Hostages

Are the following articles the media ginning up faux resentment for the sake of a story to publish? Or, are these proper critiques of a President who is not doing the job he was elected to do.

I report, you de.... oh, whatever.

Maddow On Gay Marriage Passage In New York: 'President Obama Is Against What Just Happened' (VIDEO)

_______

Maher: Obama ‘sucking up to the people he should be fighting’�|�Raw Replay:

"“It would be kind of a tragedy if we got to the end of four years of Democratic rule without having tried any Democratic policies,” Maher said. “I know Washington is tough, and Republicans are assholes, but someone needs to tell me why Obama won’t be more liberal even when the public is on his side.”"

________

I'll need a bath after posting an article from Dowd, but when she's right...

Why Is He Bi? (Sigh) - NYTimes.com:

"The man who was able to beat the Clintons in 2008 because the country wanted a break from Clintonian euphemism and casuistry is now breaking creative new ground in euphemism and casuistry."

_______

Gore's never blasted anyone, but he does take issue.

Al Gore Blasts Obama On Climate Change For Failing To Take 'Bold Action'

_______

And Obama's Secretary of State channeling the fuck out of George Bush. With us or against us. Pitiful.

Daily Kos: New McCarthyism: It's Not Ok If You Are A Dem:

"Via Atrios, Glenn Greenwald catches Secretary of State Hillary Clinton doing her George Bush imitation:

But the bottom line is, whose side are you on? Are you on Qadhafi’s side or are you on the side of the aspirations of the Libyan people and the international coalition that has been created to support them? For the Obama Administration, the answer to that question is very easy.

Shameful"

_______

At least he had the decency to shoot himself in the end.

Man Holds Woman Hostage for 16 Hours, Updates Facebook Throughout - Failbook - Funny Facebook Status Messages ( Failbooking )

_______
_____
___

Snuffed Out, Going Nowhere

Read this accurate and bloody sad essay.

H/T BB:

When Pigs Rule | Common Dreams:

"Silence is far too generous a label of contempt to apply to the Democratic Party. We are well past the point of acknowledging their complete complicity in the crime. Hardly anyone noticed in the 1990s, when New Democrats (a euphemism for old Republicans) stopped talking about the plight of the poor, even before Bill Clinton finished the job by killing welfare, reaching into the mouths of America’s impoverished and removing the food that was once there, all for purposes of guaranteeing his second term as president (and, boy wasn’t it worth it, too – look at all he achieved!). If you weren’t alive in the 1960s and 70s, you might never have realized that there was once a party in America that was rather seriously devoted to fighting a war against poverty. By the 1990s the poor became an embarrassment, and among slick New Democrats in Washington only gauche political retreads continued to remind us of their existence and plight, becoming every bit as welcome among the elites as Grandpa’s incessant flatulence at a formal dinner party."

_______

From the Professor (Nobel Earner)

The Threat Within - NYTimes.com:

"But Barack Obama is now the party’s leader. And let’s be frank: Obama still, after all that has happened, seems devoted to the dream of transcending partisanship, a dream he tries to serve by being nice to Republican ideas no matter how terrible those ideas are. (I did warn about this during the primaries — just saying.)

The great danger now is that Obama — with the help of a fair number of Senate Democrats — will kill Medicare in the name of civility and outreach.

This doesn’t have to happen. Republicans have, in fact, offered Democrats a huge political opportunity — much as Bush did in 2005. But I’m sorry, I have no confidence in the current leadership’s willingness to do the right thing, even when it’s also politically smart."

_______

Obama is doing exactly what he wants done. These aren't failures. He is acting with purpose. He represents his corporate lords.

He's fighting. Just not for me or you.

AMERICAblog News: Are you feeling fired up?:

"And now? This time, I find myself having to make intellectual contortions to make the case. I think: What could the slogan be this time?

'Change you can believe in: As long as you don't expect ME to get out front and make a forceful argument for it.'

'Change you can believe in: As long as the GOP and the Chamber of Commerce approve.'

'Change you can believe in: As long as it doesn't really challenge the power of Wall Street or inconvenience the wealthy.'

