. Nothing to see here, move along.

Some Thoughts For Your Day

- As is to be expect, Sarah Palin is in full-on "quit picking on me"' mode now that her book is being scrutinized by not only the public, but various members of the media. She's upset that the AP is fact-checking the assertions that she ( and her ghostwriter ) made in her memoir. Why does she think that we are to simply take her at her word? This is, after all, the woman that quit her job rather than finish out her term as Governor of Alaska, that was famous for either making things up or acting like a bumbling freshman during the campaign. She, and all of her drooling sychophants, intend on using the "you can't question a woman - that's sexist" stance in order to deflect any questions. And Fox"News" is more than happy to carry that water for her as long as they can.

- There is nothing more pathetic than people that continually deny the well-recorded history of this country. And that definately extends to the reactionary conservative tea-bagger set. What is it about honesty that they can't grasp. Do they not realize that their conservative Jesus, Ronald Reagan, actually offered amnesty to illegal immigrants and had to deal with 10.2%unemployment?

- It's always fun to see conservative Republicans scurry away from their fearmongering talking-points on healthcare when it comes to light that the very things they are using as a weapon is actually part of their own package. The "death panel" meme that was so pervasive several months ago has shown up in the RNC's own healthcare plan. That's right, they offer "end-of-life" counciling. Woops.

Their Intellectual Honesty Has Bowed Out, Again

Over the past 48 hours or so, conservatives have insisted that Obama has someone "breached protocol again" by bowing when greeting the Japanese Emperor Akihito. Straight away, I knew that this was nothing more than another example of their flail around on the carpet and shriek as loud as you can strategy, so there really wasn't as much substance to their side of this non-issue to begin with. So since people like Ed Morrissey insisted that there was some piece of verifiable evidence that heads of state ABSOLUTELY do not bow to other world leaders, I thought I would try to find said piece of procedural language. And considering that Ed, and other bloggers were citing each other, it's safe to say that searching Google would do nothing but turn up tons of results that all said the same thing yet didn't provide a true source.

And that's when Twitter came in handy. SEK over at Lawyers, Guns, and Money has found something that the reactionary conservatives in this country might want to take a look at.









For those of you that aren't familiar with the man doing the bowing in these photos, that's former President Dwight D. Eisenhower. You know, one of the men that helped us defeat the Nazis and Japanese back in the 40s. I think it's a fair assumption that people like Morrissey and "The Purse-Lipped-One" Michelle Malkin aren't going to admit that there is not set protocol when greeting heads of state from other countries. However, and this is something that conservatives REALLY don't want to even begin to understand, when greeting someone of a different culture, there are customs when greeting others.

For instance, bowing and Japanese culture are widely recognized around the world.

When dealing with non-Japanese people, many Japanese will shake hands. Since many non-Japanese are familiar with the custom of bowing, this often leads to a combined bow and handshake which can be quite complicated to execute. Bows may be combined with handshakes or performed before or after shaking hands. Generally when bowing in close proximity, as necessitated when combining bowing and shaking hands, people turn slightly to one side (usually the left) to avoid bumping heads.

Looks to me like Obama is following Japanese tradition and it is reciprocated. This is how diplomacy works - show the person you are going to be speaking with that you understand their culture and aren't some blithering buffoon who's likely to puke in your lap.



But back to the Ike side of this story. Should this actually be something that conservatives respond to, it is likely that they will create some line of reasoning that shows that he truly didn't matter in the landscape of American history or that his status as a Republican is irrelevant to the discussion.

Let's remove Obama from the equation for a moment. What do wingnut conservatives know about the cultures of other countries? Is this why they are so against diplomacy - they're afraid that they'll make a fool of themselves for being so unblushingly ignorant?

Hatred Of The American Way

It's not at all suprising that reactionary conservatives are now against the American legal system since AG Eric Holder anounced that 5 Sept. 11th terrorists will be tried in NYC court. The reason behind this is that conservatives will always laud the greatness of America, that is until a Democrat tries to utilize those great features.

Not long after Holder's statements, Sarah Palin offered up her policy expertise blended with a dash of wild-west histrionics.

Criminal defense attorneys will now enter into delaying tactics and other methods in the hope of securing some kind of win for their “clients.” The trial will afford Mohammed the opportunity to grandstand and make use of his time in front of the world media to rally his disgusting terrorist cohorts. It will also be an insult to the victims of 9/11, as Mohammed will no doubt use the opportunity to spew his hateful rhetoric in the same neighborhood in which he ruthlessly cut down the lives of so many Americans. [...]

