Getting Rolled

If only we had a President and Democratic party willing to fight. Leadership, I think it is called.

We are getting our asses kicked daily.

AMERICAblog News: Warren Buffet: Wealthiest winning class war in US:

"The real and only class warfare in America is the ultra-rich versus everyone else. And yes, they're winning in a big way and the Democrats can't figure out how to even slow it down. Heck, we even have a Democratic president that talks about Reagan as though he was one of the great presidents of the US"

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New Civil War erupts, led by super rich, GOP Paul B. Farrell - MarketWatch:

"Wake up America. You are under attack. Stop kidding yourself. We are at war. In fact, we have been fighting this Civil War for a generation, since Ronald Reagan was elected in 1981. Recently Buffett renewed the battle cry: The “rich class” is winning this war. Except most Americans still don’t realize they’re losing, don’t see the prize at stake.

All this was predicted back in September 2008 by Naomi Klein, author of “Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism.” Yes, we were warned that the GOP’s Reaganomics ideology would stage a rapid comeback … warned before the market collapsed … before Wall Street was virtually bankrupt. … before Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson conned Congress into $787 billion in bailouts … warned before Obama’s 2008 election"

....

“But rest assured,” continued Klein in September 2008, Reaganomics “ideology will come roaring back when the bailouts are done. The massive debts the public is accumulating to bail out the speculators will then become part of a global budget crisis that will be the rationalization for deep cuts to social programs, and for a renewed push to privatize.”"

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Infographic: How unions succeeded in making your workplace safer in the 100 years since the deadly Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

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He was against illegal wars before he was for them.

Joe Biden Warned In 2007 That He'd Impeach Bush For Waging War Without Congressional Approval

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Change and all.

Obama takes ‘unprecedented’ aim at leakers | The Raw Story:

"WASHINGTON (AFP) – Elected on a promise of a more transparent government, President Barack Obama has taken 'unprecedented' aim at leakers who divulge classified information to journalists, critics say.

'We've seen the current president bringing five prosecutions so far... against people for whistleblowing, for leaks of classified information,' said Daniel Ellsberg, famous for his 1971 leak of the 'Pentagon Papers,' which helped turn the tide of public opinion against the Vietnam War.

'All previous presidents put together brought three prosecutions... We see a campaign here against whistleblowing that is highly unprecedented in legal terms.'"

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Lord Ain't Willing

Slow motion travesty of the highest order. I can't believe anyone would believe that anything is the Gulf is edible.

Activist: Gulf fishermen being held responsible for toxic seafood | Raw Story:

But an admission from the federal government that it hasn't been testing Gulf seafood for toxic heavy metals, and news that fishermen are being forced to sign waivers making them liable for toxins in their catch, suggest not everyone is convinced of the safety of Gulf seafood.

Louisiana fishermen's activist Kindra Arnesen says dock owners are asking fishermen to sign waivers that put the full responsibility for toxins found in the catch on the fishermen themselves."

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Nothing to see here, folks. I guess BP will spin this as the fish are now easier to catch.

Thousands of dead fish surface at mouth of Mississippi River:

"He said crabs, sting rays, eel, drum, speckled trout and red fish were among the species that turned up dead.

Taffaro said there was some recoverable oil in the area, and officials from the state's wildlife and fisheries division were sampling the water."

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Watch:

Daily Kos: Gulf Coast Locals, BP Workers, Speaking Out

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No shit.

Major study proves oil plume that's not going away - Yahoo! News

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Selective rage and bigotry.

Muslims Pray Daily 80 Feet From Pentagon's 9/11 Crash Site:

"WASHINGTON — While Americans are bitterly debating the proposed building of a mosque near New York's ground zero, Muslims have been praying for years less than 80 feet from where another hijacked jetliner struck."

Pentagon officials say that no one in the military or the families of the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks has ever protested.

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Told ya.

US combat brigades still in Iraq: report

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In AND Out? You are being fucked.

