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Counterglow

A typical Canadian. English father, American mother. Background in science writing. Environment sector wage slave. Male, straight, mistrustful of power-seekers. Better looking than most car accidents. New to this kind of thing, but learning.

Wondering when news media degenerated to the point where corporate lawyers decide what's safe to say, and therefore what's news.

Recent comments by this user

Iraq Government Spokesperson: US Could Be Out By 2011

So they give themselves another three years (at least) to sit around pulling their peckers while Americans bleed to keep them in power? Sweet deal! Must be that "America Will Stand Down When They Stop Defecting" policy I keep hearing about.

By the way, is the Iraq government back from holidays yet? posted 07/09/2008 at 12:38:20

Hillary's PUMA Voters: "It's Not Too Late!"

How can they be so "pro-Hillary" when they completely disregard her plea to get on-side and support Obama? If I withheld my vote until I found a candidate with whom I agreed completely, I'd still be waiting to vote for the first time.

There is a stark choice out there: Vote for the people who have turned the United States into an economic basket case, destroyed rights and freedoms American heroes died to defend, and want to create a Supreme Court that will carry their loathsome social agenda forward for the next half century...regardless of who gets elected. Or vote for a candidate who isn't as bad. If you choose the former, you're an idiot. posted 07/09/2008 at 03:13:37

Jim Webb: "Under No Circumstances" Will I Consider V.P. Role

I thought Hillary would make a good AG, for a lot of the same reasons. She'd alienate too many of the voters Obama needs to be a good VP candidate (though as an actual VP, I think she'd be excellent). On the other hand, she's a very, very good lawyer, and I think she'd be able to put the Justice Department back together after all the damage Bush and his pet torture apologists have inflicted on it. posted 07/07/2008 at 23:25:43

McCain Focuses On Iraq While Afghanistan Boils

Perhaps they just believe the Republican base is that stupid, and that's the only people they really have left. Nobody else believes anything they have to say.

And believe me, my friend, I'd be laughing my head off if people weren't getting killed and maimed because of this stupidity. posted 07/07/2008 at 18:07:47

"General David Petraeus believes Iraq is the central front in the war on terror. Al Qaeda has even said it is."

So let me see if I've got this straight: A Bush lap-dog and the enemy BOTH agree on where to put the bulk of US military strength. General Petraeus is prominently committed to a strategy that seems to be failing. It's failing not because of US efforts, but because (as many predicted) the Iraqis won't accept any share of responsibility for maintaining strategic gains. So Petraeus says, "Give me more people. Put them right over here."

And the enemy, elbowing each other and trying not to laugh out loud, go on record saying, "Oh, yes, Spawn of Satan, put your people in Iraq. We are not doing anything in Afghanistan. We are fighting you in Iraq. You must ignore Afghanistan because if you fail to commit all your forces to Iraq, we will beat you there. Believe us, because we always give the enemies of Islam, in whose blood we bathe, good advice."

Does that about sum it up? posted 07/07/2008 at 13:14:55

Ex-Prosecutor Accuses Bush Of Murder In Book

"A book arguing that President Bush could be held criminally responsible for the deaths of American soldiers in Iraq is thriving despite a near total lack of mainstream media attention..."

- New York Times -

"Free press? Maybe somewhere, but not in the US..."

- Counterglow - posted 07/07/2008 at 13:45:04

Bush Heckled During 4th Of July Speech At Monticello (VIDEO)

The headline should read "Protesters Mar Photo Op for Thuggish War Criminal as He Defiles Home of American Patriot"

There...fixed that for you. posted 07/04/2008 at 19:57:47

A few years ago, we nailed our Prime Minister with a nice, sloppy cream pie. I just about laughed myself sick. posted 07/04/2008 at 19:38:42

Ben Franklin is one of the greatest pure thinkers the United States has ever produced. Too bad his thoughts don't get a lot of public airing these days.

I don't doubt for a minute he'd be labeled a left-wing lunatic if people just quoted him without attribution and waited for the trolls to appear. posted 07/04/2008 at 19:34:14

Obama On Late Abortion: Mental Distress Doesn't Justify It

Perhaps I'm wrong, but why do I get the feeling that a legal ban on a procedure that is already nearly inconceivable, except in cases where the mother's life is at risk, is just the first step down the proverbial "slippery slope". Why doesn't it make more sense for a doctor to refuse such an abortion on medical grounds? Maybe the doctor says the psychological consequences of such a horrific procedure outweigh the consequences of letting the woman give birth and immediately give up the baby. The part of the Hippocratic Oath that says, "First, do no harm" would cover the circumstance nicely, wouldn't it?

