Share this:

Tags

abortion, economic theory, economy, GOP, John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Rand Paul, school prayer, teabaggers

The jobs numbers came out this morning. Everything is on the uptick. The upturn in the economy continues unabated. This in spite of the naysayers who of course claim that things would be even better if we would do things their way (the business way). They offer no proof of this, but they assure you that if you would just lower corporate taxes to zero and remove all regulations, boards of directors across the country would be voting to “hire as many as will fit in the building” and things will be rosy in no time.

This engenders the usual arguments between Keynesians and Hayekians. If you are not so sure you know who these men are, or what they stand for, well, I have a good place to start.

I am not sure when this came out on PBS, but it is based on the book of the same name written by Daniel Yergin and Joseph Stanislaw. That came out in around 2003 I believe.

It is not for the faint of heart. It’s a six-hour committment. But on the upside, it’s well done and satisfies all the usual desires of one watching a documentary. You can get the DVD or you can watch the entire thing online, and I’ll provide the links at the bottom.

Let me caution you that I don’t at all agree with much of what they say, or at least the inferences they, I think deliberately, urge you to draw. They have a very definite point of view and they avoid a few facts that might cut against their opinion. (Pay especial attention to who is promoting the show at the beginning). That said, it provides a pretty good explanation of what Hayek believed and what Keynes believed. It provides a good foundation to understanding the basics that you will need should you choose to really try to get a handle on what the Krugman’s of the world believe is best for the economy versus the now deceased Milton Friedman.

We’ve only watched the first part, so I’m leaving off any further comments lest I influence your viewing. I’ll post a piece on my views in a couple of weeks or so. So if you are interested, put your feet up and grab a beer or cuppa joe and begin watching. It is entertaining and informative, just not accurate in all respects in my view. Links at the bottom of the page.

Ø

Republicans continue to waste taxpayer money on crap that has nothing to do with economic recovery. Over the Governor’s veto, Arkansas just passed a law making it illegal to abort a fetus after twelve weeks. That’s of course unconstitutional on its face and seems destined to offer the SCOTUS an opportunity to either overturn Roe or restrict it. Idaho’s twenty week law was just struck down by a federal district court.

Meanwhile, in Mississippi, another bastion of free thought, the senate has just passed a bill that would allow school prayer again, most especially before classes start (during morning announcements) and before athletic events. Students would also be allowed to freely discuss religious faith issues during class time. This is also unconstitutional on its face.

What is ironic here, is that the very people who support this crap are the same folks who are hellbent to tell you that Democrats and the present administration have no faith let allow adherence to the Constitution and are violating it every day. Of course, they are not. They are just redressing their grievances that the damn document doesn’t say what they want, and making sure that it’s altered to accomplish that.

It all depends, is their answer to “do you believe we should follow the Constitution as interpreted by the Supreme Court?”

Ø

The water pressure dropped severely yesterday in Washington D.C. as John McCain and Lindsey Graham both spend a long time washing off the icky after finding themselves supporting the black guy in the White House against the strange man from Kentucky, Ru Paul, I mean Randy Paul on the drones issue. Two finer hawks were never born than McCain the man who continually drove planes into the ground, and the Lindsey, a man who one can’t begin to imagine in a uniform except as part of a sexual liaison in the bedroom.

Ø

The best response to anyone who tries to tell you that homosexuality is a “choice” is to ask them what was the date when they “chose” to be heterosexual. What them sputter and try to get out of that dilemma.

Ø

I think Romney’s the right choice for speechifying at CPAC. After watching his interview with Wallace the other night, it appears he’s still living in the delusions that caused his defeat. That should be right up the alley of the teabibbers doncha think?

Ø

This just tickled me. John McCain was quoted as saying this:

“It’s always the wacko birds on right and left that get the media megaphone.”

I mean I hear the Oxford Dictionary calling to get that photo of John to place next to the word: IRONY.

Ø

From Don of Massachusetts:

Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Suffering follows an evil thought as the wheels of a cart follow the oxen that draws it. Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Joy follows a pure thought like a shadow that never leaves.