Orwell in charge? Kucinich compares Iraq ‘exit’ to Bush’s ‘Mission Accomplished’

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I love it when a plan comes together:

Halle Berry plans a full-time move to San Francisco : SFGate: Daily Dish

And on a related note (only 6?!):

6 Reasons to Have Casual Sex | Sex & Relationships | AlterNet

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Cheap Labor Republicans

Time to rough up the nutjobs and give the pussies a break for a day.

Too easy to bash Republicans, but it must be done.

Alan Grayson: True American Patriot.

Grayson slams mosque ‘distraction’: Talk about admin that ‘let’ 9/11 happen instead | Raw Story:

"“If we are going to talk about 9/11, why don’t we talk about how not so much the people who died on 9/11 were disgraced by the possibility of an Islamic athletic center several blocks away; how about the fact that they were disgraced by a president who let it happen?' he asked. 'Who went on vacation for the entire month of August after he was warned in writing that Osama bin Laden was actually finding targets in NYC and learning how to take these planes and do terrible things with them? The thing itself said ‘hijacking’ and they did nothing about it.'"

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For that poor dear and brutal victim of the liberal media that made her say n*gger repeatedly on national radio, Dr. (not really) Laura:



Dr. Laura to end radio show, blames ‘Media Matters’ | Raw Story

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Good read and spot on. Cheap Labor Republicans.

Defeat the Right in Three Minutes | Conceptual Guerilla:

"'Cheap labor'. That's their whole philosophy in a nutshell – which gives you a short and pithy 'catch phrase' that describes them perfectly. You've heard of 'big-government liberals'. Well they're 'cheap-labor conservatives'.

'Cheap-labor conservative' is a moniker they will never shake, and never live down. Because it's exactly what they are. You see, cheap-labor conservatives are defenders of corporate America – whose fortunes depend on labor. The larger the labor supply, the cheaper it is. The more desperately you need a job, the cheaper you'll work, and the more power those 'corporate lords' have over you. If you are a wealthy elite – or a 'wannabe' like most dittoheads – your wealth, power and privilege is enhanced by a labor pool, forced to work cheap."

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Tweetie finds a nut.

Matthews: Birthers trying to ‘assassinate’ Obama with lies | Raw Story:

'Are they, no matter how much they claim to be patriotic, really the most un-American of people because they really do want to destroy this president, not because of what he does but because of who he is? Not because of where he was born, but because what his race was when he was born?'

'Or this the big lie they dare not to admit? They know full well he's an American. That they're simply out to destroy him personally. Yes, assassinate him with their lies,' Matthews concluded."

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That is mighty fair and balanced.

News Corp Donates $1 MILLION To Republican Governors Association

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They have to cheat at everything. Everything!

Massive Censorship Of Digg Uncovered � OOO:

"A group of influential conservative members of the behemoth social media site Digg.com have just been caught red-handed in a widespread campaign of censorship, having multiple accounts, upvote padding, and deliberately trying to ban progressives. An undercover investigation has exposed this effort, which has been in action for more than one year."

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Funny how reasonable the get once they get booted from the party.

Confessions of a Tea Party Casualty | Mother Jones

And, again:

Reagan insider: GOP destroyed economy Paul B. Farrell - MarketWatch

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Strict Constitutionalists... oh, wait...

The Washington Monthly:

"By my count, Republican leaders, including George W. Bush, endorsed six different new amendments to the Constitution over the last decade: (1) prohibiting flag burning; (2) victims' rights; (3) banning abortion; (4) requiring a balanced budget; (5) prohibiting same-sex marriage; and (6) allowing state-endorsed prayer in public schools. Jon Chait runs a similar list today, and notes a few I missed, including amendments to require legislative supermajorities to raise taxes, a 'parental rights' amendment, a term-limits amendment, and in one instance, an amendment to give Washington, D.C., a single voting representative."

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Yup

Dan Maes, Colorado Gubernatorial Candidate, Warns Of U.N. Plot To Destroy America With Bike-Sharing Programs

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Obama should recess, but won't.... sorry. Suppose to stick to the Repukes today. But, still....

