Faith Based Attacks

In which the Obama is a scary, black, Muslim meme continues:

Is there anything this man won’t do to pander for votes?
Barack Obama today lied at the National Prayer Breakfast and covered up his father’s Muslim faith.
CNN posted the transcript:

This may come as a surprise, for as some of you know, I did not come from a particularly religious family. My father, who I barely knew – I only met once for a month in my entire life – was said to be a non-believer throughout his life.

Of course, this is not true.
Obama’s father Barack Obama, Sr. was a Muslim and it even lists him as a Muslim on his Wikepedia page.

And while the Wikipedia entry references Obama Sr.'s father as a Muslim, it clearly states that Barack Obama's father was an "atheist". A man who was born into a mixed Christian/Muslim family, mind you.

But the dishonest nature of the reactionary Right doesn't end their, as it seems that simply because you are born into a family that practices a particular religion that you are somehow magically imbued with those same set of beliefs.

Having grown up in a Christian family ( Methodist/Southern Baptist ) I never fully agreed with those Biblical teachings - as they are rarely, if ever, put into practice - and to this day do not consider myself a Christian. Acceptance of a particular theology is a "choice", not something that is thrust upon you at birth.

The full transcript of Obama's address to the Prayer Breakfast can be found here.

The modern American Right seem to be tilting more and more towards a desire for Theocratic Rule rather than a Democracy that accepts all religious beliefs and does not deny anyone the free practice thereof. And regardless of when and where Obama goes to church, where and what and why he prays, the reactionary Right in America are going to find a way to claim their own religious superiority to him. I find a rather delicious irony in all of this actually, considering how those that allegedly practice the teaching of Holy text are more than willing to "judge" another person.

Decision Flexible

It's not surprising that Bush's book has themes and passages lifted from previous writings that lauded him as a great leader.

It also comes as no surprise that Bush's book - was it even written by him? - is being recognized as a "best seller", considering conservative authors rely on bulk purchasing to further the narrative the America actually buys into such nonsense.

And it should come as a shock to no one that Fox"News" is going to give Bush a multimedia handjob as often and as fervent as they can. But when they say he's "the boss", then one has to look at what they consider a successful "boss" to be.

Here's Hannity offering yet another dose of his man-love for W.



Seems that Fox, and apparently their viewership, think a "real boss" displays these qualities and runs his "business" like this:

- Taking credit for the successes of others

- Failing at literally every level of his private sector business attempts

- Ignoring a glaring warning of a threat against our nation

- Isn't concerned with the leadership of those that attacked us on Sept. 11th

- Presided over an administration that is responsible for a "bailout" that is now attributed to Obama and Democrats

- Increased the national debt by trillions in less than 10 years

Is that the type of "boss" you want?

Panic On WallStreet

Remember this clown?



So he's concerned about the deficit but not how much comes from the economy naturally? Who hired this buffoon?

In the final moments of this clip, Steve mentions 1937. That's not the first time I've heard that mentioned and it will likely not be the last. So what happened then?

By the spring of 1937, production, profits, and wages had regained their 1929 levels. Unemployment remained high, but it was considerably lower than the 25% rate seen in 1933. In June 1937, some of Roosevelt's advisors urged spending cuts to balance the budget. WPA rolls were drastically cut and PWA projects were slowed to a standstill.[3] The American economy took a sharp downturn in mid-1937, lasting for 13 months through most of 1938. Industrial production declined almost 30 per cent and production of durable goods fell even faster.

Unemployment jumped from 14.3% in 1937 to 19.0% in 1938, rising from 5 million to more than 12 million in early 1938.[4] Manufacturing output fell by 37% from the 1937 peak and was back to 1934 levels.[5] Producers reduced their expenditures on durable goods, and inventories declined, but personal income was only 15% lower than it had been at the peak in 1937. In most sectors, hourly earnings continued to rise throughout the recession, which partly compensated for the reduction in the number of hours worked. As unemployment rose, consumers' expenditures declined, leading to further cutbacks in production.

I've often said that the economy of today is nothing like it was during Roosevelt's tenure as President. However, the very idea of stopping all spending at once in order to balance the budget is a very risky endeavour that I'm sure Santelli knows will likely backfire, he's just too caught up in his faux populist fervor to admit it right now.

Here We Go Again

It looks like Elena Kagan just may be Obama's choice for SCOTUS. Get ready for more sexism and shouts of "activist radical" from conservatives.

Look for President Obama to name his Supreme Court pick Monday, and look for it to be Solicitor General Elena Kagan, a former Harvard Law dean. The pick isn’t official, but top White House aides will be shocked if it’s otherwise. Kagan’s relative youth (50) is a huge asset for the lifetime post. And President Obama considers her to be a persuasive, fearless advocate who would serve as an intellectual counterweight to Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Scalia, and could lure swing Justice Kennedy into some coalitions The West Wing may leak the pick to AP’s Ben Feller on the later side Sunday, then confirm it for others for morning editions. For now, aides say POTUS hasn’t decided, to their knowledge.

