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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Remains the Same

A word on this horrible act of vandalism by an insane person...

Harvey Updyke arrested in Toomer's Corner tree poisoning, say reports | al.com

When things like this happen in Alabama it makes me infinitely happy that I no longer live in the state.

Never underestimate how deep stupid runs in AL.

First, we have the jackass tree-murderer who wiped out over a century of tradition because he prefers one football team over another. Look, I'm a HUGE Alabama Crimson Tide fan, but to 'hate' another team and its supporters is fucking booger-eating dumb. Alabamians clinging to their football, god and guns. Enough already. Evolve you knuckle-draggers.

Next, you'll have some Bama fans that smirk and approve of this asshole's actions. Grow up, already.

Then, you'll have Auburn fans and non-fans paste the blame on all Alabama fans. With this logic, these same people can be held responsible for the racists sins of past and present which infect the state like a cancer.

Speaking of which....

Finally, all of these folks could give a rats ass that big corporations, agri-farms and individual residents have been poisoning Alabama's dirt and water for decades.

Alabama: "Come for the golf, stay for the cancer".

Sheesh. Priorities, people. Priorities.

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One might punch the back of your head while the other might stroke your hair. Either way, what's happening to your back-side remains the same.

The New Obama Budget - NYTimes.com:

"There was an old Washingtoon, probably from the mid-1980s, in which Democrats meet to plan their new centrist strategy — which consists of tax cuts for the rich, reduced spending on the needy, and big defense budgets. “But how is this different from the Republicans?” asks one member of the group. “Compassion,” replies the leader. “We care about the victims of our policies.”

That’s pretty much my initial reaction to what we know so far about the Obama budget. It’s much less awful than the Republican proposal, but it moves in the same direction: listening to the administration, you’d think that discretionary spending, not health care, is at the heart of our long-run deficit problems — and you’d also think that the job of rescuing the economy was done, with unemployment still at 9 percent."

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CCCCCCHHHHHAAAAAANGE! Shared sacrifice and all.

Why Isn't Wall Street in Jail? | Rolling Stone Politics:

"Over drinks at a bar on a dreary, snowy night in Washington this past month, a former Senate investigator laughed as he polished off his beer.

'Everything's fucked up, and nobody goes to jail,' he said. 'That's your whole story right there. Hell, you don't even have to write the rest of it. Just write that.'

I put down my notebook. 'Just that?'"

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Huzzah for Anon and Wikileaks. Two of very few entities fighting the good fight.

AMERICAblog News: How Anonymous stole 75,000 emails from a corporate 'security' firm and exposed a plot to destroy WikiLeaks allies

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I never thought I'd post anything Bieberish and I never thought I'd write "I agree" when posting something Bieberish.

ThinkProgress � Justin Bieber Won’t Become A U.S. Citizen: ‘You’re Broke Because Of Medical Bills’

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Kabuki

YouTube - Watch President Obama's Full Speech at Tucson Memorial

Beautiful speech. Hit all the right notes. Not many people could deliver something like this. Its content is truly what we as a nation should aspire to.

However, speeches don't cut it anymore.

Does anyone really believe the Republicans-Blue Dog Democrats have any interest at all at civility? Does anyone really believe this mass-murder by a crazy person will change anything political in this country?

If Progressives won't fight back (and as dirty as possible).... If Progressives continue to vote their fears, if Progressives will not bite the bullet and stand down in supporting all the faux Dems in office, right to the very freakin' top, if Progressives don't start punching conservative blow-hards in the mouth every time they open it, then we'll all have a bullet in our head soon enough.

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Good for him. I'll send bail money.

Tucson shooting victim arrested after making threat | TPM News Pages

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Pfft. Maybe they'll pass a note "Do you like me? ___Yes ___No ____Maybe.

2 senators agree to sit together for Obama address - Yahoo! News

Fucking Kabuki.

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Please tell me how awesome teh health insurance bail-out bill is again?

Blue Shield of California defies state insurance commissioner over rate hikes | Money & Company | Los Angeles Times:

"Defying California’s new insurance commissioner, Blue Shield of California has refused to delay Davejones-span controversial health insurance rate hikes for 60 days that prompted an uproar among customers who are seeing successive increases over the last five months of up to 59%."

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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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Finger Wagging and Hippie Punching

Obama just can't help himself. Must. Punch. Hippies whilst kissing money-bag ass.

AMERICAblog News: About Obama's recent comments:

"There's an arrogance to the President's comments, and an inability to recognize how much he is a part of the problem. What's increasingly disturbing is that the President just doesn't seem to get why so many Democrats are so disappointed in him. He seems to believe the apologists' standard line that we're all naive purists who simply don't understand politics.

The comments add fuel to a greater, and growing, concern about the President: that he honestly thinks he's been doing a great job, and that he honestly thinks his approach to problem solving and legislating - compromise first, then reach any deal you can - is an appropriate way to run a country. Inside the White House they call this success. Outside, it's perceived by a growing number of Democrats and Independents as weakness."

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Problem is, Obama, that your hippy punching hasn't gone unnoticed by sensible Republicans who voted for you in '08. They are as unimpressed as we hippies are.

Op-Ed Columnist - When Peggy Left Barry - NYTimes.com

One of the independent voters Obama will be trying to charm over the next two years is my sister, Peggy, a formerly ardent Obamican (a Republican who changed spots to vote for Obama).

Disillusioned with her beloved W. over Iraq and Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld and the disdain for bipartisanship, she gave her affections — and small cash infusions — to Barack Obama in 2008.

Despite being a Washington native, Peggy believed that the dazzling young newcomer could change Washington.

But she has lost a lot of faith now, saying she might vote for Mitt Romney over Obama if Romney is the Republican nominee in 2012. (Sarah Palin shouldn’t count on her vote though. In Peggy’s words, “Are you nuts?”)

Peggy thinks the president has done fine managing W.’s messes in Iraq and Afghanistan. And she lights up at the mention of his vice president, Joe Biden. But she thinks Obama has to get “a backbone” if he wants to lure her back to the fold. “He promised us everything, saying he would turn the country around, and he did nothing the first year,” Peggy says. “He piddled around when he had 60 votes. He could have pushed through the health care bill but spent months haggling on it because he wanted to bring some Republicans on board. He was trying too hard to compromise when he didn’t need the Republicans and they were never going to like him. Any idiot could see that.

“He could have gotten it through while Teddy Kennedy was still alive — he owed the Kennedys something — and then the bill was watered down.

“He hasn’t saved the economy, and now he’s admitting he’s made very little progress. You can’t for four years blame the person who used to be president. Obama tries to compromise too much, and he doesn’t look like a strong leader. I don’t watch him anymore. I’m turned off by him. I think he’s an elitist. He went down to the gulf, telling everyone to take a vacation down there, and then he goes to Martha’s Vineyard. He does what he wants but then he tells us to do other things.

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Yup.