Yeah, I know just writing this is going to earn me the flames of all you Democratic pragmatists out there. You'll argue that Mr. Obama did what he could given the difficult circumstances. Silly me for thinking there is real value and power in idealism, or that failing to consistently and forcefully challenge the ideological framing set by one's opponents is what making real change requires."

_______

In a fantasy world...

Daily Kos: The Answer to Rachel Maddow's Question

You may label us any way you like, but we will fight for Social Security, we will defend Medicare and Medicaid, and we will not cease until the middle classes have jobs, people are safe in their homes, and our schools are educating our children.

We will not stop until the hungry are fed, and the sick are healed. We will defend the nurses, the teachers, law enforcement and fire-fighters and we will do it because we believe that THEY are the real Americans.

Call us Socialists, call us whatever you want, because we are calling Americans and we are telling them not what they can do for their country, they already know that. We are telling them what their country is doing for them, and we are telling them that you, the Republicans, are calling that Socialism and trying to take it away from you.

Get yourselves a philosophy, a big idea, a New Deal for America, if you wish, but make it something you believe in, something America believes in ... Then fight for it.

If you continue to be invertebrates, and simply try to be better Republicans than the GOP, and continue to follow the agenda, instead of setting it, then you will lose.

_______

_____

___

Goddamn Wrong

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Let us view Obama taking a play right out of GWB's play book. Makes me feel all hopey and changey.

Living in fear... just the way Obama wants it:

WH warns tax defeat could trigger new recession - Yahoo! News

_______

George Carlin - Wikiquote

There's a reason for this, there's a reason education sucks, and it's the same reason it will never ever ever be fixed. It's never going to get any better. Don't look for it. Be happy with what you've got... because the owners of this country don’t want that. I'm talking about the real owners now... the real owners. The big wealthy business interests that control things and make all the important decisions. Forget the politicians. The politicians are put there to give you the idea that you have freedom of choice. You don’t. You have no choice. You have owners. They own you. They own everything. They own all the important land. They own and control the corporations. They’ve long since bought and paid for the Senate, the Congress, the state houses, the city halls. They got the judges in their back pockets and they own all the big media companies, so they control just about all of the news and information you get to hear. They got you by the balls. They spend billions of dollars every year lobbying. Lobbying to get what they want. Well, we know what they want. They want more for themselves and less for everybody else, but I’ll tell you what they don’t want. They don’t want a population of citizens capable of critical thinking. They don’t want well-informed, well-educated people capable of critical thinking. They’re not interested in that. That doesn’t help them. That’s against their interests. That’s right. They don’t want people who are smart enough to sit around a kitchen table and think about how badly they’re getting fucked by a system that threw them overboard 30 fuckin’ years ago. They don’t want that. You know what they want? They want obedient workers. Obedient workers, people who are just smart enough to run the machines and do the paperwork. And just dumb enough to passively accept all these increasingly shittier jobs with the lower pay, the longer hours, the reduced benefits, the end of overtime and vanishing pension that disappears the minute you go to collect it. And now they’re coming for your Social Security money. They want your fuckin' retirement money. They want it back so they can give it to their criminal friends on Wall Street. And you know something? They’ll get it. They’ll get it all from you sooner or later 'cause they own this fuckin' place. It’s a big club and you ain't in it. You and I are not in the big club. By the way, it’s the same big club they use to beat you over the head with all day long when they tell you what to believe. All day long beating you over the head with their media telling you what to believe, what to think and what to buy. The table is tilted, folks. The game is rigged and nobody seems to notice. Nobody seems to care. Good, honest, hard-working people: white collar, blue collar, it doesn’t matter what color shirt you have on. Good, honest, hard-working people continue — these are people of modest means — continue to elect these rich cocksuckers who don’t give a fuck about them. They don’t give a fuck about you. They don’t give a fuck about you. They don’t care about you at all! At all! At all! And nobody seems to notice. Nobody seems to care. That’s what the owners count on. The fact that Americans will probably remain willfully ignorant of the big red, white and blue dick that’s being jammed up their assholes every day, because the owners of this country know the truth. It’s called the American Dream, 'cause you have to be asleep to believe it.

_______
_____
___

DBT Week in Review - 11/5/10

DBT!