It's almost a guarantee that Fox"News" producers for Beck's and Hannity's program are working overtime to try and find anything "suspicious" in Kagan's past. Back in April, he was endorsed by Bill Kristol even though he followed that up with a call for the GOP to oppose her "just because they can".

It's no secret that she thinks that confirmation process is pretty much pointless, and these comments will likely be thrown back at her.

Not to get overly speculative, but if it is Kagan, I'm fully prepared for the onslaught of conspiracy that will most certainly come from Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh. It seems that those two are vying for the "craziest wingnut on the planet" award.

Grumpy Architect

Seems that more Fox"News" personalities are growing a bit of spine.



Rove's assertions are clearly divorced from reality, as the actual timeline completely destroys his blubbery, nonsensical, prattling.

During a recent conversation on Twitter with a conservative attempting to push this same failed narrative, it was posited that the Coast Guard operates outside of official command from the Federal government. This is simply not true.

One has to wonder what was going through the minds of the people in the control room while this exchange with Rove was going on. I'm sure that there was a meeting of Fox execs held later to discuss how to quell any questioning of "team members".

Think Progress has more.

Someone Needs To Study

Seems that Beck has a difficult time handling Maddow's superior professionalism and intellect.



The interwebs must certainly be a difficult waterway for Beck to navigate. The reality of the word "paleoconservative" is that it was coined back in 1980 by Paul Gottfried. And considering the tenants of paleoconservatism, and what Beck claims to be doing on a nightly basis, he should have known of this term to begin with.

a term for an anti-communist and anti-imperialist right-wing political philosophy in the United States stressing tradition, civil society and along with religious, regional, national and Western identity. Chilton Williamson, Jr. describes paleoconservatism as "the expression of rootedness: a sense of place and of history, a sense of self derived from forebears, kin, and culture—an identity that is both collective and personal." Paleoconservatism is not expressed as an ideology and its adherents do not necessarily subscribe to any one party line.

Doesn't that sound like someone we know?

The Illusion Of Growth?

Does the newly reported fourth quarter growth in the economy really mean what you think it does?

While there is a traditional economic law that shows a distinct relationship between GDP growth and job increases, some reports are saying that this isn't such great news, and that the relationship metric is becoming largely irrelevant.

The average person isn't going to understand the intricacies of economics and how a variety of factors ( both real and imagined ) can bring about growth or retraction. But the problem that many Americans run into is one of their own making, as they largely rely on people outside the field of economics for their information.

How good this growth is will most certainly be debated and all the noise that will likely come from Fox"News" and conservative talk radio should be recognized for what it is - noise.

A Film I Never Thought I Would See Made

Upon seeing this at Love Train, I had this bizarre urge to call my old college girlfriend, who had read the book three times and made me read it - which I am quite thankful for.

In 1992 and 1993, members of the group became connected with a series of crimes, starting with the arson of the Fantoft stave church on June 6, 1992, although the book mentions that there had previously been a "small, ineffectual fire at Storeveit Church.". Church arsons continue but with a steady decline up until the year 1995. (The cover of Lords of Chaos shows a "19th Century Swedish church in flames").

An interview in a Norwegian Newspaper given by Burzum founder Varg "Count Grishnackh" Vikernes, also a member of the Helvete group, leads to a media outrage condemning the arsons as acts of Satanism. On August 21, 1992 Bård "Faust" Eithun of the band Emperor murders a homosexual man in the Olympic Park in Lillehammer. He is subsequently convicted of this crime and sentenced to 14 years in prison (of which he subsequently serves nine years before being released in 2003). On August 10, 1993 Aarseth is murdered by Vikernes, who receives a 21 years sentence for the murder and several cases of arson related to the church burnings.

More here

"Twilight" allum Jackson Rathbone is slated to play the roll of Varg Vikernes:

It's all a long way from Robert Pattinson making goo-goo eyes at Kristen Stewart, and one fears for the mental health of young Twilight fans who might be drawn to Lords of Chaos because of Rathbone's participation.

There are som rabid "Twilight" chicks here in my town. I'm just wondering how long it will take for some uber-conservative wingnut to attempt to block the release of the film?

Considering Rathbone is playing the lead, look for some backlash in the near future.

According to IMDB, Chaos will be directed by Japanese poet and filmmaker Sion Sono - known for his disturbing and controversial subject matter.



From Blabbermouth:

Making his English-language debut with "Lords Of Chaos" will be hot Japanese director Sion Sono.