Slow Boil | The Agonist:

"I also get told on a regular basis that if I don't shut my pie hole about all this and vote Democratic that it will all be my fault when tEh crazies get elected. Please explain to me in simple, clear, elementary language how the above seven highlights are my fault. To wit: I voted for a candidate who promised to close GITMO within a year. I voted for a candidate who promised to end DADT and provide equal rights for all Americans. I voted for a candidate who promised immigration reform. I voted for a candidate who promised to put Americans, all Americans, back to work. I voted for a candidate who promised to protect our social contract and expand the economic safety net.

Obama has not only not done any of it, he's made shit worse.

Now, tell me why I should vote for the Democrats in 2010? Because tEh crazies are coming? Fuck that: tEh crazies are here."

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You know what has more power than a finger wag and sternly worded letters? A FUCKING SOLID HEALTH REFORM LAW!

Otherwise, the insurance industry (Sebelius' and Obama's masters) is just fucking laughing at your dumb asses.

Sebelius To Health Insurers: Stop Lying About Your Rate Increases:

"WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's top health official on Thursday warned the insurance industry that the administration won't tolerate blaming premium hikes on the new health overhaul law."

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Things could be worse, though.

Judson Newton, Missing Bahamas Boater, Likely Found Inside Shark Off Jaws Beach

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Chickenshit Hippie Punchers

Goddamn right, Lee Stranaham:

Lee Stranahan: President Obama Listens to the Right Because He Ignores the Left:

"The reason President Obama focuses on the right is because he's ignored the left since the day after the election, and if he wants to save his presidency, that needs to change.

In fact, the only times that President Obama and his gang o' hacks haven't ignored the left is when they've blown off steam by actually attacking progressives. Who called MoveOn.org 'fucking retarded'? Was it Andrew Breitbart? Glenn Beck? Mel Gibson? Of course not -- it was Obama's Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.

Emanuel's outburst was right in line with the path the Obama administration has taken from the beginning -- side with Big Business in the hopes of building the Democratic war chest through corporate donations. Every watered-down, ginned-up company-approved bit of major legislation that has oozed through Congress and on to the president's desk has helped bail out corporate America at the expense of the middle class."

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Wherein Obama once again shows how much he really doesn't get ir, or, rather his reflex to punch the hippies.

It isn't the 'YouTube/blogger' culture, DA, it is the FAUX News/Right Wing media culture.

Stop blaming the hippies, asshole.

Sherrod gets biggest 'I'm sorry' — from Obama - Yahoo! News:

"'He jumped the gun, partly because we now live in this media culture where something goes up on YouTube or a blog and everybody scrambles,' Obama said."

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Why this SOB still has a job....

The Jester, the Coward, and the Employee | VF Daily | Vanity Fair:

"Andrew Breitbart is a blip on the American screen and only a minor player in this story. The central character in this regrettable drama is agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack, who fired Shirley Sherrod before he got his facts straight. Before he got any facts at all, it seems. Did Vilsack, an adult, even take the time to ask Ms. Sherrod, another adult, any questions? Or was he too preoccupied being terrified by the easily disproved distortions of known laughing stock Andrew Breitbart? That Vilsack acted on the assumption that Breitbart was telling the truth was a huge mistake that shows an astonishing lack of judgment and character. To fire anyone on information that is not carefully and fully verified is grossly irresponsible."

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Nation editor: Obama ‘feeding zealots’ by not standing up to right-wing media | Raw Story:

"The Nation editor Katrina vanden Heuvel told NBC's Today Show Friday that the Obama administration needs to 'get a spine.'

'This White House needs to institute procedures, as President Obama said, and get a spine because it is feeding the zealots of our system by not standing tall and confronting the forces of hate and fear in a country that has a lot of economic pain,' vanden Heuvel said."

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Daily Kos: Why Does Fox News Have More Power Than Any Progressive in the Country?:

"The idea is that Fox News is more important than any progressive leader or commentator (or even the majority opinion of progressives throughout the country, as evidenced by polls) because liberals have nowhere to go. So, that's why you can abuse them, ignore them and even treat them with disdain -- and they'll still vote for you. What are they going to do -- vote for Republicans?

That's why Rahm Emanuel can call them 'fucking retarded' and derisively dismiss them on almost every issue. They think there's no price to pay. Whereas, if they cross Fox, all of Washington will be talking about it. And they're obsessed with the Washington chatter. And they are under the grossly mistaken impression that the country gives a shit about what Fox says.

In Washington, Fox News is very important and you get judged by how quickly you handle the media maelstroms they create. That's viewed as a barometer of how well you handle 'bad news cycles.' So, the rest of the Washington press corps judges you by how quickly you drop to your knees to end the 'bad news cycle.' Congratulations Obama administration, you're now professionals!"

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At least somebody is calling it like it really is:

Sherrod: I'm a Victim of Breitbart, Fox 'Racism' | Media Matters for America

Rachel Maddow: Fox News Stoking Racial Fears Among Whites (VIDEO)

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Health care should not be subject to the not-very-free market.

Consumer group: Insurers kept surplus while hiking premiums - USATODAY.com:

"Non-profit Blue Cross and Blue Shield health plans stockpiled billions of dollars during the past decade, yet continued to hit consumers with double-digit premium increases, Consumers Union found in an analysis of 10 of the plans' finances.

Insurers must keep surplus money to ensure they can pay policyholders' medical bills if unexpected market conditions develop. Yet seven of the plans examined held more than three times the amount regulators consider the minimum needed to do that, according to a report being released today by the non-profit consumer group.

'Consumers are struggling to afford health coverage,' said report author Sondra Roberto. 'Those funds could be used in some cases to mitigate these rate increases."

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Wait... who's in charge again?

BP trying to legally ‘contaminate’ Gulf scientists: report:

"BP plans to fight a lawsuit to be filed by the Natural Resources Damage Assessment, according to Press-Register's Ben Raines. Putting Gulf scientists on the payroll could mean there are less experts to testify against them.

MSNBC's Rachel Maddow compares the tactic to an episode of The Sopranos where Tony Soprano consults with top lawyers so his wife isn't able to hire them in a divorce case."

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After Oil Spills, Hidden Damage Can Last for Years - NYTimes.com:

"In 1969, a barge hit the rocks off the coast of West Falmouth, Mass., spilling 189,000 gallons of fuel oil into Buzzards Bay. Today, the fiddler crabs at nearby Wild Harbor still act drunk, moving erratically and reacting slowly to predators.

The odd behavior is consistent with a growing body of research showing how oil spills of many types have remarkably persistent effects, often at levels low enough to escape routine notice."

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I'll take a sixer of squirrel, please.

Strongest ever beer served up in dead squirrels

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And I Feel Fine....

....And I feel fine....

If it is going to happen it'll be within 6 months. Nice to have a deadline.

h/t to BB:

Doomsday: How BP Gulf disaster may have triggered a world-killing event - by Terrence Aym - Helium:

"Now, worried scientists are increasingly concerned the same series of catastrophic events that led to worldwide death back then may be happening again-and no known technology can stop it.

The bottom line: BP’s Deepwater Horizon drilling operation may have triggered an irreversible, cascading geological Apocalypse that will culminate with the first mass extinction of life on Earth in many millions of years.

The oil giant drilled down miles into a geologically unstable region and may have set the stage for the eventual premature release of a methane mega-bubble."