I strongly suspect a court-ordered ban is in the same family as the "exceptions" for incest and rape...something to be tolerated by hard-core right-to-lifers only as long as it takes to ban abortion completely, or only for the purpose of "getting the camel's nose into the tent". posted 07/06/2008 at 22:20:11

This particular move to the centre shouldn't be considered in isolation; it appears to be part of a pattern. If that's true, then one has to wonder whether some of the Clinton campaign mavens who delivered such a stunning defeat to their candidate (and who apparently are now with Obama) are now busy poisoning Obama's campaign.

The so-called "centre" has been defined by the right to such an extent that it really doesn't exist in any meaningful way. Pursuit of a "centre" course is simply appeasement of a group that, in the end, will turn on Obama like rabid dogs. posted 07/04/2008 at 18:49:50

A Modest Proposal for the 4th: Take Back Old Glory

Back when the loony right was frothing at the mouth about making failure to respect the flag a go-to-jail offense, I could never get a good answer to this question: In the land where everybody's supposed to be equal, why is it OK for pretty girls to have their bikini bottoms made out of the flag, but if a gay guy wore the same thing, he'd get the crap kicked out of him? posted 07/04/2008 at 12:47:38

My Position On FISA

The bottom line is that as soon as you grant retroactive immunity, you have pretty much thrown the rule of law out the window. If Obama wants to do this, he should at least promise to ensure that the presidential pardon becomes a thing of the past. Frankly, though, I doubt whether even that would be enough to stop the inevitable abuse. Big corporations have very little to fear from the government as it is. Granting retroactive immunity even once will set a precedent that will allow them to use the Constitution for toilet paper. And get away with it (have you seen the Supreme Court lately?). posted 07/03/2008 at 20:05:40

Media Outlets Slam Fox For Doctored NY Times Photos

You especially have to admire how they managed to make Jacques Steinberg look so aggressively, well...Jewish. I bet FUX farms their little PhotoShoppers out to work on those Middle Eastern papers that like to run cartoons of hook-nosed Jews murdering women and children. Can't you just smell the racism rising like a miasma from these people? posted 07/03/2008 at 16:42:41

Tropical Storm Bertha forms in the Atlantic

Thanks...I needed that! lol. posted 07/03/2008 at 20:25:49

You might want to tell that to the people who named Tropical Storm Brenda in 1955. They've been naming tropical storms, including hurricanes, since 1953. Sometimes they gave them numbers, sometimes names. The current system has been around unchanged for decades.

F*ckin' moron. posted 07/03/2008 at 16:29:33

Rush Limbaugh On His New Deal: "I'm Not Retiring Until Every American Agrees With Me"

"I'm not retiring until every American agrees with me."

Are there enough doctors in the country to do all those lobotomies? posted 07/03/2008 at 13:21:15

G-8 Climate Scorecard Puts U.S. In Last Place

Your kind of "realism" has allowed the oil industry to strangle every potential competitor in the cradle. You should check out what happened to the electric trolleys all across your country around the turn of the last century for just one example among many. Two quick links to point you in the right direction...these aren't perfect, but I don't have time to find the ones that really fit:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1132/is_n3_v46/ai_15608012/pg_3

http://www.internalcombustionbook.com/archive/RJFall2006.html posted 07/03/2008 at 20:56:34

Your writing skills would embarrass a 10-year-old, but they're more than adequate to express your thoughts. posted 07/03/2008 at 13:33:28

Military Chief: US Doesn't Have Enough Troops To Send To Afghanistan

You'd have to do what Switzerland did, and for exactly the same reason, to avoid the pitfall you very accurately point out. I think you've already got qualifiers in place that prevent certain people from becoming citizens. It should be easy enough to prevent people with an existing drug addiction doing so.

The thing is, when you take the black market out of the equation, the actual cost of producing these drugs is trivial. You could tolerate a certain amount of abuse to the system and still change the problem from a police matter to a public health one. The cost savings would be enormous, and the decrease in street crime would be visible almost immediately. How many non-violent criminals are sitting in jail, costing the taxpayer somewhere around $25,000 per year? posted 07/03/2008 at 20:45:27

60 Minutes did a segment a few years ago on a Swiss woman who was addicted to heroin. Because it's legal for citizens there, she would go to a pharmacist every now and again and fill her doctor's prescription for the drug. To avoid a rush of dope addicts to Switzerland, it isn't available to anybody except Swiss citizens. The woman worked as a secretary and carried on a perfectly normal life.

Legalization and medical management is the only course that makes sense. And laws already exist to govern endangering other people while you're high. posted 07/03/2008 at 13:31:15

Monica Crowley Caught Plagiarizing From a Single Mom And Her Baby

It fascinates me that these people claim to support "family values", yet their own moral standards have more in common with those of pimps, thieves and con men than with decent human beings. posted 07/02/2008 at 20:22:13

Sex For Gas: Kentucky Woman Arrested For Prostituting Herself For $100 Gas Card (VIDEO)

I believe that once upon a time the saying was, "Ass, grass or gas. Nobody rides for free". These days, it would probably be something like, "Ass or grass for gas. My Ride requires a fee". posted 07/07/2008 at 18:15:57

Fox News Photoshops Pictures Of New York Times Reporters In Response To Weekend "Hit Piece"

I know the name matches up well, but seriously, can you imagine one of those half-wits with enough on the ball to deal with Linux? posted 07/03/2008 at 00:01:02

I'd expect no better from FUX News. They aren't journalists; they're barely a step above News of the World, the Inquirer and other tabloid rags that run those "I Was Raped By An Alien" stories.