– The Buddha

This seems a good place to say, HAVE A GOOD DAY!

Commanding Heights Pt 1

Commanding Heights Pt 2

Commanding Heights Pt 3

Related articles

• IT’S WAR: John McCain And Lindsey Graham Are Tearing Into Rand Paul Right Now On The Senate Floor (businessinsider.com)
• Conservatives Are Now Flipping Out At John McCain And Lindsay Graham (businessinsider.com)
• RINO Senators McCain, Graham Charge At Paul (personalliberty.com)
• Would Hayek Have Approved Obamacare? – Reason.com (politicalcrazyness.tumblr.com)

 

When is a Cruise a Cruz?

Tags

Contrarian, GOP, Humor, Mitt Romney, Politics

When your name is Contrarian, that’s when.

A bit of history is in order.

The Contrarian, bless his heart, has this issue with names. I am not sure of the reason, but I rather think it’s lazy ear syndrome, as in “I don’t give much of a shit what your name is–I haven’t yet decided whether you’re worth remembering” syndrome.

He says otherwise of course.

You can decide for yourself.

Anyway, his bastardizations of names has become fairly comical on occasion as he comes up with new and unique ways to identify of whom he speaks.

For instance, the Williams  sisters, of tennis fame are not Venus and Serena. No they are referred to as the flytrap sisters, since Venus is related to a plant called a Venus Fly trap. You get the logic I presume?  Liam Neeson becomes something like Leland Nelson. Some of them are quite hilarious. Woman who pulls on ear is the illustrious Carol Burnett. I’ve become quite adept at figuring out who he is talking about. When it comes to Spanish names, well, it is unreal. He really can’t get his heard around the concept that LL in a word is pronounced like a y. So our historical Old Mesilla is to him Missilla instead of MaCeeya.

So anyway, last night we are watching the football game when there is a Bud commercial and I see this guy whose name I don’t know but he’s bald and wears sunglasses and is supposed to be “hip” if that world is still understood by anyone below the age of 60. I had seen a similar commercial with him in it some months ago and thought he was simply an actor, but saw him later singing on the American Music Awards, so I figure he is “somebody”.

So I said to the Contrarian. “I don’t know what his name is, but I find him intriguing. You know what I mean. He’s not classically good-looking but something about him is compelling. No doubt men find some women like that too–like Cleopatra who was thought to be quite plain-looking but was adored by men.”

Well the guy looks at me, and says, “yeah that Penelope woman would be like that.”

And I looked puzzled, which is a normal state of look for me around the Contrarian as you can imagine, and said, “Penelope? Who are you talking about?”

And he up and says, “You know, Penelope, the one who was married to Tom Cruise and had the baby Sookie Balooey.”

“Are you talking about Penelope Cruz?” I queried.

“Yes, Penelope and Tom Cruise,” he replied with satisfaction.

“They were never married dear.”

“But they had that baby, Serius or something like that.”

“No they didn’t, that was Katie Holmes.”

Cruise and Cruise, I think I’m right.” he pontificated from upon high.

“NO! Good grief, Charlie Brown, they are not the same. Do you think that Tom is Hispanic or something?”

“Huh?”

“Tom Cruise is spelled C R U I S E. Penelope’s last name is spelled C R U Z.

“Huh, you don’t say? Well she still has a big nose.”

Whereupon the Packers scored again and the world arighted itself. Once more the hapless Lions whimpered their way off the field, and I dear readers was gifted with yet another blog post that writes itself. Everyone is happy at Casa Peyton.

PS. Every time Selma Hayek appears on anything thing, I get: “Hey I thought she was dead!”  “Selma Hayek” Where did you get that notion?” “Ain’t she that Selana woman?” “You mean Selena? No she is not Selena.” Sigh. . . .

œ

Apparently it’s part of therapy to announce your failures openly to anyone who will listen in an attempt to come to grips with the reality of your life.

Thus Mitt Romney, goes into the locker room to meet Manny Pacquiao by saying, “hi I’m Mitt Romney. I ran for president. I lost.”

Mr. Pacquiao went on to suffer a knock-out in the 6th round I hear.