Republicans block Bay Area judicial nominees:

"Senate Republicans have blocked confirmation votes on two Bay Area judicial nominees, Goodwin Liu and Edward Chen, and returned the nominations to President Obama, who must decide whether to resubmit them when Congress returns from recess next month."

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Fucking scary. Kudos for the 100 that didn't attend.

Troops: Refusing to attend Christian concert got us into trouble | Raw Story

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The horror!

The Daily Mash - OUTRAGE OVER PLANS TO BUILD LIBRARY NEXT TO SARAH PALIN

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Swim, Eat, Pray You Don't Get Cancer... or Old.

Remember when the air at ground zero was deemed safe to breathe by the government in 2001. Notice all of the cancers and deaths occurring from ground zero workers now.

The government lied then and the government is lying now.

You are fucking crazy if you consume any gulf food for the next 100 years.

Sad day when you realize the black Democrat you supported is just as craven as the white Republican you hated.

Instead of splashing around in the gulf and eating its food for a couple of days, maybe Obama should go all in and move down to the gulf and feed his children gulf sea food everyday for the next 10 years. Let's see how that works out for him. Maybe then he can petition the government for help and have the Republicans that he's enabled prevent passage of any type of bill that might help the various cancers growing in his family members.

Spike Lee: US government lying about oil spill cleanup | Raw Story:

"Filmmaker Spike Lee is calling a 'lie' a U.S. government report that 75 percent of the spilled Gulf Coast oil is gone."

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Louisiana Fishermen Slam Claims that Oil Almost Gone, Seafood Safe | SolveClimate.com:

'The last thing I want to do is scare anyone away from the seafood down here,' said Dawn Nunez, standing at the counter of the shrimp wholesale business and deli she owns in the tiny fishing town of Hopedale. 'But if I’m not eating it or feeding it to my children, I can’t advise anyone else to eat it either.'

On their dock across the street, Dawn's husband Marty Nunez pulls a clump of oil-ridden marsh grass out of a plastic bag."

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Think Progress � DOJ gags scientists studying BP disaster.:

"In an explosive first-hand account, ecosystem biologist Linda Hooper-Bui describes how Obama administration and BP lawyers are making independent scientific analysis of the Gulf region an impossibility. Hooper-Bui has found that only scientists who are part of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) process to determine BP’s civil liability get full access to contaminated sites and research data. Pete Tuttle, USFWS environmental contaminant specialist and Department of Interior NRDA coordinator, admitted to The Scientist that “researchers wishing to formally participate in NRDA must sign a contract that includes a confidentiality agreement” that “prevents signees from releasing information from studies and findings until authorized by the Department of Justice at some later and unspecified date.” Hooper-Bui writes:"

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Scientists Find Evidence That Oil And Dispersant Mix Is Making Its Way Into The Foodchain:

"Scientists have found signs of an oil-and-dispersant mix under the shells of tiny blue crab larvae in the Gulf of Mexico, the first clear indication that the unprecedented use of dispersants in the BP oil spill has broken up the oil into toxic droplets so tiny that they can easily enter the foodchain."

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Scientists say up to 79% of oil remains in Gulf | Raw Story:

"A group of scientists have found that up to 79% of the oil in the Gulf of Mexico may still remain, contradicting earlier findings by a U.S. government study that found nearly 75% of the oil had dissipated.

Although the new estimate is based on the same data used by the U.S. government's study, the researchers came to radically different conclusions."

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Crabs provide evidence oil tainting Gulf food web | Raw Story:

'It would suggest the oil has reached a position where it can start moving up the food chain instead of just hanging in the water,' said Bob Thomas, a biologist at Loyola University in New Orleans. 'Something likely will eat those oiled larvae ... and then that animal will be eaten by something bigger and so on.'"

