Stop the Presses!!!

Tags

American History, David Barton, economics, evangelicals, gay rights, GOP, homophobia, Humor, Michele Bachmann, Occupy Wall Street, Rick Perry

Okay, Herm’s 9-9-9 economic “plan” may be a little short on  rational theory, but that doesn’t mean that the GOP candidates are devoid of ideas.

In fact, Ricky (oops, I almost got my foot out of my mouth now) Perry, has probably solved our jobs problem all by himself.

And when you think about it, it just makes perfect sense. He’s been teasing us for weeks with his economic recovery plan, tossing us morsels like the dancing dogs he views us as.

Well, another morsel, but this one is very substantial. He says the way to create one million “good paying American jobs” is simply this. Wait for it. . . .

MAKE WHAT AMERICANS BUY AND BUY WHAT AMERICANS MAKE!!!

Wow, now that is so, well, just sensible. It’s so easy. It’s so obvious. It’s so “the American Way”.

So all we need to do folks is start making porn flicks by the zillions and open up about another 100,000 Mickey D’s. Damn, I coulda had a V-8!

Good grief, I’m so glad we have InTeaLek-suls like Ricky around to save the day.

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Jim Morin is a political cartoonist for the Miami Herald. Here are a couple of his latest:

Or perhaps this one:

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Thanks to Joe.My.God. we have this gem:

Um, Mark, confession is good for the soul. Thanks for sharing. You might want to try video games. I think that keeps both of your hands occupied in less dangerous pursuits.

“Masturbation can be a form of homosexuality because it is a sexual act that does not involve a woman. If a man were to masturbate while engaged in other forms of sexual intimacy with his wife then he would not be doing so in a homosexual way. However, any man who does so without his wife in the room is bordering on homosexuality activity, particularly if he’s watching himself in a mirror and being turned on by his own male body.” – Pastor Mark Driscoll of Seattle’s Mars Hill Church.

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It would make you laugh, if it didn’t make you cry:

Paul Krugman’s editiorial in the NYTimes.

And since economic policy has to deal with the world we live in, not the fantasy world of the G.O.P.’s imagination, the prospect that one of these people may well be our next president is, frankly, terrifying.

And rational people are considering voting for any one of these morons?

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Oh my God. Texas is working hard at leading the nation in having the dumbest kids in America. David Barton, pseudo “historian” and all around Christianist NUT, has written a textbook suitable for grades 6-12.

It has been reviewed by a real expert in the field of history and constitutional law. You can read all about it here. You can read the entire review here.

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Our only girl candidate left (damn you Sarah, I was counting on YOU!), Michele is getting the blow back. I have been waiting for this for YEARS.

 I mean, take Phyllis Schafley for instance. That rotten old crow spent a life time making a living at going around telling other women that they  belonged at home tending to the fire and pointing their toes at the ceiling in the bedroom. She reassured men that they were right that their “wimmin” needed nothing more than an apron and a SUV to drive the kids to football practice and “Miss Princess” contests. Never mind that the wacked out woman was being “motivational speaker” and EX-EC-U-TIVE director of all things Stepford Wives.

I ticked me off that nobody ever called her for it and ordered her back to the kitchen. (no doubt her hubby had long since told her to point her toes at the floor in the bedroom.)

So along comes Missy Michele with all her “husbands are heads of the family” and “My Marcus told me to go to tax school, so I did” crap. Wait for it.

Finally!

It seems that some evangelical pastors are takin’ a cotton to Missy being a candidate for president. It’s unseemly they say. She has been keeping them waiting, and that’s what men do, not women. And worse yet wimmin are really supposed to be in “EX-EC-U-TIVE positions are they? And will Muslim leaders even talk to her?

Sometimes Missy, ya can’t have your cake and eat it too. Just sayin’.

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The Blaze wants you to know:

• The OWS movement continues to stay in the park, but since “some” Democrats have expressed sympathy with the movement, “they” probably have pressured NY to let them stay. Reuters has “suspiciously” backed off it’s claims that George Soros is financing the event, so therefore that must be true as well.
• Mormon haters can hide behind the skirts of Rush Limbaugh who assures all religions bigots that Romney isn’t a real conservative anyway.
• The Blaze was right there with cameras running when the OWS turned violent. The picture they chose to represent this is a cop with a billy club with his hand at the throat of a protester, who has his arms raised as in “I give up.” The other photo is of a protester run over by a cop on a bike. (Is your Editor at the Blaze all of 4 years of age?)
• Oh and the Ayatollah in Iran supports the OWS. Well there ya go. Need we say more?
•  

Whoooo are You?

Tags

affirmative action, Barack Obama, Bush, Campaign financing, environment, evangelicals, FISA, GOP, immigration, Iowa, Iran, Iraq, John McCain, Lebanon, Palestine, poverty, senate, War, Women's issues

“The Barn Owl” by Kate Breakey, 2005. Usually when you think of owls, you think of their huge eyes, so incredibly round and deep. I thought this captured a very different aspect of such a beautiful creature.

A great weekend, and I hope yours was too. We did a lot of yard work and gardening Saturday and it was very satisfying to see things finally cleaned up from the Spring of Rain. Things are doing okay in the garden, but truthfully, we don’t know what to expect. Most everything survived but it did not grow at all. So the next weeks will tell. The Contrarian planted another couple of rows of corn, and I’m off in a bit to pick up a few more pepper plants and some winter squash hopefully to hedge our bets a bit.

