Lies, Damn Lies & McCain's Message

SNL

Also, if you haven't seen it yet, the Saturday Night Live Sarah Palin-Katie Couric sketch was spot on:

Separated At Birth?

My friend, the frequent commenter here known as robo, passes along this pair of photos that might help some of you identify why the look and mannerisms of Senator McCreepy seemed so familiar during Friday night's debate:


Oh, behave!

Still One More Letter The SF Chronicle Won't Print

A bit self-referential here, but what the hey.

Editor --

With each passing day, Senator John McCain's choice of running mate, Governor Sarah Palin, proves herself to be spectacularly unqualified to hold high office. The recent Katie Couric interview is just another in a series of blunders and missteps that has bloggers comparing her performance to the infamous non-answer to the question of why many Americans can't find the US on a map, seen by millions on YouTube, that Miss South Carolina gave in the Miss Teen USA 2007 pageant. Senator McCain, after just a week ago proclaiming that our economy is "fundamentally strong," now tells Americans that he is "suspending" his presidential campaign to help solve the looming financial crisis. Curiously, though, his so-called suspension apparently doesn't include discontinuing any televised campaign ads or fundraising activities. When he goes to Washington to try to lead the charge on the bailout bill, negotiations stall and the agreement that had nearly been reached is scuttled.

Is Senator McCain running out of feet in which to shoot himself?

Love,
Generik

Compare And Contrast

Really, what the hell's the difference between these two? Oh yeah... one of these women is not vying to hold the second-most powerful elected office in the world. There's that.

Electoral-vote.com

Here's a great resource for daily updated polls and information on the presidential campaign that might ease some minds out there... assuming, of course, that we actually, you know, have an election this year... News from the Votemaster is especially worthwhile there. Check it out, kids.

Don't Cry For Me, America

In the comments to the earlier post titled Current Events, our pal fishstick mentioned an article by Naomi Wolf up at his blog that was taken from Alternet. I just finished reading it, and a right(wing) chill is still coursing up my spine. Check it out, if you're brave. Brrrr.

The Latest Version Of The Nigerian Banking Scam

A coworker found this on the Macintouch website:

Sep. 25, 2008

Email

Fred Moore

I received this morning. Looks like a virulent new version of the Nigerian scam. Even has a few grammatical errors. Problem is, it seems platform independent, and there's no way to avoid it if you're a US resident.

Dear American:

I need to ask you to support an urgent secret business relationship with a transfer of funds of great magnitude.

I am Ministry of the Treasury of the Republic of America. My country has had crisis that has caused the need for large transfer of funds of 800 billion dollars US. If you would assist me in this transfer, it would be most profitable to you.

I am working with Mr. Phil Gram, lobbyist for UBS, who will be my replacement as Ministry of the Treasury in January. As a Senator, you may know him as the leader of the American banking deregulation movement in the 1990s. This transactin is 100% safe.

This is a matter of great urgency. We need a blank check. We need the funds as quickly as possible. We cannot directly transfer these funds in the names of our close friends because we are constantly under surveillance. My family lawyer advised me that I should look for a reliable and trustworthy person who will act as a next of kin so the funds can be transferred.

Please reply with all of your bank account, IRA and college fund account numbers and those of your children and grandchildren to wallstreetbailout@treasury.gov so that we may transfer your commission for this transaction. After I receive that information, I will respond with detailed information about safeguards that will be used to protect the funds.

Yours Faithfully Minister of Treasury Paulson

Let's Hear Them

People for the American Way have a petition up that you can sign if you want the presidential and vice-presidential debates to go ahead as scheduled. Go on, all the cool kids are doing it.

Current Events

So let me see if I've got this straight: The President Who Cried Wolf was on the teevee last night weeping, sobbing, getting crocodile tears all over his patriotic silk tie while telling us that the sky is falling, that we need to be afraid, be very afraid, that we're all doomed, doomed, we're all going to die, die, die horrible nasty gooey flaming deaths a thousand times over if we don't allow him and his Cabinet minions to once again loot the Treasury of taxpayer money so that his administration can bail out the Wall Street fatcats who are responsible for getting us into this financial crisis in the first place. Preznit Greedhead and Secretary Paulson want to fully fund the CEOs' golden parachute packages while not giving one damn dime to the average American who is rapidly going under for the third time; and don't ask them why or how they plan on using that money other than to keep their rich friends supplied with caviar, vacation homes and gold-plated toilet seats, because if you question any part of this so-called "plan" you're a lousy, un-American traitor.

Meanwhile, in the face of this same financial crisis, Senator McChickenshit has declared that he wants to "suspend" his campaign, go back to Washington for... well, something that he hopes looks like it might be kind of a presidential thing to do, and, oh yeah, let's just postpone, or better yet, maybe just cancel those pesky presidential and vice-presidential debates that had been scheduled for quite a while, because it looks like neither one of us might make a very good impression with the voters right now, what with our being all out of touch with the state of the nation and caught in packs of lies and such.

On the other hand, McChickenshit's running mate, Caribou Barbie, promises, if elected, to keep this country safe from witchcraft. Well, that's a relief!

