The Love/Hate Stimulation

A couple of days off from blogging and paying far too much attention to news all together and it appears I really didn't miss much that wasn't already brewing on Monday. That being said........

Interesting how the conservative narrative shifts.

Federal Judge Rips Pres. Obama's Lawsuit Against Arizona

And the reactionary conservatives GOWILD!!!

The reaction at Fox"Nation" was a mix of jubulation and praise for U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton. But the honeymoon that the Washington Post had reported on wouldn't even last the week. The same was true for the mouth-agape crowd at HotAir.

A federal judge pushed back Thursday against a contention by the Obama Justice Department that a tough new Arizona immigration law set to take effect next week would cause "irreparable harm" and intrude into federal immigration enforcement.

"Why can't Arizona be as inhospitable as they wish to people who have entered or remained in the United States?" U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton asked in a pointed exchange with Deputy Solicitor General Edwin S. Kneedler. Her comment came during a rare federal court hearing in the Justice Department's lawsuit against Arizona and Gov. Jan Brewer (R).

Bolton, a Democratic appointee, also questioned a core part of the Justice Department's argument that she should declare the law unconstitutional: that it is "preempted" by federal law because immigration enforcement is an exclusive federal prerogative.

"How is there a preemption issue?" the judge asked. "I understand there may be other issues, but you're arguing preemption. Where is the preemption if everybody who is arrested for some crime has their immigration status checked?"

At issue in Thursday's hearing, argued in a tan-colored "special proceedings" courtroom" inside the federal courthouse, was whether Bolton would grant a preliminary injunction to stop the law from taking effect while the federal lawsuit proceeds.

As dozens of protesters marched outside, the hearing marked the first round in the Obama administration's effort to stop the state's crackdown on illegal immigration. The tension in the courtroom reflected a broader national debate over what has become a political divisive issue: whether police should have the power to question people they suspect are in the United States illegally.

So, whom does the prototypical conservative blame when something goes against their very ideals? If you said Obama - at least for this instance - you're wrong.

Clinton-Appointed Judge Guts Ariz. Immigration Law

That's right, it's never fair to blame the man who left office less than two years ago, but it completely fair to blame the one that left almost 10 years ago.

While the previous post at Fox"Nation" garnered less than 500 posts since the 23rd, the later - with the evil Clinton named attached to it - is approaching 1700 posts in just over 24hrs.

Will the predictability of conservative ever end?

We Aren't Afriad Of Her

Some conservatives are actually crowing about liberals/progressives desire to see the Republicans give Palin the 2012 nomination for the presidency. Not so much because of her ability to hold down the position effectively - and they likely know that she can't - but because it would be such fun to watch unfold.

With Palin, the DNC narrative is already set and, equally importantly, her name recognition is such that they could frame the election as a choice between two mega-stars, not a referendum on The One’s first term. That’s their strategy in November too, of course: If they run on their record they’re dead on arrival, no matter what the voices in Harry Reid’s head might be telling him, so they’re forced to push a “GOP is worse!” message that deflects attention onto their opponents. Hence the constant agonizing among the Republican House leadership about whether to endorse a specific conservative agenda for the midterms, which gives the Dems something concrete to attack, or whether to sell themselves more vaguely as candidates of, er, hope and change vis-a-vis Pelosi’s Democratic majority. If Sarahcuda’s the nominee, we get a real “A vs. B” choice election, not an “A vs. Not A” referendum as typically happens with incumbent presidents. That would be tons of fun to write about under any circumstance, but with two larger-than-life candidates like her and The One, it’d be blog paradise; it’d also have the party establishment, which is eager for a straightforward “anyone but Obama” campaign, breathing into paper bags. No wonder lefty bloggers are gung ho. And hey — just think how much fresh new Trig Truther material they must have saved up by now.

I've already addressed how conservatives are throwing a digital tantrum because Rachel Maddow pointed out the accomplishments of the Obama administration, so why shouldn't there be a blinding light shown on the opposition - The Party Of No?

It's predictably telling that Morrissey would get in a dig at the obvious minority of liberals/progressives that even momentarily questioned the birth of Palin's son Trig. But that is one of the MO's of conservatives, paint your opposition as tinfoil hat conspiracy theorists. To me, that aspect of the modern conservative movement should be looked at, as they have openly embraced everything that Glenn Beck has espoused since be became the new Fox"News" poster-boy.

So what do the Democrats have to fear by Palin being the GOP nominee? Nothing, actually, as that would never happen. And from Ed Morrissey on down to the most low-level conservative flunky, there isn't one that can honestly say that Palin would make a great president without showing once ounce of uncertainty. Do they have the audacity, the balls enough, to put up someone who couldn't hack being a governor to be the leader of the proverbial free-world? And while they roundly don't give one droplet of duck shit what the rest of the world thinks of us, what type of message do you think that sends to other countries when you put someone like Sarah Palin literally inches away from the Presidency?

Palin is the trophy wife of the conservative movement, not the woman you want providing for and taking care of your children. I honestly don't think that one Republican in this country would enter the voting booth on election day 2012 and be willing to select her with a clear conscience, because they know she wouldn't be able to handle it. Does anyone remember how Palin refused to answer who she voted for in 2008? I'm guessing she even knows that her and McCain would have been abject failures. Then again, there are Republicans out there that are more than willing to send their own country down that dangerous path to complete and utter ruin just to prove a poorly conceived point. I'm sure that we all remember 2001-2008.

Who Will Follow Up On This?

Granted, the bulk of the documents that Wikileaks has obtained are largely speculative and need further investigation, one segment that Wired is reporting on merits some follow-up.

according to one of the WikiLeaks logs, Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security got a tip about the man at the very top of the most wanted list: Osama Bin Laden himself. The informant said that Bin Laden “had been transported to Peshawar hospital in Pakistan for treatment, where he has died.”

“NDS stressed that this was a single source report and had not been verified,” the log added. No other document in the WikiLeaks trove appears to corroborate this. So it looks like just another piece of RUMINT in a war full of it.

RUMINT is short for "rumored intelligence". But even rumors of this sort need to be looked into, especially considering that Benazir Bhutto, a woman with intimate knowledge of the happenings in her region, stated back in 2007 that Bin Laden had been murdered.

Let's postulate on why this piece of intel wasn't seriously researched. Firstly, it would put a massive dent into the Bush administration's desire to continue fighting in Afghanistan, even though his tenure would end less than 2 years later. Secondly, and more than likely most importantly, the Bush administration couldn't possibly admit that a foreign country had accomplished something that he had loudly and all too often boasted about American forces doing.

There have been theories and rumors that Bin Laden had died much earlier than 2007, but none had been substantiated by anyone of prominence like Benazir Bhutto. All previous speculations were framed in the context of tin-foil hat nutjob nonsense. As for me, this needs to be seriously reviewed and have proper context be revealed to the American public. After all, this is the most wanted man in the world we are talking about. But considering how this has been completely ignored since 2007, there's going to have to be a great deal of explaining why so many have been so silent.

