10 Percent of My Butt

Matt Damon eviscerates know-nothing know-it-alls from douche Drew Carey's libertarian "reason".tv

He Galts their ass good-like. (Not proper usage of the term 'Galt', but it just flows so well)

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Read his speech from the same day to a group of teachers. Damon takes the lead for my write-in candidate for President in 2012.

NOT Waiting for Superman : Articles/20110730-Matt Damon At SOS Rally:

"So the next time you’re feeling down, or exhausted, or unappreciated, or at the end of your rope; the next time you turn on the TV and see yourself called “over-paid”; the next time you encounter some simple-minded, punitive policy that’s been driven into your life by some corporate reformer who has literally never taught anyone anything…

Please know that there are millions of us behind you. You have an army of regular people standing right behind you and our appreciation for what you do is so deeply felt. We love you, we thank you, and we will always have your back."

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Fuck it. That's all I've got today. Is it 8/22 yet?

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Bars and Farms

I'm a bit surprised how many I've visited.

150 Best Bars in America | The Daily Meal

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Well played, Georgia. Well played.

Ga’s farm-labor crisis playing out as planned | Jay Bookman:

Thanks to the resulting labor shortage, Georgia farmers have been forced to leave millions of dollars’ worth of blueberries, onions, melons and other crops unharvested and rotting in the fields. It has also put state officials into something of a panic at the damage they’ve done to Georgia’s largest industry."

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Meet the farmer next door

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Why liberal arts matter - CNN.com

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Sleepy Mushrooms

Is there anything Samuel L. Jackson can't make a touch better?

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Good stuff from Conan O'Brien.

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Lots of research going on.

Magic mushroom’s positive effects lasting over a year, say researchers | The Raw Story

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We Don't Need No Education

The bitch is back! I've got a brand new 21st century internet connection and the speed is blazing throughout casa del AAW.

Gonna be rolling hard this week. Pissing off the robots, for sure.

Dear Margaret Spellings in a business suit:

Biology Teacher Eviscerates Obama's Education Secretary

More from the people on the freakin' ground.

A Letter to Arne Duncan � Failing Schools:

"Respect? Value? Support? Not seeing much.

More fundamentally, your very presence in the role of Education Secretary reflects a level of disrespect for our profession not found in others. Our Surgeon General is a career physician, who earned a full MD before going into family practice. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is a career naval officer, who studied at the Naval Academy before participating in combat operations aboard a destroyer. Yet despite “working in education” for a while, you never studied education, and you’ve never taught in a public school classroom. Working in non-profits, playing basketball, and being a political appointee are not substitutes for classroom experience."

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The same place elected Democrats want to take it apparently.

Where Republicans want to take education

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Billionaire's role in hiring decisions at Florida State University raises questions - St. Petersburg Times:

"A conservative billionaire who opposes government meddling in business has bought a rare commodity: the right to interfere in faculty hiring at a publicly funded university.

A foundation bankrolled by Libertarian businessman Charles G. Koch has pledged $1.5 million for positions in Florida State University's economics department. In return, his representatives get to screen and sign off on any hires for a new program promoting 'political economy and free enterprise.'"

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Bay to Breakers Beer Bust Burns Bummer Bear | Uptown Almanac

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Luckiest Guy

Being better than Republicans is not enough

It's not. And until Democrats/Progressives learn how to fight dirtier/fight-to-win than those other bastards, we'll continue to have our asses handed to us even when we have super-majorities. As it stands now, we don't have anyone fighting for us in D.C.

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Another D.C. hack elevated.

Rhee and the Corporate Takeover of Public Education

The rise, and looming fall, of 'education reformer' Michelle Rhee

In the social sciences, there is an oft-repeated maxim called Campbell’s Law, named after Donald Campbell, a psychologist who studied human creativity. Campbell’s Law states that incentives corrupt. In other words, the more punishments and rewards—such as merit pay—are associated with the results of any given test, the more likely it is that the test’s results will be rendered meaningless, either through outright cheating or through teaching to the test in a way that narrows the curriculum and renders real learning obsolete.

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BobDoleCare sucketh.

Weiner Says SCOTUS Will Rule Against Health Care Law, Paving Way For Public Option | TPMDC

California isn't too far behind. Keep in mind that VT and CA are going this entirely alone. Zilch help or encouragement from D.C. (just a reminder for when they try to take credit). Fuck insurance companies. All of them. Blood sucking SOBs.

Vermont’s Single-Payer Salvation -- In These Times:

"On February 8, newly inaugurated Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin unveiled his plan for a publicly funded single-payer healthcare system, which was introduced into the state’s legislature. If enacted, which appears likely, it will be the first system of its kind in the United States and Vermont would become the first state to abolish most forms of private health insurance.

“In five years, I predict the United States will go through another major debate of how to reform the healthcare system,” Harvard School of Public Health Professor William Hsiao told the state’s legislators in January, noting his belief that the federal reform legislation passed in March 2010 will not solve the nation’s healthcare crisis. “The question for Vermont is, do you want to walk ahead of the United States? Do you want to be a model for the United States?”"