I’m guessing that many a football team will politically request that Willard NOT come to their games, and certainly not enter the locker room.

He’s now the creeping angel of losing. I wonder if crucifixes and garlic would work?

œ

Dead but they won’t stay dead: Glenn Beck and Newt Gingrich.

Can you tell me why anybody asks Newty to give his opinion on anything other than how to get a divorce? I mean really. Seriously.

And why is John McCain always on the Sunday circuit of talk shows? All he ever says is: “I love war, I lost in 2008, and did I tell you I love war?”

I’m not sure if this is the same story but I think it is.

A few days ago there was a report of a whale that had become entangled in fishing lines and was having trouble surfacing to breath. Divers went out and carefully cut all the lines off the whale.

She swam in circles happily for a bit following her liberation, and then, according to reports went to each diver in turn and nudged them, before swimming off.

We have much to learn I believe about the species we live among.

We would do well to think more carefully before we destroy them or ignore them as we busily go about the business of trashing the planet.

I continue to be dumbfounded at the price wildlife is asked to pay for our stupid ideas. Elephants are being slaughtered because somebody thinks it valuable to have a piece of sculpted ivory on a shelf to look at.

Turtles are killed for their livers, considered some sort of delicacy in some places.

The list is long and disgusting.

When will we learn?

Oh, did you see this one?

And Now For More of the Same

Tags

Diego, fiscal cliff, GOP, Humor, life in the foothills, marijuana, Politics, Romney, teabaggers

Diego here. Just a moment of your time. Momsie wants to show you cartoons which may be interesting to humans, I don’t know, but I am so excited I just had to interrupt (which she says I do too much, but gosh I can’t help it) to tell you this!

I’s taught my human momsie a new trick!

As you know, I takes my momsie on a walk every morning. Well, she has a tendency to wander off and get herself lost in the desert. So, I’s taught her to whistle!

You know how to whistle doncha? Just put your lips together and blow? HAHA, I learned that from a movie my popsie was watching one day.

So when my momsie gets herself all lost, she whistles, and I come a runnin’ to find her and gets her back on track. Pretty nifty huh? So if any of you doggies are readin’, e-mail me at “whistlin’inthedark.doggiechannel and I’ll give ya the spifics so your momsie or popsie won’t get lost too. Okay?

Diego signing off.

Are you gettin’ ‘er done? The shopping that is?

Are you spending a fortune to impress everyone with your largess?

Nobody in Washington seems very interesting in impressing us with their brains.

I guess when you don’t have many of those it’s pretty hard to fake it.

DeMint is leaving the Senate. I’m not sure anyone will notice. Stupid seems a rampant disease in the Capital.

Forget it and go buy me a present. I like largess expressly meant for me.

This seems to be the sticking point.

Why is beyond me.

Ever notice that the business types are the one’s screaming? It’s the teabaggers who are but the working class. They ain’t ever gonna be rich, so I don’t know why they want to protect those who are.

I guess they believe that the could be.

If it weren’t for all us moochers.

I guess their grandma on social security and medicare ain’t a moocher though. Moocher is a very vague kinda word and is hard to define precisely. Everybody has their own definition that avoids their “earned” benefits and only relates to the freebies your lazy ass sits back and enjoys. Funny word huh?

Doncha just wish you coulda been there?

Oh I bet it was priceless.

I bet little Willard just sweat bullets.

I bet it was his first time ever in that room.

I know it will be his last.

I hear Ann cries in her room every day. Before she gets on her jodhpurs and saddles up Rafalca and goes riding around in the air-conditioned ring at the snooty-patootie riding club for the disgustingly wealthy. It almost makes you want to feel sorry for her. . . .almost I said.

Meanwhile a couple of states in the union were pretty darn happy.

The election results seem to energize them.

Everybody is happy.

Except the rightie-tighties.

They never are happy unless everyone is as miserable as they are. Then they are happy.

And then they repent and look for more things to dislike that feel good, taste good, or look good.  Did they forget that when God created the world he said, “IT WAS GOOD!” ?

It’s all in how you interpret. Ya know what I mean?