The Theatre Of Damage Control

To use a phrase that we often hear from conservatives - question the timing.

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele has a party fundraising event coming up in August that is scheduled to feature a very special guest: Conservative media activist Andrew Breitbart, according to a copy of the invitation exclusively obtained by TPM.

The fundraising event, billed as an "Election Countdown," will take place from August 12-14 in Beverly Hills, California, and will also feature other politicians such as California Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, and Nevada Republican gubernatorial nominee Brian Sandoval. Steele and Breitbart are scheduled to co-headline a welcome reception on the first evening, August 12.

It's certainly some odd timing for the RNC to be working closely with Breitbart, who, of course, has made headlines recently for circulating a video clip of then-Department of Agriculture official Shirley Sherrod, an African-American, seeming to tell a story about how she would not help a white farmer who was down on his luck 24 year ago. Sherrod was quickly forced to resign last week. And as it turned out, the full video showed that Sherrod was telling a story about how she ultimately did not discriminate against the farmer -- that this was a great turning point in her own personal story of race relations in the South -- and she did help him. Indeed, the farmer himself has come forward to defend her and discuss their lasting friendship.

Sure, this could have been planned months in advance, but isn't it odd that Micheal "I'm going to tap into the modern hip-hop movement to get more votes" Steele AND Andrew "I'm going to prove that all blacks are either racists or out to do something illegal or detrimental of the fabric of this nation" Breitbart are going to do a fundraising duet?

I'm guessing this is where Fox"News" will chime in that Andrew isn't a racist because he's going to share the stage with a black man. I'm sure that's coming - probably in the form of Sean Hannity's program complete with "Rev." Jessie Lee Peterson and Eric Rush.

The Power Of Advertising

The modern conservative movement thinks that it's fine for a Republican VP to tell a sitting member of Congress to "go fuck himself", but don't use the dreaded f-bomb to show passion regarding how BP is, well, fucking shit up.

Oil Spill Charity "F-Bomb-A-Thon" from UnF--kTheGulf.com on Vimeo.

I'm not the best person to judge someone's age, but I'm pretty sure that I only spotting three people in that video that were under the age of 18, and one had their ears covered by their mom. And seriously, if conservatives think that a child is destined to because a Nazi-sympathizing, jew-hating, ideologue simply because their parents signed off on them appearing in a video and saying "fuck" twice when they were 10, I would more likely be worried about people like Micheal Savage and Glenn Beck being parents. But that's another post for another day.

To me, this is something that is missing from modern socio-political discourse - passion and a clear perspective. And isn't the point of advertising to grab the viewer attention? Of course it is. I think this is a great campaign and am about to put up my donation and will proudly wear my shirt around my seriously conservative town just to see what happens. In fact, I might even film it just to capture the responses.

Here's an exit question: Why are conservatives so eager to go after a campaign designed to help The Gulf simply because the word "fuck" was doled out less than most R-rated films but will completely deny any racist element of the Tea Bagger movement 24 hours a day?

Since The Right Won't Listen To Him.....

Conservatives are working themselves into a collective lather over this video of the President that was shown at Netroots Nation this past weekend.



As soon as I heard of it's showing, I knew that it wouldn't take the reactionary masses of the modern conservative movement to scream about how this is proof positive of liberal media bias because it featured Rachel Maddow.

Noel Sheppard of conservative website NewsBusters ended his screed with this:

Potentially the most liberal president in American history needed potentially the most liberal commentator on television to help him sell his record to a gathering of potentially the most liberal people in the country.

Despite what Maddow thinks, what does that say about this man's job performance eighteen months into his presidency?

And what does it say about MSNBC?

While I think it's more than a bit of a stretch to claim that Obama is the most liberal president ever, as he and his administration have caved to conservative demands far more than Bill Clinton did in his first term in office. There's still no Public Option in Healthcare Reform - though I am still strongly in favor of the Single Payer system. The recently passed Financial Reform act still have some gaping holes in it, namely the fact that the auto industry lobby was kowtowed to and they are getting a free pass on how they are inextricably linked to Wall Street. We are still in Afghanistan and Iraq, the cost of which maintaining our presence there make up more of the deficit that conservatives suddenly thought was created after Bush left office. Those three things alone don't paint the greatest liberal portrait of Barack Obama, so to claim him to be the King of the Liberals is a bit overreaching.

As far as Maddow's inclusion to the video, that was actually a segment from her program last month where she highlighted the accomplishments of the administration - something that conservatives most certainly don't want to be known, as it clearly tears down their narrative that he hasn't accomplished anything since taking office. And to say that she is the most liberal voice on television, it should be pointed out that she has been critical of democratic positions, and very affective at that.

Are conservatives claiming that Obama hasn't spoken to them? It seems as such, even though he has done more than just listen to the inane dribblings coming from the Right side of the metaphorical and literal aisle. The reality of this is that conservatives had 8 years to make gains for the country and didn't live up to what they were elected to do. What were their goals? Ask any conservative pundit and the answer you'll most likely get is that we were only attacked once during Bush's tenure. Or, to put it another way, that "we were kept safe". No policy accomplishments, not even a successful end to our occupation in Iraq or attaining even modest goals in Afghanistan.

Conservatives aren't as much pissed that there was a video of Obama addressing Netroots Nation as they are ashamed that they can't say that Bush was as successful as Obama has been in less than 2 years.

Releasing The Predictability

Both Ed Morrissey and the woman he and Allahpundit affectionately refer to as The Boss are really reaching for something that really isn't there with their latest attempt at smearing the Obama administration.

Michelle's purse-lipped outrage:

Here is what Team Obama’s “smart” and sensitive form of diplomacy has wrought: A hero’s welcome home to Libya for the murderous Lockerbie bomber Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, who was released last August claiming he had terminal cancer and three months to live. A year later, the jihadist is still alive, senators want an investigation, and The Australian reports that the Obama administration backed “compassionate release.”

And Morrissey's over-reaching narrative:

What the US actually wanted, short of continuing Megrahi’s imprisonment, was a sort of house arrest in Scotland, not Libya. That is what was meant by LeBaron’s suggestion of “compassionate release.” The White House didn’t want Megrahi stepping off of a plane in Tripoli to cheering crowds, the exact scenario that played out in the end. While having Megrahi outside of prison wasn’t the nominal situation, that at least would have kept Megrahi from rubbing his freedom in the noses of the Pan Am 103 victims’ families.