Drive-by Truckers’ New Video, Free Download And ‘Go-Go Boots’ Release Date � Street Date

Drive-By Truckers, Bobby Bare Jr. put on an energetic show | Richmond Times-Dispatch

Austin Film Festival, day eight: The Secret To A Happy Ending is, in fact, an ending� | Film | The A.V. Club Austin

Drive-By Truckers | Pollstar - The Concert Hotwire

YouTube - David Lowery Interviews Patterson Hood, Part 1

YouTube - David Lowery Interviews Patterson Hood, Part 2

YouTube - PATTERSON HOOD DEEP GROOVE RECORDS 10 30 2010

_______

Wes Freed

A Ghostly Wine Fit For Halloween | My Fabulous World In Wine

Facebook | Wes Freed's Photos - For Sale:

"We're awful proud of this Big To-Do book here at the Shop. It's got illustrations for every song from the B T-D , along with poster art , lyrics , excellent band photos by Danny Clinch , Pattersons insightful liner notes , and forewords by Ray McKinnon & No Depression editor Grant Alden. It is available now , signed (by me) , for $15 , including shipping (US).
Git ye some!

Contact Wes to place an order:

freed@mindspring.com

Also , to order a BT-D book , just send a check or MO , $15 (US) payable to Jyl Freed , to : the Freeds 1902 S. Battery Dr. Richmond , Va 23222, & I'll get one right out to you! Thanks,-Wes"

_______

Slobberbone/Lucero/Maddow

The Maddow Blog - Rachel's song today: Lucero's 'The War':

"As an advanced means of procrastinating over the segment I got assigned, I asked Rachel to name a song she loved. She wrote back, 'Placemat Blues.' The first person to find a video of that Slobberbone song wins some sort of imaginary prize not yet dreamed up.

Rachel, being game, sent some more -- including this one, which I'm posting, from Lucero."

_______

Music

Meh.

HEAR IT: Amy Winehouse Returns with New Cover! | SPIN.com

Bet not meh.

Lost Ray Charles & Johnny Cash duet found in storage : SFGate: Daily Dish

Oh, Alcohol. Is there anything you can't do?

Study: Alcohol more lethal than heroin, cocaine - Yahoo! Canada News

_______
_____
__

ShaveThat Bitch

Must watch. Liberal media my ass.

The Rachel Maddow Segment You Must Not Miss | Crooks and Liars:

"In this segment, Rachel Maddow does the following:

* Lays waste to every single mainstream media narrative about the midterm elections
* Exposes those narratives as the Republican wish lists that they are
* Reminds us all of the stakes in this election, especially when it comes to the extremists being pawned off as viable candidates.

If there were a Debunkers' Hall of Fame, Rachel Maddow's name would be all over the trophy. It's so good I'm not including the transcript. Just watch. You'll see what I mean."

_______

No brainer. Unfortunately 'no-brains' runs this joint.

Former Surgeon General calls for legalization of marijuana | Raw Story

_______

Shave that bitch.

White Truffles: Why They're Such an Expensive Delicacy - TIME

_______
_____
___

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."

_______

Why would he start now, Rachel?

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

_______

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.'"

_______

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.'"

_______

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

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

_______
_____
___

Fighters Fighting

The guy on the right (like I need to point his out) should have a statue erected in his honor.

Twitpic - Share photos on Twitter

_______

This is what I want everyday from every elected Dem. Kick their asses:

_______

My Kind of Democrat | Talking Points Memo:

"Too many progressives seem to want to sit on the sidelines until someone, a Marquess of Queensberry, comes along and changes the rules of the game to make it more civilized. What they don't seem to grasp is that democratic politics are the Queensberry rules. They replaced mob rule. The fractiousness, unpredictability, and feralness of politics are vestiges that remind us of what the real alternatives to democracy are. The real alternative is not a debating club and smoking jackets.

What I like about Weiner, or at least what I see of him in public, is that he's in the game. He doesn't hold himself above it or outside of it. He's in there. He's fighting. A good lesson for Democrats: If you're actually in there fighting, you don't have to worry about 'projecting' to voters that you're a fighter."

_______

Probably the best Senator we have. Al Franken.