The tragedy is that so many Americans are so ignorant (many willfully so) that they can be fooled by this kind of trash. Or they'd rather have lying creeps tell them what they want to hear than give their loyalty to media that try hard to present an unbiased view of the world. posted 07/02/2008 at 18:04:12

McCain Camp Shakeup: Rove Acolyte Takes Charge

I can't help but recall that old line about learning what somebody's really like by looking at the company he keeps. If that's true, McCain has surrounded himself with the kind of people who should guarantee he suffers the worst election defeat in history. A Bush/Cheney crony? A lobbyist for the sole remaining member of the "Axis of Evil"??? What's next, some guy who sits in his office pulling wings off flies and giggling insanely?

I can't help but think that some of the comments above which suggest a new candidate will be parachuted in at the last minute may well be correct. posted 07/02/2008 at 16:42:06

Living Limbaugh: $400 Million Contract, Gulfstream, Scented Candles, And The "Business" Of Hating Liberals

That must explain why, when tested on matters of fact (the approximate size of the US debt, for example), Rush's "Dittohead" audience consistently scored below average. When bombast and empty rhetoric won't serve, and they are forced to answer questions that have real-world answers, Limbaugh and his stooges don't do so well. They offer unsupported opinion on subjects they know nothing about, and because they are loud and persistent, they believe they are relevant. They're like a Grade 10 English major lecturing Einstein on Relativity and saying, "It's a free country; my opinion's just as good as yours." posted 07/02/2008 at 20:14:29

Unintelligent Design

I might give you a moment's consideration if you passed Grade 8 spelling. Sadly, clearly isn't the case. posted 07/02/2008 at 20:34:27

Nice catch. It's amazing how often the work of reputable scientists is misrepresented to back up a bogus argument.

Just as an aside, I can't help but chuckle at the way purveyors of ID and Creationism are thoroughly aware of what an incredibly effective tool the scientific method is for learning about the universe. They certainly spend enough time and effort trying to co-opt it to back up their own insupportable position. posted 07/02/2008 at 05:23:52

Behind The Scenes Of A Vaginal Plastician

Indeed we do! posted 07/02/2008 at 09:19:03

McCain Uses Swift Boat Vet Bud Day To Rebut Wesley Clark

Valid questions. But I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for the McCain campaign to answer them. posted 07/02/2008 at 20:51:35

You have to wonder whether John McCain is suffering from Stockholm Syndrome as an after-effect of his long captivity in Viet Nam. Not long after George Bush launched one of the most vicious and unprincipled attacks in modern politics against him, somebody snapped that iconic picture of McCain hugging him like a long-lost brother. Now he has hired the scumbag who was responsible for the same kind of loathsome assault on a fellow war hero.

People who believe John McCain's wartime experience makes him a good candidate for the job of President, but refuse to consider what permanent psychological damage he may have suffered, should consider this: One can revere a war hero who sacrificed the use of his arms in service of his country. That doesn't mean you'd want him as your dentist. posted 06/30/2008 at 15:48:19

What Is In The Water In Anti-Obama Tennessee?

LOL. Good one...wish I'd thought of it. posted 07/02/2008 at 20:44:06

I've been to Tennessee. Yes, there are a lot of decent people there. Too bad they're outnumbered by racist thugs who spell "cat" wrong two out of three times. posted 06/30/2008 at 16:15:06

Is it OK to take cheap shots at Tennessee, based on the fact that racism and intolerance seem to be deeply-ingrained, bi-partisan and unusually pervasive in that state?

If so, I'd like to suggest that certain last names like Hobbs are so extraordinarily common there because they allow a polite fiction of "unrelatedness" to be maintained when cousins intermarry. posted 06/30/2008 at 16:00:58

George Carlin's Private Memorial: Bill Maher, Garry Shandling

The world is a darker place without George Carlin in it. posted 06/30/2008 at 16:30:13

Seymour Hersh Exposes New US Covert Operations In Iran (VIDEO)

Anybody who did this to the United States would be accused of terrorism. posted 06/29/2008 at 17:22:08

McCain Win Could Mean A "Fundamental Shift" To A Consistently Conservative Supreme Court

There's a difference between being a conservative Democrat and a raving right-wing loon. Bush and the religious right have moved the Republican Party and the country far, far to the right. Just because they call it "centrist" and a lot of other crap doesn't mean they aren't the next thing to fascists. Joseph McCarthy would feel right at home in a McCain administration.