The letter did not give a green light to Megrahi’s parole to Libya. Nevertheless, it shows the kind of ineptitude that has plagued the Obama administration’s diplomacy from the “reset button” with Russia to this day. LeBaron’s note was a clear signal to Scotland that the US had lost most of its interest in Megrahi; recall that the US had insisted originally that any parole must include extradition to the US. The Scottish government must have presumed that we would not strenuously object to their release of Megrahi to the Libyans after LeBaron failed to raise that point and demand Megrahi’s extradition.

Also, it shows that the Obama administration lied about being surprised by Megrahi’s release. They knew it was coming, and while they may have been surprised that he went to Libya, the White House knew Scotland was going to spring Megrahi one way or the other.

But if anyone takes the time to actually read the article in The Australian, they would get a far different picture than what Morrissy and Malkin are painting.

The Obama administration were expressly against the situation that ultimately played out. But if one were to go by Malkin and Morrissey's writings, you would get the picture that the US signed off on the deal to sent Megrahi back to Libya. Michelle and Ed's strategy in framing the story in this fashion is that they are banking on the laziness of conservatives to do any sort of fact checking. Unfortunately, that line of thinking normally works, as conservatives have a desire to believe the worst about anyone from the opposition party. I'm almost certain that if Malkin and Morrissey knew they could get away with it, they would have reported that Obama himself opened the cell door and extended a welcoming hand to Megrahi.

The US government, despite what these two clowns think, doesn't control the Scottish Justice Department, their prison system, or even those that took Megrahi into custody. These two pieces are clearly designed to distort the reality of this situation. And while this could have been handled much differently, what exactly do Malkin and Morrissey think that the Obama administration should have done? Should they have flown to Scotland and barrackaded the prison doors? Maybe send troops there as a show of force? We aren't really meant to understand that, as it's easier to inflate a situation to reflect your agenda rather than report it from an honest perspective.

Degrating What They Endorse

In which we see Megyn Kelly do her best concern trolling.



One has to marvel at the rank hypocrisy of Kelly, considering the fact that her and Fox are continuously going to bat for the Tea Baggers that espouse the same type of idiotic prattling that Tancredo is displaying here.

Adaptations

Ho. Lee. Shit.



Never would have suspected that the comic mini-series by Warren Ellis, arguably one of the most well-rounded and accomplished comic authors in the medium since Chris Claremont, would get this type of treatment.

If for no other reason, you should at least see this because Helen Mirren looks even sexier holding an assault weapon.

The Percentages Of Misdirection

A challenge all too easy to meet



And while it will be easy to show that none of what Beck has postulated has come to pass ( like people's computers being hacked if they used the CARS website, the FEMA internment camps, death panels, the government didn't take over health insurance companies, no one has attempted to kill Beck or remove his program from television, no bureaucrat is standing in the way of you and your doctor - you get the point ) I'm wondering why he didn't go into the detail that he whined wasn't presented by his opposition in proving his 85% accuracy rating.

Cultivating A Lack Of Ideas

In which Rand Paul tries to upend Jack Conway with a tired and all too pointless conservative line as the two were debating in Kentucky in front of an audience of farmers.

The state has about 485,000 farm families, according to Mark Haney, president of the state Farm Bureau Federation, and in his opening remarks, Paul promised to "fight for the Kentucky farmer against an overzealous government."

Responding to a question moments later, Conway attacked.

"My opponent has stated unequivocally on the record that he wants to do away with the Agriculture Department and he wants to do away with farm subsidies" — positions that Paul denies holding.

Conway added that about 75 percent of farm bill funds that reach Kentucky are for nutrition programs such as federally subsidized school lunches and breakfasts that serve hundreds of thousands of children.

"Are we going to do away with that? Are we going to do away with that in these difficult economic times?" he said.

The rest, he said, give "farmers the assurance they can have a good season," and create a cushion against a devastating year.

But Paul said, "You can stand up here and pander and you can say we will give you what you want or you can acknowledge that our country has problems."

He added, "We are drowning in a sea of debt. And it's not whether you're for or against farmers. If you want to be for farmers, open up markets, Jack. But don't just say you're for farmers when the money is gone."

Having grown up on a family farm, I know that government programs that were available to us helped us through times of struggle and assisted in much of the success that we saw in the early to mid-80s. There was even a government program out there that we used that called for no crops to be grown on specific "set-aside" portions of land. That one I never understood, but that's for another time.

So Rand Paul's plan to bolster the agricultural sector of Kentucky is to "open markets"? Seriously, what does that even mean - this vague and utterly lazy concept of "free markets" in modern America?

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

UPDATE

Irony is so delicious, isn't it.

Where Would Supply-Side Jesus Shop?

Conservative ramblings - it's not just for political ads anymore.



Because you can't possibly expect to benefit America by purchasing your siding from the evil, liberal, gay friendly, communists over at Home Depot and Lowes.

The Cost Of A Response

Conservatives hate talking about the Bush Tax Cuts, considering that they completely failed at what they were designed to do.



The fiscal reality that conservatives are completely ignoring is that these tax cuts will be disastrous to the country, as they have been since they were enacted.

As an exit observation here, it's readily apparent that Chris Wallace's producers told him that he needed to do a bit of "concern trolling" and not challenge John Kyl too much. After all, he clearly let him blubber on and completely dodge the question while filibustering about peripheral issues.

The List Of Targets?

Hot Air is one of the most read conservative blogs out there. They showcase the usual sophistry that is the hallmark of the conservative movement and are always willing to go to bat for their founder, Michelle Malkin. But this morning, I think they have crossed a line, one that Malkin herself has been known to do all too often - and with predictable consequences.

Guest blogger Anita Moncrief takes the standard route in claiming that ACORN and the "liberal media" worked in concert to get Barack Obama elected. And while rather monotonous in it's delivery of the tired and specious information, Moncrief goes one step further and publishes the home addresses of Obama donors.

I can clearly recall how Malkin has revealed private and personal information of persons that she blogged about and how that lead to death threats. Is this likely to happen in this instance as well? Considering the track record of conservatives, I would say the answer is most certainly yes.

The question should be asked - why would Moncrief post this list unless her desire was to see that some sort of action be taken against them? After all, you don't take the low road unless you want to stir the base emotions of your audience. The most recent case of a right-wing violence due to inflammatory and misleading information from conservatives isn't being reported on enough. Anita Moncrief should really be careful in what she is doing.

A Desire To Politicizie Comics

While Jack Kirby created Captain America as a symbol of America's strength against the horrors of Nazi Germany, he most certainly isn't as modern conservatives portray him to be. The upcoming movie adaptation of the comic - and not the first, though the initial offering was a straight to video disaster - has some within the conservative realm wetting themselves in abject anger. Why? Because Captain America isn't going to be a hyper-partisan, Tea Bagging, right-winger.

If insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result, liberal Hollywood directors must be utterly certifiable. How else does one explain Hollywood's penchant for de-Americanizing thoroughly patriotic superhero and/or comic book icons?