I made an apricot tart that was okay, but not great. The recipe I think could have been better. The custard was boring, needing at least some vanilla to spark it up. The crust and apricots were fine however. Today’s menu is fajitas and I’ve made some fresh salsa this morning. We had waffles and fresh strawberries Saturday. The Contrarian, not surprising doesn’t like strawberries with his homemade waffles (crazy huh) and had corn syrup! But I was finding it all glorious! I seem to be on a fruit kick, and hope that it doesn’t upset my system too much.

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Well, hey, it’s Monday, so let’s start out scaring ourselves to death. We have remarked here lately of growing concern that Bush and those that rule him intend on leaving a legacy of a bombed Iran before he sneaks off into the dark come next January. Fears are growing that the only way to stop the crazed brainless one is to impeach him. Now I have thought such a process simply worthless at this late date, but after this article, well, perhaps it needs rethinking. We cannot ignore what is going on in the tiny but determined mind of one George W. Bush. We do so at our peril.

As we clean up in Iowa after the mother of all floods, many ask, why? Is this normal and something that sooner or later had to happen? It would not seem so to those who faced nearly as bad a situation in 1993 and some again in 1999. So what’s up? Environmentalists say that we should look to climate change as the culprit. And it may be what we can expect in the Midwest from now on. Read Amy Goodman’s story in Alternet.

Bill Moyers Journalhas a most interesting piece on affirmative action. Is there a reason to change the focus? Should it be revisioned as affirmative action for the poor, regardless of race?I don’t know as I’ve seen this idea before. Read a thoughtful and provocative take on an issue that touches us all, as potential recipients or as taxpayers.

One of the reasons that Bushbaby is encouraged in his dreams of blowing the hell out of Iran is people (oh such a slam on people)  like John Bolton. You remember him, the wingnut that could not get confirmed by Congress, not that it really mattered since the Prez had other ways of letting him do the job, and paying him even without confirmation. It is this outdated, repudiated, didn’t work before ideas that neo-cons like Bolton cannot let go of, but that Bush keeps eating up. Telling our echo-headed Texan that Arab states would secretly welcome a bombing of Iran, is just plain nonsense. As usual, Blue Girl Red State, pulls no punches and says exactly what she thinks.

Now as i recall, John McCain was for a humane immigration policy. But as I also recall, that was in support of Bush’s plan, and that definitely didn’t go over well with the base, who are rabid in their desire to build fences and send ’em all back no matter what the cost. (Read we have a new racist target)What exactly is McCain up to these days?Well, he had a meeting with Hispanic leaders, and a Hispanic, but conservative went  in and actually heard what he said: Seems he is reassuring Hispanics that he is still for a more liberal policy. But unfortunately that is not what he is saying more publicly. John, John, when will you learn that you really can’t have it both ways? Read Ezra Klein’s link to a Jake Tapper story.

A beautiful guest blog at Essential Estrogen, by the Rev. Catherine Quehl-Engel, from Cornell College on workers in flood torn Iowa. The sentiments are sweet and humbling. Read it and think deeply please.

Inside Iraq tells us exactly what some of us have been saying. It’s all about oil you know. It always was. I cannot imagine the frustration and anger and misery of this people. I shake my head in disgust, I feel the moisture of tears and I feel the humiliation of worrying about my sorry garden in the face of the magnitude of hellacious misery these folks go through every day.

This is the kind of thing that must make Johnny McBush simply cry at night. He is losing women faster than a water slops over the leveesdown the old Mississip. And they are vocal and public and major Republican women who are making these statements. There is no question that Obama is getting the women’s vote, and he is getting a whole lot more than just Democratic women. If I Ran the Zoo brings the story to you.

Word is it that Barack Obama is going to vote for the new compromised FISA bill. I’m sickened and so are quite a few others so I am told. Rhetoric doesn’t match action once again. This is change? This is just more of the same crap we’ve grown oh so accustomed to, and I can tell you, I don’t like it! Iowa Independent has the rundown on the state’s congressmen and how they voted. Braley and Loebsack voted against it, while Boswell voted for it. And if you want the real lowdown on the whole sordid affair, don’t miss Glenn Greenwald‘s great article bashing Time’s reporting of the Pelosi “compromise” explanation.

Fareed Zakaria offers his advice to Obama on what to say and do about Iraq at this point. Although he says that the war is fading as an issue in this campaign, it is something that will needs be addressed upon taking office next January. See if you agree with the analysis of Mr. Zakaria.

Of course, Iraqi problems spill over into other countries in the Middle East. One of those is the refugee problem. At last “count” there are some 50,000 Iraqi refugees in Lebanon. This in a country with plenty of its on problems at the moment. Add to that another 400,000 Palestinians and you can see the problem. The Palestinian Pundit reports.

If you would like to take a look at the economy from both a Obama and a McMac prospective, then the Political Animal ( Kevin Drum) has a link to a Fortune Magazine interview of the two, with parallel Q & A’s. I’ve linked you to the full interviews at Fortune.

There is a lot of news lately that evangelicals in America are not so tied to Republicans trousers and skirts any more.They are, in larger and larger numbers up for grabs. And part of this is due to younger evangelicals, who are noticeably more liberal on social issues than their parents. This bodes well for Obama, and not so good for the Macster. This is also supported by the latest Pew findings, more of which will be reported tomorrow here.

OOPS big time. McCainiacs, specifically his VERY OWN CHIEF STRATEGIST, stepped on his tongue twice. First, with all due sincerity, he said that the death of Benazir Bhutto earlier this year, was “helpful” to McShister. Now he says, another attack on American soil would also be helpful. I mean good grief, I believe even a high school freshman might know that this was NOT a politically good thing to say. McCain has a total bunch of idiots running his show, but they say it takes one to know one. Know what I mean? Much thanks from Think Progress for this gem.