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How to be THE LUCKIEST GUY ON THE PLANET in 4 Easy Steps Altucher Confidential

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What Teachers Make

Herbert's last column at the NYT:

Losing Our Way - NYTimes.com:

"The U.S. has not just misplaced its priorities. When the most powerful country ever to inhabit the earth finds it so easy to plunge into the horror of warfare but almost impossible to find adequate work for its people or to properly educate its young, it has lost its way entirely."
.....

"G.E. is the nation’s largest corporation. Its chief executive, Jeffrey Immelt, is the leader of President Obama’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. You can understand how ordinary workers might look at this cozy corporate-government arrangement and conclude that it is not fully committed to the best interests of working people.

Overwhelming imbalances in wealth and income inevitably result in enormous imbalances of political power. So the corporations and the very wealthy continue to do well. The employment crisis never gets addressed. The wars never end. And nation-building never gets a foothold here at home.

New ideas and new leadership have seldom been more urgently needed."

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ThinkProgress � London: Half A Million In The Streets To Protest Massive Government Cuts

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Daily Kos: Why Do We Put Up With It?:

"Looking at all this from across the Atlantic, a German acquaintance of mine recently noted “if this happened in Germany, cars would be burning in the streets.” Why, he wondered, were working and middle class Americans so docile in the face of this aggression by Wall Street and its paid-for politicians in both major parties? Why were the protests in Wisconsin an anomaly, rather than part of a nation-wide outcry against the persistent assaults on the vast majority of the population by the plutocratic few?"

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The West coast through progressive eyes

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No Broke

Is one broke if one has been robbed blind?

Michael Moore: America Is Not Broke:

"America is not broke.

Contrary to what those in power would like you to believe so that you'll give up your pension, cut your wages, and settle for the life your great-grandparents had, America is not broke. Not by a long shot. The country is awash in wealth and cash. It's just that it's not in your hands. It has been transferred, in the greatest heist in history, from the workers and consumers to the banks and the portfolios of the uber-rich.

Today just 400 Americans have more wealth than half of all Americans combined.

Let me say that again. 400 obscenely rich people, most of whom benefited in some way from the multi-trillion dollar taxpayer 'bailout' of 2008, now have more loot, stock and property than the assets of 155 million Americans combined. If you can't bring yourself to call that a financial coup d'�tat, then you are simply not being honest about what you know in your heart to be true."

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Not a corporation in the U.S. that pays 35% in taxes. Imagine if they did. Why, we could support 4-5 more endless occupations of other countries.

ThinkProgress � If Banks Paid Their Full Taxes, We Could Rehire All 132,000 Teachers Laid Off During The Recession — Twice

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Yes.

Is it single-payer time yet? California rate hikes!

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Get a job, hippies.

Daily Kos: True Confessions of a Good-for-Nothing Freeloader

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Candidate for most obvious headline of the year.

Police: Drinking preceded Russian roulette death

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Recall Them All

Steve has been covering the happenings Wisconsin since Valentine's day. Check out his great videos:

YouTube - YouTellEmSteveDave's Channel

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Full throated praise once the task is accomplished.

Daily Kos: It's on! Wisconsin Dems officially back recall effort against GOP Senators

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A Union win.

Federal Judge Favors NFL Union Over Owners In TV Dispute

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There's something happening here? We'll see...

Your own private Wisconsin:

"What's more, it feels like the good type of revolution, the kind where the human animal not only struggles en masse against its oppressors, but even, occasionally, wins. What a thing.

So then, the question: Can you at all relate? Do you sense what it's like to take a deep breath and hurl yourself against the great wall of dogma and oppressive overlord? Does it help that many of these revolutions are very much being televised -- or rather socially networked -- often in 140 characters or fewer, which is very civilized way indeed to narrate a revolution, especially for a violently ADHD nation like America? This just in: Brevity is the soul of disobedience. Who knew?"

Do not, by the way, pay much heed to the president's response so far. Truly, our fine Obama is nothing if not measured to a damnable fault right now, urging this or that calm, voicing this or that displeasure over this or that hunk of bloody violence, when more often than not you want him to leap up and stomp his foot and say thank God Mubarak is out and that insane monster Gadhafi is going down and how can we topple more Middle Eastern regimes, and btw what can we do to kick over the whole goddamn poker table and reset the entire game board more fairly, more ingeniously, more hopefully for a new era?

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Why this guy isn't a major cog in the O.A. is telling.

Robert Reich: How Democrats Can Become Relevant Again (And Rescue the Nation While They're At It)

Here's what Democrats should be saying:

Hike taxes on the super-rich. Reform the tax code to create more brackets at the top with higher rates for millionaires and billionaires. Absurdly, the top bracket is now set at $375,000 with a tax rate of 35 percent; the second-highest bracket, at 33 percent, starts at $172,000 for individuals. But the big money is way higher.

The source of income shouldn't matter -- salary, wages, capital gains, other unearned income -- all should be treated the same. There's no reason to reward speculators. (Don't penalize true entrepreneurs, though. If they're owners who have held their assets for at least twenty years, keep their capital gains low.)

And while you're at it, raise the ceiling on income subject to Social Security taxes. And bring back the estate tax.

Do this and we can afford to do what we need to do as a nation. Do this and you prevent Republicans from setting the working middle class against itself. Do this and you restore some balance to a distribution of income and wealth that's now dangerously out of whack.

Do this, Democrats, and you have a chance of being relevant again.

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Lost Damon, he did.