If we are stuck with this terrible Obama Administration decision, I, like most Americans, hope that Mohammed and his co-conspirators are convicted. Hang ‘em high.

What conservatives, Palin in specific, don't understand is that it would be more than just political suicide to bring these men here without first knowing that the case against them was air-tight and couldn't be lost. The reality behind this is that justice hasn't fully been served and there has been little more an unwillingness by the previous administration to bring closure for the past 8 years.

But one of the more interesting aspects of conservatives recent lack of faith in America is that some once held the opinion that the US court system was precisely designed for people like this.

The Washington Post shows how Rudy Giuliani's boisterous language about terrorism rarely matches-up with what he actually does in regards to it.

Even in the weeks after Sept. 11, he framed the attacks in the language of crime, describing the hijackers as "insane murderers" and calling for restoration of the "rule of law."

Rudy even praised the judicial system once the '93 WTC bombers were prosecuted. So why the sudden change of heart?

It's blatantly obvious that this has more to do with the fact that the Obama administration is taking action and this is a direct threat to not only the conservative movement but the whole of the GOP. But this story, and all like it, tells us more about how conservatives behave in the face of the enemy.





By and large, conservatives have shown that terrorism works. After all, it only takes one sucessful event - be it only a few victims or on a more massive scale like Sept. 11th - and all the terrorist has to do is sit back and watch the remaining "targets" devour themselves with fear.

Conservatives have, since 2001, used any and every excuse to do either do nothing or do the wrong thing. And now that someone is taking action in a direction once favored by conservatives, the reactionary Right are taking up again the mantle of fear. And that seems to be exactly how they intend to control the American public, through fear that "something somewhere might happen" if these 5 mean are prosecuted by the system that they once claimed to love.

More from Think Progress.

WWJGD? *

* title is not-so-clever reference to every tea-baggers favorite fictional character created by the uber-elitist atheist and conservative firebrand Ayn Rand.

You ever notice that the world is actually a little better, a little brighter, now that the tea-baggers are actually embracing the "Going Galt" meme? Alaska is better off now that Palin is gone, Carrie Prejean just makes a fool out of herself when she tries to do it, and now CNN is free from the bitter, twitchy, teeth-gnashing of Lou Dobbs. I'm not sure why conservatives insist on claiming that they are taking a stand for what they believe in, because all they are doing is just quitting.

Politico

Veteran CNN anchor Lou Dobbs, whose populist views on the perils of immigration and his repeated questioning of President Barack Obama’s birthplace made him a controversial figure on a network that has traditionally eschewed opinion, announced Wednesday night that he is resigning.


While Dobbs will continue his radio show, he gave no indication of whether he will stay in television—it’s been rumored that he could end up on Fox. Dobbs said on his show “Lou Dobbs Tonight,” that he’s now “considering a number of options and directions,” and that CNN president Jon Klein has released him from his contract, which is not up until 2011. He has been with CNN for 30 years.

Whatever happened to conservatives that had a plan? I mean, even if those plans were even laughably paper-thin - like Karl Rove claiming he was going to spend more time with his family when in reality he just took up new residence inside Roger Ailes' bulbous ass - they at least tried to make it seem like they knew what they were going to do.

And it should be repeated that Ayn Rand's "hero" of Atlas Shrugged left society because he knew that his absence would ultimately lead to the downfall of the economy and various pockets of American society. He "knew" this because of his contribution to the economy and to society. So what precisely do Palin, Prejean, and Dobbs actually contribute that the remainder of America will miss when they leave?

Doctored Audio?

Fox"News" is known to selectively edit footage in order to favor their prefered message of the moment. But take a listen to the audio in this and tell me this this doesn't seem a little suspicious.



To me, this is an obvious overdub of audio in order to make it look like Pelosi is agreeing that people should be jailed if they don't purchase health insurance. And Fox"Nation" is peddling this as a lead headline.

Perhaps I'm reading too much into this, but the audio levels just don't synch-up and that - to me - is just very suspect.

Pallin' Around With Oprah And Sarah

According to the almight Oprah, her interview with Sarah Palin really touched all the bases and should be a fantastic program - airing next Monday.

And while there will likely be dish on things like Trig, David Letterman, Levi, and what it was like to be a Rougey-Mavericky on the campaign trail last year, I wouldn't expect there to be any great discussion on policy - it's not really Palin's strong suit.