Take Joe Johnston. The cinematic genius who gave the world "Jurassic Park 3" is directing a "Captain America" feature that will release in 2011, the 70th anniversary of the Marvel superhero's creation.

Johnston told the audience at Comic-Con 2010 that Cap will not be a "jingoistic American flag-waver" but will instead be "re-interpret[ed]" as a "good person" in the World War II-set film.

From my perspective, and those that have read the Cap comics since childhood, Steve Rogers and his Captain persona have never been about one side of the political spectrum over another. He has defended against the evils of the world for the entire country, not just the Republican party.

But this isn't the first time that conservatives have taken issue regarding a Captain America story.

Conservatives Ratings Fetish

She just reiterates what I've been saying for a long time.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

I've gotten into quite a few debates with conservatives on Twitter regarding their love for high ratings and their inability to understand that a higher Neilson score and the accuracy of the alleged reporting are mutually exclusive. To put it another way, conservatives believe that the more Fox"News" viewers there are, the more truth they must be telling.

This. Is. Not. True.

To follow conservative logic, as Rachel Maddow correctly points out, if your rating score is high, then your program - no matter what the subject matter - is proportionately true. So is there really a talking sponge under the sea that hangs out with a star-fish and has wacky adventures with celebrity guest stars? Of course there isn't. That's like saying since O'Reilly claimed that there wasn't a homeless Veteran problem that there isn't one.

Fox"News" enjoys it's ratings success largely due to the very nature of modern Americans. We are voyeuristic in nature. We crave entertainment, confrontation, and programming that is sensational. The consumerist nature of Americans is tapped into by Fox on virtually every program they air. It's info-tainment porn. We tune into Fox because of who they are and how they act. It's the proverbial car wreck that you slow down to take a look at, the fight in the school-yard that you know you can stop but are having too good of a time standing back and watching unfold.

The reality of it is that people watch Fox"News" for a variety of reasons. I would speculate that it's a minority within the country that watch Fox purely for informational purposes.

Slash And Burn

Because you know they don't have a real plan.



( more from Think Progress )

Conservatives like Michelle Bachman continually display not only rank hypocrisy when it comes to alleged concern of "over-reach in government", they also showcase as lack of any real vision for the country.

Where was this concern when the Bush administration was spying on innocent Americans? Where was this outrage when Medicare was overhauled during Bush's tenure? What about the lack of noise from conservatives when the Bush DOJ was blatantly politicized?

I could go on.

It's very telling that Bachman can't provide any balance to her desires to tear down all of the Obama administrations accomplishments. To put it another way, Bachman is not only telling you what conservatives wish to do, she's also letting listeners know that they don't have any alternatives.

Lunatic Fringe Television

So he's fear-mongering about liberal/progressives taking up arms after the mid-terms and is now asking why conservatives haven't already?



This idea that government is going to "monitor all your purchases" is nothing more than a fear tactic based on specious claims that don't stand up to the realities of what this reform is about.

But beyond all that, Beck's hysteria regarding the lack of pitch-forks, torches, and violent protests from conservatives should honestly give even the casual viewer of his paranoid-laden program pause, as he is continually the first one to insist that it is in fact the liberals/progressives in America that are going to take to the streets and cause such an uprising that our country will be turned on its ear virtually overnight.

And I really have to address Beck's predictable "this bill is too big" tantrum, as it is something that modern conservatives love to showcase. It's been readily established that conservatives in Congress are more than willing to espouse the "easy way out" that will ultimately do nothing but complicate situations while sounding like grounded solutions. But it should be pointed out that problems like financial and healthcare reform can't possibly be encapsulated in 10 pages for the short-attention-span crowd that are more than willing to vote Republican during each election cycle.

A Legacy Or Something Else

Let's get over the pretty visuals and really discuss this

While this film has been highlighted her before, it should be mentioned again that this is a literal and metaphorical continuation of many of the childhood memories that people my age recall from the early 80s.

And yes, the special effects and the trailers prior to this have trigger an emotive response that the producers of the film have desired, I am forcing myself to pause before I claim that this movie is going to be the creme of the 2010 crop.

If this turns out to be nothing more than the 21st century action rehash that I fear it will be - and I think that many of my fears are grounded in reality at this point - I'm going to be seriously pissed. Don't give me a love story and some poorly conceived narrative about family and morals, give me fucking TRON!!!!!

Style And No Substance

Come and visit but



It's rather telling how the Tea Baggers are more than willing to have their message out there but lack the ability to be respond to fair questioning and have any sort of accountability.

In many respects, the Tea Baggers are like a Micheal Bay film - all special effects and no plot.

Shifting Momentum

Andrew Breitbart is struggling to get his latest narrative out there no matter who he attacks - even if it's the people he apparently was trying to defend.



The old conservative stand-by - accuse people of being a "plant" simply because your thesis has been torn apart. The sad part of it is that I was actually expecting this to happen.

Think Progress has more details that show how desperate Andrew Breitbart is to win this no matter who gets caught in the cross-fire.

From my perspective, Breitbart is either completely naive when it comes to the use of video footage that is given to him or he is willing to lie to the American public in order to get face-time on cable news. I'm suspecting that it's a healthy dose of the later and more than a pinch of the former. Honestly, how completely clueless does a man have to be to accept edited video from a source without questioning it's authenticity?

Paging Andrew Breitbart

I'm really trying to hold myself back from saying "pwned", but it sure seems that way.



The rebuttal from Breitbart should be interesting, if he even has the sand to do so.

UPDATE

And Rick Sanchez interviews the couple.



The accusations of racism "don't make sense"

Karma And Irony In It's Purest Form

Even though this is Glenn Beck we're talking about, this really shouldn't be framed as a joke.



I particularly like the part where he takes the predictable jab at healthcare reform and then complains, in jest really as he doesn't need to worry about the price of healthcare, that the doctor is going to charge him a ridiculous amount of money for essentially telling him nothing.

And then cut to 2:44 for the obligatory "tearing up". This is where Beck delves into his conservative preacher schtick.

To be completely honest with the three people that actually read my blog, I'm not entirely sure I believe Beck. It's just this sort of thing that plays to the base instincts of not just conservatives, but all of us. It's the pity-party narrative. But Beck, being the showman that he is, won't just stop at telling his audience that he could completely loose his sight within the next 12 months, he has to tie in healthcare reform, religion, and family.

From my perspective, if this is actually true, I see this as something that can be embodied in one word - karma.

Conservative Concern With Edit Points

This clip of now former Georgia Director of Rural Development Shirley Sherrod needs to be addressed for many reasons, not least of which is the obvious removal of context.



While there is clearly a message of race, financial distress, and how it is remedied coming from Sherrod, one has to take into consideration several factors. In regards to context, the clip showcases remarks that - at first blush - could be considered racist by those whom are explicitly searching for it. And while Sherrod is relating a story of that is predicated on race and how whites and blacks interact, there really isn't a clear ending to her story, as that was obviously cut out in order to further the conservative narrative that it's actually the blacks in America that are racist.