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Awsum. Liz helped Obama kill the Public Option.

Daily Kos: Obama Hires Fmr. Wellpoint Exec to Implement Health Care Law:

"Liz Fowler, a key staffer for U.S. Sen. Max Baucus who helped draft the federal health reform bill enacted in March, is joining the Obama administration to help implement the new law...

Fowler headed up a team of 20-some Senate Finance Committee staffers who helped draft the bill in the Senate. She was Baucus' top health care aide from 2001-2005 and left that job in 2006 to become an executive at WellPoint, the nation's largest private insurer. She was vice president of public policy at WellPoint, helping develop public-policy positions for the company. In 2008, she rejoined Baucus to work on health reform legislation."

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Says a lot.

Effort underway to remove tons of fat from London’s sewers | Raw Story:

"A team of workers sporting breathing apparatus and carrying shovels has started clearing around 1,000 tonnes of fat from sewers around London's Leicester Square, a water company said Tuesday.

Cooking fat being poured down drains under one of the city's main tourist attractions is thought to be causing blockages."

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Was a fan back in the day. Wonder how it will translate.

'Beavis and Butt-head' to return with new episodes to MTV - NYPOST.com:

"The move to resurrect the hugely popular 1990s animated anti-heroes has been rumored for several days. But yesterday, sources at MTV confirmed that a new batch of 'Beavis and Butt-head' episodes are in the works."

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Big Lie

Because the game is to lie, big time, about anything, then move along. It's the 'no accountability' that has been codified into our fabric by the current administration that allows the Big Lie.

'Climategate' Debunking Gets Less Coverage Than Original Trumped-Up Scandal (VIDEO)

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While I fully agree, this coming from the weakest of teas is, well, pretty effing weak. It is like Glenn Beck chastising someone for being a racist.

Harry Reid Complains Obama Avoids 'Confrontation' And Should Be 'More Forceful' With GOP (VIDEO)

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An example of how 'no accountability' will translate to the extremely weak health insurance 'adjustment' bill that was passed. It isn't a 'law', really. Only some suggestions that the health insurance companies might consider to, you know, stop screwing the consumers to the wall. Only if they want too, though.

Holders Justice Department is fucking weak.

Health Care Firm Crawls Out From Under Rock: Congressman Boehner takes its money—By Ken Silverstein (Harper's Magazine):

"Remember WellCare, the Tampa-based insurer that was accused of “bilking taxpayers of hundreds of millions of dollars by using fraudulent practices that were integral to the company’s profit-making,” says a St. Petersburg Times editorial? “But rather than recover every misappropriated dime and then triple the damages, as the law allows, the Justice Department has announced a preliminary settlement of a paltry $137.5 million to satisfy its whistle-blower claims. If WellCare keeps any of its ill-gotten gains and avoids a significant fine, the message to other health insurers will be loud and clear: fraud pays.”

WellCare’s PAC stopped making political contributions in the fall of 2007, after the Justice Department raided its headquarters. But now WellCare’s PAC is back in business, sending $2,500 to the Freedom Project, House Minority Leader John Boehner’s personal “Leadership PAC.”"

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Just sayin'

Chris Kelly: Mel Gibson Is Biblically Correct

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Weird.

Belly-buttons key to success in sport: study

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Takes a toll on Nation

There's a good metaphor for America\ in this story, I'm just too weary to dig it out. (Though, NC has no business being in the 'wine' business. That shit is horrible. Not even worthy of purple drank).

Weedkiller takes a toll on nation's oldest grape vine | McClatchy

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Indeed.

Daily Kos: What the **** is wrong with Republicans?:

"Are republican voters stupid? They are constantly voting against their own self interest time and time again. They buy into the republican bullshit of ONLY REPUBLICANS CARE ABOUT AMERICA.

NO THEY DON'T. Newsflash to the Republican voters: THEY DON'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT YOU. THEY ONLY CARE ABOUT THEMSELVES AND THEIR PRECIOUS CORPORATIONS.

Jesus. Blocking a bill to help homeless veterans and their children?

I am a wife of a veteran. This is particuarly offensive to me. The fact that there exists ANY homeless veterans is a disgrace to this country. But since there is they should be helped but the Republicans block any effort to try and at least do something.

Fuck them."

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Perpetual Motion Machine | Talking Points Memo:

"Republicans block any measures to buoy or resuscitate economy, call sputtering economy evidence of superiority of Republican policies, reap political benefit. Rinse. Restart.

(Of course, help from right-leaning Dems a critical part of the equation.)"

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Eschaton:

"Depressed

Our elites are populated with significant numbers of people who truly believe that the biggest problem this country faces is that poor people have it a bit too good.

It's all very depressing."

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Still waiting on health care. This bastard bill that was passed does absolutely nothing to make health care more affordable, therefore more accessible. Every calculator I've used still prices me out even with the bullshit subsidies (or should I say Insurance bailout/buyoff money). And, the more money I make, the less I can afford it. What a deal.

So, super, you can't be denied insurance if you have a pre-existing condition. Can you afford that insurance, though?

The 2nd paragraph below is one of the stupidest things I've read in a while. Shorter "Can't afford it, but you'll have access to it".

Got a pre-existing condition? Now you can pay through the nose:

"Premiums will vary from state to state. In California, for example, the cost for a 50-year-old is estimated at $575 a month, with a $1,500 annual deductible and 15 percent co-insurance. Premiums in states with lower medical costs could be around $400 a month.

'That's still quite a lot of money, so there will be some folks who struggle to afford that,' said Marian Mulkey, health reform director for the California HealthCare Foundation. 'But it's going to mean a big jump in access.'"

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At least one good thing our gov is attempting. This has for too long been an elitist practice. Only young'uns with rich daddies get to play internship. When I was in college I had to get JOBS.

Students Chafe Under Internship Guidelines - NYTimes.com:

"But the willingness of many young people to sacrifice pay for experience has led a number of states as well as the federal government to take a close look at the legality of hiring young people to work free. In April, the Obama administration issued a fact sheet listing six criteria aimed at preventing employers from violating the Fair Labor Standards Act with their unpaid internship programs. Among the stipulations: that the training the intern receives must be similar to training that can be obtained in an educational setting, that unpaid interns don’t displace a paid employee, and that the employer does not derive any “benefit” from the intern’s work."

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Reason 1, 893,078 why we should let this hapless animal slip into history.

Panda in Chinese zoo accidentally crushes its cub

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The GOP's Deliberate Sabotage

The GOP's Deliberate Sabotage.

It's been their strategy since day one. God forbid the 'unpleasantness' of it all sully those poor, poor 'reporters' fragile little minds.

The Washington Monthly:

"It's unpleasant to think about, and I really hope it's not true, but it may be time for a discussion about whether GOP lawmakers are trying to deliberately sabotage the economy to help their midterm election strategy. After all, these same Republicans have supported deficit-financed tax-extenders before -- there's no credible reason to change course now. On the contrary, with the economy struggling to break through, the need for this package is more obvious, not less, if your goal is to actually improve economic conditions."