Things are looking a bit bleak for Senate Republicans. Seems they are realizing that things are not going to go well for them come November. And that is great news for Democrats certainly. At this point they are hoping to lose only three seats, but a fair analysis suggests that more like 12 are up for serious contention. Oh woe is me! I mean Oh happy is me! HAHA. The Nationreports that this wonderful situation exists from coast to coast, with long-time Republicons now trying to hang on by fingernails in some cases.

The New Republichas a nice piece on the expected efforts of the McShame campaign to turn this election away from issues and toward visceral fears, sorta like Georgie boy did in 2004. The straight talker it seems actually talks with forked tongue.  What is worse, this isn’t just about war and security, but it’s more debasing: it’s about deep seeded and best left buried fears of the black man. Read about “McCain’s Low Road to Victory” by Drew Weston. Read this one folks, it is important.

McBush is trying to make a big deal out of the fact the Obama has opted out of public financing. But watchdog groups who positively thought that McMac was their man, have been forced to rethink things. It turns out that many are now claiming that Obama is more likely to pursue effective anti-lobbying laws than their old boy Johnny.Johnny has more lobbyists and now ex-lobbyists in his campaign than any other candidate did. Guiliani was second, but McCain had almost double. The Washington Independent has a nice long article with all the particulars.

Urantian Sojourn has a nice piece by Michael Hart. I sure wish that Michael wouldn’t be so reticent about telling us what he really thinks about things. I mean, he is so shy about calling anyone out no matter how hypocritical they might be.  A little backbone Mr. Hart! ROFL. It’s called, “Trippin’ round the Horn of Hypocrisy.” You know you must read it.

You think you got problems? Visit Kiwi at Sea. I don’t know why I include this blog, but it just strikes me that this guys life is so very alien to mine that it was kinda fun seeing the world through his eyes. Parking a multi-cat is hard work, so he says. Life at sea, sounds sort of romantic, but I suspect its just mostly hard work.

And to finish off, Angry African on the Loose seems to think about as highly as I do of the unholy trinity of McBushy, Hannity and O’Reilly. I mean they are famous there in South Africa too, just not in the way they would hope! Too funny stuff. He calls them the axis of drivel. Nice nice.

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“Life is a long lesson in humility.” James M. Berrie

I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless enigma that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as though it had an underlying truth.”  Umberto Eco

“It is the wretchedness of being rich that you have to live with rich people.” Logan Pearsall Smith

“I find it rather easy to portray a businessman. Being bland, rather cruel and incompetent comes naturally to me.” John Cleese

“He is one of those people who would be enormously improved by death.” Saki

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Winnebago has reported a 73 percent drop in quarterly sales. Despite the downturn, analysts paint some positive news. This decreases the chance relatives will park in front of your house.

“Get Smart” is out in theaters. The evil organization KOAS is largely based on a real world group bent on creating turmoil. FEMA. – Alan Ray, Stockton, Calif.

Chrysler announced it will hybridize its biggest rear wheel-drive sedans, SUVs and pick-up trucks, instead of starting with its smallest cars like other automakers. This is apparently part of Chrysler’s plan to become the first American car company to be outsold by Amish Horse Trailers Inc.

With more than 9 million adults classified as obese or overweight, Australia has passed the U.S. as the fattest nation in the world. Australians are so fat, the city of Perth is now known as Girth.— Paul Seaburn, Spring, Texas

President Bush went to Iowa today. He wanted to show Iowans that disaster is difficult, but it can be overcome. Of course, people in Iowa were a little confused. They weren’t sure which disaster President Bush was talking about, the floods or his presidency. Which one? Jay Leno

Friday the 13th Thoughts

Tags

Catholicism, Election 2008, evangelicals, gay rights, Gitmo, GOP, habeas corpus, Iraq, John McCain, Limericks, Palestine, racism, religion, science, SCOTUS, sociology, terrorism, Veterans Affairs, voting

This is a photo by Annie Liebowitz, of a Pasadena ball player. No date. She doesn’t throw like any girl does she?

To everyone who has expressed concern and interest in our plight in Iowa. The river has yet to crest in Cedar Rapids, but no more rain is predicted at least until probably Sunday, and then it looks like clear skies for nearly a week at least. I’ve not heard regarding Troy yet. Those in the flood plain will undoubtedly be hit, but they have had nearly a week’s warning to get ready. Of course that is small consolation but most things can be saved at least.

We suffered probably an additional 4-5 inches of rain yesterday with storm after storm going through. The pump was running probably a good 30 minutes out of every hour to keep up. It’s much improved today, we can run it perhaps 5-10 minutes per hour at best to keep it down. It’s hard to say about the garden of course. If needs be, we will plow it under and replant and hope that there is still enough time for most crops. I suspect there will be.

Emotionally it certainly takes it toll. The unrelenting storm after storm was tough. Today, its the unrelenting coverage by every channel, repeating the same stuff again and again, running the same footage. There is a certain type of person who gets a thrill from this kind of thing, broadcasters and volunteers are no exception, they just love to be center stage and feel that they are important. Very little new is added, very little new needs to be disseminated. Those in peril are most aware. Mostly I want to think about just about anything else but this flood. Thanks so much for all your concern! I am still shocked that local news doesn’t even mention the tornado and loss of life by 4 young boys in western Iowa. It’s rather crass in my opinion.

So lets finish up the weeks with some political news and see what else is going on in the world.