I still can't figure out what happened to the brave Americans whose motto was "Better to die on your feet than live on your knees". The current incarnation of the creature seems to be, "Here, take all these rights and freedoms my ancestors bled and died for. Just keep me safe and fat and happy, and leave me alone, and I won't say a word."

A vote for McCain is a vote against freedom, no matter how you try to pretty it up. posted 06/29/2008 at 10:16:33

Could I suggest that it isn't really a question of "more taxes"? It's a question of unpaid debt. Bush took the country's credit card and maxed it out, and he's just going to hand it over to somebody else and say, "Your problem." Taxes should have been raised at the time to pay for Bush's military adventures. That's how every war in American history was fought and paid for.

If you want to argue about government waste and cutting taxes or services in other areas, that's fine...but it's another argument for another time. When an elected official embarks on a massive new spending program that nobody had a chance to vote on, the proper thing to do is to pay for it up front.

The bottom line is a lot of very unobservant Americans were quite happy to send other peoples' children off to die because a) their kids weren't going to be drafted and b) they didn't get a big, fat tax invoice that said across the bottom, "This is your share of the debt we ran up in foreign wars this year. Please pay up." posted 06/29/2008 at 10:04:22

I've been squawking about this for ages, and nobody seems to care very much. The fact is that Bush & Co. find young judges without much of a paper trail that could provide solid grounds to oppose their nomination, and put them on the court. Alito, Roberts and especially Thomas fit this mold. Given modern health care and life expectancy, it is quite reasonable to assume that a young, fit justice could still be on the bench 40 years from now. Certainly the three judges I mentioned above will be around for a long, long time. One more conservative appointment will give them a virtual lock on the court for the next half century with 4 of 9 ideologues who will block vote on virtually every issue that comes before them. The other judges seem to be less predictable, and will side with them from time to time. And since there have been a lot more Republicans than Democrats in the White House lately, it seems reasonable to suppose that the opportunity to appoint another conservative to replace the aging centrists will arise soon.

It's going to be hard enough to maintain a divided court. Elect McCain, and you'll have a very conservative one to live with for the next 30 - 40 years.

Won't that be fun! posted 06/29/2008 at 00:55:37

Sunday Roundup

Actually, Rove & Co. found that name-calling was a pretty effective tactic. They call it "Swift-boating" now, I believe.

And all I have to say is that your statements are not supported by the facts. Iraq "a new country"? Well, maybe three countries, each of which would welcome the opportunity to slaughter its neighbors. I could go on, but life is short and your mind is closed. posted 07/02/2008 at 20:41:32

Seldom have I seen such ironclad proof that the propaganda put out by those tame generals (who have admitted on the record that misrepresentation was their goal) has been effective, at least with a particularly brain-damaged segment of the population.

I'd offer you something to drink, but I see you've already drunk deep of the neo-con KoolAid. posted 06/29/2008 at 16:52:46

McCain Flip Flops Again -- Praises GI Bill He Opposed

McCain's got more positions than the freakin' Kama Sutra. I keep wondering when somebody beyond the community that is typically dismissed by conservatives as "liberal" and "far left" is going to notice and comment. posted 06/28/2008 at 08:36:18

Joining GOP's Bold March Backwards, Bobby Jindal and Louisiana Democrats Pass "Stealth Creationism" Education Bill

The problem is that a lot of fundamentalists believe teaching anything which contradicts what their high school dropout pastor said in church last Sunday IS teaching atheism. posted 06/28/2008 at 08:29:31

Ready To Kiss The Ring Of The Religious Right

The religious right will turn out for McCain because they have nowhere else to go. They want control of the Supreme Court so bad they can taste it. With McCain, they probably get it. With Obama, they probably don't.

And given that the trend is toward younger judges with less of a paper trail, and the long, long lives of somebody with access to the very best health care, we can reasonably expect the next appointee to be on the bench until about half way through the century. posted 06/27/2008 at 02:05:30

Lara Logan, Michael Ware Involved In Steamy Baghdad Love Triangle

Michael Ware told it like it was about Iraq when everybody else was kissing up to Bush and putting all those tame generals on the air. SO was Lara Logan. Between the two of them, they have more stones than the rest of the US press corps combined.

And ya have to face it, Ware is uglier than a bulldog's arse.

Good on ya, Mike! I'm VERY envious. posted 06/26/2008 at 13:04:43

Mary-Kate Olsen Smiles Like She Rarely Does - With Teeth (PHOTOS)

I'd love a reputable source for that. Two, actually. It's a detail that should never make it out of a real police investigation. posted 06/27/2008 at 20:15:29

What the hell is wrong with you? Why would you say such a thing about anybody without solid proof?

