EXXTREME (Everything)

Nothing says 'Bush (t)Era' like Hummer... and not the good kind.

Be careful, your hood my pop open whilst you're circling the Wal-Mart parking lot looking for a closer space.

POS

It's Really Over: Last HUMMER H3 Rolls Off Louisiana Line - The Car Connection:

"But earlier this month, the HUMMER's last days were punctuated by a recall by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The clips that hold the H3's hood louver in place can break over time, meaning the hood louver can 'detach from the vehicle.'

Virtually all H3 models--more than 162,000, according to the NHTSA--need to be inspected as part of the recall."

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Read it:

Daily Kos: NHL tough guy to march in Pride Parade (updated)

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Part of my schizo political existence these days encompasses this half the time:

Eschaton:

"Fail

We spend an immense amount of money planning for things which won't happen, fighting wars for no purpose, and bailing out assholes who are destroying the country.

Not feeling hopey changey lately.

-Atrios 17:45"

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Thanks for all your hard work, Lander. You kicked ass.

NASA Declares Mars Lander Broken and Dead - Yahoo! News

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More like WIN! If this little fella follows through on half of these, he will rule the world.

Rise To Power Fail - FAIL Blog: Epic Fail Funny Pictures and Funny Videos of Owned, Pwned and Fail Moments

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Don't Give a Rip

Surely you've seen the original by now (I ain't linking to it). Here's the hilarious spoof of the Alabama Jack Ass.

We're Better Than That, Too!!!! w/ Dale Peterson - watch more funny videos

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Gonna get uglier and uglier

Heavy oil hits Louisiana shore - Yahoo! News:

Who knew? Promising, though. Why weren't we doing this sooner?

Daily Kos: Waterworld Star Might Rescue The Gulf w/Update

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Thank a Democrat for 'common sense'.

Think Progress � Citing ‘Common Sense,’ Tennessee Governor Vetoes ‘Guns In Bars’ Bill

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Once upon a time my granddad was friends with Chi Chi. Played golf with him in PR. Use to get xmas cards from him and his wife. Hope both are doing well after this nasty scare.

Chi Chi Rodriguez robbed at home in Puerto Rico

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I would have thought the exchange rate to be a bit higher.

Mass. Man Accused of Trying to Swap Baby for Beers - NYTimes.com

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'Cause your a LIAR.

The Mommy Files : Kids who lie more likely to succeed later in life

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Iz Dis For Real?

The Kids are definitely alright:

Shakesville: Drowned Out

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Anatomy of not just a 'lie' but a 'goddamn lie'... that worked.... again.

Skip the article and scroll down to the bottom and watch Maddow's piece. Must see TV

Maddow: Raw footage reveals O’Keefe lied about ACORN tapes | Raw Story:

"When conservative activists James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles released tapes last fall purporting to show ACORN employees advising them on how to set up a child prostitution ring, it resulted in widespread praise for their intrepid journalism and a Congressional defunding of the anti-poverty group. But it is now becoming clear to all but their most fervent supporters that the O'Keefe 'expose' was deliberately misleading.

'If you were a member of Congress and you voted to defund ACORN because of the outrage portrayed in these tapes,' MSNBC's Rachel Maddow proclaimed on Tuesday, 'you were had.'"

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This being on the ballot is going to make for some interesting politicking in Cali over the next few months. It gets my ass to the polls, for sure.

Competitive CA Ballot Complicated By Pot Initiative | TPMDC:

"Recent polls show 56 percent of voters support taxing and regulating marijuana. State Sen. Tom Ammiano (D) has a bill proposed to tax and regulate marijuana that is similar to the ballot initiative. The difference is that voters are being asked to allow local counties to opt into legalization.

'This isn't as much a culture war as it also is the long overdue rational conversation on public policy for how we're going to treat marijuana,' said Ammiano spokesman Quintin Mecke. 'We can try and pretend that people aren't using marijuana and that the war on drugs is working or we can acknowledge reality. This question is no longer a joke about 'What are you smoking' or 'How high are you,' and the economics of the situation in California and nationally have provided us a window to have this conversation.'"

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The Push to Legalize Marijuana: It's Real - Politics - The Atlantic:

"You may have heard there's a push to legalize marijuana in California. You may not have heard that it's for real.

Voting ballots in California this November will contain an initiative to legalize, tax, and regulate the sale of marijuana to adults 21 and older, and while this may sound like something that has no chance, whatsoever, of ever becoming law, the thing is: it actually might."

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Philadelphia DA decriminalizes marijuana, but police to continue arrests | Raw Story

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If it is war they want, war they will get! I've said too much...

Timor police declare war on mysterious ‘ninjas’

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Dude is bad ass. Shattered knee.... still gets the out.

Corey Williams Injury VIDEO: Knee SHATTERED By Line Drive

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Super bad ass.

South Street Seaport Rescue: David Anderson Saves 2-Year-Old After Falling Into East River

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U.S.A. defined:

Man Bites Off More Than He Can Chew, Dislocates Jaw on Huge Sandwich - AOL News

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YouTube User Leaves The Best Comment Ever (PICTURE)

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Rewriting History or NeoCon Bastards

It is hard to track Republican hypocrisy. Hard work, I say.

So, here's a handy-dandy cheat sheet to help you out:

The Washington Monthly:

"Obstructionism," for example, only refers to Democratic minorities opposing Republican proposals.

"Tyranny" is found when an elected Democratic majority passes legislation that Republicans don't like.

"Reconciliation" describes a Senate process that Republicans are allowed to use to overcome Democratic "obstructionism."

"Terrorism" refers to acts of political violence committed by people who aren't white guys.

"Bipartisanship" is found when Democrats agree to pass Republican legislation.

"Big government" describes a dangerous phenomenon to be avoided, except in cases relating to reproductive rights or gays.

"Treason" refers to Democrats criticizing a Republican administration during a war.

"Patriotism" refers to Republicans criticizing a Democratic administration during a war.

"Fiscal responsibility" is a national priority related to keeping our deficit in check, which only applies when Republicans are in the minority.

"Parliamentarian" is a seemingly independent official on the Hill who Senate Republicans are allowed to fire when the GOP disapproves of his/her rulings.

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Amen. But god forbid we ever elect an effective Democrat to anything.

Maher: Obama’s ‘mistake’ was not telling Republicans to ’suck on it’ | Raw Story

"I think the biggest mistake that he has made in his first year was to put bipartisanship ahead of fixing the country," Maher declared Wednesday on MSNBC's Countdown With Keith Olbermann.

He said Obama should have "com[e] in with all the energy from the election and saying, you know what, we're in a crisis mode, I won this election by a sizable mandate -- here's what we're going to do; if you don't like it, Republicans, you can suck on it."

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Horrors of horror. How can a state that gives me Best and Johnson and Austin foist this revisionist horseshit upon the entire nation.

Plain and simple, this is the rewriting of history before our eyes.

Texas Textbook MASSACRE: 'Ultraconservatives' Approve Radical Changes To State Education Curriculum

But just when you thought is couldn't get worse....