Daily Kos: The most important post you’ll read all day

Al Franken for Senate | Join Al Franken - add your name to save Net Neutrality from the corporate takeover of media

_______

The only news show worth watching.

Rachel Maddow: Fox News 'Slimeballs,' CNN 'Not Really Trying' (VIDEO)

Daily Kos: Why Rachel Maddow Scares Them: O'Reilly Bites Back on Race Baiting

_______

The herd will not be culled enough, I fear.

Waxman sees bright side to Nov: 'Difficult' Dems won't be back - TheHill.com

_______

Uh... this is a contest? Brutal pictures involved.

World Sauna Championships Finalist Vladimir Ladyzhensky DIES At Event (PHOTOS)

_______
_____
___

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."

_______

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."

_______

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."

_______

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."

_______

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!"

_______

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)

_______

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."

_______

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."

_______

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."

_______

I'll take a sixer of squirrel, please.

Strongest ever beer served up in dead squirrels

_______
_____
___

Fake President Maddow

The Obama speech that should have been.

I'm down with drafting Maddow in '12.

Fake President Maddow's Oval-Office-in-her-own-head address on MSN Video

_______

Goddammit.

Sea creatures flee spill, gather near shore - Disaster in the Gulf- msnbc.com:

"GULF SHORES, Ala. - Dolphins and sharks are showing up in surprisingly shallow water just off the Florida coast. Mullets, crabs, rays and small fish congregate by the thousands off an Alabama pier. Birds covered in oil are crawling deep into marshes, never to be seen again.

Marine scientists studying the effects of the BP disaster are seeing some strange — and troubling — phenomena.

Fish and other wildlife are fleeing the oil out in the Gulf and clustering in cleaner waters along the coast. But that is not the hopeful sign it might appear to be, researchers say."

_______

Goddamn right! If a law applies to an individual, it applies to a corporation, now that the activist, NeoCon Supreme Court has defined 'things' as 'people'.

Some white collar motherfuckers need to be frog marched into prison. Image needs to replay on every TV station for a month.

BP: Beyond Punishment | The Nation:

"A punitive society is not the best kind of society: there's a real virtue in forgiveness, in second chances. But for years we've been applying Rand Paul's 'accidents happen' principle to those at the top while heaping blame, scorn and draconian punishment on those at the bottom. Punitive damages are capped for corporations, while punitive policies proliferate for citizens. This tears the social contract apart, and the only way to repair it is to apply the same principles of accountability up and down the social hierarchy. We should start with BP."

_______

What Jack Donaghy says:

Alec Baldwin: This Land Is Your Land:

"I can't get this song out of my head. You know the lyrics.

This land is your land, this land is my land
From California, to the New York Island
From the redwood forest, to the gulf stream waters
This land was made for you and me

I just keep thinking about these lyrics.

Here's another thing I keep thinking about. How this corporate boot-licking band of board room-loving reactionaries that are calling the shots from the Republican side of the Supreme Court are going to rule on any BP-related litigation that may make it to their chamber. This is the court that, on behalf of making sure that CEO's continue their death grip on legislative reform, ruled that corporations have the same rights as individuals vis a vis campaign contributions."

_______

One trillion that will never, ever, ever see a cut, ever b/c no politician has the balls to do it.

Needs to be done, though.

Commission outlines $1 trillion in defense budget cuts | Raw Story:

"Defense companies put billions into PR campaigns for the necessity of this or that project that runs over cost. Legislators have every career incentive to lard the defense budget with job-creating bloat for their districts. The media treats civilian and military spending as two entirely different entities, with military spending emerging from a magical, never-ending fountain of cash. And then there’s the general jingoism that equates curbed defense spending with a deficit of patriotism."

_______

Storming the gates. We are coming for you.

Editorial - The Message From Arkansas - NYTimes.com:

They may not have won, but discontented Democrats sent an important message to the Obama administration on Tuesday by mounting an unexpectedly strong primary challenge to Senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas. For the White House to minimize the efforts of unions and others who helped support that challenge suggests a tone-deafness to the growing restlessness in the Democratic Party."

_______

I mean, my god, how shitty of a state is SC. You can only vote on, essentially what is a POS PC running Windows with no paper trail. All tallys are stored in the computer. Hell, I could hack that.