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Many have no doubt heard that the SCOTUS has scored a big one against the Bushites. Much to their chagrin no doubt, SCOTUS concluded that Gitmo detainees have the right of habeas corpusin the federal courts of the US. I laughed mightily as the usual pundits of FOXNEWSLESS, floundered in horror at the effrontery of the Court to reject the work of two other branches of government as if this was unheard of. Guess they have forgotten their own rhetoric regarding abortion and a slew of other issues. What the non-lawyers fail to realize is that personal self interest creeps into these decisions whether understood or not. Justices do actually look at issues in terms of “could this be applied to me under certain circumstances?” If the answer is yes, they are likely to strike it down. Endless detention without recourse can of course be applied to anyone in a distant scenario that can easily be concocted by the mind. So, the Court is a bit more likely to not give government that kind of extreme power.

If you can believe this one, Veterans Affairs lawyers try to tell the Federal Appeals Court that helping foster voter registration among veterans in their facilities is “partisan.” I mean sure its partisan, it’s partisan to try to prevent it, since prevention of registration plays into Republican hands. What a joke. I’ve had the dubious honor of attempting to making an argument before judge and jury while trying to keep a straight face. Believe me, it ain’t easy.

Once again, as we have reported,Bush is using the rhetoric of war vis a vis Iran.As Jon Stewart pointed out last night and as Bill Moyers pointed out last week, he’s even using the same exact wording in his threats to Iran that he used to Iraq and Hussein. The media, now given a chance to redeem themselves and push the hard questions, is doing the same as usual, holding its breath and nodding in agreement.

Two websites you might way to keep bookmarked to use as a resource tool. One is Obama generated to fight the usual GOP swiftboating tactics and is called Fight the Smears. Another is run by the DNC and is to debunk McBushite misleads and is calledMcCainpedia. Whenever you hear something that sounds questionable, run by and test it through these sites. Do you realize that still fully 10% of folks claim that Obama is Muslim? The links can be found at the third entry in Blue Girl, Red State‘s nightowl wrapup.

To say that Obama’s speech to AIPAC was not well received by the Arab worldgoes without saying. Many were thoroughly distressed and saddened by his severe pro-Israeli stand, especially as it relates to Jerusalem, the one city Arabs are not likely to compromise on. I have, myself, commented on a blog which decried the Senator’s position. Of course McShame takes the same if not stronger position, but Arabs and others  in the Middle East expect that. Obama was and is their hope of better relations and fairer hearing for their side of things. I understand intellectually why the Senator may have allowed it to appear that he is more pro-Israeli than he really is. That is not to say that he is not in support of Israel, but simply means he has spoken in a politically expedient way, more forcefully than he might actually think. I’m only defending it to a point of course, I wish all politicians felt they could speak honestly, however, that is simply not the political climate we live in at the moment. Read Ezra Klein‘s report.

Here’s a cute little story about the evangelical vote. Seems that McBush isn’t going to get it all, barely most at this point and it may get worse. Here’s what happens when you don’t tow the line in the rightwing wingy world. Obama is certainly not taking the evangelical vote or the Catholic vote as a given loss for him. He is talking to them and is serious. I’m glad to see that many are listening. Thanks to If I Ran the Zoo for the story.

Inside Iraq, offers us one of those perfect little windows into their world. The simple task of making one’s way to work in the morning, and how that is done in Baghdad. It makes you think, it makes you sad, it makes you angry, and in the end, hopefully it makes you determined to elect a better quality person who won’t do this kind of thing because his EGO demands it.

This is a bit out of the ordinary, but it caught my eye. Yes, Virginia, there was a time that it was illegal for two people of different races to marry, and yes, Virginia, one of those places where it was illegal was Virginia. Inside-Out the Beltway has the story about the aptly named case of Loving v. Virginia, decided in 1967. Just a little post to get you thinking, readers.

Poor Mad Kane  has broken her wrist and so her limericksare a bit more few and far betweener than usual. We still adore her, wish her well and link you to her latest belabored creation.

It’s that Alzheimer’s moment again for McCain. He is not for, is for privatization of social security? It seems to dependson whether he thinks it helps or hurts his campaign. Gosh but there are now dozens of these changes of heart? for McMac, as he struggles to weave his way through the demographics in some wild fashion that will give him votes. More on this from Think Progress which you can find here.

Well this one has me scratching my head. Well, that’s not unusual, since NRO does that to a normal person anyway. Okay, the story is about science, and how conservatives are “unfairly” labeled as anti-science. No s**t Sherlock? Okay. So he says, most scientists are liberals, and todays work is so internally complex that it’s hard to do experiments to test some things out. Okay. So his answer for conservatives? They should learn more about science so they can do a better job of refuting it! Hurrah! learn more science. Oh, but be careful wingnutties, learn too much and you might, just might start believing it! And of course we can’t have that.

Timothy Eganbreathes a breath of fresh air into the crazy world that has become religiopolitics. He argues that it’s high time that the two go their separate ways again, especially during the election. So far, religious has an embarassing track record in infusing itself into the political arena. Hagee, Parsley, Falwell, and Wright all have contributed negatively. It seems that among some evangelicals, things are changing. Rick Warren and Joel Olsteen are opting out this season. Read this excellent post.

Electronic Intifada gives us a good look at life in the Gaza strip from a Palestinian point of view. It is as always hard for us in the US to understand what it must be like to live like this. We obsess for a few days about our own troubles with flooding. What would it be like to live day in and day out under the conditions described by Nora Barrows-Friedman? Read her report and find out.