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Gulf Coast Governors Leaving National Guard Idle - CBS Evening News - CBS News

Kenneth Jindal has 6000 NG at his disposal and has activated only 1500 all the while bitching that the Feds, who, as a Republican, he believes should not interfere in any-damn-thing, haven't supplied him with any resources.

See above.

Pattern of sabotage. High crimes, indeed.

And nobody gives a damn.

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What Ed says:

Daily Kos: Ed Schultz: "If you love America, quit voting like you hate Americans"

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Seriously. Imagine the hyperventilation going on at FAUX News.

Just imagine it for a minute.

Courtland Milloy - Tolerance of white militias exemplifies racial double standard:

"Imagine that the inauguration of President George W. Bush had sparked an explosive rise in African American militia groups. Suppose thousands of heavily armed black men began gathering at training camps in wooded areas throughout the country, devising military tactics for 'taking back their country' after what they believed was an electoral coup.

Do you think Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney would have reacted to a black militaristic buildup as coolly as President Obama has to the phenomenal growth of white militias?"

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Seriously, WTF! Makes me want to go down their and cross every one of BP's fake barriers and when I'm accosted, tell each and everyone to fuck off.

Louisiana Police Pull Over Activist at Behest of BP | Mother Jones

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I sure wish we'd passed health care instead of a health insurance bail-out.

U.S. scores dead last again in healthcare study | Reuters:

"(Reuters) - Americans spend twice as much as residents of other developed countries on healthcare, but get lower quality, less efficiency and have the least equitable system, according to a report released on Wednesday."

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Very good explanation of the CLEAR Act:

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Inspired. Lera Lynn (drool) on vocals. Song by Jeff Soileau, video by Evan Soileau.

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The Importance of Being Bagger

Uhhh, not really. Barely English.

I guess Alabama Republicans are getting a little jealous that they've been out-crazied of late.

No worries. Their bag of bigoted tricks is quite large.

The Rachel Maddow Show - 'This is Alabama. We speak English'

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Wow. To admit it... and it is 'has' not 'had'.

Again... Wow.

Michael Steele Acknowledges GOP Had “Southern Strategy” For Decades | The Plum Line:

"But I think folks are missing the real news in what Steele said. The RNC chairman also appeared to acknowledge that the GOP has had a race-based “southern strategy” for four decades, which is decidedly not a historical interpretation many Republicans agree with."

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Yeah, how's that free market working for ya?

In Coal Country, a Culture of Fear � The Washington Independent:

“They told my husband, ‘You’ve got a job to do and you’re gonna do it,’” said the wife of one Massey miner, referring to the funerals he’s missed this month for friends who died in the blast. “What else are we gonna do?”"

Where's the competition. How can a worker tell Massey to go frack himself and then take his/her talents to the competition?

Virginia, where coal is the only real industry, and Massey is king of the hill. Indeed, in certain areas there’s simply no queen.

“The bad thing here is that Massey owns [the Upper Big Branch] mine, and they’ve got a lot of subsidiaries — little tiny outfits just all down the river,” said Denny Tyler, an electrician who has contracted with Massey and now runs a website advocating for the end to mountaintop removal. “If you get fired from one, you’re not working anywhere on Coal River. … Its a fear thing

Evil. The lot of them.

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Special place in hell for insurance executives.

Exclusive: WellPoint routinely targets breast cancer patients | Reuters

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I guess the 'news media' is getting tired of playing with the tea bags.

The tea party's exaggerated importance - Jonathan Martin and Ben Smith - POLITICO.com

There were 15,000 people at a cannabis and hemp expo in SF last week, but Hannity didn't host that one though it was 3 times as large as any bagger cross burning.

Hell, a dog poop protest in SF draws more participants.

Rendell: Media blow Tea Parties out of proportion | Raw Story:

"'We had two recent Tea Party demonstrations in Washington. One a week before the health care vote, drew about 1,000 people. The tax day rally by the organizers' own estimate was 1,500 people,' explained the governor.

'If I organized a rally for stronger laws to protect puppies, I would get 100,000 people to Washington. So, I think the media has blown the Tea Party themselves out of proportion,' said Rendell."

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Salt be killing us.

FDA plans to limit amount of salt allowed in processed foods for health reasons:

"The Food and Drug Administration is planning an unprecedented effort to gradually reduce the salt consumed each day by Americans, saying that less sodium in everything from soup to nuts would prevent thousands of deaths from hypertension and heart disease. The initiative, to be launched this year, would eventually lead to the first legal limits on the amount of salt allowed in food products."

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Touche. Keep pluckin', though.

Chicago's DJ Intel And Blogger Girlfriend Make Vegetarian Version Of KFC's 'Double-Down

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After the attack, dude surfed for another 45 minutes.

Surfer rides shark after it bites his surfboard

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When Men Were Free

We are ending the age of Reagan, finally.

Economic Scene - In Health Bill, Obama Attacks Wealth Inequality - NYTimes.com:

"Beyond the health reform’s effect on the medical system, it is the centerpiece of his deliberate effort to end what historians have called the age of Reagan.

Speaking to an ebullient audience of Democratic legislators and White House aides at the bill-signing ceremony on Tuesday, Mr. Obama claimed that health reform would “mark a new season in America.” He added, “We have now just enshrined, as soon as I sign this bill, the core principle that everybody should have some basic security when it comes to their health care.”"

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Here's a dose of the beginnings of the Reagan Age. Sound familiar?:

The Washington Monthly:

"Reading Blankley's panic-stricken screed, I was immediately reminded of Ronald Reagan's 1961 attacks on JFK's Medicare proposal. At the time, Reagan said the plan would lead federal officials to dictate where physicians could practice medicine, and open the door to government control over where Americans were allowed to live. In fact, Reagan warned that if Medicare became law, there was a real possibility that the federal government would control where Americans go and what they do for a living.

Reagan added, '[I]f you don't [stop Medicare] and I don't do it, one of these days you and I are going to spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it once was like in America when men were free.'"

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Our modern day Reagan/Bush/Air-fucking-head-violence inciter.

Sarah Palin's PAC Puts Gun Sights On Democrats She's Targeting In 2010

Which leads to...

FBI investigates Virginia incident - Andy Barr - POLITICO.com:

"Law enforcement authorities are investigating the discovery of a cut propane gas line at the Virginia home of Rep. Tom Perriello’s (D-Va.) brother, whose address was targeted by tea party activists angry at the congressman’s vote for the health care bill."

...And....

Bart Stupak Received Threatening Messages for Health Care Vote (Listen) - Political Hotsheet - CBS News:

"The calls placed to Stupak's office reveal the extreme anger members of Congress are facing.

'Congressman Stupak, you baby-killing mother f***er... I hope you bleed out your a**, got cancer and die, you mother f***er,' one man says in a message to Stupak.

'There are millions of people across the country who wish you ill,' a woman says in a voicemail, 'and all of those thoughts that are projected on you will materialize into something that's not very good for you.'"

Daily Kos: GOP has blood on its hands

The backlash: Reform turns personal - Jake Sherman and Marin Cogan - POLITICO.com

These baggers are insane and dangerous. The first Dem that's maimed or killed, consider it war.