Secondly, there is no proof in this video that Sherrod denied financial assistance to the farmer in question. Granted, the use of the words "his kind" don't exactly help her case, but considering how the story is being framed and how this man allegedly spoke to her, one can almost understand why she chose those words. Was it a poor chose? Most certainly.

Now comes something that I didn't expect.

From the conservative blog First Things and highlighted by Allahpundit over at HotAir, it appears that there's actually the very first example of a conservative showing concern for how a video is being edited that is actually furthering their message.

Doesn’t it seem like, after all of that sort of winking, “you and I know how they really are” racist crap wherein Sherrod–intentionally or not–indicts her own narrow focus, she was heading to a more edifying message? What did it open her eyes about? Was she about to say “I took him to one of his own, but it shouldn’t have mattered about that; my job was to serve all the farmers who needed help.”

Was she about to say, “I learned about myself and about how far we still have to go?”

Was she about to say “it’s not poor vs those who have, because we are not at war, we are just in the same human reality that ever was?”

Was she about to say, “poor is poor, hungry is hungry and the past is the past when a family can’t eat?”

I want to know. Because it seemed like Sherrod was heading somewhere with that story, and the edit does not let us get there. I want the rest of the story before I start passing judgment on it.

And while the piece by The Anchoress quickly devolves into this preposterous notion that the NAACP are shining a light on specific elements of the Tea Bagger movement out of jealously of their alleged success, one has to wonder if conservatives are beginning to show a bit of intellectual honesty - albeit rather late in the game.

Then there's the fact that Sherrod has resigned, apparently due to the release of the heavily edited video. While conservatives are more than happy to insist that Ben Jealous "threw her under the bus" after this trumped-up non-troversy, I'm going to withhold judgement on this until Sherrod makes an official statement.

Fox"News" is all over this story this morning, so I'm sure that the conservative blogging realm is going to be cherry-picking this for some time to come.

Everyone Loves A Parade

The new campaign tool for conservatives - assault weapons.



While Talking Points Memo has more on the parade for a Palin-backed candidate for Senate, I have to ask myself how this could shape up to be a big problem for conservatives on election day.

Not to delve too deeply into the "what if" dimension that conservatives prefer over reality, but what's going to happen when and if these people show up to the polls on election day with their guns? Are we going to hear from Fox"News" and their mouth-agape followers about voter intimidation? I highly doubt it. But what should be blatantly apparent is that the blip above is a form of voter intimidation - we have guns and aren't afraid to show them off in order to show how serious we are about getting this guy elected.

The Politics Of Hedge Funds

As I've stated previously, I'm not an economist. But, I can tell when someone with a wealth of knowledge and experience in the financial realm lets their mask slip.

In a recent piece in the New York Times, hedge fund manager Hugh Hendry says something of Barack Obama that I have hypothesized many like him have said:

If there was a way to short Obama, I would.

And while many conservatives would attack liberals/progressives for highlighting this quote - even going so far as to insist that they were about to call Mr. Hendry a racist - it should be pointed out that this isn't exactly something to snort at.

Are hedge fund managers gaming the system against the Obama administration in order to create the illusion that the economy isn't rebounding as it should because of policies and practices by Democrats? I think it's a fair theory that requires more investigation.

Lingustic Spin

Some conservatives are coming to Palin's defense regarding her inability to use the English language.

This won’t hurt her with her base, of course — few things ever do, least of all the sort of vocab mistake to which millions of people can relate. All it’ll do is further prove her unpretentious populist authenticity.

"Populist authenticity"? Really?

Of course, this isn't the first time that Palin has used the made-up word, as Mediaite shows in a clip from Hannity on Fox"News"



And while Mediaite not only showcased Palin's premiere of the new term, they also reported that the tweet that garnered all the attention was deleted. Kind of puts a dent in the follow-up where she compared herself to Shakespeare. If she's going to "celebrate" her ability to molest the English language, one would think that she wouldn't be so ashamed of her word-salad dribblings.

I will concede that almost all pundits, politicians, and just about every average citizen makes mistakes like this. However, a woman like Palin - whom conservatives continually lionize as a woman of multiple talents who is allegedly smarter than Obama - makes these sort of mistakes ALL THE TIME.

Just take a look at her mangling of her native language in this clip.



Conservatives will defend anything this woman does or says, no matter how blatantly ignorant she acts. And these are the people that say that everyone in America should be able to speak English.

Video Projection

Tea Baggers and their online media masters at Fox"Nation" are drooling over themselves because - gasp - the "evil liberal media" are holding the Obama administration accountable for their actions.



You notice how this video clearly destroys the conservative meme of "liberal media bias". Bet they weren't thinking about that when they cobbled this poorly conceived piece together.

The context-free clips that the Dallas Tea Bagger conflagration used for their "we aren't racist" piece is one of the hallmarks of conservative ideology - distraction is the greatest form of Republican dialogue. Those of us that have higher brain functions that allow us to see that this type of video is designed to do nothing more than trigger a reflexive response are able to see not only the director and editors intent, but how to respond to it.

It's about accountability, something that the Tea Bagging crowd never did with Bush and will never do with any Republican, as it would completely destroy their poorly constructed thesis.

You Can't Get There From Here

In which Paul Ryan makes absolutely no sense - again.



This whole idea that Obama, and apparently all the Democrats in Congress according to Ryan, are dedicated progressives is beyond laughable. While I would prefer Obama and Democrats in Congress to be more progressive, this simply isn't the case, as is evidenced from how often Democrats have either abandoned what they were elected to do out of some fear that America would come apart at the seams if they continued or kowtowed to conservative Republican perspectives in order to "bring people together". How is that even remotely progressive?

But here's where I think Ryan, and all like him, are completely off the rails, even though he claims to be latched onto that "third rail" that he believes will turn around the American economy. He mentioned this preposterous notion that "liberty" and the "entrepreneurial" spirit are no longer part of America. Where the fuck is this man living? Just in the last 6 months I have seen several "small businesses" open up and they are already seeing fantastic success considering where the economy still is. So, to hear this Congressman say that people aren't eager to make entrepreneurial leaps is completely outside reality. Granted, this is from my perspective in Western Kentucky, but I think that this is a signifier that shouldn't be ignored.

Conservatives are quite eager to insist that the Obama administration can't turn the economy around, even though the numbers simply don't match up with their rhetoric. The caveat to this is that the jobless numbers aren't where they should be, but I'm of the opinion that some within the private sector aren't hiring because of unfounded fears propagated by conservatives. One might call this a conspiratorial theory, but considering what is espoused by conservatives as "fact", I would have to say that my theory isn't to far outside the realm of reality.