But this is standard fare for Oprah's interviewing techniques. She's ridiculously famous and snags all the "top names", but isn't exactly known to have truly hard-hitting interviews. In that regard, Palin is likely to get the treatment she believes she so richly deserves - a softball format only rivaled by the ego sucking droogies at Fox"News". But Oprah had a chance to do this right, as the interview was pretaped this week. I wonder if Palin required that she be able to sign-off on audience members?

So what's in the book anyway?

Kieth Olbermann tackled this on last night's Countdown.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

No index, eh? Are their footnotes?

Considering the auspices under what this furture tome that conservatives will be quoting for at least the next 5 years, I'm doubting the later.

I'm going to be watching the interview, but my expectations are set rather low, as yours should be as well.

Some Thoughts For Your Day

- Conservatives favorite Prima Donna, Carrie "Full Frontal Fingerbang Opposite Marriage" Prejean decided that she would try to get a little saucy with Larry King and refused to answer a very simple, very honest question that is relevant to her story. The show took a bizarre turn when Prejean was speaking with someone off camera and promptly removed her mic and refused to continue when faced with the possibility of having to take a question from a caller. What a strong role-model for conservative women everywhere.

- Michelle Malkin, along with virtually every member of the fringe-conservative movement enyoy invoking the "out of context" phrase whenever they are called out for their rank hypocrisy, ignorance, and plan idiotic blathering. But now Malkin, grande dame of twisting the relevant data of a story in order to push her particular brand of ideological drooling insists that a suggestion by one writer at The Huffington Post is a sign that all liberals and progressives have it out for conservative authors. The party of context strikes again.

- Retired Col. Ralph Peters, a favorite "war-hawk that never saw day one of combat" of Fox"News" found Obama's speech at Fort Hood deeply offensive. This is all to be expected, as this man would likely find the words of Christ offensive should they not include anything about killing all the people that don't worship the way he does. But moreover, Peters seems all to willing to rush to judgement - like the remainder of the conservative media at large - about what truly motivated Hasan to kill. It doesn't help to blame Obama and assume that PC culture lead to these deaths that day.

Some Thoughts For Your Day

- On this Veterns Day, it's important to not only look at what the brave men and women of the Armed Forces have done for this country, but what we should do for them once their time in the service is completed. It's relevant to note that last year over 2200 veterans died because of lack of healthcare coverage.

- In a moment of weakness, Britt Hume let loose with a flash of honesty on Bill O'Reilly's Fox"News" program recently by correcting Bill and stating that a plurality of Americans ( at least 55% ) prefer healthcare reform with a public option. One can only speculate what people like Hannity, Beck, and Fox"News" figure-head Roger Ailes thought of Hume's off-script ad-lib.

- Is it a suprise to anyone that Fox"News" would edit in footage to make a gathering of slobbering conservatives look larger than it really is?

- One would think that people wouldn't assumption that anyone that isn't from this country is a terrorist. Unfortunately, this isn't the case.

- The Prejean book tour and masturbation seminar continued recently with the former Miss California touting that she is going through the same thing as Sarah Palin. It's likely that Carrie is attempting to capitalize on Palin's own rock-star status and hope that by some form of creepy osmosis that she will be seen in the same light. Has anyone noticed the creepy "Stepford Wife" way in which Prejean presents herself in whenever she does interviews?

-

Sunny Days

Sesame Street has come a long way since I was a child first watching it. Coming up with what is arguably the worlds penultimate childrens learning program in it's first decade ( even though I don't remember those early days ) I do have fond memories of the show and it's cast. It's been a long and wonderful journey revisiting the place where it was always sunny and the air was clean.



The aliens would have loved late 80s techno.



It wasn't until I was in high school and discovered Monty Python that I first postulated that it was highly possible that Frank Oz and Jim Henson may have borrowed some from this classic Python skit for the "fly in my soup" scene.



And Bert and Ernie were the lovely blend of the Odd Couple and Jay and Silent Bob



There are far to many great moments from Sesame Street from not only my memory but the entire timeline of the Jim Henson classic series. But as times change, the better the guests get.







And now we have the First Lady taking part in the show.

Shock ----- could this be indoctrination? What would Glenn Beck and Michelle Bachman say?!?!?!?!?!





It's hard to believe that it's been 40 years since we first ventured down the street to meet up with Oscar, Big Bird, and learn about reading and what makes our own neighborhood special.