Tony Rezko was convicted last week. I don’t know a great deal about the story of his downfall or his now proven illegal behavior. What I do commend him for is for standing for something in the end. He refused to play ball with Federal prosecutors in their unrelenting attempt to get him to implicate either Barack Obama or the state’s governor in any wrongdoing. He flat out says, neither did a darn thing wrong as far as he knows. Of course we are well aware that the Bushbabies have used Justice to their own political devices, this is nothing new. Politico gives up the story.

That deal for permanent bases in Iraq seems stalled. So reports al-Maliki. It seems that what the US, wants, make that Bush wants , is simply untenable from an Iraqi point of view and unfairly impinges upon their sovereignty. Not just impinge by the way, but “hugely” impinges according to the Prime Minister.

Scott Greenwald  has a most interesting and important post that is tangential to the one on the Habeas Corpus decision of SCOTUS. He looks at the British and their exercise in attempting to fashion a detention law. It seems that Conservatives there are highly against such a practice. It’s a fascinating look at what might be deemed true conservativism over what Mr. Greenwald calls here, mere authoritarianism. I think it’s worthwhile reading an intelligent explanation of why such tactics are simply beneath civilized countries that claim to be democratic in nature.

Again, this is a bit off the usual topics, but Sheldon Yellen has a really excellent post on marriage and gays. He pushes a lot of buttons, asks a lot of interesting and provocative questions. Just what is being defended here? The question I unceasingly ask. What is it being defended against? How does allowing gays to have the same rights and me, hurt me? But more than that, he just talks about marriage, and slips in a little gem that our soon to be gone boy George has had mostly a negative impact on the institution.

Former campaign treasurer for the GOP, Christopher Ward, has got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He took the GOP for a record $800,000 devoted to paying his mortgage and other home improvements. And yes, the GOP still wishes you to believe that they are more than capable of protecting your tax money. Uhuh, yeah, sure. Thanks to the Washington Independent for this one.

Okay, I plain could not resist the temptation to introduce a bit of levity in the election coverage today. And, well, you know I wouldn’t do so at Obama’s expense, so that leaves old tired Mac. I really couldn’t resist because well, this was just darn funny. Hope you enjoy it. “McCain Announces Run for Presidency.”

Another thoughtful piece from Washington Independent focuses on the use of the word elitism  and how it’s being bandied around by McCain and others against Obama. Citing to some interesting remarks from noted historian David McCullough, Sridharr Pappu makes a convincing argument that the story of Obama is the story of the American dream, the stuff our founding fathers and others fought so hard to give us. Nice, nice post.

In case you missed it in all the hoopla about the Habea Corpus decision, Scalia weighed in for the dissenters with a scathing and war/fear-mongering display wherein he actually said that Americans will die for this decision. Vox Nova calls both the so-called Catholics Roberts and Scalia, to task for their uncharitable, unChristian and most unCatholic dissents.

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“We are continually faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems.” John W. Gardner

“Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish.” Euripides

“Ethics are so annoying. I avoid them on principle.” Darby Conley

“I like persons better than principles, and I like persons with no principles better than anything else in the world.” Oscar Wilde

“A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone.” Henry David Thoreau

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And the country of Abu Dhabi announced they’re buying the Chrysler Building in New York. They’re buying the Chrysler Building. Hey, why not? The Saudis already own the White House, why not buy the Chrysler Building too? Jay Leno

You can’t eat tomatoes because they’re tainted with deadly salmonella. Yeah, now listen to this. First, of course, we went through tainted lettuce. Now, tainted tomatoes. Who would have thought that the healthiest part of a B.L.T. would be the bacon? Honestly, what is happening? David Letterman

Scientists at KeioUniversity in Japan claim that pigeons are able to discriminate video images of themselves, and can do this better than 3-year-old toddlers. Big deal. Wake me up when they find a pigeon who can be potty-trained better than a 3-year-old. – Paul Seaburn, Spring, Texas

The evolution of medical treatment:

2000 B.C. – Here, eat this root.

1000 A.D. – That root is heathen. Here, say this prayer.

1850 A.D. – That prayer is superstition. Here, drink this potion.

1940 A.D. – That potion is snake oil. Here, swallow this pill.

1985 A.D. – That pill is ineffective. Here, take this antibiotic.

2000 A.D. – That antibiotic is artificial. Here, eat this root.

Well, John McCain just announced he wants to do a series of town hall meetings where he’ll meet with the public. That’s a good idea, yeah. It’s all part of McCain’s “Speak Up, I Can’t Hear You” tour.

NASA has announced plans to send a probe to orbit the sun, where it will have to withstand temperatures of 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Yeah. When he heard about it, President Bush said, “Why don’t they just go at night?” Conan O’Brien

President Bush is in Europe right now, on a tour of Germany, Italy, France, England, and several other countries that hate him.

While he’s gone, don’t worry, America is safe and sound in the more competent hands of Barney, the White House terrier.

I guess it’s like a farewell tour for the President before he returns home to kick off his six-month good riddance tour here.  Jimmy Kimmel

Ship Water to the Moon?

Tags

abortion, Barack Obama, Bush, economy, energy, environment, evangelicals, fundamentalism, immigration, Iran, Iraq, John McCain, Neo-cons, population, women's rights

This is from the Library of Congress and was taken sometime between 1890 and 1906 it is believed. Probable location is Atlantic City and it is entitled “Life guard on the Lookout.” I can but assume it is the dude at the left, but I may be wrong. What fashion mavens they were! The men appear to be barefoot, but apparently it was still considered immodest for women to go either hoseless or shoeless. I would note that there were many pictures of the shores of Atlantic City. In every one, the beaches were crowded to an inordinate degree. Most people would recoil from this much traffic at a resort area today no doubt.