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People like the health insurance reform. Who knew?

DNC Rakes In Over $2 Million Since Bill’s Passage | The Plum Line:

"A DNC source emails that the committee has pulled in over $2 million in online contributions since the bill passed on Sunday."

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Once an asshole, always an asshole.

Think Progress � Bush wipes his hand on Clinton’s shirt after shaking hands with Haitian residents.:

"After the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti in January, President Obama asked former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush to lead the U.S. relief effort in that country. The two men viewed one of Haiti’s “massive tent cities” yesterday, in a trip — their first one to the country together — to “remind donors of the immense needs facing the recovery effort.” BBC aired video of Bush and Clinton’s visit, and Mediate noticed that at one point, Bush appeared to wipe his hand off on Clinton’s shirt after shaking hands with a crowd of Haitians. Watch it:"

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Once a Nazi Youth...

Warned About Abuse, Vatican Failed to Defrock Priest - NYTimes.com:

"Top Vatican officials — including the future Pope Benedict XVI — did not defrock a priest who molested as many as 200 deaf boys, even though several American bishops repeatedly warned them that failure to act on the matter could embarrass the church, according to church files newly unearthed as part of a lawsuit."

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In a few years stories like this will be quaint....

NFL Draft Class's Marijuana Use 'Epidemic,' Scouts Say:

"The 2010 NFL Draft class is a highly regarded group of pro football prospects, but some NFL scouts worry that a problem lies beneath the surface. Sports Illustrated reports that 'numerous NFL personnel evaluators' are worried by the number of players with marijuana use in their past. According to one source, nearly a dozen potential first-round draft choices could be red-flagged for using the drug in college."

.... because of this:

Pot legalization headed for Nov. ballot:

"The California Secretary of State is expected today to certify a measure that would ask voters this November whether marijuana should be legalized and regulated for adult recreational use."

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A Big F*cking Deal

Happy Birthday, Patterson Hood. Thank you!

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It is, Joe. It really is:

Biden: Passing health reform ‘a big f*cking deal’ | Raw Story

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My, my winning sure does changes the narrative, don't it. Gotta keep this ball rolling, but November is looking a LOT brighter.

Can't pull up, though.

Obama, Democrats Begin Reaping Political Benefits Of Reform - Yahoo! News:

"According to a Gallup/USA Today poll conducted the day after health care legislation passed the House of Representatives, 49 percent of the respondents think the passage of reform is a 'good thing,' compared to the 40 percent who think it is bad. The numbers are a welcome relief for a party and a presidency that had been bleeding popular support over the course of the past six months.

Democrats didn't just get a health-care-related boost in the realm of public opinion. The Democratic National Committee reported raising more than $1 million in donations on Tuesday even without making a direct ask. The money is expected to pour in for other campaign committees as well."

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Last throes? Doubt it. Crazy motherfuckers (and I mean that in the worst possible way).

Vandals hit at least five Dem offices nationwide, threaten to ‘assassinate’ children of pro-reform lawmakers.

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GOP fans flames of health care reform hatred:

"For the record, House Republican leader John Boehner, GOP Chairman Michael Steele and the organizers of the Tea Party rally condemned the slurs. Steele suggested the movement and the party should not be linked with 'idiots out there saying stupid things.'

Stupid things? Try Rep. Randy Neugebauer, R-Texas, shouting 'baby killer' when Rep. Bart Stupak, an anti-abortion Democrat from Michigan, was outlining his conviction that the bill would not result in federal funding of the procedure - and right after unruly House members had been admonished to stop yelling during the debate. Neugebauer claimed Monday that his exact words were 'it's a baby killer,' and were directed at the measure, not at Stupak - which would make his outburst less stupid only by slight degree.

Stupid things? How about the House Republicans who cheered two hecklers who were ushered out of the public gallery by Capitol Police on Sunday. Or the GOP lawmakers who kept going to the House balcony during the debate to wave clenched fists and handwritten signs at the crowd and helped ensure it remained whipped into a frenzy.

Stupid things? How about the steady stream of rhetorical excesses during the debate. They warned of the death of freedom, of a coming era of totalitarianism, of a 'fiscal Frankenstein.'"

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These people are certifiably fucking insane. Trying to work with them is unpatriotic. They live in a different, crazy world.

Just oozing with racism.

‘Scary’ Harris poll: 24% of Republicans think Obama ‘may be the Antichrist’ :

"Birthers, deathers, now, apparently, there are Antichristers on the Obama warpath.

The Daily Beast's John Avlon writes, 'On the heels of health care, a new Harris poll reveals Republican attitudes about Obama: Two-thirds think he's a socialist, 57 percent a Muslim—and 24 percent say 'he may be the Antichrist.''"

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Palin's "Real America".

Op-Ed Columnist - An Absence of Class in the G.O.P. - NYTimes.com:

"For decades the G.O.P. has been the party of fear, ignorance and divisiveness. All you have to do is look around to see what it has done to the country. The greatest economic inequality since the Gilded Age was followed by a near-total collapse of the overall economy. As a country, we have a monumental mess on our hands and still the Republicans have nothing to offer in the way of a remedy except more tax cuts for the rich.

This is the party of trickle down and weapons of mass destruction, the party of birthers and death-panel lunatics. This is the party that genuflects at the altar of right-wing talk radio, with its insane, nauseating, nonstop commitment to hatred and bigotry."

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This is awful. Congress really needs to do something about this. Fucking activist neocon Supreme Court assholes.

First Corporate Campaign Ads Appear After Supreme Court's Citizens United Decision:

"A Texas company recently took out a political ad in several local newspapers, making it one of the first corporations to do so in the wake of a landmark Supreme Court ruling that lifted restrictions on corporate political spending."

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Gee, wonder how that happened. Enjoy all of your eggs in that unsustainable basket.

Bush speechwriter: Republicans ‘work for Fox’ :

"Republicans originally thought that Fox worked for us and now we're discovering we work for Fox," Frum told ABC's Terry Moran. "And this balance here has been completely reversed. The thing that sustains a strong Fox network is the thing that undermines a strong Republican party."

"Frum's view of the GOP's electoral prospects seemed dim. 'Nobody ever won an election by spitting on his political opponents,' he said, evidently referring to the incident this past weekend when anti-health reform protesters spat on Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver."

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HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Shut the fuck up.

Tebow's pre-Wonderlic prayer request falls flat | ProFootballTalk.com:

"At the Scouting Combine, the Wonderlic exam is administered to players in groups. The 12-minute test is preceded by some brief instructions and comments from the person administering the test.

Per a league source, after the person administering the test to Tebow's group had finished, Tebow made a request that the players bow their heads in prayer before taking the 50-question exam.

Said one of the other players in response: 'Shut the f--k up.' Others players in the room then laughed."

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I was far more disgusted by the hiring of Fleischer than I was by any whore Tiger fucked.