"Likely to test"?!? Are you fucking kidding me? Legitimizing the politicization of the Supreme Court?

We are totally fucked. Back to my Mandarin lessons.

Justice's wife launches 'tea party' group - latimes.com:

"Justice's wife launches 'tea party' group The nonprofit run by Virginia Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, is likely to test notions of political impartiality for the court."

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Stupid is as stupid does and, boy, do American ever does.

Home school textbook market dominated by books skeptical of evolution.:

"“Those who do not believe that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God will find many points in this book puzzling,” says the introduction to “Biology: Third Edition” from Bob Jones University Press. “This book was not written for them.” The textbook delivers a religious ultimatum to young readers and parents, warning in its “History of Life” chapter that a “Christian worldview … is the only correct view of reality; anyone who rejects it will not only fail to reach heaven but also fail to see the world as it truly is.”"

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Channeling the true spirit of Disney.

Florida Lawmaker Attempts To Deny Tax Credit To Movies Filmed With Gay Characters:

"“Think of it as like Mayberry,” Precourt told the Palm Beach Post News. “That’s when I grew up — the ’60s. That’s what life was like. I want Florida to be known for making those kinds of movies: Disney movies for kids and all that stuff. Like it used to be, you know?”"

Full out onslaught of NeoCon history rewrite.

NYT columnist peddles ‘post-modern illusions’ and ‘propaganda’ to varnish Bush legacy | Raw Story:

"'My three cents,' began Andrew Sullivan, blogging for The Atlantic. '[No] president in the twentieth century did as much damage to this country as Bush: in terms of unfathomable debt, unwinnable wars, political cynicism, the dangerous fusion of politics and religion, the integration of torture into the DNA of America, the squandering of American soft and hard power, the lost years on non-carbon energy, the trashing of constitutional balance, and the immiseration of most ordinary Americans, he was a disaster. The only way in which Fish is correct is that the damage was so deep and so intractable that Obama, perforce, cannot undo it overnight and so cannot help but be tarred with its consequences, including a brutal recession."

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B/C deep down, you know they loves them some child abuse.

GOP: Law banning child abuse in schools will lead to ‘government takeover’ | Raw Story:

"A proposed law designed to prevent child abuse in schools has been lauded by children's protection advocates, and slammed by House Republicans as an unnecessary expansion of federal government power."

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Don't worry, Bart.....

Bart Stupak: Democratic Leaders Are 'Ignoring Me':

You aren't being ignored....

Democratic activist to challenge Stupak for seat | detnews.com | The Detroit News:

"Washington -- A Democratic activist announced today she's challenging Rep. Bart Stupak out of her frustration that his hard line on abortion funding threatens to derail health care legislation pending in Congress.

And those like you are not being ignored:

Labor On Dems Who Block Health Reform: We'll 'Take Them Out'

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Hurry the fuck up and take me out of the shit hole.

Anyone who doesn't believe in science is not allowed.

Mars In 40 Days: New Rocket Engine Could Make Quick Space Travel Possible

"After years of underinvestment in new technology and unrealistic budgeting, the President's plan will unveil an ambitious plan for NASA that sets the agency on a reinvigorated path of space exploration," the White House said in a statement.

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Space Chair

Stop outsourcing our security. These bastards profit from continuous war, so wouldn't it stand to reason that they'll do anything to protect their business?

Ban private security forces.

If we are going to fling tons of wasted money at the military and military contractors, might as well make them, you know, work as security.

Blackwater Took Hundreds Of US Weapons From Military, Afghan Police Using 'South Park' Alias:

"Employees of the CIA-connected private security corporation Blackwater diverted hundreds of weapons, including more than 500 AK-47 assault rifles, from a U.S. weapons bunker in Afghanistan intended to equip Afghan policemen, according to an investigation by the Senate Armed Services Committee."

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Yup. Damn black people trying to register to vote.

TAPPED Archive | The American Prospect:

"The Senate is holding a hearing today where several current and former Blackwater employees will be testifying, but honestly the only way Congress would stop giving Blackwater money is if it started registering black people to vote."

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Excellent read and Obama is shatting all over his brand.

Naomi Klein on how corporate branding has taken over America | Books | The Guardian:

"The risk – and it is real – is that the response will be waves of bitter cynicism, particularly among the young people for whom the Obama campaign was their first taste of politics. Most won't switch parties, they'll just do what young people used to do during elections: stay home, tune out."

See:

Democrat Youth Support Dwindling:

"WASHINGTON — Whither the youth vote? A year after backing Barack Obama by an overwhelming 2-to-1 ratio, young adults are quickly cooling toward Democrats amid dissatisfaction over the lack of change in Washington and an escalating war in Afghanistan.

A study by the Pew Research Center, being released Wednesday, highlights the eroding support from 18-to-29 year olds whose strong turnout in November 2008 was touted by some demographers as the start of a new Democratic movement."

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Christian ignorance = redundant.

Maddow: Christian ignorance revives discrimination in Virginia | Raw Story

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Interesting. Winds may not be blowing as hard in the other direction as one might think.

Daily Kos: Texans send millions to Democrats:

"A Houston Chronicle analysis of congressional campaign contributions in the 2010 election season found that Texans are shipping millions of dollars to out-of-state candidates this year, and most of the recipients are Democrats.

Eight of the top 10 non-Texas recipients of Lone Star State political money are Democrats. Overall, Democrats are receiving about 60 percent of the $6,823,766 in Texas money headed to Senate and House candidates in other states, according to Federal Election Commission filings through Feb. 10."

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Because it is freaking cool:



The making of:

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Teabagger Hero

You know what this means, right. Everybody wants this, right?

Polls: In Key States, Public Option Far More Popular Than Senate Plan | The Plum Line

Time for the march of the pouty, douchebag conservadems. If we, the people want it, then, guaranteed the Liebermans/Nelsons/asshole dems will stop us from getting it.

I really hate those guys.

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Two in a row from Atrios b/c he was tearing it up last night.

A-to-the-men:

Eschaton:

"Nobody Cares

As Bowers says, people don't give a crap about process. No matter what they say in polls, they don't give a crap about bipartisanship. The best it does is have the bipartisan fetishists in the press write nice things about you, but even that hasn't happened.

More than that, in my humble blogger opinion, bipartisanship is bad. Achieving it often requires splitting the baby type compromises. It spreads the blame around by making everybody and therefore nobody responsible. It obscures the real differences between the parties, and those differences are good because they provide voters with a real choice.

I'm not suggesting that lawmakers should never vote with the other side, but in general voters and democracy are much better served by having political parties with clear, if not extreme, differences."

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Hahahaha.

How fast before he's kissing teabag sack on FAUX News.

Baggers are PISSED. Again.... Hahahahaha.

Eschaton:

"Teabagger Hero

Scott Brown just sided with Dems and voted for cloture on the jobs bill...

Jobs Bill VOTE: GOP Filibuster Fails As Scott Brown And Others Break With Party

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V-PILF gets Corky schooled.

