Yep

"I love these folks who helped get us in this mess and then suddenly say, 'Well, this is Obama's economy.' That's fine. Give it to me! My job is to solve problems, not to stand on the sidelines and harp and gripe"

-President Barack Obama, July 14, 2009.

Back In Black

Sorry about the lack of posting lately folks. Been busy with school, kids and coaching tennis. I thought I would return with a doozy of a quote from our president. He was talking about parenting.

"We have to accept our responsibility to help them learn. That means putting away the Xbox. Putting our kids to bed at a reasonable hour. It means attending those parent teacher conferences. And READING to our children."

Man, I love that guy!

Honestly, they need to ask why?

I spent this last weekend at my in-laws. Being that they know I love a good political discussion, they asked me why I thought Sarah Palin quit as governor of Alaska. My ultra conservative brother in law was perplexed.

"Why would she do that? It doesn't make sense, damnit!" he asked vehemently, "I only voted for McCain because she was on the ticket."

My wife, who is a moderate liberal, couldn't understand it.

"What...she's a quitter? I don't get it."

They both turned to me waiting to hear a political wonk (see:obsessive) 's point of view...the same one I have had since she first opened her mouth.

"She's a fucking moron."

Thank You, Michelle!

MN-06 representative Michelle Bachmann stated last week that she would not fully fill out her census report in the next federal census taking set to take place in 2010. She cited ACORN (eep urp bleep....output: insta right wing hot flaming anger) as one of her reasons. She went on to say that "between 1942 and 1947, the data that was collected by the Census Bureau was handed over to the FBI and other organizations at the request of President Roosevelt, and that's how the Japanese were rounded up."

!!!??

Someone please give this woman a guest spot on every major news network in the nation. And let's give her that spot....oh...around the fall of next year:)

The story, of course, gets better. By failing to fill out her census report fully and by encouraging others in her district to do so, the chances are raised significantly then when they reduce the districts from 7 down to 6 in Minnesota, the Sixth will be the first one to go due to a not so real population drop because incomplete surveys will not be accepted.

So, if you live in the Sixth, please listen to your congresswoman!

Neda

A Good Run

Well, the mainstream media had a good run recently in regards to actually covering events that fucking matter. CNN led the way with wall to wall coverage of the amazing events going on in Iran. Other news networks and outlets followed with heretofore unseen and in depth coverage of a pivotal point in that country's history. I was elated to see your ordinary Joe on the street asking me about Iran and talking about it with a higher level of knowledge. People seemed to care about what was going on there and frivolous stories were nowhere to be found.

Then Mark Sanford, Governor of South Carlolina, went on a walkabout and....they started dropping like flies in CelebrityWood.

While I feel sad for their families (and am especially bummed that the passing of Ed McMahon got swept aside quickly...no one EVER will come close to him and Johnny), the deaths of Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, and Billy Mays are not "Breaking News" in the way that a revolution in a fucking country is news. My cup had already runneth over with Michael and now there will be no escaping it for the next month or possibly more.

And people will return to caring about shallow, meaningless bullshit when they were so close (!) to turning the corner and focusing on poignant matters like Iran, Pakistan, health care, energy, and Iraq. Do we really need to know the intimate details of Governor Sanford's life? I don't care. It's his business and I don't judge him for his actions...although I do find it HILARIOUS that my colleagues on the right are very sympathetic. Where was that sympathy from 1998-2000?

If any of you are wailing uncontrollably at the death of Michael Jackson, first of all....get a fucking life. You didn't know the guy. Save your sadness and empathy for people in your own life for crying out loud. And, if you must weep for someone you don't know, check this site out tomorrow for the video that changed my life.

Not Even Close

The next time you hear a conservative tell you that our government is close to socialism, show them this.













And then gently direct them to the nearest mental institution.

Another Classic (at 2:00)

"I don't want to be on your team. Pick another kid."

Given a recent post by Kevin Baker regarding last week's New Rules, I hope he checks this one out too:)

"We don't have a left or right party in this country anymore. We have a center right party and a crazy party. Over the last 30 odd years, Democrats have moved to the right and the right has moved into a mental hospital....they actually worry that Obama is a socialist. Socialist? He's not even a liberal."

And many of his commenters as well. I can already feel their heads exploding.

Wow.

"We had one vote and we gave it to Mousavi. We have one life and we'll give it up for freedom."

Anonymous Twitter from Tehran.

The Twitter Revolution

Like many of you, I am stunned by the events in Iran. Each day's news brings more excitement and more danger. The Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued a warning today to protesters saying that the government would crack down on further dissent.

While they have been able to block some transmissions from Iran, the government has had a difficult time controlling all of the Twittering that has gone on. Everyday citizens have become global reporters pushing real time information out to the rest of the world. It's an amazing thing to watch a lumbering old and out of step theocracy sadly attempt to block free speech.

And, I have to say, my chiding of Twitter of late amongst my social circles seems to have come back and bitten me on the ass. I'm still not a big fan of people having to know and tell other people what they are doing exactly at every second of their lives but if you live in Tehran....I say Twitter away, revolutionary brothers and sisters!

Yet another reason to smile:)

Wow. They continue to amaze me. Just when I thought there was a smidgen of hope that the GOP might pull together and be a little smarter about how they communicate, this happens.

Really?

No prob, Hugh. We'll take all those votes off your hands:)

The Best

A few years back, the tennis world (mostly overzealous and irritating announcers like Mary Cirillo) claimed that Roger Federer was the best player in the history of the game. This was back when he had won a few Wimbledons and the US Open.

Many of my tennis pals said that he was the best ever and I reminded them that until he wins the French, my guy Andre is still the best. To win all four slams in a career had only been accomplished by Agassi, Laver, Perry, Emerson, and Budge. To understand how difficult this is, stand in your back yard and bounce a ball off of grass, a muddy patch, and your driveway. Watching how differently it bounces and you will get the idea. The French, played on clay, eluded Federer for years.

But yesterday, he fucking won it. And in convincing fashion.

So, it is NOW official. Roger Federer is the greatest player in the history of tennis. If he wins Wimbledon this year, he will have passed Pete Sampras (with whom he is currently tied at 14) with 15 Grand Slam wins. And Pete never even won the French!