Think Progress � Ari Fleischer quits PR job for Tiger Woods because his legacy was so bad it harmed Tiger’s rehabilitation.:

"The AP gives no reason for Fleischer’s departure, but FoxSports reports that Fleischer “fell on his sword because he felt he was becoming the story“: “Fleischer’s legacy, whether fairly or not, remains propagating Bush/Cheney myths — like Saddam Hussein attacked America on Sept. 11, 2001 — which Americans don’t want to hear. Having him in behind the curtain gave the impression Woods had something to hide, and that words were being fed to him.”"

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Historic Day for the Good Guys

Health insurance reform is now law of the land.

I've been thinking a lot about getting a 'foot in the door'. Those of us who want true health care reform, now have a foot in the door. Lots of work to be done. Probably more work the next go around than this go around. The Public Option or Medicaid buy in for all MUST be in place before the mandate kicks in. Must.

That's where I'll be focusing my energy. I'll also be focusing on ridding the Democratic Party of the dead weight, Republican wannabes.

I hope the Dems have learned a lot. Like, how to negotiate, for one.

No. More. Compromising.

This bill could have been so much more.

However, this was a BIG win for Dems and a HUGE loss for the crazy-ass Republicants.

Roll that around your head and mouth. A MASSIVE win for the Dems, and a crippling loss for the Thugs.

Rep. John B. Larson: The Top Ten Immediate Benefits You'll Get When Health Care Reform Passes

Mitchell Bard: A Guide for Those Traumatized by Right-Wing, Fear-Mongering Lies on Health Care Reform

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Former Bush speech writer David Frum:

Health Care REACTION: Bill Passes, Analysts Weigh In:

"Conservatives and Republicans today suffered their most crushing legislative defeat since the 1960s."

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Ezra Klein - Who does health-care reform help?:

"Health-care reform is focused on another group: the working class. People with jobs, but not jobs that are good enough to offer them health-care benefits. People with paychecks, but who aren't making quite enough money to bear the cost of insurance. People who're buying insurance on their own, which means they don't get the good deals that big employers get, and they don't get a giant tax break to help them out. But these aren't lazy people, or layabouts. These are people who've been left behind in the system. We spend a lot more money to give a lot more help to a lot of folks who need it less than this group does."

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Kudo's to Pelosi.

Joshua A. Tucker's response to 'Pelosi's triumph?' - The Arena | POLITICO.COM:

"And so begins the shift in the narrative of the Obama presidency: from the lost year to the man who succeeded where Democrats have failed for decades, against all odds, whose methods looked doom to fail but now look brilliant in retrospect, etc. etc. I doubt very strongly that any seats will be lost over this vote, or at the very least any more than would have been lost from 'incompetent Democrats can't accomplish anything' narrative that would have dominated the campaign had the bill failed. My guess: if the economy gets worse (or even fails to get better) between now and November, Democratic seat losses will probably be exacerbated in the fall. If the economy gets unexpectedly better, Democratic seat losses will be minimized. But a legislative accomplishment of this magnitude should inspire the base, which, if anything, should help in the fall."

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Greg Dworkin's response to 'Pelosi's triumph?' - The Arena | POLITICO.COM:

"A Pelosi triumph? I noted last week that this strong speaker was underestimated and under-credited. I predicted that when the bill passed, that would change. By the way, you really need to compare Republican rhetoric today with that which they said after Social Security passed (anyone besides Dana Milbank remember Alf Landon?) And you need to highlight the racial epithets hurled at the Congressional Black Caucus Saturday at health bill protests (confirmed by Eric Cantor on This Week – yes, it happened, and it’s disgraceful. It doesn’t matter that George C. Wallace voters don’t like the 21st century, progress and change happen regardless) I am looking forward to passage Sunday in a historic vote. Millions of the uninsured, under insured and poorly served need this bill. And while you watch, remember John F Kennedy’s comment: victory has a thousand fathers...."

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The Crazy Within the Republican Party

Teabaggers will kill people over this. There will be blood shed by these insane motherfuckers.

Tea Party sign threatens gun violence if health care passes.

The Political Carnival: Tweet: "We'll surely get over a bullet to Obama's head"

CBC member: Health bill protesters called lawmakers the N-word - The Hill's Blog Briefing Room

Daily Kos: Parkinson's Victim Mocked by Teabaggers Speaks Out

Tea Party protesters reportedly spit on one lawmaker, call others ‘faggot’ and the n-word.

Black Representative Says He Was Spat On By Anti-HCR Protester | TPM LiveWire

Menacing | Talking Points Memo

GOP accused of circulating ‘hoax’ health care memo | Raw Story

State of the health care debate: Talk radio attacks an 11-year old | McClatchy

Stupak repeatedly called ‘baby killer’ on House floor | Raw Story:

"WASHINGTON -- Capping a tense Sunday in which the House of Representatives cleared historic health care legislation, one of the staunchest anti-abortion Democrats was dubbed a 'baby killer' by a representative on the Republican side of the chamber."

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We need a lot more Plouffe. Less Rahm, More Plouffe.

Rove loses his cool in debate with Obama aide | Raw Story:

"Holding a whiteboard and yelling about the cost of health care reform, former Senior Bush adviser Karl Rove melted down on ABC's This Week Sunday. Rove faced off against David Plouffe, one of President Barack Obama's senior advisers."

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Daily Kos: Why Teabaggers lie about HCR (and everything else)...they have to.:

"Leading up to the 2008 Presidential election, I had a lengthy political discussion with my younger sister. We had been discussing the increasingly volatile nature of the political attacks coming from the right. The cries of “terrorist”, the continuing claims of a “kenyan/muslim Manchurian candidate”, and the warnings of coming socialism bothered my sister and I both, to say nothing of the actual death threats clearly audible at rallies for the opposition. As the children of African American parents who grew in the Deep South in the midst of the Civil Rights movement, the dogs whistles, the latent racism was clear to us both. My sister asked me how these people, could say such things about another American citizen, how they hate one of their own neighbors that much.

My answer was simple. I told her that unfortunately, some of our neighbors, some of our American brothers and sisters had long embraced a world view that said that an African-American was not worthy to hold the presidency, to lead “their” great nation. If Barack Obama won the election, that world view would be proven false. It would be, figuratively speaking, the end of the world for the people who held it.

I’ve heard it said that it’s much better to be happy than right. How true."

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Here are the fools we try to reason with. Idiots.

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Non-Human Persons

Something to be very happy about as we start the new year:

Obama and the arts — a love affair? - White House- msnbc.com:

"In his first year, President Barack Obama has marshaled the largest infusion of cultural funding in decades — despite a few stumbles.

Though still far less than arts advocates contend is needed, they have high hopes this president could transform cultural policy, funding and arts education for years to come."

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I think he meant convert to Christianity so as to get way more tale.

Yea, verily, Christianity is a bastion of moral fortitude.

The dick wants regardless of what the 'god' wants.

Brit Hume To Tiger Woods: Convert To Christianity To Recover From Scandal (VIDEO)

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Here's a good example for you, Tiger:

Karl Rove Divorce: GOP Strategist Breaks With Wife Darby

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Go Irish Atheist.