Nothing much changes in the great dizzy land of teabagging.

After all, rationality is not a word then subscribe too. It’s too bourgeois.

The conundrum. What to do, what to do.

You ask them: What exactly has this President done that is so awful?

The answer: “he’s a Democrat, ‘enuf said.”

Is that enough?

Ted Nugent says people on assistance shouldn’t be allowed to vote. I say people without brains shouldn’t be allowed to vote. I doubt we are talking about the same people.

Really got to feel sorry for the GOP.

Just a little.

I mean it must be tough standing there in front of microphones and acting like you are important brokers of the common good.

When you are pretty much laughingstocks. Mere shells of political might.

I mean look at Lindsay Graham. Can you listen to him without laughing?

I mean really, can you?

And McCain? Don’t you want to just offer him a diaper change?

And Mitch? A chin? And Boehner the Orange: you know he goes home and cries his eyes out. Heading up a bunch of clown college rejects.

This was just plain unconscionable.

Santorum was delighted.

Santorum is one of those who ain’t happy unless everyone else is miserable.

How can you explain this?

You cannot.

No one can.

Except to say that the GOP is still so afraid of the crazies that they will risk public humiliation again and again rather than lance the boil. Disgusting is too good a word for them.

It’s nice to get along

Time To Take Your Medicine Willard

Tags

diet, food, health, Mitt Romney. humor

“Mitt, oh Mitt, time to wake up darling.”

“Mitt? Mitt really, you must get up!”

“Lemme alone will ya? I’m sleeping. I don’t wanna go.”

“Willard Mitt Romney you get out of that bed immediately. It’s past eleven and you have to get dressed still!”

“Call and tell him I’m sick. I don’t feel good. I think I have a fever. My head hurts, and my stomach is queasy. Really I don’t want to infect the President of the United States. They wouldn’t want me to do that!”

“Stop it. There is nothing wrong with you and you know it. This is traditional, every candidate has done this. Just put on a bright face and shake hands like a man and congratulate him for winning. Eat a little of the soup and comment him on how nice the Christmas decorations look. Just be a man!”

“Please, can’t you come with me? I just can’t stand the idea of having to sit there and make small talk. He’s not a job creator like me. He can’t understand real Americans like us. He’ll say something nasty, I just know it, all wrapped up in a smile and a pat on the back, but he will get his digs in. I’m not some John McCain. I was a titan of capitalism, a major success. How could this have happened?”

“Will you stop whining? Get up and get dressed. Tagg is going to drive you.”

“Can we go to Disneyland again? I really liked it.”

“Yes Mitt, take another bunch of the grandkids if you want. They like to ride the car elevator at house. Just please get up!”

“Okay Annie, for you. And for the love of God, don’t send that maggot Christie a card this Christmas. I hate New Jersey!”

Ø Ø

Okay, so a woman at the pool recommended this book, so I ordered it and read it, and it’s called The China Study. And I believe it, really I do. It basically says that the science is pretty darn clear that eating only plants and fruits is great for you, and eating any meat of any kind and any dairy is just awful. And there is no way in God’s green earth that I can give up all meat forever and all dairy. Even if I could live another ten years beyond however long I’m gonna live, I don’t think I could do that.

I mean, if it were best for us to eat only plants and fruits, why are we able to digest meat and dairy at all? I mean really? I know some folks are intolerant of some dairy. I don’t do so well on milk, so I get the lactose free stuff. But no other dairy products really bugs me and I think the milk thing is more about what I thought was wrong with me, but which turned out to be something to do with our well water in Iowa. Which sounds crazy I know, but all my symptoms disappeared within two days of leaving Iowa.

So, I’m conflicted, since I’m aging and well you start to think about the BALANCE of your life, which is why I walk an hour in the desert every day when everyone I know who knows me, knows I don’t like walking. I find it freakin’ boring. But I do it, like I go to the pool three days a week. Women at the pool come up to me and say, “gee, you are so dedicated. You never mess around. You don’t gab, and just stand around chatting. You work out every minute you’re here. I commend you.” Blah blah. Well, I like swimming to a point, but I do it, cause I don’t want to be unable to walk and bend and so forth and so on in ten years.

