Thursday

Could it be...

That Dan Rather will be "The One" who restores balance in the main stream media after the past six years of abhorrent malfeasance and gross negligence? God knows I hope so. After this week's latest round of the spineless amendment (the House also decided that free speech only applies in situations where nobody's feelings get hurt) in conjunction with the horseshit "sense of the Senate" (Kyl-Lieberman) votes, I don't think I could be anymore demoralized right now.

from Sidney Blumethal...

If the court accepts his suit, however, launching the adjudication of legal issues such as breach of fiduciary duty and tortious interference with contract, it will set in motion an inexorable mechanism that will grind out answers to other questions as well. Then Rather’s suit will become an extraordinary commission of inquiry into a major news organization’s intimidation, complicity and corruption under the Bush administration. No congressional committee would be able to penetrate into the sanctum of any news organization to divulge its inner workings. But intent on vindicating his reputation, capable of financing an expensive legal challenge, and armed with the power of subpoena, Rather will charge his attorneys to interrogate news executives and perhaps administration officials under oath on a secret and sordid chapter of the Bush presidency.

In making his case, Rather will certainly establish beyond reasonable doubt that George W. Bush never completed his required service in the Texas Air National Guard. Moreover, Rather’s suit will seek to demonstrate that the documents used in his “60 Minutes II” piece were not inauthentic and that he and his producers acted responsibly in presenting them and the information they contained — and that that information is true. Indeed, no credible source has refuted the essential facts of the story.


Keep ur fingers crossed!

So let me get this straight...

Some, if not most, Republican law makers (at least the ones with consciences) are all a tither over the White House's threat to veto the new proposed SCHIP legislation. Well, they should be. Who in their right fucking mind can justify denying American children health care one day (I think the change to the bill would provide another $35 billion in funding for SCHIP), and then go out and talk about how Congress MUST give Bushie the $190 billion increase he needs to continue the crusade against the evil doers. Opponents of the bill of the bill are bitching about the inclusion of certain groups that will be covered (via FDL):

Tuesday night, however, in an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi insisted the Senate’s 60 vote rule also restricts what the House can accomplish. The Senate’s self-imposed gridlock is now the House’s excuse as well.

I heard the same excuse from Charlie Rangel during the SCHIP floor debate, when he claimed that many House members wanted the bill to cover children of legal immigrants and pregnant women (as many states do now), but the Senate Republicans demanded that coverage be removed or the bill would never get 60 Senate votes. “This is the Senate Republican’s bill,” he said.


Puke. So the family values party is pissed because pregnant women will be covered under the new plan?

Pro-life my ass!

However, several Republicans have come out in support of the bill. Though, I don't think we should be breaking out the cake and ice cream and throwing a party for them...A yea vote for this bill is so the right thing to do, I'm sure a chimp could reason his way through it. Of course, we've all seen this before...Specter, Warner, etc...these Republicans will go on TV or radio telling the public how jazzed they are to vote in a way that will help a Democratic bill get passed, and then turn around and stab the country in the back by voting down party lines.

Profiles in Courage every single one of them.

Quick hit quote...

via TRex at FDL

“If Bill O’Reilly was caught robbing a bank, he would say he was taken out of context.”

Paul Waldman, Media Matters

Tuesday

Gross...

via TPM

Rudy Campaign Distances Itself From Supporter's $9.11-Themed House Party

For once...I'm speechless.

Monday

To ridiculous not to mention...

(via C&L)

Bill O’Reilly Surprised At Civility Of Black Restaurant Patrons

The Falafel Master himself had this to say on the Radio Factor regarding his recent trip to a Harlem restaurant with Al Sharpton:

"... [O'Reilly] couldn’t get over the fact that there was no difference between Sylvia’s restaurant and any other restaurant in New York City. I mean, it was exactly the same, even though it’s run by blacks, primarily black patronship.” O’Reilly added: “There wasn’t one person in Sylvia’s who was screaming, ‘M-Fer, I want more iced tea'"....


Yes, because that's typically how black people order something in a restaurant. By starting off their request with the words "mother f*cker".

Ass. 'Nuff said.

UPDATE: Check out TRex's as always indomitable snark on Billy's "field trip".

UPDATE TWO: From Media Matters Re: CNN'S Rick Sanchez on O'Reilly's Harlem trip:

Sanchez On O’Reilly’s remarks:


— “At first glance, you don’t see it as questionable. Especially if you’re not an African-American!”