Congrats, Roger. You are the man!

65 Years Ago Today

He said...what?

Check out this story from Andrew Sullivan. Apparently, Bill O'Reilly called the recently murdered Dr. George Tiller "Doctor Killer."

(Shakes head sadly)

And they wonder why the DHS is going to crawl up their ass with a fucking tweezers....

First Look

An intrepid (and large breasted) female friend (who recently declared open house to all comers :) on titty fucking if she ever gets breast cancer and has to have a masectomy) sent me this link and comment in regards to President Obama's meeting with King Abdullah (aka the "Saudi guy")

Note in the photo how he keeps his distance. I hope no photo surfaces showing them strolling and holding hands.

p.s. that Saudi guy still looks pregnant

Sweet...

Only The Beginning

Last Sunday, Scott Roeder walked into Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita, KS and shot Dr. George Tiller, killing him for being a late term abortion provider. From my local paper:

Roeder's family life began unraveling more than a decade ago when he got involved with anti-government groups, and then became "very religious in an Old Testament, eye-for-an-eye way," his former wife, Lindsey Roeder, told The Associated Press. "The anti-tax stuff came first, and then it grew and grew. He became very anti-abortion."

I'm sad to report that I'm certain this is only the beginning. As I have been saying for months, the real danger in regards to domestic terrorism is from the right, not the left. The right is far more organized, greater in number, getting more armed every day, and fucking pissed off as hell. And people gave me shit for the DHS report...

What I find to be most interesting about this latest incident in relation to the DHS report is how the right complains of "profiling" when they do the exact same fucking thing every day with Muslims. How many times have we heard the line "not all terrorists are Muslims but all the ones that are attacking us are Muslims?"

Not anymore.

The people that are going to cause the most violence in this country in the next year are exactly what Ms. Roeder described above...anti government, anti tax, old testament, anti abortion.

Sound like the base of a certain party to anyone?

A Pefect Solution

I think I have a perfect place for the right to vent their anger....HERE. Check out this story from the Christian Science Monitor regarding the situation in Pakistan. As if President Obama's current policy of letting the weak government fight a proxy war wasn't bad enough for my blood pressure, now we have this bullshit. I am issuing call to all gun owners who currently stock piling their armories...donate a gun to a Pakistani woman. At the very least, donate your time by encouraging and/or training her to use it.

Now most of you know that for the most part, I am a peaceful man. But when it comes to fucking garbage like this...well...I am reminded of Sean Connery in the Untouchables.

Jimmy: You want to get Capone? Here's how you do it...he pulls a knife, you pull a gun. He puts one of yours in the hospital, you put one of his in the morgue.

Yep.

Knee Jerk Hate

Today, President Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. As expected, conservatives around the country, condemned her as a liberal, activist judge who is going to kill babies, take away guns and legislate from the bench.

Taking our shuttles back from the orbit of Planet Hate-Paranoia-Fear (or just plain Planet NO to everything President Obama does), we find several interesting items regarding Ms. Sotomayor:

• She was initially nominated to US District Court by President George H.W. Bush who, unless Limbaugh and Cheney have now thrown him out as a heretic, is a Republican.
• Orin Hatch, Richard Lugar, Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe, Thad Cochran, Judd Gregg, and Robert Bennett...all Republicans...vote for her nomination to the US Court of Appeals in 1998.
• She upheld the Bush administration's implementation of the Mexico City Policy which requires foreign organizations receiving U.S. funds to "neither perform nor actively promote abortion as a method of family planning in other nations".
• She dissented from her colleagues’ ruling that the NYPD could terminate an employee from his desk job who sent racist materials through the mail. Sotomayor argued that the First Amendment protected speech by the employee “away from the office, on [his] own time,” even if that speech was “offensive, hateful, and insulting," and that therefore the employee's First Amendment claim should have gone to trial rather than being dismissed on summary judgment.
• In cases where Sotomayor and at least one judge appointed by a Republican president were on the three-judge panel, Sotomayor and the Republican appointee(s) agreed on the outcome 95 percent of the time.

Wow. Sounds to me like she's a stinkin' commie.....IN NEOCON BIZARRO WORLD.

Anyway, President Obama has made a fine choice in Ms. Sotomayor. Her track record proves she is a moderate through and through and a perfect choice to replace the court's current moderate...David Souter. As we all know, though, these days anything to the left of Atilla the Hun is FUCKING STATIST SOCIALISM BENT ON DESTROYING ALL LIBERTY AND FREEDOM EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So when you hear the rage against the choice of Sonia Sotomayor, try hard to not listen to the direction from which it originates: white men (ages 45-130)....their ball sweat ever increasing in lather as they realize that our country is now populated by people who (gasp!) have non white men opinions (see: end of all that is holy) because (double gasp!) there are a lot less white men around these days.

Kindly input the RRRC (Reverse Racism Redirect Code) and begin sadly projecting onto me (and others) your own hilariously obvious bias.

Giving Thanks

On this Memorial Day, 2009, I find my thoughts drifting to my grandfather who passed away last year. Pop was a member of the combat engineers in WWII and served on pretty much every island in the Pacific from 1942 to 1945.

Here is to him and all the men and women who have given their lives for our country....

Obama is the New....Bush?

The cartoon below got a few emails my way and a comment from juris regarding where I stand on Obama's recent 180s on some issues that fall under the "Conflict with Hirabis" column. My guy seems to be getting hit pretty hard from all sides these days and that probably means he's doing the right thing. Although that does not mean that I agree with him on all of these policies.

A recent off the record meeting at the White House (which ended up being on the record:)) saw several human rights groups and left wingers taking President Obama to the mat on four key issues. Here is where I stand on all of them.

Non release of the Photos: In many ways I can see both sides to this. On the one hand we need to see if there were any crimes broken and if anyone should be prosecuted. We also need to own up, as country, and apologize for this disgusting and sadistic behavior. But the pictures, should they ever be released, will put our armed forces in harm's way and perhaps add more names to the rolls of Al Qaeda recruiters. It's a tough call but let's remember that President Obama didn't create this mess...he's just trying to clean it up as best he can. So, I think that it is a good idea not to release the pictures once you look at the overall strategy of denying hirabis any fuel for their psychotic fire.