Matt Damon Calls Out President Obama, Education Policy:

"Now, he's not so enthused about Obama. When asked if he was happy with the way the President is running the country, Damon said, point blank, 'no.'

'I really think he misinterpreted his mandate. A friend of mine said to me the other day, I thought it was a great line, 'I no longer hope for audacity,'' Damon said. 'He's doubled down on a lot of things, going back to education... the idea that we're testing kids and we're tying teachers salaries to how kids are performing on tests, that kind of mechanized thinking has nothing to do with higher order. We're training them, not teaching them."

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Hahahaha. Oh, Lynn. He can't do anything but capitulate.

Lynn Woolsey: Obama must not ‘capitulate’ to GOP on shutdown (EXCLUSIVE) | The Raw Story:

"WASHINGTON – Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) is urging President Barack Obama to follow in President Bill Clinton's footsteps and stand strong against Republicans on sharp spending cuts -- even as the possibility of a government shutdown looms.

'You have to remember what a leader Bill Clinton was in 1995. It was very clear he was not going to capitulate,' Woolsey told Raw Story in an interview late Tuesday afternoon. 'President Clinton was absolute -- he said he would veto [the GOP proposals], and he did. We were with him on that, and I'm hoping to do the same with President Obama.'"

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Go To Jail

Bill Gates' opinion on education is equal to my opinion on rocket science. Both are fatally ill informed.

Another corporatist who made billions from a shitty product attempting to insert himself into a dialogue in which he is clueless all for the sake of promoting his pseudo-altruistic ego.

Daily Kos: A partial response to Bill Gates' op ed about teachers:

"Today's Washington Post features an op ed by Bill Gates titled How teacher development could revolutionize our schools. Teachers are the latest focus of Gates and his foundation. Before I respond to anything in this particular piece, let me remind readers that the last time Bill Gates got enthused about something in education, it was small schools. His foundations sank a huge amount of money into getting districts to create small schools while ignoring the research that had been done by those who had focused on the issue for years. The result was that the endeavor was not all that successful, the foundation has now pulled out of the effort, in some cases pulling the plug on ongoing efforts it had encouraged, and unfortunately tarnishing the concept and making it more difficult for those attempting to do it right."

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Didn't watch the Oscars, but this has to be the best acceptance speech. Nothing will change until people are put in prison for a very long time.

YouTube - Inside Job - Oscar winner acceptance speech

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Change nobody can believe in.

Justice Cranks Up Its Covert War on Whistleblowers—By Scott Horton (Harper's Magazine):

"As noted previously, candidate Barack Obama promised to protect whistleblowers who come forward with information disclosing government waste, abuse, and inefficiency. Unfortunately, President Obama has done exactly the opposite. Obama’s real policies are exposed in documents filed in the prosecution of former CIA agent James Stirling."

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This 6 mile trek was my Saturday or Sunday morning bike ride for many a year.

The Golden Gate Bridge: 10 Different Perspectives (PHOTOS):

"There's no finer urban walkabout than San Francisco's 6-mile trek along the dramatic cliffs, coastal forests, posh neighborhoods and beaches that ring the northwestern quadrant of the city. Starting at the historic Cliff House restaurant by Ocean Beach, hike past the Sutro Baths, through the coastal woods of Land's End, where Golden Gate Bridge views are dramatic and plentiful. Continue through tony Sea Cliff (past Robin Williams' house), down to sandy Baker Beach, and up to the Golden Gate Bridge. Jaunt downhill past surfers at Fort Point, then across windswept, beachy Crissy Field. Stroll across the marina and up into grassy Fort Mason for a much deserved picnic and nap in the sun."

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Well, duh. Via Jayne C.

Stare at boobs for longer life: Study | TheMedGuru

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Corporate PEEthos

Other than the 'jaded' biased BS, a fine read.

A Chicken Chain’s Corporate Ethos Is Questioned by Gay Rights Advocates - NYTimes.com

I truly believe that if more people were conscious of the places they spend money and acted according to their personal morals and did not patronize establishments who do not represent their values, then more meaningful change would occur. One might have to go out of their way or spend more money at another establishment, though. Too bad American culture is pretty lazy.

Though, admittedly, I'll cave and eat a sandwich from American Taliban establishments as I would a Thai restaurant with Hindu idols in the corner. The difference is the Thai place isn't actively attempting to suppress my rights under the Constitution.

Purity is hard to attain with so much corporate concentration.

"“It’s a hard call, a personal call,” she said. “You have to decide which soul you want to feed.”"

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Great analogy, though far too many elected Democrats are MLB. Far. Too. Many.

New Rules: Democratic NFL vs Republican MLB | Video Cafe

MAHER: So it's no surprise that some 100 million Americans will watch the Super Bowl next week. That's forty million more than go to church on Christmas. Suck on that Jesus! It's also 85 million more than watched the last game of the World Series and in that is an economic lesson for America, because football is built on an economic model of fairness and opportunity. And baseball is built on a model with the rich always winning and the poor usually have no chance.

The World Series is like the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills; you have to be a rich bitch just to play. Where as the Superbowl is like Tila Tequilla, anyone can get in. Or to put it another way, football is more like the Democratic philosophy. Democrats don't want to eliminate capitalism or competition, but they would like it if some kids didn't have to go to a crummy school in a rotten neighborhood, while others get to go to a great school, and their dad gets them into Harvard. Because when that happens, achieving the American dream is easy for some and just a fantasy for others.

