Lil Bits of Rancor or Not 8/15/08

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abortion, Archaeology, Barack Obama, cake, Desserts, Election 2008, Greece, History, Iowa, Jesus, Jim Leach, John McCain, lobbyists, Media, mental illness, Military, Olympics, Sports, Women's issues

We all know a bit about how athletes train for the Olympics. A huge number of disciplines are now involved, nutrition, sports health, computer technology, and tons more. What was it like back at the beginning? How did athletes train when they actually competed at Athens? Ancient/Classical History Blog brings you a piece from the stoic Epictetus on was was involved. A fascinating look at the differences.

If you are looking for an elegant dessert, and who isn’t, I mean really? You best stop over at Baking Delights and try this Instant Gourmet: Walnut Genoise with Coffee Infused Ganache. Wow a mouthful, err by figuratively and actually. It is simply heavenly with both coffee and chocolate and whipped cream. Oh help my pounding heart I think I am going to drool all over the keys. You must see the photograph of it made! And most importantly, it’s not very difficult to make.

Lordy Lordy, McCain has lost his freaking mind. Seems our befuddled old guy may be in cahoots with bad boy Ralph Reed in Georgia.Reed was a partner of Abramoff, the K Street naughty, if you remember. Ralphie boy lost his bid for lt. governor when all the poopy hit the fan over that. He is scourged quite badly in the new book by Thomas Frank, which was featured on Bill Moyers Journala few weeks ago. Ralph may well be headed for jail before all is said and done. It seems that he is sending out invites for a McCain fundraiser. We are unsure, at this moment whether Johnny intends to attend. If so, Johnboy better look out. If I hear more, I’ll let you know. This source is from Capitol Hill Blue and I’m not very comfortable with them yet as sources.

Garrison Keillor is always funny, or at least chuckle amusing, but he hit the perfect tone today in his essay, “It’s an Amazing Country.”  He rather hits McCain right between the eyes. It’s a chutzpah claim that surely hits home. I mean really, McCain the multimillionaire, son of privilege all his life, calling the black kid raised by a single mom the elitist? Well, as he says, American, she can be an amazing place to live. Don’t miss it.!

A great little piece at AlterNetyou should take a look at. Summing up a host of non-issues and falsified ones, Allan Uthman, runs down the ten most idiotic issues in this campaign so far. Most, but not all have been mentioned on this blog a time or two.  This gives a nice packaged run down of some of the worst offenders, and the real truth behind the lies and innuendo. That they seem to all pretty much fall on one side is, well a given isn’t it? It’s a good read, and actually provides a bit of real good information, expecially on Senator Phil Gramm, the guy you recall who said we were a country of whiners. Look of more of his questionable ethics and economics should, God forbid, McCain win the white house.

A couple of purely Iowan concerns. First Wesley Clark is backing Becky Greenwald in her attempt to unseat Tom Latham in the 4th District. Clark contends Greenwald has shown a strong commitment to veterans while Latham has voted to cut billions in various Veterans programs in order to support tax cuts for the wealthy. Of more general interest, our own Jim Leach, Republican unseated by Loebsack in 2006, is endorsing Obama for President. Leach, all around good guy was felled in the general “throw em out” election of 2006. This unfortunately does happen when people are so thoroughly disgusted with a party. The good goes with the bad. Leach was definitely a good guy, never fitting into Gingrich’s gang, and paying the price with low-interest committee assignments. Good for Leach!

Media Matters reports that the presidential debates will be hosted by NO Foxy NEWsless heads this time around. Good news! And there is some reason to suspect that the blogging community may have influenced that decision. Bloggerdom has vilified of course Fox as a shameless purveyor of Republican talking points. This is of course true. Anyhow, the moderators chosen this time around are: Jim Lehrer and Gwen Ifill from PBS and Tom Brokaw and Bob Schieffer from NBC and CBS. A reasonably good array I would say, especially the first two, but Brokaw is acceptable in my book as well. The post has a long discourse on how the group was chosen, and the efforts of the bloggers to block Fox out.

McCain always touts his solidarity with the military. Apparently nobody has asked the military. By a rate of 6 to 1, Obama is out raising him among overseas personnel. Ron Paul who has suspended his campaign, has out done him by 4 to 1. The only group even close to be in his camp are the Marines. Even the Navy goes for Obama.