And of course there are studies which suggest that we are only who we are because we ate meat.

And I know that sometimes studies are paid for by those who have a stake in the outcome.

And so I’m conflicted.

I figure we ate meat when we could get our hands on it, and we gorged on it. The rest of the time we ate wild grains and vegetables and bird eggs and fish and shellfish if we could get it. And fruit was a luxury which we enjoyed to the fullest when we found it. And honey was much prized. That’s how I figure it.

Dairy came a good deal later when we domesticated cattle. But damn, cheese is great stuff. It is the best of stuff. A great cheese is better than dessert.

It all makes me dizzy.

So I’m trying to eat mostly food that is whole and cooked by me, without additives. But of course meat is full of crap. I know that. What to do?

Explain your eating theories please.

That is your assignment. Due date is tomorrow.

You will be graded.

Were We Saved By Anonymous?

Tags

Election 2012, election fraud, fraud, GOP, Karl Rove, voter fraud

Let me make this very clear at the start. I have no idea how true this is. It is being reported at some sites that I read, but not, by and large, by what I consider mainstream sites. It may all turn out to be so much hyperbole, or it may in time prove to be really true.

But in any case, we now live in a world where such behavior is something easily contemplated and behavior nearly as bad has been actuated and rebuffed by saner heads.

I speak of the allegations coming from the group known as Anonymous.

Anonymous is a group of high-level hackers. There is apparently no hierarchy of leadership. They are boldly in favor of a free internet and I would suggest, have a rather more anarchist view of the world. They have hacked into the Pentagon. They have hacked into companies. They are probably our closest version of Wikileaks. I make no claim of their righteousness or evilness.

I am told they have turned in child pornographers and have worked to eliminate such sites from the internet. They worked in the Occupy movement and were helpful as I understand it, in keeping things directed toward goals and not violence. They claim to have interfered with Uganda’s communications in an attempt to register their anger at the anti-gay initiatives that were moving through their government. They come down decidedly on the side of Palestinians when it comes to the Middle East.

They are of course much on the mind of law enforcement.

That said, here is what they claim:

They have saved our election process and ensured that the true winner, Barack Obama, was properly elected.

How did they do this?

Anonymous claims that Karl Rove stole the 2004 election from John Kerry. Kerry was leading in Ohio according to exit polls. At 11:13 that night, the entire state voting system crashed. It came back on-line one minute later. Suddenly Bush was ahead. Anonymous claims that during the one minute, the voting tabulations were rerouted to a server in Tennessee and “altered” before being sent back.

Anonymous believed that Kerry won Ohio and the election. They believer Karl Rove was behind the fix.

Some time before this past election Anonymous notified Rove in an open letter than they would not allow hm to steal another election.

Here’s what happened according to them:

Rove was prepared to reroute up to three states (Ohio being one, with probably Florida and Virginia) on election night to ensure a Romney victory. He even reported on Fox News at (oddly) 11:13 that Ohio’s computers were malfunctioning.

Anonymous began monitoring Karl Rove’s servers some weeks in advance. ORCA, the computerized system used by the Romney campaign, as you may remember did not work as expected. Anonymous claims that the reason it did not was because they had hacked into the system weeks before and were monitoring the traffic and discovered the tunnels that would be used to funnel voter results out of Ohio.

Anonymous erected a firewall in blocking all the tunnels and password protected it. It is claimed that on 105 occasions during the election night, ORCA tried vainly to use the tunnels but could not penetrate the firewall.

The election results from Ohio were maintained.

Now let us look at the supporting evidence:

1. Karl Rove was aggressive in telling the million dollar donors that this election was a sure thing. He assured them that the vote would be close in Ohio and apparently elsewhere, but that Romney would win them.
2. Karl Rove became nearly unhinged on Fox when Fox declared that Ohio had gone for Obama. Karl called the Romney campaign and started to crunch numbers, begging that no one should give up on Ohio yet.
3. Romney apparently had been told that his election was such a sure thing that he didn’t even bother to prepare a concession speech in this “too close to call” election. Everyone remarks that he was “stunned” and “shocked” when he was told he had lost.
4. Even today, those close to the Ryan campaign claim that Paul Ryan too was “stunned” and “shocked” at the loss.