Continue Military Tribunals: If the policy is streamline to be more effective and give suspects basic rights that prisoners of war had in previous conflicts, I might be for the continued use of tribunals. As of right now, though, I am not. Regardless of how bad these guys are, they should be treated with all the liberty and rights of the Geneva convention and not put up in Spanish Inquisition like fashion with a guilty until proven innocent attitude. We are still toggling back and forth between "is this a war" or "is this criminal activity that requires police work." I say the latter is a more effective strategy (unless there is a whole country involved like Pakistan) and this has been fully proved to be very effective as was shown with the recent break up of a terrorist cell in New York.

Secret Prisons: Nope. Completely against the president on this one. I find it to be highly hypocritical of him to continue to support this when he says we have to close Gitmo. These prisons will be used as recruitment tools and are just as damaging to us as the enhanced interrogation techniques. The fact that he is going along with this makes me wonder how much Dick Cheney is still dictating our national policy which, of course, proves my point that it is still relevant to talk about conservatives:)

No Prosecution of Bushies: Not really with him on this one as well. I understand that if we go after people that tortured or the Bush Administration officials (see: all of them) that ordered it, it could turn really ugly...fast. But these people broke the law. If we send Michael Vick to jail for two years for dog fighting and we let people that break the law go free, what does that say about us as a country? I realize we need to move on but we still must lead by example and we are not doing that here.

Warrantless Wiretaps: Again, this is wrong no matter who does it. Now, I haven't looked into this much but you don't need a warrant for the first 15 days and can get one after the fact as I understand it. That much is legal. The Bush Administration went farther than this and if President Obama continues this same program then he is wrong as well. On the other hand, my nose smells something rotten here (see: conservative propaganda) and I'd like to examine both policies side by side to see if there are any differences.

So, as you can see, I do think President Obama is making some mistakes and I don't agree with him on a couple of these issues. It is nice, however, to see that he is capable of changing his mind and pursuing what he thinks is the better idea than perhaps some of his own...quite a refreshing change from the last administration. It shouldn't come to the surprise of anyone that I think this way as I said it would be like this all along. I can admit that President Obama isn't perfect...he will make mistakes...I (and he) can admit when he is wrong and I don't blindly follow him and bury my head in the sand like an ostrich.

That's how the other side operates. And man is that tough for them to understand. They just can't seem to understand that, even though I disagree with him on some issues, that I still think he is a great guy and the best person we have had in this job for years...decades even. How can I possibly support someone who is flawed? All leaders in the GOP are perfect, damnit!, and never change their minds...EVER! They are always right and it's always someone else's fault. How can Mark have this attitude?

Well, it's called reflection.

Yep.

Click on photo for larger image

America...Fuck Yeah!

For the past couple of days, President Obama has been chastised by both members of his own party as well as the GOP in regards to the closing of Gitmo. They refused him the funding to close the prison by his Jan 2010 deadline. With the GOP leading the charge and the Democrats doing their usual cowering in the face of right wing fear, paranoia, and ignorance (if they come on our soil, US officials will immediately issue them weapons and explosive material and tell them to go blow something up), all hope appeared lost.

Then a small town in a bright red state said they would take at least half of them if not more. And I can't wait for the conservative response (see: spin) on this one.

Two Rivers Executive Director Greg Smith said the town of Hardin, Montana would gladly take them. Why? Because their town has been hit by hard times and they sure could use the jobs. Apparently, they have an empty, state-of-the-art jail ready and waiting. Interestingly, they don't seem to be all that afraid of having hirabis in their town. Mr Smith said that the people there would be more concerned about child molesters than a few terrorists. Hee hee hee...I think I just heard a collective load drop in the pants of another GOP bullshit lie. And doesn't Harry Reid look like a total douche right about now?

Say it ain't so, Virginia. Can it be that there are still heroes left in this country that don't cower in fear in the face of a few bad guys? Are there actually people in a bright red state that can look past party lines and do what is best for American and her image?

Are the only real men living in Montana?:)

"We're Not Going To Have Talks Forever"

So said President Obama yesterday to newly elected Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu during their meeting yesterday at the White House. He went onto basically say that he would not put the kibosh on harsher steps, including military action, should Iran not cooperate. “We’re not going to create a situation in which talks become an excuse for inaction while Iran proceeds," he said.

I couldn't agree more. The United States has made several overtures of late to sit down and engage in high level talks with Iran. Thus far, the Iranian government (as I expected) has refused. In offering to talk, President Obama has now put the US in a more positive and conciliatory light. Proceeding with tougher sanctions and perhaps even military action will now be much easier. We look the good guys again and they look like the stubborn, borderline psychotics that they actually are.

Iranian national elections are in June and all roads point to a more moderate president than Ahmadinejad. Even then, most everyone knows that it is the religious leaders that run the country so it doesn't really matter who is the "head" of state. I'm pretty certain that after the elections they will play around some more and give us a bunch of lip service. If there isn't any action or movement on their part, keep your eyes open for another meeting between Netanyahu and President Obama. If that meeting does happen, get ready for something big.

“The logic of Netanyahu’s argument is, ‘What do you do if your power of diplomacy and toughened sanctions doesn’t work?’ ” said Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East negotiator in both Democratic and Republican administrations. “Anyone who was expecting a major rift in the U.S.-Israeli relationship is going to be disappointed.”

A Long Comment

Hysteria has run amok over at The Smallest Minority....apparently the time has "passed for reasoned discourse." I wanted to reprint my comment on Kevin's post here in case anyone else wanted to chime in.

With all due respect to Cindi, discussing Iraq and how that fits into the "Common Sense" culture you dream about IS on topic. Since he was mentioned in this post,

"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."

Benjamin Franklin said this in the early part of 1775. He also said, "There was never a good war or a bad peace." So, Kevin, you can't have it both ways. And while I agree with you regarding Dr. Paul's insane ideas on the topic of international relations, if you are for "common sense" you should NOT be in support of anything the Patriot Act offers nor invading Iraq and all that comes with it.The world that many of you fear has been here the last eight years and most of you have cheered it on. You have supported neo conservatism by allowing our citizens, as well as citizens from abroad, to be rounded up, without trials nor representation, and sent to prison. Why? Because they were Muslim.