Stuart Pollok of Los Angeles-based Saltire Entertainment, Ko Mori of Eleven Arts and Oh Jungwan of Korea's Bom Productions are producing the film, which starts shooting in Norway in mid-September

Promotion, according to the article, was in full swing at Cannes last month. They are certainly ambitious about this one.

Apparently the real Varg is not pleased.

See you at the movies next year.

Tea-Party At The Alamo?

Surely I'm not the only one that has realized the irony behind this.

Here's a bit of history for Glenn Beck and his compatriots that are going to be there.

In the early morning hours of March 6 the Mexican army launched an assault on the Alamo. The outnumbered Texians repulsed two attacks, but were unable to fend off a third. As Mexican soldiers scaled the walls, most of the Texian soldiers retreated into the long barracks or the chapel. Several small groups who were unable to reach these points attempted to escape and were killed outside the walls by the waiting Mexican cavalry. The Mexican soldiers fought room-to-room and soon had control over the Alamo. Between five and seven Texians may have surrendered; if so, they were quickly executed on Santa Anna's orders. Most eyewitness accounts reported between 182 and 257 Texian dead, while most Alamo historians agree that 400–600 Mexicans were killed or wounded. Of the Texians who fought during the battle, only two survived: Joe, spared because he was a slave, and Brigido Guerrero, a Mexican Army deserter who convinced Mexican soldiers he had been imprisoned. Women and children, primarily family members of the Texian soldiers, were questioned by Santa Anna and then released.

So, a man named "Joe" survived.

Wait, isn't Joe "The Gimmick" going to be with Sean Hannity in Atlanta?

Oh, and anyone recognize the music in this promo?



Did they ever bother to ask AC/DC what they think? Perhaps ask them if they can use their track? I doubt it. Just curious.

Who Is Jerusalem21?

Fox"News" - and many of it's employees - LOVE a juicy story about Obama, ficticious or not.

So, it is with little suprise that we find that they are continuing the William Ayres / Obama "connection" non-story:

Critics noted over the weekend that President Obama's page on the free online encyclopedia had been edited to remove any mention of his links to former Weather Underground terrorist William Ayers, and to allow only a brief citation of his connection to the Rev. Jeremiah Wright — though pages for Ayers and Wright are heavily peppered with references to the president, including subsections on both pages that detail their past affiliations with him.

The restart on this was triggered by WorldNetDaily ( you know, that same place where Jerome Corsi touted all his Obama nonsense ) writer Aaron Klein:

A perusal through Obama's current Wikipedia entry finds a heavily guarded, mostly glowing biography about the U.S. president. Some of Obama's most controversial past affiliations, including with Rev. Jeremiah Wright and former Weathermen terrorist Bill Ayers, are not once mentioned, even though those associations received much news media attention and served as dominant themes during the presidential elections last year.

Also completely lacking is any mention of the well-publicized concerns surrounding Obama's eligibility to serve as commander-in-chief.

The last sentence was an obvious reference to the lunatic-fringers that insist that Obama was not born in the US and can't be President.

As I was reading through the Fox story and the WND piece, I came across this article by Kevin Poulsen @ Wired.

He talks about The Fox story and the WND piece, but goes a step further and notes that the person that edited Obama's page to add the "juicy tidbits" was a user named Jerusalem21.

Poulsen goes on to note:

Curiously, it turns out that Jerusalem21, whoever he or she might be, has only worked on one other Wikipedia entry since the account was created, notes ConWebWatch. That's Aaron Klein's entry, which Jerusalem21 created in 2006, and has edited 37 times.

Klein, who serves as WND's Jerusalem bureau chief, did not immediate respond to an e-mail Monday.

Doesn't really take a rocket scientist to figure this one out.

Poulsen tried to contact Klein about this "exclusive" piece and wasn't immediately contacted back. Also, he seemed to realize the Wired and Poulsen were onto him and he changed the text of the story

Update: March 10, 2009 | 1:40:00 PM

This morning the WorldNetDaily story, which is headlined "Wikipedia scrubs Obama eligibility," was scrubbed clean of the name Jerusalem21, who's now referred to only as "one Wikipedia user." Fortunately, Google cache never forgets.

Second update: March 10, 2009 | 7:20:00 PM

Aaron Klein has answered my e-mail. Klein says that there's an "undeniable trend" of Ayers and Wright references being scrubbed from Obama's entry — as he wrote in his article. But he now admits that he's responsible for the Jerusalem21 edits that he reported on, and says he's updated his WorldNetDaily story to reflect that.

While Klein's pathetic attempt to resurrect the notion that Obama, Ayres, and Wright are somehow interconneted on such a level is more than just laughable, it is also a signifier that the conservative media at large are willing to modify history in order to fit their tilited ideology.