Framing The Narrative

I'm wondering exactly what type of "judge" Andrew Napolitano was prior to being hired by Fox"News". But let's get right to the heart of this..........



Yeah, Glenn Beck, "great explainer of history". It's a shame that people actually buy into that idea.

Anyway.

Beck and Napolitano are eagerly framing the new narrative that there will be riots in the streets and that liberal/progressives will be targeting conservatives with violence should Republicans make gains in November. Beck specifically is making these accusations in direct correlation with minorities while trying to insist that the case against the New Black Panther party isn't about racism. It's a typical example of conservative fearmongering and double-speak.

Another aspect of this is that conservatives like Beck are setting the scene for what will happen after the midterm elections in order to further the notion that liberals/progressives are out to destroy the country. What Beck is doing is so transparent and predictable that it's almost pointless to talk about it. He's prepping the mouth agape conservatives that look to him as some solar messiah to believe that no matter what happens in November, liberals/progressives are going to act in violent concert against America and all that it stands for. That is, what Beck thinks it stands for.

There is a moment in this clip where Beck talks about the "lame duck" session on Congress and what legislation may be passed or not. This has just recently become a conservative talking point, that there shouldn't be anything done by Congress immediately following a midterm election. What kind of point of view is that? Should car companies not do anything to improve their line of vehicles put out into the market the previous year simply because the new model year line is about to be released? It's a very revealing look into not only the laziness of conservative ideology, but how they are more than willing to create a storyline that is designed to do nothing more than inflame, frighten, and smear.

Racial Ignorance Of The Right

Full credit to my dear Twitter pal GottaLaff for some further material for this post.

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

So there's absolutely no racism within the Tea Party or any facet of the conservative movement - none? Really?

What about this?



.....or this, from a man who is directly attributing his "success" to the Tea Baggers?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

...........what about this, or this, this, this, this, this, this, or a host of other perfect examples.

So what do Fox"News" favorites Sean Hannity and Sarah "I can barely finish anything I've started unless I'm paid A LOT" Palin have to say about this?



There's is this palatable and oddly humorous shade of irony in Sean Hannity calling for people to completely ignore the well-documented racial animus within the Tea Bagger crowd since he was the one thathosted Duane "Dog The Bounty Hunter" on this program to provide covering fire for him when he dropped the dreaded N-bomb in a way that would make even Mel Gibson genuflect in horror.

But let's look at Palin's framing of this.......

She's essentially framing her thesis that the Tea Party shouldn't be held accountable because they see Obama as either "not white enough" or "just black enough that he scares us". Does it get any clearer than this?

The greater point of all of this is that NO ONE within the conservative movement are distancing themselves in any fashion from the clearly defined racism, racial animus, and race-baiting from the Tea Baggers simply because it would require them to do something that they continually espouse but virtually never do - hold people accountable.

Should I Be Pleased Or Not?

I write like
Stephen King

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Granted, King has made several boat-loads of cash and has for pretty much as long as I've been alive, but I've never been too terribly pleased with his prose. Anyone recall the really bizarre and seriously disappointing turn that the Dark Tower series took when Wizard and the Glass came out?

( h/t to John Cole )

Back To This, Really?

The politician in diapers digs a little deeper.



I'm thinking that some people are behind the times of their fetishes. After all, the whole 'having a hooker treat you like a baby while your wearing a diaper' bit hasn't been that prominent since HBO featured it as a portion of it's Real Sex series back in late 90s. So NOW Vitter wants to jump in Orly Taitz' lap and beg for a pat on the bum? Really?

What?

I saw this earlier today and it's been really messing with my head.



My first reaction was that this was a brilliant parody of the Tea Bagger movement. I mean, just look at this woman. Artificial tan, lips, eyelashes, and TONS of make-up. It's a veritable personification of who and what the Tea Baggers are.

Then, I happened upon Paddy's post at The Political Carnival that not only re-iterated my point but actually provided the link to the the site this woman was speaking of. After watching clips shown there, I'm of the opinion that this woman is duping everyone or this woman has a shrine to Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachman in her bedroom that she masturbates too each day while listening to Beck's radio show.

I'm really divided on this one.

Goodbye "Big Stein"

.....and speaking of the race baiting king.



I listened to NPR's obituary of Steinbrenner this afternoon after work. It wasn't political - save the mention of how he was cited for illegally donating to Nixon's reelection campaign in '74 - but it was honest, compelling, and painted an accurate portrait of a man that was, in my opinion, a legend in baseball.

But, leave it to Rush - the disgraced ESPN sports announcer and failed NFL franchise owner - to turn that loss of a great man into a tool designed to portray blacks as rank losers unless there is a "great, white, savior" out there to help them.

Greatest Fox Cat-Fight Ever

In which Kirsten Powers has me, then loses me REALLY quick.



Powers has always been one of the "Democrats" on Fox"News" that is really just another blonde with a a Democratic label pasted on her dress. Some style and little if any substance. But here, she really got under Megyn Kelly's skin by correctly stating that J. Christian is nothing but a conservative activist with a history of misleading statements, as well as the fact that this singular case is the Fox"News" way of perpetuating the "scary black man" narrative.

And then Powers completely tanks it in the end.

Was there a producer off camera telling her to tone it down? Was she suddenly filled with this question of whether or not this could cost her her job? Both are likely but I'm not even going to speculate on it any further than that.

The larger point of this segment is that Kelly is continuing to prove herself nothing more than another "pretty blonde" on Fox that is willing to parrot fringe conservative talking points, invite on a completely discredited "whistle blower", and then do her best 'Sean Hannity In A Skirt' impersonation in that hopes that it will garner some of his attention and hopefully lead to a second debate with Powers on his show. I'm thinking it will probably just lead to some supplication from Hannity and more inflammatory rhetoric and race baiting from a man that learned his trade from the king of race baiters - Rush Limbaugh.

Goodbye Harvey

When I first started collection comics, I became aware very quickly about people like Crumb, Pekar, and titles like Love And Rockets, and American Splendor. Too bad I wasn't bright enough to pick them up.

Today

Harvey Pekar was one of the most important, idiosyncratic, and eccentric writers that the comics medium has ever produced. He ushered in a new age of autobiographical realism to comic books and graphic novels, writing scripts that were illustrated by artists such as R. Crumb, Gary Dumm, Dean Haspiel, Drew Friedman, and Rick Geary. He enjoyed a brief period of TV stardom as an occasional guest on David Letterman’s NBC talk show, and his comic-book series American Splendor inspired a 2003 film of the same name starring Paul Giamatti as Pekar. In 2003, he contributed a periodic comic strip, “Harvey Pekar’s Lost and Found,” to Entertainment Weekly.