In fact,"your" Franklin "your" Jefferson, "your" Adams, "your" Madison, "your" Washington and "your" Paine have nothing in common with modern day conservatism and I suspect that most if not all of them, if they were alive today, would be vilified by most right wing bloggers. Why, Franklin's quote from above would have elicited calls of treason and cowardice.

In a draft of the Constitution, Jefferson wrote, "All persons shall have full and free liberty of religious opinion; nor shall any be compelled to frequent or maintain any religious institution." How do you think that idea plays with "The Base?" Jefferson, btw, was a devotee of the Muslim faith and his copy of the Koran was used in Keith Ellison's swearing in ceremony.

John Adams said "There is something very unnatural and odious in a government a thousand leagues off. A whole government of our own choice, managed by persons whom we love, revere, and can confide in, has charms in it for which men will fight." Indeed, government can work if the right people are in it. He also said, "Let the human mind loose. It must be loose. It will be loose. Superstition and dogmatism cannot confine it." There is whole lot of the superstition and dogmatism coming from the right these days.

James Madison said, ""If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy." No shit.

George Washington said, "Every post is honorable in which a man can serve his country." According to writings on this blog as well as the right wing in its current form, serving your country means being a socialist. Or is it fascist? I can never keep track. Any time the talk of common good comes up, screeding flames of death burst forth from the right. He also said, in a letter to Madame Lafayette, "Democratical States must always feel before they can see: it is this that makes their Governments slow, but the people will be right at last." Imagine if he had said that today. The f word? Suffering Jehosaphats! What ever would the response from the right be?

And, finally, Thomas Paine, on whom this post was based, said in Common Sense, "It is of the utmost danger to society to make it [religion] a party in political disputes. Mingling religion with politics may be disavowed and reprobated by every inhabitant of America." Paine would not even be a candidate for janitor in the GOP in its current form.

He also said (quoted here many times), "Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one; for when we suffer, or are exposed to the same miseries BY A GOVERNMENT, which we might expect in a country WITHOUT GOVERNMENT, our calamity is heightened by reflecting that we furnish the means by which we suffer."

We furnish the means by which we suffer indeed. If I were an alien who landed on this planet and the only information I had on America was the writings here, I would assume the end was near. Thankfully, it is not. Individual freedom and liberty aren't going anywhere, folks. Perhaps your definition of it is and let's be realistic...that's the real problem here, isn't it? It's not the you are afraid of losing your liberty. You are afraid of being wrong. So, you can try to submit the belief that you are aligned with the founding fathers ideologically but every time you do, I am going to be there to call you on your bullshit. And, as a postscript to this very long comment, history has already proved that you are wrong.

In the 1930s and 40s, we came closer to a socialist state then we ever did. And what was the result? We defeated the greatest army this world had ever seen..."strong arming" GM btw. We built a strong economy and had more regulation than we do today. We had a 91 percent tax rate on the top one percent and built the national highway system because of it. This allowed our economy to expand even further and, in a hilarious bit of irony, allowed some of you to go on to very successful careers in engineering.

Happy for you ideologically but perhaps sad for future engineers and innovators, those days are gone and will never come back. Our country has moved too far away from allowing any sort of government institution (NASA for example) that kind of power. Look at the hysteria over the government's temporary involvement in the banking industry and Detroit recently. As Alan Greenspan and many others said in the CNBC documentary "House of Cards" (shown to me by last in line recently and fully torpedoing any last shred of an idea that blames government for our current issues), the corporation and free market rule the day and will forever.

Gordon Gecko would be proud and all of you, rather than gathering pitch forks and torches, should be happy.

I shudder with anticipation at what the response is going to be:)

Liberal Media Watch

I was shocked...SHOCKED, I tell you to see all the major news outlets and all the Sunday chat shows devouring Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Aren't they all her liberal stooges?

Liberal media bullshit owned once again.

Oh, and while I think she did know what was going on back in 2002 and 2003 (making her guilty of complicity after the fact), SHE WASN'T THE ONE EXECUTING A POLICY OF TORTURE YOU FUCKING DUMB ASSES.

Nice try, righties. You should know by now that I will always be here to call you on your bullshit.

Everyone Be Hatin'

To say that I have been bombarded in the last 24 hours with emails, phone calls, and personal conversations regarding President Obama's decision to fight the release of photographs detailing abuse of prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan would be an understatement. My friends on the left are pissed as hell and are accusing him of covering up just like W. My friends on the right are laughing and calling him a wimp and saying "I told you so." My opinion?

If you are pissing off everyone, you are probably doing something right.

The fact is that we all know what happened. There was rampant abuse across the board. More importantly, it was systemic, meaning that the abuse was tacitly approved by all levels of the Bush Administration. As we try to apologize to the rest of the world for being such D bags for the last 8 years, any sort of release of photographs of this type would be detrimental to our image clean up across the globe. In addition, President Obama is correct in stating that our troops would be in greater danger should these images see the light of day.

All of this being said, the fact that my guy has to put up with this bullshit really fucking pisses me off. The blame for all of this should be laid squarely at the feet of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and Donald Rumsfeld NOT President Obama, although being the REAL man that he is (and even though he had nothing to do with any of this) he is still accepting the responsibility for it. If people want to pissed off, fine... be mad that they allowed the most un-Christian behavior to occur that I think this country has ever seen. Be mad at the animals in our own armed forces that will never be prosecuted for these crimes.

Be mad at the sadists in the Bush Administration that had the incredibly fucked up idea that we have to become our enemy in order to "keep us safe."

Changing of the Guard

Yesterday, Defense Secretary Gates fired the top general in Afghanistan, Gen. David McKiernan. He has replaced him with Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal (left), a man who has far more special forces experience than McKiernan. McChrystal had boots on the ground in Saudi Arabia from 1990 to 1993, serving both Operation Desert Storm and Desert Shield.

"Today we have a new policy set by our new president. We have a new strategy, a new mission and a new ambassador," Gates said Monday at a news conference. "I believe that new military leadership also is needed."

I agree. I'm still not entirely backing off my criticism of President Obama (which, b to the w, is NOT to be confused with the right wing douche bag talking point that Obama is the next Jimmy Carter aka wimp) regarding his "Nixonian Vietnam let a proxy fight the war" pursuit of policy in that part of the world. But this is at least a step in the right direction. McKiernan and other U.S. commanders, echoing yours truly, have said resources they need in Afghanistan are tied up in Iraq.