"Like a loaf of French bread". Classic. I love this chick.

Family Guy actress hits Palin for carrying son around ‘like a loaf of bread’ | Raw Story:

"'In my family we think laughing is good,' actress Andrea Fay Friedman quipped. 'My parents raised me to have a sense of humor and to live a normal life. My mother did not carry me around under her arm like a loaf of French bread the way former Governor Palin carries her son Trig around looking for sympathy and votes.'"

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Mr. 27% approval sure is getting all Democraty lately.

Schwarzenegger Rips Romney, GOP For Stimulus Hypocrisy:

"'I find it interesting that you have a lot of the Republicans running around, and pushing back on the stimulus money and saying, 'This doesn't create any new job,'' said Schwarzenegger. 'And then they go out and do the photo ops, posing with the big check and they say: 'Isn't this great, look at the kind of money I've provided for the state and this is money to create jobs, and this has created 10,000 new jobs, this has created 20,000 news jobs, and all those kinds of things.' It doesn't match up.'

It's hypocrisy, said host Terry Moran. 'Exactly,' Schwarzenegger replied.

Case in point:

Republicans Voting Against Stimulus Then Asked Obama for Money - Bloomberg.com

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Hilarious and exactly why I advise anyone to never watch those Sunday passion plays that are suppose to serve as some type of 'news' and 'commentary'. Those fuckers live in there own little village.

Turn the tube off and read your news.

The Bobblespeak Translations: Meet the Press - February 21, 2010

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Oh boy. I hope the people who put this together see some jail time.

Student claims school spied on him via computer webcam | Philadelphia Inquirer | 02/19/2010

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My own extensive study has confirmed these results, especially if accompanied by a six pack of pale ale.

Marijuana Provides Pain Relief, New Study Says:

"SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- The first U.S. clinical trials in more than two decades on the medical benefits of marijuana confirm pot is effective in reducing muscle spasms associated with multiple sclerosis and pain caused by certain neurological injuries or illnesses, according to a report issued Wednesday."

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Bayh's an Asshole

Since Blogger once again ate my post yesterday in which I bashed the fake Democrat and every bit a part of the problem Evan Bayh, I get to do it again today.

Good riddance you 'centrist (read: do-nothing)' fake ass Democrat.

You are one of the main reasons Congress is Dysfunctional, asshole.

Your complete compromise on everything amounted to letting the Republicans have their way 100%.

Fuck you and we'll see you on K street soon, O man of lofty convictions.

Hypocritical asshole.

Disillusioned Bayh advocates electoral “shock” to broken system - Yahoo! News

In an interview on MSNBC this morning, newly retiring Sen. Evan Bayh declared the American political system "dysfunctional," riddled with "brain-dead partisanship" and permanent campaigning. Flatly denying any possibility that he'd seek the presidency or any other higher office, Bayh argued that the American people needed to deliver a "shock" to Congress by voting incumbents out en masse and replacing them with people interested in reforming the process and governing for the good of the people, rather than deep-pocketed special-interest groups.

..........

But Bayh had apparently become increasingly frustrated in the Senate. In this morning's interview he noted that just two weeks ago, Republicans who had co-sponsored a bill with him to rein in the deficit turned around and voted against it for purely political reasons. He also stated repeatedly that members of his own party should be more willing to settle for a compromise rather than holding out for perfection.

"Sometimes half a loaf is better than none," Bayh insisted.

What these folks said:

AMERICAblog News:

"I'm with Atrios:

If Ambinder knows what he was talking about, Bayh wanted Obama to support a Senate coalition of Republicans and centrist Democrats. You know, the same thing we had for the past several really awesome years of policymaking. You also get the sense that, as is usually the case, there isn't really much policy substance here, it's all about the joys of hippie punching.

CNN:

'He hates the Senate, hates the left bloggers,' a friend and longtime adviser to Bayh said. 'They are getting their wish, pure Democrats in the minority.'"

Actually, the reason Democrats are in the quagmire they are today is because they and the White House moved too far to the right, not because they embraced the blogs. None of them have embraced the blogs, even though much of what we espouse polls well with the majority of the American public, and, ironically, was included in candidate Obama's platform. The problems arose not when the President and Congress did too much of what the blogs wanted, it's when they refused to do what they already promised the American people, and thus came off weak and ineffective.

The Congress and the President moved to the right in an effort to appease the Republicans. And look what it got them. Nothing. For Evan Bayh to now pull a Sarah Palin, taking all his marbles and going home, is neither original nor helpful. Bayh can blame the demise of the Democratic party all on himself. They took his advice. Lord knows they aren't listening nearly enough to any of us.

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How Christian Were the Founders? - NYTimes.com

Not very. But that won't stop the Fundies from continuing their attempt to rewrite history.

Our Founders Were NOT Fundamentalists | The Smirking Chimp:

"Today's fundamentalists would have DESPISED the actual Founders. Franklin's joyous, amply reciprocated love of women would evoke their limitless rage. Jefferson's paternities with his slave mistress Sally Hemings, Paine's attacks on the priesthood, Hamilton's bastardly philandering, the grassroots scorn for organized religion -- all would draw howls of righteous right-wing rage.

Which may be why theocratic fundamentalists are so desperate to sanitize and fictionalize what's real about our history.

God forbid our children should know of American Christians who embraced the Sermon on the Mount and renounced the Book of Revelations...or natives who established democracy on American soil long before they saw the first European...or actual Founders who got drunk, high and laid on their way to writing the Constitution.

Faith-based tyranny is anti-American. So are dishonest textbooks. It's time to fight them both."

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Because most Americans are fucking stupid.

Idiotocracy

Poll Reveals Most Americans Don't Know They Got a Tax Cut - Political Hotsheet - CBS News:

"Of all the very information that came out of the recent CBS News/New York Times poll, one question stuck out, that of taxes.

Here's the poll question: 'In general, do you think the Obama Administration has increased taxes for most Americans, decreased taxes for most Americans or have they kept taxes the same for most Americans?'

The answer:
• 24 percent of respondents said they INCREASED taxes.
• 53 percent said they kept taxes the same
• And 12 percent said taxes were decreased."

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Here's something the Teabaggers should really be pissed about.

But, god forbid, anything ruin there 'Merica is #1' fucked up meme.

Op-Ed Columnist - Watching China Run - NYTimes.com:

"It was primarily a symbolic gesture. Way back in 1979, in the midst of an energy crisis, Jimmy Carter had solar panels installed on the roof of the White House. They were used to heat water for some White House staffers.

“A generation from now,” said Mr. Carter, “this solar heater can either be a curiosity, a museum piece, an example of a road not taken, or it can be a small part of one of the greatest and most exciting adventures ever undertaken by the American people, harnessing the power of the sun to enrich our lives as we move away from our crippling dependence on foreign oil.”

Ronald Reagan had the panels taken down."