On the humorous side, we can all remember how vociferously McCain attacked Bush for invading Iraq? Right? Oh. Well, apparently the Great Old man had an Alzheimer’s moment. He has recently said of Russia’s invasion of Georgia: “In the 21st Century, nations don’t invade other nations.”Guess the old guy forgot his chest thumping endorsement of the invasion of Iraq, and well Afghanistan? Oops. Doh, stupid history!

Among the way out there cadre of anti-abortion advocates (the one’s who like to do graphics to shock people), it has long been the contention that women who have abortions suffer to a greater degree from subsequent mental issues. Not so,according to the APA. Women who have early term abortions as opposed to women who deliver a pregnancy suffer no greater incidence of mental health problems.

Betcha didn’t know that Jesus played cricket did ya? Well, if you want to learn more, stop by Rogueclassicism and find out. A very old Armenian “infancy gospel” seems to suggest that Jesus played such a game in his youth. Interesting stuff, though I’m sure hardly definitive. But certainly water cooler stuff!

It seems prudent to stop by Angry African and catch next weeks news. It’s always special and tailored just for you. I just wish some of it actually turned out to be true. Wouldn’t that be a hoot? Then the African madman could be prescient and we could all ask him questions and he would make oodles of dough answering. Okay, get in on the ground floor and become his manager just in case it happens. Hey, if you invested in Microsoft way back when, you’d be really really rich today. So, I am giving you sound advice!

Correcting the Record 8/15/08

Tags

Barack Obama, Election 2008, John McCain, Media

John McCain continues to hit at Obama’s tax proposals. And John McCain continues to state falsehood after falsehood. The following ads make these claims:

• Taxes will be increased on families making $42,000 per year. FALSE. This is true only for a single person and the tax would amount to $15. For a single mother with two children, she would have to make over 62,000 for it to kick in. AND the measure was not passed in the budget bill, and it NOT part of Obama’s current proposal anyway.
• A Spanish radio ad makes the same claim, yet a family of four making up to $90,000 would not be affected. FALSE.
• Obama would raise taxes on the middle class. FALSE. Tax CUTS for the middle class are the proposal and no one making less than 200,000 or families under 250,000 would be affected.
• A radio ad claims sales of homes will be taxed at an increased rate. FALSE.  Profits of up to $500,000 would continue to be exempt.

Factcheck.orgclaims that these ads continue a pattern of misrepresentation of Obama’s tax proposals.

In another ad, McCain claims to support renewable energy, showing wind turbines in the background. His tax plan does NOT include any funding for renewables, and in fact McCain has opposed extending tax credits for renewables. He only favors “incentives” which are not named, sort of like shaming the oil interests into not taking their huge profits I guess. Yeah that works. Mostly McCain favors clean coal technology and nuclear plants. McCain claims that we need to “rationalize the current patchwork of temporary tax credits that provide commercial feasibility.” Energy experts have no idea what this means.

Obama on the other hand has “specific language and goals” in his energy plan, according to the same analysis.

Politfact reports thatthe DNC ad about McCain and his ties to Abramoff pal Ralph Reed are true. Reed as reported in our Lil Bits of Rancor or Not 8/15/08, has sent out invitations to a McCain fundraiser in Georgia. Much about Reed’s ties to Abramoff were reported on Bill Moyers Journal of a couple of weeks ago. They are also the subject of a new book by Thomas Frank, called “The Wrecking Crew.”  Even more interesting, Reed apparently was part of the team used to derail McCain in S. Carolina in 2000. Just more evidence that McCain will get in bed with ANYONE to win this election. A man without ethics or morals it seems. Counter charges by RNC spokesperson, Katie Wright, that Harry Reid has also received money from Abramoff are UNTRUE according to Media Matters.

The Obama ad claiming that John McCain opposed a buy only American motorcycles is TRUE. It is also true that he said that such policies were “disgraceful.”

In a piece for Nightly News with Charles Gibson, Jake Tapper stated that immigration is one example where John McCain has broken with his party and reached across the aisle to join with Democrats, in this case Sen. Ted Kennedy. This is blatently not true. During the January 30th debate, McCain claimed that he no longer supported the bill for comprehensive immigration reform and would not vote for it if it came to the floor for a vote. This due to the wild opposition by the Republican base. As we keep saying, McCain is for anything that will get him a vote, or against it, as is the case here. Source: Media Matters.