– “Here’s a guy who’s trying to give a compliment.”

– “I agree with him [there was no racist intent].”

– “We all have an uncle who comes to parties at our house…who will occasionally say things like this.”


Sanchez On African-Americans:


– [To Lemon] “People are actually offended. And you would know. They call this a ’subtle type of racism’… it’s the velvet glove type.”

– “What my African-American friends and associates have told me…is that they were insulted that a man with his experience and his age would for the first time realize that … African-Americans who gather in places in America and have civilized meetings. That’s what they say.”


Good Lord! Rick Sanchez is defending Bill O? Rick, at first glance I, like many others who aren't African American, found it extraordinarily questionable, actually I found it completely objectionable, which is no different from damn near everything other nonsensical thing Bill says.

As Keith Olbermann noted last night, this is passive aggressive racism. Regarding the uncle comment, Rick, Bill O' isn't some drunken closeted racist at family picnic - he's a major media figure, who is on the air (radio and television) for approximately four hours every day. He (and his audience, who apparently didn't complain at all about the comments) should hold himself to a higher standard.

Ha! Ha! That last sentence was a joke.

UPDATE THREE: Jeebus, this is going to be the never ending post. From C&L:

Bill O’Reilly: CNN has joined Media Matters “on the Dark Side”


What a fucking headcase!

Today's WTF Moment brought to us by...

...a senior official in the Bush White House who explains to us why Barack isn't armed with da skillz you need to be president.

A "senior official" in the White House of George W. Bush tells journalist Bill Sammon why Barack Obama won't be the next president of the United States: Obama is intellectually "capable" of the job, the official says, but he relies too much on easy charm. "It's sort of like, 'That's all I need to get by,' which bespeaks sort of a condescending attitude towards the voters ... and a laziness, an intellectual laziness."


R U kidding? Read that last sentence again. This guy did realize he was asked about Obama, right?


Most Ironic Statement Ever Award.


Congrats!

Top Ten via DU...

Another week of conservative dumb-assery calls for another Top Ten list (via DU).

Enjoy!

Tuesday

Quick Question...

How fucking crooked do you have to be to say something like this (via Down With Tyranny):

"In [Hillary Clinton's health-care] plan we have government insurance instead of private insurance. In her plan it's crafted by Washington; it should be crafted by the states. In her plan, we have government Washington-managed health care. Instead, we should rely on private markets to guide health care. And in her plan, you see increased taxes. The burden should not be raised on the American people."

---former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, at a press conference held without the hospital's permission outside New York's St. Vincent Hospital, before Senator Clinton's health-care plan was even released


Of course! You have to be a republican presidential candidate.

Damn near every other industrialized nation on the planet has some form of a health care system that guarantees health care for all citizens. Meanwhile, some 47 million people in this country have no form of health insurance whatsoever. And those that do make claims for medical coverage must fight tooth and nail to actually get their respective insurance companies to pay da bills. Being that as it is, what is the fucking problem here? This shouldn't even be an issue, folks. Unfortunately, it's a huge issue, and when we have assholes out there saying stuff like "... we should rely on private markets to guide health care" when the private markets have clearly screwed the pooch time and time again, it might be time to start thinking about switching gears.

And let's not forget that we've spent nearly half a trillion dollars on a war that has actually made the country less safe. It is nearly impossible to imagine what we could have done here at home with that kind of money. But I'm sure 47 million of us have an idea or two.

Oh, and one more thing: Mitt Romney is an asshole.

Wha..Wha...Whaaaat?

Congress investigating alleged corruption in State Department

Whoa! There's a fucking surprise. I wonder how much airtime the "liberal" MSM will give to this story tonight?

Quick hit...

This is funny... Today's urban word of the day (brought to us by the Urban Dictionary) is "conswervative". The definition:

A conservative politician or other public figure caught doing things that he has denounced on record.

Sentence please?

Larry Craig is a conswervative, as is Ted Haggard.

I understand the Urban Dictionary staff's need for brevity regarding the emails they send out, but they are being awfully generous in only mentioning Mrs. Craig and Haggard. How 'bout Gingrich, Vitter, Giuliani, etc... I could sit here all day and would gladly do so, but unfortunately I gotta get back to work.

A Possible Definite WTF Moment...