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Scientists: BP dispersants have made spill more toxic | Video Cafe:

"Last week, a group of independent scientists called for an 'immediate halt' to the use of dispersants. In what was called a 'consensus statement,' they warned that dispersants pose 'grave risks to marine life and human health.'"

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He doesn't listen to Democrats, duh.

NYT: Democrats in Congress should remind Obama of his campaign promises | Raw Story:

"'President Obama campaigned for office on an explicit promise to rein in these abuses,' the Times notes, citing a 2008 position paper which promised that 'as president, Barack Obama would revisit the Patriot Act to ensure that there is real and robust oversight of tools like National Security Letters, sneak-and-peek searches, and the use of the material witness provision.'

'But instead of implementing reasonable civil liberties protections, like taking requests for e-mail surveillance before a judge,' the editorial concludes, 'the administration is proposing changes to the law that would allow huge numbers of new electronic communications to be examined with no judicial oversight. Democrats in Congress can remind Mr. Obama of his campaign promises by refusing this request.'"

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Social Security is under its greatest threat from a Democrat and the uber-conservative cat-food commission he put together to develop cover for eliminating SS.

THEN the Democrat makes his regular Saturday morning address last weekend trying to scare voting Dems to the polls by saying that Republicans are trying to destroy SS.

Orwell would be proud, Obama.

Whacking the Old Folks | The Nation:

"What's extraordinary about this assault on Social Security is that a Democratic president is leading it. Obama is arm in arm with GOP conservatives like Wall Street billionaire Pete Peterson, who for decades has demonized Social Security as a grave threat to the Republic and has spread some $12 million among economists, think tanks, foundations and assorted front groups to sell his case. If Obama pulls the deal off, this will be his version of 'Nixon goes to China'—a leader proving his manhood by going against his party's convictions. Even if he fails, the president will get some protective cover on the deficit issue. After all, he is targeting Big Government's most beloved and trusted program—the New Deal's most prominent pillar.

Obama's initiative rests on two falsehoods spread by Peterson's propaganda—the notion that Social Security somehow contributes to the swollen federal deficits and that cutting benefits will address this problem. Obama and his advisers do not say this in so many words, but their rhetoric implies that Social Security is a big source of the deficit problem. Major media promote the same falsehoods."

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Deficit-cutting ax may fall on Social Security - Yahoo! News:

"The Social Security system today faces a threat greater than the drive for partial privatization by George W. Bush.

'That's not hyperbolic,' says Nancy Altman, codirector of Social Security Works, a group dedicated to preserving the system that provides income for 50 million retirees, the disabled, millions of children, and more. Her fear is that President Obama's bipartisan National Com�mis�sion on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform will recommend cuts in Social Security benefits as one means to reduce the burgeoning federal budget deficit. If 14 of 18 commissioners agree on a deficit-cutting plan, it could be passed at a lame-duck session of Congress without the extensive hearings and discussions that normally precede such an important measure.

'There would be little chance for the public to have an influence,' says Ms. Altman."

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Gutless Cowards - Reinstate Sherrod, Fire Vilsack

The Obama Administration is nothing but a bunch of gutless cowards.

Here's the Whitehouse phone number to tell them so:

202-456-1111

Reinstate Sherrod TODAY, and fire Vilsack on the spot plus anyone else who doesn't have the balls to tell the Teabaggers to go fuck themselves.

Dollars to donuts, Obama makes a speech where he falsely compares right wing racism with non-existent left wing racism. Rahm will be jacking off on the corner b/c Obama is doing his 'hippie punching' for him.

These people manage about was well as Bush. They embarrass me.

White House Uses Misleading Breitbart Video As Basis To Hastily Demand USDA Official’s Resignation

White farmers at the center of Shirley Sherrod controversy: ‘No way in the world’ she is a racist.

Daily Kos: Reinstate Shirley Sherrod:

"Despite the fact that Sherrod did nothing wrong -- in fact, did everything right -- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack fired her after Breitbart's video was released. As you can see in Ben Smith's article, the White House is trying to simultaneously support Vilsack's position and deny responsibility for it. Obviously, Vilsack fired her out of the misguided belief that Breitbart had turned her into a political liability. But not only is that immoral, it's stupid; the backlash against the unjustified dismissal of Shirley Sherrod will dwarf whatever teabagging nonsense Breitbart could have drummed up.

As both Digby and Greg Sargent argue, Vilsack's decision to fire Sherrod is appalling. Shirley Sherrod is a good woman who did nothing wrong and nobody should want to live in the kind of country where good people are fired because politicians are worried that they might become liabilities.

There's still enough time to make the situation right. President Obama should step up to the plate and reinstate Shirley Sherrod. Let this be a teaching moment, that in this country we don't let innocent bystanders become victims of political assassins like Andrew Breitbart. This is a time for leadership, but there isn't much time left to show it. The clock is running."

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Hullabaloo:

"They are telling wingnuts everywhere that all they have to do is gin up a phony controversy (especially about a black person, apparently) and the administration will fire them so as not to shake confidence that they are 'fair service providers.'

This is sheer cowardice."

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UPDATED: White House, You Were Punked By Andrew Breitbart | Crooks and Liars:

"This whole episode screams 'Why can't we have reasonable discussions about racial issues???' at me.

The answer is twofold: First, Andrew Breitbart is a dirty, lying SOB who thrives on waving his malodorous lies around on Fox News and the Internet. Second, the White House or USDA, depending upon which story you read, believed him."

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This is how bad it has gotten. I'm quoting one of the dumbest conservative assholes out there, Johah Goldberg:

Maddow to White House: Giving in to conservative spin ‘makes it worse’ | Raw Story:

"Goldberg went on to express a perception of the Obama administration that was strikingly similar to Maddow's. 'Meanwhile, as a matter of politics,' he wrote, 'I think this episode demonstrates that this White House is a much more tightly wound outfit than it lets on in public. The rapid-response firing suggests a level of fear over Glenn Beck and Fox that speaks volumes.'"

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These are the idiot assholes who rule Obama's world:

Onion story from 2007 currently being accepted by TeePees as ... on Twitpic

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Keeping up with the Jonses.

Growing China oil spill threatens sea life, water - Yahoo! News

AMERICAblog News: BP photoshops fake photo of crisis command center, posts on main BP site

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Amen. Nationalize them.

Oliver Stone: US should nationalize oil resources | Raw Story:

"The Gulf of Mexico oil spill shows that the United States should follow the example of South American socialists in nationalizing its energy industry, filmmaker Oliver Stone said Tuesday.

The Academy Award-winning director of 'Born on the Fourth of July' and 'JFK' said that America's country's natural wealth was too important to be left in private hands, telling journalists in central London that oil and other natural resources 'belong to the people.'

'This BP oil spill is typical' of what happens when private industry is allowed to draw revenue on what should be a public good, Stone said."

"We shouldn't make this kind of profit on oil or on health or on war or on prisons. All these industries should be public industries."

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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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State Capitalism

Here's an important lesson for us all. Get your learning hat on:

AMERICAblog News: State capitalism & you:

"Thanks to the BP spill and the excellent coverage of it by people like Chris in Paris and a host of others, the relationship between the state and capitalism is coming under the microscope — a very good thing. This post offers a bit of orientation, and a small peek forward.

So let's look at three concepts and see how they interact. The first two are:

* The state (the federal government, the People's Republic, the Thousand-Year Reich, whatever)

* The owners of the means of production (capitalists, bankers, the 'Big Boys,' that ilk)

The third concept to notice is the national interest (sometimes mislabeled 'patriotism' or 'chauvinism,' after M. Chauvin)."

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This SOB should be so far under a jail.... Fuck George Bush.

Former Argentine president says Bush told him ‘the best way to revitalize the economy is war.’

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A Republican opens their mouth and a lie falls out. Must be a Thursday.

Brewer tells conflicting stories about dad's war effort:

"Gov. Jan Brewer said in a recent interview that her father died fighting Nazis in Germany. In fact, the death of Wilford Drinkwine came 10 years after World War II had ended.

During the war, Drinkwine worked as a civilian supervisor for a naval munitions depot in Hawthorne, Nev. He died of lung disease in 1955 in California.
......
'Knowing that my father died fighting the Nazi regime in Germany, that I lost him when I was 11 because of that... and then to have them call me Hitler's daughter. It hurts. It's ugliness beyond anything I've ever experienced,' Brewer said in the story, published Tuesday.

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Fuck no. Hack.

Easy answers to stupid ass question.

Is Brian Williams The Walter Cronkite Of The 21st Century?

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Brilliant:

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Pretty good:

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Fair The Well

Bad President:

Indict the whistleblower but not those upon who the whistle was blown?

Absolutely no accountability for anyone in this country... unless you are poor. Then you'll get that ass tased.

Obama’s Justice Department indicts NSA whistleblower | Raw Story

Bad President:

You mean the two individual's advice Obama and Congressional Dems are basing their entire economic strategy around now? Shouldn't have listened to them then, why the frack are we listening to them now?

These people get more chances than a 5 year old playing in his first tee-ball game.

Daily Kos: Bill Clinton: I Shouldn't Have Listened to Summers and Rubin

Kinda Good President.

Issue an executive directive suspending DADT until the policy is abolished, then we'll talk 'very good prez'.

Obama Directs HHS To Establish Rules Ensuring Hospital Visitation Rights For Gay, Lesbian Couples:

"President Obama has signed a memorandum directing the Department of Health and Human Services to establish rules that would bar hospitals from denying visitation rights to partners of gay and lesbian patients."

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If they are crying about something are blaming another, you can be assured they are doing the 'something' and are most certainly to blame.

Memories of the Backwards B | Talking Points Memo

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They don't care, Robert.

Robert Greenwald: We're Not Stupid, Mitch:

"This is why so many people hate so many politicians. Far too many say one thing to the public and another thing in private, smoke-and-whiskey-filled rooms to their cigar-smoking patrons. It's like they think no one can see what they're doing. You're not invisible, Mitch! We can see you!

GIve it a rest. We're not stupid."

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Amen.

Judge rules National Day of Prayer unconstitutional - USATODAY.com:

"MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A federal judge in Wisconsin ruled the National Day of Prayer unconstitutional Thursday, saying the day amounts to a call for religious action.

U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb wrote that the government can no more enact laws supporting a day of prayer than it can encourage citizens to fast during Ramadan, attend a synagogue or practice magic.

'In fact, it is because the nature of prayer is so personal and can have such a powerful effect on a community that the government may not use its authority to try to influence an individual's decision whether and when to pray,' Crabb wrote."

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Double amen. Clean your own house, then we'll talk.

Balloon Juice � Blog Archive � A Very Religious Open Thread:

"You know what would be really great? If all the fantastic (and they are fantastic) liberal/left Christians would spend five minutes a day writing angry letters to the Christian right wing about how unchristian they are instead of complaining to atheists about how much bad press you all are getting from the overt bad actions of your co-religionists."

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We've all caught a thread of someone's life online and followed it for a while before that thread disappears or we hitch another online life ride.

I followed Alicia's blog on the SF Chronicles website 3 years ago. I read about her hospital visits, her hopes and dreams and the daily mundane beyond cancer.

Alicia left my radar a year ago. Was sad to see this recent article.

Fair the well, Alicia. Go be without pain.

Alicia Parlette faces final stages of journey:

"Surrounded by her favorite things - her rescue dog, Clarabelle, a 1960 edition of 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' her scrapbooks and her stuffed Baby Bear, San Francisco writer Alicia Parlette is saying her goodbyes to family, friends and her new fiance as she enters the final chapter of her battle with cancer.

She is 28 years old."

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Iz Dis For Real?

The Kids are definitely alright:

Shakesville: Drowned Out

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

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

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

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

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

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

Competitive CA Ballot Complicated By Pot Initiative | TPMDC:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Timor police declare war on mysterious ‘ninjas’

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

Corey Williams Injury VIDEO: Knee SHATTERED By Line Drive

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Super bad ass.

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

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U.S.A. defined:

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

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YouTube User Leaves The Best Comment Ever (PICTURE)

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Suspended Animation

The endless false equivalences from the 'news media' drives me fucking crazy.

Daily Kos: The Left Wing Hate No One is Talking About:

"It is dishonest for right-wing commentators to insist on an equivalence that does not exist. The danger of political violence in this country comes overwhelmingly from one direction -- the right, not the left. The vitriolic, anti-government hate speech that is spewed on talk radio every day -- and, quite regularly, at Tea Party rallies -- is calibrated not to inform but to incite.

Demagogues scream at people that their government is illegitimate, that their country has been 'taken away,' that their elected officials are 'traitors' and that their freedom is at risk. They have a right to free speech, which I will always defend. But they shouldn't be surprised if some listeners take them literally."

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Not too sure about irreversible, but ass whuppins have occurred. Just wish that would show up in what passes as 'news media'.

Open Left:: David Frum is right: conservatives have suffered crushing, nearly irreversible defeats

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Neither did I, Johnny. I always considered you a principless asshole.

However, you did brand your Presidential campaign "Two Mavericks".

So 'liar' applies, also.

McCain: ‘I never considered myself a maverick’ | Raw Story

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This practice is definitely a class cock block. Probably a factor in the music 'industry's tanking. Too many privileged incompetents.

Growth of Unpaid Internships May Be Illegal, Officials Say - NYTimes.com

Unpaid Labor Illegal? In America? : Lawyers, Guns & Money:

"Good on ‘em. Let’s be clear; the unpaid internship effectively excludes a wide socioeconomic swath from gaining useful experience and making effective connections in business, government, and NGOs. For example, it was utterly impossible for me to even consider an unpaid internship as an undergraduate; paying the bills was difficult even with loans and full time work. Lots of young people lack significant parental support, and require minimum payment to have any hope of making ends meet. Moreover, even for those with support the “payment” for unpaid internships (connections, experience, and recommendations) often has no lasting effect on the intern’s job prospects. If you’ve ever wondered why DC NGOs and journalistic organizations are dominated by Ivy Leaguers, it ain’t just because they’re smart."

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Dude is hilarious.

Obama Humor: Comedian-In-Chief

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Lord knows I've been doing my part in the test phase.

Is 'Suspended Animation' Just Around The Corner???

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Just OMG. I hate you Ryan Reynolds (not really. I actually think you are kinda funny. But, still, don't be an asshole bogart).

Scarlett Johansson's Sexy 'Iron Man 2' Poster: Skintight Catsuit (PHOTOS)

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A Mob of Lying Liars

If only they would listen to us dirty fucking hippies.

Daily Kos: State of the Nation:

"John Cole, a little more than a year ago:

I really don’t understand how bipartisanship is ever going to work when one of the parties is insane. Imagine trying to negotiate an agreement on dinner plans with your date, and you suggest Italian and she states her preference would be a meal of tire rims and anthrax. If you can figure out a way to split the difference there and find a meal you will both enjoy, you can probably figure out how bipartisanship is going to work the next few years."

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Less of a cult, more of a mob.

Real Time New Rules: The Tea Party Isn't a Movement, It's a Cult | Video Cafe

Maher: And three, cult members always attribute all of their problems to one simple explanation. Now here's an amazing statistic. In a recent poll almost ninety percent of Tea Baggers said that they thought taxes had either gone up or stayed the same under Obama. Only two percent thought they went down. But the reality is taxes have gone down for ninety five percent of working families taxes went down.

Think about that. Only two percent of the people in a "movement" about taxes named after a tax revolt have the slightest idea what's going on...with taxes.