That's why the NFL literally shares the wealth. TV is their biggest source of revenue and they put it all in a big Commie pot and split if thirty two ways. Because they don't want anyone to fall too far behind. That's why the team that wins the Superbowl in the next draft, picks last, or what the Republicans would call “punishing success.”

Baseball... baseball on the other hand is exactly like the Republicans. And I don't just mean it's incredibly boring. I mean their economic theory is every man for himself. The small market Pittsburgh Steelers go to the Superbowl more than anybody. But the Pittsburgh Pirates? Levi Johnston has sperm that will not grow up and live long enough to see the Pirates in a World Series. Their payroll is forty million. The Yankees is two hundred and six million. The Pirates have about as much chance of getting to the playoffs as a poor black teenager from Newark has of becoming the CEO of Halliburton.

That's why people stop going to Pirate games in May. Because if you're not in the game, you become indifferent to the fate of the game and maybe even get bitter. That's what's happening to the middle class in America. It's also how Marie Antoinette lost her head. So you kind of have to laugh that the same angry white males who hate Obama because he's “redistributing wealth” just love football; a sport that succeeds because it does just that.

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Again, DADT has not been repealed.

Pam's House Blend:: "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Repeal: There Is No Target Date

It is just like the 'near universal health coverage' that does not exist but that the OA keeps crowing about.

Half-assed symbols does not equal any kind of 'change'.

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Oh, academia.

Professor charged with peeing on colleague's door

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Wedge Issue

Our wedge issues are so much cooler than their wedge issues.

Will weed be the ‘wedge issue’ that leads Dems to 2012 victory? | Raw Story:

"With one eye on California's marijuana legalization vote, Democratic strategists are sizing up the possibility of placing the issue on other state ballots as a way of helping them win tight races in 2012, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Pollsters have noted a distinct increase in youth voter enthusiasm in California in recent months, attributed largely to Proposition 19, the ballot initiative that, if approved, would decriminalize, regulate and tax marijuana in the state."

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Love Lewis Black.

'The Daily Show' Takes On The Education Crisis (VIDEO)

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Old people do the craziest things.

Irmgard Holm Mistakes Super Glue For Eye Drops (VIDEO)

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GaGa > Obama?!?

I can't believe I'm posting this and I can't believe that a smart part of me believes it is true.

Lady Gaga did more lobbying to pass the DADT repeal in the defense funding bill than Obama did.

It is getting embarrassing.

Is Lady Gaga a Better Politician Than Barack Obama? | Mother Jones:

"The repeal of DADT was one of President Barack Obama's key campaign promises—one that he repeated in his first State of the Union address earlier this year. Now it's a promise that may well wither, especially if Republicans gain control of the House in November. But as usual, the White House did little to publicly pressure Collins, Snowe, or Brown. Obama spent the day before the vote at a fundraiser in Pennsylvania and did little to draw attention to the upcoming vote and the GOP's intrasingence. The White House wouldn't even answer the New York Times' questions about the bill. Vice President Joe Biden, according to the White House, did call Snowe. But Obama did no lobbying of his own. Instead, the pressure politics were left to someone who's never been elected to public office: a 24-year-old New Yorker named Stefani Germanotta—a.k.a. Lady Gaga."

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Why would he start now, Rachel?

Daily Kos: Do the Right Thing: �Rachel Maddow Challenges the President

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Wow. No one could have predicted... except all of us who did predict that the toothless Screw The Patients and Give all of the Money to the Evil Health Insurance Cos. bill wouldn't prevent said HICs from still screwing the fuck out of us commoners.

Major insurers to drop child policies ahead of coverage mandate | Raw Story

And no one could have predicted this either... EXCEPT FOR THOSE OF US WHO DID! FUCK!!!

White House looks to boost health law at 6 months - Yahoo! News:

"WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama once told Democratic lawmakers they'd be proud to campaign on historic health care legislation. Six months later, the only Democrats running ads about it are the ones who voted 'no.'"

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And yet another failure. I'm sure they'll keep trying once they decide to fucking try.

Timothy Karr: Net Neutrality: We're Still Waiting:

"Remember, this is the man whom President Obama put into office with the explicit understanding that his first priority was to protect Net Neutrality. 'I am a strong supporter of Net Neutrality,' Obama pledged in 2007. 'As president I'm going to make sure that that is the principle that my FCC commissioners are applying as we move forward.'"

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Shocking. I'm pretty sure I could have guessed this listed within about 90%.

States With The Lowest Percentage Of College Degree Holders (PHOTOS)

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The Lincecum

This guy is the biggest whiney ass titty baby.

INSTAPUTZ: Rand Paul, Whiner.:

"I can't believe he actually said this

Rand Paul, the Tea Party's rising star from Kentucky who won the state's Senate primary this week, says criticism of his views on the Civil Rights Act and other pieces of anti-discrimination legislation are 'red herrings' and Democrats' attempt to 'trash' his campaign.

'When does my honeymoon period start? I had a big victory,' Paul told George Stephanopoulos on 'Good Morning America' today.

Also, Dr. Paul would appreciate if you kids would stop taking his lunch money."