Well, it might not make it for today's #1 WTF moment, but this story certainly gives us cause for concern...

via CNN

Student Tasered at campus forum for Kerry

A University of Florida student was Tasered and arrested after trying to ask U.S. Senator John Kerry about the 2004 election and other subjects during a campus forum.

snip

As Kerry tells the audience he will answer the student's "very important question," Meyer struggles on the ground and yells at the officers to release him, crying out, "Don't Tase me, bro," just before he is Tasered. He is then led from the room, screaming, "What did I do?"


Jeebus! Kerry wants to answer the kids question and the cops taser him anyway. What the fuck is going on at the University of Florida? Shocking.

Monday

Top Ten via DU...

Earl G is back after a short break with a new Top Ten, and the sojourn must have treated him well because this week's list is capital. I'm even going to steal one of his pictures. Feel free to caption this photo:



Troop levels aren't the only things "surging" these days!

Enjoy!

Thursday

Today's WTF Moment brought to us by...

...One-third of American citizens.

via C&L

Hit and Myth: Poll Shows 1 in 3 Americans Still Believe Saddam Involved in 9/11


Just go ahead and kill me now.

Wednesday

WOW!

Shakes had this video posted yesterday, and to be honest, I didn't even bother watching it the first time. However, a second post today about the same video, and let's just say I couldn't resist watching. This is just something else.



Usually, I get kind of squeamish when I watch something as horrendously embarrassing as this, but I gotta tell ya I damn near fell out of my chair laughing at this guy. For about the first seven seconds of this video I thought my normal M.O. of closing up shop after the next seven seconds was a certainty. Right up until he started whining about how bad Britney's life has been lately. "Wailing...She lost her aunt - She went through a divorce - She had two 'expletive' kids - (I'm never going to use the "f" word as an adjective to describe children.) - Her husband turned out to be a user - He cheated on her and now she's going through a custody battle. More wailing."

Britney Spears' life has most certainly been anything but peachy over the past few years. There's nothing funny about that. What's funny is just how out of touch this fucking ass-clown is with reality (I have no problem reserving the "f" word for ass-clowns). For cripe's sake man...you just described the life of what I can only imagine is hundreds of thousands of women in this country. Yes, in some small way I have heartfelt sorrow for Britney. But get real, she's still worth millions of dollars, and at the end of the day, I'm sure she'll be able to get on with her life. Yes, she has been treated unfairly in the media at times, but let's face facts, she's had her fair share of gaffes as well. Why aren't you crying for the woman who has gone through the same damn thing but has to work two or three jobs just so her kids can eat? I never intended for this post to be anymore than a few lines, but this jackass really got me thinking about some things and then the outrage-o'meter red lined. R-E-D L-I-N-E-D.

I'm about to completely reverse directions here so hang the hell on.

The last count I heard before writing this post was 30,000 American casualties, including 3772 dead, in Iraq. Four million displaced Iraqi citizens, including two million that have emigrated to neighboring countries. By some counts over half a million Iraqi civilians are dead. A half a trillion dollars spent on what many of our own soldiers have deemed an unwinnable war (Two of those brave souls are dead now, another is recovering from being shot in the head). The awarding of no bid contracts to huge corporations in what can only be summed up as one of the most blatant displays of cronyism in modern history, which brought on widespread corruption that has essentially left an entire country in a prehistoric state of anarchy. The list goes on and on and on.

And media coverage of Britney Spears' life is what brings this wanker to tears? I'd say that's a pretty big fucking problem, not only for this r-tard - but for the rest of the country that'd rather spend time waxing philosophic about the new totally awesome reality show on FOX than actually giving a shit about what the hell is going on in the world. That is, up until it's time to vote - then everyone is all "balls-to-the-wall" about how freaking kick ass their candidate is (both sides of the aisle included) and how they are sooooooo into politics. Meanwhile, the rest of us are sitting back laughing - politicians and lobbyists - and crying - activists - our asses off at how big of a fucking joke politics in this country have become.

Well buddy, email me (or make another video, I don't give a shit) when your favorite American Idol contender gets kicked off next time, even though (s)he had to have the most votes, because the media just won't let up on how unmarketable (s)he is.

In the mean time, some of us are going to step outside of our own little universes, pay attention, and actually try to make a difference. Don't worry though, you'll still be able to vote in fourteen months.

I'm emotional right now. I'm gonna have to watch that damn clip again. This time for the laughs, just the laughs.