Faced with this kind of reflexive, reptilian aggression, it's no wonder a lot of child stars grow up to be basket cases. posted 06/26/2008 at 17:05:23

Lara Logan Sex Scandal: CBS' New Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent At Center of Divorce War: Report

Interesting that they don't name the other reporter. Maybe "interesting" isn't the word. "Stinks to high heaven"? Yes...that's it. posted 06/26/2008 at 09:06:04

I understand her next suicide attempt involved a leap from a basement window. posted 06/26/2008 at 09:05:58

The censors are going wild on this site. Even the responsible expression of one's thoughts is being reined in by language Nazis. posted 06/26/2008 at 09:00:20

Court rejects death penalty for raping children

So why not consider this: You could be two days older than your girlfriend, do the nasty with her the day before her 18th birthday, and wind up facing the death penalty because you committed an act of statutory rape.

And before you get all snitty and say that could never happen, consider the fact that many, many people have already served time for similar "offenses". If the law is on the books and some cops decide they don't like you, or some judge's daughter happens to be the "child", you can bet your ass it will be used. posted 06/25/2008 at 12:11:42

Obama: Dobson "Making Stuff Up"

It would be nice if you guys spoke up a bit more often. The Christian agenda has been hijacked by the Dobsons of the world, and the parts about charity and love and acceptance and stewardship of the planet seem to have been forgotten.

Jesus chased the moneylenders out of the temple. Dobson and his ilk sit them down and give them a good ol' home-cooked meal. posted 06/25/2008 at 06:13:21

Heather Locklear Enters Treatment For Anxiety, Depression And Medication Issues

Who is? posted 06/24/2008 at 20:03:41

Well, if you actually know her, it's pretty obvious it's not as a friend. posted 06/24/2008 at 19:20:28

George Carlin Remembered By Jerry Seinfeld, Joan Rivers, Ben Stiller And More

Actually, it's not as inapt as you think. A lot of Carlin's best work involved beating the living crap out of the more fascist elements of American society, especially the police and politicians.

Nothing I say would praise his originality and wit highly enough, so I'll just leave it at that. posted 06/24/2008 at 19:50:05

I can't answer that. posted 06/24/2008 at 19:43:38

And in memory of George Carlin's "Seven Words You Can't Say On Television", somebody at HuffPost has apparently decided words like "ab*rtion" and "Neg*o", properly used in a logical manner to make a valid point, should be censored from the site.

George would most certainly not approve. posted 06/24/2008 at 19:17:53

George Carlin Gets Posthumous Crack At O'Reilly (VIDEO)

Wow! Thanks for helping me to find the best definition I've ever thought of in my life of the difference between "glib" and "intelligent": Dennis Miller and George Carlin. posted 06/26/2008 at 08:56:00

Karolina Kurkova Labeled Too Fat (VIDEO)

Anybody who would call her fat would rather ride a tricycle than a Hayabusa. posted 06/25/2008 at 18:03:37

McCain Calls For Better Electric Car Battery, Proposes $300 Million Bounty

Interesting. Looks like you've got a ready-made retro-fitting business once there's a few electrics on the market. posted 06/27/2008 at 20:26:41

Even a stopped clock is right twice a day. For McCain, this is one of those times. A relatively slight improvement would make a plug-in, battery-powered car an excellent second vehicle for local trips.

Among the advantages: with minimal maintenance, an electric motor lasts for a long, long time. There's a fan in my house that works just fine. It was given out to my great-grandmother by the local electric company when they switched over from DC to AC more than half a century ago. posted 06/24/2008 at 11:12:43

Surfers Attack Photographer Over Matthew McConaughey

All it takes is for about .0001% of the population to buy those "trash magazines" and aggressive, in-your-face photographers will be around forever.

While I don't think assault is a good thing, sometimes the odd crap-kicking "pour encourager les autres" may not be entirely a bad thing. posted 06/24/2008 at 11:03:27

Wimbledon Gambling Scandal: Eight Matches Fixed, Dossier Claims

Probably England, mostly. Many of the largest legal books in the world are run out of there. Given your lack of knowledge about the rest of the world, though, I doubt very much whether you'd understand that the really big money changes hands over soccer, not some rinky-dink little game like the NFL. posted 06/24/2008 at 14:21:14

Me, too. posted 06/24/2008 at 14:18:56

Why do you not understand that there are other countries than the United States, and that things happen there? Can you find England on a map? posted 06/23/2008 at 00:33:02

GOP frets Barr could play spoiler in prez race

I would imagine he reversed his position because he came to understand that as long as you aren't hurting anybody else, the government has no damned business whatsoever telling you what to do. And they sure as hell have no business wasting billions of hard-earned taxpayer dollars to stick their nose where it doesn't belong. posted 06/22/2008 at 18:19:59

Obama And Race: Most Whites Open To Black President, But Hate Groups Growing

What scares me is that one in ten Americans openly admit that they AREN'T comfortable with a black president. I can't help but wonder how many Americans believe in the Tooth Fairy and Easter Bunny. posted 06/22/2008 at 12:14:22

Dobbs: Impeach Bush Over Tomatoes

Given your grammar and spelling (5 errors in 3 sentences), I can see why you're "laborgrunt".