But there was always something about Sesame Street that no other children's program has ever done. They taught us about life lessons, about how the world around us effects us and shapes us. It they taught us about the end, even when the reality of the show and it's cast met with the message that they gave to the children every day.



Happy Birthday old friend. I'm glad you're still around.

The Obama/Hassan Connection b/w Your Patriotism Is Smaller Than Theirs

This was to be expected....



And while it is predictable that someone like Fox"News" and Hannity would draw a direct line from what Hassan did and what Obama has done since entering office, this is about as relevant a line of question as asking what the actions of drunk sorority girls say about the performance of the physics class at your local high school.

But this is one of the not-so-subtle nuances within the broader conservative meme that their love for their country, their patriotism, is so much larger and powerful than your that they are excused from thinking and acting irrationally, as it is in the continued struggle for the soul of the nation.

This is a rather popular line of reasoning with conservatives on Twitter. I can't count the number of times that I have encountered a profile on Twitter that espouses a person's patriotism, how they are the ultimate patriot, or even using the word patriot for their name.

Patriotism isn't really something that you laud upon yourself, and certainly not to the extent that these people are doing it. Coupled with their willful ignorance towards most of the history of this country, they come off as arrogant amateurs of socio-political thought.

But the Obama/Hassan connection is relevant only in their minds, remember that. They feed of the very notion that Obama has actually done something that made this man think he needed to kill these people. They need to feel this way toward not just Obama, but to anyone who does not toe the line of Hannity, Beck, and Bachman. And, as we all know, that's the wingnut holy trinity.

Validation Of The Dunces

Why is Obama Administration caving to Fox”News” / Tea-Bagger demands?

I can understand the logic behind “keep your friends close but your enemies closer”, but the Obama administration really needs to stop validating the inane ramblings of Glenn Beck and his drooling band of tea-bagging sychopants.

The White House on Tuesday shook-up its communications team, with Anita Dunn stepping down and an aide taking over President Barack Obama's vaunted messaging machine.
Dan Pfeiffer will become White House communications director and Dunn will became an outside adviser to Obama's White House, officials said. They expect the full transition to take place before the end of the year.
The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel decisions that had not yet been announced.

What precisely is their rationale behind this? After all, it does nothing but create the illusion that Fox and their nation of fringe-conspiracy theorists are credible sources of information. Their incessant gloating will only be amplified because of this decision. But who’s decision was it?

Is this Anita Dunn taking one for the team so that this issue will go away? Because it’s not going away. The Obama administration could ressurect Christ, Ronald Reagan, and General Patton and conservative prattle-heads would concoct some sophomoric rumor. They would insist that Jesus was getting the White House press pool drunk on wine before press-conferences, that Reagan was being silenced, and that Patton was too far to the left now and wanted to tone down our presence in Afganistan.

What is the logic in this? I could kind of understand why Van Jones left, but the rank hypocrisy with which the conservative media has gone after Dunn simply boggles the mind

Just A Few Questions

With all the incessant blathering and drooling rage from the fringe conservative movement in regards to healthcare reform, I have some questions for them:

If you think that this is socialism, then are you willing to deny letting the fire department save your home if it's on fire? Are you willing to tell the police to not get involved in any incident that threatens your livelihood?

If socialism is so bad, will you stop visiting public parks and beaches, as they are maintained by public funding?

If healthcare reform is socialism, then are you going to opt-out of Medicare and Social Security when you are of age? Will you stop paying into the system right now? Because you do realize those are socialist systems, don't you?

If healthcare reform is socialism, then are you going to urge your representatives to not use their gov't run insurance?

Just asking, since you feel so passionate about it.

Is Fox"News" Defending Underage Porn?

I had almost forgotten that Carrie Prejean had someone write a book for her that she put her name on. But I was reminded during last night's Hannity where Sean took an active roll in defending the "sex tape" of the former Miss California and let Prejean recite her scripted apology/explaination.

*click image to play video*



There's an element to this that seems to run completely counter to what Fox"News" claims. Sean is defending underage pornography. There's no other way to look at this, as Carrie openly admitted that she was under 18 when the tape was made.

This morning on Fox&Friends, Steve Doocy sat with Prejean while she rattled off the same talking-points she delivered on Hannity's program the night before.

Why is this not troubling to conservatives? Because of who Carrie Prejean is, because she's the "gimmick", the "pretty girl". They are ignoring what this is because Carrie delivers the message and is willing to be their tool.

I wonder what those at the Values Voter Summit have to think about Ms. Prejeans film debut and Fox's apparent uncaring stance towards it?