 

It’s quite breezy today so far, and overcast. No doubt rains will be coming and tomorrow for sure. ( Sigh, they have arrived as we speak) We are looking at some possible breaks for several days after that. One can but hope! The Contrarian has put off plans to go to CR for the pump. Parts of the city are being evacuated, and he feels it would be unhelpful to get in the area. The worst is yet to come as far as flooding in most towns and city as I understand it.

The chicken enchiladas were wonderful. I adapted a recipe from Taste of Home which was a free copy I got. They were really good, and I’ll definitely make it again. It would have been better had I fresh homemade salsa to go with it. If anyone wants to recipe, just comment and I’ll post my version. I made the Chipotle Flourless Chocolate Cake this morning. It turned out quite good, and was quick to throw together. I’ll let you know how that tasted tomorrow.

Let’s get on with the news and see what’s up:

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Some of you may be aware that Dennis Kucinich, little leprechaun of the House, is starting up impeachment proceedings against the dear dumb one of the Dubya fame. Now of course, Inside-Out the Beltway, doesn’t claim there is any success likely to this move, but he argues that such  a symbolic exercise is still useful and needs to be done. If only to point up the fact  the to-this-date shameful Congress has at least gone on record in some small way against the lawlessness of George and his boys. What do you think?

Wingnuts in my Church don’t pay any attention to Old Testament admonitions not to eat pork, claiming that the NT has superseded the Old. Yet when it comes to “go forth and multiply” they take that to the max and claim that God wants them to breed like bunnies. They actually think that population control is some nefarious plot to destroy God’s Church if you can believe that. Anyhow, Robert Engelman, author of More: Population, Nature and what Women want, in an excerpt from his book, argues that the solution to both environment and population problems is to empower women. Read this provocative and well reasoned opinion, then decide what you think.

More evidence of our flawed immigration policy. Increasingly, illegals are simply deported without any kind of hearing. While immigration officials claim that this only happens when detainees agree to sign off, there is strong evidence that such persons are pressured into signing and often the forms are not properly translated for them. This is simply not the hallmark of a democratic society.

As our energy crisis deepens, nobody seems willing to make the big decisions.That is nobody. I’m starting to realize that energy speculators are a major cause of this crisis, and are driving the prices up mightily. Some are starting to claim that this is at least some part of the solution, whereas drilling in ANWR and quick fixes such as tax moratoriums at the pump are not worth a lot in the long run. Blue Girl Red State  has an excellent post on the subject. Dry, as all economic stuff is, but it’s now stuff we must become increasingly familiar with if we are to make intelligent choices and lean on our congressional mouthpieces with authority.

There is a Group called the Copenhagen Consensus. They are economists who meet, and with no fanfare or remuneration, no offering of prizes or trumpeted flag waving, quietly do a what if: “What if we had 75 billion dollars to help the planet? Where would it be best spent? Britannica Blog has a report of what their latest Consensus produced.

We decided based on something Jon Stewart said the other night, to switch our mainstream news watching from ABC to NBC, not a big move I agree. There is a part 2 report from the Senate on Bush and company and the run up to the war. NOBODY like ABC or CBS even bothered to tell us. NBC did at least remark on it. It basically concludes that Bush did everything but downright lie to the American public in pursuit of his war in Iraq.By parsing some paragraphs, Bushite lap dogs have been able in the past to get away with the impression that Dubya didn’t exactly lie. But the proof is now here, and that’s exactly what he did. Which is no surprise of course to those of us who have been clear that lying is second nature to the idiot. Read the full story at If I Ran the Zoo.

Dear McGoof put hoof in mouth once again, and had his handlers scrambling to explain what he really meant, except that what he really said is what he really meant. MyDD has to the story about “when our troops can come home is “not too important.”

While most of the focus is on the two candidates for president as it should be, there will be plenty of McBush supporters who will take their turns at attempting to villify Mrs. Obama. DId you hear about the fist-bump issue yet for instance? Maureen Dowd  of the NYTimes has a good post on this nasty little business that is just gearing up. I actually welcome it, since I think Obama is going to have a field day roto-rootering these disgusting racist opportunists.

Thomas Friedman gives a wonderful analysis of Arab response to the Obama nomination.As he says, this may be dangerous stuff, since those who have strong racial bias against Arabs in general will use this as an excuse not to vote for him. But I tend to think that those folks are already firmly in the war-mongering camp of Johnny I-hate-war McMac. His experiences in Egypt give us all room to hope that we can really improve both our image and our relationship with other Arab and Muslim peoples. I found the use of the phrase, ” Do you think they will actually let him win,” deeply sad, but I suspect quite correct.

Rootless Cosmopolitan, Tony Karon, has a must read today about American Administration claims that we are “winning” in Iraq. He brings us back to earth, by telling us some of the real truth in the matter. Notice that American deaths are down, but Iraqi forces deaths have simply taken their place. Karon is a South African, living in NYC, writing for Time.

It seems that McCain is pretty gun shy these days of talking to evangelicals at all. He has at last report declined to meet with even Billy Graham. Read all about the mastermind of the meeting and his anger at the rebuff at Talk To Action today.

Susan Posner  has another installment of the Fundamentalist. Today she focuses in on the evangelical vote, will moderates go with Obama? McCain’s ongoing problems with them, and Hagee again. Don’t miss it.

Additionally American Prospect  takes a look at the Bush/neocon Iran policyand examines its failures and its myopic way of viewing the country and its leadership. Given the disastrous policies of the past, electing another of these neo-cons could be the straw that broke the camel’s back and leads us to another horrific war for no good reason.