Rolling through Pekar’s pop-culture credits, however, does not come close to describing what Pekar achieved. He spent most of his adult life working a civil-service job as a filing clerk in Cleveland, Ohio, writing comics scripts in his spare time. He loved jazz and collected vinyl albums from thrift sales and used record- and bookstores, a passion that he shared with one of his most sympathetic artist-collaborators, R. Crumb.

His on air battles with David Letterman are legend.



Tonight, I'm going to watch the film adaptation of his life in his memory. There won't be another comic author like him ever again.

Ownership Of Memories

...........and Beck thinks this is about honor and character?



And you don't own him either, Glenn.

I hasten to assume what a great man like Dr. King would have to say about Beck, but when one looks at the call he made to judge a man by the content of his character, it doesn't take much to realize that Beck character is just that - a character. He misuses and molests the realities of America in order to create a false narrative that people, like King, were a detriment to society, that they somehow tore down the very fabric that made this nation great.

Granted, Beck has not specifically used Dr. King's name in conjunction with what he continually refers to as the systematic destruction of our nation, but the ideals that he despises are ones that Dr. King told us to embrace, to accept with open minds and hearts, and to fight for with our every breath.

It's no coincidence that Beck chose the date that he did in order to align himself with Dr. King; and that makes my skin crawl in disgust. Glenn Beck knows exactly what he's doing - he's doing this best to make Dr. King into another one of his gimmicks that he can use.

Exit question: considering the racial divisiveness within the modern conservative movement, how many Beck fans do you really think are going to accept this alignment with a black man that many conservatives today continue to claim is a radical; even a domestic terrorist. You think I'm making this up? I suppose you've not spent much time in the south where Beck has a rabid, almost a cult, following.

Continued Racial Narrative

It's not a surprise that the most fringe elements of the conservative movement are lauding Michelle Bachman's latest stream racially charged invective.

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has made her latest pronouncement on the evils of the Obama administration -- that they are "turning our country into a nation of slaves."

Bachmann appeared at a right-wing conference in Colorado this past weekend, the Colorado Independent reports, and in her speech Friday night she quoted from founding father John Jay: "We are determined to live free or not at all. And we are resolved that posterity shall never reproach us with having brought slaves into the world."

Bachmann then continued, in her own words: "We will talk a little bit about what has transpired in the last 18 months and would we count what has transpired into turning our country into a nation of slaves.

Conservatives certainly have a problem with not being able to get away from using the spectre of race when discussing Obama and his administration. It doesn't take a great deal of examination to realize why many within the conservative movement are rightly labeled as racists or race baiters.

But let's look at this from her standpoint for a second. What shackles have been placed on us by the Obama administration that are preventing us from being free? After all, Bachman's incessant prattling is a more radical echo of the claim that Americans, by and large, have lost many of their freedoms under Obama's presidency.

To that, I would ask this again - what freedoms have you lost Michelle?

Shifting Gears

Recently, I found myself in the ranks of the unemployed. Luckily, though, I was able to find a great new job near my area. In point of fact, I got several job offers at the end of last week and there are still no less than 5 employers that were tentatively scheduled to call me back today. I couldn't wait for them, as this new opportunity is just too good to pass up right now.

There are some pretty clear signifiers that the economy in my part of Kentucky is rebounding to such an extent that job growth is on the rise. Unfortunately, it's not that way across the board - yet. I'm wondering how long it's going to take conservatives to take credit for this uptrend when and if they make the alleged gains in Congress that they are already crowing about.

From the perspective of this little corner of the internet, blogging will be done primarily on an evening and weekend basis, as my new schedules doesn't allow as much downtime as my previous job - which I am actually rather thankful to not have to deal with any longer.

Keep checking in for updates and the occasional post that actually merits a response.

Until then, here's some music for your morning. Hard to believe that this track is almost 20 years old.

The Face Of Indoctrination : A Continued Series

So now this sort of thing is acceptable to conservatives?

A biography of the former Alaska governor and self-described "mama grizzly" is set for release in September by Christian book publisher Zondervan.

"Speaking Up: The Sarah Palin Story," is one in a series of biographies aimed at 9- to 12-year-old readers. Others feature 2007 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow and U2 frontman Bono.

Kathleen Kerr, an acquisitions editor for Zondervan's Zonderkidz division, said the subjects are prominent figures who children hear about in the news and role models for tweens who are "working for the betterment of the world in which we live and who are motivated primarily by their Christian faith."

Or what about this, even more blatant, form of indoctrination by a conservative icon...

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Granted, the book isn't written by Palin - I known you're shocked - but the message is still the same, target students in an effort to rewrite even recent history in order to continue to frame a consistently false and misleading narrative.

Anyone remember the optional video speech that Obama was to give to students? Yeah, you remember the is got from prominent conservative.



Here's Michelle Malkin, in all her purse-lipped faux rage.

The activist tradition of government schools using students as junior lobbyists cannot be ignored. Zealous teacher's unions have enlisted captive schoolchildren as letter-writers in their campaigns for higher education spending. Out-of-control activists have enlisted their secondary-school charges in pro-illegal immigration protests, gay marriage ceremonies, environmental propaganda stunts, and anti-war events.

There was even a call to keep children at home on that day, fearing that a message of working hard, studying, and bettering yourself would somehow turn all the kids in public schools into brainless automatons. From my point of view, the standardized testing mandated by No Child Left Behind has already done enough damage in that regard.

Conservatives have a long and well-recorded timeline of distorting and destroying history. We haven't seen this type of push to re-write who and what our country ever - at least not in my lifetime. We won't see Beck challenged when he makes specious claims regarding FDR. We will never hear parents' concern over a book that is geared towards pre-teens that has a clearly established religious bent. We won't hear these challenges from conservatives because they actually favor indoctrination, because the world that they live in isn't the "real America". There's is a fantasy world where they are the perpetual victims of bias, intimidation, and smears. So to compensate for their inability to see this nation for what it is, what it was, and what is truly should be, they must project their own failings upon everyone else.

Gender Politics

We all have looked back at our high school photos and been shocked by how different we look now. However, for a group of people that have decried alleged sexist rhetoric, it's amazing to see how easily conservatives can become the people that they claim to despise.