Mostly, though, I'm curious about how you reached the conclusion that Dobbs said he believed gutting the FDA was Bush's biggest crime. If he was quoted accurately, he said, "That alone is sufficient..." He didn't say it was Bush's only impeachable offense, or even his worst one. His clear implication is that this is one he can actually be nailed for, presumably because the evidence is right out in the open.

Al Capone went down on tax evasion charges, you know, not because of his more outrageous criminal activities. posted 06/21/2008 at 05:23:57

Unearthed: News of the Week the Mainstream Media Forgot to Report

I won't say it's an easy way out, but it's a way: Review every single change the Bush administration has made to the nuts and bolts of government, and reverse it. Find every single appointment made and get rid of that person. It's the only hope you have to get your government back from the multi-national corporations that are intent on destroying your democracy and the constitution that supports it.

If you think that's hyperbole...it's not. There's a very real chance that a vote cast in the United States will become like a vote cast in the old one-state Soviet Union. posted 06/21/2008 at 06:53:10

McClellan: Bush, Cheney Wanted Me To Say Libby Wasn't Involved In CIA Leak Case (VIDEO)

Well, if a cheap laugh can help restore your health...I'm very happy to have been of assistance.

Cheers! posted 06/22/2008 at 17:59:03

So Ranking Republican Lamar Smith of Texas says, "What White House has not had a communications operation that advocates for its policies?"

Somebody should politely inform this weasel that there's a difference between advocating a policy and lying like a carpet. To put it in terms a Republican might understand..."Cares deeply for children" is not the same thing as "attempts to form homosexual relationships with underage Congressional pages". posted 06/21/2008 at 00:25:06

Well, at least the White House is giving us a bit more scope to have fun with whatever lying scumbag is currently functioning as their spokesman. "McClellan" just didn't cut it from the cheap humour point of view. But now we have Tony Fratto. THERE'S a name to conjure with!

May I be the first to formally christen this latest in a long line of disingenuous, lying White House weasels, "Tony Fartto"? posted 06/21/2008 at 00:11:31

Keira Knightley Shows Off Clavicle, Talks Boobs: "I Always Bare My Breasts"

Somebody feed that poor girl...and follow her around long enough so she can't find somewhere private to stick a finger down her throat. She looks like a bicycle with hair on it. posted 06/21/2008 at 00:30:00

Vlad Rudy Has Returned from the Fear Mongering Netherworld

That's exactly how you create a climate of fear. "Fear change. The ass-hats in charge might be protecting you."

A quote, FYI: "Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both."

Apparently some guy named Benjamin Franklin said it. posted 06/19/2008 at 06:26:25

Perhaps Mr. Giuliani is of the opinion that if the Republicans are defeated and a competent administration takes over, there is a real chance that Osama bin Laden may be captured.

Up until now, it hasn't been worth arguing about how to deal with Osama, because it is patently obvious that the current pack of villains, clowns and cretins haven't a hope in hell of getting their hands on him. posted 06/18/2008 at 17:53:40

The Disintegration of John McCain

I'm amazed at how few people understand what you so clearly do: that this administration has virtually nothing in common with genuine conservative principles.

And congratulations for having the guts to hold your nose and vote Obama instead of holding your nose and voting for four more years of big-spending, incompetent authoritarianism. posted 06/18/2008 at 23:19:46

Very little that has gone before will serve as a guide in this election. Why do you think the pollsters and pundits have managed to get just about everything wrong so far? In the unlikely event that McCain wins (I suppose it could happen, because anything's possible...which explains why I'm still hoping Scarlett Johansson asks me out for a weekend of cheap, meaningless sex), it will be by a narrow margin and for none of the reasons you state.

A paradigm shift occurred right under your nose, and you didn't even notice.

I doubt you'll still hang out here in January, but just in case, I'll look forward to rubbing your nose in this post. posted 06/18/2008 at 23:10:40

Michelle Obama On "The View": Fist Bumps All Around

I'd rather they didn't try to recast her character. Don't you ever get sick and tired of watching every politician/wife combo try to act like they always go to church and never fight or swear and never have a thought that goes beyond, "Wow, what a perfect country we live in!"?

Frankly, the Stepford Wives I've seen attached to a lot of politicians creep me out. I'd give anything to see one of them forget herself and tell some jerk reporter she's got a nasty case of cramps and he's going to get a broken jaw if he shoves that damned microphone into her face one more time.