Still livin' in Rove's world.

The BRAD BLOG : 'Experts' Eye 100% Unverifiable E-Vote System in 'Win' of SC's Mystery U.S. Senate Nominee:

"In Lancaster County, Rawl won absentee ballots over Greene by a staggering 84 percent to 16 percent margin; but Greene easily led among Election Day voters by 17 percentage points.

In Spartanburg County, Ludwig said there are 25 precincts in which Greene received more votes than were actually cast and 50 other precincts where votes appeared to be missing from the final count.

'In only two of 88 precincts, do the number of votes Greene got plus the number we got equal the total cast,' Ludwig said.

Greene also racked up a 75 percent or greater margin in one-seventh of all precincts statewide, a mark that Ludwig notes is even difficult for an incumbent to reach."

_______

Too spot on by the Onion.

This writing style is the template for every piece of shit news organization out there.

Candidate May Have Lied About Heroic Death In Vietnam | The Onion - America's Finest News Source:

"MONTGOMERY, AL—In a major scandal that could cast doubt on his political future, U.S. Senate candidate Chris Wilfred came under fire this week for comments he made alleging he had died heroically while fighting in the Vietnam War."

_______

Check out the two cool pictures on the right:

Scientists say planes can cause rain, snow

_______

I'd like to go colonized one, please.

Kepler space telescope finds possible planets:

"The Kepler space telescope seeking Earth-like planets in a far-off region of the Milky Way has discovered more than 700 planetary 'candidates' - some that just might be the right size and in the right places for life to be possible."

_______
_____
___

Iz Dis For Real?

The Kids are definitely alright:

Shakesville: Drowned Out

_______

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

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

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

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

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

_______

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

Competitive CA Ballot Complicated By Pot Initiative | TPMDC:

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

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

_______

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

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

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

_______

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

_______

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

Timor police declare war on mysterious ‘ninjas’

_______

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

Corey Williams Injury VIDEO: Knee SHATTERED By Line Drive

_______

Super bad ass.

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

_______

U.S.A. defined:

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

_______

YouTube User Leaves The Best Comment Ever (PICTURE)

_______
_____
___

Space Chair

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

Ban private security forces.

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

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

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

_______

Yup. Damn black people trying to register to vote.

TAPPED Archive | The American Prospect:

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

_______

Excellent read and Obama is shatting all over his brand.

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

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

See:

Democrat Youth Support Dwindling:

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

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

______

Christian ignorance = redundant.

Maddow: Christian ignorance revives discrimination in Virginia | Raw Story

_______

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

Daily Kos: Texans send millions to Democrats:

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

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

_______

Because it is freaking cool:



The making of:

_______
_____
___

Potentially, Maybe, Possibly, Making Plans, Might.....

Maddow was absolutely stellar last week. This post gives a good run down of how Maddow dominated. Really good stuff:

Daily Kos: Rachel Maddow is single-handedly changing this country's trajectory:

"The idea was that black voters weren‘t being denied the right to vote based on race. That would be illegal. No, those voters just couldn‘t pass this literacy test.

This isn‘t the plot of some Kagzo (ph) Klansman gothic short story. This isn‘t a theoretical for first-year law students. This isn‘t some State Department report on some tin pot dictatorship halfway around the world that we can‘t pronounce.

This is American history. This is really, really recent American history—as in this lifetime for a lot of people American history.

And the opening night speech at the national tea party convention this weekend proposed bringing the literacy test for voting back. And that proposal got a warm round of applause."

_______

It stopped raining here in NorCal, thus proving that clouds do not exist..... or something.

Weather and Climate... not the same thing.

Colbert Rips Fox News For Using Snowstorm To Deny Global Warming (VIDEO)

When Bill Nye is smacking you down..... you are a sad human being.

Bill Nye the Science Guy: Climate change deniers are ‘unpatriotic’ | Raw Story:

"'[We] remind you that global warming was the first term for this phenomenon that we now call can climate change,' he said. 'So it‘s very reasonable that a snowstorm in Washington that‘s this severe is a result of climate change.'