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Opposite of what they actually say. Per Norm:

Fact check: US border violence actually on the decline | Raw Story:

"But a new analysis by ABC News based on numbers alone suggests that the situation is almost the reverse of what its Republican critics allege.

Crime in US border towns is down. Tucson and Laredo, Texas have all reported a reduction in violent crime in the past year, while El Paso has one of the lowest violent crime rates of all American cities."

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The people who pass financial consumer laws:

Ben Nelson is unfamiliar with ATM fees because he’s never used an ATM.

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Good luck with that. Little too little.

Progressive Texas Board Of Education Candidates Promise To Undo Textbook Changes

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We don't need no stinkin' facts.

The Plum Line - Who woulda thunk it: Fact-checking is popular!

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I've had Siegel's dish described below and it is delish. Picture of it on page two of article.

Chefs Using Marijuana Create a New Kitchen Culture - NYTimes.com:

"Ron Siegel, who runs the Michelin-starred dining room at the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco, said he’s grown past his partying days. But even he is having a little fun with haute stoner cuisine.

To serve slow-cooked quail eggs and caviar, he places them atop plastic film that tightly covers a white porcelain serving bowl. Then he fills the vessel with smoke from grated Japanese cedar packed into the bowl of a fan-driven bong he buys in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. The smoke escapes when the diner lifts a small spoon covering a hole in the plastic.

He calls it the Lincecum, after Tim Lincecum, the star pitcher for the San Francisco Giants who was arrested last fall after police found marijuana and a pipe in his car."

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Liberal-Tarians

"Help with my luggage". "Wide Stance". Etc, etc.

Just another day in Hypocritistan.

Exposed: Christian leader caught with male escort says he needed help with his luggage | Raw Story:

"A Christian leader and prominent neuro-psychiatrist who co-founded the Family Research Council with evangelist James Dobson took a ten-day European vacation with a callboy he met through RentBoy.com and was caught in an airport with the escort by a Miami newspaper."

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What Kos says:

Daily Kos: Libertarians viewed more favorably by Democrats than Republicans:

"The notion that Republicans are libertarian is ludicrous. They stick their noses into our bedrooms, into our doctors' offices, into churches. They demand the roundup of people who don't look like them. They whine about Miranda rights and due process. They are more concerned about the rights of big energy conglomerates, than they are about the rights of people to enjoy long walks on pristine beaches. They whine about true independent and free media that doesn't validate their ideology. They freak out about anyone who doesn't believe in their god, or worse, in any god at all.

For the American Taliban, 'liberty' means their ability to impose their beliefs and lifestyle on the rest of society.

So of course they would react negatively to the word, since they equate it with libertinism. For a movement predicated on imposing its mores on the rest of society, this is obviously deeply offensive."

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Larry Flynt is so awesome:

Stephen Hawking Explains How To Build A Time Machine:

"Stephen Hawking, a self-described 'physicist, cosmologist and something of a dreamer,' offers instructions on how to build a time machine in an article for the Daily Mail. 'All you need is a wormhole, the Large Hadron Collider or a rocket that goes really, really fast,' the article promises.

Hawking roots his premise in Einstein's theory of relativity, suggesting that since time moves faster in some places than others, it's quite possible to move along this 'river' into the future--but not back to the past."

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Universities of Wall Street.

Catch the documentary. It is online, too:

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1. Funny 'cause it is true. 2. Funny because it is Louis C.K. 3. Apropos funny or something.

NSFW language:

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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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Waterboarding. Now for Kids!

Eradicate? Yes. Because your twisted Christian beliefs are some of the most hateful on the planet.

Christians claim hate crimes law an effort to ‘eradicate’ their beliefs

And the irony flies so far over their heads all they see is a contrail.

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This kind of Jesus-Torture is good beliefs? Why would we ever want to vaccinate the disease of the Bush years from our collected blood?

Because I promise you.... This isn't the first child that's been waterboarded by an American.

Done in your name and done in my name.

Soldier reportedly ‘waterboards’ daughter for failing to recite alphabet | Raw Story:

"A 27-year-old Washington state soldier allegedly admitted Sunday to having held his daughter's head in a bowl of water because she couldn't recite the alphabet.

British newspapers labeled the technique 'waterboarding,'"

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Loyalty DNA? Kill switch? Haven't these people watched or read ANY science fiction?

And I wonder where the Christian outrage is on this one. Seems to be pretty godlike creating immortal beings.

And it'll probably run on Windows. A 9 year old Chinese child will be able to write code to flip the loyalty DNA. Promise.

Pentagon Looks to Breed Immortal ‘Synthetic Organisms,’ Molecular Kill-Switch Included | Danger Room | Wired.com:

"Of course, Darpa’s got to prevent the super-species from being swayed to do enemy work — so they’ll encode loyalty right into DNA, by developing genetically programmed locks to create “tamper proof” cells."

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Yup. Big buzz coming from this article.

Steve Clemons: Core Chicago Team Sinking Obama Presidency

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She reads better than she sounds, but she nailed this one. Too bad her dad is one of the 65+ year old nut jobs.