Now we can assume that they simply all bought the “GOP” line that the polls were under counting Republicans. But is it rational that ALL the respected polling groups were failing to see the obvious error that the GOP was so “sure” of? It seems a bit fishy doesn’t it?

When you look back on Rove’s run up to the election and his claims that the vote was going to be “very very” close, but he felt confident it would go Romney’s way, it smacks just a bit of the set up it was designed to be. In fact it was not really that close at all. But they has to make it appear that they believed it would be so if in fact they intended to capture the vote and alter it during the “crash”.

So, make of it what you will.

All I know is that it certainly could be done. And we know that the GOP in various guises was ruthless in trying to find way to suppress the Democratic vote.

We may in fact be on the brink of needing a way of ensuring fair elections. Many of us feel that in the end Gore probably won in 2000, and now it may be true that Kerry won in 2004. Were Republicans finally thwarted in 2012? I’m sure we’ll find out.

Related articles

• Anonymous Claims to Have Hacked into Karl Rove’s ORCA Thus Stopping His Vote-Switching (motleynews.net)
• Anonymous Claims to Have Hacked into Karl Rove’s ORCA Thus Stopping His Vote-Switching ” Motley News and Photos (tribuneofthepeople.com)
• Late Night Open Thread: Tweaking the Grifter (balloon-juice.com)
• Anonymous Claims They Hacked Into ORCA & Jammed It on Election Day (thegatewaypundit.com)
• ANONYMOUS Puts Karl Rove and American Cross Roads on Notice: We Are Watching You…Do Not Attempt To Rig The Election (kaystreet.wordpress.com)
• Did Karl Rove Try to Steal the Election? (allthatsparkles.typepad.com)
• Anonymous Saved The Election? (TEXT) (addictinginfo.org)
• Anonymous Claims to Have Hacked into Karl Rove’s ORCA Thus Stopping His Vote-Switching (theobamacrat.com)

We Were Right All Along

Tags

Benghazi, Election 2012, GOP, John McCain, Lindsay Graham, Mitt Romney, Susan Rice

We knew this man, maybe not from the start, but pretty soon thereafter. Many, like the Contrarian, who is not so quick to judge, resisted, but in the end, most of them came to the same realization–Mitt Romney truly is the entitled, aristocratic, I’m-better-than-you-because-I-worked-harder-than-you piece of work we believed him to be.

Unwilling to present himself even in defeat as a gracious loser who maintains good wishes for all Americans, he recently showed that he his what we thought, and now what he would have us believe.

Also, Willard refuses to believe that his conversations with others (a conference call to donors) might be recorded, so we have his own words.

The Bain Baron reported that the President used the “old playbook” of rewarding his constituents with “gifts” of medical care, tuition grants, Dream Acts, and so forth to buy their votes. Women were “gifted” with contraceptive care, while presumably African-Americans were given the present of the fictitious reduction of work requirements for assistance.

Sound a lot like the 47% remarks?

Steve Benen makes a huge point about how Romney, the quintessential abuser of big gifts–wealth, education, connections and so forth, who used massive amounts of government aid in his Olympics leadership and in his Romney Care, still finds it “outrageous” that the President would use the government to “improve the lives of working class people.”

Is that outrageous to say, when of course, as Benen points out, his intent was to “gift” the wealthy with even more tax cuts.

What an absolute horses ass this man truly is. He deserves nothing but our contempt.

≡

While I’m on the soapbox, let me say this about that.

Benghazi.

I admit that I have not read a lot about this tragedy, no more than I receive on PBS and a few other media outlets. I’ve not read deeply into the event. What I have gleaned leads me to believe that this was largely a failure (if indeed there was a failure) at the state department intelligence level. I am willing to concede that. I believe that it was at a level that might not even reach the ears of the Secretary of State, let alone the White House. Should Mrs. Clinton have been informed? I’m not sure it rose to that level. But I would think that there is probably a flaw in the intelligence end of things that allowed the growing danger to go unacted upon.