The "read between the lines" part of this story is that if the Pakistani Army can't do what it is trying to do right now in the SWAT valley (and never will for reasons I have stated previously), the United States will have a man in charge who can get the job done if called upon to do so.

Once again, Stan's the Man!

Reform?

Since Last in Line is so fond of taking trips down memory lane regarding previous posts and comments of mine, I thought we would start off the week with one of his offerings.

A while back, John Waxy asked Last what positive things Bush contributed to our society. Last replied that tort reform was one of them. He went on to say that frivolous lawsuits were breaking the financial back of this country and we needed to be rid of them.

Take a look at this story which I caught on Fox News this morning. I guess Bush's tort reform is ok when we are making sure that corporate officers are able to keep their third vacation home (see: no such animal as employee rights...who gives a shit if they are in ill health?). But a student is allowed to sue his teacher for a thought provoking discussion of religion. Yeah, that's just dandy. I guess U.S. District Judge James Selna is not one of those activist judges we hear the right screeding about constantly because he thinks the case has merit.

And, once again, my tap into your inner rage and pass shit off as fact theory is fully proven. Next stop for Jim Corbett....the Inquisition! I'm sure the robes (white) are fully laundered and ready to go:)

Thanks, Dick!

I have to say that I think I have been wrong about Dick Cheney. Rather than repeatedly ripping him for being such a douche, I should be thanking him. Every time he opens his mouth, something extremely moronic comes out and politically increases the chances of more Democratic victories and a second term for President Obama.

On Face the Nation today, our former Vice President essentially stated that Colin Powell is no longer a Republican (see: American in angry white man desperately paranoid about his "culture" slipping away speak). He went on to say that Rush Limbaugh is a true Republican and the party should be taking his cues from him.

I agree. I think the GOP should align itself with someone who has a 20 percent approval rating nationally pushing it further into regional party status (see eight states in the south). In addition, ripping an honored member our Armed Forces (one who actually served in Vietnam as opposed to Dick who got four deferments) always goes over well with those folks who have conservative values but aren't lunatics. How many more votes do you suppose that will make for Dems in 2010 and the president in 2012?

Thanks Dick!

Bill Nails it Again

"When the president suggests things that will help the greater good, that's not a slight against your fragile manhood. I know. I know. You are a rugged individualist. Except you're not.

You're just a dick."

I didn't like this movie the first time I saw it...

Eric, from comments, writes (in relation to my week long rant about Pakistan)

So where does Pakistan's decision to throw out all peace talks and launch military action against the Taliban fit in to all this?

As I expected with Zardari and Karzai visiting the White House this week, there would be a slight uptick in military engagements in the SWAT valley. I've been following this story since 9-11 and I've seen this all before. While it is true that Pakistan declared "war" on the Tailban, it's a little hard to carry out an effective campaign when a). none of your main military is being pulled from possible combat against India (aka Pakistan isn't really that serious about this); b). half your army is pro Taliban; and c). all of you intelligence apparatus is pro Taliban.

In other words, much of what we are hearing about over there is a big show. Zardari does not have control of his country and his placations of "just let us deal with it" are hollow and false. Many innocent civilians are going to die and far too little militants are going to be neutralized. There will be no clear victory at all until US intelligence forces are formally allowed into the country to assist.

Basically what I am saying is that I am still not happy and know that President Obama is continuing to pursue a failed policy.

Nixon in 1969?

I opened up my morning Times and saw this...

There were new signs of uneasiness on Capitol Hill about United States involvement in the region. The Democratic chairman of the House Appropriations Committee pronounced himself as “very doubtful” that Mr. Obama’s plan for Afghanistan and Pakistan could succeed. The chairman, Representative David Obey, of Wisconsin, said he would allow only one year for the White House to show concrete results, and repeatedly likened Mr. Obama’s approach to President Richard Nixon’s plans for Vietnam in 1969.

Wow. I have to say that at this point I agree. Nixon thought that certain factions in Vietnam were working in tandem with US interests when they were not. There is no doubt in my mind that large swaths of Pakistani intelligence as well as the Pakistani army are very pro Taliban. They seem to be giving a whole lot of lip service to President Zardari, the current "leader" of Pakistan.

When we have our country's National Security Adviser saying that the situation in Pakistan is "one of the very most serious problems we face," one has to wonder why the "liberal" media is still stuck on fucking swine flu. Who gives a shit? In addition to the economy, this is the gravest threat we face...one that harkens back to the early days of WWII in my opinion. We have already had one horrendous attack on our home soil...we can't take another one let alone a nuclear strike. My guy seems to really be dropping the ball on this one. The people who harbored Osama bin Laden are on the cusp of getting nuclear weapons and there really doesn't seem to be much going on in DC...at least that I can see.

I'm waiting to be proved wrong.

Same ol...same ol'

Thus far, if I could pinpoint one major criticism of President Obama it would be that he appears to be pursuing the same line of strategy with Pakistan as President Bush did. Recent reports indicate that administration officials are working with Pakistani officials to negotiate with the Taliban, who have now advanced to within 100 miles of the capital city of Islamabad.

If you recall, President Bush tried to negotiate with the Taliban right after 9-11 and look at how well that went. He then proceeded to do nothing for the next seven years and essentially created this problem. Now, President Obama seems intent on continuing this same mistake. If the Taliban takes control of Pakistan--a very real possibility--then the people that harbored Al Qaeda will have access to nuclear weapons.

They will also have access to the Agosta class submarines currently sitting in the port of Karachi These subs have air delivery missile systems that can easily be upgraded to nuclear tips. As I have stated several times on this blog, I think that Al Qaeda wants to bigger than 9-11 on their next attack....little piddly shit just won't do. There is no doubt in my mind that this is they type of attack they have envisioned.

You can add into this whole mess that half the Pakistani army as well most of its intelligence agencies is pro Taliban. We have a very large problem here that needs more pressure than is currently being applied. Now, I don't see the daily intelligence briefings so I could be off in saying this but we need to step up our drone attacks and push the Pakistani government into letting us assist more in defense. If they refuse, we need to do it anyway.