Michelle Obama is a highly-intelligent, highly-educated woman forced by circumstances to put up with an endless round of "gotcha" questions, idiots, and wannabe's with agendas. It would do my heart good to hear her occasionally tell them to mind their manners. posted 06/18/2008 at 13:02:26

Bush To Echo McCain's Plan To Drill In Oceans

I'm always surprised at the number of people who expect you to do their research for them. I'm not talking about some esoteric claim that would require hours of digging and could well be untrue, but well-known situations covered by the national press and widely-available in the public record.

If these people had any reason for making such demands beyond simply seeking an excuse to maintain their state of denial, they might deserve some attention. Given that their demands seldom derive from an honest interest in information, you're very wise to spend your time elsewhere. posted 06/18/2008 at 08:25:48

Michelle Obama Calmly Enters The Spotlight: "You Are Amazed Sometimes At How Deep The Lies Can Be"

An articulate, highly-intelligent, attractive and opinionated black woman who stands an excellent chance of becoming America's First Lady. Surely this must be a racist's worst nightmare.

I hope the spin doctors and campaign managers don't try to package her up as some kind of black Betty Crocker in an effort to make her more palatable to middle-of-the-road white women. Michelle Obama has the potential to redefine what it means to be female in the United States. She can do that best if she's allowed to be herself. posted 06/17/2008 at 22:22:30

Inspiration For Much-Mocked Cornyn Video Revealed!

You owe me a keyboard, you swine! I burst out laughing and spit coffee all over it when I read your post.

If Larry Craig saw it, he'd already be booking a flight somewhere. posted 06/18/2008 at 13:19:53

Vets Being Recruited For Government Tests On Drugs With Violent Side Effects

So let me see if I've got this straight: First, you teach a guy how to be an efficient, supremely dangerous killing machine and send him to a Third World hellhole where everybody from the smiling little boy walking toward him on the street to the toothless granny on her porch might be out to murder him. When he gets back home, horrified and mentally bruised from all he has seen and done, you set him loose in a country where guns are about as difficult to get as a bottle of liquor. Then you give him an experimental drug that has the known side-effect of sometimes causing mental imbalance. Best of all, don't tell him the drug might make him feel like that, so if he feels suicidal and disconnected, he believes his sanity is slipping away all by itself.

And the doctors running the study don't see this as a recipe for disaster? They want to continue testing the drugs on some of the most psychologically fragile people in the US? Who trained these asshats, Joseph Mengele? I bet none of them live in the same neighborhood as the vets they're using as guinea pigs.

These conscienceless quacks deserve to be horsewhipped and barred from ever practicing medicine again. posted 06/17/2008 at 05:03:40

Re-Heat Offender: Cindy Bakes Another Whopper

Wives aren't "off limits" when they're out there campaigning...trying to create an artificial impression in the public mind about what kind of family values the candidate represents. And that's what this is, make no mistake.

Or is it OK that the putative next First Lady apparently likes to steal other peoples' work and take credit for it? posted 06/16/2008 at 18:03:25

"Why LIE?"

They're Republicans. It's what they do. posted 06/16/2008 at 17:58:15

McCain's Secret, Questionable Record

In fairness, McCain's loss of an ultra-light probably wouldn't be treated the same as the loss of a regular plane. You don't even need a pilot's license to fly one. I'd like to know how he managed to walk away, though. Most of them look like bicycles with wings and a lawnmower bolted on. posted 06/16/2008 at 23:06:10

CEO Obama Focused On Big Picture Rather Than Day-To-Day

Having been micromanaged to the point where I left a job out of pure frustration, and having run a task force composed of incredibly competent people with more areas of expertise than I have fingers, I can say with great confidence that I would kill to work for a boss like Obama. If you think I'm good enough to be worth hiring, for crap-sake get out of the way and let me do the job you hired me for.

The part of the story that really, really hit home was his rewrites of speeches and ads to get them "in his own voice".
Hillary Clinton failed miserably at sounding natural and honest. That's unfortunate, because her record indicates she's done a pretty good job of delivering what she promised to her constituents.

Obama always sounds like he's speaking from the very depths of deep personal conviction, and I'm certain that's because he always sounds "just like himself". Very few speech writers are good enough to write in somebody else's "voice", and very few candidates are good enough editors to remold a decent speech into their own words.

I'm starting to think this guy might make one hell of a president. posted 06/16/2008 at 02:20:02

Monkey doll named for Obama called racist

When I first heard this story, I thought in terms of one of those sock monkeys the church ladies used to make and sell. No big deal, I thought. First, they were made out of those silver and white work socks. Second, the thing you mostly noticed about them was the ears. Obama, you have to admit, has a pretty prominent set of ears.

So my first thought was, "It must be silly season. Maybe the manufacturer is a bit insensitive, but not really racist". Mocking a guy's ears is definitely fair game where I grew up.

Then I saw a picture of the thing. HOLY CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!! I absolutely cannot believe, in this day and age, that people can still get away with that and claim they didn't mean anything by it. Do they also sell lawn jockeys? That thing is so blatantly, in-your-face racist I just sat looking at it with my mouth hanging open.