Irish atheists challenge new blasphemy laws | World news | guardian.co.uk:

"Secular campaigners in the Irish Republic defied a strict new blasphemy law which came into force today by publishing a series of anti-religious quotations online and promising to fight the legislation in court.

The new law, which was passed in July, means that blasphemy in Ireland is now a crime punishable with a fine of up to €25,000 (�22,000).

It defines blasphemy as 'publishing or uttering matter that is grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters sacred by any religion, thereby intentionally causing outrage among a substantial number of adherents of that religion, with some defences permitted'."

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If I had a 400 million dollar contract I don't think I'd have a problem with the system too.

Pay = You Live. Can't Pay = You Die.

Too bad this fat bastard is still with us.

Released from hospital, Limbaugh pronounces US health system ‘just dandy’ | Raw Story:

"'I don't think there is one thing wrong with the American health care system it is working just fine, just dandy,' he said."

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Cool.

Scientists say dolphins should be treated as 'non-human persons' - Times Online:

"Dolphins have been declared the world’s second most intelligent creatures after humans, with scientists suggesting they are so bright that they should be treated as “non-human persons”.

Studies into dolphin behaviour have highlighted how similar their communications are to those of humans and that they are brighter than chimpanzees. These have been backed up by anatomical research showing that dolphin brains have many key features associated with high intelligence.

The researchers argue that their work shows it is morally unacceptable to keep such intelligent animals in amusement parks or to kill them for food or by accident when fishing. Some 300,000 whales, dolphins and porpoises die in this way each year.

“Many dolphin brains are larger than our own and second in mass only to the human brain when corrected for body size,” said Lori Marino, a zoologist at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, who has used magnetic resonance imaging scans to map the brains of dolphin species and compare them with those of primates."

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God? Or Gas? Often the two are confused.

Is the "Great Void" One-Billion Light Years Across the Imprint of Another Universe or a Statistical Error?:

"In 2004 astronomers found an enormous hole in the southern hemisphere of the Universe, nearly a billion light-years across, empty of both normal matter such as stars, galaxies, and gas, and the mysterious, unseen 'dark matter.' This was a startling finding, since accepted models of the early universe say that the big bang created an initially uniform cosmic landscape, when viewed on large scales. While earlier studies have shown holes, or voids, in the large-scale structure of the Universe, this discovery dwarfed them all. This 'nothing' is an enormous hole in the cosmos that defies standard cosmology and might just be the imprint of another universe bumping against our own while some astronomers suggested the spot could be a supervoid, a remnant of an early phase transition in the universe."

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Truly Awful People

Truly Awful People:

Daily Kos: Remember Bush's response to 2001 Shoe Bomber Attack?

Northwest Flight 253: al Qaeda Leaders Behind Terror Plot Were Released by U.S. - ABC News:

"Two of the four leaders allegedly behind the al Qaeda plot to blow up a Northwest Airlines passenger jet over Detroit were released by the U.S. from the Guantanamo prison in November, 2007, according to American officials and Department of Defense documents. Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the Northwest bombing in a Monday statement that vowed more attacks on Americans.

American officials agreed to send the two terrorists from Guantanamo to Saudi Arabia where they entered into an 'art therapy rehabilitation program' and were set free, according to U.S. and Saudi officials."

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Fuck Jim DeMint. Asshole.

Who's running the TSA? No one, thanks to Sen. Jim DeMint | McClatchy:

"The post remains vacant because Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., has held up President Barack Obama's nominee in opposition to the prospect of TSA workers joining a labor union."

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And while we clean up their shit pile, they attempt to rewrite history.

Bush inherited 9/11. OK.

Mary Matalin: Bush 'Inherited' 9/11 Attacks (VIDEO)

Talking Points Memo | Breaking News and Analysis:

"Interesting Similarities

Bush Administration: Brought down by full weight of failures of Bush admin policies.

Obama Administration: Brought down by full weight of failures of Bush admin policies."

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I can only afford (not really afford, but...) the fine for ignoring the mandate. No subsidies for me. Nice work, Dems.

Health Reform Subsidy Calculator -- Premium Assistance for Coverage in Exchanges/Gateways

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David Simon On Health Care Bill: "Only One Thing Can Make People This Stupid, And That's Money":

"But then the critics of a system like that immediately cry socialism.
And of course it's socialism. These ignorant motherfuckers. What do they think group insurance is, other than socialism? Just the idea of buying group insurance! If socialism is a taint that you cannot abide by, then, goddamn it, you shouldn't be in any group insurance policy. You should just go out and pay the fucking doctors because when you get 100,000 people together as part of anything, from a union to the AARP, and you say, 'Because we have this group actuarially, more of us are going to be healthier than not and therefore we'll be able to carry forward the idea of group insurance and everybody will have an affordable plan...' That's fuckin' socialism. That's nothing but socialism."

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The Rational Case For 'Kill The Bill':

"It's important though, to note, that the Howard Deans and Jane Hamshers of the world neither want LITERALLY want to destroy President Barack Obama's domestic agenda in a fit of ideological pique, nor do they want to consign millions of uninsured Americans to their deaths. In fact, they desire the opposite: more Americans safely insured, and more electoral success for Democrats -- the kind that comes when Democrats actually keep their promises. You want to talk about people who are, in fact, high on drugs? Let's talk about the Democratic strategists and their journalistic enablers who believe letting down the base is a good thing."

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Daily Kos: The left flank:

"But the larger point is that the health care debate NEEDED TO BE MOVED TO THE LEFT. And while there were way too many people who defended whatever was being done by the Obama administration, shouting down anyone who disagreed, a great service was being done by those who helped pull the discussion to the left, and even were able to make great strides in making certain things acceptable, included in the House bill, excluded from the Senate bill or countering the lies of the right."

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Excellent read with a great perspective.

Daily Kos: HCR Bill - a Frenchman's viewpoint:

"The present bill has many flaws; most of these flaws can be corrected by subsequent bills; but it has also, in my opinion, the following merits (I'll make it short - 4 items only):

1. It establishes healthcare as a universal right - and that means, also, a universal duty! Healthcare has a cost, and everybody must pay for it othewise it doesn't work. This means a complete change of perspective. Once people have accepted that, the landscape will be completely different.

I think this is the key point and even liberals find it hard to swallow. Many oppose mandates because they are pissed off by such and such flaw in the bill (notably the fact that their money will be going to private insurance). I understand that but if you believe in universal healthcare
you must accept that you will be forced to pay even when you're in good health and your money will be going to private interests, notably the pharma industry and you will be pissed off. This happens in all the countries which have good health care (at least, it happens in France) but we have health care and that is what matters foremost. It's up to us to try and fight the lobbies when necessary and to elect politicians who will protect health care against private interests. There is no miracle here."

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RIP Vic Chesnutt

Had a chance to go see Vic for the first time in SF at the end of November. I didn't go.

I've always skipped across Vic's work with the promise that some day I'll more fully explore his talent. I'm not the greatest at multitasking when it comes to listening to the music I should be listening too.

I hate that his passing is what finally snapped my attention to his genius.

Vic Chesnutt on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads

'Flirted' may be one of the most beautiful suicide songs ever considered. Too poignant, unfortunately.