Is that about right?

I'm Voting Republican

I'm voting Republican because I think people in this country have too gosh-darn many civil liberties as it is. I'm voting Republican because I believe the rich guys on Wall Street need more taxpayer money and less oversight. I'm voting Republican because I'm a true-blue American, and as such, I'm not particularly bright, I'm suspicious of people who are, and I'm easily manipulated.

Why are you voting Republican?

Hiatus -- I Mean It This Time

Okay, this time I'm really taking a break, going camping all next week where I'll have NO internet access whatsoever. I won't be back until Monday, 9/22. See all y'all then.

Oh, and you know what I would really, really love to have happen while I'm gone?

Speaking Of Sarah Palin...

Here's one more letter that you won't see running in the SF Chronicle any time soon:

Editor --

After last night's caribou in the headlights performance by vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin while being interviewed by ABC's Charlie Gibson -- "Do you agree with the Bush Doctrine?" "...In what respect, Charlie?" -- all I can say is, you can put lipstick on Dan Quayle, but it's still just Dan Quayle.

Love,
Generik

Stripping Sarah

Thanks to Catherine of Povertybarn for this video of Gina Gershon playing Sarah Palin:

See more Gina Gershon videos at Funny or Die

How Does He Campaign With His Pants On Fire?

And I thought Bush and Cheney were bad with the truth...

"Fool Me A Third, Fourth And Fifth Time..."

Frequent commenter here (and close personal friend of mine) Buffoon posted this comment about the latest post on cartoonist David Horsey's blog on the Seattle PI site. I thought it was good enough to give him a forum here on the Generik Brand for a replay. You go, Buffoon:

Okay, whether or not the "pig" remark was referring to Sarah Palin (I don't think it was, but let's let the GOP make up the right wing's minds for them), the fact is this: IT DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE ISSUES, YOU MORONS!!!!

The GOP charge-it-and-spend plan has us owing trillions of dollars. The interest on those loans each year is more than Bill Gates' net worth. Any candidate that doesn't plan to adjust taxes as a way to paying off the National Debt is being irresponsible.

The great God of the GOP, Ronald Reagan, was wrong in his tax plan. "Trickle-down economics" doesn't work. It's more like "Trickle-ON economics."

Now the current GOP candidates can say they're going to change things all they want to, but that's what the GOP said in the 2000 election.

Fool me once, shame on you.
Fool me twice, shame on me.
Fool me a third, fourth and fifth time, I'm a Republican.

I have a good friend who voted for Bush in 2004. When I aske d him why, he replied, "He's a Christian." I contended that Bush, as well as the current slate the GOP has trotted out, are FAR from Christian. They show NONE of the values of Christ or his teachings.

If the reason you support McCain/Palin is because they say they're "Christian," think about this: I can say I'm a duck, but unless I quack and can flap my arms and fly, I'm not a duck, I'm a liar.

Any sane person who looks at the economy, the war, and the way our freedoms have been stripped of us under the current Administration would not only not vote for a Republican this election, but would NEVER vote for a Republican in the future.

Pull your heads out of your collective behinds and look around.

West Coast Tour

Our friend and colleague the Freewayblogger is on a tour of the West Coast doing his unique thing for peace. Check it out, and look for his work on a highway near you soon!

Yet Another Letter The SF Chronicle Won't Print

Editor --

With each passing day bringing new revelations of Governor Sarah Palin's penchant for prevarication -- the earmarks and Bridge to Nowhere lies, Troopergate, the librarian firing, etc. -- it strikes me that, even more so than her running mate, Governor Palin is well-qualified to assume the Bush-Cheney mantle of disingenuousness and obfuscation. She's already a pro, out on the campaign trail calling herself an agent for "change" in Washington. The only change the McCain-Palin ticket would bring to the White House is one additional X chromosome.

Love,
Generik

Generik Has Two Moms

Taking a brief break from my hiatus to post something that has made me very happy recently. A week ago today, my mother, Peggy, got married to her partner of 25 years, Dolores. It was a very simple ceremony at the county courthouse, with just myself and my niece as witnesses; later we had a very nice dinner in a private room at a restaurant not far from their house with a few more family members.

All day my mother kept saying how happy she was, and the whole time I was there both of them were practically giddy about the whole thing. During the ceremony Dolores was crying so much she could hardly repeat her vows. The justice who performed the ceremony, a lovely woman named Diane Martinez, was so moved that she began crying as well. My mother's face was streaked with tears when she said "I do," and her smile couldn't have been bigger. After the ceremony, Dolores read a few words that she written about what their relationship has meant to her over the years, and how happy she was at being able to marry Peggy and make that lifelong commitment a solid legal one.

When I gave the toast later, I said that we were not only celebrating a wedding, but also a silver anniversary. I'm extremely thankful that we're finally living in a world where two committed people who love each other very much are able to make that commitment legal. That simple ceremony meant so much to Peggy and Dolores; unless you've experienced something similar, I don't know if anyone can really understand what a difference it made.

So I just want to say how happy I am for them. I love my two moms very much, and I'm so glad I was able to be a part of that wedding.