The most important news and commentary to read right now. - The Slatest - Slate Magazine:

"China is so far ahead in the race to create technology related to renewable energy, that 'the West may someday trade its dependence on oil from the Mideast for a reliance on solar panels, wind turbines and other gear manufactured in China,' notes the New York Times. The United States, along with other countries, is trying to catch up, but it's an uphill battle. While renewable energy continues to be more expensive, China charges a fee to all users to help spread out the cost, an example of how the government takes a deep interest in energy policy. And it's not just about government regulations. In fact, part of the reason why China has been able to become a world leader in building this new technology is that its domestic market is growing. Demand for electricity in China is skyrocketing, so power companies have to constantly buy new equipment, making it easier to develop large-scale production lines."

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Amen.

Jerry Seinfeld Gives Parenting Advice: Let Them Struggle:

"The first is Praise--'We tell our kids, 'Great job!' too much,' he says. The second is Problem-solving--'We refuse to let our children have problems. Problem-solving is the most important skill to develop for success in life, and we for some reason can't stand it if our kids have a situation that they need to 'fix.' Let them struggle--it's a gift.' Just as he's explaining the third P--'Giving your child too much Pleasure'--a woman comes in the deli with her three young daughters and buys them all huge cookies. 'Can you believe this?' Seinfeld says, gesturing like his TV counterpart used to. 'It's 5:30 p.m.--when will they have dinner? At 8?'"

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Craziness at Mavericks this year:

MAVERICKS / Biggest of the big waves:

"(02-13) 21:12 PST -- The sport of surfing reached new heights at Mavericks on Saturday. In the end, it wasn't so much a contest as an elevated state of mind, a heady swirl of fear, respect and bravado among some of the best big-wave riders in the world. In the end, most everyone agreed, some history was made.

From the locals to the Hawaiians to seasoned men on the judges' stand, the talk of the after-party centered around a powerful statement: These were the biggest waves ever for a paddle-surfing contest. South Africa's Chris Bertish took home the $50,000 first-prize check, but as he said, 'It took all of us to make this happen. I cannot believe what we saw out there today, and how well it was surfed by everybody.'"

Huge waves at Mavericks injure spectators
Monster Waves Wipe Out Surf Audience - ABC News

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The Road to Neo-Feudalism

I obsessed over Obama's Facebook page yesterday where he got hammered, I mean absolutely hammered in the comments to these ridiculous 'Call your Senator to support health care' and 'We can't allow out differences.....' horseshit wall posts.

Facebook | Barack Obama

A true sign that he just pissed away the youth vote which is crucial to Democratic success.

So, post after post after post of just taking Obama to task, then.....

Along comes Jennifer:

"Jennifer *****
What happened to respect for the President? Like what he is doing or not he is still our President! A health care reform bill is not the problem with America, it's the people who think watching CNN and going to a few town hall meeting makes them know everything about everything.hey, CNN watching know it all, if you know so much about it then why are you bitching about it on Facebook? If you are so smart why are you not a congressmen or senator? There is a reason he is the President and you are not. So how about you all have respect for your Commander and Chief. Maybe if people would start respecting others again America wouldn't be in the shape it is in. It all comes down to common courtesy. Not public options or whatever other bullshit you people like to bitch about."

"If you are so smart, why are you not a congressmen or senator"... indeed.

Smart enough? Maybe.

Just not evil enough.

And, damn, if we'd just known about the R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

Bless her heart.

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Here's a dose of the tone of 80% of the comment from O's FB page:

Your support of this bill is the equivalent of Bush proclaiming "Mission Accomplished" before the bodycount really started to rise.

What's going on in the Senate is a disgrace.

Lieberman is a disgrace. ... See More

Squandering the majority we gave you all in 06 is a disgrace.

The constant capitulation, under the guise of bipartisanship, is a disgrace.

And forcing 30 million more Americans to purchase insurance under threat of penalty, without making the system work better for the public - and not the insurance companies - is a disgrace. This is not why we elected you!

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Thank jeebus for Markos.

Daily Kos: 20 answers

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And this has been one of my main arguments all along and in its current state, the bill FAILS:

Economic Scene - If Health Reform Fails, America’s Innovation Gap Will Grow - NYTimes.com:

"In the cradle of American innovation, workers are making career choices based on co-payments, pre-existing conditions and other minutiae of health insurance. They are not necessarily making decisions based on what would be best for their careers and, in turn, for the American economy — that is, “where their skills match and where they can grow the most,” as another Silicon Valley entrepreneur, Cyriac Roeding, says. Health insurance, Mr. Roeding adds, “is distorting the decision-making.”

It is impossible to know how much economic damage these distortions are causing, but they clearly aren’t good. Economic research suggests that more than 1.5 million workers who would otherwise have switched jobs fail to do so every year because of fears about health insurance. Some of them would have moved to companies where they could have contributed more, and others would have started their own businesses."

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Emptywheel � Health Care on the Road to Neo-Feudalism

I believe that if the Senate health care bill passes as Joe Lieberman has demanded it–with no Medicare buy-in or public option–it will be a significant step further on our road to neo-feudalism. As such, I find it far too dangerous to our democracy to pass–even if it gives millions (perhaps unaffordable) subsidies for health care.

20% of your labor belongs to Aetna

Consider, first of all, this fact. The bill, if it became law, would legally require a portion of Americans to pay more than 20% of the fruits of their labor to a private corporation in exchange for 70% of their health care costs.

Consider a family of 4 making $66,150–a family at 300% of the poverty level and therefore, hypothetically, at least, “subsidized.” That family would be expected to pay $6482.70 (in today’s dollars) for premiums–or $540 a month. But that family could be required to pay $7973 out of pocket for copays and so on. So if that family had a significant–but not catastrophic–medical event, it would be asked to pay its insurer almost 22% of its income to cover health care. Several months ago, I showed why this was a recipe for continued medical bankruptcy (though the numbers have changed somewhat). But here’s another way to think about it. Senate Democrats are requiring middle class families to give the proceeds of over a month of their work to a private corporation–one allowed to make 15% or maybe even 25% profit on the proceeds of their labor.

It’s one thing to require a citizen to pay taxes–to pay into the commons. It’s another thing to require taxpayers to pay a private corporation, and to have up to 25% of that go to paying for luxuries like private jets and gyms for the company CEOs.

It’s the same kind of deal peasants made under feudalism: some proportion of their labor in exchange for protection (in this case, from bankruptcy from health problems, though the bill doesn’t actually require the private corporations to deliver that much protection).In this case, the federal government becomes an appendage to do collections for the corporations.

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Democrats Lash Out At Obama Over Health Care Disappointments:

"Congressional Democrats are starting to voice their anger at President Obama over the way health care legislation has been compromised, blaming him for not fighting harder.

'The president keeps listening to Rahm Emanuel,' said Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.). 'No public option, no extending Medicare to 55, no nothing, an excise tax, God!' he exclaimed about the Senate health care bill to Roll Call. 'The insurance lobby is taking over.'

'The White House has been useless,' Rep. Dave Obey (D-Wis.), the chairman of the powerful Appropriations Committee, told Politico. Referencing Senate delays, he said, 'It's ridiculous, and the Obama administration is sitting on the sidelines. That's nonsense.'"