I have downloaded a copy of the picture. I'm going to put the date across the bottom of it and keep a couple of copies in my wallet. Whenever anybody tells me racism is dead, I'm just going to take out a copy and give it to them. posted 06/15/2008 at 09:36:20

McCain: Guantanamo Decision One Of the Worst Ever

"Hey John, aren't you on record as favoring the closing of the Guantanamo Bay detention camps? If so, how can you now condemn a Supreme Court ruling that essentially does precisely that!?!"

I think ol' John just wants to ship them straight to Egypt and Columbia and Saudi Arabia and the like. They're already set up, so the US wouldn't have to go to all the expense of building its own torture chambers. Based on how the contractors did in Iraq, they'd probably wind up with blood and other body fluids getting everywhere when the drains in the floor backed up. posted 06/14/2008 at 00:42:54

Dems Not Backing Obama? Rahm Will Deal With It

I've never been able to figure out why Dean gets so little credit for his accomplishments. It seems to me the party's done pretty with him as DNC Chair. In fact, Obama's fundraising model looks a lot like Dean's "small-ball" approach. posted 06/13/2008 at 13:33:22

Firefox with AdBlock Plus. posted 06/13/2008 at 13:27:34

Is NBC Right About Obama's "Suburban Women" Problem? Experts Doubt It

"If you take care of the pennies, the dollars will take care of themselves." (14 words)

Which reminds me of a comedy sketch I saw once, where a couple of comedians went back and forth with a series of "truisms", each proving the one before it was baloney. It was really funny, and I'd love to track it down.

The response to the one above would be "penny-wise, pound-foolish. posted 06/15/2008 at 12:29:09

Fox's O'Reilly To Release Memoir This Fall That Is Already Quite Unintentionally Hilarious

You're dead on the money. My grandmother (who would have been from the same generation as that nun) used to use "fresh" that way. posted 06/15/2008 at 09:52:09

McCain In 2005: I "Totally" Support Bush On The "Transcendent Issues" (VIDEO)

Most people get angry when journalists take their remarks out of context. McCain prays that they do. posted 06/12/2008 at 16:14:55

A History Lesson For Tucker Carlson

A thin resume will get you lots of jobs, as long as you've got a mommy in the publishing business. posted 06/15/2008 at 09:12:47

Hitchens: "I Might Orgasm In My Trousers" Over Fall Of Bill Clinton

Apt description. posted 06/12/2008 at 13:20:34

McCain Iraq Comments: Bringing Troops Home From Iraq "Not Too Important" (VIDEO)

McCain presents the Republicans with a huge problem. Contrary to what some have been saying, it's in the Democrats' interest NOT to twist his words. A strictly accurate report on exactly what he said is all they need. Along with a nice little note scrawled at the bottom of the page saying, "We told you so", or "Four More Years". posted 06/11/2008 at 12:21:44

Help! I Need an Intervention...

RE: "We throw 6 to 8 billion (not million) tons of carbon into the air each year. But nature throws almost 200 billion tons a year...If you don't know the simplest facts you shouldn't be calling people stupid."

Ah, you Americans. Is it alright if I just call you a bit self-involved and perhaps a little arrogant? I wasn't talking about you, and I wasn't calling anybody in particular stupid. Check Canada's CO2 release and maybe you'll figure it out.

My larger point was that it's generally not bright to start screwing with a large system in equilibrium. Sorry you missed it. Post-industrial carbon emissions are putting new weight on one side of a balanced seesaw.

Just a quickie from Wickipedia I can't include without exceeding my word limit:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instrumental_temperature_record

Start reading at:

"Land and sea measurements independently show much the same warming since 1860... "

Your statement that "...climate models indicate more extreme precipitation events, not more extreme cooling events..." is also at the very least open to question, and probably wrong (I don't have time to track down the reference I was actually thinking about, but here's a little something):

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2004/05mar_arctic.htm

And something else: we've had two years longer than we would normally expect of low insolation due to a conspicuous and somewhat unusual lack of sunspot activity.

You really should get out more. posted 06/13/2008 at 16:11:11

Actually, we're probably doing both. As I understand it, Global Warming models indicate more extreme weather, especially in areas that don't benefit from the moderating influence of large bodies of water.

The middle of this continent will probably get its share of nasty winters, and no doubt people suffering from them will claim Global Warming is a crock because they're freezing their butts off.

What I can't understand is people who think we can throw millions of tons of ANYTHING into the atmosphere year after year and not have an effect on weather patterns. How stupid is that? posted 06/12/2008 at 06:02:24

How's your broadband? Maybe you could get all or part of the program from the website. It doesn't look like they're set up for podcast at the moment, but I'm sure that must be coming.

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/ posted 06/12/2008 at 05:56:29