It doesn't surprise me either that the "liberal" media isn't reporting this at all. To say the situation is grave is a fucking understatement. Time is running out.

Mixed and Clear Feelings

I have to say that I have mixed feelings about Arlen Specter switching sides and being a Democrat. While I am happy that he is yet another in a chorus of people who say that the Republicans are going too far to the right (anything to prove me right is always a plus:)), I am not sure I want the man who put forth the magic bullet theory on my side. President Obama was asked on Wednesday night what he thought about Senator Specter becoming a Democrat and he said that he had the up most respect for the man.

For all you righties out there who say that I worship and believe everything President Obama says, this would be ANOTHER example of an instance with which I disagree with our current leader. In fact, he couldn't be more wrong. None of us should have any respect for a man who assisted in covering up the highest crime this nation has ever seen. So, while I'm happy we'll get an extra vote out of the deal, it sucks that it has to be that guy.

I am clear, however, on yet another example of the continued psychosis of the right. I have been taken to the mat several times in comments recently regarding how I'm "just like them" for being intolerant of certain views. To those of you that say that, I would like you to explain to me how I should tolerate Michael Savage and Neil Boortz recent tirades that the swine flu is actually a terrorist attack by illegal immigrants. The comments that these two men have made recently are filled with hate, ignorance, and paranoia. They represent the EXACT base of the Republican party these days and to say I, or anyone else on the left, is like them is as fucking moronic as it is insulting.

You want to complain about a comment Bill Maher or Keith Olberman made about the right? Fine, every time I'm going to bring up Savage and Boortz and tell you to fuck off.

Owned and done.

100 Day Report Card

Well, my guy has been at 1600 for 100 days and I thought it would be nice to take a look at what he has done...the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Let's start with the 400 pound gorilla in the room...the economy. For the most part, I didn't really have an opinion on either the stimulus package or the budget. My knowledge of economic matters isn't as extensive as it is with foreign policy. After some reading and some careful consideration....I still don't have one...really. I'm not crazy about the deficit but I also think that you have to spend money to make money. President Eisenhower spent the equivalent of 900 billion dollars of today's money on the national highway system and ended up creating a much stronger economy. I think President Obama is on the right track when he says that health care and climate change can be keys to a stronger economy. But can we sustain a multi trillion dollar deficit? No one really knows so for that reason I give him a C+

On the issue of terrorism, sadly, I have to give him a D at this point. It's not because I think he is "weak" or because he shook hands with Chavez (btw, last time I checked he is not a Muslim). It's because he has continued the same policy of doing nothing in regards to Pakistan and look where that has gotten us? The Taliban within 100 miles of the capital and ready to take control of nuclear weapons. Granted, they wouldn't be there if a certain incompetent cretin with a daddy complex hadn't stomped his feet in frustration from not wanting to learn no more about stuff.

But President Obama is in office now and needs to take ownership, in a very forceful way, of this issue. We cannot allow these people nuclear weapons. They have no regard for human life and would love to see what little regard they do have brought to life with women in chains. This is an issue that is very important to me, as readers of NFTF for years know about, and I will be talking about it more in the coming days as the "liberal" media is not.I do give him props for closing Gitmo and releasing the torture memos. It's time to show the world that we are not like the animals that want to do us harm. So, he barely misses the F.

On the issue of health care, he gets an A from me. He extended insurance to 4 million children and threw out Bush's neolithic stance on stem cell research. The health and wellness of this country means more people working, spending money, and thus, a better economy. It's time to leave the long Spanish robes and cries of heresy behind when it comes to science.

With education, he gets at A. His current budget includes money for ECFE (Early Childhood Family Education) as well as college funds. Our country is falling behind in the world because we value education only through the lens of private corporations. This is an abomination. The simple fact that President Obama's idea of "taking a break" is going to a school is fucking mega. We will never have another "Greatest Generation" unless we bring our country up to speed in multiple intelligences.

In regards to the environment, I give him a C. I'm not certain that cap and trade is the way to go. I need to look more into this. He also seems very laissez faire about the latest IPCC reports which give me pause. But he at least admits that climate change is happening and action is going to be taken which is more than I can say for the world is flat crowd on the right.

On his staff, or the best and the brightest he has put in place to get us out of the Great Recession, I give him a B. James Jones, Robert Gates, Arne Duncan, Joe Biden, Eric Holder, Kathleen Sebelius, Ray LaHood, Eric Shinsecki, Janet Napalitano, Rahm Emmanuel: MONEY! Hillary Clinton: good, but I don't like her personally after the Karl Rove bullshit of the primaries. Timothy Geithner: love his intellect, hate his communication skills, up to his eyeballs in cronyism. President Obama himself gets lower marks due to the Tom Daschle dalliance (why would he EVER consider a guy who has a driver?) and subsequent DC speak surrounding the nomination. Throw in the Bill Richardson BS too. Who was on the vetting team for crying out loud?

Misc gaffes: the special olympics remark (total locker room jock shit), telling Republicans to not listen to Rush Limbaugh (he is only as big as you make him), and taking forever to buy the dog (dude, it's your kids)

Misc goodies: using a teleprompter (that's correct, righties, isn't it nice to have a president who takes the care to prepare?), not using a teleprompter (like...all the fucking time...the right must be tuned in to Hee Haw re-runs when this happens), and watching the beginning of the end of extremism (Ahmadinejad, the Brothers Castro, and Chavez falling all over themselves to be seen with Obama).

So, I guess my overall grade is a B. There has been some impressive stuff so far...certainly waaaayyyy better than President Bush...but the Pakistan thing is really sticking in my craw of late and I don't see a lot of movement in that arena. But hey! Maybe something will happen in the next few weeks...assuming we all don't die of swine flu...and I will be proven wrong.

I'd certainly be happy if he was the one to do it.

Simply The Best

The last new rule sent me to the ER for O2.

Hands down, the best commentary on the current state of the Republican Party I have ever seen. And I just said that with Matt Taibbi's piece two days ago in Rolling Stone.