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The Audacity to Ask a Question | techPresident:

"It's not every morning that you run into one of the most powerful men in the country in relatively intimate and unguarded surroundings, so today as I was boarding the shuttle down to DC and saw White House senior advisor David Axelrod seated by a window just behind the first class section, I decided I had to seize the moment. My parents gave me 'change the world' disease when I was young, after all, and I probably will never shake it.

The aisle was full in front of me anyway and thus I was literally standing across from him. Knowing I might only have a minute, I quickly pondered what to say.

'Is this 'change we can believe in'?' I asked. He didn't respond at first so I repeated the question to make clear I was talking to him. It was his slogan, after all, that he and the rest of the Obama '08 campaign, had offered to the nation."

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Hullabaloo

If this is the only chance for reform in generations, wouldn't it have made more sense to fight for a truly comprehensive bill that actually solved the problem? If you've only got one bite of the apple every couple of decades, it seems remarkably foolish not to really go for broke. To end up with a bill like this as your once in a generation liberal accomplishment is about as inspiring as a Bobby Jindal speech.

And Obama can say that you're getting a lot, but also saying that it "covers everyone," as if there's a big new benefit is a big stretch. Nothing will have changed on that count except changing the law to force people to buy private insurance if they don't get it from their employer. I guess you can call that progressive, but that doesn't make it so. In fact, mandating that all people pay money to a private interest isn't even conservative, free market or otherwise. It's some kind of weird corporatism that's very hard to square with the common good philosophy that Democrats supposedly espouse.

Nobody's "getting covered" here. After all, people are already "free" to buy private insurance and one must assume they have reasons for not doing it already. Whether those reasons are good or bad won't make a difference when they are suddenly forced to write big checks to Aetna or Blue Cross that they previously had decided they couldn't or didn't want to write. Indeed, it actually looks like the worst caricature of liberals: taking people's money against their will, saying it's for their own good. --- and doing it without even the cover that FDR wisely insisted upon with social security, by having it withdrawn from paychecks. People don't miss the money as much when they never see it.

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Pants Wetters

Oh noes, me so scared. Why, lawdy, we can't try terrorist here in the U.S. Just think how it will sully our beautiful minds.

Damn pants wetters.

Daily Kos: �There's a Reason Republicans Are Pissing Their Pants:

"That the Republicans are Un-American in their desire to circumvent our own Bill of Rights is self-evident. That they are Un-American in their cowardice when faced with two-bit extremist thugs is obvious. That they lack any sense of decency in their attempts to terrify an unassuming American public is clear, but has been a mainstay of their party going back over half a century. But none of this explains why the Republicans have chosen to simper so pathetically over the prospect of a few terrorists going on trial.

The reason is simple: they're afraid that their own policies of torture and indefinite detention will get the terrorists acquitted. So, like a stupid criminal, they're upping the ante by doubling down on their original criminal idiocy."

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Here's how a REAL American reacts.

9/11 Widow Kristen Breitweiser On "9/11 Terrorist" Going To Trial In New York City | Video

Cafe: "O'Donnell: Some of the victims' families of 9/11 have indicated that they're not pleased with this move to New York. How do you react to this?

Breitweiser: I think those families seem to be indicating a sense of anger or fear. And I think really, to be feeling those types of things, it doesn't fit my personality. I think that that's bowing to the terrorists. I think there is no better place than the Southern District of New York to be having these prosecutions heard. I think it's an open forum. And I think it speaks to the world that we are in fact a nation of laws. And frankly, I think, after eight years of the Bush administration we've got a lot of work in restoring our legitimacy to the rest of the world, that we are indeed a just nation that follows the rule of law."

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Good. Glad to see ACORN playing hard ball.

ACORN sues Congress for defunding it; Group says Congress bowed to Fox News

Can't really snark any better than Kos does, so....

Daily Kos: Real election fraud, courtesy of Pennsylvania GOP:

"Some ACORN dude registered Mickey Mouse to vote, which is so much worse than this:"

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Stunningly No Duh.

Book Review - 'The Ground Truth - The Untold Story of America Under Attack on 9/11,' by John Farmer - Review - NYTimes.com:

"But the commission’s efforts to reconstruct the tragedy itself were, at best, resented and, at worst, impeded by the sprawling defense bureaucracy and the Bush administration, both of which had much to hide. Even two reports by the inspectors general of the Defense and Transportation Departments, released in 2006, whitewashed government failures. Now that numerous transcripts and tapes have been declassified, however, Farmer draws on them to assail the government’s official depiction of 9/11 as so much public relations flimflam."

Perhaps nothing perturbs Farmer more than the contention that high-ranking officials responded quickly and effectively to the revelation that Qaeda attacks were taking place. Nothing, Farmer indicates, could be further from the truth: President George W. Bush and other officials were mostly irrelevant during the hijackings; instead, it was the ground-level commanders who made operational decisions in an ad hoc fashion. The memoirs of the White House terrorism expert Richard Clarke, which Farmer credits with good faith, make it sound as though a dramatic video­conference that Clarke led played a crucial role in organizing a response to the hijackings, but Farmer says that “this account does not square in any significant respect with what occurred that morning.”

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Little Timmy needs some act right.

The Mommy Files : British think tank says tough love parenting is best

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Definitely not safe for work, but an entertaining 10 minutes. Such a great show.

Also: Harvard class on 'The Wire'

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Engorged Expenses

I think if more women got more hardcore about regulating the peen in the manner that old, bad hair white men want to regulate the va-jay-jay, then a lot of this ridiculousness would stop.

Hullabaloo:

"I don't want my tax dollars touching even one milimeter of that overly engorged expense.

I realize that many people disagree with my moral objections to men getting erections which God clearly doesn't want them to get, but my principles on this are more important to me than theirs are to them. So too bad. If you want a boner, pay for it yourself.

And I think those noxious advertisements for the drugs should be banned as well, if only for aesthetic reasons. Having to watch my baby boomer fellows wail 'Viva Viagra' is offensive to anyone who has any taste in music."

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Do these people vett anything at all?

GOP bigwigs’ health insurance covers elective abortions: report

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Good for this kid.

I've always had a weird feeling about the pledge even when I was a wee lad.

Isn't 'pledging your allegiance' to a political state kinda, well, anti-freedom?

10-Year-Old Won't Pledge Allegiance To A Country That Discriminates Against Gays:

"'I've always tried to analyze things because I want to be lawyer,' Will said. 'I really don't feel that there's currently liberty and justice for all.'"

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He's getting some support in his local rag, which is nice.

Hey, kid, you’d better make that pledge�|�Arkansas News:

The Pledge of Allegiance was cooked up by a Baptist fellow in 1892 and subsequently promoted in youth publications for recitation by school children. It is, of course, not anything our founders envisioned and is, in fact, kind of antithetical to our very principle of constitutionally guaranteed liberty.

You cannot force somebody to promise fealty in this gloriously free country.