'There‘s more energy in the atmosphere, and this is stirring things up,' Nye continued. 'If you want to get serious about it, these guys claiming that the snow in Washington disproves climate change are almost unpatriotic. It's really, they're denying science.'"

______

"Potential Use" and "making plans". Sigh. Weak and wrong.

Obama Won't Drop Potential Use Of Reconciliation On Health Care

Obama Making Plans to Use Executive Power - NYTimes.com

Amen. I'm a Dean Democrat.

Howard Dean: Democrats ‘need a spinal transplant’

_______

Lived in peace until the locale media creates their own special Jihad.

Think Progress � Tennessee Mosque Vandalized After Local TV Station Airs Irresponsible Report On ‘Homegrown Jihad’

_______

Damn. My people are getting organized. Nice.

The Scavenger : Atheist billboards in Sacto: 'Are you good without God?':

"Don't believe in the Man Upstairs? Atheists and agnostics want you to know that you're not the only one. And they've been spreading this message through a nationwide campaign that started last year. With the help of an umbrella organization called the United Coalition of Reason, local atheist groups have paid for billboards and other ads in about a dozen cities, including San Diego, Houston, Tulsa and New Orleans. Signs like the ones that recently emerged in Sacramento ask 'Are you good without God? Millions are.' Others proclaim 'Don't believe in God? You are not alone,' while the NYC subway ads point out, 'A million New Yorkers are good without God. Are you?'"

_______

Some of these really are outrageous:

Outrageous Vintage Ads That Show How Far We've Come (PICTURES)

_______
_____
___

Research iz Hard

Research iz Hard.

Must be because Hawkin failed to give his computer voice an English accent.

Broken tubes - Paul Krugman Blog - NYTimes.com:

"And just as an illustration: a number of people have pointed this out, but here’s the latest in the “Obama’s health reform will kill people” news: Investor’s Business Daily — which poses as a reputable source of financial information — opines that

People such as scientist Stephen Hawking wouldn’t have a chance in the U.K., where the National Health Service would say the life of this brilliant man, because of his physical handicaps, is essentially worthless.

That would be Stephen Hawking, British professor, who was born in the UK and has lived there for his whole life."

_________

Death Panels!!! So Scary.

Olbermann’s ‘Special Comment’ on Sarah Palin and conservative scare tactics:

"'Finally as promised, a special comment on this terrible moment in American history and those unfortunate and irresponsible Americans who have brought us to it. 'The America I know and love,' the quitter governor of Alaska Sarah Palin began, 'is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down's Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama's death panel so his bureaucrats can decide based on a subjective judgment of their level of productivity in society whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil.'

Course it is, Ms. Palin. And that is why is does not exist, has not existed and would never under this President nor any other President ever exist in this country.

There is NO death panel. There is no judgment based on societal productivity. There is no worthiness test. But there is downright evil, Ms. Palin, and you just served its cause. You shouted 'Fire!' in a crowded theatre, a hot theatre, and then today, tried to roll it back with 'no, no, sorry, not fire, I meant flashlights.' Too little, too late, too obvious. Madam, you a clear and present danger to the safety and security of this nation."

_______

Duh

Whistleblower: Insurance firms ‘very much’ behind town hall disruptions:

"Health insurance companies deserve “a great deal of the blame” for the sometimes violent disruptions to town hall meetings on health care, says a former health insurance company executive turned whistleblower.

Wendell Potter, a former executive with health insurer Cigna who now works as the senior fellow on health care at the Center for Media and Democracy, told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow that health insurance companies “are very much behind the town hall disruptions that you see and a lot of the deception that’s going on in terms of disinformation that many Americans, apparently, are believing.”

On her show Monday night, Maddow cited statistics from the Securities and Exchange Commission showing that profits at the US’s ten largest health insurance companies skyrocketed more than 400 percent between 2000 and 2007, from $2.4 billion in 2000 to $12.7 billion in 2007.

“Apparently while they quadrupled their profits, the number of Americans without health insurance grew by 19 percent,” Maddow said."

_______

As rare as the Mammoth. Actual reporting by a traditional news source.

Shocking. Watch it.