Recently, a photo of Rachel Maddow from high school was posted online and the fine, civil, upstanding folks over at Fox "Nation" let their real colors show. For some context, here is a look at Maddow then and now followed by comments from Fox"Nation".

flyinjohn23
Reply

He should have his.... cut off. Oh, wait a second... He did ..didn't he....Never mind!
Saturday, July 10, 2010 at 07:34 AM

California has failed
Reply

A transgendered woman?
Friday, July 09, 2010 at 09:54 PM

decamptownlady
Reply

I could spot that man-neck a mile away.
Friday, July 09, 2010 at 08:26 PM

topswifey
Reply

I thought it was a guy playing dress up
Friday, July 09, 2010 at 07:25 PM

Moonraker
Reply

She / it ,or whatever is the dominate male now.
Friday, July 09, 2010 at 05:13 PM

Scott - CO
Reply

I wonder if the politics were as radical when Rachel Madcow was a woman?
Friday, July 09, 2010 at 05:10 PM

Constitution scholar
Reply

well i guess being a dike will age the hell out of you
Friday, July 09, 2010 at 04:10 PM

November is Almost Here - Goodbye Progressive-Cancer In America
Reply

It's Kieth Oblablaman wearing his usual weekend wig and makeup.
Friday, July 09, 2010 at 03:13 PM

hdm
Reply

He used to be a woman??????
Friday, July 09, 2010 at 01:18 PM

Stop Liberal Insanity
Reply

I think its "Bob the dog" from the old Letterman show.
Friday, July 09, 2010 at 12:48 PM

And there's much more, as those are the ones that jump right out at you as unblushing example of sexism by a group of people that wet their collective undergarments if you even hold Sarah Palin accountable for her words and actions.

This is the second example in as many days of Fox"Nation" allowing language on their site that violates their clearly stated mission statement. Then again, the very idea of Fox and it's various entities are fair, balanced, and civil is completely laughable.

The Nation Of Hate

Even though I don't agree with what the New Black Panther Party espouses, it's truly a wonder to behold how conservatives are willing to dive headlong into the shallow end of the pool and become that which they claim to decry.

Here are a few comments from Fox "Nation" in regard to Malik Shabazz's appearance on Fox"News". And it's a very fair assumption that these comments are directed at all blacks that oppose conservative ideology and how Fox approaches socio-political discourse.

dj58701
Reply

I am starting to think we should never have ended slavery.
Friday, July 09, 2010 at 06:22 PM

j9
Reply

Since they are trying to shred the Constitution, how about the Emancipation Proclamation?
Friday, July 09, 2010 at 06:05 PM

Father of a Disabled Vet
Reply

Where's James Earl Ray when you need him..........
Friday, July 09, 2010 at 05:47 PM

njjoe
Reply

so mr. zulu is looking for a fight? you won`t have to look to far.and be careful, you may get what you wish for.
Friday, July 09, 2010 at 05:43 PM

Special Forces (Ret)
Reply

They have a perfect defense: "I'm Black and I'm Stupid!".
Friday, July 09, 2010 at 04:48 PM

I LOVE SARAH P.
Reply

Okay... 2010 let's send the Klan to Philly voting stations with shotguns.
Friday, July 09, 2010 at 05:06 PM

The realities of this alleged scandal and those propagating it are something that conservatives are not wanting you to understand. Granted, Shabazz is not a person that speaks for the bulk of blacks in America, but Fox"News" is most certainly devoting a great deal of time in formatting the narrative that he does. Unfortunately, it's working, despite the fact that the Bush DOJ refused to prosecute a similar case involving a member of the Minutemen:

....in 2006, the Justice Department "declined to bring any action for alleged voter intimidation" "when three well-known anti-immigrant advocates affiliated with the Minutemen, one of whom was carrying a gun, allegedly intimidated Latino voters at a polling place by approaching several persons, filming them, and advocating and printing voting materials in Spanish."

The reality of this story, for me at least, is that the two men at the polling station did not intimidate anyone from voting, and the limited allegations that were brought against them are completely unsubstantiated and specious at best. There was action brought against the man carrying the stick, but this simply doesn't satiate the conservatives that are out to portray not only the New Black Panther party as racist radicals, but the entire black race as such.

I will, however, openly offer this caveat - claiming that you have to kill a white person and their children is unacceptable and indefensible and no one in this country with even the most rudimentary of reasoning skills will claim that it is. However, Fox"News" is formulating the narrative that liberals and progressives think that this type of behavior can simply be passed over. In point of fact, they are wrong.

The case at hand is without merit, due to the fact that there has not been one person some forward to say that they were denied their ability to vote due to actions of the two members of the New Black Panther party. And while I disagree whole heartedly with the rhetoric displayed by the man that was holding the stick during a later episode, to conflate what he said then with what happened at the Philly polling station is more than a shade disingenuous.

Teabagging Rape Victims

This sort of abject insanity should not only give women pause, but make teabagging conservatives reconsider Sharron Angle's ability to rub to neuro-transmitters together in order to create even a semi-cogent point.

I think that two wrongs don’t make a right. And I have been in the situation of counseling young girls, not 13 but 15, who have had very at risk, difficult pregnancies. And my counsel was to look for some alternatives, which they did. And they found that they had made what was really a lemon situation into lemonade. Well one girl in particular moved in with the adoptive parents of her child, and they both were adopted. Both of them grew up, one graduated from high school, the other had parents that loved her and she also graduated from high school. And I’ll tell you the little girl who was born from that very poor situation came to me when she was 13 and said ‘I know what you did thank you for saving my life.’ So it is meaningful to me to err on the side of life.

While the alleged pro-life movement has continually and unflinchingly put themselves in a position that favors their own rhetoric over the life and livelihood of the mother, this is simply beyond the pale. This woman is openly and actively pushing aside the effects - both biologically and emotionally - of incest in order to push a canted ideology that will ultimately lead down a road that we don't even want to consider setting foot on.

Brainstem Removal

Michelle Malkin has recently ceded much of her blog space to conservative hack Doug Powers, and he keeps up the right-wing blatherings with a short piece and comment section about Ashley Judd that is long of sophistry and schoolyard rhetoric and predictably short on realistic assessment.

Last month, in a speech to the National Press Club, actress Ashley Judd took a break from taking on Sarah Palin and set her sights on business practices in her home state.

Judd referred to the mountain top removal of coal in Kentucky as “environmental genocide,” called the process “the state-sanctioned, federal government supported, coal industry operated, rape of Appalachia,” and said the miners should be retrained to take “better jobs” (unfortunately the “vacuous actor” career field is full up at the moment).

On Wednesday, the coal industry sponsored a golf tournament at StoneCrest Golf Course in Prestonsburg, Kentucky, and launched a return salvo by way of a poster displayed at the tourney:

Here's the poster being referenced:



And while equating showing your boobs on film with the ecologically dangerous practice of quite literally blowing the tops off of mountains isn't anywhere near a realistic comparison, it showcases exactly how conservatives refuse to take an honest look the issue at hand. To put it another way, it's easy for conservative men to make a sexist joke because they know they'll not be chastised for it.

There are three types of mines in Kentucky: Strip, Underground, and Mountaintop Removal. While the first is the less dangerous practice - though almost on an equal playing field in regards to environmental damage, the later has a rich and storied past of destroying ecosystems and poisoning the waters of the region.

If conservatives were as passionate about how the ecological rape of our lands - not just here in Kentucky, mind you - as they were about deficits and taxation, then perhaps Powers would exercise a little intellectual honesty and find out exactly why Ashley Judd is describing mountaintop removal as she does.