My heart and thoughts go out to all of my beautiful friends in Athens who have had to endure one shitty year. May peace and life be more present in 2010.

And without getting to high up on a high horse......

Vic Chesnutt Dies; Fund Set Up To Help Family Pay Singer-Songwriter's $70,000 Medical Debt:

"According to the Los Angeles Times, Chesnutt faced $70,000 in hospital bills, a subject he brought up in a Pop & Hiss interview earlier this month. From the interview:

I was making payments, but I can't anymore and I really have no idea what I'm going to do. It seems absurd they can charge this much. When I think about all this, it gets me so furious. I could die tomorrow because of other operations I need that I can't afford. I could die any day now, but I don't want to pay them another nickel."

Folk-rocker Vic Chesnutt dies in Ga. at 45 - Yahoo! News:

"However, Chesnutt had recently struggled with a lawsuit filed by a Georgia hospital after he racked up surgery bills totaling some $70,000, the Athens newspaper reported. He said he couldn't afford more than hospitalization insurance and couldn't keep up with the payments.

The problems baffled his Canadian bandmates, Chesnutt said.

'There's nowhere else in the world that I'd be facing the situation I'm in right now. They cannot understand what kind of society would inflict that on their population,' he said. 'It's terrifying.'"

Alabama Ass Whuppin': Health Reform Getting Better?:

"Learn to raise hell early and often or get the hell out of the way.

Here comes the high horse part:

Have you raised hell today? Last week? Week before? Next week? Week after? Next March? Next October? 2011?

Contact the White House | The White House

United States House of Representatives, 111th Congress, 1st Session

U.S. Senate: Senators Home

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CASH Music: Kristin Hersh:

"This page is a tribute to Vic Chesnutt - here to accept donations on behalf of his family. 100% of all funds raised will go to Vic's family."

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From Patterson:

Drive-By Truckers:

"My beloved town is heartbroken this holiday upon losing Vic Chesnutt on Xmas morning.

Vic was a friend and absolutely the greatest writer I ever knew. Bar none"

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Via Elliot of the Dexateens:

The Quietus | Features | A Quietus Interview | Vic Chesnutt Comes Out Of His Shell - Exclusive Tracks Here

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Don’t Worry About the Left

Amen, amen, a-freakin-men.

Daily Kos: What bill do you think you're supporting?:

"And every time progressives shrug their shoulders and say, 'all right, we'll take whatever we can get', you empower those critics. Rather than draw a line in the sand and bolster the efforts of true reformists, you are leaving them high and dry. And the weaker progressives get, the more Ben Nelson and Joe Lieberman and Blanche Lincoln and the rest of that bunch can do to make this not just a bad bill politically, but a bad bill policy wise.

It's clear at this point that if we get anything at all, it won't be much good. That's an obvious political reality. But every shrug of the shoulder helps make this even worse."

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Agreed, Russ, but why didn't you, jeez, I don't know... vote against the goddamn bill?!? Why are you conceding any power that you might have as a Progressive to Liebercrats?

Russ Feingold: In the News - Press Releases:

"“I’ve been fighting all year for a strong public option to compete with the insurance industry and bring health care spending down. I continued that fight during recent negotiations, and I refused to sign onto a deal to drop the public option from the Senate bill. Unfortunately, the lack of support from the administration made keeping the public option in the bill an uphill struggle. Removing the public option from the Senate bill is the wrong move, and eliminates $25 billion in savings. I will be urging members of the House and Senate who draft the final bill to make sure this essential provision is included."

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Really, Rahm. Really?

We'll see how that works out for you and the President.

You are eternally fucked after this bit of snide bullshit.

Daily Kos: Rahm Emanuel: Don’t Worry About the Left

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Weren't these suppose to be the smartest people in the world?

Drew Westen: Leadership, Obama Style, and the Looming Losses in 2010: Pretty Speeches, Compromised Values, and the Quest for the Lowest Common Denominator:

"Somehow the president has managed to turn a base of new and progressive voters he himself energized like no one else could in 2008 into the likely stay-at-home voters of 2010, souring an entire generation of young people to the political process. It isn't hard for them to see that the winners seem to be the same no matter who the voters select (Wall Street, big oil, big Pharma, the insurance industry). In fact, the president's leadership style, combined with the Democratic Congress's penchant for making its sausage in public and producing new and usually more tasteless recipes every day, has had a very high toll far from the left: smack in the center of the political spectrum.

What's costing the president and courting danger for Democrats in 2010 isn't a question of left or right, because the president has accomplished the remarkable feat of both demoralizing the base and completely turning off voters in the center. If this were an ideological issue, that would not be the case. He would be holding either the middle or the left, not losing both."

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Still good to remember how evil and fucked up the previous overlords were, though.

Would have been nice to prosecute a bunch of them, but, nah, not enough time with all of the screwing-over-the folks-who-voted-you-in by the current bunch.

Report: Bush Admin Raised Terror Alert Based On Con Man's Al Jazeera 'Decoding' Scam | TPMMuckraker:

"The report deals another blow to the credibility of the Department of Homeland Security's color-coded terror alert system, and comes after Ridge's claim that the system was used as a political tool when he was DHS secretary.

The man who prompted the December 2003 Orange alert was Dennis Montgomery, who has since been embroiled in various lawsuits, including one for allegedly bouncing $1 million in checks during a Caesars Palace spree. His former lawyer calls him a 'habitual liar engaged in fraud.'"

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And the remainders of this band of assholes has all but prevent any type of meaningful legislation from ever passing.

But I'm sure the feckless Democrats who call themselves "Progressives" will not do one goddamn thing about it.

Op-Ed Columnist - A Dangerous Dysfunction - NYTimes.com:

"Some people will say that it has always been this way, and that we’ve managed so far. But it wasn’t always like this. Yes, there were filibusters in the past — most notably by segregationists trying to block civil rights legislation. But the modern system, in which the minority party uses the threat of a filibuster to block every bill it doesn’t like, is a recent creation.

The political scientist Barbara Sinclair has done the math. In the 1960s, she finds, “extended-debate-related problems” — threatened or actual filibusters — affected only 8 percent of major legislation. By the 1980s, that had risen to 27 percent. But after Democrats retook control of Congress in 2006 and Republicans found themselves in the minority, it soared to 70 percent."

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Grandpa McCain lying again.

Think Progress � Flashback: McCain Refused To Grant 30 Seconds Of Time During Iraq War Debate:

"Unfortunately, McCain’s memory is suffering. In fact, McCain has engaged in the very same behavior that he was criticizing Franken for yesterday."

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Sometimes I really wish the 'fiction' part was replaced with 'reality'.

From Uruguay to Hollywood: Watch the Video:

"Here's a fairy tale that could only happen in the movies. Man makes YouTube video. Goes to Hollywood. Gets pots of money and a movie deal. Except this story is true.

An unknown producer from Uruguay, Fede Alvarez, shelled out about $300 to create a cool video of a robot invasion in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. The four-minute short, 'Ataque de Panico!' (Panic Attack) features ginormous (but slow-moving) weapon-wielding robots that blow stuff up."

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