UPDATE: For reasons unexplained, I just watched a few more YouTube clips of Britney's #1 fan. Big mistake. Silence of the Lambs...Red Dragon. I'll be having nightmares tonight.

Quick hit...

Dems balk at MoveOn censure resolution

Damn straight! MoveOn must be really starting to scare the shite out of the Grotesque Grand Old Party.

Tuesday

All Surged Up...

I found this great clip from Group News Blog via Shakes...This is pretty darn funny...



I wish I had more time to comment on this, but I'm frickin' super busy right now.

Monday

Reminder for Republicans...

As always, Earl G has hit the nail on the head while passing on a great message for all of us:

A reminder for all those Republicans who are SHOCKED that anyone would doubt Gen. Petraeus...

Friday

Friday Afternoon Fun...

Things are starting to get crazy in these parts as the Nittany Lions are making ready to hand the Fighting Irish their collective asses tomorrow evening. Anyway, how 'bout some fun.

It's been a long time since I've seen this show...I wonder what happened to these guys.



In honor of my favorite show of all time, the rest of today's clips will be featuring eternally funny Jerry Seinfeld. (I know, Michael Richards is an ass, but the rest of them are still A-1 in my book.)



"I got a newsflash for ya Joy Boy: Party time is over!" I will never tire of that scene.

I think I might try to organize a Festivus party this year.



One more...



Alright, that's all for this week's installment.

Peace out and have a great weekend...

GO STATE!!!

Thursday

Oh! The Irony...

(From the LA Times via GottaLaff)

Well I'll be - turns out that FOX is has garnered the top spot for this year's coveted "Most Vile and Smuttiest TV Network Award". Yes, that's right folks - FOX managed to out-sleaze even those liberal bastards over at NBC, CBS, and ABC while actually doubling NBC and ABC's scores (Now that's impressive!).

I have a question for my favorite asswipe Bill O'Shithead (click here for some fun): Who are the real secular progressives attempting to destroy the moral fabric of the U.S.?



Gawd, I hope Olbie or his staff gets a hold of this article.

Wednesday

Today's WTF Moment...

...is brought to us by...Bushie (again).

via C&L

[Bush] believes success is being achieved in Iraq and told the Deputy Prime Minister, Mark Vaile, upon arrival on Tuesday night that “we’re kicking ass”.


Oy vey!

WTF Judith Giuliani???

(From Vanity Fair via CHS)

Giuliani's Princess Bride

It's way too early to declare this today's WTF moment, but H-O-L-Y S-H-I-T...a $52,000 purse...with a reserved seat on her and Rudy's private jet? Get the frick outta here.

That shite is in and of itself really disturbing, but the stuff about her former employment U.S. Surgical is just over the top. And then the stuff about the dress...? The absolute lack of morals, compassion, and genuine emotion that these neocon types continuously exhibit really scares the shit out of me. If these were little kids acting like this, we'd all be sitting around talking about how we would never let our children get away with that kind of stuff. Except they're not children...they're the leaders of one of our two relevant political parties.

Tuesday

Quick Hit...

Once again, I am vexed in deciding whether this is actually funny. For some obvious reason, every time I read the headline of this article, I conjure up the images of a bunch of women in habits chastising a little version of W for acting up in class. Some levity for us all...To wit:

Religion Briefs Coalition of nuns calls for impeaching Bush and Cheney

Today's WTF Moment brought to us by...

(via GottaLaff at Brave New Films)

Huge surprise: W's Excellent Australian Adventure.

During his visit to Australia's largest city, the U.S. leader ... is to be accompanied by an entourage including 200 government officials, 250 secret agents, 150 national security advisors, 50 White House assistants, 15 agents with sniffer dogs, and 5 personal chefs.


For cripe's sake...Five personal chefs? And this is the guy that people claimed to vote for because he seemed like someone they could sit down and have a beer with. HaHa! Blow me!

Please Do This For Me...

If you happen to check in here today, please stop reading my drivel and go over to The Young Turks and listen to Cenk's interview with Malcolm MacPherson. The show loops all day, or you may be able to find the interview on the website somewhere - either way, you must here what that man has to say. AND, go buy his book.

Amen!!!

via Bluegal

Monday

That's nice...

It's tragic that you, sir, cry a lot regarding your job, and that is sad.

You know what? So do a lot of other people.