Having our little kids stand up in public school and salute a piece of cloth to vow faithfulness to their nation is harmless in nearly all cases, like a rhythmic and memorized child’s prayer before meals or at bedtime.

But a mass forced pledging of nationalistic allegiance is, when you really think about it, a perversion of the greater notion that we love and support our country by our own choice and for the very freedoms it grants us, including the freedom not to have to spew officially required words or mantras or chants."

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D.C. should tell 'em to get bent. Government and religion do not mix.

We need to start taxing the shit out of churches.

Catholic Church gives D.C. ultimatum on same-sex marriage issue:

"Peter Rosenstein of the Campaign for All D.C. Families accused the church of trying to 'blackmail the city.'

'The issue here is they are using public funds, and to allow people to discriminate with public money is unacceptable,' Rosenstein said.

Rosenstein and other gay rights activists have strong support on the council. Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large), chairman of the judiciary committee, said the council 'will not legislate based on threats.'

'The problem with the individual exemption is anybody could discriminate based on their assertion of religious principle,' Mendelson said. 'There were many people back in the 1950s and '60s, during the civil rights era, that said separation of the races was ordained by God.'"

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Yawn. Another day, another FAUX lie.

Fox News host falsifies footage to make GOP protest look bigger

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Nice little racket they go going there.

US defense contractors pay insurgents millions, report says :

"'In this grotesque carnival, the US military's contractors are forced to pay suspected insurgents to protect American supply routes,' Roston writes. 'It is an accepted fact of the military logistics operation in Afghanistan that the US government funds the very forces American troops are fighting. And it is a deadly irony, because these funds add up to a huge amount of money for the Taliban.

'It's a big part of their income,' a top Afghan government security official purportedly told told The Nation."

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Wow.

Rockslide In Tennessee Caught On Tape (VIDEO)

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This is pretty cool. Never knew about this until this weekend.

Dock Ellis' LSD No-Hitter Retold In New VIDEO

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Yes, you can have fries with that as long as you get in the back of the car, honey.

Woman who mistook cop for Sonic car hop faces DUI

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Real Stupid Americans

Sign Dr. Dean's petition. He's the man with the only plan regarding health care reform.

AmericaCantWait.com

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They are so practiced at hypocrisy they don't even realize when they are being so laughably obvious.

Prevent funding then bitch about shitty service. Oy.

Tea Baggers Who Feel They’re ‘Taxed Enough Already’ Gripe About Inadequate Service In…Public Transit:

"“These individuals came all the way from Southeast Texas to protest the excessive spending and growing government intrusion by the 111th Congress and the new Obama administration,” Brady wrote. “These participants, whose tax dollars were used to create and maintain this public transit system, were frustrated and disappointed that our nation’s capital did not make a great effort to simply provide a basic level of transit for them.”

A spokesman for Brady says that “there weren’t enough cars and there weren’t enough trains.” Brady tweeted as much from the Saturday march. “METRO did not prepare for Tea Party March! More stories. People couldn’t get on, missed start of march. I will demand answers from Metro,” he wrote on Twitter.

In his letter, Brady also complained that overcrowding on the metro trains
“forced an 80-year-old woman and elderly veterans in wheelchairs to pay for cabs” — in other words, to rely on the non-government-run transportation system, which tea party protesters would presumably want to support."

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"Here in my czar
I feel safest of all
I can lock all my doors
Its the only way to live
In czars"

Stupid fake outrage.

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Stupid fake outrage.... gets redundant.

Daily Kos: Greenwald Nails it on ACORN(Update with action item!):

"While most of the media is busy pushing rightwing talking points on the ACORN scandal, Glenn Greenwald puts the story into the proper perspective.

ACORN has received a grand total of $53 million in federal funds over the last 15 years -- an average of $3.5 million per year. Meanwhile, not millions, not billions, but trillions of dollars of public funds have been, in the last year alone, transferred to or otherwise used for the benefit of Wall Street. Billions of dollars in American taxpayer money vanished into thin air, eaten by private contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan, led by Halliburton subsidiary KBR."

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I miss Kids in the Hall.

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I could never make this shit up.

O’Reilly endorses the public option, which he previously called ‘socialism.’

Fly him Courageous.

‘Media Courage Award’ recipient Bill O’Reilly bans the media from his speech.

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The reddest state in the Union.

Real Americans.

Real Stupid Americans.

75 Percent of Oklahoma Students Can't Name the First President - News9.com - Oklahoma City, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports |:

"OKLAHOMA CITY -- Only one in four Oklahoma public high school students can name the first President of the United States, according to a survey released today.

The survey was commissioned by the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs in observance of Constitution Day on Thursday.

Brandon Dutcher is with the conservative think tank and said the group wanted to find out how much civic knowledge Oklahoma high school students know.

The Oklahoma City-based think tank enlisted national research firm, Strategic Vision, to access students' basic civic knowledge.

'They're questions taken from the actual exam that you have to take to become a U.S. citizen,' Dutcher said."

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McU.S.A.

Because we have 5 very activist conservative judges on the Supreme Court, our Democracy will very soon be sold to Corporations.

Colbert, a comedy show, the only source addressing this crucial issue.

Colbert Goes There - Only Media Figure In America To Openly Discuss Corporate Control Of Gov't

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I feel your pissed off-ness.

Dear Dems, Feed me a Sh!t Sandwich on HCR and I'll BURN THIS MFing TENT TO THE GROUND

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What Duncan says

Eschaton:

"Here's A Crazy Idea

Instead of a fine, perhaps the government could just sign you up to... oh, I don't know what we should call it... a public plan? And then send you a bill.

It's all so complicated and Rube Goldbergesque."

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Lest we not forget Bush's final Fuck You to the nation:

October 2009: Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele on the U.S. Treasury | vanityfair.com

Last October, Congress passed the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, putting $700 billion into the hands of the Treasury Department to bail out the nation’s banks at a moment of vanishing credit and peak financial panic. Over the next three months, Treasury poured nearly $239 billion into 296 of the nation’s 8,000 banks. The money went to big banks. It went to small banks. It went to banks that desperately wanted the money. It went to banks that didn’t want the money at all but had been ordered by Treasury to take it anyway. It went to banks that were quite happy to accept the windfall, and used the money simply to buy other banks. Some banks received as much as $45 billion, others as little as $1.5 million. Sixty-seven percent went to eight institutions; 33 percent went to the rest. And that was just the money that went to banks. Tens of billions more went to other companies, all before Barack Obama took office. It was the largest single financial intervention by Treasury into the banking system in U.S. history.

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It is OK if you are a Republican.

Jeez. Morons.

Anti-Czar Bill Gets 100 Cosponsors In House [UPDATE]:

"I also pointed out yesterday that 'czars' have been a fact of life in American politics since the Nixon administration, and, to the best of my recollection, no Republican ever complained about the multitude of 'czars' in the Bush White House. But don't take my word for that. Here's Congressman Darrell Issa (R-Calif):"

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Judges smacking down the crazy.