Meghan McCain Calls Out Tea Party For Racism, On 'The View' (VIDEO):

"McCain: Congressman Tancredo went on TV and he was the first opening speaker and he said, 'People who could not even spell the word vote or say it in English put a committed socialist ideologue in the White House whose name is Barack Hussein Obama.' And then he went on to say that people at the convention should have to pass literacy tests in order to be able to vote in this country, which is the same thing that happened in the 50's to prevent African Americans from voting. It's innate racism and I think it's why young people are turned off by this movement. And I'm sorry, but revolutions start with young people, not with 65-year-old people talking about literacy tests and people who can't say the word 'vote' in English."

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It'll be legal on the west side soon.

When 70 Percent Support Marijuana Legalization, Starbucks Gets The Message | NEWS JUNKIE POST:

A remarkable scenario played out in the American media recently, and beyond the import of the story itself is the quantum shift in public perception that it illustrates.

A pro-cannabis group based in Colorado called for a nationwide boycott of coffee giant Starbucks after activists spotted a Starbucks logo on the website of a virulently extremist anti-drug organization. After intense negative publicity ensued, Starbucks actually felt moved to issue a denial."

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Bay Area is ground zero for California effort to legalize pot - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

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Neat

David Hume Kennerly: A Forty Year Photographic Retrospective:

"David Hume Kennerly A Forty Year Photographic Retrospective, 1970-2010 opens this Sunday at the Frank Pictures Gallery, in Santa Monica's Bergamot Station.

'When I look at all those places and all those people in these photographs, it's hard to believe I did that,' David Kennerly says. 'I never get over that feeling.'"

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You gotta roll with it.

How to Survive a 35,000-Foot Fall - Plane Crash Survival Guide - Popular Mechanics:

"You’re 6 miles up. You’re alone. You’re falling.

Things are bad. But now’s the time to focus on the good news. (Yes, it goes beyond surviving the destruction of your aircraft.) Although gravity is against you, another force is working in your favor: time. Believe it or not, you’re better off up here than if you’d slipped from the balcony of your high-rise hotel room after one too many drinks last night.

Or at least you will be. Oxygen is scarce at these heights. By now, hypoxia is starting to set in. You’ll be unconscious soon, and you’ll cannonball at least a mile before waking up again. When that happens, remember what you are about to read. The ground, after all, is your next destination."

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Cool.

Mars Pictures: NASA's Most Extraordinary Images EVER (PHOTOS)

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This has been around a while. I just came across it. It buoys my burnout a bit.

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Crooks Have Deep Pockets

I'll keep hammering the bolded point below until my fingers bleed.

A good 60% of Democrats need to learn this.

Hell needs to be raised. Always.

"Good enough" and "We'll fix it later" need to banished from all Democrats lexicon.

AMERICAblog News:

"In other words, it's appearing increasingly likely that the House-Senate conference, the meeting that was supposed to 'save' the public option, now isn't going to happen at all. The top liberal in the House has expressed his 'concern' that the conference is fading fast. The thing is, 'concern' doesn't really cut it in this town. As Joe Lieberman and Ben Nelson have shown all too clearly, you get what you want by raising hell and by being wiling to walk away from the table. Nobody fears someone who is 'concerned.'"

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Assuredly a surge in Buddhist converts is imminent.

Really, is there any more debate that FAUX is nothing more than the Christian-Republican Loon-Ass Propaganda channel?

Hume is a supposed 'news anchor'.

The Washington Monthly

O'Reilly asked a reasonably good question: "Was that proselytizing?"

"I don't think so," Hume said, before reiterating his comments from Sunday that Woods should convert to Christianity.

Hume said that given Woods problems, he "needs something that Christianity, especially, provides, and gives and offers." That includes, he said, the chance for "redemption and forgiveness." Later in the segment, Hume said: "I think that Jesus Christ offers Tiger Woods something that Tiger Woods badly needs."

I suspect for Fox News, dictionaries suffer from liberal biases, but "proselytize" isn't a word burdened by nuance. It means "to induce someone to convert to one's faith." For Hume to deny that he was proselytizing on the air is absurd. That Fox News considers this incident consistent with its professional standards tells us all we need to know about the so-called "news" network.

I've been trying to think of a way to frame this in a way Hume's far-right defenders would understand. How about this -- imagine if, after David Vitter's (R-La.), John Ensign's (R-Nev.), and Mark Sanford's (R-S.C.) humiliating sex scandals, a Buddhist media personality appeared on national television and said Christianity is clearly inadequate, and that the right-wing Republicans' lives could get back on track if they'd give up their faith and embraced Buddhism. The Buddhist said this during a news program, and later insisted his/her comments did not constitute "proselytizing."

Is there any doubt that Christians would expect that media figure to be promptly fired? Would conservatives defend the Buddhist's remarks?

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Yes, Democrats are doing their best to throw the 2010 elections, but, my god, how far do we have to throw it so that the Republicans can catch it.

Michael Steele. The gift that keeps on giving.

Using a racial epithet to prove you do not need to be more 'moderate'. Classy... and on point.

Think Progress � Steele uses racial epithet to argue that the GOP doesn’t need to be more moderate: ‘Honest Injun on that.’

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If they hate it as much as the EPA then why wasn't this thing created yesterday.

They hate the EPA b/c the EPA prevents Republicans from paving the entire world (with not bid contracts for the paving companies they own).

If it pisses off a GOPer then I full for it.