Stomach...hurts....too much laughter

From Matt Taibi of Rolling Stone Magazine

Following the Republican Party of late has been a movingly depressing experience, sort of like watching Old Yeller die — if Old Yeller were a worm-infested feral bitch who spent the past eight years biting children at bus stops and shitting in neighborhood swimming pools. As a useful force in American politics, the Republicans have been dead for a while now. But in the seven months since Sarah Palin's nomination, they have taken on an intriguing new role: providing much-needed comic relief during dark times, serving as the unofficial rodeo clowns of the Financial Crisis Era.

NEWSFLASH!

This just in...

Jesus Christ would have approved of water boarding.

That's right folks. I've taken an informal poll of my conservative friends (not last in line as he is currently the star of Salsa Tonight!) and they all agree that, in addition to carrying an assault rifle, if Jesus were alive today, water boarding would've have been just dandy with him. I guess they really don't get the meaning of these passages.

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

(Matthew 5: 9-10)

Last In Line...Salsas!

For those of you who wanted to know what Last In Line looks like, here he is in all his glory. Of course, I'm sure many of you thought that when you first did see him that it wouldn't be like this!

Looks pretty good, doesn't he?

Words of Wisdom

My friend Gina just posted this on her FB page. Very astute and quite accurate.

The meaning of "communism" and "socialism" has been thrown out there so much to describe so many things that it is really now meaningless. What does it mean to say that Obama is a socialist? First, get the definition of that correct, and then offer up the proof. Raising taxes is not "socialist." Requiring banks who take TARP money to hold to certain rules is not socialist.

We've never been an unrestricted free market. The govt has always attached strings to its funding. The interstate/highway funding of each state is contingent (partially) on the state having a drinking age of no less than 21. It's been that way for many years now. Is that socialist? I mean, who is the fed govt to tell the states what laws they have to make? But if they give the funding, they can make it contingent on following their rules.

Obama has not even advocated repealing the bush tax cuts yet. And he proposes a modest increase in the upper tax bracket percentage, back to where it was under Clinton.

The sky hardly fell then. The hyperbole and hysteria of certain right wing people is just getting to be too much- like the boy who cried wolf. It's not being taken seriously. There has been much government intervention over the years- our country was not a libertarian free for all with no taxes and no restrictions before Obama took office.

And yet some people are acting like Obama is going to confiscate not only our money, but our guns and our houses and perhaps put us in concentration camps. We need a little perspective and some knowledge of history. And when we pay taxes, it is not OUR money being stolen from us. WE are the govt, WE elect these people, WE decide as part of the social contract that we need to pay taxes for the common good. We are not just a nation of individuals, every man for himself. Admittedly there's govt waste and incompetence, and that should be addressed. But different issue.

Worth 1000 Words

Suddenly he's not a socialist.

Last Thursday, President Obama unveiled a new plan to bring high speed rail to the United States in full force. While the 8 billion that is initially going to be spent is small change compared to what really has to be done, it is a start. As he made the announcement and discussed how it would benefit trade and our economy, I was reminded of President Eisenhower's plan for a national highway system.

At the time, the wealthiest people in this country were taxed at a whopping 91 percent of their income and some of that money went to build the infrastructure that built highways like Interstate 35 that runs from Duluth in my home state all the way down to Texas. Imagine that...a Republican using the government to make the economy better.

Of course, that would never happen today as it is quite clear to 58 million Americans that President Obama is going to "drag us into that European cesspool of socialism" as a conservative friend of mine recently reminded me. That number of 58 million just got a little smaller, though, as a friend of mine's railroad products company (his dad owns the company and he sits on the board of directors) has suddenly seen the light. Most everyone there has been pretty right wing and very much Obama loathers...that is until last Thursday.

As if out of someone's ass (where it all started to begin with), President Obama is a great guy! And not a socialist at all...

Teabags and Traitors

Well, well, well...it certainly has been quite an interesting few days, hasn't it? I know this sounds cliche but it really has ALL BEEN BUILDING TO THIS.

My posts over the last week or so have been around the general theme of how entertaining the right has become since they got their asses handed to them in the last election. They started off as their usual peptic selves and have since boiled over into a hilarious combination of insanity and paranoia spewing forth heretofore unfathomable lies and deceit. What has caused them to get this way?

First up is tax day (April 15th)...always a day to rile up conservatives. I want my money, damnit! But I also want a strong defense, smooth roads, and someone to take care of me when I am shitting my pants at age 80. Ah, the hyperbole.....

This year, in a sad attempt to find some galvanizing event to coalesce into something resembling a party, they have glommed on, much to the chagrin of real Libertarians who despise Republicans spending as much as they do Democrats spending, to the various "Tea Parties" being thrown around the nation to protest against President Obama's tax policies and his....socialism?

(Mark leaves computer area and walks into family room. Finds pillow with which to muffle copious amounts of laughter)

First of all, this year they would actually be protesting the tax policies of President Bush, not President Obama, who passed 2009 laws in 2008. Second, President Obama is more than likely going to wait to raise taxes on the top percent of this country AFTER Bush's tax cuts expire in 2010...which means that won't actually happen until 2011. He is doing this because, contrary to the belief in psycho-ville, he does have conservative economists advising him. And, third, socialism? Ok...um...fucksticks? Please do a little research. The current tax rate in the upper bracket is 36 percent. Under President Obama's plan it would increase to 39 percent. JESUS H JOHNSON!! If that's not socialism, then I don't know what is!! Anyone want to take a guess what it was Reagan? Nixon? Eisenhower? 50, 70, and 91 percent!

Oh...no...that's going to leave a mark.

The fact is that the progressive tax was put into play by a Republican (Teddy Roosevelt) first because he called it the "fair and right thing to do...to spread the wealth." Imagine if ol' Teddy were around today...he would be taken out back and shot in the head by his own party.

And then we have the Department of Homeland Security Report which has right wing pundits blowing the biggest bowel since Hoover dropped his last deuce in office. The report (which should be titled "No Shit") says that "right-wing extremists have capitalized on the election of the first African American president, and are focusing their efforts to recruit new members, mobilize existing supporters and broaden their scope and appeal through propaganda, but they have not yet turned to attack planning," the assessment reads.

"The current economic and political climate has some similarities to the 1990s when right-wing extremism experienced a resurgence fueled largely by an economic recession, criticism about the outsourcing of jobs and the perceived threat to U.S. power and sovereignty by other foreign powers.," it continues.