Connie Rhodes "Birther" Challenge Thrown Out, Taitz Scolded:

"Land also put attorney Orly Taitz, who represents Capt. Connie Rhodes and is a leader in the national 'birther' movement, on notice by stating that she could face sanctions if she ever files a similar 'frivolous' lawsuit in his court.

'(Rhodes) has presented no credible evidence and has made no reliable factual allegations to support her unsubstantiated, conclusory allegations and conjecture that President Obama is ineligible to serve as president of the United States,' Land states in his order. 'Instead, she uses her complaint as a platform for spouting political rhetoric, such as her claims that the president is 'an illegal usurper, an unlawful pretender, [and] an unqualified imposter.''"

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The Kids are alright.

The $150 Edge-of-Space Camera: MIT Students Beat NASA On Beer-Money Budget | Gadget Lab | Wired.com:

"The two students (from MIT, of course) put together a low-budget rig to fly a camera high enough to photograph the curvature of the Earth. Instead of rockets, boosters and expensive control systems, they filled a weather balloon with helium and hung a styrofoam beer cooler underneath to carry a cheap Canon A470 compact camera. Instant hand warmers kept things from freezing up and made sure the batteries stayed warm enough to work.

Of course, all this would be pointless if the guys couldn’t find the rig when it landed, so they dropped a prepaid GPS-equipped cellphone inside the box for tracking. Total cost, including duct tape? $148."

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Dude. Where's my crack.

One hell of a jones to pass off a Lincoln for 50 bucks.

Man accused of trading dad's car for $50 in crack:

"Authorities arrested a man they said tried to trade his father's car for $50 worth of crack cocaine. Deputies arrested the 39-year-old man around 4 a.m. Wednesday after his 74-year-old father reported that his Lincoln had been stolen. When deputies arrived at the father's home, they saw the son walking up the street. They determined that the car had been sold for drugs."

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50-Cink

Stewart Cink was on Letterman last night. He did the Top 10. Watch it at the link below. Look for the little camera icon on the page to view.

Excellent job, Stewart!

"I called Tiger Woods last night. I laughed. Then I hung up".

"My street name is '50-Cink'.

CBS | Late Show with David Letterman :

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Panty policing don't work too good and stuff.

The redder the state, the more 'abstinence' is ignored. No one could ever of predicted...

US teen pregnancy and syphilis rates rose sharply during George Bush's presidency, Centres for Disease Control finds | World news | guardian.co.uk:

"Teenage pregnancies and syphilis have risen sharply among a generation of American school girls who were urged to avoid sex before marriage under George Bush's evangelically-driven education policy, according to a new report by the US's major public health body.

In a report that will surprise few of Bush's critics on the issue, the Centres for Disease Control says years of falling rates of teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted disease infections under previous administrations were reversed or stalled in the Bush years. According to the CDC, birth rates among teenagers aged 15 or older had been in decline since 1991 but are up sharply in more than half of American states since 2005. The study also revealed that the number of teenage females with syphilis has risen by nearly half after a significant decrease while a two-decade fall in the gonorrhea infection rate is being reversed. The number of Aids cases in adolescent boys has nearly doubled.

The CDC says that southern states, where there is often the greatest emphasis on abstinence and religion, tend to have the highest rates of teenage pregnancy and STDs."

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American Free Market! Fuck Yeah!

Think Progress � Executives receive one-third of all pay in the U.S.

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Thank jeebus for the Matt O's of the world, sticking it out in the South and fighting back with reason:

Invent a solution | TimesDaily.com | The Times Daily | Florence, AL:

"John Hargett asks whether there is any example of socialism succeeding. There is a road in front of his house for which we all helped pay.

Taxes and fees support police, garbage pickup, street cleaners, health inspectors and firefighters. When your house is on fire, 'free markets' lose their relevance.

Hargett might also admire Wilson Dam. TVA is always denounced as a socialist experiment, yet our electric rates are much lower than places where 'free markets' have free reign.

Perhaps the most successful example of American socialism is national defense. The Air Force does not hold bake sales to buy bombers.

In the 19th century, America tried various ways to avoid giving government these roles. They were all colossal failures.

Socialism is not a form of government. It is a tool of government: the use of public means to achieve public ends that are too big for one person to do themselves.

Hargett asks whether the Constitution grants authority for federal involvement in health care. His answer is in the preamble: 'to promote the general welfare.'

For 50 million working Americans, health care is unattainable or unaffordable. The free market has failed the general welfare. We must invent a solution.

Matt Osborne

Florence"

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Feelin' hot, hot, hot.

Taser set petrol sniffer ablaze: police:

"The WA Police Commissioner will not change the force's stun gun policy after a man caught fire when he was shot by a Taser in a remote Aboriginal community yesterday.

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What a cruel, cruel society.

They would have to beat me daily.

Beer-drinking model faces caning in Malaysia:

"KUALA LUMPUR — A religious court in Malaysia has sentenced a tearful Singaporean Muslim model to six strokes of the cane after she drank beer in a nightclub, reports said Tuesday.

Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, 32, pleaded guilty to consuming alcohol at a hotel nightclub in the eastern state of Pahang last year, the New Straits Times newspaper reported"

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Ahhhh, Freak Out!

Be scared. Be very, very scared.

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Lying Liars.

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Again, lying liars.

Damn librul media.

Major Media Headlines Pretend That Latest Polls Show Obama’s Policies Are Unpopular:

"The headlines have little to no relation to the actual data in the polls, both of which found broad approval for Obama’s foreign policy and economic agendas."

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Your modern Republican Party. Keepin' it real.

They're lovin' it.

Missouri Republican responds to child hunger: "Hunger Can Be a Positive Motivator":

"Why have meals at home with your loved ones if you can go to the government soup kitchen and get one for free? This could have the effect of breaking apart more families.

Anyone under 18 can be eligible? Can’t they get a job during the summer by the time they are 16? Hunger can be a positive motivator. What is wrong with the idea of getting a job so you can get better meals?

Tip: If you work for McDonald’s, they will feed you for free during your break."

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Apparently, Iran is loaded with hot model types. Yeah, yeah, revolution... people dying the streets....I'm just sayin' they got a lot of hot chicks.

What, too soon?

Daily Kos: Tehran Street Photos -- On the Brink

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Title of video: Greatest Freak Out Ever.

Mom canceled World of Warcraft account. Little brother hides video camera.

Hilarity ensues.

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Cupboard is Bare

Two rounds of golf (shot an 81 yesterday, which could have easily been a 75), a tour of one of Frank Lloyd Wright's iconic retreats, catching Pixar's UP (which kick much ass... Squirrels!) some nice out dining... things that have kept me busy as hell, but have also kept my AAW article que quite bare.

Spending minimal amount of time online the past 4 days has been a rare treat.

So, not much going on today. Entertain yourselves. Back on track in the next few days.

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The power of one man.... and drugs.... and summer music festivals.

The kids are alright:

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Orange Threat of Beer Bongs

There's no argument too asinine that conservative's won't attempt to justify this crap.