GOP, Warning Of A 'New EPA', Oppose Independent CFPA:

"Senate Republicans are determined to prevent the creation of an independent Consumer Financial Protection Agency because they consider it as threatening as their current arch-nemesis regulator: the Environmental Protection Agency."

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Whenever an insurance company jacks up your premiums it goes straight into the pocket of the CEO.

You want to mandate that I purchase insurance from these fuckers? Good luck with that. I'll see you in Canada before I pay a dime of a mandate fine.

Update: Nancy Pelosi will not receive another dime from me or another vote as I just called her office and was hung up on by the person on the other line.

The questions I asked "How does Rep. Pelosi expect me to be mandated to pay for a $73 million retirement bonuses for corrupt insurance executives".

Response: She hung up the phone.

Called Reid's office, asked the same question, and was met with "uhhhhhhh".

Call Reid's office on Monday and ask for 'Janice Miller' who is an aid who addresses health care issues for Sen. Reid.

Fuck Pelosi, though.

Daily Kos: Denial of Care Profits: $73 million for CIGNA's retiring CEO:

"BEFORE you read further...National Nurses United, the new national union for RNs, is asking nurses and patients to demand Congress remove the mandates that would force Americans to purchase products from the CIGNA's of the world. Call Rep. Pelosi (415-556-4862) and Sen. Reid (702-388-5020) and tell them to strip this bill of the CIGNA-mandates immediately!"

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I ponder going to law school just to be able to do stuff like this.

Ben Pavone, California Lawyer, Refuses To Pay Bank Of America Credit Card, Threatens To Sue:

"Ben Pavone told Bank of America in a letter last week that he refuses to pay off his credit card debt until the bank lowers his interest rate. And, he added, if they try to ruin his credit, he'll sue 'em.

'They've got to have some kind of obligation to not totally extort the public,' said Pavone.

The San Diego, Calif. attorney is angry about two things: his interest rate, which has gone up to 27.99 percent, and his credit limit, which has gone down to just above his balance. 'I'm sure I'm going to be hit with penalties,' he said."

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The biggest lie on television.

If you know anyone who wants to go to UoP, slap them then point them to local community colleges or brick and mortar state schools with online programs.

UoP = the AIG of higher education.

YouTube - Educate - University of Phoenix Commercial

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Neat, but watch carefully at the end of the video:

Comet 'Eaten' By The Sun, Nasa Captures Tape (VIDEO)

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Walking Around Sense

Classic.

This is how it is done. Dems take notes:

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Obama had to know these fucks where never going to play ball. I'd like to think he set them up to oppose very visibly (which they have) and us now ready to pull the rug out.

We shall see.

Democrats Seem Set to Go It Alone on a Health Bill - NYTimes.com:

"WASHINGTON — Given hardening Republican opposition to Congressional health care proposals, Democrats now say they see little chance of the minority’s cooperation in approving any overhaul, and are increasingly focused on drawing support for a final plan from within their own ranks."

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And this is the dumb-fuck leading the creation of the health care plan.

Super.

Baucus is sold-out awful with added paranoid now.

Max Baucus Is Scared Of "The YouTubes":

"' There were a couple of people in the crowd 'with YouTubes,' Mr. Baucus added (meaning cameras), and he posited that the agitators were paid and probably from out of state. ('I could just sense it,' he said.)"

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That's OK. They can just 'enroll' (and by 'enroll' I mean have a credit card and a heart beat) at the University of Phoenix Corporation. No ACT score needed.

ACT prognosis: 23% could earn C, at best, in first-year college courses - USATODAY.com:

"Just 23% of students, up from 22% last year, earned test scores suggesting they can earn at least a C in first-year college courses in English, math, reading and science, says the report, released today by the non-profit Iowa-based testing company ACT. It's based on scores of 1.48 million 2009 high school graduates who took the ACT's college entrance exam."

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This is gonna lead to a world of hurt.

MS penchant for ripping off code may bite that ass big-time this go around.

I'm sure the judge will grant an extension, though.

Microsoft asks judge to keep Word on the market : Christopher Null : Yahoo! Tech:

"Microsoft appears to be taking with deadly seriousness the threat that Microsoft Word could be forced off the market in October, following a judgment against it on patent infringement issues over its use of XML.

Filing an emergency motion with the court, Microsoft has asked for a stay of that ruling while Microsoft attempts to remove the functionality that got it in trouble with Canadian software company i4i. In its petition, the company claims that it is 'expending enormous human and financial capital to make its best effort to comply with the district court's 60-day deadline,' but implied that the changes it is making to take the software out of violation of i4i's patent could take months.

If Microsoft can't re-engineer Word before October 10, and if the courts don't grant the company a stay of the ruling, the fallout would likely be catastrophic not just for Microsoft but throughout the computer industry. Retailers would be forced to remove packaged copies of Word (and Office) from shelves, and PC makers would have to remove Word from any preinstalled bundles that come with new computers. With Windows 7 rolling out just days after that deadline, the potential mess that could be generated is almost unfathomable."

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Fillmore Slim Pickin's

I have very little in the que to write/snark about today. Traveling and some sort of recent holiday that celebrates gunpowder have kept me off line more that usual. Did you guys know that you can actual go do stuff and not just read about or write about doing stuff? Crazy... but fun!