I am also under the impression that the intelligence network which has been faulty since before 9/11 in the sense of its ability to successfully integrate itself with all its various arms in the CIA, FBI, Homeland, military, etc., failed to have a coherent understanding of what happened for days after the event. No doubt parts of it did have the right tracking, while others did not. This apparently produced a rather tentative analysis that nobody felt comfortable in laying out as the “cause”.

This leads, in my opinion, to the rather tepid statements made by the White House and the State Department in the days and first couple of weeks. This is what Susan Rice, UN Ambassador, reported.

Given all that, I find John McCain and Lindsay Graham’s bombast unconscionable and basically nothing but self-serving rhetoric. Most of McCain’s crap comes from his inability to get over his being thrashed by President Obama in 2008. If you remember, it was not until Mr. McCain was beaten in a rather bloody battle with then Governor George W. Bush, for the 2000 nomination, that he became the “maverick” who became against almost anything that Dubya for was for (except for military bluster which Johnny adores above all). He has repeated that unfortunate personality flaw with Obama, going out of his way to attack at every juncture in a show of macho swagger.

Lindsay, the sycophant of McCain, and perennial brown-noser, and perennial bachelor with no personal life apparently, has a more pressing problem–he’s up for re-election in 2014 and he is anything but the darling of his local TeaBuggery crew. He supported the bank bail-outs and at least at one juncture, supported climate change legislation. He is considered a RINO by those on the far right and may well be challenged by Joe (you lie!) Wilson. His opposition to Susan Rice as the next Secretary of State (should the President nominate her) is held to be by some at least a mere chance to appear tough with the President.

Oh and lets not forget that McCain had no problem with presenting all that faulty information about WMD’s in Iraq a few years back. I have not looked it up, but I have little doubt that Mr. Graham also blew that horn. And of course McCain came to the defense of Condi Rice over her little faux pas over WMD’s as well.

So please, don’t tell me you are doing this for the good of the country and for those four dead men in Benghazi. I am not buying it.

Politics as usual from the right.

That’s the way I see things from here in the Foothills.

And what about you?

Related articles

• Lawrence O’Donnell Tears Into McCain And Lindsay Graham For McCarthy-Like Opposition To Susan Rice (mediaite.com)
• The sore losers club (salon.com)
• McCain and Graham attack Susan Rice. Hypocrisy? (tv.msnbc.com)
• McCain And Graham Defended Condoleeza Rice Over Iraq WMD Testimony (buzzfeed.com)
• Video| John McCain Insults UN Ambassador Susan Rice As the GOP Continues Their ATTACKS On Women (3chicspolitico.com)
• Obama Defends Susan Rice in First Press Conference After Re-Election (theatlanticwire.com)

Plumbing The Depths of Crazy

Tags

editorial, GOP, right-winger insanity

I have been thinking about this for some time. At least in a general sense. I kind of renew my thinking whenever I slip over to Blaze or one of the other right-wingie locations and start reading the comments, and very often just the commentary itself.

What is wrong with these people?

It struck me again yesterday as I read again and again that liberals are these poor brain-disfunctioning lunatics who are racists/freeloading commie/Nazi/neofascist/socialistic/atheistic/sub-IQ/non-thinking/non-questioning/barely more than rhesus monkeys. And this from folks who look you straight in the eye and deny evolution, the ancient age of the planet, and that humans are pooping in their own backyard creating a uninhabitable environment. Evidence is laughed at as the product of “elite” smarty alecks who have no practical sense and hate God and Jesus.

It struck me even more forcefully  when I read, and this did shock me, that Romney, his family, the Ryans, and all of Willard’s staff were utterly confident that he was going to win. Right up until they didn’t win. Then Ann cried, and there was the usual renting of cloth, and pouring on of ashes (if indeed that metaphor works in Mormon).

How could they not know?

I’m a believer in never calling it until it’s over, unless its sports, where I bail regularly when it seems a lost cost. But the consequences of my being wrong in sports, are non-existent. I don’t and did not gloat over what I thought would be an Obama win on Tuesday. I was cautiously optimistic. But I knew enough about odds making (having played a ton of poker which is all about math if you have any sense at all), that it was no sure thing.