McSame has a problem. His mouth, and his brain. The dude has actually said that the most hated and reviled of all of Bush’s folksies, the Darth Vadar of Republicanism is not someone he would consider for VEEP, but in some other capacity in his proposed admin–“hell yeah”  is his retort. Way to LOSE an election Johnny. More on this from Think Progress  here.

Christina Page for the Huffington Post also has an enlightening way for Obama to claim the moral high ground on the abortion debate. While he clearly is in favor of the right to choose, he can justifiably and proudly claim that pro-choice efforts to reduce the number of abortions have far succeeded over the right to life crowds solution of “abstinence only.” This is the way to win the pro-life vote it would seem, because a reduction in abortions is by far the main issue right?

And in a great article, Adele M. Stan and Shireen Mitchell have a fine piece on feminism and where it stands  after the departure of Hillary Clinton from the presidential race. While some say that the movement is in disarray, they say it just ain’t so. And perhaps they just might know a thing or two. See if you agree with their assessment.

Old Joe Lieberman has refused to cut his ties to Hagee even after all the allegations and admissions about the racist comments. Many have indeed wondered, but I chalked it up to simply this: Lieberman is that brand of Jewish person who takes his short term help where he can get it, and ignores the fact that Hagee is a pig. Any support for Israel will do it seems regardless of how ugly the reasoning. I find this disgusting of course, but it seems to be what makes Joe tick. But others seem to think Lieberman is working for a job in a McCain administration. Now talk about your long shots. But he learned from the master it seems. McCain of course after being treated like a vile creature unworthy to walk upon the face of the earth by Bush and Rove, swallowed his honor and supported the ticket with nary a wave at Lieberman, running as the VEEP of Al Gore. He simply put personal gain above the country. He became dishonorable at that moment. Lieberman has now done the same. Read the entire story at The Nation.

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“The only time people dislike gossip is when you gossip about them.” Will Rogers

“The only time to buy these is on a day with no ‘y’ in it.” Warren Buffett

“The murals in restaurants are on par with the food in museums.” Peter De Vries

“I bought some batteries, but they weren’t included.” Steven Wright

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You know, I’ll tell you, things are not good. The price of oil doubled in less than a year. Home foreclosures are at a record high. Unemployment is surging. But yesterday, we saw a ray of hope. President Bush left the country. So maybe things will get better. Jay Leno

Barack Obama said his differences with Hillary Clinton are “infinitesimal, tiny, minute, trivial and inconsequential.” When he heard this, President Bush said, “That guy knows way too many words to be president.”

CNN reports that John McCain is aggressively trying to win over the independent vote. Yeah, of course, to John McCain, independent means anyone who can make it to the toilet without help. Conan O’Brien

For the first time ever, the national average price for a gallon of gasoline is over $4, which explains the new nickname for gasoline — Starbucks for your car.  Craig Ferguson

Eat, Craft, Read, Be Merry

Tags

American History, Archaeology, beef, breakfast, cake, chocolate, Civil War, coffeecake, crochet, cross stitch, Desserts, evangelicals, founding fathers, Gardening, geology, History, Presidents, religion, science, soup, Women's history, world history

This is Called “The Threshing Floor” and was done by Diego Rivera in 1904. It is located at the Museum of Diego Rivera in Guanajuanta, Mexico.

The day breaks gloomy as it has been for days now, with little break. We got about two hours of showers yesterday, but after it stopped in mid-late morning, we got no more. So far today, we have gotten none, but as I said, its overcast. The air is thick because there is literally water everywhere, if not on the surface, then just below. Mostly it’s spongy wherever you walk. The dogs lay out, mostly on the porch or some dry place, the cats venture to the their porch as well, nobody wants to walk around much.

The cake by the way, was excellent, moist, and really tasted of root beer. The marbling worked nicely as well. If you make it, make at least a half more of the frosting if you want enough to frost two large layers which this batter does give you. The recipe is over at the old blogger site of the same name. Just put in rootbeer cake in the blogbar search engine and it will pop up for you.

Today I am doing a stir-fry with chicken and various veggies and some rice cellophane noodles for a change of pace.  Just finished the general housework, featuring the living room today. The Contrarian cleaned off the hearth for me, so I’ll address the stove itself tomorrow. I like to oil it down lightly once a year. It just looks so nice and brand new for a while.

Well, lets see what we can find around the arts and crafting world today and see what historical facts pop up.

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Sandi’s Crochet Blog has a lovely looking pattern that really caught my eye. She calls it offset shell. As always she gives you the pattern and gives you the opportunity to use it in both a shawl or a granny square.

American Revolution Blog dissects quite thoroughly a new book by another religious right person determined to turn America into a Christian nation. This time the claim is that George Washington was an orthodox Christian. While he was no doubt a deep believer in God, Washington was very careful about NOT imposing religion on the resultant new Democracy. Read this excellent post and enjoy. If you are interested in this subject, you might want to back track to his original site and pick up the new blog he and others are starting about how the nation was created and the impact of religion on it.

Baking Delights has her Saturday surfing of recipes from around the net that she thinks you might like. I saw a couple that caught my eye, like a strawberry pie that sounds very luscious. Pulled pork is always a summertime favorite as well. Run by and see if you see something that you just have to make before the week is out.

Apparently Dick (Darth Vadar) Cheney made some “joke” about West Virginian natives that was stereotypical in its allusions to intermarriage. While this would usually put it into the political sphere, Catholic Anarchy does a fine job of explaining a good bit about Appalachian life that I thought was quite good. Hope you enjoy learning a bit more about a segment of America that most think they know a lot about.