The Washington Monthly:

"Last night, ABC News' Kate Snow tackled the vile right-wing demagoguery on end-of-life care, and while she refrained from calling Palin and her ilk 'liars,' she made it very clear that the accusations about euthanasia are completely wrong. It wasn't a he-said/she-said report; it was just reality.

Better yet, the ABC report noted that former New York Lt. Gov. Betsy McCaughey (R), whose propensity for misinformation is practically limitless, was responsible for starting this insane attack in the first place.

The more major news outlets run pieces like these, the better off the public will be."

_______

What would we do with out thee, Jon.

Jon Stewart Vs. Town Hall Crazies (VIDEO)

_______
_____
___

Pee 4 Change

I've tried to pair my articles today like a fine wine with a piece of cheese.

Categories: Lying Liars, Health Care, Assholes, Birthers, Pee, and a one-off San Francisco.

Here we go....

Fool me once.... Can't get fooled again:

Maddow: GOP is using the ‘Brooks Brothers Riot’ playbook:

"The angry mobs that have been shutting down town hall meetings called to discuss health care reform have reminded many people of an episode during the 2000 election generally known as the Brooks Brothers Riot.

“I think it is very similar,” Washington editor of The Nation Chris Hayes replied on Tuesday to a question from MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow about whether he thought the same strategy is being used currently by Republican-backed corporate lobbying groups.

A few weeks after the November 2000 election, when the outcome of the presidential race was hanging on the Florida recount, a raucous and unruly group of young Republican aides — some of whom were actually on the Bush recount committee’s payroll — rioted outside the room where over 10,000 ballots were being recounted in Miami-Dade County and forced the cancellation of the recount."

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

_______

Fight back and hard this time.

Daily Kos: The Ten Health Care Talking Points EVERY DEM MUST REPEAT

HCAN Prepares Pro-Health Care Reform Activists For Responding To Town Hall Disruptions, Plans To Disrupt The Disrupters | TPMDC

_______

Now, you too can be birf'd a Kenyan!

Salon's handy-dandy guide to refuting the Birthers | Salon News

Kenyan Birth Certificate Generator - Make your own! Invalidating legitimate presidencies since 2009!

_______

Religious whack-job asshole. Jail isn't bad enough for this fucker.

Blackwater Founder Implicated in Murder

_______

Good luck with that, asshole. Only the technically ignorant would pay... especially for Murdoch's tripe.

Quality journalism is not cheap? Murdoch planning on getting into the 'quality journalism' biz?

Asshole.

Rupert Murdoch plans charge for all news websites by next summer:

"'Quality journalism is not cheap,' said Murdoch."

_______

Gotta go.

The Thin Green Line : Pee in the shower to save the rainforest

Web site helps time mid-movie bathroom breaks

_______

Neat, because I use to watch the sun set over Seal Rock from my balcony but the rocks were sealless because the seals moved to pier 39 after the earthquake in 88.

Not neat because they are coming back due to a big ass El Nino that is forming.

Sea lions swarm long-abandoned Seal Rocks

_______
_____
___

Bill Clinton Walks into a Dic...tatorship

Bill Clinton takes a trip to Korea and returns with two AZN chicks?!?

Hillary is going to be pissed.

But, seriously, folks. This cost the U.S., what, 50,000 grand total? And we didn't have to blow any shit up... specially our men and women in uniform?!?

Diplomacy. What a concept.

N. Korea Says Two U.S. Journalists Have Been Pardoned - washingtonpost.com:

"North Korea announced Tuesday that it had pardoned two detained American journalists, hours after former president Bill Clinton met in Pyongyang with reclusive dictator Kim Jong Il as part of an unannounced and highly unusual diplomatic mission to win their freedom."

_______

Shit the pool. That's all Republicans know how to do.

Doggett undeterred by unruly right-wing mob, says he remains ‘more committed than ever’ to health reform.:

"This mob, sent by the local Republican and Libertarian parties, did not come just to be heard, but to deny others the right to be heard. And this appears to be part of a coordinated, nationwide effort. What could be more appropriate for the “party of no” than having its stalwarts drowning out the voices of their neighbors by screaming “just say no!” Their fanatical insistence on repealing Social Security and Medicare is not just about halting health care reform but rolling back 75 years of progress. I am more committed than ever to win approval of legislation to offer more individual choice to access affordable health care. An effective public plan is essential to achieve that goal."