Yet on the right, there were plenty of people who were dead sure that Romney would not only win, but in a landslide. And they were NOT just trying to gin up the base to get out the vote. That would be counterproductive now wouldn’t it? There was a whole alternative universe peopled by Karl Rove (who perhaps was terrified that he would be held accountable for the loss of some 200+ millions with nothing to show for it), a whole host of “pollsters” who claimed that the Democratic vote was over emphasized in polling, down to the drum-beating hum of the Fox machine, selling the kool-aid.

Yet, somehow, they actually believed the hype. They believed what they wanted to believe.

I just don’t find us illiterate, IQ-limited progressives doing that. I don’t recall feeling cock-sure that Kerry would win in 2004 and he had a really good chance. I saw it as just that–a really good chance, but no sure thing for sure. Same with Gore, and perhaps I had even less confidence in that one.

For all those crazy teabuggers who are so sure that the media is in the back pocket of the liberal Democratic machine–did Fox serve you well this go round? If you were shocked, and as some wrote, cried all day long at your loss, how could you be? Every reputable pollster has for months told you that Obama was holding onto a lead that virtually did not budge. It slipped a bit, but recovered by EVERYONE but Rasmussen and one or two other highly suspect numbers crunchers.

How can you conclude that the media is owned lock-stock-barrel by the Democrats? Don’t you know that all the major media outlets are owned by large corporations which are almost all decidedly conservative and Republican? How does the media evade their control? Think!

They tell you that your religion is under attack. When is the last time you’ve been threatened with arrest if you say this, publish that, or go to that religious house?

Name one single piece of legislation, or one sentence uttered by the President that suggests your precious right to be armed to the teeth is under threat. Don’t tell me what the NRA says, but what actually has been said by the President.

They tell you that Obama is turning this country into a socialistic dictatorship. When did you decry your grandparents receiving social security, medicare or Medicaid in the past?  Universal health care is no different. Are you telling us seriously that you are going to refuse such things when you get to their age? Do you realize that in the South, where the “outrage” is largest, that your states receive the most GOVERNMENT AID BY FAR than the rest of the country?

Those are just facts. How do you dismiss them?

If you are so great at critical thinking why do you regularly claim that you will not watch or read anything more from X because “they” are liberals or as you refer to them libtards, which is of course but another example of your insensitivity to those who are mentally challenged.  You cannot think critically if you don’t fairly read that which you don’t agree with, ferret out the facts and apply them FAIRLY.

What in the hell is wrong  with you?

I can assure you that no matter how many times you claim that black is white and vice versa, the universe does not comply with your desire. It continues to report that black is still black.

Do you find it ironic at least that you deny evolution all the while importing Darwinian “selection of the fittest”  and misapplying it to explain why government must not support those incapable of supporting themselves? Do you?

You exhibit what psychologists refer to as compartmentalized thinking, which is not thinking at all. You hold disparate facts that are in deep conflict with each other in your head without ever letting them meet, and  addressing  each other in conflict.

You must stop this.

Stop it.

Really.

You’re giving the rest of us sane folks a head ache.

But I assure you, we will take care of you.

Because that is the way we are.

Really.

Related articles

• How Out Of It Was George Will? (andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com)
• Fox News Is Killing The Republican Party (businessinsider.com)
• After a Humiliating Election Night, Will Fox News Stop Lying? (alternet.org)
• ‘Unskewed’ Pollster: ‘Nate Silver Was Right, And I Was Wrong’ (businessinsider.com)
• Rove accuses Dems of ‘suppressing the vote’ (maddowblog.msnbc.com)
• Jon Stewart Gleefully Rips Into Fox News Election Coverage: ‘There Was An Avalanche On Bullsh*t Mountain’ (mediaite.com)
• Hell Night at Fox News (dangerousminds.net)
• Fox News’ dark night of the soul (salon.com)
• Heavily Armed Karl Rove Spotted At Top Of Electoral College Clock Tower (theonion.com)