If it is 'just like a beer bong at frat parties', then why are we using it against 'terrorist' in order to extract information? Where is the 'fear' element? That I'll pass out and wake up with penises drawn on my forehead?

Douchebag conservatives.

Comparing waterboarding to beer funnels:

"Doug Powers, a columnist for World Net Daily, must have had a really rough college experience.

In his Monday morning weekly update, Powers jumped on the water-board soapbox and leveled an argument in favor of torturing prisoners. Tugging on the coattails of the recent 'Mancow' waterboarding media fiasco, he comes out with this gem:

A video that shows 'Mancow' Muller doing something that, if there were beer instead of water in that pitcher, happens every weekend at frat parties, can be viewed here.

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Speaking of douchebag conservatives.....

King Douche Newt doth protest way too fucking much:

PostPartisan - Gingrich's Deranged Ethics Advice:

"it’s amazing that Gingrich -- the only House speaker in history to be disciplined for ethics violations -- had the gall to make that claim. Does he think no one remembers?

Let’s review. Gingrich was reprimanded by the House and had to pay a $300,000 penalty for improperly using tax-deductible money for partisan political gain and for submitting false information to the ethics subcommittee investigating his conduct. An investigation by the House Ethics Committee concluded that Gingrich’s conduct represented 'intentional or…reckless' disregard of House rules and that there was “reason to believe” that Gingrich knew he was providing false information.

'The violation does not represent only a single instance of reckless conduct,' a report by an investigative subcommittee concluded. 'Rather, over a number of years and in a number of situations, Mr. Gingrich showed a disregard and lack of respect for the standards of conduct that applied to his activities.'

To be clear, the ethics case against Gingrich was no partisan witch hunt. The investigative subcommittee that determined he had violated ethics rules was headed by Florida Republican Porter Goss. The vote to reprimand him and impose the penalty was 395 to 28."

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Uh, yeah, I'd like to see the FCC try to enter my home.

This needs to be fixed.

FCC’s Warrantless Household Searches Alarm Experts | Threat Level | Wired.com

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I can't tell you how many times I've made this argument to my conservative friends who work for corporations that suck billions from the federal teat yet love to bitch about some 'welfare-queen' anecdote a friend of a friend told them.

I'm met with the usually slack-jawed blank stare 99% of the time.

The High Cost of Poverty: Why the Poor Pay More - washingtonpost.com:

"You have to be rich to be poor.

That's what some people who have never lived below the poverty line don't understand.
This Story

Put it another way: The poorer you are, the more things cost. More in money, time, hassle, exhaustion, menace. This is a fact of life that reality television and magazines don't often explain.

So we'll explain it here. Consider this a primer on the economics of poverty."

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The kids are NOT alright. Though maybe not much different that other generations. Just more media savvy.

Top Six Ways To Kill Piper: Middle School Girls Make Instructional Cartoon About How To Kill Classmate (VIDEO):

"A Pierce County mother says she's horrified by a cartoon video - posted online - that showed several ways to kill her sixth grade daughter. The cartoon was made off school grounds by some of her daughter's classmates, girls aged 11 and 12. Titled 'Top Six Ways to Kill Piper,' it includes depictions of girls shooting her, making her commit suicide, poisoning her and even pushing her off a cliff."

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This would explain a lot.

Cocaine test prompts Red Bull removal in Germany

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Hot for Tonka

"I'll kill all of the Jews... once I finish this Super-Size bag of Doritos... and take a nap... oh, and I've got to finish the 28th level of whatever hip video games the kids play these days... but after that those Jews better *yawn*.... mmmm Charleston Jew.... gotta make a run to the Kwik-E-Mart for some candy".

"Ji-haaaa-ha-ha-ha.... Ren and Stimpy are some funny-ass infidels".

Pick your offense: 1. Joking about terrorizing Jewish people. 2. Stereotyping pot smokers.

There's always an option at AAW!

NYC terror ‘mastermind’ tells judge he’s a pothead

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They were against slavery before they were for it.... wait... they're pro-slavery?

RNC Hits Obama For Criticizing Slavery | Media Matters Action Network

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What kind of fucked-up reality show world do we live in when conservatives can't put 2 and 2 together but rather must actually experience something before then determine the correct answer?

They'll only concede that Global Warming is real when they are hanging onto log treading in a vast, vast ocean.

Torture as entertainment? The end must be near.

Conservative radio hosts gets waterboarded, and lasts six seconds before saying its torture

Chicago radio host Erich "Mancow" Muller decided he'd get himself waterboarded to prove the technique wasn't torture.

It didn't turn out that way. "Mancow," in fact, lasted just six or seven seconds before crying foul. Apparently, the experience went pretty badly -- "Witnesses said Muller thrashed on the table, and even instantly threw the toy cow he was holding as his emergency tool to signify when he wanted the experiment to stop," according to NBC Chicago.

"The average person can take this for 14 seconds," Marine Sergeant Clay South told his audience before he was waterboarded on air. "He's going to wiggle, he's going to scream, he's going to wish he never did this."

Mancow was set on a 7-foot long table with his legs elevated and his feet tied.

"I wanted to prove it wasn't torture," Mancow said. "They cut off our heads, we put water on their face...I got voted to do this but I really thought 'I'm going to laugh this off.' "

The upshot? "It is way worse than I thought it would be, and that's no joke," Mancow told listeners. "It is such an odd feeling to have water poured down your nose with your head back...It was instantaneous...and I don't want to say this: absolutely torture."

"Absolutely. I mean that's drowning," he added later. "It is the feeling of drowning."

"If I knew it was gonna be this bad, I would not have done it," he said.

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Must read for all Democrats going on the TV.

Democrats: if you're going on TV, learn how to "debate!":

"But the key is what chumley said--it is entertainment, and they are shameless. So grant them no respect, offer them no quarter and smile while doing it."

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Pwned.

Milk is a gateway drug to bourbon

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The incredible shrinking party.

National Journal Magazine - For GOP, A Southern Exposure

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I blogged about Maria a few months back. I can't image doing this when I'm 97.... and if I am, brace yourself for post after post detailing my body functions.

Maria Amelia Lopez: "World's Oldest Blogger," 97, Dies In Spain:

"A Spanish great-grandmother who billed herself as the 'world's oldest blogger' and who gained a global following on the Internet, died today at the age of 97, local officials and reports said.

Maria Amelia Lopez, who was introduced to the world of blogging by one of her grandchildren, used a mix of humour and nostalgia to recall life during the long dictatorship of Francisco Franco and give her take on modern life.

'Today it's my birthday and my grandson, who is very stingy, gave me a blog,' she wrote on her first post on amis95.blogspot.com on December 23, 2006."

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To hell with a Tonka!

Toddler buys earthmover in online auction:

"WELLINGTON, New Zealand – A New Zealand mom made some online bids on toys before napping. Then her 3-year-old daughter took over and bought a bigger plaything than expected — a huge earth-moving digger for a cool $12,300."

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Hmm. Well then.

Letourneau hosts `Hot for Teacher' night at bar

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