The Friday Blog Round-up

Here's a new feature that showcases the blogs I follow.

This section will ( hopefully ) be a continuous Friday feature that showcases both the Left and Right. Not in the spirit of "fairnessy and blancyness", but just to show you how completely off base the Modern American Right are and make you understand that the Mainstream Media aren't digging in like they should on the real issues - while favoring the framing of the Right.

- It's certain to be a Right Wing, GOP, Tea Bagger talking point that Anthony Weiner's seat ( oh wait, are we supposed to say it's "the poople's seat"? ) will tilt to the Republicans, but Nate Silver tells us why Rep's should be tepid in their insistence.

- John Cole how Republican/Conservative/Libertarian/Randian? posturing gets mixes in a pot and either comes out as Galt-Cultist goulash, or just idiocy disguised as important socio-political dialogue.

- My Twitter Pal ( @bluegal - you're "it" ) briefly talks about the different from "non-profit" charter schools and "for-profit" charter schools ( read: Tea Bagger Institutions Of "Learning" ).

- Occasional commenter Busted Knuckles over at "Ornery Bastard" has the greatest description of what it means to be a Republican and really break the law in reference to extra-marital exercises.

- Gryphen over at The Immoral Minority points out what Fox"News" and Fox"Nation" will attempt to spin before we can say "Paul Revere actually brewed that beer with Samuel Adams, donchaknow"

- Former "I'm really the intellectual guy" MTV anchor ( and that's fucking funny on it's own ) Kurt Loder takes to the Doughy Pantload path and ends up highlighting how "Fascism" is part of the Green Lantern movie storyline. Yeah, you knew it was coming.

- Breitbart's "Big Gov't" site continues to push their ignorance ( wait, is it really ignorance or just a veiled attempt to protect those businesses that are more than willing to shaft the consumer if they can have accountability removed? ) of Net Neutrality with another call for "defunding".

- The internet's Dumbest Man is more than eager to show his hatred for women's reproductive systems while stalking his employer Andrew Breitbart at the so called "Right Online" convention to attempt to tell people he knows that his decisions are more important than any woman's. Typical.

- Oh, so the Romney "hey, guys I'm unemployed too" bit was just an innocent joke?

- Once again, Brent Bozell's easily lead employee's equate low ratings with "Liberal Media Bias"

Got a link for me to use? You know where I am.............

Romney Takes The Hannity Approach

Mitt Romney's speech to the Heritage Foundation just may well be a signifier that he intends to run again in 2012:

I take issue with President Obama's recent tour of apology. It's not because America hasn't made mistakes -- we have -- but because America's mistakes are overwhelmed by what America has meant to the hopes and aspirations of people throughout the world.

The President also claimed on Arabic TV that America has dictated to other nations. No, America has sacrificed to free other nations from dictators.

This line of thinking is completely in line with what Sean Hannity does on any given night.

Although Romney mentions that America has made mistakes, he completely glosses over that very real fact with vague generalizations about the vast amount of wonderful things that America means to the rest of the world.

What are those things?

Surely Mitt would mention that we bring "freedom" and "hope", but I would dare say that any Iraqi who may be asked what America means to him/her that their response wouldn't please Mitt at all.

But, such is the mind of the rabidly ill-informed conservative Republican. Especially one that appears intent on gaining the Republican nomination for President in 2012.

Fuel Economy Will Destroy Us All

What do you get when you put Mitt Romney, Sean Hannity, and William Kristol in a room with fresh talking-poinst about regulation, fuel economy, and the "Big 3" auto manufacturers?



So, then, explain how foreign car manufacturers can flourish.
Yeah, that's right Sean, I brought out the "other-countries-can-do-it-so-why-can't-we" bit.

Also, considering that European auto makers follow standards much stricter than CAFE her in America and still beat the "Big 3" hand-over-fist, it isn't hard to see that Hannity, Kristol, and Mitt's logic doesn't hold up.

The technology exists. However, people like Mitt, Hannity, and Kristol have so much of their vocabulary - so much of their lives - invested into the "regulation is bad" speech that they fear becoming irrelavent within their own clique if they stray from the script. They will deny logic at every turn, so long as they have grocery money at the end of the week.

I was expecting Sean to start claiming that gays were to blame for this as well.

Is The Bush Administration Advocating "Sex Ed For Kindergartners"?

Yes, They are.

( ht to ChiGuy @ DailyKos for this one )


In a previous blog, I talked about how Michelle Malkin and Byron York had their knickers in a twist over legislation - supported by Barack Obama - that advocated teaching comprehensive, age appropriate, sex education to children in grades K - 12.

Well, it appears that this is not a new concept.

The "sex ed for kindergartners" policy for which McCain has been bashing Obama is in fact a policy currently funded by the Bush administration and is a policy that has been recommended by state boards of education in conservative states such as Tennessee and Wyoming.

If you take a look at the CDCs funding of The National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE), you'll find this:

Providing HIV-related information and guidance to state boards of
education and other education stakeholders on policies that promote
effective HIV prevention for kindergarten through 12th grade students in
schools across the nation.

This is also not a new practice. It's been going on since 2003 in Tennessee.

A press release, dated February of this year reads in part:

The National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) has
made grants to three state boards of education to promote more
effective instruction to K-12 students about HIV prevention. The
$13,000 grants are being made to the North Carolina, Oregon, and
Tennessee State Boards of Education.

...

The grants are part of NASBE's HIV Prevention Policy and Program
Improvement Initiative, a facet of the Center for Safe and Healthy
Schools, which is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention's Division of Adolescent and School Health (CDC-DASH).

Even Wyoming has had this policy in place - for 10 years.

Be sure and read ChiGuys diary for the rest of the info.

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If there was any remaining question in the minds of voters ( likely or not ) as to whether McCain and his campaign have been honest with the American public, you've got your answer now.

Apparently, Mitt Romney was continuing this lie and did so on morning Joe today: