Saturday "What I Found on You Tube" Post
This one goes out to a certain Rethuglican candidate for president...
And this is to the Bush Administration...
"They use the law to commit crime.
I dread to think what the future will bring
When we're living in real gangster times."
Welcome to "the future."
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Friday, November 30, 2007
At Least Pradva-Upon-Hudson Kind Of, Sort Of Gets It
This may not be the best article in the world, and I really can't vouch for ANY of its recommendations--you'll want to read what a NOLA resident might have to say (hmmm...maybe start here and follow Oyster's blog roll)--but based on my own trips to the city it offers a decent enough contemporary description, and serves to further undercut the nonsensical decision to turn down the city as a political debate location.
New Orleans WILL recover--you can't keep that kind of sheer beauty down.
This may not be the best article in the world, and I really can't vouch for ANY of its recommendations--you'll want to read what a NOLA resident might have to say (hmmm...maybe start here and follow Oyster's blog roll)--but based on my own trips to the city it offers a decent enough contemporary description, and serves to further undercut the nonsensical decision to turn down the city as a political debate location.
New Orleans WILL recover--you can't keep that kind of sheer beauty down.
More on "The Fighting Jeesus"
He didn't get nailed.
Via Hullabaloo, while Joe Klien doesn't understand the latest debates over FISA for shit, his rudimentary mental faculties seem to be capable of understanding some basic principles re: dial groups. And the results aren't pretty.
You know, it's not as if viciousness is a particularly new phenomenon, but I think the degree to which some Americans take delight in what amounts to sadism, pure and simple, is more than a little troubling, especially when you consider that those who seem to enjoy it the most are quite often the same people who proclaim their "Christian" faith the loudest. I doubt that's entirely by accident.
Sure, the poor have been blamed for their own misery throughout history, but the latest fasion really seems to have resulted from the perfect storm of marriage between neo-conservatives and old-fashioned racists, a marriage born of convenience. Ronald Reagan may have been the genial mask it presented to the public, but his visage merely covered a death head that continues to assert itself in quite ugly ways...including literal contempt for the very principles of the faith they supposedly espouse.
Well, it's not like that's particularly new, either, I guess.
Note: "The Fighting Jesus--I Didn't Get Nailed" was, and for all I know, remains a Mardi Gras persona/costume for someone whom I VERY briefly met in the mid-late 1980's, a friend of a friend of a friend, etc. If anyone recognizes the concept or knows the originator, feel free to tell me and I'll pass along the proper credit, while offering a pleasant hello and how are ya to the person in question...
He didn't get nailed.
Via Hullabaloo, while Joe Klien doesn't understand the latest debates over FISA for shit, his rudimentary mental faculties seem to be capable of understanding some basic principles re: dial groups. And the results aren't pretty.
You know, it's not as if viciousness is a particularly new phenomenon, but I think the degree to which some Americans take delight in what amounts to sadism, pure and simple, is more than a little troubling, especially when you consider that those who seem to enjoy it the most are quite often the same people who proclaim their "Christian" faith the loudest. I doubt that's entirely by accident.
Sure, the poor have been blamed for their own misery throughout history, but the latest fasion really seems to have resulted from the perfect storm of marriage between neo-conservatives and old-fashioned racists, a marriage born of convenience. Ronald Reagan may have been the genial mask it presented to the public, but his visage merely covered a death head that continues to assert itself in quite ugly ways...including literal contempt for the very principles of the faith they supposedly espouse.
Well, it's not like that's particularly new, either, I guess.
Note: "The Fighting Jesus--I Didn't Get Nailed" was, and for all I know, remains a Mardi Gras persona/costume for someone whom I VERY briefly met in the mid-late 1980's, a friend of a friend of a friend, etc. If anyone recognizes the concept or knows the originator, feel free to tell me and I'll pass along the proper credit, while offering a pleasant hello and how are ya to the person in question...
Just in Time for the Holidays
The money changers at the temple can stay.
WWJE? Who Would Jeeeeesus Evict?
Why, the least of his brethren, of course:
New Orleans evacuee Celeste Jackson packed her clothes and most of her belongings in her car Thursday and prepared to move out of the FEMA trailer park on Victoria Drive that she has called home for two years.
The Mount Olive Gardens park, still home to about 75 families, is one of 13 trailer parks scheduled to close today as part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s effort to move hurricane evacuees into permanent housing.
FEMA, however, has said as long as there are people still living in the parks who have not found apartments or houses to rent, the parks will stay open.
"They never told us that," said Jackson, 18, who lives in a trailer with her infant son and her mother.
"My stuff is already packed," she said. "My mother didn’t pack anything because why pack if we don’t have anywhere to go? It doesn’t make any sense."
On Thursday, a day before the announced closing date, residents of the FEMA-run park expressed mixed opinions about leaving. Several residents said they were confused about the agency’s official policy for the park.
FEMA said it placed fliers on the trailers two months ago notifying residents of the pending closing date and encouraging them to contact their FEMA case workers.
I guess neither the "faith-based initiatives" on the part of Team Bush nor the so-called Christians who greedily shovel the appropriations for such projects into their pockets and purses give so much as a sanctified shit, eh? Well, if nothing else, the aftermath of the storm and flood has certainly distinguished between those Christians who actually practice their faith and those pathetic souls who cling to a religious fig leaf to cover up their own significant character flaws. Call it a learning experience for all concerned...
Oh, and slightly off topic, but not really--"experts" expect the coming political campaign to be "especially ugly." Hmmm...you know, the modern tradition of ugly campaigns really seems to have coincided with the rise of evangelical "Christianity" as an organized political force. Maybe that's just coincidence...or maybe not.
The money changers at the temple can stay.
WWJE? Who Would Jeeeeesus Evict?
Why, the least of his brethren, of course:
New Orleans evacuee Celeste Jackson packed her clothes and most of her belongings in her car Thursday and prepared to move out of the FEMA trailer park on Victoria Drive that she has called home for two years.
The Mount Olive Gardens park, still home to about 75 families, is one of 13 trailer parks scheduled to close today as part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s effort to move hurricane evacuees into permanent housing.
FEMA, however, has said as long as there are people still living in the parks who have not found apartments or houses to rent, the parks will stay open.
"They never told us that," said Jackson, 18, who lives in a trailer with her infant son and her mother.
"My stuff is already packed," she said. "My mother didn’t pack anything because why pack if we don’t have anywhere to go? It doesn’t make any sense."
On Thursday, a day before the announced closing date, residents of the FEMA-run park expressed mixed opinions about leaving. Several residents said they were confused about the agency’s official policy for the park.
FEMA said it placed fliers on the trailers two months ago notifying residents of the pending closing date and encouraging them to contact their FEMA case workers.
I guess neither the "faith-based initiatives" on the part of Team Bush nor the so-called Christians who greedily shovel the appropriations for such projects into their pockets and purses give so much as a sanctified shit, eh? Well, if nothing else, the aftermath of the storm and flood has certainly distinguished between those Christians who actually practice their faith and those pathetic souls who cling to a religious fig leaf to cover up their own significant character flaws. Call it a learning experience for all concerned...
Oh, and slightly off topic, but not really--"experts" expect the coming political campaign to be "especially ugly." Hmmm...you know, the modern tradition of ugly campaigns really seems to have coincided with the rise of evangelical "Christianity" as an organized political force. Maybe that's just coincidence...or maybe not.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Santa Don't Need No Stinking Warrants
"I see banned books, evidence of discontent...and expectation of an entitlement."
The Department of Homeland Security is pleased to announce the retention of one Santa Claus, aka St. Nicholas/Nic/Nick, Kris Kringle, Father Christmas, Sinterklaas, Papa Noel, etc. etc. as a valuable asset in the ongoing Global War on Terror®.
Along with firefighters, Claus' unique ability to "penetrate possible terrorist safehouses and strongholds" without having to trifle with pesky, nitpicky technicalities--like search warrants--was a deciding factor in his retention, said Homeland Security Director Michael Chertoff.
That Geneva Convention rules neither apply at nor reach to the North Pole was another.
Kringle is also noteworthy for having compiled over the years a phenomenal amount of raw data, mostly in the form of lists, determining, among other things, "who might be with us, and who might be with the terrorists," according to President Bush and Vice President Cheney. In addition, Chertoff, other administration officials, and even members of Congress assert that numerous safeguards are already in place to assure that the privacy of law-abiding citizens will not be compromised...well, at least not compromised severely.
"I have neither the time nor the legal background to understand all the details, but I've been assured by numerous sources that 'the list' is thoroughly checked, and rechecked--twice, in fact," writes Joe Klein, arguing against a proposed Democratic measure that would limit the scope of Klaus' list to children requesting specific presents. "But I do know that Nic's got the ability to see when Johnny Taliban is sleeping--not that he ever actually sleeps, you know--and knows when the godless Muslim hordes are awake. And that sort of vigilance is crucial, because, after all, there won't BE any Christmas once we're all forced to our knees five times a day to face Mecca. Democrats, by opposing Santa's role in Homeland Security, appear to be soft on terror."
Recently a $1 billion dollar no-bid contract was awarded to Blackwater Security to provide Klaus with a security escort. To date, they've performed admirably, except for the accidental shooting of six of the eight reindeer Klaus' utilizes, um, utilized, for personal transport. Details are sketchy, but it appears the independent contractors mistook the deer, who were waiting on a nearby rooftop, for armed terrorists.
An investigation is ongoing.
"I see banned books, evidence of discontent...and expectation of an entitlement."
The Department of Homeland Security is pleased to announce the retention of one Santa Claus, aka St. Nicholas/Nic/Nick, Kris Kringle, Father Christmas, Sinterklaas, Papa Noel, etc. etc. as a valuable asset in the ongoing Global War on Terror®.
Along with firefighters, Claus' unique ability to "penetrate possible terrorist safehouses and strongholds" without having to trifle with pesky, nitpicky technicalities--like search warrants--was a deciding factor in his retention, said Homeland Security Director Michael Chertoff.
That Geneva Convention rules neither apply at nor reach to the North Pole was another.
Kringle is also noteworthy for having compiled over the years a phenomenal amount of raw data, mostly in the form of lists, determining, among other things, "who might be with us, and who might be with the terrorists," according to President Bush and Vice President Cheney. In addition, Chertoff, other administration officials, and even members of Congress assert that numerous safeguards are already in place to assure that the privacy of law-abiding citizens will not be compromised...well, at least not compromised severely.
"I have neither the time nor the legal background to understand all the details, but I've been assured by numerous sources that 'the list' is thoroughly checked, and rechecked--twice, in fact," writes Joe Klein, arguing against a proposed Democratic measure that would limit the scope of Klaus' list to children requesting specific presents. "But I do know that Nic's got the ability to see when Johnny Taliban is sleeping--not that he ever actually sleeps, you know--and knows when the godless Muslim hordes are awake. And that sort of vigilance is crucial, because, after all, there won't BE any Christmas once we're all forced to our knees five times a day to face Mecca. Democrats, by opposing Santa's role in Homeland Security, appear to be soft on terror."
Recently a $1 billion dollar no-bid contract was awarded to Blackwater Security to provide Klaus with a security escort. To date, they've performed admirably, except for the accidental shooting of six of the eight reindeer Klaus' utilizes, um, utilized, for personal transport. Details are sketchy, but it appears the independent contractors mistook the deer, who were waiting on a nearby rooftop, for armed terrorists.
An investigation is ongoing.
Calling Them Whores is an Insult...to Whores
Here's a good example of the depths of the political mess in this country. In the end, neither Breaux nor Lott is anything more than an unprincipled pig ready to waddle over to the biggest trough of money they can shovel into their overstuffed cheeks.
And then they're hoping to pass it on to their kids. Nice.
Here's a good example of the depths of the political mess in this country. In the end, neither Breaux nor Lott is anything more than an unprincipled pig ready to waddle over to the biggest trough of money they can shovel into their overstuffed cheeks.
And then they're hoping to pass it on to their kids. Nice.
Legacy
"History, we don't know. We'll all be dead."
The Grand Decider seems to have changed his mind when it comes to focusing on his legacy...
Of course, consistently opting for weaselhood, the legacy itself will have something to do with perpetuating Operation Enduring Quagmire...leaving subsequent administrations holding the (body)bag.
Sort of like his previous business "experience"...but with blood as well as money down the drain.
"History, we don't know. We'll all be dead."
The Grand Decider seems to have changed his mind when it comes to focusing on his legacy...
Of course, consistently opting for weaselhood, the legacy itself will have something to do with perpetuating Operation Enduring Quagmire...leaving subsequent administrations holding the (body)bag.
Sort of like his previous business "experience"...but with blood as well as money down the drain.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
"Official" Business
"You would never have found him through his office...[the mayor] is a man of the people, but he is also... a man, if you follow my meaning."
****
*
"You would never have found him through his office...[the mayor] is a man of the people, but he is also... a man, if you follow my meaning."
****
*
Don't Celebrate Just Yet
While headlines trumpet "success" in Iraq, William Lind suggests an alternate, less rosy explanation for what's STILL an awfully violent place...a place that glaringly casts aside any pretentions of peaceful intent on the part of The Grand Decider, be it there or elsewhere.
Besides, what's going to keep our newfound "allies" from switching sides yet again if they feel like it?...and I'm guessing they just might feel like it, once they've been paid and equipped.
Your tax dollars at work.
While headlines trumpet "success" in Iraq, William Lind suggests an alternate, less rosy explanation for what's STILL an awfully violent place...a place that glaringly casts aside any pretentions of peaceful intent on the part of The Grand Decider, be it there or elsewhere.
Besides, what's going to keep our newfound "allies" from switching sides yet again if they feel like it?...and I'm guessing they just might feel like it, once they've been paid and equipped.
Your tax dollars at work.
And Whiskey Costs Money
Today's receipent of the Talk is Cheap honor is none other than John Asscrossed, boldly "volunteering" to be waterboarded.
This from a man who cringed in the presence of a STATUE.
Besides, Asscrossed has about as much chance of being waterboarded as he does of co-starring in a homemade Paris Hilton video...
Today's receipent of the Talk is Cheap honor is none other than John Asscrossed, boldly "volunteering" to be waterboarded.
This from a man who cringed in the presence of a STATUE.
Besides, Asscrossed has about as much chance of being waterboarded as he does of co-starring in a homemade Paris Hilton video...
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
And in Other News, a Man on the Street--Let's Call Him "Dave"-- Thinks the Surge is Going "Extremely Well"
Another fine example of journalism, Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes-style (not the good Roger Ailes).
Another fine example of journalism, Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes-style (not the good Roger Ailes).
So Mitt, Who Is It That You Hate?
Nothing like fanning the flames of ignorance in pursuit of high office...
Nothing like fanning the flames of ignorance in pursuit of high office...
Paper Pervez
No matter how you dress him--civilian, military, western, eastern--he'll always be Georgie's favorite little "d" democrat plaything.
And who cares if he's coddling Osama, running the biggest nukulur convenience store in Central Asia, calling--and cancelling--elections, jailing judges, and suspending civil rights?
Shoot, I'll bet King George's just envious.
No matter how you dress him--civilian, military, western, eastern--he'll always be Georgie's favorite little "d" democrat plaything.
And who cares if he's coddling Osama, running the biggest nukulur convenience store in Central Asia, calling--and cancelling--elections, jailing judges, and suspending civil rights?
Shoot, I'll bet King George's just envious.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Impossible...
..."and then I had a drink, and then we started the spin, and then Harry Whittington apologized."
Everyone knows Dick has no heart.
..."and then I had a drink, and then we started the spin, and then Harry Whittington apologized."
Everyone knows Dick has no heart.
Hard Work
Plenty more where they come from Nouri...especially once the economy flags...
Shrub vows that even more will die before his ego is completely satisfied...or until a new president can be blamed for the mess he's created.
Plenty more where they come from Nouri...especially once the economy flags...
Shrub vows that even more will die before his ego is completely satisfied...or until a new president can be blamed for the mess he's created.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)