Prediction for the week: Celebrities will die. Most assuredly.

I caught a performance by Fillmore Slim this weekend. First time seeing Fillmore perform after learning about him several years ago from the Hughes Brothers film American Pimp. He can rocks some blues, y'all.

Cell phone camera pic, but proof :

So, anyway....

No more VPILF to kick around anymore... we'll, I'm sure she'll still be plenty kickable again, soon enough.

Alaskans say Palin had gone fishin’ on the job

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Due to a very recent personal work change (and not a good one) I can attest to the validity of this article:

Even 'Recession Proof' Schoolteachers Feel Pinch of Employment Downturn - WSJ.com

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At least there's some cool tech news:

Tiny New Battery Is Printable - Yahoo! News:

"A new battery, small and thin, weighs almost nothing and can be printed in a process similar to silk-screening shirts."

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Going to see Mr. Hood and the Screwtopians on Wed. Be on the look out for some pics.

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Swagga, Flava, Yo-Yo

Well, this only took a day......

Would you support a Progressive challenger against Arlen Specter? | Crooks and Liars:

"On the very day Arlen Specter became a Democrat, he lamented that not enough right-wing Bush judges got confirmed, he opposed workers' right to organize, and he compared himself to Joe Lieberman. The DSCC and Pennsylvania Democratic Party will be supporting Specter in the primary.

If there is a potential progressive challenger to Arlen Specter in Pennsylvania, they are probably scratching their head right now asking, 'Would I have any chance at all if I ran, or is the fix in?'

What can progressives to do create an environment where this person feels they can run? Legally, we can't put money in a pot for a fictional candidate. But we can pledge now that if a real progressive steps up, we'll get their back. So, here's a little experiment. I just created a Facebook fan page (like a Facebook group) called 'I support a real progressive against Arlen Specter.'"

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Riiiiiight. Good luck with that.

Jim Inhofe: Specter Switch Will Bring Republican Revolution In 2010 (VIDEO):

"Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) said Wednesday that Sen. Arlen Specter's defection from the Republican Party is 'the first visible evidence' that the GOP will crush the Democrats in the upcoming 2010 midterm elections.

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Cunt. Sorry. Call 'em like I see 'em.

Virginia Foxx: Story of Matthew Shepard's Murder A "Hoax" (VIDEO):

"'I also would like to point out that there was a bill -- the hate crimes bill that's called the Matthew Shepard bill is named after a very unfortunate incident that happened where a young man was killed, but we know that that young man was killed in the commitment of a robbery. It wasn't because he was gay. This -- the bill was named for him, hate crimes bill was named for him, but it's really a hoax that that continues to be used as an excuse for passing these bills,' said Foxx.

A Foxx spokesman didn't immediately return a call. The Matthew Shepard 'hoax' notion is a popular meme on right-wing blogs.

The Matthew Shepard Foundation is dedicated to reducing hate crimes.

The New York Times reported in 1998: 'According to the local police and prosecutors, the two men lured Mr. Shepard out of a bar by saying they were gay. Then, the Laramie police say, the pair kidnapped Mr. Shepard, pistol-whipped him with a .357 Magnum, and left him tied to a ranch fence for 18 hours until a passing bicyclist spotted Mr. Shepard, who was unconscious.'"

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CNN. The first name in tortured fucking 'news'.

Black people cringe everywhere as Kyra goes 'wigga'.

Don't these people ever get embarrassed?

CNN Story On Obama's "Swagga" The Most Embarrassing Ever? (VIDEO):

"We all expect a bit of fluff from cable news considering they have 24 hours a day to fill and there are only so many events to be 'rocked' by, but when we hit a point at which CNN is spending Obama's 100th day in office 'assessing his swagga' something is amiss.

T.J. Holmes sat down with four men who were never identified by name or title (as if we weren't supposed to care about who they were, just that they were black) to talk about Obama's 'swagga.' They were sweet and did the best they could with such a ridiculous topic, but anchor Kyra Phillips was way over the top. She asked for the theme song to 'Shaft' to be played, she talked about Obama's 'flava' and she insisted on getting a fist bump at the end. Here's are her choicest moments..."

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Not that it is on my regular viewing schedule anymore, but I did enjoy catching the show occasionally. This cinches that I'll never watch again.

'Thangs just ain't the same for gangstas'

Sarah Palin to Appear on American Chopper - TV News, Sarah Palin : People.com

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Nail on head.

Obama Skeptical Of Today's College Grads

Last Friday President Obama called for the United States to have "the highest percentage of college graduates" of anywhere in the world. But in more recent remarks, Obama seems to harbor some skepticism of what today's college grads can do.

In an interview with the New York Times' David Leonhardt published Wednesday, the president said that his grandmother, whose education ended after high school, could write a better letter than some of today's college graduates.

"[S]he was able to become a vice president at a bank partly because her high-school education was rigorous enough that she could communicate and analyze information in a way that, frankly, a bunch of college kids in many parts of the country can't," the president said. "She could write a better letter than many of my -- I won't say 'many,' but a number of my former students at the University of Chicago Law School."

The problem, Obama seemed to be saying, is a slippage of standards: "[W]hat it means to have graduated from high school, what it means to have graduated from a two-year college or a four-year college is not always as clear as it was several years ago."

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