Belle Boyd is the lady featured on today’s Civil War Womeninstallment. Belle was a lady who came from a family able to send her as a young girl to college, and from there on we learn that she was an ardent Confederate supporter. She killed a Yankee and became a spy for the Confederacy in the war years. She was a fiery person and had a long life after the war, always doing what she wanted, and not necessarily what was conventional. Read more.

Epicurious has great recipes, mostly I suspect because she reads some of the best culinary magazines around. These are both from Bon Appetit and I think both are lovely ideas for the summer season. Chilled Tomato Tarragon Soup is the first offering, followed by Chili Beef Skewers. I’m thinking together they make a meal!

We are in luck whenever Garrison Keillor has a new posting. This one is about kids and pools and is a nice relaxing respite from the busyness of the day. Take time to read this stress reducer!

Gardening Tips ‘n Ideas has a humorous take on compost and why it is like a man. You must take a look if you want to get a good giggle, so slip on over via the link and do just that.

History of American Women focuses on North Carolina today and zeroes in on the colonial period. The first two colonies started by Raleigh failed, otherwise NC would have been the first of the permanent English colonies. Originally named for the French King, it became associated with Charles II later on. As always, Maggie does an excellent job in giving us this little biography of another of our states.

Ever wondered about Old Faithful and what makes her tick, or should I say spout? It turns out that the amount of rain affects the timing of her explosions. That was news to me, I thought it had to do with pressures and venting underground that had to do with magma and all that geological stuff. Live Science gives you the low down on this icon of Americana.

I’ve suggested to some of you that the evangelicals in America, the mainstream ones that is, are frankly tired of being yoked to the reactionary right and their two-issue campaign, abortion and gay rights. In a refreshing report, the NYTimes reports on these mainstream evangelicals and their determination: “Taking their Faith, but not their Politics to the People.” An excellent article you shouldn’t miss. Our thanks to Religion in American History for the heads up.

Here’s one of those great ideas that your kids might love and benefit from. Certainly this is also true of adults. UofM archaeology and members of the team from Israel are doing an excavation this summer. They plan to run a website that you can use to follow their progress as they examine the Tel Kedesh. What a wonderful educational tool for all of us, most of whom will never have the opportunity to join in a dig. Rogueclassicism provides all the information and the link and when the site will start up. Have fun.

This was one scandal I can tell you. The murder of Lana Turner’s gangster boyfriend Johnny Stompanado in the late 50’s rocked Hollywood and even I recall it, though I was a mere child at the time, not even old enough to be in “love” with Troy Donahue yet. In any case, Scandalous Women brings us all the steamy, sexy, and hush hush details of the killing by Lana’s daughter, Cheryl. This is just the most fun to read about!

I am a fool when it comes to chocolate cake, and this recipe, well, it’s gonna be made very soon in the Peyton household I can tell ya. The idea of marrying chipotle with chocolate cake makes me swoon with delight. Simply Recipes has this one, so you can count on it! It’s Chipotle Flourless Chocolate Cake. Try it or you’ll be sorrrrry.

I enjoy cross stitch a lot, and am stuck on a Native American one now that I lost my way on and am rather off pattern on. I don’t know how it happened, I try to count carefully, but it did, and I haven’t touched it in more than a year, because I can’t face taking out so much of the threads to set it aright. I do get a lot of inspiration from Threads of Desirethough. She is simply a master stitcher and her stuff is beautiful to me. See what you think.

Uncommon Artistic Endeavors has a delicious sounding coffeecake for you. I love sweets for breakfast, though I tend to eat the same thing, day in and day out, peanut butter and toast. Maybe some french toast on Sunday, but that’s about it. This one looks easy and tasty and I’m sure to give it a try quite soon. Right after that decadent chocolate cake that is. Try the Cream Cheese Coffee Cake and see what you think.

US History Site Blog has an interesting report on the relationship between Martin L. King, jr and JFK during the 1960’s election. The actions of the Kennedy family to assist the King family during that time may have been an important reason that Kennedy ultimately beat Nixon. Nixon, on the advice of his handlers did nothing, while the Kennedy’s went out of their way to help the jailed King and his family.

Women in History reports that Australia has consecrated it’s first female bishop in Melbourne, Barbara Darling.  She is only the second woman so honored in Australia. This is to the Anglican faith of course, not Catholic, which still doggedly remains a male bastion, because, well, just because it’s always been that way.

World History Blog reports that Google Earth allows a lot of fun things, such as tracing the routes of Alexander the Great as he moved around the East and won battles and confiscated vast tracts of land. He also has some other suggestions and so stop by and take a look and get the instructions for how to do it.

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And now for something completely different:

If the sky is the limit, then what is space, over the limit?

Aren’t the ‘good things that come to those who wait’ just the leftovers from the people that got there first?

“Cute as a button” Is that supposed to be a compliment? Since when are buttons cute?

Are marbles made of marble?

Why did Yankee Doodle name the feather in his hat Macaroni?

Who was the first person to say, “See that chicken over there … I’m gonna eat the first thing that comes out if its butt”?

If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?

Can you get cornered in a round room?

In that song, she’ll be coming around the mountain, who is she?

“Have you ever noticed that if you rearranged the letters in mother in law, they come out to Woman Hitler?”

Isn’t it funny how the word ‘politics’ is made up of the words ‘poli’ meaning ‘many’ in Latin, and ‘tics’ as in ‘bloodsucking creatures’?

That’s all folks!