The report also points to returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan as potential targets for recruiting saying that their combat skills would be welcome in such groups. It urges more support and funding for veterans so as to avoid "the difficulty of veterans to reintegrate into their communities that could lead to the potential emergence of terrorist groups or lone wolf extremists capable of carrying out violent attacks."

It goes on to say that "proposed imposition of firearms restrictions and weapons bans likely would attract new members into the ranks of right-wing extremist groups ... The high volume of purchases and stockpiling of weapons and ammunition by right-wing extremists in anticipation of restrictions and bans in some parts of the country continue to be a primary concern to law enforcement."

This report has prompted cries of outrage from the right. All of you will have to excuse me for a moment....

(Mark leaves computer area and walks outside. His neighbors ask him if he needs any help as he is LAUGHING HIS FUCKING ASS OFF SO HARD THAT HE HAS PHYSICALLY LOST CONTROL OF HIMSELF.)

Setting aside the obvious and highly humorous fact at how many right wingers these days act and sound like Al Qaeda (remember English translation of Al Qaeda is "the base":)), what I find to be outrageously ironic about this is how many of these folks spent months screaming about Bill Ayers and now, when DHS gets a flood of new threats from right wing extremists every day...threats that we are not privy to...threats that make Ayers look like an eight year old with a green water pistol...and we have a sitting Congress person calling for people to be "armed and dangerous" THEY HAVE THE GALL TO CRY "FASCISM?!?

Perhaps they might want to stop listening to dolts like Michelle Malkin and ACTUALLY TAKE A LOOK AT REALITY. They will see, as I did last July, that the chief concern under the subject heading Domestic Terrorism comes from their side of the aisle not the left...and has for the last 15 years. Take a look at the fucking facts. Make sure you read the first comment directly after my post which entirely proves my point.

The last time I checked it was illegal to make a threat on the president's life. This happens all the time in koolaidville. The frenzy and anger that has been whipped up by the right is absolutely unparalleled at this particular point in time. They are out of their minds with the fact that President Obama might actually succeed at what he is doing. If he does, their entire belief system is going to shatter. And to them, their lives will be over. They simply can't deal with this.

If you don't believe me, here's a little story for you. I am friends with a doctor named Sam. Sam and I work out at the same gym. He is very conservative. Last summer, right before candidate Obama was to give his speech in Denver at Mile High Stadium, a group of right wing extremists were foiled in an attempt to kill him. My friend Sam, a well respected kidney specialist here in Minneapolis...a man who has dedicated his life to saving people...came up to me as I was on the treadmill and said, "Today is a sad day." He looked really down and, thinking that something horrible had happened, I asked him what exactly was wrong.

He pointed to the TV, which had images of the redneck fucks who were planning on killing Obama and said,

"Those guys failed at their mission to save this country."

Everyone...Quick! Be afraid...

I'm sure that all of you are happy at the end of the standoff between Somali "pirates" and the US military. Captain Phillips is back safe and the bad guys are dead.

Or...are they?

Dum Dum Dah!

Pick up any newspaper (while they are still around) or flip on any channel and you will see the "liberal" media reporting that the cohorts of the "pirates" vow revenge. Oooo.....

THEY'S A COMIN'!!! THEY'S A COMIN' MA....quick, hide the white women!

And the culture of fear rolls merrily along...:)

Rush Limbaugh - Brainwashed Nazi

This one is so good I can hardly stand it.

And it makes me happy to hear that not all Republicans have lost their minds.

And the hits just keep on coming...

Not one to prove my wrong regarding how entertaining the conservative base has become, Michelle Bachmann (thankfully not my congressional representative) has accused Democrats and even fellow Republicans of starting re-education camps in the form of the new bill to expand Americorps.

In addition to the obvious question--what color is the sky in their world?--one must seriously wonder what the fuck goes on inside the heads of people that think this way. Americorps is similar to the Peace Corps in which volunteers serve their country for a summer helping to better our nation's communities.

Orin Hatch (R-Utah) is one of the bill's co-sponsors and has gone on record in saying that Bachmann's ravings on this matter are complete nonsense. You can add this bit of nonsense to her last shriek about cap and trade, in which she said that Americans would be paying 3K extra in taxes.

Complete bullshit. Here are the facts.

I'm waiting for the story (coming soon to a TV near you) in which someone like Bachmann or Glenn Beck shoots a "commie liberal"in the head, justifies it by saying that it was their patriotic duty, and 38 million people believe them.

Worth A Thousand Words

Huh. I guess the troops do like our new president after all:)

Check It Out!

Check out my friend Pete's music blog. Pete is one of the very few people I know that has equal or better musical taste than myself:). I post there on a semi irregular basis (new post by me today) and you MUST make it a daily read.

Bill Maher on Glenn Beck

This is the whole New Rules segment from last Friday. Forward to 1:50 and check it out. It sums up the right's hyper over exaggeration to a tee!

Armed and Hilarious

Hailing from my home state of Minnesota, Republican Michelle Bachmann has been making quite a scene these days. I think we all remember her very special interview with Chris Matthews in which she called our current president "un-American." To be completely fair, though, Matthews (just like Katie Couric did with Sarah Palin) is a fascist liberal faggot who had the audacity to (gasp!)...ask her questions. So it really wasn't her fault and that's why she has never apologized for it.

Remember...conservatives...never wrong...always right!

It should come as no surprise to anyone that she is now advocating an armed insurgency, proving me right yet again that conservatives seem to view all things through the lens of violence. Speaking out against cap and trade a couple of weeks back, Bachmann said she wants Minnesotans "armed and dangerous on this issue of the energy tax because we need to fight back."

Hmm...now let me see if I have this straight. Conservatives spent months talking about William Ayers, Weather Underground, and their ties with the supposed "radicalness" of Barack Obama and yet who are the ones that continue advocating insurgency?

Meanwhile, Sarah Palin, talking a break from creating a list of books to be banned in her quickly fading fairy tale of being the queen, is-OMG-like sooo pissed off and stuff because of what Levi dished on Tyra so she went to her BFFs at People Magazine and set the record straight.

Is it just me or does the conservative movement get more entertaining every day?