_______

Amazing that the traditional media is picking up on this thuggery.

Maddow does a great job reporting on the ThuGOP Life.

"Corporate lobbyist are organizing far-right hooligan tactics to disrupt civic meetings about health care reform"

_______

And damn glad Dems are pushing back hard. Check out some of the push back in this DK diary:

Daily Kos: Calling Out the Right-Wing Noise Machine:

"This is the kind of pushback we need to hear from all Democrats.

And kudos to the reporters who have recognized what has been happening and are asking questions about it. But of course the question is, will they aggressively report on it or will they follow the lead of the New York Times and CNN's Candy Crowley and either ignore or dismiss it?"

_______

Interesting. In America politicians trust prostitutes more than their wives... and constituents for that matter.

Chinese Trust Prostitutes More Than Politicians, Scientists

_______

Alabama gone wild.

Troops may be deployed to Alabama county

_______
_____
___

Day O' the St. Patrick

Here's some Pogues love via JennB:

_________

Sigh.

Sacha Baron Cohen's Bruno Fools Alabama National Guard:

"BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The actor best known as 'Borat' tricked the Alabama National Guard into allowing him onto a post, giving him a military uniform and briefly letting him train _ all, supposedly, for a German TV documentary.

The ruse, which included comedian Sacha Baron Cohen exposing his thong underwear while changing clothes, was going well until a young cadet recognized Cohen and notified older officers who weren't familiar with the actor.

'It's an embarrassment to the Alabama National Guard,' Staff Sgt. Katrina Timmons said Monday. 'Since then we have put in protocols to make sure this doesn't happen again.'"

_______

Stock mArKetz iz hard.

The Washington Monthly:

"Just so we're clear, here's a helpful guide to the rules of market watching, as they relate to partisan politics:

When the market went down on Bush's watch before the 2008 elections, this was Bill Clinton's fault.

When the market went down on Bush's watch between November 2008 and January 2009, this was Barack Obama's fault.

When the market went down during Obama's first seven weeks in office, this was definitely Barack Obama's fault.

And when the market rallies on Obama's watch during the second week in March, George W. Bush deserves at least some of the credit."

________

As one who was raised in a Union family, the EFCA is damn important.

Employee Free Choice Act just what Maine's economy needs | Portland Press Herald:

"Historically, no institution has been as effective at improving the quality of life for working families as membership in a union.

Union members earn better wages, have better health-care coverage and can count on a more secure retirement than non-union workers.

As current and former union members ourselves, we know that unions work.

Who brought us the weekend? Unions. Who rose with unions? The middle class. It just makes sense. Tens of millions of workers would join a union if they could. The problem is that if they try, and their employer resists, workers have only about a 20 percent chance of success.

This is because the current system for forming a union is unfairly tilted in the employer's favor.

That's just wrong. It's un-American and one more example of greed and power run amok."

_______

And here's Maddow from last week debunking Republican bunk:

_______

Goddamn Socialists!

Or is this what Jesus would do?

So confusing sometimes.

Beth Israel workers agree to go without to save jobs - The Boston Globe:

"The consensus was that the workers don't want anyone to get laid off and are willing to give up pay and benefits to make sure no one does. A nurse said her floor voted unanimously to forgo a 3 percent raise. A guy in finance who got laid off from his last job at a hospital in Rhode Island suggested working one less day a week. Another nurse said she was willing to give up some vacation and sick time. A respiratory therapist suggested eliminating bonuses."

_______

Hurry up with the warp drive already.

Scientists harness anti-matter, ordinary matter's 'evil twin' :

"Nevertheless, the Defense Department, the Energy Department, NASA, university physicists and a few private companies are working to produce and manage anti-matter and to develop useful applications for this weird stuff.

Potential applications include propellants for deep space travel, better cancer radiation therapies and detectors for smuggled nuclear materials, according to Gerald Jackson, a physicist and the president of Hbar Technologies in West Chicago, Ill. 'Hbar' is physicists' shorthand for anti-hydrogen."

_______
_____
___