So, it would be easy to just mock, except that those who fall under the control of cults aren't necessarily weirdoes, they're victims. And we shouldn't forget that these people are our relatives, our neighbors and the folks at the next table in the restaurant. Especially if that restaurant is Hooters and it's dollar wing Wednesday.

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Hypocrisy knows not bounds. They don't even care.

AMERICAblog News: Republican makes joke about Obama using teleprompter. Reads joke from a teleprompter.:

"UPDATE: Sam Stein of Huff Post tweets that there have now been six teleprompter jokes at the conservative CPAC conference, all read off of teleprompters."

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Republican Liar. Redundant.

Pawlenty repeats false tale about Obama teleprompter | McClatchy:

"'President Obama was in a grade school classroom speaking to elementary school children and he was using a teleprompter,' Pawlenty said Friday in a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington.

'You've got to be kidding me,' he added. 'That's not a joke. That's a real story.'

Actually, it's not. The tale spread by bloggers over the Internet and in some media, including the Comedy Channel's Jon Stewart, blended together two Obama appearances Jan. 19 at the Graham Road Elementary School in Falls Church, Virginia, to make it appear he used the teleprompter when speaking to a classroom of 30 pupils.

In reality, Obama sat on a chair and spoke with the pupils without the device.

In a different classroom, he used the teleprompter to give scripted remarks on education to television cameras."

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If uber-conservative Bob Barr is being 'jeered' you know these fuckers are bat-shit insane.

Yes, booo! Laws! Laws suck! Booo.

Bob Barr jeered at CPAC for saying waterboarding is torture | Raw Story:

"Either we believe, as lawyers, as lawmakers and as citizens, that there is value in laws, that laws that are passed have meaning and have a purpose, or we dont,' Barr said.

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Lying Liars

James O'Keefe and the myth of the ACORN pimp | Media Matters for America:

"There's no doubt the pimp costume story worked. (Raise your hand if you were duped.) My guess is if you polled Americans today, and even ones who followed the story closely last year (including right-wing partisans), at least 90 percent would say O'Keefe sat inside ACORN offices while decked out in his pimp costume.

But it's not true. At least there have not been any publicly released ACORN videos to suggest otherwise."

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Hullabaloo:

"This story is important. There's a long tradition of undercover muckraking that's initiated many an important social change in this country. But this isn't muckraking, it's political theatre. The level of cynical deception in this 'story' runs several layers deeper than anything I've ever seen before, tapping into some really nasty, subterranean veins of stereotype, prejudice and racism --- on everyone's part --- to make what ends up being a completely distorted point. The fact that what should have been instantly seen as an obviously absurd proposition was taken at face value even by the US congress and the major media institutions of this country should inform us a little bit about how tenuous our racial progress might just be. This was a shameful episode deserving of more scrutiny than it's gotten so far."

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Damn, Tejas.

Meet the Flintstones | The Texas Tribune:

"Nearly a third of Texans believe humans and dinosaurs roamed the earth at the same time, and more than half disagree with the theory that humans developed from earlier species of animals, according to the University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll."

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Damn, Utes.

Let's see... MLK was assassinated with a.... now what was it.... hmmm.

Think Progress � Utah state senator wants to create holiday honoring ‘gun pioneer’ on MLK Day.:

"“I see them as complimentary,” [Madsen] said. Browning is known for developing a variety of guns, including the gas-operated machine gun. Madsen said he plans to meet with the NAACP to discuss his proposal.

“We’ll see if they can take it in the spirit it’s intended,” Madsen said. [...]

“Guns keep peace,” [state Senate Majority Leader Scott] Jenkins [R] said. “I kind of like the idea of making his birthday a holiday. I’m all over that.”"

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Damn, ND.

Bank Of North Dakota: America's Only 'Socialist' Bank Is Thriving During Downturn

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My favorite Winter Olympian

Sven Kramer To NBC Reporter: 'Are You Stupid?' (VIDEO)

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Want

G-Spot Mouse Could Heat Geeks Up (PHOTOS)

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